-KAJA-

  Kaja had expected her family to fight hard, but she had not expected them to go as far as they did. And she certainly hadn't expected them to win.

  When she first arrived at the prison, the guards told her that her trial would last several months. They had snickered at her dismay, but they were wrong.

  The trial was over in a day.

  Now the same two guards, a woman and a man, were walking her out of her cell. They tried not to look at her, but Kaja could read the expressions on their faces: embarrassment.

  Normally, she would have rubbed it in. She had beaten the system (well, her family did). She should have been lording it over them, but she was too busy preparing to escape.

  Kaja had made plans separate from those of her family, and she meant to stick to those plans.

  Yes, her family had won the trial, but she did not like the terms that had been agreed. She did not like them at all.

  The guards were leading her through a narrow metallic tunnel lit up by rows of white ceiling lights. They walked in single file, the female guard leading the way. The woman was stocky and hirsute while the man was slight of build and had a bumbling way of doing everything. He walked behind Kaja.

  The guards were probably confident in their control over the situation, but they had made one mistake. They should have bound her in simple metal wrist cuffs.

  No one understood the depth of Kaja’s magic. Most people thought she could only manipulate small machines. They were wrong. Kaja could have literal conversations with machines.

  She had once tried to explain to her father how she did it.

  "Pings and whistles," she said.

  Her father frowned. "Pings and whistles?"

  "Yeah, that's what it feels like. Pings and whistles. I can't make the sounds with my mouth but in my head, it makes perfect sense."

  "Riiiiiight," her father said, then he changed the subject.

  Kaja still missed him. His absence made her heart ache, and that was part of the reason she needed to get out by her own means. If she was released into her family’s custody, they would force her to stick to the agreement they had made with the court. Then Kaja would not be able to get revenge and lay her father to rest properly.

  She reached out and touched the tattoo on her cheek. She could not let that happen. She had to put him to rest.

  Kaja spoke to the handcuffs, and they spoke back. She had never bothered herself wondering how nonsentient machines without AI were able to talk to her. Her current belief was that there was some sort of collective machine intelligence, but humans had yet to fully tap into it. It wasn't a great theory, but she believed it.

  The handcuffs confirmed Kaja's plan with her. It would work. She just needed a few minutes more.

  They continued to walk in silence, Kaja scanning the ceiling as they moved.

  There.

  She set her eyes on a vent in the roof a few feet in front of them.

  It was time. She counted silently.

  3...2...1.

  She spoke to the handcuffs and they instantly sprang open. Kaja caught them before they fell to the ground.

  "Hey!" she yelled at the female guard.

  The surprised woman turned and was greeted by a pair of handcuffs swung into her face. There was a crunching sound, a spray of blood, and the woman crumpled.

  Kaja whirled around.

  The woman had been the problem. The male guard was slow and hesitant. He relied on the woman for decision-making. The man froze, mouth agape, as he took in the scene.

  Kaja didn’t hesitate. She lunged forward, grabbed his arm and slammed the cuffs over it. She then jumped back and sent another instruction to the cuffs.

  The cuffs sparked and the man began shaking uncontrollably. The sound of static filled the air.

  Finally, the man fell to the ground, groaning.

  They were both alive, and Kaja was glad about that. She was planning to kill her father’s murderers, but she wasn’t a killer.

  Time to escape. But first…

  She rifled through the female guard’s clothes and found the woman's communication device. It was round and metallic with a silvery sheen to it.

  Kaja spoke to the device. It responded, and Kaja gave it instructions.

  When that was done, she looked up at the ceiling. It was a fairly high jump, and she would not be able to do it with her own strength. Kaja spoke to the vent and it opened.

  Now she only needed to make it up a few feet. She took a deep breath and tried to reinforce her body with mana. That wasn’t something she was very good at, but she could at least reinforce herself to make this jump. She leapt up and grabbed the hanging vent grate, then she slowly pulled herself up and into the vent.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The next part of her plan was actually the easiest. With the communication device in hand, she breezed through the archaic prison systems.

  Within ten minutes, she had made her way into the laundry, quickly disguised herself, and exited through a service elevator.

  She made it out just in time.

  Sirens began to blare behind her. They had either found the bodies or the guards had woken up.

  Kaja quickened her step, using a path she had mapped out long before she had even started her revenge journey.

  Thank goodness for contingencies.

  The prison was close to a road. Kaja headed for it. There, she would be able to commandeer and override a hovercar. Then she was home free.

  She just needed to round the next corner and she would see the road.

  Kaja stopped in her tracks and her blood ran cold.

  A tall figure stood between her and the road. The man was out of place. He did not look like a prison guard, and he certainly wasn’t a police officer. He was clad in black, including a black balaclava. Kaja noticed the weapons strapped to his belt and thigh.

  She took a step back and the man matched it with a step forward.

  Kaja swore.

  She had magic but she was not in any way a combat mage. She evaluated all her options. There was only one viable one. She turned and ran, but she didn't make it far.

  There was a whooshing sound and something hard smashed into her legs, tripping her.

  "Ow!" Kaja cried as she fell.

  She hit the ground hard, then tried to push herself up. She turned around and saw the man walking towards her. He crossed the distance between them in seconds.

  "Listen," Kaja started. "I-"

  The man clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her.

  I guess I'm dead, Kaja thought.

  The air seemed to hum, then bolts of electricity shot through her body.

  She blacked out.

  -BREAK-

  Kaja woke up in a nightclub.

  She knew it was a club because, much to her family's chagrin, she was a major patron of such establishments.

  Even before her vision returned, she smelled the stink of spilled beer and sweaty, unwashed bodies. She heard the awful electronic drumming beats that some people swore was revolutionary music. She sensed that she was lying on a couch which was vibrating with the music.

  Kaja finally opened her eyes and blinked wearily. Her vision confirmed everything she sensed. The club was dark and lit up only by erratic strobe lights. It was full, but the screaming crowd was far from her.

  She realised she was in a VIP section. The couch she was sprawled on was part of a set that surrounded a small metallic table.

  The section had been sealed off by a line of tape, which was guarded by the man who had tried to kill her.

  As soon as she saw him, Kaja screamed and jumped on the couch. The black-clad man didn't move, but Kaja could tell his eyes were on her. Her heart hammered away in her chest.

  What was going on?

  Someone laughed.

  Wait a minute, she thought to herself. I know that laugh.

  Kaja turned to see Malar Blackwell grinning at her. He was reclining on a different couch, and had a glass of wine in hand. He swirled the drink, then sipped it.

  "Hello Kaja," he said. He took another sip.

  Kaja's ears burned. "Malar!" she cried. "What is going on?"

  Malar was several years older than her, but he had always treated her like a little sister and allowed her to call him by his first name. Kaja’s father had once said their family was somehow related to the Blackwells. Kaja assumed that meant Malar was some distant cousin.

  She hadn’t known that the link between their families was so strong that Malar would come speak on her behalf at the trial.

  Malar finished his drink and sighed. When he looked at her, there was more than a hint of annoyance in his eyes.

  "Why are you like this, Kaja?" Why are you trying to create so many problems for us?"

  Kaja glanced at the black-clad man. He hadn't moved. She began to connect the dots.

  "Oh, I see," she said. The fear drained from her body. This was all her family’s doing. "I didn't need your help," she said to Malar. "I was escaping just fine by myself."

  Malar laughed again. "You've got it twisted, Kaja. I didn't help you escape. I stopped you. You're going back."

  Kaja glared at him. Who did he think he was? Why was he getting in her way? He knew she had something she needed to do.

  "I’m not going back," she said firmly.

  Malar rolled his eyes. "We got you a good deal," he said.

  Kaja was appalled. "You think community service is a good deal?!"

  "Yes."

  "For 2 years?!"

  "They were going to lock you up for 3 decades," Malar responded.

  Kaja shrugged.

  "I would have escaped," she said nonchalantly.

  Malar huffed. "Then you would have died," he replied. "Let me show you." He gestured at the black-clad man.

  The man walked over to him and handed him a digital tablet. Malar tapped something on the display, then handed it over to Kaja.

  "What is this?" she said, frowning as she received the tablet.

  "It’s your wanted poster," Malar said.

  Kaja stared at it. They had used the mugshot they had taken when she arrived at the prison. At the top of the image was the word WANTED.

  Below it was the reward: 10 million cheggs.

  Kaja gasped.

  "10 million?" she whispered.

  Malar nodded. "Yeah," he said. "10 million! That's how mad they are." He leaned back and continued. "Here’s where I come in. That poster’s not out yet. I got them to delay it. I told them I could get you back, and convinced them to stick to our old deal."

  Kaja frowned. She didn't trust Malar. "Why didn't they just send the agents after me again?" she asked.

  "Like I said. They're mad. We made a deal, and you're spitting in their face. If you don't go back, they're gonna make you an example. Do you know how many bounty hunters would come after you?"

  Kaja kept silent.

  "All of them," Malar said. "All of them, Kaja."

  Kaja bit her lip. If he was telling the truth…

  "Take the deal Kaja. Go back. Apologise to those guards. Keep your head low for 2 years. What more do you want?"

  He shifted closer to her and lowered his tone. "The Dreglin who killed your father are dead. Ben Wilson killed them. Well done. You did it. Indirectly. But you still did it. There's no more revenge to be had. What more do you want?"

  She met his gaze, and Malar scanned her eyes. He swore. "Oh no... Dreha. You want the collective."

  Kaja didn't respond.

  "That's stupidity," Malar said. He shook his head. "But fine. Be stupid. Just do me a favour. Do yourself a favour. Go back and do the community service. Then you'll be free to go on your suicide mission."

  He got up, and pointed at the man clad in black. "My man here will stay with you till you make your decision."

  Malar ducked under the tape. "Goodbye Kaja."