Iron Heart (The Gauntlet #2)

Chapter 16 - Olympus Mons

With a certain degree of reluctance, Codi gathered her kit and joined the others as they trooped down the boarding ramps of the Hercules and out into the Tarshish port. From there the recruits were swiftly herded onto bullet-shaped trains waiting just outside the docks, ready to sling them out of the city and to the legendary academy itself. Once their precious cargo had been loaded, the trains set off at a ferocious pace along lines of jet black paving into the red deserts.

When they cleared the urban settlements and came into sight of the Mars academy itself, Codi couldn't stop staring. It was utterly different to the sprawling urban complex employed by Battlecast, instead having been hewn out of the very rock of the massive volcano. Rather than actually building something massive, those behind the inception of the Olympus Mons academy opted to utilise the natural landscape of their world instead.

Having cut the building straight into the face of the six-mile-high cliff face that marked the volcano's southern edge, they'd created the imposing sensation that their academy was a gateway to a world beneath the mountain. Actually being on the surface of the planet now, Codi could no longer see the whole profile of Olympus Mons – it was so huge it stretched well over the horizon with gentle slopes that climbed beyond what the naked eye could see.

"They certainly know how to make a point," she murmured to Gareth. "I'll give them that much."

He smirked. "You get used to it, but yeah, it's pretty impressive if you've never seen it before."

She thought she could hear a mocking edge in his voice but tried to ignore it. Now was not the time for anyone to be opening old grudges. Besides, she was new to all this – no point hiding from the fact.

As they drew closer they started passing vast open arenas and training fields, some of which were currently in use by either the Olympus Mons fighters or visitors that had arrived for the tournament. Friendly pre-tournament clashes were already underway between the early arrivals and as always, the colonial media made its presence abundantly clear. Drones and small in-atmosphere craft spiralled and swooped on proceedings – one even flew along side the train for several seconds, its camera lens leering in on the Battlecast occupants. Codi recoiled against her seat at the invasion.

The civilian population was clearly in evidence too. Prefabricated camps clogged up the open spaces between arenas and training grounds where swarms of tournament goers gathered in what looked like a carnival. Blazing fireworks lit up the evening sky, accompanied by garish light shows that emblazoned themselves upon the thinly-clouded atmosphere.

Then just like that they arrived. The bullet trains halted as abruptly as they'd accelerated and the Battlecast representatives scrambled for gear bags, eager to make their mark on a new world. Codi joined them and the wildfire of determination gripped her.

***

Day one, round one – it was time for them to make good on the three weeks of practice they'd had since the calamitous tournament on Earth. Codi met Gareth's rock-hard stare as they took up their positions for the paired bout against their rivals at Atlantic Academy. She could feel the slight tug of the gravity tether as the distance between them waxed and waned. Training had been going well, but now it was time to really put it to the test.

Codi recognised both fighters – a pair of veterans from last year's competition – and the roiling heat of Gauntlet competition began seeping through her bones. The clear, red tinged sky of Mars opened out above them, swallowing the roaring of the spectators into the air. Bowl-shaped coliseum was one of many open arenas that today thrummed with Gauntlet energy.

More media drones swooped and dipped, keeping close watch on the coming clash, but she ignored them, focusing on the game plan. It was time to win, and win hard. Codi glanced around, noting the main features of the arena. Two long, thin ramps formed a narrow corridor between the pairs, and up and down that corridor other obstacles were scattered. Obstacles or tools.