The Change: Episode one Read online

  “And for the second match…The Defender!”

  My nerves went back to taut. If I wasn’t chosen, I had no idea what I’d do until tomorrow. And, I really wouldn’t mind a crack at the Defender. I’d seen her fight and she was…

  “And the former Network guard’s challenger is…that Bounty Hunting Pruett from the Recovery Zones!”

  I grunted in relief. I didn’t mind being the Network’s tool to get rid of their former employee. It was one of the benefits.

  “This should be a highlight fight, folks. Known for being merciless, both of these second-match females are extremely good at what they do.”

  I paid no attention to the rest of the usual spiel as I planned my time until the match.

  “Neither of these females has indicated a preference of the Bachelors, but both have had their tour, as I’m sure you know.”

  I wondered briefly if the Defender had seen what I did, if she cared…if she’d noticed my mate and now wanted him.

  2

  My interview this time was with a man, one of the very rare former bachelors who had earned good favor with the Network. I’d only seen one of them in my trips in and out of New Network City, and thought their clothing and painted faces made them seem too feminine to draw the fire of Changelings. I was wrong.

  “So tell us, Candice. What’s it like to know you may be dead before the dawn?”

  His voice had a low tone that immediately woke the flames, and I leaned forward, curious as to what his reaction would be. “Thrilling. How about you?”

  He was covered in an extra layer of makeup to keep down the glare of the lights and to help disguise what he really was… an unbroken male who’d found freedom.

  He gave a confused smile as I prepared to pounce.

  “How about me, what?”

  I scented the air openly, letting him see the pinkening tint of my eyes. “How does it feel to know I could spill your blood before they could get to you?”

  He scrambled from the chair so fast that he tripped and went sprawling at my feet. His big shoulders flexed as he shoved himself up, and I let my hand trail along his arm as I followed him. He was bigger, stronger, but he froze under my touch, trembling.

  Need crackled, and those watching held their breath as I leaned closer.

  “You smell like…chocolate.” My eyes flashed red orbs that I had to pull back before I really did lose control. “I like chocolate.”

  He paler fuller under the makeup, but he knew not to run. If he’d done that, I might have snapped. He did smell good.

  I stepped away and gave him a sharp gesture he couldn’t mistake. Get lost!

  He was gone a second later, and I turned to look toward the cameras in the high corner. “But I love blood. When do we fight?!”

  The crowd roared, and I flashed my now famous grin. I’d gone through all of their supposedly indifferent reporters so far, and I was enjoying every minute of it.

  3

  Still hating it that someone else had been chosen to battle first, I watched these angry fighters on the screen in my parent’s room, entourage lurking in the open doorways. I'd left the doors that way to continue my campaign of intimidation. I was aware my security didn't approve of it, but they had respect for me, that I could feel.

  "They want to feature you on a talk show if you make it through."

  I nodded my agreement right away to the question in Angelica’s tone as she read through the communications and I let my Mother tame my unruly hair one last time. "Good." I loved being interviewed.

  My grin must have been fierce because my Mother shrank back, and my Father hurried to comfort her while I resumed my indifferent façade.

  The halls were crowded as I moved back toward my nicer room. New females were being set up for the next game, and I ignored their curious stares and fearful glances. None of them were my enemy, I thought, but the Network...

  Too wound up to rest, as the other contestants were probably doing, I wandered the halls I had access to and found myself on the aquatic Games floor. All of these shows involved surviving in water and I chose the one labeled with the shark fin. If I couldn’t be the one spilling blood right now, at least I could watch it.

  The stands for this game were empty, and I understood why as soon as I saw the blood in the waves. A survivor wasn’t coming from that water, only parts of a body.

  I started to go back out when the churning red liquid rose up to reveal a shark fin. Large and black-tipped, those jagged edges told me this was a New shark, and I stifled a shudder. All the chemicals from the War were mostly gone now, except in isolated places where deadly souvenirs remained. The toxins had drained from the land and gone the only place they could – the oceans. As a result, awful mutations had occurred.

  I watched the shark speed toward a floating chunk of debris with laser-like movements, seeing how its fin operated like a rudder to allow it a sharp turn these dangerous predators hadn’t been capable of before. New sharks were stronger, bigger, and they liked the taste of men. The days of swimming in the salty waves or surfing them on a board, were over.

  I moved out of the room as the cleaning crew came in with a steel chain, and a harpoon with a needle attached to the end. Once they knocked the shark out, it would be guided along a watery tunnel under this floor and put back in the aquarium.

  Curious as to the other specimens they’d gathered, I headed for the attraction that drew people from across the world twice a year for the birthing celebrations. Unlike humans and many land animals, there was no shortage of males in the water populations. The oceans and rivers were flourishing with aquatic life…and all of it was bloodthirsty.

  The aquarium was off limits to the public on any other day and I had the front of the glass screen to myself. Designed in 3’ x 3’ cages that magnified the view down into the water, each small partitioned pane held something I was both fascinated and repulsed by.

  The first was the seahorse pen, and I watched the tiny life forms tear apart a fallen sprite with teeth half the size of their curved heads. The water went red, and I turned to the next window.

  Inside were half a dozen crabs, the big kind with long claws and remorseless features. These were trundling along the bottom, no longer able to come out of water and survive. To make up for that, nature had given those pinchers a dose of lethal poison that sent a type of wasting sickness. One of their victims was hovering in the corner, a carp with gills all over its flushed tail. It seemed to shrink up before my eyes, and I quickly moved on.

  Behind me, the door opened, and I tensed. This area wasn’t completely deserted, I could hear the occasional voice or step, and I stayed aware as I peered into the third window.

  Squeak!

  I grinned. The octopus had lunged forward and latched onto the glass like it was my face. Big and yellow, it looked just like the pictures in books, except it now had ten extending arms searching for the prey it had sensed.

  “They’re one of the few that can see through the distortion.”

  The Blonde Bombshell stood a bit behind me, and I turned to face her with eyes that immediately flashed to pink.

  She took a step back, and it threw me off, made me give her the chance to speak.

  "Your parents may be protected, but the girl isn't."

  I stared at her for a moment, trying to read that icy façade, and then I moved by her. I didn’t know why she was warning me, but I doubted it was a lie. Angelica was in trouble.

  She watched me leave - I could feel it - and the sense of gloating came, but there was little I could do from these halls, and I made sure my steps weren’t hurried. The more I appeared to care, the higher the odds went on them killing Angelica to hurt me.

  I wondered at the Bombshell’s motives. If she thought she’d get the Head Defender’s job by being generous or compassionate, she was in for a shock. The Network didn’t play that way, and neither did I.

  “She’s gone.”

  My Father’s tone as I entered their chaotic room was only slightly accusing. He knew not to push right now, and I looked to my Mother. She knew as well as I did that the chances of getting Angelica back unharmed were small if I won. If I lost, she would absolutely be killed. Faced with hard choices, I sent my guards away and talked to them without the eyes and ears we’d had since stepping through those big glass doors.

  4

  "Cage Match Six!"

  Feeling the rage build, I stepped into the ring with The Defender. Unlike the others I’d faced, this fighter didn’t show off for the crowd, but stood impassively near the bars now sliding down. When I stepped into the cage, she got set with a good stance and the alert eyes of a life-long fighter, but I had the rage of ten years of grief to drive me, and I grinned for my fans.

  The roaring jeers increased, and I watched her face harden as the crowd displayed their dislike for her, the need to see her pay for her mistakes. I waited, not about to rush in and give her the edge.

  I sort of owed this former guard a favor, but there was no sympathy in me as I stared at her stoic, hawk-like profile. I wouldn’t sacrifice Angelica’s life to save Daniel if I could help it, but little would stop me from earning my slot on The Block.

  Pushing away the flare of guilt, I tried to goad her into death. “Baker says hello.”

  Those who’d heard, laughed at my tactics, but The Defender didn’t. She answered me.

  “Tell him not to forget his promise.”

  I stared stupidly as she attacked.

  The harsh blow to my forehead knocked me off my feet, and I slammed against the fencing with her furious red eyes charging my way.

  She delivered an ugly kick to my stomach that shot my breath out in a rush and sent the rage into my eyes.

  I kicked out, sure she would jump it, and lu
nged upward to deliver a staggering punch to her throat.

  She gasped for air as I drew back to do it again, and then she was flipping, changing into a brute with more fury than even I had stored.

  She dove at me with those sharp claws, ripping away my cloak as she grabbed my arms and lifted me off the mat.

  I kicked out again, nailed her in the chest over her heart, and hit the ground as she grunted in shocked pain.

  I scrambled to my feet and sucked in a tight breath, letting her get to her feet. She’d caught me off guard, but I was listening now. I couldn't wait for her to attack, it left me blind to her lightning quick blows. Neither could I waste my energy to chase what I had no real hopes of catching.

  Determined to find a weakness, I dropped into my training style and began forcing her back with blow after blow that didn’t land, only shoved her toward the fencing as she blocked - trying to get her into what passed for a corner.

  She was faster than me, and I growled in anger as she ducked a rough swing and delivered a hard hit of her own to my ribs. I let the rage out a bit more, swinging faster.

  She caught my hits with her heavy hands, and then bounced them back to cause me real pain that flipped my eyes to dark pink. I tried to jump over her for a rear attack and took another nasty punch to the ribs that had me gasping in pain and frustration.

  Stuck using dirty tactics, I cowered away from her next swing only to lunge back and nail her in the chin with the top of my head.

  She staggered back, blood pouring from her nose, and I moved in for the kill while I could. I blocked her automatic defensive swing and sent the changed claws of my other hand in to rip her throat out.

  Crimson rained over us as the fire faded from her eyes, and I jerked my claws free, stepping back.

  Her mouth opened as she slid to her knees, and I looked back with no remorse. “You underestimated.”

  Above the bloody cage, cameras turned, capturing it all to be played back later for the Network Council. The name Pruett was no stranger to those running these games. The reporters hadn’t recognized Candice as the family member of another winner, but the Network had.

  “Match to Pruett!”

  There was no controlling the crowd. They broke the barriers and swarmed the cage, climbing over me, screaming obscenities as the guards zapped them in vain. The bloodlust had peaked, many of them had bet their life savings on the Defender, and I was stung again and again by the things they managed to hurl through the fencing at me.

  The hoses began blasting them off the cage and into the air, drenching me in the process, and I struggled to remain standing as order was regained.

  A full squad of guards burst into the arena and escorted me out with brutal blows to anyone who strayed too close to us, and I kept that ugly grin on my face the entire time.

  Chapter Five

  Day 5

  1

  “Welcome to the final round of the Bachelor Battles! As I’m sure you know, we’re down to just three contestants and the blood has been flying.”

  Clips of the week’s matches flowed along the giant screens as the massive crowd screamed and pushed against the lines of guards and barriers in front of The Block.

  “For the start of this round, the Network will pick tonight’s evening elimination match that will take place after today’s exhibition by the remaining contestants.”

  The Network liked to mix games for this part, and the crowd quieted as they waited to see what brutal testing tool the Network had chosen.

  “Our challengers will have to… run the Tunnel of Time!”

  “Please report to The Block.” the speaker in my room instructed and I flipped off the wall screen. Then I switched it off. The Tunnel of Time wasn’t life threatening from what I’d found out, but it was painful, designed to put the remaining contestants on even footing. Aware of what was coming, I winced at that thought and headed for The Block.

  2

  “Are you worried about your cousin?”

  This was my first interview since Angelica’s kidnapping, and I played it like I needed to. I dangled bait.

  “No. She wasn’t really taken. It was a misunderstanding.”

  The bald reporter I’d recently humiliated gaped at me and I chose not to push, just this one time. I needed this interview heard. “She headed home and forgot to tell us. We just found out.”

  I saw her beady eyes narrow and knew instantly what had happened, who had targeted me. I had assumed it was one of the contestants.

  I flashed my Games grin. “So, I’m all set for tonight. Are you?”

  There was a double meaning she took to heart, and I nodded, not caring that we were on open air with the world and more importantly, the Network, listening. “I’ll wipe out your whole family, and I’ll do it quicker than they will.”

  I stood up, eyes flickering pink, and she flinched back out of her chair. When she turned to run, I let my Changeling out.

  I snatched her around the throat, spinning her around, and I jerked her up close to my face as the guards began to flood the studio. “I’ll come for you. The Network couldn’t care less about your life… but I do!”

  I shoved her to the floor, took a step back as they drew their guns. “If she’s not returned, unharmed, before the match, there won’t be anywhere you can hide. I’ll track you into the Borderlands and beyond.”

  I left with those words, hoping it had been enough. I hadn’t realized the reporters could be paid for their involvement, too, but I suspected this was personal. I’d been heartless to them, and they’d retaliated by taking something they thought I held dear. If they’d been smarter, it might have worked, but they’d sent out one of those I’d already conquered. Reading her was easy.

  I stopped at the door, still ignoring the guards, and looked toward the cameras. “Are ya ready yet?”

  The roar in response was deafening.

  3

  The contestants entered through a separate area, but I could hear the crowd waiting on the other side of the door. The Tunnels of Time were three caves set side by side. Lined with sharp stones and shards of glass, it was a race to see who could endure the pain to come out of the other end first. I stepped through the door thinking again how grateful I was for the training I’d done with Baker.

  The cameras swung to show my entrance, and I saw the other contestants were already at their starting gates. Good. Waiting for me might hurt them, make them reckless. These tunnels weren’t the fast dash the announcer had implied. They were half a mile long, pitch black, and littered with surprises that the former contestants weren’t allowed to talk about. Some always did though, and I was as ready for the bolts of fire and winged blood-suckers as I could be.

  “Please remove your weapons and shoes before entering.”

  The run was also done barehanded and barefooted. I grinned for the cameras as I pushed mine off and heard the crowd roar in response.

  “The first contestant to emerge from the Tunnels of Time will have a guaranteed slot in tonight’s match. The other contender will be chosen by Network decision. Everyone ready?”

  The mob of people watching must be huge, I thought, stepping into the center square where a small bar held me back from the dark, cave entrance. The cheering and jeering was echoing back through the arena and even rolling up through the tunnels.

  I’d never watched an episode of this game, but I’d trained for it just the same. Walking on hot coals had made me almost numb to the touch and burnt the bottoms of my feet until I had a layer of scar tissue to pad me. I’d had a lot of years to torture myself before I was allowed to be here.

  “Ready… Go!”

  I shot into the tunnel ahead and disappeared into the darkness.

  At first, I could hear the others in the tunnels on either side as they made the same sounds I did… grunts at a particularly painful step, a wild stumble and swipe at a flying shape that dodged it and took a layer of skin in return.

  The noises echoed loudly through the pitch black, telling me we were running about even, and I smothered my automatic need to slow down and feel my way through. I wanted this to be over… I wanted blood, and I took off, sprinting through the darkness.