The Air-Car dropped Catalina off at her district’s launcher; a teleporter that brought people to and from the many space stations in orbit around Earth. She checked her Mask, which disguised her as a Mearthian woman with a long, red braid.
Space stations were mostly hubs with apartments, bars, and AR classrooms, but some of them were the famously harsh prisons for Earthian and alien criminals— mostly the latter, since Earthians were usually sent to the on-planet prisons that weren’t as harsh. Since the stations were so close to each other, they were deemed dangerous, with some convicts escaping and attacking hub stations. If Cat’s parents knew she’d been going up there…
She plugged in her hacking chip, replacing the tracked route with a fake one to the Museum of Art and Design. Hacking an Air-Car’s memory was child’s play. Another skill she kept hidden from her parents.
She entered the launcher and got into one of the spheres inside. “Traveler’s name?”
“Seema Crockett,” she said, using her fake ID.
“Welcome, Ms. Crockett. Please select one of your saved destinations, or enter a new one.”
She selected ‘Genesis X’ and leaned back for the launcher to activate. Her stomach dropped when the sphere zoomed into the sky, her body wracked with exciting chills. Clouds zipped past, then the blue sky changed to black, and the glowing rings of metal appeared, surrounding a glittering globe of silver.
The sphere gradually slowed until it reached the launcher nodes, connecting to the station. Catalina exited, walking down the hall until she reached the atrium, which buzzed with busy movement and chatter. The Genesis X station was the oldest of all the stations, and the closest to Earth. The prisons were the furthest, but the stations were close enough to serve as a bridge for escaped convicts. It was an issue the people had protested about for years, yet the authorities hadn’t changed any of the stations’ coordinates.
In the atrium, Catalina noticed a significant increase of armed guards and SECURE bots from the last time she visited. Her answer appeared on one of the many holo-screens around her: ‘CAUTION: Escaped convict on the loose. Exercise vigilance.’
She went deeper into the station, entering the station library, and navigated to a hidden, unused shelf. Using her fake ID number, she disabled the hologram and entered the hidden Cosmos bar. Once inside, she disabled her Mask, no longer needing it.
She’d been working here for a year, but still carried that same anxiety and fear of her parents somehow finding out. Especially her mother. Her heyday had long since been over, with the Socializer population becoming more superficial with the new generation, and the beauty queen career getting launched out of orbit.
However, her mother still had a reputation as a two-time Miss Milky Way winner, and if anyone knew her daughter was secretly working at an illegal bar to save digits for her upper-level Design education, it would definitely be all over the Hub.
Her best virtual friend, Xara, would tell her, “Just get another job, girl.” But on-planet jobs were hard to come by for a 16-year old without a degree, especially in her field of expertise. Designers usually thrived in the Versus world, but Lord knew Catalina’s family couldn’t afford sending her to Fistborn’s Design school. They only had full scholarships for Versus fighters.
The thought brought her older sister back into her mind. She sighed at the thought of her suffering alongside those girls, longing for a life she’d given up on. Catalina knew she still had it in her. She could see it. Those evaluators that rejected her all those years ago missed out on having a great fighter on their team.
“Medium Cranberry Hell, please.” One of her regular customers, Scaaskal, sat at the counter, his shock of spiked, neon green hair blinding Catalina, as always.
Being an illegal bar, the AIDA wasn’t the most functional, hence Catalina’s job as a bartender. She generated the drink for Scaaskal and watched for new customers. Busy hour was just starting.
“You look upset,” he observed.
“What? I’m not upset.”
He shrugged. “You look it.” He drank his Martian liquor. “Is it your sister again? She didn’t apply?”
Catalina sighed and silently shook her head, taking another customer’s order.
“I figured. She really doesn’t seem like the type. You’re running a dead code.”
“It’s not that she’s not the type, it’s that she thinks she’s not the type. And she is. I watched her train for years and she was amazing.”
“Sati, if she’s willing to give up so easily, she’s not the type. The Versus isn’t for quitters,” he said gently, using the Martian-Eseti word for ‘cat’. “What do I always say? ‘Linli aben linlia’.” The phrase roughly translated to ‘Excel where you’re excellent’.
“Exactly. Ha linli ua Versus,” Catalina responded. Her Eseti wasn’t the best, but she’d learned a lot from Scaaskal.
“But if she doesn’t pursue it, she won’t make it. Come on, Sati. It’s time to let it go.”
Catalina leaned on the counter, staring at her nails. They weren’t painted or pretty. They were bitten and uneven. She had a bad habit of chewing on her nails when she was anxious, and she never bothered to fix them, even though it would take only a second. Calista would have an aneurysm if she saw her nails.
That couldn’t be Calista’s true self. Maybe some of her vainness and insecurity would stick, become part of her real self, but deep down… Cat knew her sister was a different person. Much better than she made herself out to be.
“Eabola Shock, light-” The customer’s voice glitched, switching to another language. He grunted, annoyed, and fiddled with the invisible translator chip on his cheek, resuming his order. “Sorry. Eabola Shock, light on the iyote.”
“That’s Paeseoan rum, correct?” Catalina asked as she entered the order.
“Correct.”
As she generated the man’s drink, she stared at him, narrowing her eyes. There was something about him that looked familiar. He wore a cloak that concealed his face and a glitchy Mask, but there was something… distinct. Clearly, he was from planet Paeseo.
“Cat, could you give me another?” Scaaskal asked.
Catalina kept her green eyes on the Paeseoan as she served Scaaskal his drink. He noticed, glancing at the other customer. “Catalina, I know you’re single, but you could go for someone younger,” he joked.
She clicked her tongue and playfully smacked his forehead. “Shut up. Have you seen that guy before?”
“Mmm.” He sipped his drink, looking at the man. “Hard to tell with that Mask. It’s glitching, too.” As he spoke, the customer’s Mask glowed, casting a moving rainbow over the Paeseoan’s face. He grunted in response, smacking the Mask pin to fix it.
“I know him. There’s just something about him… I know this guy.”
“Ask him.”
“I don’t know… what if I’m wrong? That’ll be embarrassing.”
A yell interrupted them. A Hajjian burst into rage flames, shoving a Klausian harshly. The latter generated ice across his crystalline green skin, protecting himself from the flames.
“Ah, I always like seeing the ‘higher species’ fighting.” Scaaskal gulped down the rest of his drink, making air quotes. He brought out his Pet sphere, which hovered alongside him with transparent wings, and recorded the bar fight. Catalina stood back, knowing better than to get in between two hot-tempered and powerful species.
The Hajjian recklessly blasted flames at the Klausian, who shielded himself with ice and quickly put out the fire forming around them. Catalina was surprised at his selflessness; most ‘higher species’ like them or like Dnilians and Voraxians weren’t usually concerned about people around them.
The Klausian was suddenly thrown over the Hajjian’s shoulder, crashing onto the cloaked Paeseoan, who had remained in his seat, unbothered by the fight… until now, that is. The Paeseoan grunted, annoyed, and his defective Mask deactivated. Only then did Catalina know exactly who he was. Luckily for him, most people were concentrated on the ongoing bar fight, missing the patron’s face.
“Oh, my…” Catalina watched as the man hid his face under his cloak and started to leave. “Stay here.” She vaulted over the counter, startling Scaaskal.
“Hey, wait, where are you-?”
“Excuse me! Sir! Wait! Uh- pae!” She stumbled after the man, who hurriedly entered the code to open the door and exit. She stopped him right as he stepped through the holographic shelf.
He exclaimed in his language, snatching his arm away. Catalina ran ahead of him, stopping him. “Please! Just wait- pae. Uh… ki ennen Catalina. Um… josi no…” She knew very little Paeseoan languages— she wasn’t even sure if this was the language this man spoke.
The man smacked his translator into working. “There. Girl, let me through. I need to-”
“You’re Benson Kalley!”
“Shh!” He looked behind him, paranoid. “Not so loud!”
“I’m sorry. I-I’m a huge fan. What are you doing-”
“Girl, I’m sorry, I do not have time to give you an autograph.” He brushed past her.
“No, that’s not it. Wait!” She ran after him.
“Would you stop making a fuss?!”
“Just hear me out. Please. I promise I won’t tell anyone if you hear me out.” She summoned her confidence and even flashed a smirk. “I know you wouldn’t like anyone to know that the Vice President of Fistborn was at an illegal bar on Genesis X.”
Benson stopped, sighing. After a few moments, he groaned and returned to the bar entrance. The soundproof hologram kept the ongoing bar fight silent. “What do you want?” he asked Catalina.
“Okay. So, my name is Catalina Medley. My sister, Calista, has wanted to be a fighter for literally years, and she’s trained-”
“Miss, I cannot guarantee admission for any student. It is not only up to me.”
“I know, I just wanted you to see her. She’s a great fighter. She’s been struggling a lot, and she doesn’t think she can fight, but I know she can. I think… maybe if she heard it from someone like you, she’d feel… more capable.”
Benson cocked a brow. “If your sister does not believe in herself, how can she be a good fighter? Has she already given up?”
“Uh- n-no.”
He smiled. “I have a good cache detector, girl.” He tapped his head.
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Catalina blushed, embarrassed. “She… I know she wants to be a fighter. She just hasn’t been encouraged enough. We tell her all the time, but she doesn’t listen to us— her family, I mean. But if you saw her… and you told her she really has potential, I know she could get into Fistborn.”
“Applications close in five days, miss. This is up to her.”
“I just want you to give her a chance. The last time she applied, she wasn’t given one, even though she has amazing potential. You know it. You talk about it all the time; how higher species are always favored.”
“What exactly is it you want me to do?”
“Watch her fight. And tell your colleagues to give her a chance. I know that if she hears you say she has what it takes, she’ll apply.”
“Hmm.” He tapped his foot. “And if she fails? If she does not get accepted, what do you think she will do? Quit? The Versus is not for these kinds of people. I am trying to achieve more opportunities for humans to represent their own planet, but I will be smart about it.” He patted Catalina’s shoulder and headed out. “You will have to do better than that.”
“What if I bring her here?” She followed him. “What if I… have her fight in the bar? While you’re there?”
“Many flaws in that plan, girl. I do not plan to reveal myself, and a bar fight is hardly comparable to a real fight.”
“No, it’ll be… I know I can show you. And you won’t have to reveal yourself. We can…” Her mind glitched as she tried to make sense of her plan, but it was falling apart fast. This opportunity had presented itself far to suddenly for her to think through her request.
Benson smirked. “I admire your persistence, but I am sorry. Your sister needs to prove herself. You cannot prove her for her.”
Catalina inhaled. “Okay. Sorry to bother you, Mr. Kalley.” She turned, then stopped, hiding a smirk. “Thank you, though. This bar will have a lot more people coming when they know someone so famous-”
“Don’t you dare.” He stopped her, pointing at her seriously. “I will sue you.”
Catalina shrugged. “My mom won Miss Milky Way twice in a row. We can afford it.” That was a lie, of course; her mother’s digit worth had diminished over the years of her job going to pieces. But he didn’t know that. “Besides, even if you sue me, people will still know you come here.”
Benson clenched his jaw, clearly frustrated. Catalina never thought she could get a Paeseoan so riled up. They were usually very calm and amiable. “So all you want is for me to watch your sister fight in a bar?”
“That’s right.”
He chuckled, partly from ridicule, and partly from incredulity. “Girl, you are a strange one.” He blew out his cheeks. “Alright, fine. You have it. I will return tomorrow at this same time. You best be here with your sister. She must show me what she can do, without your help. I will think about helping her into the second stage if she impresses me.”
“Thank you!” Catalina jumped excitedly. “Thank you! Thank you so much. I promise, she won’t let you down.”
“That is up to her.” He reactivated his Mask, finally fixing it, and left without another word.
===
Calista finished editing the SociaLights’ broadcast and closed the app. It had to be one of the most grueling broadcasts she’d ever gone through; forcing herself to smile and say things that she didn’t mean at all. The whole thing was dedicated to caching on the Versus, making fun of its fighters and relying on hacky visual articles claiming the Versus had originally been created to lessen the population through fights to the death.
No one had died in a century, and the one time it happened, it was a proven accident. Calista had to resist showing her true feelings, lest she wanted the other three to kick her off the broadcast and tarnish her image all over the Hub. Their fans would be after her like rabid dogs if she ever said anything in slight support towards the competition.
“Catalina Medley requesting to enter.”
“Let her in.” She breathed out and leaned back in her hover-chair.
Her younger sister entered, seeming sheepish. “Hey…”
“Hey, what’s on the Hub?”
“Um…” She sat on Calista’s sleep capsule, kneading her hands. “I need to tell you something.”
“What?” Calista sat up, concerned.
“I have a… secret.”
Excitement lit up Calista’s emerald green eyes. “What is it? Is it a boy? Someone from the museum?”
“Yeah… but no. It’s something you cannot tell Mom and Dad.”
“Cat, I keep secrets all the time. You can trust me.”
“Okay.” The younger Medley girl blew her hair out of her face. “There’s a Socializer coming to where I work. I saw him yesterday. And I know you’re a huge fan, so… you want to come over and see him?”
“Who?!” Calista stood, her cheeks immediately flushing.
“It’s, uh… Devon Arfi-”
She was interrupted by Calista’s ear-splitting squeal. “DEVON ARFIMEZ?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! AT THE MUSEUM?!”
“No, not at the museum.”
“Then where?!”
“I don’t work at the museum,” Catalina confessed.
Calista’s excited bounce paused. “Wait, what?”
“This is the secret part. I work at a bar on Genesis X.” She winced, waiting for the scolding older sister rant. “I couldn’t get a job at the museum last year because I needed a higher degree. I lied about it. I registered, but that was just for a part-time job that I honestly hate, so I just left my name in there so Mom and Dad wouldn’t ask any questions, and I have a fake name I use for Genesis because I’m underage-”
“Wait-wait-wait.” Calista stopped her, pursing her painted lips. “You mean to tell me… that since last year… you’ve been working at a bar on Genesis X?! The space station?”
“An… illegal bar.”
“WHAT?! ARE YOU GLITCHING CRAZY?! WHAT THE GLITCH ARE YOU THINKING-”
“If you don’t shut up, I won’t take you to see Devon!”
Silence. Calista’s face had turned pink, her fingers flexing as she tried to calm down. “Why would he go to a bar like that?” she wondered.
“I don’t know, but I know it was him. I talked to him… a-about you.”
“About me?!”
“Yeah, I told him about the SociaLights, and how you’re so-”
“I have to tell the girls!”
“NO!” Catalina stood, gripping her sister’s shoulders. “I told you. It’s a secret. Our parents can’t know. This is the only way I’ll save up for design school. Please.”
Calista’s face softened at the desperation in her younger sister’s eyes. She smiled and kissed her cheek. “I promise. But isn’t there any other way you can save up? Somewhere safer…”
Catalina shook her head. “Trust me, I tried. But we’ll talk about it later. I’m going to work right now, and Devon’s only coming tomorrow. This is your chance to network.” Seeing the look of fear and doubt on Calista’s face, she quickly added, “I promise you’ll be safe. You can wear a Mask or something. I have a couple.”
Calista looked down at herself and rushed to her closet, tapping on various outfits. “What should I wear?”
“Nothing too fancy. Something casual. Preferably something you can move okay in… I don’t want to scare you, but Genesis X is pretty crazy.”
“You’re telling me.” She finally settled for a hot pink leotard and long, purple tights. Her long, nylon black hair was raised into a high ponytail. “This work?”
“… That’s perfect, actually.”
===
Upon entering the hidden bar, Calista’s paranoia was jacked up to 11. She’d shrunken in her barstool, her legs pulled up to her chest, and her green eyes constantly glanced around with fear. Many strong, intimidating species were around; hot-tempered Hajjians, proud Voraxians, stone-skinned Mercurians. Hajjians were the worst, notorious for their tempers, powerful fire abilities, and incomparable strength.
Catalina served a customer, as calm as could be. How could she be? Did she really work in this environment for a year already? It was no wonder she’d looked so shaken up after her first day at the ‘museum’; they’d all assumed she was overwhelmed at having a non-virtual job.
“What time was he here yesterday?” Calista asked her sister.
“Around noon. There’s still time.” It was currently 11:30.
“Are you sure he’s coming?”
“I… I’m sure.”
“You hesitated.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“Yes, you did!”
“Shh!” Catalina glanced at the other patrons, lowering her voice. “If they see someone riled up, they’ll want to see a fight, and if they don’t get one, they start it.”
“I can’t believe you work here.”
Another customer came in, wearing a cloak and a slightly faulty Mask. A lot of the patrons concealed their identities. Were they escaped convicts? That was what the space stations were known for. Calista shuddered at the thought.
Catalina picked her blond hair up into a bun, fanning herself. “It’s hot in here,” she muttered. She suddenly froze, staring off to the side. “Uh-oh.”
“What?” Calista followed her gaze. She was staring at a group of customers looking at them. “What is it?”
“Um…” Catalina fiddled with her uniform apron. “Nothing.”
“What? Tell me.”
“There’s just some people here that… don’t really like me.”
Calista glanced back at the group. “Who, them?”
“Don’t make it so obvious,” Cat said discreetly, fake-smiling.
“Who are they?”
“No one. Just some people that I had a run-in a few months ago.”
“A what?!”
One of the group members stood up— a Martian man with neon green hair. Against his gray skin, it was quite blinding. He sauntered over to the counter, leaning on the surface. “Medley. Long time no see.”
Catalina ignored him, turning to another customer and taking their order.
“It’s rude to ignore a customer, you know,” the man continued. “I wanted a good Jovin beer.”
Catalina sighed and silently generated his order. He smirked, taking his mug, and turned to his group. “Hey, everyone, look who it is!”
The girl closed her eyes with dread. “Here we go.”
“Cat, who are they?” Calista’s guard rose as the entire group surrounded the two, all of them wearing smiles she didn’t like at all.
“Ah, the little girl.” A Mercearthian woman chuckled. “Look how shy she is. Strange. Last time we saw you, you were quite… vocal.”
“Irritatingly vocal,” a Mearthian man added.
“What happened to that spunk?”
“Shut it, Scaaskal.”
“There it is.” Scaaskal stepped into her place behind the counter, nudging her away from the order screen. “We have unfinished business, don’t we?”
“Hey.” Calista stood. “Who are you guys?”
“Stay out of it, girl.” The Mercearthian woman judgingly looked at Calista. “What are you supposed to be, a Socializer?”
Calista hesitated, turning red. The woman chuckled, realizing she’d hit the right code. “A Socializer in Cosmos?” another Martian man laughed, this one with blue hair. “Who would’ve thought?”
“She looks like you, doesn’t she?” Scaaskal nudged Catalina’s shoulder, a bit harshly.
“Hey, back off.” Calista walked around the counter, getting between Scaaskal and Catalina.
“The Socializer being tough? Wow.” He glanced at his friends. “Who is she, your sister?”
“You never told us you had a Socializer for a sister.” The woman cocked her head.
“How cute. She should give you fashion tips,” the other Martian man taunted.
“Alright, out of the way, princess.” Scaaskal tried to push Calista aside, but the girl stood her ground, planting herself in front of her sister.
“Unless you want the glitch kicked out of you, you’ll let us finish our business,” the Mercearthian woman threatened.
“Leave her alone,” Calista said. She was scared to death, her stomach whirling like a sky-coaster, and her limbs turning to jelly. These people were probably criminals. But she would rather die than let them touch her little sister.
“Cali… just leave it. It’s fine,” Catalina said quietly, clearly intimidated.
“Get out of the way, or I’ll get you out of my way,” Scaaskal loomed over her like a monolith. Her heart rate increased as she stared into his marble-like black eyes, leaning back, but she didn’t move. He smirked and glanced at his group, nodding.
Calista gasped when the other three grabbed her arms and yanked her over the counter, throwing her to the floor. Scaaskal grabbed Catalina’s arm, also shoving her down.
“No!” Calista tried to run to her sister, but the Mercearthian woman grabbed her ponytail, forcing her away. She struggled, trying to pry herself out of the three pairs of strong hands.
In horror, she watched as Scaaskal pinned Catalina down and raised his fist, aiming at her face. The 16-year old girl closed her eyes, awaiting the blow.
“NO!” She thrust her heel up, landing it between one of the men’s legs. As he groaned and fell to the floor with his friend, Calista shot her elbow up, hitting the woman’s face. She rushed forward, shoving Scaaskal to the floor and falling with him.
A crowd formed around the group, cheers and yells filling the bar as Scaaskal rose with anger in his eyes. He grabbed Calista by the throat with a growl. Gripping his arms, she pulled his elbows down, shooting her own elbow into his chin. The impact hurt her immensely, but it got her out of the choke hold.
She turned to the two approaching attackers, kicking one— again, in the nuts— and punching the other in the face. She cried out, holding her fist in pain. It had been years since she’d punched anything.
The Mearthian man’s arms locked around her from behind, holding her steady as Scaaskal approached. Catalina stood, running to him, but one of the others held her back. “Get away from her!” she screamed.
Scaaskal smirked, saying something in a Martian language, and shot his fist at Calista. If there was one thing she wouldn’t let them damage, it was her face. No one touched her face.
She leaned to the side, letting his fist collide with his friend’s face instead. Her enemy still kept a firm grip on her, so she lifted her feet up and kicked Scaaskal away, the momentum sending them crashing against the wall. The man groaned, finally letting go of Calista.
She ran to Catalina, who struggled against the woman, and kicked the Mercearthian’s knee. She pulled her younger sister out of the clawing grip and bolted to the door with her. “Let’s get the glitch out of here.”
They ran from the bar, through the library, through the atrium. Catalina stumbled, struggling to keep up with her sister. “Cali, wait!”
Calista didn’t stop until they reached the launcher spheres. She shoved Catalina inside and hurriedly entered their neighborhood’s launcher address. “Take us back, take us back, take us back-”
“Whoa, whoa! Slow down!” Catalina took Calista’s hands. “Calm down.”
“They’re gonna get us if we-”
“SECURE will take care of them. Just calm down.” Catalina breathed with her, managing to dissuade her panic a bit. “You… Cali, that was… that was amazing.”
“Amazing? That was uber-crazy! Who were those guys? Why did they want to beat you up? Has this happened before? How many-”
“Whoa, stop sounding like Mom!”
“You need to find another job! That was uber-dangerous!”
“Stop saying uber…” Catalina cringed at the Socializer lingo.
“Whatever. Just don’t work there anymore! I’m serious!”
“But- Cali, don’t you realize what you did? You beat the bugs out of them!”
“I…” Calista paused. “I just… I just escaped. It’s not a big deal. I just didn’t want them to hurt you.” She softly caressed her younger sister’s cheek. For just a second, she saw more youth in her face, taking her back to when they were children. They were barely two years apart, and yet…
She looked at her knuckles, finding a small bruise forming. As the adrenaline rush faded, aches started appearing around her body. She cringed at the thought of the girls finding out. They’d kill her. She needed to heal her bruises as soon as possible before the girls— or their parents— saw them. Thank God her face was untouched.
She sighed and launched the sphere, taking them back to Earth. “Never go back there again. Understand?”
“Okay,” Catalina lied.
As the sphere entered the atmosphere, Catalina crossed her fingers, hoping the little act was enough for Benson Kalley. She owed Scaaskal and the gang big time, especially with the bruises they’d probably gotten.