THE HUNT

Twelve

    "I don't want to be here." I say quietly, crossing my arms over my chest as the droid circles around me, taking my measurements.

   "I don't remember Ren giving you a choice." Cardo says from the wall he's leaning on, not even looking up from the knife he's balancing on the tip of his gloved finger. "Besides, you need clothes if you're to be running about in the shadows.

    "I'm not that kind of spy." I shake my head. "I'm meant to be seen."

    "And you will be." He promises. "But if you will be in the throne room during audiences, you need to look the part." He pushes off the wall, striding towards a table in the corner that's littered with fabrics. He picks up two pieces of something black, then turns to me. "This is your mask. If you're infiltrating our ranks, or our enemy's ranks, we cannot afford for you to be recognized." I nod, and he hands me the pieces, each no bigger than my thumb. How is this a mask? "Put these here." He reaches forward and taps the spot behind my ear. Doubtfully, I place them on my skin, and a piercing pain shoots from where I've placed them.

    I try to rip them away from my skin, but they won't release. I pull my hands away, seeing that they're coated in blood.

    "What did you do?" I whisper, nausea churning in my gut. "What is this?"

    "If you tap either one of them twice-" He reaches forward, fingers brushing against my skin. Immediately, a thick metal closes over my face. I stumble back, trying to tear it off.

    I can't breathe.

    I can't breathe.

    No, I can. Somehow I can see, too. It's a thick metal, I can feel that much. I can see Cardo standing above me, arms crossed.

    "What is this?" I ask, breathing hard. He offers me his hand, and I take it.

    "It's a special engineered design by our smith, Albrekh." He says, pulling me to my feet. "You're able to see and breathe, yes?" I nod. "Good. It filters out smoke and toxins as well." He reaches behind my ear again, tapping the device twice. The metal around my face retracts. "Hold it down for a few seconds, and you have a comm that connects directly to Ren, unless it's been diverted."

    "That's a lot." I say, looking at the blood on my hands. "Why does it-" I stop, trying to wipe the crimson on my pants. "Why is there blood?" I try to pull them off again, and I'm met with a shot of lightning-like pain.

    "Ren isn't stupid, girl." He pulls me back to where the droid begins to continue taking my measurements. "He knows where your true loyalties lie."

    "What-"

    "There's a tracking device, and if you betray him, there's a kill switch." He angles his head. "You're going to be exposed to critical information." He says. "If you try to escape, the information dies with you. You try to remove it, surgically or otherwise, that'll kill you too."

    "That's nice." I say quietly, stomach reeling. The droid finishes, and he pulls me towards the door. "What are we doing now?" I ask.

    "Take your jacket off." He says, pinching the fabric of my canvas-like jacket I use to ward off the chill of space. "We're doing laps." He opens a door with a code, shrugging off his many layers of armour until only his underclothes are visible. I pull off my jacket, dropping it on the floor next to his pile which now includes a variety of weapons, all of which send chills down my spine. I look down at myself, taking note of my loose tank top and fitted pants. Both black, as everything here is. "Take every right, and you'll end up back here."

    "How many times?" I ask skeptically. He shrugs.

    "Until I say stop."

    "Great." I step follow him back out through the door, and he jerks his chin.

    "Go." I groan, but begin to jog the way he said, memories of doing this back home flooding my mind.

    We would lap in sets of three, then be forced to fight hand to hand with front-line soldiers immediately after. Then after a few hours of doing that, we'd be given weapons to run and do the same over and over again until we collapsed.

    Then, I had Imrie with me to make it bearable.

    Now, I have nobody.

    So I run. I pass Cardo three times, lungs burning as memories curl inside of me. He doesn't gesture for me to pause, so I continue.

    Five laps in, I crash into someone halfway through. They grip my arm to steady me as I rest my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

    "Hello, Hunter." I look up with a gasp, stumbling backwards. General Hux smiles gently at me. "You seem to be healing well."

    "I- I can't talk to you." I try to continue my jog past him, but he still has a tight grip on my arm, which I try to free myself from. "Please, Armitage." I try to pull away again. "He'll kill me."

    "I'll take the blame."

    "And I'll take the beating." I hiss. "We're not permitted to talk to each other." Ice trembles in my veins, and I try to pull away again.

    If Ren finds out-

    I stop the thought, remembering that he can listen to my mind.

    "Hunter-"

    "He'll know." I snap. "He always knows." I try to wrench my arm out of his grip again. "Let go of me" He does, stepping back.

    "Very well." He dips his chin. "Good day to you, Hunter." I ignore the gesture, jogging past him in an attempt to get away as soon as possible.

    When I get back to Cardo, he has a staff in his hand, which he swings toward my head before I even stop my feet. I duck with a yelp, and the end of the stick jabs me in the gut, knocking me to the floor. The impact rattles my ribs, and I grunt.

    "What the heck, man?" I stand, holding a hand to my still healing injury. If I was already short of breath from my run, the impact on my back definitely didn't help, either. "You- you can't just do that." I fall to one knee, squeezing my eyes shut.

    "Sure I can." He uses the end of the weapon to lift my head, the tip under my chin. "You need to be ready for anything, at any time."

    "Well sorry I didn't get the memo that I was gonna have the wind knocked out of me after you had me running for an hour." I grit. "That loop is long."

    "You definitely took your time this round." He angles his head. "Why?"

    "I-" My heart races, and I let out a sharp breath. "I had to stop and catch my breath."

    "Don't let it happen again." He orders. "Five more rounds. Go. Now."

    I glare at him, but he only stares back, eyes narrowed.

    "Fine." I roll my eyes.

    Prick.
   
    I set off again, before I've even caught my breath.