Rogue: A Scifi Alien Romance (Galactic Gladiators Book 8) Read online

  “It’s not. But Gabriez’s labyrinth is underground. Rumor says she was here long before these buildings went up .”

  God, she had to be old. Zhim pulled the transport to a stop, and it lowered down to the ground with a faint thud . The doors opened automatically. Ryan climbed out, clutching her portable comp to her chest. She looked around—this part of Kor Magna was a dump—and wondered if the transport would even be here when they got back .

  If they got back .

  Her mouth dry, she watched as Zhim pulled several boxes out of the back of the transport. The doors closed, and he aimed a small device at the vehicle. A blue shimmer raced over the machine .

  “Security system,” he said. “No one will mess with my transport while we’re gone.” A sharp smile. “Or they’ll regret it .”

  He held out a hand, and Ryan took it. They were both dressed in black, with black vests on top that had a multitude of pockets. Zhim had his hair tied back, and his face was set in hard lines .

  “Stay close,” he warned .

  Ryan pulled her portable comp closer and fell into step with him. They were headed toward a small, domed building. It was made of cream stone and the desert lay just beyond it. She could see sand dunes in the distance .

  As they rounded the dome, she spotted two big guards flanking the doorway. Zhim gave her hand a final squeeze, then let go. As they approached, the guards’ electronic implants flashed. Cyborgs . Ryan’s interest flared, briefly overwhelming the fear. These implants were much higher quality than the hasty, scarred work she’d seen on the hackers in the hacking den. The guards swiveled, their moves in perfect unison. Their eyes glowed red, and her gut churned .

  These guards were more robot than living, sentient beings. She couldn’t see any hint of individuality, or free thought, on their hard faces .

  When they saw Zhim, they nodded, and one opened the door without saying a word .

  She followed Zhim inside the dome. The walls glowed with a golden color, and in the center of the space was a set of stairs leading down into pitch blackness .

  Ryan sucked in a sharp breath. Her belly felt like it was filled with angry bees, and she wanted nothing more than to turn and run. Something deep in her brain warned her that she’d find nothing good in the darkness below .

  But she wouldn’t abandon Neve. And she wouldn’t let Zhim go in there alone. Ryan took a deeper, more calming breath .

  They descended, their shoes echoing dully on the stone steps. Lights clicked on, illuminating the way .

  They came out into a large space packed with people and Ryan stared in surprise. It looked more like some huge rave party, than a villain’s den. The walls of the large room all consisted of giant, floor-to-ceiling screens, filled with colors floating around on them like oil and water. Blues, greens, and reds shifted and oozed, casting a glow over the room .

  Music filled the space over the hubbub of laughter and conversation. Ryan spotted a small platform, where a slender, blue, alien woman with a bald head covered in crystal-like spikes played a long instrument that looked like a flute crossed with a digeridoo. She was undulating as she played .

  Aliens of all shapes and sizes were packed in the space, from wall to wall .

  “Look,” Zhim said quietly .

  She followed his nod and realized the far wall of the room was actually made of glass. A window. What she saw beyond it made her heart clench .

  The view from the window looked down on a giant maze. It was made from sturdy stone walls, filled with twists, turns, open spaces, junctions, and dead ends. She caught glimpses of people running and stumbling through the labyrinth. Some were being chased, and others were fighting .

  God .

  “Zhim, welcome .”

  The hissing voice made Ryan tense. She turned slowly, and her muscles locked. The crowd parted, and an alien, unlike any she’d seen on Carthago before, approached. A long, snake-like body slithered across the floor, as thick as Ryan’s waist, and covered in deep-bronze scales. The top part of Gabriez was the torso of a woman. Her high breasts were also covered in scales, and deep-green hair fell to her shoulders .

  “Gabriez .”

  “I’m so pleased you’re finally here.” The woman smiled, showing a set of impressive, curved fangs .

  “Just to set up the Nova you purchased .”

  “Yes, yes. But you should stay and enjoy my hospitality.” The woman’s bright-green eyes swiveled to Ryan. “And who is this ?”

  Ryan dropped her gaze. It wasn’t hard. She did not need the scary image of this woman burned into her brain .

  “No one,” Zhim answered. “My assistant. My personal assistant .”

  “Oh.” Speculation in the sibilant voice. “You’re protective. How quaint .”

  Zhim’s stone-faced look didn’t change. “Where do you want this ?”

  “Godval will show you .”

  Ryan felt the woman’s assessing gaze on her, and the sensation made her skin want to crawl .

  “I look forward to seeing you later, Zhim .”

  Ryan suppressed a shiver. A seven-foot-tall alien appeared. He could have been a gladiator, with a bare, muscled chest covered in some impressive scars, and a shaved head. He grunted, and they followed him. A doorway opened in one of the huge screen walls .

  “Creepy,” Ryan whispered to Zhim .

  “I told you not to come. Just keep quiet. She has this whole place rigged with cameras .”

  The silent Godval led them down a dark corridor to a door, and pressed his beefy palm to an electronic lock. It beeped and spun, and the door slid open .

  The room was packed full of electronic equipment from floor to ceiling, and wall to wall .

  This was the hub of Gabriez’s labyrinth .

  A small man sat hunched over a screen. When they entered, he looked up at them in surprise. His overlarge eyes dominated a face that was almost cute—except for the terror in his gaze. Godval grunted, and the man scurried off .

  Ryan’s steps faltered. This room, the man’s reaction, it was too much like her time at Zaabha. Her skin flushed, feeling hot and tight, and her vision blurred. Panic was like acid in her veins, and a band tightened around her chest. She couldn’t breathe. No. Not now .

  “Ryan ?”

  She held up a hand. It was shaking. “I’m fine. I just need a minute .”

  Zhim nodded at Godval. “We don’t need you anymore .”

  The man left with a nod. As soon as the door closed behind him, Zhim lifted a small, slim device from his pocket. He pressed a button and a light blinked on. He set it on the closest desk .

  “You’re not fine,” he said .

  She wrapped her arms around herself. “What is that?” She ignored his statement and nodded at the device .

  “It jams any surveillance Gabriez has in this room. She’d expect me to do that .”

  Ryan sucked in some deep breaths, trying to keep them slow. “Sorry about this .”

  He stepped in front of her, and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her face to his chest. “Don’t be sorry. Just breathe .”

  His scent worked its way inside her. She loved the smell of him. She gripped onto his shirt, her fingers forming a fist .

  “I’ve got you.” He lifted a hand and stroked her hair .

  “Sorry. It’s just that this place is a lot like where they kept me at Zaabha .”

  His hands stilled. “Take your time. I know what it’s like to have the memories hit you hard .”

  She so desperately wanted to see beneath Zhim’s hard, arrogant exterior. She just knew there was more to him than he allowed others to see. “Your homeworld, Skora, was rough ?”

  “Yes. It was poverty-stricken, and often struck by famine and food shortages. It was filled with street kids. Everyone had to fight for every scrap .”

  “What about your family ?”

  “No clue. My earliest memories are of fighting a momo , a creature similar to your dogs on Earth, for food .”

&
nbsp; Listening to him, being focused on him, helped her forget her own troubles. “I can’t imagine what that would have been like .”

  “I hope you never do.” Zhim stepped back, stroking her shoulder. “Ready to get to work ?”

  The conversation was clearly closed. She huffed out a frustrated breath. Did Zhim ever let anyone in? She watched him open his cases and start plugging equipment into the system .

  Ryan plugged in her comp. “I’ll start the hack to find the labyrinth schematics, and find where Neve is .”

  He nodded. “Let’s hope she’s in a guest room somewhere.” He paused. “Don’t get caught .”

  Ryan scoffed. “Please .”

  A smile flickered on his mouth. “I know you’re good, but we don’t want to trigger Gabriez’s security system .”

  “I’ll get in, copy what we need, and get out .”

  They worked together, the silence companionable, as their fingers danced across their screens .

  “I have the Nova integrated,” he said .

  “Good. Data search is in progress .”

  “Make it quick, Ryan. The longer you’re in there, the more likely her security will detect you .”

  Come on . Ryan scrolled through masses of data .

  A low alarm started pinging .

  “The system has detected an irregularity,” Zhim said .

  Shit . Ryan stared at the scrolling data. “I need more time !”

  “It doesn’t know it’s a hack, just an anomaly. She’ll think I tripped it, installing the Nova. But she’ll send someone down here to check.” He leaned over, touching the screen with her .

  “Nearly there,” Ryan said, tapping frantically .

  “They still think we’re just a glitch .”

  “Wait, I’ve got something!” Images filled Ryan’s screen. “Schematics are downloaded.” She grinned at him .

  He grinned back. “Well done .”

  “Hang on… There’s more.” More images. These ones were live .

  It was camera feed from the labyrinth .

  The video showed a man being electrocuted, his body jerking wildly. Ryan tasted bile in her throat. The image changed. Now, it was a giant alien on his knees, screaming and clawing at the rock wall in front of him. His fingers were bleeding .

  “Gabriez is trying to break them.” Zhim’s voice was hard. “They’re seeing their deepest, darkest fears and secrets .”

  Ryan pressed a palm to her belly. She didn’t want her deepest, darkest fears out for everyone to see. And she didn’t want to experience them, ever again .

  The image changed again, and Ryan gasped .

  Neve was in the center of the screen. She leaped up, spun, and kicked a huge cyborg she was fighting. The cyborg swung a huge, metal fist, and Neve ducked .

  “She’s in the northern end of the labyrinth,” Ryan said. “She’s alive .”

  Zhim stared. “For now .”

  Chapter Five

  D rak . No one survived long in Gabriez’s labyrinth .

  Zhim had only ever seen one or two people make it out. Whatever she’d done to their brains left them scrambled, just shells of who they’d been before .

  “We need to get out of here, and get the schematics to Galen. The gladiators need to plan a rescue mission as soon as they can .”

  “She’s holding her own.” They both watched Neve land on the cyborg’s back. A moment later, she slammed several hard blows to the cyborg’s head. It fell like a cut tree, and slammed into the ground .

  “But Gabriez’s tech…it can damage people’s brains,” he said .

  Ryan grimaced. “I didn’t like her before, but now I like that crazy alien even less .”

  “We need to get out of here. And you need to get out of the system .”

  “On it.” She tapped rapidly. “I’m going to leave a hidden bug to monitor Neve. That way, we can find her when we come back .”

  He watched Ryan pull out of the system and cover her tracks. The trail only showed the installation work Zhim had done. She’d just shut down her comp when the doors to the room opened .

  Godval and a cyborg guard entered .

  “The system detected irregular activity,” the cyborg said in a toneless voice .

  Zhim gave a dismissive sniff. “This is complex work. I’m not surprised this inferior system detected it.” His tone dripped arrogance .

  Ryan looked up at him, her eyes wide .

  “Is the installation complete?” the cyborg asked .

  Zhim nodded. “Yes .”

  “Gabriez has requested your presence to bid her farewell .”

  Dread filled his veins. Gabriez would be presiding over one of her meals. From what he’d heard, they were never much fun for the guests .

  “It would be my pleasure.” He inclined his head. “I’ll just escort my assistant out first .”

  “Gabriez wants her there, too.” The guard bared metal teeth. “As a show of hospitality .”

  Drak . Now the information lord was interested in Ryan .

  “As you wish.” His gaze connected with Ryan’s and they finished packing up their gear. Then they followed Gabriez’s men up to the main room above .

  Tables now filled the space, and metal blinds had been drawn over the window to the labyrinth. Several dancers writhed on pedestals. In the air above, small drones covered in bright lights cavorted .

  As they walked along the tables, Zhim looked down at the platters laden with food. There were specialties from all over the planet, and from several other planets, too. Most of it was suited to a reptilian palate .

  “It looks awful.” Ryan’s nose wrinkled .

  “That’s because most of it is poisonous. Gabriez actually needs to ingest certain poisons .”

  “Ugh .”

  “Keep your head down and stay quiet,” he warned .

  “Ah, Zhim.” Gabriez was lounging on pillows at the head table. Her forked tongue flicked out. “They tell me that you’ve completed the work. Thank you .”

  “We need to get going, Gabriez. I have other appointments .”

  “Stay for a few minutes. We were just about to start the entertainment.” She lifted her hand and waved .

  The large metal blinds behind her started rolling up. The partygoers tittered .

  Zhim saw people in the maze below, running, screaming, and fighting. He swept the space and spotted Neve. She had a sword now, and was hacking at several cyborg opponents. Gabriez had filled the damn labyrinth with her organic-machine hybrids .

  He glanced over, and saw Ryan trying to hide her dismayed reaction .

  “I have a new toy to test out.” Gabriez held up her hand .

  On her palm was a tiny speck of metal. Then it moved and Zhim made out tiny fluttering wings. It was a robotic insect and it was almost pretty .

  “It took me months to perfect him.” The information lord threw the insect into the air .

  It buzzed away, and one panel of glass slid open. It zipped through, and into the labyrinth. One of the screens on the wall changed to show close-up camera images from the maze .

  Zhim watched, body rigid, as the insect zeroed in on one man. He was tall and thin, his clothes nothing but tattered rags .

  The insect flew at his face and he batted at it. Then Zhim saw it fly into the corner of his eye and wiggle its way in .

  “No.” Ryan’s horrified gasp .

  The man on the screen clawed at his face. “No!” His mouth opened in a scream. “Make it stop.” His piercing wails echoed upward .

  Gabriez was grinning. “It embeds at the base of the brain and causes immense pain. I can control people’s pain responses. It will be a perfect tool for…information gathering .”

  Torture, she meant. She was a sandsucking monster. “Ingenious.” He forced the word out. “I’m sorry, Gabriez, but my assistant is not feeling well. We’ll leave you to your entertainment .”

  The alien woman’s green eyes narrowed. Zhim’s heart pounded painfully in his chest as
he waited for her answer .

  “Very well. Thank you again.” Her voice dropped. “And your lovely assistant .”

  Zhim grabbed Ryan’s hand and tried not to sprint out of the building. They moved back up the stairs. As they stepped out into the night, Ryan took some deep breaths .

  “Hold it together a bit longer.” He led her toward his transport. It was exactly where he’d left it. He disabled the security system, and shoved his gear in the back .

  As soon as Ryan clipped into her seat, Zhim pulled away, accelerating fast. He wanted as much distance between them and Gabriez as possible .

  “She’s horrid.” Ryan pressed her palms to her eyes. “Poor Neve. We need to get her out .”

  “We can’t rush in there, or Gabriez will gladly imprison all of us.” Zhim tapped the screen in the transport and Galen’s face appeared. “We made it, and we have the schematics .”

  “Well done .”

  “We saw Neve. She’s in the labyrinth, and for the moment, she’s alive .”

  “Good. Send the schematics through, and we’ll start making plans to infiltrate.” The imperator’s face darkened. “I’ll have to sit on Corsair to stop him charging in there .”

  “I recommend going in first thing in the morning,” Zhim said. “Gabriez’s party will run through the night. She’ll sleep most of the day .”

  Ryan leaned forward. “Galen, the place is riddled with cyborg guards and other horrible tech designed to inflict pain .”

  The imperator nodded. “I’ve already made plans to meet with Magnus Rone. He’ll help us .”

  Zhim had met the cybernetically-enhanced imperator of the House of Rone only a couple of times. Information on the man was surprisingly thin. “His help will be invaluable. I had a look at her defenses, Galen…they’re tough. You won’t be able to break in with brute strength alone. I’ll need to hack through her online defenses so you can sneak in undetected.” The part of him that wanted to make sure Ryan never went anywhere near Gabriez again reared up, but he forced himself to shut it down. He understood the need to prove yourself and escape the hardships of your life. He looked over at Ryan. “And I’ll need Ryan’s help to do it .”

  She blinked, and then a smile broke out on her face. “You bet, info-boy .”