I trained with other aliens and learned their mystical and powerful fighting styles. Some were impossible for me to master as my body simply wasn’t designed for it. I had too many bones, they said, and one day broke my back when they tried to bend me into the right position.
Sometimes, there were things you simply couldn’t do, no matter how hard you tried.
At the back of the room was a familiar sight, one I hadn’t thought about for years.
A suit of armor sat protected by its glass case, standing guard in its infinite watch. It’d always mesmerized me as a child.
It looked different from how I remembered. It didn’t have a red tint to it before, and the chest was an odd shape. One half had the appearance of a frozen magma blast, the other of a perfectly flat but shimmering and slippery surface. Each section floated a couple of inches from the others.
I used to spend hours just staring at it.
“Wow,” I said as a kid. “What is it?”
The Supervisor removed my hand and wiped my greasy handprint off the glass with the sleeve of his white jacket.
“It’s a suit of armor,” he said.
“Armor? What’s it for?”
“It’s to protect the wearer from harm. If you hit it with weapons, it won’t hurt the man inside.”
“Wow. Is it magic?
The Supervisor chuckled.
“No, it’s not magic. But science can seem that way sometimes. Come on. Let me show you the pit where the prisoners fight.”
He led me away but I turned back to peer at it over my shoulder. A suit of armor where no one and nothing could ever hurt you.
It sure sounded like magic to me.
But the armor didn’t work that way. It might spare the wearer from physical harm but there were far worse things that could get you.
Afflictions of the mind. Emotional damage. Loneliness. These were things the armor couldn’t protect you from.
I was no longer that small child, and I no longer looked to the Supervisor like a father.
“Kren,” the Supervisor said. “What’s the problem?”
I eyed the other scientists and felt a little exposed. I had personal things I wanted to discuss with him. A room full of strangers wasn’t exactly the kind of place I felt comfortable opening up.
“Can we go somewhere a little more… private?”
“I’m very busy right now. I’m afraid I don’t have time to discuss anything in great detail. How about we organize another time for us to talk? When I have a little more free time?”
Free time? The Supervisor didn’t believe in free time. He never took a holiday or a break or even a day off. If I waited for that moment to come, I would never get to speak with him.
“Here’s fine. I’ve been thinking about my position here.”
“Your position?”
“I’ve been here my whole life. I’m not a criminal. I never broke the law or did anything wrong. The way I see it, I’m a free man. All I have to do is leave.”
The Supervisor nodded and scratched his chin.
“I see. Well, you’re right. You came here with your parents. You’re free to go at any time.”
I blinked. I never thought it would be that simple to leave. At least that was the easy part over with.
The Supervisor turned away.
“Are we done here? Pack up your things and I’ll give you the use of my shuttlecraft. It will take you wherever you wish to go.”
“Wait. There’s something else I need to mention.”
Now, how did I say this? I wasn’t a good tactician. I was more of a direct-action kind of person. So, direct it would have to be.
“I want to take Ivy with me,” I said.
“Ivy?”
“She’s one of the Prize Pool girls. I’ve met with her many times and I think… I think we could be happy together.”
The Supervisor fixed me with his eyes, made beady behind his thick lenses.
“And does this Ivy feel the same way about you?”
“Yes. I think so.”
I smiled when I thought of her. It was impossible not to smile these days.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” the Supervisor said.
My smile vanished.
“But she’s being held here against her will. She doesn’t belong here any more than I do.”
“It’s not that easy. She belongs to the prison. That means only the warden has the authority to release her. She’s not under my control or supervision.”
“But you’re in charge of this part of the prison. Surely you can arrange for her to be released to me?”
“I can’t.”
He sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“I can speak with the warden if you like. I can see she means a great deal to you. But I can’t guarantee she’ll be released. It’s bureaucracy, I’m afraid. There are just too many rules we have to follow. I’m sorry.”
He was sorry? He was sorry?
I ground my teeth, clenched my fists, and stared at the floor. Out the corner of my eye, I noticed the guards turn stiff and angle their shock rifles in my direction. One false move and they would zap me.
I couldn’t afford to lose my temper.
Not here. Not now.
I let my fingers unfurl and my back straighten, forcing myself out of fighting mode.
I was looking directly at the computers and monitors and all the data they were collecting.
“What are you looking for?”
“Excuse me?”
“What are you looking for?” I repeated. “You’re a scientist. You watch our fights every day. We see you watching us. There are rumors why you do it but no one knows and no one much cares. But what do you work on here day after day?”
The Supervisor looked at me thoughtfully and cocked his head to one side.
“It’s not a secret. We try to learn how you’re capable of the abilities you have.”
I didn’t have an ability, at least not to his knowledge. I ran a finger over one of the monitors. It was alien to me. I had no idea what its purpose was but the scientists were clearly using it for something.
“You used to run experiments on me,” I said. “When
