Chapter 1.1 : First Impressions

Clank stares, slightly open mouthed.

"Oh...my. It gets larger the longer I look at it. Of course, that is merely an illusion of the mind, but it is fairly impressive in size all the same..."

"You talking to me?"

"Who else would I...oh, stop it!"

Well, they certainly weren't modest by calling it the Big DEE. It's the largest artificial structure I've ever seen, almost perfectly spherical in shape with its base slanting inwards to form a cone. It doesn't taper off into a vertex and its lowest point appears to be completely flat.

The perimeter of the Dome is encompassed by a ring of what had to be hundreds of terminals, all connected by tethers of energy. Each terminal is attached to a guard shack and enveloped by a pocket of oxygen roughly thirty feet in diameter.

That ring of terminals, and the Dome by extension, is completely encased in a golden, intangible sphere, the surface of which shifts and warps without end. It's surely a sensor of some sort.

The persistent sound of honking gets louder the closer we get. I've never seen so many ships flying around in one general area. I'm surprised there haven't been any collisions even as we watch; it's chaos as people flock from all directions by the dozens, grappling to get to a security terminal. The traffic is choked hundreds of feet out and it doesn't seem like it'll lighten up any time soon. And I thought rush hour in Metropolis was bad.

I see a flashes of gold within the congestion and realize they're guard ships, flitting about en masse, trying to command order. Several specks of green come into focus and I see some guards are out in protective suits, hovering a little above the general mess of traffic and guiding ships with their gestures and light staffs.

This is all before we even pass the sensor barrier.

"That looks fun," I say, stunned.

As soon as we pass through the sensors, its yellow coloration bleeds to red. Alarms go off.

All ships within view rotate to face us. A dozen hovering guards gun for Aphelion.

Clank's eyes widen. "Ratchet, what did you—oh, we never even got inside!"

"Stop panicking, it's probably nothing!"

We're surrounded by guards now. One of them hovers to my left, placing a hand on Aphelion's cockpit and pointing forward with the other. I cautiously follow his direction and continue at a crawl. Some of the other guards break off and go to part the traffic ahead of us with renewed aggression. All security ships within proximity honk at the civilians, herding those back who were a bit reluctant or slow to move.

A clear path towards the nearest security terminal opens up. Once we enter the pocket of oxygen, the guard taps at the glass, pointing his thumb up.

"Good relative afternoon," he says, when I lift the cockpit. "Competitors Ratchet and Clank, correct?"

"Yes," we both answer. Rather, Clank squeaks it out.

"We'll have you check in over there at that terminal. Is this ship behind you your guest? She uh...seems very intent on sticking close."

I lean out and look around, almost snorting with laughter. Talwyn's so close to us the nose of her ship is almost in Aphelion's thrusters. I chuckle and lean back. "Yes, Talwyn Apogee."

"Right then. Keep going forward and the rest will be taken care of. You have a good one," he blasts off, joining the other guards that had formed a bit of a wall between us and the rest of traffic. Wow, I feel really special right now!

Not Clank, I guess. He's sunk in his seat, his hands partway over his eyes.

I pull up to the terminal and next to the guard hovering from his shack. He salutes with two fingers, drawing a tablet. "Hey there! You folk are here pretty early. Wanted to get ahead of traffic, did you? Consider yourselves lucky, this is the lightest it's been since we've opened admissions."

He hovers towards Aphelion's nose, holding up the glowing device in his palm. "Give me a sec, I'll be fast in putting this on your ship."

"So," I begin casually, "why'd that first sensor go off when we passed through?"

"The sensors detected your ship's Craft Identification Number. Since your Aphelion is registered in the system, you were clocked in, in a sense. Every competitor will go through that, heh. A bit intimidating to be put out on the spot in front of thousands of people, isn't it?"

"Nah, we wouldn't be competitors if we couldn't handle that," I say, sparing Clank a teasing grin. He glowers back. "I'm curious to know what other sort of security measures you guys have."

"Oh, the whole works," the guard says, pressing the beacon down and twisting it tightly into Aphelion's nose. "I couldn't tell you all of 'em, but you know the common ones people use, like Holo-guises, invisibility, oh not to mention those who disguise themselves as inanimate objects. Well, that last one doesn't take technology to reveal. Can you believe some people think that a flour sack or an exercise bike piloting a ship doesn't look suspicious?"

That makes me laugh. "How many people have you caught already?"

"Hundreds, man. They're all in custody and set to be executed by firing squad this afternoon."

Clank's hands drop from his eyes to his mouth.

"Just kidding! We just send 'em away. There's been several repeat offenders, but so far I don't think anyone's slipped by. Even if they get by us, there's the other safety measures in the Dome that're hard to detect. It's basically impossible to infiltrate!"

"Mmm," I hum wonderingly. "Maybe not impossible..."

"Just nearly impossible, how about that? Let's see here..." he looks at his tablet, then glances behind us. "Alright, Ms. Apogee. She'll be led over to the guest terminal after she checks in here, okay? They'll walk her through the process, lead her to her hotel room and all that."

"Sounds great! Where do we go next?"

"I'll send you enter the competitor's entrance wing," he says, landing back in the doorframe of his shack. "From there, follow the tunnel into the Dome and keep on the path until you come to a hatch. Use your ID card to key in. You'll be able to get to the garage from there...uhh...oh yeah, from there it's just you heading to your floor! Find your elevator and that's pretty much it. You've got plenty of time to settle in. Okay? Go out there and give us a show!"

We thank him and he ducks back into his shack. The beacon on Aphelion starts winking, sputtering before sending bright spear of light towards the heavens. It's bright, swelling and consuming our surroundings. When it clears, we find ourselves at the end of a long tunnel.

"...see? Nothing to worry about," I say.

"Oh as if! I can see your fur standing on end."

I decide not respond to that, even if it was true. At the end of the tunnel is a small pinprick of light that emanates from Dome's interior. My foot gets a little heavy on the accelerator.

"Oh my...Ratchet, slow down!" Clank says, clenching into his seat.

"What? Oh, sorry."

But I'll never forget the feeling of my heart speeding up, and my mind going blank at entering the Dome's vast interior for the first time.

It spans widely in every direction and even seems to have its own horizon, with buildings, roads, and people filling every visible corner. There's many a business like restaurants, bars, grocery stores and there's even a rotating sign advertising a gym in the distance. The roads are flooding with tourists of every shape and size as they explore the sights and depth of the megastructure.

The residential district is located along the farthest edges of the Dome, and buildings range from simple, one story houses to townhomes, and even the occasional sprawling mansion. Most buildings, regardless of location, are a cool steely blue color and have bubble shaped roofs.

From the arrangement of the main streets, it appears that the Dome is set up on a hexagonal grid, with smaller roads webbing around and in between structures. In the middle of it all is the stadium, which is a magnificent work of art itself. The color and texture of its many surfaces, as well as its architecture likens it to a giant, stemless rose of chrome with its petals spread wide. A lot of movement is present near its outskirts and likley where most of the tourist attractions were concentrated.

According to its information from the event package, the Dome could hold up to several million people comfortably. It certainly feels different to see it than just reading about it.

And the airspace is just as busy. Ships fly out of countless entrances, guided by air traffic guards and intercrossing sky barriers. There's many sub-sections for security as well.

We pass a hovering guard shack where a few ships with heavily tinted windows are stationed. Two of them pull off and flank us from behind.

"Hey, we get another escort! Isn't that nice," I say, glancing over at Clank. He's stood up in his seat, gripping it as he peers back.

I thread the strip of lights along the way, guided down to the hatch built into the ground further south of the residential district. The security ships cling to our airspace like Mutant Swamp Flies.

I pull close to the ID scanner along the side of the descending slope leading towards the hatch, and my hands tremble slightly as I lean out to clear us. The light on the scanner flashes red and a negative audio resounds.

The guard ships inch closer to Aphelion's tail.

Clank's palm smacks into my shoulder. "Wrong one," he says, holding up my ID. We quickly swap cards and I try again. The hatch opens.

I cruise in at what I hoped was a casual speed, then turn on Aphelion's rear camera. The guard ships turn away just before the entrance shuts fully.

Clank and I let out a collective sigh. He scowls at me at the same time I grin at him.

"You seem oddly nervous. Why is that?" he asks.

"Did you see all those people out there earlier? That was enough to put anyone's nerves on edge."

"Oh, what nonsense! You can be so difficult sometimes."

"I have no idea what you mean, pal!" I say, hitting him on his shoulder. "We're in! Why are you being such a sourpuss?"

He doesn't answer. Oh boy, was he steamed. He's probably more in shock I got something past his radar and security's.

I laugh under my breath. We're in the beginning of another tunnel that's just probably even longer than the first. I couldn't even see the light from the garage at the end, then again we would be going from the outskirts of the Dome to the—

"WAUUGHHH!"

I guess we'd been sitting there for too long, because Aphelion is suddenly jetted forward by the tunnel's air pressure system. Clank and I yelp, pressed back into our seats by the sudden rush. The lamps on the walls blur together, flying by in continuous streaks of light.

By the time we jolt to a stop at the entrance of the garage ten seconds later, I'm so dizzy I hardly remember my name. I slouch back in my seat with my mouth lolling open. I'm not just seeing stars now, I'm seeing an entire galaxy...

"How are you feeling, Ratchet?"

"Unnngghrrf…"

"I am sorry, I do not speak that language."

I almost want to throttle him, but I had been teasing him not too long ago. Sigh. Turnabout was fair play, here.

My brain eventually rights itself, remembering that my mouth isn't on the back of my head and that my heart and stomach haven't swapped places. I steady myself and lean up. "Ugh...a-alright. Let's go."

I open the cockpit, toppling out of Aphelion and landing on my face. Clank gets out, at least making sure I'm still conscious before laughing.

"Heh heh, well, maybe if you had not spent so much time teasing me…" he says.

"Point taken," I groan into the floor.

At least no one else was around to see my spill. After some minutes of recovery I finally get around to hoisting our suitcase out of Aphelion, bouncing a bit in the air when it crashes to the ground. I extend the handle and after Clank hops on, I start pulling it across the garage.

The garage has color sucked from it from floor to ceiling. Leaving it shows a drastic change; an expensive rug stretches along the long corridor, and decorative marble structures line the walls. Two paintings are mounted on each wall, and a closer look shows they're the group pictures all blocks had taken at the banquet.

Golden sconces light the way, filling the sandy colored halls with a soft glow. At the end of the red carpeted hall is a row of six elevators arranged in a curve.

The very first one is covered with a steel casing and inaccessible. The second leads directly from the garage to the hotel lobby. The other four lead to the competitor's floors and ours is the very last one, leading up to the fifth floor.

I look over the floor plan. We were on the first basement floor, but there were two more floors underneath us. According to the plan, B2 was where Kodiak's office was and B3 home to the Director's. Interesting.

I don't know what I was expecting, but it for some reason it wasn't the idea of Vox being in the same building as us for the whole time we were here.

Not that the fact alone was anything incriminating or worthy of suspicion. I still can't take my eyes off the locked elevator until we finally go up.

We come out in the foyer of the fifth floor; it's furnished similarity to that of the corridor leading from the garage, but the halls are a forested green, with white trimming along the floors and ceilings.

"Oh, another elevator," Clank notes. It was the personalized one our block took to get to the hotel lobby from this floor. "Here is my ID to enter the suites. Where is yours, Ratchet?"

"Uhhh..."

I just had it to get us in the garage, but something happened to it in between then and now. I have to use Clank's to get us into the suites. The hall we come out in is short and goes in both directions. I follow the map mounted on the wall and turn left, then eventually go right into a longer corridor. There's three rooms to the left side of this hall and they have wide, arched windows in between them.

After we pass room 501, I look out the window. We're that much closer to the stadium, which is so close it practically takes up the entire view when looking out. I can't help the flicker of excitement that comes over me.

"Ratchet. Ratchet. Ratchet!"

I blink and stop suddenly. I was now at the farthest end of the corridor, one foot shy of walking into the wall.

"Huh?" I ask casually.

"You passed our room. 505 is behind us."

"I know! Just trying to take it all in, pal," I say, turning around and pushing our suitcase like a shopping cart. I get a faceful of Clank's sarcastic, knowing expression and snicker a bit.

On our room door is a golden plaque. Our names are carved into it, and under them is our team name, Cruise. When I unlock the room Clank jumps down, his eyes glimmering brightly in excitement.

"Ah! Look, four poster beds!" he cries, raising his arms. "Oh, I admire the design of furniture. Look at that lacquered wood! Oh, and the color of the curtains perfectly match the shade of the carpet...the dimensions are quite homely, my, I adore the brash but intuitive design behind it all..."

"You finished?"

He wasn't. In fact, I don't think he'd heard me, continuing to talk to himself as he zips about, touching everything that catches his attention. I leave him to it and take the moment to call Talwyn.

"Hi," she says. "Are you in your room yet?"

"Yeah," I say, looking back at Clank. "Clank is uh...judging its quality, or whatever. Where're you at?"

"I'm in the hotel right across the street from yours. The Sunset Dreams, it's called," she says. "I am definitely pleased with my housing situation, I can't wait for you to see it. I have to admit, I'm pretty floored. Isn't it wild at how big it is in the Dome? It already looked massive from the outside, then to go in, and so fast the way we did, was like, like, entering another whole mind-blowing dimension of bigness!"

She falls silent for a moment, likley embarrassed at her unexpected excitement.

"Heh heh heh...well, I'm glad to hear that. And with us being so close together, spending some time in the day won't be an issue."

"Mhm, hardly. I'll think of things we can do, and you can, too."

"I'm not really good at planning things like that. I'd just meander until I find something that catches my eye."

"Then we can meander," says Talwyn. "After I watch you and Clank mow everyone over in high def."

I suddenly feel even more compelled to win the competition.

"Well!" I say perkily, shifting on my feet a little. "Sounds like a plan to me, Tal."

"Tell me how everything goes at the tour, alright?"

The tour. It was in a little over two hours, I think, at 2:00 PM. Plenty enough time to unpack and get settled in. Though, looking at the bed makes me want to drop down and not wake up until I was gray and all my teeth had fallen out.

After I hang up, something catches my eye.

"Hold on a sec…what's this?"

I take the sheet of paper lying in between the pillows of the closest bed, pulling back the curtain to let more light in. Clank, who'd been loitering around in the bathroom pops out. "What is what?"

"Out of your nerd trance? Look like they left us some general instructions. Ahh...says competitors are required to wear their IDs at all times while in the Dome, even while wearing competitive gear. Wouldn't they get in the way or fall off while we're competing?"

"I think not. There were card holders sewn on the left breast pocket of our uniforms, and they are transparent."

"Huh, never noticed that. Mmm...oh, says right here that when the day of the events arrive, the card's vocal recognition function will activate...it reads brainwaves and we can contact whomever we want to with a thought, like other competitors, security, members of event staff, barring the Director himself...if we lose our IDs, go to the front desk in the lobby—okay, got it, replacement and stuff. Where's mine?"

Clank holds it up.

"Oh. Thanks, pal," I say, tossing the instructions to him since I knew he liked to hold onto things like that. "Let's get to unpacking the rest, shall we? Don't touch my underwear."

"And I would do such a thing because...?"

It doesn't take long, with how simple I am about sorting my clothes. I separate my casual and competitor wear into the fancy dresser drawers. I make sure Clank is preoccupied before grabbing my boxers by the armful and dumping them in the bottommost drawer.

"Ratchet?" Clank says suddenly.

"Yeah?" I respond, quickly shutting the drawer.

"Have you seen my buffer?"

"Oh, yeah! I put it in pouch number seventy three..."

After that, I investigate the room, though without the practiced all seeing nerd eye Clank has. An eighty four inch flat screen Holo-vid is mounted on the western wall. There's a plush, very inviting looking chaise in one corner, and two full looking cushions of the same design are arranged near it. There's a writing desk with a lamp mounted above it, a wooden dining room table with all chairs pulled up, a mini-fridge, a glass case labeled for souvenirs

The window between our beds doubles as a door, leading to a small balcony. The only thing I think needs moving is the beds. I push them together until they touch since Clank and I never slept apart anyway.

I go into the bathroom, pleased to see that it's got a giant tub as well as a full body blow drier for people that were covered in fur. Now I was really impressed. Or should I feel creeped out?

An ugly sounding yawn leaves my throat. I walk out of the bathroom and trip over Clank. He couldn't see because he was carrying an eco sized bottle of my shampoo, and I didn't notice him because he'd drawn the curtains, which do a good job of blocking out the light in the room. It's like it's night time. Wait, how did the Dome have light?

Whatever, I'd find out later. I had to lie down on one of the soft surfaces in the room and had to do it, now. I could've even dropped down to lie on the carpet!

Clank climbs onto the chaise with the safety and liability handbook in hand. He sits, sinking half a foot into the soft plush.

"Pfft!" I drop down next to him with enough force to make him pop back up.

"Yes, thank you, Ratchet," he says, as I swing my lower body around and lay my head next to his left elbow. "Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?"

"No, just keep talking. That'll do the trick."

"Excuse you! Fine, I will start with the first section...Coming to Terms with Possible Death and Dismemberment."

I roll my eyes closed. "My favorite."

But, Clank hasn't even gotten two pages in before a sharp rapping comes at our door. I jolt a bit, already having been partially asleep.

Annoyed, I mutter to Clank, "Can we just pretend we're not here?"

He tsks and shakes his head. I still don't move from my comfortable position yet, turning my head to the side and projecting my voice. "Who is it?"

"Kodiak," says the person on the other side of the door.

I lean up, turning to exchange a confused look with Clank before getting up and opening the door. The Head of Security fills the entire doorframe, but he looks a lot kinder this time around.

"How's it going?" I ask.

"Alright. I noticed you two checked in pretty early."

"Yeah, a certain someone was worried we'd run into traffic," I say, sending Clank a pointed glance over my shoulder...as well as making sure I'd shut the bottommost dresser cabinet all the way.

"I was justified, thank you," Clank says.

"Never said you weren't," I jab at him.

"That's reasonable," Kodiak says, managing a slight smile. "With the turnout, I don't fault you, Clank. Well, are you impressed with what you see?"

"I really am," I admit, then add, "I actually can't wait to see what the stadium looks like."

Kodiak's rugged face lifts and his eyes light up. "Don't have to wait too long for that. Do you mind coming with me? There's something I need to tell you in private."

"Sure," I say, after a moment's pause. "I'll be back, Clank."

"Wait! Your ID."

I turn around. The card smacks into my face and sticks there. Kodiak barely holds in a snort.

"Gee, thanks, pal of mine..."

"We'll take the teleporter," says Kodiak as the elevator stops on the first floor. "As you saw, each block has their own elevator connecting their floor to the garage, as well as a separate one leading to the hotel proper. It...cuts down on traffic, as well as preventing unnecessary intermingling.

"Of course," Kodiak continues when we exit into the foyer leading to the lobby, "The Director and myself have our own offices located further down in the hotel."

"I saw, yeah. A bit curious."

"He wanted to be closer to his competitors, for one," says Kodiak, looking around absently. At the end of the foyer is a large teleport pad. There's another hall midway through that leads to the lobby, but the lobby doors are shut.

"Hm," I muse.

"I think," Kodiak says slowly, pacing his walk in tandem, "I also think it's more of a symbolic gesture. You know, he wants to put everyone above him. He sees it as his due diligence. Which I can agree with."

Kodiak sighs and I catch the frustration in his eyes, if only for a few spare moments. "You know, he and I have known each other for years now. We're best friends."

My brows lift. "Really, now?"

"Seems unlikely, doesn't it?" he asks, grinning. "It did just start off as just bussiness between us, with him hiring my company for our services. I guess he was pleased, because he kept calling me back plenty of times over the years. Then one thing led to another, and our bond evolved into a much more casual one. You know how it is. And after all this, I've naturally come to see exactly how he ticks. His personality, mood, mannerisms, you name it."

Kodiak suddenly looks a bit awkward. He clears his throat. "Of course, not every thing about him..."

I smirk. I leveled with him on that.

"And you know," he continues, "it was pretty hard for me to watch all of this come to form, in a way. I saw every ache and pain, every harsh realization he had to endure while bringing the Dome to life. He had to break a lot of barriers to make this all come to be. Most of them weren't physical."

He stops at a panel next to the teleport pad, keying in a command. "It's changed him. I think, even more than I realize. I might not be alone in that sense."

Kodiak freezes, then seems to hold his breath as he faces me. I see a curious hint of vulnerability in his rough face. "You ever worry about losing touch with your best friend?"

The question takes me off guard.

"No," I say after a moment, shaking my head. "Not anymore. We have our arguments and bicker to this day, but nothing could ever separate us."

Kodiak frowns a bit, but I can tell it's not directed towards me. He turns to face the teleport pad. "I envy you," he says. "Ever since this project started, it feels like I'm steadily losing touch with my old friend. I think all this has still done something to him that..."

He trails off, then looks as though he's seeing right through the floor, through the very bottom of the Dome itself, into the deepest depths of space. The rings on the teleporter glow brightly and emit a slight hum. He remains immobile.

"Kodiak?"

He comes to. He doesn't look at me. Without another word, he beckons me. I follow him onto the pad.

When we reappear in a darkened area, Kodiak speaks up again, "That teleporter will also be the one to take competitors down to the walkway underneath the stadium. Follow me?"

This hall is wide and bends, likely curving about the entirety of the stadium. To our right are empty, darkened concession stands lined up like sardines along the walls, about thirty or so in a row. There are entrances in the wall between each set of stands, all of which have green glowing exit signs hovering above them.

To our left are large glass panels, clearly there to allow people to still keep up with the events while getting refreshments. The panels are blocked completely by coverings, with only small lines of light in between each showing a glimpse from within the stadium's core.

I feel a nervous fluttering in my stomach as I follow Kodiak, no longer dwelling on his odd mood shift. I couldn't contain myself and I was dying to run over and throw myself through the glass and into the playing field. And just how many people would be there in the stands? It'd surely be filled to max capacity.

Just being out of the field wasn't the sole thing that gets me going during competitions like this. It was the energy that comes from the action, from the other competitors, and from the crowd espcially...I could live and breathe on it like it was my lifeblood itself.

For the briefest of moments my deep concerns and paranoia dwindle, and the conscious feeling of being on guard does as well. I feel my soul resonating with a certain peace that doesn't just come from being in the stadium itself, but the collective energy and spirit that kept the entirety of the Dome so lively, real, and pure.

I hold onto that feeling tightly. I would have to thank Vox for it later.

"Coming?"

I've trailed behind a bit. Kodiak motions towards a lit hall that stands out from the darkness. It curves ever so slightly and rises steadily, making us spend several minutes ascending. We pass several dozen rooms locked by key card.

"These are the guard rooms. Ah, well, at least for the guards assigned to the stadium," Kodiak explains. "Break room's up ahead."

Kodiak whistles a tuneless song as he ducks in through the door, holding it open for me. The break room is large enough for fifty or so people to walk around with minimal contact. There's six long rows of cubicles erected, and each houses a computer.

The left wall of the room is nothing but a slanted sheet of glass that's also covered up. Huh, pretty good deal for them to watch the games while on break.

At the rear of the room, there's set of stairs leading to another room. Its door is emblazoned with big black letters: DIRECTOR'S BOX

Closer to the entrance is a marked off part of the room with round tables and chairs set up. There's a refrigerator and sink, as well as vending machines that line up along the back wall. Two guards are in here, and the both of them are reeling in their chairs, laughing uproariously as we enter.

"Mars. Moona," Kodiak says, folding his arms behind his back.

"Oh! Hey, s-sorry for being so loud, Kodiak," says the guard named Mars, trying to control himself. "We, we were just on break, Moona's showing me some things on her phone..."

"You asked to see my Legendary Memes folder!" she exclaims.

Kodiak raises a brow, shifting his eyes between both guards pointedly.

"Er...oh, right. We get the picture," Mars says, giggling still. He leans in to his partner. "We get the picture right?"

She lowers her head slightly, rubbing her temple for several long moments as she stares at him. They begin to clean up their area, and after picking up their belongings they depart.

"The Director's Box is the best seat in the house," Kodiak says suddenly, making me turn my attention towards said room again. "It's set right above the stands reserved for you competitors..."

"No wonder we climbed for so long," I say lightly. "What was that you had to say?"

Kodiak leans his head back for a moment, gazing up at the ceiling. Well, there was a nice diamond chandelier up there, so I don't blame him for taking so long to look back at me.

He holds out his hands. "I'm going to be honest. We can do that, right? We're both men here."

"I agree," I say plainly.

"Okay. It's simple. I just wanted to tell you I'm thankful for your help at the banquet, and making sure Copernicus was safe. I know it wasn't just you, but you're the first to hear it."

I fold my arms, tilting my head. He was in a peculiar mood today.

"I know, I know. And after I made a big fuss about it then. I am thankful. After all, with the way things were going downhill, several of my guards getting gunned down, me too busy making sure Guzman and Ophelia were secure..." Kodiak gives a series of short, almost timid nods, not quite looking at me. "You all did a good job. Okay?"

"No problem," I say. "And I mean, we didn't mean to give you a hard time by breaching your protocol. It's just that...whenever Qwark's in a situation, it's a knee jerk reaction to go ahead and fish him out of it before it gets worse. For him and for anyone else, honestly..."

Kodiak tugs at his collar slightly. "That makes sense. Unfortunately, there'll be absolutely no instances like that happening here."

"Sounds good to me. I already got a load of the security measures just to get in. I'm sure I haven't seen..." I pause, then ponder for a moment. "Wait, don't you mean fortunately?"

"No. It's unfortunate for you. I know you like to play the hero." He looks over my head and smiles. This one sends a terrible feeling down my spine. "Isn't that right?"

I just realized I'd never heard those guards leave the room.

As I turn, I recognize the sound of something being deployed, said object whistling through the air. Leathery mesh strikes me right in the face, smothering my yelp and creating a tight pressure on my mouth that forces it closed. Clamps snap shut over the back of my head, holding the object in place.

I jerk back, losing my composure in a moment of panic. They'd just muzzled me.

"Nope!" Kodiak grabs my arm before I can run, yoinking me back and drawing a chair with his other hand. "Not going anywhere. And what a damn good shot, Moona. I think I'll give you a bonus for it!"

She was by the door with a projectile launcher in her hands, holding it upright with a proud chortle. Her partner rushes over, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. Kodiak takes them. He ignores my writhing and isn't gentle when he forces my wrists together behind the chair, linking them together.

Mars binds me down tightly, wrapping a rope five times across my chest before pulling tight to take away any slack. He ties a knot, then begins to do the same with my legs. I kick out, managing to nick him between the eyes. He swears and recoils.

"Here," Kodiak takes the rope from him. "You hold his legs."

Grumbling, Mars seizes me right under my knees, making sure to make his grip harder than necessary. As Kodiak winds the rope around my legs, Moona approaches, gloving up.

Kodiak ties the knot tightly, then stands. He laughs when he sees my glare. "Oh, you do not want to make that face at me. This is my domain. Our domain. Isn't that right?"

"Yeah. Jackass," Mars snaps at me.

"He did get a pretty good hit on you. You seem to be the only one here not entirely on point," says Kodiak, amused. He casually stretches his back out, shaking his arms. "Still, that went over better than I expected. I thought you'd be a little bit more suspicious of my intents, but I did enjoy your expression when you realized what sort of situation this really was. Just adorable."

He smiles smugly, and my blood turns to fire.

"Oh wow, and what's this?" Kodiak taps the muzzle, chuckling a bit when I growl. "You can't escape, nor run your smart mouth until I say so. This is all for a purpose, see. I wanted to make sure you understand what I'm about to say and without hearing any lip from you. And, don't get me wrong, I meant it what I said about your efforts at the banquet, I really did. But...there was yet something else I wanted to hammer in."

He grabs the arms of the chair and leans in, almost nose to nose with me. "You don't have any power here," Kodiak whispers. "Let that roll around in that empty cavern you call a skull. While you are here, you will NOT be getting into things that aren't your bussiness. You will NOT do anything that'll threaten the integrity of the rules enforced here. You are NOT here to make decisions that are out of your jurisdiction. Which, as we know, is limited to that of the average person because you are a competitor. Nothing more. Guzman may want to try to reach out to you, and offer some sort of...friendship, or validation on your part at the least...you realize that's one of the things he wants the most out of this, right?"

I stare back into his eyes, shaking from rage.

"You didn't. I can see that much. He wants your approval...to atone for something he didn't even do," Kodiak's face tightens, and the same flicker of frustration I'd seen earlier comes back, bared full force. "What a sad fool, my closest friend can be when he lets his consciousness swallow him up...but back to my point. Nothing that happens here will change the fact that you are nothing but marketing material. You fit the part for a reason. You would do well to stay true to that reason."

I lean my head back, then slam it between his eyes as hard as I can. Both of his guards gasp as Kodiak staggers back, clutching his head. I was digging myself further into the situation, but I can hardly comprehend my own fury at the moment.

"Kodiak?" Moona squeaks.

He speaks calmly. "I'm fine."

He lowers his hands from his face, which does a generally good job of matching his tone. However, I can see the slight tension in his jaw line, the way his eye twitches, the slight clench present in both hands. Kodiak looks off for a moment, taking in a deep breath. He holds it for a good ten seconds, then lets it out slowly.

"I tried being nice, and that's your response, huh?" he says to me finally, giving a careless shrug. "Just so you know, that was my gentler approach. As you can see, Moona has put gloves on. She really didn't have to, initially, but now I see that it was good foresight since you're being difficult. Want another bonus?" he asks her.

Moona chuckles nervously. Kodiak doesn't wait for an answer anyway, his tone strengthening with barely repressed anger.

"If I could get away with beating your face in right now, I'd do it," he says. "But I can't have you showing up to the events all bruised up like that. Too many questions, too little care, on my part..."

He turns partway, addressing his guards sharply. "You two! Get ready."

"Yes sir!" they cry.

Kodiak hovers towards the largest desk along the wall, swiveling its chair around to dig into the black bag in the seat.

"Where's the release button?" Mars mutters frantically.

"Right here. Careful not to press it yet, it's sensitive."

I try to struggle free despite the futility of the situation, but there's no way I can budge an inch in these ropes. I could only brace myself for whatever they were about to do to me.

Kodiak stalks back, his steps slow and heavy. He has a hard stare fixed on me, and underneath it is that terrible smile of his. There's a jar of clear liquid in his hand. Floating at the bottom is a small beeping red light.

I growl out a series of noises, barely discernable as intelligible words. Kodiak gets the gist because his smile widens.

"What is this, you ask? Oh, it's just water," he says casually, pointing at the jar. "And a tracker. That's the light you see. Gotta make sure we get it down."

It only takes me a split second to understand, for the dread in my stomach to swell painfully.

My ears fall flat and I immediately begin thrashing as hard as I can, making the chair rock wildly. The two guards do a good job of holding its legs to the ground, or else I probably would've tipped right over. Kodiak draws closer.

Mars seizes the back of the muzzle, yanking my head back. "Now?" he asks.

Kodiak nods grimly, gripping one corner of the jar, hovering over me like a volcano about to erupt. "Now."

Mars presses the release button, and the muzzle loosens, slipping off my mouth.

"You big mangy walking landfill, I bet you're your mother's least loved child—"

Moona interrupts my truthful observations by seizing my mouth, forcing it wide open. I fight her, feeling her gloved hands straining to keep my jaws apart.

"Thank you," Kodiak says through gritted teeth. He looks pissed, so that told me I was pretty accurate in my claims.

As he unscrews the jar, Moona already begins to have trouble, taken off guard by the pressure behind my jaws. Her hands are starting to slip and she panics the more I force my mouth closed. "Mars? A little backup?"

"Uhhh...got it!"

He lets go of the chair and a second later he grunts as my whipping tail smacks him across the face. Wait, what was he doing down there?

My back arches when a sudden pain rushes up my spine, all the way to my shoulder blades. He'd roughly bent my tail in his hands.

My scream is cut off when Kodiak plunges the jar in my mouth.

I choke, gagging as the water rushes in, trying to turn my head away. His lackeys hold my head steady; with a smirk Mars reappears, pressing a thick cloth over my nose. I can't breathe...

I start floundering again, but they're all over me. No, no, no! I couldn't let them do this!

My wide eyes follow the tracker, which bobs at the top of the water. It becomes harder and harder to fight them and trying to breathe. A thick fog fills my head. My senses turn hazy.

"Still fighting it, are you?!" Kodiak asks, grinning like a madman. "I wonder what'll happen first, you running out of oxygen or you choking. Oh, and if you pass out, you'll only make it easier for us. Less of a fight, you know?"

"I feel like we should've knocked him out in the first place," Moona says, amused.

Mars lets out a rough bark of a laugh. "I'll remove the cloth once you start swallowing. Nothing wrong with accepting your fate, buddy."

My eyes go unfocused and their faces, their spiteful smiles, blur. They had me right where they wanted me. That didn't mean I had to watch it.

My last act of defiance is to close my eyes. I start taking deep gulps from the jar, already feeling the pressure off my nose lessening. The instant I pause it returns.

"Don't play with us," Kodiak booms. He shoves the jar in deeper, forcing my head back at an uncomfortable angle. I'd say it's bottomed out to my tonsils, if I had any. I still don't continue drinking until I absolutely have to breathe again. I was being stubborn, but this time I don't stop.

My eyes waver open and I can't help but to watch the jar empty steadily. I soon lose sight of the tracker, tensing when I feel it brush up against my tongue and slip towards the back of my throat.

I hesitate, grunting when Mars pounds the top of my head with a fist. Lights pop in my eyes.

"Don't you dare stop," Kodiak warns. Feeling defeated, I swallow the tracker like the most rancid of pills.

"That's a good boy." Satisfied, Kodiak pulls back, wrenching the jar roughly from my mouth. I cough and gasp for breath as his guards glide before me. Moona carelessly pushes my mouth open again, sticking a pair of pliers in to seize my tongue. Mars leans close, flashing a light as he searches.

"...to the left...right," he mutters, and she moves my tongue accordingly. "Up...now down...ahh...alright."

He clicks his flashlight off, sending Kodiak a nod. "It's gone, sir."

"Excellent! Excellent work, you two," Kodiak says, drawing a remote from his breast pocket. I tense and keep my eyes on it, idly hoping my trepidation doesn't show in my face. "Let me just make sure it sticks."

He presses a button on the remote and there's the faintest of beeps.

I wince, feeling a stirring in my belly; a sudden pain pierces the inside of my stomach, sending ripples of shock through my body from a pain I'd never thought could exist. I can only scream out yet again, fixed into place as I feel the tracker's tiny legs burrow into my stomach lining.

The tracker's movement ceases seconds later, but the pain lingers. I feel sick in more ways than one and the thought of the device stuck to my insides makes me dry heave. All three guards step back in unison.

"That sounded like that hurt," Kodiak says mildly, when I'm reduced to gasping for air. "Well, just remember it didn't have to happen. This is is a fallback plan for me. Now, considering our conversation earlier, I shouldn't have to activate that tracker out of the suspicion you're doing something you're not supposed to."

He holds up his right hand. "I'm a man of my word. It's your decision, really. You're a competitor, so focus on competing and the luxuries available to you. Easy, right? Let the law handle the rest eloquently and without causing hellbent destruction and chaos. That way, we can all see the events to the end with our own rewards. Don't know what yours is, but mine? I can tell you it's a sum of bolts that makes the cash prize look like lunch money."

Kodiak smiles pleasantly, like we're all having a nice picnic under the sun. "And, when we all get what we want, we'll take care of getting that tracker out of you."

"Money...grubbing...dirtbag," I pant, too mentally worn to keep my head up.

"I am," Kodiak admits shamelessly. "I'm a fairly simple person. A good chunk of my guards share my viewpoints. Right Mars, Moona? Makes bussiness flow with more cohesion. Now," he claps his hands together. "Ready to get a pounding? I think I need to make one last impression on you."

"Boss, what about..."

"I said I wouldn't hit his face, Mars. Never anything about his body," says Kodiak, cracking his large, rocky knuckles. "I've got some pent up anger—from the banquet you know, and I need to channel it out in a healthy way. Then we can put all this behind us and move on in life! By the way, if you tell anyone what happened here, I'll make the next week or so of your life more miserable in any way I can imagine," he beams. "Sounds good?"

I let out a dry chuckle, lifting my head to sneer up at him. "If that's what you want...being such the pillar of justice you are...you must feel like such a champion beating up someone who's tied to a chair—"

Kodiak's first punch caves into my gut, making me heave up the water I'd just swallowed.