Rachel couldn’t sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw memories from her interface with the Raiju. She couldn’t quite piece them together, all she knew was that the Omega Force had some connection to the crystal shard they found in Brazil. And with that came more questions.

When she heard the chime and familiar buzz from her Omega Gauntlet, she actually felt a bit of relief. It was just past eleven at night, and the only reason for such a late-night call was if a breach had been detected. Rachel climbed out of bed and quickly changed from the T-shirt and shorts she wore to bed into her casual uniform.

When Rachel stepped into the hallway, she saw Olivia also emerging from her room. The newer Knight regarded Rachel with a questioning glance. Rachel just shrugged, and then started down the hall toward the elevator. Strangely enough, the message on the Gauntlet’s display just said “ARENA NOW.”

Rachel and Olivia boarded the elevator, but then it stopped on the next floor down. The doors opened and revealed Ethan, dressed in a tank top and shorts. He had a towel around his neck, and judging from the wet marks on his shirt, he’d just been pulled from a workout.

“You know what this is about?” he asked as he boarded the elevator.

“Normally, I’d say it’s a breach. But why send us to the Arena?” asked Rachel.

“If you don’t know, then we sure don’t,” said Olivia.

The elevator continued its descent in silence. Once they reached the ground floor, Rachel led them in a quick jog toward the Arena. Alexa met them on the way, and the four went together.

Past the control room, they stepped out onto the grassy plains of the Arena. Rachel wondered if a breach could even occur within Sanctuary’s borders and if that’s why they were here. She half-expected some sort of monstrosity stomping around the Arena. But what she and the others found was a still and perfect night. A crisp breeze hung in the otherwise warm air, making it the ideal temperature.

“Over here!”

A voice called out from beyond the hill. Rachel recognized it as Tom’s, and she ran for the hill with the others following. Down the hill, the grass faded into the sands of the beach, and Rachel came to a stop, surprised along with the others at the sight before them.

Five towels lay out on the sand, surrounding an unlit campfire of dry wood. Nearby stood a large cooler with three large pizza boxes right beside it and a Bluetooth speaker. Tom stood there in his armor, wielding the Flameblade.

“What is this?” asked Rachel.

Tom raised his sword and the blade ignited. He pointed the blade at the campfire, and it lit the wood ablaze. With the fire lit, Tom retracted his sword and the armor, revealing his attire of a T-shirt and what looked like swim trunks.

Tom opened the cooler, revealing a collection of beer bottles, some wine coolers, and a few soft drinks and water bottles. He reached inside and took a beer for himself, twisting off the top.

“This is a chance for us to relax for a night.” Tom took his phone from his pocket and after tapping a few times, music started to pump out from the speaker. “What do you think?”

“I’m thinkin’ what kind of pizza is in those boxes?” asked Alexa.

“I didn’t know what you all wanted, so figured I’d go safe. One’s just cheese, there’s a meat lover’s, and the third’s all veggies.”

“Maybe you should’ve gotten more of the meat stuff, because I could polish one of those off myself.” Alexa smiled and then rushed for the pizza, looking through the boxes until she found the meat lover’s and helped herself to a slice.

“No Hawaiian, I assume?” asked Ethan.

Alexa rolled her eyes and, with a mouthful of pizza, mumbled something that sounded like she disapproved of Ethan’s taste.

“Sorry, but I’ll remember that for next time. How about a drink?”

Tom gestured for the cooler. Ethan bent over and reached in, taking a beer out for himself. He twisted off the top and when Tom held his bottle out, Ethan tapped his against it.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Thanks for doing this, man,” said Ethan.

“Liv? Rach?” asked Tom. “You in or out?”

“I’ll take some cheese and one of those wine coolers,” said Olivia.

Tom took out a wine cooler and then helped Olivia find the cheese pizza. Once she was situated on a blanket next to Alexa and Ethan, Tom turned his attention to Rachel.

“I know you just got out of an ordeal, so if you’d rather pass, it’s cool.”

This type of thing wasn’t typically what Rachel went in for. She had trouble connecting with others, and she never clicked with the previous three Knights in the same way that Tom did. But it was Tom who helped change that and brought her closer to the group. Though she was worried about the visions, Rachel supposed a night off could do them all a lot of good.

“You’re just worried I’m gonna drink you under the table, Stone.” Rachel smiled and then took a beer from the cooler. Tom smiled back and the pair joined the three new recruits on their respective towels.

----------------------------------------

“I’m telling you guys, it was fucking crazy!” said Alexa. “Marcus, he’s just on a tear, right? Screaming right in Tom’s face. And then Tom, I swear to god without missing a beat, just clocks the shit out of him!”

“No!” Rachel protested, her jaw hanging open with her eyes wide. “That did not happen!”

Alexa nodded while sipping her beer. “It happened. Ask Ethan, he was there.”

Ethan looked down at his veggie pizza and shook his head. “Actually, I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“You don’t have to worry about us being monitored out here, the Tribunal won’t know what you said,” said Tom.

“I was being honest at the…I dunno, the trial or whatever that was,” said Ethan. “I really was just kind of…zoned out.”

“I sure wasn’t,” said Alexa. “I had to stop myself from cheering. But of course, I told the floaty guys that I didn’t really see anything.”

“We call them the Heads,” said Rachel. “Though not to their faces, obviously.”

Olivia chuckled. “The Heads? That’s a little silly.”

Rachel shrugged. “I think Caleb came up with it.”

“He did?” asked Tom. “Mike always said it was his idea.”

“Mike said a lot of things,” said Rachel with a smirk. “But I remember Caleb saying it before Mike even turned up.”

“Hold on, I thought you joined after them?” asked Ethan.

“Someone’s been doing his homework,” noted Tom.

Alexa leaned in close to Ethan’s ear, put her hand up to her mouth, and shouted, “Nerd!”

Ethan laughed and gave her a playful push back onto the sand. Alexa landed on her back and chortled. She sat back up and helped herself to another slice of pizza.

“You’re right, I came after your preds,” said Rachel. “But my family’s been part of the Quantum Group for a really long time. So I basically grew up on Sanctuary.”

“I thought most of the support staff weren’t aware of what goes on here? That they’re transported to their homes?” asked Olivia. “But you lived here?”

“Sort of. My dad was a high-level technician here. Helping out with a lot of the technology, so he pretty much had to be on hand. My parents were divorced, though, so I’d spend about half the year here with my dad, and the other half with my mom back in Vancouver,” said Rachel.

“What about school and stuff?” asked Ethan.

“There are some private tutors that come in and out. Although most of the support staff are kept in the dark and unaware of what really goes on outside the main facility, some obviously have to be more keyed in and, of those, some have to live onsite.”

“Okay, my turn, I’ve got a question.” Alexa looked at Rachel and Tom. “And I hope you guys won’t be offended by it.”

Tom shrugged. “Don’t see why I would be.”

“We fight giant monsters, I think we can handle a simple question,” added Rachel.”

“Good, so remember you both said that.”

Alexa took a swig of her beer, presumably for liquid courage. Rachel already felt a tinge of regret for giving the green light.

“Okay, here goes.” Alexa sighed. “If Rachel’s been here longer, then why was Tom made leader?”

Rachel forced a smile, and she thought it must’ve been too obvious, so she covered it up by taking a bite of pizza. She and Tom exchanged glances. She thought about what to say, but before she could swallow her pizza, Tom spoke up.

“Sexism.”

The lively atmosphere became quiet. Though the music still played through the speaker, it just faded into the background for all of them. Rachel slowly swallowed the pizza, looking at Tom with surprise. He met her gaze.

“The Tribunal is really old-fashioned. That’s what Scott warned me about when we first got together. He said we should keep our relationship a secret,” said Tom. “And though there have been female Knights all through recorded history, not once has a woman ever led the team. The Tribunal had two choices, and instead of picking the more qualified candidate, they chose me.”

Rachel tried to respond, but words failed her. She’d suspected as much herself, but to hear Tom state it in such a blunt fashion caught her by surprise.

He made eye contact with her. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. I know I should have. But I was just…I don’t even know what I was thinking at the time.”

Tom shook his head and finished off his beer. He stood from the towel and brushed some sand off his body.

“Y’know, I think I’m starting to get a little tired. I’m gonna go on up and get some sleep.”

“C’mon, you brought us all out here. You should stay,” said Olivia.

Alexa and Ethan both gave comments of agreement. Rachel still felt stunned by his admission, so when she offered her own encouragement, it rang as hollow to her.

“No, it’s okay. I’m fine, really,” said Tom. “But you guys, stay out here. Finish up the pizza and just leave the bottles in the trash bag. I’ll come get it in the morning. And feel free to connect your phone to the speaker.”

Tom walked off from the beach back toward the facility. The rest of the team watched him leave and then Alexa was the first to move. She took a fresh beer from the cooler and sat back on the towel, very close to Ethan.

“So…that’s a little awkward, huh?” she said.

Understatement, thought Rachel.