Fledge (36 page)

I wait around for what seems like a very long time before a woman directs me to enter where Monk went through earlier. Inside is another hallway but I see Monk sticking out of a door near the end and walk towards him.

He's talking to someone inside when I reach him. He looks back at me and opens the door and directs me in, then backs out into the hallway and closes the door behind me.

Inside there are nine Archers sitting behind a crescent-moon table that looks similar to the one the 039 used at our meeting. My face goes tight and I feel the anger rise inside me. "Now what did I do?"

Lucan sits in the middle with four Archers on each side of him. He points to a chair in front of him and I walk over and take the hot seat once again.

I want to cry. But I don't. I sit and look at the ground.

"Junco," Lucan begins. "Layla said she showed you the scanner image?"

I nod, but say nothing.

"There have been a great many changes, do you agree?"

I nod again.

"Is the syrinx who talks to you inside of you? Or is she real?"

I shrug, then finally look up and meet their eyes, one set at a time, coming to rest back on Lucan as I answer. "How should I know? I saw her outside of me, if that's what you're asking."

The guy immediately to Lucan's left takes a stab next. "Junco, I am Gib, the Archer of Clutch. Can you describe her?"

I take a deep breath, then exhale. "She's pretty tall, long red hair, long red gown – kind of silky. Know what I mean? Like she's dressed up for something. She's not dark, but not fair like you guys." I shrug.

They look at each other and nod. Then Rache speaks. "Does she have wings, Junco?"

I shake my head. "No."

"What does she want?" another man asks without introduction.

"She wants me to save Tier."

"And how did she tell you to do that?"

I look at them all individually one more time. "I'm not going to tell you."

Lucan huffs. "Junco, you will tell us or we will punish you."

"I will not, Lucan. You can kill me for all I care. I don't plan on being around much longer anyway." His head pulls back at my statement.

Another one speaks without introducing himself. "Then we won't let you fight in Deliverance."

I stand up and knock the chair back. "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!" I walk back towards the door.

Lucan is there in front of me before I can reach it. He puts a hand on my shoulder. "Junco, please. We're just trying to understand what you are and what you're doing."

"I told you, dammit. She wants me to save him. You can make this very simple and just let him go." I look around. "But you won't. Why? He was already halfway forgiven for those killings, you're just pissed because he brought me here. Well, there's an easy fix, just let him live and we'll both go back to Earth and then you won't have to see us ever again."

Lucan's hand is still on my shoulder and I shrug it off as he starts talking. "We can't let you go until we know what we're up against."

"Fine, put me in jail, or whatever it is you're going to do with me because I'm tired and hungry. I just want to get some fucking sleep and eat something right now."

Lucan opens the door and Monk is waiting outside. He looks at me with raised eyebrows and it reminds me of Braun that first time I met Lucan and told him off in the hallway. "Take her to her room on the Deliverance floor." Monk nods and takes my arm, pulling me away before I can look back.

We walk for a long time through so many convoluted hallways I have a little panic attack about getting lost and my feet actually hurt by the time we make it to the room that will be mine. Monk opens the door and begins showing me around. "Kush is next door, you can open the connecting door if you want."

I look up. "He is?" My chest heaves and I drop my head and begin to cry unexpectedly.

Monk just stares at me. "Junco, I'm sorry. I'm not used to dealing with girls in situations like this. Should I call for Ashur and have him come talk to you?"

I shake my head and wipe my fingers across my face to get rid of the tears. "No, I'm OK. I'm just tired, Monk. I'm tired."

"And hungry, right?"

I nod and smile. "And hungry."

"OK, well, I can get Kush, if you want?"

"No, I'll talk to him later."

"You want me to go?"

I nod.

He smiles. "Oh, here. Rache wanted me to give you this." He fishes into his thigh pocket and pulls out a com. "It's coded to our team, the 399, you're number eight. So, if you want to give someone your number, like Ryse or Ashur, you tell them Junco, Aves 399-8."

He hands it over and I slip it in next to my other com.

"That old one won't work here." He shrugs. "We're off Amelia now, right? You gotta use a Justice com."

"All right."

"OK, I'm number one. So if you want to call me, just push one and it'll go to me. Or if you want to call Rache, just push zero."

"What's Kush?"

He looks at me funny. "We didn't give him one."

"Why not?"

He smiles. "While you're here, Junco, you're on my team. You're my eight. Kush is just another fucking fighter."

"Oh." I let out a breath. "Thanks, and sorry for crying. I'm just–"

"Tired, yeah, I get it." He squeezes my shoulder and then leaves without another word.

I walk over to the floor to ceiling windows and stand on a little ledge that butts up against the glass to look out. It's a view of the fight arena. It's a pretty big place, a lot bigger than any arena I've ever fought in for Fledge. At one end is a stage-type riser. Scattered throughout the open central area are mushroom gravity wells, similar to the ones from Fight Seven. My room is almost dead center opposite the stage.

Surrounding the upper portion of the arena are seats for the spectators. It will be weird to fight in front of people, but not much weirder than anything else I've done since I became an avian.

My com buzzes and I immediately wonder how Kadian got my new number so fast. "Hello?"

"Junco?"

It's Ashur. "Yeah."

"You all right?"

I nod, then remember he can't see me. "Yeah."

He lets out a little laugh. "Monk is freaked out. He's never had a girl on his team."

"I don't get it, how come I'm on his team?"

Ashur is quiet for a few seconds. "Rache wants to keep you, Junco. So…" He stops, maybe not wanting to finish the thought, or maybe he's listening to me breathe erratically on the other side as I begin to realize what's happening. "Don't be surprised if they treat you real nice."

I've done it now, my team is about to be ripped away before I even get the chance to enjoy them. I'm silent as I choke back my tears and try to swallow down the ache that prevents me from talking.

"Junco?"

I push it down one more time before I speak. "Yeah."

"You want me to come see you?"

I shake my head, then catch myself again. "No." I breathe the word out with a half-hidden sob. "No, I'm OK. Really. I'm just going to go to sleep. I'm tired."

"Tomorrow then?"

My nose is running and I sniff a couple times. "Yeah, OK. Tomorrow."

"OK, if you need anything, just call Monk. He's not a bad guy."

"All right, I will. Bye."

I end the call and sit down on the ledge to rest my back on the window and let the sobs out, a little bit at first, then I give up and the tears run down my cheeks like rivers.

How ironic.

After barely wriggling out of my father selling me to the highest bidder, then traveling a hundred million miles across open space to another world, it turns out I can't escape that fate after all.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Ashur is sleeping next to me when I wake up. When I stir he reaches over and puts his arm around me. "Junco?"

I open my eyes and stare at him. He smiles. "You're not OK, Junco."

I look at him, first the one green eye, then the other. "I know. What time is it?"

I watch him check his vision screen and I realize I could have just checked my own. "5:42 AM."

"Too early to get up."

He pulls me to his chest. "Way too fucking early to get up."

"What time did you get here?"

"About an hour ago."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Juncs."

My eyes close and I fall back asleep clinging to him tightly and counting the slow up-and-down motion of his breathing.

The next time I wake Ashur is gone and Monk is giving me a vigorous shake.

"What the fuck?"

"Ah, sorry. But Rache said you have to eat something."

I flip open my eyes and stare up at him. "You're fucking with me, right?"

He screws up his face. "No, why?"

"What is it with you people and my eating habits?"

"I dunno, Junco. Get up and get dressed and I'll take you down to the cafeteria."

"Where did Ashur go?"

"Oh, he said to tell you he'll be back later."

I watch him leave and I force myself up and into the shower. There is a clean uniform waiting for me on the bed when I'm done and I slip it on. Monk appears just as I'm lacing up my boots and stands in the open doorway, talking to someone else outside for a few seconds before directing his attention to me. "Ready?"

I nod.

The hallway is bustling with activity and all sorts of people say hi to me as I pass them. "Who are all these people?" I ask as we start hopping down the stairs.

"Just other fighters."

"Oh, how many are there? Looks like a lot."

He hesitates at the bottom of the stairs as he waits for me to catch up with him. "Thirty-two? Thirty-five? Not sure this year."

"So, what type of person typically wins this fight?"

He starts walking down the hall, then looks over to me and smiles. "Warriors, Junco. Like you."

"And what do people usually ask for, in the wish department?"

"Oh, shit – healing mostly, if the winner isn't Aves that is. I mean after they're done, they're typically pretty fucked up."

"Oh, I thought that was included? This is not a fight to the death, right?"

"Right, but there's a limit." He shrugs. "Or they ask for status positions."

I think of Kush. "And how does that work? They just get promotions, based on the fight?"

"Yeah, pretty much. Nothing spectacular, I mean, it's a gift, it's not earned."

I grunt. "Yeah, who wants to follow a guy who never earned his appointment?"

He looks down at me as we walk. "Exactly. They never seem to figure that out, though."

"What else do they wish for?"

He stops at the cafeteria counter and starts grabbing food. "What do you want?"

I shrug and make a face. "Some of that," I say, pointing to the biscuits.

He shakes his head. "I'll choose for you. Ashur says he always orders for you, else you only eat cookies."

I smile. "He does. What else do they wish for, Monk?"

"Money. A better place to live, shit like that. What are you going to wish for, Junco?"

"I haven't decided yet."

He looks back at me and shakes his head. "Right."

He takes the tray over to a table full of guys and gestures for me to sit. "This is my team, Junco." He points and names them one by one and I say hello. He introduces me as the eight and I feel weird.

I watch and listen to them interact and realize they are pretty much just like the 039, only different faces. I breathe out and wonder if I will ever get to go home. Then I have to stop and ask myself where home is. It seems to be relative these days.

Ashur finds us before we are finished eating and slips onto the bench next to me, saying hi to everyone on Monk's team like he knows them well. He looks over my half-empty tray of food and smiles. "Looks like Monk's on feeding duty?"

I nod. "Yeah, I don't get why you guys are so interested in what I eat, but whatever. So what have you been doing all day?"

He turns and doesn't meet my gaze. "I went to see Tier." Then he looks down to me to see my reaction.

I look across the cafeteria and spot Kush watching me. "Oh."

"He wants to see you, Junco. Tonight."

"Well, I'm not so sure–"

"You're going," he says sternly.

I look up at him, to read how serious he is. "Why? I just don't think it's a good idea, I won't know what to say, it's gonna be awkward and–"

"It's his last night, Junco."

I shake my head at him and smile. "No, it isn't, Ashur."