Beyond Sight.

Chapter Seventeen:

"Where are we?" Wildwing growled at the woman in front of him.

"Why you are on my planet," she replied looking him over, "this is the pleasure planet of Valure, I own it and every slave on it, from hoar to gladiator."

"Where's Angel?" Nosedive asked in an uncharacteristically small voice.

"She has returned to the work I bought her for." Helena told him.

"And what might that be?" Duke growled.

"Why she is one of my gladiators," she told them, "you see as I am sure she has told you she was found floating around with no memory. Well what she didn't tell you was that she was found by slavers, when she awoke she managed to escape for a small amount of time but I had seen her fight and I was intrigued. You see she was better than anyone I had seen in a long time. She could match if not beat one of the imperial guard of Galdrax, in the Furore system. So I bought her from the slavers," Helena took pleasure in the disapproving looks she received from her new captives, "but it quickly became clear to me that she had only been trained to kill in self defense. I wanted her to be one of my gladiators which meant I had to teach her how to kill for her adoring public. It took me more time than most but she soon became my best gladiator and attraction and when I partnered her with another gladiator of mine they were headliners. Unfortunately the boy I partnered her with grew too fond of her and aided her escape just over a year ago," she frowned, then just as quickly smiled sweetly again, "but now I have my main attraction again and the deadly duo Angel and Blade will be bringing me in oodles of money!"

"She's just a girl how can you possibly treat her like a piece of meat?" Wildwing said through gritted teeth.

"Because dear boy it is my business to." she said, "now what to do with you," she glanced over them again first settling on Wildwing and Canard, "you two will do well in my own personal abode." she then glanced at Duke, Mallory and Candy, "I understand that the three of you hold some fighting talent so you will be taken to train as gladiators, I warn you you will have to fight to kill or be killed." Finally she looked at Nosedive and Tanya, "ah yes you two will bring me much custom, there are not many . . . blonds do you call it? In this universe except those who are are usually of noble birth and they are not readily accessible to the everyday customer," she grinned as the duck's faces showed their realization of what she was talking about.

"You touch a hair on his head!" Wildwing yelled struggling against the guards and received a punch in the stomach for it.

"Now now I won't touch them," she soothed caressing his cheek, "my customers on the other hand are quite welcome to do what ever they wish." Duke, Canard and Wildwing tried to lunge at her this time and received blows to show for it. "Take them away and make sure they are well prepared for their new jobs." The guards began dragging them away.

"Wildwing!" Nosedive yelled trying to get back to his brother.

"Nosedive!" Wildwing panicked and tried to get to the younger mallard whilst Duke did the same for Tanya who looked petrified.

"Angel?" A tall man not more than twenty with white hair tied at the nape of the neck that fell down to his waist. His yellow eyes searched the room for his old friend and found her sitting at her dresser staring in the mirror. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for," she said not looking away from her reflection, "you have that scar on your face because of me!"

"You don't belong here." He said keeping his distance knowing he shouldn't be there.

"Neither do you but here we both are." Angel stood up and walked over to her armor. Ignoring Blade she stripped off and started to pull on the under gear, then began to pull on the armor plating. "When's our first fight, assuming she's pairing us up again."

"Not sure but it's soon," Blade rubbed the back of his neck, "Angel your friends, some of them are in the gladiator camps. She's training them up."

"What?" Angel turned to face him.

"There's three of them, one girl with red hair, another with pink hair and an older guy with an eye patch." Blade walked over and picked up the light weight broad sword that had been made for Angel and passed it to her.

"There were more," Angel said accepting it and attaching it to her belt then she grabbed the small tiara Helena always insisted she wore, "another girl and three guys, one guy slightly older than me the other three a few years older, maybe more."

"They're not here," Blade said sighing, "Angel if they're not here then she's used them for something else."

"I know that." she clenched her fists and fought back an image of a terrified Nosedive being attacked by some sex crazed creep. He and Tanya had probably been sent to the hoar hotels that dotted the planet due to their blond hair. Wildwing and Canard though, she would have expected them to be initiated into the gladiator camps as well. They were well built and whilst not skilled in martial arts were strong and intelligent. But then Helena always did like to keep the best to herself. "I have to escape and save them somehow."

"We'll find a way." both glanced out the window as a bell rang summoning all trained fighters to the yard outside, "Looks like they want us now."

"Looks like." She took one last look in the mirror and frowned at the warrior looking back. All the armor just wasn't her, but then none of this life was.

"Watch it creep," Mallory snapped as the guard pushed her along with Candy and Duke by her side, "where are you taking us now anyway?" They'd already been put through one grueling training session and witnessed the death of some poor kid who dared not do as they were told. Now she and her friends were being led somewhere else with other new trainees and the guards refused to tell them where they were being taken. Before long they walked into some kind of arena and two figures stood in the center. As they got closer Candy hissed and Mallory started when they realized who they were staring at. Angel stood with blue and white armor on, the armor was light weight with a sword at her hip and covered only the essentials, she stood by a young man with long white hair with a large scar on his face who wore a breast plate and nothing more but had half moon shaped daggers in his hands with handles that made them almost like part of his knuckles.

"Who knew we had Xena livin with us huh?" Duke whispered, Mallory and Candy simply stared.

"These two warriors are our best gladiators, we have brought you here to witness one of their training sessions against the Nearal demon." The largest guard told them, "Release the demons!" Two large doors opened at the far side of the arena and a huge beast emerged that was gray in color with horns down it's back and giant tusks jutting out of it's mouth and deadly claws on each foot. The creature reared and charged at Angel and her companion and they readied their weapons. Angel charged first feigned to the right then leapt into the air and plunged her blade deep into the monster's side then flipped away to safety landing not far from the group of trainees. Then Blade sliced a tusk off with one of his blades then slashed the creatures throat with the other and backed away.

"You want to finish him of or should I?" Blade asked noticing she was deliberately ignoring her friends. Angel didn't reply but charged again and got in another two slashes on it's back then plunged her sword deep into the creatures skull and held on as it fell beneath her. She released her sword and tried to resit the urge to vomit as a kill so very often did to her and turned to the guards glaring at them.

"That is how you should strive to be," the guard told them as Angel and Blade left the arena with all eyes on their backs, "they are the best gladiators this arena has seen, together they are unbeatable, even when they are separated they have yet to be beaten here. Granny Helena wants no less than perfection and dedication from you all or you will suffer the consequences!" They were taken back to their cell not long after that.

Sorry this is so amazingly short people but this computer's going into be fixed now and I'm told mine is ready to pick up, but the cd rom ain't working! Honestly if it rains it pours and right now it really is pouring, oh the joys of living in England! I hope you liked this despite it being so short. Toodles Angel xxx!