"Thought you'd be back," he said with a wicked grin.
"You bastard!" Nova said. Her hand moved for her gun. It felt as though a herd of horses were galloping through her chest, pounding against her lungs and making it hard to breathe.
As she fumbled with her weapon the man flickered, his image disappearing for a second. Her eyes dropped to the floor where a black box projected him into the air.
"Not much point in a weapon," the man said, gesturing to the transmitter at his feet. "I think I've got something you might want."
"I don't want anything from you."
"No? Not even another hit?" the man asked. He held up his other hand. Pinched between his thumb and forefinger shone a bright green pill that almost glowed in the dim bathroom.
Nova's mind raced. She reached out for Cal through her brain-implant but all she got was silence.
"You won't get any signal in here," said the man, pointing back to the transmitter. "An extra precaution."
"I don't need your drugs," Nova said, defiant.
"Oh I assure you, you do," he replied. "You will be dead in twelve hours without it."
"Why me?" Nova asked. "Why choose me?"
"Why anybody?" the man said with a shrug.
"Why are you doing this?"
The man responded with another shrug. "That's not for you to know. Stop wasting my time, do you want it or not?"
Nova trembled. She didn't want to accept the drugs but she could feel the fingers of death curling about her throat, waiting. Not only that, her blood itched with cravings. It was as if a tiny bug kept nibbling at her brain. Surely, that green pill would silence the gnawing.
"How much?" she asked.
"Two hundred, cash. Leave it behind the bin."
Nova thrust her hand into her pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. Her hands shook so much she couldn't count it. She settled with hurling the handful of money at the bin and turning on the holographic image.
"Give it to me!"
The man smiled. The top of the transmitter clicked and popped open, revealing a solid pill. Nova snatched it, sending the box skittering across the floor.
She clasped it in her hand and gazed at it, her mouth hanging open. She had to get out, to tell Cal and give it to him, but when she looked down she hadn't moved a single step. Time seemed to slow, encasing her with the pill, and with her need for it.
"No." She took a shaky step towards the door.
New cravings flared up from her stomach. Her skin crawled, as if covered in ants, and her lips kept drying out. She ran her swollen tongue over her cracked skin, imagining how the pill would taste.
It would get rid of the itching, and the pain, and her cloudy thoughts. If she just took it she'd be able to think clearly and find a way out of this mess.
"No." The other, annoying, part of herself said.
"I'll just take this one, then we'll fix it."
"No."
"I'll die without it."
No.
"I can't handle it."
…
The scratchy burn racing over her skin drowned out any reply she may have had. She ran to the sink and shoved the pill into her mouth, lapping at the flow of water like a dog until the pill swirled down her throat.
When she looked back into the mirror, the man with the red armband was gone. She clutched at the sides of the sink like a life-line, her knuckles turning white. The eyes staring back at her from the mirror were those of a stranger, manic and wild.
Her tussled hair hung about her head in knotted bunches and scratches ran down her face and arms. She looked like a junkie who had been hooked for years, not just one day.
"What the hell am I doing?" she asked herself. The emaciated figure before her didn't reply.
She splashed water onto her face and looked around for something to wipe her hands on. The paper towel had run out but next to the dispenser was a note. Nova wiped her hands on her jeans and staggered over to the scrap of paper.
Each hit lasts a shorter time than the last. If you want to live past tomorrow, find me.
She turned the paper over. On the other side was a rough map, scribbled with a few simple lines.
She pushed her way out of the bathroom, stumbling into the bar.
"Nova, what's wrong?" Cal asked.
"He was here."
"What?"
"The man with the armband, he was here. There was a transmitter in the bathroom." Nova bent double, gasping for breath. "He was right here!" Nova yelled, slamming her fist into the wooden door frame.
CHAPTER TEN
"Are you okay?" Cal asked.
Nova glared up at the ceiling of the barroom, ignoring the bartender. Her vision spun, sending the overhead lights into a swirling vortex.
"It's so beautiful," she whispered.
"Nova, did the man give you another dose?" Cal asked, hovering close.
"No."
Her tone was sterner than she'd intended. She didn't know why she lied but her thoughts were so tangled. It was like trying to beat her way through a jungle just to make the right words come out.
"Nova, you have to tell me the truth."
She looked at the robot and giggled at the way his round body hovered in the air.
"I've got to get you back to the ship," Cal said.
Just like the night before, he grabbed hold of Nova's shirt with one of his thin arms and steered her for the door.
"Thank you for your help," Cal called to the barman, who was looking after them with a mixture of concern and confusion.
***
"What happened?" Tanguin said as Nova fell through Crusader's sliding door.
"She's taken another dose," Cal replied.
"What? How?" Tanguin knelt by Nova's side as she laughed and rolled across the floor.
"She went to the bathroom. There was a transmitter waiting for her, it had another pill inside."
"What can we do?" Something clamped around Tanguin's heart, constricting her chest. Hot tears stung the corners of her eyes as she looked down at her friend.
"I think the best we can do is tie her down so she doesn't hurt herself or anyone else." Cal sighed.
"Okay. Nova, can you come with me?" Tanguin said, helping Nova to her feet. She led her through the ship to her bed and laid her down.
Before Nova knew what was happening, her arms and legs were tied to her bedframe.
"What? What are you doing?" she yelled.
"It's for your own good," Cal said.
"I'll show you your own good," Nova spat at them. "You stupid flying melon!"
"That's a new one," Cal said, but didn't move.
From there, Nova's condition spiralled. She mumbled and screamed about stars and flowers, wailing that her brain was on fire. She smiled and laughed, oblivious to her surroundings. If she'd been able to move she would have been walking around the city entirely unaware.
"Did you find anything?" Cal asked.
Tanguin shook her head. "Nothing helpful. There's been a steady increase in the drug's appearance. It's especially been a problem with random dosing in bars."
***
It was hours before Nova stopped giggling and started talking in understandable sentences again.
"We have to follow the map!" Nova said, grasping Tanguin's wrist. "We must follow the map and find the treasure. But shhh!" She looked around her sleeping pod with narrowed eyes before collapsing back to bed with delirious mutterings.
***
Over time the madness in Nova's eyes faded, to be replaced with exhaustion and withdrawal.
"We can track whoever is doing this," Nova said in a more reasonable tone later that evening. Her words scraped over her dry throat like knives as she scrounged for the energy to talk.
"Nova, we don't know what will be waiting for you if you go there."
"At least untie me. Look, I'm sane again," Nova said, resting against her pillow with a sigh.
Tanguin leaned over and loosened the straps around Nova's limbs.
<
br /> "We should call the authorities," Cal said to Tanguin. "The map might give them the information they need to stop this."
"No!" Nova said, shooting upright in her bed. She stared with wide-eyes at Tanguin and Cal. A deep ache welled in her stomach, along with a sullen hatred for them both.
"Nova, I think Cal's right. We have to tell someone about this. More people could be in danger."
"No. I will go and find them myself," Nova said.
She tried to force a smile but it felt false on her face. She hoped that Tanguin and Cal would fall for her lie. She didn't want to stop this. She would do almost anything for another high, to see those beautiful stars again.
"Nova, you're not thinking straight. You are relieved of command," Cal said. "Crusader, summon the authorities."
"You bastard!" Nova spat.
The rage in her stomach boiled over and became strength. She leaped to her feet and bolted away from her bed. The drug poured adrenalin through her body, giving her super-human speed, and she shot past Tanguin and Cal, sprinting for the exit.
Even Crusader didn't have time to lock the door. Nova sprang out into the night and laughed as she ran. She was free!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Cal, I've found the van!" Tanguin called from Crusader's command pod.
Cal flew into the room, his engine whirring.
"I've traced it through the city's video feeds. It's stopped at a shopping centre not far from here."
"Didn't I kill them?"
"I guess they had backup because it's moved."
Tanguin's heart beat in her throat. She had no way to track Nova except to find out who had drugged her, and the only lead she had on that was the black van that had tried to steal Nova away when she stumbled out of the bar. She'd been trawling through video footage all morning. Back at The Jagged Maw, her computer, Delta, was doing the same.
Her eyes stung from watching the fast-forwarded videos for so long, but finally she had something to show for it.
"We have to go on foot," Cal said. "Nova might come back here looking for us."
"Can't you trace her through her chip?" Tanguin said, scribbling the address onto the back of her hand.
"She's blocking our connection… or the drug is. I can't find her at all."
Tanguin grimaced and erupted out of the chair, hurrying for the main door. Her feet clacked against the metal flooring.
Together Tanguin and Cal dashed through the backstreets towards the mall and the black van. The beggars in the street barely paused to look up at them as they rushed past.
Tanguin squinted against the bright sunlight that stung her sensitive eyes, blinking away tears. The smell of desperation hung over the city much like the smog that coated it in a yellow blanket. She pushed herself to run faster, sure that they'd arrive just in time to watch the van pulling away.
They stumbled into the parking lot of the over-sized store and hurried down the lines of parking bays, trying to look casual. Tanguin spotted it first, the black paint gleaming in the sunlight. The tinted windows reflected the other cars, revealing nothing of the inside.
She and Cal slowed to a walk, meandering between the cars until they stood just one bay over. Tanguin pretended to look at Cal while studying the van. There was nothing about it to make it stand out. It was just another dark car in a parking lot.
"If we're going to place the tracker we have to do it now," said Cal.
Tanguin bit her lip and nodded. She took a deep breath and then grinned, stumbling forward and swiping at Cal with her right hand. "Come on! Don't be such a downer. I'm sure they'll sell us some Blue Saturns."
She spun in a tight circle, coming to a stop next to the van. She slapped her hand against the rear bumper and grinned over her shoulder at Cal. "Can you imagine if we had one of these! It'd be the best!"
Cal hovered up next to her. "Time to take you home."
Tanguin pouted. "But I don't want to go home!"
Cal's thin arm shot out and snapped around Tanguin's wrist. "Parents' orders."
He hovered backwards, away from the van, taking Tanguin with him. She wailed and complained but followed him away from the car park and out of sight of the van. They ducked into a side alley and Tanguin leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.
"Wow. That was no fun at all. I don't know how Nova does it."
Cal's eye swivelled to look at Tanguin. "I think she's crazy."
Tanguin chuckled and swiped her hand across her forehead. "Maybe you're right." The mirth died in her throat as she thought of Nova. "I hope she's okay."
A cool wind whispered down the alley and made the discarded rubbish rustle across the pavement.
"They're moving," Cal said.
Tanguin pushed off the wall. "Which direction?"
"Heading away from us. They've turned left. Now right."
"We have to follow them. They might have Nova."
"The transmitter has an audio feed. I can hear some of what they're saying."
Tanguin waved her hand. "Put it through!"
"… We collected another twenty last night. So far it's looking good."
"Won't mean anything if we don't find those targets."
"If Bobby's crew hadn't got themselves killed we'd have them. But don't worry; we'll find them. They always come back, you know that."
The man let out a deep sigh. "This one felt different."
"No one's different. She'll show up."
Music blared through the transmitter and drowned out the voices. The colour drained away from Tanguin's face. "They're talking about Nova."
"We'll follow them. They've stopped again. It looks like a house. If they have Nova, we'll soon find out."
Tanguin nodded and trotted to the end of the alley, Cal following close behind.
It took them much longer to reach the van on foot and by the time they turned the corner and saw it parked by the side of the road, Tanguin's legs burned. Her heart leaped into her throat and she ducked behind a sparse bush, sweat trickling down her forehead.
Cal hovered to her right, his lens eye swivelling.
"Anything?" Tanguin asked.
"They have indeed stopped at a house. It's big. No sign of them."
Tanguin risked a glance over the bush. The house looked more like a mansion. A vibrant green garden spread out around it, making the black van stand out even more.
"What the hell…" Tanguin whispered, her voice trailing off.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Nova looked down at the scribbled map in her hands. Somehow the paper had become scrunched and wet in one corner. She narrowed her eyes and tried to make out the thin lines. They refused to stay still on the page, instead insisting on dancing and wobbling around.
The motion of the lines mirrored that of Nova's body which swayed back and forth like a tree in the wind.
She spun the paper around and looked up at her surroundings. Dull grey buildings towered over her. Broken windows outnumbered the unbroken ones and rubbish gathered in every corner.
In front of her a dark tunnel led down into an old subway station. A single piece of wood dotted with rusty nails blocked the entrance with the words DO NOT ENTER scribbled across it.
Nova stared down at her map one more time and then stumbled to the tunnel. She ducked under the piece of wood and was engulfed by darkness. She had to place one hand against the cold wall to keep her balance as she searched for the next step, her foot waving through the air.
Her feet made splashing noises and cold droplets sprayed up her legs. There were times when Nova forgot what she was doing and stopped her descent. She stood on the stairs for full minutes before remembering the map in her hand and the instructions.
By the time she entered the dim light of the abandoned station she'd lost track of where she was. A chill washed over her skin, raising small bumps along her arms, but she was too focused on her next hit to notice.
Torches flickered with firelight, casting an uneven glow. To the left and right of the plat
form the train tunnel extended into deep black holes. People scurried along the tracks like rats, stopping to rummage through piles of rocks. Even more people congregated on the platform. They shuffled through the puddles or sat against the walls of the station, their eyes crimson.
A semi-organised line extended out from the ticket booth. Some of the people stood in line like brainless corpses whilst others pushed their way forward with an air of desperation.
Nova's eyes narrowed at the ticket booth. She felt an urge to giggle but held it down. Her vision was getting hazy again and the shapes in the distance kept going in and out of focus.
Inside the ticket booth sat a man with a red band around his arm. He wasn't the one she'd seen earlier that day; this one wore a thick beard and a frown.
He snatched a wad of cash from the man at the front of the line and held out a fluorescent green pill. The man in line grabbed the pill and cradled it in his palm, gazing at it like he would a child. Nova saw the soft glow of a pill and a jolt went through her brain. An inescapable urge came over her to get hold of the pill.
She ran for the ticket booth. The people around her disappeared until there was just her and the pill.
"Whoa, take it easy," a big man with a red armband grabbed hold of her and lifted her feet from the ground.
Her legs kept moving before she realised she had stopped going forward.
"There's the line," the man said, pointing his thick finger to the end of the ragged queue.
Nova's mouth wouldn't form words so instead she nodded and shuffled to the end of the line. The hackles on her neck rose as she glared at the surrounding people, daring any of them to try to take her place.
A man in a leather jacket yelped, lifting his hands into the air. He sprinted away down the tracks and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel. A woman sat against the far wall giggled at his sudden display, whilst others huddled into the darker corners of the station, not moving.
Nova shivered when she saw a particularly stiff body.
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