by Layla Stone
“Yes,” Sci answered begrudgingly.
To Ansel, Pax said, “She will need medical assistance. That goes without saying. You got that covered?”
“Yes.”
Reality hit Sci hard. His head fell forward. Sasha would need medical assistance? Pax’s words, said casually, did more damage than all the made-up images Sasha had presumed Allure was doing to her mom.
Sci knew two things right then: that he was going to take out all the guards, Allure, and anyone who hurt his Terran. And that there would be no mercy.
Sci’s mind had already scanned, looking for her. She wasn’t in his bandwidth, but the moment she was, he would zero in on her. The seconds ticked by, and he refused to wait.
Using his telekinesis, he floated up out of the ship’s docking bay.
Pax stumbled back. “Didn’t know you could do that.”
“I’m not waiting,” Sci informed them. “I’ll see you in the city.”
“Wait! How will we find you? Find her? We need to stick together, Sci,” Pax yelled. “This is how it works. We are a team, we do this together. No one goes in alone. Do you hear me?”
Sci didn’t want to be a part of the team if they were going to move so slowly.
“She’s going to need Ansel, and unless you can fly all of us over, then you’re going to wait a few more minutes until that stupid sloop is up and flying.”
Pax’s words made sense, and Sci was tempted to fly all of them, but he would need too much of his energy to do it.
Sci closed his eyes to concentrate. He was desperately looking for Sasha’s mind, hoping it would be a beacon that would call to him. Sci was close, yet still too far away. He desperately wanted her back. He needed Sasha to be all right. “Hurry.”
“Sands!” Pax yelled. “Stay here and be ready for when we get back. Don’t let anyone in, not even the planet guards.”
Sands rounded the corner, his left hand was no longer a metal hand, but a wrench. “This sloop is a piece. I just changed out the air filter, but while I was doing that the unit stopped filtering and that’s why it’s been as hot as Demon scabs in here.”
Pax narrowed his eyes.
“The water pump is going to go down too, the only thing that I can confidently say works are the engines.” Sands rolled his metallic wrist, the wrench folded away and the metal hand appeared once more.
Pax and Ansel walked down the ramp to the blacktop leaving Sands standing in the bay. Pax called back. “You found it, you fix it and have it done before we get back.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Delicate Life
Sasha was still treading water. The tube was slick on the inside, making it impossible to grab hold of the side or lid. Her lungs and legs burned with hours of effort. Inside the tank, the smell was worse after she’d vomited up water she accidentally drank. The liquid was poisoned or just wouldn’t stay down in her stomach. Either way, Sasha was losing focus, losing the ability to stay conscious. She was tired, and the light had been turned off. She wanted so badly to close her eyes and pretend she was back in the cabin with Sci.
Sasha didn’t know if she wanted Madame Allure to come and get her for another session or not. This one thus far had caused her muscles to ache and burn, but the worst part was keeping herself above the water line and awake. The tank was so big, if she stopped treading, she would drown, and Sasha couldn’t allow that.
Leaning her head back, Sasha tried to take slow, deep breaths to fill her lungs. She wondered why she kept holding on, especially if a quick death might be better than a lifetime of Allure. If she had not been rescued already, there was a chance that she wouldn’t be, that no one would know where she had been taken.
She kept holding on, struggling to stay awake and fighting to stay alive. Thoughts of Sci kept her sane through the long night. Where was he? Would he find her? She remembered what he had done in the training session when the soldier slapped her. What would he do to the madame if he ever found her? Those happy musings made her smile in the dark.
Sasha jerked up when a picture entered her mind. Sci. He was hugging her in the air, and it felt so real. “Sci…” she whimpered. Sci had entered her mind so many times when she was getting stir-crazy on Pegna that she knew, deep down, that he was here. He had come for her. She heard the door open. Instantly, she assumed it was Allure and that the madame was going to take Sasha away before Sci could save her. At first, she didn’t recognize her own voice when Pax moved over to the tube. “Sasha?” He looked around the glass and then tapped it. “Sasha, sweetheart, you need to hold your breath and move back.”
It took her a few seconds to hold her breath. She was starting to hyperventilate at the prospect of getting out of the tube and being freed. She called his name, begging, “Pax, get me out of here. Please, get me out of here. Please!”
“Now, Sasha!” Pax said as he lifted back his humongous fist.
She moved back and didn’t see the hit but felt it when she followed the mass of water to the floor. “Get her cleaned up. We have to move.”
Struggling to talk with a towel shoved over her face and head, she pushed back. “My mom! Someone get my mother.” Looking around, she didn’t see Sci. Where was he?
Pax moved the material away so she could see Ansel hovering over her mom. Knowing that he would take care of her, she took the towel and wiped down the rest of her body. “Where’s Sci?” She could feel him. Standing in her smelly, wet clothes, she asked, “You don’t happen to have a spare set of clothing, do you?”
Pax smirked and stripped off his shirt. “No need for excuses, hellcat, you can admit you like seeing my body.”
Sasha turned her back, removed the ripped and rancid shirt, letting it fall to the ground in a plop. Pulling over the Demon’s shirt she took in its warmth, and even though it was too large, she felt safe. “How did you find me?”
Pax wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her to the door before answering, “Followed Benelt’s ships route, it was easy to identify he was headed to Nexis.” Pax turned to the floor. “Five seconds, Ansel. Get her up and move. You said you could do this. Don’t make me regret bringing you over Sands.”
Sasha turned in Pax’s arms, wanting to help get her mom when she saw Ansel’s face. It was as if he were staring at nothing. His head was tilted to the side a bit, and his lips moved silently.
“Ansel! Get it together. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Ansel didn’t respond until Pax yelled his name again. Ansel blinked. “What did you say?”
“Get the woman and let’s go.”
Ansel peered down as if it were the first time he was seeing the woman at his feet. He turned to Pax then peered at Sasha with a frown.
“What?” But she knew. She knew right then as her stomach dropped and her body revolted.
No.
No. Please…
Ansel’s eyes teared up as he watched her. “She’s not responsive.” And he turned away to clear his throat.
Around her, she felt Pax squeeze her in place, but she fought violently. The horrid sounds of her screams ricocheted around the room. She escaped from Pax’s hold and fell to the floor next to her mother. Grabbing her by the shoulders, she noticed that her mother’s mouth was purple. “What’s wrong with her? Help her!” she screamed.
Her poor mother. Her body was paler than Sasha remembered, and her eyes looked dull, staring at nothing.
Pax cursed at Ansel, demanding that he grab Sasha, but Ansel never touched her. Sasha pressed her forehead to the woman who had given her life, the woman who had never stopped looking out for her and was totally devoted and caring. She couldn’t leave her. Not like that. “Mom. No. No, no, no, no, no.”
“I’m sorry, Sasha, the medscope won’t wake her up. She’s in a coma, and if we can’t get her back to Pegna soon, she could die. I don’t know what put her in a coma.”
Sasha’s tears dropped on her mom’s sleeping face. Squeezing her cl
ose, Sasha desperately needed her mom to hold on until they got her help. “You stay alive. You have to stay alive, Mom.”
The door shot open, and several males rushed in with phasers pointed down. Allure sashayed in, followed by Donil, rubbing her hands together, “Look, boys. My pretty pet brought me some goodies to play with.”
Allure’s neon blue cyborg eyes glanced around the room and stopped when they reached Sasha’s mother. She mocked a frown. “What happened to her? She’s going to miss my finale.” She snorted and told Sasha, “She’s going to miss the extra good stuff.” She tsked. “I was picturing you being led around on your hands and knees with this.” She held up a burlap rope collar. “Only good girls get soft leather.”
There was the sound of a small click then a whir sounded behind the pair. Both turned, and Sasha watched as Sci knocked Donil’s head with a ceramic lamp. He fell fast, along with the remaining pieces of the light fixture. The cruel bastard didn’t have enough time to even fight back. Allure gasped as she stepped back and the six males that held phasers turned their aim towards Sci.
Pax charged before the six males had even finished turning around. Sci didn’t attack Allure, but she didn’t move as two of her males fell down, grabbing their heads. From behind, the shooting got worse. Sasha was pulled down and away by Ansel, who tucked her behind his body so she was between him and the wall.
Sasha screamed when Ansel’s body jerked twice. She held him around the shoulders while phasers and male voices dominated the air around them. She pulled Ansel down into her lap and saw that he had taken two shots, close together. The blood rushed out through his shaking hands. He looked at it and huffed as if he found it funny. When he looked at Sasha, he tried to say something, but it was garbled with blood coming up his throat.
Sasha hesitated only a moment or two before her brain did what it always did when things went too fast and she needed to focus. Many things processed in her mind as she scanned the carnage. Donil was on the floor next to the medscope. Ansel needed it badly.
Pushing Ansel to the side with an abrupt apology, she quickly moved in and out of the foray of phaser pulses and fighting. She grabbed the medscope from the dead male’s grasp and returned to Ansel in record time. She pressed it into his wounds, but Ansel kept pushing the medscope off his chest. Again, he tried to say something, but Sasha couldn’t understand. The bleeding stopped, and the wound healed quickly.
Sasha felt someone grab her by her hair, and suddenly she was being pulled back until her back hit the cold floor.
“Stop, or she dies!” Allure screamed.
Sasha was not surprised when the chaos didn’t slow or stop. Allure scowled and opened her mouth to threaten them again. The knife at Sasha’s throat shook. “What the…?” Allure’s hand was shaking as though she were trying to shove the blade into Sasha’s jugular.
The pressure from the knife’s edge let up slightly. Sasha looked around and saw Sci’s eyes on her neck. His face taut.
He’d saved her. He was stopping Allure.
Sasha pressed her advantage by quickly moving her hand to knock the knife away, then rolling and setting up a better defensive position. Allure lunged to retrieve the dagger at her side.
Sasha also moved. Allure’s body had gone stiff, and Sasha was able to quickly scoop up the blade and stab it through the back of Allure’s neck. Sasha stopped when the madame stopped moving and choking. The blood had bubbled up and more pooled on the floor from the open wound.
Blood coated Sasha’s hands, and the knife in her hands seemingly weighed more as reality settled in.
Nausea hit Sasha hard as she tried to stand up. She faltered once before Pax’s arms grasped her, lifted her up, and pushed her towards the door. Bodies littered the floor as well as splatters of blood. “Drop the knife, hellcat, you don’t need it anymore.” She didn’t understand what Pax was talking about until he hit the top of her hand and the knife dropped.
“Oh.” She swallowed.
Sasha’s body floated out of Pax’s arms and into Sci’s. Wrapping her arms around Sci in a bloody grip, she put her nose to his neck and breathed him in. Needing his closeness. Needing him to fix the horror she had lived through.
Sci pulled her tight and walked out of the double doors. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pax holding her mother’s body cradled like a baby. Ansel followed in a blood-soaked shirt with a pinched face.
At the mansion rear door, Pax lifted her mother’s body to get a better grip. “I’m first, then Sci. Ansel, you pick up the rear,” Pax said, taking a defensive position as they prepared to exit.
Outside the doors, Pax led the group around the house and into a land transporter. It was one of Allure’s, and Sasha wasn’t sure if that was a good idea or a bad one. Sci pressed his forehead to hers. “Everything will be okay.”
The transporter whipped around the streets. Sasha didn’t see anyone following. She thought that was odd. “Do you see anyone following us, Sci?”
Head still next to hers, Sci answered, “No one is following. There is no one left to follow.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Pax asked while making another quick turn.
“There is no one left…alive.”
Sasha felt his words. They were weak as if uttered by a male who was a hair’s breadth away from dying. Pulling his face so his eyes met hers, she needed to see…
His eyes were red. Haunted.
“You…killed them?”
The male in her hands was cold. She didn’t know what to say.
“They knew what was done to you. They hurt you by allowing it to happen. I told you, I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, that I would protect you.”
Tears pricked her eyes; she couldn’t take it. He was in pain, it was clear in his eyes, in the stiffness of his body. He’d done that for her. He’d saved her and punished in his Cerebral way.
Pax let out a breath. “You really are a scary ass, Cerebral.”
Sci didn’t say anything else until they neared the port. Sci waved his hand, and Sasha watched as the entire guard shack broke apart. “Keep going. They won’t be getting up anytime soon.”
Shaking his head, Pax mumbled, “This redefines nab-n-grab.”
Driving onto the blacktop, Pax scanned the ships. He slowed down and cursed. “Where the hell is the sloop?”
Sands stepped out from the galleon ship situated next to the Federation’s sloop. Pax opened the land transporter, letting everyone out. To Sands, he said, “You moved the ship? Why?”
Sands looked at Sci first, then Sasha, his expression heavy with concern. After a moment, he finally answered Pax. “Because I’m not living in another cramped ship. I don’t like you enough to go through that again.”
“Do you know who you’re talking to like that?” Pax asked, pulling up to the cyborg’s face.
The cyborg smirked. “Yeah, I do. And let’s not forget, I’m not a Federation cyborg, so I’m not programmed to blindly follow orders.”
“You want to piss me off? Okay, sure, let’s get things settled right now. You want to stay here on this sex slave planet, I’ll leave your metal ass. Or, you can join this crew and be a part of something.”
The cyborg didn’t answer right away. He slowly looked Pax up and down. “Are we having a moment? Should we hug or something?”
Sasha wasn’t sure why Sands decided to stay. He could have gone on his way. He could have been free, but he jerked his head toward the galleon. “I saw two bottles of whiskey in the captain’s room.”
Pax rubbed his chin. “Good call. We’ll take the galleon.”
Sasha was still in Sci’s arms, her mother floating beside her as they made their way onto the ship.
Once inside, Sasha had Sci let her down, and she was the first inside the bridge, taking the pilot seat. Looking over the new console, she looked for the power button.
“Not sure you should be flying, not with where your head’s at,” Sci said behind h
er.
The ship jerked to the left, and Sasha felt Sci’s hands holding her shoulders. “I don’t sense anyone, must be—”
Another hit.
Sasha mumbled curses under her breath as she found the power. Punching the button, she powered up the ship, ignored the screen’s warning of an incoming assault, and then moved the thrusters forward.
Keeping her eyes on the forward screens, she took in the topography of the spaceport, the other landing ships, and where the attacks were coming from.
The galleon was much larger than the transporter and sloop. It had a wide surface and was not an acrobatic vessel. But it did have power, a lot of it, so Sasha used a semi-nose turn to avoid the next attack.
After missing the first projectile, she dipped the starboard side down to avoid the multiple shots coming from an acombic cannon. One hit alone wouldn’t blow them up, but it would effectively put their power systems offline. Enough time for the enemy to fire actual missiles that would take the ship out.
A voice crackled through the alert system. It was the network that the ships used to communicate with the planets. “You do not have authorization to depart. I repeat, you do not have authorization to depart. Return to port immediately or be terminated.”
Sasha hit the open intercom. “Suck off, Nexis.”
“Whoever is contacting you is outside my mental radius.”
The ship was entering the stratosphere. According to the sensors, four ships were heading directly towards them. Sasha wanted Sci next to her, but she was also worried about her mom. Conflicted, she said, “Can you stay with my mom? I don’t want her to be alone.”
Sci didn’t respond. And she didn’t have time to argue because two of the ships were within range to fire, and they did.
Cursing again, she dipped and rolled the beast of a ship, while deploying defense bots that attached to the missiles and fried their wiring with magnetic pulses.
Sasha’s hyper-focus took over, and her route became clear. She punched the allonic engines into a demi-burst and then cut the engines and let the ship fall into a nosedive. Sci breathed deeply behind her. The screen blinked Warning in big, red letters. The nosedive would kill them if her plan didn’t work.