Changeling Winds: Episode Two (The Bachelor Battles Book 2) by Angela White Page B

she lost… well, tonight would be a small preview of what I would suffer when Rankin bought me next month.
    “Are ya ready?” Rankin cackled eagerly as she shoved the door open and marched us inside her foul-scented den. “I know I am!”
     
     
    The Network
    “We’re all set for the meeting.”
    It was just two of them, the Commander and the XO, enjoying the quiet.
    The tower lounge was a large triangle-shaped room with an oddly formed desk in the center, surrounded by even odder chairs. Each armrest held a hand-scanner, a note-writer, and an alarm button. In the center of the desk, suspended with thin, durable chains, was a three-sided monitor showing darkness. Earlier, it had revealed a mob of thousands along the border with Canada.
    Along these oddly-shaped walls, we’re doors, private entrances for the members. Each had their own entrance, providing eight total exits to be taken advantage of. Inside those luxury residences existed access to anything they wanted - from hand-served meals of tender veal and sweet fish that could only be had here, to the stacks of intricately starred jewelry that so many of the city residents liked to use for wagering on the Games. It was a lifestyle the Network enjoyed immensely.
    “Send word to the Coast. We’re ready for them now.”
    “What if they won’t come?”
    The leader snorted heavily. “We’re offering a full train of supplies and males. They’ll show.”
    The younger voice held doubt. “Sometimes those bought through desperation do not remain loyal. We may see alliances.”
    There was a small silence. “That would be bad.”
    Glad their leader understood , the second voice spelled it out eagerly. “Yes. If the rebels convince the Coast to join their cause, we could be facing the very weapons we hope to gain control of. The bothersome Pruetts have to be dealt with soon. We can’t keep using them this way.”
    “Rankin will handle it.”
    “Yes, the new Head Defender - perhaps she has outlived her usefulness?”
    The head chair squeaked as it was emptied. There was a gentle swish of tailor-made clothes, the kind their subjects would never be able to afford. Even their boots were made by the sweat of a person, instead of a machine. Animal pelts had never touched their unmarked skin.
    “Considering the fuel she added to the media fire by putting a mark on one of them, I’d have to agree.”
    “She could be… caught in the crossfire…”
    “That sounds exactly like what will happen. Do it as soon as she gives us the location.”
    The lower ranking member moved for the door, and then stopped, turned back. “Communication is almost non-existent. What if Rankin can’t get a call through?”
    There was a thoughtful pause…
    “Activate her locator beacon so we can keep track. As soon as she stops moving hard, send in the plane.”
    “You know we only have five warheads?”
    “Yes. Two are for the meeting.”
    The other member leered eagerly. “And one for Canada?”
    A tolerant chuckle. “If it comes to that, we’ll use something a bit larger than Breaker bombs. The west is still littered with nuclear warheads. After we take care of those at the meeting, we’ll control them all.”

Chapter Five

Day 7
     
    1
    After 24 hours in the medical bay, healing and listening to my opponent growl in the next room, I was feeling better. Unlike Chelsea, I didn’t mind solitude and I spent it deciding where my true loyalties were. I was a Changeling and this fire was one that might end me in time, but I was also a Pruett and before I went out, I wanted justice.
    By all rights, both Chelsea and I should be dead and this episode over - with no winner. To keep that disappointment from ruining their Game, the Network had used technology to heal broken ribs, punctured lungs, and snapped bones. We were both as good as new and I hated them for it. If they’d let me die, I would be free of this pain .
    Lying there with the Network’s unknown chemicals restoring even the