Dark Demise

by Rebecca Royce

  Rohan smiled against my mouth. “Missed you. That’s weird. I don’t usually miss people. Not even those I care about. This is a change for me.”

  Jackson groaned, he still hadn’t answered Ari when he came over to hug me. He kissed the top of my head. “Okay, I can think now.”

  Ari leaned against the wall. “I can actually understand that sentiment. She comes in the room, and if I don’t touch her in some way, then something is wrong and I can’t focus.”

  “Guys.” I shook my head. “Too much.”

  Jackson nodded. “We’ll get you there. I bothered you on this because I need you to positively identify the three guys who attacked you.”

  “I was there. I identified them.” The metal in Canyon’s eyes glinted for a second, as light reflected off them before returning to normal. Why did that happen sometimes?

  Jackson put his hands on the desk as he leaned forward. “Canyon and I have gone through this for an hour. I don’t like advocates interfering. I don’t think we’re in a position yet on The Farm where individual rights are to be considered. This is war. But Clay wrote a constitution, and everyone who doesn’t work in security said yes to it. So, now we have our system of laws. We’re not having a trial. We’re not going to let them plea to anything. They do have certain rights, and Nolan isn’t going to be able to deal with them the way we want him to if we don’t have a positive identification. Too many people know you can’t see, Canyon. You are going to have to look at them, lady, and you are going to have say, for the record, what they did.”

  My body went cold, the buzzing from earlier stopping immediately. “I… guessed I hoped they were dead. I know that’s not reasonable. I didn’t think I was bloodthirsty. I just am, I suppose. Maybe it’s a Sandler thing.”

  “Maybe it’s a they attacked you thing,” Ari shot back.

  I nodded. “Maybe. Okay, sure I’ll look at them. I’ll say what they did.”

  “If you want them dead, they’re dead,” Rohan spoke with such a calmness I might have believed he didn’t care about this at all except for the heat in the glare he gave Jackson. “They can be dead in two minutes. All three of them.”

  Jackson slammed his hand on the desk. “I could kill them, too. You think you’re the only one who wants that? You think you and Canyon are the only people in this room who’ve killed people? I lived with space pirates. Trust me, I am just as capable of dishing out final justice. But I’m going to have to arrest you if you go and do that, and I think that would make Waverly upset. I sit up at night, and I think about it.”

  “You’d never catch me to arrest me, brother, and I think you would miss me”

  They were completely serious in this conversation. I felt like I was watching some kind of sporting event as they lobbed statements back and forth at one another.

  “Don’t ever underestimate me. Too many people make that mistake.”

  “Okay.” I raised my voice. “I’m sorry I ever brought up the killing.”

  Ari yawned. “I’ve killed someone. Just to be clear.”

  “I kind of thought you had.” Jackson looked down at the table and then rubbed his eyes.

  Canyon rounded on Ari. “Who did you kill?”

  “There was a problem on Mars Station. Someone came in to steal medicine. Normally, I try to talk them down. Or even give them some and then talk them down. He took a nurse hostage. I did my best, but ultimately, I had no choice.” He pointed at the door. “Are they out there? I’d kill them. I wouldn’t even feel badly about it.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “Well, okay, then you big band of murderers. Maybe I’ll kill them so we can all be in the same club.”

  All four of them answered me in unison. “No.”

  “I think we may have gotten off track here.” Jackson rose to his full height. “Waverly, let’s go so you can identify them, talk about what happened, and move on from there.”

  He took my hand and pulled me out of the room. I hurried to keep up with him. How had I gone from tucked in bed with Ari to having to face the three men who had tried to kill me? We rounded the corner and went into a detention area. I’d never been here before.

  It was huge. How many people were locked up? Every cell we walked by looked like a box, a giant one, with a plastic wall so we could see inside. So far, each one was full of people staring at walls or lying on their backs staring at the ceiling. I walked around, before the incident with the three men, thinking I was mostly safe here. I guessed that had been an illusion even more than I understood it to be.

  Like Makenna.

  The three guys were in one cell together. I recognized them immediately, but then, I was never likely to ever forget. They were pretty beat up. Apparently, someone had treated them but not made their bumps and bruises go away. Canyon had really knocked them around.

  He was in the doorway at the end of the hall. Two guards blocked him from following us. I guessed it was just supposed to be Jackson and me. I doubted the two in Canyon’s way could really stop him if he wanted to get through.

  “Hey, it’s the Sandler bitch.” The one with the longest beard and now a huge black eye pounded on the window. It didn’t so much as vibrate.

  “Watch your mouth, Johan.” Apparently, Jackson knew his name.

  Memories of that night swarmed over me, and for just a second, I knew how Ari must feel when the hallucinations were more real than reality. I swallowed and stood straighter. My mother had known how to put on a show, to look like she was okay, even if she wasn’t. My father had divorced her—which almost never happened in a world with so few women—and humiliated her time and again. Still, she’d lived in the house he provided for her, begrudgingly, and until her dying day, anyone other than me would have told you she was happy.

  Jackson stared at me, worry evident in his gaze. Was I going to fall apart having to do this?

  Not here I wasn’t.

  I touched the glass. “This Sandler bitch doesn’t play games with would be rapists and murderers. Here’s what happened.”

  I started talking.

  13

  The Long Goodbye

  My tablet pinged, and I used the excuse to ignore my guys for a minute. I didn’t want them to see the riot of emotions going on inside of me right then.

  On one hand, I wanted to cry. Seeing those three again? It couldn’t have been more horrible. The need for vengeance made me clench my teeth in self-disgust for not having a particularly forgiving soul and called for some serious sulking. I wasn’t going to do any of those things.

  Instead, I stared at my tablet.

  “Everything okay?” It was Jackson who asked. He stood a distance away from me whereas the other three were so close if I swung around, I would bang into them.

  “I guess there are five ships that just arrived, and all of the doctors and nurses are busy delivering babies right now.” It was probably the low-pressure system that brought the hail bringing on the babies, too. No one liked to talk about that. It wasn’t strictly scientific and yet seemed to happen, no matter the planets, when it came to babies and birth.

  Ari knocked into me. “Oh, do they need more help? I’ll go.”

  He was out the door before I could answer. All the time he was spending traveling through time and recovering from doing so must be cutting into his actual doctoring. Someone would be lucky he delivered their baby.

  I held up the tablet. “They want me to come do the medical check.”

  “It was protocol I suggested,” Jackson answered. “People are coming from all over. Not everyone has had the same level of care. All we need is a bad case of flu and the Med Bay will be overrun. Or if it’s one they can’t cure. This group came in from an Earth Zone, so I imagine it’ll be a quick in and out for you.”

  I nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Rohan grabbed my arm. “Your heart is beating too fast.”

  Canyon sighed. “Your light dimmed a bit. You’re very upset.”

  It was going to be hard to hide anythin
g with these two. I smiled at them because they cared and it was so much better to have them questioning me about light I couldn’t see and the sound my heart made than to be without them. This was all new, but even just in the days we’d been giving this a try, I’d come to feel less… lonely than I’d ever been.

  “I am a person who needs a lot of alone time. Particularly when I’m not okay. This is either just how I’m made or it’s because I was sent to be alone whenever I was bothersome. I was mostly alone anyway but not even the people paid to sit with me would stay near me.” I was really that annoying to have around and… Damn it, I did it again. I sighed. “It’ll be good if I just go do this task, and then I’ll feel more myself. Okay?”

  Rohan looked away. “When I was alone in the child rearing area growing up, in the lab, I often told myself I could be truly happy if I only had a family. I think that was wrong. I think I at least understood my place in the world while it sounds like having a home doesn’t necessarily leave you better off.”

  I touched his arm. “My father is being battled on two fronts to stop him from trying to take over the universe. He is subsequently destroying it in the process. I might not be the best person to judge family. I want a family. I want the whole messy endeavor. I want loudness and happiness and crying and anger. And disorganization and screaming babies. I want to be up all night with a sick kid and there when he or she stumbles taking steps. I don’t know… I think there is happiness to be found in the midst of all of that. It doesn’t have to be a disaster.” I sighed. “But maybe I can’t have that. I’m a Sandler. My brothers have Paloma, and she has this huge heart. I’m selfish and maybe not fit to be a mother.”

  Jackson charged over. “Don’t ever say that again. I think all the things that make you a Sandler make you exactly fit to be a mother. Before your father tarnished the name, your family ruled a quadrant and people were happy. I’ve read about it in the briefings. Garrison isn’t the definition of Sandler. He’s something that went wrong. You’re strong, loyal, smart. Okay, you have a wish for revenge, but let me tell you, there are a lot of kids in the universe who wouldn’t mind having a mother that wouldn’t let anyone harm them, ever. You want kids, we’ll have kids. In that house I’m going to build for you.”

  Rohan nodded. “Yes. I’ll help with wherever this house is. I can build things. And it has to be large. She wants ten kids.”

  Jackson visibly paled. “Ten?”

  “Or so.” I wasn’t going to give in on that number. Ten would be the perfect amount. In my imaginary life where this all worked out. Sigh. I really wasn’t an optimist.

  I passed by the Med Bay and poked my head in. I needed gloves, and there was usually a pair of scrubs I could get out of the drawers I kept organized. I immediately found Ari. He was in a room, helping a woman give birth. I walked toward them. Her vitals were good. What struck me was that she was sobbing.

  “Everything okay in here?” I washed my hands as I asked.

  Ari met my gaze. “This is Whitney. Her husbands are missing. They were on a shuttle that’s been taken by Sandler Cartel. Whitney, this nurse’s name is Waverly. Oh look, you’re both Ws. That’s kind of unusual. Whitney, Waverly is my girlfriend, so I need you to help me look good.”

  The woman sniffed, wiping at her eyes, and I took her hand. He needed her attention on having this baby, not how awful it was that the men who should be here with her were not.

  “Okay.” I squeezed her hand hard. “You are going to squeeze my fingers as much as it hurts. As much as it hurts.” I repeated on purpose.

  “I can’t believe I’m alone. I didn’t want them to go on the last mission. But they were determined to be rid of those Sandlers before the baby came. One week, they told me. One week. That was six weeks ago.”

  I was really not going to tell her what my last name was. Probably ever. “Look at me.” I forced her to hold my gaze. “You are not alone. I’m here with you. Nothing bad is going to happen today. Makenna has not forgotten your husbands.” In fact, one of my guys had gotten himself hurt finding out about them. I was apparently going to throw myself into the deception when it suited me. I loved learning these little tidbits of my darker personality. “They’re coming home. And you are going to have this baby to show them. So let’s give Dr. Bennett our attention and have a healthy baby.”

  In the end, it took another half an hour, but she did deliver a little girl. Everyone was fine, and Cash came in to relieve Ari. I casually bumped into my favorite doctor, grinning at him. Only Ari could make doctoring so completely sexy. Not once, not during the entire delivery, did Ari call Whitney any nicknames at all.

  This was happening. They really were, all of them, as committed to this as they said they were. I kissed him, gently on the lips. “I’ve got to go do those check-ins for security. Those people must think we forgot them.”

  “Just explain to them that you had to bring new life into the world. You’re really good at that, you know.”

  His words heated my cheeks. “I’m just going to say thank you. I don’t do compliments very well.”

  “That wasn’t a compliment. It was a fact. Go so you can come back. I’m going to wait for you in your room. It’s still my date day. If that’s okay?”

  I patted him on the arm. “Sure. Even though, you know, you steal all the covers.”

  His mouth fell open. “Do I?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not going to tell you. You’ll have to wonder.”

  “Waverly Sandler, you are flirting with me.” He winked at me.

  I was.

  The first three ships were very mundane. The paperwork the crews carried were complete. People on board reported a very basic amount of medical care in their lives. They were healthy, not feeling sick, and I didn’t think they were a risk to anyone.

  I yawned as I got on the fourth ship. It was older than the others, a family seeking to join us to get away from Evander. Or that is what the manifest told me, which I briefly skimmed on my way to them. The Dark Planets were tricky. They did things differently. Sometimes there were doctors, mostly there were not.

  The fact these folks had a ship was a good sign. Most people from that area of space would live and die without getting on a spaceship. The smell hit me first. Someone had vomited. A lot. I tried not to gag. Part of doing this job meant faking it. I’d always hated the smell of vomit.

  “Hello.” I was in the main part of the ship, and I still hadn’t found anyone. What was going on here? There should be six passengers.

  I kept moving until I got to their small galley. All six of them were in there, and they were in bad shape. At first, my mind couldn’t get over what I was seeing. Their skin, which I would guess was naturally olive colored, was pale, and black spider veins were visible everywhere, crisscrossing every visible part of their body.

  The oldest woman in the crowd extended her hand to me. “Help me.”

  “What is the matter with you?” I’d never seen anything like this before. I didn’t even know what I was seeing.

  “Help.” Her hand again. “Sick.”

  I grabbed my tablet. Okay, she was sick. She needed help. But before that, I had to manage what was happening here. Unknown illness from a Dark Planet vessel. I hit the quarantine button on my tablet.

  An alarm sounded around us, sealing this ship from the rest of The Farm. No one had been on here before me. If this was airborne, maybe we were safe. Still, the quarantine would stop anyone from coming into this entire facility until we knew what was happening.

  Okay, I had done that. I forced myself to breathe. I’d grabbed gloves and a mask. I put them on. My tablet dinged. It was Dane. He was in charge in moments like these.

  “Waverly? What’s going on?”

  I took a deep breath. “Assessing. Unknown… something. Take a look.” I moved the tablet so he could see.

  He sucked in his breath. “What is that?”

  “No idea,” I answered him. “Only I’ve come in. They’re from the Dark Pla
nets. Sending you the manifest.” I hit the needed buttons and got him the information. “I’ll be back in touch.”

  The best way to proceed was to get one of them in a med machine and then have that machine send readings to Dane. He’d know exactly what we were dealing with.

  “Where is your med machine?” Hopefully it had wheels so I could roll it. I was strong, but not that strong.

  She grabbed my gloved hand. “No machine.”

  No machine? That wasn’t legal. I steeled my expression. Nothing would get better with panic. They couldn’t have a shuttle without a med machine in the Earth zones or even in Sandler Space. No one would sell them any. But the Dark Planets?

  That was different. I rose. “Okay. We’re going to help you.” I hoped. “Stay calm.”

  I was going to have to assess this without a machine and go from there. I’d get Dane back on the line, and he’d fill in what I didn’t get right.

  Twenty minutes later, I had all the patients under light sheets on top of blankets. They were burning up. Every one of them had a fever of 105. The black, web-like spider veins had popped up all over their bodies. There was no difference between men, women, and children. They were all suffering the same way. Vomiting, yes. Cough, yes. Blood, yes. Dizziness, yes. Pain, for sure. They were having difficulty breathing.

  My tablet had been going off incessantly. I had told Dane I needed time to triage this, and he’d told me I could have it. I didn’t think it was Dane pinging me over and over. I looked down at the tablet. I was right. Each one of my guys had reached out. A lot.

  I ignored the messages. I wanted to talk to them, but handling this had to come first. Instead of my tablet, I walked to the main viewer in the comm room. I didn’t want to use the tablet too much. From this ship, I couldn’t hook the tablet up to the main system for it to feed off the energy resources. I couldn’t let it die.

  Dane’s face appeared. “Tell me.”

  So I did. Every last bit I knew, I told him. We couldn’t get blood samples, and we didn’t have the machine to tell us what it was. That was okay. I knew it—and so did he.