Phantom Hounds

When everything in life runs along the same track, you really long for change. To break out of the dull routine one morning, spit on obligations, and set off on an exciting journey across the universe. Dreams? That’s what I thought too, until one rainy day ... a cyborg knocked on the windshield of my sports flier. Dreams became reality, and now only chance knows what awaits me ahead. Kidnapping, blackmail, and the pain of betrayal—or love after all? The path to happiness is thorny, but the Benstrongs are not used to giving up.

The first version that came to mind was the most realistic of all possible ones: an ordinary kidnapping for ransom. My adoptive parents are far from the least influential Larians in power, and they suffer no shortage of money, so because of that we often became targets in childhood for those seeking easy profit. Nothing serious, but after that experience I realized with despair that this time everything was completely different. They weren’t hiding me. They were openly leading me through the crowd past the registration stand, as if trying to show everyone that I had come here of my own free will. It frightened me and made me even more nervous. Though how could I be more nervous? That’s it, enough! Turning sharply halfway around, I yanked my hand free and ran deeper into the spaceport, planning to lose myself in the crowd.