Niva emerged from behind the angel fountain in the centre of the courtyard like a creature of the night, the mud on her green hood blending into the soil for the plants around the water basin.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  “Not in the slightest, no,” I answered honestly, “But I’m going to do this anyway because I’m an idiot.”

  “No, you’re not,” she assured me, patting me on the head. “You lack good judgement, there’s a difference.”

  I chuckled. “Did you get your hacker to do their job?”

  “I’ll find out when you do.” She shrugged.

  “That’s reassuring,” I deadpanned. “Are Briar and Daniella here yet?”

  Niva checked her watch. “In the guest parking lot.”

  We stalked across the manicured grounds under the cover of the early night until we reached our destination. All the hovs of the visiting nobility were lined up neatly in the designated spaces outside, some as long as an old-fashioned bus. Most of the hovs had bumps over their headlights, resembling eyelids over full moons, and leather bench seats that exuded opulence.

  Niva cleared her throat and made a surprisingly convincing bird call. An answer came from about three hovs away, and Daniella emerged from the shadows, a sly grin adorning her face.

  “Glad you could make it,” she greeted us.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I replied. “Where’s Briar?”

  “Here.” A voice emanated from behind us, and we turned around to see him casually flipping a dagger in his hands. “Let’s free the people trapped in the primary labs, then head out to Vocafeum.”

  We started racing through the outdoor grounds of the Estate, a soft breeze blowing soundlessly on the cool Summer evening as we began our mission, each step guided by our shared determination to make a difference.

  I didn’t let myself falter as we passed the rose archway.

  Our footsteps fell silent as we stealthily closed in on one of the concealed passageway entrances.

  I knocked along the wall once. Twice. Testing for hollowness until–

  “Who’s there?”

  A guard shone a light on our faces, a spotlight betraying our location.

  “Think you’ve got this one, love?” asked Briar, looking straight at Daniella with a wry smile.

  Daniella cracked her knuckles, transforming into the captain that had gained the entire Lion Legion’s respect.

  “Captain Daniella Cowick, running patrols.” She flashed her old army badge, and for a moment the guard looked taken aback at addressing a captain, but surprise could only work so far, and couldn’t hide the fact that she was accompanying three people who were most definitely not allowed to be here.

  Sensing the guard’s hesitation, Daniella subtly planted her feet into a fighting stance while he raised his laser gun at the three of us.

  “What are those three doing here?” He barked.

  “Assistants,” Daniella offered. The guard didn’t budge. “Not convinced? Alright, well I tried.”

  “Did you though?” Niva asked, forehead crinkled.

  Daniella anticipated the shot before it was fired, the guard’s flick of the wrist a second before giving him away.

  In a single, calculated move, Daniella wrestled an arm around his neck, leveraging her whole weight on top of him before he could fire again. She crushed him, digging his face into the dirt, her voice a low, ominous whisper in his ear.

  “You hesitated soldier. Rookie mistake.”

  With one blow, she knocked his lights out.

  “Bri, help me hide him. Niva, do you have everything you need?”

  Niva simply nodded.

  “Great, meet me back at the base when you’re done.”

  I gently rapped on the wall again until I found a hollow spot that indicated an entrance. With a confident push, the wall pivoted inward, unveiling the hidden labyrinthine network of tunnels that wound their way through the Estate.

  The second Niva and I stepped through, the tunnels enveloped us in silence, a cavernous hush broken only by our cautious footsteps echoing off the stone walls. As if guided by an invisible thread bringing us deeper and closer to danger, our journey through countless twists and turns eventually brought us to our destination – the labs.

  Emerging from the serpentine passageway, we found ourselves before the imposing entrance to the primary labs, almost identical to the secondary one. We exchanged a nervous glance, anticipation hanging in the air as Niva placed her fingertip on the biometric scanner.

  A soft, reassuring ding resonated through the corridor, and the door's heavy lock hissed open. Niva’s hacker had done their job. With a collective sigh of relief, we stepped over the threshold, plunging into the unknown.

  Our path led us straight ahead to the far end of the chamber. It seemed as good a starting point as any for our search. I pushed the door open, revealing a sprawling, warehouse-sized room bathed in sterile white light. Rows upon rows of metallic figures stood at attention, lifelessly awaiting their next command, their presence both eerie and intriguing.

  My unease grew with every step toward them, an ominous sensation gnawing at the pit of my stomach, a primal instinct urging me to flee.

  And then it hit me.

  Because there in front of me, were the faces of the eliminated participants. Or at least some robot version of them.

  All surrounded by a crude patchwork of silver, their bodies laced with wiring and machinery.

  I did a quick count. Since the second trial, one body had been added to the collection. After scanning their faces, I recognised the identity of the extra addition.

  "Rolene." My knees buckled. “They didn’t waste a second.”

  Niva scowled, trying to take it all in while my stomach twisted dangerously, threatening to expel every last drop of its contents. Then a familiar voice stopped me cold, and cemented the ice in veins.

  “Can you blame us?” Galton switched on the main light, a silver controller glinting in his hands. He pressed the red button in the centre, and all the robot hybrids whirred to life. Well, life was a generous way to put it. Their faces remained expressionless as they straightened their spines and stepped out of their pods.

  “Time is man’s greatest enemy, after all. It’s a work of genius, really,” he continued, and all I could do was listen as he patted the head of one of the robots. “The products of the true Relegate Project.”

  “It’s barbaric,” Niva spat, but the doctor, if he could even be called that, simply laughed.

  “No, my dear, it’s kindness. I’m taking away their pain, giving them a life worth living, how is that barbaric?” He advanced further forward, taking a proper look at her. “You must be Ramya’s girl. I’d recognise that steel gaze anywhere. The procedure works for Typics too. What would you give to get your mother walking again? To fix your mistake?”

  There was a sharp intake of breath, and the doctor turned to me.

  “And you, Ayla, was Ramya not like a mother to you? Would you not want this for her? Wouldn’t you want me to take Niles’s pain away too? It’d be so easy.”

  My eyes couldn’t focus.

  Obviously if I could take their pain away I’d do it in a heartbeat, but not like this. Not if it meant they’d be at the mercy of this… this madman. At anyone’s mercy, for that matter. No, if they were going to be free, they’d be free, period. No strings attached.

  “Never under someone else's control,” I breathed, finally bringing myself to my feet.

  “And why not? Why should we trust you to overcome your pain when you don’t even trust yourself?” His mouth twisted into a victorious smile.

  I swallowed a bubble in my throat as it struck me that I was next on the conversion list. The converted project participants advanced closer, circling us with purposeful movements. Some crawled on the ground, their legs still not fully operational or in some cases missing entirely, forcing them to push their way forward with sparking stumps trailing behind. Others had gaps in the metal over their faces, and I tried not to notice the scarred flesh that lay beneath, evidence of the horrors that had been done to them. They closed in, and while Niva had clearly done the math, the result left much to be desired. It didn’t take a genius to see there were too many to fight.

  One of them lunged for me and while I rolled out of the way before it hit, three other robots were waiting for me as I got to my feet. One of them slammed me to the ground like I was nothing more than a sack of grain, while the rest pinned my arms behind my back, unmoving as steel. Which I guess made sense considering that’s what they were made of.

  Niva was obviously more of a skilled fighter than me and had done a much better job of not being captured, but the hope died in her eyes a little as she saw me pinned.

  As she reached to rip out a loose piece of wiring from one of the robot hybrids she noticed the time-travel watch on her wrist, a decision playing out on her face as she set her jaw, narrowed her eyes and ran towards me. Her watch glowed blue, ready to help us escape as soon as she reached me and clicked the button. She bounded across the room in three steps, needing just three more when one of the floor-crawling hybrids emerged from the group and grabbed her foot, forcing her to land spread out on her front. She tried kicking it away but its grip was steadfast. She glanced at me, her face a question I couldn’t decipher. At least not until I realised she was asking permission to abandon me.

  I mean, hey, I was doomed either way. There was no reality where I made it out of this. Niva, on the other hand, had a chance. So even if it took every last bit of courage I had, even if my heart wobbled with the fear of what they’d do to me once she was gone, I met her eyes and said, “Go. Help the others.”

  She gave a curt nod, a silent promise, as she smashed the button and disappeared in a flash of blue to who-knew-when as one of the robot shells kicked me to my knees on the hard marble floor.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  The doors of the labs burst open, and in walked the Chancellor, accompanied by Maddox leading a group of soldiers.

  “Chancellor Endavell.” Galton bowed low, submitting wholly before him. “Your timing is impeccable. You remember Ayla Pickering?” He gestured a lazy hand toward me which caused the robots to force my head up and look at the man who’d orchestrated the entire Relegate Project, the real project aiming to desecrate an entire group of people for the way they were born.

  The Chancellor’s blue eyes swam with hatred as he appraised me, accompanied by a snarl. I matched it.

  “The renegade that’s been filling my son’s head with ideas.”

  He took a few slow steps towards me, each soft tread of his black leather shoes against the marble floor an eternity.

  “You corrupted my son. Turned him weak. Turned him against me. More so than his mother even.”

  Although he towered over me, I refused to look away, and even mustered the strength for a cheeky grin.

  “No, you did a fine job of turning him against you yourself.”

  I felt the slap across the face before I saw it, but I didn’t falter.

  “Is that how you get people to do what you want? Beat them, hit them, throw a tantrum? You can do better than that, John.”

  There was a pause, and his hand twitched, as if he wanted to strike again before thinking better of it.

  Instead, he rubbed his chin, his face lighting up with an idea that was no doubt utterly wicked. He turned to Galton, swishing his cape, now reattached after his spectacle at the ball, behind him.

  “She’s from Vocafeum?” He asked.

  “Yes, Chancellor Endavell,” Galton answered with no shortage of glee, “VC2104 was one of our more troublesome members.”

  “Excellent.” He clapped his hands. “Convert her tonight so we can finally put an end to all her nonsense. Besides, my son’s about to propose and I’d rather there weren’t any interruptions.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  From the shadows, a figure rushed toward Galton and pressed a knife against his throat.

  “Let her go or we’ll see if your lab coat looks better in red.”

  Galton laughed as Elian gripped him tighter.

  “The blood I’ve spilled has stained more than lab coats, boy.”

  “Put the knife down, son,” the Chancellor warned, “You’re not a killer.”

  Elian matched his father’s solid gaze.

  “Aren’t I?” He challenged, “Didn’t you send me to the war front exactly to turn me into one? Do me a favour, don’t pretend to know what I am or am not.”

  The Chancellor looked between me and his son then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  “This is your fault, you know.” He pointed at me. “You poisoned him against me.”

  “Are you mad?” I spat, “When Niva comes back, you know, his oldest friend, she can tell you how your son made his mind up about what you were doing quite some time ago, way before he met me.”

  Elian’s eyes widened as he caught the name brought back from the dead, and the knife clattered to the floor.

  Crap. Crap. Crap.

  “What do you mean comes back? Niva’s alive?”

  The second’s hesitation was all it took.

  “Now Maddox!” Screamed the Chancellor as the head of the soldiers flung Elian away from Galton.

  He got back up quickly and lunged, punching Maddox square in the jaw but got rewarded with a kick to the stomach followed by three blows to the face.

  One. Two. Three.

  The Chancellor stood back and watched as his son got beaten, unflinching as blood dribbled onto his crisp white shirt.

  Elian managed to wiggle out from Maddox’s grip and return a couple of blows but his movements were sluggish after the week he spent recovering from infection. Too slow to match against the head of the Chancellor’s army.

  I struggled against the robot hybrid’s grip, desperate to do anything to help him. If I could just break free I could confront Maddox, and maybe with the two of us we’d have a chance against him, but it was to no avail. It wasn’t letting me go any time soon.

  I vowed to make them all pay for this. Somehow I’d find a way. I’d track them all down and–

  At the Chancellor’s command, the accompanying soldiers raised their laser guns at both of us and all the fight we could muster melted away. There was very little we could do to defend against guns. The battle was well and truly over.

  “Thank you,” said the Chancellor, taking a dramatic sigh. “Elian this really is rather unnecessary, and all for some Relegate…”

  “Sir,” Galton started, “If I may address Master Elian directly, I believe I can put an end to this rather egregious affair.”

  He turned to Elian, his voice cutting through the tense air like a knife. “This girl isn’t who you think she is and I can prove it, if you’ll come with me please.”

  “I’m not interested in what you have to say.”

  “Is that so? Do you not think it’s important to know what you are defending?”

  He lead the way further into the room while I was unceremoniously shoved and as I saw the time-machine in the back, moved again for who knew what reason, I knew exactly what the doctor was going to show Elian.

  He pressed a few buttons on the machine, connecting it to the hologram projector, familiar pulses of blue emitting from the giant circle, and though it hadn’t done me any good the last couple of times, I struggled again against my captors. And again with no results as their rough hands pushed me down to the cold, hard ground as the projector stole the images of the past from the time machine and illuminated them for the world to see.

  A cold February. A huge white hov full of crying babies brutally ripped from their mother’s arms flew up the path to Vocafeum.

  The image blurred and changed.

  Seven years old, the day we got picked for our jobs, tattooed to keep track of the constantly changing personnel. A young Niles and Ayla stood in line with a young Bruis, the third member of our original trio.

  “The pain won’t last long,” I told Niles as Bruis and I both hugged him, but behind my back I dug my nails into my palms to divert the pain from the new throbbing tattoo.

  The image blurred again.

  Ten years old. The sun was scorching that day, whipping down on the backs of the workers who’d removed their shirts to keep up with the heavy workload without overheating. The oppressive blanket of the sun’s rays made us work up an even larger appetite than usual.

  Little Ayla received her daily ration of bread from the staff, but sneaked an extra piece into her pocket when the guard turned his head around.

  She planned to eat it later.

  More children collected their rations until a warden counted it up to find one missing.

  “Bruis, I got some bread for you, here, take it quick.”

  The crack of the whip outside. The stuffy room reeking of infection. The final apology that wouldn’t bring him back.

  The image cleared, and the machine shut down, leaving us all back in the present day among solemn silence except for Galton who chuckled to himself, turning every inch into the mad scientist.

  “I remember that day. It was our first meeting. You should have seen her,” he told Elian. “She went off the rails after her friend died. That was the night she stole medical rations and handed them out to everyone on the ward. What punishment did I experiment with for that offense? Do you remember Ayla?”

  A month of half rations. A minor punishment for a first offense. But I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. The victorious glint in Galton’s eye told me I didn’t need to. He knew that I remembered. Somehow, he always could tell what I was thinking.

  “See?” asked the Chancellor with no small amount of smug satisfaction. “She’s got broken morals to match her broken body and genetics. Now if you’ll excuse us gentlemen, my son and I have a ball to get to.”

  Elian stood straight.

  “No.”

  John creased his forehead.

  “What do you mean no? You saw what she did!”

  “People being treated like animals is what I saw.”

  Galton stepped forward, almost bowing but not quite. Reverence didn’t suit him, it just made him look like a rat.

  “I’ve known the girl for a long time Master Elian. She’s nothing but a coward.”

  “You’re wrong.”

  “Is that so? Maybe we should ask her herself.” His gaze was painfully piercing, the kind no lie could hide from. “Ayla, are you a coward?”

  Everyone turned to face me, their stares as imposing as the giant statues crafted by the ancient world designed to look over and cast judgement over the citizens of its biggest cities.

  “Yes, I am.” I replied, a weight almost lifting from my chest now I was finally voicing what I’d never said out loud. Too much of a coward to admit I was a coward, that’s when you knew you were really messed up.

  I couldn’t meet anyone’s eyes but in the corner of my vision I saw Galton looking very pleased with himself, causing Elian to turn to him.

  “Because you made her believe she is. How else is she supposed to feel after what you put her through? It’s time for the cycle of hatred to end. Father, you need to stop all of this.”

  “What do you take me for, a monster? I gave them a purpose. They should be grateful. I made their pathetic lives worth living!” The Chancellor turned to me, hatred filling his eyes. “Except yours. I should kill you right now, then maybe my son can finally move past his infatuation with the Relegates.”

  One of the guards raised a laser gun to my head, and I slumped into the cold barrel leaning on my temple, staring the Chancellor down, daring him to give the go-ahead for the trigger to be pulled.

  “Don’t even think about it!” Shouted Elian.

  “Well then,” said the Chancellor, readjusting the lapels of his jacket. “Comb your hair, put on a smile, propose to the Hammerton girl and end this little experiment before we end it for you.”

  Elian slumped in utter defeat. I tried to tell him it was ok, I understood, but feared that anything I said would get either of us hurt. Setting his nerves in steel, he moved towards the exit, and while I mourned the time we had together, it was for the best. We’d refused to live in the real world for too long, and now reality was dragging us into it by the skin of our hearts. A whole destiny waited for him, full of rich banquets, important meetings… a family with a beautiful wife. Compared to that I had nothing to offer, so what reason did he have to choose me? The cost was far too great, and he lost nothing by letting me go. As for me, well, it certainly felt like I was losing everything but it wasn’t so hard, you could only grieve so much for what you never had.

  But he paused at the door. A split second’s hesitation but it was enough. And that alone would have reignited the hope barely cold in my heart, but he went further, snatching a gun from Maddox’s holster and pointing it at his father.

  The Chancellor took a step forward.

  “How dare you,” he seethed. “After everything your mother and I have done?”

  Elian’s lip quivered ever so slightly.

  “If I have to.”

  The Chancellor leant back, observing his son with disgust and finally resignation as he sighed.

  “How disappointing.”

  A gunshot ripped through the air, right into the Chancellor’s chest. For a second he touched the blood pooling at the front of his shirt, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, rubbing the red sticky substance between his thumb and forefinger. He gazed upon Elian’s face as betrayal spread across his own. His legs shuddered under the weight of his body, crumbling to the floor like the remnants of an old ruin.

  “Your father’s right about one thing.” Shirley’s heels clattered across the floor as she handed her smoking gun to one of the guards. “It was a mistake to soften up for a Relegate.”

  Elian raced to his father’s side, sparing an accusing glare at his mother.

  “What have you done?”

  Shirley showed no sign of remorse.

  “What does a wolf do for its cubs?” She shrugged. “He would’ve divided us all and led this family into the gutter. But I can unite us. I can keep your legacy.”

  “To hell with that.” Elian pressed both his hands on the Chancellor’s chest to staunch the blood but the bone shade of the Chancellor’s face indicated it was probably too late. He moved his hands to the Chancellor’s wrist, searching for a pulse.

  “My darling boy, you’re still struggling to see the bigger picture. If you do exactly as I say, things can be good for everyone. You can be Chancellor and change things for the Relegates, and for this girl you so obviously care about. Isn’t that what you want? Your father was going to destroy her. But I think we can avoid that.”

  Elian dropped his father’s arm and bowed his head, eyes closed as if he could avoid the pain so long as he didn’t look.

  “If I do as you say, you’ll stop this whole initiative and prevent all the Relegates in the institutions being converted?”

  “You have my word. But the Lion Legion members we captured will need to be made examples of, that’s non-negotiable.”

  A knot formed in my throat. Daniella and Briar were caught. Elian glanced sideways at me, doing the math. He would sacrifice them to free the Relegates, I was sure. His tactical mind would focus on the greater good.

  But after all they’d done for us, could he really let them be killed?

  “What do you want in return?”

  “Only what’s best for you. Take Ariadne as your wife.”

  He took a deep shuddering breath, steadying himself for the weight of what he was agreeing to.

  “Alright,” he said, and it was decided. Daniella and Briar would be killed to stop all the Relegates being converted. I was sure they’d accepted the possibility they would die for their cause, but not like this. Not humiliated in front of the entire country. “Do whatever it takes to put an end to this ridiculous initiative.”

  He looked to his father. “I hope you’ve got a good explanation prepared for the Triumvirate,” he spat.

  “Let me handle them. All the rest of the country will know is that your father was killed by the Lion Legion.”

  She wanted to make it so history wouldn’t remember their names, their sacrifice. Like hell I’d let that happen. When the Relegates were finally free, I’d make sure their names were screamed from every rooftop in Saxanglain.

  Shirley clicked her fingers towards the guards.

  “Get the new Chancellor cleaned up. Quickly please, time is of the essence.”

  Elian closed his father’s eyes and slowly rose to his feet, glaring at his mother. glancing one final time at me.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  I nodded as he followed the guards back to his chambers, where they’d clean the blood off his hands.

  I wanted to hug him, to tell him everything was going to be alright, but some invisible force kept me rooted to the spot, and it wasn’t just the guards holding me in place.

  As soon as Elian disappeared from view, Galton cleared his throat.

  “Ma’am, am I to understand the conversion is no longer to go ahead?”

  She tilted her head. “Yes, I think it’s time to lay this whole business to rest.”

  Galton gave an understanding nod.

  “Very well. And what should I do about VC2104?”

  “Keep her in a cell until Elian proposes. After that, I suppose she’ll be working here for the rest of her life.”

  I now understood why my fate was predicted to be ‘servitude’. God, she really had planned this all from the beginning. At my sad, pathetic face, she tutted. “Don’t be so glum, it’s better than sending you back to Vocafeum. Now excuse me.” She placed a hand on her chest, her eyes welling up with forced tears as she strode towards the exit. “I have a heart-breaking announcement to make to the nation.”