Free Unleashed by Jessica Brody

1: Champion
    I hear the crowd of eager spectators above my head as the man-powered lifts raise me up and deliver me into the center of the Colosseum.
    My opponent stands on the other side of the arena. He’s holding a steel shield in one hand and a dagger in the other. I’m given a choice of weapons: trident, lance, cavalry sword. I choose none.
    I’d like this to last more than thirty seconds.
    I’m dressed in the traditional garb of a gladiator circa AD 45. Red cloak, gold body armor, and a helmet with tassels that resemble peacock feathers. I take off my body armor and let it clank to the ground by my feet. It will only slow me down.
    Plus, I don’t plan on getting hit.
    The clock ticks down and my legs tremble in anticipation. The horn sounds and my reflexes take over. Before my opponent has a chance to blink, I’m behind him, jabbing an elbow to his skull. He sinks to his knees, his dagger swinging feebly through the air in a last-minute attempt to fight back.
    But you can’t fight something you can’t follow with your eyes. I dodge his feeble blows easily, my movement a mere blur. Once he’s down, I deliver the final blow. A heel to his neck. The skin breaks and the blood begins to spread.
    I count the seconds as his life wanes.
    10, 9, 8, 7 …
    As he gurgles his last dying breath, my surroundings start to change. Confetti and fireworks burst into the sky and the crowd cheers in delight.
    In giant red text, a message appears among the clouds:
    Winner: Kaelen!
    Time Elapsed: 32 seconds
    Well, it lasted longer than thirty seconds.
    â€œDeactivate link,” I command my Lenses. They obey and slowly the Roman Colosseum fades, dissolving into the typical whites and blues of the lab that has been my home for the past four months.
    This is where I was born. Where I was brought into the world as a fully formed seventeen-year-old man with muscles as solid as stone, bones as strong as tree trunks, and a face designed to elicit awe and envy. Building 1 of the Medical Sector has been my home for the past three months. I sleep here. I train here. I receive my daily uploads here.
    The large spherical womb where I gestated still stands on a steel pedestal in the center, like a trophy. It is empty now. The orange amniotic fluid that breathed life into me has been drained and washed away.
    My bed is in the corner. It is small with only a thin blanket but I don’t need much.
    I cannot leave the Medical Sector and roam about the compound. It is too dangerous. The world is not ready to know me yet. Not even the scientists and children of scientists who dwell on the compound are ready to learn what I am.
    For now, my objective is not to be known. It is to be unknown. As soon as they locate the girl, I will be sent into the past to apprehend her and bring her back. It will be my first official mission as a Diotech soldier. My entire life—all 121 days of it—has been leading up to that.
    When I step out of the simulation chamber, I’m startled by the sound of someone clapping on the other side of the room. I thought I was alone. Normally my enhanced hearing would register anyone entering, but the sound effects of the game must have masked it.
    When I turn, I see Dr. Jans Alixter, the man who created me. Who brought me to life. Who coded my DNA to his exact specifications.
    The man who made me what I am.
    A superhuman.
    A scientific miracle.
    A weapon.
    â€œThirty-two seconds,” he drawls, nodding toward the chamber I just exited. I now realize he was watching the entire simulation on the viewer screens mounted outside. “Impressive.”
    â€œI was going easy on my opponent.” I’m quick to defend my time. “I could have ended him sooner if I’d selected weapons but I wanted the game to last longer.”
    He makes a tsk tsk sound with his tongue. “You should never go easy on your enemy. They won’t go easy on you.”
    I double back toward