I hope it's easy for them. I hope this, because I want it to be easy for when Mina and I escape.
"Crulden!" Mina shouts, and I think for a moment that she's angry I'm hitting the clones. Then, she jumps on the back of one of them, smacking him with her fists. "Don't you fucking hurt him! Stop it!"
I roar in anger as the guard tries to fling Mina off of him, and dive toward the fool. I'm probably going to get shocked to the next moon and beyond, but it'll be worth it. I can't wait to tell Mina about the others.
If they get away, that is. With a furious snarl, I grab the head of the clone closest to me and shove it at the stone lip of the pit.
27
MINA
It's all chaos tonight. First, Crulden starts a fight—over me, of all things—and gets all the clones riled up. Then, there's a breakout of some kind. At least, I think it's a breakout. Alarms go off, and everything is thrown into lockdown. My collar lights up and chokes me until I black out, and one by one, I see other slaves dropping, too. We're being disabled so we don't flee, either. The last thing I remember is a clone's boot crunching on the gravel near my head as I slump in the pit…then Crulden carefully cradling me against him.
When I wake up, though, I'm alone. Crulden isn't in the cell with me. In fact, I'm not in cellblock C at all. I'm in the scientist's office—the infirmary, I guess, though he never treats sick people here. Just shoots the glads up with all kinds of drugs. There's a couple of clones in the beds down the hall, but I'm in this private, nicer room by myself, probably because the scientist doesn't know whether to put me with the slaves or not. I'm too important to be shoved in with the ooli but he can't leave me with the clones, either.
Not after Crulden just picked a fight and they're probably pissed at him and looking for revenge. I'd be too easy a target.
I still can't figure out what the fuck was going through Crulden's head when he did that. Why go apeshit and start something after weeks of being on “good” behavior? It's just going to give them an excuse to use against us, something to point at as an example of what happens when we disobey. The fact that he's not in here with me tells me we're being punished somehow…or at least, Crulden is. I suspect they think my punishment is having to spend every moment with him.
A few weeks ago, I'd have agreed. Now, being away from him feels like the punishment.
I get to my feet, wincing at the pops of stiff joints. My neck aches, too, a residual from the collar being activated. That, and my hair's staticky and sticking to my skin. I push it off of my cheeks and head into the scientist's office, looking for someone in charge so they don't think I'm escaping.
The scientist is busy at work behind his desk, a frown on his face. He looks up when I enter and the frown deepens. "About time."
"Sorry I passed out when you guys electrocuted me," I snipe back. "Darn humans." I look around his office, though I know no one else is in here. "Where's Crulden?"
"You're staying here tonight," he says, looking back down at his data pad. "Crulden is being disciplined."
The word sends a wave of fear through my system. "Disciplined how? Are you guys hurting him?"
He looks up in exasperation. "By taking away his favorite toy." He sets down the pad and regards me. "Did you really think we were going to torture him? When Lord Sir needs him in perfect fighting shape for the championship?"
"I don't know," I answer honestly. "So he's going to be in the championship?"
The scientist grunts.
"As Crulden, or as a clone?"
He looks up sharply. Glances around. Then he moves past me and shuts the door to his office and leans against it. "If you value your life, you won't bring that up again."
I cross my arms over my chest. His words frighten me, but I'm not about to show him that. "What do you mean?"
"As far as I am concerned, he is Crulden the Ruiner," the scientist hisses in a low voice. "As far as you are concerned, he is Crulden the Ruiner. There is no evidence of cloning. Do you understand me?" When I open my mouth to object, he shakes his head and cuts me off before I can say more. "An unmarked clone trying to pass off as a famous gladiator would be a very bad thing. It would make his owner look bad. It would ruin his investment. An unmarked clone is contraband. If word gets out, Lord Sir will make sure that it is a rumor only. That there is no Crulden clone in his roster. Do you understand me?"