Chapter 13: Underground, Part 2

Weylin led them back to the Great Circle where the festival was just getting started. Deep brass drums thumped, vibrating the cavern walls and Alex's ears. Trumpet-like instruments blared a deep, fast tune encouraging people to dance. Antarians wearing bright yellow, red, and blue colors skipped around weaving long colored ribbons through the air as people filed into the cavern and took their seats around the stadium.

Alex and Jack were seated in a raised area close to where the elders sat. Jack sat at a large table facing the soon-to-be empty middle expanse of the arena. Alex was positioned on a lower tier a few meters away from him with Weylin at her side. Guards stood behind each of them. Jack looked like a king ready to watch a jousting match.

After everyone was seated, waiters came around with giant platters of food. They set a plate with a variety of delicacies down in front of every person. Alex thought that every piece of food looked like the remnants of some large roasted insect. Even though it smelled good, she poked at it, unsure.

When the meal was served, the entertainment started. Performers in white, formed a grid pattern in the arena. A man stood to the side of them, and in a loud voice, greeted the audience.

"Good evening, Ladies and Gentleman. Welcome to the Festival of Colors!"

"It's not evening," Alex heard Jack mutter.

The drums rumbled lowly, the brass instruments let out low short blasts, and the announcer's voice boomed through the Great Circle. "In the time before the darkness, our ancestors were brilliant and productive people." The white dressed dancers ran around in complicated circular patterns.

"They made machines that sped across land, sea, and air. They made machines that controlled the environment. They made machines that could think." The man tapped his temple once with his middle finger.

"The riches of those ancestors started to change into evil beasts."

The dancers were now pretending to fight among themselves and keel over.

"And then the time of the colors was upon them."

Women dancers charged into the arena and chased the white clad performers away with their colorful ribbons.

"The evil beasts sunk below the seas and left our ancestors to fend for themselves against the colors."

The ribbon dancers parted and two sets of performers entered, some dressed in black and some in yellow.

"They broke into two people. The evil Vestarians"

The crowd booed loudly.

"And the wondrous Antarians!"

A great cheer rose at the name of their own people.

"The Antarians created this great underground city, safe from the colors, but now the Vestarians try to root us from our home. They are jealous of our wonderful heritage and our technology."

The black and yellow figures fought amongst each other.

"Will they chase us from our home?" the announcer asked.

"No!" screamed the crowd.

"Will we let them defeat us?"

"No!"

"Will we ever give up?"

"No!"

"Are you ready to see the men that will lead you into battle?"

A resounding "yes" echoed through the cavern in a big cheer. The dancers cleared and ten heavily armored men stepped into the arena. Each man was stocky and huge, their muscles bulged from beneath their shiny armor. A particularly huge warrior reminded Alex of the trolls in storybooks read to children. Each competitor's name was announced and then two were selected to fight.

Alex started to tune out. She knew how this would end. They would fight, one would die, and then it would repeat until only one remained. This was just like the gladiators of the ancient Greeks long ago. She scoffed. It was amazing to think that hybrids were thought of as the horrific ones, calling her she-devil.

Alex sighed. She felt like she was spinning her wheels here. Why was she waiting around? She could be headed off right now to the Bio-tech building to rescue Lexi, but she was trapped underground by these weird big eared, big eyed, crazy creatures. Although, she'd rather be stuck with them than a bunch of Alphas.

Two years. Who knows what they were doing to Lexi now. Lexi was special, even the file said so. She was the key. The hybrids would use her to perpetuate their species and their higher society. Even if they had to kill her, they would unlock her genetic secrets. Alex shivered at the thought. Alex would get to her, she would find her and save her. She wasn't sure what she would do after that, but she would free her, no matter what the cost.

She sipped a bit of the pink juice that sat in front of her, it was sweet and alcoholic. She looked over at Jack who seemed to be enjoying himself. He had a girl on each side. Each not more than a meter and a half tall, but they had tremendous breasts. They giggled at his every comment.

Alex rolled her eyes. Weylin didn't seem to be interested in the events either.

"Are these bugs?" Alex asked, poking a metal fork at one.

"A- yes ma'am."

Alex scrunched her nose in disgust. She knew it. "What's this then?" She tipped the glass of pink stuff towards him.

"That's rooart. It's made from fermented moss."

"It's not too bad," she said, taking a generous sip. Weylin looked away.

"How old are you?" she asked in between roars of excitement from the crowd.

"Seventeen cycles, ma'am."

"Call me Alex, not ma'am. It makes me feel old."

"Yes ma- Alex."

She finished her cup of rooart. "How about this?" She pointed to a squishy black round bit of food.

"That's a plant. You might like that."

"Alright." She popped it in her mouth. It was sweet, like a blackberry.

"You're right, I do like that. So what do you do?" she asked, not minding about being nosey since they kept calling her a she-devil.

"I am servant to Elder Kenshe. He is the Master Elder."

"How do ya like it?" Alex caught her slur. It reminded her of Jack.

"It's a very honored position." He frowned.

"What is it?" Alex's vision blurred slightly. She was starting to feel the effects of the rooart.

"I turn eighteen next week and I will have to go to battle like all the upper level Antarians."

"Oh." Alex paused. Her face started to flush from the alcohol. "Well, happy birthday, at least. Hey, can I get some more of this pink stuff? It's great." She shook her glass at him.

The cheers from the crowd started to draw her in. The clashing of metal weapons rang through her ears, but the rooart blocked the pain. She felt numbness sink into her extremities as she slapped the table and hollered at the fighting men.

After five fights had taken place Alex looked back up at Jack. A blonde hair Antarian was sitting on his lap, running her fingers through his beard. A brunette one fed him pieces of food. Jack laughed and pointed to the gladiators.

Alex turned her attention away from him. She was the one who had said they weren't mates, why would she care? She watched yet another gladiator fall to the large one that looked like a troll. She sucked down more rooart to help numb her growing jealousy. Alex looked around to find herself someone to flirt with, except everyone she looked at shied away from her. They only saw the she-devil beast.

The final battle between the troll and the blue bannered gladiator commenced. They greeted each other with a bow and then blades clashed. The troll threw his weight into the blue. The blue Antarian couldn't hold his ground. He lost his balance and Wham! The troll knocked him to the ground in one hit. The crowd went wild as the blue gladiator got up and bowed to the troll, then left the arena with a defeated stride.

"I give you your new commander!" the announcer shouted.

Antarians above and below rejoiced and skipped around their seats, the whole cavern vibrated with happy dancing. Alex thought about standing, but the room was spinning too much. She wondered when that started to happen. Instead, she dozed happily until the guards lifted her up, one on each arm, and led her to her quarters.