Rise of the Night Raven

Raven saw the mechanical fist coming, but by the time her rental mech responded to her input, it was too late. Alarms sounded all over her cockpit. The fist landed…hard. She punched the side of the cockpit then hit her communicator, “That’s it, Jyn. I’m done for today.”

“We need to get you a decent mech,” Jyn complained.

“I know, but Rory will never allow that.”

“Come on, Raven! She’s your sister, not your warden!”

“Don’t be like that, Jyn. If it weren’t for Rory, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Jyn sighed. “I know. I just want to fight…properly.”

“Give me some time. She’ll come around…eventually.”

Raven hit the eject button and the front hatch whined halfway open. “Smeggit! Jyn, can you grab a tech for me?”

Jyn let out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, give me a second.” She climbed out of her Wyvern and went to the front desk. The girl glanced up. “Can we get a tech? One of your mechs is malfunctioning again.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “What’s new? He’s helping someone, but he’ll be there in a minute.” Then she blew a bubble with her gum.

“Great.” Jyn rolled her eyes. “Thanks.” Sarcasm dripping from the words. Then she stormed back to the arena…Raven still trapped inside the broken mech.

Jyn plopped down on the floor beside the mech. “We might be here for a while.”

“Figures.” Raven looked at her. “Maybe I should talk to Axel.”

Jyn gave her a confused look. “Your sister’s boyfriend?”

Raven shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, he’s a lot more open to me doing stuff and he’s good at persuading Rory.”

Jyn thought about it. “It certainly couldn’t hurt.”

Raven sighed. Her ventilator distorted the air, making it sound flat and mechanical. “I need to get out of this thing before I can do anything.”

A lanky teen in a community center uniform came strolling into the arena. “What seems to be the problem?”

Raven looked at him. “Do you think I’m sitting in here for my health?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Just get me out.”

He sighed and opened the back panel. After reconnecting the snapped wire, the hatch fully opened. Raven jumped out and said, “I’m sorry for snapping. I just wanted out.”

The teen shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to it.”

Raven looked at Jyn. “Do you want to come over and hang out?”

“You bet I do!” Jyn lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Is Titan going to be there?”

Raven shrugged. “I don’t know. He comes and goes as he pleases.”

Jyn pouted. “He’s hardly ever there when I come over.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “He’s a busy man. It’s not easy being the best racer in the sector.”

Jyn smiled. “Second best, if you’re sister has anything to say about it.”

Raven grinned. “She might just get there.”

Jyn started for the door. “Come on, let’s go.”

Raven took off after her.

When the lift doors opened, Raven and Jyn rushed through the kitchen toward the game room, nearly knocking Rory off her wheels. “Whoa! Slow down there.”

“Sorry,” said Raven. “Do you mind if Jyn comes over for a bit?”

“Maybe you should ask before she comes over…”

Raven smiled. “If I did that, you might say no.”

Rory smiled. “Just don’t make a mess.”

“Sure thing.” Raven grabbed a bag of Pixel Puffs. “Oh, is Titan coming home?”

Rory’s face fell. “I don’t think so. He has some marketing thing.”

Raven cocked her head. “Shouldn’t you be doing something like that, too.”

Rory rolled her eyes. “I think so. The company seems to have other plans. I don’t have any say in anything.” She slumped into a chair.

Raven hugged her. “Don’t worry. Even without the publicity, you’ll blow the competition away.”

Rory gave her a halfhearted smile. “You’re a great little sister. Especially when you lie to me.”

Raven laughed. “It’s not a lie. You just need to believe in yourself.”

“Thanks, kid. You better get in there with your friend before she thinks you got lost.”

Raven rushed into the game room and jumped into the chair next to Jyn. After tossing the bag of Pixel Puffs on the table between them, she grabbed a controller and chose her character. Within seconds she and Jyn were frantically pressing buttons. Thirty seconds later, Raven held her controller high saying, “That’s right, and still the undisputed champion.”

Jyn tossed her controller on the table and grabbed a handful of Pixel Puffs. “This is why you need a real mech. Imagine what you could do in the arena with the right equipment.”

Raven grabbed some Puffs, too. “Look, I’ll talk to her. For now, let’s just enjoy the game.”

“Fine.” Jyn stuffed the rest of her puffs in her mouth and started the next match before Raven could grab her controller.

“Hey, no fair.” She grabbed the controller and blocked the next hit.

Jyn winked. “Just keeping you on your toes.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “I’m still going to beat you.”

Jyn shrugged. “Yeah, probably.”

A couple hours later Rory stuck her head in. “Jyn, are you planning to stay for dinner?”

Jyn perked up. “Are you offering?”

Rory shrugged. “Sure.”

“Yeah, I’d love to stay.”

“I’ll let you know when it’s ready. Probably about an hour.” She slipped her head back out.

Both girls said, “Okay,” as their virtual characters continued pummeling each other in front of them.

When Rory indicated that dinner was ready, Raven grabbed the empty Pixel Puffs bag as they headed toward the table. She tossed it in the recycler and took a seat. Rory was serving plates when the lift doors opened. Titan rolled in, rubbing his eyes. “Man, what a day…” He looked up. “Oh. I didn’t know we had company.”

Jyn blushed. “I…I can go…”

“No. No, you’re alright.” He sat at the head of the table and looked at Rory. “Thank you for making dinner. I really appreciate it.”

She smiled. “It’s really not a problem.” She fixed a plate for him. “How was your…thing?”

He sighed. “Frustrating. Pointless. Time consuming. Take your pick.”

Rory slumped into her chair. “I’d rather take your place. I feel like I’m sitting in limbo. What’s the point of winning the sector championship if I’m just going to sit here and let it go to waste!”

He shook his head. “The company thinks that I need to “recover my image” after the disqualification. I think it’s all stupid nonsense. They need to be promoting you. Apparently I’m just an asset. Nothing more.” He hung his head.

“Cheer up,” said Raven. “After dinner we can all play some games and watch a holonovel. That should take your minds off of the corporate nonsense. At least for a little while.”

Titan smiled. “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

Rory’s communicator beeped. “Hey, babe.”

Axel’s voice asked, “What are you doing tonight?”

“Just playing some games. Raven has a friend over.”

“That sounds awesome,” he said. “Do you mind if I join you?”

She looked around. The girls shrugged and Titan nodded. “That sounds great. See you in a few.”

“See you.”

Raven’s heart fluttered. Maybe she could talk to him tonight.

Rory was cleaning up the kitchen when the security desk buzzed. “Yeah. Axel is here.”

“Send him up.” She rolled her eyes. It irritated her that this kind of security was necessary.

“Sure thing,” the guard replied.

A few moments later, the lift doors slid open. Axel’s unmistakable messy blonde hair deeply contrasted with the dark clothes he liked to wear. He looked up from his wrist display. His piercing blue eyes lit up with his smile. “Hi, Sweetheart. Where is everyone?”

Her face lit up to match his. “They’re all in the game room.”

He took her hand. “Then come on, let’s go. This stuff can wait.”

She wrapped her arms around him. “You’re right, but first…” She started to kiss him.

“Ew gross. Get a room.” Raven opened the refrigerator to grab some drinks. “Are you guys coming?”

Rory sighed. “Right behind you.”

Axel held back a laugh and winked. He kissed her cheek and said, “We’ll get some alone time later.”

She rolled her eyes. “We can hope.”

After several rounds of MechBattle, a couple rounds of ZipRacer, and a couple of party games, the group settled in for a holonovel: a suspense thriller designed to keep the blood pumping.

Axel stood saying, “I’ll grab some snacks.”

While everyone else was getting comfortable, Raven followed him into the kitchen. “Hey Axel, do you have a minute?”

“Sure Raven. What do you need?”

Raven started fidgeting with her arms. After looking around for a second she said, “I need some advice.”

Axel shut the refrigerator door and stood up straight. He stepped closer. “Advice about what?”

Raven looked away. “Well…Rory.”

He looked at her skeptically. “She’s your sister.”

Raven started twirling her hair around her finger. “I know…but she doesn’t listen to me. She treats me like a glass doll. She thinks I’m going to break if someone looks at me wrong.”

He sighed. “She worries about you. That’s all.”

She looked straight at him. “She doesn’t have to.” She hit the ventilator that took up the majority of her chest. “I’m not sick anymore. I just want to live a normal life.”

He took her hands, stopping her from hitting herself. “Whoa! I understand. It’s frustrating. Look, I’ll talk to her, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”

Raven smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you so much.”

He held her out. “Like I said, I can’t guarantee anything. You know how stubborn your sister is.”

Raven bounced off.

Once the holonovel finished, Rory got up and said, “I think it’s time to say goodbye and get ready for bed.”

Raven jumped up. “Okay.” She grabbed Jyn’s hand and pulled her out toward the lift. She lowered her voice and said, “I talked to Axel. He’s going to say something to Rory.”

Jyn’s eyes widened. “That’s awesome! Maybe we can spar for real soon…shhh.”

Rory and Axel came up. Rory said, “I thought you were going home.”

Jyn said, “I am. I was just saying goodbye.”

Rory waved. “Bye.”

She shrugged. “Bye.” She looked at Raven. “See you tomorrow.” Then stepped into the lift.

“See you.” She looked at Rory. “You didn’t have to be rude.”

“It’s late, Raven. You need to go to bed.”

Raven rolled her eyes and left.

Rory turned to Axel and said, “I think that girl is a bad influence on Raven.”

Axel raised his eyebrows. “I think she’s a kid. And so’s Raven. They just want to have fun.”

Rory looked at him. “Yeah. Dangerous fun.”

He shrugged. “What other kind of fun is there?”

She sighed. “I went through a lot to keep her safe. I don’t want to see her throw it all away.”

“Rory, she’s not sick anymore. Treating her like she is will only make her resent you.”

“She may not be sick, but she’s not a hundred percent, either. What happens if her ventilator malfunctions?”

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Rory. You can’t control everything around her for the rest of her life. She needs to be able to make her own decisions at some point.”

Rory sighed. “Will she make the right ones?”

He looked at her. “No, not always. No one does. That’s what family is for. To be there when things go wrong.”

Rory sighed. “Why are you always right?”

He laughed. “I’m not. I just know how to make things sound good.”

“Come on. Stay here with me tonight.”

He kissed her. “No argument here.”