Belligerent (Vicara) (21 page)

Yeah,
Mackenzie replied.

Seems like Dr. Dupin's a man with a secret.
Clarisse said.
Don't worry. I'll have it figured out soon enough.

“Where are you guys at?”

Kenichi and I are waiting for you outside of lit class. Everyone else had to head to their own classes.
Eva sounded as relieved as Ryan felt.

Not having to plan an escape or worry about being demoted had lifted a huge weight off Ryan. He still wasn't thrilled that he was a Belligerent, but he had realized that there were worse fates. Besides, it wasn't so horrible at the academy and it was only for a few years. As long as Clarisse could keep tabs on Alex, Ryan really didn't need anything else, except maybe to somehow get word to Alex that he was doing okay. It was nice not having anything more than a paper on
Bleak House
to stress over.

Chapter 11

Three weeks after Ryan's meeting with Dr. Dupin, Kenichi's bullet wound had mostly healed and Mackenzie was plotting vengeance against Mystique's team with a devotion she usually reserved for her schoolwork and training. Everyone knew it would be planned to the minutest detail and would probably take months before it was actually ready. Ryan became frightened at the thought of what would happen if he ever truly angered the strategist. He had found himself accepting his role as a Belligerent with a certain ease once he had realized that he could trust his teammates. Straightening his uniform that morning in front of his bedroom mirror, Ryan noted that even the green tie no longer felt like a noose around his neck.

He was startled from his thoughts by a loud knock on his door. “You're up for the games tomorrow. Pack a bag!” Mackenzie shouted.

Ryan froze. “What?” He ran to the door and threw it open. “What did you say?” he asked once he caught sight of Mackenzie, who was already heading to the kitchen.

She turned around, balancing one hand on her hip in the way that she did when she was annoyed. “Shifter wants to see how you're progressing, so he's entered you in a pit game that will be first thing in the morning. Pack a bag because we're leaving after breakfast.”

“What about classes?”

Mackenzie shrugged. “What about them?”

Ryan noticed for the first time that Mackenzie wasn't wearing her school uniform. In fact, she was still in a pair of sleep pants and a tank top.

“I'll see you at breakfast then,” she said. “Don't forget a formal outfit for the party,” she called over her shoulder as she left the courtyard.

Clarisse leaned her head out of her loft window. Foils were in her long hair where she was adding some different colored streaks to the bleach blonde. “Need some help?”

Ryan nodded mutely.

“I'll be right down!”

*

After breakfast, Ryan found himself on a plane with only Mackenzie and Shifter. Apparently, Shifter tended to only enter two team members in a pit game at a time, and the others remained at the villa if classes were in session. After exchanging greetings, Mackenzie and Shifter had chosen to not speak to each other if it wasn't obligatory. It seemed Mackenzie was still holding some anger about her brother's death towards the man, even though she had realized a while ago that there was no one to blame except for the team who had attacked them. While Shifter had seemed to respect Mackenzie's desire to not speak, he had tried to interrogate Ryan until Mackenzie had complained that she was getting a headache.

The plane was the same one in which Ryan had flown to the academy the first time. It wasn’t as large as the more common commuter aircraft, but the plane could comfortably accommodate Shifter and the entire team, as well as an attendant who saw to any of their needs. Ryan glanced over to where Mackenzie had her seat fully reclined. He was almost positive she wasn't really sleeping. Shifter was on his tablet, but if his snorts of amusement every few seconds were any indication, then he wasn't working. Ryan had tried watching a movie for a while. When that didn’t keep his attention, he switched to doing some homework for a few of his classes. It was hopeless though. Despite having been to pit games numerous times before, he had never been a
participant
in one, and his nerves were on edge. He felt like he would lose the little amount of breakfast he had struggled to eat that morning. He kept glancing over to the door to the bathroom ready to dart if his stomach did another flip-flop.

“Calm down already,” Shifter said, but there was a smile on his face.

Mackenzie popped her chair up and glanced at him. “You're turning green. How appropriate,” she said in a deadpan tone.

He simply nodded at her.

“You maybe should have given him more than twenty-fours notice, considering this is his first time,” she said, turning her attention to their Owner.

Shifter shrugged. “I thought this way he would have less time to make himself nervous. I doubt you were very sensitive when delivering the news.”

Mackenzie's eyes narrowed. “What do you know of sensitivity? You lack all emotions except sadism.”

“Hah! This coming from the girl who has only two emotions: loud anger and silent anger. You have my pity if this is what she's been like your entire stay so far, Ryan.”

“She's much easier to deal with than you are.” Ryan said.

Mackenzie burst into laughter. “Looks like you annoy the new kid as well.”

“I need a plane with two rooms,” Shifter muttered. “These flights seem to be lasting longer each trip.”

“What are the games like?” Ryan blurted.

“You've been to pit games before. That's how we met, after all,” Shifter said.

“I've never participated in one.”

“Hasn't Eva had you sparring with the others?” Shifter asked. “When I told her I wanted to see what you had learned so far and asked if she thought you could handle a pit game, she said yes.”

“He sparred against me. Eva's had him against the bags since then, except for a handful of sparring sessions against her.” Mackenzie explained. “She's been teaching him the basics.”

Shifter seemed a little surprised by that. “Mackenzie took you down? You must really be absolutely dreadful.”

“Hey!” They both exclaimed.

Shifter waved off their protests. “Pit games for Betas are basically sparring. An Owner will stop the match if it looks like one of their Betas might actually be in danger of death. You have had some weapons training at least? Eva would have called ahead to ensure that they had a decent variety of whatever your weapon choice is.”

Ryan nodded. “I've been working with nunchaku.”

“Really?

“Eva approved them,” Ryan said.

She had allowed him to try numerous types of weapons, each with completely different styles and then slowly guided him towards which she felt he seemed the most talented at handling. She had left the ultimate choice up to him, telling him that it was important that each combatant be comfortable with their weapon. He had liked the way the nunchaku had felt when he used them. Encouraged when he managed to hit the center of the red mark on the practice bag on his first try, he then continued to show a natural ability with the weapon.

“Is there a problem with my choice?”

“No problem. Eva knows what she's talking about. I would never question her on something like weaponry,” Shifter assured. “It's just an interesting choice, as I said. That's all.”

Ryan glanced over to Mackenzie wondering if she would fill him in on what was so interesting about his weapon of choice. Nunchaku seemed no stranger than any of the weapons the others used, especially considering Daylan's scythe and Clarisse's metal fans.

“Most transportation specialists prefer distance weapons that could be used from the safety of the get-a-way vehicle. Nunchaku, as you should have already learned, are close range,” Mackenzie explained with a bored tone. “You would actually have to leave the safety zone in order to help us in a fight.”

“Why would a transportation specialist stay in the vehicle if the rest of his team was out fighting anyway? Besides, couldn't I have a second weapon for if I couldn't leave the car for some reason?” Both Mackenzie and Shifter seemed startled by his question. “What? Did James stay in the vehicle all the time?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “No, but he was my brother and our friend. He cared more about the rest of us than a transportation specialist normally would.”

“And I'm not your friend?”

“Let's get back onto the subject of pit games, shall we,” Shifter suggested before Mackenzie could reply. “Before the actual games, there's the obligatory socializing with the Elites as well as any of the other Owners who happen to be in the area. Belligerents who are competing come along. Beta Belligerents, that is,” Shifter clarified. “It's drinks, hors d'oeuvres and boring conversations.”

“You love it. You love going in and antagonizing everyone, even though you know it only endangers all of us,” Mackenzie said, chiding him.

“Endangers?” Ryan asked.

“She means in our social ranking. Talent will only get you so far. In the real world, the name you earn for yourself is claimed through charming others.”

“I don't mean only the social rankings,” Mackenzie said. “You know other teams have attacked us on campus solely because you’ve annoyed their Owners.”

Ryan wondered if the attack that had injured James had been for that reason. He couldn't imagine so, or they wouldn't be discussing them so lightly.

Mackenzie glared at her Owner. “You were the reason Mystique’s team was so determined to convince Ryan to leave campus and then attack the rest of us while we were separated.”

“And that had nothing to do with them being intimidated by your team and taking advantage of what they considered a prime opportunity to take down some of their competition? That was all because of my being a nuisance at dinner parties,” Shifter stated sarcastically.

“Exactly,” Mackenzie said. “Everything is always your fault. Besides, everyone knows you and Mystique have been rivals for years, ever since you refused to join her team back when you were in the academy.”

Ryan would love to hear the story behind that sometime and started to say so, but Shifter was too quick to reply.

“Think of the attacks as extra practice for the arena,” the Owner said. “And please try to be more optimistic, Mackenzie. You're going to get early wrinkles if you keep crinkling your face up like that.”

“Shove it.”

“How do you two get anything accomplished?” Ryan muttered under his breath, but they both heard him and turned their attention in his direction.

“We manage,” Shifter said. “Anyway, we have the socializing tonight then we'll need to head to the arena first thing in the morning... Which will be sometime before ten. In case you have not been told, while you are off campus, your band has been modified to inject you with the sedative if you wander more than two kilometers from my presence. I suggest you not plan on going sight-seeing without me. Mac, you get ten kilometers as usual. “

“I wasn't planning on any sight-seeing,” Ryan said. “I don't even know where we're going.”

“Nowhere very exciting,” Shifter said with a wave of his hand. “Such an unfortunate matter. I was hoping for a vacation.”

Mackenzie snorted. “If you had thought you had any chance of going anywhere fun on this trip you would have brought Clarisse and Aria along since they're the ones who will actually follow your plans without you having to make sure they don't lose their tempers. Do you really think it's appropriate to be taking your Belligerents to a carnival and allowing them to eat copious amounts of cotton candy and funnel cakes only an hour before their matches?”

Shifter laughed. “When that guy punched Kenichi in the stomach only to be covered in purple puke for his efforts, it was totally worth it. Kenichi won that match, you know. His opponent was so startled and disgusted that he froze up long enough for Kenichi to end the match shortly after.”

“Don't forget that Clarisse thought it was a good idea to play tag and made her opponent chase her around until she finally tired herself out,” the strategist said.

“She still won,” Shifter pointed out.

“Because her opponent tired out before she did. Thankfully, she was against a tech specialist, who hated running more than Clarisse does.”

“You have to admit, it was hilarious to see Clarisse running to win a match though. I saw you crack a smile when you were watching the replays.”

“She only ran because she had eaten enough sugar that she couldn't hold still.”

Shifter chuckled. “That was a fun day.”

Mackenzie released a long suffering sigh. “And that is why I always come up with an excuse for you to take only Kenichi and Clarisse to a pit game with at least one of us to chaperone.”

“Could we focus on the pit games again?” Ryan asked, wondering again how Mackenzie and Shifter ever got anything accomplished.

“Right, well, you've seen it. You go out, and you fight until the other person surrenders,” Shifter said nonchalantly.

“What if the other person doesn't surrender? What if I'm the one who ends up surrendering?”