by Caryn Lix
“Get your hands in the air!” she barked.
Cage rolled his shoulders, his back to us. His fingers twitched, as if he was considering reaching for his own weapon. “Stop it!” I shouted. “Rita, he’s not dangerous!”
Rita shot me a furious look. “Chica, are you out of your mind? This is an escaped freaking felon. I don’t know what’s going on around here, but—”
“That’s right,” Cage interrupted. “You don’t.” He glanced at me and said something in Mandarin. I almost caught it, but it was frustratingly out of reach. I shook my head at him and he half shrugged, a smile touching his lips.
He vanished. Rita pivoted, fury in her expression. Cage appeared behind her, caught her wrist, and twisted. The gun clattered to the ground, and he kicked it away. Another blink and he was across the room, both weapons in hand, one aimed at Rita.
“Now,” Cage continued pleasantly, “why don’t you sit down so we can talk about this?”
Rita trembled with rage. She turned toward me, seeking help or an explanation, I don’t know which, and all I could do was shake my head. Her eyes narrowed, and I knew I’d lost her trust. That, more than anything, tore at me. If Rita could stare at me with such betrayal in her eyes, what would I see in my mom’s expression if—when—I found her? And what would she see in mine? For a moment I let myself revel in that possibility. My mom had been willing to kill me. Let her feel that pain for a moment, that burn of treachery.
But wasn’t I doing the exact same thing right now, to Rita? My mom had her reasons. They might seem flimsy to me, but I knew her, knew the all-encompassing fire of her patriotism, the depth of her convictions. Until recently, I’d shared them. If she really believed that by sacrificing me, she would save thousands of others . . .
We could talk about it when I found her. For the first time, a glimmer of hope entered my soul. If I could convince Rita—admittedly, a big if—that would go a long way toward swaying my mother. With Rita at my back, she couldn’t blame my conversion on youth or Stockholm syndrome or anything else.
Of course, Rita didn’t exactly look ready to listen. With no other choice, she climbed onto the bed, her quivering limbs revealing how much effort her actions had cost her. I fumbled among the medications on the counter, popped open the bottle of painkillers, but when I approached her with them she shot me a murderous look. I suddenly suspected that Rita would get along well with Mia.
“You saw what attacked you?” I asked without preamble. There was no point explaining that the prisoners weren’t the monsters we’d assumed they were. Rita might play at insubordination, but she was Omnistellar through and through; if I tried to spring everything on her at once, her reaction would be the same as mine had been, only multiplied tenfold. And I couldn’t predict her reaction if I told her the contents of my file, my newfound revelation that Omnistellar was on the wrong side of just about everything. My only hope lay in convincing her we had no choice but to work together. With a bit of luck, she’d follow the same path that I had, slowly coming to know the anomalies for who they really were.
Rita faltered at that. “I saw . . . something.”
“What happened when you chased down the distress beacon?”
“I’m not sure I’m the one who should be answering questions right now,” she snapped, glaring at me. “What the hell’s going on around here, Kenzie? Where’s your mother?”
“That’s a good question,” I said, ignoring how my stomach plummeted at the mention of Mom. I was equal parts worried about and furious at her, and I was desperate to find her so I could let the fury take over. “We don’t know. The things that attacked you, we think they might have gotten her, too.”
Rita’s expression softened a bit. “You okay, kiddo?”
“I’m fine.” I nodded at Cage. “And so are the prisoners from sector five, but we don’t know what happened to the rest. This isn’t about guards and prisoners anymore, Rita. It’s about survival.”
Cage registered what I was trying to do and lowered his stun gun, although he continued to hold it at his side, his finger on the trigger. I didn’t miss that and knew Rita wouldn’t either.
She glanced between us, her eyes working feverishly. After a moment, she nodded. “Put down your gun, kid,” she said. “I’m not going to hurt you. Not until we figure out what’s wrong with this station.”
Cage laughed, the sound utterly lacking humor. “Great. I’ll watch my back afterward, then.” He tucked the stun gun into his waistband next to the other. He might not be pointing it at her, but he didn’t return one to me, either.
Sliding to her feet, Rita accepted a handful of painkillers and a glass of water. “The distress beacon was a decoy,” she said. “I got there and found some sort of device. The pulse it gave off temporarily blasted my entire shuttle. Fortunately I was wearing an XE suit, because the pulse wiped out power, life support, and gravity. Took me hours to repair everything, and by then I was frantic. I figured someone lured us out of the prison to stage a jailbreak. When I still couldn’t contact Sanctuary, I assumed the worst.”
“Well, you were half right.” Cage was back to his arrogant, devil-may-care attitude, not exactly designed to win friends and influence people. “There was a jailbreak, but we didn’t draw you away. I’m guessing that was them.”
Rita scowled. “They don’t seem smart enough. More like animals.”
“I don’t know,” I said dubiously. “They had to come from somewhere. They lured you off the ship, and they seem like they’re communicating. Just because they look like animals doesn’t mean they think like them. They might be smarter than we realize.”
“Safer to assume they are,” Rita agreed with a shrug.
And just as she finished, one of the creatures burst through a ceiling panel. It hit the ground with splayed limbs, landing in a crouch.
We all froze in shocked disbelief, and that probably saved our lives. The creature raised its head at a peculiar angle, sniffing. A long, dark tongue slithered out from between its jaws, tasting the air like a snake.
“Don’t move,” Cage snarled at Rita, his voice barely audible. “Don’t make a sound.”
The thing’s head swiveled in his direction. It screeched and lunged, but Cage was already gone, reappearing on the other side of the room. He teetered and caught the wall, then stood stock-still.
The creature howled. It spun and sank its claws into the console. Sparks flew, but they didn’t seem to faze the monster in the least; the tiny jolts of electricity were nothing like the staggering power of a full blast from a stun gun.
A shrill scream answered from nearby. I trembled, desperate to keep still. Could they hear my pounding heart?
Another creature charged through the door. It tilted its head, obviously listening, and let loose a quick, short screech. The other answered in kind.
And then a third dropped through the ceiling.
I gasped. All three heads perked, and I clenched my teeth, forcing myself silent.
The creatures moved toward me in a loose triangle. I wanted to close my eyes against them, but I willed myself to keep them open as the monsters crept steadily nearer. They spread out, searching the room, their claws fumbling in the air, their tongues working, their ears twitching.
Cage caught my gaze and shook his head, telling me to stay still. As if I had much choice in the matter. I reached for my stun gun—but no, Cage had it. Not much good against three of the things anyway.
The creatures targeted me, twitching and hissing. Fortunately, I stood in a corner, not within easy reach of their grasping claws. But they were going to find me. They searched methodically now, not at all like the animals Rita had theorized. They drew closer and closer. I trembled, scanning the area for something, anything, to use as a weapon.
One of the creatures drew so close the rush of its breath washed over me, rancid and sour. Drool slid from its mouth, puddling on the floor. Its jaw clicked, and its head cocked to catch any sound.
This time I did
close my eyes. I would have screamed if I hadn’t.
Something hit hard against my side. I was straining so much to stay silent that I didn’t make a sound even then, just let out a gasp, bracing myself for claws tearing my flesh.
Instead arms clamped around me. A familiar burst of air struck me as Cage swept me off my feet and blasted right out of the medical bay. He deposited me in the hall. I stumbled and caught his arm, and he held my elbows to steady me. “Rita,” I said.
He nodded. “I’ll go back for—”
An alien scream echoed through the hall. A moment later, Rita’s scream followed.
We charged to the door. Rita crouched on the bed, a scalpel in one hand. Blood oozed from a fresh wound on her shoulder. The creatures surrounded her. “Get out of here!” she shouted.
Cage hesitated. “Can you reach her?” I demanded.
One of the creatures sprang at us. Cage grabbed me and dashed twenty feet down the hall. He barely had time to get my feet off the ground, and his grip bruised my arm as he hauled me against him. Behind us, the alien lunged at the spot where we’d stood seconds before, roaring in rage.
Rita screamed again in the distance.
The beast pivoted toward us, even though we hadn’t made a sound. “They’re catching on,” Cage said. “We need to get out of here.”
“But Rita!”
“We can’t help her if we’re dead!”
The creature lunged. Once again, Cage snatched me and bolted, but this time he didn’t stop. I twisted in his grasp, fighting to return to Rita, but the rush of wind against my face prevented me from even speaking, much less escaping his arms. He continued until we reached the prison entrance, where he put me on the ground, afterward doubling over and gasping for breath.
“Rita,” I choked out, panic suffusing my voice. “We just left her!”
Cage sagged against the wall, breathing too hard to answer. Obviously the run had winded him, but I wasn’t exactly brimming with sympathy. “We have to go back!” I shouted, charging in the other direction.
Before I’d gone two steps, Cage caught my arm, swung me around, and held me in place. He stared at me like I’d suggested a friendly walk outside. “Kenzie, there was nothing we could have done to help her. Nothing.”
“Yeah,” I said, my anger brimming. “And it’s in no way convenient for you that the person most likely to arrest you after we escape this mess is out of the picture?”
He jerked upright at that and towered over me with an expression of raw fury on his face. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
“I think you know.”
He shook his head, his face twisted into a snarl. “I guess I shouldn’t expect any less from an Omnistellar guard.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means your training is showing. Assume all prisoners are soulless husks, anomalies without a conscience.” He grabbed my arm again, not gently as he had in my bedroom, or in panic to save my life, but with the roughness he’d shown when he first took me hostage. “Come on. We have to check on the others.”
I yanked free of his grasp. “Give me my gun.”
“Are you kidding?” Something flickered in his eyes, as if my mistrust hurt him as much as it enraged him, but it vanished in a heartbeat. He pulled my gun out of his waistband and shoved it into my hand. “There. Happy now? Let’s go.”
I followed him into the stairwell. How had things gotten so messed up? Half an hour ago, this boy clutched me against him as if he’d give his life to protect me. Now the tension rolled between us like we hated each other. And the betrayal I’d seen in his face mirrored what I’d sensed from Rita. I didn’t fit anywhere anymore—not with Omnistellar and not with the prisoners. I was an anomaly without a friend, a guard without a company, a daughter without a mother—or at least, a daughter whose mother believed so fiercely in Omnistellar’s lies and manipulations that she was willing to sacrifice her own child.
My throat itched to take back my words. Reeling from leaving Rita behind, I’d lashed out at Cage, basically accusing him of murder. But he couldn’t have gone back for her, not without getting one of us killed.
Hot tears pressed against my eyelids. Rita was almost certainly dead. Those things would rip her apart and . . . what? What did they do to their victims? I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out. Images of Rita’s torn body assailed me, and I fought them off, my vision swimming. Rita was dead. What about Mom? I had to keep believing she was alive, had to fight for the hope that I would find her. If I stopped, well . . .
A sob threatened to tear from my throat as we hit the bottom of the staircase, but I turned it into a muffled cough. Cage muttered a Mandarin curse and took an awkward step in my direction. “Kenzie,” he said. After a moment, he reached out and laid a hesitant hand on my arm. I stared at it, then covered his hand with my own.
“I’m sorry,” I said, still staring at his fingers. They flexed against the sleeve of my uniform. “I didn’t mean . . . I know you didn’t want to leave her.”
“No, I didn’t.” He pulled me toward him, slowly, almost experimentally. When I didn’t resist, he gave me a quick hug. For a moment I inhaled his scent, drawing comfort from his warmth, and then he stepped back, although his hands lingered on my shoulders. “And we won’t leave your mom, not if there’s any chance to save her. I promise.”
I nodded. “At least you got a useful power out of the deal,” I grumbled, taking a step back and straightening my spine. I couldn’t afford to fall apart, not now, not yet. “What the hell use are languages?”
“Probably a lot in day-to-day life. Not so much when fighting killer space monsters.” He cocked his head and grinned down at me.
I smiled in spite of myself. “Sorry. I’m okay now.”
“Don’t apologize.” He stared at me another second and words seemed to form on his lips. I waited with bated breath, but whatever he’d been about to say slipped away like a half-felt dream. “Let’s go talk to my sister.”
I nodded, glancing over my shoulder. No cries. No clacking of claws on the stairs. Maybe they hadn’t registered another sector below 4. If we were lucky, we had some time to plan before they found us.
And if we were really lucky, none of us would get killed along the way.
TWENTY-TWO
THE INSTANT THE DOOR SLID aside, shouting echoed through the stairwell. Cage closed his eyes and thumped his head against the doorframe. “It never stops,” he said. “Just for one second, I’d like it to stop.” And he disappeared in a burst of wind.
I charged up only a few seconds behind him and found the source of the commotion in the common area. It didn’t take long to figure out what was going on. Mia stood on a table, blood seeping through the bandage beneath her torn shirt. Behind her, Alexei tugged at her pant leg, his face twisted in frustration. Matt and Rune hovered in the server room entrance, Cage at their side talking furiously to his sister.
What looked like everyone in sector 5 gathered in front of Mia. Kristin stood at the front, her face mottled red and white. I spotted Tyler slumped on a couch in the corner, clearly hoping no one would notice him.
“Enough!” Mia’s voice cut through the noise. “I swear to God, if you people don’t shut the hell up I’m going to . . .”
“You’re going to what?” Kristin snarled. “I think we’ve all had enough of you and Cage running this show, thanks very much. Where has it gotten us?”
Mia’s hands clenched into fists, but at the same moment, Cage leaped onto the table beside her. “You’re right!” he called, spreading his hands. That quieted the crowd, although the murmur of unrest remained. “You’ve been very patient. Give me a second and I’ll explain everything.”
The kids surged forward, their anger coursing, but Cage deliberately turned his back, talking quietly to Mia, and the crowd didn’t revolt. I threaded my way through them, making for Rune. Halfway there, a foot caught my ankle, almost sending me plummeting. Years of training kicked in. I leaped over the fo
ot, pivoting to face my assailant.
I met a sea of incredibly hostile faces. My resolve wavered. Whether or not these prisoners were actually guilty of crimes, some of them had spent years confined on Sanctuary. None of them had much love for guards, and even the kindest among them couldn’t help but view me with suspicion. I had no way to explain to them my newfound mistrust of the company. I reached for my stun gun, and the tension rolling off the crowd became a tangible presence.
Suddenly, Tyler appeared at my side. “Just keep moving,” he said nervously, taking my elbow and backing up, half sheltering behind me. Still, the crowd parted, letting us through.
We reached the table, and I leaned against it, my breath unsteady. Cage glanced down at me, eyebrow raised. “Everything okay?”
“Yup.” I nodded my gratitude at Tyler and then headed for Rune and Matt.
“Are you all right?” Rune whispered, grabbing my hand. “God, Kenzie . . . When I found that file, I didn’t know what to think.” She glanced at me sideways and flushed. “I didn’t mean to read it. I got it open, and the next thing I knew I was half done. I stopped as soon as I realized.”
So Rune knew everything. “It’s okay,” I said. “Thanks for digging it up.” The calmness of my tone impressed even me.
Above us, Cage gently but inexorably guided Mia into Alexei’s waiting arms. “Yes, I know,” he said. “And don’t get me wrong, I appreciate you holding off the revolution. But you’re on your last legs. Please. Let me finish this.”
Mia hesitated, but Alexei got his big hands on her, and the argument ended as he swung her to the floor. She half sagged against him, as if she’d burned through the last of her energy ranting at the crowd. “You’re bleeding, Mia mine,” Alexei murmured. “Let’s go take a look.” It was a mark of how much her wound hurt that she nodded and let him guide her toward the cells.
Cage reached a hand back to me. “I need you,” he said.
Rune and Matt both tensed beside me. I arched an eyebrow and folded my arms, refusing to join him on the table. “Are you kidding? I don’t think they’re in the mood to listen to a guard.”