Chapter 4

FOUR

032

I swung my axe into the ashy wall, and moments later, the sparkly tip of a chunk of fraxis shone in the flickering light of the torches. I shifted my body to hide my find from nearby prisoners and casually picked the fraxis out of its hiding spot. I didn't breathe easy until the chunk was deposited in my marked crate.

The chunky cuff on my ankle buzzed, signaling my bounty had been registered.

The one thing that the RCE did right for us was the system in which we mined fraxis. With no one here to govern, they could have let us fend for ourselves and not cared who collected the fraxis or how we did it. In that case, large gangs like the one led by 005 would have taken the lion's share for themselves.

But instead, each day, we collected a crate which synced to our ankle bracelets. We had to fill it with our quota, and once the weight of fraxis was registered, it could not be removed—or stolen. We'd learned that the hard way when the entire planet was punished without a week of supplies when a prisoner had stolen fraxis from someone's crate.

At the end of the day, we placed our crates on the collection pad where they'd be launched to the storage brig outside Xal's atmosphere. Supplies like food and clothing were sent every three days to a gated location, and if our ankle monitors registered we hadn't fulfilled our quotas, we couldn't get inside the gates. If we tried, the monitor would beep three times before it exploded. I'd seen enough prisoners dying slowly with their lower limbs blown off to last me a lifetime. But then… hunger made us desperate.

It was a hard life, and the RCE dangled a possible release from this hell for those who consistently made their quotes. It was the only reason I hadn't let my ankle monitor end my miserable life early. I'd never actually seen anyone be released, but the hope kept me alive.

Some of the prisoners worked together in gangs, but I preferred to be alone. I'd learned over the years what kind of sediment the fraxis formed best in, and always met my quota. The mines in Xal were vast, and we'd really only covered a tiny fraction of all the fraxis available on this planet.

I dropped another chunk in my crate and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand before taking a drink of water. I'd arrived early and secluded myself in a rarely used tunnel where only a few other prisoners worked. Not many talked to me, as they'd all learned it was fruitless to carry on a conversation when I never responded.

Except for 145, who strode toward me now with a glint in his eye. I clenched my jaw and ignored him, but 145 never cared. A young humian, he seemed to think of me as a mentor or something.

"Did you hear?" he asked excitedly, swinging his crate which was nearly full already.

I didn't answer, only worked on flaying the wall in front of me with single-minded focus.

Again, 145 didn't care that I didn't engage with him. "005 found an escape pod and get this…" He leaned closer, a curl to his lips. "He smelled the blood of a Radian female inside. He thinks she's here somewhere."

I picked a hunk of fraxis and dropped it into my crate with a thunk.

"What do you think?" he asked.

I grunted.

"Yeah," he nodded as if I'd spoken actual words. "The blood was fresh. She has to be here, right?" He whistled. "It's been so long since I saw a female. And a Radian?" he kissed his fingers. "A gift."

An ember flared in my gut imagining the female in my bunker. Big blue eyes, long silver hair. Those hips and tits I couldn't look away from, and that had only angered me more. I hated Radians, especially those from the wealthy families, and the one in my bunker was certainly privileged.

But the thought of 005 getting his hands on her, or 145 ogling her, made me want to punch a wall.

"Think 005 would keep her?" 145 asked.

"Keep her?" I rasped, and he seemed startled I answered.

He blinked and then nodded. "Yeah, keep her. Instead of using her up quickly."

Now I wanted to commit murder. I felt my nostrils flare, and my vettes hidden on my outer thighs flashed white hot. I turned away and slammed my axe into the wall so hard that dust went flying. 145 coughed and waved his hand in front of his face. "Watch it, will you?"

I usually didn't mind 145, but today he spoke so casually about the demise of a female he'd never met that I nearly struck with him my axe. I imagined my mother, a human female, among predators like a pack of humians, and felt my head swell with rage.

"Wherever she is," 145 said quietly, rubbing his hands together. "I hope 005 doesn't find her."

I paused with my axe in the air and swung my head to look at him. His eyes met mine, and then he shrugged as he ran his fingers through his longer, dirty blond hair. "Just saying," he muttered. "No one deserves what 005 would do to them."

I lowered my axe, surprised by his words. 145 had led a hard life as the son of a Radian female who'd been raped by a human male. He'd been treated as an outcast and mistake his whole life, mostly by the Radians who should have protected him. His own mother had abandoned him. He hadn't been speaking casually about the demise of a female. He'd been… concerned. And I'd read him all wrong.

I dropped the axe head to the ground and leaned against the handle. "If she's alive, her kind will send rescue."

He squinted at me. "You think?"

I nodded even though I wasn't sure what to believe. She looked like she came from an important family, but that didn't mean they'd risk coming to Xal.

He scrunched his lips to the side and nodded. "That's good, I guess." With a pat on my shoulder, he turned away. "Good talk."

I watched his back as he sauntered away, swinging his crate. I didn't breathe again until he was out of sight, and my body sagged against the wall. The axe handle fell from my slack hand. This entire situation was fucked. Why did her escape pod have to crash near my bunker? Why did I have to investigate? Minding my own business was the first rule in my survival strategy, and I'd just broken that rule. And broken it hard.

Needing to get out some frustration, I continued hacking at the wall until my crate was full. After closing it on a hissing seal, I trudged down the tunnel toward the elevator shaft. I rode the lift to the surface and kept my head down as I strode toward the collection plate. Only a familiar voice made me lift my head. 005 and three of his humian crew were talking with a few yiplas who I recognized as his errand boys. He used them for all kinds of things and repaid them in protection, as they were a young and unfortunately a rather defenseless species with soft, thin skin and a short stature.

"No tracks," the one yipla said. "But not worry. We find."

005 brought a dirty rag to his nose and inhaled deeply. His eyes fluttered closed, I remembered he'd wiped the Radian female's blood on the rag. My fist clenched at my side. The sick bastard.

"I know she's alive. I feel her," he growled.

I held back an eye roll. No, he didn't. He was just horny.

"Find her, and you'll be rewarded." He barked at the yiplas. "Go!"

The little species sped off on their four feet at a gallop. My axe clinked against my belt as I placed my crate on the collection pad, and 005's head went up. He narrowed his eyes at me, and his nose sniffed the air.

Neither humans nor Radians—the only DNA he carried—had extraordinary senses of smell, but 005 had everyone convinced he could track a scent for miles. He was full of shit, but what did I care if people believed his bullshit?

But I didn't want his attention. I had a secret passage that led me to my bunker that couldn't be tracked, but if he tried to have me followed, I'd be in trouble. I turned and walked away even as footsteps approached behind me.

"032!" he shouted in his gruff voice.

I gritted my teeth and pretended I didn't hear him. He rarely fucked with me since I'd beaten the shit out of him once. It was a private fight and we'd made a tentative truce after that—I wouldn't tell anyone I bested him as long as he left me alone.

When he called my number again, I whirled on him with my teeth bared. I saw his eyes flash with caution for just a moment as he remembered the pain I'd inflicted on him, but with his crew behind him, he couldn't show weakness. And to be honest, he'd gotten bigger and meaner since I fought him last. I wasn't quite sure how another battle would turn out. It depended on what I had to fight for.

His bald head shone in the light of the setting sun, and the deep, scarred grooves on his face cast shadows on his weathered skin. He wore a pair of pants and a whole bunch of crude jewelry adorned with bones and other random shit that he thought looked scary, and I thought made him look like a poser.

He squinted at me. "You hear?"

I only shook my head.

"Escape pod went down. Whoever was on board got away. We're hunting ‘er down. See anything?"

I shook my head again.

He watched me for a moment, and his nostrils flared. He couldn't… smell her on me, could he? No, there was no way. She was safe.

With a grunt, he lifted his lips in a snarl. "If you see anything, tell me first or I'll slit your throat."

I just glared at him, and after spitting on the ground near my feet, he turned away. I ached to punch him in the face, but it was even more important now that I kept a low profile. So, I turned and made my way down the shaft that would eventually take me to my bunker.

I traveled through small passages, over a spring to disguise my scent—just in case since some of the prisoners here were excellent scent trackers—and finally walked out of a cave entrance on a cliff. After climbing up the cliff, I reached the peak with a grunt before rolling over on the flat ground to catch my breath. This commute sucked. Finally, I dragged my weary bones to the hatch of my bunker. I half expected it to be open, and a pang of regret stabbed at my stomach at the thought of the Radian female stumbling around alone. I should have done a better job to reassure her I wouldn't hurt her, but it'd been so long since I'd shown kindness, I wasn't sure how to do it anymore.

But the hatch remained undisturbed. And when I slid it back and dropped down to the ground with a crouch, the scent of hot food hit me like a slap. I slid the bunker hatch closed and turned to find the Radian female standing over a small fire stirring something in my pot.

I stared at her as she blinked up at me with blue eyes. "Hello," she said softly as she held out a spoon toward me. "Want to taste? Might need more salt."

I stood frozen, confused by what I was seeing. I didn't often start a fire in my bunker, mostly because I never felt like expending the energy, but I did have the bunker vented so that the smoke of the fire mingled with some steam vents left over from the active volcanic days. Couldn't have a random hole in the ground releasing smoke. That was one way to get found out.

After I got over the shock, I took a moment to begrudgingly admire her resourcefulness at finding the supplies to start and fire and actually… doing it. I'd expected her to be much more helpless. Maybe even a little stupid.

She cocked her head. "Aren't you hungry?"

I was starving, so much that my stomach was nearly concave at this point. She stepped toward me and lifted the spoon to my mouth. A bit of the liquid teetered over the edge and a few drops slid down her arm. I watched them fall off the angle of her elbow before my eyes met hers. She offered me a tentative smile.

I couldn't believe she was here. I'd expected her to be gone now that I'd given her the signal locator. That was all she needed, as it would notify her when a crew was sent and where they'd pick her up. So, I'd assumed she might have even received a signal by now, or at least thought hiding on her own was preferable to being stuck underground with me. But instead, she was here, standing over something that smelled fucking delicious.

Still, I was distrustful by nature. "Are you poisoning me?"

She let out a weary huff and shoved the spoon in her mouth. Swallowing, she let out a raspy exhale. "Not poison, happy?"

After dipping the spoon in the pot, she held it up to my mouth. "Can we try this again? I'm just trying to do something nice for you since you saved me from that gang and gave me the signal locator."

I leaned forward and sipped the broth off the spoon. Flavor exploded on my tastebuds. How the hell had she made something that tasted this good with what I had on hand? The soup bubbled away with chunks of… something floating in there. But whatever it was, it tasted damn good.

I grabbed the spoon from her and crouched at the pot before ladling more of the soup swimming with chunks of protein and reheated vegetables into my mouth. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I hadn't had anything like this in… years. So many years. In fact, maybe my entire life. And the only thing that brought me to a halt was realizing that I couldn't eat the whole thing. It'd just been so long, and I was always so damn hungry. I forced myself to let the ladle clatter back into the bowl and fell back against the wall.

"You eat the rest," I grunted, knowing I had soup stuck to my beard whiskers but not enough energy to clean myself up. "Sorry, I—got carried away."

But she didn't yell, or glare. In fact, she stood smiling, almost triumphantly. "You like it?"

"Best I've ever had," I murmured through half-open eyes.

She crowed a little sound that made my heart pound. "You said the only things to barter in here are food and flesh. Well," she spread her arms wide. "I'll barter with food. Keep me alive, and I'll keep you fed."