CHAPTER 18: PRICE OF VICTORY

Edmund shook his head to recover from the dizziness. The roar of the spectators was deafening. Edmund looked up uncomprehendingly at the people all around him. What had happened? Someone was shouting loudly, and Edmund strained to hear the words amid the cheers and shouts.

"...and in a fantastic display of strategy and courage, the Truthsayers have amazingly won the match against the defending champions of last year, the Bloodfist! In the nick of time, Aaron and Steven destroyed the Bloodfist's Powercore! The crowd is going wild! I don't know if its skill these guys have, or just plain dumb luck! Which ever it is, they have a bagful of it! But what about Lee, he doesn't seem too good. He's down and not getting up..."

Lee!

Edmund whirled around to see his old friend in the arms of Sud. Sud was shaking his shoulders. Lee's face was frighteningly pale. A ripple of fear washed through Edmund. Edmund threw himself at Lee's side and quickly took his hand.

"Lee! Lee! Wake up!"

Sud looked up, and Edmund saw that his cheeks were wet with tears. "He's not breathing Edmund! He's not breathing!"

Edmund strained as he screamed to be heard over the roaring crowd. "Come on Lee! Pull through it!" His grip on his friend's hand tightened. Edmund refused to believe that his friend was gone. He sprang up.

"Medic! Medic! Get a medic over here!"

Rita looked sadly at Edmund, but did nothing.

"What the hell are you looking at?! Get a medic unit here!" Tears now began pooling at Edmund's eyes. Edmund looked around to his other team mates. Aaron and Steven were doing their best to avoid Edmund's eyes.

"What are you doing!" he screamed. "He's not dead! He is NOT dead!"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up Edmund!"

Edmund turned. Sud's fist connected hard at Edmund's side. Augmented by the suit's strength, Edmund flew backwards and into the crowds. The crowd pushed him back and cheered some more, anticipating a fight.

Sud made ready to lunge again, but Steven and Aaron quickly jumped and held him back. Sud trashed and kicked, but was no match for the strength of both the men. He spat and cursed ineffectually. Edmund wiped blood from his lips.

"You killed him! You killed him, you stinking bastard!"

The accusation hurt Edmund more than the punch in the side he had received. Edmund closed his eyes, trying his best not to hear what Sud was saying. "You killed him! You are the cause of his death! Murderer!"

Edmund felt his heart sink. Edmund knew it was true. There, in the middle of over a thousand spectators and live on air, Edmund wept.

Up at the special VIP box, Stacie Liandri watched with a delighted expression. "I can see it now, brave Truthsayer warrior killed in the tournament. That should increase their popularity." Stacie giggled girlishly. "And that should really boost our ratings."

The silver door slid open with a hiss, and a soldier dressed in clean white battle armor stepped in. Her hair was braided and tied in a pony tail. She had the perfect figure, the type of girl you'd want to bring home to show your mom. But her eyes revealed her coldness and madness. She was a Liandri Angel, one of the pure women military units serving the Liandri Corporation. The Liandri Angels were feared for the high success rates in their mission.

The soldier woman saluted smartly. Stacie Liandri nodded.

"My lady. We have found out the identity of the intruders that breached our Core sector. We have visual proof with the hidden security cameras in place."

Stacie smiled and waved her on, her attention still at the scene below where the medics were now trying their best but in vain to revive the fallen warrior. The Blood Fists watched the scene impassively. "Well? Who is it? Get rid of them. You know the drill."

The soldier was uncertain. "Erm, ah. My lady, the intruders are the Truthsayers."

Immediately, Stacie turned to focus her attention on the now fidgeting soldier. "The Truthsayers?"

"Yes my lady."

Stacie was somehow not really that surprised. Edmund was a man who was famous for going against protocol. Pity. He would have gone far with her help, but now he had done something stupid by breaching the Liandri laboratories. Who knew what this man had learnt from his exploits. Stacie could not take any chances with him.

"Dispose of him. Find a way to get rid of him without raising too many questions from the public. You know how to do it."

"But my lady, would not Axon Corporation intervene?"

Stacie laughed. "Life here in the tournaments is cheap." She smiled cruelly. "People die every time during the games. Like that man over there." She pointed at Lee.

"Kill them all."

The Liandri Angel saluted once more preceded to the door. As she exited, another man, dressed in a lab coat stepped in. He clutched a file to his chest preciously. His eyes darted left and right nervously.

Stacie nodded to him, waited for the Liandri Angel to pass out of ear shot, and then addressed the man. "What is it? You look as if you've just seen a ghost."

The man looked at Stacie. He handed the file to Stacie and drew back. "I think you should take a look at these. These reports came out just this morning as we inspected the Core for any damage when those critters attacked."

Stacie's eyes narrowed into slits. "I trust there's nothing wrong with the Core?" Her voice was low and menacing, suggesting to the man he'd probably die if there were.

The man noticed it too. He gestured nervously to the file. "Maybe you should read it yourself."

Stacie frowned and opened the file. She took out the papers and quickly flipped through them, then suddenly stopping at one page. Stacie was not happy with what she was seeing.

"How can this be?" she mouthed to herself as she continued reading its contents. The man thought he was being addressed. "Erm, perhaps its some sort of virus my Lady, which developed a personality over time and..."

Stacie flung the papers angrily at him. Papers flew around. "Over time? OVER TIME? And you tell me your people only found out about it now?!"

The man panicked. "Yes, I mean no. I mean, we've suspected that there was something wrong with the Core, but...My lady, surely even you have heard rumors about spirit living within the Core itself, calling itself the High Templar of the Neulor Empire..."

Stacie did not like this. "Are you saying there's a ghost? There is no such thing as the Neulor or the Nemri and High Templars! It is a virus! Kill it! Develop a new virus to destroy this one! I will not have anything or anyone stop my tournaments!"

Seething with rage, Stacie turned back to the viewing window. "You've got a week to deal with this...situation." Her tone implied or else...

The man quickly bowed and retreated out the door. As he did so, he felt that the Liandri Director knew more than she was actually revealing. He never told her about the reports about the Nemri. How'd she know that? He would make the virus for the lady, but just in case he failed, he made a mental note to have a transport off the planet ready as soon as possible.