1 The Dream Rider (22 page)

I put on the outfit I’d grown accustomed to wearing over
the last week. They must have replaced the old one every time because the one
in the automatic drawer was clean and didn’t have cuts on the back. As I put on
the new gear, I looked at my skin in the mirror. The scars on the middle of my
back were almost completely healed. I could barely see them.

“Your body regenerates at an amazing rate for one of your
species, Finn,” Sam commented emotionlessly.

I pulled the tight black polyester over my torso. “Not on
my planet it doesn’t.”
 
It felt a
little strange with her watching me undress and redress. I had to remind myself
that she wasn’t really a she at all, just a piece of software. Still, it was a
kind of creepy.

After I finished getting the clothes on, I opened a tall
sliding glass door and stepped out onto a narrow deck. The view wasn’t as high
as the one from the room I’d been in with Mallock, but it was still impressive.
There was a beige cushioned chair against the wall and I decided to sit down
and watch the sun set over the horizon. I realized I’d not seen a sunset on
this alien world. The display of colors was dazzling. Bright greens and blues
stretched across the sky as if put there by a giant paintbrush. The colors
changed to yellow and peach then red, just before the sun disappeared behind
the mountains beyond the city walls. I lost track of time as I watched the
remnants of solar light begin to fade away, overtaken by the coming dusk.

The two bizarre moons began to rise in the opposite
horizon. The visual was as spectacular as it was strange, two giant satellites
looming in the sky so close to the planet. I assumed the people of Sideros took
it for granted, like people on Earth took our own moon for granted. Things that
became commonplace were easily forgotten. Like good food, clean air, a soft
bed, or freedom.

I thought about the last conversation with Jonas before
being brought to the suite. Mallock was amassing an army, and eventually they
would reach Earth. I wondered how soon that would be possible. My world was on
the other side of the galaxy, light years away. But if he had somehow harnessed
the ability to travel immense distances in almost no time, his forces could go
anywhere, leaving a path of destruction in his wake. Mallock would overrun as
many planets as possible in his quest for control. It was hard to imagine such
ambition.

I just wanted to graduate from college and get a job that
paid a decent wage. This guy wanted to take over entire worlds. Then it hit me.
Planets.
I
jumped up from the seat and ran back into the room. “Sam?”

She appeared directly in front of me, which was a little
startling. “Yes?”

“What planet is Mallock from?”
 

She seemed confused by the question but answered anyway.
“He is from the planet Gallyon. It is in a solar system not far from this
one.”
 

“Can you pull up any information on it?”
 
She instantly complied and a new image
appeared in mid air. The detail and resolution of the likeness was amazing. It
is a rocky planet, filled with dirty cities, pollution, and warring factions.
The rivers are murky, the earth scorched and sterile.

“The population of Gallyon is 3.25 billion people, though
that declines every year. The planet has become unable to sustain a population
of more than one billion due to pollution of the water supply and soil. Lack of
agricultural production has resulted in mass starvation and uncontrollable
crime. Air quality is extremely low as well. Life expectancy is forty-three
Earth years, but that is dropping quickly.”
 

“Forty-three? That’s so young.”

“For those who have food, nutrition is extremely poor and
there is almost no medical care at this point.”
 

“How did it get like that?” I pressed, crossing my arms.
“Why did the people let that happen?”

“Historical records are vague. They suggest that most of
the world was at war with each other. The wars and reckless industrialism
contaminated the ground and almost seventy percent of the global water
supply.”
 

“That explains a lot,” I whispered almost to myself. The
realization was beginning to set in. Mallock’s motivating catalyst was
something he’d lost, just like so many comic book villains I’d seen.

“It does?” Sam seemed lost and put her hands on her hips
awaiting my explanation.

“Yeah. Actually, it explains everything.”
 

The door to the suite began to open, surprising both of
us. “They’re early,” she said, stating the obvious with a worried look. The
image of the planet disappeared immediately, as did Sam.

I slowly sheathed the blade into the strap on my back.
“You boys are early,” I commented as casually as possible.

“Keep your mouth shut, frag,” the one with the English
accent snapped. “You cost me a lot of money the last few fights.”

“Maybe you should stop betting against me.”
 

He stepped around behind me and clamped the bonds onto my
wrists then jabbed me in the kidneys with the butt of his gun. I winced from
the blow but kept my balance. I took a deep breath and glared at him.

“Not tonight, boy. No chance you’re going to win. The only
question is how fast you die.”
 

“We’ll see,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

He laughed and looked at the other guards in the escort.
“He thinks he’s got a chance, gents,” he scoffed then turned back to me. His
breath reeked as he leaned in close. He smelled like he hadn’t bathed in a few
days. “You don’t realize what you’re in for, frag. The emperor is sending his
best to get rid of you tonight. I doubt you will even make it through one
minute.”
 

“Like I said. We’ll see.”
 

My stunt of killing the man that had murdered Tota had led
to a change in protocol for the undercard fights. Instead of keeping me in a
holding pen just inside the wall of the stadium, I was escorted to a sterile
white room with a wide television screen built into the wall. The thing was
impossible to ignore. I tried not to watch the first two fights, but the screen
was right in front of me and I had nowhere to go. The sounds of the battles
echoed through the little room. The walls trembled as the crowd’s frenzied cheers
peaked.

As I looked at the screen, I noticed that the arena floor
was still
flat,
contrary to the schematics Sam had
shown me. The dirt was gone, revealing a metallic surface, but there was no
sign of three levels. A nagging thought recurred in my brain.
Sam is setting me
up.

The undercard battles lasted about fifteen minutes each,
much to the delight of the audience. The winners were both from the red group,
out dueling opponents from the black banner in what turned out to be grueling
encounters. At the end, the men in each fight were exhausted, and it had become
a contest of endurance in which the red warriors had a keen advantage.

After the second fatality, the door to my holding cell
opened. The guards outside said nothing and motioned for me to exit.

A few minutes later, I entered the arena to more applause
than I’d heard before. The entire stadium was on its feet, ready to see the
spectacle of the night’s headlining event. As I walked through the giant doors,
I was amazed at the scene. I had no idea how they’d done it, but in a matter of
a few minutes, the floor had transformed into three elevated platforms. A
narrow walkway led to the first one that hovered above the others like a series
of staggered steps. I wondered what technology could cause the huge levels to
float in mid air.

I noticed something out of the corner of my eye and
twisted my head to see Nela and Jonas walking out simultaneously below me. Nela
was wearing a tight vinyl outfit and matching black boots. Jonas was in a black
Gi with a green belt wrapped around the waist. Each one of them carried a
straight, double-edged sword and a medium-sized shield.

The crowd continued to cheer even after the game master
came over the speaker system and tried to get them calmed down.

“Everyone seems to be pretty excited tonight, Sam.” I
spoke carefully out of the side of my
mouth,
worried I
might give away the secret hidden in my ear.

“They’ve never seen anything like this before,” her voice
replied, coolly. “I imagine they’re fascinated.”
 

I didn’t say anything else, thinking it best to keep
silent until she let me know when the walls would come down. I stepped
cautiously across the floating platforms. I assumed they were held up by some
kind of giant magnets. There were trains on Earth that hovered above their
tracks with the same technology; it seemed the only logical explanation.
Though, there were plenty of things that defied logic in this place.

A quick glance below the structure showed me that shorting
the jump would not be a good idea. Thousands of sharp, metal spikes protruded
from the floor below. One misstep and I would be skewered. Even when Sam got
the plasma walls down, the leap would be a dangerous one. It was easily thirty
feet to the next platform where Nela stood, and while the drop would make it
easier to cover the distance, an ordinary human could probably never make it.

Again, Jari’s voice came over the speakers, louder this
time. “Ladies and gentlemen. Distinguished guests. Welcome to tonight’s
extremely special event.”
 
He
elongated the word
extremely.
“Tonight, we have only one battle remaining. But as you
can see, it is going to be quite a show. Three fighters, all from the same
group, will do battle simultaneously.”
 
He whipped the crowd into
a frenzy
, feeding off
of their energy. When they started to die down, he continued. “For tonight,
only, our gracious emperor has been generous enough to send his very own
imperial guards to fight against the rebellious prisoners of Sideros!”
 

The response to this announcement was met with delight,
and the crowd’s decibel level reached new heights. I could hear some of them
yelling at me, instructing I give no mercy. Others insisted I was about to die.
The three men I was going to fight stepped out of another door on the opposite
side of my platform. Each one wore a matching helmet with pointed metal
protecting the nose and cheekbones. They carried an assortment of weapons
between them. One had a sword, another a spear, and the third possessed a chain
with a spiked metal ball on the end.

It was a menacing group, hell bent on one thing:
 
killing. The spectacle fascinated me.
Technology mixed with primitive weaponry. I wasn’t sure if it was ironic or
just weird.

I took my eyes off the three opponents and looked down at
Jonas. The men he was about to fight were a similar cast of characters. One had
a sword, but I couldn’t make out what the others carried.

“And as an added bonus,” the game master went on, “we have
an extremely special guest tonight. The former king of Sideros, Jonas will be
fighting for the first time in the games on the bottom level.”
 

A hush came over the crowd. I could see Jari’s face on one
of the giant screens, looking surprised at the stadium’s reaction. I guess he
thought the people would be happy to see their fallen ruler in the arena games.
Instead, their reaction was one of awe.

The game master quickly picked up the pace and ordered
that the plasma walls activated. Instantly, a bluish green film appeared that
stretched from the edge of the platform all the way to receptors fixed to the
ceiling. It was an amazing piece of technology. The crowd certainly seemed
impressed, gasping when the mechanism was turned on.

“Warriors!” the game master shouted. “Are you ready?”
 
He was still making a show of it. I doubted
he cared if we were ready or not. The fighters across from me raised their
weapons in a show of readiness and spread out, creating space between them.
“Begin!” Jari ordered.

The stadium erupted in a massive roar as the three men
began to move at me. The one with the chain stood in the center, swinging his
weapon around in a circle over his head, waiting for the opportune moment to
strike.

“Sam, whenever you’re ready.”
 

I waited for a moment for her to respond, but there was
nothing. “Sam, hit it,” I expressed more urgency the second time. Still, the
earpiece was silent. My fears were realized. Sam had betrayed me.

Two guards had spread out and were on both flanks, still
approaching. The guy with the ball and chain had moved as well and now the one
with the sword was between my jump point and the plasma wall. I knew I was
going to have to get him out of the way, but the one with the spear lunged at
me first. He jabbed the pointed end of the long shaft at my left arm. I dodged
the attack easily and kicked hard at the man’s midsection, sending him reeling
backwards. The one with the sword struck next in a flurry of thrusts and
swings. My blade was quickly in my hand, almost unconsciously, and sparks flew
as I deflected and returned his swings. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the
spiked ball flying in my direction and narrowly ducked out of the way as it
sailed just over my skull. Instantly, the guard with the spear swiped at my
feet, trying to catch me off guard. I flipped high into the air backwards and
landed near the edge of the luminescent wall. Both hands waved at my sides for
a second, keeping me from losing my balance and falling into the deadly film.

“Finn, can you hear me?”
 
Relief washed over me at the sound of Sam’s voice in the
earpiece.

The respite only lasted a second, though. The guy with the
chained weapon pushed forward and took another swing at my head. This time,
when I ducked out of the way, my hand shot up and grabbed the metal links. He
tried to jerk on the handle of his weapon but the power had already begun to
serge through my body. I yanked hard on the last third of the taught shackle.
The man’s eyes only had a fraction of a second to grow wide as he was pulled
through the air with superhuman strength. I moved out of the way as his body
soared past me and into the plasma wall. His scream only lasted until his face
hit the strange filament. Seconds later, the man’s entire body was engulfed in
a short, fiery glow before disappearing into a thin smoke. The crowd exploded
in a rousing cheer, though I wasn’t sure if they were dazzled by my feat of
strength or the imagery of the man’s death.

The other two looked at each other for a brief second.
Their pause gave me a moment to remind Sam I still needed the wall down.
“Anytime, Sam.”

I sprinted forward and jumped through the air to the other
side of the room, positioning myself to make a direct run at the jump point for
the next platform. I heard the crowd cheer again as I glanced over to see one
of Nela’s opponents cornering her near the blue-green force field. She swung
fiercely at the far larger man but she wouldn’t last much longer.

The two remaining enemies on my platform closed the gap
between us with caution, approaching slowly with weapons extended at a safe
distance.

“Are you ready, Finn?” Sam said in my ear.

“Yeah, what took you so long? I’m in position to make the
jump. Punch it.”
 

Suddenly, the translucent barrier on all three platforms
disappeared. For a second, my opponents were distracted and turned their heads
to see what had happened. The audience moaned briefly, disappointed that the
light show was gone. I leapt towards the two men at blinding speed. My movement
brought their attention back to the fight, but it was too late. The one with
the sword swung his blade horizontally as I slid underneath the sharp edge on
both knees, popping up on the other side of them and maintaining momentum.

“I hope this thing holds, Sam!” I yelled as I reached the
edge of the platform and pressed hard with my foot. I flew through the air with
my hands in front of me, hoping I wouldn’t short the jump. My fears were soon
put to rest as I rolled to a landing on the next platform’s black metal floor.
I quickly looked back up and saw the men from my level try to make the
crossing. One might have made it. If the plasma wall hadn’t come back on a
split second before he reached the edge. He disappeared into the fiery glow,
only a few specs of ash passed through to the platform. The other man wasn’t as
fortunate. He missed the platform altogether, falling several feet short and
landing amid the sharp spikes below. The audience groaned at the villain’s
demise. I couldn’t see it, but I imagined it was gruesome.

My attention immediately turned to the men who were
attacking Nela. When the wall shut down, she’d been able to use the distraction
to get away for a few seconds, but now she was hemmed in again. The other two
men seemed content to let the one with the sword finish her off. They hadn’t
expected company, at least not so soon.

One had seen me make the jump and pulled out two short
swords that were sheathed at his sides. He started stalking towards me in giant
steps, waving the weapons around, displaying his skills, perhaps for me, maybe
for the crowd. He spun and twirled around, whipping the blades through the air
in all directions.

I stood still and pulled my sword from its holder and held
it directly in front of my face. The man gave a war cry and took another step,
holding his swords out to both sides. In the flash of a moment, I raised my own
blade over my head and flung it at him. The metal flashed through the air at
the speed of a bullet, striking him in the chest with the tip and sinking deep
into his skin. His eyes winced in pain for a few seconds before he fell
backwards onto the floor. The other saw what had happened and made a move
towards his fallen comrade.

I covered the distance in a blur and pulled the bloody
sword from the guard’s corpse just in time to deflect the strike from a massive
war hammer. The follow through carried the man stumbling away from me, the
weight of his weapon yielding a great deal of momentum.

“Did you make it?” I heard Sam’s voice in my head.

“Yep. Still here.”
 

The guard with the hammer had recovered and was swinging
it at me again. I dove to the right and out of the way, spinning as I did and
ripping the tip of my sword across the back of his knee. He screamed out in
agony as the tendons were severed in half. I started to move in for the kill
when I saw Nela drop to the ground, thirty feet away from me. She clutched her
abdomen, but I didn’t see any blood. Her
opponent raised up
his sword for the killing blow.

Ignoring the writhing guard next to me, I launched at the
other man as he began to bring the sword down at Nela’s neck. I zipped through
the air, positioning my blade over my body, hitting the floor between the two
of them just before the edge of the attacker’s weapon neared his target.
Instead of slicing into Nela, the weapon struck my sword and came to an abrupt
halt.

Anger surged through his face underneath his helmet. With
his free hand, he punched me in the face, knocking me several feet away. Nela
crawled away to a safe distance, still grabbing her stomach.