Rebirth (Game of the Gods Book 1) Read online

  “I’m not killing anyone unless it’s in the line of duty or self-defense.”

  “Line of duty?” Kita laughed. “It’s always in self-defense. But, sometimes you have to strike first.”

  “We’ll wait for them to make the first move. You can’t guess people’s intentions.”

  “What if it’s not for us? But, for someone we love?”

  “I’ve never loved,” said PL, as Kita gave her instructions on how to use the bombs.

  “I like to love,” said Kita. “It’s nice to have people to take care of you.”

  “I can take care of myself.”

  “Sex is awesome, too.”

  “Overrated.”

  “You just haven’t had mind-blowing sex.”

  “And you have?”

  “Yes, we have. I just wish I could remember with whom. Come on, back upstairs and let’s hit the station.”

  Sitting on a support beam under a district wall tower, PL studied the guard station. A high wall surrounded the compound containing five buildings, a four-story watchtower stood in the middle. The only way in was a single gate with a pair of guards. Three guards patrolled the wall. Two guards watched the city from the tower.

  “You’re taking this very well,” said Kita.

  “What am I taking well?” said PL.

  “Having a second voice in your head. I thought we’d still be in your room trying to keep you from jabbing sharp objects into your skull, or worse, paying someone else to do it while chanting nonsense.”

  “I don’t have much of a choice. I can’t afford the second, and the first seems stupid,” said PL. “So far, you’ve been helpful. We’ll see what happens when we’re finished.”

  “At some point, we’ll have to reconcile.”

  “Do what?”

  “Combine. We are the same person, just split at the moment. If we don’t join, it could lead to lasting consequences.”

  “To become you? What happens to me?”

  “We become us. You’re as much a part of us as I am.”

  “If I don’t want to?” said PL.

  “Then we become one of those homeless people yelling at ourselves in the street,” said Kita.

  “Is there no middle ground?”

  “I don’t know. I get the impression that there is more to us than you and me.”

  PL groaned. “Don’t tell me a third voice is going to pop up.”

  “I don’t know. All that is locked away.”

  “I don’t like surprises.”

  “We don’t get a choice,” said Kita.

  “Maybe we don’t have to be what’s locked away. Maybe we can be a new person?”

  “Be like you?”

  “What’s wrong with being like me?”

  “Nothing, but we’re both part of a larger whole. We are who we are.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because they woke me up. I wasn’t supposed to get out. I know of things, without knowing them. We’re connected to more.”

  “How come I don’t know everything you know?” said PL.

  “I don’t know. Like I said, I wasn’t supposed to be let out. Maybe the deeper connection to our memories is still locked. My guess is, they gave you what they couldn’t lock up or what they thought you needed to survive. Either way, I’m here so we can do more than survive.”

  “Are you saying I’m not good enough without you?”

  “I’m saying you’ve kept us alive and in good shape for a long time, which is no small feat in a city like this. What I’m saying is: with what you know combined with what I know, I think we can get out of here.”

  “And go where?” said PL.

  “Find the rest of us.”

  “What if this is it? What if we can’t get out? What if there isn’t more?”

  “I know there’s more. I can feel it. I know that we’re too important to kill. They wouldn’t go to these kinds of lengths unless we’re special.”

  “What if I don’t want to be special?”

  Kita sighed. “Sometimes you don’t have a choice.”

  “We make our own choices,” said PL.

  “Let’s get the ring. If it’s nothing, then we’ll go in a new direction,” said Kita.

  “And if I don’t want a new direction?”

  “We’re already going in a new direction. I’m here, and I’m not going away. I don’t want to fight or dominate. I want to work together like we used to.”

  “Used to?” PL said skeptically.

  “We’re parts of the same person. We had to work together.”

  “I guess. I wonder what kind of person we were.”

  “Not as nice as you,” said Kita.

  “I hope we’re nicer than you.”

  “We’ll find out. Let’s go.”

  “I hope you know what to do. I’ve never broken into a guard station before,” said PL.

  “We have to figure out how to get into the underground section. The watchtower shouldn’t be a problem. The guards are looking out, not down, and a blind man could dodge the roving guards,” Kita said with a chuckle.

  “What’s funny?”

  “I don’t know, it just is.”

  “Well, here goes,” PL said, getting ready to leap from their hiding position.

  “Wait!”

  “What?” PL demanded.

  “Don’t try. Do,” said Kita. “Never hesitate.”

  “Right.” PL sighed as she jumped down to the neighboring rooftop.

  PL flipped over the wall of the guard station. After double-checking the guards’ positions, she hurried to the first building. She peeked in a window.

  “Barracks,” said Kita. “That rules out three of them. I bet that one on the far side is the mess.”

  “How do you know?” said PL.

  “They’re all the same size.”

  “It’s going to take forever to get to the fifth building,” PL said with a groan.

  “Stealth is all about concealment and patience,” said Kita. “And we’re not going to the fifth building. We’re going to the watchtower.”

  “Why?”

  “You don’t think it’s odd that a watchtower has sides? Normally, towers are left open to keep the wind from blowing them over. So, either the designer was a moron or that structure’s made of more than just wood, and they’re hiding something.”

  “Maybe it’s to protect against the elements.”

  “Seriously? When was the last time there was a major storm in the city? Making a fake city is easy. Controlling the weather isn’t.”

  “You don’t have to be so condescending.”

  “Where did you pick up all these big words?” said Kita. “Sorry, I should be nicer to myself.”

  “I don’t need this. I’m going home.”

  “Oh, don’t be such a baby. It’s how you improve. If you quit every time you fail, or someone makes fun of you, you’ll never get anywhere. You take that and use it against them—become stronger, and then you can turn around and smash them in the mouth.”

  “Do you have any friends?” PL said with a sigh.

  “Do you?”

  PL didn’t answer.

  “And yes we do. Someone else besides our jailors is watching out for us. Otherwise, we’d never have gotten that ring.”

  “That at least makes sense,” PL grumped.

  “I’ll be nicer, I promise. If I can.”

  “Oh, thanks.”

  “Come on, the guards just passed. Let’s get to the tower.”

  PL crept along the barracks building and then dashed across the open ground to the watchtower. She moved to the corner.

  “Sit here and watch the guard,” said Kita. “The gate guards can see the door. Let’s see if they’re stupid and have a pattern like the roving patrol.”

  PL watched getting a sense of their movements and the timing of the roving patrol.

  “Go,” Kita instructed as the patrol disappeared behind the mess building.

  Pressed again
st the building, PL slid to the door. She tried to open it. “It’s locked,” she whispered.

  Kita giggled. “You know you don’t have to whisper in your head, right? Peek between the door and the frame.”

  PL looked and saw a series of bolts.

  “Well, that’s not a standard lock for around here,” said Kita. “Back to the other side.”

  “You can’t pick it?”

  “I could if I had the right tools, but I have no idea what they are. It’d be faster to hack a hole in the wall.”

  “Wouldn’t they notice that?”

  Kita sighed. “Just go.”

  PL made her way back to the opposite side.

  “Search the wall for a loose board,” said Kita.

  PL searched and tested several, but all were securely attached.

  “It was worth a try. Last resort, start climbing.”

  “You want me to climb straight up that?” PL exclaimed.

  “No, I want you to flap your arms and fly,” Kita said with a giggle. “Sorry, I don’t know why that’s funny. Don’t worry, you can do it, but I suggest you dump the cloak.”

  “Why?” PL said pulling it around her insecurely.

  “It’ll make us easier to spot.”

  “But…”

  “I know we’re not the best-looking thing around, but we’re not ugly.”

  “Then you haven’t seen the scars on our body. And…we’re cursed,” PL said, ashamed.

  “How?”

  “We’ve got two growths on our back.”

  Kita giggled again. “Sorry, that’s not at you. Something is funny again. I bet those growths mean something to us. How long have we had them?”

  “Since I arrived here. I keep having to cut them off.”

  “Bloody moons. That must not feel good.”

  “I pass out every time. Nothing else hurts like that,” said PL.

  “They must be important. No more cutting them off until we know what they are.”

  “If we’re caught with a mutation, other people will kill us,” said PL, terrified.

  “If others can’t handle us as we are, screw them. They’re just jealous and don’t understand.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right. Start climbing, love.”

  PL looked over the vertical wooden planks. There were few hand or footholds, and those she saw were slight. She took a few deep breaths and climbed up.

  “Why are you climbing like a pathetic human?” Kita said after a few feet.

  “Because we are.”

  “You can jump three stories straight up and jump a fifty-foot-wide street. Launch yourself up, grab another handhold, and land on the rail.”

  “What if I miss?”

  “When did you become insecure? You should be more confident with me around.”

  “You said you were going to replace me,” PL whispered.

  “We’re the same person. I’m not going to replace you. I am you, and you are me,” Kita said firmly.

  “But…”

  “Ok, I admit I’m a little more dominating and confrontational, but you have your place, too. I know you do. I can feel it.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise,” said Kita.

  PL looked up, flexed her hand, and flung herself up the side of the tower. With her other hand, she gripped a knot sticking out of the board, and threw herself up the rest of the way. She landed on the ledge silently and looked at the guards.

  “Don’t worry about them,” said Kita. “Just jump down the open hatch.”

  “Sloppy, isn’t it?” said PL.

  “Yep. I’m impressed you noticed.”

  PL jumped down the hatch. She caught the rim and flipped herself up bracing against the ceiling.

  “What’s wrong?” said Kita.

  “That thing on the wall.”

  “It’s a camera. Good catch.”

  “What’s it do?”

  “It’s like an eye, watching.”

  “Does it blink?”

  “No, but it does have blind spots,” said Kita. “See the construction of the tower? It’s got a metal skeleton.”

  “You mean use the gap created by the metal girders?”

  “Exactly. I’ll make a thief out of you yet.”

  “Or just give me more skills to save people.”

  “Yeah, sure, that too.”

  PL climbed between the rafters until she was behind the camera. She flipped down and slipped down along the metal girders of the tower. She reached the bottom underneath the bottom floor’s camera.

  “Do you see any hatches?” said PL to Kita.

  “No, but that wall across from us is false. The square footage of this room doesn’t match what we calculated from outside.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “Practice, lots of practice. It’s just like how you can scan your surroundings for threats.”

  “That just came naturally,” said PL.

  “Obviously, we’ve done a lot of practicing,” said Kita.

  “What do you think we used to do?”

  “I have no idea, but it had to be cool.”

  “How do we get around the camera?” said PL, looking up. The camera looked directly at the false wall.

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Kita. “There was a loose piece of metal up the staircase. Pull it off and drop it on the camera. That should make it point in the wrong direction. When they come to fix it, we grab them and force them to let us in.”

  “Are you sure they’ll come fix it?”

  “If they don’t, no one will see us breaking in.”

  PL climbed back up and over to the staircase. A loose bolt attached the piece of metal. With her fingers, she undid it. She dropped the bolt, and then the piece of metal on the camera.

  “Nice,” said Kita.

  They waited, hidden under the stairs above the false wall. The wall opened, and a man came out. He looked at the camera, the piece of metal, and then up.

  PL let go and fell on top of him. He rolled to his feet and tried to draw a weapon on his belt. She kicked his legs out from under him and jumped on him.

  “His mouth,” Kita cried. “He might have a kill tooth.”

  PL punched him in the head to stun him, and then dragged him to the stairs. Placing his mouth on the edge of the step, she kicked him in the back of the head. “That should solve that problem,” she said triumphantly.

  “Yeah, damn. I thought you were supposed to be the nice one,” said Kita.

  “You said to do whatever it takes.”

  “Yeah, but I figured that kind of thing would come from me.”

  PL shrugged. “Hey, wake up, stupid,” she said to the guard.

  The man looked at her blankly.

  “Get him inside,” Kita urged.

  PL pulled him into the door in the false wall. A hatch sat open.

  “Sloppy again,” said PL.

  “Don’t get rid of him yet,” said Kita. “We might need him when we get below.”

  “Where’s my stuff?” PL demanded of the guard.

  The man’s eyes rolled up in the back of his head.

  Kita chuckled. “We’ll work on proper use of force later. Drop his body down. He can still be of use dead.”

  PL shoved the body into the hatch and slid down the ladder to the underground bunker.

  “What the…?” said a voice when the body hit the ground.

  “Just me,” PL replied when she landed. She jumped over the security station, grabbed the startled guard, and smashed his head against the desk. “Where’s my stuff?”

  “What stuff? Who are you?”

  PL jerked him up to look at her. “The one you’ve been sent here to watch.”

  The guard refused to answer.

  “He’s been trained to resist questioning,” said Kita.

  “Then what do you do?”

  “If I wanted to get him to talk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Ah…Look around,�
� said Kita.

  PL did. There was a desk with a computer, a pair of chairs, a bank of camera screens, communications gear, and weapons.

  “What is this stuff?” said PL.

  “I’ll explain later. Right now, let’s concentrate on the guard. We’ll start gently,” said Kita. “Shove his fingers into the drawer.”

  PL opened the drawer and dangled the guard’s fingers inside. With her knee, she slammed the drawer closed. The guard tried to yell, but PL’s hand over his mouth prevented him. She repeated the process a three more times.

  “No good,” said Kita. “We don’t have time to break him this way.”

  “What do we do then?”

  “Kill him.”

  “Uhm, how without a weapon?”

  “Break his neck,” Kita said, giving instructions.

  PL did but nearly twisted his head off.

  “Proper use of force.” Kita chuckled. “Come on.”

  “Could this stuff be useful?” PL asked pointing to the computers.

  “If we knew how to use it.”

  PL pulled up a chair and looked at the controls. She played around with the trackball, keyboard, and tapping at the screen. It all came naturally to her.

  “How about this?” she said excitedly when the main screen changed to a map.

  “Nice,” Kita said.

  “I think we’re here, and I bet our stuff is either in the secure lockup or commander’s office.” PL pointed while memorizing the map.

  “Let’s start with the secure lockup. If the ring isn’t there, I bet we can at least find a weapon.”

  PL hurried down the corridor. After a few turns, she stopped in front of a metal door. It had a palm scanner next to it.

  “We need to find an authorized hand,” said Kita.

  “The commander?” said PL.

  “Probably. I bet he’s in his quarters.”

  “That’s at the end of the next corridor,” PL said as she went toward it. She stopped in front of the door, but it too had a scanner.

  “Damn,” Kita huffed. “We might just have to wake everyone up and kill them.”

  “Let’s go back to the guard station. Maybe they have a key.”

  She hurried back to the desk and searched the drawers.

  “Try the computer,” said Kita.

  PL touched a door on the screen, and a menu appeared. “There, it says open,” she said excitedly.

  “Don’t open it, just unlock it. We don’t want to give ourselves away. Check the secure lockup.”