Page 60 of Thawed Gladiator Thrax

He’s not tall or particularly muscular, instead he has a lean, wiry frame and a hard face that makes me think he is used to deception rather than using his strength to gain control.

“Don’t move.” His voice is low and threatening. “Roth will be happy to see you, Thrax. Head to the hypogeum, the underground tunnels.”

My blood runs cold at the mention of Roth. Skye’s hand tightens in mine, her face pale with fear.

“Now,” the man growls, gesturing with the weapon.

We have no choice but to obey. As we move toward the entrance to the underground area, my mind races. How did Roth find us? I have no way of knowing. What does he want? The answer is obvious—me. This man knows me by name.

The cool, damp air of the hypogeum hits us as we descend. It’s dark down here, the narrow passages lit only by dim electric lights. In my time, this place would have been bustling with activity—animals in cages, gladiators preparing for battle. Now, it’s eerily muted except for the echoing of our steps.

Skye said we wouldn’t be allowed down here without another ticket, but there isn’t anyone else around.

Our captor pushes us forward, the weapon pressed against my back. I want to fight, to protect Skye, but I know any sudden move could get us both killed.

“Keep moving,” the man orders.

I keep my body between Skye and the man with the gun as we wind our way through the tunnels, the layout familiar from so long ago. Finally, we emerge into a larger chamber. Standing there, a satisfied smirk on his face, is a man I assume must be Roth. By his side is a muscular male who, though more physically powerful than the doctor, is obviously his servant.

Dr. Roth is standing half in shadow, half in a slit of light. He is almost my height, but not muscular. His sandy hair is starting to disappear off his forehead. If I passed him in the street, I wouldn’t give him a second look or remember his face. But he wears an expression I’ve seen countless times before. His eye is twitching and there is spit gathered at the corner of his mouth as he leers at Skye. He seems as greedy and money hungry as any of Ancient Rome’s slavers.

“Ah, a dead man walking.” Roth’s eyes gleam with a hunger that makes my skin crawl. “And his lovely companion. Welcome.” His voice is oily, false.

Skye steps closer to me, her body trembling slightly. I wrap an arm around her to tuck her closer, trying to shield her from Roth’s gaze.

“What do you want?” Skye demands in a commanding tone I’ve never heard from her before.

Roth’s smile widens as he stabs me with an icy stare. “Why,you, of course. Do you have any idea of the scientific value you represent? The secrets your body holds? The millions, maybe billions, of dollars I would earn if I uncover the secret of your resurrection?”

My stomach churns at his words. This man sees me as nothing more than a relic to be studied.

“He’s a person,” Skye spits out, her fear giving way to anger. “Not your lab rat.”

Roth laughs, the sound echoing off the stone walls. “Oh, my dear. He’s so much more than a person. He’s the key to unlocking the secrets of time itself.”

After Roth finishes bragging about his plans, he pulls out his phone and punches in a number. He lifts his head when someone answers and barks, “Initiate Protocol Omega,” then smirks at us. “Insurance, you might say. More than just your capture is already in motion.”

More than this? My mind races. We need to get out of here, to escape, try to foil whatever plot is in the works. But how? The man with the gun pulled it from his pocket and has it trained on us. I’ve watched enough television with Skye to know it’s far more deadly than a spear or sword.

Then, I remember something. I know this place. I fought here not long before mydominussent me away on theFortuna. There’s another way out, a passage that leads to what used to be the animal pens.

I catch Skye’s eye, trying to convey my plan without words. She gives a tiny nod. Although she couldn’t know what my plan is, her body tenses as she prepares to follow my instructions.

“… and once we’ve completed our tests,” Roth drones on, “we’ll move on to the others, studying them one by one as we take them out of cryo. I have backers, big pharma. All the money I need is at my disposal. Imagine, a whole team of time-displaced subjects to study!” His eyes sparkle like the madmen who sometimes begged for coins in the streets outside of arenas just before a spectacle.

The thought of my brothers, still frozen and vulnerable, being in this crazed man’s hands fills me with rage. Without thinking, I lunge forward, tackling Roth to the ground.

Chaos erupts. Skye screams, the man with the gun shouts, and I grapple with Roth on the damp stone floor. My fist connects with his jaw, and the satisfying crunch of bone meeting bone echoes in the chamber.

Roth is stunned but still conscious. Glancing around the area, I spot Skye swinging the wooden sword that’s still in her hand, exactly as I taught her. She knocks the gun from the thug’s grasp with a swift strike, then catches him in the head with the flat of the sword on the backswing. The man goes down with a yelp of pain.

I snatch up my sword where I dropped it to tackle Roth, then lunge for Skye, gripping her upper arm and pushing her forward. She’s ahead of me as we race down a dark passage that I think doubles back to the surface. I take care to keep my body between her and the men with weapons. Roth just gave himself away. He wants me alive, to study, at least for a little while. He has no such plans for Skye.

We run through the dark tunnels. The only sounds are our footsteps and ragged breathing. Behind us, I can hear shouts and the pounding of feet. They’re giving chase and don’t sound too far behind us.

“Almost there,” I pant, guiding Skye through a sharp turn.

But as we round the corner, my heart sinks. Where there should be an exit, there’s now a rusted iron gate, firmly locked in place.

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