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As they fell off the stepped rock seating and scrambled about, he turned to his charge.
‘Aran. You been skipping work.’
‘Dammitkhan, I-,’ the youth stuttered, his eyes rolling back into his head.
‘Fokk! You tweakin’?’
Aran’s eyes floated back to Kage’s. ‘Nada, Just ‘hol. No koko.’
‘I hope not - because if koko’s involved, you’re out. That’s part of the requirements of the program.’
‘How I be still in the program,khan? I failed. Two times.’
Kage scoffed. ‘I failed a thousand times in life, Aran. Don’t mean I gave up. You never give up. You try again.’
He nailed the young man with a powerful stare. ‘You’re coming back with me.’ His statement allowed for no protests.
He felt Aran’s tight muscles relax. ‘Better for me,khan?’
‘Better for you.’
Kage released Aran’s collar, and the younger man shook himself. Then, he placed his bottle on the ground and turned to face his wary friends.
‘Be seeing you later.’
‘Best decision you’ve made all day,’ Kage said. He stepped aside so Aran could lead.
Suddenly the brawny Edenite felt a blade against his side. He turned to see one of Aran’s mates grinning maniacally beside him. Barely a child. The knife twisted further, and Kage felt his jacket and shirt rip and the cold touch of the blade against his skin.
‘Not so confident now,kinai,’ the kid taunted.
Kage stood still and levelled his silver gaze at his erstwhile attacker. ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you. That is a limited edition mycelium leather jacket. I would loathe for you to rip it further. So step back. Now.’
‘Or what?’ the kid pushed.
‘Or this.’
Kage moved so fast that he was a blur. The knife ratcheted from the hands of the bemused man-child, arced into the air and fell with a blinding speed towards the ring. Where it fell, with a loud thwack, blade first into the centre of the sandbox. Both fighters in the ring fell back in shock, and the entire room stilled.
All eyes tracked back to the source of the melee, where the young kid stood trembling while Kage loomed over him, smirking. ‘It was either you or thekisu. Naturally, I chose the knife.’
With that, Kage strode towards the entrance where Aran stood, looking on wide-eyed.
‘Let’s roll.’
Kage
The flyer’s journey back to the surface was silent. Aran seemed suitably chastened, but Kage couldn’t be too sure. He still had work to do on his charge. But that could come later after a shower and some food. Plus, plenty of water to wash out all the synth-hol from Aran’s system.
They arrived trouble-free at Kage’s apartment in the Sable complex. Once out of the lifts, Kage let Aran into his cavernous warehouse space. The young man’s eyes drooped with synth hol imbued sleepiness, but he still managed to look around, awestruck at the luxury he’d walked into. First, he stared at the enormous windows that soared several stories up. Then his eyes fell on the expansive kitchen and living area where a sprawling couch reigned supreme. The living space butted to a workout room filled with every exercise machine known to man. The next level featured a royal king-size bed that floated midair aided by an electromagnetic force field.
‘Woah! Your shack be rad,khan,’ Aran slurred.
‘’Tis. Know this. I was once like you. Young, no schills, broken, playing for money on the sands of Raha. I worked my butt off. And now this. Tis possible for you too, Aran.’
The young man wandered the space, amazed.
‘Get in the head, man,’ Kage said softly. ‘By the time you done, I’ll have a good feed ready for you.’
