Read Candidate (Selected Book 4) for Free Online

what this is." I nodded. "I will step out while it plays. I will strive to return before it completes, but I may be delayed. I will not leave you overlong."
    I nodded. She stood and leaned across the table. I held still while she slid the visor into place.
    It settled in, making itself at home. The ear buds invaded my ears, and then I couldn't hear anything in the room. Then it brightened slowly.
    I didn't hear Administrator Brighteyes leave.

Understanding
    I was appalled by what I saw. The opening scene was of an arena -- it looked remarkably like the Coliseum in Rome, although I thought the size was different, and this coliseum was far newer.
    In the center of the dirt arena was a group of sixteen human women. Most of them looked like they'd been taken from their beds, and I realized something immediately. I also looked like I'd been taken from my bed. I didn't think that was coincidence.
    Some of the women were crying. Some looked angry. Some looked determined. Some held weapons. Others didn't.
    Around the perimeter of the battleground were aliens. The camera panned around them, one after another. Some were small. Others were clearly deeply powerful. They were all male, although there was a voiceover indicating from time to time there were female contestants as well.
    In the stands were more aliens and a few humans.
    And then there was a signal, and everyone moved into motion.
    Some of the women stayed in the middle, most of them seemingly unable to act. The rest sprang into motion. They ran for the exits, some in blind panic, some appearing far more organized.
    And the aliens also began to run. There were a lot of aliens. Some moved towards the women. Others moved to cut off the exits.
    None of the women made it from the arena. Most of them were easily caught and shoved into waiting cages. There was one group of four women who put up a good defense, standing back to back and surrounded by four of the aliens with others waiting at a distance, watching. One of the women thrust with a sword, scoring a red line across the arm of the alien facing her, but then he clasped a massive hand around her smaller one, pulling her away from her friends. He calmly took the sword from her, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her to one of the cages as she kicked and screamed. He set her down, pushed her in, and slammed the door.
    The fate of the other three women was similar. Another was taken, and then the last two simultaneously.
    But that wasn't the end. The video continued, and I watched the aliens fight each other.
    In the beginning there had been sixteen women in the middle. Then there were sixteen women in cages. At the end, there were many aliens who required help leaving the arena. There were sixteen, most of them hurt, who opened the cage doors, pulled out the women, and carried them from the arena.
    * * * *
    The visor explained why. I thought it was bullshit, complete bullshit. But then the visor showed me the other competitions, one woman and one alien. Sometimes the alien won. Sometimes the woman won. But as the competitions went on, the women became decreasingly antagonistic towards their aliens.
    I saw hugs.
    I saw cuddles.
    I saw kisses.
    I saw fierce aliens treating the women gently, even kindly.
    Then Administrator Brighteyes appeared in her program. "Occasionally a human escapes the arena, but it is extremely rare. Somewhat more often, but not often, a human wins the final challenge, and she is free to go home. This is most likely when the woman is an exceptionally fine athlete competing against one of the less athletic of the extraterrestrial species."
    Then she explained how the women go home with their challengers, who is given a period of time to woo them.
    Then the video showed more women, the setting very alien, and I thought perhaps it was upon their space station. They were with their aliens, and they looked happy, like any newlywed human couple.
    The visor dimmed then brightened. It was Administrator