Page 106 of Stealing Mercury
Beyond the barrier she could see the sandy oval and the throngs of people crowded into the stands. Some areas were packed tight with people, while others were fitted with semicircles of luxury. She looked back to the arena floor, dreading the moment when she’d see Mercury and Lo out there. She could see areas where the sand had been stained a ruddy brown with blood during earlier matches. Near the center, the remains of some sort of cart had been spilled over and twisted into shards of painted metal.
“Showtime,” said Drake.
Samantha blinked as the light intensified around them. She looked up to see that directly above the blue dome had brightened into a white so bright it gave the effect of a spotlight. Drake turned his back to the wall and lifted his gaze as an amplified voice called for attention from every speaker around the arena.
Samantha turned, too. The next level up sat about two meters back. The transparent barrier sat in a gilded frame and beyond it, Grande Owens stood next to a man in what could only be described as a toga. Above that, a large screen showed vid of the men standing many meters tall. A hush spread through the crowd like a wave drowning the voices in silence.
“Good friends of Roma, we have a special event for you tonight! I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors that House Owens lost some of its gladiators... and not in the usual way.”
Pockets of laughter exploded in the audience.
“We’re here to bring a close to this badly-handled publicity stunt. I bring to you, the Master of House Owens himself... Grande Owens!”
The toga draped man stepped back and Owens stepped forward, bringing his hand down for quiet.
“You may know,” he said. “That I’m known for having a bit of a competitive nature, as do all the Heads. Perhaps this time we oversold our storyline a bit.” Sprinkles of laughter followed his attempt at humor. “But never let it be said that House Owens doesn’t do things in a big way.”
This time the laughter sprang up like weeds after a rain, covering the crowd in giggles and half formed laughs.
“Let me start by introducing you to the woman we hired to play the part of our thief... the half-human–half-alien actress, Samantha Devlin.
Suddenly, Samantha’s face appeared on the screen and she was standing alone. Alone with Drake and two burly looking guards standing just out of the light.
The crowds roared, half cheering, half booing.
She still wore the guard’s uniform Rachel had left for her in the underground tunnel to the Juvenile Center. That had to add credence to his claims. Owens might be willing to cover up much of the truth of what happened, but he intended to ensurehersecrets were out.
The light shifted and Drake stepped up beside her, his smile that of a sand-viper after striking prey, waiting for the poisonous venom to take effect.
“And for our match tonight,” continued Owens. “We have two of our... missing... gladiators!”
Cheers swelled louder, this time all in complete accord. They wanted to be entertained.
“I give you a death match,” said Owens. “Mercury and Diablo against the behemoth champion of House Bonita!”
The large screen shifted to the arena floor and a darkened tunnel. The crowd’s cheers spiked, creating a cacophony that seemed sure to shatter the structure of the city’s dome.
Drake jerked her around to once again face the center of the arena. At eye level a three-dimensional holo projection flickered to life. Hanging in the air above the arena floor, a large holographic projection showed Lo and Mercury. The mammoth structure of light being projected from various points in the arena ensured everyone would see the action of the match in 3D as it happened.
Samantha scanned the arena floor and found them where they had just emerged from a tunnel directly below where she and Drake stood. Mercury and Lo jogged toward the center of the oval.
Heavy chains shackled their feet, but not so much that they couldn’t keep the easy pace. Running, however, would be out of the question. A leather binding strapped Mercury’s right forearm to Lo’s left.
Panic began to eat at the edges of her thoughts. She couldn’t stand by and watch them die. She had todosomething. “Why are they chained?”
Drake smiled with a trace of pride. “Because independent freedom of movement would be enough to give them the match. Even a behemoth couldn’t survive against those two.”
She considered asking, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what exactly a behemoth was. And then she didn’t need to ask. From further down the arena wall, a large creature lumbered into the light. Its legs were short and thick. Its long arms ended in blocky hands that touched the ground when it stooped forward. It wore leggings and a tunic, making it horrifically clear it wasn’t just a beast. It also had intelligence. Intelligence and size. Dust flew up around it with every step, creating a cloud of sand that would irritate his opponents’ eyes and hinder their breathing. Short bony horns sprouted from its skull.
“Roma created it.” Samantha could hardly believe it. She wanted Drake to deny the obvious.
“You didn’t think they would try only one DNA combination, did you? What would the arena be without beasts to slay?” Drake stroked the narrow beard that hugged his chin. “They didn’t have any tigers or elephants handy. Those creatures have been extinct for centuries.”
In the arena Mercury and Lo climbed through the wreckage of the cart. The crowd had taken up a chant. “Fight, fight, fight...”
“Idiot crowd. They think the Dogs are trying to hide.” Drake chuckled. “Owens should have had that chariot wreck cleaned up before the match. They’ll find a way to use the sheared metal to cut up the champion.”
The boasting tone of his voice shocked her. “You’re proud of them.”
