The Fractured Empire: A Tale of Downfall

Chapter 31

"What?" I demanded, not quite believing what I was hearing, "You placed a bounty on Vallen Djarek's head?"

The other figure loosed a weary laugh. "Vallen Djarek doesn't exist."

"Explain yourself."

"Always so impatient," they chided me, "Didn't your mum teach you how to properly address a lady?"

"Who are you."

"I am Raina. Raina Djarek," she replied, offering me a cordial bow as she spoke.

Just when I thought this day couldn't get any stranger...

"...So, you're Antonin Djarek's spawn."

"Not spawn, per se. Try lab rat–I think that's more fitting," Raina replied, idly pacing along the Plexiglas divider.

"I...Don't understand."

"What's there to not understand? My father grew enamored with an ancient race of aliens, wanted the power they had for himself, and decided his own sweet daughter should help him in his endeavors."

"What you're saying is that Antonin...experimented on you?" Alannah breathed.

"Ding ding ding ding! You are the winner! Maybe you'll be the one to put a bullet in my head!" Raina chirped, imitating putting a gun under her chin with her hand and pretending to fire it, "That'd be the best way out of this mess!"

"How...How long have you been locked up in here?" I breathed, not quite grasping the gravity of this situation.

"Oh, a few days–but I've spent foreeeeeever locked up in a cage. My daddy didn't trust me to roam, so he kept me in a laboratory on...some strange planet–The name eludes me. I didn't even learn he was dead until a Federation strike force team busted down my door and said they were there to 'rescue' me. Hah, what a fat load of bullshit that was."

I almost thought my brain was about to catch on fire. "And...you put a bounty...on yourself?"

"Wow! You're smart! Indeeeeed I did!" Raina chirped, a hint of madness peaking its head out from behind her response, "I am little more than a puppet in the eyes of Maxie-boy and his posse of losers, so I want to hit them where it hurts–and what better way to do that than to get myself killed!"

Since she was away from the dark corners of her cell, I was able to get a better look at the Djarek Heiress: her short dark brown hair was a wild mess, and part of her bangs hid her purple eye as she skipped from one end of the cell to the other. I could've sworn there were highlights in her hair, but I couldn't tell–and besides, that was unimportant.

"Your clothes are filthy," I remarked, silently horrified at the sight before me.

"What, are you trying to take the place of my deceased father now?" she demanded, stopping to glare at me, "Why do you care? You came here to kill me, so get it over with!"

She paused and looked down to study her faded and stained dark gray shirt. "Shit, it is pretty filthy..." she tried and failed to smooth out the wrinkles in the fabric only to give up and wring her hands together. "So...you gonna do it?"

In response, I slammed my fist into the Plexiglas divider. It didn't budge at first, but cracks started to form the more I hit it.

"Here, allow me," Vik breathed. In the next instant. a large crack ran down the side I was hammering away at, and I took that as an opening.

Backing away, I shoulder checked the weakened portion of the divider and felt myself break through. However, I put too much force into my charge and felt myself stumble as a result.