Jacob Barrow slumped gratefully down in the ragged old armchair that had served him well for the best part of a decade. Beer in hand, he turned on the tele-screen and took a deep breath, apprehension settling into the back of his mind. The last few days his time had been hoovered up by disciplinary action at the school. Only now did he have a chance to confront the real thing on his mind.

Flicking over several channels he pressed his lips together as coverage of the Gauntlet flashed on. He knew the Mayhems would have finished by now, but if he was lucky he’d be in time to catch who made it through. When the image first flashed up it showed a recap of the final Mayhem. The recording rolled for a few minutes and he didn’t see any of Brax-Delta’s fighters. Then the image faded out, replaced by two commentators.

“Well, it’s been a quite an opening to the Gauntlet competition, folks,” the man on the right began. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say we’ve seen some of the most impressive arena constructs to date.”

“Have to agree with you there, Jason,” the woman answered, nodding enthusiastically. “I know we’re only through the preliminary rounds but I feel like I’ve seen everything in these past few days. It’s going to take a lot for the melee rounds to measure up!”

“Too true, too true.” The man swivelled in his seat to face the camera. “So let’s a have a quick recap for those of you just joining us. Every Mayhem this year delivered across the board, some with expected results and others with some shocking upsets.

Battlecast Academy once again put on a strong display, taking eleven of their twenty-five competitors through to the group stages. Heavy favourite Bruno Varlin secured his space in spectacular fashion, eliminating eight contestants from his Mayhem. Other notables from Battlecast included the Ripple Thawborn, who many regard as the favourite to take second place, and new Battlecast fighter, Chris O’Leary, who delivered a sparkling performance in only his first competitive year. I tell you, Lisa, he’s one to watch.”

Barrow shifted impatiently in his seat as the camera panned back to the female commentator. “He certainly is. O’Leary may only be a freshman by Gauntlet standards, but he’s come in like a man on a mission.

As well as the expected haul from Battlecast, other power academies performed strongly. Atlantic, Orion, Olympus Mons and Holdfast all positioned themselves well, but I think our biggest upset performance came from the Nebula Academy. Only three of twenty fighters made their way into the groups.”

“But don’t forget, Lisa,” the man cut in. “One of those three is Thade Arvaughn. They may not have put up numbers, but in this case it’s quality not quantity. Arvaughn went toe to toe with Bruno Varlin in the quarter finals of last year’s Gauntlet, in one of the most exciting bouts the tournament has seen. Things don’t get much closer.”

“A good point. Never count an academy out.” She smiled knowingly at her colleague. “And I think that brings us neatly into the biggest shock that this year’s tournament has delivered.”

The man clapped his hands together. “You are exactly right. I think, until a couple of days ago, most people didn’t know this little fringe academy even existed, but the Mayhems have put this extraordinary little group on the map.” Barrow took a swig of beer and leaned forward, eyes widening in anticipation. “For those of you who missed it, I’m talking about a tiny little place called Brax-Delta Academy, situated on Kantha, a fringe industry planet.

Now when they arrived here under some controversial circumstances, it had been ten years since a fighter from Brax-Delta made into the group stages. Now hang onto your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because this one’s a doozie. This year, they entered a single team, just five people. And how many do we think made it through to the groups this year?”

Barrow held his breath as the commentator made his infuriating pause for effect. And then he said one word that hit Barrow like a slap in the face.

“Five.”

He slumped back in his chair, slack-jawed, the beer handing limply in his right hand. He couldn’t have heard correctly, surely? They’d all made it through? Barrow took another swig from the bottle and rubbed his eyes with his free hand as the commentator continued.

“That’s right folks, you all heard correctly. In an unprecedented event, every single entrant from Brax-Delta scraped through their Mayhem one way or another.” The commentator turned to his partner. “Now obviously from what we saw they may owe a little more to luck than judgement, but whatever way you cut it, these five kids came with a point to prove and as far as I’m concerned, they proved it.”
“Oh, without a doubt.” She nodded again. “I mean, we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Personally, I feel they’re going to struggle in the group stages. But let’s not take away from a great achievement, from the tiny little academy that suddenly everyone’s talking about.” She placed a hand to her ear before looking at the camera with a winning smile. “Stay with us folks, we’ll be back, right after these messages.”

Commercials overtook the screen and Barrow stared in utter amazement. Then a grin spread across his face and he stood up, pacing back and forth, his body suddenly filled with a jubilant energy. He ran one hand through his greying hair and laughed. If anything he’d been preparing himself for the worse, half expecting every single one of them to be out after the first few days.

After a few minutes pacing, he sat back down in the chair and locked in to the live coverage. Codi made it through the first round and he hadn’t been there to see it. He’d be damned if he was going to miss any more.

***

Codi squirmed uselessly, trying to free herself from the arm lock Kye had put her in. He let her struggle just long enough for it to be embarrassing before he released her and took a precautionary step backwards out of reach. She rounded on him, hands akimbo, but she didn’t attack. Instead she laughed.

“You see how tough that one is to get out of,” he said.

“Yeah.” She rubbed her right elbow ruefully. “Did you have to twist so hard?”

“Just making the point.” The grin that was becoming comfortably familiar crept across Kye’s face again. With a sudden leap she closed the distance between them and ducked low. Before he could react she crashed into him, hooked her right arm around his leg and lifted with a growl of exertion. In a single smooth motion she flipped him up and over her shoulders and let him slam back-first on the mats.

From his prone position Kye tipped his head back and frowned at her. “Well, that escalated quickly.”

“Just making the point.” She winked and stepped around, offering him a hand up. Codi pulled him to his feet again and he gave her a playful dig in the ribs.

“Alright, you want to get some breakfast? I don’t know about you but I’m getting hungry.”

Codi blinked in surprise. “Crap, we’ve been here that long?”

“It’s six in the morning,” he chuckled.

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

“I didn’t check the time till now.” He shrugged apologetically. “Doesn’t matter; there’s no fighting today.”

She laughed and gave him a light punch in the chest. “I like my sleep.”

“Pfft, you can sleep when you’re dead. C’mon, we’re early enough we’ll beat the rest of them there. First come, first served.” He turned for the door and she fell into step alongside him.

Her mind swam with the realisation of just how long she’d spent in the training centre with her new…could she really use the word ‘friend’ in the Gauntlet? She’d known the boy for maybe an evening, and they’d spent the bulk of that time sparring, but she still felt closer to him than any of her team mates. He didn’t talk too much, and he seemed to enjoy fighting just as much as she did.

There was something about his permanently carefree stance towards life that she found refreshing. All her life people drummed rules into her, what she could and couldn’t do – her parents, the school system, the orphanages, Vasco and even the others on the team judged her actions – but not Kye. Even here, now, in the Gauntlet itself as the last remaining member of his team he was impossibly upbeat. Maybe that was why she’d lost track of time so badly. She enjoyed being around him. And strangely, she didn’t even feel that tired.

They walked into the cafeteria, the entire space completely empty at the early hour. However, the formidable technology of the Gauntlet meant that staff were not required at all times. Automatic dispensers labelled with various meals waited for them, each one armed with simple operating controls. Codi made straight for one that dispensed her staple breakfast of late; the heavy, mineral rich porridge.

She sat down, taking a long drink from a perfectly heated cup of coffee before digging into her breakfast. A moment later Kye sat down opposite her and she raised an eyebrow when she saw what he was eating. His plate was heaped with eggs toast and bacon, and a pint glass of juice sat off to one side. Clearly he didn’t hold the concept of right eating in high regard.

Seeing her eying the plate, he swallowed a mouthful of food and edged it slightly towards her, inclining his head to the food mountain.

“I’ll pass,” she said.

“Y’sure? It’s good. Better than that minerally gunk.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“It’s pretty boring.” He shrugged and pulled the plate back over, shovelling in a mouthful of eggs. “I reckon while you’re here you ought to live a little.”

“I settle for staying in one piece.” She took another drink of coffee and leaned back and tipped the mug to him.

He raised his glass of juice. “I’ll drink to that.”

They stayed there for a while, eating and exchanging laughs over the events of the Mayhem, oblivious even as other fighters slowly filtered into the cafeteria for their breakfast. She found that Kye was competing for his second year, which by the standards of his home academy made him a veteran, and that the previous year he’d been punted out of his first Mayhem by Bruno Varlin himself. Just like everything else, he didn’t seem bothered by the fact, especially when Varlin had gone on to win the entire tournament the same year.

“You think anybody can beat him?” Codi asked, staring into her coffee.

“Ah, there’s a couple of heavy hitters out there,” Kye replied with a noncommittal shrug. “And maybe the odd dark horse that nobody’s betting on.” At that moment he looked up at her. She met his golden eyes and then let out a derisive snort.

“Oh no, don’t look at me. I don’t want to end up anywhere near that lunatic.”

“I saw you go straight at Dustin in our Mayhem. I don’t think anybody really scares you.” He smiled and shook his head. “That’s a good starting point. It’s something a lot of people are missing.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I’m scared of everybody. Keeps me honest.” He drained the last of his juice and his gleeful expression never wavered. Codi couldn’t get her head around it. There didn’t seem to be anything that could dampen this strange boy’s spirit.

“There you are!”

She whirled in her seat at the sound of a familiar voice and she felt her stomach knot when she spotted Max and Lita crossing the room. She glanced at Kye who simply gave her a look saying: someone’s in trouble. Her team mates came and sat with them, their respective breakfasts in tow.

“So where’d you disappear to for the whole night?” Lita asked. “And who’s-,”

“Guys, this is Kye…”

“Kye Recktor,” he interjected, cutting off her faltering introduction and extending a hand. “Zulu Forge Academy.” Max shook, hiding any surprise he had. Lita, on the other hand, failed to keep the suspicion from her face when she shook hands.

“Kye, this is Lita and Max. They’re from Brax-Delta too.”

“Yeah, I saw you guys in the Mayhems,” he replied. “Impressive stuff.”

The pair exchanged an uncertain look until Max edged out a, “Thank you.” An awkward silence lurked in the air for a long moment until Lita eventually spoke.

“Vasco wants to see you.”

Codi bit her lip. “I thought he might.”

“He’s not angry, he just wants to go over the Mayhem with you again,” Lita continued. “But before you go see him, they’ve posted the groups for the next stage on the screens.”

“Really?” She glanced at Kye. “We walked right past them earlier and there was nothing.”

“Must’ve come on after we came in,” he said. “Wanna check them out?”

“Sure.” Codi stood. “Guys, I’ll see you later.” She started walking with Kye beside her, feeling the stares of Max and Lita on her back. Ignoring the sensation, she squared her shoulders and marched to the door, looking at her feet. Head down, she didn’t see the fighter entering the room at the same moment she was going out, and the pair slammed together.

Stumbling back, Codi stifled a curse and looked up, eyes blazing with fury. Then she found herself, for the second time, looking at Bruno Varlin’s granite features. Another burly Battlecast fighter stood with him, this one much younger and he looked at the veteran fighter to lead on. Varlin made an amused sound and moved to push past her. Codi could see the contempt in his eyes and reacted, shoving him hard and propelling him into the side of the door. A horrified gasp arose from other nearby individuals and they backed away rapidly.

Varlin took two deliberate steps forward until he stood face to face with Codi, looking down slightly from his height. She looked into the cobalt blue of his eyes and didn’t move an inch, anger still holding sway. They stood there, glaring, until something unexpected happened. Kye took a step forward.

“Alright, kids, let’s save this for later,” he chuckled, placing a hand on Varlin’s shoulder. However, the other fighter smacked his hand away without even looking. Then Codi in turn laid a solid jab across Varlin’s jaw, and chaos ensued. She lowered herself into a fighting stance instinctively as Varlin surged towards her, but before he could retaliate, Kye dove in low and tackled him to the ground. Codi was about to move to help but a strong pair of arms grabbed her from behind in a firm hug.

As she thrashed to get free she watched Varlin knee Kye in the stomach and then he delivered a thunderous right hook that knocked the boy flat. Varlin clambered upright, but the other Battlecast fighter grabbed him by his top and dragged him bodily away from the confrontation, snarling something in his ear.

“I’ll see you two in the arena!” Varlin shouted in a voice more akin to a gasoline engine than a man. With that he turned away, shrugging off his team mate’s hand and the two of them disappeared around the nearest corner.

Codi felt the hugging arms loosen their grip and she yanked herself free, spinning around and grabbing the offender by his top. Max raised his hands defensively.

“Codi, I just did you a favour,” he said quietly. “You can get disqualified for fighting outside the arena. Just calm down.” She ground her teeth together in frustration and shoved him away. Shaking her head, she turned and took Kye under one arm, helping him upright.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine.” Gingerly, he touched his jaw with one hand. “Looks like Bruno’s not lost his touch. Afraid I’m not much of a guardian angel.”

Even now he managed to make her smile. She gently cupped his chin in one hand and turned his head so she could see the blow. Already his jaw was beginning to bruise. So much for his being afraid of everyone. He hadn’t even hesitated to throw himself at the most dangerous fighter in the tournament, and this time he had done it for her.

“Maybe not,” she agreed, taking her hand away. “But I appreciate the thought.”

“I hope so. That hurt.” He made a sweeping gesture into the fighters lobby with one hand. “So, now that Mr. Varlin’s gone, shall we check the groups?”

“Lead on.”

Kye grinned, but she could see him visibly hide the grimace. He turned and she followed him into the lobby area, and her anger faded away now, replaced by concern. It was a strange sensation. Usually other people spent their time worrying about her and now she was doing the exact same to this boy. Maybe it was because nobody else ever stuck up for her.

They reached the screens in the lobby and Kye began hunting for his name, the confrontation of moments before seemingly forgotten. He silently made his way through the tables. Each one had four people, a portrait of them displayed beside each one. Codi couldn’t remember any photos being taken, but looking closer she realised that the portraits were action shots, probably taken during the Mayhems.

“Oh hell,” Kye murmured and he pointed up to one of the group. “Looks like I’ve got a fun time ahead of me.”

She followed his finger and saw the group in question. She saw his name and two she didn’t recognise. The fourth was Dustin Morto, the brute from their Mayhem. She laid an uncertain hand on his shoulder.

“Good luck I guess.”

“You’ll need it more than me.”

“Huh?”

“Maybe picking a fight with Bruno wasn’t the best idea.” Kye looked at her and for the first time the playfulness had faded from his features. Codi started looking over the groups again until she found her name. She found herself, a Battlecast fighter named Cassandra Riven; a male from Ursa Major called Yuri Drevok.

And Bruno Varlin.