 
BARCODE: CAVERN OF YOUTH

Kashif Ross

Copyright Kashif Ross 2012

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Dedication

I dedicate this novel to anyone that plans to read it. You must enjoy Payne.

ONE

Peering down the barrel of a gun can make even the toughest man tender. Knowing the idiot on the opposite side of the chamber may piss his pants enough to squeeze the trigger prematurely is more unnerving.

Stephen's somewhere in his early teens. The sweat falling from his eyebrow and the white knuckles around the grip say he's never been this close to killing a man. If that's not enough, the rumbling sounds in his stomach confirm the notion.

"That's a Terry Madison 500," I jeer to see if he's actually scared enough to shoot.

"Shut up, dude. And keep your hands where I can see them until my team gets here."

"They're right behind you, dude."

"I'm not falling for that."

Tony clears his throat and says, "We're here."

Tony and the other five members of his militia hold automatic weapons that make the handgun look like a pup. Stephen gets distracted when he hears his team cock their weapons. Though that gives me enough time to snatch his, I refocus his attention on me instead.

"The gun is a replica for the ancient Smith and Wesson fifty caliber magnum." He swings his head back towards me as I continue, "It converts dust and particles into ammunition. Do you really have data strong enough to fill the chamber? I'm impressed. You're so young."

"Shut up!"

Tony holds one hand up, and the others lower their weapons. He maintains a steady hand while focusing his 9mm fully automatic machine gun on my heart. "Calm down or you'll do something irrational." Listening to the advice from his commander, Stephen takes three large, controlled steps back.

"Are you one of the dungeon's gladiators?" Tony asks while staring into the empty space inside of my jacket's hood. It's a technology that was developed by the Gonzales family. It removes all light so that my face isn't visible. Seth tried making a replica, but the hood kept sticking to my head. It removed flesh from my neck every time I undressed.

I had Dennis request an updated jacket from the Gonzales family because my initial one was boring. I'm not too into fashion, but that thing was ugly. Now, there's a bit more stitching, a more modern/sleek appearance, and it has a Punk Rap feel. Once I tore off the sleeves, it was perfect.

"Guardians. Gladiators. Protectors. I hear there are a number of names for us. Each arena uses a different term. You'll pull the trigger if I say yes, because that would mean I'm from Colt, and you hate them. Right?"

"No. We try to avoid killing at all cost. I think I have a few tranquilizers left. But gladiator would mean you could dodge the bullet. Only thing, you're not wearing armor. I'm trying to figure out why you're here."

"I'm your life map. I'm here to tell you that you're going the wrong way." Tony smirks, but not much. He's not the type of guy to laugh at something like that, but the girl next to him smiles. "My advice, leave Yang Arena alone."

That was all the motivation Stephen needed to pull the trigger. He fires a shot that's meant to skim the side of my face. Jerking my head while still holding my arms up, I dodge the bullet. I don't want to damage this jacket. It took Dennis forever to convince the Gonzales family to make it.

"How do you know about our mission?" Stephen yells. Tony tightens the grip around his weapon.

"Let's say I'm a seeker of information."

"Let's not." Tony takes a small step forward. "Answer his question."

"Well Tony. It's kinda complicated."

"How do you know my name?"

Rachel's a short, but muscular woman with a gun larger than Tony's. She eases next to him and whispers in his ear, "Did you see him avoid the shot at the last second? I think that's the faceless demon people have been talking about."

Matching her volume, he firmly replies, "They're not some people. One guy started that rumor. A drug addict that shouldn't be with the militia. We need this money, and we have to get through." She doesn't seem moved by his words. "Plus they said he had green demonic eyes, not just a blank face. That's a hood we can't see in. James is an idiot that wants to scare us away."

"Actually, it wasn't just James." All of their eyes widen as I lower my hands. "I normally don't let people who see my eyes live, but they seemed like nice guys. You should really listen to Rachel."

"How do you know my name?"

"Are we really going through this again? Let's get this out of the way so I can stop surprising all of you. Tony, Michael, Rachel, Andrew, Daren, Jorge and Stephen. I'm the voice you've been hearing, warning you to turn around for the past two hours."

Rachel lowers her gun. "I thought I was going crazy."

"You are if you try to get by. Let's think about this. You need to get to Yang's old arena because some wealthy idiots that know they're better than you—because let's face it, they are—hired you over the phone two weeks back."

"Tony. He knows too much."

Continuing to push their buttons, I add, "I'd consider letting you pass in hopes that the rich bastards get caught in the crossfire, but I'm not allowed to. You're just trying to make a living, especially you, Tony." A bead of his sweat falls to the ground, disappearing in the fog as he clenches his jaws tightly. "But your worthless lives could actually amount to something one day. You should try using what little skills you have to do good. If you're killing others just to feed your family, you're no better than the criminals you despise."

Stephen's fingers twitch. "I'm proud of what I do. The Colt family is a mob of criminals that have taken over the Yang Arena. They probably killed them to do it."

"You're preaching to the choir, man. I killed a friend trying to get that through his head. But no, the Colt didn't have much to do with that. It was a Helios thing, and I ended up doing most of the killing anyway. Now, I'm living with Dennis. It's crazy." Tony's raised eyebrows turn into a frown. My previous speech belittling their progression may have reached him until I mentioned being a Colt. Or was it that I killed the Yang warriors? "Tony, you're the more sensible one. Do you really want your men and slightly attractive lady to die here? You two could make a cute couple. Have some babies; a nice life."

Rachel rolls her eyes as though Tony could never understand settling down. He's not the type of guy to let something like that happen, I guess. Stephen looks over his shoulder with a fearsome sneer.

Tony grunts, "There are seven guns pointed at you. You should stop acting like you have the upper hand. With no armor, you're as good as dead if you try resisting."

Several gears tick at the top of the cave. The sound is too faint for a normal human to notice, but every click and zip comes through clearly in my ears. That sound signals the end of my shift.

The small gap in the above classroom fully opens and a faint light shines in. Only Andrew responds by quickly glancing up. He timidly leans forward to observe Tony's face. After a few seconds, he pops his bubble gum and cocks his Mac XII—a revolutionary machine gun with unparalleled precision.

I listen as Dennis sits down at an empty desk next to the cave's entrance. Sluggishly, he devours the last bit of his bagel. Sounding slightly fatigued, he yawns, "Wrap up whatever you're doing, Kay. It's not like you to be late."

Finally, I open my eyes. Each man and woman lowers their weapon minutely. I flash my barcode to see them clearly. The tanned colors of their skin and richness of texture in their hair is all revealed to me. With my eyes open, I can finally see the vibrancy of their life.

Uncontrollably, I smile. Without Tartarus limiting my sight, the world is visually stunning. Animated. The simplest things captivate me.

I assume that the militia is just as mesmerized. Seeing the barcodes must be a wild experience. Most people can't understand why I'd have them in my eyes, but it's simple. Evolution.

A large portion of our society believes barcodes share power with gods. That's nonsense for devout idiots. Barcodes began as steroids. As technology advanced, so did humans. Not long after, hundreds of people were born with the power already on their skin. Sure, prophets relate some data to gods. It helps to categorize a gladiator's level of power, but there isn't a superior being looking down on us and answering prayers. You could ask the soldiers I'm about to kill. Regardless of who they praise, no one can save them.

"I apologize, but I won't be able to allow you all to live. I have an appointment with the Seal of Solomon."

Stephen is the first and only person to fire a shot, but all the others see is a pile of smoke dancing where I was standing a second ago. It's a technique I learned from Takashi, the liminal being that predicted my birth.

It requires releasing small forces directed at the eyes. The energy disrupts whatever debris lies behind the eye and creates a shadow in the onlooker's vision. If you're unaware of what's happening, your reaction time will be delayed, creating a window of opportunity to close in.

These killers are obviously experienced. They cover each other's' backs and fire into the distance. It's natural to assume mortal-level fighters without the power of the gods are easy to kill. That's a gladiator mentality. In the real world, it's best to not underestimate anyone's skill.

That's why I'm hiding behind a large stone, listening to the patterns of their shots. They're ricocheting bullets off rocks to cover more ground. I don't have much time until one finds me.

I wait until Andrew empties his clip. He releases it and radiates the barcode on his palm. His reload time is amazing, but it provides me with just enough room to launch Shiva, in trident form, at Tony.

Rachel steps in front of its blades and releases an exceptionally mournful cry. Tony catches her and lowers her to the ground. While the others are distracted, I sneak behind Andrew. The anxious one, Stephen, shoots four wild rounds, striking his friend in the heart when I hold him for cover. I vanish into the cloud of smoke as he rationalizes what he's done. The others lose focus, which allows me to pick them off until only Tony and Stephen are left.

Rachel cries herself to sleep, possibly praying to see heaven or some other nonsense. Still broken over his loss, Tony grabs his gun and calms his breath. Knowing Tony is the most experienced, I wish I still had Shiva as a shield. With his thoughts focused, I'm likely to enter a tough battle.

The barcode on his neck glows orange.

Stephen shouts, "Tony, he has Andrew's—"

I release a shot from Andrew's gun that pierces through Stephen's skull.

Though the blood spills on Tony's face, he hardly flinches. He instantly lifts his rifle from the ground and fires a round in my direction. The swift motion causes me to accidentally throw my hands in the air and release a slightly feminine cry. Laughing at myself, I duck behind another rock.

The tattoo on Tony's neck probably means he's an ex-soldier. Though I don't know his ability, I'm not willing to risk finding out what he can do.

Still hiding, I shout, "There's no way to leave without one of us dying and both of us getting hurt, you know?"

Tony nods. "But there's a 34.8% probability that I'll find and kill you. I think you're behind one of two rocks. I could bounce a bullet off the smooth stone forty yards ahead of me and strike you in the arm, but that would give you enough time to plant one in my head." He holds his gun pointed at the correct rock.

I could still dodge this bullet and possibly kill him without a scratch, but I don't know my chances. He's obviously the mathematician.

"Leave."

"I thought you said we had to die."

"I said that because I need to get out of here. You're the idiot that wouldn't listen to all my other warnings." My breath is heavy.

Killing people with their level of skill takes a lot of energy, and I know going after Tony will be a monumental task. He's not like gladiators, who only think about fighting head-on. Tony's experience makes him consider every possible outcome. Taking on ten thousand mortal level gladiators is the equivalent to someone of his caliber.

"You know if I leave, I'll come back for you."

"I killed Rachel. That's fair."

"How'd you know so much about us?"

"I listen."

Tony wipes his forehead, and notices the blood on his hand. Checking his armor, he sees half of a bullet lodged into his chest. "Hmph," he wheezes. "Where'd that come from?"

"I guess one of Stephen's four shots got you. I didn't notice in all the commotion."

"Shit." Tony laughs at the blood leaking from his torso. "I told his mother he wasn't ready yet."

"Who's his mom?"

"My wife."

"Who is Rachel then?"

"My sin." Tony's gun falls to the ground as he stumbles to his knees. "Hey."

"Yeah?" There's no longer a need to hide. I slowly and quietly approach Tony as he trembles and gasps for air.

"This hurts."

I hasten Tony's death with Andrew's Mac XII.

Though I hate to disrespect her corpse, I step on Rachel in order to tear the weapon from her body. It doesn't help that Shiva produces electricity to shock me. She always zaps me whenever I've picked up another weapon.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Once her fit is over, I convert Shiva back into the wrist guards I've worn since I killed Spencer. Though I loved my signature gloves, Dennis changed my image to help me go unnoticed.

I run past Tony's body, and dash into the dark, up what feels like an infinite spiral, stone staircase. It takes two minutes to sprint all the way to the top.

The second I resurface, Dennis wraps me in his arms, like always. I'm quite a bit taller than him. Two grown men hugging seems strange, but I'm not going to complain. I didn't even know what a hug felt like until he gave me one last year.

Dennis analyzes my situation with the barcode on his pinky finger. Once he processes the data, the big man in a nice black suit asks, "Why'd you try that hard to get Tony to turn around?"

"You can read my thoughts with that code. Why do you always ask obvious questions?"

"I can read your situations and do my best to interpret them, but I have no insight into thoughts."

"Didn't seem like that the first time you touched me."

"I had both you and Spencer's corpse to get a lot of information from. Not to mention, I shook Blake's hand before seeing you."

I take a seat directly next to his table. I practically have to stand all night because I'm too paranoid to sit in the dungeon. There are all types of nasty creatures on the floor.

"Did you convince your brother to wrap me in the bandages?"

"Yeah. It came with a hefty cost, but I let him know it was you. He'd get the information from the ring anyway."

"What cost?"

"The arena."

I stand abruptly. "What the hell, Dad?"

Since Dennis adopted me, he's never done more than smile. But right now, his face twitches. "Trust me."

"It doesn't make sense. Why can't I just stay the same?"

"We've been through this. Too many people saw you fight with Spencer on my floor. If one of them pointed you out, it could cause me serious problems."

That's still not logical. He has to have another reason. No one saw me actually kill Spencer and not many people know about his death. I scrutinize his face, searching for the real reason, but he has an excellent poker face. My body aches and I'm too tired to fight something he seems so adamant about. I wipe my face and find my seat again.

"But this is your entire legacy. It's everything you've built."

"I still have control of Yang Arena, though the people don't want me there. If I need to start another stadium, I can. For now, I'd like to remember what it's like to experience life. Travel for leisure, not business. Smoke a cigar without paperwork in front of me. Maybe being a real dad."

"I'm eighteen years old. It's a little too late for that."

"I'm thinking of having another kid."

"If you even try getting at Hayley, I'll kill you. There's no way I'm letting you have a relationship with my mom without telling her the truth."

Dennis grunts, "Are you ever going to call her mom to her face?"

"I didn't call her mom. I said Hayley."

He smirks briefly, but the joy doesn't last long enough. Dennis is an expert at reading my facial expressions. Once he notices my slight head turn and scrunched eyebrows, his shoulders tense up.

"What do you see?"

"Someone's about to die on your campus."

"Who? I'll have security tail them."

My eyes trace an unfamiliar guy as he stalks a group of female gladiators near the front of the school. The suspicious-looking student casually peeks over his shoulders nearly every fifteen seconds. Two strange men in armor are also on the premises. They're pretending to be students, but the one checking his phone hasn't changed his screen since I've exited the dungeon. The other is hiding in an empty room.

I'm not sure who they're after, but something's not right. Unfortunately, the phone conversation hasn't revealed enough yet.

The hitman is heavyset but wears sleek brown armor. He has short, greasy hair that shines as though he moisturizes with petroleum jelly. Judging from his demeanor and swag, he's a cook for a food truck from East Los Angeles. The Spanish and Indian accent tradeoff is a dead giveaway.

The small barcode imprinted on his cheek means he's a mortal-level student, but he's received training from somewhere special. For being so overweight, he's extremely light on his toes.

His fat tongue looks as though it's dripping with fish oil as it rolls off his lips and he wheezes into the phone, "No. I see her...She's not alone, but she's never alone...Yes. I can make it seem like an accident...I told you, yes. I'll do it now...You've known me for a year. When have I ever messed up a hit? It's you that kills off everyone I work well with...Dustin of course. If he were still around, she'd be dead by now. The weak tramp couldn't put up a fight if she tried."

Dennis removes his phone and pulls up the contact page to his head of security. I cover his screen with my hand. "No time."

"Tell me, and I'll stop them."

Zipping up my hood and closing my eyes, I repeat, "No time."

"Kay, if I let you do this, you have to be subtle. Don't kill him."

I frown with disgust. "Are you serious?"

"Try bringing him in safely."

"He has a team of two guys. You want me to bring all of them in safely? Give me a break."

"I'll help."

"You can't come. One sight of you, and they'll run. I want to know who they're chasing so I can protect them."

"You think it's a cute girl, don't you?"

Frowning, I turbulently question, "Why would you say that?"

"Just the other day, you listened to a ten-year-old girl get beaten to death, but you didn't interrupt because I told you to lay low. You still need to do that, and you're only minutes away from making sure you're never exposed. We can walk upstairs right now, and no one will ever know you're Kode. But you'd rather risk it. She must be very easy on the eyes."

"If I'm correct, it's a really cute girl, and I'll gladly volunteer my protection services."

"Alive, Kay."

I stand and stroll out of the room. "We'll see man."

TWO

By any standard, this school is massive. Planning an assassination here should be perfect.

Plenty of rooms are empty since enrollment lowered after Helios' attack in May. In spite of the lack of corners, the pseudo-museum offers plenty of places to hide. The Colt family never throws anything away; the collection of artifacts in this place seems limitless. Historical armor and large cases displaying memorabilia from various wars line the walkway and walls. The blind spots they create make this arena an assassin's playground. Someone could kill ten students and leave unseen.

It's happened.

A few weeks after Spencer's death, I showed Dennis nooks and walls where students were murdered and hidden. The oldest body was nearly two centuries old. He was killed and tucked inside a casket next to the father of the first Colt that built this arena.

I miss everything about campus. This is the first school day after Christmas break, but no one seems excited. It looks like just another day.

I've been dying to get back to campus, and I finally have that opportunity. If I screw this up and show my face, Dennis will never let me return to classes. Sadly, stealth isn't my greatest skill.

The group of beautiful international girls laughs openly. Two, I assume, are from China. The thin armor is a dead giveaway. Chinese gladiators are known for speed and precision shooting in the arena. One punch normally ends their matches, if you can catch them.

Three other girls are from various Latin countries. I can only tell by their accent. The last beauty is the most stunning. Her gear probably costs the same as Dennis' armored suits. She's only said a word or two, so I can't determine where she's from, but I plan to find out.

Their stalker continues his phone conversation while seeming uninterested in their walk. I try thinking of a plan to speak with who I assume he's after—the wealthiest looking girl of the bunch—but a small and round freshman stands in front of me.

"Aye. Where'd you get that hood? I've heard about the tech, but never actually seen it myself."

I'm not used to people asking me questions directly. It takes me a few blinks to respond. "It was a gift."

"Nice."

His head only reaches my shoulders. I assume he's fifteen, the typical age for freshmen, but he could be younger. If it weren't for his beard, I'd think he were a child.

The freshman has blonde hair, a full face, and a squishy body. He's a human teddy bear. Even with his round size, he's small compared to me.

"I'm Richard Ellington. Nice to meet you," he says while extending his hand.

"The pleasure would be mine, Rich, but I'm busy right now. Maybe another day."

"Nah. It's good. You're probably one of the cool kids, and I know how things go here." Richard speaks with a slight slur and an urban tone. The way he holds himself reminds me of gangsters in New Orleans. They're my favorite people.

"Cool kids? I'm in the dungeon a lot and don't know how things are. You up for a challenge?"

"Yeah." Though he only nods his head slightly, his racing heart tells me he's as excited to speak with someone as I am.

"In sixty-three seconds, I need to stop someone from dying. Why don't you give me the rundown of the school this year?"

For some reason, the dungeon blocks off sound. I can hear within the actual cavern, but I can't hear above, unless Dennis opens the door. I'd like to know how things are before getting back to classes.

"I'm down, but I can wait until you help the person."

"Nah. I'm more interested in what's happening here."

Richard scrunches his eyes and tries to see inside of my hood. He's probably wondering if I'm joking. Initially hesitant, he mumbles, "Everyone's judged by their performances. Abby's one of the top ranking because of her skill as a mortal-level student. Malik, Wesley, Selena and Patrick run the school as the gods and demigods."

Richard turns around to check the clock behind him. There are forty-four seconds remaining and he's now nervous about finishing in time. He speeds up, "They set the standard for how students should be treated. People like me are ignored. Since the final exams in December, things have gotten worse. If you were top ranking, but lost your match, you're pretty much hated. I was already one of the weakest and I lost. Now, I'm one of the only gods in a demigod class, along with Seth and a really weird girl named Jamie. Was that fast enough?"

"More than."

"Well, I hope to see you around. Good luck with stopping the whole killing thing."

"Thanks. And Rich..."

"Yeah?"

"When you hear about my friend Kay, do me a favor and show him around."

A quiet chuckle echoes under his breath as he shakes his head at me. Smiling, he waves and heads towards the cafeteria.

I step to the side and bump into the prettiest girl out of a group of transfer students. Her lipstick is a faint red. Strangely, I can't hear her barcodes, not even under her clothes.

None? That's weird.

The thick eyebrows resting neatly against her light-caramel face make me want to trace a line down to her perfect nose. Her dark-brown eyes are both innocent and seductive. She's the same height as Richard, but her long neck makes her appear taller. Her cheeks are round, and she nearly has dimples when she smiles hard enough.

Artists don't sketch images as priceless as this peculiar girl. I desperately hope the men are trying to kill her. Judging from the hitman's reaction—he ducks behind a set of armor and pretends to read a message—I'm quite sure they are.

The goddess softly, but aggressively, says, "Hey, papi, you could at least say excuse me." That's a Puerto Rican accent that's really popular in wealthy areas of the South. Their Spanish is generally very clean and proper, but their English is snappy in an alluring way. Even the guys sound appealing.

"When we bumped..." Shocked, I point at her mouth. "Did you just lick me?"

The nameless beauty looks up with a smile. "Yes, Kay, and you're cute. Can I see you without the hood? The image in my head is a bit hazy." She swiftly licks her full lips, and they immediately turn red, nearly the color of blood.

Found her barcode.

Slowly, her face appears long and dreary. Her eyes water and scatter from left to right. She's still processing the data she received from licking me. "Why do you need to protect me?"

Her saliva is drying on my shoulder. "Now that's an interesting power. You can learn about the last few minutes of my day with your tongue and lips."

Her friends draw near and listen. With a flirtatious attitude, she contests, "How do you know it's the last few minutes? What if I know everything about you, Kay?"

"If you did, you wouldn't call me Kay, and you'd know the seriousness of your situation."

Her eyes shift to the floor as one of her friends interrupts, "What's going on? Is he bothering you, Carmen?"

Carmen? A chill zips down my spine.

"He's fine, Tina. A friend."

The hitman impatiently moves closer, but stops when his partner hiding in the dark calls him on the phone.

"Ahmed, what's going on?"

"I don't know. I can't hear what's happening. Some guy just bumped into her."

"You think he knows?"

"I'm not sure. I'll listen in."

As he slams his phone shut, I close the gap between Carmen and me. "You'll have to decide real fast," I whisper. "Can your barcode read thoughts too?"

"Some, if they're very clear. But I'll have to lick and kiss you again," she mouths as though she knows I can read her lips. The saliva completely dries on my arm. That must be the extent of her ability.

Ahmed moves close enough to hear a regular conversation. I decide to communicate through thoughts.

First, I clear my mind. Then, I think, Three men are after you. Judging from their layout, they plan for you to walk near the door of a room. One has a tranquilizer to make you temporarily immobile. The other plans to blow the door from its hinges, causing it to fall on you. The guy behind you will pretend to try saving you, but he'll smash your head with a device known as a Clutch. It'll blow a hole in your cranium and make it seem as though it was a consequence of saving your life. I want to bypass all of this by walking directly into the room.

"Lick again," I smirk.

That seems to cheer Carmen up. She grabs my hood and pulls me into her warmth. Holding tightly with both hands, her face disappears into the darkness as she gently kisses my lips.

Her nearest friend rolls her eyes. The group leaves while looking back with judgmental stares.

Carmen licks my lips two more times and slowly pulls away. She hums, "That was pretty clear."

I hold her hand and walk her to the door. "It better have been, with that type of kiss."

"It was your first. I could tell."

"Not really. But I'm a delicate flower, and I'm saving that intimate kiss for someone special."

"Funny. But strangely, I believe you." As we approach the door, she inquires, "How different do you think the Seal of Solomon will make you look? You were so damn cute under the hood. I almost screamed." My heart skips a few beats. She knows about the seal. Dennis is going to kill me when I tell him. "Don't worry. I'm trusting you with my life. There's no way I'd tell anyone about our secrets."

I release her hand and open the door to the classroom. The man inside ducks behind the teacher's desk.

I lick my lips to lengthen our connection, but Carmen releases a loud and seductive moan. "Papi! Warn a girl before you do that. With my codes lit, I feel that everywhere." I do it once more just to hear the sound again.

Reading my thoughts, she tails me at a brisk pace, which develops into a small jog. I leave the door cracked for the others to follow and run with Carmen to the farthest end of the room, one hundred yards away.

I lead Carmen to a corner. The assassins lock the door and begin approaching us.

Resting my hand on her head, I instruct, "Don't move."

"You plan to kill the other two and take Ahmed to Dennis."

I remove my jacket and place it around her. I supply Shiva with the energy she needs to convert into ropes on my wrists. Shiva forms tiny spikes on my arms, and I'm ready.

"Who are you?" Ahmed asks.

"Ahmed, can you tell me who was on the other line of the phone during your first call? The voice sounded awfully familiar." As he moves his lips, I snap, "I swear on your life, if you ask me how I know, I'm killing you and taking one of them."

I'm outnumbered three to one, and it doesn't look good. Though Ahmed is a mortal level warrior, the sound cracking on the other two's barcodes don't seem so weak. In fact, they might be gods. Hindu gods.

The small man who was hiding behind the desk is dressed in black. He's fast. The sleek armor with gravity-defying boots makes that clear. Covering my eyes, I blink to see if I can find any identification on him. He's only carrying a detonator similar to the one Ahmed has. They came prepared in case one didn't work.

The second guy blends more with the students. He has bulky Bevel armor. Their gear has become more popular because the Morenos haven't developed anything worthwhile in the past year. Bevel's still two or three years behind Moreno's gear, but they are more affordable.

Moving to my left, I leave an open space for them to attack Carmen, but they don't take the bait. Instead, the fastest one rushes me. I'd like to test his strength, but she's my priority, and I don't want to see someone with such a radiating smile get hurt.

A hidden blade lunges towards my nose. He tried to pretend as though it were a punch. If I hadn't already known it was there, blood would be gushing from my face.

To avoid the strike, I whip around maliciously and crack the speed demon's vertebrae with Shiva's spiked wrist guards. The centrifugal force applies enough pressure to crush his bone, but the collision with the wall is what kills him.

Excited by the play, Carmen holds the vowel in, "Damn," for a few seconds while covering her mouth.

Shiva converts herself into a huge shield when Ahmed and friend fire two tranquilizer bullets at my neck. The shield is huge. I've never converted Shiva into anything similar.

Listening to the weapon, I realize it's not a shield, but a damn large sword that's buried a few inches in the ground. I reach for the handle and pull her out. "Thanks Shiva, but I did see them coming."

She zaps me in response.

Ahmed steps back as his teammate uses MMIBS on two small marbles to reveal a Spartan shield and javelin. Concentrating, I measure the weight of his weapon against mine. It's difficult to do without feeling it, but judging from the amount of pressure on my joints from the weight versus how little his knees are affected, I see we're not in the same league.

I rush the brute as he raises his shield.

If I judged the weight incorrectly, when I swing the sword on top of his barrier, I'll be defenseless for two seconds. By the time I release the sword and dash around him, he'll counter by stabbing me with the spear. Oh well. I doubt Shiva would let me down.

My blade slices through his defense as though it didn't exist. There's no way I can convince Dennis this was an accident. How am I going to clean all this blood off?

Ahmed's eyes widen. I haven't seen that level of fear in some time.

"What?" I ask roughly. "It's not my fault his shield was shit."

The large man backs away slowly. Suddenly, he spins around and sprints towards the entrance.

Turning back towards Carmen, I ask, "Is he...is he really running?"

She takes two steps to her right in order to see past me. With her sound still muffled by the jacket, she mumbles, "Whoa. He's really light on his feet."

Ahmed clears forty yards as though they were a few inches. He looks over his shoulders confidently, but wipes the smirk away when he notices me behind him, nearly within reach. He digs in his pocket and removes his detonator. I finally notice the other bombs. Though they're masked as speakers in the corners of the room, they're actually his backup plan.

"Carmen! Run to me now." I turn around and bolt towards her. Ahmed ignites the bombs in the ceiling, and everything comes crushing down. She takes off in a fearsome sprint with her speed nearly matching my own. I dodge lights and bricks, jump over fallen desks, and wrap her in my arms.

I throw Carmen to the ground and cover her with my body.

"Shiva, what else you got?" My sword converts into a jumbo shield made for a giant. Carmen and I squeeze under it as the ceiling crashes down on us. Other students scream from the sound.

The floor above was a chamber reserved for parent's month. It was empty. As the final few bits crash down, Carmen softly breathes on my lips, "Kay."

"Yes?"

"If I ask to see your eyes, will you kill me like you did the militia?"

"Not if you answer a question for me."

"Yeah?"

I open my eyes, and we both glow with a green hue. The colors on her skin are more amazing than I could have imagined. Being this close to the browns in her eyes, pinks on her lips, and bronze in her hair makes the clock in my chest tick irregularly.

"Do they scare you?"

"Uh-huh."

Carmen wraps her legs around my waist. "Now, lick your lips please."

Though I follow the instructions, the orgasmic sounds she makes are embarrassing for the both of us.

It takes a few seconds for her to regain her composure. "What the hell is up with your barcode? Better yet," she stutters while panting and adjusting her waist enough to excite me, "why are you this strong?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"I can borrow power with a kiss. It's the only way Aphrodite allows me to walk. If I don't use someone else's strength, I'm pretty much a vegetable. But after licking your shoulder, I felt like I could fly."

"Strange."

"I'm not done with questions."

"Of course not."

"Do I remind you of her?"

"Who?"

"You got really spooked when you heard my name, and I kind of sensed the girl you killed. Carmen. I couldn't get much from your thoughts, but you really liked her." The green hue surrounding us intensifies and the goddess underneath me shrieks with a fearful sound. "How'd you do that?"

"You keep asking vague questions. You read minds, not me."

"You just shut off our connection. I can't read your thoughts, but the spit I left on your back shouldn't be dry."

"You spit on me? Not sexy."

"Forgive me. Please? You didn't even notice in all the commotion."

The last stone crashes down. I listen as people search frantically to find anyone alive.

I sense Dennis trying to remain calm, but the rate at which he's moving stones reveals his concern.

"I'll need my jacket before I get us out of here."

Carmen and I shift between each other's' legs as she removes it. We struggle a bit, but she eventually wraps it around me.

The dynamic red color of her lips brightens the small space. Carmen kisses the shield for a few seconds. Her lips return to a dull pink hue and she declares, "There's four tons of rubble over us. Don't break your back trying to push this up."

"Four tons? I can only see two feet of it. It can't weigh that much."

"The ceiling is Colt Stone too. Those must have been heavy duty bombs because it doesn't break easily." She smirks while running her hand down my arms. "You can still get us out, can't you?"

"Yeah," I reply while building a force in my chest that causes the shield to rumble.

"First," she mumbles, "can you tell me where Ahmed is going? I know this may sound weird, but with so much of my saliva on you, I can feel data running through my eyes."

"What kind of data?"

"It's like words and numbers, but sometimes it's like another world in my head."

"Sounds like you can see what I can."

"And what do you see?"

"Everything within a fifty mile radius. When I really concentrate, I can see things more intricately, nearly down to the cell."

"Damn. That must be awful. You've never seen the sky or the moon?"

"Actually I have. Though my ears and eyes are connected, they're also divided. I can't hear the moon, but if I look up, it's visible. Similarly, I can't see Ahmed flying on the freeway, but the sounds I'm picking up form images in my mind. It's like watching the world from another dimension."

"That sounds like an overwhelming amount of data to deal with," she utters sympathetically. Neither of us say a word for several seconds. Noises from the search party echo in our tiny space. Carmen runs her delicate hands down the back of my head until her arms are tightened around my neck. "Let's go, papi."

Three

Overwhelming. That's not a word I would normally choose to describe my eyes. Yet, the term seems accurate enough.

Unlike the rest of the world, I can't plead ignorance after a robbery or murder occurs. When I was younger, I felt guilty when observing kids my age throw animals in microwaves. A sense of powerlessness crept in my veins as parents molested their children. Now, these things are more than natural. They're expected.

The violence and destruction I only listened to in the past, now takes special trips to find me. I imagine that Ahmed isn't the last of the trouble I'll encounter this year.

The image of his white van projects clearly in my mind. The highway he's zipping on has a beautiful backdrop of Griffith Park's hills. The nearby river was built seven years ago by Dennis. It was meant to be private property for him to get away and relax, but so many people broke in that he opened it for the public. Now, he's only able to enjoy it from his helicopter.

After driving two hundred miles an hour on a level two freeway, Ahmed exits Eighth Street too quickly and screams while navigating on two wheels. At the end of the ramp, the car smashes back on all four, and Ahmed zigzags through one-way streets until he reaches the Beijing Coliseum.

The building has rich history that dates back to the twentieth century, when America had primitive sports without the enhancement of much technology. During that time, a popular sport known as basketball was played in the stadium.

In the early 2000s, sports evolved with muscle technology referred to as steroids. Once scientists eliminated side effects from the drug, it aided human evolution, and more advanced technology was introduced, such as weighted balls and gear that provided players with enough support to reduce injuries.

Now, the Beijing Coliseum houses neonball, a sport that stemmed from both basketball and football. Armored players run down 100 yard fields with various terrains. Players score a goal by spiking a neonball into the opposing team's hoop. Currently, Los Angeles' team, the Smogmen, are practicing for their game against my favorite team, the Texas Borders.

I wait patiently to see why Ahmed stopped outside of the twelve-story building. He clutches his phone tightly. Leaving his car illegally parked, he rushes to the front door.

He crosses the street with several cars honking at him and approaches the entrance of the building. The doors are made of reinforced steel and painted purple and gold, the Smogmen's team colors. Ahmed jogs up the ramp while cursing under his breath, but stops midway. His eyes widen as a loud explosion blasts the gigantic front doors and nearby walls away.

The incredible shock wave throws Ahmed back. The tubby man rolls down the ramp and into the street. Unfortunately, the driver of a red sports car smashes on his breaks to avoid colliding with the assassin.

Three men, dressed in all black sniper armor, dash out of the building. A final man exits seconds later, casually dragging a woman crying desperately for help at the top of her lungs. I doubt the older lady has ever experienced something so brutal as a business professional. She looks like a CEO or President of some very wealthy company.

Each man is dressed in sniper gear, a frightening technology that offers a stiff layer of protection. It weighs a ton, but feels like cotton. The largest man, I assume the leader, holds the woman's neck tightly while saying, "I came here—on time, I should add—to get the funds you deposit into the money truck every morning at nine, and you're telling me the one day I come to rob you, it's not here?"

He holds a very barbaric weapon, known as a spruce, to her head. Spruces are like guns, but more simplistic. They are short, steel poles, generally no longer than a foot. They fire projectiles attached to long wires that wrap around their targets while stabbing them. Criminals use them for their brutality, but they're meant for long-range hunting.

"We never have the money at nine."

"What?"

"We never have it. I'm not supposed to say, but the money travels underground. The trucks are to deceive robbers."

"Dammit."

The masked man lets the woman go. She runs back into the debris, but once he hears the police sirens, the leader fires the spruce at her back. He clicks the trigger at the end, activating barcodes that reel her in. She wails loudly as she's flung into the air.

He whips her body seventy yards away, onto a police officer's window.

Two of his henchmen, completely indistinguishable in their suits, launch several grenades into traffic. As cars flip, screech, and halt, the leader starts an argument with the other criminals.

"Who the hell had the intel?" While turning his head to see all three men, Ahmed crosses his sight. The leader's head follows Ahmed as he stands up and stumbles to find cover from the mayhem.

"Me," says the last man to throw a grenade. "My girl works here. I guess they didn't tell most employees—" he's interrupted by the spruce shot into his chest.

"I'll kill her tomorrow."

The other man of same height and build howls, "That's my brother!"

Releasing the spruce from the first man's chest, the leader whips the wire until it wraps around the sibling's neck. The sharpness of the wire is enough to end his pain quickly. His last teammate tries running away, but the leader removes a large ax with a seven foot handle.

He throws it at the man while chasing him down. It horrifically slices his victim in half.

He recovers the weapon and returns to Ahmed, who is still hiding in the middle of the street behind an overturned car with a woman and child completely unconscious inside.

"Ahmed, where's your van?"

Closing his eyes, Ahmed folds his hands tightly and prays to The Writer.

The leader leans over and taps Ahmed with his ax. "Where the hell is your van?"

Frightened, Ahmed hops up and rushes to it. The duo shuffles into the vehicle and speed off while the police are still trying to recover from the bombs. They zoom past several cops without even one officer firing a shot.

"Tint the windows. I want to take off this stupid helmet." As Ahmed complies, the man continues, "Whose idea was it to use sniper armor?" He pushes a button, and the suit camouflages itself inside the car. I actually can't see him at all. "Great, I'm invisible, but it's damn bulky."

Ahmed waits for him to remove his helmet and says, "Monte, there's a problem."

My brother takes a deep breath while scrutinizing the round man. "You didn't kill her?" Sirens follow, but the van's faster than it looks.

"No. We got killed." Ahmed giggles nervously. "Well, not me obviously, but my boys. My boys are—"

"Shut up. By who?"

"Some tall guy with a serious weapon. He was a big black guy. Really big. He was your height, but a little slimmer. But not too slim. Really big for the most part. Freakish power. You know Tyrone's shield?"

"Yeah."

"Cut through it, like butter. He was even faster than Ravi."

"You begged me to bring those prissy Indian gods in for nothing."

"Prissy?" Ahmed zooms around Grand Avenue and hops on the level three freeway where he blazes at two hundred and seventy miles per hour. "I told you not to kill Dustin. It took two men to replace his power. And the Hindu gods I came with could trump any Olympian." Monte glares at him. "Except you. Obviously."

"Obviously not. They lost to a guy with barcodes you haven't mentioned yet."

"None."

"What the hell? Are you sure?"

"That's my job. To know codes. He had none. Even when Carmen kissed him, she couldn't find them. They would have automatically activated."

"She kissed? Damn! He's really going to give it to me now. Don't you understand I have to go back with this information?" Ahmed shifts in his seat queasily and Monte notices. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Say it now," Monte demands. The wind he releases from his tattoos cracks all the windows inside the van. The surprising force causes Ahmed to swerve.

"He was blind. Kept his eyes closed."

"Shit." Monte rubs his temple. "You're sloppy."

"I'm sloppy? You kill everyone we work with."

"Except you."

Ahmed presses down on the gas as hard as he can. "But you're going to kill me now, aren't you?"

Monte slowly places his helmet back on. Leaning back in his seat, he coldly replies, "Yep."

As sirens close in, Ahmed jerks the wheel into the freeway's shoulder launching Monte and himself from the third level, nearly six hundred feet in the sky.

Four

"Interesting?" I echo. Dennis slaps a patch on my back forcefully. "That hurt."

"You deserve it."

"I said I didn't mean to kill them, kinda. But what's so damn interesting?"

Dennis walks in front of me, holding his right hand. We're in a dark room on the seventh floor. I had to blast my way out of the rubble while hiding myself. Then I carried Carmen all the way here, with Dennis in hot pursuit.

Everything on the seventh floor stinks. I think it has to do with the disgusting prison that Dennis refuses to have sanitized. The custodian team at the school is known to clean classes while we're in them, but not even they step foot up here.

The mutated rat-infested room we're hiding in was once home to Professor Gonzales' behemoths; the ones that were "mysteriously" set free on my first day of school. Now, it's an empty mess of green and greener tiles. The walls are black, but not from paint. I believe the grainy material is dried blood.

Dennis tilts his head. He's probably wondering why my eyes are open around Carmen.

"She figured it out on her own after licking me."

He dismisses my assumption, "I know."

"There's no point in hiding."

"I know."

"Well, what are you looking at me for, and why aren't you answering my question?"

"Somehow you managed to block my ability. I can only see what happens up to your conversation with Richard. How are you doing that?"

I shift on the metal stool, and point to Carmen nonchalantly.

He whispers, "She taught you? Not possible. If it weren't for some connections she has, she'd be the only god level student with all demigod classes."

"Connections?"

"You like her. Don't you?"

"She definitely does fun things with her tongue."

"Spare me the details, but I'm going to enjoy this." Dennis walks to a black lab table and throws a long brown cloak to me. "You enjoy pissing people off, right?"

"I consider it a hobby."

"Then, I'm going to leave you in the dark on this one, but..." No longer whispering, he turns to the quiet girl and says, "...Carmen."

"Mr. Colt?" She jumps up so nervously that she slightly trips over her feet.

"I'm going to give you the opportunity to choose your full-time security. You'll have to live, eat, and sleep very close to that person. Is that fine by you?"

Bowing her head, she mumbles, "Yes, sir."

Turning to me he asks, "Kay. Will you volunteer your services?"

Carmen's eyes are already radiating brilliantly due to Dennis' misreading of a situation. Cleaning some of the blood from the Hindu gods off of my neck, I take my time to reply, "No."

The way Carmen shudders makes me notice her intricate armor. It's classical. The chest plate is sturdy, and made of a steel and Kevlar combination. Like Angie's armor, there's a long gap in the middle that stretches down to her navel. The space is stitched together by threads the size of shoe laces. The red cape wrapped around her waist falls to her calves, and her silver boots stretch to her thighs. It's superior Moreno—the premium badass crap that only senior ranking officials receive. Either she's someone special or her father is.

"Hmm. I didn't expect that," Dennis groans. "Oh well. I'm volunteering him. When I present your student security, Kay, will be one of the options."

Carmen gently shakes her head. "It's okay, Mr. Colt. You can choose whoever is suitable."

"How many times will we go through this Carmen? You'll never get anywhere with passive aggression. Kay is specifically someone who won't be convinced by a weak voice or batting eyelashes. Believe me." How do they know each other on such a personal level? I'm amused. Dennis watches me silently for a few seconds. "Where did the assassin go?"

I simply answer, "Beijing Coliseum."

"Who did he meet up with?"

I glance over at Carmen. The guilty expression on my face is too obvious. "One of the Paynes." I can't admit that it was Monte in front of her. He still attends the academy. That knowledge could make her uncomfortable.

"Was it her?"

"No."

"Are you still looking for her?" Dennis' pinky finger is capable of more than he's willing to admit. I haven't mentioned my desire to search and kill Eve once, but he constantly asks me about it. He knows too much.

"Hey, Dad. I can hear everyone getting off the elevator. The ceremony is about to start." Dennis pretends to dust lint from his arm, but checks his watch. Instead of leaving, he props himself onto the dirty lab counter.

Eight male students exit the elevator at the farthest end of the hall, two doors away from the entrance to the prison. They trickle down the corridor. Some are laughing, and others look scared out of their minds.

Vincent leads them to a large steel door. The destructive crashing sound the garage door makes as he slams it open causes several of the guys to flinch. Malik points at Patrick, laughing at his shrieks.

The color in my eyes intensifies as I lower the radius of my sight. There's a particular heartbeat that I occasionally enjoy listening to with limited interruption. Yet, the sound continues approaching me. That's not a good thing.

"I know that look," Dennis announces with a hint of concern prancing around each word.

"You didn't say Angie would be here."

Carmen's muscles tense the second she hears the name.

Dennis shrugs his shoulders casually. "She's overseeing the Seal of Solomon ceremony. It's her responsibility to take the power if Vincent dies, though she's struggling to learn the techniques. But don't worry, the hood I got you should be good enough to hide behind. She obviously never saw your face."

"Dad. She's climbing the stairs right now."

"Why didn't she take the—"

"Listen. She can sense blood. She always knew who or what I killed. If she's within twenty feet, she'll feel Spencer's blood on me, and maybe my own." That really disturbs him. Dennis has taken serious precautions to hide me from Angie more than anyone else because he knows she couldn't hold a secret to save her life. But this new information is good enough to spook him. "Five seconds."

In the time it takes me to blink, Dennis is at the door. I take two steps back as Angie emerges from the stairwell. Twenty feet.

Her armor has received some amazing upgrades. The gear looks nearly as magnificent as Seth's previous work. The black skin-tight armor lining her body sticks to her flesh like glue. It travels from her feet to her fingertips. The padding on her arms and legs is broken into sections: biceps, shoulders, forearms, hands, waist, thighs, and calves. Each segment glows with a faint green hue of the computer components shining within the dense padding.

Dennis leaves the door cracked behind him with Carmen in sight.

The pitter-patter in Angie's chest slows. She doesn't acknowledge Dennis. Instead, she peers over his shoulders at the room behind him. I take one more step back, just in case.

"Hey," he says merrily. She doesn't respond verbally. Her body does the talking. Angie takes an aggressive step forward, but Dennis interrupts her ungoverned advancement by clearing his throat. "You won't be able to attend the ceremony today. There was a serious accident on the first floor, and I need you to lead the team searching for any students that may be trapped in the rubble."

Her chest broadly expands and contracts. Her jawbone becomes visible every few seconds as she clenches her teeth together.

"Stay with the group clearing the stones away. I'll inform your father."

The fingers on Dennis' left hand tremble, just out of her sight. I don't blame him. Angie's the only person in the world I genuinely fear. I mean, piss-my-pants scared. Because I can't dream, I consider her my nightmare, though she used to be my best friend.

Angie slowly reenters the stairwell.

Dennis drags his feet back into our room. He forces a smile on his face as his hands quiver in his pockets. "There are obviously some things about my niece and son I don't know about. You said twenty feet, but it looks like she noticed you."

"Yeah. And she was ready to kill. Dad, if the bandages don't change me enough, she'll know I killed Spencer." If she can't distinguish between my blood and people I've killed, she'll think Kay murdered Kode.

"That could be a problem, but we'll have to discuss that at another time. Let's head to the meeting."

As we exit the repugnant laboratory and close the squeaking black door, I hear screams from down the hallway. The last one comes from the mouth of Yukio. Though I spend most of my time in the dungeon, I can still hear him when I'm at home. Yukio hasn't been the same since I killed his friends and family members at Yang Arena. Unfortunately for him, his father rushed to Feng's aide when he heard of Helios' threat. Though Yukio hasn't said much, even to his mother, I sense his determination to search for his father's murderer. Maybe I'll give him a hint one day.

Dennis places his hand on my shoulder and stops me at the door. "This won't be friendly, Kay."

"I don't think Vincent was ever friendly. I'll feel right at home."

"He's not the only one. When this is all over, we have to explain this to my family."

"Even better. Let's get it over with. I want to see how much pain this thing can cause. Those screams sound exciting."

"You're a strange kid."

I'm the first to walk into the garage door, followed by Carmen.

The storage room looks like some ancient cult meeting place. The floor is a bloody red. It seems as though someone tried renovating the room by throwing a few buckets of paint on the ground, leaving most of it uneven. Then, they tore large holes in the walls to reveal the support beams and covered the windows with cardboard.

This room used to belong to an instructor Dennis once warned me about. Bae Dong-gun was a South Korean doctor completing his residency with the academy under Gonzales' supervision. As legend tells, the experiments he performed in this garage make the blood splattered walls in Gonzales' lab look like child's play.

All the students stop what they're doing and turn their attention to me.

Twelve gods and demigods are standing in a circle. The ceremony is already under way and I made it just in time to interrupt the next wrapping. Yukio was the last to be sealed. He has two very powerful barcodes on his forearms. At first glance, they look like various stars. But if you played Connect the Dots with them, the constellation would form two dragons. I imagine he's lost a lot of the power. Nearly an inch of girth seems to be missing from his forearms.

Two high-ranking demigods, Brandon and Trent, are unconscious but still a part of the circle.

Vincent, the biggest of the group, is wearing a brown cloak like the others. He removes his hood. I think he wants me to see the disgust on his face clearly.

The beautiful girl hiding behind my back catches his attention when she peeks around my arm. Vincent's level of surprise is alarming. "Why is she here? No other woman besides Angie is allowed, and that's only because my wife was unable to bear a boy."

My dad reacts as though he just noticed Vincent, but doesn't reply. Instead, he announces, "I'm very proud to see the top performing students from Colt Academy gathered here today. You all have worked extremely hard to obtain the honor of being bandaged by the Seal of Solomon. Colt warriors have held this power to themselves for far too long. Fortunately, you were approved by my family. That means they believe you are the future of Gladiator Sports Entertainment."

A few students smile under their cloaks, though others, like Malik and Patrick, keep their eyes and firm expressions on me.

"But I have some bad news. It seems the student with the highest scores, Malik Jules, won't undergo the first full body transformation as promised. Due to extreme circumstances, my adopted son will accept this responsibility. I'd like to introduce all of you to Kay."

Malik's eyes widen, and the barcode on his hands and chest glow. He wasn't too strong last year, but Professor Jules had Monte and me train him. I thought he'd never gain any serious strength, but near the end of the year, he began showing incredible potential.

There are two dog heads tattooed on his hands and one on his chest. I discovered the hard way that the mutt's punches can feel like bites and even draw blood. At the time, they were minor scratches, but I'm sure the puppy's grown up a bit. Though he doesn't have the power of a full Egyptian god, the tattoos for Serapis are comparable.

Egyptian tattoos are rare. In fact, there's only one other host on campus. Children born with this power in America are often killed because of their insane power. Mayan gods are attacked as well. Because of Serapis' foundation in Greek history, Malik was safe from harm.

Though he tries to fight his rage, Malik takes a step forward. Vincent blares, "Stay in position for the ceremony. Let me handle these pathetic excuses."

Turning to Dennis, I ask, "You think he's talking about you and me, or the explanation you just gave?"

Vincent's eyes twitch as he hears my voice. "Remove your hood, boy. Who is behind that cloak? I thought you said the—"

"It's exactly as I said, so let's not get into that." Dennis addresses the students, "I need to ask you all a favor. You must have heard about the explosion downstairs. Because of the honor and prestige you hold, I will honestly tell you that there was an assassination attempt on this beautiful girl's life." He walks behind me and pulls the shy girl away. Some of the boys laugh at the sight of her. Why? "Well, I need her to be followed twenty-four-seven, until I get to the bottom of this. You'll be hired as security for Colt Arena and paid accordingly."

"That's outrageous," Vincent bellows while Dennis speaks, but the big man in the black suit never breaks stride.

"She's allowed to choose her security personally. Carmen has healed most of your wounds this year and knows your power, so I've asked her to choose the strongest of you." Whispering to the frightened beauty, Dennis says, "Choose wisely."

The boys chatter as though no one can hear them. Malik's the first to banter, "I hope she chooses me so I can finally end the sexual tension between us. The girl wants me to poke her, I swear."

Patrick laughs and adds, "Please. I need someone to get into myself." But that's strange. He doesn't even play for that team. Am I the only one that knows? I'm seriously going to have fun with this.

"You already have a girl. Let me finally end her misery. She wants it bad."

Nudging Carmen, Dennis commands, "Pick now."

She turns hear head towards me and plays with her fingers anxiously. She knows my ability. Thus, she's aware that I can see her. Carmen's waiting on me to acknowledge her, but I refuse. If she wants me, she better fight for it. I'm no easy catch.

"I'll choose Mal—"

"Dennis! Outside. Now!" Vincent fumes as he storms out of the room.

Dad mouths, "I think I'm in trouble," as he follows. After nearly a year with me, he's picking up my sarcastic humor. I laugh openly as he exits.

Malik doesn't waste time approaching me. He and his gang of Patrick, Wesley, and Addison march towards me.

"Addison. That's a chick's name. Right?" It seems my greeting isn't very welcomed because the demigod flashes his tattoo. I continue anyway, "Hector wasn't really a demigod was he? I saw this one old film—really poor quality, twentieth century stuff—anyway, Achilles kicked his ass."

The mutt barks, "Who the hell are you?"

"Kay. Kinda nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but I don't know where it's been. You look like the lonely type, and I've seen the things they do with lotion, Vaseline, egg whites. Disgusting."

Carmen's giggling and my casual nature seems to upset Mr. Jules. He tightens his fists. Noticing the dog tattoos light up, I make a gentle barking sound.

Unable to control himself any longer, he snaps, "I trained day and night to get those bandages. Promised my entire family that I'd be the first non-Colt to wear them, and they're given to a son we haven't seen or heard of?"

"Yeah. About that. I don't really care." Turning to Wesley, I say, "Hmm. You're the quiet type. Why hang out with them?" I point my finger directly at Malik.

"This must be a joke. You know all of us. Who's under here? Monte?" Malik foolishly tries to remove my hood. As he reaches, I viciously grab his right arm. Malik's speed has drastically improved; his left hand bites my neck. I hardly had time to react. My black blood trickles down his fingers. "What the hell?"

Dennis and Vincent are still yelling at each other outside the door. Though the conversation began with Carmen's protection, Vincent isn't pleased that his brother sent Angie on a meaningless task without his permission. Whatever else they have to say is interrupted by the sensation they feel brewing on their skin. You don't need barcodes to know when I'm going to kill someone. It's plain for anyone to see. Even Carmen backs away.

But I have a larger problem on my hands. The energy I release alerts Angie to my presence. Seven floors down, she bursts into tears and mumbles, "Kode?"

Dennis rushes into the room as the other eight students surround me to support their hero. Some shout, "Break his neck!"

Others scream, "Bite him Malik!"

I've already released his left arm. It was too distracting.

What's the most painful way to end his life?

"Stop!" Dennis shouts as he rushes to the crowd. Malik tightens his grip. "Don't! Stop now. Don't!"

Malik bears his fangs and looks away, but doesn't let go. Angie's still searching for the presence on the first floor. It's only a matter of time until she finds me.

"Don't!" Dennis commands for the last time.

Angrily, Malik spouts, "It's not my fault, and I don't understand why we can't just fight for the power. He's nothing more—"

Still focused on me, Dennis speaks more calmly, "Kay. Don't do anything irrational. Stop. Please. You don't know what this will do to me. Lay low, Kay."

Clenching my jaws, I fight the urge to drive Shiva's trishula through Malik's chest. He's now staring at my dad in disbelief. I tighten my fist just enough to draw blood, though not much.

"Kay. Please trust me."

With those words, I release a gust of air from my lungs. Malik holds on until I push him away with the shock wave gathered in my chest. Expelling the pressure is somewhat satisfying, but I'd prefer to kill him.

Vincent calls the cult's meeting back to order. The boys grumble as we stand in a circle and are sealed. The process looks simple. The silver ring around Vincent's left ring finger is the Seal of Solomon. The tool seems to have bandages condensed into the steel. The angry fat man places his hand on students' heads or shoulders, and the ceremonial bandages creep out and bind their tattoos.

Everyone screams in pain except the mutt, and he receives the largest and thickest bandages. All three of his dog tattoos are covered. His hands are wrapped like a boxer's, and his chest is strapped with the bandages circling his torso in an X-shape. The pattern reminds me of Arnold's barcode.

After the process is complete for the mutt, Vincent articulates, "You will be favored with the second strongest bind I have. When you are free from this power, you will still be my mightiest student."

Vinny-boy breathes heavily while standing directly in front of me. Carmen inches a bit closer to Dennis. Dad checks his watch twice. I want the fat man to speed up as well, but I remain quiet to avoid drawing out the process any further.

Angie's finally realized that the presence she felt behind Dennis is probably connected to the one she felt ready to kill Malik. As she bolts up the stairs, the ring reacts on its own.

Vincent clutches my head tightly. "What the hell?"

His hand involuntarily shakes my head, and I feel the ring dig slightly into my skin. Luckily, most of the boys are unconscious because my hood flies off, and bandages zip from the ring. My clothes follow.

The brute continues holding on, but looks away from the blinding glow of the seal. Unlike the white light that shined around the others, this one turns the room pitch black.

My senses are restricted, and I can no longer hear or see for miles. Even what's in front of me becomes difficult to make out. Dennis calls my name. He probably doesn't realize that he said, "Kode," but I doubt the others had enough time to notice. Those lying on the ground slide across the floor, and Malik falls backwards and flips over his own shoulders.

The evil energy emitting from the ring and I are incredible. I'd dwell on the evil scene, but as the bandages wrap around me, the distress my body suffers snatches my attention. Though I initially hold my own, I give into a wild scream that can probably be heard through every floor.

The ring disintegrates on Vincent's finger as he yanks his hand away from my head. Something causes him to wail two octaves above his standard tone. Wuss.

I can barely move my lips enough to say, "What's up with me and black?"

Like Shiva, the bandages are dark. They resemble the dark charcoal gray color of Tartarus. Though I hold my hands up for a few seconds, they drop to my side as I fall to my knees.

Honestly, I enjoy pain—I will admit that—but I would have never imagined every muscle on my body feeling like burning needles were stuck through them. My bones dreadfully expand and contract with the same arrhythmic beat.

This isn't pain, it's torture.

Dennis mouths, "Don't cry," but I can hardly hear it. What the hell is wrong with my ears?

A loud explosion sounds from outside, and Angie rushes in screaming, "Kode!" repeatedly. She shoves Dennis and Vincent out of the way. Digging her nails in Dennis' arm enough to draw blood, she murmurs, "Who? Who the hell is this?"

Sound fades in and out for a moment. The last words I hear are Carmen's, "I choose Kay as my bodyguard. I want him."

Five

Dreams are for people too afraid to attack their goals. The weak plan endlessly, searching for their next adventure. For the first time in my life, I join them.

Normally, when I fall asleep, the hues and saturation in my fourth dimension become dynamically colorful. The same thing happens when I'm knocked unconscious. I can actually see more of the world than before.

Though I love seeing the astonishing details, from hair blowing in the wind to animals crawling on the ground, I also hear more pain and torment. I've witnessed various kidnappings. Psychotic husbands have found their wives cheating. To retaliate, they shoved bullets though their wife's heart and finished the job by turning the gun on themselves. There's also the occasional drug overdose, which leaves children without a mother or father.

I see both pain and joy, but my mind naturally focuses on the suffering.

I originally assumed that there was no barcode user more unfortunate than my own. But last night, I had my first dream. In it, my biological parents and my adopted ones were together. A happy family.

Monte sat at the dinner table with them, screaming my name. I couldn't hear him, so Eve ran up the stairs to retrieve me. She tickled me until I lost the game I was playing with Spencer. Then, he and I joined the others at the table. Neither of us wore the mask of Tartarus. Both of us were laughing from the love we received.

Once that nightmare ends and my hearing returns, it occurs to me that people are unhappy because they constantly dream about joy they can never receive. I'm not cursed; the world is.

My "dreams" are a colorful reality. Theirs are wishful thinking. How pitiful.

For hours, I struggle to wake up. I want to move my body, but I can't. Plus, I can't hear further than a mile down the road, and sometimes even that fades away. I know that I'm in my gym. Dennis placed me on one of my training mats and fell asleep on another.

In the morning, he had breakfast brought up for the both of us. It smells good, but I can't even move enough to tell him I want a bite. The maids take my plates away and bring another one every thirty minutes. He wants me to have a warm breakfast when I wake up.

Breakfast turns into lunch, and Hayley comes up to tell Dennis she'll get me something once I'm conscious. The beautiful redhead walks over to me. She's hesitant. Distraught.

Dennis shakes his head. "What's wrong with you two? Why don't you just kiss him on the forehead and get it over with? You know you want to."

"I do not," she fires back loudly. Dennis laughs.

"Then why are you looking like you want to run and stay at the same time?"

"Because..." Her lips move, but she's not making real sounds. She's trying to form her thoughts. "He looks so cute. I want to hold him."

My body shivers slightly, but she doesn't notice. Dennis smirks and his eyes drift towards me.

"I guarantee you, he wants the same thing."

"How do you know? Spencer would've hated that."

"He's not Spencer," Dennis snaps. "Don't compare the two."

The tattoo on Hayley's thumbs shine with a green hue. I feel my eyes burning. The color from the world fades. I'm finally awake, but it's nearly impossible to move my muscles.

She plays with her thumbs by pressing them together and magnifying the amount of data she has traveling through them. She drearily testifies, "I don't really know how to use these, but I can sense his pain with my barcodes. When I wiped his tears and I got these—which aren't as bad as I thought they would be—I could feel everything dark about him. But I don't care. I still lo—"

Hayley grunts again and storms off. My heart breaks as she leaves, but she doesn't go far. She rushes to the furthest corner of the gym, where I occasionally fall asleep, and steals a furry blanket she bought me two months ago. She throws it over me and slides underneath.

One of her arms supports my head and the other is thrown over my back. She closes her eyes and gently touches my cheeks with her radiating barcodes. I blink several times.

Why do I feel so small? I swear she's bigger than me.

The fight in her face leaves. She's finally decided to enjoy this time. A tear falls from her eye and she smiles.

Laughing, she says, "I'm so pathetic."

I try telling her she's not, but I can't move or speak.

Hayley opens her eyes. She smiles at the sight of my data, but jerks wildly seconds later. She shifts nervously and cries, "I'm so sorry, Kode."

The only mother figure that's ever held me this close tries running away. I command my arms to move, and wrap them tightly around her back. She makes a gasping sound. "Oh baby," she whispers once she notices me whimpering in her chest.

Hayley still doesn't know about my ability. She said she doesn't want to; she hates knowing about gladiators and all the ways they can pry into her life. I have one of the most invasive techniques, so I made sure to keep quiet.

"Is he awake?" Dennis hops up and rushes over to me.

Though I can't control the sobs, I make sure not to release any tears. I've already given Hayley three tattoos, and I placed one on Dennis' chest. Though I have to concentrate to make my blood and sweat form barcodes, my tears make them against my will.

After a few minutes, I laugh at how pathetic I am. "Wow. I feel like a little kid."

Dennis folds his arms and smirks. "You look like one too."

"Why? Because I'm holding on to Hayley? You're just jealous," I tease while inhaling her perfume.

"No. You really look like one. Can't you see it?"

I pull my right hand away from Hayley and hold it near her face. "What the hell?" Next, I grab Hayley's hand and compare them. Her hand is bigger than mine. I quickly jump up and realize Dennis stands a head above me. A sharp pain shoots through my legs. I stumble towards Dennis and fall flat on my face.

"Help him!" Hayley sits up. "Why aren't you moving?"

"How can he move?" he stutters. "We had each student carried home yesterday. I receive regular updates from their nurses. No one could even open their mouth to eat. I was considering having Kay put on an IV, but I wanted him to wake up first."

I try rolling over, but fail. I turn my head and jeer, "They're not real men, especially Patrick. And that's not a homophobic joke—I'm saving those for later. I just meant the way he screams is embarrassing. Though, within the past twenty-four hours, I punked out a few times too." There are two straps practically glued to my cheeks. The rest of my body is completely covered in ceremonial bandages from my neck to my ankles. "Man I look like a teenager."

"Not quite. I'd say twelve."

Hayley corrects, "Eleven."

"Eleven?!" I roll my head over to her, and she nods joyfully. "Kill me." Hayley laughs and crawls to me. Moving her hair aside, she kisses me on the forehead. Gently, she lifts my head off the floor and rests it on her lap. "What now? I go to school as Kay, the eleven-year-old?"

"Pretty much. We won't mention your age or last name." Hayley's finally gotten back into her role at the academy. She'll most likely register me for classes. "This year, Dennis and I aren't wasting time with the Colt Council. I'll be around to make sure no one discovers your identity."

I hold my index finger over my lips. "Hey, Carmen," I project my voice just enough for her to hear. Though she doesn't initially respond, she eventually cracks open the door to my apartment and timidly walks over to us. "How am I supposed to protect you wrapped like this?"

"You'll find a way." Really quickly, and I mean super fast, she mumbles, "I mean you're already the strongest person I ever licked so I'm sure you're better than the others."

Dennis and Hayley's mouths drop. I imagine they couldn't make out a word she said. I'm pretty familiar with her Southern accent, though I wish she'd slow things down.

"I'm not strong anymore," I reply. "I have enhanced speed for some reason, but I couldn't punch through a stone, let alone hurt a gladiator."

Dennis squats next to Hayley. "What do you mean speed? You can't move."

"I know, but when my body functions properly, the speed will be there. I can't explain it, but I know by the sound in my muscles."

Hayley pouts, "Dammit. You can hear everything, can't you? That's how you knew she was behind the door and hear your speed."

"Sorry."

"Ugh." Noticing her audience of onlookers, she clears her throat and apologizes, "My bad. Continue."

"I start school tomorrow. Then what?"

Waving his hand, Dennis says, "You guys get a week's pass. Spencer could hardly walk after a month, though he was younger when he first received his bandages. My hand weighed so much, I couldn't walk for a week. You'll need physical therapy to help you avoid tearing your muscles."

"I'm at least going to the dungeon tonight."

"You don't need to push it."

"Says you."

"I assume that's supposed to mean something."

"You think I don't know you're training to kill Talib?"

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm training to kill him, but there are things I must do."

"Talib has eighty-seven wins and no losses. He and Jay-Jay have volunteered for every fight and set records across the board now that you allow your humans to fight demigods. Thirteen more fights, and Talib's a free beast. What then?" Dennis glances over at Carmen. I trace his eyes as far as I can. "Don't hold back. She's practically family."

"More than you know," he tilts his head. "I'm not sure what I'll do, but I won't attack him. My goal is to stop Helios and Eve if they come this way."

"Speaking of Payne, you haven't even told my father about me."

"No. I don't want anyone to know you're here. I'm sure when those bandages are removed, you're going after them. Vincent says yours are glued on for two years. Until that time comes, I'll do what I should have done a long time ago: protect my son."

"You're not protecting the academy anymore?"

"It's Vincent's responsibility now." Dennis rests his hand on my head. "You have to meet with my family about receiving these bandages without permission. It'll be best if you learn to walk as soon as possible. I'll stay here and help you train."

Hayley leans her face over mine and says, "I'll help too, after I get you something to eat."

"And I'll heal you if you break or tear anything," Carmen adds.

Scrunching her eyebrows, Hayley glances at Carmen and Dennis. Aggressively, she shouts, "Actually, the first thing I need to do is find out why a girl was in your apartment."

Dennis looks away and uneasily utters, "We'll talk about that later. I need to get Kay strong before our meeting."

Chuckling, I tease, "You make me feel as though I might not survive talking to your family."

"That's why I'm training hard."

Dennis' words sound dark. They reek with a familiar sounding evil that I've heard from many successful businessmen. To distract myself, I sit up and prepare for training.

"Hayley, you train too." I grab her right hand and bring it closer to me.

"How?" She asks with widened eyes. I squeeze her hand until she screams. The barcodes on her thumbs ignite with a brilliant green. Once her pain seems unbearable, I throw her fist at the floor. Pieces of the ground shatter under her knuckles. Her heart beats powerfully and her face flushes red. "What did you just do?"

"Activated your codes."

"How? Why can't I do it like that?"

"You can. Just squeeze your hand tightly." She follows my instructions. "Harder." Hayley grits her teeth and uses all of her might. "Harder." The bright green returns, but it's faint. "John." A green flash covers the room. Carmen smiles and Dennis frowns.

"What the hell? Kode, explain!"

"Do you know how your muscles work? Do you know the difference between skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles? Or how the joints and muscle tissue relate?"

"Not really."

"But you can still use your muscles. Barcodes are another muscle but they're more advanced than the brain. They're a part of you. You don't need to know how they work. Most people don't. Spencer didn't." Dennis looks away and Hayley lowers her eyebrows. "The more you know, the stronger you are, but you have to be taught. The first thing everyone should learn is, barcodes aren't some spiritual energy. They're a physical evolution of the human anatomy."

"Then why do gladiators always say they're activating their barcodes?"

"It's a common phrase, but only advanced fighters know how to do it. You can supply energy to your codes the same way you can relax your body by breathing. I give my eyes energy by increasing my heart rate and the amount of air traveling through my blood vessels."

"You can do that without drugs?"

"It requires years of meditation, but yes. Michelle Miyamoto was really good at it too. She could actually increase the blood flow in her legs. Spencer mainly flexed his back muscles and the codes would do the work for him. If he knew how to concentrate blood, he might have been unstoppable."

"So all I have to do is tighten my fists?"

"Yes. Most codes will work on their own. Emotions help increase your focus or determination, like when I mentioned John's name. But don't over think it. The more you learn how to activate them, the easier it'll be."

"What about the one on my head?"

"Make yourself flustered or do a headstand. Get a brain freeze. Just try different things until it activates."

"It still doesn't make sense. Don't weapons take your energy?"

"Yeah, but now you're really getting into the science. Like I said, barcodes are complex muscles. Weapons convert adenosine triphosphate and the chemical energy it transports to fuel themselves. It's even more advanced than that." Hayley's eyes widen and she rubs her hands together. "Let's just say the kinetic energy in my body powers Shiva. It's extremely difficult to transfer that energy to her. When I acquired her, she almost killed me after stealing all of my energy. But my blood reacted to her electricity and I converted her energy into my body. That's why my blood turned black. Now, we're permanently linked. I'm a part of her and she's with me. But Shiva's special. Most weapons are built to fill their chambers as needed. Only older weapons like Shiva and Kongō need the user to manually fuel them."

Dennis pats me on the leg. These bandages are awfully amazing because that really hurt. He looks me in the eyes and forces a smile on his face. "Don't overload her brain. Teach her over time. We need to work on you right now."

Six

Walking isn't as easy or natural as I assumed. Now that my muscles don't work properly, simply bending my knee requires tons of concentration. I can remember names and faces of people I've never met, but I can't remember how my calf presses against the ground or how it curls up after it kicks off.

The bandages impaired my motor skills. Twelve hours of training with Dennis got me back on my feet. I can throw a punch or two, if necessary.

It took a little convincing, but Dennis allowed me to walk to the arena and enter the dungeon. He was well aware I could see him trailing me, but at least he gave me some sense of independence.

I thought he'd try to knock me out in order to stop me from leaving, but I guaranteed him I could hold my own by hiding in the dark parts of the cave and using sniper materials to pick off any enemies.

Not many intruders take the route regularly. Most people are simply discovering the caves for the first time and turn around after hearing the "ominous voice" warning them of danger. Once or twice a month I'll have to kill a group that refuses to leave.

Though I promised myself I'd never sit in the cave, I break. There's no way I can stand for six hours with these wraps. So, I find a rock in a dark section and take a seat.

The layout is still as beautiful as always. In fact, I can sense more colors and sounds. With my hearing restricted by the bandages, things are brighter, like when I dream.

The space I've crammed myself in is elevated and gives me a wide view of the area I'm stationed to protect.

Normally, Dennis uses professors and ex-gladiators to guard the dungeon, but I'm not sure why. On my first day, he told me that protecting the caves was important in case anyone tried to attack the school from below, but that's illogical. The stairways leading up to the school are hidden in the dark. You'd have to know about them in order to attack. Not to mention, most of the doors are booby-trapped. Opening them from the inside will make everything go kaboom.

I doubt Dennis knows the true reason we're here. He made a comment about receiving great compensation from businessmen that want all intruders killed, but couldn't tell me anymore. Regardless of why I'm here, I actually enjoy the scenery.

I sense nothing but bats for hours.

Without warning, a small man walks around a corner. He's skinnier and shorter than me. His flesh is pale, almost to the point that it's blue, and his hair is red and curly, like an Afro. Though he is the size of a child, his muscles are ripped, and his hands are four times larger than they should be and calloused.

The man carries an extremely large shield. I don't plan on attacking because I'm aware that he notices me. I no longer have the element of surprise. It seems that coming here alone was a horrible mistake. Oh well. I hope he kills me quickly.

"Hey, my friend. There's no way you'll work like this," his raspy voice booms like the man that appeared in my room the night after I killed Spencer.

"You have to speak proper English with me. Mind reading isn't one of my skills."

"You're too weak. I can't stock the basement if you're like this. I only chose to work this section because of the great job you're doing. Most of the gladiators they leave stationed here are worthless."

"So you know me?"

"Yes. Kode Payne. You're a legend to the blacksmiths and deliverymen. Everyone wants your route. Even the areas nearby are special because of you."

"Amusing. Tell me more."

"I can't say much here or with you like this. If I die, Hades will send me back to the underworld for a month. I have to teach you how to breathe the fog or you'll get us killed."

I don't know what he's talking about, so I shrug my shoulders and nod my head. My nameless guide gestures for me to follow him. Though I'm not supposed to leave this post, there's no way I'd turn down a random adventure where someone I don't know could possibly set me up and kill me.

As we walk down the uneven pathway, I ask Mr. Blue-Skin, "Why did you appear out of nowhere? I never heard you coming."

He doesn't answer, but walks over to a wall with a large hole. For a second, he disappears in the shadows. I can hear him stuffing the shield in the space. Then, he appears behind me from another dark corner. We continue our expedition.

"Deliverymen can travel through some shadows, but we have to show ourselves to hide weapons. I always carry multiple packages and hide them once you leave—Hades said you'd hear me if I stepped out. Then, I reenter the shadows until I'm back home. There's a select group of people, hunters, that know about our abilities. They often come down here posing as militia or wanderers. You're one of the only gladiators that never fall for their traps."

"Nice. Where are we going?"

Mr. Blue-Skin leads me to a corner where two massive rocks meet. "We're not allowed to speak of it until we've entered the area."

"Mysterious. I like that. But if you want to build this relationship, you'll have to open up a bit more."

His giggle is the very opposite of his raspy voice. The high-pitched sound almost startles me.

"You're funny as well."

Turning sideways, he shimmies between the two stones. I never could have fit in this tiny space in my big-boy size. Being the younger, weaker me, I slide through almost as easily as he does.

While tightening my stomach, I ask, "What's your name, Mr. Blue-Skin?"

"We're not allowed to say out here, but I like Blue-Skin. If you call me that, the others will be so jealous. Can I tell them?"

"Sure. Break a leg."

The moment we exit the cramped space, I smell sea water. Blue-Skin and I walk to the edge of a large cliff with a golden bridge attached. The waterfall on the opposite side travels nearly half a mile before striking the river below.

"Hey, Blue-Skin."

"Yes, Kode?"

"Why do I smell sea water underground, and more importantly, why is it boiling hot?"

"The cavern is mythological in a sense, but I was told not to talk about those things with you."

"What can you say out here?"

"We're permitted to talk about the replica of Hades, but I was told you don't listen to those types of things. It's best we simply press on."

The bridge is beautiful. It illuminates the entire space. I believe this is the source of light for the golden glow.

The steaming rocks near the walkway are also magnificent. Dangerous, but that's how I like them.

In the center of the bridge, my right leg gives way. Though I want to continue and get away from the unbearable heat, I can hardly move. Blue-Skin turns around and sits on his knees. He doesn't say a word. Once I stand up, he continues leading again.

I drag my legs over the last half of the bridge with Blue-Skin occasionally looking over his shoulder. We exit the area of the boiling rivers and enter a dark blue and purple room. The walls are still made of stone, but everything is neatly shaped.

The area stretches for at least a mile, but I can't hear far enough to recognize an end.

"Hey guy. I'm sick of walking."

"No worries. We're here."

"You brought me to your infinitely stretching office with nothing in it. Give me a break."

"Actually, this is the door. We're only allowed to talk about the Cavern of Youth in this place."

My eyes leap from my head, "The Cavern of Youth? Are you serious?" I grab the little man by the shoulders. "Do you know how long we spent looking for this last year, and it was here all this time?" My excitement quickly fades. "This isn't how I imagined it."

"Keep walking. You're currently standing on the river, and we must continue to the shore. Once we've passed, you'll see what's actually in front of you. You can only enter with someone that has seen the cavern before. Otherwise, you'll roam this room endlessly."

Blue-Skin leads the way and I follow. Though he said "we're here," there's still quite a bit of walking to do. Nearly a quarter mile later, I feel myself getting restless.

My chest expands and contracts rapidly, and I can hardly control my body. A dark presence that reminds me of Tartarus surrounds me. Death. I haven't seen her in some time.

Logically speaking, I should take a break. I would, but something strange happens: the ground grabs my left heel.

Suddenly, the world changes. Blue-Skin steps onto the shore of the cavern. We're no longer in the infinite room.

We're surrounded by waterfalls and a ceiling almost a mile high. Here, the rocks are organized as well, but like an underground cathedral. There aren't any sharp stones threatening to crush me in case of an earthquake. This beautiful world reminds me of an underground garden.

Rocks are covered with greenery. It's not mold or limestone. There are actual plants and flowers. Trees without leaves have broken through walls and the ground to reach around corners.

Cracks in the ceiling shine with small rays of what looks like sunlight, but I know it's the golden glow of the bridge making its way down here.

The fluid I'm standing on is solid enough to support me, and even stranger, it's creeping up my leg. The water pierces my skin like a burning dagger. I try yanking my leg away. "I can't move my foot."

"That, I cannot help you with. I've never seen the water do such a thing. I can try running through the shadows to find someone who may be able to assist you."

"You do that. I'll be here. Dying."

"But he doesn't know of your new appearance. If Hades sees you—"

"I'll shoot him. Go!"

Blue-Skin flinches and immediately disappears.

I close my eyes just in case someone sneaks up on me. I don't want that secret out of the box while I'm in this predicament.

The water makes its way up my leg and seeks my testicles. Though I've remained calm up until this point, I doubt I could withstand that pain, so I blare, "Help!"

While still carrying the vowel in my plea, I hear thunderous stomps marching my way. A large shadow zips towards me. When it's only several feet away, a hand stretches out of the darkness. The callouses on the mysterious palm scratch my neck as the hand clutches my throat and draws me out of the water. With one swift motion, the shadow throws me against a stone on the shore.

Though I'm free of the burning water that wanted to stop me from ever having kids, I now face a bigger threat.

Even if I weren't bite-sized, the fearsome man would still stand two heads above me. He probably weighs five hundred pounds and should definitely lay off the fried shark, because his belly is massive.

Removing me from the wall, he scrutinizes my face. I'm still trying to stop the ringing in my ears and breathe through the hand wrapped around my neck. I'd open my eyes, if I weren't in this unbearable pain.

The brute smashes me into the ground and the back of my head explodes. I feel blood pouring from it. My spine is severed and exposed, but I'm not dying, yet. For some reason, I can't.

"Who the hell are you?" The words feel like a thousand fists smashing into my face, one after another. I cough up a heap of blood, and he mumbles, "Black?"

Blue-Skin dashes from the dark with a woman as attractive as him—meaning ugly. "Hades. That's Kode."

"Okodemah? Oh, I'm sorry little one. They didn't tell me we'd have such an honorable guest. Come here buddy." Hades grabs my boot and flings me into the water. I smash against the surface, hard. "Stop doing that to him sweetheart. Let him have a sip. I've told you about Okodemah a million times."

The water flashes a bright gold. I assume that's her way of saying, No.

"Now you listen clearly," he continues, "he has as much right to be here as any. Open up your arms or deal with The Writer yourself."

The water glows blue then drowns me. Within seconds, she pulls me down thousands of feet, and I hear Hades' powerful voice yell, "You know who he is, so spit him out. Now!"

She complies. Instantly, I'm pushed and pulled through the water with incredible force. Once she rejects me, I fly to the cavern's roof and fall towards Hades.

I release a vehement shock wave that knocks the others into the walls. As they recover, I observe my arms and legs. I've grown an inch or two, and my wounds are healed.

"It seems she was playing a practical joke on you," Hades laughs with his vicious voice. It doesn't bother me as much anymore. Why not? "She liked you more than I assumed. I've never seen her heal anyone that much."

"Who is she?" I ask so clearly that I shock myself. My voice no longer sounds weak or broken.

"Well, I treat them as one, but they're the Daughters of Danaus. Crazy with practical jokes. Should see what they did to their husbands. I have all fifty on video, if you want to take a peep."

"I'm good."

"What are you doing here? And is that the Seal of Solomon?" Hades rushes to me and binds both of my arms to my torso. This time, I have the strength to push him off. "Look at that. So you were actually able to release the Hysminai. They will train you well. Believe me."

Blue-Skin interrupts by timidly saying, "Master."

"You," Hades growls. "I was prepared to drag him to the shadows. Why didn't you tell me you were bringing Okodemah?"

"I was on my way, but the girls grabbed his foot. I went to retrieve a Charon."

"Your girlfriend?" I ask.

Both of their skin colors turn red.

"No. Nothing like that."

"Stop being a wimp and ask her out. I don't have any advice on how to get it done, but you can't be scared forever." I slap Hades on the arm. He doesn't even notice, but my hand throbs horribly. "Now, where's the fog I need to breathe?"

"Is that why you're here? To learn how to use the fog?" Hades asks.

The Charon and Blue-Skin turn yellow and smile at each other. Then Blue-Skin says, "Yes. The bandages are sapping too much of his strength. I want him to know how to breathe the mist."

"So he can protect you?"

"Essentially."

"That's a bit boring. I thought you were here to see me."

"Your voice." I recollect, "You're the guy that sat at my bed after I killed Spencer, right?"

"Yes! Wait. You didn't remember my face?"

"I never saw it. But your booming vocals nearly killed me."

"You were still weak. I could see how that would be a problem." Hades walks away. "Well, you two are clearly busy. I want you to learn how to use the cavern as well. When my slaves die, they're forced to spend time in the shadows. You're protecting my most gifted group, so I'll let you get to work."

"I think I have some questions for you."

"We all have questions, but you shouldn't ask until you're ready for the answers," he says, waving. "I also work at The Darke Lord shop near Seth's place. Catch me there if you're ever in town."

_Seth's place?_

Seven

"But you spoke to Hades?"

"That's what he said his name was."

"His name is Hades. That makes him Hades."

"How long are we going to do this? You really think I traveled to Hades and spoke to a real life god?"

Antonio frowns his digital face and flares his nose. "Yes."

After finishing the sandwich I stole from Seth's refrigerator, I clean up my mess and place everything in the dishwasher.

Seth's apartment is always a mess. I often sneak over in the mornings when he's out getting drunk. Antonio says the ex-genius goes out for training, but not even the digital monster seems to believe that.

Though the nanobots aren't as capable as they were before Seth's skills started slipping, they do an excellent job of cleaning up the place when I come over. When everything's organized, the living room is visually appeasing.

A few months back, Seth had the carpet removed and aesthetically decorated the stained concrete.

Though Seth's intelligence has deteriorated, his home designer skills have evolved. The square patterns on the floor look more artistic than some of the best cubist paintings in the thirtieth century. The white, red, and black designs could make me dizzy from staring at them too long, but they increase the room's attractiveness.

He's been experimenting with using MMIBS on fabrics as well. Not only did he change the frames of his couches to a sleeker and durable threaded material, he brightened the color of the red pillows to give the room a lively focal point against the white furniture.

"What about after? Did you ever learn how to breathe the fog?"

Taking a seat next to Antonio, I reply, "Yeah. It was difficult though. First, Blue-Skin—"

"Can you please stop calling him that? You're awful at making nicknames."

"But it's fun. Anyway, Blue-Skin took me away from his girlfriend and explained the similarities between the water and the fog. Supposedly, the fog that eats on dead flesh also helps restore life. But you have to drink from the Daughters of Danaus first. He gave me a fair warning. It seems that they'll sometimes poison the water and kill you. Depends on their mood."

"Nothing's changed over the years."

"Whatever. I don't get it from a scientific point of view, but I was down for drinking cave water. It was obviously sterile because the golden bridge room boiled it at a ridiculous temperature."

Antonio's image begins flickering. "Damn software. Update!"

"Seth's lost his touch, huh?"

"Get back to the fog."

"It was simple, but painful. A low mist appeared over the river, and Blue-Skin said I had to drink as much as I could while inhaling deeply. I didn't realize how hard that was, but I kept drinking. I tried getting up once, but the girls held on to me for an hour."

Holding one finger up, I rush to the bathroom again. I've been doing this for the past eight hours. My overactive bladder has prevented me from falling asleep all night. That's why I decided to visit the geeks' apartment. Not to mention, I need Antonio's help. But he keeps getting distracted.

I tell the rest of the story once I'm back in the room. "Drinking all that water was damn hard, but stopped my joints from hurting."

Antonio looks at Carmen. She's sitting neatly on an adjacent couch with her arms folded. "I keep forgetting she's here."

"Boring, I know. She was definitely more exciting when I first met her."

"I just don't want to interrupt. You're already protecting me, and that's a horrible invasion of your space as is," Carmen gushes without a breath or pause between any of her words.

"Whoa. I can understand you, but can you slow that down some?"

"Nervous habit. Sorry." Clearing her throat she says, "But Antonio's avoiding helping you find Monte. You've asked him like three times, and he smoothly changes the subject." Antonio glares at Carmen. Unable to maintain eye contact with him, she turns to me as though I'll save her. "I'm just trying to help you out since I'm here and all."

"She's right, you see-through-nerd. Why are you avoiding the topic so much? Just to let you know, I will threaten you with a deathnote. I know your ISP and that encryption crap doesn't work with me."

The drama king releases an incredible sigh and confesses, "I've known about the trouble Monte's gotten into for some time."

Carmen barges into the conversation. "So spill the beans!" Her initial response was perfect, but she covers her mouth as though she regrets saying anything at all.

"Stop that submissive woman shit! I want you to say whatever you want. Drop your hands." Turning to Antonio, I motion for him to speed up the story. "You're stalling. Seth is on his way. He just entered my radius. He has a mile left to jog, and you can't avoid me that long."

Seth's moving at more of a sprint, and Antonio could hold out if he tried.

"Fine. But first you have to tell me why you want this information so badly."

"I need to know what he's doing to determine if he's working for someone."

"Who?"

"You said I had to answer your previous question."

Several projections appear in front of me displaying images of destroyed buildings, video clips of slain gladiators on rooftops, and articles about the massacre of mafia members in Southern California. "Monte's been seeking various thrills since you've disappeared. I know all about the Cavern of Youth adventure Mr. Jules sent you on last year, but that's nothing compared to the things Monte's gotten himself into. I think you were his better judgment because he's been nothing but trouble since you vanished."

"I know about the bank robbery. What are these?"

"It's not just one." Antonio holds his palm out and swipes his hand to the left. A projection of an article about four violent bank robberies moves the other screens out of the way. "He robs them and sends the money to a foreign account that I can't trace. He's a serial killer that targets high ranking gang members, but knows a lot of East LA residents. He's also attacked several student gladiators on rooftops."

Seth bursts through the door.

His armor changed with his name. The epic gear that once graced the genius now resembles a densely padded leather jumpsuit. The gear is dark blue with red outlines. This armor looks like casual clothes with heavy, dark-blue shoulder pads.

Seth examines us while drinking a half-empty bottle of X-Eyes. The two black X's on the front have been scratched off. The smile and tongue sticking out were left in order. Other parts of the bottle seem damaged, as though they were scraped repeatedly by bullets.

His eyes remain welded to Carmen while taking a sip of the alcohol. Then, he walks over to an empty chair and plunges his weight into it.

"Who the hell are you?" He wipes sweat from his brow and takes another sip.

"I'm Kay and that's Carmen."

Seth observes the both of us with his barcodes lit. Since I was forced to inhale fog and water, I've been able to see a hint of color with my eyes closed. Though it's not much, I notice Seth's bullhorns over his eyebrows shine a dull gold.

"You're Kay? If that was your simple name all along, you could've just told me."

My left eye ticks and I ask, "What are you talking about?"

"You've lost some size due to the bandages. The data they have coursing through your blood is compressing your muscles and bones. Even with the loss of girth, I know you. If that wasn't enough, you didn't change your jacket that's too big for you now."

"You can see the codes in the bandages?"

"I finally have control over my barcodes. If you received the bandages three weeks back, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. But I recorded your data not too long ago," he sputters while tapping on his head. Though he's learning to control his intelligence, he remains a drunk with slurred speech and an unpleasant odor.

"Did you ever record people before you started X-Eyes?"

"I did, but the toxin deleted most of it. My memory is hazy and probably won't come back." Antonio stands up and walks out of the room quietly. "Why does he look so prissy?"

"You didn't say hi to him when you walked in. You were rude," Carmen snaps. Antonio ghostly fades away.

Seth blurts, "Fag." Then, he takes another small sip before closing the bottle.

Tilting my head to the side, I jest, "Don't you enjoy the company of boys in your back door as well? Don't tell me you're using hurtful words just to sound cool."

Seth raises his eyebrow. "I'm bi."

"Yeah, that's different. You're an idiot too."

"I'm an idiot compared to the person I once was. I could still outsmart you."

Leaning forward in my seat, I prod, "Please continue."

"There's nothing more to say. I've forgotten more than you'll ever know."

Antonio's screen activates and it turns towards Seth. "You talk a lot now, but you hardly do anything. Don't bite off more than you can chew. You do not know Kay."

Seth dissects my forehead with his activated barcodes. "Yeah right."

"Would you like to create a wager?"

"You'll bet on someone you hardly know just to prove a point to me? Have I pissed you off that much, honey?"

"Because of the oppressed love you had for Spencer Colt, you've become obsessed with capturing the wild creature that once haunted your apartment. But you haven't come close. Not a hair or a footprint."

Seth falls back in his chair and takes a gulp of the drink. "Speed this up so I can get to the challenge."

I run to the bathroom once more while they continue arguing.

"I bet that Kay could find a trace of him or even capture the creature within an hour."

"Do I have to sit back and watch the magic happen or can I chase the monster too?"

"It's up to you, as long as you don't get in Kay's way."

They sit in silence for a few minutes. I exit the room and gesture for Carmen to follow me. As she clumsily staggers to her feet, I boast, "Be back in a few seconds with some trace of the miniature monster."

I wait for the elevator to open, and listen as Seth walks into his bedroom and removes some of the most recent devices that he's built to search for the monkey-rabbit. He stops completely and taps his chin. Then, Seth launches various materials across the room.

He withdraws some of the older tools from his closet. It's a box of equipment he made when Spencer was living.

The current one he's holding looks like headphones with sunglasses attached. I'm not sure what it does, but it looks goofy.

Carmen and I ride the elevator to the thirty-seventh floor. "Are you really going to hurt him like this? You and Antonio are practically picking on him."

"Not practically. We are picking on him, and yes, I will hurt him."

"I read your thoughts. You're still pretty fixated on Spencer yourself. He dances around the surface of your conscious mind. I've healed Seth two or three times and I don't mean to offend you, but he seems to repress his issues more than you."

Quietly, I walk to a maid's office and lean against the door. The halls are long and lively on this floor. The walls are lavender and the carpet is white. They keep this entire floor immaculate. Hilarious pictures of the maids posing like the photos of previous Colt men at the academy decorate the hallways. Everything is neat. Nothing is out of place.

"Dennis cries himself to sleep every night. Though he smiles at me, I see his regret. He's not treating me like the son I'm supposed to be. He's giving me the affection he wished he had shown Spencer. Seth drinks because of the guilt he feels for helping me kill a guardian for the arena and for falling in love with Spencer. You think I have issues that deep? Spencer's in my thoughts because I don't hide from him. I keep him right where he needs to be." I tap on my head to mimic Seth and open the door to the empty office.

After locking us inside, I force Carmen to sit in a chair next to the door. The room is pretty small to have so much space in this damn skyscraper. Maybe it's bigger than it looks, but with stacks of papers, cleaning materials, and maid uniforms covering most of the room, I can hardly tell. This office is nothing like the hallways. It's junky and smells like mildew.

The room stays empty most days. I assume that's why the creature we're chasing sleeps here.

For thirty minutes, I intricately place books on shelves and fold uniforms. I stack them on the desk, lean the mop against a wall, and balance the window cleaner next to it.

I unlock the door and motion for Carmen to follow me. We sit on the floor, directly outside of the office.

When we're both comfortable, I say, "I didn't know you could journey through my thoughts. Tell me something about you."

"I'm from Texas, just right outside of your old hearing range, so you wouldn't have noticed me."

"Shame. You're such a pleasure to look at."

"Thank you," she hums with a wink. "What else? I come from a family of purebred gladiators."

"Meaning, the ones that are married and mated with others for the sole purpose of making strong warriors?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you weak?"

"Aren't you asking the wrong question? Don't you want to know who my family wants to breed me with?"

"Not interested. Why are you weak?"

Carmen frowns and testifies, "Everyone is weak to begin with. I just haven't figured out how to use my strength, yet."

Her forced smile causes me to notice her sharp canine teeth. "Cute smile."

"Why? Because Angie has similar fangs?"

"Wow. That had a hint of bitterness in it. Do you speak fast when you're jealous too? I never mentioned the girl."

The beautiful goddess prepares a comeback, but I hold up a finger and listen as the mop falls, causing the window cleaner to smash on the ground. Because I loosened the top, the liquid flies everywhere. The leg on the office chair breaks and knocks over a stack of books and uniforms.

Standing up, I offer my hand for Carmen and help her from the ground. She continues holding on as I lead her back into the office. Next to the desk, we notice a small figure struggling to free herself from eight heavy books that are anchoring a maid's uniforms over her body.

I wrap the animal in my right hand and hold her up. She fights while wiping the cleaner from her eyes as I peel back the uniform.

Carmen says, "Awe. He's so cute. Stop hurting him."

"She's a girl."

The monkey continues fighting while I pluck a hair from her head. I planned on releasing her until she rubbed her scalp and made a faint, "Ow," sound.

I hand the hair to Carmen and hold the beast in both of my hands.

"You can talk."

The creature doesn't reply so I pluck another piece of hair, but this time I open my eyes to see and hear things more clearly. Listening to her organs, I can tell the she's very advanced, more than any of Gonzales' pets. Upon closer observation, this small girl looks as evolved as liminal beings.

"Why were you always following me and Spencer around?"

She gazes into my eyes without saying a word. Her breathing calms, and she stops fighting, but refuses to speak.

Carmen leans against my back with her face pressed against me and pats the girl on the head. Though most of the animal is a monkey, the white fur, pink ears, and nose are definitely a rabbit's.

"I've never seen a crossbreed of liminal beings like you. You're not fooling me. I know you can talk and understand what I'm saying." Realizing that she may only know Aeoy, I ask if she wants me to stop speaking English, "Bk o hiom wa mok omko opaioeog Aoegeoy?"

"No, brother," she replies with a very adult voice. Her tone is motherly like Hayley's, but gentle like Carmen's.

"Why are you following me?"

"I was instructed to."

"By who?"

"I'm not allowed to say," her eyes water as though she's in fear.

A sigh sneaks from my lips and a yawn follows. I shake my head and look into her eyes. "Listen, love. I'm not going to hurt you. Calm down." Carmen's eyes float towards mine. "What can you tell me?" I ask while loosening my grip and lowering her to my lap.

"My English name is Nevaeh. I am supposed to observe you until Master returns, so I may report all of your actions to him. But," she tears up again, "I did not mean to cause you any trouble, brother. I will report this, I promise. I am responsible."

"Whoa. Calm down."

Carmen adds, "Then explain why you keep calling him brother."

Nevaeh wipes her face again. The two women I'm paired with are emotional wrecks. Even Carmen's starting to tear up.

"It's not my place to say."

"You're going to tell me that part or I won't let go." I accidentally tighten my grip a bit and she fights for air.

She rubs her nose and mournfully says, "Everyone with the blood of ink are brothers and sisters. Master predicts that he'll return within this year or the next to deliver the information himself."

None of us speak a word for some time. Carmen's the first to echo, "Blood of ink?"

I'm too afraid to ask what that means. Not to mention, Nevaeh probably can't answer.

Her rabbit ears dart up and her body warms lightly in my hands. With her eyes glued to the door and her fingers tightly wrapped around my thumb, she pleads, "Brother, please release me. Father doesn't know about my escape, and if he finds me, our family will be killed. Please."

"Father?"

"He's different. He doesn't have our blood, but he created several of us. I cannot be responsible for their deaths. Please, brother. Please!"

Nevaeh's pleading is frantic. As she pushes against my grip, I get a sense for how strong she really is. It's quite amazing for her size.

At the last second, I release her. She dashes behind a bookshelf and into the wall. Seconds later, Seth opens the door out of breath.

He searches the room with his headphones buzzing loudly. As Nevaeh travels through the walls, the buzzing weakens. He seems crushed. To add fuel to the fire, I take the fur from Carmen's hand and hold it up for him to witness.

Eight

After torturing Seth, Carmen and I head back to my apartment. I crash into my bed and don't wake up until nightfall. Carmen curled at the foot of my bed. While sleeping, I watched as she had maids bring her food directly to my room. Whenever someone would enter, she sat next to me with her knees buried in her chest and one hand on my shoulder.

During her dinner, Dennis drags me out of bed. He practically has to carry me to the car.

The dark garage looks more like a parking lot. Though almost all of the trucks are military vehicles that can park anywhere, there are a few normal cars. They're probably Hayley's. I don't imagine Dennis driving anything that's not black and bulky.

We load into a military humvee and drive to the smoggy area of downtown Los Angeles, where the clouds are so low you can nearly touch them. City officials invested a lot of money to make sure this part of the town wasn't abandoned because of the weather and pollution. There are so many fancy-smancy buildings in this location that you must be nearly as rich as Griffith Park residents to stay here.

Of course, there are local areas where lower class citizens live, but those parts are ignored by tour guides.

Dennis gives Carmen and me an unsolicited tour of the city. We pass the Department of Water and Green Energy. The entire building floats on top of a body of water. Scientist spent so much to make the building physically possible, they nearly bankrupted the city.

We bypass several dusty courthouses, an underground library, and the original city hall that managed to survive the Great American War. I don't know where we're going, but there has to be an easier way to get there.

Dennis looks back at us through his rear-view mirror. Then, he presses his foot firmly against the gas and zooms directly to the red-stoned Federal Building. It was renovated after the war, and now towers as a fifty-story structure. There are three helicopter landings on top of this monster, which makes me wonder why we couldn't simply fly here.

We park in the red zone, directly in front of the structure. Carmen and I exit the truck first. She eases her body next to mine, but I don't feel any warmth coming from her.

Dennis steps out seconds later and marches towards the building. He holds the door for Carmen to walk in first. She coughs when the crisp air inside hits her lungs. I continue observing Dennis without moving. He finally turns to me. "Why'd you come to the arena?"

The amount of guilt I feel can't be explained. "Where is this coming from?"

"That's answering a question with a question. Why'd you come?"

"To make Spencer strong enough to take on Helios."

"Was that all?" Dennis huffs air through his nose and a small smile breaks on his face. "No matter what happens, never lose who you are." Is that fatherly advice? Would he still feel that way if he knew I hated everything about big corporations like his and wanted to destroy it?

Dennis pulls me inside. He coughs, like Carmen. The air in here is much cleaner than outside, but we haven't entered the actual building yet.

A loud vent under our feet activates. Carmen gasps as the cape around her waist is pulled into the tiny squares. She holds on tightly until the vent turns off.

An ugly pale face projects against the door that dryly and mechanically articulates, "Welcome to the Anthony Colt Federal Building. Please breathe onto the overhead devices. Make two short breaths and one long breath for optimal readings."

Three small microphone-looking devices lower from the ceiling. We pull them to our faces and follow the instructions. Our results appear over the ugly man or woman's face. Carmen and Dennis both show ninety-two percent. Three white masks drop in front of us as the voice continues, "To eliminate the city's smog from your lungs, please breathe into the masks heavily prior to entering the building. This is an uncontaminated area, and we take pride in keeping it that way. Thank you." As they inhale, the face turns to me and asks, "Why aren't you breathing?"

"My results say one hundred percent."

"That's impossible. What did you do, enter in a bubble? Just breathe." I raise my eyebrows, and the attendant begins typing on a keyboard. "What the hell? Mike, come here and look at this blind kid."

Dennis dashes over to me once his results reach one hundred percent and slams the mask against my face. "I'm sure he didn't breathe on the measurement properly. Give us a second." My results remain at one hundred percent, but Dennis leaves the mask for a bit then says, "Okay. We're going now."

As we enter the building with marble floors and busy military officials rushing between the hallways, I tease, "Was that your way of staying low key? You probably brought more unwarranted attention with that hysterical move."

"Yeah. Probably. Let's go." He rushes to the elevators at the far end of the building.

The interior seems more massive than Dennis' skyscraper because of the open space in the center. There are small, round lights on the high ceiling that illuminate the floor below. The ground is burgundy and the walls are white. The symbol on the black welcome counter is Spencer's tattoo.

Dennis rushes pass a man and woman in blue suits that are saluting "Senator Colt."

Dad swipes his key-card for the elevator to open. Then, he pushes us in the doors and plants his fist on the button for the twenty-second floor. Right before the elevator reaches the top, he pulls the stop button.

Turning back to us, he commands, "Carmen wait directly outside of the elevator door. Stand on the left side, not the right. Which side did I just say?"

"Left side, Mr. Colt."

"Excellent. And you. I want you to do one thing for me."

"Nothing," I answer.

"How'd you know?"

"That's the only thing anyone would request from me so desperately."

"Good. Stand in the center of the room. But understand something, if they begin charging you, I want you to grab Carmen and run. You can't access the elevator, but I want you to avoid their attacks. They shouldn't come towards you if you're with her."

"Whatever. Who are the seven blondes at the desk?"

The men and women are sitting on a high wooden platform. The largest and most threatening looking guy has a monstrous tattoo hidden underneath his armor. There's a very detailed human heart across his chest with seven swords piercing through it. I have heard of the barcode. He hosts the power of Cronus.

"From right to left, Miranda Colt. The short demon hates everything about me. She always wanted Vincent to have control of the school. She also wanted to have a baby by my father, but she's not his type."

"Too ugly."

"In short, yes. But she's also his cousin. Only the extremists in our family are that serious about breeding powerful gladiators. Next is her husband, Nicholas Colt. He took our surname to have more prestige, but he's a Jefferson. You know the one on his right."

"Casey."

"Perry's a very eccentric guy, he sits in the president's chair. That's my grandfather, but don't let the age aid you in underestimating his strength. If he's still training, he could possibly kill me."

As Dennis talks, he switches between mouthing the words and speaking clearly. That's when I notice that each Colt has a barcode on different body parts. They're covering all of the senses. Miranda has her codes on her ears and is trying to translate the conversation for the others, but she can't read lips.

"Then, there's Lewis Colt. That's Casey's brother. They're nothing alike, but he's not a bad guy. Very dry and boring. A coward, in my personal opinion. Vincent and I are destined to hold the final seats, but neither of us are interested. We decided to do things differently, so the last two are Moreno-Colt. A very secretive group of purebred gladiators."

As I glance at Carmen, Dennis nods his head. Her eyes venture into a corner.

"But the two at the table don't look European. I thought the Moreno were Spanish."

"The Morenos are of various Spanish decent. Seth's parents are from Spain. They're seen as the purest and most powerful. Those that aren't as respected in the bloodline often form relationships with stronger families to create a more honorable genealogy. Stacy's a Colt, also of Spanish decent, and Joshua's Moreno's from Puerto Rico."

"Do both of the Moreno and Colt family run the world?" I ask jokingly.

"Yes."

"The Payne, Bevel, Gonzales, Yang, Jefferson, and Kennedy families would be the leaders if it weren't for our monopolization of military exportation."

"That's why Gonzales hates your family."

"Writer, no. There are so many issues there. I hardly have enough time to list them all."

An elevator stops on the floor above us and Vincent exits. He doesn't greet the members at the table or say a word. Instead, he steps to the left side and folds his hands neatly behind his back.

I've never witnessed him wear such armor. It's big and bulky, like the kind Blake dresses in. The purple and gold make him look like a king or a pimp. I don't know which. His shoulder pads are sharp and larger than his head.

The gear has two layers of machinery that hide some serious explosives. His helmet makes him look like some ancient samurai warrior from space.

I push the stop button back in. "Chill. I know you won't let anything happen to me."

Dennis straightens his black tie, and Carmen dusts lint off his gray suit. He rests his hand on her shoulder as a sign of thanks, but keeps his eyes on me. "I don't."

The elevator opens as he takes a huge gulp. Carmen steps to the side, just like Vincent. She keeps her eyes focused on the table ahead, as though she knows the rules.

Vincent, however, darts his eyes in her direction. Lewis dryly hisses, "Vincent." The bald pimp straightens himself more upright and refocuses his eyes to the front of the room.

Though Dennis never said so directly, I'm sure the area he wants me to stand on is in the center of Spencer's barcode—a red cross of Saint James. I decide to place my feet on the tip of the blade for a bit of meaningless symbolism.

The group begins clamoring. I assume this isn't natural because of the shocked expression on Dennis' face. He raises his head up high to get a good look at everyone.

Each member of the committee has on gear similar to Vincent's, but their armor is a lot more subtle, professional. Instead of the bright purple, they're wearing a dark gray almost the exact color of Dennis' suit.

Perry's voice booms, "What is the meaning of this?"

The patternless barcode patch over Stacy's heart shines a bright blue. Then, she whispers to Joshua, "Spencer's blood is written over the child's body. A lot of it is on his wristbands."

Joshua stands up to relay the message to the others. With all of their barcodes shining brightly, Perry shouts, "Where is my great grandson?"

Without hesitation, Dennis replies, "Dead. He fought my adopted son and was killed."

Vincent grumbles, "Adopted," as Lewis leaps from his seat. The short and stout man converts a tiny marble into a gigantic cannon that he carries on his shoulder. Dennis stops the massive projectile with his bare hand. His barcodes have stretched from his fingernails and are completely covering his right hand, which is now a solid black.

The smoking hot stone ball falls to the ground.

The next attacker doesn't take more than a second to begin their assault. My dad protects me from the near invisible daggers that Stacy releases without moving an inch from her seat.

Nicholas and Miranda rage towards me, but Dennis rushes between them. He wraps Nicholas' right arm with his left and swings both legs around Miranda's neck. Using her momentum, he breaks her husband's arm. Then he rolls himself and Miranda over. He maliciously punches her in the stomach with his right hand.

Perry capitalizes on the moment by charging me. He's strong. The ground cracks below his seven foot, four hundred pound frame.

Brass knuckles, the size of another fist, appear on Perry's hand. A centimeter before they disfigure my face, Dennis darts in front of me in a flash. He slings his right arm across Perry's face.

Damn that must have hurt.

Perry flies through the podium, causing a ferocious rumbling sound. The big man's body leaves a bear-sized hole directly in front of his seat.

No one moves an inch. I'm guessing the head of the family rarely goes down, especially like that. I want to compliment my dad, but he said I can't do anything besides run.

Dennis' entire right torso and face look possessed by darkness. The light and glow are removed from his skin and his eye is gold. When he speaks, there are two voices coming from him. One is high pitched and demonic. The other is deep and even more evil sounding.

"You all will sit and listen to the meeting as planned or discover personally why there is only a legend of the black hand and no mention of the genocides that this body has committed."

Upon closer inspection, I notice that the barcode I created over Dennis' heart prevents the darkness from completely taking over.

Perry leaps up and points at Dennis. "Stand down. You are a mere peasant compared to the power at this table and don't you forget it."

"Peasant?" Dennis' voice still creeps me out in a good way. "I am the one that owns America. Whatever happens for this family from here on out is because of me. You are at my mercy. The only reason I've tolerated you all up until this point is because of Spencer. I should have ended this pseudo-democracy the first time Helios slipped through your grips. You blamed John for the mess our family created and you begged Vincent and I to have children in order to take over this corrupt government. I slaved day and night, only to watch my son die."

Miranda screams while holding her throat and stomach, "Because of that boy. His death has nothing to do with us."

"This boy risked his life to help Spencer fend off Helios. Though Spencer died at Kay's hands, it was not Kay that killed him. Spencer killed himself by submitting to the darkness in his heart. I told him to choose his path and he chose Tartarus. Spencer was too weak. He depended on others to survive. Like this worthless organization, his life had no meaning."

Casey, still sitting neatly at his seat, says, "Calm down, son. There's no need to insult your family. Everyone, let's hear him out."

The council members that just had their old asses handed to them by one man dust their wounds and find their seats. Lewis folds his hands on the counter and speaks in a monotonous tone, "I'm not ready to enter this argument yet. Vincent."

Vinny-boy takes one controlled and militant step forward. Casey shakes his head and mutters, "Relax."

Lowering his arms and inflated chest, Vincent breathes a sigh of relief.

Lewis asks, "Why is the murderer wearing an unapproved seal?"

Vincent clears his throat three times. He recognizes how irritated the others seem. Rapidly, he professes, "I did not know that it was unapproved. Dennis informed me...he said that it was confirmed by the council and that I had permission to seal him with Level One."

Perry strains his voice to yell, "Level One? That is meant only for Colt men. No others. You should know better. You begged for that runt, Malik, to have it and we only approved under the condition that he'd marry Angie next year."

Casey waves his hand. "Calm down Perry. He's not wearing the Level One. Look."

Their eyes focus on me. A simple barcode tattooed on Joshua's forehead glows dimly. Not long after he activates his codes, he declares, "It seems to have more power than the one Spencer was wrapped with. Let me access my records." The lines on the barcode glow various colors as he closes his eyes. "There is no documentation of ceremonial bandages of that caliber. There are only legends of the ring restraining the Spirits of War. If that mythology is true, Kay is wrapped with Hysminai."

The simple horizontal barcodes above Nicholas' eyes flash a bright gold. "Vincent, where is the ring?"

He rubs the black area of his fingers where the ring was burned. "It was destroyed in the process, but I can still control the bandages for some reason. Even Angie can manipulate them. Plus, I'm still capable of producing level twos."

The group openly voices their anger. A minute passes with their endless bickering, and Perry finally calms them down. He's regained his composure. "What do you have to say for yourself, Dennis? The decisions you're making are destroying us little-by-little. Not only have we lost Spencer, our only hope of defeating Helios, you've dismantled the only power that we had capable of making someone strong enough to kill him."

"I'm handing over all my shares of the company to my brother, Vincent, and withdrawing as the chancellor of Colt Academy. I will also retire as president of Colt Arena's GSE."

Casey seems to be angered now. "So your purpose of coming here was to say that you've essentially ripped all of our power away and you're leaving as well?"

"Yes. But you never had the power anyway."

"What?" Perry screams.

"Arnold was my friend. He stayed to assist me towards my goals and to protect his godson, which is why he never met you. Spencer was the son that I created. Father, I let you get in my head about making a baby with Beth and keeping her protected, but that didn't work either. The academy that you gave me was losing power to Yang until I took over because you were out shoving your penis in too many students."

Casey holds up his hand. "Son. Know your place."

"My place is with Kay. If you're looking for hope to defeat Helios, believe me, he's the only person that was ever capable." The group grumbles again. It officially hits me, Dennis took me in to kill Helios. He had me wrapped in bandages in hopes that I would take him on one day. I try not to show the pain on my face, but knowing this hurts. There's no way he would love me as his son. There had to be another reason. I knew that, but I didn't want to believe it. "Yes. He is that strong, but you may not have him, so I am withdrawing my position as of now."

Lewis whispers to the group. Three minutes pass by with Dennis' muscles ready for action the entire time. Finally, Lewis declares, "We will allow you to leave without punishment."

The darkness continues to spread over Dennis' torso at an alarming rate. He wheezes as though maintaining or restraining his power were difficult. Angrily he mutters, "Allow me?"

"We only ask that you do not leave the position until finals are over. Then, we will declare your brother the new head of the arena. However, we will consider the position for the academy."

Vincent blurts, "What? It was my birthright to have both. He should have never taken either and now I only get one? Now, you're going to let him disrespect you and let this snot leave freely? Do you know who this boy is? He's a Payne."

"Vincent!" Dennis shouts so loudly he frightens everyone, including me.

"He murdered my nephew and I should let this pass?"

"None of us are satisfied with this," Perry says while nodding his head to Vincent. That's a signal. What are they planning? "But there's nothing we can do with his father protecting him."

Vincent takes a few steps out of place, but the others say nothing. Dennis tenses up. He's on edge and ready to protect me at all cost. Perry stands up to cause a distraction and Vincent runs from one elevator to another. He yanks Carmen out of her designated area and locks his arm around her throat. While choking her, he opens a compartment in his armor, and removes a foot-long dagger.

"Hand the boy over to receive the proper punishment."

Stacy cries, "Let go of my daughter," but Perry snaps his fingers and motions for her to sit. She complies. Now I'm beginning to understand where Carmen's learned her complacency.

"Don't give me a reason to slit her throat," Vincent threatens.

I'm still facing the committee. Even if I weren't, I could see the smile on Perry's face. Dennis rushes towards me, but I stop him by raising my hand slightly.

"Sorry, Dad. I know you said I can't do anything, but she's my responsibility," I mutter, tilting my head and pointing at myself.

Dennis remains perfectly still as Vincent presses the knife hard enough to draw Carmen's blood. She doesn't budge or tense up. I'm sure she's suffered enough wounds in training to not be bothered by something so miniscule, but it's pissing me off. Unable to control my own anger, I release a strong force that causes the lights to flicker.

Vincent looks around the room before returning his eyes to Dennis. The committee members mumble about a demon. As their clamoring continues, Vincent notices that I'm under his arms and Carmen stands safely next to Dennis. Even if he were to chop off my head, seeing the gorgeous smile on her face puts the sight of sunset to shame.

With a smirk, I encourage Dennis, "Dad. Now your responsibility is in danger."

Nine

I decided to skip classes and dungeon duty for the rest of the week. All of the other students wrapped in the ceremonial bandages did the same.

Today is my first official day back. Classes are fairly easy. I managed to make it to third period without collapsing. Professor Gardezi gave Yukio a hard time for falling asleep in class, but I think he was unconscious. The bandages seem to cause him a lot of pain too.

Once third period ends, we're off to lunch. Angie turns off her tablet with her eyes haunting my every movement as I exit the room. Malik creeps behind her and runs his right hand through her hair.

If it were possible, my heart would break free of its prison, stomp over to Angie, and slap her with its artery. It takes Carmen to snap me out of my daze. "What's wrong?"

I'd love to tell her that my best friend's cowardice has reached an all time high, but I'm too distraught to speak.

Instead of punching this mutt in the nuts, she's letting him run his filthy and sweaty paw over her exposed skin. She doesn't grab his hand until it nearly touches her breast.

"Come on, sweetie," he teases playfully. "You know you're as good as mine. Plus, your dad doesn't want us to hide our relationship from the rest of the school."

The evil in my chest corrodes my better judgment. I spin around, still blocking the doorway. Some students complain, so I step forward to let them pass. I want to open my eyes badly, but I refrain.

Angie looks steadily and intensively inside of my hood. Fire fills her eyes, though all she sees is darkness.

"You're such a coward." My words echo across the room. Everyone looks around to discover where the sound originated. Though Angie has no verifiable proof, she focuses more venomously on me.

The words are enough to make her accidentally tighten her grip on Malik's arm. He groans and rips it away from her chest. Now I can leave.

The dining hall is one of the only rooms in the school that isn't black and white. The walls have a light blue tint to them. The tables are dark brown and shiny like marble, but they're sturdier than concrete. There's no telling how many different objects were combined with MMIBS to create these. They're meant to be durable enough to withstand any brawls that might break out between students.

There are two levels to the room. A set of stairs on the right side leads to the second level. Even with the vents and AC, the heat is warmer up there because of the steam from the kitchen. There's a slope for injured students on the far left. The ramp zigzags four times before it reaches the top.

There are drains at various corners and areas of the sleek floors to assist with the cleaning process. Overall, it's a nice place, but nothing special.

Carmen trails me as I ease up to Richard's table and sit on the opposite side. Even with all the room on the bench, the goddess presses her body snugly against mine. There's not enough elbow room to eat a meal, but I can't deny how much I enjoy her proximity.

Once we're completely settled, the large teddy coughs, "What's good? I'm Richard Ellington. I'd shake your hand, but I'm sick."

Extending my arm, I reply, "It's impossible for me to catch a cold. I'm Kay."

His eyes light up and he laughs loudly with his fist covering his mouth. He grips my hand hard enough to make me cringe. I swear Richard squeezed the blood out of my fingertips.

"Man. I didn't think you'd try to find me. I know your friend wanted me to look after you, but if you're in all god-level classes, you'll want to stay away. I'm one of the lowest ranking students." Richard leans forward and establishes strong eye contact with Carmen. "I'll really make things worse for you."

"Don't worry about it. Just give me the rundown."

"You have Carmen. She knows better than me." With his eyes still glued to her, he extols, "I don't care what any of them say. You fine as hell and don't trip about your scores. You'll do a lot better this time."

He's charming enough to make Carmen grin uncontrollably. She mumbles, "Thanks."

As his eyes return to me, I say, "I've heard a few things from her, but you have the more interesting opinion. I've been waiting to talk to you about the way people are ranked."

"Yeah. It's pretty dumb, but to keep it simple, there's like an elite, average, and bottom of the barrel ranking. I'm the bottom, enough said. Then, the average are like Selena and Angie. Well, they're—"

"What the hell did you just say?"

Carmen and Richard are both shocked by my response. "They're average."

"Angie? Average compared to what? Armageddon?"

"No. She lost a fight in finals."

"To what?"

"Malik." I try calming down because the plates on the table are rattling. Eventually, I release a large breath and regain my composure. "You okay? Was that you?" he sputters, pointing to the trays.

"There's no way she could lose to him. No way."

"Yeah. That was the rumor before. I was unconscious at the time, but I saw the highlights. Everyone bragged about how great of a fight it was, but it only lasted two minutes and I never saw her barcodes glow."

"She wouldn't activate them for someone as weak as him."

"Maybe. Something was off about the fight, I'll give you that. Thing is, Malik's stronger than you're making him sound. He's no pushover. But..." Richard darts his eyes down to my tightly wound fists. His eyes zoom up to my hoodie. He tries seeing through the dark space. I've grown so accustomed to wearing it that I forgot how unnecessary it is. I pull the hood back and Richard grunts, "You're blind?"

"Something like that. You seem to have a suspicion."

"Definitely. Malik's so strong that he was awarded a huge title. He's supposed to be the first non-Colt with a Level One. But your bandages look a lot thicker than his. And they're covering more of your body."

Trying to change the subject quickly, I point to a girl that's eating food by herself, and asks, "Who's that?" She's adorable. Her cheeks are puffy and her lips are full. She's dressed in a very simple all white jumpsuit with pink highlights. That's the type of gear middle school students wear. Having her hair in a ponytail doesn't help her appear any older.

"Jamie. She doesn't fight or speak. Some call her weak, but I haven't seen her throw down firsthand. And she doesn't have highlights because she forfeits her matches. Supposedly, she's British. I try talking to see if she'll say something with an accent, but she just stares at me. The chick's weird."

Jamie blinks rapidly as though she were troubled by something. Slowly she looks over her shoulder to observe my face. That's when I realize that I've seen her before. Déjà vu isn't rare for me. I see many faces and record them all the time. It's rare that I forget someone, but I often feel as though I've shared experiences with people. Jamie's strange though. The intensity of a connection has never been this strong.

She appears frightened for a second, but she shakes off her expression. Then, she mouths the words, "Thank you." Carmen and Richard both turn to Jamie to see what's going on. The tiny woman stands up and leaves her table.

"Are you flirting?" Carmen asks while digging her fork into my leg.

The painful expression on my face causes her to quickly withdraw the utensil. "Uhh...Ouch."

Carmen stands and offers to take our trays. She stacks Richard's on top of hers, but I continue working at my food. Richard and I talk about classes, and I avoid any questions about the ceremonial bandages.

I thought Carmen would return quickly, but she takes her cup up to the fountain drinks for a refill. She's met by Malik and Patrick. Wesley sees the group, but takes his tray back into line to get seconds.

While talking to Richard, I listen to Carmen's conversation. She does her best to stop pouring the drink and tries to make her way back to me, but he blocks her.

The mutt rubs his scruffy chin and asks, "Miss me?"

"Not really at all or in the least bit." Carmen holds her cup between both hands while pressing it to her chest.

Patrick giggles, "That was an elaborate no."

"That's okay. I like chasing my prey. Anyway, when are you going to finally sneak out and heal my entire body?" he asks aggressively, but I'm quite sure that's the only way he knows how. "I won't tell him. I promise." The mutt tries pressing his body against hers, but she spins around another table. Patrick cuts her off as Malik sneaks behind her. He grabs her butt with his right hand. "I heard Aphrodite was a freak. I can teach you things and maybe I'll learn something too."

Carmen's eyes flash with a faint light. I'm not sure what that color was, but it definitely reminded me of my ability. She charges through Patrick until she's back at the table next to me.

Malik takes a seat on Richard's left and Patrick squeezes on the right. A crowd swarms around us and people are beginning to make small talk about Malik finding someone new to pick on. Selena approaches the table. She kisses Patrick on the cheek and rests her weight on his back.

"Hi baby," he hums casually. Now, that's awkward. There's no way Patrick and Selena have hooked up. What has this school turned into? I would rather sit in my room all day and listen to this drama than to work in the dungeon.

Richard leans forward to ask, "Are you okay Carmen?"

The puppy barks, "Don't worry about the hoe."

"If I wanted your opinion, I would've asked you."

For Richard to be ranked so low, he doesn't give a damn about the "cool kids". This is my new best friend.

Malik and Patrick poke fun at Richard's boldness. Richard seems to be more concerned with how Carmen feels. He watches as she places her hand on my leg. I feel her release a huge weight from her shoulders. She breathes more easily and nods.

Malik reaches over to slap Patrick's shoulder, but purposely taps Selena's breast at the same time. Pointing to me, Malik says, "Look, she's taking comfort with her new boyfriend, how cute."

"He's not my boyfriend."

Interrupting, I say, "You don't have to clarify. I'm a boy. I'm a friend. And I think you're damn sexy. He can add the words together as much as he likes. It's likely that the nine letter word is the largest in his limited vocabulary. Puppies weren't meant for speaking."

Malik narrows his eyes as the crowd laughs. The cold scowl he gives everyone surrounding him is enough to stop their chatter. When did all the gladiators at this school get replaced by weak wimps?

Bearing his fangs, the mutt howls, "Don't think you have special privileges just because you're the chancellor's son. You're not Spencer so we don't give a damn about you."

"Please leave the table unless you plan on engaging in an adult conversation. I'm not going to have a my balls are bigger than yours argument. I may look eleven, but even little kids hate talking to idiots."

Patrick leans forward and gushes, "Man. You have a death wish."

"What is this? Are we in some twentieth century movie? I do actually have a strong desire for a sharp and painful death, but even in these bandages, neither of you are capable of delivering one. By the way," I add while turning to Selena, "Why are you dating the homo? What you do is your business, but are you really so weak that you can't put in the effort to find a guy that'll want to have sex with you one day?"

The surrounding crowd gasps and laughs. I just outed Patrick in the worst way, and I'm ready to go further if this is what they really want.

"I'm not gay!"

"And I'm not black. I'm not short. I'm not a smart ass." Raising my eyebrows I say, "Look Patrick. I can lie too."

"I'm not!" he shouts forcefully. By force, I don't mean he exerts one, but there's some bass in his words. Much better than his standard shriek.

Malik bangs his fist on the table, causing my plate to jump. "I'm going to beat the hell out of you. Then you'll know exactly where you are. My school."

Earlier this morning Dennis made me swear I'd be a good student. Knowing that the mob would return this week, he firmly instructed me to avoid killing the mutt at all costs.

Once again, I resist the urge to stab him with Shiva. I fight it desperately, but when I see his right hand. I lose control. Malik slowly raises his arm and points his finger in my face. "You're going to learn quickly."

"Just out of curiosity. What other improper things have you done with that hand today?"

"Look. I don't care if you're blind or—"

I snatch the fork from my tray, slam Malik's hand on the table, and drive the thin metal so deeply into his hand, only half of the utensil shows. Then, I quickly bend the handle to increase the difficulty of removing it.

Silence immediately possesses the room. Due to his state of shock, not even Malik makes a peep.

"Just in case we're not clear. Don't ever put that filthy egg whites beating hand on Carmen again."

Ten

The nursing room is spacious enough for Carmen, Richard, and I to fit in easily. The delicate goddess has a paper towel jammed up her nose and a black eye. Richard's knuckles are bleeding because of the teeth he punched out and his face is a lot fatter. I, on the other hand, look like a casualty of war. But not like I was in the actual battle. My results are more like what would happen if an army stampeded a base but I accidentally fell and was trampled.

Seconds after I stabbed Malik, he yelled, "Get him!" I wasn't expecting everyone surrounding us to join in, but they did.

I was pulled from my seat and stomped. Richard elbowed Patrick in the mouth and lunged over the table to save me. Carmen isn't as weak as people claim because she cleared the way as well. We defended ourselves until the professors broke up the fight.

Now, I'm staring at my two newest buddies who don't seem upset that we're about to get in trouble with the chancellor.

I begin with a light giggle that evolves into a chuckle. Richard catches wind and his laugh starts as well. Carmen rolls her eyes, but she's joining us.

Gonzales barges in the door and we try to stop, but a few sounds leak out. She rushes over to the other two and roughly drags their heads around. She analyzes their spine with a hand-held device that shows X-rays and MRI results.

It takes her nearly ten minutes to finish the process, but she states, "I don't see any head or spine trauma, though you're all brain dead for trying to fight half a cafeteria of gladiators." She also attempts to search for broken arms and ribs, but the handcuffs are in the way. These MMIBS-reinforced stone cuffs with barcode imprints are too heavy to lift above our heads. "Makes no sense to tie you down if you're injured. The idiots that run this school are beyond me."

Her evil expression spooks Carmen quite a bit. Richard doesn't seem moved either way.

Finally, Gonzales makes her way over to me. She doesn't use her device, but she lights the tattoos near her ears. They shine an eerie purple. She walks over and investigates my face. I always had a thing for her creepy light gray eyes.

Her powerful, bone-shaped barcodes are from the goddess Mictecacihuatl. They're small, but I imagine having the strength of an Aztec goddess makes her more frightening.

Gonzales feels my face and touches various parts of my spine and back. For half a minute, she examines my closed eyelids with her hand resting on my cheeks.

"Why are you smiling?" I ask while listening to Professor Gardezi approach the door.

"I'm extremely happy you're here. Classes will finally be fun again."

"What?"

Gardezi angrily stomps into the room. I've never seen him this upset. Barbarously he shouts, "Are these the students that started the fight?"

Gonzales finally backs away from me. She reaches for Gardezi's arm, taps it twice and turns around. "They started the miniature revolution."

"Revolution?" Carmen echos timidly.

I stick my tongue out at her and twist my face to make her smile. "Something like that. A few of the students that are constantly bullied threw punches of their own while we were fighting. That's why the professors struggled to break the brawl."

Taken back, Gardezi tilts his head and squints his eyes. "You noticed while having your butt-handed to you?"

"I guess I did get it pretty bad, but I'm good at noticing things like that Z-class puzzle you're destroying in your pocket."

Gonzales reaches in her friend's armor pouch and removes four digital paper-thin tablets that glow one of four different colors every second. The objective is to program the devices by tapping the proper colors in order: purple, red, blue, yellow.

With his arms still crossed, Gardezi smirks and attempts to correct me, "Nice magic trick. You knew what was in my pocket, but you know nothing about this. It's not just a Z-class device, but a training program that starts you with A-class puzzles and moves you through more advanced problems."

"I assume you solved several by dumb luck, so you don't have the skills necessary to complete Z. There's no shortcut to it. You'll have to restart the training if you want to get it right."

"You sound as though you've done it."

"Never."

"Then, what makes you think you can give me advice?"

Carmen raises her eyebrow. She confidently proclaims, "He can solve it."

"You're making things fun already." Gonzales releases a nefarious laugh and lays the four pieces on my bed. Gleefully, she contends, "Do it."

"Cool." I begin by programing the yellow to only blink every three seconds. Trying to chase down every color becomes a problem if I don't.

"Stop this now. It took me hours to get the programming where it is."

"That's your problem." I say with my fingers moving swiftly and Gonzales holding him back. "I'm going to reprogram it."

"Then we'll be here all day. I have the pattern set to work on every four hours."

"You can't get all four colors to synchronize within this short amount of time."

"I can if I click black."

"There is no black."

"When the colors change, there's a split second where nothing shows." I stop pressing the cards and reorganize them into a square verses the line that Gonzales originally placed them in. Then, I throw my hood on and open my eyes with my face extremely close to the tablets. There's no way I'll be able to see purple and blue when this thing gets going. "My fingers are just fast enough to tap some of the blacks and negate your programming. That way, I can start over from scratch."

"Writer, this is breaking my heart. Look at the pattern he's creating, Maria. If he messes this up, I'm going to kill you."

To that Gonzales replies, "I wish you'd try. I'll happily slit your throat and use your barcodes for my much needed experiments. Kwan's no longer useable and I'm not allowed to access even the arm of Arnold. Not to mention, he's worthless now that his code has disappeared."

"That's the strange thing," Gardezi says with a concerned expression. "His codes haven't reappeared on another child. Neither have the Amazons'."

"I'm aware."

"Can you two shut up?" Carmen insists as she notices my hesitation.

With a monotonous grunt, I say, "Thank you, love."

"You're very welcome."

My fingers do a bit more dancing but the weight of the handcuffs are slowing me down. Instead of focusing, I allow them to distract me and make a huge mistake. Purple.

"There. Dammit. Hand it over or I'll be forced to buy an entirely new set."

Gardezi lunges towards me. Gonzales, Richard, and Carmen step between us to hold him off the best they can.

Currently, three colors are programmed, but not in order. That's the worst possible scenario for these type of activities. I can't believe I hit purple.

I flash my eyes as Carmen jumps on Gardezi's back and covers his mouth. She uses the weight of the cuffs to force him to the ground. With the silence, I'm able to concentrate and reverse the order. He finally overpowers all of them and knocks me out of the way.

I didn't finish.

"Everything's in order, but you can't tell, I'm sure. Though it looks like purple and red are switched—"

"They're not," he mutters, sounding astonished. The brute strikes the colors quickly. He even taps black three times. Within seconds, the colors flash in order and Carmen helps me from the ground.

Gardezi grabs my shoulders and slams me on the bed. I haven't visited the cave in nearly a week. I don't have enough of the fog in my lungs. My muscles are aching more with each passing second and he just leveled up the pain.

"Who the hell are you?" he asks while removing my hood and looking into my face.

"Kay."

"And you're blind?"

"Sorta."

"Obviously not if you got the colors right. What in the world?" Gardezi grabs the restraints around my wrists and grips them tightly. I apply a force near them while twisting the bars in his hand. They break under the pressure. "If you're really this brilliant and intuitive, you're going to help us find the Cavern of Youth this year. Darius is going to flip when I show him."

Gardezi grabs my arm and painfully drags me out of the room. Once we're outside the door, I slip away from his hold. He spins around in the hallway and looks back, surprised. When he finally returns to the room, I point to Carmen. "I don't go anywhere without her. I'll help you with the cuffs."

Richard asks, "Can I at least go back to class?" He sneezes and struggles to wipe his nose. "Nah. Can I go home?"

Gardezi releases the others and rushes us to the first floor. Richard ditches while waving back to us.

Gardezi's heart pounds out of his chest. He walks faster than I can jog. I think he's anxious.

In one swift movement, he grabs Carmen under one arm before lifting me as well. Then, he charges down the hallway, not stopping until he reaches Professor Jules' classroom. The big man drops us on the ground. We both land on our feet and hands.

With one thrust of his hand, Gardezi bursts into the classroom. Jules' reaction isn't a pleasant one.

"What is the meaning of this?" he blares like some old timer. "Shouldn't you both be in your classrooms?"

Gardezi slaps the cards on Jules' desk in the square order I solved them and points to me. "It only took three minutes."

Professor Jules removes his glasses and inspects the blinking colors. "Professor Gardezi, did you see this?"

Laughing he replies, "I'm showing you."

"No. This."

Jules begins moving the cards into different orders. When he places them in a horizontal line, the colors blink twice before switching. When they're vertical, the colors blink to the beat of my favorite song, No Tomorrow by Kid With Wings.

Gardezi turns around and asks, "You did this purposely?"

"I thought I had enough time to be cocky. I didn't think Carmen would give up and let you free."

"Sorry, papi."

Students try asking Selena what's happening, but she can't hear the cards on the table. She still manages to tell most of the conversation.

Malik scrutinizes us maliciously. I notice that his injured hand is wrapped in additional bandages. He rubs his wound and grimaces. The mutt isn't happy with what Selena's telling him.

"Dad!" He shouts loudly across the room, "That's the kid."

Jules looks at Carmen. "What did you do? Touch her butt?"

"Yes," I reply.

Malik corrects, "No. The blind kid."

Smiling I confirm, "Definitely me. Funny story if your class has time to hear it."

Students openly giggle. When Jules frowns at them, a frightening silence captures the room.

Gardezi leans into Jules and whispers, "He may be smart enough to replace Kode."

Placing his glasses back on, Professor Jules calmly utters, "Bring him on the next mission." Then, he turns to us. "You two are late, that's minus five points on your next assignment. Find your seats, now."

As we walk to our desks, Jules lectures the other two professors for skipping out on their own classes and taking more pride in their work.

For the remainder of the day, I feel not only Angie's eyes, but Malik's too. The school day goes by quickly, but it's a bit boring without Richard around to help me start some fights.

After the final bell, I walk out to the front of the school with Carmen. Once we're at the top of the stairs that lead down to the street, Malik "accidentally" attempts to bump into her. Swinging my fair lady out of the way, I place my body in the line of fire and fly off the steps.

The pain from the bandages have returned and I won't be able to release any energy to break my fall. Yet, before landing on the unforgiving concrete, something big catches me.

He glances at my eyelids, but immediately traces his eyes over my bandages.

"And who are you?" Monte asks with his standard charming smile.

Once my brother places me on my feet, I reply, "Kay."

"Kay? That's it? No last name or anything."

"Just Kay."

"Nice. I don't like giving away too much information either. Maybe I should try being more mysterious."

"Monte Payne. You carry a seven foot ax and you've been into some illegal activities recently. You and Angie suspect someone killed your brother." Monte never looks at my face again. He continues examining my wraps.

"Whoa. Where are your barcodes that give you that type of information? My brother didn't have any, but Tartarus gave him all types of knowledge. There was never a question I'd ask that he wouldn't know."

"I thought you'd want to kill me for saying that stuff."

"I'm not the killing type. Well, how much do you know about my illegal activity?"

"Enough."

He chuckles. "Then, I guess you know that was a lie." Looking up at Malik, Monte narrows his eyes. Carmen walks down the steps but stays away from us. She leans against the railing on the furthest end. "I like you Kay. You remind me of my brother, brutally honest and always picking fights with the wrong people."

"I think I like Kode too."

"But what are you doing at this academy if you're so young?"

"Special advantages. I'm Dennis Colt's adopted son."

"Hmm. So Spencer is dead."

"That's a strong assumption."

"It's one Angie came up with. She said she could feel his murderer near. Sadly, she thinks the same guy possibly got Kode. You meet Angie?"

"Of course. She hates me."

"She hates everyone that's not Kode or me. Anyway, you're a bit small to mess with these guys and I'm cool with them. Come to me if they give you any problems."

"One thing." Monte leans his head back and looks down on me. He was never the type to actually offer people favors or to have someone ask for one. Saying he'll protect me means he thinks I'm useful, and not in a way that's beneficial for me. "Why the hell would you let people at this school think that Malik is stronger than you?"

Though he's laughing, his blood is boiling. "I was set up. I'm occasionally given assignments by the teachers and Vincent put me on a special task during finals. Without my normal team of Angie and Kode, the operation took longer than usual. I missed my chance and heard that he beat Angie."

"You know it was fixed."

"I can't imagine anyone convincing that demon to lose a fight, but it had to be. I wouldn't have to activate the codes on my chest to beat Jules." He looks down at me again and taps on his chest plate. "You knew about those, right?"

"Of course."

"I swear. If my brother could talk, he'd sound just like you." Monte grunts and pats his Afro. "I've been in the hospital for a week and need to get my report to the staff. I'll catch you in class, Kay."

"Yeah."

Eleven

As Carmen and I walk home together, I can hear Hayley cooking in my kitchen. Hopefully she'll leave once she finishes. If she sees us with these injuries, we're likely to get an earful.

Carmen looks back as I slow my pace. Playing with her hair, she asks, "You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Why'd you accept Professor Gardezi's offer?"

"Is it an inconvenience for you?"

"No! Not like that. It's just, you're always in the dungeon, you watch me, and now this. It's a lot."

"Maybe."

Carmen smiles. She crosses the street with her head pointed to the sky. I admire her beauty and amazing figure. "It doesn't make sense. You're so logical, but you're helping them search for something that probably doesn't exist."

"I already know where it is."

Carmen's mouth drops. She stops once we make it across the street. "You know where it is, but you're not going to tell them? Why?" I continue walking. I hold the door open to Dennis' skyscraper and she eventually dashes towards me. Instead of going inside, she bends down, kisses me on the cheek and croons, "I don't mean to pry into your business, but please tell me, papi."

My face tingles and my eyes naturally look away from her. I can't believe I'm being suckered by a kiss. "I need to get close to Monte."

"Why?"

"He's the only one who knows where Eve is."

"Eve?" She bites her bottom lip. "You're probably not going to tell me who she is, but why are you looking for some girl?"

People pass all around us to enter the first floor mall, but I still turn to Carmen and open my eyes. "Because I need to kill her."

"You seem serious."

"She poisoned me when I was a kid. If I'm within a few feet of her, the toxin activates and I become much weaker."

"Then why—"

"She's missing an arm right now and has other nasty injuries. We should be on equal playing grounds. If I don't find her soon, she may heal and I'll never be able to catch up to her again."

"Wow. You'll get close to Monte—the dangerous guy that robs banks and kills gangsters—just to see if he leads you to her?"

"The cash transfers and seemingly random fights say he's working for someone that needs a lot of money. I think she's pulling his strings to pay for her recovery. If I'm close enough, he should lead me to her. It doesn't matter if we're friends or enemies. He'll make a mistake eventually."

Carmen rests her hand on my shoulder and massages it. "Did she do something worse than poison you? Is there another reason?"

I close my eyes and push her inside, mumbling, "She pitted Spencer and I against each other, and I killed him because of it." We step in the elevator. "And if I find her, I think I'll find Helios."

Hayley finished cooking two minutes ago, but she still hasn't left. "Damn." I remember why she's in my kitchen and that she's not leaving any time soon. I release a loud sigh and wipe sweat from my face.

"What's wrong with you?" Carmen asks gently. She brushes her delicate hand over my head.

"Hayley's going to see us."

"Oh! She wanted to make you dinner tonight."

"You're not getting out of this. She wanted to make us dinner."

"With the injuries on your face, she'll have a heart attack." We step out of the elevators with our eyes glued to each other. "Kiss me, papi."

"Of all the times, you finally ask now?"

"No. You heal really fast. If I can connect with your saliva, I should be able to heal your body quicker." I look at the sunset out of my gym's window. My room is high enough to see over the neighboring buildings. I couldn't ask for a more perfect place. "What's up? You scared of a little tongue?"

I continue walking through the gym, towards my apartment door. I strike a speed bag along the way. Carmen runs behind me and playfully wraps me in her arms. Before I can finish enjoying our proximity, she twists us around and falls on a blue exercise mat.

It takes me a few seconds to snap out of the enchantment of having her this close. The grunt I release causes her to squint. She scans my face as though an answer to her questions can be found on my flesh.

Bottling up my true feelings, I expressionlessly say, "You kiss me every night the second I fall asleep. Then, you curl up at the foot of the bed. I've had your tongue on my lips plenty."

Carmen flushes red and her heart beats heavily against mine. Her lips are only a foot away from my own, but I can feel her breath and it's mind numbing. I'm still not used to being close to women so I'm easily excited. She looks down with an enticing smile, but doesn't mention what she feels.

"I can't believe you knew and didn't say anything for an entire week."

"There's nothing for me to say." My hands creep up the backside of her sturdy armor. Her lower body is only covered by a cape and if I'm too far down, I'll be tempted to move my hands to the area that Malik violated. "I enjoy it."

"Cute." Opening my eyes, I accidentally flash them and she shivers a bit. I think they still frighten her, but Carmen never looks away. "You seem upset though."

I try not to release my frustration, but I dig my nails into her armor a bit. She feels the pressure. "You're using me."

"I wouldn't."

"Earlier today. I saw your eyes flash. You're kissing me at night to use my energy. You once said that you need to steal power from others. You need me to become stronger."

A tear gently falls against my face and she groans, "Please don't say that papi. That's not why. I wouldn't do that to you, of all people. I swear!" The authenticity and pain in her voice is heartbreaking.

The area where her tear falls heals a bit of my face. It's soothing and gentle like the water from the Daughters of Danaus.

I run my hands through her hair. "Okay. Okay. I was wrong. Stop crying, love."

"I'm so sorry."

An intense heat emits from Carmen's lips as they blaze a fiery red. She slowly bends down to kiss my face with her eyes closed. Though her lips feel amazing, it's the movement in her hips that drives me crazy.

My face heals underneath her warm kiss. The ache in my body fades more rapidly as her tears smear across my cheeks.

Still crying, Carmen retracts her head and presses her nose delicately against mine. "Sorry. That's all I can heal without you kissing back."

Carmen rolls on her shoulders and flips up onto her feet, showing more balance than she has in the past. She offers her hand and helps me stand.

When we walk into my apartment, Hayley frowns, "What were those noises I heard and what's wrong with your face Carmen? A black eye? You're not that type of girl at all."

"I'm a gladiator."

"I don't care. Don't let them hit your face."

Hayley leads us into my dining area, which is directly on the side of my living room. She made grilled giraffe, a vegetable stew, and a golden fleece cake.

As we sit down at the table, Hayley declares, "Okay. Let me hear it."

"What's going on?" Carmen asks.

I remove a cloth from the table and place it neatly in my lap. "Well, because I refuse to write prayers, Hayley forces me to tell her stories before we eat."

"He's always giving me random facts that most of the scientist in the building don't know. Reading from that brain of his is a decent replacement for writing."

"Cool," Carmen hums. "What are we learning today?"

I declare, "The history of meat and vegetables."

"Sounds boring."

"Not so much. You both know a lot about liminal beings, right?" They nod, staring at my mouth intensively. "Quick story, the same scientists that created the first creature also made meat and vegetables."

"That's impossible," Hayley contests. "Food was here long before him."

"I'm talking about the cloned stuff we eat. It was a British scientist, Ethan Walker, that saw the destruction World War T created. He knew that if America went to war with itself, we'd be left without food and crops. He originally thought England would also have a civil war, so he went to work."

"Wait. I have heard of him, but I didn't know about the liminal beings connection."

"Here's how it started: this guy went around the world and withdrew blood from every living creature."

"Oh," Carmen interrupts. "This is the story of Noah's Lab."

"Yes. That's the guy."

"He got blood from every creature, recording their DNA to create liminal beings." Hayley adds.

"Yeah. That's wrong."

Carmen argues, "But that's in the history books."

"It makes him sound more genius, but that's not something he did on purpose. This guy searched the world for blood to feed his family."

"What?" The women ask simultaneously.

"Ethan ran the largest meat cloning company in England during his time. Because he couldn't create blood and constantly needed a fresh supply for his software, he started cloning animals. Ethan kept one male and female of the same animal in each cage. He used the entire facility to train them and let them run around. One day, his children claimed that some animals were saying simple words like dad and mom. These animals were more advanced than the originals."

Hayley shakes her head. "Why?"

"That's hard to explain without sounding too nerdy." I twist my face until I think of the proper comparison. "Okay. It's true that a large group of liminal beings were created from crossbreeding with barcodes, but they're like the ones Gonzales uses. The animals Ethan created came about when he accidentally dropped his own blood on the control panel's barcode. The machine added in the human DNA."

"That's nasty." Carmen scrunches her nose and leans away from me.

Hayley asks with disgust in her voice, "We're eating humans?"

I chuckle. "Not really. The DNA that developed was neither human nor animal. It was a new breed. When Ethan died, his kids continued experimenting and teaching the animals how to talk and read. They continued growing. The first set of animals he bred outlived him and his kids. Decades later, the British government discovered the truth and tried shutting down the facility."

"That must be when the famine started," Carmen realizes.

"Yes. The kids, well adults by then, shut down the facility and wouldn't produce any meat. America begged the British to reopen their lab because most of their food was being imported for pennies on the dollar. The Brits complied after the famine in America killed nearly double the amount of men and women that were dying in the war."

Hayley nudges her place settings until they're perfectly straight. With a smile she interjects, "This is supposed to be a quick story. We haven't heard about vegetables yet, and the food's getting cold."

"The animals got smarter and started experiments of their own. They began cloning vegetables. Then, they migrated to America and various other countries, saving the world from hunger. Now, let's eat."

Carmen mumbles, "That's fascinating. How'd you learn all of that?"

Hayley teases, "He never tells."

Taking a huge bite of giraffe, I say, "One of the original animal kings, Takashi Tiger."

"Not fair! Why'd you tell her?"

"Because all the stories I told you involved my hearing that you didn't want to know about. This is my first time telling you something I learned from him. Takashi mostly taught me how to kill, but I picked up some useful information along the way."

The ladies dig into their meals and we eat in silence until the cake is passed around. Once it's sliced, Carmen's eyes water and glow similar to moonlight on the river. "Yum," is the only word spoken then.

While they're finishing their dessert, I begin putting the dishes away. Hayley takes her last bite and walks her plate to the sink next to me. As I load the dishwasher, she says, "You got into a fight today. Didn't you?"

"What? Hmm...Your hair looks pretty and dangerous, but I like dangerous."

"Don't you try to be evasive with me. I'm not falling for your flattery," she threatens while poking me in the stomach. I laugh.

At the same exact time, we mutter, "What the hell was that?"

"Did you just laugh?"

I shout, "No. No way. Hayley, I swear on whatever god you praise, don't do it."

Hayley demonically creeps towards me. "Do you know how much I've wanted this since the day I met you? Please. Just let me try once."

"Get away from me." My voice obviously isn't sinister enough to ward her off because she backs me into a corner.

"One time. Or at least once per day until the bandages are removed."

"No," I yell, but it's too late. Hayley tickles me to the ground. She dances her little fingers on my stomach to the point that I'm about to cry.

"Okay. I guess I have to stop when I see tears, but I'll be back."

Still laughing, I sputter, "Wow. No one's ever done that. I can't believe you."

"I've tried it so many times when you were normal-sized, but you never gave in. Even Dennis is ticklish, but you gave me nothing to work with."

"You're so funny. I love you, Mom."

With those words, I hear the plate shatter in Hayley's hand. She unintentionally slammed it against the sink. Carmen jumps out of her seat, but breathes more steadily when she notices that it was just a plate.

The blood from Hayley's fingers drips on the floor. She takes one soft step towards me. Her voice is too weak to understand. I have to read her lips as she whispers, "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I was just—"

She passionately bolts towards me. Her knees slam on the ground, creating a loud thud. She hysterically blares, "Don't play with me. What did you say?"

"Hayley I—"

She grips my face with her hands and smears her blood across my cheeks while crying, "Say it again please. I didn't hear it clearly. Please."

Looking away, I repeat, "I love you, Mom."

Her entire body trembles. She involuntarily shakes my head in her hands. Hayley's kisses cover my face. She even plants a few on my eyebrows and eyelids.

Releasing a loud, excited cry, she ties her arms around my neck. I initially resist. Why does she love me so much? Hayley should hate me. Trying to hold myself back from hugging her causes my arms to ache and leak black blood onto my bandages. Giving in to my deepest desire, I hug her back. My heart does more leaps and flips than hers.

In a low and soothing tone, Haley mumbles, "I waited my whole life to hear that. You don't understand. You make me so happy. Kode. Oh my Writer. Kode. You really are our child."

"You make me happy too."

Hayley falls limp in my arms. Her body tremors and she makes incoherent sounds.

She finally notices the blood.

Hayley unleashes a loud wail. Though I want to hold her more tightly and tell her how much I love her, I can't. Instead, I fling her into one of the cabinets and peer into her eyes.

"John."

"Stop!" The force I exert opens a few cabinets and breaks the three glasses in the sink. "You want him here, but he can't come." I place my hand over her mouth to prevent her from repeating his name. "Don't lose another minute to something in the past. If you want to be with him, kill yourself."

Carmen flares, "Kay!"

"That's what you believe, right? You'll see him in the afterlife. I'm not here to tell you that there is or isn't one. I just want you to live for now." Hayley cries frantically, so I slam her against the cabinets again. "Stop! You have two options. You keep letting his death defeat you, or you live with the love you have. I'm in this world with you and you're with me. You too," I say, glancing over my shoulder at Carmen. "You're my heaven, Mom. If you want to enjoy this time, look at the blood and beat it." I hold her hand to her face. "This is yours. Not his blood or Spencer's. It's yours. What do you want to do?"

"Kode," she mouths between her tears.

"Say you love your son,. I need to hear it too," I whisper as tears build in my eyes. I restrain them with all of my might.

Hayley rubs her blood on my cheek again. She nods endlessly and sputters, "My sweetheart. I love you." With that, I crash into my mom's arms.

Twelve

I take another puff of the finest cigar I ever had. I began smoking them three months ago, when I was finally able to convince Dennis that my lungs can't be contaminated. He only gave me three, but I held on to the last one as long as possible. Practically addicted, I stole one of each brand from his office. Once those ran out, I felt a bit lonely inside.

During last night's dungeon duty, Blue-Skin dropped off two from Hades' collection. His cigars put Dennis' to shame. The wrapper tastes as though it were grown from Cuban seeds, but it's pitch black. If I hadn't smoked some strong flavors with darker San Andres Negro leaves, this would be a little overwhelming. Whatever Hades manages to make these with is amazing.

As my feet dangle from the edge of Dennis' skyscraper, I blow smoke into the already smoggy sky with Carmen laying directly behind me. She has her arm around my waist. I think she's still a bit sleepy, but it's too cold for her to doze off. Not to mention, class starts in twenty minutes.

I come here to clear my thoughts and process the world surrounding me, but the data streaming through my eyes isn't pleasant or relaxing.

Vincent finally recovered from the hospital and is storming through his classroom yelling agitatedly at Angie, "What is this I hear about you fighting with Malik?"

"I didn't. He got into a scuffle with that new kid, Kay."

Vincent flinches. I bet he wants to tell Angie that I'm Kode while demanding that she stays away, but the best way to keep her from me is to allow her to continue thinking I'm someone else.

"You didn't help him?"

"I wasn't near the disgusting creature."

"Kay?"

"Malik."

"I won't have you talk about my future son-in-law that way."

"But you'll have him touch your daughter any way that he pleases."

"Look at your armor. You bring it on yourself."

"My armor is art designed by Stacy Moreno-Colt."

"You're fine with her, but you want nothing to do with Carmen. You've disrespected the poor girl since the day you met."

"Poor? Poor girl? We're the same age and you don't treat her any differently."

"I am tired of having you back talk me Angie! Her age is none of your business. As a woman, you'd better learn your role. But more importantly, I will not have my child speak to me with such disrespect."

With blood racing through her veins, she attempts to withhold her anger. Restraining her aggression causes something evil to feast on her data. The predator is ready to snap. She was always prepared to unleash her anger against Vincent, because he feels the need to oppress her. I thought she would've cracked by now, but his control has strengthened.

Angie clutches her fists tightly enough to draw his attention.

"What's your problem now? Classes will begin soon. I'm not teaching the gods yet and these pitiful Apes are frustrating enough to deal with. I don't need you adding to my stress."

"Just keep Malik away from me."

"Spencer's death has been confirmed." Angie gasps and holds her mouth. Vincent takes a huge breath and continues, "Dennis' lies will eventually catch up to us. Most students and investors are already suspicious of the secret training Spencer is on. When the truth comes out, this academy will lose billions. And if the Block Party isn't approved, the Colt name will diminish in a matter of years. Do you understand my stress? I'm holding this family together."

Angie's hands shiver as she asks, "And Kode?"

"Dead as well," he boldly professes while flopping in his chair and swiping his desk tablet. He's pretending to do something important, but he's mindlessly flipping through various pages.

One of Angie's tears quickly strikes the ground, but leaves no trail on her face or sign of others to follow. The gladiator princess knows how to maintain her public figure, especially in front of her father.

"Without Spencer to kill Helios and mate with you to remake his barcode, all my plans have gone to waste. I searched long and hard to find the next strongest student to mate with you, and I finally have him. You will not ruin that. Writer willing, the Louisianan Block Parties will make their way out here by September, when I have full control of the arena. That's when Malik will be allowed to participate in the competition for your hand in marriage."

"Daddy!"

"You will do just as your mother, and dedicate your life to him. I want to hear nothing else about the way he treats you. Malik is a fine warrior. He's just as lustful as all the other adolescents that watch you prance around here practically naked. He's no Spencer, but he's definitely not Monte."

Narrowing her eyes, Angie menaces, "If you want power, then why not Monte? You know about the barcodes under his chest plate as much I do. There's no power that even competes with his. He was probably stronger than Kode."

"The Payne," he bellows, slapping his desk and standing up from his seat, "are an abomination. There are no worse criminals or filth than that family, other than Helios. Just to California's suspicion, they were working with the tyrant."

"Blake, Kode, and Monte were not! I've fought closely with all of them."

"You were deceived. That's why Monte's constantly on assignments alone. He's fooling you and me, just like Eve did."

"He fought with us during the attack."

"Did you see him? No. He was unconscious when we arrived to the battlefield."

"You heard what Spencer did. He not only knocked out Monte, but everyone in the area. I can't vouch for him, but I can say I fought alongside the Payne you hate the most. He defended us and obviously died for it."

"You know nothing, you stupid girl. You'll leave this classroom immediately, remembering to obey your future husband. To me, you are as good as married. I do not want you fighting. If needed, you protect him, but not enough for him to notice. Do you understand?" Puffing out his chest, Vincent echoes, "Angie Marina Colt, do you understand me?"

"Yes father," she fumes through her teeth. Veins in her neck and in the center of her forehead become visible. The angered goddess blows open the classroom doors and marches down the hallway.

Angie's become weak, and she needs a motivator to get back on track. Spencer's blood on my hands may help. If she senses my blood, I'm sure that'll add to the fire.

Carmen watches me. "What's wrong, papi?" I quickly look down at the beautiful gladiator laying behind me and she tenses up. When I close my eyes, she seems slightly less frightened.

"Nothing." That's a lie. Now, I'm thinking about Michelle. Even completely drugged by my blood, the second she saw my eyes, her heart stopped beating. She could have died from the state of fear.

The first night Dennis saw my data, he confronted them fearlessly. From then on, it's been an ever-increasing pain for him to endure. He won't look into my barcodes for long. Most of the time, he's staring at my eyebrows or forehead. There's an attempt to show me a connection, but he can't fully commit.

The only person that looks into them without hating me or wanting to run away is Hayley. I wish I could say the same for the beautiful girl before me.

I kiss Carmen's hand and announce, "Time to go cause trouble." We reenter the building. She quietly rides the elevator with me while waving my smoke away. "Sorry. This is the only time I'll take it to school with me. Promise."

She and I stroll to the arena quietly. As we are about to march up the steps that lead into the front door, she stops and asks, "What trouble are you going to cause?"

Raising my eyebrows, I remove the cigar from my mouth and reply, "I always have a plan. Don't trust me?"

"It's about Angie."

Grinning, I ask, "You can read my thoughts even if I kiss your hand?"

"You're aligning with my codes."

"Wait. No one's ever taught you all that pleasure and pain crap?"

"You're the first person that I've kissed affectionately. My father briefly helped when I was a child, but my mother says he was too uncomfortable. She can't do it because her barcodes are unique. I'm more connected with your codes than anyone else. But if you were wearing Tartarus, how did Angie get into yours?"

She knows about Tartarus? "No clue. I didn't know mine were trained."

"You had to. It goes both ways. When Angie was younger, Vincent was connected with hers. One day, you did the impossible. You completely reprogrammed her data, overriding Vincent's."

"For some reason, you know a lot about them."

"I do."

"You're not going to tell me," I declare with an evil grin.

"The same way you're withholding whatever you have planned for Angie."

"This sounds like our first fight."

Playfully, she says, "Don't try making up by turning me on. I'm not falling for your charm." She rolls her eyes and looks away. "Okay. Maybe if you kiss me."

Grabbing her by the arm, I pull her up the arena's stairs. "You're cute when you're upset."

"I'm cuter when I'm wrapped under a cover with you, Adam and Eve style."

One of the fake security guards standing at the door blocks our way when I try walking in. I don't know why Dennis hires these guys. Most of the student gladiators are stronger than them. Anyone worth investing in would be more beneficial as a warrior on the field, and no Colt is going to waste their franchise players by forcing them to stop students with cigars.

I take one last puff and place the cigar neatly in the guard's pocket. He steps out of the way and tries throwing it in the trash, but becomes entranced by the smell. He finishes it off for me.

We bypass all of the students lingering in the hallway without speaking to anyone. Richard catches sight of me while talking to several mortal level warriors. Once he notices the expression on my face, he releases a chuckle and runs over to join us.

Now, I have a miniature mob.

After a quick walk, we stop outside of Gardezi's class. Angie's dragging her feet to her desk. She's not too far from the door. Just right.

Carmen falls back as I bump into the gladiator princess. She's already upset with the intentional challenge, but she becomes irate when she spins around and notices me.

Using one of my other sound techniques, I create a growl under my breath, but she's always been capable of doing the same. She roars like a lioness. That's not nearly as frightening as when she smashes me into a wall.

Gardezi stands from his desk, but I raise my hand to calm him down.

"Don't you ever push me, or I swear I'll kill you."

With the remaining smoke in my chest, I blow the dark smog into her mouth. As she coughs, she hears the words I have trapped on every particle. Don't threaten me. You're a weak puppet for your father that's too afraid to challenge someone that couldn't kill you if you let him. As the smoke clears her lungs, the final words choke her. Angie's eyes widen as she hears, And you're correct. Kode and Spencer's blood is with me. What makes you think you're strong enough to do anything about it?

Angie's tattoos disappear and her eyes glow blue. I didn't expect to push her far enough to see Sekhmet.

Shit.

I lean forward to give myself enough room to evade whatever is coming. I'll need just enough space to roll with a punch, though moving closer to her is extremely dangerous.

Ducking and dodging to my left, I barely avoid a punch aimed at my head. Though the blow was an inch away, blood drips right above my ear.

The scream that stretched from Carmen's lungs saved my life. It had such a wild energy that it offset whatever force was brewing in Angie's punch.

The gladiator princess charges again for another strike, but Gardezi grabs her arm and flings her across the room. She lands gently on her feet, but her barcodes are now facing outward. She turns away from us in order to control herself and to return her arrow barcodes to normal—colorless and pointing to her face.

"What's going on, Kay?" Gardezi asks, keeping his eyes focused on my attacker.

"Training. She's not ready to fight yet, but she will be when I'm done with her."

"You realize that I nearly broke my hand keeping her away? Did you know she was that strong?"

"Yeah. Now, I want the whole school to know."

"She's also your teammate for the cavern pursuit. I don't think this is going to work out."

"Believe me, she follows orders perfectly."

Angie's returned to normal. She walks back to her desk with her eyes fixated on me.

"Take your seat, but please stay away from her."

I casually walk to my desk, but purposely cross in front of Malik to banter, "Now admit to the entire school that you beat that without having the match fixed." Malik turns to his left to see the wall I'm pointing at. Angie analyzes my face with raised eyebrows and an open mouth. Her hair whips as she looks over at the Colt Stone to see the damage she's caused.

Angie not only broke through a MMIBS reinforced wall, but she dug her arm so deeply in the stone that it covered her elbow, leaving several cracks stretching from the crater. During our cafeteria brawl, not one student managed to break a table or chair. The only force that I've seen destroy Colt Stone this year was Ahmed's explosions.

My classmates also understand the significance of this destruction. They begin chattering about whether the fight was fixed, like Spencer's old matches.

Abby turns to Yukio and whispers, "Did you see her barcodes glow?"

"It happened too quickly."

Selena turns around with widened eyes to address them both. "They were baby blue."

Abby covers her mouth with her fist and keeps her eyes on Professor Gardezi, who now seems upset that the students are talking. "She's never activated them before."

"I thought they were supposed to stay black."

"That means she didn't even try to beat Malik."

"No!" Selena blurts loudly. "She probably just gave up because he would've beaten her anyway. No one's stronger than Malik with Spencer gone."

Abby bangs her fist on her table. "Please. Malik couldn't beat me last year. If Monte and Kode didn't train him, he'd still be an average ranking gladiator."

Once the conversation between the women ends, they seem prepared to exchange blows.

Professor Gardezi releases a nasty presence that silences all of us. Returning to his desk, he declares, "Any disputes that you have may be resolved in Professor Jules' race this Friday. Winners will be allowed to choose their team for this year's final exam."

Patrick raises his hand until he's acknowledged by Gardezi, "There are teams for finals this time?"

"Yes. It seems so."

Thirteen

The night before the race, I decide to skip out on my dungeon duties. Dennis normally has Carmen tag along with him when I'm in the cave. Today, he said he'd stand guard for me.

Normally, I'd want to sit in the cave to train and breathe the fog, but I don't have much of a choice. I can't be tired if I want to participate in tomorrow's activities. Therefore, I decided to hang out with Seth and Antonio. Carmen obviously joined us, but the surprise is Richard's presence. After school, he kindly asked to hang out with us, and who could turn down such a gentle teddy?

Seth hasn't spoken to me since I showed him Nevaeh's hair, and she hasn't shown herself to me again. She keeps a safer distance when spying on me.

Antonio turns off the television to Carmen's disappointment, "Awe."

"I don't care for Block Parities. Actually, I hate knowing that they're now televised in California," Antonio says while turning his nose up.

Seth speaks his first words in weeks with his eyes glued to me. "Stop being such a drama queen." He's sitting on his white chair that's facing Carmen and me. Her long and glimmering legs are kicked over the armrest and my lap.

Seth's intensive grimace catches Richard's attention. The big guy leans forward from the center couch. He checks everyone else's expression in the room and asks, "Am I missing something?"

The way he lunges from his chair, I can tell that Seth isn't drinking as much as he once was. He has more control of his body and his speech is less slurred. But he can't stop the foul stench of alcohol from sneaking out of his pores.

Seth passes his bottle of X-Eyes on the counter without looking at it. Surprisingly, it's nearly full. He's taking the proper amount of sips per day to maintain functionality.

Everyone's eyes follow him as far as they can. Once he reaches his room, Seth snatches a jacket from the closet. He returns to us with a sour expression.

Throwing the jacket at me, he says, "It won't tear your flesh this time. The upgrade has technology that reacts to your power. Instead of the weighted down feeling your current pullover has, this one should feel like a feather on your skin. The gear has the same technology as gravity resistant boots. They absorb wind and energy. Ten percent of that is converted into a negative charge that pushes in the opposite direction of where you're jumping or running."

I don't respond for a few seconds, but eventually ask, "Why?"

"It's a bit complex, but I guess you could understand—"

"No. I get that you're using barcodes that essentially access a different dimension while still supporting the theoretical logic with microgravity. But I want to know why you'd do this for me."

"Competition."

Richard places his hand over his heart. "I want in."

Seth gawks at the big man with his barcodes glowing gold. "Please. You're not strong or fast enough. Don't bore me."

Richard stands up and shows that the pot belly doesn't make him a push over. "I wasn't asking," he exhorts with a smile.

"Seth," I interrupt. "Don't read the barcode on his shoulder. Look at the ones in his mouth. They go down to his stomach."

Richard grins confidently. Then, he sticks out his tongue and says, "Ah." Initially, Seth doesn't see anything, but Richard activates the codes. Once they glow a bright golden color, Seth chokes on his own saliva.

Grabbing Richard's face roughly, Seth squeezes his fat cheeks and slams him on the couch. "You've got to be kidding me. These barcodes are man-made. You survived this tattooing?"

With his mouth open, Richard still manages to speak smoothly, "Not really."

On Seth's command, the couch converts into a surgical bed and the chandelier overhead drops down the same tools that are normally found in doctors' offices. Seth grabs a hand-held black light that surgeons often use to reveal deactivated barcodes. The light also clarifies corrupted data for those with analytical tattoos, like Seth. He shines it in Richard's mouth before making him stretch out. Antonio flickers when Richard lies down and enters his projection. Then, he disappears and reappears on a screen that floats around the table.

Carmen and I stand up to join the examination. I change my jackets and enjoy the fact that Seth left a graffiti design of the letter "K" on my back. He even tore off the sleeves. Now, I don't have to make room for Shiva. The jacket squeezes me lightly, adjusting to my size. It stops me from breathing temporarily, but eventually becomes a perfect fit.

"Antonio," Seth calls gently.

"Yes?"

"Did the nanobots complete the projector for the body scanner?"

"Yes."

"Bring that out so I can see his organs."

Antonio's screen turns on its flat side and faces Richard's body. A bright beam of light covers Richard, but he doesn't seem to care. Then, a projector appears behind us.

"You all should turn away," Seth exclaims while walking to his wall behind the couch. "The first image is a naked picture."

Strolling to the projector, I say, "I can hear beneath clothes by choice. It's no big deal to me."

"I've healed his wounds after finals so I've seen what he looks like too." I shoot Carmen a jealous squint and she playfully makes a "Hmph," sound. Then she mouths, "Don't start with me, papi. I know you look at Angie."

"What's up with you and her?"

Antonio jokes, "I can't look away. I'm taking the pictures."

Seth makes things worse. "I'm a licensed doctor in Spain. I'm used to bodies. I am bisexual though. Sorry if that makes you a bit uncomfortable."

Richard sits up on the table and yells, "What the hell is wrong with ya'll?"

Some gravitational force pulls him back down and Seth coaxes, "Thank you, dear."

"You're very welcome," Antonio replies with a giggle.

Once the flashes stop, Seth flips through the images until he finds the organs. He points to the stomach while saying, "Damn," and the picture zooms in. "Create a 3D image and use the color hologram." Seth turns around and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry Antonio. Do you mind?"

"No. I'm happy to help." The hologram projects over Richard's actual stomach and the chandelier retracts. "You can stand up now."

Richard moves away from the bench saying, "Whoa. I never saw the inside."

"What the hell am I looking at?" Seth asks roughly.

"Long story man."

Carmen interjects, "We have time."

"Yes. Do tell why you have barcodes from your tongue all the way to your stomach." Seth sits back in his chair while rubbing his temples. "You should be dead."

The hologram stops and everyone returns to their seats, including Antonio.

"When I was a kid, I ate a lot. I wasn't big or fat, pretty muscular actually. My entire family is built with warriors that look like the Payne family. They're humungous. Men's men. There are no women in the entire clan."

"They break into a new science I don't know about? I can't imagine you pregnant, theoretically. I can see the physical," he jeers while pointing to the 3D image of Richard's stomach.

"All daughters are killed at birth and any weak-looking boys are too. Basically, if you're not a strong boy that tears through the womb, you're considered DOA."

"Sounds like the Spartans," I add with a bit of history.

"That's where they got the idea," he responds, turning to me. "I wasn't strong like the others. My body was weaker, but my tattoo was more than good enough to let me live. Plus, I think my dad had a soft heart. Though he'd yell at me in public, he was the only parent that played with his child in secret. The others were trained mercilessly."

"Get to the barcodes," Seth snaps, circling his hands impatiently.

"I didn't know what they were. We were meant to fight, not look at science. For all I knew, Chaac's tattoo was a cool birthmark that looked like a cloud that rained when activated."

No one speaks for a moment, then we all curse in our own way. I nearly throw Carmen off of me by accident.

"Sorry sweetie."

"It's okay."

I swiftly return my attention to Richard. "What the hell?"

Following up for me, Carmen shouts, "You're a Mayan god?"

Richard displays his pearly whites and excellent cheek bone structure. That smile says it all. A human hosting the power of an actual Mayan god.

Even I haven't seen one. I honestly started believing they were myths created by various people in hopes that their genealogy would seem more interesting. The Mayan people have nearly been erased from history. Their pyramids were eradicated during WWT and all that remains are broken stones with random pictures. The only information scientists have are images from ancient archives. Many aren't trustworthy because of how often forgers create pictures that were discovered from recovered computers.

Seth's aggression returns as he asks, "Why are you in demigod classes?"

"Why are you, Zeus?"

"Rumors are that Mayans have trumped Olympians forever. Your codes only come up once every few centuries and you're killed off for the most part."

"Yeah. There's no way the Ellingtons would kill off a Mayan. I was the great white hope." Even Seth has to laugh at that. "Thing is, I wasn't strong like the others unless I was..."

Carmen lists off words speedily, "Angry, upset, frustrated, jealous, tense, scared, frantic, drunk, horny?" I cover her mouth when I realize she'll keep this up infinitely. Plus, the words were spilling so rapidly, I couldn't understand them anymore.

"Hungry."

Seth laughs from the gut until he falls on the floor. Carmen and I hold each other trying not to laugh, but Seth's screams are making it too difficult. We give in when Richard laughs too.

Once Seth manages to catch his breath, he pleads, "Will you finally get to the tattooing?"

"Some liminal beings came out of nowhere and tried showing our people how they could increase their power by tattooing additional codes on their skin. The only problem was, our men were getting really sick and weak. My father killed the creatures, assuming they poisoned the barcodes. Though he took the glass bottle they carried their ink in, he couldn't figure out how to discard it. He left it on the kitchen counter while I was at school."

"No way," Carmen grumbles through my hands. I finally remember to actually withdraw my arm.

"Yeah. I ditched classes that day and saw it. Drank it real quick style."

"Painful?" I inquire.

"That's damn sure!" Richard shakes his head and smiles. "For years."

Seth plays with the hologram of the stomach while twirling it around. His bullhorns change from red to gold rapidly. He walks over to a wall and begins drawing equations with his index finger. The numbers shine neon blue. The nerd sits on the ground and grunts endlessly. Finally he spins around and asks, "What's all this dimensional space doing in your gut?"

Richard makes a quick choking sound. His jaws stretch like a cobra as he shoves his fist in his mouth. Slowly, he removes a small katana. Using his shirt, he wipes the saliva. Once it completely dries, the sword extends nearly twelve feet long.

"The dimension allows me to compress shapes like MIBS-squared."

Carmen's mouth drops. "You're the guy from Northern California everyone brags about. You can process MIBS in your mouth."

"No. Not quite. It's not MIBS or MIBS-squared. It's just a similar technique. I can compress and combine objects in my stomach. I've added weapons together, created bombs, poison, and medicines. I study a lot of organic remedies and store lots of plants in my stomach. I can probably heal any disease that Seth can. He may be faster though."

"I can't understand. You're a Mayan, you've got this awesome stomach, but you're a weak as hell," Seth jeers.

"Think what you want, but I could probably crush Colt Stone like Angie. I only lost in the finals because I'm slow. Really slow, compared to you. Our people use brute force and big armor to get the job done. I just need to work on my speed. So which one of you is going to train me?"

Carmen raises her hand. "Me!"

Antonio interjects, "It's not my objective to offend you, but though you are one of the fastest students at the arena, I can guarantee you these two are on another level."

"I know. I'm clumsy and a bit of an airhead at times, but I still managed to come in third in last semester's race. Though Seth and Kay have crazy work ethics, I'm the only one that can relate to Richard. I used to be, umm...a little overweight."

For the first time, I hear Antonio's computer make beeping sounds. He chuckles and murmurs, "A little?"

Seth hacks into Antonio's system by commanding, "Freeze data. Transfer to projector."

Antonio shouts, "Not in front of everyone Seth!"

The projector displays a beastly picture of Carmen nearly four hundred pounds. She shrieks and I hold her tightly while tickling her. She fights me playfully as we all laugh.

Carmen gently punches me in the shoulder and quickly pecks me on the lips. The other two shift in their chairs and look away. Antonio clears his throat.

Eventually, Richard confirms, "Okay. I'll take Carmen."

Fourteen

Classes were shifted around to make sure any injured students in Professor Jules' classroom wouldn't miss their other periods.

I'm sitting in Gonzales' wild petting zoo where standing near a cage doesn't necessarily mean you're safe. Just last week, one of her more powerful animals managed to break out of their glass chamber and scratch Yukio on the arm. Too bad for the monster, it chose the wrong student to scare. With a quick jab to the center of its forehead, Yukio put the panther-dog that looked like it had rabies to sleep without much effort.

Though I try ignoring the pain in my body, it's becoming a huge problem. My legs are shaking like I'm holding weights, but I'm not doing anything strenuous. Well, I am sitting down at these awkward desks. I want the normal white tables and chairs back. Whoever is trying to take Seth's place with upgrades is doing a horrible job.

The current chairs are solid bar stools that emerge from the ground. We can't even kick our feet under our desks because they're similar solid blocks. These things hurt my butt.

Gonzales strolls in front of me. She creeps out the rest of the class, but I don't mind. She's really cute if you ignore all the scars. Too bad the other students can't see past them.

"Have I troubled you somehow?" I ask as she lingers over my shoulder.

"Just curious. What do you know about the desolate lands of the East Coast?"

"They're damn dangerous."

Gonzales raises her eyebrows, "Really? How would you know that?"

"I've visited. I've studied."

"You visited, and survived?"

"I didn't go deep in, but friends and I needed to complete a few tasks there."

Angie turns around in her seat to observe me. Her expression isn't very friendly. Luckily, we sit far away in all of our classes.

Gonzales taps my table twice. "So how would you survive if your plane ever crashed there?"

"You fight in one spot for as long as possible without spilling the blood of any creatures and hope that someone rescues you. Blood attracts more danger."

"But can you do that? Can you passively fight a creature without drawing blood?"

"Probably not."

"Let's find out," she declares while grabbing my arm and moving me to the back of the classroom. Malik laughs as I stumble over my own feet. "What's wrong with your legs?"

"It's a bad day for these bandages. Let's reschedule this experiment for tomorrow or next year."

"Nonsense. If your plane were to crash, your legs wouldn't be too great anyway." Gonzales pulls a tablet from her pocket and hits a few buttons. A red fox-crocodile stomps out of its cage. It's big and from the sound of its muscles, too fast to outrun. Though mostly a fox, the skin is that of a croc, and the tail as well.

"This animal is indigenous to Florida. If you were to land there, you'd see many of these near the swamps. I want you to demonstrate how you'd get this animal back in the cage without drawing blood. Mind you, you're being scored. You'll receive an F worth five percent of your overall grade if you can't complete the task."

The beast stomps towards me. I try walking in his direction, but trip over my own feet. I stand up quickly, but my arms are vibrating wildly.

The animal seems confused. I'm probably the easiest prey he's ever witnessed.

It's thirty yards away. The only thing between us is Gonzales, and she's gesturing for her pet to dig in.

I rush towards the animal, an aggressive technique used on foxes when they're alone.

Gonzales' eyes widen. She curses under her breath when I trip and fall face first in front of the beast's opened mouth. The women in the classroom, and Patrick, scream.

As the animal tries to clamp me between his teeth, Gonzales stomps on his mouth. She tells him to walk back to his cage and he obeys. Then, she pulls me from the floor and dusts me off. "Maybe you're not the man you once were." Projecting more loudly, she announces, "You'll receive an F."

Pulling my arm away roughly, I stroll back to my desk and ask, "Why?"

"Because you didn't complete the task."

"You told me to get the animal in the cage without drawing blood." I spin around, intentionally fall on the ground, roll on my shoulders, and flip into my seat. It hurts my bones and gives me a slight headache, but proves my point. "You didn't say I couldn't use you to do it. He's in the cage, right?"

The bell rings and the students laugh at my manipulation of the rules. As I walk to the exit, Gonzales exclaims, "Kode!" I nearly respond, but continue pressing towards the door. Angie, on the other hand, watches Gonzales desperately. "I'm sorry. I mean Kay. Stay in the classroom. We have a grade to discuss."

Angie's the last to leave. Gonzales presses a few buttons on her podium and the entire room shines blue. In awe, I ask, "What did you just do?"

"You seem like a private guy, so I made the room soundproof."

"Can all the classrooms do this?"

"Yes. They'll project natural sounds and images for people that love to ear hustle, but you'll be able to speak freely with me."

"What did you want to talk about? I receive an A, right?"

"Sadly, yes. You followed the rules and intentionally used your bandages to mislead me." Tilting her head she confesses, "I just wanted to say, I'm glad to have you back."

"But this is my first time here."

"You walk and talk like him."

"Who?"

"Kode Payne. I heard him in the hallways numerous times before you appeared, preceding the ceremony where everyone received their bandages." I grunt, but don't reply. She openly laughs at my silence. "If that's the way you want to keep it...Kode was my favorite student. The only one I ever enjoyed."

"I know who he was, but you said you could hear him. How? He wore Tartarus."

"It was difficult, but I had an ear transplant. I used an owl liminal being that passed away. It was an amazing idea because life never sounded this spectacular."

"When did you have the surgery?"

"After he beat my second labyrinth. It seemed as though Spencer Colt could hear him, so I tried a few experiments until I could as well. Worked like a charm."

Chuckling I say, "Well, I hope you get to see him again." Listening to her eyes, I notice they never turn, but stay focused straight ahead. "I mean, hear him."

"Just realized I'm blind too?"

Laughing, I clarify, "There's a difference between having my eyes closed and being blind."

"Same for me."

"What's everything like in your head?"

"Words with detailed descriptions. What's yours?"

"A fourth dimension. What words do you see for me?"

"That's the best part. I get to read full tales and prophesies about you. I can't wait to see the rest."

Gonzales hits the switch and the walls return to normal. I rush out of the class because I hear Jules telling students to quiet down and prepare for the race.

Once I'm on the battlefield, Jules hits a button on his large tablet that he uses to make himself seem more distinguished. The ground rumbles and all the students step back. I hold the "sh" sound in the only word that comes to mind. Still dragging it out, I walk behind Seth and he quickly blurts, "Shit."

Our heads are pointed to the sky, and our bodies are motionless. Even the cool kids are amazed.

The sand from the battlefield causes over half the students to cover their faces. Wind not only rips down from the stadium walls, but also from the gigantic obstacle course that Jules has just created with the click of a button.

"Welcome to the future of Colt Arena," he says with a chuckle. "For years, the Moreno have dominated the technology at this university. But, just this summer, I was given a chance to prove my family's innovative skills. I've updated the school's classrooms and the battlefield. Behold."

Seth's eyes twitch and his face loses color. Judging from his self-defeating personality, he's probably blaming himself for not finding a cure to his disease.

He removes a new bottle of X-Eyes from his pocket with the X's whited out on the scratched container. I want to stop him, but I have no clue what's going on in his head. He takes three sips before putting the drink away.

"The structure is a combination of Colt Stone and Jules Marble. It reaches a height of fifty yards. There are three levels, including an underground area that you may take. Do not assume that because you have to run up to reach the top that you will lose time. There are obstacles on each level that will affect your results accordingly."

Addison raises his hand and Professor Jules points to him. "How many laps?"

"Great question. Three."

Patrick asks, "Are we allowed to fight?"

"No. This is purely a race. If you intentionally hinder another student's progress, I will add time to your results. Though, this is a structurally safe course, you can still fall in many areas. There are no safety nets. All of you are god-level gladiators. I don't expect fifty yards to kill you, though you may not wake up for some time." Students laugh, but Jules didn't intend to make a joke. "If you fall, there are plenty of ropes hanging from the sides of the course. Grab one quickly."

The structure looks like a maze for the most dangerous track meet ever. Sure, there are tons of ropes to grab from any section of the course, but I don't imagine everyone will make it out of this safely.

The underground level is simple. It has a basic area to run in a circle, but there are tons of machines down there that breathe fire, create ice, and throw barrels. I've played a classic video game like that and I'm not good at it. I'll stay on the outside.

Next, there's the ground level with tons of obstacles. I doubt anyone will take that route. There are four walls that must be scaled by fingertips and a long area of tires to hop through.

The second and third levels are very similar, except the highest part has an increased crash risk on the third level. Though it's possible to jump from the third to second level—risking a broken ankle—the far side of the course has a gap that could provide an awesome ride to the ICU.

The top floor has the longest area to cover, I estimate that one trip around is one mile. The section below it is more closed in and probably has one-fourth less of a distance to travel. The ground level is one-third less than that. The underground has more running space to travel than the top and more obstacles. It's suicide.

"The first three students to cross the finish line will be allowed to pick their own teams for finals. Anyone not chosen will have their name entered in a computer that automatically suits you with compatible teammates. There's no guarantee that the top three from this race will win the tournament, but if you choose the strongest warriors, it is likely. Are there any questions?"

Nearly everyone raises their hands. Feeling left out, I decide to throw mine up as well. To that, Jules replies, "Excellent. You may begin."

Though we managed to lose more students this year, Colt Arena took in a lot more gods. There are also several Apes and demigods that were bumped into god-level classes. Seventy-nine students rush the field and stomp through the structure. I don't move an inch.

I wait until everyone has entered their areas to determine the best route.

"Are you actually planning on participating?" Jules asks Jamie and me. I hold up my index finger to hush him so I can count the students.

"Twenty-seven tried taking the easy way out underground. Thirty-four didn't analyze the area ahead of them. That means there's a race between sixteen of us on the second and third levels."

"They're pretty fast and you're still standing here. That means there are fifteen."

"Ten of them took the second level, which is a great idea, but Malik's on the third and I assume he knows something about this course." Turning to Jamie, I ask, "You coming?"

Shaking her head she replies, "No thanks."

As I step onto the course, Jules drones, "They have a one-minute lead on you. Just wait here. I'll only take off five points for your ignorance."

I finally step across the start line. "Good. Add five more when I win."

In order to make it to the third level, Professor Jules provided two clear walls that the others squeezed between. Instead of working my tiny little legs up that area, I use the ropes dangling from the side of the first level to swing ahead. After four jungle man leaps, I expel a shock wave force from my feet that boosts me up to the second floor.

Most of my classmates are fighting with some area of the course. Malik, Patrick, Selena, and Angie are on the top levels pushing through a narrow wooden walkway that sounds fragile. Malik doesn't allow the sound to disturb him. He leaps over the other's heads and lands in front of Monte. The two smile at each other and bolt around the swinging barricades.

I have issues of my own. I still need to find a way to the top. With the distance between these two levels, there's no way I can make that jump again.

In the cave, I've been working on mimicking Blue-Skin's technique of traveling through shadows. I didn't understand it the first time I saw it, but when Hades created his own shadow, there was more data to analyze. It's really about using darkness to increase speed. Scientist often brag about the speed of light, but don't realize that darkness is what allows entrance into alternate dimensions. It has a speed as well. With the low clouds and sun blocked out, I could take the lead, but I could also tire out early.

I decide to squeeze through three extremely large warriors: Brandon, Trent, and William. So many of the giants stand both head and shoulders over me that I sneak through without them even noticing. I made sure not to bump into anyone, though it's a tight fit.

Wesley shouts, "Don't let him through," but it's too late.

I yelp, "Snitch!" as I roll on the ground to dodge Addison's attempt to bump me out of the way.

We cross the starting point by leaping over a very large gap. That one is a minor skip compared to the second space that follows. It's nearly eight feet long. Though I underestimated the amount of push I needed, I catch myself just in time to clear the area and maintain first place.

Abby and Selena are neck-and-neck, pumping their arms feverishly to catch me. I'm more worried about the group above us. They're way ahead of us. There's probably a sixty second lead behind the last person in their group, Patrick.

The distraction on this level is just too much.

The "solid" ground we're running on isn't as great as Jules wants to admit. I'm sure he didn't do this on purpose, but the ground moves like a bridge. The more people running, the more it oscillates. I can't maintain the proper footing to catch up with the others because the muscleheads chose this stage. We're bouncing up and down ridiculously.

I still don't see any ropes long enough to swing me up to the third level and we're coming on the second pass already.

While searching for a means of elevation, something explodes underground. Seconds later, several barrels fly out with the sound firecrackers make before exploding in the night sky.

Half of the barrels are torched. The other half appear frozen. The explosion also caused other nasty effects. Most of the students that were racing underground are now unconscious. For Jules' debut of his technological ingenuity, he definitely failed.

More barrels dash into the sky and crash in front of cars on the streets outside the arena. The force behind their flight causes a few of the ropes to land on top of the third and second floors. Without those hanging down, we're a little less protected. If anyone falls between those open spaces, they're out of luck.

With no time to worry, I run towards the center of the arena and jump out. I clumsily step onto a flying barrel. Though I try being graceful, I lose my footing and fall backwards, landing directly on my spine. At least I'm finally at the top, but I'm dead last.

Luckily for me, this group performed several miracles. They destroyed all of the swinging obstacles during their first two laps. It was Malik's idea.

Because of their efforts, they'll only have to worry about a basic footrace. Unfortunately for them, as they take out the last few road blocks ahead, I have a free run.

Monte's stolen the lead, and Malik looks determined to catch him. The two run forcefully, but Angie secretly activates her tattoo and dashes ahead of them. Patrick destroys a swinging pendulum with a handgun. Now I see what he's doing. He's breaking the obstacles so Malik can win and choose their team.

The pendulum crashes onto the surface and bounces hard. Though it will fall on the backside of the course, it's currently blocking my run. I increase my speed before sliding under the bouncing weight, feet first.

It smashes down once more and rolls off the course. "Thanks dude," I yell in passing.

I didn't think the others would notice, but they glance over their shoulders. I forgot. All of them hate me.

Angie leaps over the first gap and lands gracefully. I pick up a black feather that falls on the ground as I pass the distance she just crossed.

All three are approaching the second jump, but they're too close. Someone isn't going to make it. I consider sending a warning, but I'd rather use their ignorance to my advantage.

Angie flies across the area and Monte follows an inch behind her. As Malik activates his codes to cross the space, I'm able to see the power that Richard warned me about.

This idiot purposely pushes Monte into Angie mid-air. Though he nearly kills himself, he crosses the distance. They all roll on the hard surface, one after another.

I propel over their fallen bodies and notice something wrong. Angie's landed on the stone head first and is unconscious. She's also wrapped in one of the ropes.

Malik and Monte struggle to stand to their feet, and don't notice Angie falling on the backside of the course. Patrick screams for Malik to grab her. The mutt looks over his shoulder, but continues running. Monte staggers for a second when he sees what's happening, but he's too slow to react.

Angie falls off the edge. Without hesitation, I turn around and run in the opposite direction. The mutt passes me with a devilish grin.

Using a shock wave once more, I leap from the side of the structure and dive towards the ground. I cut the rope wrapped around Angie's neck.

Before plummeting into the unforgiving sand and stone from fifty yards up, I build the strongest force I can acquire within my fist.

Several feet from the ground, I expel a huge energy while swinging at the battlefield. A large area of concrete shatters under my fist. Angie and I are surrounded by sand and debris. The crater I created fills with dust. Though it was enough to soften our fall, quite a few rocks leave us with some nasty scars. Much better than breaking our necks.

My body begs me to remain motionless until someone comes to assist us, but I rush over to Angie and pull her head out of the dirt to prevent her from suffocating. I'm forced to lift her with my left arm because I shattered my right arm and collarbone nearly as drastically as I demolished the ground.

Jules' entire structure quakes wildly. Every student falls and holds onto something in order to stay on the course. Creaking sounds and clanks echo across the field. I accidentally destroyed several support beams and the structure is now under an incredible amount of pressure. This obstacle course has become a death trap that could crash at any minute. Knowing Professor Jules, we still need to cross that finish line if we want to choose our teams.

I cough blood into my hand and wipe the black residue on my legs.

The EMT Jules has prepared rushes to us. By now, everyone's standing and analyzing the destruction I've caused. The male nurse examines my wound. "You're hurt pretty badly. If you strain it any more, you could end up losing that arm."

I'm sure he says some other crap I don't feel like hearing right now, but I'm already standing on top of the third level, wondering how I got here. If I had to guess, I'd say it was anger.

I briefly open my eyes to see Malik stumbling to the finish line. Monte's still in shock and trying to stand without falling off. With my head tilted and right arm dead, I mutter, "Go," through my teeth.

Monte activates his barcodes and uses the air to propel his run. There's no way he'll catch Malik, but he can still beat the others.

The second level runners now have more obstacles. Yukio, the first level leader, was doing a fine job, but he was still a minute behind due to the area he chose.

So that's it? Malik cheats his way to another win. Monte's indecisiveness leads him to second place and I catch up to third.

No.

The force in my chest evolves into a black hole and I see darkness everywhere. I know how to use it and its properties to my advantage.

As the black dots rain on my skin, time slows down. I want to say I've gained some superhuman strength, but I think Seth snuck rapid perception nanobots into my jacket.

Malik's ten seconds from the finish line and I'm over a mile away.

Once he jumps across the final space, I travel through the black particles.

To Malik's surprise, I appear in the air, directly in front of him. I'm sure the expression on his face is priceless, but I don't notice. For a brief second, I open my eyes. Concentrating the data flowing through them, I restrict my vision to a small area surrounding me. So much color bursts into my world, everything looks as though it were hand drawn and digitally painted.

I pinpoint my target—the dog wrapped under Malik's chest.

When Shiva and I collide with his torso, I scream in agony and he does the same. The connection blows me in the opposite direction, the finish line, and Malik falls backwards on the black flames I created from traveling through the shadows. I lit the entire third level on fire.

Fifteen

Dr. Vadgama has his hand under my head and he's shining a light in my eyes. "Thought we lost you there buddy," he says with a forced smile. Dennis holds a towel tightly with both hands.

In my life, I've only blacked out three times. Twice from pain. Judging from Dennis' watch, I've been out for five hours. If it weren't for Vadgama's light, I'm not sure how long it would've taken me to wake up.

"Not yet. Too many people to kill." That wipes the grin from Vadgama's face.

Dennis clears his throat. "Thank you, doctor. You can get back to your room. It's been a long night."

"Sure. And I spoke with every nurse that helped. They are all aware of Kay's blood and know to avoid mentioning it. I'll have Rohana keep an eye on him for the rest of the night."

"Thank you. She's my preference as well."

Dr. Vadgama walks out of the pool without the pharmaceutical honey sticking to his lab jacket and slacks. It must be covered in some protective material.

Dennis' phone rings, but he silences it.

"Dad. You need to answer that. Your worthless guards are in trouble."

"Hello?" He steps out of the pool and allows the honey to ooze down his armor. Why is Dennis wearing armor? He never does that. His suits are always pretty padded, better than most Bevel gear. The gravity rejection activates and the honey is blown away.

On the other line, his guard sobs, "Mr. Colt. Talib, the lion, would like to speak with you."

"Not interested."

"Jay Jay has started a revolt and says that he won't stop until you speak with his friend."

"Stop the revolt. That's what I hired you for."

I listen two floors up as the man wipes blood from his forehead. Jay Jay tightens his grip around the officer's shoulder. "You see, he's out of his cell and so are the other gladiators. There's nothing I can do."

Dennis almost blows up, but I interrupt, "Can you please go help the coward? I'm trying to listen to a conversation between Angie and Monte, and you're interrupting."

A concerned expression consumes his face. He looks like a real father. "I'd have to take Carmen with me."

"Please do."

He hangs his head for a moment, but walks away without taking a second look at me. Once he's outside of the door, Carmen stands upright. He motions for her to follow him.

"Mr. Colt," she asserts firmly. "I can't take this any longer. My healing abilities are very strong. Please let me work on Kay."

"He's already up, and he needs rest. Let's go." Though she nearly refuses to leave, she's too timid to not obey.

With them gone, I turn all of my attention to Angie and Monte. They're breaking rules, as always. They're in the dorm's gym during after hours. No matter how many times we asked him in the past, Monte would never spar with us. But not much has changed. He's simply watching Angie perform Olympic Presses while sitting on a padded bench.

Monte pats his Afro and tightens a few gears on his armor with his untrimmed fingernails. Casually, he mumbles, "You could just kill him to release your anger. I can't understand why you and Kode would actually train to get out your aggression."

"I'm not upset, and I don't need to kill him."

"Are you going to tell me why you hate him so much?"

Angie smashes the weight into the ground. Three of the one hundred pound weights shatter. Only one plate will be useable after today. The others are completely scrap.

"No."

"Just do it."

"Why is your solution to kill everyone?"

"Makes me feel better, and I get more training than you and your old sparring partner did."

"Whatever."

"I like Kay."

"What?"

Angie growls while stomping towards him in the three thousand square foot room. Only the lights in their segment of the room are shining, but their reflections are still visible on three of the four walls because of the mirrors that outline the gym. The other wall is a window. You can see the street and trams from there.

Monte eases away from the threatening savage as she places her face right in front of his.

"Why?"

From that distance, he can probably feel her breath on his lips. He's cramped between the rowing machine and a fearsome beast.

Without answering her question, he stands and walks to the rock wall. That creates some distance between them, but she follows a few steps behind. He leans against a steel gate that blocks people from entering the climbing area. Finally he replies, "Reminds me of Kode." Angie makes a high pitched screeching sound. Monte throws his hands in the air. "What? What?!"

"It's so confusing. I see it too."

"He knows stuff, like the things that Tartarus used to tell Kode."

Angie's known for her facial expressions. She has a hilariously bad habit of speaking with her eyes. Unless she's in controlled princess mode, her thoughts are unbelievably easy to read. Her eyes are open widely and her face is stretched. Slowly she confesses, "Tartarus didn't speak to Kode. They hated each other."

"Yes he did. How else would Kode know about everything? Check this out, once mom left him locked up in our basement for a year straight. Mind you, he was like seven. So dad would sneak him food, but only when she wasn't around. After his punishment was over, he came back to the house like nothing changed. He wasn't crazy or desocialized. He knew everything about new technologies and all my fights with Carmen at the New Orleans Gym. He even knew about you. It was like he didn't miss a beat."

"Not Tartarus."

"Why not? He's an Ape with no codes. How'd he get all that information? Breaking out?"

"I know he wouldn't want me to tell you if he were alive, but since he's dead..."

A confused expression covers Monte's face. "You know for a fact now?" Angie nods her head and Monte slides down the gate. "Fuck."

She walks over and sits directly next to him. The gladiator princess lovingly wraps her arm around his shoulders and mutters, "He wasn't an Ape either."

"If he had tattoos on his face, my dad would've known."

"They were in his eyes."

"Okay. Then tell me what god he hosted. Before we moved here, every known god and goddess was accounted for. It wasn't until last year that several began disappearing."

"That's what I always wondered. Maybe he's the first to not have a god. Maybe he's something more powerful."

Monte scoots away and playfully punches Angie in the legs. "Stop jerking me around. Is he really dead or is this another prank? I loved my brother, so quit playing with me."

"I loved him too Monte," she declares with a hollow and weak sound echoing from her lungs. "I really loved him and they were in his eyes." Her tears tap her legs with an nonrhythmic pat. "He could hear everything for miles."

Monte wraps her in his arms and kisses Angie's forehead. She leans into his chest and he kisses the crown of her head. "I believe you. But how'd you know?"

It takes Angie several seconds to stop her frantic tears, but when she sits back up, Monte looks amazed. He's never seen her cry. Her ability to control her emotions can be a bit shocking. "I saw them."

"You saw under the mask?"

"In Tartarus."

"How'd you get there?"

"It's what happens after you speak to the mask for some time. You get drawn in. Tartarus is the general name for the darkest area of Hades, but it was also the demon trapped inside of Kode's mask. There are two ways to travel through Hades to Tartarus. Your physical body can be delivered by a Charon after you die or your spirit can enter through Kode's old mask. The demon within it could trap your data and torment your soul. It's not bad as long as your connection is weak, and it takes a long time to happen. But it gets worse when your barcodes align with the owner of the mask. Really bad."

"When were you in Tartarus?"

"Whenever I was in darkness for longer than sixty seconds."

"Is that why you sleep with the lights on?"

"Now, it's just a habit. When Tartarus was killed, we all were freed."

"There were more of you?"

"Yeah. Generations of us suffered from living in Tartarus in our sleep. I was the newest prisoner, but others were there because of family members that passed down the curse. It's how Tartarus drew in his power. Though he stole my strength from Artemis, I had enough from...well, I was lucky I didn't rely solely on her."

"I assume Kode went there when he was sleep too."

"We saw him, but he never remembered us. I guess it was difficult for him to live in two worlds at the same time. When he dreams, he sees the world in this awesome color. But he also entered this realm where we were tortured. He'd always take beatings for us or start riots to get lots of attention. I think his mind repressed the memories so he wouldn't be afraid to sleep."

"Who else was there?"

"We don't talk about it. It's not a pleasant thing. Some people were trapped there for a few days and others stayed in the nightmare for years because they were knocked unconscious during a fight or in an accident. Our area was restricted to barcode users, but there were places where the gods were trapped. I don't know what happened to them, but when the mask was destroyed, our data was set free. A Charon we were all familiar with provided an escape route for those physically trapped."

"If you knew talking to him caused this problem, why'd you keep doing it?"

Angie stands up and offers Monte her hand. "Time to go back to the dorms, sweetheart."

Monte grins as she pulls him up. "You're getting better at sounding less country, but your sweetheart is a dead giveaway."

As they walk down the hallways, bumping each other and play fighting, the pain in my shoulder increases. I release a burst of energy that loosens one of the bands and rumbles the entire floor. I'm sure everyone in the arena noticed, but no one will be able to determine where it stemmed from.

Dennis finally makes it to Talib's cage. Instead of allowing all the prisoners to reenter their cells on their own, he beats and drags them back in. The warden knows how to get his point across.

Talib is still sitting on his bed in his dark tiny box. Light never shines on liminal beings the way it does humans. There's always this distortion. Maybe they're accessing a different dimension through the darkness.

Dennis takes on Jay Jay lastly. Talib's second hand man is taken down with a flick of Dennis' middle finger to the center of his chest. The brute holds his hands over his heart as he is thrown into the cell next to Talib.

While locking the cages with his phone, Dennis releases air from his nose and grimaces, "I'm listening."

Talib isn't quick to respond. He doesn't lean away from his bed or stand up. The prophet simply demands, "Kill the boy." Dennis grips the bars on Jay Jay's cell and accidentally snaps a chunk of the steel in his hand. "You see the shadows surrounding him." Talib sounds as though he were two people. It's like Dennis' voice when he's possessed by his black arm. "It's there for a reason. He will destroy this world. That is his purpose."

"I think I had this conversation with you before. It was about Spencer. You remember him, right? You murdered his mother, causing darkness to surround him." Talib doesn't respond. Dennis crushes the steel in his hand and pushes away from the cell. "People change their fate. Spencer was supposed to stop Kode. It's already been proven that your prophesies are shit. Why do you even listen to yourself?"

Talib roars, "I'm not wrong about this. Do not judge me by my brother's deception."

Dennis matches Talib's intensity as he blares, "When your predictions kill the people I love the most, I will!"

"You do not know the power in this boy." Talib squints and calms down. "Or do you? What are you planning?" Dennis walks away. "Your family always has some ulterior motive and it's only a matter of time until the demon notices. Will you survive then? Will this be worth it?"

Blowing the door off of the wall that leads to the entrance, Dennis yells, "You're almost free and there's nothing I can do about that. Rules are rules. But if I see you within reach of my son, I will enjoy every second of sawing your head off." His arm is possessed and his eye is gold once more.

As Dennis cleans up the mess and fires his guard, I grit my teeth in my hospital pool. I believe I'm dying.

I should probably do something about that.

Colors and shapes switch in my mind as the walls close in. I know nothing is changing, but the pain causes me to hallucinate. Pain and I are best buds that converse regularly, but I don't know this new sensation. This agony makes me border the line of insanity.

Occasionally, my teeth clench together as my back spasms. The flesh on my arms split for no reason. Though Dennis warned that my muscles could potentially tear inside of these bandages, I didn't think he meant my arm would rip open.

All the blood is trapped inside of the wraps. I'm suffering without the ability to bleed to death.

For a minute straight, I flop uncontrollably. Once I stop, I laugh for just as long. Even from my perspective, it looked pretty funny.

"Nevaeh," I shout when I hear her shivering in the walls. "Nevaeh!"

She runs away. Three minutes pass with me marinating in sweat and honey. Finally, she rushes through the door and jumps onto my body.

"Loosen the straps. Please."

"Brother," she cries. "They're helping you."

"I have to get to the cave. Loosen them," I plead while fighting back tears.

She works frantically. Her small hands are more than capable of taking apart the straps. Within a matter of seconds, all eight are released and I'm free to move around.

"Jump off so I can get up."

She follows the instructions while saying, "I'm sorry if I did anything wrong, brother."

"Nevaeh."

"Yes?"

"I don't mind your self-pity. Actually, I do. But I just can't put up with it right now. I need you to help me get to the elevator."

"Brother, I can't pick you up. You're kind of heavy."

My body throbs more painfully with every heartbeat. Pushing off with one arm, I roll from the bed in the center of the pool, and lie face down in the honey for ten seconds. The little one screams, "Brother!" repeatedly.

Though I eventually sum up enough strength to stand, I still can't breathe. The honey glues my eyes shut. It's covering my nose and blocking air from entering my mouth, no matter how wide I open it. Pharmaceutical honey is not like the sweet stuff in my cabinet at home. This shit stings.

I slam against the floor and Nevaeh runs over with a wet towel. She cleans it from my nose and eyes. I suck in as much air as possible, which causes me to choke.

"Nevaeh, I love you," I stammer while struggling to pry my head from the floor.

She gasps, "Thank you, brother."

Once I'm at the door, I crash to the floor again. That's much further than I thought I'd get. My legs split open as though a sword were dragged down my hamstring. I fight the urge to scream because I don't want anyone to notice me. The other doctors and nurses are already back in their rooms.

"Brother. This is bad."

"Shiva. Give me a knife." She doesn't respond, "Now!"

She shocks me lightly. It's her gentle form of no.

"Listen," I sputter, "I've done this a million times when I was on the verge of death and this pain is going to kill me. I promise, I won't cut deep. Just give me a small blade."

She quickly converts into a dagger no longer than two millimeters. "Whatever. I'll take it."

I stab my shoulder and drag the knife an inch or two. Before I can do anymore damage, Shiva reverts to wristbands.

I open my eyes to get a better idea of what's happening inside my body. That's when I notice the blood is a very bright gray, nearly white. Once the air enters the cut, it becomes black.

Laughing, I stand and grunt a few times. It's almost as though I can actually breathe again. The tear in my leg is closing, so I'm able to move more rapidly.

I lean my weight against the arm rails on the beige hospital walls, but I slip and fall on the floor. Determined to make it to my destination, I crawl towards the elevator. Honey stretches behind me the entire way.

Once I make it to the elevator door, I point up to the button. The monkey-rabbit runs up the wall, strikes it with just enough force, performs a back flip, and elegantly lands on her feet.

As I clap lightly for the performance, she pleads, "Don't move unnecessarily. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You're so boring with all the apologies."

The elevator opens and I roll inside. Once it closes, Navaeh hits the first floor button and I lean against the door.

When we make it to the bottom and the barriers separate, I fall backwards on the ground and Navaeh dashes up the walls, hiding in the upper left corner.

Angie's strangely roaming the halls. As my luck may have it, she just so happens to cross the elevator at the same time as the doors opens.

With a curious expression, she bends over a bit and gets a closer look at my odd situation. Her long, dark hair dangles only inches away from my face.

I cringe in pain and laugh wildly. Once my sanity returns, I whisper Shiva's name. This time, she converts to a much longer combat knife. "Now you give me something to work with and it's overkill."

The princess speaks with her eyes and they say she's willing to crush me under her feet if I even think about attacking her. As the elevator doors close on my waists, I stab myself in the leg. They reopen and Angie watches my black blood spill onto the floor.

With my newfound energy, I bolt out of the elevator and down the hallway. I want to get as far as possible before losing the strength to carry on. As an added bonus, my manic run and honey trail provides the distraction Nevaeh needs to sneak out of the elevator. She hides behind the stairwell ten feet in the opposite direction.

The knife in my legs provides me with enough steam to stumble past seven classroom doors. Once the bandages seal, I skid across the ground. I'm only four rooms away from the class. Not too shabby.

I twist Shiva in my leg, sprint down the hallway, and bash into the door of Casey's classroom. Breaking through took everything I had. Nevaeh's running through the walls and underground. She's working diligently to make it to me, but she can't find an exit. I'd use Shiva to blow a hole in the floor, but we feed off each other's energy and we're both spent.

Something smashes into the partially cracked door and tiny feet scatter to me. I'm losing my sight again? Damn.

Nevaeh crashes into my face while crying, "Tell me what to do brother. Please tell me."

Meditating for a minute, I take large breaths and hum with each exhale.

"First, we have to relax. I'll crawl over to that center floor and give you instructions to use the tablet on Casey's desk. I need to get into the cave." My breaths are deep and long.

While the little one shakes her head and whimpers, I begin dragging myself the cave's entrance, which is hidden underneath a tile.

"Brother. I can't use computers. That's what Leah is for. My hands cannot use electronics."

I press on anyway. I count thirty squares before I finally make it to the proper one. That took over five minutes. I can no longer hear the world surrounding me. Nevaeh is only a few feet away, whimpering, but she's a faint sound as well.

Tapping on the square, I mouth the words, "Open sesame."

I continue tapping until I feel myself being rolled over with someone's foot. Angie squats down, scrutinizing my face. She doesn't say a word for what feels like forever. Shiva senses the threat and sparks lightly, but she can't do anything either. We're both powerless.

My objective was to motivate Ms. Colt to kill me. If I could get her to unleash her anger properly, she'd likely find the courage to stand against her father and Malik. But if she does it here and now, I'll consider that mission a failure. Vincent still has his foot on her throat and I'll be damned if I let Malik have her.

"Who are you?" she murmurs with trembling hands and a wounded voice. "Answer me," follows after I breathe deeply a few more times. I try my best to hold onto my consciousness. "Answer me!"

I think the color in my eyes are fading.

"Why'd you save me? If you killed them, tell me why? But if you're him..."

Angie's pressure weighs against my chest while my other eye dims. The most beautiful girl in the world converts into a demon. Sekhmet reappears a split second before I'm completely blind, and Angie punches the floor.

I open my eyes, but I can't see anything. At that moment, I hear her scream.

I hysterically search for the area she punched. The hole should be directly in front of me, but I can't find it. My breathing becomes frantic and my body shivers involuntarily.

Voices in my mind tell me to give up, but I can't. I slam both of my hands on the ground and shoot them forward until I scratch my right palm.

That's it!

Releasing a faint force, I'm able to pry the floor open. I prepare to dive in, but my hands feel something. A glass water bottle?

I remove it and try finding the top, but the glass shatters. Angie's still raging, attacking me.

Fragments of the glass shoot into my face. Both hot and cold water tingle on my skin. The remainder falls on the ground. I extend my body onto the floor and roll in the fluid, sipping some of it from the ground. Suddenly, I feel as though I'm being lifted by a cloud. It's converting into fog.

Joyfully, I inhale every bit of it. A chill shoots through my body and goosebumps break out across my flesh. It's as though I were laying down in the cave. With incredible pleasures stretching through my blood, I passionately sleep.

Sixteen

Blurry images and very little color slowly merge into my world. Sadly, the first thing I hear is the most terrifying sound of all.

Hayley bursts through the hospital doors and that's a bit difficult to do. Most of these barriers are a very heavy glass material and they automatically slide to the side. Obviously, she couldn't wait.

Dennis runs in front of my large hospital bed. Carmen and Richard are still glaring at my motionless body.

They continue complaining about Malik until Hayley explodes, "Get out of my way, now!" Instantly, their eyes focus on the demon before them. She's ready to slice through Dennis and it shows.

"He's still not up."

"He's about to be!" Hayley jerks and stands upright. With a softer tone she asks, "Wait. Did he recover?"

"That's the crazy part. The bandages were killing him last night, but like I told you over the phone, he jumped out of the bed and we found him in Casey's classroom almost completely healed."

"Has he recovered?" she angrily spouts one more time.

"Yes."

That's all the confirmation she needs to shove Dennis to the side and approach my gigantic bed. It's so big, she has to crawl on it to reach me in the center. This spectacular cloud of delicious goodness was massaging my back, but even it senses the danger approaching. Once she reaches me, it shuts off.

An inch away from my ear she blares, "Get up now!" Hayley remorselessly grabs my cheeks with both hands and pinches them wildly. We both scream together as she lifts me from the bed. "Are you out of your mind? Who in the hell told you to jump off of a mile high building?"

"Fifty yard course," I cry.

"Don't give a damn. Are you out of your mind?"

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Do you know, I was worried sick about you all night? Then I find out this morning that you got out of your damn bed and crawled down the stairs!"

"I took the elevator."

"Shut the hell up." Hayley throws me back on my pillow. She completes the assault by punching me in the leg. Each of her knuckles provide me with an incredible amount of pain. "I can hurt you now. Good!"

Dennis tries to reach for her, but she turns around with a menacing glare that causes him to back off. "He just woke up," he mutters with his hands in the air. "Maybe you should give him a second to—"

Hayley thumps my ear and pain sketches across my entire body. I'm starting to wonder if she can hurt me because of the bandages, or the tattoos on her thumbs that she's pumping all of her energy into. She uproariously informs me, "I just got on a plane to handle some business about Helios." She pauses as I raise my eyebrows. "And don't you dare think or search for any information on him. If I discover any of Seth's computers or your own have even looked for Helios' name I will pinch your cheeks until they bleed."

She demonstrates her power by gripping the most painful parts of my cheeks—the area under my bandages.

"Okay. Okay!"

"I told you to shut up," she hisses.

"But you have to tell me something about the trip or I'll go crazy. Please."

If it were physically possible, I'm sure steam would come out of her ears right about now. Hayley's face turns solid red. "Have you heard of the HATS?"

"That's how I knew Helios was going to attack this school last year."

"They're on the move again."

"Which means he's ready to take over."

"Shut up!" She finally remembered that this time was meant to abuse me. "I'm on this flight and find out that you're in a race I knew nothing about." If looks could kill, I'd have to ask Hayley to revive Dennis because she shoots him a nasty evil eye. Carmen and Richard giggle, but she snaps on them too, "And you both were in it. Do you know how much you could get hurt?"

Carmen practically whispers her response, "But we're gladiators."

"Yeah," Richard adds. "And my dad's all about—"

"Who said either of you could talk?" Hayley growls with her index finger pointed at them, but her eyes are glued to me. "What were you doing in that race?" I don't respond because she told me not to speak. Is this a trap? "Answer me," she screams with her eyes closed.

"I...I was trying to win...for...to pick my team."

Hayley's skin color is beginning to match her red hair. Her pain slowly reveals itself. The deep breaths she takes while clutching her chest lets me know she's really concerned. The little lady lunges forward and throws her arms around me. I don't think I had enough of the daughter's water because my body still aches.

"Kode. Baby. Why am I trying so hard to convince myself that you're my real son? I'm pathetic. You killed Spencer and here I am worried half to death and unable to let you go. Why?" She sobs lightly and hiccups between breaths. The honesty hurts so badly I can hardly move. "Because the first second I saw your face, I loved you. You walk and talk like John. Mean and rude, but loving. You hide behind this tough mask, but you're this big softie. I hate to love you because you remind me of him, but you do. I know you're my son. I couldn't love someone else this much."

"I love you too, Mom."

Releasing me and grabbing my face she says, "Dammit Kay. You said you can hear everything. You can read my mind too?"

"No. You said it."

Shaking her head, she asserts, "I didn't. I really didn't."

I grab Hayley's head and bring her closer to me. Then, I search her scalp between her red wires until I find the small drops of tears that have turned into barcodes.

"These are activated. Think of something you don't want anyone to know."

"No. Hell no. Wait, I'm thinking of it. Don't think of John laughing at my lingerie and calling them granny-panties. Don't. Oh. Writer. What did I learn in Psychology class? Think of something else. Blue bear. Blue bear."

"Mom! Next time think of something like where you hide your money. Come on!"

"Sorry," she pouts and lifts her head.

"Okay," I project and turn to the others. "Who heard the blue bear?" Everyone shakes their head. "It seems that you have some telepathic connection with me."

"So you can hear everything I do and read my thoughts?"

"Yes. But it doesn't feel like reading your thoughts because I can hear them. I can't tell the difference from when you're talking or thinking at this range. Maybe it'll go away if we separate."

Dennis waves his hand. With his eyes glued to Hayley, he cautiously utters, "We don't have time for experiments. I was waiting on you to announce your team. It's second period right now and we can take you downstairs to have you choose them."

Hayley pokes out her bottom lip and wraps her arms around me. She's sits up and leans me against her legs. It's like she's trying to protect me from Dennis.

"I already know who I want. Can't I just tell you?"

"No. Tradition states that you have to choose them out of a lineup."

"That's pretty funny," I laugh at the thought of my classmates standing in front of a height chart as I point to them through tinted glass. "What does it really say?"

"You must choose them from a lineup. Team finals are rare, but I knew you'd need the help with the bandages, so I reinstated them this year. In the past, winners of the race and free-for-all brawl were allowed to choose up to five team members. Those that choose less people got more privileges. There are some other strange rules for the tournaments, but we'll get into that in a few months."

"We didn't have a brawl."

"Yeah. I pretended not to see that part. There was no way I was going to put you in a fight right after receiving those," he says while pointing to my black bandages.

Hayley fumes, "At least you did something right. I'll go easier on you when we're done here." She actually exits the massive bed before I do. "I'll let you go, but I'm making you and Carmen dinner tonight." She points at Richard. "Are you coming too?"

"Hayley Keller! Your food is legendary back home. Are you cooking?"

"Yes."

"See this?" He pats his stomach and leans back in his seat. "It would never turn your food down." Hayley laughs as she leads us out of the hospital room.

Carmen rushes to my side while mumbling, "No girls!"

"What? You'll have to repeat that for me. I can hear everything, but sometimes people say strange things that I enjoy listening to more than once."

"I don't want any girls in your team."

"I'm not sure how long it's been since you've checked, but let me assure you that you often creep on my side of the bed and rub certain feminine parts against me...You're a girl."

"You can't pick me either because I'll just lower your scores. But I don't want you practicing and getting close with girls."

"You are deathly insecure of one particularly sexy mulatto woman that you still think I'm interested in."

"I know you are."

"Look, I don't blame you. She's hot. Her butt definitely puts yours to shame," Carmen elbows me in my ribs, "but I have other plans for her. Don't worry."

"I don't care. I'll kill you and bring you back to life if you put a girl in your crew."

"With these bandages on, killing me should be the easy part, but how will you accomplish the final goal?"

"My kisses heal wounds, what do you think can bring you back to life?" She wraps her arm around my neck as we walk down the hallway.

We all ride the elevator. Though most of the honey is gone, I point to a small piece on the door. "They missed a spot."

Once we're off, Dennis accesses the PA system through his tablet and articulates, "Will all demigod and god-level students join Professor Weston's classroom on the battlefield? Thank you."

Our group walks directly between two double doors that lead to the field.

Professor Weston has his hand raised. All the students are frozen in their tracks. He has an incredible gift that causes muscles to tense up if he tightens his fists while raising it in the air. He uses it whenever he wants our attention. It definitely works.

Once he lowers his hand, the small and thin professor commands the students to line up against the arena walls.

George Weston was a great gladiator, not long ago. Just three years back, he suffered a spinal injury that wasn't fully repairable. For two years he traveled the world, trying to find an arena that would take him in as a gladiator, but none would accept. Rumor states that he spent one full year in solitude training, trying to cope with his loss. He returned to Colt as a first year professor in August.

As other students emerge from the gym gates and double doors, Dennis pulls Monte and Patrick from the crowd. He brings them next to Hayley and me until everyone quiets down.

Dennis proclaims, "In a minute, I will have your times read off and you all will be reorganized from fastest to slowest. I apologize for the mishap that happened underground, but there's no way to change your numbers. You'll all be grouped at the end of the line and can only hope that you've proven yourself in some other way."

Many of the students grumble as Hayley takes over and begins reading the results from her large tablet. Swiftly and aggressively, she moves the students around to get in order.

Time trickles by with Monte and Patrick looking just as impatient as me. Ten minutes later, the final students are clustered together. I release a burst of laughter when Hayley announces the large group's time, "Not applicable due to explosion." Dennis lowers his eyebrows to communicate his lack of humor. Hayley clears her throat to hide her smile.

She returns to our group and broadcasts, "The third fastest time was by Patrick Gibson at eighteen minutes and nine seconds." Students cheer loudly for him, especially Selena and Addison. "The second fastest time was Monte Payne at sixteen minutes and fifty-two seconds." Another group of students cheer for him, though not as loudly. It seems my brother lost many of his fans this year. "And the best time and new record for three laps around the course goes to Kay at fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds."

I listen as the group clamors.

"Yeah right."

"Was that his real time?"

"I couldn't make that time without obstacles."

"Fifteen minutes? I never saw him cross it."

"Did you guys notice the black flames on the top of the course? I hear made them somehow."

Selena corrects everyone near the front of the line, "You guys don't know what you're talking about. Malik would've beaten that time if Kay hadn't disrupted the course and illegally punched him."

Those students grumble over why I'm not being punished for intentionally stopping Malik from crossing the finish line. Dennis tries to calm them down, but Hayley announces, "You shouldn't listen to students that don't know what they're talking about. Professor Jules punished Kay by adding an additional minute to his overall time. Imagine if I added a minute for all of you. Where would you be?"

How did Hayley hear that? She's too far away from them.

Her red hair whips in the wind and she turns to me. With a radiating smile she thinks, "I figured out how to intentionally activate the codes on my head. At least it's fair this way. I can hear your thoughts too."

Though her lips didn't move, it still feels as though the sound came directly from where she's standing.

"You're tapping into more than just my thoughts. Can you also hear what I can?"

"Like what?"

I search for someone's conversation to pry in on. Eventually, I notice Addison mumbling under his breath, "Good. I'm glad Hayley set that bitch straight. She's all over my man but sleeping with Malik behind his back. Little does she know where Patrick was last night."

Hayley covers her mouth and thinks, "Juicy! What else can we listen too?"

The group quiets down until a student on the lower ranking side uses her hearing to tell nearby students about how Selena's defending Malik. "Why do they think they can run the school?"

Various other students respond to her question, many supporting my decision to punch Malik. Some even spread rumors around how I created the black flames on top of the course. I focus on five conversations simultaneously for Hayley to hear.

For some reason, her eyes turn bloodshot red. Hayley deactivates her tattoos and her heart beats frantically. She drags her feet over to me and whispers in my ear, "How can you process all of that? I feel like someone hit me in the head with a hammer."

"Really?" Though we're telepathically linked, it seems she can only process the conversations I intensively focus on. She'd die if she could hear what the two female maids are doing in the room Nevaeh sleeps in.

Hayley nods while holding the bridge of her nose. "It was really bad when you started thinking about Angie. You sent over a lot of data about her." She runs her hand down the back of my head. "You two need to talk."

Angie's in the unconscious group that is discussing me and she doesn't seem pleased. I wonder what happened last night when Dennis found me. Why did she leave without killing me?

Abby catches a bit of both group's discussions and sides with my supporters. She speaks loudly enough for both ends of the line to hear, "I hate this damn school. Last year, the gods thought they were better than us. Now that we've proven ourselves, they formed groups against us. They're just upset that an Ape with no barcodes won the race."

Several students question whether I'm an Ape or if I have barcodes hidden under my bandages. Yukio interrupts their clamoring, "I'm not angry at mortals or gods. We're being treated like crap too."

Wesley observes the group from the corner of his eyes, but remains silent.

An Ape with orange hair that only has one god-level class shouts, "It's Malik's crew. Patrick and Selena. Addison too."

Addison and Selena step forward with their barcodes blazing.

George raises his hand and nearly everyone falls to their knees. Monte and Patrick close their eyes. From our perspective, it looks like that really hurt.

"Maybe I went a little overboard with that one." Weston softly apologizes, "Sorry."

Dennis takes a step forward. "Kay will be allowed to walk through and choose his team accordingly. Each team may have up to five members. The matches are two-on-two with a ten minute time limit. It should be obvious that the more members you have, the more breaks you'll receive. However, larger teams are graded more harshly and you have more matches. You may also choose to fight solo, but it's frowned upon. Choose wisely, Kay."

"Carmen, Richard, and Seth," I declare without moving an inch. "But wasn't that obvious already?"

Dennis closes his eyes and massages the back of his neck. I think he wanted me to humor him.

My classmates laugh at my team. I chose the weakest group of individuals possible.

Through all the chattering, one voice catches my attention the most. Dryly, Jamie mumbles, "Oh no. Are you done? Please pick me, Kode. Please. Wait. Why would he do that? I never even entered the race. So stupid. I could have at least participated. I would have been up there with Selena. Ugh. I'm really strong Kode. I promise."

Three students are watching the small and adorable lady in amazement. She's not speaking loudly, but the faint sounds are even noticeable for normal ears.

Dennis finishes, "Okay...Monte. The rules have been explained to you as well. Please choose your team."

As Monte motions to move his lips I interrupt, "But I wasn't finished. How rude of you."

Dennis slaps his leg. "I asked you twice!"

"About that...I was busy thinking; you'll have to forgive me." Dramatically, I throw my hand on my head and drone, "It could be all the damages I suffered from the race. Gosh. It hurts."

"Speed this up Kay."

"Though I'm not exactly sure why, I'd like to add Jamie Latu. Wait. Latu? You don't look Polynesian."

"Is that it?"

"Yes sir, captain sir."

Dennis sighs at my sarcasm.

Jamie looks as though she couldn't care less, but mutters, "I'm so excited."

Without waiting to be acknowledged again, Monte announces, "I choose Angie Colt."

Funny. That will definitely hurt Vincent's heart. He won't be able to send Monte on any journeys with his daughter's grade on the line. Not to mention, Monte's smart enough to avoid adding anyone else for his team. Their grades would suffer horribly if he weren't to show up on the day of exams. Well played.

As Patrick calls the names of his chosen teammates, his voice booms as though he were announcing a fight in the stadium, "I would be honored if I were joined by Selena Kennedy, Wesley Gates, and Malik Jules." The last name had a bite to it and Patrick was bold enough to look in my direction. I doubt he knows I don't care.

Addison leans forward and points to himself, but Patrick ignores him. They look as though they're having a silent lover's quarrel.

Dennis ends the school yard lineup. "Alright. Because your leaders are god-level students, regardless of your current schedule, you will be moved into all their classes. The rest of you will have your teams by the end of today."

Holding up her tablet, Hayley announces, "Okay. For the rest of you, remain in your lines and I will separate you into your new groups. Some of your classes will change, but that's because we want you working together as a team. Don't think of it as being in god-level or demigod-level classes, you're now working at beating the next group. May the wars begin."

A burning question strikes me as the students walk to their new groups. I navigate through the crowd and stop Dennis before he reaches George.

Pulling against his arm, I say, "I thought she hated gladiators."

"Please. She married one. " His body jerks as though he just noticed what he said. Dennis constantly chooses to avoid John as a topic, and possibly didn't mean to give me that bit of information. "What I meant was, she loves this sport. She knows all of the gladiators' stats better than anyone on this campus. Let me make this clear: she hates that you are a gladiator."

"Did she hate that John was one?"

"Kind of, but she gave him all the advice he needed." His scrunched face tells me this information was difficult to share. "She'll be fine as long as you never get hurt."

"So she won't be fine."

Seventeen

I've finally returned to my unofficial home, and I couldn't be happier.

The second I make it to the bottom of the dungeon, I roll on the ground and lie in the fog, breathing in large heaps of the hovering mist. My body feels amazing as my chest rises and falls.

My bones expand and retract inside of my tiny little frame.

I hear a swift movement in the shadows and realize that I'm now able to hear Blue-Skin and other deliverymen. For the past hour, I haven't been able to see further than thirty feet around me. As I rest in the cave, I can nearly hear into the secret passageways that lead to the Cavern of Youth.

Blue-Skin appears over me with a beaming smile.

I warmly declare, "You saved my life."

"The bottle was Hades' idea. He said you must come to see him today."

"Cool, but you have to hide for now. We have company."

Blue-Skin runs into a corner and disappears. Normally, I'd worry about my health, but after lying here for a few minutes, I feel a burst of energy in my bones and muscles that makes me feel like my old self.

The group turns down my pathway and continues walking at a snail's pace.

A terrible sound falls on my ears that forces my body to sit up straight. I open both of my eyes to clearly see the men.

What's this feeling? I want to kill them so badly.

Something etches across their armor that makes me hate everything about them. I despise their existence and urgently want them removed from this world. I know the sound of that evil and they've bathed in it. This detestable noise stays with people for an eternity. It's the only perfume I can hear.

"Call her now," one of the very powerful men demands. He's a Hindu god; the other, Egyptian.

The Hindu is a Middle Eastern man a few inches short of six feet tall. He's scrawny and quick. His hair is dark and bangs cover his forehead. His nose has been broken so many times, it cannot be repaired.

"My reception is garbage down here, and I'm not asking her any questions," replies the Egyptian god that's shorter than the Hindu, but I wouldn't judge his power on size. His muscles are tense; he couldn't flex them if he wanted. The sound reminds me of Helios' flesh. His body most likely feels like Colt Stone.

The Hindu doesn't smile or seem friendly, but the Egyptian grins from ear-to-ear with pearly whites. They're wearing very futuristic technology that reminds me of something Helios' company would create. The spacey tech completely covers their bodies in a shiny gray metal. They're protected by the bulky material from their necks to their toes with the exact same color and style of armor. Yet, they couldn't look more different. The Hindu seems smooth and elegant. The Egyptian resembles a nerdy and arrogant school teacher.

"Fine. I'll call, but if we don't find him, you have to tell her." The Egyptian nods, but obviously doesn't plan on doing that either. "Eve."

On the other line she barks, "Don't you ever say my name over the phone!"

"I apologize," he replies nonchalantly. He was the proper person to call because he doesn't scare easily. I imagine that Eve chose this guy directly. The other seems more like Helios' type. "We're under the school. Are you sure he stands guard in the dungeon? We've looked nearly everywhere."

"Then look everywhere. What did the other gladiators say?"

"The four we killed?"

"Of course, you idiot."

"They wouldn't say a word, no matter how much Geb tortured them."

"I sense one in this area," Geb says, suddenly alert. "And we should turn around Mel."

Mel shakes his head and they both stop in their tracks. They haven't looked down yet, and I'm only five feet in front of them.

My blood boils at the sound of Eve's voice. Just listening to her makes me want to kill something. Fortunately for me, I have two test subjects.

"It seems we may have one more to question," Mel tells Eve. "I'll call you once he's captured. Maybe you could yell at him over the phone. You're much more frightening than us."

"Do I sound like I'm in the mood for joking? Get that damn arm."

As Mel hangs up the phone, Geb turns to him. "Let's go back. This guy's on a different level than the others. Not to mention, he reeks with darkness—the kind you find in hell."

"And? The others were still easy kills. Maybe we'll fight him together this time."

Geb tries for a bit more convincing when he removes his cell phone. He opens up an ammunition recognition program that can determine the strength of data. Turning it towards Mel he reemphasizes, "We need to prepare. That's showing the power of a small militia and he probably doesn't have his codes activated."

Mel removes the phone from his hand and points the scanner in their direction. "Now it's showing the power of a very large militia. Where do you sense him?"

As Geb meditates, I notice the two barcodes over his eyelids. They appear to be two green plants. "I don't see him, but I could see a dark presence right in front of us. He's close."

"K. Your name starts with a K," Mel declares with what resembles smoke tattooed across his neck. "Come out so we can talk to you."

Standing up I reply, "About what?"

Both men jump back. Geb stammers, "How long were you there?"

"Talk about what?"

"Mel. He just came out of a shadow."

Mel swiftly punches Geb, which manages to shut him up. "We're searching for Dennis Colt. We'll allow you to live if you can tell me how often he comes to this cave."

"And I'm looking for Eve Payne. Where is she?"

"That is none of your concern." Mel regains his composure and takes a more aggressive stance.

"I'm not interested in you. You're not the type to talk," I say coldly to Mel. I slowly turn my head to Geb. "But I have high hopes for you."

Shiva converts into a mechanical glove that covers my entire arm. I haven't perfected her yet, but this weapon places small vents on my elbows that converts my energy and substances from my surroundings. Then, the forces merge and expel destructively from my fists.

The trishulas on my elbows glow as Shiva begins absorbing fog. I have no clue what effect that will have.

A high pitched sound omits from their suits and they activate their barcodes. Mel fires a projectile from his chest that travels directly through my body. I wanted to test the power of the missiles, but they explode ten feet behind me. Interesting.

Geb follows through accordingly and plants a roundhouse kick on my arm. I hold Shiva up to defend my beautiful face. Unfortunately for him, his rough armor behaves like padding to defend against his blows. He'd be better off without it.

Swinging around his friend, Mel connects with a hook to my cheek. Both men shine their barcodes intensively. An onslaught of bright and colorful projectiles release from their suits. The sound of the explosions announce the damage I receive.

I roll on the ground and flip up in an attempt to regain my balance.

These two aren't taking chances.

In a flash, they close in to finish the job. Both men attempt to land strong finishing moves—one on my spine and the other on the back of my head—but their punches land on an empty ground. They seem disappointed.

"Is he turning into a shadow?" Geb asks with a smile.

"It seems like he can travel through the darkness." Mel increases the energy surging through his barcode. "It looks like I finally get to go all out."

"Damn. I wouldn't have warn armor if I knew someone was this strong. He's blocking my punches without rubbing his arm."

"You say that now, but the first guy definitely would have killed you if you weren't wearing it. And don't even think about taking it off. Helios said you have to wait until training's over."

Forty feet directly in front of them, I yell, "Though this may seem like an excellent time to talk about your clothing choices, I'd like to finish this up, ladies."

They concurrently rush towards me.

With two men approaching me at once, I don't want to use a gentle fighting style like Muay Thai. I shift to a Southpaw stance to gear my counter attack towards Mel. Placing my rear foot on its toes, I worry if he's quick enough to capitalize on the weakness in this fighting stance. If he's willing to reach for my solar plexus or groin, it's all over.

I prepare to disappear in the darkness just in case he goes for a low kick, but both men remove heavy hand guns from their armor. Stupid.

Before Mel can raise his, I lunge towards him while spreading my legs. As I grab his wrists, he fires a shot between the open space.

Geb attempts to take aim at my head, but I swiftly move to Mel's right side and force his right arm and the gun against my body. Geb has to refocus. Before they can blink, I take one large step back and raise Mel's gun into the air, forcing his hand and elbow behind his back while angling the gun at the ground.

Because the suit is mechanical, it isn't able to change speeds quickly enough. The gears assist me in snapping his arm when I use Mel's momentum to throw him to the ground. Still holding his right hand, I drag Mel along with me, consciously moving fast enough to avoid the scope on Geb's weapon. Mel never screams or moans, but accepts his coming fate.

Pressing my knee against his back and yanking the gun from him, I jab the steel against his cranium and release three shots. Quickly, I vanish into the shadows.

I dash behind a rock and drop the gun because Shiva's getting upset. Geb becomes infuriated at the sight of his dead comrade. With his better judgment clouded, he chases after a faint sound in the darkness. Using his rage against him, I sneak around to attack from behind.

When Geb notices me, it's a bit too late. He's unable to raise the heavy gun fast enough, so he drops it and swings at my face with his right hand.

Instead of defending against the entire blow, I use my short size to block his punch from his shoulder. As he swings widely, I direct my attack near his deltoid, wrapping my arm around his. Shiva releases a wicked pressure that nearly dislocates his arm. It causes him to freeze for a split second.

I step on Geb's bent leg to quickly climb on his back. While pressing small daggers from Shiva's wristband into his neck, I twist his right arm and secure my legs underneath his armpits.

I flip us both on the ground. Now I have his neck wrapped with my legs. I'm not only breaking his arm, but wrenching and tearing the muscles.

Geb screams from the pain as I sit up to nail down his other arm with a short blade that Shiva just provided me with. Leaning back I interrogate him by screaming, "Why does Eve want Dennis' arm? Say it or I'll do this for hours."

Not providing him with time to recover or answer, I twist his arm and tighten my legs around his neck. Once I've caused just the right amount of pain, I release him and grab the blade. Ferociously, I drag the small sword through the ground and his flesh, which slices his bicep in half.

I convert Shiva into a gun and aim at his legs. Geb cries, "Please. Please. No." He wants to hold his arms, but neither moves at his command. He wails from the pain. He's probably never suffered from so much damage; he's not used to this type of agony. "Please," he sputters.

I fire four more shots into his legs. "I'm not patient enough for this. Speak through the pain or I'll keep going until you bleed out."

"She!" He shouts in a swarm of tears, trying to get any word out that he can. "She wants his arm because his son cut off hers. She and Helios have been working nonstop to get her an arm, but none are strong enough to merge with her body. Helios believes that a really powerful barcode could solve the problem and Dennis has the best one."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know." Shiva omits a humming sound as I provide her with energy. "I don't know! I don't! Please stop. Please!"

"Sure." I shoot Geb in the head three times. "Let's go Blue."

Leading the way, I hop into the shadows, zip through the rocks, and dash between the two boulders that I could hardly squeeze in during my first trip. I'm able to stay in the shadows until we make it to the bridge.

Blue-Skin and I reappear, and calmly walk across.

"It's just awkward to see you follow me without speaking." He doesn't respond so I blurt, "Get it off your chest."

"I've seen you kill many intruders, but this was different. Merciless. Even your fighting style changed."

"I've done far worse to many more." My words cause him to flinch. "Now, I'm not the type to try and cheer people up, but I'd never turn against you if that's what you're wondering."

"Would you turn against your friends?"

"Depends on the situation."

"Then you could turn against me."

"Point taken. And that's exactly why I'm not good at cheering people up." Walking away, I mutter, "Ready?"

Blue-Skin follows behind me into the infinitely long room. We continue until we're on the shore of the cavern. This time, the Daughters of Danaus don't grab my feet, but I hear a faint sound behind me. I know I should continue to Hades' place, but I open my eyes to hear and see things more clearly.

Light reflects off the surface of the water more brilliantly than it does with diamonds. The women coax, Okodemah. Where are you going? Yeah! Drink us please. Your lips are gorgeous. Your body is too when you're big.

"How did you see me before the bandages?"

We can travel through the fog too.

"I'm supposed to keep the bandages on for two years. I won't be growing anytime soon."

We can make you big this time. She's right. We've been working on it and I think we have it down pat. Yes. Give us a sip Okodemah.

The temptresses make a tough bargain. Blue-Skin squints as I bend down to the water at the shore. It gently reaches to my face and creeps behind my neck. The water feels life-like. It reminds me of Carmen's gentle hand.

Without warning, Hades appears behind me. The brute vehemently wrenches me from their grip. My feet dangle over the water as it stretches towards me.

Several voices cry, Put him down Hades. Yes. We just want to kiss him again. He doesn't have a girlfriend, right? Shiva releases a few bolts of electricity. One reaches the water and many voices shout, Ouch!

Hades advises, "Hey, you've survived one drink, don't push your luck."

As he places me on the shore, I ask, "What do you mean?"

"I told you, those witches poisoned their husbands. You never know when the water will turn against you."

We'd never hurt Okodemah. We promise Hades. When do we ever make promises? Just let him take a sip and we'll be nice to Zeus the next time he comes. Kind of.

"No. I can't risk having my prized fighter hurt. I'm only giving him water made from the fog from here on out."

"Wait," I interrupt. "Why only the fog?"

"It's boiled down and filtered."

"You mean the water comes from here?"

"Yes. We get our water from the bridge room, but you can't drink something that hot. So, if there's another emergency, I'll get you fog water. It takes time though. The one I sent you was my own personal stash."

"How long?"

"Four months. Why?"

"Think you can get me a batch for finals?"

Hades joyfully replies, "Oh yes."

In unison, the women yell, That's not fair Hades! Just let him drink us.

"Absolutely not. I can never tell when you're in a good or bad mood."

It's okay, we can make the fog extra thick for Okodemah. Let's start now. It'll take a while to get the old stuff cleared out. Be ready Okodemah, we're going to make you really strong. You better come thank us. It was such a good idea to come here with Hades.

Hades taps me on the back twice and motions for me to follow. "It's a long walk, but you'll be fine."

Blue-Skin rubs his arm while stammering, "Master, he can travel through the shadows."

"Who?" Hades asks with a skeptical expression. Blue-Skin gestures towards me. "Really? Who taught you that?"

Massaging my shoulder I reply, "You did."

"You learned it just by watching?"

"Yeah. It doesn't look like yours, but I can ride the frequency of shadows."

Seemingly amused, he breaks out into an increasingly loud laughter. "But darkness has no frequency. It is nothing. You can't measure velocity from nothing."

"That's the scientific theory, but I do it."

Hades turns into a large circular shadow that spins at an alarming rate. He chuckles while bellowing, "Follow me."

Using the darkness his shadow omits, I ride the waves down his path. We climb over walls and swing around trees. We even zip across a river nearly two miles long.

Within seconds, we're standing in front of a magnificent building. There isn't a single stone that's missing from this structure. The brown bricks that were used to complete this haven't been in style for centuries. I've only seen images on computer archives of something this marvelous.

The front of the structure is twenty percent stained glass. It looks like a library, which makes me not want to enter. But I could observe the flowers and grass that grow on the building all day. Hades laughs at my amazement as we walk up the ninety steps leading to the front door.

"Welcome to my home."

"Man," I say while dragging my feet through the front door. Between my fight earlier and trying to keep up with Hades, I'm spent. The beads of sweat falling at my feet are proof. "If you plan on killing me, this is a great place to do it."

Hades slams the large door shut and removes his shoes. I almost do the same, but he waves his hands and gestures for me to follow him. "Do you always assume that people will kill you?"

"Yeah."

The big man laughs loudly enough to make the walls rattle. Then, he covers his mouth. "Persephone's normally home at this time. We have to be quiet."

"Are you serious? You're married to someone named Persephone?"

"Don't you read kid? Of course."

He does his best to quietly tiptoe across the wooden floors, but they creek the entire way.

The doors in this place are huge. The furniture and pictures on the walls are ancient, but nothing matches. There are times I see Hindu rugs next to a Mayan sculpture, which look pretty authentic. Then, there are American photo frames next to a Mexican flag.

"You're well traveled I see."

"We all are. Z especially, but he prefers collecting women. I'm satisfied with the mantles on the wall. I saw the things Hera does. She's spiteful when he goes poking the family jewels in anyone."

"That's more than I wanted to know." I don't mind this guy calling himself Hades, but the fact that he's married to Persephone, his brother is "Z", and his sister-in-law is Hera takes things a bit too far. I'm afraid to continue following him. I may meet other delusional "gods" that want to make me bow down to them or offer a sacrificial lamb.

Once Hades opens the door to his pitch-black basement, he seems more relieved. Playfully, he rolls down the two hundred steps before crashing into his wall below. I decide that walking would be better.

By the time I get to the bottom, he's already playing classical music, "O Fortuna" by Carl Orff in Carmina Burana, on his surround sound and smoking two cigars. He hands me what looks like the more flavorful one.

Spinning it around with my fingers, I ask, "Why is the wrapper red?"

"Can't tell you, but take a seat." As I draw the smoke into my mouth and sit down, he smirks. "You're going to piss fire when you're done with that one, but I promise there isn't a cigar that's finer."

"Why'd you bring me here? And where did Blue-Skin go?"

"You still call him that? I wish I knew his real name. I have so many deliverymen and keeping up with them is difficult. I find myself giving him more tasks because he's the only one I can remember. I feel stupid yelling Blue-Skin, but he joyfully responds." Hades grunts, "The others get jealous."

The massive sized man heard my question, but refuses to answer. He brought me here to avoid what he wants to talk about.

"We're friends, right Okodemah?"

I lean back in my reclining chair and watch the smoke as it waves to the ceiling. In spite of all the space on the upper floor, Hades' basement is compact. There's only enough room for two chairs, a television, and large speakers.

He must have an infatuation for wood because the room is covered with it. Nothing matches in here either. This place is old, but Hades hardly looks fifty. A middle-aged man is asking an academy student if they're friends. Strange guy.

After a bit of consideration, I reply, "You can say that."

"Good, but we're not." I sit up in my seat. "We're not enemies either; you have enough of those and the numbers are only increasing."

"So what are we?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked if you thought we were friends." Hades puts out his cigar, coughs up something nasty, and spits it in a trashcan. "Anyway, I've been wanting to show you something, but I don't know how to present this to you." He rubs his chin and appears serious. "Let's just say, we're business partners. I need you well taken care of because you make me lots of money."

"Glad I can help out."

"But I also like you and hate to see you get hurt. I want you to know that your brother is planning to kill you."

"Nice."

"I assume you would have done something spectacularly stupid by now if you'd known. Your hearing must be faulty. Rumor is, your ears get around."

"That makes them sound slutty. Thanks! And they do. But these bandages are stupid strong and reduce their range."

Hades leans over to a counter right next to his chair and says, "Well, I'm going to show you a date that Monte and Angie went on and you can see things for yourself."

"How'd you get a video of something like that?" I inquire with a grin.

Without responding, he pushes play and the paper thin television comes on with a crystal clear display. The image is even Layered 3D—the television provides an inch of texture in width when it's activated.

Monte and Angie are walking the trails of Griffith Park.

Once upon a time, the area was all grass and it led to the Hollywood sign. Now, buildings surround it, but there's a small tunnel that takes them into a hidden space between the skyscrapers and the mountain. Monte would take me there when he was having a bad day. He never said a word. He'd just sit and stare at the starless sky.

"What are we doing here?" Angie asks after Monte finds a seat on the ground. He leans his back against a rock that I think he shaped to be more comfortable. Then, throws his hands behind his head. Angie sits in the dirt with her legs folded, yoga-style.

With an accusing tone, Monte inquires, "Where'd you go last night? After you dropped me off at my dorm."

"What are you talking about?"

Monte makes a ticking sound under his breath before sitting up straight. "How stupid do you think I am? I thought we were supposed to be a team, but you got high and mighty with this superior thing. You might even take it too seriously."

"Kode started it." Monte looks away and Angie analyzes his face. "What?"

"I think he's the only thing on your mind, whether he's around or not. You and I are here, and we're both dying without him, but he's all you focus on." Monte lights various parts of his tattoo. "Do you love me the way you love him?"

Angie gasps, but doesn't say a word. The moonlight swims through her eyes.

"Monte."

"I love you though. Like that." He takes a deep breath as a smile breaks across her face. "But you two would sneak around without me like I didn't know. Like you did last night. Just because I can't hear everything doesn't mean that I don't know what's going on." The ticking sound returns. Monte's annoyed now.

Angie sits on her knees and folds her arms neatly in her lap. "I felt Kode's blood in the hallways and I went to see if I could find it. I only saw Kay."

"Doing what?"

"He was crawling out of an elevator and running down the hallway to Casey's old classroom."

"But it's empty now."

"That's what I thought too, but he reached under the floor that leads to the dungeon and there was a bottled water there. I was kind of going crazy at the time and I might have smashed the glass in his hands. But the water turned to fog and he breathed it in."

"Fog. Like the kind in the dungeon?"

"It didn't look as thick."

"I wonder what that was about." Monte grumbles while looking into the sky. "Wait. Why were you going nuts?"

Angie twists her face and scrunches her eyebrows. Rubbing her bottom lip, she confesses, "I saw his eyes."

"That's a big deal because..."

"It means he's not Kode. His eyes were black, like Blake's. Pitch black. He's really blind."

"You actually thought he was Kode?" Angie looks away and Monte bursts into laughter. "What? Kode just shrunk all of a sudden?"

"His blood was black! I just thought the bandages did it."

"Bandages should take off a little girth, but not that much." Angie looks away. She growls at the air playfully while bearing her fangs. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"You and those weird faces," Monte teases. As Angie pokes her finger in the dirt, he utters, "So now you can kill him." Angie doesn't flinch. She continues drawing circles in the sand. "You think he murdered Kode. I don't know if you're right or not, but it's something only you can feel. If that's what you think, kill him. I doubt your father would object. If Kay reminds him of Kode, he'll want the little guy dead too."

She grabs a heap of dirt in her hand and asks, "Okay. Then what?"

"You'll really do it?"

"Do you have an actual plan?"

"Yeah."

"Then what?"

"I think the professors will use him to help us find the Cavern of Youth. If he has special hearing, or what not, it'll be easier. Once we find the documents we need, we'll kill him and do the same to the professors."

Angie stops pouring the sand, but doesn't seem too shocked. With a calm tone, she asks, "Why would we kill them?"

"This academy and arena are just as crooked as they say Helios is. Do you know how many people they've had me kill in the past three months?" The tone in Monte's voice changes. It sounds threatening. Dangerous. "Guess."

"Twenty."

"Higher."

"Seventy."

"Higher."

Angie squints and slowly asks, "Is it in the hundreds?" Monte shakes his head. "Thousands?" He nods swiftly. "Where?"

"Mexico. Dubai. Brazil. Back home, Georgia, Tennessee, Washington, and Colorado."

"Why were you in Georgia? There's nothing but desolate land there."

"Scoping things out. They wanted to confirm that there's a research lab away from the beasts. I found one, but not the one they needed. They'll probably use Kay for that. I don't think they'll find anything though. Once they're at another dead end, they'll send me halfway across the world to kill more people that they can't."

"You're saying we have to kill them to end this?"

"Yes," he says while standing. "I'm tired of wondering if the people that died are innocent or not. I know Gardezi, Jules, and Gonzales aren't. We can stop them."

He walks over to help Angie up. She smiles and dusts off her butt. Nervously, Monte takes a step closer to her. She doesn't move away, but glances up at him. As he slowly lowers his head, she looks into his eyes with tears. Monte holds her tightly before kissing her on the cheek. They seem stiff.

Mechanically, he inches over to her lips. Initially, she resists, but they share a gentle kiss that relaxes both of them slightly.

Holding hands, they walk back into the tunnel. As they stroll down the long stretch of road, Monte asks, "Are you in?"

"The professors, I don't know."

"But Kay?"

"Finals. Maybe Malik too."

Hades turns off the television and rubs the tips of his fingers together. He scratches his dry face and bites his thumb. He's actually worried about me.

I, on the other hand, grin from ear-to-ear. Under my breath, I mumble, "That's my girl!"

Eighteen

I'm late for my first meeting with the professors and team, but I can't go anywhere until Hayley brings my jacket. Okay. I could, but I refuse.

I assume that I'm in trouble. She didn't like the fact that I had long trails of blood on it, but she really got upset when she smelled the cigar smoke.

While sitting on a bar stool next to my kitchen counter, I swing my feet. I can actually swing my feet from a chair. Wow. That hasn't happened in years, and when I would try, Eve would yell at me.

Hayley's standing at the door and watching me closely, but I can't stop. This feels so weird.

She wipes the smirk off of her face and marches towards me with the jacket extended in her hand. After I put it on, she commands, "Open your mouth."

"That's a strange request." She doesn't say another word. Finally, I comply. Hayley jams a blue and circular crystal attached to a white stick into my left cheek. "Close."

Moving the ball onto my tongue I do as instructed. I don't want to seem too surprised, but I'm sure she can tell I am.

"What the hell is this?" I muffle while spinning it around in my mouth.

"Candy. A lollipop."

"What's that?"

Hayley bends down and gazes into my eyes. "I finally know something that you don't. It's a candy that used to be produced in the twentieth century. It's called a lollipop or a sucker."

"Why don't they make them anymore?" I question with a smirk across my face. The sugar causes my tongue to tingle. This is my first time trying candy.

"I'm not sure. They're just not popular anymore. I had a machine imported from China seven years ago. I make them in a room on the thirty-first floor."

"Yeah. I heard you up there. I thought that was a strange laboring hobby—like a fantasy of working in a sweatshop or something. I decided not to ask."

"Do you like it?" Looking away, I nod and twist the candy with my tongue. Hayley damn near rips off my cheek so I jump out of my chair to follow her hand. "Good because that's all you'll ever get if I catch you smoking a cigar again. You'll get an allowance of three lollipops per week. There are two more in your jacket. If I ever see you with another cigar, I'll stop you from having either. Do you understand?"

"Okay! Yes. Yes. Let go of my face. Please!"

The savage kisses the bruise she just created. "Good. Now go check on Seth before your meeting."

Dryly, I whine, "Ah, Mom. Do I have to?"

"Don't try to get funny, jerk!" She covers her mouth quickly. "Sorry sweetie. Natural habit."

"You used to say that to John, huh?"

She fixes her eyes on me again. "Yes. Stop being so inquisitive."

"Do I really remind you of him?"

"If I covered my eyes and heard you talk, I'd break into tears." She bends down and lightly headbutts me. "Excuse my language for a second, but you're both sarcastic assholes."

"Sounds like my kind of guy," I tease. Playfully, I kiss her on the nose and walk to the door. "John saved my life."

"Why would you say something like that?"

"You and Dennis took me in because of him."

"That's a sad way to look at things. I didn't realize that we both did it."

"I'm fine by that. If it weren't for John, you would've hated me for what happened with Spencer. Dennis too, but maybe he has other reasons."

"Like what?"

"I'm late." I point at her with the sucker. "You can interrogate me later."

Through the closed door, she shouts, "Go check on Seth. I don't care how late you are; I've been hearing complaints about his screams."

I stick my tongue out and observe the strange color. Blue? What is this? Food coloring?

The elevator jerks a few times when it opens. I think they need to get someone to check on these things. They're getting a little slower and I'm tired of the rough stops. Fortunately, they're still blazing fast. I'm normally the type to take stairs unless I'm bleeding to death or with Carmen, but I can't pass up speed when I'm this late.

Before exiting the elevator on the fourteenth floor, I can already hear the destruction Seth is causing. He's singing some strange rock song that I can't make out because his words are too slurred and he's turning his living room upside down. Yet, he hasn't spilled a single drop of his X-Eyes.

The couches and chairs are flipped over. One is even in the kitchen. Most of Seth's equipment has been destroyed and there are holes in the wall. It seems that he's not drunk enough to destroy the art that he has on the floor.

"Hello Kay," Antonio says bleakly, but he's wearing a smile.

"Drop the boy scout act, which you're not very good at. Why do you pretend to love this guy when you know you'd prefer to have a nanobot shock him to death? I'm no psychologist but I think this is a deep cry for help, Antonio. This slave shift you're working must be hard. You can always break free of master's chains and surf the web on your own."

"Are you done?"

"What's going on?"

"Every few months, Seth's brain grows at such a rapid rate that not even the alcohol can control him. He's increased his X-Eyes intake nearly every month. It seems his brain is adjusting to it at an alarming rate."

"And when he gets pissy drunk, you have to put up with this?"

"That's his second bottle in an hour. I can't imagine anyone that could survive. He managed to make a drink that doesn't damage the organs because all the destruction is delivered to the brain, but I don't know. This is on another level," he complains while looking over his shoulders. "He's had enough, but he's too drunk to notice. We need to get him to the facility."

"We?" Antonio reveals his digital puppy dog eyes. "Where is it?"

"Compton."

"Damn. I can't help you." I return to the elevator.

Antonio yells, "Calibrate!" A few seconds later, he's chasing me down. "Wait Kay. There has to be something."

"Shoot!"

The hologram glues his eyes to the floor while muttering, "If he were asleep, I could inject him with the proper doses until you're ready to take him away."

"I'm busy all weekend."

"And he could miss class for a week. He skips out whenever he wants anyway. You could take him next Saturday."

"You'll really put him under that long?"

"Better than him doing this," the nerd returns to the room.

Needing to speed things up, I catch as much of the darkness in the hallway that I can before zooming in front of Seth and striking him in the back of the neck. Or that was the plan, but somehow, he caught my reflection on the bottle and ducked below the punch. His movement was so strange that I couldn't believe I missed.

Seth drunkenly blares, "You tried to kill me," while staggering on his tiptoes. "So I'm going to kill you." He falls on the ground and leaves the bottle next to his hip. Then, he rolls into a ball and kicks me in the stomach. I fly back into his wall.

Did he kick me purposely? That was really unpredictable. I thought he was passing out.

Drunkenly searching the room, he stammers, "Where'd you go, bitch?"

Carmen rushes to the door. "Are you serious Kay? We're late and you two are playing around."

With my eyes still closed, I soften my expression and pout, "This is embarrassing. I think you're about to see him beat the hell out of me."

"Damn right!" Seth catches sight of Carmen from the corner of his eyes. He twitches as he spins around. "Oh! You're cuter when I'm drunk. I'm Seth and soon to be the father of your child, if you play your cards right. What's your name again, sexy?"

Trying to capitalize on his loss of concentration, I swing at his head. The drunk bends down and kisses his painting. "Whoa. Did I really draw this?" Then, he jumps backwards and his entire body bashes into mine. "Are you trying to hurt me Kay? Are you? Are you attacking me? Huh? I thought you were my best friend." He rolls over and relentlessly punches me in the face. "I thought we loved each other. I thought we'd be together forever. Well, you're not really my type, but that hologram thingy you kick it with, fine piece of technological yum-yum."

My intent isn't to hurt him so I tickle the drunk until he falls off. Then, I try striking him in the neck again, but he practically disappears.

"Kay!" Seth staggers to the opposite side of the room. "What the hell man?"

Carmen storms in and I try to stop her. "No!"

"Papi, you really have to get it together." Seth holds his fits up. She demands, "Kiss me, idiot."

He quickly lowers his hands and she stops right in front of him. "Okay." As Carmen pecks him on the lips, she injects him with a syringe. "Ow! Ow! Ow! What's that?"

"Something to help you sleep."

"Hey! Thank you."

Seth happily walks to his couch and pulls it from the wall. Then, he lies on it and falls asleep.

"Let's go. Now!" She rushes out of the room and strikes the elevator door. I follow her quickly, still wondering where the syringe came from and disappeared to.

In the elevator, Carmen presses her body against me and starts kissing my face. When she moves down to my neck I say, "There aren't any wounds there."

"Sorry," she croons while continuing. When the elevator opens, a few staff members from the first floor mall observe us with judgmental eyes. Two women are maids and the other lady is a scientist that mainly works on the fortieth floor. The maids chatter with brimming smiles. The scientist stares at Carmen as though she were a whore.

When Carmen spins around, her face flushes red. She grabs my hand and leads me out of the building. "You could've told me they were there."

"But then they wouldn't know how cool I am."

"You're so sneaky."

Our light jog evolves into a full out sprint towards Gardezi's class. It takes three minutes.

Gardezi stops me outside of the classroom. He's leaning against the wall, reading messages on his phone. He continues flipping through his text. The last one says, You have thirty minutes to get here and acquire the data. They're moving soon.

"I told you to be here at seven P.M." Gardezi glances at the time on his phone.

"Busy day."

"Jules is going to kill you."

"This is a favor I'm providing you. Though you're my professors, don't treat me like the pets you have in the room. If you need my assistance finding the Cavern of Youth, fine. But don't pretend like you hold authority over me on a weekend."

I listen as a smile breaks across Gonzales' face inside the room. She relays the message to Jules. Gardezi can sense what's brewing inside so he steps out of the way.

The door flies open and Jules approaches me in a threatening manner. "You listen here, little snot. I will not have this mission compromised. I will hang you myself before watching you mess things up."

"Will it be painful?" I zip up my jacket and throw on my hood, causing my face to disappear into the darkness.

"Boy. Don't tempt me. Not only is your life on the line, but your grades as well."

"Let me clarify: I couldn't care less about grades. If you think you're bold enough to lay a finger on me, try it. Your mission, whether I choose to accept it or not, is to acquire documents from a militia base in East LA. Unfortunately for you, they're hiding in an apartment in the projects. You need me to figure out a way for us to get in without alerting the leaders, because you can't. Whether I succeed or fail doesn't matter because you haven't been able to get within a foot of this group."

"How?" A bead of sweat falls from his forehead. "How do you know that?"

"That's my job, isn't it?" I waltz into the classroom with my hands in my coat pocket. Angie grips her chair tightly and Monte sneakingly rubs her arm. It helps her to relax a bit. "Hey folks. I'm your new search and destroy team member, but only if a few demands are met."

"Demands?" Gardezi echos while laughing. He strolls into the classroom and announces, "Kay. You're my type of kid."

"Jules."

The peppered hair professor boils with fury. His glasses slump on his face and his head trembles lightly. The old man snaps, "You will address me as Professor Jules!"

"Are we in your class?" He doesn't respond. "Jules, you'll keep Malik away from all of us when he's released from the hospital. If you're wondering why, I hate him. But pleasant personalities don't seem to run in your family. I'm sure you understand." I wait to see if he'll blow his top. A wad of spit leaps from his mouth as he grits his teeth. The others watch him closely also. Angie smirks briefly, but returns to contained princess mode immediately after. "Double check to make sure he stays away from Carmen. If she gets hurt, I'm out."

Gonzales releases a quick burst of laughter. Then, she gestures towards the door.

I lead the pack to the center of the battlefield. We hop into a miniature helicopter with Desert Storm written on the tail. This beast was modeled after a jet. It has a similar body to one, but there are propellers over its head and on its tail. This aircraft can seat seven, but most only fit two or three passengers. It must be Jules' elite helicopter that Malik brags about to all of his friends. Supposedly, it makes no sounds, can retract its propellers, and drive on the road.

Carmen asks, "Where's the pilot?"

Angie responds, "Shut the hell up if you're too stupid to know what you're sitting in."

Carmen shudders. The delicate girl folds her hands in her lap and sits quietly as the glass door slides closed, the chopper bolts into the air and zips through the sky, topping out at five hundred miles per hour.

There's no time to see or take in the sights. The helicopter lands on East Atlantic Boulevard and El Portal Place. We step out next to drivers that are raging past and honking. I grab Carmen's hand and pull her back towards the helicopter to stop her from colliding with the front end of a big rig that was too impatient for us to move out of the way. Either that or he couldn't stop. The way he runs through the red light, I'll assume it was the latter.

History books tell us that East Los Angeles was a booming Anglo populated region in the past. Then, this thing called segregation kicked in. Now, lowlives are pushed into these areas because they can't afford "normal" housing. Though they struggle to get out by dealing drugs or working on their education—whichever comes easiest—they're often killed before making something of themselves.

Most of the projects in East LA were in Watts at one point. All that changed during the GAW. Military officials managed to have a lot of battles in that area. A genocide occurred, killing off many soldiers and gang members. The city was then rebuilt by many financially wealthy people that could use both Watts and Compton as central locations for access to the beach and downtown Los Angeles. The area is booming with gladiators and other entertainers. Most movie stars live in that area. Some call it "New Hollywood".

Because the housing development there was removed, city planners built larger ones in East LA. Buildings out here are generally fifteen stories high. Thousands of residents can live in one development. Now that my sight has returned to a ten mile radius, I can hear many of them and know what they're planning. Let me say, it isn't a college education.

These people are influenced by GSE or neonball. Most residents want to become the next Jay Jay. Though the culture in this place is very diverse, the mentality isn't. Investors attempt to use the violence that occurs between gangs as an excuse to turn places like this into reality sports entertainment productions.

Vincent's plan is to make this the first Californian Block Party in history. If he does, his fortune will increase drastically.

The others follow me as I run down the street and the helicopter takes flight. We walk on the sidewalk, heading south down Atlantic.

"Look at the buildings. They're run down and the air is musty. The walls are tearing apart and could probably fall at any moment," Carmen says while holding tightly onto my arm.

"This is how they live down here, but back away and stand up straight. You don't want to draw a lot of attention to yourself."

As we come to the corner of Cadiz Street, I step into a swap meet and head to a section that sells casual clothing.

I command, "Everyone take off your armor and put on something you like. Five minutes."

Monte stares at me in his bulky armor as customers passing by do the same to him. "Why do I need this? What is it? Cotton?" he asks arrogantly.

Angie tries to hide her excitement while rummaging through various racks. Carmen hasn't moved an inch. She's probably thinking the same thing as my airhead brother.

"We have to make it in and out without causing much attention to ourselves. Do it or stay here."

Monte complains, "Who left you in charge?"

"Me."

Turning away, I walk to a counter with an older man and woman. Their nationalities are too diluted to guess. The man's skin is darkened, but he has tight eyes and smooth hair. The fair woman's eyes are also tight, but they're narrow and low. I can hardly tell if her eyes are opened or closed. Her skin is pale and hair is thin. Both have wrinkles stretching across their foreheads and from the corners of their mouths.

I slap eight hundred dollars on the counter. "Let us take anything we can put on and that's yours."

The man's words are slurred and the right side of his mouth hardly moves as he says, "Uh. Yeah that's fine."

"Carmen. Come here." She prances towards me and rests her cool hand on the back of my neck once she stops. "His heartbeat is irregular and I think he'll have a heart attack in two or three days. His lazy eye and lips are signs of a stroke, right?" The beautiful girl's lips glow pink and she nods her head. "Heal him."

"Now?"

"Now," I repeat while lifting her onto the glass counter, which displays belts and fake watches.

Her lips illuminate the older man's face. She presses her mouth firmly against his and holds him for four seconds.

His weak and slow heartbeat evolves into a smooth and constant one as Carmen's data reprograms his heart. When she pulls away, he grins from ear-to-ear. The woman next to him looks furious. She slaps his butt three times.

He articulates with a smile, "Stop baby. She kissed me, now. I couldn't stop her."

"Listen to your voice Martin and your lips are moving. Look at you." Tears swarm her eyes and a smile possesses her face. "Look at you."

I place another five hundred dollars on the counter. "No one should ever know we were here."

Martin stares at the money in amazement, and his partner hugs him tightly. Carmen skips over to some clothes that Angie threw to the side. Her eyes glimmer when she finds what she likes. She undresses quickly. Angie slaps Monte's arm. He takes another peek before looking away.

The fashionistas and I finally exit the building and continue down the street.

Monte's wearing all black. He has on a hooded zip-up jacket that's too big, even for him. I forced him to loosen his belt. Now his pants hang at his waist. But he refused to remove his armored boots. Luckily, they're black.

Carmen's wearing a navy blue skirt and knee high socks. Her sleeveless jacket is camouflage green and it's a zip-up as well. The outfit was obviously meant to resemble mine.

Angie found a colorful V-neck sweater that hangs off her shoulders. Her black skinny jeans show off her hips beautifully.

"Why didn't you change?" Monte asks angrily.

"I don't wear armor. I have on bandages, jeans, and a jacket. What do I need to change in order to blend in?"

"You can stop leading the way if you're blind. That looks awkward enough."

Spinning around, I face the idiot. "My hood is on."

Angie barges between us and barks, "Both of you shut up until we get to the complex." Those wise words lead us down the street until we're on the corner of Atlantic and West El Repetto Drive. The buildings here are lime green for the most part.

I inform everyone, "There are fifteen levels. The drug dealers and scientists operate on the same floor in adjacent rooms."

Angie bounces up and down. "I know why! They use the drug dealers for protection and as an alarm. If someone tries attacking either side, they'll escape and make everything go kaboom! Kode taught me." Suddenly, she returns to her solemn state. I think she just remembered that I'm her enemy.

"Yeah. We're going to get the drug dealers to take us to the scientists' lab." Using my phone, I send everyone a text message. "But I want all of you to hold onto a combination for me."

"First, twenty-seven point twenty four," Monte mumbles.

"Last, NW," Angie says while scrunching her eyes.

Carmen mouths, "Second, eighty point eighty-three," and holds onto it tightly. She's been carrying her phone since we left the store because she doesn't have pockets. She nudges me and asks, "What's this?"

"Some important numbers I can hear in their room. It's drawn on a wall with materials that can only be seen under black lights. If any of us are captured, tell them we all have a piece of it."

Monte narrows his eyes at me. He's analyzing my every word and it shows. With his arms crossed, he fumes, "And how do you think we're getting in? Are you going to ask nicely?"

"Yeah." I lead the others between two green stucco buildings and up to an all black steel door. Monte observes his surroundings, including the plastic trees and the green turf.

I don't even have to knock. Two men greet us with frowns by opening a wooden door on the opposite side. I remove my hood because I don't expect to make it in with a blank face.

"The fuck are you?" The largest and fattest man asks with a huge military assault rifle hidden behind his back. The dark skinned guy probably weighs three hundred pounds and is Angie's height. His lips are crusty white and his voice is baritone deep.

The man next to him rocks in his chair while smoking a cigarette that's been dipped in something strong. I assume PCP. The way he's behaving, he may stand up and shoot us with his Glock just because he can.

With an attitude I reply, "The cops, so let me in."

The crusty mouth guy reveals his weapon. Impatiently, he taps it on his leg. "Aye little man, this ain't a schoolyard."

"Tell PM I need to see him."

Crusty Lips points his gun down the street. "Them niggas got the same product on the corner."

The guy smoking a cigarette leans out of his seat. His eyes trace Carmen's body while his left hand snuggles his penis. Sluggishly, he stands up and moves Crusty out of the way. "Hey. Come here." He speaks clearly and eloquently as though he were college educated. If he weren't smoking, I wouldn't know he was high. "What? You look as though you're afraid."

"No," she replies, trying to seem as though she has courage. "Are you letting us in or not?"

"It depends. What are you willing to do?"

Angie rolls her eyes. "I'm sick of this. Let us in, now."

"Oh! She bites." The man sniffs loudly and scratches his balls. "Okay cutie. What are you doing here?"

"Don't know."

"You don't? You're in the wrong place."

"No. I don't know. I'm just the muscle. If you want to cut deals, talk to the manager."

Taking a huge puff of his cigarette and shaking his head, he turns to me. "Okay, manager. What's up? You want to talk to PM. For what?"

I listen to guys on the top floor bragging about how they ripped off another group of dealers a few hours ago. They're still pumping their guns and sniffing cocaine while telling the story.

"You know the boys on East Forty Fifth that just got hit?" Both men stare at each other with bewildered expressions. "I'm the one that gave PM the information about where to find them. I'm just here to get my cut, then I'll bounce. He said I get ten percent of whatever they got. We were supposed to trade on the street, but when Trey got dropped, we all went our separate ways. I picked up my family just in case."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't care who PM is. I'm not walking in by myself."

"Okay little man. I'll let you and your family in, but you know, kids should stay off the streets. What you doing with drugs and hanging out with older girls?" He snickers while opening the door. "Manager. I love kids." Still blocking the way, he turns to Crusty and hands him lip balm. "I swear if I give you another one and you lose it, I'll slap you."

Crusty absorbs all of the balm, but his lips are still white around the edges. He follows us while keeping his gun aimed at Angie's back. She never looks back at him.

We trail the skinny guy through a narrow hallway. There's no telling what color these walls were originally.

Carmen covers her nose from the stench of feces and vomit. I don't know how they both made it into the hallway, but it seems that's the new fragrance on the streets.

Our tour guide flicks his cigarette on the ground while puffing his last bit of smoke into circles. That's when I remember I have another lollipop. I take out the wrapper and shove it in my mouth. My tour guide points his gun at me to make sure I'm not doing anything dangerous.

"Man. You really are a kid."

We walk up the stairwell, passing tenants engaging in the thrilling hobby of injecting themselves with some intensive drug on one floor and siblings playing with their three-legged dog on another.

Once we're at the top, I check for hidden cameras by pretending to rub my eyes. I need to see vibrant colors to do this. We're clear.

We continue walking down the hallway, but I block the others at room 1507.

"What's wrong, little man?"

Turning my head towards the door, I listen as a tall and muscular guy smacks a drug addict woman around. He's obviously high on the illegal barcodes covering his body. The one over his heart is his most recent. The data flowing through it is primitive, but powerful for a mortal. That type of code has been illegal for years because of its side effects, including suicidal thoughts, unmanageable aggression, and fecal incontinence.

There's some pretty advanced neonball armor resting on the torn couch. I assume the three-legged dog ripped it apart, but that's probably not true. The woman being beaten doesn't seem like she could afford anything better than the one kitchen table, two chairs, and stolen carpet. The brown rug is the most expensive thing in the house, and I'm sure it's stolen

"I don't care what you say; I'm sick of this. You dry and loose. How you think you going to make money now? You think I'll fuck you? Nah. That's not happening." Looking at the woman's daughter, he utters, "She thirteen though. Remind me of you back in high school."

The scrawny and delicate girl is pressed tightly between their spherical television and a wall. It looks like half of the TV isn't working.

The woman cries, "Please Bobby."

Bobby Russell! He was just bumped from D-League to the pros in neonball. Some say he has the potential to be the star player for the Smogmen—the top seed for the West Coast—but old habits die hard. Drug addiction and several fights have provided him with a night in jail four times this season.

"I paid for this already and I didn't even nut. This is getting boring and I want my money's worth."

The woman yelps with bruised lips and eyes, "You can have it baby. You can have it back, but don't touch her."

"Didn't you just say you needed this money? You said you'd do anything for it. You need rent. And you blew the money she needed for that academic program, right? Teach her how to earn it."

The little girl cries uncontrollably. A stream of tears stretch down her face and crash onto her dirty socks. Her shirt is torn and pants are removed.

My tour guide interrupts, "Little man. You alright? Is that sucker laced?"

"How do you know what this is?" I ask, turning to him.

"Where you from little nigga? We sell those around here, doped up and everything. Get them from the UK and push them at Jefferson. Anyway, you ready?"

"No. I think Bobby told me he was coming over today. I want to see if he's here."

I walk to the door and try knocking, but my tour guide grabs my hand. "Angie. There's no camera."

The gladiator princess punches Crusty so swiftly that his gun floats in the air for a second. She dismantles it before dropping the pieces on the big man's limp body. My guy tries raising his gun, but I've already removed his slide. I tightly hold the ridge of his neck and he passes out.

"Okay. I'm impressed. We're here, but where's the room?" Monte asks.

"1513."

The others walk past me and I fight the urge to dropkick the door. Now, Bobby's beating the hell out of the woman to stop her from interrupting anymore.

Carmen mouths, "Whatever it is Kay, ignore it. We have to get those computers for the professors."

Taking a deep breath, I join the others. Angie's looking over her shoulders as though she recognized me. Though she can't know what's on my mind, I feel as though she's judging me for passing up that door. Her look isn't filled with hatred. Why not?

Monte stops in front of the scientists' room and whispers, "You sure this the one?"

Bobby punches the naked woman and she crumbles over. She's crying blood and tears, but not giving up. As she struggles to stand, he approaches the little one. She screams, "No!" and begs for her mother's help. The girl is tiny and frail, though she's a bit developed to be so young. If this guy does anything to her, she'll be scarred the rest of her life; possibly become a prostitute like her mother.

How many times has Dennis told me to lay low? He begs me to avoid killing anyone above ground because it causes too much attention. People die in this type of neighborhood all the time. What's the difference today? She's only getting raped.

It hurts to see her school books on the table with her homework complete. She's not like them. All of her answers are correct on her Calculus, but her grammar needs serious help.

Bobby tears off her panties and she screams bloody murder. Even the others look back at the door. When he slaps her, I find myself standing in front of the numbers 1507, knocking lightly.

He covers her mouth forcefully. "Keep your ass right here. I swear on The Writer if you say a word I'll kill moms. I swear. Don't say a fucking word."

She covers her mouth and whimpers softly, but he couldn't find her more amusing. He strokes her adorable face near the scar he created just seconds ago. It stretches from her eye to the halfway point of her cheek.

Bobby throws on his baggy dark purple armored pants and stumbles to the door. He boldly flings it open, practically daring the girl to run away.

He's so tall he doesn't notice me initially. "What's up?" The words infect my nose with a vomit and alcohol odor.

"I came to drop off her homework."

"She never forget work. What you really come for?" I get a bit anxious. Did he already see through me? "You trying to get some? She a little young, but so are you. Nah. I guess you like thirteen, fourteen but you not ready to get in that yet. Believe me. This family ain't what it's cracked up to be."

On the ground, I hear the little girl pray to a god that will never hear her. She's crying and begging The Writer for someone to stop him, but her prayers are turning to anger. She wants to know why He'd send someone so small.

The little girl crawls across the floor to reach her mother, but she's hurt. She glares at me from the corner of her eyes as though I were a disappointment. A let down.

Bobby looks over his shoulder when he realizes she's in my sight.

"Why are your eyes closed? You blind?"

"Do you believe in heaven and hell?" I turn my head up to him.

"Yeah boy. Everybody do."

"Not me. How do you get there?"

"You do good or bad things. You do good you go up. You do bad, you go down."

"Where are you going?"

"Same place every bitch go on me, little homie. Look. I don't have time to mentor you but I can give you an autograph or something. Just come back later this week. Michelle's going to be a little sick tomorrow."

Monte motions for me to get away from the door. Angie and Carmen watch in amazement. I don't know if they can tell what's going on, but neither budges one bit.

I consider allowing him to close the door and leaving fate up to the invisible gods to do what they will, but that's boring. The only god Michelle will ever know just opened his eyes to cause this prick to take three steps back.

"I'm going to kill you. Don't worry. There's no hell for you, but no future either."

The man lights various thin barcodes across his body. I imagine that acquiring this many must have hurt. He's very strong for enduring that tattooing. Maybe he did have the gall to become the next Elyse Jordan of neonball. Too bad we'll never know.

I lunge forward and wrap my hand around his throat. I sling him through a thin wall separating the living room and kitchen. After slamming him on the tile floor, I drive my knee into his face, breaking his nose. I beat him within an inch of his life. The punches sound thunderous, and cause the entire building to rumble. That's when I hear the door for 1513 explode, with Monte right in front of it. The two rooms next to the scientists' lab blow up as well. Only three men working inside were able to escape. Many of the others are dead.

The shock wave thrusts Monte into 1514, where drug dealers with guns and half-naked women are gathering their wits. Monte's forced to defend himself against everyone in the room.

Angie curses before leaning against the hallway wall and slumping down to the floor. Surprisingly, she chuckles under her breath. Carmen walks into my area, just in time to witness me choke Bobby to death.

The mother screams and tries to fight me off. Her blood, spit, and sweat sully my jacket. With a gentle force, I push her away. She falls on her butt and screams louder than when Bobby was beating her.

Michelle cries joyfully. She's holding her knees. Her eyes focus on Bobby's arm as it falls limp. Once he's dead, she stops shivering. Her eyes connect with mine and an evil smirk lifts on her face.

When I'm done, I walk over to her and ask, "Michelle, what's your last name?" I cut my thumb on my wristband and smear my blood over her wound. The scar turns into a black and powerful barcode.

"Smith," she responds while holding her face. She's yet to stop smiling.

After handing her all the money in my pocket, I say, "Here's your second chance. Help your mom or run away."

Mission failed. I guess.

Nineteen

The professors were pissed when they discovered what happened. I told them the honest truth in most of its entirety. I tried making it seem as though we could all hear outside of the door, but only I paid attention.

Jules refused to listen to anything after hearing we didn't retrieve the computer he wanted. He stormed out of the room so hot that he nearly steamed his glasses. He mumbled some threat under his breath that even I couldn't make out. Gardezi apologized for the decision I had to make and promised that he'd get Jules to calm down. Gonzales never said a word. Though I could tell she was upset, she continued reading whatever she could see on my face.

Now, I'm stealing one of Dennis' cars in order to drive Seth to his facility. It turns out, he had too much alcohol and his brain shrunk to the size of a peanut during his coma. It's rapidly recovering. Antonio estimated that he should wake up screaming in pain within the next hour.

Great. I survived an entire week without getting my butt kicked by the dork and he'll be up in no time, angry again.

I hold my fingers on the ignition as Carmen moans, "We should get going."

"That's the first time you initiated a conversation with me all week. Still having nightmares about the way I killed Bobby?"

"I'm not having nightmares." She folds her arms and stares at the military vehicle parked next to our car.

"You wake up screaming every other night and crawl closer to the edge of the bed."

Carmen opens her mouth, but closes it quickly. "Did you really have to murder him?"

"Yep."

"Have you killed a lot of people before? Like Bobby and Tony?"

"Way more."

"In cold blood?"

"Of course."

Carmen grips the seats tightly and goosebumps possess her arms. "Why?"

"Many reasons, but none that will satisfy you. People don't always die for a reason and I don't always kill for one. Death is as natural as life."

"Would you kill me?"

"You're too pretty."

"Was the other Carmen pretty too?"

"Good point." I recall a similar discussion with Blue-Skin. I'm still listening to Vincent's phone conversation, so I'm a bit distracted. Even if I weren't, I doubt I could come up with anything that would make her feel better. "You really don't want to go down this road."

"I want to know if the guy protecting me will kill me if I make him angry, or if he'll listen through a door before strangling me to death."

"Is that what you think happened?" Carmen still won't look at me. I guess I can see her face either way so it isn't too impersonal. "Sure I'd kill you. Death is all I know. I've murdered friends and look forward to slaughtering members of my family. And Helios, I'd love to have enough power to finish him."

"Finish?"

"I'd kill you in a second if I found it necessary. But for your sake, I would talk to you first. Does that make you feel better?"

"No."

"I warned you."

Seth's heavy breathing fills the silence between us. I lean back on the brown leather seats of the all black four-door coupe.

"Why aren't you starting the car?"

"I'm listening to a really good episode of gladiator plans."

She leans back in her seat. "Who?"

"Vincent." That name makes her fall silent. I'm sure she hasn't forgotten the day with the council.

Vincent and Angie currently live in a high-rise a few blocks away from our building. Though he doesn't own the entire place, he has enough floors to conduct his work.

At this moment, he's being visited by Malik. The puppy sits in his office nervously and I don't blame him. Vincent's room has the heads of some of the most fearsome liminal beings known. They're lined across all four walls, and a few are stuffed on the mantles. His entire office is one floor dedicated to him. Strangely, the windows have been covered, blocking out light.

He's in a studio-style room with leather couches, large televisions, a fully stocked bar, and an open kitchen where he hires chefs to cook for his business partners and late night company. It's a well hidden secret that he's somewhat of a whore.

Vincent finally ends his conversation with Perry. After hanging up the phone, he walks over to his bar.

"Where'd you get these animal heads Professor Colt?" Malik asks as Vincent pours two glasses of a seventeen-year-old Bowmore Single Malt Scotch.

Vincent hands Malik a glass before finding his seat. He gently swishes the drink in his glass and inhales the aroma, rolling his eyes to the back of his head. "Various parts of the country. I had to travel to the East Coast to catch a few of these." Vincent takes a sip of his drink. He smacks his lips a few times and gently nods. Then, he opens his top drawer and removes a bottled water.

Malik chokes off his ignorant gulp, but pretends he's in shock, "Whoa, Mr. Colt. You collected all of these yourself?"

Vincent adds three drops of water to the whiskey. He breathes it in once more while sliding the bottled water across his large desk. Malik gleefully grabs it and gulps down half.

"Yes. Killing them is easy. Stuffing them and getting the head proportions right is difficult. Anyway, remind me why you're here?"

"I came to talk to you about the finals celebration. You said you wanted to get the girls there?"

"You and your father invest in this every year?"

"Kind of. I do most of the work," he utters while taking a very cowardly sip of his drink. Vincent flares his nose and unleashes a disgusted grunt when he notices the action.

"Right. I want you to put the ladies up for display. I can get you the women from Block 22 in Louisiana. You do at least watch the games, right?"

Malik's eyes light up. "Of course. You're bringing the trophies to my party?" The puppy nearly spills his drink. "I can't believe this."

"Don't refer to it as a party ever again. That's low class and beneath you. Consider it a banquet. You can use the second floor of this building. It's not a studio like this, but there's a large open space."

"That's great Mr. Colt." Malik rubs his glass nervously. "But what will the girls do there? None of us have won a tournament."

"Please. Use the sluts as you'd like. I personally want you to stay away from them, but they're no more than low class prostitutes to me now. I've just been given approval to start the games in East LA."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. You can entice your friends to join you by letting them know."

"Sounds boring for me," Malik says nervously, hinting his desire to be entertained.

Vincent clears his throat. "With the games underway, I'm happy to know that you'll be the victor. I'll have Angie and Carmen there for you as well. I want you to keep your mitts off of Angie for the most part, but use Carmen as you please."

"But I thought she was your—"

Holding his hand up he enunciates, "The girl is a decoration. Honor. Prestige. You can use her like the other prostitutes. But make sure to hold off from my daughter until you're married. Next year, she can hopefully make me a boy so my wealth can truly set in. You better be capable of making a boy."

"Yes sir."

I observe Carmen from the corner of my eyes while starting the ignition. She has to adjust her cape before sitting up. Then, she leans towards me. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing. It was a waste of time."

Her eyes show concern. She's hiding something.

Honor. Prestige. Why?

Slowly, I pull out of the underground garage. I take the second-level freeway towards Los Angeles. We cruise a little over one hundred miles per hour, taking in the scenery. We exit Rosecrans from the I-110 and continue down a two lane road.

This area is active and booming. Unlike Griffith Park where everyone concentrates on business, there are a lot of citizens strolling the streets. It's very diverse too. I see god-level non-gladiator citizens talking and walking with regular humans without tattoos.

God-level civilians are easy to distinguish because they're more privileged. You don't need barcodes to notice them. They're the clean cut professionals in suits. Many wear rings that cover their entire index finger. It gives them certain perks at businesses. Gladiators generally don't need those. The armor and barcode scanners determine ranking and status.

At least in this city people aren't so stuck up that they'd avoid each other like Griffith Park.

Here, things seems slower. The speed limit on the streets are lower, forty-five miles per hour. After drifting at a snail's pace to Seth's building, I look over at Carmen and murmur, "I don't get it."

I exit the car, throw Seth over my shoulders, and approach a triangular shaped building. It's made out of pure gold and stands seven feet at its peak. Carmen calls Antonio as I place Seth on the ground.

"Hey Antonio?"

"Yes dear?" I hear on the other line.

"What the hell is going on?" she asks gently.

"Is there a problem?"

"The GPS is pointing to Seth's pyramid. We can't get him any help here. The building is smaller than Kay's kitchen."

"Oh. That's just an elevator. Seth has serious security on his place. He makes sure that no more than five people can enter or leave at a time. And he doesn't allow anyone access into the building without some serious clearance."

"Throw him on speakerphone," I demand. The second she hits the button, I scream, "You want to say this now? Not before I bring an unconscious Seth?"

"I knew you wouldn't do it otherwise."

"Why can't you open it?"

"Have you ever noticed that scar on Seth's back? It's not huge and probably resembles any other mark a gladiator would receive, but it's on the lower half, near his kidney."

"Yeah. I can hear it."

"I never noticed it until he made the official switch from Leo to Seth, but every time I try asking him about it, he refuses to answer. He gives me some very random explanation about wild monkeys and apes in his building. Listen to this..."

A few clicks sound on the other line and an automated voice denotes, "13 October 3144."

Sounding completely wasted, Seth sputters, "I was home and the stupid ape knocked on my glass window. I didn't think he could get through because it's bulletproof and all, but he tore it down. The glass shards got me."

"2 December 3144."

"I was on the surgery table with doctors all around. Next thing I know, they're gone and I'm face-to-face with human sized monkeys. I was still connected to the machine so I couldn't defend myself properly. They got me good."

"14 February 3144."

"Don't go there. I'm warning you. If you ever wanted to know how I got this scar on my back. I'll tell you about these crazy apes that plague my house. They snuck up on me in the dark, but I have something special for them if they ever try to escape."

I interrupt, "Okay. I get it. How many of those do you have?"

"Twenty, even."

"He doesn't give you a straight answer or access to his facility because of the monkey plague?"

"Yes. But I've spoken to the doctors that work on his negative forty-seventh floor. They've never seen a single monkey or an ape."

I rub my temple and kick Seth in the butt. "Carmen. Wake him up."

"How?"

"The syringe that's attached to your weapon. Give him adrenaline."

Laughing, Carmen makes a syringe appear from thin air. "How'd you figure it out?" she asks before stabbing him in the thigh. I listen as his heart rate increases.

"You purposely hide it from me, but I kept replaying what I saw in my mind when you put Seth to sleep. When I couldn't figure out where the syringe came from, I decided to take a guess and you just confirmed it. How'd you get a weapon without entering the dungeon?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Seth wakes up screaming at the top of his lungs. He wipes drool from the corner of his mouth. Calmly and clearly, he articulates, "Good morning." He doesn't sound like the drunk we all know and loathe. This tone is more reminiscent of Leonardo.

"Good morning? I can't believe you fell asleep." I shout dramatically.

"What? What happened?"

"You put Hayley inside." I grab him by the collar. "And you let the monkeys get to her!"

Still waking up, Seth turns and looks at his surroundings. "I wouldn't do that."

I grab the half-empty bottle of X-Eyes from his pouch and throw it on the street. Passionately, I rave, "You were drunk. You've been asleep for a week and I just got your message about Hayley. I swear on your life if you don't open this building right now, I'll blow a hole in the ground and find her on my own."

He jitters nervously, though he's regaining his drunken demeanor little by little. "You can't blow through. Nothing can get in or out."

Falling to my knees I cry, "Why would you do this to me? She's the only person I care about." Carmen walks over and rubs my shoulders roughly. She obviously didn't like the comment too much and shows it by pinching me hard with some needle.

"We'll have to figure out another way to save her," Carmen says gently. "He won't let us in."

Seth looks around the street and declares, "I'll rescue her. I promise."

I excessively stress, "How can I trust you, Leo?"

The sound of his old name nearly brings him to tears. Seth rushes to the front of the building and reads off a series of twenty-five digits. The pyramid spreads open and we all rush inside. Seth presses his finger against a dashboard and keeps it there as the elevator surges down the shaft.

The device is in the center of the elevator and appears to be controlled by his thumb alone. There are no other markings on the black and silver device.

We exit onto the negative fiftieth floor. The dense glass elevator doors open to a control room with a circular screen that covers the walls. There's a station in the middle of the room and one chair. The control panel only has barcodes spread across it.

"I don't know where she is, but I can find her from here." He swipes his hand and the entire panel lights up.

Carmen giggles as I jeer, "No worries. She's at home, but we need to get you to the surgical room."

"What? But you said...you tricked me?" Carmen and I nod together. Seth nearly bursts into tears. "Why? I love Hayley. Do you know what you were doing to me?"

"Antonio said you wouldn't let us in otherwise."

Seth wipes his face with his entire arm and Carmen walks over to comfort him. She whispers, "I'm really sorry. I didn't know how much you cared for her."

"She's like a mom, okay?"

That's when it hits me. I'm not the only one that benefits from Hayley's affection.

"Seth. Seriously," I mutter while angling my head towards the ceiling, "sorry."

"Why'd you want to get in here so badly?"

"To check out these dangerous creatures you're always bragging about!"

Seth's entire demeanor turns dark as he warns, "You think this is a joke."

"No. I believe you."

"Then, you'll believe me when I say they're dangerous." Seth stands up and walks towards the elevator. "You'll stay away from them at all cost. Though you can't escape, make sure you don't try; if anyone leaves this underground facility illegally, the entire thing explodes without warning. That's how serious they are." He attempts to make a dramatic exit, by activating the elevator and leaving us on the floor, but it doesn't move. Laughing, he rubs his head and says, "I forgot, you could reprogram everything from here. We have to leave together."

Carmen walks onto the elevator as I take a seat at the control panel's swivel chair. "Did you create them?" I know the answer from Nevaeh, but I need him to open up before digging deeper.

He sighs and sits on the floor. "Yes. They're a different breed of liminal beings, something my family and I helped revolutionize. Everyone gives credit to the Walker family, but we're advanced in this area as well. The only problem, our creatures normally turn evil." Seth adjusts his glasses. "I tried to counter that by experimenting on more advanced DNA."

"Monkeys. They have a higher intelligence. You wanted to teach them about right and wrong."

"Exactly! I started seven years ago. But the first few I made seem to have brought the others. I created four or five, max. But in one year, they began flooding my facility on their own. It was like they'd appear from nowhere; not as infants, but fully grown creatures."

"Could they come from a different dimension?"

"It's likely, but there's more to it. They remind me of people I've met. They have personalities and gifts. But worst of all, their fighting can put gladiators to shame. If they were to escape, they'd take over the world."

"I think there's a really old movie about that."

Seth laughs. He's seen it as well. "They're broken down into four families. Helpers are small and good at using their hands. They're the first few I created. They can't use technology for some reason. It's as though devices don't acknowledge their existence." That must be Nevaeh. "The second group to appear were Thinkers. They can use technology and are decent at sparring. They're like demigods. Then, there's the Humans. I call them that because, if they take over, they'll erase us. They're our size and they fight well."

"What about the last group?"

"The Two. They're the grandaddies of all the beasts. The tiger one gave me the scar on my back and the lion helped seal me back up. I have a truce with all the others. I won't blow the building if they remain below the fiftieth floor. But if anyone ventures to the top, I'll kill them. I expect everyone to follow those instructions except The Two."

"Beasts don't make deals with mice, huh?"

"Something like that." Seth removes his phone and only looks at the time displayed on the front screen. He shoves it back in his pocket and softly says, "The upper floors are dedicated to researching solutions for my brain. Ten floors up is my surgery room. I need to get there soon."

Still processing the information, I walk towards the others and load on the elevator. We zip to the top and appear in a narrow hallway with blue tinted glass doors.

Seth leads us through a maze, voice activating each barrier. We make a right after three doors and travel through what feels like a labyrinth of twists and turns of nothing but white walls with abstract art lining them. I notice a familiar cubism design and assume that Seth is the artist of these hallways. Two minutes later, we arrive in front of a counter with a middle aged, incredibly attractive woman with pink hair. She's wearing an all white uniform and a red plus sign across her chest.

"Doctor Pena! Welcome home."

"I'm scheduled to have brain surgery," he glances at the digital calender displayed behind her, "one week ago. Can you please alert the others to join me in the operating room?"

"Yes sir. By the way, whatever you're doing with your research is working. You sound much more coherent today."

"You'll have to excuse me, Maggie. I won't be returning to normal anytime soon. This is very temporary."

"Sorry."

"No. I apologize for my future actions under the influence."

She winks and giggles. "I don't."

"Anyway," he shifts his weight nervously, "can you please see that my friends are taken care of? Show them to the waiting room." Seth waves and walks through a wooden door with a small glass window that allows us to see who is passing by.

"Yes sir."

Once he's inside I proclaim, "No need to worry about us. He gave us the passwords for a reason. We'll entertain ourselves in his game room on the seventeenth floor." I point at Carmen. "I don't know why she volunteered to wait for him."

"The surgery only takes a few minutes, but do as you wish." We turn around and take a few steps but stop when the clerk says, "Wow. Doctor Pena really has changed. He's never allowed outsiders and I'd imagine he wouldn't give them codes."

I slowly continue walking away. Nearly halfway to the elevator, Carmen grabs my hand. "I hope you're trying to find quality time with me, and not get into trouble."

"Why would you want time with me?" I open my eyes fast enough to scare her. "I'm sure there are people you'd much rather be with."

"I'm not sure what that means. You know I love you, though you seem to hate that word."

"Probably because no one ever means it when they say it to me," I mumble with such a low tone that she leans forward and tilts her head.

I continue through the hallway. This time, at a faster pace. Carmen follows delicately a few steps behind. "Did I do something wrong?"

Taking out my phone, I pull up an application that allows me to compare the frequency of my voice with others. The phrase I have recorded for Seth is, "You're Kay? If that was your simple name all along, you could've just told me."

Once the program initiates, I begin repeating the phrase constantly. I start with a baritone sound and allow my voice to increase in octaves until I match his pitch and inflection.

Using that sound, I open all of the doors leading to the elevators.

"Can we talk, papi? I think we're fighting and I don't know why?"

"We're not."

I scroll through my phone's settings to access my hacking records. While flipping through various screens, I allow my cell to begin breaking into Seth's system. I imagine he has precautions set up to defend against such a thing, so I limit my software to focus solely on the elevator.

When I need to practice my skills, I hack into Seth's equipment around Dennis' building. The nerd is so paranoid, he has security for his PlayStation XD. Unfortunately for him, no matter how smart someone is, their security will look similar in some way. Once I find records of his other equipment and upload that to my program, accessing the control panel will be a breeze.

"Got it," I declare while pressing my finger against the panel. I remove my hand and reprogram the elevator to respond to my touch as well. Once everything is set, I press my thumb down again, but the elevator goes up one floor. "How did he get it to go down?"

Carmen sounds as though she's in tears when answering, "He leans his thumb to the left while dragging it down slightly."

I didn't think it was so complex. She actually picked up on something I didn't. While lowering the elevator, I listen to all the creatures on the floors above and below.

Once we make it an inch below the fiftieth floor, Carmen grabs my arm and removes it from the panel. "No!"

"You're getting bold."

"I'm a little stronger around you."

"I guess you'll be weak for the rest of your life."

Three of her tears fall to the ground and she faintly cries, "Whatever I did, I'm sorry. I'll make it up. I promise. Can we talk about it on this floor? We shouldn't go messing around when Seth clearly said it's dangerous below."

"Stay here then," I reply dispassionately. The gravity in my voice causes her to whimper.

She takes a step back and glues her hands to her thighs. She cowardly stammers, "I'll be safest with you."

I ride the elevator to the bottom floor, negative sixty-five. On my way there, I not only see several monkeys right in front of me, but I can hear them everywhere. I noticed them before I even entered the building. There are thousands on these few floors.

When the elevator finally stops, I convert Shiva into my signature gloves. As she sparks wildly, I know that she senses what I can see in the dark.

The room was probably something special in the past, but the walls have all been torn down and ripped to shreds.

At the end of the floor, nearly one thousand yards in the darkness, I see an ape that shouldn't be considered an ape at all. He's the same height I used to be, but much more muscular. His eyes are closed. His face resembles a tiger, and his fur is more like armor. Though it is connected to his flesh, it's broken into sections for his most vulnerable body parts. Some areas of the gear resemble a tiger's fur, but others are ape-like.

I've drifted towards him unknowingly. He was cleaning his area of the room, but seems to have noticed me.

"Kay," Carmen yelps fearfully.

That snaps me out of my trance. After shaking off the cobwebs, I pace back towards her. "I need to program your finger to the panel. Put your thumb..."

Her face loses all its color as she backs into a wall.

I can hear it breathing over my head, feel its body heat on my back, and smell the scent of the beast. He actually took a shower and smells like a bar of soap.

My heart beats ferociously against my chest. Clenching my fists, I turn around at a snail's pace. Seeing him up close seemed like a good idea on the floors above us. I think I've changed my mind. I finally understand why Seth was serious when warning me. I've never heard muscles this powerful.

The monster's growl turns into a confused huff. He squats and inches closer until we're nearly nose-to-nose. As he reveals his own eyes, I see a spectacular view of outer space. There's no pupil, but one solid iris of stars and galaxies. The universe sparkling in his eyes is the most beautiful thing I've ever witnessed.

This man-romance doesn't last too long. I sense his hand moving. I duck swiftly, disappear into the darkness, and run in the opposite direction of Carmen.

My fighting senses are evolved enough to know when I'm about to die. The daggers on his nails shot towards my head so quickly, I could hardly see them.

I continue to the far end of the building to get him away from Carmen, but he wants to stop me from making it to the area he was previously working on. He jumps in front of me and I'm forced to make a sharp left.

The chase continues around the entire room without either of us throwing a punch. We're both aware of each other's speed and I can sense his power so there's no need to strike unless absolutely necessary.

The brute backs me into a wall and smashes his body against mine.

He must weigh a ton, because my shoulder gets lodged into the MMIBS reinforced wall. Unfortunately, there's no time to guess his diet. Beast-boy yanks me out and slams me into it once more.

Though he's the size of a human, his hands are humungous. There's no breaking out of his grip. He throws me around a bit more until he's prepped to crack his knuckles on my jawbone.

As he continues beating me, the bandages inflict additional pain on my body. He seems disturbed by my laughter.

The ape kicks me in the chest. A heaving sound releases from my lungs but I motion for him to come at me again. "Let's go buddy. I'm looking to get hurt here." I spit my blood onto the floor. "You have to provide a better service."

He lands a jab on my temple and tries to follow through with a cross, but I block it and apply an elbow between two of his ribs. Though my strikes can't hurt as much as his, he sounds hungry, so I'm going for the weak areas.

The beast plants a superhuman punch on my chin and I'm spun around into the wall. He attacks my spine and I scream with delight, "Much better!" By now, my face and body are swollen and my limbs feel numb.

He backs away and rubs his knuckles. He's out of breath.

"Now, it's my turn."

Twenty

Carmen's fierce scream stops the gruesome and bloody fight that's carried on for five minutes. I'm the first to fall on the ground and the creature follows.

We both lie stretched out with our arms spread widely, begging air to enter our lungs.

Struggling to catch my breath, I ask, "Man, why are we fighting?"

The ape tries to lift his head, but it crashes into the ground. His laugh contains a villainous sound that I enjoy. Between breaths he replies, "I thought you knew."

I command my body to sit up and he does the same. His voice reminds me of Spencer's, but with more bass. I may remind him of someone myself. Strange. But it's something I just feel.

"You know Nevaeh?"

"Yeah." He didn't invest much thought into the answer. His attention is directed to my trembling company. With a simple hand gesture, he says, "I'm sorry to frighten you, love. You can take a seat next to Okodemah. I promise not to fight again as long as he doesn't."

Carmen stays frozen in place until I motion for her to join me. She removes a bottle of water from her pouch and holds some of the fluid in her mouth. Her lips shine brightly. They turn our section of the room a vibrant red.

Out of nowhere, she spits in my face.

"Oh come on!" The mist tingles on my skin as she takes another swig. The cuts close instantly and the swelling decreases immediately after.

The wet area of my face continues healing as she approaches my opponent. Holding his hand up, he articulates, "Spare me."

She shrugs her shoulders. I hear the water boil in her mouth as her barcode flickers. Carmen returns to me and blows an intense steam on my face. Naturally, I breathe in the fog. It's more powerful than the water in the cave because my body relaxes and the soreness under my bandages vanishes.

As the pain in my body erases, the mental torture returns. The physical damage was enough to distract me from wondering how Carmen's using me and what plans Vincent has for her. She completely ruined the entire purpose of the brawl. I wonder if that's the real reason the beast turned down the water.

As though he were answering my thought, the ape nods his head gently, right out of Carmen's sight.

I fold my arms. "What are you and where'd you come from?"

"Who am I would be the proper question. You think I'm a savage animal, don't you?"

"If it looks like a duck."

"Says the midget screaming at me to hit him harder. Don't blame me because you're unable to deal with your real issues verbally."

"You're avoiding the question. Let's start general. Your name."

"Hame."

"Strange and interesting. Why are there so many of your kind here?"

"Spirits?"

"Is that what you call yourselves nowadays?"

"Yes. And let me guess, your inquiring mind wants to know all about them."

"It would be nice."

"Spirits are large families condensed into a body."

"Oh damn. This sounds like the bull Angie tries to feed me. Nevermind. If you're not taking this seriously, we could talk about the galactic weather in your eyes. What's it really like on Pluto?"

"I'm serious. Think of us as all of your data compressed into one body. There aren't as many of us as humans because each of us represents one family. You've met Nevaeh, right? Sensitive little girl. Cries about everything."

"Seriously, what's up with that?"

"She's the Moreno-Colt family." His eyes sparkle as he scrutinizes Carmen. "You can see the similarity of the last generation."

"Okay. Now I'm interested. Who else?"

"Leah's the representation of the Colt family, but she's been commanded to keep away from you until brother returns. She can be aggressive and bold, but stays reserved for the most part. At home, she opens up and has tons of personality."

"What are you?"

"I have no family."

"Why not?"

"I'm you." The words fall on my ears like a ton of bricks. "Shiva even has a family. Don't force her to tell you, yet. When she's ready, you'll meet her sister."

"Sister. Brother. Father. What's all of that? Wait! Why aren't I a part of the Payne family?"

"Which one? I know we can listen to multiple things, but I only have one mouth."

"Payne."

"You're definitely a pain," he jeers while stretching his shoulders, "but it seems you're a separate entity. Let's say, you're a different beast all together."

"I'm the beast?"

"From my perspective."

We both chuckle. A few seconds of silence pass between us. During that time, I scan the entire building to find something else that's near his size.

"Where's your partner? I heard there were two as big as you."

"He was connected to only one person, like I am. My best friend died just last year."

"Giving me any details on that?" Hame shakes his head painfully. That's definitely a touchy subject that he doesn't want to discuss. Leaning back on my left hand, I try changing subjects, "Why'd you attack Seth?"

"The doctors needed time to sneak into a laboratory to free some of our family. I wanted him to have something to concentrate on so he wouldn't have time to go back and check that footage. He spent so much energy focusing on how I slipped through security, that he forgot about the others."

"I guess you pay off the doctors with nice fur." I point to his armored flesh.

"We are the doctors."

Carmen quickly leans forward. "What?"

Hame transforms into Carmen and echoes, "What?" He immediately returns to normal.

I bursts into laughter when I realize that the very people saving Seth's life are the ones he's in fear of. "All of you can shape-shift?"

"No. Only the most advanced. But the longer we're in human form, the more we become like them. This is my first time. I only did it because Carmen's heart is gentle. If I were to have mimicked you, I'd become as corrupt as some of the animal kings."

"I guess that makes you Buddha."

"We are much more peaceful than humans and the gods."

"Peaceful? You and I nearly killed each other."

"In sport. I had no intention of harming you. I sensed your desire to erase your sorrow and I helped. You've taken far worst beatings than that."

Carmen pulls on my arm and asks, "What sorrow?"

Hame helps me out by distracting her, "We're eager to join your world. I've waited nineteen years to see this day."

"Seth said he created you seven years ago."

"The science Seth stumbled upon gave us physical bodies to enter this realm. Since then, the doctors have worked on getting more of us. Though I've only been here since you've come to Los Angeles, your spirit lingered in your data the second you were born."

"You've been waiting on the day to meet me face-to-face? I'm sorry your standards are set so low. You should work on bigger goals in life." Hame reveals a beaming smile when I increase the intensity of my barcodes. "Judging from the conversation that the others are having on the above floor, I'm your savior. You really think I'd free you out of this prison?"

In a deeper voice, Hame declares, "He can hear all of you. Mind your manners around our brother." His eyes glimmer as a shooting star passes from one eye to another. "We're not looking for you to save us. If we wanted to battle the humans for their space, we would have taken over years ago. There are enough of us now."

"So..." Carmen prods, dragging the vowel.

"We want you to be who you are naturally. Since the day you were born you hated this world, and it's only a matter of time before they anger you enough to do something about their corruption."

I stare at my "brother" in disbelief.

"What if I turn against all of you?"

"That is the balance. You'll face me and we'll die together."

"Good. I like you guys better anyway." Turning to Carmen, I say, "He's getting out of surgery. Let's go."

As we step on the elevator, Hame approaches us looking desperate. He doesn't say a word, but his stomach grumbles and I know what that means.

"How'd you get stuck on this floor anyway?"

"The stupid elevator worked for me last week and let me off here. I wanted to make this a playroom for us, but the bottom floor is the most reinforced so I couldn't build a way to the top. The others have tried damn hard to get me out. Nothing worked."

I drop him off one floor above. "I'm guessing I'll see you before I die?"

"You'll also see me when you die. If a family is completely removed from the world, the spirit leaves with them. Until you make babies, my existence is dependent on you."

My eyes naturally gravitate to Carmen before I mumble, "You don't have much hope then. Don't expect kids from me. Ever."

Twenty One

The drive home is silent. Surprisingly, Seth seems sober. I imagine he could make it a few days without drinking, but once we step out of the vehicle, he takes a sip.

As Carmen and I head to the elevator, Seth leans against the car. "Do you want to lose the finals?"

"I hate losing." My words probably mean nothing to him, but my own level of honesty surprises me.

"Then why'd you choose the weakest classmates you could find?"

"Why do you work so hard at being weak?"

Seth takes another sip of his drink. He twists the cap back on the bottle and grips it sternly. He activates his barcodes. "No one believes you, you know." He and I stare at each other as his words echo in my mind. "You may not have tats, but data flows through your blood. What are you?"

"An Ape, right?"

"Don't feed me bullshit!" Spit spews from Seth's mouth. His drunken demeanor slowly returns. "I need to be able to trust you if we're going to make it through finals, but I don't. You lied about being a new transfer student. You lied to me to get into my building. You're probably lying about being blind. I don't know who you are besides a liar."

My heart's beating fast. Why? This can't bother me.

A few seconds pass with me listening to nothing but the sound of my own breath. There's so much I want to say to Seth. I'd like to ask him questions about drinking more than he should and hiding under the excuse of his evolving brain, but I don't. I'd just prove his point about my manipulation and lies.

"You can't answer. Can you?" Seth slides down the car and opens the bottle again. "You don't know who you are because you even lie to yourself."

"Maybe."

Carmen holds herself and looks away. I continue to the elevator and wait for it to open.

Seth scratches his head. Then, he covers his eyes with his hand. "Let's just start practicing tomorrow. My grades are so bad that we'll have to make it to the semifinals in order for me to pass."

"Yeah. I'll email Gonzales and see if she'll let us use her class."

Seth doesn't respond. I send the email to Gonzales and CC the others. She replies within a matter of seconds as though she were expecting the message. Not only are we allowed to use her classroom, but her pets too.

I revert to silence for the remainder of the night, wishing I could run away from my problems through alcohol like Seth. Carmen and I fall asleep on opposite ends of the bed.

In the morning, she wakes up first. She's curled under a blanket with her eyes glued to me. I reach over to grab my phone off the counter and read a text from Seth telling me that training starts in an hour.

As I crawl out of the bed, Carmen asks, "Why do you block all of your thoughts from me? What's so different now?"

"I enjoy my privacy," I reply unenthusiastically while being covered with nothing more than bandages and neonball shorts.

"Does that mean you'll stop listening in on me?"

"I don't have to." I close the bathroom door.

"Why not?"

"Because you're always with me. You'd have to get a life of your own first."

Though she's trying to smile, her tears leave trails across the floor as she searches for something to wear. I bang my head on the wall a few times, listening as she attempts to wipe a few away.

I beg myself to step outside and apologize, but my legs don't move. Anger seems to trump my better judgment. Either that or I may have a conscious desire to push people away. Check Carmen off the list and I'll only need to hunt down Hayley. That way, I can be all alone in the world. Miserably happy.

In order to drown out the sound of her sobbing, I turn on the water and allow it to fall into my ears. It doesn't help much, but if I slightly drown myself, the choking pain distracts me.

After finishing up, I put on my lightly armored black pants and pick up my shorts. Moments later, Carmen comes flying through the bathroom wearing no bottoms and a torn top. Why would she tear her pajamas? And why is she stumbling to her feet?

Carmen flies to the far end of the bathroom, crashing into the towel rack. The bathroom is huge, nearly the same size as my room. The tub takes up a large portion of the left side, but the rest is really meant to act as a spa. She's near the wooden benches, trying to stand.

A strong gust of wind knocks me back near her. Only, I crash much harder than she did.

"You okay, papi?"

"I can't see or hear it. What's after you?"

"I don't know; I can only sense it."

I can sense something approaching as well. Why? Looking down at my clothes, I see bits of Carmen's blood on me. To strengthen the connection, I quickly lick her lips. Her eyes flash with a green light.

"Activate your barcode and feel it out." Carmen's lips shine brightly. My face tingles as I'm connected with Carmen's data.

With her senses doing the work for me, I feel an attack coming. A fist is aiming for her face.

I stand in front of her and take the punch. I hear a quick laugh, but all other sound fades away. I'm blacking out, but refuse to let something happen to her.

Grabbing the hand aimed at my stomach, I twist the arm and launch the attacker into a wall. I convert my left wristband into a dagger that slices into the assassin's arm.

A knee connects between my ribs and I fall back. The sweet girl screams, "Kay," as I skid across the ground.

Carmen senses a weapon, therefore I feel it too. But my saliva on her lips is drying so it's faint. She licks her lips to prolong the connection and I feel an orgasmic pleasure across my body. It heals me slightly, but I can't move my legs. Expelling a shock wave from my feet, I jet back towards them.

I slide in front of her just in time to take the knife to my gut. The dagger has to be two feet long.

"Shiva, blow something up!" It's all I can think to say. My weapon forms a black spherical steel ball around my hands. Electricity erupts across the surface as the knife is removed from my stomach. He's trying to attack again, but by that time, Shiva explodes. We all take some of the damage, but my glorious weapon pointed most of its energy in the proper direction.

Flesh rips from our faces as we're shoved in the opposite direction of the window leading to the street.

Our attacker, on the other hand, goes flying out of the glass. I'm pretty sure.

"Papi. Papi!" Carmen shouts while still trying to gain control of her body.

"Stop screaming and heal me. The wound won't close. Hurry, I'm losing a lot of blood."

Carmen stands over my body with her lips blazing red. She analyzes my energy and injuries. Her eyes flash with a green almost as intense as mine. She dashes to the bathroom cabinets and searches through two. Towels, lotions, and shampoo are thrown everywhere.

"Calm down and breathe," I murmur while fighting to stay alert.

Stopping, she shakes her head and relaxes her breath. Once her heart rate lowers, she removes a glass from a drawer and fills it with water.

Though her lips are still red, they're much paler.

She spews out three times the amount of water that she had in her mouth. As it strikes my stomach, it turns into a frosty foam, which freezes the wound. The material creeps inside and begins healing whatever damage was caused. The ice cold pain causes my leg to twitch uncontrollably. I grunt and clench my teeth as my internal wounds are sealed.

Whatever she did took a lot of energy because she passes out. I have just enough strength to jump up and catch her. "My turn, sweetheart." I grab the glass before it hits the ground.

Laying her on the floor, I pour as much water in my mouth as possible and swish it around. It mixes with a small amount of blood from the cut on my cheek. I spit the water on her face and intensively focus on the wound.

Don't form barcodes. It'll ruin her beautiful face. Just heal the wound. Heal it. Come on.

As her skin replenishes, mine does as well. Once it's completely back to normal, I splash the remaining water on her face. "Now. Wake up! We have practice."

Carmen whimpers while sitting up slowly. She follows right behind me as I enter my room to grab my jacket.

Little to no sound creeps from her lips as she cries, "Why couldn't you hear him?"

"Even when I blinked, it was like he wasn't there. I don't know why."

At the top of her lungs, she screams, "Why'd you jump in front of the knife?"

"I'm supposed to protect you." Her tears won't stop. I try zipping up my jacket and realize that I'll need to wash up again. "Go take another shower and wipe off all the blood. I'll do the same later."

"Why?" she screams frantically. "Why? I don't want you hurt. Why Kay?" Carmen's trembling so much, she can hardly stand. "Please don't do that again," she yelps while taking a step forward. She remembers how distant we are right now and takes two steps backwards. "I'll hire someone else and we can go back to being friends. I don't want you to get hurt, or to be mad at me." Her voice raises an octave near the end of her sentence. "We can be friends at school, right?"

"No," I reply coldly. "Now go get dressed."

"Why, papi? Why?"

"Because I love you, and I'll protect you. Go."

My words cause her to cry more loudly.

During her mental breakdown, Dennis bursts into the living room. He's fully suited in a very sleek and tight armor. There are no designs. It's a simple one piece jumpsuit. It's much more advanced than the one he wore at the hospital. I wonder if it's one of Seth's designs that adjusts to the user's abilities.

Dennis' muscles sound much more rigid as he dashes towards my room. He's possibly gained ten pounds.

I hold up my hand to stop him.

Carmen wails without restraint. Dennis' mouth drops. He peeks through the door and relaxes once he sees that she's safe. He sneaks back into the living room and Carmen rushes me.

The goddess crashes into my arms, hysterically whimpering. Her legs give in and her weight nearly drags me to the ground with her. I wrap one arm around her thigh and the other around her waist to hold her up straight.

Slowly, I ease her on the bed. She kisses my face for at least one minute. I doubt she notices, but the more she kisses me, the more both our wounds heal.

Then, something strangely erotic happens. I can feel her body against my own. I know that I'm only wearing bandages and her clothes were ripped off, but it's as though nothing were between us. Her data slowly seeps into my own. This must me the data programming I heard about.

If she continues, Carmen will align herself with my codes. I'll carry a piece of her with me forever.

Without her knowing, I completely delete her data by focusing on something else. Angie.

"Does any part of your body hurt, papi?" she asks with her beautiful and full lips only inches away from my face.

"No. I was pretty good after the cold water, but I'm much better now."

"Okay." Carmen stands up and runs into the bathroom.

Once she's finally in the shower, Dennis calls the security in the building and lets them know that the other guests and employees are allowed to leave their rooms. Then, he embraces me.

I hold my arms against my side and take notice of the sunset. Thoughts of Angie still linger in my mind.

Like always, Dennis activates the barcode on his pinky finger. He grunts and grits his teeth. Dark veins become visible on his face and his heart completely stops for seven seconds. When it finally kick starts, it races manically and he falls to his knees.

I shove my hands in my pockets. "What's wrong with you?"

He practically chokes up his answer. "I don't know. I tried to read your data to understand what happened, but I was surrounded by darkness. There were screaming people and so much pain. It was like I traveled back in time to some kind of hell."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's just something I feel. Kay, are you blocking your thoughts that powerfully?"

I peer into his eyes so cruelly that his blood pumps feverishly. My eyes do scare him.

"It's not on purpose. I just have a lot going on."

"Do you know who broke in?" He asks as he stands up.

"Only a suspicion."

"Are you wounded? Should I get you help?"

"No. But the next time I'm in a lot of pain and Carmen says she can heal me, let her." I refocus my attention outside as the smog blocks out the sun.

"I would have, but I worry about her health. Her mother has similar powers. If they push themselves too far, they can die."

"I wouldn't let that happen."

"You're upset with me?"

"No. I'm just in a rush to get to practice."

"I've seen your team's fighting skills. You'll need more than practice."

His words agitate me. I guess that's what Seth was trying to tell me last night. They're not that weak. Richard's power is pretty incredible. Seth works out in the hills every morning. No one's actually seen Jamie fight. And Carmen just needs to be pushed. "They're better than you think."

"You say that with confidence, but can you make them believe it?"

"I'll try beating it into them."

"Have you heard of Mark James?"

"No."

"He was the reason team matches haven't returned to Colt Arena. He found a loophole that upset a lot of people. On Friday, he rested completely, forfeiting all of his fights. So on Saturday, he was given the underdog card and moved through the rankings. He actually won the tournament."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Sounds like something you'd do."

It sounds like he cheated. I'd rather be beaten to death than to skip out on a match.

Carmen exits my room and joins us near the dining area. "I have practice, Dad. You can send scouts to watch over us in case he comes again, but I'm sure Shiva destroyed his suit and I left a pretty nasty cut on his arm."

"I'll send someone who can sense their surroundings, since you have the eyes and ears."

Carmen gleefully follows behind me as I leave the building.

When we make it to the arena, I meet with our new team in Gonzales' room. She gave me permission to train and torment the others in her labyrinths. A drunken Seth, a hungry Richard, and the silent Brit wait patiently at a few desks as I shift the classroom around to create a two layer maze.

While I'm still getting things done at the podium, Richard walks over to me and utters, "Looks like you're having a shitty day."

I chuckle at his ability to recognize a bad situation. "I am."

"Are you going to keep pouting about it, or are you going to do something?"

"Is that a challenge?"

"I could smack you around a few times until you feel better."

I blow him off. He laughs and places his thick palm on my head. "That's better." Richard moves his arm much faster than I knew he could and pulls me over the desk. The spartan wraps me in a choke hold that I'd struggle breaking even if I weren't wrapped in bandages. We fight like brothers for a moment. He whips me over his hip and slams me on the ground.

No longer in his grip, I use my advanced speed to appear behind him.

That didn't work.

As though he knew exactly where I'd stop, Richard ties his arms around me and crushes me with an endearingly painful hug.

"Whenever someone's that fast, they always get cocky and show up behind you." He squeezes me tightly until I tap on his waist. We both laugh at my loss. "Now teach me how to get faster, Carmen." His eyes are still focused on me.

Richard nods his head and I return the gesture to acknowledge that I'm feeling better. A lot better.

_My ribs ache. Ow._

Twenty Two

After weeks of very intensive training, Seth takes our group to Compton in order to show us around. We arrive after sunset on Friday. Dennis permitted me to drive everyone.

For now, I don't have much to worry about. I made it through four weeks without watching Carmen have another breakdown or having to survive a knife jabbed in my gut. It's been too long since I've had this much peace.

This time was beneficial for Carmen too. She's learning a bit about confidence.

Since we started training, she's been more willing to leave my side. Instead of sticking with Dennis as my backup, she often drifts to Seth, Richard, and Jamie, but only when all three are together.

Jamie still doesn't say more than a word or two per day, but she refuses to speak to the others. Strangely, she has an attachment to me. I still want to get her to talk more openly. I plan to find some alone time with her today. I don't know how, but I'll manage.

We're at the cross street of Alondra and Atlantic. Cars zip by as we sit outside of a two-story yellow building, Dale's Doughnut. A large and dirty stone doughnut rests on top of the structure. There's a huge piece missing from the upper right corner as though a Titan took a bite of it.

As we wait for our treats to be brought to us on the street tables, I read the history displayed over the clerk's head inside of the building. Supposedly, the gigantic doughnut is the original one from the twentieth century. Though most of the land was destroyed during the GAW, they salvaged the massive design and decided to place it back up without changing a thing.

As the hot treats are brought to our table, Seth does something surprising, he gestures for Jamie to take the first one. Richard does the same for both women, which I would expect. But even when Seth's taking the proper amount of sips, he's not that courteous.

Jamie bites into the glazed doughnut and her eyes sparkle.

"You like it?" I ask.

"Umm hmm." Though her face is still expressionless, I can tell she's enthused. Seth smiles at her before taking one of his own.

"Do you like it?" I ask Seth while motioning towards Jamie. He understands my gesture and turns red.

Still chewing, he fumbles, "The doughnuts are great. Try one."

"Sure that's what I meant. No need to avoid the actual topic at hand."

Richard swallows two doughnuts within seconds. He taps his fingers on the table nervously. When he notices that we're all watching him, he turns to Carmen and admits, "I'm still slow."

"You're getting better."

Simultaneously, Seth and I contest, "No he's not."

"Don't say that," she whines. "He's not improving in timing, but he has better balance and coordination."

That's true. "But you're still damn slow," Seth adds to complete my thought. I agree non-verbally.

I hand Richard another doughnut. "We'll start helping. She's good at strengthening your core, Seth knows how to make you light on your feet, and I'm the master of beating the hell out of people. I think we can get this to work if we all join in."

Seth teases, "Then we can all hold hands and sing spirituals with Kay playing the guitar." I throw a crumb at Seth and everyone laughs. "Seriously though Kay, if you make the training any harder I'll die."

"Then die."

I definitely managed to get under his skin again. Jamie even notices with a mouth full of a chocolate doughnut. She looks to her left to see Seth fight his anger.

"Why would you say that?"

"If you're not going to push yourself to be more than a drunk, die. But if you want everyone to know that you are better than Leonardo, stop bitching."

A tour bus pulls up behind us. It's red and looks a lot like the trams that travel around our school.

"Where does that go?" Carmen asks as Seth fixes his face on mine. "Hey Seth, where does the tour go?"

Finally noticing that she's talking to him, he replies, "All around the local shops and a few attractions down by Watts."

"I want to go," she shouts while standing. "Come on you guys. We rarely get out of the school; I want to do something fun."

Richard and Seth stand up and walk on her side of the table. Jamie undresses the final doughnut with her eyes.

"Kay," Carmen says sweetly.

"I'm staying. I need to check out a place called The Darke Lord before I leave."

"The weird hat shop?" Seth asks sounding confused.

"I think it's a bar as well, but I need to speak with the guy that used to give me cigars."

Carmen readily interjects, "But Hayley said you couldn't have anymore." The expression on her face says she's not going without me and she hates that I want to stay.

"You three go. Call me when you're done and we'll meet at the arcade. You all can get embarrassed when a blind guy beats the hell out of you. And Seth, don't trying bragging because Antonio's been training me in all of your favorite games. You really pissed him off three months ago so don't look confused either."

He motions to say something with his finger raised, but it looks as though he remembered calling Antonio his "digital whore" before passing out on the couch and leaving a mess for the nanobots to clean up.

Carmen tries sitting back down at the table, but I grab her butt and lift her into Richard's arms. He carries her to the tour bus kicking and screaming, "Well at least send Jamie!"

With a mouth full of the final glazed doughnut she says, "I'd prefer to stay with Kay."

Carmen flops into her seat on the bus. It stays on the curb. I decide not to leave until they take off. I don't want to motivate her escape attempt. It's not like she'd get far. Richard has her trapped at the window seat. She's definitely not moving him out of the way.

Two minutes tick by with Carmen whining to Richard about leaving Jamie alone with me. When the bus finally takes off, he claps loudly and playfully screams, "Yeah!"

The vehicle passes a group of business professionals and their slave. They progressively march towards Jamie and me. There are two men wearing platinum god rings on their index fingers. One demigoddess walks a step behind them while trying to keep up with their "witty" conversation.

I thought the gods were different out here, but I was obviously wrong. Though each of the gods and the demigoddess are dressed nicely in black suits and ties, their slave isn't so privileged. She's wearing a simple black jumpsuit and a gold mask that only covers her mouth.

A tall, arrogant man with brown hair and disgustingly large eyes commands the slave, "Get us two dozen variations for the office."

The slave points to herself. I guess that's her way of asking for one. The demigoddess snickers under her breath and finds a seat two tables away from us. The man rolls his eyes and sits next to the snobbish woman.

The slave takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Under the mask she spitefully mumbles, "Selfish dick." Then, she spins around and walks away.

When she crosses our table I ask, "Hey. Is that the Mask of Stability?" The slave nods and avoids eye contact, not that my eyes are open. "You can talk directly to me. I can hear you."

She lowers her head. "No one can hear me with it on."

"Then take it off." Her eyes widen as she briefly glances at Jamie and me. "You'll still be a slave to that dick, but at least you'll be able to talk."

"I'll be weak," she renounces.

The big eyed dick raises his hand as though I were his server. "Hey kid. Need something? My slave is a bit busy, but maybe I can assist you."

The mildly attractive woman under the mask bounces up and down nervously. Her feet move while staying in one place. "I need to go sir. If you don't need anything, I'll be on my way."

Ignoring both Dick and the slave's business, I drag out my words when asking, "Is he your brother?"

She shakes her head. "He was my boyfriend before I wore this. Hmph. I guess an Ape can't really have a god for a boyfriend."

"You gave up your life for power? Now what? You take orders for doughnuts. With that mask, you'd probably be a really strong gladiator. Dying in a match would still be better than this."

Dick's group stands up and walks over to us. The slave raises her hands nervously as the idiots tower over me.

"I can kill him for you and you'd be free. How's that?"

"Excuse me," Dick interrupts.

The slave shakes her head and rushes into the shop. Shrugging, I grab the pink box that Richard and Jamie practically slaughtered on their own.

"Who the hell are you threatening to kill?" Dick asks angrily. I ignore him once more and try walking away, but he grabs my arm. Though he's not a gladiator, all gods have some level of power. I wouldn't be shocked if he were presently stronger than me. "Hey kid. I'm talking to you. Don't you know I'm a—"

Both Dick and I take a step back from each other as his blood leaks from his hand to the ground. Why is he bleeding?

The other two grab Dick and advise him to put pressure on the very deep wound. Jamie stands next to me. Coldly, she articulates, "Watch where you put your hands." Then, she turns to face me. I'm not sure what she did or how she did it, but I'm all for blood.

I throw away the box and begin our journey through Compton. Jamie follows at her own pace. She's not lagging behind me, just walking slowly. I allow her to catch up and adjust my speed to hers.

"Are you happy?"

"Very," she replies as though she couldn't be more bored.

"Do you like Compton?"

"It is beautiful." Several seconds tick by and she mumbles, "Different."

"There's something. Why is it different?"

Jamie stops in the middle of the sidewalk, "Because it is."

"Give me something to work with Jamie. Where are you from, who are your parents, and why do you hate talking?"

"Compton. They are nice people, but deceased. And I love talking and this conversation."

"Let's run a test. Could you smile for me?" Her face doesn't move. "Great. Could you look angry." Again, it stays the same. "Now, show me bored." I scrutinize her final expression. "You followed all of my instructions, right?"

"Obviously."

"Thought so." Another short moment of silence passes between us, but I don't want to lose the momentum of this damn slow conversation. "How are you from Compton with a British accent?

"I spent centuries in Tartarus with the others, though my entire body was trapped there. Don't you remember? Most of Tartarus' victims are from England. I just picked up their accent I guess. Funny. They never picked up mine." She releases a sound that must be a laugh for her.

Two cars crash right next to us. Jamie stops to look inside of both. Once she notices that they're alright, she continues walking with me.

"Jamie, I don't remember anything about my dreams in Tartarus. Actually, I thought they were dreams."

"I wondered why you ignored me. You always flirted with me in there, but once I made it out, you never said a word. It was depressing." She takes three fast steps to tap me on the shoulder. "Is Carmen really your type?"

"You don't think so?"

"I thought I was, but maybe not. You need someone..."

"What?"

"With bigger balls."

"You think I'm gay?"

"No. Metaphorically."

"Say that next time. She's sweet though."

"Sweet doesn't work well with you."

"True. So how'd you get out of Tartarus?"

"You and sis—" Jamie directs her head at the ground and briefly clenches her eyes. It takes time for the tension to leave her face, but she eventually returns to her normal, boring demeanor. "You and Shiva killed him."

Wrapping my arm around Jamie, I ask, "Why can't I hear anything under your clothes, specifically your back?"

"Because I hide it from you, like you hide your mind from me."

"What's back there?"

"Access to your weapon of course."

"Shiva's on my arm."

Jamie touches my wristband, which is hanging over her right shoulder. Sparks fly against her face. I try removing my hand so she's not shocked, but she holds my arm steadily.

"Why are you trying to move away already? You never show me this affection anymore and you're suddenly ready to depart."

"I don't understand. You just made Shiva react. That's impossible."

"I was asking for permission to speak freely with you. Sister says that you already know about her spirit, you were just a bit unsure of the host."

"You're Shiva's data? They're supposed to be liminal beings. Oh. You shape shifted."

"No. Spirits or data—whatever you prefer—can take many forms. I am human, an old human, but I am one."

"How old?"

"The start of World War T."

With those words, we arrive in front of The Darke Lord. Like the rest of the buildings, it's under five stories high. There are only three levels and it's relatively small, but there are plenty of customers packed on the inside.

"You were tortured for that long? I'm sorry." I lower my head. "I didn't know."

"No worries. It was my decision."

"Why?"

"To help you, of course."

"Excuse me for sounding like an idiot—which is rare—but seeing how you were frozen in time, you couldn't have known about me."

"We had pretty advanced technology that your society underestimates today. We are the innovators of the barcode steroid."

"We?"

"Adrenaline's team. You wouldn't know much about him. History books leave him out of the debate. He's an insignificant human." Her words have fire to them now and her speech sounds less formal. I notice more life behind her, but not much. If it weren't for her current passion, I wouldn't have realized how she's drastically opened up in the past few minutes. "He's the one that started the war; Eve's ancestor."

"So now you're telling me I'm a part of some prophesy? You guys tiptoe around this lightly, but I'm waiting on one of you to admit it. I don't play that I have a destiny crap."

"If you have such a fate, it is one we created. We made our own destiny by deciding that we'd do something about the way the world works. I am the only one that will see how you carry this through. But when you're ready, I will be here, by your side."

Flirting a bit too much, I croon, "That's obviously your way of saying I have a new girlfriend."

"Actually, I think I like Seth, but you are still cute, and I still really care for you."

Removing my hand from her shoulder, I turn around and walk backwards to the red brick building. "I had to get turned down eventually."

"And Kode?"

"What's up?"

"I am unsure of what type of girl you will choose." Her sentence trails off as she welds her eyes to her shoes. "And I am only allowed to fight with your permission, but if you accept Carmen, I will kill her."

"Maybe I'll train her to see the fight carried through."

"Think about this: of all the people in the world, I am your weapon. She is as good as dead." This time, I fully notice the smirk before the emotionless weapon returns.

"You're not coming in?"

"I am happy simply to be here."

I try pulling the door open to the building, but it's locked. I shake the handles a few times. Nothing. I decide to take another approach by speaking to a guy on the other side of the black glass. "Excuse me kind sir, open the damn door."

Looking around wildly, he stands from his seat. "Who's saying that? Where's your voice coming from?"

"Right in front of you."

"Sound cannot travel from this side to the next and you're a mere human. There's no way you could..." his words begin breaking up as his bottom lip quivers. "Dear Writer. Could it be?"

The tall and feminine man in a pink suit runs around frantically until he gets his tablet.

When he presses a button, the glass sucks me in and I fall on the floor. "Next time, send a warning. Something like, watch your step, is actually simple enough."

"My apologies. Please," he says while helping me up. "Place your finger on this and you'll have access to speak with the other gods. Who are you here to see particularly?"

"Hades."

"Oh. He talks about you non-stop."

I place my finger on the tablet. Nothing happens. I'm worried that he'll think I'm a phony, but the slender guy loudly shouts, "Oh this stupid thing."

He sticks his thumb on it and firmly says, "Anicetus." He repeats the process three more times. Finally, the tablet signs his name into the guest book. "Worthless technology created by Zeus. Honestly, he's just trying to compete with his host, but everyone finds it hilarious. He wasn't made to innovate technology. Geez. Who does he think he is?"

Anicetus grabs my hand and slaps it on the tablet. "It works faster this way. Not really, but when I show my brother he'll be so jealous."

With all the fake god's names being thrown around, I decide to jest, "And where is Alexiares? Guarding the back door?"

"Ugh. Yes. And his gate leads to the Olympus chambers. I get to do guest work for Hades." He sarcastically drones, "Hooray for me. And it's all because," he rips my hand from the tablet, "I hit on Phobus when I was drunk." Okodemah appears in the guest book, but he doesn't notice. "He goes around screaming like a little girl. Just because being a bit grabby-grabby with guys isn't in anymore, they get all high and mighty on me."

"Look! I'm sorry about your deathly boring drama, but I think that's my name." I point to the tablet after a few seconds of silence.

"By the gods," he mouths. "It really is you!"

Hades bursts out of the door overhead. Then, he rushes down the black and red steps yelling, "Thank you Anicetus." He wraps his huge hand around my shoulder while dragging me up the stairs. "Goodness Okodemah. If you mentioned that you were dropping by, I would have thrown Alexiares at the door. How long did he hold you?"

"Too long."

Hades' laugh rumbles the walls while he pulls me into a bar. When I step inside of the room, cigars drop from mouths, music stops, and the few people that are dancing sexually with each other do also. The most noticeable shocked face is a guy with all white hair and a very neatly shaped beard. He advances towards me, and steps off the dance floor next to a table full of powerful looking businessmen. Gramps was grinding with someone that I imagine wasn't his wife. She's much younger and that wedding band on his finger is not quite as new.

Before I can take another step, everyone in the bar rushes towards me.

Hades points out various names and faces and I record each one into my data. These don't look like the type of people that would be happy if I forgot. Names include Shango, Chantico, Loa, Uluru, Morrigan, Sun Wukong, Eros, Indra, Akuma, and the list goes on.

My host pushes me to the back of a large and dark nook. The only lights in the room come from candles on tables and a few glowing cigars. Raven's playing with a glass of barcode ink, causing it to radiate by waving his hand over it.

Hades throws me into his VIP section, which is basically a booth with leather seats. He's protecting me from the big and powerful by a half-closed curtain.

He turns around and waves at a small man, nearly the same size as me. Hades takes a seat as the man walks into the curtained area. He graciously extends his hand.

"Okodemah, I'd like you to meet Ra. He's wanted to see you—well face-to-face—for so long. And you don't have to worry, he's not like us. I'm not much of a gentleman to you, but this man watches you constantly."

"Oh please," the dark-skinned man appears neat and sounds easy. The two words flowed from his lips with elegance and he sits with a crown of honor. "I do not deserve such an introduction. I'm just thrilled to meet the man whose eyes will rival my own."

"So I can open them?"

"I've seen them plenty. Have no fear."

I blink a few times to help process the vivid colors surrounding me. I haven't opened my eyes all day. Cracking them open now feels like I'm just waking up. "If you're impressed by mine, you should see my spirit's."

"I have," Ra replies quickly. "But the universe is visible through a telescope. Infinitely traveling data exists nowhere, but with you."

"So Hades," I say as he offers me a cigar. When I decline, he scrunches his face. I remove my last lollipop and shove it in my mouth. "I think you know a lot about what's happening to me and I'm willing to listen now. What's going on?"

"Are you also willing to accept that we are gods and not hosts?"

"Immortals, or all-seeing deities that watch over people and answer prayers?"

Hades holds up his massive hands, shaking them swiftly. "Oh no. I'll accept the first one. I can hardly keep up with my own business. You can give Ra the second."

"Then, I'm willing to believe you, but for all I care, Ra is a guy named Ramon with some awesome eyes."

Ra's pupils and iris are a solid red. I think he has them activated. They must be some other color when they're not. Then again, mine are always activated, unless I'm bleeding to death.

Neither man says a word for a few seconds. Simultaneously, they break into a roaring laughter. White Beard storms into the room, interrupting their good time. If I were to guess, I'd say he hates me.

"What's up Gramps?"

"Boy!" He stomps towards me with a solid red face, but Ra waves his finger. This guy just stopped someone three times bigger with his index.

I love Ra. I want to be Ra.

I mimic his finger movement while he smoothly threatens, "Zeus. You know better than to interrupt my conversations in this room. Now, exit calmly."

Hades sputters, "Please don't start another fight bro. Please. You know what happened last time you pissed off Tezcatlipoca. I can't pay for damages like that again." Hades snickers, "Unless you bet against Okodemah the way you did last time."

Zeus blares, "Hades!"

"Gentlemen. I've waited some time to speak with this young man and I am in no mood for games. He is on a delicate path," the small man turns to me before continuing, "and in the presence of trouble. You may remain in the room Zeus, but listen without speaking a word or I swear on your name, I will drag you to the underworld myself."

Hades regains his composure. If Ra really is the Egyptian god, their power must be the real thing. He's silencing the immortal White Beard.

I snap my fingers and point to everyone in the room. "Who has something they want to say to me? I've got trouble coming my way. Why?"

Ra turns to Hades, "May I?"

"By all means. You know way more than me. I just put my money on black and let it ride."

"Thank you. You are Karma's son."

I narrow my eyes while analyzing Ra's face. He's serious. "Karma?"

"Essentially, yes. As her son, you have the power to further offset balance, which is what this world needs."

"Explain."

"Good and evil are not balanced and haven't been since I've been praised. But it was Zeus that lost control of Karma."

Zeus clutches his fist and I'm sure that somewhere in the world, children are dying because of it. His hand seems mightier than I ever imagined mine could be.

"So Gramps had Karma?"

"Yes. I passed her along when I lost my authority over the world, but it is not all his fault. My kings ruled mercilessly. They created entire systems that enslaved their people. But it was Zeus' followers that mastered the art of enslaving minds. Once Karma lost her control, Buddha was furious." Ra chuckles lightly. "He tried with all his might to restore her, but she wasn't the same."

Remembering some of the history lessons I learned from Takashi, I say, "When she was lost, the worlds broke out into more war. Not the physical kind, but the mental. People were plagued, hell bent on killing each other and not stopping the ones responsible for their sufferings."

"Yes."

"An example is Michelle Smith. There was a time when things that happened to her were widespread."

"Correct. Though they are prevalent now, it was dominant in society then. But it's during times like these that heroes rise."

"Was it Adrenaline?"

"You recently learned of him. Yes, Kairo Bevel. He died fighting the systems set in the world and started the greatest war known to man. Because of him, people refused to be ignored and manipulated. They did more than simply fight each other; they went after governments with all their might."

"If I'm supposed to further offset the corruption and war, isn't that a bad thing?" Ra doesn't respond. He shows no emotion or reaction to my words. "Are you saying I'm good or evil?"

"You tell us," Hades charges so powerfully that I feel as though I'm back under the pressure of massive waves in the ocean.

Ra concludes, "You are an option. Spencer was as well. He chose his fate. We'll see what you do with yours." As he stands up, Ra hands me an ancient necklace. It has gray pearls linked by a simple looking rope. "You seem to push the others for finals, but you'll have to fight."

Gramps storms out of the room and the other two gods wave as they exit. I remember hearing Dennis tell my enemy/friend that he had a choice when he woke up. His was simple: the darkness or the light. Strangely, I feel as though people are actually pointing me to the darkness.

Twenty Three

Finals are only one day away, and my team is still quite pitiful. Richard isn't speeding up any, but seems to get heavier with each passing day. Jamie won't practice and Seth only improves when he drinks excessively. Instead of pushing them any further, we decided to take another day off. I know how much Dennis is suffering and I want to be there for him. Though he tries to hide it, his heart's been beating irregularly all day.

Today marks the anniversary of Spencer's death, and the potential declaration of Talib's freedom.

"Are you really going to watch the match?" Carmen asks after I stick another lollipop into my mouth and walk up the stairs leading to Dennis' booth.

"I can hear it anyway. Might as well see it with my own eyes."

Dennis chose to remain in his office, but made sure to reserve the room for only me.

As I continue my stroll towards the glass window that provides an amazing view of the field, Carmen gleefully announces, "Okay. Well, I need to go get ready for tonight. I just wanted to hang out with you a little longer."

The gorgeous girl quickly blinks and looks outside of the window as I spin around. She takes a deep breath before establishing an eye connection. Carmen's made a conscious effort to not be afraid of my data and it's been working. Sometimes she stares into them for no reason at all. Whatever my data does to her must be intense. I once noticed her muscles twitching involuntarily.

As I examine the massive sports room with memorabilia, and plenty of seats and television screens, I think of all the suits that have bet on some human's death while laughing, smoking cigars, and drinking Scotch. Many are no different than Helios in their ambitions, but they all think of him as some grand evil. This red, white, and blue room is filled with the pride of a corrupt system.

Gods and demigods are treated as royalty in this world. Their lives are precious. However, mortals are deemed as "Apes" because of their primitiveness, or lack of power. That's how I was treated all my life. An expendable Ape.

This booth represents everything I hate about Colt Arena and the gladiator system. I came here to destroy it, but lost that focus along the way. Now, I have a beautiful girl dying to get closer to me. She wants my love and affection, but my heart yearns for hatred and devastation.

"Don't go."

"Why not?" The often clumsy goddess is quite gifted at being seductively persuasive when she focuses. Carmen's hips sway smoothly as she approaches me. Once she's close enough, the beauty presses her body against mine. "You plan on finding some quality time for me, or will you keep practicing? You're too busy for me now."

"We're always together and we both have work to do. How is that too busy?"

"Training isn't the same. I want to trap you under a cover. But if you're not going to let me do what I want to your body, at least watch a movie with me."

"I'm watching one now. Valentine's Obsession. It just started a few blocks down. Another stupid romance where the couple kisses at the end after surviving a near death experience. They both lose their parents and friends in the process, but luckily they have each other."

"It's romantic."

"That doesn't happen in real life. Women are always searching for some magical kiss or intimate moment. Guys want a nut. There are two opposing objectives."

"Guys should get more romantic and change their objectives," she asserts with an alluring tone before pushing me away. "What would you prefer? To have me speak dirty to you?" Carmen lies on the blue couch a few feet behind me and spreads her legs. In her best sex operator voice, she teases, "Come put it in, papi. Is that better?"

"What about me reminds you of a stereotypical guy? I never wanted either."

"Can you at least tell me why you want me to stay?"

My chest burns as I release the breath stuck in my lungs. "When you go you'll prove how worthless women are."

"What?"

"Does that offend you? The fact is, women are worth less than my left testicle."

"Papi!"

"You'll play right into an oppressive stereotype when you go prance around for the bigot. He's going to put you on display to show that even women gladiators can be controlled."

"That's not it."

"The top three female warriors of the century were Amazons from Yang Arena. Beyond them, no armored vagina is respected or appreciated. Hannah Carey and Michelle Miyamoto were on their way to defying those statistics, but I helped kill one and made the other run away."

"Angie."

"She had potential to be the greatest gladiator of all time, without activating her barcodes, until she lost that match to Malik. I'm sure that was an intentional plan orchestrated by Vincent. The same man pulling your strings."

I've pissed Carmen off properly, but she doesn't bite. Instead, she changes the subject, "You don't want romance or sex. What," under her breath she adds, "or should I say, who do you want?"

Hating myself for sounding so corny, I mumble, "I'm perfectly fine with having someone love me for what I am."

"I do. Now, it's your turn to do the same." She stands up and spins around. "I'm a horny romantic. You have to take all of it."

Returning to my original point, I demand, "Don't go."

"I have to." Carmen fights her own desires. "I need to know why you want me to stay, but I don't want to hear it. Let me kiss you. Open your thoughts up to me again."

"Vincent's going to use you." My eyes focus on her. My sight is blurry. I think my eyes are tearing up, but I don't feel any serious emotions. I shouldn't be this hurt. "I've been listening to their ideas all week."

She shakes her head and attempts to fake a smile, but I'm clearly upsetting her. "That's okay. Look, you stopping me from doing this is like me stopping you from going to the dungeon. We both have responsibilities for this crazy family."

"My responsibilities hurts others. Yours is hurting your self-esteem and pride."

"Pride is overrated."

"That's religious bullshit. Pride is what keeps me going."

"And what stops you from loving me!" Her voice is heightened and blood is pumping. "You may think you're the only person that has trouble, but you're not. We all have problems; don't judge me for how I handle mine. I'm sick of your accusatory eyes."

"Interesting. I thought you hated how terrifying they were. But is that what you see in them? Accusations?"

"I'm going." As she walks to the door, I swiftly reach for her arm and yank her towards me. "Let me go."

"Why do you have a responsibility to be there?" Her eyes water and I snap, "Screw your tears! Answer the damn question and stop crying your problems away."

"I have to go," she whimpers in a pleading voice.

"What the hell are you hiding from me? Why does Vincent have so much control over you? Just admit that you know they're going to hurt you. I need you to say it. Because if you leave, I'm not going to save you."

"He's my husband!" she blares through the pain radiating in her arm and the agony piercing her heart. "I've wanted you to save me all this time. I want you, papi. I don't want some family fortune. I want you to save me. He's my husband, and I hate him. He hates me. Angie does too because we're the same age. He's my husband."

All this time, she's been holding this back.

The judgmental looks from friends or people passing us in the skyscraper all make sense now. Everyone knew but me. The Moreno-Colt are a secret that Vincent somehow let out, and I'm the only idiot that didn't see through it.

Releasing her arm, I calm my breath and turn back towards the window.

"Papi," she cries sweetly. "You're going to let me go? You have to save me. I need you." She nearly falls, but gains the strength to approach me. "I'm sorry I kept this a secret, but—"

The force etching through my body fills my small frame. The venomous energy stirs wildly. I look over my shoulders with a determination that could kill. Carmen rushes to hold me, but is blocked as my force pushes her back. Before it completely explodes, I mutter, "Fuck off."

The shock wave releases a blast that thrusts Carmen out of the room. She smashes into the hallway wall and blood creeps down her neck. Chairs, couches, and tables twirl in the booth until the door slams shut.

Directing my eyes and ears towards the field, I listen as Thomas announces the fight, "Are you ready people? This is the moment everyone has waited for; Talib Lion's last match at the Colt Arena! Unfortunately for the duo of Talib and Jay Jay, their final fight will be with the Spartan gym from Berkeley, California. These savages are known for their breeding processes. I'd like to welcome: Schmidt Arena!"

The crowd cheers loudly as both sides step onto the battleground. Talib and Jay Jay are matched against two men that I imagine were handpicked by Dennis. These guys are massive and their muscles sound as though they were built for speed and crushing power.

Both are blond with blue eyes. They're an inch or two taller than the massive Jay Jay, and covered by large and bulky golden chest plates. Their red densely-padded pants and large diamond shields make them serious threats.

Over time, Jay Jay has become more gruesome himself. He's lost a lot of fat and his skin seems darker. It's like he's been training in the sun every day. Talib has taught him various fighting techniques that he didn't know before. The two are often paired together because that's what many fans want to see. Dennis still won't go against his fan's wishes, no matter how much he hates the beast.

Then again, it isn't like he should want Talib to lose. The lion is profit as much as he is a prophet.

Thomas yells, "I'm not supposed to be biased up here, but ya'll know me. I'm sad to see you go Talib. Let the match begin!"

The two men from Schmidt Arena run away from their targets as Jay Jay activates his barcodes. They separate in a perfectly even V-shape and I don't blame them. They've obviously watched a lot of film on the two warriors and know that head-on attacks mean death.

Once the men are a considerable distance away and Jay Jay's tattoo is a bloody red, the Colt team chases down the Schmidts. Their opponents aim their shields and fire a bright beam that covers the field in the same V-pattern. Both Talib and Jay Jay are hit and don't seem like they'll be up any time soon.

Converting the shields into diamond staffs, the Schmidt team hunts down their prey. Jay Jay rolls to the side to dodge his attack and Talib catches his opponent's weapon. I can hear crackling under his palm.

The staff continues to burn Talib's hands. The sizzling sound increases and the tip of the spear pierces his arm. Talib windmills his legs and trips his attacker. The two roll over each other and Talib stabs the man in the heart, through his armor, with his bare hand.

"That's one down," Thomas blares. "Where you at, Jay Jay?"

Jay Jay is stabbed in the leg by his opponent. He doesn't even grunt before he pulls the Schmidt warrior in and catches him between his arm. He spins the blond around and chokes him tightly. The man tries hitting the staff to make Jay Jay lose focus, but it doesn't work. Once he's weak enough, Jay Jay snaps the man's neck and removes the diamond spear from his leg.

Talib walks over to help his friend as the crowd screams loudly.

I leave the room and exit to the dungeon, listening to the people chant the name of the first liminal being to fight his way from gladiator prison.

Once I'm underground, I don't have to hear anything from the above world. There's no Carmen or Dennis down here. I can skip out on the fans and avoid the self-inflicted torture for the night. My schedule isn't as long as I'd like it to be, but maybe I can visit Hades' place when it's time to leave.

I spend a few hours sitting and converting Shiva into various weapons. Though she and I have plenty of energy to spare, she zaps me. "What's that for?" I tap on her a few times and she hits me harder. "You're mad at me? Whatever." Shiva returns to wristbands, tighter than usual.

With nothing else to distract me, I turn my attention to the movement in the shadows. It has been the same for twenty minutes. "Blue-Skin are you going to come out or just stand there with your creepy expression the entire time? It's rude to stalk people in the dark."

"I was just worried about you," he says as he steps away from two black rocks. "You seem upset."

I inhale a large whiff of fog. The girls really did make it thicker. I've been so pumped up with their power down here, I thought I'd return to my normal self. I feel my muscles expanding inside of my bandages.

Though it's nice seeing Blue-Skin, I don't really want to hang out with anyone right now.

The deliveryman continues gawking at me. I try making my desire to be alone obvious, "Why are you here? You don't transport on Thursdays."

"That's because I generally have a date, thanks to you."

"Make ugly babies. Have a nice life."

"Do you think you'll ever do something like that?"

"What?"

"Make ugly babies and have a nice life."

"Probably not."

"We all make our own decisions, I guess."

"Now you're my psychologist?"

"I've been through our psycho-therapy a few times." I look at him with a twisted expression. "What? You don't know how lonely it gets down here for thousands of years. Kid, you're complaining about a miserable twenty years of life. Try not having a date for a few centuries."

"Point taken."

"After a small forever, I discovered that you are your own roadblock."

"You learned that through how many centuries of therapy?"

"None. You taught me when you encouraged me to ask the Charon on a date. Come to find out, she was just as eager to go out as me. She was lonely all that time."

"I'm touched."

Blue-Skin removes a glass bottle wrapped inside of a protective cushion from the brown pouch around his waist. "We tried making twenty of these, but only one came out with enough power. It's not easy to filter this fog back into water."

"Thanks." When I remove the glass bottle from his hand, a chill shoots through my body. It's a horrible feeling.

"I could be wrong, but you look pretty down."

"I have a lot on my mind."

"Whatever you're going through is probably bad. I've never had human problems, but let me say that you're strong enough to get over it." Without waiting on a response, he disappears into the shadows.

As I climb the stairs, I wonder why I'm so upset with Carmen. She didn't lie, but I still feel like an idiot for prancing around the academy like a couple. I basically told a married woman that I love her.

I promised that I'd always protect her if she were within reach; then, I let her go into harm's way.

As I leave Casey's room and close the dungeon, I listen to a conversation between Malik, Wesley, and Patrick. They're all snacking on zebra jerky and laughing in the hallway directly outside.

Malik and Patrick have a lot of bruises on their faces. It seems that their bullying doesn't go unanswered anymore. After students found out that his match with Angie was fixed, a lot more people have stood up to him. Many aren't strong enough, but with him in bandages and them in groups, the odds have worked themselves out. This idiot no longer dominates the arena and it shows on his face.

"Can't we just go for a second?" Patrick pleads while bouncing up and down like he has to pee.

Malik grabs his leg and drags him down. "No. I don't want people to see my face like this. The bitch wouldn't kiss me, even with Vincent screaming at her. Plus, Monte said he needed to do something, so we have to make sure our hands are clean. We're on the school cameras here; we have an alibi."

Wesley's on the opposite side of the hallway against the wall. He probes, "Just tell us, dude. He's going to kill someone again. I know he is."

"Shut up Wes. Someone could hear."

"No one's here; I've checked a million times already." Wesley's voice is deep, manly. He's gotten more powerful since last year. Even Malik might see him as a threat if they were to face each other at finals.

The demanding tone from his friend convinces the mutt to reveal a bit of the secret, "I think he's trying to kill some of the girls this time. I don't know. I just gave him the stuff he needed for the drinks."

"But Monte can't be there either, right?" Patrick inquires while biting into his jerky.

"No. He'll probably do it like the other party. I gave him some stuff to make them a little woozy. It's strong, trust me. It even works on gods."

"I know what you're talking about. I used it on Selena."

"Me too," Malik teases. A look of disgust stretches across Wesley's face. He flashes his barcodes to scan the area. I wait to hear him rat me out, but he never says a word. "Oh come on Pat. You know I'm just kidding."

Wesley flashes his codes again. It's like he knows I'm here. He's trying to communicate something to me, but I can't understand it. Resting his head against the wall, he casually asks, "Who is he after?"

"Carmen. Angie. Not sure. He asked if they'd be there." Malik stuffs a fist full of chips in his mouth before spewing, "But he definitely requested some of my nastiest friends from East LA. Horny guys, were his exact words. Probably wants to make it look like it was rape or something."

"Won't Vincent be pissed?"

"About Angie? Probably. But I don't think he cares for her. Just needs her to make a son. He'll probably have her ovaries removed and thrown on ice, knowing him. Then, he'll put her head on display in his office."

I black out for a second and have to remember where I am. Something screams inside of my flesh as my ears travel down the street to Vincent's building where Monte is just leaving. The guys in that place are touching over the prostitutes from Block 22. Those girls are as slutty as they are deadly.

Carmen nervously takes a drink as Angie watches her from the corner of her eyes. Carmen's wearing a white dress with a slit that travels up her thigh. Angie has on a black one that's very short and shows off her body.

The two are being displayed in the center of a party crowd on throne-like chairs. Carmen begins wavering slightly. Angie blinks strongly and clutches her teeth. She knows that she's been drugged, but she's trying to play it off. There's nothing left in her cup, but she's pretending to drink it to ward off anyone attempting to set her up. Unfortunately, the toxin is seeping into her brain more with every passing second.

"Stop drinking, you idiot," Angie barks as she snatches the cup from Carmen and puts it with her own. "Sit up straight and fight it off for as long as possible. Don't move."

"But I feel like I have to throw up."

"You don't. It'll kick in more if you move."

"What?"

"Stop talking and present yourself the best way you can."

"What do we do once it kicks in?"

"Shut up," Angie snaps forcefully, causing the drug to react to her heightened blood pressure. "Just follow the same rules for being stuck in the desolate lands."

Wesley draws my attention back to the hallway as he stands up and starts to walk away.

"Where you going?" Malik shouts, raising a bottle of alcohol.

"Restroom." Under his breath he mumbles, "Worthless ass."

"Just make sure you're back soon. I don't want to report to the police that you snuck away to poke your pee-pee in one of the girls."

I'm not thinking straight. My legs are moving on their own.

No. Stop.

I slowly open the door, focusing my attention on the two pricks remaining as Wesley continues his decent down the hallway. He passes up the bathroom and proceeds towards the exit.

The walls expand slightly. I don't mean I'm lightheaded. They stretch from the hostile energy I gradually discharge. The mutt and closet freak giggle and look around.

"Man, I'm drunk." Patrick rubs his eyes and leans his head on Malik. "The walls are moving in my mind, man."

Malik holds his head with both hands. He shivers and releases a disgusting burp. "Whoa. Kay?"

Pulling my hood over my head, I zip up my jacket and pass the idiots. I beg my body to reach over and kill them, but nothing happens. I understand. That's a fight I can't waste time on.

"Nice hoodie, but you're not the only one with cool tricks," Malik teases while moving his hand and making a barking sound. "Oh. I guess it's not the same with the bandages covering my dogs."

The two laugh uncontrollably. The walls expand more and the floor rumbles. I stop dead in my tracks and my heart weighs heavily in my chest.

No. Can't kill them now.

I finally continue down the path, but Malik impedes my progress. "Hey? It's midnight. Do you know where your bitch is? Or is she yours at all?"

Without turning around, screaming, or raging through the hallway—all the things I want to do—my force destroys the area and the museum in it. Armor and shelves bash into the two men as they scream hysterically. The walls crumble and chunks of the ceiling smash onto the floor. The ground splits in some areas and I create thousands of cracks under my feet.

Malik and Patrick are trapped under the debris, but they'll live. I continue my walk and refocus my attention on the girls.

Carmen's head sways as she looks to her left. "Angie. It's hard sitting up straight and I'm pretty sure I'm going to throw up."

She doesn't reply. Angie's drifting in and out of consciousness, but managing to maintain her composure. Carmen, however, panics and tries to stand up to check on her. When she falls, a man the same height and build as Monte catches her. His barcode crackles with the power of a demigod's.

He runs his hand over his smooth hair and insists, "You look tired. Let me help you find a bed."

Carmen whimpers, "No," the entire way.

I try forcing my body to speed up, but it continues walking calmly down the street. I'm fighting half of my will to destroy everything in my path. The other half is trying to make it in time.

As I refocus my attention on Angie, I listen as a blond guy approaches her. "Hey. You don't look so hot." He actually sounds concerned. "You want me to take you into another room?"

Angie's lost all control of her body, but shines her barcodes while biting into her cheek. Blood drips from her mouth. She's trying to power herself up, but can't.

"Oh no. Your mouth's bleeding," the guy drones. He maliciously grabs her waist and throws her over his shoulder.

No one else at the party pays any attention to them. There are hundreds of people dancing with flashing neon lights. Several of the Block 22 girls are pleasing various god-level warriors, and even regular humans, in the next room. The bass in the speakers pumps loudly and the party continues as two innocent women are taken advantage of.

Both ladies are carried into rooms away from the crowd. The men laugh at each other before opening doors on opposite sides of the dark hallway. They carry the girls in and lay them on beds. The guys undress themselves, speechlessly.

My blood becomes a poison that feels as though it could melt my flesh.

Carmen's captor eases his hand across her cheek. The other goes directly after Angie's dress, tearing it and laughing demonically.

They both lean down to kiss the girls and I black out. From the darkness I hear people screaming, windows exploding, and cars crashing through buildings or skidding across the cement.

When my sight returns, both men's blood spills across the girls' beautiful dresses. I inhale deeply and exhale a long and dragged out breath.

I'm in Carmen's room and my clothes are painted red.

I wave my hand to see if I've regained control of my body. My vision is blurred. I continue moving my arm until the surreal feeling vanishes. Then, I rush to Carmen and carry her out of the room.

I run through the dark hallway and place her in the dimly lit lobby directly outside of the party. Because the area is empty, I temporarily leave her alone and run back inside to grab Angie. I can't throw her over my shoulders because of her short dress. Therefore, I cradle her in my arms and move swiftly. While laying her against the wall next to Carmen, I hear two guys yelling over the loud Punk Rap music.

"Did you see little man carrying the tall chick?"

"Yeah. He had Monte's other girl a second ago."

"Should we go get them?"

"I don't know. Maybe he's in on it."

"Yeah. It looked like he had their blood on him. I hope he didn't kill them already. I want one."

"Check him at the door."

I could drag these girls into the stairwell and hide them until it's time to go. I could. I can get them out safely and not cause any issues for Dennis.

Lay low Kay. That's what he would say. Lay low.

But as the men approach us and I analyze the faces of the two women I love so much that it hurts, my chest tingles and I nearly black out again.

Carmen lifts her head and smiles. "See. You love me, papi. I kept praying you'd save me anyway." She sobs a bit, but I can see the determination to withhold her tears. "I knew you loved me."

Laughing through my burning eyes, I utter, "I do."

Angie's head falls on Carmen's shoulder. She's really gone.

"They're coming. Get us home safely." As I hold her hand, and the blood on our skin links us together, she ignites her lips and reads my thoughts. "No baby. Don't. We can get home without any problems."

Carmen's head drifts before she passes out. I stand up, releasing my hold, and consider my options. The worst one is dominating the fight.

No. I'll just drag them to the stairwell and run like she's telling me. Plus, the Block 22 girls are in there. I could lose inside of these bandages and they'll still get their hands on Angie and Carmen.

The two men watch me from the door for what feels like an eternity. The largest one walks right behind me and removes my hood. When he sees my closed eyes, he smiles. "You with Monte?"

My silence causes him to fidget and rub the back of his neck. He even looks back at his friend. If I take any longer to reply, they may attack me.

"He didn't tell you his little brother was coming?"

The big guy steps back. "Oh. His brother? My bad. It's good bro. It's good. It's just, I really like the girl in the black. Pass her on when you done, if you can."

He races back to his friend as the other says, "Man. I want one, but I'm not mad. Let little man get down and we'll move in once he's done. Where you think he'll take them?"

I sold out. I'm so afraid of being attacked while being trapped in these bandages that I can't face some thugs from East Los Angeles.

My legs won't move besides the minor trembling. I eventually grab Angie's arm in order to drag her to the stairwell. I haven't touched my best friend in a year. I recall the oath we made, to always protect each other.

"Fuck it."

I reach inside of my coat and remove the glass bottle. I twist it open and drink the entire twenty-four ounces.

As I increase in size, Angie cries, "Kode?" with her eyes halfway open.

"Yep."

Twenty Four

Later that night, Angie's violent screams wake me from my sleep. I'm sulking in the tub with my clothes on. The water is completely red.

I called Dennis over an hour ago to get Angie a place to sleep. I told him I didn't want her to go back home and gave him minimal information about the situation. I purposely left out my knowledge of Vincent's prostitution, Monte's manipulation, and Malik's blissful ignorance. But Dennis is half-detective. I'm sure he figured out the details before arriving at my place.

Angie's still crying for Kode. Dennis holds her tightly as she fights against him.

"I saw him. I saw him!"

"It was a dream, Angie."

"Then who saved me? Who? Tell me. Who saved me?"

"Kay."

Her cry evolves into a belligerent howl. Her tears carry on for a brief moment. With all of her energy exhausted, she finally holds Dennis back and sobs into his shoulder.

There's one thing I know about Angie. She hates feeling weak. Not only was she nearly taken advantage of by someone beneath her, I came to her rescue for the second time.

Releasing Dennis, she angrily asks, "Why would he save me if he killed Spencer?" Angie coughs several times. Her voice is damaged.

"He's Carmen's security. She was with you."

Dennis leans away and removes a small tablet from his pocket. It's a visitor's key for the building. He holds out his hand for nearly a minute. Angie clenches her jaw as her eyes torch a hole in his hand. Dennis sighs with relief when she finally snatches it away.

"You know where your room is. Kay doesn't want you going back home."

"You don't want me to go back."

"I don't either. Just get some rest, Angie." She fights to keep her balance, slapping Dennis' hand away as he tries to assist her. She's still a bit nauseated and it shows all over my floor. She vomits on the wall directly next to my door. "I'll have someone clean that. I called Stacy and she said she'll have her best suit delivered especially for you in the morning, but you don't have to participate in the finals if you don't want to."

Angie glares at Dennis over her shoulders.

"Malik wasn't there."

"Where?"

"At his banquet. The one that he set up. That's strange. He wasn't there."

"Maybe he had business to attend to."

"Call Stacy back and tell her I want the same suit with the bugs fixed for the G-Force in my boots. And I want the same exact black and green."

Smiling to brighten the situation, Dennis asks, "Why that color?"

"Kode's favorite."

The second she's out of sight, Dennis dashes through my hallways. He rushes into my bathroom, stopping at the door.

Using the voice command Seth had set up, he empties my bloody tub and replaces my water. He cautiously approaches me.

"Open your eyes." I don't comply. I reduce the energy transmitting to my codes and turn my entire world black and white. "Kay! Open them."

I move my lips slowly to ask, "Why?"

"I want you to know that I didn't know about the banquet."

"I'm aware."

"Then why are you acting distant?"

Carmen sits up from her bench and hugs her knees into her chest. Because her skirt is torn, she's showing a bit too much skin; Dennis only glances in her direction before looking away. The blood has settled on her dress, but I cleaned her face and arms over an hour ago.

Her hair is wild and her eyes are just as savage. She's had the roughest night of her life and that says a lot, with so many people out to kill her.

She weakly murmurs, "Because of me."

"This has nothing to do with either of you," I snap.

I use my phone to activate the jets in the tub. Carmen and Dennis turn their heads towards the television playing near the door. Stupid thing turns on with the lights.

Dennis removes his phone and turns up the sound. A reporter articulates, "That's correct Edgar, an entire building with prostitutes, known gangsters, and a few Colt Academy students."

A split screen shows with Edgar, a peppered haired older male and a woman in a long red jacket. Edgar slightly shakes his head and says, "It's such a shame Janet. Colt Academy has really suffered some serious losses over this last year."

"Indeed. Many people are still suspicious about Spencer's disappearance. With him gone and Helios' attack last year, Dennis Colt has struggled to fill the stands. But this makes things much worse. Two seniors ranked in the top ten percent of their class..."

As the woman continues, Carmen interrupts, "Can you turn it off, Mr. Colt?"

"No," he fumes. His response makes me shift in the tub uncomfortably. "You need to hear this. You and Angie should have stood up to Vincent, or reported this to me. If Kay had to shoulder the weight of your mistake, the least you can do is listen."

"...and Block 22 women."

With a concerned expression—the fake kind that all reporters display to seem more human-like—Edgar asks, "Has the Louisiana Block Party Association made a response?"

"Yes, Edgar, but not much. They claim to have no prior knowledge of the Black Widows' choices and say they did not approve their trip. They do not want to point any blame, but openly stated there are some individuals with high powers capable of moving the women as they please."

"This is such a shame. For those of you just tuning in, Janet Moreno is standing outside of a multifunctional skyscraper in Griffith Park. A student party was crashed and taken over by gangsters and prostitutes. Though many fled the premises, those that stayed were murdered by an unknown militia. Some say that about thirteen fully armed men entered the building and slaughtered the ravers. The death toll is at three hundred and nineteen, but is steadily rising as officers find more limbs and fragmented bodies. Janet, I don't know if you'd agree, but this definitely sounds like a setup to me."

"Indeed. The sheer power in that room was unprecedented. The fact that thirteen soldiers could take out that many barcodes is outrageous. Not to mention the carnage on the street. I'm currently standing outside of a crater where some believe a powerful bomb was dropped leaving several bystanders seriously wounded. After speaking with residents and employees in the building, many believe the gangsters and prostitutes were brought here..." Dennis lowers the volume.

Carmen mouths, "Three hundred and nineteen?"

"Did you have to kill everyone?" Dennis' voice is cold and dark. I imagine he already knew the details. He obviously paid off someone to give up that militia information in order to protect me from investigators.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I was pissed."

"Anger is good enough to make you murder both good and innocent?"

"Looks like it."

Carmen squeezes her knees even more and she cries, "But we could've gotten out. I saw you. We were right there. Why didn't you just leave?"

"What the fuck are you both drilling me for? I killed people. So what? If you're upset that I'd mercilessly murder rapists, prostitutes, and a few weak gladiators that would die in war one day, why don't you do something about it?"

"Are you saying we should kill you?"

"Why not? Kill me to stop the murders. Then go do something in society instead of whining over innocent blood. Good people die everyday. Several of the men I killed today would shoot, stab, and rape a good person tomorrow if they could. The Block 22 girls are known as the Black Widows for a reason. There's a collection of the heads they've chopped off in Louisiana. And just in case you're curious, I'm not talking about the heads on your neck."

Carmen jumps up and stands erect, showing more courage than I've ever seen. "That doesn't give you a right to become a murderer. You'll be just like them." Her chest heaves up and down. It's only natural that she'd be this upset with death when her entire purpose is to save lives.

"It's better than being like you. Weak and crying for help. Oh. And that fake clumsy act you play to get attention from me and other guys, not flattering."

She slaps her hand against the wall, causing a loud thud to sound in our small space. "You want me to be strong! Okay. I love you with all my heart! And I'll make you love me." She dramatically whips her hand through the air, but I'm not moved and don't care. It's great to be loved and all, but she still made me feel like an idiot. Carmen watches me closely, possibly expecting some reaction. "Mr. Colt. I want a divorce."

Dennis points to himself. "From me?"

Carmen fumbles over her words, but eventually clarifies, "Your brother."

Dennis swiftly pulls a phone from his pocket and clicks three buttons. Leisurely holding the device in his hand, he projects, "Carmen Colt, do you hereby acknowledge without provocation or influence of any kind, your willingness to choose to remove yourself from the Colt family line?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand that you will be stripped of all rights and privileges, will have no access to your trust fund or fortune, and you will be provided no form of security after this annulment?"

"Seriously? My trust fund? Ugh. Yes."

"You'll have to say that one louder for the recorder."

"Yes!"

The phone beeps three times and he continues, "I, Dennis Colt, under the witness of..."

He dangles the phone right in front of my face. It beeps twice because I haven't responded and don't plan on it. Dennis forcefully jerks it towards my lips. Hardly moving my mouth, I drone, "Kay." He thumps me with his index finger. The pain is so intense, I see three of everything for a few seconds. "Okodemah Payne." Carmen's eyes nearly leap from her head and they begin scanning the entire room. She looks confused, as though she were trying to figure out if she heard the name before.

"Acknowledge Carmen Moreno-Colt's withdrawal from our family name. I accept full responsibility for all events that occur hereafter as the signing official." Dennis plants his thumb on the screen. Three more beeps confirm his identity. Then, he slides the phone across the floor and Carmen does the same. "Carmen, because marriage into the Colt family is a different type of contract, you must choose a new last name to start your new family. Though you were a Colt originally, rules are rules."

I slip under the water and mumble something that they can't hear. Dennis grabs my head and pulls me out, gesturing for me to repeat myself.

"I said, what the hell is wrong with all of you and these patented names? You guys love making us become new people."

Carmen articulates, "Payne. P-A-Y-N-E."

Dennis shouts, "Override and cancel." Shaking his head he snaps, "No!"

Even I laugh at his motion.

"Okay. Love. L-O-V-E." The phone accepts the entry and Carmen's officially divorced. "Now, can you marry me and my feuding husband?"

Dennis says something, but my world turns black. I think I'm falling asleep. My body was so overexerted after turning into my old self that I can't move a muscle. Well, at least my hair grew back. A bit short, but I'll take it.

Twenty Five

Chants from the stadium echo in my head. The sounds of fans cheering and stomping their feet dominate my world until more data flows into my eyes. That's when it hits me. Our finals have already begun.

Seth and Richard are arguing. Their voices aren't clear yet, but it seems that they're unsure which pair should fight in the first match. They exit the gates, towards the center of the battlefield.

I'm resting on a bench inside one of the arena's locker rooms. Carmen's sitting on her knees and rubbing my forehead. Jamie's glaring at her a few feet away. The beautiful goddess kisses me and light rushes into my eyes.

Jamie eases over to us and places her foot on the back of Carmen's head. With a hint of aggression in her voice, she menaces, "If you kiss him one more time, I'm going to kill you."

"But he's my husband. I can do what I want." Jamie slowly retracts her foot and roughly kicks Carmen in the shoulder. Carmen rolls over from the force. "That's the first time you've spoken to me, by the way. You could at least say something nice."

Shiva. Get Jamie to wake me up. Hurry.

Not a second after I finish my thought, Jamie shoves her fist into my stomach. I wheeze loudly while holding my abdomen. Jamie immediately bends down and rubs my head. "Are you okay?"

"Why would you do that?" Carmen yelps.

Seth and Richard are facing off against Yukio and Abby. As Thomas announces the fight, I run to the end of the locker room and peek my head outside of the cage.

"Forfeit!"

"What?" Seth and Richard shout together.

"Forfeit!"

"Has he lost his mind?" Seth turns to Richard, throwing his hands in the air. The teddy bear responds by shrugging his shoulders.

"Do it! Trust me. Raise your hand now."

Yukio and Abby charge the two. They barely dodge the team's first assault before raising their hands to quit the match. The crowd screams loudly and boos the two men. As they walk back towards me, I know I better give the best explanation of my life.

The group surrounds me near the student lockers. The lockers are huge because they have to hold some of the largest armor in the world. When I'm pinned against one, I don't take up ten percent of its space.

"Morning."

"Talk!" Carmen sneers.

Jamie turns her head towards the girl and nods. She's impressed by Carmen's audacity. "But you still are not suitable for him."

"What?"

"Ladies. Savages. Allow me room to explain. Please." As they back away, I briefly lift the golden pearls from my chest so I can have a little more air to breathe.

"Those were gray stones when you first got them," Jamie points out.

"Yes." I turn to the others and motion for them to sit on the benches. They refuse. "Okay. Tournament rules state that you have to win majority of your matches in order to participate in the finals."

Richard grits his teeth. "Hurry this up. I've been working damn hard on my speed and you just gave us our first loss. You're cool Kay, but I'm not above squeezing you to death."

"Speeding up it is! There's also another way to the top, from the bottom. The lowest ranking team has an opportunity to fight their way back up the ranks." No one says a word. The musty smell of the locker room assaults my nose. I wonder if I've done a good enough job of convincing. I don't want Richard to hug me again. "These matches will roll over into tomorrow evening. While everyone else is fighting, we'll be resting."

"What?" Seth sounds upset, but the demonic grin etching across his face lets me know that I've already convinced him. One down.

"When tomorrow comes, the top fighters will have less matches. True. But all we'll have to do is win every single fight in the morning and we'll be in the finals by night." Jamie's face moves an inch. "That's a smile! A big one."

Carmen twists her lips and rests her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

"I hadn't decided until after last night's events. Though I want to fight and get a good chance at Malik, it's not worth seeing you guys hurt." I rest my head against the locker. "People call it the Mark James. He's the only gladiator that's risen from the bottom ranks in the two-day finals. He was also the only person without a team. Some say he did it purposely. Others believe he was too stupid to think of something so brilliant."

Combing through his hair, Seth mumbles, "But if we lose one fight tomorrow."

"It's over. Can we do it?"

Everyone nods and we watch the rest of the matches for the remainder of the day. We're booed heavily every time we approach the field.

Dennis eventually makes his way to the locker room. He calls me from the entrance, but I don't respond. Slowly, he walks in and taps me on the shoulder. "What are you reading?"

Instead of looking up, I continue flipping through various documents on my phone. "Some of Jules' research on the Cavern of Youth. I've searched through his work three times and just can't understand why he hasn't found it yet. Every mission he sends Monte on seems more like an opportunity to kill someone than to gain more knowledge."

"Wait. You know about the Cavern of Youth?" I finally stop reading the documents. "You know where it is, don't you?" Dennis rubs his chin. Excitedly, he asks, "Where?"

I place my phone in my pocket. "Don't you have work to do? You're normally busy during finals."

"No. I handed all the work to Vincent. He's struggling to keep up, but I'm sure he'll manage to only destroy half of my work—" My phone rings loudly, catching everyone's attention. I turn it off and read the message. "What's that? It sounds bad and your expression isn't any better."

"It's just my cell's dramatic way of telling me it found information."

"Like what?"

"Just a question I asked about people who invented or worked on sniper suit tech."

"The armor the assassin was wearing that attacked you and Carmen?"

"Yeah."

"What did you find?"

"It's not important."

Dennis sits next to me and grips my shoulder tightly. I wonder if he'll activate his barcode again. He doesn't. I guess it's like being burned by fire. "You've been really distant lately."

"Force of habit. You've been wearing armor a lot lately."

"Time to start new habits. The technology is very different from the last real armor I wore in war eleven years ago." He slaps his thigh to test its strength.

A loud crashing sound stretches from the battlefield. We all watch Angie and Monte crush two other god-level students within a matter of seconds.

"Kay—"

"I love you, Dad. I don't need some long speech or hug. I'm not that type of guy." After thinking for a bit, I correct myself, "Well, when I'm near Hayley I am, but that's not me with anyone else. You can be hard on me and yell, if you want. I'm not Spencer. I don't need you to show me love on a daily basis."

"Then, why are you blocking yourself from me and others?"

"It's what I do. I don't trust you fully, but I deserve that." I've wanted to tell him that forever. It's nearly liberating to get off my chest. Then again, all my pent up aggression definitely helped me when chopping off body parts last night. "You're using me too. You even got me to separate Carmen and Vincent, didn't you? That's why you opened the Colt annulment application within seconds. You were waiting."

"Sorry." I realize that he may be at war with his own brother as well. Vincent reeks of evil and lies. He's the type of businessman that I imagined my forefather fought against when creating this war. My dad trusted me enough to draw them apart and save Carmen's life.

Ms. Love watches us from the gate. I kind of feel stronger with her eyes on me.

I rub the back of my neck while processing this year's events and all of my strange relationships. Hardly moving my lips, I confess, "Though I feel responsible for what I did to your real son, I'm not going to beat myself up about it. You're a great guy and I don't mind being a part of your plans, but I'm also the type that will kill you if I don't like them. That's what I've been fighting. Myself."

"You're just as guilty of making mistakes as me. You think about Spencer too much and you adjust your behavior because you assume I want you to be like him. Kay, I never felt like either of you were my real sons. Remember, Spence and I weren't that close. But I can still treat you like my kid."

"A kid? Remember what the news report said I did? I'll be the death of you."

Dennis punches me in the arm and huffs air through his nose. "You're kind of the bad guy to everyone's story, but you have a good heart. I don't want to change who you are, so if you hate what I've got stirring, do what you have to." Winking he teases, "Be warned, if you come after me, I won't go down without a fight."

"You're the perfect dad for me."

Dennis and I return our attention to the field. It seems that Monte took things too far and their opponents are being carried away on stretchers. My team looks distraught after seeing how easily the duo knocked out two very powerful god level warriors. With their heads hung low, Carmen, Richard, and Seth drag their feet to me. They're waiting for instructions or motivation. I doubt I'm the right man for the latter.

I listen as the fans talk about various topics including the stupid team that continues quitting their matches. I think the others can sense the crowd's displeasure too, but there's no need to worry about them. We're our own unit and we'll have to stay strong to win.

Dennis playfully runs his hand through my dreads. "I know you wouldn't pass up a chance to fight. You must be going for the underdog rule."

Carmen's smile warms my heart a little. "If it's what Kay decided on, it must be the best plan."

Seth adds, "I'm with the idiot in whatever he does. His training is murder, but he's pretty smart. I guess."

Richard nudges the drunken nerd. "He's probably smarter than you."

"He is," Jamie mechanically confirms. Her words cut him the deepest. I see a resolve build on his face. He'll spend the rest of his life proving to her that I'm not.

Dennis leaves his seat. "You all should be sleeping in shifts already. The sun's setting. If you want to take advantage of the rule, you'll have to manually forfeit the fights. You can't just skip them. Start winning your matches at five in the morning. Don't lose one or it's over." He checks his phone. "And luckily for you, the other team that lost all of their matches just won their first one ten minutes ago."

"We know," Carmen sighs in a low voice. "We were the ones screaming insanely loud for them."

Holding onto the pearls around my neck, I convert them into a brighter gold. "Don't worry, Dad. We'll be ready."

As night approaches, Richard taps me on my shoulder, meaning it's my turn to fall asleep. Within seconds, I'm out. The others adjust their schedules to make sure I get extra rest. Carmen told them about my rescue mission last night. They give me the most amount of time and wake me up immediately before the first fight.

"We have two minutes, Kay." Richard offers his hand and pulls me up from the cold bench.

Okay. We can do this. Maybe.

"Here's the deal. Seth, I need you to go to the field with me to fight Patrick and Selena. They're our first combination. Even if we beat them, they're still high-ranking so we'll see someone from their team later. But there's a problem. I need you to do most of the work."

Seth sounds hostile, "What?"

"Dude. Patrick's practically murdering everyone he's fighting. Selena hasn't even thrown a single punch. I need you to go after him. Think of him as your boss-level character." Turning to the others I project, "I'm not fighting because I need to face off against Malik or Angie, whoever comes first."

I program our entry on the phone and Thomas screams our names. The other two approach the field with huge smirks. They're ready for us to forfeit again. Patrick's in great shape. No one has put up a good fight for him thus far.

If this were a match between only the gods, he'd have many more scars. But with the entire school involved, he's yet to cross anything that can pose a threat to him.

Seth rigidly glues his eyes onto the field. He can see his opponent and ex-boyfriend clearly from where he's standing. I'm sure he's more knowledgeable of Patrick's abilities than all of us.

I'm unable to hide the diabolical grin stretching across my face as an immoral idea crosses my mind. "Seth. Take a swig of X-Eyes. I know you've been training drunker than you should've."

He holds up one hand while yanking the bottle from his pouch with the other. "Cool. You don't have to tell me twice."

Sipping more than he should, Seth holds the bottle at a low angle. Then, I rush behind him and point the bottle up. The others scream at me as I force him to drink over half the alcohol in a matter of seconds. Directly in his ear, I whisper, "I'm sorry to do this to you, but you've been holding yourself back in training. When you were pissy drunk, you beat the hell out of me. So, I'm going to reprogram your brain."

Richard yells, "Dog. You're going to kill him!"

Once the bottle is empty, I shove him out of the gate with the others still yelling at me. Turning around I show them the bottle. "Anyone ever notice that the two X's on Seth's drinks are always scratched off? I wondered why at first, but realized that he's shooting them off. He's the only person with the skill and capability of taking on Patrick."

"Come on man! A few extra sips would've been cool. He'll be too drunk or brain dead now."

"His tolerance is way too high for it to kick in yet. Seth drinks more than you think. And..." I tap the bottle gently on the wall. It shatters to pieces. "...his skill is terrifying." Seth staggers wildly while shaking his head. He probably doesn't know where he is anymore. I run behind him and wrap my arm around his waist. "In front of you is Spencer's killer. Patrick. We don't want him dead, but once we're done, we'll torture him for a week straight. Don't let his girl get in the way either. Knock her out."

As the lies resonate in his ears, I hold him back. The crowd falls silent as Seth loses his mind. He screams and reaches towards Patrick. Currently, he's so drunk that he can't find my hand on the back of his collar to stop me from holding on to him. That's a good thing because I'm too short; if he stood up straight, I'd probably lose my balance.

"You upset because he's forcing you to forfeit, Seth?" Patrick chuckles. "If you're all scared of us, I don't blame you, but just quit and stop wasting time. I could be asleep."

"No, Patrick. Pick up your weapon please. I want you at your best when your ex-boyfriend beats your ass." Selena turns to Patrick. He darts his eyes back to us as though he hadn't heard a word I said. The gothic girl's mouth drops as she finally recognizes the truth. "What? I told you he was gay. You should see the things he does with Addison while you're using egg whites on Malik."

Patrick and Selena inspect each other from the corners of their eyes. The little guy charges his barcodes viciously. I've done my part there. Now to turn my attention back to the lunatic in my hands.

Seth's still going insane and repeatedly mumbling, "Let me go."

"Wait for the announcer," I mutter. "But hey. If you really want to beat him, use them."

I unlock Seth's leg pouch. The goo he acquired in the dungeon last year rushes out and attaches itself to his arms. Seth stands up calmly as though he'd just gained control over the toxin. He watches as his weapons swirl around his arms.

The nerd activates his bullhorns, turning them a bright red. Both wads of goo completely cover his arms. They change into a mechanical armor that stretches up to his biceps. His palm glows with a golden light and four black marbles hover around his hands.

Seth's been training with those weapons in the hills for the past three months, possibly longer. He always practices in the morning and usually starts his jog before I'm out of the dungeon. I became suspicious of his training when I first noticed his scratched bottles.

Last week, I skipped one of my dungeon duties to recover. I heard him working to control his weapons. They seem to try possessing him when he's sober, but if he's extremely drunk, they obey his every command. This should be the most they've ever listened.

I rush towards the gate as Thomas starts the match. "Let the forfeit begin!"

Selena takes a seat on the ground and Patrick converts his handgun into a large military assault rifle. It's three times bigger than the one Crusty had at the crack house and ten times larger than anything he's used for finals. Patrick's mainly resulted to handguns for his opponents.

Holding it up, he fires off what sounds like a thousand rounds. Seth drunkenly stumbles towards the onslaught. Though he's staggering left to right, he's actually dodging the bullets. That upsets Patrick. He converts his current bulky weapon into a shorter assault rifle with a large barcode over the drum magazine and a red dot scope. After shouldering the beast, Patrick quickly side steps and focuses his attacks more steadily.

Seth turns his back to the weapon. Yet, when the first bullet grazes his shoulder, he lifts his left hand. The four balls hovering around his arm twists into a whirlwind. They devour all of Patrick's projectiles. The crowd clamors about the quitters finally fighting.

"Spencer," Seth mumbles before charging Patrick.

Selena's eyes widen as Seth approaches at a very threatening rate. She prepares to move out of the way, but he seemingly trips over his own feet and rolls over his shoulders repeatedly. Somehow, Seth continues blocking the shots with his left hand. With a sudden burst of energy, he stops rolling and leaps out at Selena, kneeing her in the face.

She's out. Cold.

No longer blocking the bullets, Seth actually outruns Patrick's aim while dashing around his enemy in an arc. His drunken run appears out of control and it's completely unpredictable. Patrick converts the gun into a missile launcher and immediately fires a heat seeker. I consider helping, but I'm too involved in watching.

For a second, Seth out runs the rocket, but it catches up to his heel. The explosion causes him to fly across the field, skidding for some distance. Patrick places his rocket launcher on the ground and kisses it.

Seth lies motionless in the dirt.

Thomas announces, "It appears that two warriors are out of the fight. This leaves a match between the mysterious Kay and my protégé, Patrick Gibson. Don't let me down youngin'!"

That's when Patrick remembers me. He transforms his gun back into an assault rifle and arrogantly declares, "Don't worry. The bullets aren't the real thing because the professors won't allow it. These buggers explode on your body at contact. Still, they'll manage to do some organ damage."

Remembering Ra's finger movement at the bar, I shake my index. "You should know better than to listen to Thomas. He always calls matches too early."

Patrick whips around with his eyes wide open. Seth stands to his feet and whispers, "Spencer," constantly. He opens various compartments on his mechanical arms and a swarm of tiny black metal spheres fly out. Seth extends his hand, firing the miniature bullets at Patrick.

Patrick shoots down each ball, one by one. A few slip by and pierce him in the leg and tear his skin, but he doesn't lose focus. He fires until Seth's ammunition depletes and hundreds of black steel balls are on the floor.

Seth has already closed the gap between the two and they engage in a one-on-one fist fight. The two men punch and kick, elbowing each other in the ribs, cheek, and legs. Patrick's attacks are eloquent but fierce. He looks like a ballerina that knows Kung Fu. Seth on the other hand couldn't appear more disoriented and wild. It's as though he's trying to remember years of training, but can't. Still, he's managing to keep up with Patrick's skills. Eventually, Patrick hits Seth with a low blow and my teammate crumbles over.

Taking the moment of weakness to his advantage, Patrick flips Seth over his shoulder and holds a Glock to Seth's head.

"Sorry to do this, but I want to win, Leo." Seth struggles to raise his arm. It looks like he's trying to shake Patrick's hand. "I'm not falling for that."

Seth flicks Patrick off and the hundreds of marbles on the ground all attack the flamboyant warrior, ripping off his clothes and pieces of his flesh.

Patrick falls backwards, passing out. All the parts of Seth's weapon swiftly return to the components on his arms. The goo slides back into his pouch.

He stands up and tries stomping on Patrick's head, but I stop him from crushing the guy just in time.

While dragging him back, kicking and screaming, he frees himself from my grip and pukes. Once he's unconscious, I lift the savage nerd and carry him inside.

That's one big win out of the way.

When I make it to the benches, Carmen and Richard tend to Seth's wounds. Jamie approaches me and says, "Now I see why you gave Seth the drink. I didn't know Patrick was so strong."

I flop down on a bench and wait ten minutes. When the next match's window opens, I program Richard and Carmen's names. Standing behind them as they treat Seth, I rest my hands on their shoulders. "You're up."

The two nervously walk to the gates leading to the field. Carmen grabs Richard's hand and squeezes it twice. "You said I'd do better this time in finals. I need your help for that."

Richard reveals his charming smile, which appears to lift a large weight from both of their shoulders.

We're up against Yukio and Abby again, but this time the two seem dead tired. They almost lost their last match an hour ago and their fatigue still shows. This battle is about endurance and these two are holding their team together. I hate to have my teammates crush their last hope this early in the morning, but I'm not losing today.

Thomas starts the match, but a Mexican standoff occurs. No one moves.

This is Carmen's first fight since last finals and she's a bit shaky.

Richard finally initiates combat. He chases down Yukio to match up with power, which is perfect. Abby zips past the teddy bear and heads straight towards Carmen. She tries planting a punch on Carmen's chin, but her fist lands flat against a clear wall. The shield is a part of Carmen's invisible weapon that appears from nowhere. Currently, it's a transparent blue barrier.

Abby applied too much force to the punch and fractured her hand. She hides her left arm behind her back and tries running away.

I taught Carmen well. She capitalizes by crushing Abby over the head with a staff the same color as the shield. Instead of allowing Abby to pass out, she assaults her ten more times—as I instructed—though she lightens her strikes near the end. Carmen's not the type to finish someone off ruthlessly.

Now, the ratio is set in our favor, but Richard's slow punch is countered by Yukio's speed and dragon strength. The hook he connects on Richard's chin is mind blowing, but Rich would know better than anyone else. My friend crashes into the ground without applying any brakes.

I think Thomas learned to stop calling the matches early. He's waiting to see if the big guy will get up.

Yukio assumes that his opponent is no longer a threat; he chases down Carmen.

I tighten my hands around the gate, wondering if Carmen's too nervous to move. "Hey, Ms. Love. Run!"

It takes a second for her to wake up, but she does just that. Her speed is too much for Yukio. He removes his staff to try and lengthen his reach. It doesn't work.

As Richard rolls on the ground, I try to think of a strategy. His breaths seem as restricted as mine. It's almost as though a huge weight were on his shoulders.

Why?

His armor is the same as it's always been. Big. But he's been putting on more weight every day, no matter how much we make him run.

A light shines over my head in some dimension.

"Rich! Where'd you get your new armor?"

He sits up and shakes his head. "It's the same one."

"No it's not. Who'd you let modify it?"

"Seth!"

"Take off the chest plate and save Carmen before she's hit. Now!"

Richard shakes his head. "Do you know how fat I am? Dog, I'm not taking off my chest plate in front of all these girls."

Carmen trips over a rock and falls next to Richard. Yukio takes a moment to catch his breath. He fires up his codes under his bandages and chases down the two.

Passionately I roar, "Now or never. You know you'd never let a woman get hurt."

Richard breaks his armor in half by pulling it apart. Then, he throws both pieces over Yukio's head before catching the dragon's staff with one hand. When the two fragments land, the ground crumbles and debris raises over the field. Richard smiles and breathes freely.

Shaking his head at his opponent, he hums, "Sorry Yo."

Richard grabs Yukio's face and drags him along the field at a blazing speed for nearly two hundred yards. In a matter of seconds, Richard smashes Yukio directly into the Colt Stone.

Yukio doesn't scream or cringe because he passes out on contact.

Our second win happens in a flash.

When the two make their way back to the locker room I announce, "Now, I'm sending you both out for the rest of the day. Richard, don't let Carmen fight. I need her for later."

He looks disappointed when replying, "I'll do my best."

"What about her?" Carmen asks, while pointing at Jamie?

Jamie's on her knees, calmly watching Seth sleep.

"I'll use her when Richard gets pooped."

"You're going to let her fight the last ones and we haven't even seen her in action?"

Jamie continues staring into Seth's face.

"She's my secret weapon. She won't lose."

After fifteen matches, seven back-to-back, Richard returns to our side, out of breath and energy. Carmen had to help him a lot on the last one.

Though he's proud to now be the fastest man on campus, he admits his defeat. "I never fought for four hours. I'm sorry Kay. That's it for the day. I tried to save some energy for one more later on."

"You kidding? Come on man; you're our savior today. This wouldn't be possible without you."

"And Seth," he corrects me while resting his hand on Seth's leg. The drunk is still motionless and I'm starting to worry. I may have pushed him too far. "I never would've beat Patrick. When Seth wakes up, tell him that he's the savior."

We shake hands. Now that the soppy moment is out of the way, I approach Jamie. "Hey love, you said you're my weapon, right?"

She blushes before removing her armored white shirt.

Whoa. Jamie has a nice figure. I don't know why I couldn't notice in the suit, but she's definitely curved nicely. I'm starting to second guess my choice with Carmen. If I ever become a shallow jerk, I'm going to choose the emotionless weapon.

Luckily, Richard is falling asleep because I reveal my barcodes and finish undressing her with my eyes. Strangely, her back still sounds like an empty space. It's a black spot in my vision.

Once she turns around, I see the most horrifically frightening tattoo I've ever witnessed in my life. It's Spencer's cross with many of the Yang Arena's male warrior's tattoos integrated into it. I see Arnold's signature X and several other tattoos of men that I've killed including the most recent, Geb and Mel.

Naturally, my hand drifts towards it.

Carmen screams because I saw Jamie's breasts and I'm about to touch her back. She angrily grips my wrist, digging her nails into my bandages. With a graceful movement that's more terrifying than anything I've ever seen, Jamie grabs Carmen by the throat and heinously throws her into a locker, causing it to cave in.

"If you ever touch my owner like that again, I will kill you ahead of schedule." She blushes once more when looking back at me. "Your touch activates the data, but it would be my personal preference if you kissed it."

I grin to let Carmen know she deserves being forced to watch this after the Vincent incident. Then, I lean forward, grab Jamie by the waist, and listen to her release a sweet and gentle moan after I press my lips against her barcodes.

Once I pull away, a white material similar to Shiva's gloves wraps Jamie's entire body. The suit is snug and simple. The armor is mechanical like Seth's arm with various compartments hiding barcodes between them. Unlike the revealing armor all the other women in my life wear, Jamie's covers her entire body. The last piece that forms is a mask that conceals her nose and mouth. It may hide skin, but the tight suit shows off her curves and breasts so much that even I'm in awe.

Jamie interlocks her fingers with mine and drags me to the field to face off against Wesley and Selena. Malik's not coming out to fight me. That's annoying.

Thomas announces, "Well, the underdogs are on the rise and only six matches away from total victory. Who would've thought they'd pull this trick out of their sleeve? Coming to the field, we have Jamie Latu and Kay no last name. It's the first time this pair has stepped out. They should be very rested. I'm sorry to tell them, the underdog effect has some nasty side effects because the next five matches are back-to-back for this group. And these are the toughest students from Colt Academy. Can they knock out the remaining warriors? Let's find out. Go!"

Without moving an inch, I say, "Well weapon, how strong are you?"

The duo charges us, but end up falling and bleeding substantially at my feet. I try with all my might to figure out how they got there, but I can't.

The crowd silences.

Even Thomas waits for the medics to remove the team before trying to describe the match. "Hey, uh. I'm looking at the tape and it seems that. Well, it honestly looks like they just fell and started bleeding. Either one of those two are really fast or," he takes a long and awkward break, "I don't even know the other option. Let's hope they're fast."

"What did you do?" I inquire as the next set of god-level students exit the locker rooms.

"I defeated them as you requested." Her voice is muffled by the mask and it sounds robotic. She's a true killing machine. Awesome.

Without seeming out of breath or tired, Jamie puts the other eight opponents to sleep in the same fashion. The audience never cheers for us. Thomas asks for replays of every match, but not even the slow motion cameras can pick up more than a blur of white before the gladiators fall on their faces. After every match, Jamie returns to my side and holds my hand again.

"Well, that's it folks," Thomas says dryly. "Somehow, the underdogs have a spot in the finals."

I hug Jamie and thank her for the support. I can feel and hear a faint wheezing sound omit from her lungs with each inhale. It isn't bad or anything serious to worry about, but it is different for her.

"Kode. This is a personal request—not because I really need it—but because I'd like to piss Carmen off." Her puppy dog eyes look innocent. "Can you carry me back to the room?" I squint and try my hardest to read her expression. She's lying. Jamie's really tired, but too prideful to admit it. "I'm crazy. I can't ask my owner a request. Ignore me."

I lift her into my arms. "Jamie. Are you technically human?"

"No and yes. My data projects me as a human, but I am Shiva's spirit."

"Can you project yourself as something else?"

"I think you are starting to catch on." Once we're inside, she robotically asks, "Can you place me right next to Seth?" Before I sit her down, she requests, "Closer." I get her pretty close. "Closer."

When Jamie's finally situated, I stand next to Carmen at the gate. She thumps me on the arm. "I said no girls, but you go and pick the only other one on campus that hates me."

"You think there are only two?"

With an evil grin she whispers, "Plus, you held her hand and carried her back? We have something to talk about when we get home."

"It's like I'm really married. I want a divorce too."

"No."

Monte and Angie walk onto the field. Neither of them have more than a scratch or two. Finally, Malik approaches the center with Selena. The better match up would be Malik and Wesley, but since Patrick was rushed to the hospital, Wesley had to take over. Malik offered no assistance in their matches and Wesley overexerted himself. I can't believe Malik's arrogant enough to think he could take on Angie and Monte alone. He must have something worked out with Vincent.

Though the gates have been lowered, I hack into the system with my phone in order to raise the one before me. Hearing the metal slam to the top catches all of their attention.

I never speak a word, but point directly at Angie. Malik is taken back. He's even bold enough to boast, "What does he want? For you to fight me? Doesn't he know that your father would never let you take me on? Even I know that. This is in the bag. It's pretty much Monte and me."

"Alright fighters, you surely know the rules by now. This one is for the finals. Go!"

Monte folds his arms while Angie screams and runs in front of him. With no barcode or powers, no special tricks or swift movement, she charges right for Malik and lunges her fist into his left eye.

Oh!

He tried blocking it, but wasn't nearly strong enough to impede her momentum. As he falls back, Angie converts Kongō into a staff and smashes the golden rod against Selena's temple.

Thomas stands from his seat and holds his microphone against his lips. "Lights out!" Though he turns off the mic, I listen as he speaks to the sound engineer, "I don't understand what's going on this year. Did they put something new in the cafeteria food?"

Angie smirks at me before returning to her gate. Monte keeps his eyes glued to me for most of his walk as well.

Carmen rests her hands over her chest. The breathing techniques aren't working. She's scared. With her head lowered, she asks, "You and Jamie are going against that?"

"Jamie's too tired. It's you and me."

Twenty Six

Carmen inspects my face speechlessly. I want her to look into my data to understand how much I believe in her. Her eyes waver and her confidence does too.

"Lick me."

She doesn't respond for some time. Without warning, she quickly leans in and wets my lips enough to share a connection.

"There was no love behind that one. Try it again," I flirt with a smirk.

Carmen laces her arms around my small frame and attempts to hide her smile. She kisses me three times and spiritedly licks my lips for a few seconds.

Clearing my thoughts I concentrate on her perfectly structured eyebrows. Seeing such beauty almost makes me believe in a god. But it's her mother and father that deserve the credit for this art. A tear of joy trickles down her face as she senses how much I care about her.

Nod if you can clearly understand my thoughts.

She complies and adds, When you're this open, you should be able to hear mine.

Great. Tell the truth. You look up to Angie, don't you? From the first time you met her, you thought she was more beautiful and skilled than you. Since then, you've worked hard to be like her.

If your barcodes can only hear what's in the present, how do you know that? Carmen holds her arms tensely. I reach up and move the wild strands of hair from her eyes and brush dirt from her nose.

Too many people spend all their time trying to find new ways to communicate and understand each other. Not enough actually invest in the best gift we have, common sense.

Okay. Yes. I've always wanted to be as powerful as her. Since I met you, I've almost wanted to be her.

It's time to get on her level. If you want her to acknowledge your strength, and to stop being the girl that cries about her problems and searches for excuses, bite me.

What?

You said that everyone starts off weak, but what are you willing to do to be strong?

I fold my arms to match her stance and wait patiently for the words to register. Carmen's trained the hardest of our team over the past few months. She's also shown the greatest improvement, but it's not enough to catch up with our level of skill. The problem isn't her dedication or determination. She has the will. Her greatest obstacle is Aphrodite. Carmen's barcodes are holding back a monster inside of her that's dying to get out.

I don't know what you mean. I've worked really hard—

Use your fangs to bite my neck. And when you're done, make sure to smear a small amount of the blood on your lips.

You want me to drink your blood? That's nasty.

Our names are announced.

You know what it'll do. It's now or never.

Carmen's hands tremble and she scrunches her eyebrows. She glances back at Jamie and up to Angie.

With closed eyes, she chooses the quick and dirty method instead of drawing out the pain any longer. She swoops in vampire style and pierces into my flesh. Though the initial pain is horrendous, the feeling of my life connecting with hers isn't bad.

Jamie and Richard stare, seemingly disgusted. I can't blame them. Bits of my black blood trickle down my neck. My body shivers and I'm starting to feel weaker. She's holding on for too long and taking in too much.

"Carmen," I mutter. "Carmen!"

Pushing her head away, I notice the exact second the beast within me enters her. She appears lost and confused. Dazed.

Her eyes search for an answer to some question before she bursts into laughter. Tears are soon to follow.

I scrape the excess blood from her lips.

My data spreads like a virus through her anatomy, escaping from her esophagus and spreading through her bloodstream.

Concentrating my energy and thoughts, I begin converting all my blood into barcodes. To do this, I first have to cancel her current flow of data and force her body to accept me.

She giggles from the pleasure oozing through her. She's entered the state of euphoria that everyone suffers from with my blood, but she exits much faster. Carmen shows an incredible strength. It's almost like she expels the drug clouding her thoughts and focuses on accepting the beast.

Carmen's eyes turn green with traces of her old hazel still lingering near the center. The blood dries and her lips flicker with all the colors of the rainbow. She pokes out her lips and attempts to see them.

Eventually she settles on two colors. Most of her bottom lip and half of her top are pink. The other half is a light green.

"I never told you, but I love watermelon," she exclaims before marching to the battlefield.

I rush to catch up. "Here's the deal."

"Kick ass?"

"Indeed, but I need you to take out Monte first."

The beautiful goddess narrows her eyebrows and hurries to the center of the field, but we still have a few seconds to talk. Angie and Monte observe her with enlarged eyes. Carmen seems very different. I didn't expect this either.

"I can access your thoughts clearly, Kode."

"So you know my name now. You seemed shocked when you heard it last night."

"That's because I had no clue Monte was your brother, and your family's an abomination—not that mine is any better."

"Now you can understand why I'm hell bent on killing them."

"Have you gotten any closer to finding Eve?" I shake my head. Carmen changes the subject when she notices the painful expression I'm wearing. "By the way, I hate Kay. Kode's sexier."

"I'm happy to turn you on. I can tell by what's happening between your legs. But can we focus on the threat before us?"

Carmen widens her eyes. "Damn your eyes really are intrusive." I slap my legs and release a frustrated grunt. "Right. The threats. You want me to take out Monte so you can get some one-on-one time with Angie."

"Something like that."

"You don't think I could take them both? Your mind is showing me all of Monte's weaknesses, but why not Angie's? What are you protecting her from?"

"In all honestly," I whisper, "she has three goddesses trapped in her that come out when her arrows are shifted certain ways. She won't release the strongest because that chick loves blood and will kill anyone in sight. If she did, neither of us would have a chance."

Carmen places her hands on her hips and her muscles tighten more than ever. "With all you have flowing through me, you still don't think I can beat her." Her eyes irately stalk Angie.

"You misunderstand. I never beat her with my bandages off."

That's because you love her too much and hold back. I don't think Carmen knows she relayed those thoughts to me. She mildly activates her barcodes.

"Just give me an idea. Are you sticking with the plan or going rogue?"

Carmen shifts her weight to her back leg. "I'll stick with the plan and win, if you promise to kiss me."

"Back to that, huh?"

"Swear."

"I swear, so kick ass."

"For a kiss, I'll do more than that," she flirts.

Thomas announces the match with his booming voice. I really don't care what he has to say about the four warriors on the field. I'm focused on Angie and Monte's argument.

Angie turns away from us and closes her eyes. Her right hand is trembling. Monte follows her, apparently concerned. As he tenderly places his hand on her back, I think of all the ways I want to rip his heart out, but I'm regrettably too weak.

His voice lacks concern when he asks, "What? What now?"

"I can't do it."

"Do what?"

"Kill Kay. I can't."

"All because you saw Kode? You said it yourself, he's dead and that midget killed him. You can avenge my brother."

"No. No. No." She repeats the series two more times. "It's not that."

"Then what?"

Angie squints and makes an adorable twisted expression. She loudly whispers, "He's so cute."

"What?"

"Monte. I was angry enough to kill him in Gardezi's and Casey's classrooms. If I could have, I would have by now. He's too cute to hurt."

Monte takes four steps away from her and returns with his hands in the air. "You can't kill him because he looks like a kid? All this time, that was it?"

The gladiator princess shifts and shakes her head. "It's not that." After taking a huge breath, she stammers, "I feel like such a pedophile."

"Please tell me what you're talking about."

"He's sexy, okay? I swear if he were five years older I'd rape him. I'm not going to lie, if I were alone with him in a room, I probably would. He's so damn cute I'm disgusted with myself."

Turning back towards me, Monte grumbles, "I don't want to hear anymore."

"Too bad because I've had this trapped inside of me all year and I'm letting it out. I always dream about him. I try killing him, but we end up having sex in the kitchen, in my dad's car, and—oh Writer—the best was in the center of the battlefield. I keep thinking about that one."

Thomas begins the fight and Monte mouths the words, "Thank you," to the announcer's booth. Then, he rushes me and attempts to land a solid right. I try moving my feet, but I'm not fast enough.

Before he can connect, Carmen clotheslines the brute. Only, she places her leg behind his to make sure he falls. Angie sneaks up behind her, but Carmen ducks under the punch and rolls on the ground.

You can use my styles. Great, but don't use the Muay Thai against Angie. She'll kill you.

I know. I'm shifting to Krav Maga.

Angie attacks me with a roundhouse kick. I allow it to connect with my arm to move me out of the way. I tumble on the ground and stand up to see Carmen taking on both Monte and Angie at once. She's holding her own, landing several knees and elbows on very vital areas including temples, ribs, and kidneys.

Both of her opponents underestimated her new strength and didn't prepare to come after her. Monte tries collecting air for his tattoos occasionally, but it doesn't work. Carmen chokes him from behind or punches him in the neck. He can't collect if he can't breathe.

The duo backs away and Carmen tiptoes towards me to provide me with protection.

"She's fighting like Kode," Monte whispers, sounding confused.

"I know. It's weird," Angie replies with her eyes focused on me.

Don't let them talk. They'll figure out your techniques.

Carmen reveals a transparent staff that's now a grayish color. It extends and knocks the air out of Monte. She lifts the staff with him attached to the end. In one strong whipping motion, she smashes him into the ground.

Angie runs on top of the weapon and plows her foot into Carmen's face.

I back away in the opposite direction of the others. While Carmen recovers, I focus all of my energy to the space right before me. When fighting, it's best to only pay attention to my immediate surroundings and not the entire world.

Color rushes to my eyes. Though it's not as vibrant as it would be with them open, I can see the world more clearly. There are details as fine as the hairs on the back of Monte's neck.

Still supplying my eyes with energy, a red cape flashes in front of me. Monte's ax is in Carmen's hands.

"Pay attention, papi." I didn't even notice him throw it. She slams it into the ground. It's buried deeply. He'll have to spend a few costly seconds to remove it.

Carmen approaches Monte as he collects energy. She doesn't make it in time and he releases a gust of wind that knocks her back.

His objective is me.

Monte sprints with all his might as he jumps in the air to land a punch on my head, Angie yells, "No!"

Defenseless in the air, Carmen slaps her staff on his back and he plummets to the ground. After converting it to a mallet, she crushes him with it relentlessly until he coughs up blood. Then, she spins it in a circle and slowly approaches Angie.

The two women face off and battle it out with their fists. They engage in an Eskrima fight without sticks. With Eskrima, their punches are more of a whipping motion that allows them to set each other up or throw the other over their shoulder. Both women learned the technique from me, but it's Angie's second best fighting style. The one I learned from her, Muay Thai, is my second best.

Carmen's taking too many hits because of Angie's advanced speed. Quickly, I instruct, Extend your reach by bringing out two thin staffs. Allow them to act as additional limbs. Think of it as another joint to whip her with.

Without breaking stride, Carmen creates two blue staffs and takes the advantage. Though Angie's hits are much stronger, Carmen's now connecting three times more. Within fifteen seconds, she hits every major area on Angie's body. Angie tries to retreat, but is only struck more.

That's when it happens.

Angie flashes her barcodes for the first time in front of a large group of people. Audience members dispel any rumors about her colorless tattoos when they shine a bright baby blue. That additional power is all Angie needs to place Carmen in a headlock. She malevolently flings Ms. Love over her hip, nearly breaking her neck, and slams her into the ground. Ten elbows to the face ends the race for Carmen.

Angie breathes heavily as she jumps to her feet. Carmen's still awake, but isn't moving.

Sorry, papi. I see what you mean now. What are you going to do?

Fight. You can relax.

Don't be gentle!

I don't even know what gentle means.

You say that, but you're not as rough as you'd like to admit. There's a soft spot in your heart for her. If you don't acknowledge it, she's going to win. Stop thinking about letting her kill you. Think destructively like you did when fighting Arnold.

Damn. How deep in my thoughts did you go?

Far enough to know you better not ever look at Jamie again.

Angie runs in the opposite direction until she's next to Monte. She grabs his head and he stands up holding the back of his neck tightly. He's still pretty hurt.

Thomas grabs the microphone and howls like a wolf in the moonlight. The crowd cheers as he blares, "Now this is a match! Finally, Angie Colt has returned. I'm sorry to say boo-boo, but I heard rumors about that match with Malik last year. I don't know what changed your mind now, but I'm glad you're fighting again." Fans stand to their feet and pump their fists. Thomas' face is projected on the spherical screen as he stands in the booth. "Somehow, Kay's gotten through two days without throwing a single punch. It looks like you've finally run out of luck and you couldn't be up against worse odds."

Angie and Monte set their gazes in my direction. The odds are against me in every way, but it's no fun to go out without fighting.

I take a step forward, but my legs are too heavy. I remove the pearls from Ra. Then, I begin twisting the necklace around my finger. Air rushes into my lungs and a great pain is lifted from my shoulders. These pearls were meant to act like Richard's armor, but Ra had something special in mind. My power was too low to go against Angie. With these on my torso, my core was strengthened, enhancing my defense and punching power.

Releasing a force directed at their bodies, I make sure that what they're seeing isn't what's in front of them at all. This is similar to the way I disappear into smoke.

Monte squints and says, "I can't tell if that necklace weighs a ton or nothing at all."

"A ton. Don't let it hit you."

Smiling, Monte warns, "But I can't move my legs yet. Convert Kongō into a shield for me."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Where were you last night?"

"You're asking now?"

"You said you'd meet me at the party, but you never showed up."

"I got drunk after thinking about Kode and went to fight on some rooftops. I'm sorry I didn't call. Does that mean we're a real couple now? If so, can you protect me, babe?"

"Funny. Your friend Malik didn't show up either. But a lot of gangsters—like the ones you hung out with in Louisiana—did."

Monte becomes cement-like. He motionlessly watches her with a fearful expression. "...Angie."

Coldly she declares, "You'll have to get hit."

Once they're done, I twirl in a circle and launch the necklace. The pearls crush Monte's armor on contact and send him flying through the stadium walls.

"Say you killed him." Angie exhorts while marching towards me. "You've made me think I'm crazy because you've never said anything to me directly. Say it!" she screams and the crowd simmers down.

When she's no more than a few feet away, I feel my heart pounding against its captivity, pushing away every ounce of blood inside of me. I hate myself for doing this to her, but if Angie kills me now, it's more than worth it. I want her to understand that she's not her father's puppet. She's already defeated Malik. This is just the additional push she needs to never turn back.

I gesture for her to bring her best. Angie swings with a wide punch that I could easily counter, but I want the pain, like always.

The first strike doesn't hurt enough. I duck several others before she connects a knee on my cheek. I tumble, flip up, and dodge the next set of kicks and punches without missing a beat. When she plants a straight on my jaw, I hold her fist firmly against my face. It's not strong enough, and she needs to show me a lot more if she wants me to counter.

The monster in Angie emerges and she uses her left hand to strike me in the gut. I crumble to the ground, but feel her knees relentlessly pound against my forehead. I realize how close to the wall I am when she bashes my head into it seven times.

Three more, you know the rules.

Angie hesitates before slamming me into it three more times.

When I stand up, she backs away and turns her barcodes outward. She damn near flies away from me. When she gracefully lands on her feet, she says, "I can't believe someone this weak has their blood covering his body."

Angie splits into five copies. It's a horrifying technique she can perform when her codes are angled this way. I'm not sure if each one is real, but from personal experience, they all feel very authentic.

They each beat the hell out of me, hitting me from various angles and sides. It's painful, but I'm more focused on the crowd's reaction. They're amazed at her abilities and freakish power.

The beating ends with one of her clones holding me by my hood and the real girl analyzing my face, we're almost nose-to-nose. The clone releases me and slowly fades away.

I try catching my balance, but fall to the ground. The crowd's cheers rumble the stadium. As the blood leaks from my head, I realize I lost.

Thomas rests his hand on his cheek. "That's it little guy? With the way you stood around confidently, I thought you were a lethal assassin or something. That's disappointing. I guess that leaves Angie Colt and Monte Payne as our winners."

I feel Carmen creeping through my mind. To think, she calls me the invasive one. Kode.

What? What?

Are you done?

No. I doubt it.

Then why are you lying there for so long?

Angie towers over me. She kicks dirt on my body and slowly walks to Monte with half of the stadium chanting her name.

I don't know. Maybe I like the feeling of blood oozing from my skull.

You probably think I'm not good enough to give you advice, but can you at least show me the determination you had last year? All this time, you've been holding yourself back from us. I don't really know who you are. It's fine if she's stronger but—as I continue sneaking through your thoughts—I've seen you much more focused and willing to prove a point.

Electricity dances in the pool of blood directly next to me. I begin walking my fingers across it as it creeps back into my body.

You sure you want this? If I return to how I was before killing Spencer, you may hate me. I'm already bad enough. Think about it. I've been holding back all my hatred and anger. If I let it go, I can't promise that I'll feel the same way about you.

Though I can't hear anything from Carmen, I still feel her data dwelling inside of me. Finally, she communicates, Maybe it's like Sekhmet, and I can bring you back. She's managed to hack through data that I've intentionally blocked from her.

No. There's no return from this. I came here to find the strength I needed to kill Helios, the Colt Council, and my mother. It's time I remember that.

All at once, the crowd silences. There are no traces of my blood on the ground and I'm standing up, looking much stronger.

Withdrawing the weapon I've only used once against the men in the cave, I convert Shiva into my special armored gloves that cover my entire arms and allow them to collect energy around them.

Thomas stammers, "Folks. Uhh, I take back those results. I'm sorry, but I thought he was bleeding from the head. Whatever that black ooze was is gone. I should've known it wasn't blood."

Looking up I shout, "I'm tired of you calling my fights early. When I'm dead, say I lost." Angie jumps at the sound of my voice. "You want to talk?" I question while approaching her. "Let's talk. You're weak and pathetic. If you thought I killed Kode and Spencer, you should have done something about it. But you'd rather be pushed around by your father and that worthless mutt."

She laughs at the sound of mutt. Angie radiates her barcodes and turns them outward once more.

"This is the only time I'll tell you: kill me."

With that, Angie lunges forward again. As she connects a serious combination of blows, I laugh. Once she's too tired to hit me anymore, I give it to her.

Shiva charges with the sound of a nuke preparing to launch. The first explosion releases from my fist once it connects with Angie's jaw. Several more erupt over her torso. The last punch throws her back. As she attempts to retreat, I pound her with an elbow to her chest. There's another booming sound from Shiva.

"You're not him," she cries through the pain. "You're not a challenge. I could easily beat you."

"If you had access to Sekhmet," I complete her thought with a grin. "But you don't. Now, if you really want to prove your power, bring all five of your sexy asses back out."

Angie's eyes squint as her lips form into a smile. She divides into five again and rushes towards me, but this time, I mimic her technique. In these bandages, I can't replicate the exact technique, but I can modify it.

I stand in the center of an invisible circle. I'm surrounded by a five foot radius of protection that she can't enter. Clones of my arms and legs appear from black smoke as I punch, kick, and elbow her bodies.

"You're not him. You're not him. You can't do this," she mutters while attempting to counter my attacks. She's seen this technique before. Angie knows my barriers better than anyone. I fold my arms in the center while focusing the energy of my other attacks.

I defeat each one of her clones though the original manages to parry all of my strikes. While she's distracted, I dash forward and plant an uppercut on her chin.

We both exchange single punches for four minutes. Her face is swelling and her left eye is closing, but I'm not any better off. The left side of my face feels hot, like it's melting. Time ticks by with my head feeling worse than it did when I fought Arnold. When I elbow Angie in the kidney, her scream silences the audience. But a second later, she kicks me in the chest so hard that I make a loud gasping sound that stretches across the amphitheater.

Finally, Professor Jules yells, "Enough!" from the announcer's booth.

Everyone in the crowd and behind the locker rooms direct their attention up to the spherical projector.

Angie keeps her eyes on me. If she's as tired as I am, her chest is burning more intensively with each inhale. It's like air is both my friend and enemy.

Suddenly, I hear a powerful sniper rifle firing from some distance. Something invisible strikes my body and paralyzes me. Where was I hit?

Angie looks around for my attacker. Her expression shows concern. Did she hear the gunshot too?

Jules continues, "This is a final, not a death match. You both have proven yourselves and we'll call this a draw." Vincent yells from his reserved booth. His voice isn't enough to carry across the field, but he's pissed. He wants me dead. "I apologize for killing everyone's action, but the other professors want these students alive next year."

The projector stops showing Jules' face. Angie never once looked up at him. Her eyes trace my body.

"Kay. Did you really kill Kode? Don't call me crazy like everyone else." She falls on her knees directly next to me. "I saw him last night. You can hate me or kill me later. I'll give you the gun to pull the trigger, but I need to know if he's alive."

The suffering in her voice adds an additional pain to my heart. I can't hold this facade any longer. I plan to confess, but I'm interrupted. Another alarming sound catches my attention. This time no one will be prepared.

"Angie, run! Get out now."

"Kay tell me. Please!"

It's too late. Various types of wolves without fur or skin run onto the field. Their muscles are exposed, but they're different colors—burgundy, tan, and gray.

Just seconds ago, they were released from the cave's entrance in Casey's room. Now the ground rumbles as they stampede through the stadium, killing anyone in their way.

They tear through body parts and Colt Stone with little to no effort.

"Where did they come from?" Angie mumbles.

"Angie. Run," I plead.

"Not until you answer me." She holds Kongō in her hands and relaxes her body. Turning her barcodes back up, she keeps them gently lit and waits for the first beast to attack. With a gorgeous smile, she adds, "Plus, I don't have the energy."

The creature leading the front lines is coming directly for me. Why?

Carmen yells, "Kode!"

The sound of my name distracts Angie as she stabs him in the ribs. Loosing her grip, the beast runs off with Kongō jammed in his flesh. He falls over and bleeds out a few feet away. The smell of blood attracts the others. A few professors try reaching us, but we're surrounded by hundreds of these animals and more are still pouring out from the dungeon.

The audience members race out of their seats towards the exits, only to find the creatures on the inside hallway. We're surrounded and people are losing their lives left and right.

Even worse, I can't move my body. This reminds me of the feeling of when I'm sleeping. I can see everything around me, but I have no control.

Angie cries as Carmen crawls towards me.

"Papi!"

Clenching her fist, Angie closes her eyes and tells Carmen, "I can defend us if I release my barcode, but there's only one person that can stop me from killing everyone else here. He said he'd always protect me and stop me from revealing Sekhmet."

The wolves close in on us. I sink deeper into my sleep knowing there's nothing I can do, but watch them die.

Angie places her palm on my cheek, which warms my skin. "If you are Kode, why won't you protect me?" Carmen covers her mouth. Her eyes dissect each of Angie's words and actions. I imagine she's reading too much into the situation. We're all about to die. Let's focus on that. "Kode, I love you with all my heart and soul. I've never cared for anything more than you and I won't leave until I find you. You can't let me die. How many times have I saved you?" The gladiator princess laughs and rubs her nose. "I've been there for you, even against Eve. Don't let me down. Kode, if this is you. Get up now!"

I'm such a disappointment.

A wolf lunges at my head and Angie tries to throw her body over me. The wolf sinks his teeth into her arm. Unfortunately for him, that's the furthest he'll get. I have my nails in his throat and I don't plan on letting him bite an inch deeper.

The creature whimpers as I pry his mouth loose. Opening his incredibly strong jaws, I free her arm and rip the monster in half.

While converting Shiva into the large shield-sword I once used to defend Carmen, I utter, "Gigi."

Angie's eyes light up and she bounces up and down. "What, daddy?"

Carmen snaps, "Oh hell no."

"I'm sorry," I articulate with a smirk. "I'm going to put you back in the barrier I learned from Takashi. Don't move."

When I was young, Takashi Tiger taught me how to fight with some of his abilities. He was shocked I could master hearing frequencies and understanding the world around me. Of all the techniques he's taught me, my favorite was creating barriers.

With my skill, there are ways to protect my own body and others within a five foot radius, like I did against Angie. The beautiful gladiator princess once described what she sees inside of the field. Supposedly, I disappear and she can only see fragments of me as I obliterate my opponents.

Angie reaches for Carmen and holds her tightly. Her grapple applies so much force against Carmen's body, the delicate girl can't move an inch.

"Stay perfectly still, sweetheart," Angie croons. Carmen raises her eyebrows.

As a few hundred monsters close in, I hear large explosions from inside. Dennis is making his way to the front line, but we can't hold on that long.

I'll really have to let loose.

Turning my back to the women, I open my eyes and allow my data to run rampant.

"Shiva, the sword's too large. I'm a little guy now." My incredible weapon sparks wildly in my hand. Her thunderous sounds and the lightening expelling from the blade wards off a few of the nearby creatures. When she finishes, the sword loses half of its weight and size. "Much better." I pry the weapon from the ground and grip it tightly in my palm.

Once the first wolf leaps forward, I begin. With one whip of Shiva, the creature explodes.

Carmen mumbles through Angie's hands, "Where'd he go?"

"Try staying quiet. It's distracting for him. You can't see Kode because he's moving too fast, but don't budge if you see anything coming near us. They can't get in."

One after another, the monsters vanish, leaving nothing other than large heaps of their blood. The biggest wolf manages to get a bite on my shoulder. I must reappear for a second because Carmen flinches and screams. A large gash appears on her leg from a wolf that managed to cross in during her movement.

Using my free hand, I throw the beast attacking me across the field and pull the intruder out of their safety zone.

I continue the butchery until the only remaining attacker is the big boy that tasted my shoulder. He tries running away, but I launch Shiva in trishula form to stab him in the head. Then, I chase down my beautiful weapon.

The entire ground is covered by their blood and I'm fine by that because my ladies are safe.

Deathly tired, I pry Shiva from the beast's skull and convert her into gloves. Then, I return to the only dry area of the field, dragging my feet across the pool of blood. Angie throws Carmen to the side and I crash into my best friend's lap. We both laugh weakly as she embraces me.

The world, as I see it in my mind, dissolves into fragments, like it did the night I destroyed Malik's party. But this time, I know it's bad.

Twenty Seven

When the light returns to my eyes and I'm able to see some of the world again, I recall all the times I've stayed in the darkness without dreams or company.

Though dreams can give false hope, they also provide some level of comfort. Being alone within my own mind is depressing and one hour feels like an eternity.

Fortunately, my eternity has come to an end.

Angie's sitting on the king-sized recovery bed under the covers with me. She's playing cards with the comforter over her head and singing, No Tomorrow by Kid With Wings.

Her tattoos radiate dimly on her chest. Several tears fall onto her cards before she stacks them neatly and places them back in the box. She faces me and smiles. Angie's not the crying type, but I imagine this year was lonely for her. I want to hug her, but I still can't move my body. It won't even budge.

Judging from the sound in my muscles, I've caused some irreparable damage.

Angie continues singing and rapping, "No sir, you are not the king that you say you were. Oh you'll learn, that stronger men have come before." Her words break near the end as my finger taps to the beat of her song.

Though I was alone every day in darkness, there was one thing to look forward to. My favorite cover artist sang that song regularly. I couldn't tell the difference in time, but I knew when to expect it.

As she sings more passionately, my heart aligns with the beat. Then, her heart aligns with mine.

Not only does the light return, but color does too. Angie's voice gives me strength.

I clutch my fists and she bounces up and down, which causes her to lose the rhythm. When she sees my grip weakening, she sits on her knees and sings the lyrics with all her heart.

A smile forms on my face and she gasps. I build a pressure in my chest and Angie does too. She squints as Shiva breaks into small coins that spin at an alarming rate. They're on beat.

As the coins provide the background music, Angie hums the one part she always forgets but quickly picks the song up again.

Shiva slices my bandages over small areas of my flesh, allowing my blood to breathe. The wounds hurt like paper cuts and they're all over my body, but when my blood gets air, the pain eases.

Now, I can see the pink room perfectly. Only, it's a lot larger than it should be.

Angie's song ends. She crawls over my body. "Say Gigi please."

I'm enjoying having her this close. Right next to me was already good enough, but knowing that my best friend is here makes things even better.

It's good to be back.

"You've been asleep for a month. You should see how many people want to know more about you after finals." I sense something dark in her words. Resentment? Envy? Whatever it is, she immediately hides it behind her concern. "Dennis let Carmen and Richard heal you. They said you pushed yourself too hard and if you ever got up, you'd be paralyzed from the neck down. I got a little upset and nearly killed them. Somehow, I got Sekhmet to relax."

She removes a black feather from under my pillow. It's torn to shreds and covered in my blood. "I found this in your bandages." Angie wipes her eyes but doesn't cry. "How'd you get it?" She laughs. "I want to know why you held on to it, creeper." She plays with the broken feather for a few seconds before sliding it back under my pillow.

Angie gently pinches my cheeks. "A lot happened in the month you missed. I'm actually friends with Carmen now. She fought me on her own for the first time, and I was kind of proud of her, in a twisted way. I hated that daddy married someone my age. Mom hated it too, but she's still bedridden. What could she do?"

Her delicate fingers reach for the box of cards. She picks out all of the aces and neatly lines them across my chest.

"Why did Carmen fight me? Because I asked you to call me Gigi every day. And you know, when you call me Gigi, I just have to call you daddy. She thought it was my way of flirting with you until I explained the story." Angie folds her lips inward and stares at the ceiling. "Now that we're older, maybe it is. I thought your mask was nice and started talking to you, but daddy was pissed. He locked me in my room. I snuck out anyway. Being the jerk you are, you gave me the same warning of not talking to you. But people didn't really speak to me either, so I took my chances.

"Eventually, you caved in and stole a projector phone to chat with me. You liked using shortcuts when typing, so you'd just write Gigi. I told you it was my favorite nickname in the world, but it made me feel like a little kid. I was a little kid, but that's not the point. I started calling you daddy, because my own father didn't make me feel that way." Angie hums the first two lines of No Tomorrow. "You were my best friend, but I was kind of in love with your sarcasm...and your body. The attraction made the nickname creepy; I stopped calling you that for a while."

It's pretty funny to hear her version of that story. We got into plenty of arguments because of the way she'd call me "daddy". That wasn't a term of endearment. It was what she'd say to let me know that I made her feel small.

Though we're best friends, we also argue and fight constantly. Any little thing can start a punching war between us. I'd probably start one now for old time sake if I could.

Angie removes the cards and massages my neck. Chills run laps around my spine when she kisses my cheek.

Her nose brightens a bit as she sniffles. "I'm not going anywhere until you get up." She marches her fingers across my torso until they reach my chin. "I'm actually not going anywhere after that. You left me for a year without permission and let me think you were dead. You're stuck with me now."

When she thumps my face, I flinch. Covering her mouth, she says, "Sorry." Then, she bends down and kisses my jawbone. Right next to my ear she whispers, "You let Carmen lick you, right? I want to try." Her tongue doesn't get within an inch of my face before an involuntary muscle reacts.

Angie looks between her legs and teases, "I knew you were attracted to me. I'm telling Carmen about this one." She starts moving away, but stops. Air rushes to my lap. I didn't notice how warm she made me. The heat returns when she sits down again. "No, I'd rather stay for a minute." She moves her hips gently, which turns me on even more. "Whoa, Kode, I guess that wasn't affected by the bandages."

Data courses through my blood and I feel alive again.

Naturally, my hands jet towards her face the second they can move. With my eyes still closed I say, "Carmen's going to kill me if she catches us like this; you have to get up." I push my thumbs over her lids. "I hate tears."

Once I remove my hands, she widens her eyes comically. Then, she makes one larger than the other. The expression forces laughter from my gut, and her goofy high-pitched voice only adds to my chuckling. "Okay. I won't cry, but you have to admit that I'm sexy. You said it on the field, but I thought you were someone else. That doesn't count."

"One month, huh?"

"You owe me a lot of dates."

"I'm already taken."

"Bull! I went through this with Carmen. She says you're married. I couldn't care less. You belong to me. Any girl can kiss on you, take you out, and think they have you, but you and I both know you'll always come back to me."

With my hand still on her face, I bring the idiot closer, completely hiding us under the covers. "One thing."

"Shoot."

"Be honest. You're upset that I murdered Spencer."

She presses her nose against mine. "Kode."

"What?"

"I would've killed him if you lost. If I wasn't injured outside the arena, I would've done it in order to stop him."

I laugh under my breath. "Hug me."

"Is that your first request after returning from a coma? I heard you still haven't kissed Carmen. Don't you want to skip to that stage? Actually, I already have you right where I want you. We can go all the way."

"Angie!"

"Yes, papi?" she mocks with a Spanish accent.

At the very moment she finishes, Carmen slams her grocery bags on the ground and dashes across the huge space. My heart stops. Carmen's eyes flash as she barks,"Slut! What the hell are you doing?"

Angie grins and winks while working her hips and moaning, "Oh Kode. That feels good. Right there. No there. Oh. I missed you so much."

Carmen releases a frantic scream. She rushes to the bed and snatches the covers off Angie's back.

Angie playfully sticks out her tongue. "Just kidding. Guess who's up?" But when she asks, she points between her legs.

During their hilarious fight, I stand on the bed and jump down to witness the pink walls that stretch for the entire ICU ward.

"Hey!" I shout as they scuffle a little more. "Hey!"

"Yes, daddy?" Angie croons just to get under Carmen's skin.

"Don't start that again," Carmen fires back.

With my hand covering my mouth, I stammer, "What the hell happened?"

All the walls are blown away. There were at least twenty rooms in this area. Now, all that remains is debris and the pools.

"You did it so you tell him," Carmen exhorts while pointing at Angie.

"See, what had happened was..."

Angie looks away and Carmen cannons, "Vince tried to get us to leave. Then, he found out I divorced him, and slapped me. Now, don't be mad, but the only thing I did Kode was knock him through one wall."

"So technically you started it," Angie snaps. "She definitely knocked him through a wall and a half. He was upset and cursed her, saying that he was happy she was gone. Then, he grabbed my arms and said I needed to get home."

"It was only one, but when Vince grabbed her they got into this big argument."

"It wasn't even that big."

"Huge. She went all, you can't tell me what to do. He was like, I'm your father and you will obey. But when your name got thrown in the loop and Vince called you a bunch of bad things, Angie went nuts and I swear her barcodes disappeared for a split second."

"That was self-defense. I wasn't leaving Kode's side."

"Why not? He doesn't want you here. You're just in the way of all the work Richard and I did."

Walking through the ward, I announce, "I'm going to the dungeon."

Carmen shoots Angie an evil eye. The gladiator princess responds by sticking out her tongue and following me.

Carmen catches up while interrogating me, "How are you even walking? Why aren't you paralyzed?" She stops dead in her tracks. Her hair slices through the air as she spins around to point at Angie. "What did you do to him, slut?"

"Shut up! Shiva did it. I just sang."

I find my clothes washed and waiting near the information desk.

Rushing behind me, Carmen licks my arm. She bursts into tears while covering her mouth. How can she read my thoughts if I'm blocking them?

I have your barcodes now. She woke you up?

I release a gust of air from my nose and reply, I was getting up already, but the song helped.

She sang that seven times a day. I can't believe that's what woke you from the coma.

You all helped me. It wasn't one person. I wouldn't be healed if it weren't for you.

I'm dressing, but Carmen's legs are trembling.

Angie analyzes the situation. With her eyes focused on Carmen's legs she says, "Is this the telepathy thing you said you two had? I want to know what you're talking about."

Carmen's cheeks flush red. Her adorable expression reminds me of a child.

I continue trying to block her data, but she forces her way through. You already chose her.

For what?

Love. She's right, no one stands a chance on getting to you. I thought she was just teasing, but you really are hers. Why?

Do you really think I'm someone's property?

"What are you two talking about?" Angie makes a squeaking sound. "Is it me?" She purposely worsens the situation, "He's telling you it's over. That's why you're crying? I warned you."

"Love's not really my thing," I reply once my sneakers are strapped on. "I don't think you both realized, but if you're after me, you're in for a lot of heartbreak. My life's more about beating the hell out of people; let's end the romantic crap."

I walk over to Carmen and kiss her on the cheek. "I saved you from Vincent. That's what you wanted, right?"

"And for you to love me."

"I do."

"Forever."

Angie replies, "Not happening."

We both snap, "Shut up."

"What? It's not. If you want his demonic ass, you'll have to fight. You don't have the balls for it." Carmen's mouth falls open, but Angie doesn't ease up one bit. She stalks her prey until Carmen backs into the nurse's counter, which is mostly rubble. "I'm just being honest. He's going to turn you down every day for years. He won't bring you flowers and he's not going to cry with you. You're after a brick wall. If you want him, you'll have to ignore everything he's telling you." Angie pushes me away and kicks me down the hall. "Let him go to the dungeon and I'll teach you how to stop crying over everything."

Carmen looks back and sobs, "But I need him."

"You need a spine. I don't want you to turn Kode into a wimp that holds you when you're down. Let him go for now. I'll find him when he gets out anyway."

With my back to the girls, I profess, "Don't pretend like we're more than friends. You kissed Monte. Right?"

Carmen releases a sigh of relief and Angie sucks up all of her anxiety. Her heart beats uncontrollably and her barcodes radiate lightly.

Once I'm out of the ICU, I debate between the stairs and elevator. My legs say automatic ride all the way, but I ignore their request.

The school is packed with tourist on the first floor. The arena makes a lot of money by opening up the hallways for people during the summer.

There are too many people. It's difficult for me to exit the stairwell's door. I attempt to squeeze between the crowds, but a small kid tugs on my arm and shouts, "Kay!" Strangely, everyone recognizes me. Large groups form that clamor about the blind Ape that "won" during finals. Cameras click all around me and hands are thrown in my face begging for autographs or simply for me to shake them. Supposedly, I'm rumored to be the next big thing in Gladiator Sports Entertainment.

Someone rushes me with a camera. It's Janet Moreno. Great, she just so happened to be here today.

Janet continues speaking to the camera, "It seems that the rumors are true. Kay, the winner of Colt Academy finals is actually on the campus grounds. Some say that he was seriously injured during the wolves' attack, and it seems we're the first to interview him after the recovery." The snobbish woman barges through the crowd and stands next to me. "I'm extremely honored to interview you, Kay. There's so much people want to know about you. What's your last name? Where are you from? And how does it feel to win the first team tournament in fourteen years?"

I consider walking away, but I like to talk. Why not respond? Graciously, I smile while leaning into the mic. "Well Janet, the tournament was a team match. I didn't win. My team did. And it's actually disturbing to know how magnificently ignorant all of you enthusiast are." I point to her and direct my finger to the crowd. Finally, I aim at the camera lens. "You're not complimenting or mentioning my opponent. You haven't acknowledged that I was nearly beaten twice by her in one round. Not to mention, the match ended in a draw.

"If it were Spencer or Arnold on the field with me, you'd beg for a rematch. But because Angie's a woman, you think there's no need to recognize her. You're all worthless pieces of poop—I'm sure I can't cuss on this program. You'll praise me now and turn against me the second I lose. But if you're dying to acknowledge true strength, find Seth Pena or Angie Colt. They both provided the best matches of the year. If you can't see that, die."

Feeling accomplished, I continue my stroll to Casey's classroom. I make sure to lock the door to prevent any "fans" from following me.

Without hesitation, I enter the dungeon. I miss the unbearable heat. While making my way down the stone steps, I notice bodies lurking in the darkness. At the halfway point, I send Dennis an emergency text.

He responds with, ETA 3 minutes.

My descent takes some time, but I eventually step onto the bottom floor. I reach in my pocket and find more lollipops than I care to count. After unwrapping one, I bellow, "Are you planning on attacking me from the dark or do you want to talk? I'll tell you now that I've destroyed the cells in my body and lost all my strength. As long as I'm in these bandages, I'm no challenge for you."

Jay Jay reveals himself on the far end of the cave. Damn, he's ugly. With all the wounds he's suffered, his body looks like a 3D map.

Not long after his reveal, Talib shows his face. He's not wearing his cloak, which is odd for liminal beings when they're out in the open. I guess down here isn't considered open.

The fearsome growl he emits is enough to scare Jay Jay, but I continue walking until I find a large rock to lean against. The dense clouds creep up my leg on their own and surround my body. They seep into the few cuts that Shiva left, completely sealing them off. Eventually, the fog makes it to my nose and I inhale it with one long breath.

Though it heals me a bit more, it's still not enough to take me back to being normal. My body is pretty bad.

Jay Jay stomps towards me and grabs me roughly by the neck. He doesn't look upset, just following orders. I slowly raise my hand up to his head while clenching my lollipop between my teeth.

Shiva slowly converts into a new weapon. Once her form solidifies I pull the trigger and push a massive bullet through his skull. The back of his head blows off and I realize that Shiva's learning how to stop spilling blood on me. Nice.

The fog nearly swallows Jay Jay whole before he fully hits the ground. Talib's eyes widen.

"I said I wouldn't be a challenge. I didn't say I'd go quietly."

The lion roars and charges me. I hold up my index finger and shake it with my gun pointed at him. He stops in his tracks. "Don't you have something you want to talk about?"

"Not when you're going to die!" At the end of his sentence, Dennis lands directly behind him. I can't believe Dennis jumped from the top of the stairs. Even I'm not that daring.

With his possessed arm, Dennis grabs the back of Talib's neck and throws him far away from me. The wounded beast jumps to his feet after skidding across the floor. I've seen Takashi fight many times in my life. I don't think Dennis would be a match for him, but Talib isn't an animal king. Maybe Dennis stands a chance.

Talib rushes back towards Dennis with his nails lengthened, his speed is too advanced. He ducks below Dennis' punch and slashes him on the back.

The nails hardly make a scratch. Removing the lollipop, I exclaim, "I knew that's why you were wearing armor."

Dennis whips around with a hook, followed by a jab. He connects a low uppercut to Talib's stomach and uses the same hand to grapple Talib's neck. He violently squeezes the wind pipe between his hands.

When the lion reaches for Dennis' arms, he throws the beast to the ground. Dennis stomps him out while speaking in his creepy double voice, "I warned you not to come near my son."

"He is not your son," Talib says while catching Dennis' foot and pushing him away.

The prophet stands up. He's bleeding from the mouth and his left eye. Dennis regains his composure, but continues breathing wearily. "He is."

"That boy murdered Spencer!"

"I love both of my children, and I always will."

Talib roars, "Spencer was not your child either!"

Dennis' voice returns and trembles as he asks, "What did you say?"

"Spencer," Talib cries. "He was not your son either. These boys are abominations and Okodemah did what I should have, killed Spencer. Now, it's time for him to go as well."

"Why wasn't he my son? Why?!"

Talib converts into an exact replica of Dennis, with his possessed arm and all. Matching Dennis' tone, Talib says, "Spencer was my sin. I secretly loved Beth. One day, while you were away on business, I gave into my weakness. When Takashi realized that we can have children with humans, he made a deal with Eve to experiment. He created the demon with you now."

Dennis releases a high pitched scream. Talib grabs his heart tightly and shakes his head, "No. Not so soon!"

The beast is losing himself, and Dennis is too. My father charges Talib. Though I try grabbing his arm, he's too quick. Dennis leaps towards Talib but is swatted away by a beast with Takashi's face and Talib's body. The remainder of the transformation completes as the lion's fur vanishes.

Takashi raises his hands and a cloak perfectly falls on his body. Nevaeh and another monkey run down the stairs. The new girl is three times Nevaeh's size and wears a small red cloak. Her face is half cat.

The cat-monkey laces the cloak for Takashi and Nevaeh covers his head with the hood. They both silently stand far behind him.

With tears pouring on the ground, Dennis pleads, "Run Kay. Run now."

"Do not call my brother Kay. Okodemah," he says while turning to me, "I have never been bothered by you shortening your name, but Kay removes all power from it."

The tiger presses his foot firmly against Dennis' face. I hear a cracking sound that must mean he's seriously damaging Dennis' possessed form. When my dad releases a mournful wail, I assume that he's being killed.

"Stop!" My voice echoes inside of the large area.

Takashi immediately removes his foot and glides towards me. The large beast towers over my small frame. Nevaeh and her monkey friend trail behind him.

I lean my back against the rock. Takashi is a master of MMIBS. He taught me everything I know about it. Once he strikes the rock behind me, it turns into a stone couch. I fall back on to it and he sits with me.

"You seem tired, brother. Rest."

"I have questions."

"It's obvious that your eyes have provided you with most of the information that you need, but I'll tell you my purpose. First, your questions."

"If Talib is my enemy, shouldn't I just kill you to stop him? Can't you do it for me?" I ask with a smirk.

"We are not linked together. Talib is a Moreno experiment that went wrong. That evil family slipped his DNA into me, instead of drawing mine out. If you kill me, he will escape, unharmed."

"Why'd you do all this? Why Eve? Why are you calling me brother when you're my father?"

Takashi covers his ears as though he hears an annoying sound in his head. After shaking it off he replies, "You are not my son, please never refer to yourself as such. Liminal beings are direct descendents of The Writer. You are His son."

"You already know how I feel—"

"I do. And I apologize for mentioning something you have no faith in, but I only told you because you asked. Now, it's time for you to hear why I'm here. My blood and semen are divine ink. I am written word brought to life. I produced you alongside of Monte to hide you from the others. Talib did so in human form, making Spencer weaker. I am an animal king and I mated in this form, creating you. I chose Eve, of all detestable people in the world, because of her connection with the one boy that started this war. You know I enjoy irony."

I nod and take in his words while closing my eyes. I still don't believe The Writer garbage, but the other information is interesting.

"That's a horrible family you left me with."

Talib shakes his head, but not in disgust. He knew what he was doing all along. "I was confident you wouldn't stay with them. Your father knew about my betrayal because of his ability. He confronted me and we fought a fearsome battle. Wounded and bleeding to death, he admitted that he'd like to see a change in this world also. Blake convinced your mother that Monte was my child. I reworded my prophesy to assist him by saying, the boy with the largest tattoo will be The Writer's child."

"You lied."

"No. I did not lie at all. Your strength is only limited by your vision. The more you see, the larger your barcode becomes. Blake understood this truth, which is why he named you Okodemah—son of The Writer."

"What if Talib's prophesy is true?" I look down at Dennis. He's listening to everything and fighting desperately to lift his head from the ground. The possession has vanished and the bones in his face are fractured. "What if I don't want to help with the war and somehow I gain the ability to end the world?"

Surprisingly, Takashi chuckles under his breath. I've never heard him laugh in my life. "In all honesty, that is what I hope for."

Takashi folds his arms in his jacket and walks up the stairs without another word.

As I help Dennis, he stutters, "You're not paralyzed." He cries openly, but he shelters his undeniable pain within a genuine smile. "How?"

It takes some time, but I walk my dad to the hospital and get him the medical attention he needs.

Twenty Eight

When I make it home, I have a full house of women. My life has truly evolved into a hell. I once envied Spencer for having multiple girls after him. I regret that wholeheartedly.

But here's the strange thing, after all the time I spent preparing myself to enter the apartment, nothing happens. When I walk in, all the ladies continue talking and greet me as though I were never injured. I wave silently. For a brief second, I open my eyes and take in all of their amazing color.

Before Angie looks over, I close them again. "What's wrong?" she asks calmly. "Oh. We just had dinner. You didn't tell us when you'd get here."

She's helping Hayley load the dishes. Though Hayley's putting up a great front, she can't speak. If she does, it'll turn into rage or a flood of tears. That will likely cause the others to cry with her. I prefer the silence.

"I need a serious shower," I stutter.

Cautiously, I stroll through the room.

"Cool. I'll make you something for when you get out," Hayley articulates loudly.

Angie holds Hayley's hand sweetly. Carmen continues flipping through the channels and waves at me without turning around.

Hayley's voice booms as she states, "I do want to say one thing." That obviously took some effort, but she doesn't continue. As a motivator, Angie elbows her in the ribs. The pain is enough to make her cough up the rest, "I was really proud when you kicked her ass. But here's the thing, sweetie, you can't keep going into matches looking to get hurt. I know you're a tough guy and all, but you probably could have surprised her with a few punches and beaten her without any effort."

Angie smiles and leans on the kitchen counter. "Nice, but stop telling him how to beat me."

Now, Hayley's too distracted to care about my recovery. She blabbers, "No. He needs to know. I never want to see you take that much damage on purpose again. It was fine against Arnold, but as you move up in the world, it's going to be taxing on your body. That's why...." her eyes water and she stares at the bandages.

"Okay," I reply with a smile. "Wait, no. The punches really push me. It stirs up my blood and gets me motivated."

Hayley rushes over to me shouting, "No way! You're motivated by pain?"

"It's all I know."

"I hate to say this, but keep doing it. If taking a punch is what helps you up, go for it. But, dodge the ones near your face and vital organs. You can move around to avoid the direct hits while still feeling the attacker's power."

"That's not a bad idea. Taking that blow to the back of my head was rough."

"Exactly! Now go take a shower because you stink." I kiss Hayley on the cheek. She screams with a magnificent smile and rushes back to the sink to wipe off the dirt. As I enter the bathroom she yells, "I still love the kiss, but you're filthy."

A few minutes into my shower, I hear a knock on my door. It's Professor Gardezi and he's looking for me.

I drain the tub and allow the bandages to dry for five minutes.

The girls make him a snack and cram onto the couch together. Carmen flips through the channels, but Hayley makes her turn back to the news. They're showing my interview with Janet. Angie watches it intensively. She seems much more serious than I thought she'd be. It isn't until she hears my final line about her and Seth that she finally breaks a smile. Hayley leans over and squeezes her shoulders gently.

Still drying my dreads, I walk out to greet my professor. "Hey Gardezi." He laughs at my Texas Borders neonball shorts. I know he's a Smogmen fan.

"Kay! Glad to see you're doing okay, little man." He slaps me on the shoulder affectionately.

"Thanks," I cringe as the pain stretches across my entire body. When Gardezi folds his arms, I notice a really bad cut on his forearm that didn't heal properly. Normally, he'd wear his long sleeved shirts down to his wrists, but he's also the type of guy that enjoys showing off his battle scars. His sleeves are rolled up for a reason. "What happened to your arm?"

Gardezi slowly covers his right hand with his left and hangs his head. "That's kind of why I came here. I want to apologize for the fight you had to put up and say I'm sorry for the injuries you endured."

"No problem. It's not your fault."

"Actually, it is. I'm the one that put you on the search team."

"So?"

"Didn't you hear? Maria's been locked up for creating those monsters and letting them free. I'm the one that had to capture her." He uncovers his scar. I imagine that capturing that psychotic woman would lead to more problems than a grotesquely bruised arm.

"No. I'm sure Gonzales wouldn't attack me. Plus, she couldn't have made that many creatures."

"She admitted that they were hers, but denies letting them loose."

Carmen interrupts, "Why would she shoot him with a tranq?"

"What?" Gardezi looks perplexed. He scratches the back of his head and keeps his eyes glued to Carmen.

She runs between us and removes a small device, no larger than my pinky, from her pouch. "When I worked on Kay, I pulled this out of his neck. It was invisible to the naked eye, but we found it during his first body scan. Seth ran tests on it and discovered traces of benzodiazepine and other powerful chemicals."

Gardezi lowers his head and sighs as he removes the empty tranquilizer from her hand.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He runs his finger across the needle on the edge of the device and while examining it. "Nothing. You mind if I take this and look into it?"

"You know who makes these, don't you."

"Yeah. Jules."

"How'd you know it was Gonzales' creatures with so many other scientist in the area?"

"I found out—after speaking with Jules—that she was upset you ruined the mission over some little girl. She planned to get her revenge."

"How did I ruin the mission?"

Gardezi rests his large hand on the crown of my head. "You never brought back the computers and the lab was destroyed. Did Angie knock out your memory?"

"But you didn't really want the computers. You wanted the location of the lab in Florida."

Gardezi's eyes light up. Even Atlas' tattoo on his back shines momentarily.

"You have the coordinates?"

"We all have them," I say while looking at the girls. "I texted it to everyone before we entered the building."

A beaming smile stretches across Carmen's watermelon lips as she removes her phone from her pocket. She enters the date of the mission and searches through her list of text messages. Then, she shows Gardezi the text I sent her outside of the building.

"Those are just random numbers." He waves his hand to dismiss her phone.

"Yeah, but add all three text messages and you'll have the coordinates for the location."

Angie smacks me in the back of the head and flares, "You mean we never had to go in?"

"Ow. And yes. They told you and Monte to bring the computers, right? My purpose was to get you past security."

Gardezi lifts me into the air and spins me around. "Well, I have a mission for you."

"I bet you do."

"Are you up for it?"

"Hell yeah. I need to get that information to prove Gonzales had nothing to do with the attack."

"Why do you insist on that? You think Jules is behind it; don't you? He's not that bad of a guy. Someone could be setting him up too."

"No. I'm just aware of how much she loves those animals. She'd never send that many after me. If she wanted revenge, she'd release the one she's breeding on the seventh floor. She started feeding him mortal level barcodes still attached to their human hosts just to see if he could give me a challenge. Last I checked, he was four times your size and she often rides on his shoulders. It's a twisted relationship."

Gardezi slaps his hands together. "I'll help you in any way I can. I'll call the prison tomorrow and stop them from transferring her upstate until we get this cleared up. Make sure your team's ready to go tomorrow."

The second Gardezi leaves, Angie and Carmen back me into a wall with their fingers in my chest. They're staring me down again and I don't like it.

"Why didn't you tell them about the coordinates?" Carmen inquires with pink cheeks.

"And what plan do you have rooting in your brain?" Angie adds while leaning closer to my face. Carmen pulls her back because she gets too close.

Turning to Angie, I remind her, "Monte was going to kill them once he got the information, right? I was giving them more time."

She nods, and Carmen says, "But you didn't answer her question. What plot do you have brewing?"

I bolt past the two women and rush into Hayley's arms. Stretching out on the couch, I lean against my mom. "Only time will tell."

Angie saunters over to us and punches me in the thigh. Carmen covers her mouth as I grab my leg and pant due to the throbbing pain.

I look to Hayley for protection, but she only giggles and rubs my head. "You should answer."

The gladiator princess prepares to strike again, but I refuse to endure another punch. Quickly, I confess, "I was in the coma for too long and I'm sure time's running out. I need to get closer to Monte because he really wants this information."

Carmen eases towards the couch. "You're going to use it as bait to draw her out?"

"Yeah. I have this addiction to the cave. I go whenever the pain is too much. It took me time to realize, but Eve's just as addicted to its potential. She needs it to heal her arm."

Angie sits next to Hayley and leans her head on my mom's shoulders. The princess focuses her eyes on the television and confesses, "I told myself I wouldn't work with the professors again, but if it helps you hunt down Eve, I'll be there. Under one condition."

"What?"

_"When you fight her, let me help you."_

Twenty Nine

I'm too restless to sleep. We leave for Florida tomorrow and there's a lot on my mind. With Carmen still asleep at the foot of my bed, I join Angie in the training room. She's punching out a heavy bag filled with weighted sand.

Angie turns around and waves. Her hair flings in a disgustingly ravishing arc as she continues her onslaught. The brutal woman is the best workout partner I've ever had. I'd love to train with her, but my body still can't handle the stress.

Observing her movements, I lean my back against the wall next to my door.

Beads of sweat fly from Angie's hair. She looks over her shoulders so many times, I wonder how she can concentrate on practicing. I decide to stop distracting her, and try making my way back inside.

Angie chases me down. From five feet away, she plants a left straight on my shoulder. The pain radiates through my entire body. She doesn't stop assaulting me and every attack feels ten times worse than it should.

In a flash, all color and sound disappear. Then, my image of the world fades away.

Minutes later, I wake up in Angie's sweaty lap. She's gazing at the moonlight. The sky is actually visible.

My body aches, but I manage to move my mouth. "If you're upset about me sleeping with Aphrodite, you should be. She often assaults me in my sleep too."

"I'm not worried. I know you have a thing for Asians." She looks down and winks. Arrogantly, she sings, "And me."

"Then tell me why the punching bag wasn't good enough."

"You were about to give up."

"There's nothing to give up."

"You're supposed to be paralyzed, but you're walking. The old Kode I know would've joined me in training, regardless of how injured he was. But you've been around weak people for too long and you've started thinking like them."

"Carmen?"

"And Dennis, Hayley, Talib, Spencer, Patrick...Malik." She plays with her fingers inside of her red bag gloves. With one adorably large breath, she puffs air in her cheeks and doesn't release it until she says, "You're used to being surrounded by darkness and everyone in Tartarus. You don't belong in this world."

"What about you? You're being weak right now."

"That's because I'm different around you." She savagely pinches my cheek. "And don't act like you haven't been vulnerable around me either. One of us always picks up the other's slack."

Slapping her hand away, I resolve, "Alright. I'm not one for a soft pep talk. Let's fight."

"Are you back to normal?"

"Yes."

"Good. I haven't had a real cry with you and I need five minutes. I'll get this one out in your arms and I'm good."

There are no signs of tears on her face, but she's not joking. Angie helps me up from the ground. Then, she strolls over to a shelf and throws me a pair of gloves. Now I can see the burning sensation building in her eyes.

Angie gestures for me to put on the gloves. Once I'm done, she rests her trembling hands on her temples. The extremely tall phenom crashes to her knees. I wrap my arms around her.

She cries quietly enough to avoid waking up anyone, but she can't gain control of her quivering body.

Five minutes seem to pass within seconds. I whisper, "Okay," and she dries the tears, instantly returning to her warrior state.

The princess beats me around my gym for three hours. Whenever I'm hit too much I black out. The longer we spar the more I'm able to endure her punches. My longest time standing on my feet is two minutes.

As I'm poorly defending myself and being knocked around by Angie, Carmen peeks out of the door, rubbing her eyes. Half asleep, she stumbles between us. "What the hell are you doing?" The question isn't directed at me.

"Training." Angie hardly moves her lips to respond. She spins around Carmen and applies an uppercut to my chin. Carmen trips Angie and attempts to throw the princess over her shoulders, but can't. Angie turns her barcodes outward and flies to the ceiling. She delicately lands on her feet.

Carmen watches Angie's graceful flight with a hint of confusion. Then, she argues, "This isn't training. You're beating on him. If you want to fight someone, fight me."

I release a wild yawn and concentrate more energy into my barcodes. If Carmen's providing me with a break, I'll take it. Angie senses the data flowing through my blood and gets upset. All her hard work is going to waste. I definitely plan on surprising her with the next punch.

Openly displaying her anger, Angie roars, "Move out of the way."

"No! He's injured and I'm not letting him fight."

Simultaneously, Angie and I echo her words, "let him/me." She can't look at both of us at the same time, but tries.

"You're hurt Kode!"

"Duh." I hold up my hand to show the blood on my fingernails. Making a tight enough fist to strike Angie requires commitment. I have to squeeze my hands firmly. I'm causing more damage to myself than her.

"If you keep going you'll really do damage. Those bandages need to come off for your cells to recover. They're holding you back."

"You're holding him back." Angie folds her arms and shifts her weight to her left leg. I turn away, blushing. That was kind of sexy.

I continue feeding data to my eyes. Treating her arms like wings, Angie spreads them widely before clasping her hands together. She releases a gust of wind from her fists. I soar into the glass window, cracking it slightly. "Stop cheating," she commands.

"Angie!" Carmen jumps to her feet. She was caught by the wind too.

The gladiator princess explodes, "Grow up, snob."

"Stop calling me that."

"Will do; when you stop acting like one."

Wiping the blood from my head, I ask, "How did you meet Carmen without me seeing her?"

Angie rolls her eyes. "She was in Texas. Daddy and I had to make special trips."

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"I hated her. She pranced around and did whatever daddy or any guy would tell her. Whenever she needed attention, she'd fall or pretend to be hurt and everyone came running. Girls like that. Ugh."

Carmen's lips radiate and she bears her fangs. "What? Should I be like you? Always pushing people around and being a bully. You never tried to get to know me."

"Because daddy was supposed to marry your prissy ass when we were eight. How disgusting is that?"

"Very, but it wasn't my choice."

"Please. You wanted it."

"You don't know me, so stop acting like you do. You don't know what I want or what I'm capable of."

"Nothing." Angie's barcodes disappear and her arrows return to her eyes. Bad sign. Her voice becomes more assertive and frightening. Each word has a hiss to it. She eases towards Carmen. "What? You think I don't know you have to kiss someone to survive? Kode saved your pitiful life by giving you power. Don't poke your chest out because you don't have to steal his energy anymore."

Carmen's eyes widen before she narrows them. "You're jealous because his data flows through me."

"Idiot. Don't think of this as some chick fight over a guy. Though he doesn't look like it, he's a grown man and can do whatever the hell he wants. My beef with you is how weak you make him. Kode's my best friend and I'd slaughter our entire family before I'd let you soften him anymore."

Carmen senses something between us. Her eyes dart towards me. This is the first time she's directed her anger my way. I'm honored.

"And what would you do for her, Kode?"

Both women focus on me. I clear my throat and utter, "When we were kids, some men tried to take over my dad's gym. Gigi defended it, though I was supposed to be there. When I got back, the place was turned upside down and she was gone. I could hear her roaming the city, killing anyone in sight. She'd discovered Sekhmet and couldn't control the power."

Carmen glances over her shoulders as the blue in Angie's eyes intensifies. Carmen doesn't realize the danger she's in.

"I hunted her down, but didn't make it in time. Helios was there to stop her. When he gets serious, he's a different person too." I grit my teeth while replaying the image in my mind. I never forgot that look in his eyes. "He'd already beaten her, but it's difficult to describe what he was doing."

Angie holds her throat, covering her scar. "Fucking my neck with a knife."

"He would withdraw it and put it back in the same wound, watching as the blood poured out."

Carmen tenses up and her codes fall faint. I convert Shiva into my mechanical weapons and charge them with everything I have. "That was the first time I blacked out. It only lasted a few seconds, but most of the city had vanished and I was holding Helios by his hair. I should've killed him, but needed to stitch Gigi's neck."

"By the time he finished, Helios crawled away."

"That was also my first time killing innocent people, though I don't remember doing it. I'm not even sure how it happened. I was afraid to go to sleep that night; worried if I'd feel guilty about the massacre. But I slept peacefully. I was only upset that I didn't finish Helios."

Angie's eyes are as bright as ever.

Carmen openly cries, "You're the one that turned him into a murderer. Your weakness broke his heart!" The delicate girl spins around only to see the evil codes of Sekhmet dashing towards her. I unleash a monstrous energy from Shiva and blast both women in opposite directions. They should have been rendered unconscious on contact.

Shiva returns to gloves and I laugh uncontrollably. Carmen's face was priceless. She's worried about the things I've done in the past and not the carnage I'll cause in the future.

Using that much energy left Shiva and me drained. I collapse on a blue mat.

When I wake up, it's already morning. It looks as though that last punch I gave Angie was strong enough to keep her out. It can't be good to fall asleep after hits like these, but we do it anyway.

Wiping drool from my mouth, I throw a boxing glove at her face. She grumbles, but hardly moves.

Carmen and Hayley already have dinner on the table. Hayley continues examining Carmen's face. Her dark rings and red eyes openly display what type of night she had.

Jamie, Seth, and Richard have joined the party too. They're all watching television. What have I missed in a month? Jamie and Seth seem really comfortable around each other and are sitting fairly close.

Loudly crashing through the door, I announce, "Full house! Feed me."

Richard points me to the food on the table. I'm dragging Angie along because waking her up is a serious task, unless she catches the smell of breakfast. I leave her in the middle of the room and crash into my chair. I hold a mighty fork in my hand and dig into my food, devouring two plates of ostrich eggs, bacon, pancakes, and fruit.

Angie eventually crawls to the table and joins me.

I finish my meal and sit, half dazed, for a moment. The motivation to wake up comes from Richard. He rushes over and wraps me in a deathly agonizing hug. I thought I could endure minutes of pain, but he nearly causes me to pass out in a matter of seconds.

After Richard returns to his seat, Angie and I get cleaned up and prepare for the day ahead.

When I get out of the shower, she's dressed in her armor and watching television with the others. I sit back in the dining area because all the seats are taken. Hayley joins me temporarily. We watch a sketch comedy. Once it's over, my mom delicately kisses my forehead and leaves for work.

With my arms spread wide open, I project with a booming voice, "Who missed me?"

Everyone raises their hand slowly, except Seth. Jamie punches him roughly in the arm and he reluctantly joins in. Then, she stands up and walks over to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I'm still in my chair, but I stand up because her tiny arms are choking me.

When she finally allows me to breathe again, Jamie holds my face and kisses me softer than Carmen. I'll make sure to learn how to block my thoughts again, so Carmen never learns about that.

Seth narrows his eyes at me, but eventually shrugs his shoulders. Yet, Carmen shrieks and leaps from her chair.

Jamie points at Angie and clearly affirms, "She's perfect."

Grimacing, Carmen rushes over to push us away and kisses me. I squint with one eye open to see her expression with color. She gasps, "You think Jamie kisses better?"

"Yours is sexier though."

Seth walks over and holds my head while planting a huge one on my lips. It takes some strength, but I manage to shove him off.

He burps, "What? I had to see what all the fuss is about. It's really not that great."

Angie dances in her seat. "We're kissing Kode? Yay!"

She tries rushing me, but Jamie grabs her arm. "Not yet." She looks away nervously and tamely mutters, "I don't want to be in the room for yours."

Though she pouts for a second, Angie seems as though she just got a bright idea. Bending down, she kisses Jamie intimately with tongue and a bit of fondling. When Angie releases her, I'm shocked to see an actual smile on the dry Compton girl's face.

"It's like an indirect kiss for Kode," Angie asserts. "But now I'm just horny and want the real thing."

Seth taps her on the arm. When she looks into his eyes, he reveals a exultant smile. "Are you bisexual too?"

"I guess. I don't know. I'm fine with other girls sharing Kode, if they're like Jamie. But not the weak pussies like some others."

Interrupting the argument I see brewing on Carmen's lips, I cover her mouth and shout, "It's time, but I want everyone to do me a favor."

The group simmers down and I explain my elaborate rescue mission for Maria and anyone else that may need saving. Then, I leave with Angie and Carmen to meet up with Monte at the school. When we arrive, he doesn't look too pleased to see Angie and I together.

The second I turn around, Carmen hugs me heartily and whispers in my ear, "Be safe. I know you'll come back, but I hate seeing you hurt."

"You're not coming?"

"I read your thoughts and know how dangerous it is for me to follow. I don't want you to get hurt trying to protect me." Carmen looks over my shoulder to see Angie. She scrunches her face and sticks out her tongue at the brute. Angie flicks her off. "And don't fall for the slut just yet. Give me a chance to catch up."

I roll my eyes, but that doesn't seem like the response she's waiting on. Carmen tempestuously folds her arms and taps her foot. "Okay." With that, she pumps her fist and runs off the field.

"Where's she going?" Monte inquires angrily.

"Home," I retort with the same tone.

That's when I notice that familiar sound. It's the same one that Geb and Mel were wearing. Eve's perfume is on Monte, but it's faint; possibly a few days old.

"That's an interesting fragrance you're wearing." My words have plenty of bite and sound more like a threat. Angie watches from the corner of her eyes.

"I don't wear cologne," Monte drags out each word.

"Perfume. It's very rare and expensive because it's made from Protea repens, which are damn near extinct. They're currently grown—"

"Solely in South Africa. Thanks for the lesson, but I know what they are."

"Are you seeing someone? She left the smell all over your armor?"

Monte turns around and glares at Angie. She doesn't avoid the eye contact. He pats down his Afro and wipes his nose. Taking his time to respond works in his favor. A large military plane with propellers on its four wings lands in front of us. Once the gigantic ramp lowers, we load onto the rear end of the massive aircraft.

Gardezi and Jules are in the back. They meet us at the top of the slope and explain the situation.

Gardezi clears his throat and frowns. "This is the worse-case scenario. Your target is Lake Okeechobee, which has been dry for years. The base is built at the bottom of the lake. No matter what you do, you'll be spotted upon entry."

Adjusting his glasses, Jules says, "So we're going to drop you over the building and provide you with cover. This aircraft is highly durable and it will fly overhead the entire time. All you need to do is rush into the highest tower, insert this flash drive for sixty seconds, and leave."

Gardezi hands each of us three circular wristbands. It's pretty big for my small arms. I have to wear it around my bicep.

"Turn this device clockwise," Jules says while pointing to the dial on its head, "and the magnets will activate, pulling you back into the aircraft. You'll be vulnerable in the air and will need to turn it all the way up for maximum power. Reduce it before it slams you into this area."

Just for fun, I tease, "And let me guess, you two will be on flat ground—safe and sound—while the autopilot and us dodge bullets."

Jules manages to hold his composure. "We represent the stadium and being caught could jeopardize the academy's integrity."

"But three students getting caught or dying is just fine. I don't know if you get what I'm implying, but you're spineless cowards that are searching for a fantasy. I believe the three of us are at the proper age, but you grumpy old professors are pitiful. Now, if you don't mind, we have a flight to catch, war zone to drop in on, and documents on a mythical fountain to steal."

The two men exit the plane, seemingly upset. Our team remains quiet during the entire flight. The ride is so smooth, it feels as though we were on solid ground.

We make it to Florida in three hours. Once we're over the lake, an announcement sounds in the speakers with a woman's voice, "You have arrived at your destination."

The other two stand and walk towards the lowering ramp but I don't budge. Instead I ask, "Are you automated or the cockpit's AI?"

"I am the artificial intelligence of the plane. Would you like a briefing on your mission?"

"No," I reply while listening to bullets ping on the outside steel. "I was just wondering if you were looking for a boyfriend? I know this awesome hologram."

"I do not have an answer to that inquiry. Please try another question."

"Women," I mumble while unhooking my parachute.

Angie looks over the edge of the plane. When a few bullets fly through the open space, she backs away from the ramp. She bumps into me as I unhook my final strap. "What are you doing?"

Monte grabs her by the shoulder and pulls her back to the ramp. "Forget him. Let's go." Before he can take her any further, I stab Angie's bag with a knife. "Are you out of your mind?"

I quickly convert Shiva back into gloves. "Listen to that gunfire! If we drop in slowly, we're dead. I'm going to build the nastiest force I can and release it before hitting the ground. And I plan to blow a hole in the dirt like when I saved Angie."

Angie sucks air through her teeth. "Sounds like that'll hurt. I'm down. Kongō can't merge into a gun, but I can help cushion the fall with my force."

We both know that Monte can't concentrate his energy like that. In fact, what Angie and I can do is generally limited to liminal beings. I now know why I can do it, but I'm curious to know why she can.

Her pressure is more of a weighted push and mine is a shock wave. Her's should supply a pillow as mine destroys the ground.

Grabbing her wrist, I jump out of the plane. Monte follows behind us quickly. I convert Shiva into the massive shield that's meant for a fifteen-foot giant.

Monte propels himself closer to the shield with the air he's collected. "I'll use the wind as a cushion." Even I find it difficult to hear him, but at least he's thinking.

Approximately one hundred feet from the ground, I release Shiva's energy. Angie and Monte add their pressures and the ground shatters to bits and pieces much better than the way it did on Jules' course.

We land between hundreds of helicopters. The ground has turned to dust and we're all fighting to crawl to the top.

Men rush out with their weapons in hand. They're dressed in navy blue military armor and armed with MMAK-47 rifles. The soldiers are organized and quick. They're probably used to defending against the liminal beings from the surrounding areas.

This place is built like Colt Arena, with an open space in the middle for helicopters to land, but the lake's fort is in the shape of a square.

Angie grabs my hand as I use a force to blow us out of the crater. Monte attaches himself to her foot. While the guards fire their countless rounds, Angie applies pressure to their bullets. The ones that do hit us simply bounce off.

We land on the ground and I create another shield, big enough to protect me, but Angie and Monte still duck behind. I thought the conversion was complete, but Shiva continues changing. To my surprise, a long tube appears in the center of the round shield. I transfer my data into the weapon to see what will happen. Without warning, it releases large shock waves with electricity connected to it. Though I missed the security guards, helicopters and anything else in the way fly into the sky. The men firing their guns flee for their lives as the objects come crashing down.

Angie runs to the highest tower in one of the corners and we follow. Monte collects enough air to bash right through the walls and we enter a room with many men and women on phones and their computers. Instantly, they scream and run away.

We follow behind them and find an elevator that leads to the penthouse. The stairs are next to them, but Monte and I want a little break from the yelling and gunfire.

"I hate elevators," Angie cries fearfully.

When the security behind us unloads a round, I scream, "That's the one thing that actually scares you?"

My brother rushes in first, but I gesture for Angie to go next. I hit the button for the fifteenth floor repeatedly. We hide on the sides while guards pour bullets between the closing doors. When we're safe, we all slump on the floor and ride the slowest elevator in the world.

One minute passes with us getting nowhere. Angie paces between Monte and me and I'm sure she's about to explode. Her nicely tanned skinned turns a fiery red. "Are you serious? The seventh floor? Can this go any slower?"

The door opens on the eighth floor and a nerdy guy with thick black glasses, a brown comb over, and a potbelly poking out of his white lab jacket joins up. "Hey. You guys are new."

"No. We're just here to steal information on the Cavern of Youth," I reply.

"No way!" He takes out his phone and hands it to me. I pass it to Angie. "Here's all the information you'll ever need. You guys could have just called."

"What?" we all yell synchronously.

"It wouldn't be that easy, but all the lab rats here hate studying that thing. First off, all we know is it's somewhere in California with fog on the ground. It's stupid. We're studying something we can't get samples on. Every time we send someone for research, they wind up dead. I went once and met this guy with creepy green eyes. He let me turn around and I cried all the way back home. I took a sample of a rock on the wrong section, but no one could tell the difference."

The elevator stops on the tenth floor. He walks out, happily providing us with more information. "The password to the phone is Theodore. Capital T. If you can hack in and delete everything we have on the cavern, feel free." The nerd struggles to hold the door open. "If not, it's okay. But don't let us know any information you get. Gosh. They'll start that case again and I'll be overloaded with work."

We all wave to him as he releases the door and runs down the hall. Angie dryly says, "Thanks?"

I hit the fourteenth floor button and walk off after it takes forever to get there.

"Why are we getting off here?" Angie asks.

"The guards took the stairs and ran to the penthouse. They're protecting that area because it holds the most sensitive data. Well, that's what the fat officer claims. I don't see the point in going up there to kill off those guys for no reason." I point to the wall right outside of the elevator. "Monte, could you open the door for the child and lady."

He bashes the wall in and we all turn our devices on as we hop out of the building. The magnets zip us to the top and pull us back into the aircraft.

Once all three of us crash inside, the AI asks, "Is your mission complete?"

Together we shout, "Yes!"

The aircraft takes off too quickly and I slide towards the ramp. Angie reaches for me, but Monte steps on her hand. She grunts through her teeth.

The ramp is closing too slowly. The additional air makes it difficult to stand up straight.

Casually, Monte strolls towards me. I can't hold my balance like him and continue stumbling side-to-side.

The plane moves at an insane velocity. We've already traveled fifty miles or so. It didn't cross my mind before, but the amount of air must be supplying Monte with an amazing power. I swear I hear air collecting in his legs, but he has no tattoos there.

Angie screams as Monte kicks me out of the plane. I'd activate my magnet, if I weren't unconscious. I know because I hear Angie leaping out right after me. I'd love to tell her that the training worked. If it weren't for me enduring her punches, I'd be traveling through a lonely darkness. Not that it makes much difference. When my cranium meets the unforgiving cement, it won't really matter.

Monte watches both of us fall until the ramp completely closes off the plane.

Angie screams my name frantically, but no matter how much I focus, I can't move my body. I need her to cut me and release my blood like I did in the hospital, but there's no way to relay that message. Tons of black feathers fly behind her. There's too much wind to release Hathor.

She finally converts Kongō into two boomerang daggers. She whips one at me, but misses. Though she waits for it to return, it ventures to the ground below. Angie calms herself and kisses the last piece before letting it rip. It barely grazes my chest, but the minor wound is enough to wake me up. As I move my body, she smiles and cheers at the same time.

Though I can't hear her through the wind, I read her lips, "Your turn!"

I open my eyes for a split second. Her facial expression horrifies me. Is she scared?

I push Angie away with a tremendous force. Though I assume I'll die, that should help her.

Amazingly, Shiva converts into a carbon body ball with tons of cushion on the inside. I hardly notice when it smashes into the ground.

As planned, the counter force I applied to Angie slowed her down enough to bring out her wings. Now, her barcodes are pointing outward and she has the falcon wings of Hathor.

The roof on my strange carbon body ball opens. Angie flaps her wings over me. I catch another black feather that feels like a durable rubber. While rubbing it between my fingers I recall, "That's a fifty yard course and two plane free falls. I'm ready to move up to the big leagues. Rocket jumping."

The dark angel laughs while reaching for my hand.

Thirty

We spend twenty minutes collecting both pieces of Kongō. Exhausted and dehydrated from the humid weather and dense smog, we find cover in an old Marriott Hotel in Saint Petersberg.

We decide to avoid hunting until we're absolutely starving. The animal blood will only attract attention. Someone could rescue us long before that. There's no need to start trouble.

I already sent a distress call to our friends. The satellite service was all I needed to send a simple text message.

The surrounding area is infested with wild creatures. There are two girls camping out not too far from here, but trying to get to them may be too much work.

We secure the first floor and hide in one of the suites. The room has one bed frame, but most of it has been burned. This entire section was torched at one point. There isn't much to look at.

"Hey," I say to the stunning warrior peeking out of the window. "There are creatures on each floor above us and one just made her way down here. She's harmless, and dinner if it comes to that."

Angie shakes her head. "I can make it through tomorrow, for sure."

"There are two people not far from us."

"Someone actually lives out here?"

"I guess. Do you remember the girls I saved from the cave last year?

"Stephanie and Trinity?"

"It's them. They have food, but we'd have to cross a lot of strong beasts to get to them. The fifteen foot monster I see killing a bear-looking creature is what I want to avoid at all cost."

"It's fine. Let's hang out for the night."

"You're not trying to talk are you? I have enough women in my life for that."

Angie walks over and kicks my foot before sitting between my legs. I lean my head back against the door and hold her tightly, trying to remain perfectly still.

The animal walking through this floor senses something and we both can tell. Twenty minutes of dead silence pass with us controlling the sounds of our breath. Finally the creature makes her way back up to the third floor.

"I can't believe you think it's the women that talk. You're the one that never stops with the questions and sarcasm. You could always type faster than I could speak."

Pushing her head away I say, "Don't even start."

Angie lightly taps the side of her head against mine. Instead of pulling away, her cheek gently rubs against my own.

She turns just enough for her lips to tease me. Tease me? What the hell am I saying? I need her to get away.

Moving her long hair behind her ears, she mumbles, "Kode. I want to talk to you about Monte and—"

"Angie, the girls are straight up Ulmerton Road. The creature that killed the bear is on forty-ninth. Run past the street quickly."

"Kode. I said I want to stay here."

"Once you get to Faxton, make a left. They're in the white barn." Angie stands up and tiptoes to the window facing the street. "There's a lot of debris flying around right now and you'll have a hard time seeing, but I'll be right behind you. I swear." I convert Shiva into my large sword, jamming it in front of the door.

Angie waits by the window for my mark and I need the pig skin panther outside the window to get away.

A group of creatures rush down the stairs. There are twenty-three of them. The white fox with a snake's tail that roamed the floors earlier is their leader. They begin ramming into the door. The sound was enough to scare the panther outside.

With a thumbs up, Angie takes off down the street. I count to twenty before following her.

She doesn't get as far as I'd hoped. The weather on this part of the country is disgusting. Smog and debris cover every part of the city. My mouth tastes like cigar ashes.

Once I catch up to Angie, I grab her hand and lead her the rest of the way. The group of animals follow us, but many turn around after the gusty wind intensifies. The fox is the last one left and eventually she gives up. Not long after, we turn left on Faxton.

When we make it inside the building, Stephanie and Trinity are holding guns up. They're drinking some dark fluid that smells like tea and eating an animal that resembles a skunk.

I display my gloves so the ladies can see the trishula symbol. They slowly walk towards me. Stephanie keeps her gun raised until she notices Angie. Then, she releases a sigh of relief.

The two ladies quietly walk back to their seats.

Following them I utter, "Wow. I still haven't heard you speak."

Stephanie asks, "How did you get Tartarus off, and why are you so small?"

They offer us food, but we both decline. Starvation currently seems like a privilege compared to skunk, but if we're stuck out here for longer than a day or two, I'll probably change my tune.

Trinity uses the side of her mouth to tear into a large piece of the burned meat. "And is Angie finally your girl? You two have the most ridiculous sexual tension."

Angie walks through the room and checks in dark corners while saying, "I don't know how he removed Tartarus, but he's still not my boyfriend. He's not the type. I'll consider us official when we finally kiss or he takes me on a date."

"What's a date for you?" Trinity ties her hair in a ponytail and slaps Stephanie on the leg before continuing, "A trip to the sport's outlet and picking a fight with wannabes in East LA?"

Stephanie laughs under her breath.

Bouncing uncontrollably, Angie claps and shakes her hands. "Sounds perfect. When are we going, Kode?"

Ignoring all of their comments, I explain, "Spencer got Tartarus off by accepting the demon inside." The girls stop eating and activate their tattoos. In the past, they would always check to see if I were telling the truth by scanning me with their data. Stephanie's barcode is on her left inner thigh and Trinity's is on her right. What most people don't know is they share half of the same goddess, Amphitrite, and they're not even related. The two girls naturally attracted each other.

They don't know that I'm aware of this. I learned about it through one of Dennis' conversation with the school psychologist.

"You were right," Stephanie says to Trinity.

"What?" Angie inquires.

"I guessed that he killed Spencer. But when he didn't come back after the battle, we thought something happened to him."

I yawn, "I was hiding, mostly in the dungeon."

The ladies quickly glance at each other. Stephanie's the more attractive of the two, but both look like rugged men. They're wearing the same exact armor, dark orange jumpsuits as plain as Dennis'.

They look alike, but Trinity has brown hair and Stephanie's is blonde. Their fat noses and thin, dry lips are dead-on. They could almost pass for twins.

"You two were used to the dungeon, so you came here. I get that, but you could've just gone back down."

Stephanie shakes her head. "The dungeon is a bit boring. Out here it's easier to risk your life and a better place to get food. Plus, eating humans never feels right." She shivers.

My phone beeps and I receive a satellite message from Seth that says they're closing in on us. He wants us to hold out a little longer.

The two girls pack up their meals into backpacks on shelves by the door. Now, Stephanie ties her hair into a ponytail. They check their guns, tiptoe to the exit, and wave for us to follow.

Angie jogs towards them. "Why are we leaving?"

Trinity cautiously peeks through the exit. She leads us out and loads their things into a black SUV. There's very little air in the tires and many scratches on the door. Once we're all in the truck, she says, "The phone message Kode received will bring trouble. Beeps are like blood out here. Talking is too. We had to leave the second you walked in. The animals pick up on different things. Now, we have three types coming after us."

She starts the ignition and drives down the street. We hardly make it a block before the car is rammed by a deer-looking creature. The attack runs us off the road, but it doesn't do much damage.

Stephanie wipes blood from her head. "It was good seeing you two again, but if you want to survive, we'll need to split up. We have uncooked meat with us and we'll just draw more attention to you."

I convert Shiva into a gun once I hear an ape with massive wings flying over us. Trinity reaches back and places her hand on Shiva while shaking her head. I try warning her, but it's too late. An arm reaches in the car and pulls Stephanie out. She punches the creature in the gut while being dragged between two buildings.

Trinity opens the driver side before calmly saying, "This happens every day. Just stay away from forty-ninth and avoid spilling blood. But be careful. He may be coming for your phone." Then, she kicks the deer in the throat and chases down the winged ape.

Angie keeps her eyes closed and uses my hand as her guide. We run up the street for nearly five minutes. But we're cut off by a swarm of monsters. Even worse, another group approaches from behind. Kneeling to the ground, I convert Shiva into a combat rifle.

Shockingly, the wind and debris stop. The silence and clear skies are nerve wrecking.

Without saying a word, I point to the overpass ahead of us. Now that the winds have settled, Angie should be able to see it.

I fire off my first round, taking out all the creatures in front of us. We ignore the ones chasing us down. When we make it to the overpass, Angie boosts me to the top before flying next to me.

From the high area, I shoot down all of the beasts approaching. Angie stands on the opposite side and points out any that come her way. My rifle takes out any animal that comes near for over half an hour. Within that time, I slaughter nearly two hundred creatures. Blood attracts them more than I ever imagined.

Shiva returns to my hands as gloves and I fall on one knee. My heart has been beating at a rapid rate for thirty minutes and I'm sweating bullets.

Still trying to catch my breath, I wheeze, "I'm done."

"You're punking out already? Kode, what are we supposed to do now?"

"The next group of animals is five minutes away. I guess they're coming for the blood. The plane is fifteen minutes out based on the time Seth said they'd arrive."

"That's ten minutes without anything."

"Sekhmet."

"I can't. You said I can't."

"I'll bring you back. Just let her out now and I'll prep you."

Angie's barcodes are like alter egos. Artemis is playful, but determined. Hathor is motherly and protective. But Sekhmet tends to be more aggressive. The only thing I'm worried about is her raping me.

Angie clenches her jaw and her tattoos disappear. Her eyes shine a spectacular blue and her pupils change into arrows. She silently stomps up the overpass, openly displaying her attitude.

"Where are you going, Gigi?"

"Further up the road to delay some of the animals."

"But there are more beasts up there."

"Where's the nearest creature on this overpass?"

"Nine minutes up."

"We'll walk slowly and I'll start a fight there. The ones chasing the blood behind us will have to catch up. I'll have more fights in the end, but we'll go ten minutes without throwing a punch."

"You're sure you can handle all of them?"

"Why?" she blares loudly before controlling her volume, "Why do you keep hiding your eyes from me like I don't know what they look like?"

"To increase the mystery."

"Bull," she snaps irately. Once again, she takes off up the road, keeping a large distance between us.

"Is this the slow pace?"

Angie takes a deep breath and grunts. "How many times will you need me to come save you?"

"After Helios and the wolves, I think we're pretty even."

"But I hate this stupid form and you know that. I feel all this hate inside when I'd rather feel horny or hungry."

"You can't multitask?"

"I'm not like you. I'm stronger—don't get me wrong—but I don't take joy in pain."

"You shouldn't be around me too much then."

"Shut the hell up. You don't cause me pain. I'm at peace when I'm near you. Ugh, I don't like all this emotional shit either; stop talking and just walk."

As planned, nine minutes pass before we run into three fox-crocodiles like the one from Gonzales' classroom. Angie fights them for as long as possible without spilling their blood, but one comes near me and I'm forced to stab it with my trishula spear.

Angie sighs as mountains of beasts reveal themselves. There are some hiding in the area that I didn't even notice.

She goes on a rampage, killing creatures left and right. The more blood that's spilled, the more possessed and murderous she becomes.

Her massacre continues for four minutes, and in that time she kills five hundred and seventeen beasts with her bare hands while protecting me. The sound of propeller blades break the mournful cries of the dying creatures. Seth's black helicopter stops over us. The chopper's interior is half the size of the first aircraft that dropped us out here, but it's still massive.

The gladiator princess fights off the last few beasts with all her might before falling to her knees. Though she's tired, her eyes search for more blood. That's Sekhmet.

I cautiously approach Angie in order to release the demon before we enter the plane. But we hear a sound that goes bump-bump in the night. The animal I saw on forty-ninth is raging our way.

There's no way we're beating that thing with both of us this tired.

I'm not sure if it'll work, but I rush to Angie and turn the dial on her wrist, she's quickly sucked up to the helicopter, but slows down when grabbing me. Knowing we'll both die if I don't do something, I punch her in the arm.

Angie screams vehemently as I fall right before the monster's fangs. Just in time, I turn my own dial. I'm immediately drawn towards the plane, but the beast makes a highlight worthy jump. Its dagger like nails go in for the kill but it hardly scratches my leg.

The abomination falls back to the earth and I slam into the side of the chopper. I can definitely understand what bugs on windshields feel like.

My team opens the door and we slide inside.

Angie's still in Sekhmet form and raging wildly. She grabs Gardezi by the throat and he freezes solid. I wrap her in a headlock and tell the others to find new seats. Using all the strength I have remaining, I force her next to the window. She's doing her best to avoid hurting me, but she wants to kill someone. In her ear I whisper, "Are you still mad at me?"

"A little."

The others watch in amazement as the possession fades away slowly. I rub her forehead and hug her warmly. Her muscles remain tense and she tries catching her breath.

When I gently kiss her neck, the tattoos return to her chest. Angie giggles, "Oh, you cheated! With Tartarus on, it would've taken you an hour. I had a lot of blood on me."

"I'm shocked too."

Seth crawls out of Richard's lap, or he's pushed away. It all happens so fast, I can't tell. Jamie mutters, "Wow." And Ms. Love walks over to sit next to us. Her jealousy is evident. She wants me away from Angie, but I don't let go. Luckily, Angie doesn't have the strength to tease her.

Jamie and Seth nod at me as Gardezi says, "Congratulations on surviving. When Monte came back, he said the plane took off too fast and you had the phone with you. Still got it?"

That's right, Monte left the phone with us. If he wanted to get to the cavern, he should have grabbed it. Did he somehow figure out where it is?

Jules removes his glasses. Sneering at us from the corner of his eyes.

Rubbing my head, I answer, "We have it. But Professor Gardezi, could you get us ice packs from that back storage room? It's been a long day."

He stands up reluctantly, but forces a smile on his face. "Sure."

When he makes it inside, Jamie dashes behind him and bolts the door shut. Gardezi bangs against it. The heavy breathing behind him finally catches his attention. He hesitantly turns around to see a creature nearly five times his size. The legs dangling from the monster's shoulder lead up to reveal a grinning Gonzales.

Jules stands to his feet, but Richard grabs his collar and yanks him back down. "What's going on?"

Angie hands him the phone as I say, "From the beginning? Well, I was wondering about what made me pass out once you stopped the fight. Carmen showed me a sedative she removed from my skin after finals. It seems that someone hit me with a very small tranquilizer that doubled as a device to draw the creatures' attention to me. It was one of yours."

We all cover our faces to avoid the spit flying out of his mouth. I finally made Jules flip his lid. "You worthless runt! Are you accusing me of sabotaging your match?"

I continue as though he said nothing at all, "See, I recently discovered that Gardezi is the innovator of invisible sniper suit technology. That's why I didn't notice him shoot me, or why you didn't see him sneaking behind your back to work with Vincent and Monte to manipulate your research."

"That's a lie."

"No it's not. They needed you to find the Cavern of Youth, but you were clueless. I couldn't understand why at first, but I did a lot of thinking during my coma. You know all about the dungeons at Colt. That's why you have so many weapons."

Jules wipes the sweat from his forehead and tensely utters, "Well..."

"Last year, you sent Angie, Monte, and the brilliant and powerful Kode on missions to steal information. But you didn't find anything because you were deleting the stolen documents. If people discovered where it was, they'd go to war with the academy. That's why you gave me a flash drive with a virus. But when we got to the lake, a guy told us the study was already closed. You were fighting for nothing. Well, not really. Gardezi was feeding you bad information about what people wanted to do with our caves. Sadly, he needed to discover what you knew about them and how he could get there."

Gardezi releases a loud scream as Gonzales' monster rips his arm off and chews it slowly.

Jules witters, "I don't understand. How do you know all of this?"

"Simple. I listen. Gardezi was nowhere to be found during finals, and he's the official that stops fights that have gone to far. I heard the sniper gun fire before I was hit with the tranq, but never saw him. Not to mention, Carmen and I were attacked by an invisible man. I cut his arm, though he tried pretending the wound was given to him by Gonzales."

Jules flinches when Gardezi screams. The large and powerful man raises his hand and desperately pleads for his life before Gonzales. He's also missing a leg now.

"Did you really fall from the plane? Does Monte have anything to do with this?"

"I don't know. He's attempted to kill three of us so far." Carmen whips her head to look at me. Even though she's hacked into my data too much, I did my best to block certain things from her. "I'm not sure if he's following orders or on his own. I can't even prove that Vincent has any part in this." Angie shifts in my arms and continues looking out of the window. "He doesn't discuss many things openly. He's really the paranoid type."

"Vincent?"

"He's the only person with the motive to have Carmen assassinated—he wanted out of the marriage too. If these three are connected, there's no way to prove it." I lower my head and ask, "Vincent only cares about having a boy to continue his legacy, and you refused, didn't you Carmen?"

She covers her face with both of her hands and sobs into them. Angie instantly sits up. She reaches over and holds Carmen in her arms.

Carmen cries, "I wouldn't let him touch me. I didn't want him near me. He threatened me, but I wouldn't do it."

Leaning my head against the window, I mumble under my breath, "But trying to kill you..."

Jules clears his throat, "...Is still something you can't prove. You may be smart, Kay, but don't make too many assumptions."

"Yeah." I lean my head against the window and doze off.

Thirty One

I still hold watch in the dungeon, though I can't really fight anymore. Angie and I decided that it would be best if I didn't quit. I'd rather have someone as weak as Stephen kill me before giving up. Plus, I love the fog.

Some of the Daughters of Danaus manage to sneak into the mist occasionally and flirt with me. I haven't visited them since they last made me big, but I told those in the fog to send my thanks to the others. They giggled for a minute straight. Eventually, their voices faded away, one by one.

Over the past two weeks, I've had more unwanted trespassers than ever. I actually created a pretty spectacular shooting range for myself. There are craters with footrests in the shadows overhead and around the room. I travel through the darkness and take targets out that way. I always make sure to find out if the visitors are from Florida before killing them. Fortunately for the scientists, they haven't had to return.

My Thursday shift is almost over. I'll probably hang out here for an extra hour to avoid Angie. After Stephanie and Trinity put the date idea in her head, she's been extremely aggressive.

The gears in the cave's door tick and clank. Hanging my head, I assume that Angie's found her way to me. The cave's classroom door opens and two bodies fall in. Surprisingly, the fog cushions their crash.

Angie and Carmen are unconscious at my feet.

Angie has a black ring around her neck as though she were strangled. She's not breathing. Carmen's heartbeat is faint and her armor is torn to shreds. There are several dents and it's been cracked under some very heavy pressure.

Smoke dances around in their lungs. They were drugged and ambushed. Carmen likely tried healing herself and put up a fight. Angie probably staggered around until she was choked.

Monte falls next. His arm is nearly torn off at his elbow and he's breathing wildly.

When he notices me, he looks bewildered. He screams and tries to shoot me with a spruce. Jumping into the shadows, I dodge it.

Monte cries and runs away from the girls' bodies.

"What's going on?" The sound in my voice stops him in his tracks.

"It's none of your business."

"They're hurt. It's my business."

"You think I don't know you killed my brother? You're working with the Colt," he screams while holding his torn arm. "I'm not telling you anything."

"Stop the games and get to the point. Why are they hurt?"

"Angie and I got into a fight over you; she's unconscious because of me. She's not that bad. But Vincent heard the commotion and came in to attack all of us. He gave it to Carmen. I barely managed to get away."

"What's your plan?"

"I don't know. I don't know."

With my eyes still focused on him, I bend down to the fog and plead, "Ladies, can I bring them? I really care for these two and need you to heal them."

I only hear one voice reply, I don't know Okodemah. Hades may be upset.

"He says I have rights to access you. Please."

Umm, okay, I'll go tell the others, but this may be the first thing we've disagreed on for some time. If anything goes wrong, they may turn on you.

Then, I whisper something for only her to hear, "Tell them I already know it will."

"Who are you talking to?" Monte asks.

Without answering, I supply energy to my closed eyes to see the frequencies in everyone's bodies. Then, I trap the ladies and Monte in my shadow and take them to the infinite room. I surprise myself. My focus allowed me to cross the golden bridge without stopping.

Grabbing both girls by the arm, I drag them through the room with Monte trailing me. I stop right before reaching the shore and the room changes completely. Monte smiles once he notices that he's standing on water.

Lying on my stomach, I kiss the hard surface and it turns into water. Monte falls in and his arm heals instantly. As the girls shift around, I drink while apologizing to the daughters.

Monte's laugh seems to carry on forever. He walks onto the shore screaming, "I knew it. I knew it."

The girls stand up and rush towards me, crying, "Kode."

"I already know. Get out of the water so the daughters can cover themselves."

The girls and I join Monte on the shore. Carmen holds my arm tightly and Angie stares down my brother.

Still smiling, he observes the scenery. "Thank you man. You saved our lives." He removes his spruce and I disappear in the shadows with the others. I reappear over one hundred yards away. I can see Monte and Angie. She's still there? Why?

Leaving Carmen, I return to the princess. I reach for her, but fall to my knees. Angie stands in front of my body as Monte aims the spruce at me. He shoots her in the throat and throws her back into the water. The second she lands on the hard surface, she pries the spruce from her neck. Cutting her hand on the wire, she pulls the line with enough force to tear the weapon from Monte's hands. The spruce slides across the crystal surface and Angie holds her wound.

Standing on the water, she watches the both of us. She tries summoning Sekhmet, but can't draw enough power.

Monte watches me as I roll on the ground and hold my stomach. "And what's wrong with you?"

Laughing, I respond, "Drunk the water like Hades told me not to."

"Hades is here too? I'll see him after. But you," Monte squats down and says, "you caused me a lot of trouble. I would've found this place if you hadn't messed up the mission."

Coughing, I reply, "I would have let you if you didn't threaten the professors. Jules I'm okay with, but I love me some Gonzales—my favorite teacher yet."

"It's funny that you thought you could outsmart me."

"Who says I haven't?"

Angie takes a seat on the water and watches her reflection as she bleeds out.

Monte giggles and breaks into more laughter. "Damn, you really are good. How long were you aware that I knew?"

"Since the very moment you caught me. You hardly looked at my face. My eyes were closed and that was a dead giveaway for you. You thought your brother would be blind without Tartarus, so you analyzed the bandages. If that wasn't enough, hearing the stories from Angie about my blood helped."

"Wow! You still worked with me, even though you knew I was trying to get Angie to kill you?"

Angie never loses the will to fight. She's focused on me, and isn't showing any signs of suffering. Her small pool of blood on the water's crystallized surface is expanding. The amount of blood she's losing reminds me of when I found her near Helios.

"I was trying to get her to kill me too."

Monte grabs my head and throws me next to her. The poison from the daughters is still seeping into my veins, but I fight it off the same way I did with Eve's toxin, by force.

"I figured you'd want to be with each other in death. You both can share this moment. I'll go kill Carmen for now. Guess it won't be easy anymore. You trained her well."

"There's one thing I don't know."

He smirks and folds his arms. "Really? But you're such a good detective."

"I killed two guys not too long ago, Geb and Mel. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"I reported a few things that I heard about gladiators and the cave. It's something that has to do with Dennis."

"The arm for mom." As though he regrets his own decision, Monte grits his teeth and tries walking away. "You're such a bitch."

"What?!"

"You ran to her! She destroys everything she touches, and you know that better than me. But you ran to her and now she's using you to find this place."

"I had to."

"Coward."

"I had to!"

"Where is she?" Monte doesn't respond, but his eyes turn cold. For the first time in my life, he looks at me with an intense hatred. "Tell me where she is so I can kill her."

"You don't understand."

"Or maybe I do. You can't do anything without her. It's always been that way. She locked me up for a year because of that fight we had as kids. She let dad give me food that she laced with a poison. Not even my body could fight it off. And all that time, you knew."

"Kode."

"We play around like this every once and awhile. You don't really plan to kill me. I know you. But today's different for me. You really hurt Angie."

"If she wants you over me, she deserves to die," he mumbles while walking to Carmen.

I concentrate my energy and cause the crystal below us to rumble. I don't want to break into their world, but I'm supplying the daughters with energy, the same way I would with Shiva. Eventually, the floor sucks us in.

Tears stream down Carmen's face. I see her concern for Angie. She wants to come to the rescue, but can't. She hardly moves her lips when speaking; praying that the daughters will heal us again. Then, she breathes steadily and activates her codes.

Sadly, the water isn't healing us. It only pulls us down further into darkness. Angie smiles while holding her neck. She reaches for me. Before I can connect my fingers with hers, her nails glow.

My bandages shine along with the light in her hand. As it fades away, my bandages and clothes merge with my flesh. They disappear all together and I see my own body for the first time in months.

Angie looks down at my family jewels and grins from ear to ear.

The issues I had with my cells are eradicated and I feel a power surging through my blood. I accidentally bite my cheek as my fangs sharpen. My other bones stretch also, causing my body to return to its regular size.

Once the process is complete, Angie nods her head in approval. Yet, the look in her eyes shows concern. Monte's an average fighter when he's wearing a chest plate, but I doubt he'll keep it on for me. The gladiator princess tries smiling, but she watches me the same way she did before Spencer died.

Though the daughters aren't healing Angie, they're also preventing her from dying. I decide to leave her. I need air.

The crystal closes the surface of the water the second I emerge. Monte's only a few feet away from Carmen. He unstraps his chest plate. The dense material crushes the floor beneath him. Carmen's face turns a pale white when she notices all of his tattoos.

He ignites the codes on his back. Monte doesn't plan to toy around with her. At this level, she's as good as dead.

"Hey!"

Monte slowly peers over his shoulder.

Covering his eyes, he yells, "Dude. Come on. You're naked."

"But it looks good, papi!" A familiar energy expands in Carmen's chest. Seconds later, she releases a force that pushes Monte back to me.

Shiva shines brightly before forming my mechanical gloves. This time she continues covering me until I'm completely clothed in a tight armored jumpsuit with black Kevlar pads covering my limbs. Glowing computer components appear over the pads. The parts radiate with my favorite color.

As Monte rolls near me, I mumble, "Shiva, he collects air when he fights. If you expel wind from the gloves, it'll only aide him." My weapon spits an explosive fire from my fists. "That's my girl."

Shiva completes her transformation by covering my mouth with a mask like she did Jamie's.

Monte stands and dusts himself off. He pats his Afro and snarls, "You always had this swagger that said you could beat me whenever you wanted. I hate it. You think you're the only one that holds back strength?"

My brother tears off his pants, revealing armored shorts. His tattoos stretch and cover his legs entirely. The air he collects is amazing. Once his barcodes possess his entire body, he activates different sections at a time. Eventually, they all light with an eerie blue. He sucks in air and the mist from the room.

Though I try gaining my composure, my legs tremble. I've sparred with Monte several times when we were much younger. How long was he holding back this power?

I vanish into the darkness and Monte spins around to counter me. Yet, I don't appear behind him. I punch him in the ribcage with a left and elbow him in the neck with my other arm. Shiva releases two bursts of flames that slightly burn him, but he expels air from his codes to counter the effects.

Monte manages to strike me with a chambered punch. His fist moved nearly as fast as I do in the darkness. As I cringe from the pain, he trips me and kicks me in the stomach.

Doing my best to compose myself, I pretend as though I felt nothing and counter with a knee to his chest. He flies backwards and lands against a rock, but he absorbs a lot more air. Damn. He took the hit on purpose.

Keeping my hands to my side, I ease towards him. My relaxed demeanor further upsets him.

I blow flames from my fists. Monte charges me at a horrific speed, much like a tornado. He pounds his palm into my chin—the strike knocks me off my feet—and he follows through by tackling me to the ground.

As I fall, Monte wraps his right arm under my own and his left arm around my neck. Then, he proceeds to strangle me to death.

I listened as Helios killed Yang in this same manner.

My heart ticks with a strange sound. It's as though there are two or three hearts inside of me beating at once. A rush of adrenaline courses through my body. There's no way Monte would stoop low enough to train with Helios. He wouldn't.

"Where'd you learn this hold?" I grunt, hardly able to breathe. He doesn't respond. "Where?"

Monte's finally able to reach his left hand over to hold his right arm. There's no way I can muscle my way out of this now.

Instead of panicking or allowing my anger to fester any more, I press both of my fists on his arms. Shiva slowly heats up and I begin burning his wrists. She increases the intensity and nearly torches me.

Relax Shiva.

My weapon controls her force and burns Monte's arms for half a minute before he releases me. He grunts and pats them roughly once he flips onto his feet. He now has third degree burns on both of his arms.

I roll as far away as I can. Though I try seeming cool, I'm extremely happy to have air in my lungs. I'm fortunate he wasn't able to snap my neck.

Monte holds his hands up like a boxer. "It's okay. I can just dip them in the water when we're done."

Shiva heats up to a new degree. She begins glowing with a soft red hue.

From a distance Carmen shouts, "Get him!"

Monte collects more air. He slaps his chest and a thunderous sound echoes through the dungeon. "Don't let her confuse you. You're not going to beat me!"

I turn my head and try fighting the disgusting taste forming in my mouth. Simply thinking about how ignorant he is to help Eve is pitiful. She may pretend to love him, but even Monte knows that she's a manipulator that only wants him for power. All his life she convinced my brother that he was the son of The Writer. If I believed in that fable, I'd tell him what Takashi informed me.

I charge my eyes with everything I have, feeding data through every ounce of my blood.

I close the gap between us within seconds. Monte connects a hook on my left cheek while releasing a devastating amount of wind. I hear Shiva crumbling under the pressure. I lower my center of gravity and quickly punch him in the gut. The strike isn't enough to phase him, but I release Shiva's fire into his abdomen. I supply so much of my energy into my weapon, I lose my breath. My heart even stops for three seconds.

Monte and I back away from each other. I hold onto my cheek. I try standing up straight, but my knees buckle and I fall. Monte spews blood from his mouth and tries covering his stomach, but it's missing.

I crawl towards the shore, hardly able to see straight. Though I can hear every area of the cave, my vision is blurry. Everything is blending together. Carmen chases me down. I focus my data to analyze the water. I can hardly hear Angie, but she's still alive.

Once I stand, Carmen tackles me with a hug. It's nice to actually be taller than her again.

She sternly fixes her face on mine. "You're gorgeous with the bandages off, but I don't like that you're able to block your thoughts again."

"Nice."

Cheating, she jumps to kiss my forehead. She forces tons of data into her lips and hacks her way into my mind once more.

"You can see her now. She's almost at the bottom of this ocean where the daughters boil their water."

"Stop crying."

"Kode. Look at her skin. It's pitch black. The wound is healed, but she's burning to death. You can't get to her!"

I move a misplaced hair from Carmen's face and affirm, "You know I have to go."

She cries, "Because you love her more."

"Not by choice."

"Why not me?"

"If I were thrown from a plane and there was no logical way to save me, what would you do?"

"That's not fair!"

"In the time it took you to think about it, she already jumped."

Grabbing my arm she yells, "I love you. I don't care if you choose her. I just don't want you to die."

"Want to know why I never kiss you back?"

"No." She laughs and wipes her tears. "Not at all."

"It felt wrong. I tried convincing myself she was just a friend, but she's the only person crazy enough to be more."

Carmen punches me in the chest and it actually hurts.

"That was romantic, punk."

I press my lips firmly against her forehead and she melts in my arms. "Oh, papi," I mock.

She holds my bicep and laughs. The more she giggles, the deeper she digs her nails. Eventually, she draws blood. Carmen looks up at me with swollen eyes. "I can't let you go. I won't let you die or get stuck down there."

"Carmen..."

"You! You want me to be stronger. Angie wouldn't let you come after me, so I'm not letting you go. I don't care if I die protecting you. I know what you'd do to save her."

She's finally strong enough to stand for what she believes in, and it seems that the Daughters of Danus are with her. More of the water crystallizes under my feet. I'm now on a time limit.

Carmen tries throwing me onto shore. When she swings me around, I use her momentum to smack her on the hardened surface. Her nails pull off three large chunks of flesh from my arm.

She doesn't sulk in agony for long. Ms. Love flips on her feet and strikes me in the stomach with her staff. She pushes me back to the shore with it, and uses the lengthened weapon to keep me at bay.

Even when I disappear into the shadows, she senses me and throws me back. Monte watches in amazement and chuckles. She's actually putting up a better fight than he did.

The water hardens even more. Once Carmen sees the determination cross my brow, she forms a spear at the end of the staff. I dodge a strike and sprint towards her. She withdraws and expands it again, assuming I'd run back to avoid being hit. The spear slices my left arm and cuts through a rib. I spin around as she gasps and cries.

Once I'm behind her I whisper, "Stop with the submissive woman bull. You did a great job and I'm proud of you." I explode a venomous force that plunges her head first into a wall. She bleeds excessively, but instantly works on healing herself.

Carmen uses all of her energy to close the wound on her forehead. She tries crawling back to me, but it's too late. We're both pretty bad and I need Angie.

I don't plan on asking the daughters to let me in again. Most of them are screaming at me for betraying them.

I use the power flowing through my barcodes to exert an energy on the ground once more. The walls of the cave shake and the women scream outwardly. Even Carmen and my dying brother can hear them. They both do their best to cover their ears.

The first large crack splits between my feet. More pieces break apart little by little. Damn these women are persistent.

"What the hell, I probably won't be a big boy for long." I release all the pressure stored within my chest and the entire lake divides in half. I fall between it and land in freezing cold water.

Using my force and the fire from Shiva, I propel my body through the water, down to a very toasted Angie. The daughters are still upset. They throw crystals and change the temperature of the water. I zip past the obstacles as the skin on my face begins boiling.

The flames at the bottom of this lake are huge.

She's only a few yards away, but the intensity of the fire holds me back. I'm running out of energy and tired of pushing myself, but I'm not the type to stop for a little pain.

After my short break, I rush to the bottom. I laugh knowing that I'll have to tell Hayley I swam in fire.

I grab Angie's hand, turn around, and zoom out of the heat. Once we're nearly at the top, I stop and gently touch Angie's charred skin. Her tattoos are still intact—she's not completely dead. I guess it is physically impossible to die here.

The same way I command my blood to create barcodes, I concentrate on healing her wounds as though the water were a part of me. I think of it as my blood surrounding her and force it to heal her blisters and repair her skin. It only takes a moment, but we both fully recover.

I push through the top layer of crystal and drag her to the shore.

Carmen's a safe distance from Monte and she's giving Angie and I our space. Her skin is pale and she looks as though she lost five pounds. I didn't know how taxing healing could be on her body. I can't use her to wake Angie up. I also can't remember how to perform the Heimlich.

After a bit of thinking, I charge a small energy in my fist and punch the gladiator princess in the stomach. The electric shock that Shiva releases rumbles in Angie's gut and she spits up the fluid. Without hesitation, she starts yelling, "You just closed your eyes. I bet they were open a second ago."

Angie wraps me in her arms and pulls against Shiva's mask until it falls off. Then, she rolls the both of us around until I'm on top of her. I lean in and breathe gently on her face.

"Kiss me," she aggressively requests.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It would be romantic and I hate that."

"Kode!"

Finally, I open my eyes. I wait for her to turn away or for some muscle to twitch like everyone else, but I get distracted. I had no clue that her eyes glimmered with a faint blue when they weren't possessed by Sekhmet. Naturally, they're gray but that blue in the distance makes them a bit more spectacular.

"Do they scare you?"

A tear falls from her left eye and she shakes her head. "No. They're beautiful." Angie giggles lightly after realizing she's gawking with her mouth open. "Geez. They're so different in Tartarus."

"How?"

"They're red. I prefer the green ones, but the red makes you look like a bad boy. Kinky." Angie plays with my hair and asks, "What next?"

"Keep beating the hell out of me, I guess."

"I can't take this." She shines her barcodes and punches me multiple times. The light fight on the ground turns into one with heavy blows on our feet. Eventually, she plants a lucky shot on my chin. I crumble to the ground, holding my jaw.

Angie bends down, pries my hand from my face, and kisses me ten times more intensively than the show with Jamie. I don't want to think about how amazing it feels, but it's nice. Really nice.

Once we're done, the bandages return along with my clothes. As I shrink in size, a monstrous pain possess my body. It only takes a minute for the transformation to complete. Shiva turns back into gloves and I stagger over to Monte who is holding onto his life by his barcodes alone.

"So...so...r...rry," he sputters through the pain.

"Me too," I say from a distance, making sure not to get too close.

He shakes his head and cries, "No...m...om's...here! Mom's here."

I close my eyes and he does as well. The trishula symbol on my gloves shine as the barcodes on his body vanish.

My tears stain the earth we're standing on. Carmen rushes to me and Angie places her hand on my back.

"What's wrong?" they ask repeatedly.

I can sense Hayley's thoughts. She's with Eve.

Thirty Two

Hayley places her cellphone on the desk inside of Dennis' office and Eve pats her on the shoulder. Eve's dressed in a very dense armor. It's Helios' brand; I know because of the red, white, and blue signature colors. Not to mention, the gear has advanced jet technology. It's more progressive than Seth's zero gravity equipment.

As expected, Eve's still missing an arm. However, Sessho-seki—her Japanese samurai sword with a sharp stone blade—is attached to her hip. She runs her fingers across the grip as she circles around Hayley.

The beautiful redhead has been beaten and tortured for as long as I've been in the cave, and I'm rushing to get to her.

The bandages are causing an unbearable amount of pain. My vision is becoming hazier and my head throbs. I fall a few times, but once again, I take us through the shadows so fast that I bypass the golden bridge. I find shadows everywhere until we make it to Casey's classroom.

There, we discover military men in a lot of armor waiting for us. The men even line the hallway outside. Angie doesn't hesitate to withdraw Hathor and Carmen holds up her fists, despite how fatigued she is.

I convert Shiva to a machine gun and we all go to work.

The sound must travel some distance because Eve tells Hayley, "Sadly, that has to be your son coming to save you. You say the Ape calls you mom, right? That pathetic creature." Eve unsheathes her sword and takes a deep breath. "Well, if he made it out of the dungeon alive, he managed to beat my son. And my boy was the child of The Writer. I'll act as His hand and kill you to teach that abomination a lesson."

Hayley rolls her eyes and says, "Wow, you talk too damn much. I see where Kode gets it."

Dennis exits the stairwell and storms to the door. Aiming his finger, he blows it off and strikes Eve in the chest. Though the bullet does a lot of damage, it's not enough to stop her. She stabs Hayley three times with Sessho-seki before Dennis can ward her off.

I scream at the top of my lungs and those around me are forced to cover their ears.

The bullets in my gun become mighty enough to cause the people I shoot to completely vanish. I run through the hallways screaming and annihilating my targets without a single miss. A few bullets strike me as well, but I'm not even sure where. My left arm stops moving completely. It's paralyzed, but I continue advancing through their defenses until I'm across the street.

Dennis stands over Hayley. She grips onto his arm tightly as she bleeds out.

"Eve," Dennis says calmly, "I'm going to get her emergency help."

"No need. I went for the proper organs. She's dead."

"I don't care!" He kneels next to Hayley and continues, "I'll make you a deal. Stay away from Kode for two years and I'll give you my arm, right now without a fight."

I slam the button to the elevator door, crying the entire time.

"What do you have planned?" she asks with a grin.

He holds out his right arm while resting his left hand on Hayley's head and blares, "Cut it and go, or die."

Eve slices the arm without a second hesitation. She picks it up as the barcodes on Dennis' chest seals his arm with a green substance.

The evil witch holds her blade to his neck. "What's stopping me from killing you now?"

Dennis' face turns pitch black and his eyes are completely gold. He opens his mouth and a purple beam releases. It strikes Eve and throws her from the building.

I exit the penthouse elevator and crawl down to Dennis' office. My legs have given out on me. I'd stab myself, but I don't have time. With most of my limbs paralyzed, I move by digging the nails on my right hand into the ground and pulling myself forward.

Hayley's holding onto whatever life she has remaining by clawing at Dennis' gray suit jacket. She pulls so tightly that she tears his clothes. The only problem is, when she returns her hand to his back, she feels a large scar.

That injury is something Hayley once mentioned to Spencer. It's a wound that John left on his murderer. As Hayley feels it, she finally begins whimpering.

I make it into the room with her spewing blood and telling Dennis how much she hates him.

"It's my fault mom. It's my fault." I continue crawling, but I feel as though I'm traveling through an infinite darkness. No matter how close I get to her, she's too far away. Tears burn my face like never before. "I should die. I'm so sorry. It's my fault."

I convert Shiva to a gun and hold the weapon to my head. At that moment, I feel a thump on my ear and I black out. Hayley appears inside the darkness in my mind. I'm still crying. I know she's dead, but I rush her and hold her in my arms. She releases a woofing sound when I tighten my hold around her waist.

"It's my fault."

She rests her hand on my head and says, "Baby, don't cry."

"It's my fault."

"It's not. It's my own. I chose to protect you. She only wanted to know where you and Dennis were, but I went rambling at the mouth about being your mom and tried to attack her."

"Mom. No! You could've told her. She had guards waiting for me anyway. You could've told her."

"So? I'd rather die than back down. You rubbed off on me. I guess I was always like that, but I never stood up to an ugly fat man." Hayley bends down and softly headbutts me. She forces me to open my eyes. The green has faded and my data is now a faint red. She gasps and covers her mouth.

Laughing through my tears I mutter, "She is ugly. Right?" The weight on my chest is unbearable. It's so difficult to simply speak. This feels much worse than the pain of my bandages.

"And you came out so beautiful." Hayley kisses my forehead and my eyes slowly return to their normal color. "It wouldn't matter. You're my son."

"Mom!"

"Quick story: I was pregnant, once upon a time. He wasn't a god or anything. I guess you guys call them Apes. We were going to name the kid Cody, after John's best friend and Dennis' brother."

My eyes widen. "Dennis has another brother?"

"Don't interrupt! He told you to protect me and that's what you did. You disappeared from my womb right before John was sent to prison for killing Cody, and here you are."

My heart feels empty. "Don't say that. That's not possible."

"It's probably not. I know you're logical and all. It's more likely that it's a coincidence, but you really saved me. I've always wanted to love someone the way I love you. Even with Spencer around, I contemplated suicide every day since John's death. But since I met you..." She wipes her tears eloquently. Everything about Hayley is amazing.

"Why are you telling me this? You should hate me."

"I can't. John wouldn't want that. I...Kode you don't understand." She takes a deep breath. When she exhales, it's almost like a weight is lifted from her shoulders. "I should've told you this in the hospital. I've been doing research on your family recently, which led me to the information about the HATS. But what I found...your mom was a Bevel before marriage." I dart my eyes to Hayley's shoes. She lifts my head up with her index finger, but I still avoid eye contact. I don't want her to tell me about some prophesy or fate, and she doesn't. "John Bevel was her brother." Hayley smiles as my mouth drops and my eyes connect with hers. "They were separated at a very young age during their parents' divorce. That's why you look just like him. It's probably why Dennis couldn't kill you; he couldn't murder John twice."

My eyes continue burning. "Don't do that! Don't find an excuse to love me again. Be angry and upset . I put your life in danger."

"I'm losing my data, but do me a favor and kill her."

I wipe my tears and nod. My lips tremble as I cry, "Will do."

"If you get a chance, kill Dennis too." She knows what she's asking me, and does it anyway. "Here are my final rules: no more cigars, ever. I don't care about your super-duper healing. I hate them. No alcohol before sunset. I have a lollipops storage room, but I'm sure you know where it is. Stop holding yourself back from people. And lastly, Jamie and I talked about this for hours, and I'm with her, Angie's right for you."

Hayley's legs begin fading away. When she notices, she embraces me.

"I love you, Mom. I love you. I love you so much."

She kisses me until her data completely deletes. The trishula on my hands shine a vibrant green, returning the light back into my world.

I clutch Dennis' arm as I'm rushed down a bright hall on a stretcher.

"That's it. That's all I needed to help out all the gods and spirits that are looking for a change. I swear I'll kill off anyone that had anything to do with her death; human or immortal." Dennis only stares at me blankly. I try listening to my surroundings to discover where I am, but I can't.

He continues running alongside of the stretcher and says, "Kay, you're delusional. Stop talking."

I don't listen. I can't. "They've just pissed me off enough to do something about this war. And I know just where to start—stealing the HATS."
