Free Rebel Fleet by B. V. Larson Page A

We broke the rules and hit each other while the floor was green.”
    “Yeah, you screwed it up,” Samson said. “We got all healed and ready for more fun—but the next thing you know, we’d been dumped in the ocean.”
    “I would have killed you, meatball, if they’d have let me!”
    “Wait,” I said, interrupting the two. “You guys started in Hawaii last time around, right?”
    “Nope,” Samson said. “Jersey for me.”
    “And I’m from Manchester, U. K,” Dalton said. “But the ship dropped us in the sea near Hawaii.”
    That made me frown. If I was kicked out of this ship for some kind of failure, where would it drop me?
    “But I never saw any reports of a ship coming down to grab people before,” I said. “Have you?”
    “No,” Dalton said. “This time was different. There were lots of big ships tonight, not just one small one. This time it seems like a bigger deal.”
    “I think it’s the last time the aliens are coming,” Samson said.
    “How do you know that, shit-for-brains?”
    They began arguing, and I wanted to ask them more questions now that I had them talking. I wanted to ask about Shaw—and a dozen other things—but there wasn’t any more time.
    The door to my cell materialized again, sealing me off from the others. The sensation of movement returned. My cell was sliding upward. Where would I come out next?
    My heart began to pound, and it became hard to swallow. My club was in my hand, gripped tightly.
    I was determined to get in at least one hard blow before I went down.

=11=
     
    After a brief period of time, the doors vanished again. We were shocked to find ourselves face to face. The central chamber was gone. Our cells were gone. At least three of the four walls of each cell had vanished. We were all in a single large room looking at one another warily.
    The floor was still green, or I had no doubt these people would’ve started smacking each other again.
    “This round will be different,” Shaw’s voice said. “The group of five you’re with is a team for this round. You’ll be facing other teams. You’re not to damage anyone on your own team—not even by accident. Instead, you must defeat all the others.”
    “Aw shit, I’m just dying to clock Leo!” Samson complained. He eyed the back of my head, and his fists squeezed his tube convulsively.
    Shaw’s voice continued explaining. “There will be a central rock formation. The team to take that rock and plant one member’s tube at the top of the highest point for sixty seconds, wins the heat. The rest will be eliminated.”
    “Okay,” I said, turning to the others. “Listen up, I have a plan.”
    “Sod off!” Dalton said. “Shaw didn’t make you leader.”
    “Do you have a plan to win, Dalton?” Dr. Chang asked.
    “I do,” Gwen said. “Why not do nothing? Why don’t we hide and wait for someone else to take the rock?”
    They looked at her like she was crazy.
    “Winning doesn’t help us,” she said. “Let’s lose and go back to Earth instead.”
    Dalton gave her a nasty laugh. “We thought the same thing when we went for each other last time,” he said. “but it didn’t work out. Every crazy rube on Earth will be gunning for you. You’ll be killing and getting killed, same as up here. There’s no way out of the game.”
    “Except, maybe, to win,” Samson said. “At least, that’s what we’re hoping.”
    Gwen looked lost, but determined. “All right then. I’m willing to listen to Leo’s plan.”
    “Okay Blake,” Dalton said. “What do you have?”
    “We advance to the bottom of the rock,” I said, “but we don’t charge up. We fight anyone who comes at us, that’s it. When they hurt each other at the top, we charge all at once at the end. Hopefully, we’ll have our five against two or three. Got it?”
    “That’s it?” Dalton said in disbelief. “I could have come up with that!”
    “But you didn’t,” Samson pointed out.
    “Shut up.”
    The floor flashed to yellow,