by Tamsin Ley
“I’ll crush you with my bare hands if I have to,” Noatak said, meaning every word. “Now tell me how to get to Marlis.”
“Without a means to contact her prior to her emergence in the secure area, she will be captured. I cannot allow that to happen.”
“You seem to have access to this ship’s systems. Marlis has an AI. Could you send a message through that?”
Once more Doug tilted his head as if listening. “Her AI is no longer with her.”
Powers or no powers, Noatak was so pumped on stims and adrenaline, he imagined he could push Doug straight through the bulkhead. “There has to be something you can do. Create a diversion or something until we can reach her.”
What might’ve been the ghost of understanding flickered across Doug’s face. “You Denaidans are very dedicated to your mates.”
There was no sense denying what Noatak knew to be true. Marlis was his mate, one way or another, in this life or the next. “I would die for her.”
Doug’s human eye blinked several times. “That may be the outcome if you attempt to help her.”
Noatak relaxed the pressure of his arm against Doug’s throat. “I’ll risk it.”
The cyborg stepped away from the wall. “Follow me.”
The door slid open, revealing the blank wall of a dimly lit hallway. Turning left, they walked several paces down until Doug stopped in front of a maintenance panel. Inserting his robotic fingers into the crack he released the panel with a pop. On the wall of the narrow corridor inside, a thick cable extended vertically in both directions, disappearing into darkness. “This conduit carries a high voltage line. It will lead to an intersection where you may intercept your mate. However, it will require the use of your ionic shield to prevent your immediate death.”
“Let’s go,” Noatak said without hesitation. He’d burn out for Marlis if that’s what it took.
Doug stepped back. “I do not possess ionic shielding. I cannot accompany you. Once you reunite with your mate, descend two more levels and you will reach one of the docking bays. I will assist you in any way I can from here.”
“What about you?”
“I will return to my cell where I belong.”
Noatak frowned. “We came here to save you.”
“Please tell my sister to stop. I cannot be saved.” Doug gestured to the conduit. “You must move quickly. The doctor will return soon. I will put the panel back in place behind you.”
Noatak took a hard breath, steadying his nerves. He hadn’t used his ionic abilities for anything major in a long time. Summoning all his reserves, he surrounded himself with his power. He wasn’t sure if the tightness in his chest was his regular heart or his ionic one.
With a last glance toward Doug, he asked, “What happens if my shield fails and I die?”
Doug had picked up the panel and stood waiting to put it back in place. “I will be forced to enact my original plan to protect my sister.”
For a moment, Noatak wondered if he was being coerced into an elaborate trap. But if Doug’d wanted to kill him, he could’ve easily done it while Noatak had been strapped down. Grabbing ahold of the high voltage line, he squeezed into the corridor and began the journey down.
Chapter Nineteen
Marlis reached the end of her first conduit and peered through the vent into the empty hallway outside. Her heart had never beaten so hard in her life while she jammed the panel back in place, straightened her uniform, and strode purposefully down the hall to the elevator. The conduits weren’t connected between levels except for the high voltage intersections, so she had to take the elevator to reach the weapons locker.
That was the first order of business—arm herself. Since the ship wasn’t in active combat, there was a good chance she’d be able to slip into the weapons locker unnoticed. Once armed, she’d have a much better chance of success when she reached the brig.
The elevator door slid open, allowing a colonel to exit. He frowned at her dusty uniform as he passed. Keeping her face impassive, Marlis saluted and stepped onto the elevator. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything before the door slid shut.
She let out a sigh and pressed the button down. The weapons locker was sectioned off in a secure area, but she could get past the security checkpoint by using the conduit. At least, she’d been able to as a child. Stepping off the elevator, she glanced left and right, confirming she was alone before heading to the next panel.
She squeezed herself inside and did her best to pull the panel back into place behind her. The farther she got from Attie’s quarters, the more she doubted her choice. Even armed, a lone woman stood little chance against the security guarding the brig. You’re not just a lone woman, she reminded herself. You’re a marksman. She only needed a weapon.
Verifying that the weapons locker wasn’t occupied, she pushed the panel off and stepped out into the familiar neat rows of service rifles and pulse pistols. Hopefully neither of the guards on the other side of the locker would decide to patrol in here until she was long gone. Brushing her fingers over the scope of an MCS6, she forced herself not to dawdle and grabbed a pair of standard-issue E-11 pulse pistols. Tucking one into each side of her belt, she retreated back into the maintenance conduit, securing the panel behind her.
Feeling much better now that she was armed, she moved down the conduit toward the next elevator. As she pressed her face against another vent to get her bearings, she heard a shuffling noise from the conduit ahead. Hardly daring to breathe, she peered into the darkness along the pipes. Someone was in here.
“Fuck,” she said on a breath and reached for a pistol.
“Marlis?” the whisper sounded like a hiss of steam.
“Noatak?” She crept forward, one hand out in the darkness. Her palm met a broad, solid arm, and a familiar clean metallic scent reached her. She could hardly contain herself. “You’re alive!”
“Shh.” His hand found hers and he began leading her back the way he’d come.
He stopped where the maintenance corridor widened at the high voltage intersection, turning to face her, form lit by the tiny orange glow of a lightning-bolt danger sign. His eyes glittered in the dim light, and she slid both hands up his chest, seeking to reassure herself he was really here. He was solid and real and warm.
His arms encircled her, cheek pressed against the top of her head. How had they managed to find each other like this? She’d never believed in a god, but perhaps his Ellam Cua was looking out for them after all.
For a few breaths, they both stood there, neither willing to let the other go, then he gently pushed her away. She clawed her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, not done with the moment. He smiled, then cupped her cheeks with both hands, brushing her lips with a kiss before shifting his mouth toward her ear. “I’m going to have to carry you.”
Carry me? What did he mean? He turned and offered his back. Although the corridor was wider here, it was still cramped. What was he thinking? Uncertain but trusting, she looped both hands over his shoulders. He pulled her legs up over his hips and moved into the alcove holding the high voltage line. She gasped. He was going to take them down the high voltage line. Oh, fuck!
Next thing she knew, he was descending the cable like a monkey, with her clinging to his back for dear life. She could feel his chest heaving from the effort. How was he doing this? It had to have something to do with his ionic powers. Damn him if he killed himself trying to save her.
After what seemed like forever, he stepped out into another maintenance corridor. She released her hold and slid down his back to the floor. He leaned against the wall, the light from the tiny voltage warning sign glinting off his sweat-sheened copper skin.
Reaching out, she gripped his hand and whispered, “Are you all right?”
He’d said if he used his ionic system, he’d die. But his return grip was strong, and after a moment of rest, he nodded and whispered, “Keep moving.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, she led the way out of the alcove. The conduit only went one dir
ection from here and she squeezed between the pipes, wondering how Noatak was managing with his broad chest. But other than a few quiet exhales as he forced himself through a particularly narrow spot, he kept close behind her. At the next vent, she paused to peek outside.
The wide-open expanse of one of the docking bays stretched out before her. The Icarus’s troop mobilization carrier took up one entire side of the bay, while several smaller ships sat on the other side, including a few fighter-ships and a scientific research vessel covered with sensor panels. Men and women moved between the ships carrying tools and equipment.
She stepped aside and pulled Noatak’s ear close. “Can you fly any of those?”
He stooped to peer through the vent. After a moment he turned to her. “Our best bet is one of the fighters.”
She pulled one of the E-11’s from her belt and pressed it into his hand. “You might need this.”
His breath brushed her cheek as he exhaled, then his free hand was pulling her close. His mouth met hers, beard rough against her chin, and she parted her lips tangling her tongue with his. Whether they made it or not, her time with him had been the most amazing of her life.
He pulled away, a grin glinting in the scant light coming through the vent. “Let’s go.”
Then he kicked the panel free.
Noatak burst from the conduit with his pistol up and ready. He damned well hoped Doug was ready, because unless someone opened the bulkhead doors, it wouldn’t matter if they reached the fighter or not.
As the panel he’d kicked free clattered to the deck, a woman in coveralls spun to face him. Her eyes went wide and mouth fell open. The spanner she was holding slipped from her fingers. He took aim with the pistol Marlis’d given him, but before he could fire, she turned and fled, shouting an alarm.
Noatak pelted toward the fighter, Marlis close at his heels. Shouts echoed through the bay as the alarm spread. Gathering his ionic force, he shoved a boarding scaffold against the side of the ship. He didn’t know how much power he had left in him, especially after that harrowing climb down the voltage cable, but he’d use whatever he had left to get Marlis to safety. “Get in!”
A pulse shot echoed off a nearby crate. Marlis halted at the base of the scaffold, firing a round toward their attackers. “You get the ship ready. I’ll hold them off.”
Though he wanted to protect her, his ops training told him this was the right tactical choice. Marlis could hold her own. He bounded up the scaffold and jumped into the pilot seat. The fighter’s cockpit was small, made for only two people, but its speed more than made up for its small size. If they managed to clear the docking bay and avoid the Icarus’s guns, they’d be out of range before the flagship could follow.
He skimmed through the systems check and flipped the thrusters’ ignition sequence. Thank Ellam Cua the corp’ kept these vessels fueled and ready. He glanced up at the bulkhead, hoping to see the doors opening, but they remained firmly sealed. Uncertain if Doug was even listening, he said, “If you’re going to help, now’s the time.”
Marlis had moved up the scaffold behind him and now crouched on the top outside the cockpit, returning fire against their attackers. A set of double doors across the way slid open, releasing a squad of heavily armed troopers. “Anaq!” He couldn’t engage the shields until the canopy was sealed. “Marlis, get in!”
She fired two more shots, then tumbled into the gunner’s seat. He engaged the overhead canopy, cursing at its slow descent. Pushing the wheels into gear before the canopy had sealed around them, he started the fighter toward the runway. Behind them, the ground troop was setting up a heat-seeking missile unit. If one of those projectiles hit the fighter, they were done for. Small weapons fire peppered the air, plinking against the ship’s hull plating and causing alarms to sound throughout the cockpit.
Behind him, Marlis shouted, “Engaging weapons.”
Ahead, the bulkhead door had opened a crack, revealing a slice of star-studded sky. Warning lights on his guidance console flashed red as he switched the ship to manual takeoff and urged the vessel forward beyond regulation limits.
The electric whine of the fighter’s pulse cannon met his ears and light blossomed behind them. “Got ‘em!” Marlis shouted.
Ahead, a truck pulled onto the runway, coming to a halt straight in their path. The driver jumped out and fled. Beyond, the bulkhead doors were now halfway open, enough for a fighter to pass through, but it would take all his skill.
Swearing again, he tapped the lift controls and pulled on the yoke. If he adjusted too much, he’d slam into the upper bulkhead. Too little, and they’d smash into the truck. The fighter wobbled. Rose. Its wheels bumped the truck cab as they passed over.
Then the bulkhead doors flashed by and they were exiting the bay into open space.
Chapter Twenty
Marlis kept her eye on their rear until the flagship disappeared among a million stars. She had no idea how Noatak’d done it, but he’d gotten them out of range. “Looks like we’re clear.”
Noatak adjusted a few more controls, then craned his neck to look over his shoulder at her. “You all in one piece?”
She nodded, thinking of how he’d used his ionic powers. “Yeah, you?”
“Doing surprisingly well.”
The relief she felt couldn’t outweigh her sense of failure, however. She loosened her acceleration straps and leaned forward to press her forehead against the back of his headrest. “What happens now? We didn’t accomplish the mission. And I’m worried about what’s going to happen to my sister.”
“Did she help you escape?”
“No, I slipped away while she was being interrogated. I tried to tell her the truth about Syndicorp, but she didn’t want to believe me.”
“I guess we’re two for two, then.” He craned his neck to look at her behind him. “I met Doug.”
She sat up straight. “You found him? Why didn’t he come with you?”
“It’s a long story, but he doesn’t want to escape. They’ve turned him into a cyborg.”
“Fuck! A cyborg? Is that what the nanites turn you into?”
“Seems to be.” Something in his eyes worried her, but she didn’t know what. “He seems to have a lot of control over the flagship’s systems. I don’t think Syndicorp understands how much of a free agent he is. He helped me locate you and he’s the one who opened the bulkhead for us.”
A stranger’s voice emerged from the fighter ship’s comm. “I have obscured your path from the Icarus’s sensors, but I recommend you find a place to hide soon. I cannot monitor and control other vessels who may report you.”
Noatak whipped back to face the controls. “Doug?”
“Correct,” the voice replied.
Marlis felt dizzy with sudden hope. If Doug was as in control as Noatak said, maybe he could help Attie. “Doug, my name’s Marlis. Can you keep an eye on my sister? Attie Swan. She might get in trouble because I escaped.”
“Corporal Swan is irrelevant to my purpose. She has no information regarding Lisa.”
Anger flared in Marlis’s chest. “She’s not irrelevant. She’s my sister.”
Noatak added, “You of all people should understand how important sisters are, Doug.”
There was a momentary silence, then Doug replied. “I will attempt to mitigate any incriminating evidence against Corporal Swan. However, I make no assurances. Her fate lies in human hands.”
Voice shaking, Marlis forced out, “Thank you.” Whatever help he could offer was better than nothing.
Doug continued. “Attempting to reach me again either physically or digitally would be inadvisable. Please pass my request to Lisa. We will not speak again.”
Noatak didn’t take a full breath of air until the fighter’s wheels had come to a full stop against the deck of the Hardship’s cargo bay. Without waiting for the catwalk’s boarding plank to deploy, he released the canopy seal with a hiss. He rose and reached into the gunner’s seat, pulling Marlis into his arms before jumpi
ng to the deck below. Her arms around his neck felt so right, he sent a silent prayer of thanks to Ellam Cua. He hadn’t felt this energized in ages.
It had to be the nanites.
His usual doubt had been permeated by hope, although not replaced; he’d been through Syndicorp’s testing before and paid the price. For all Noatak knew, he’d been injected with a different strain, not the one that could fix Marlis’s brain. Or perhaps he was only feeling energized because of the stims Dollard had injected along with the nanites. There was even the possibility that the nanites weren’t fixing his system at all, just burning through it that much faster. All reasons he hadn’t yet told Marlis he’d been inoculated. No sense raising her expectations—or concerns—until Mek checked everything out.
He set her feet against the deck and faced the crew racing to meet him. Feet thundered on the catwalk stairs, then everyone was asking questions at once. Tovik paced around the base of the fighter, eying the various parts with glee.
“Keep your paws off that ship,” Noatak yelled over the commotion. The engineer’d have the vessel in pieces if he wasn’t specifically told to leave it alone.
Crestfallen, Tovik joined the others where they crowded around. Lisa looked from Marlis to Noatak then hopefully up at the fighter’s cockpit. “Did you find Doug?”
“I’m sorry.” Noatak shook his head, hating delivering bad news. “I wasn’t able to bring him along.”
“But you found him?” she asked, her charcoal eyes distressed.
“The short version is that he refused to come.”
“Refused? Why?”
“He isn’t exactly a prisoner,” Noatak said. “But It’s a very long story and I need to visit the med bay before we debrief.” He wanted to get a handle on the nanites before anything else went sideways.
Marlis took Lisa’s hand. “We wouldn’t have escaped without him. And he’s promised to look out for my sister. We’ll find a way to free him from Syndicorp control, I promise.”