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Page 27

by Zolendz, Christine


  I count on my fingers the number of the guards. I have to do it three times to get it right. “We have to get through eleven Caelum just to get to them?”

  He nods slowly, “Eleven.”

  Sliding open the hidden panel, I peek my head out. The corridor stretched out before me, long and foreboding. Tore places a hand to my shoulder, “The ward is built in the shape of an octagon and there are ten isolation cells on every side.”

  I snap my head back over my shoulder at him, “Jesus, now you want me to do math? Eight sides, ten on each.” I blink at him. “Eighty cells? We have to go through eighty cells until we find Rune’s?” And all they can hold is eighty prisoners on this huge ship? The crime rate here must be ah-freaking-mazing.

  “Once we pass all the guards, I’ll use the docking station on the inside of the ward to unlock all the cells. You try and find him. I estimate we have no more than five minutes before the mainframe senses there’s an issue and alerts Pious. Two minutes after that we’ll have more guards here.”

  Seven minutes. Seven minutes to zap eleven Caelum and for Tore to unlock the cells. Are we not even going to mention if there may be other prisoners inside and how they are going to react?

  “How…how many other prisoners do you think are inside there?”

  “I’m not certain, but it’s not like we have time to figure it out. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but the countdown to Rune’s execution has accelerated.”

  “Yeah, I did notice. How much time do we have now?”

  He leans his hand above the small exit and locks eyes with me. “He has an hour left.”

  I look back out at the menacing gray steel corridor and swallow back any uncertainty. This has to work. I have to get Rune out of here and he has to help me stop Pious and get me back home. I can’t think of any other outcome. Not now.

  “Okay,” my throat is too dry and my voice cracks. “Everyone fully suit up. For this to work, we need to make them believe we’re supposed to be here and then, surprise them.”

  Tore’s expression turns grim as his eyes scan our puny rebellion. “Don’t let them raise their weapons. If they do, we all die.”

  I nod.

  “Let Sarahh and the others go first,” he says. “You and I need to be behind the front lines of the fight for me to get to the console and for you to be free to search the cells.” He gestures for Sarahh and the others to step through the opening, then he pauses and turns back to me. “I’m going to keep this panel open slightly, we should meet back here. I’m positive Rune and Jex were beaten, they are going to need to heal but I’m not sure of the safest place.”

  “Let’s just get them, and then we could figure out the next step.” My voice shakes and cracks. I want to say more, but we have no time. Now my countdown says Rune has only thirty minutes left. That means Pious is either in the ward already or on his way. Before I could speak my fear, Tore is through the panel and sliding down the corridor like he’s nothing more than a shadow.

  I move out and press myself to the wall while my pulse hammers loud in my ears. We quickly move through the quiet, turn a corner, and suddenly there’s an explosion of light and sound. Sarahh and the other women stand in a line; electric-blue lightning bolts surge out of their fingertips, blowing back everyone in front of them. To my right, Tore lunges through the smoke to reach the docking station. His hands move fast over the buttons and lights. I take a deep breath and rush frantically around the edge of the electric field of fire. One Caelum bursts into flames to my left and his body drops to the floor in front of me. I can feel the heat of it through my armor. I search desperately through the smoke and flames stepping over bodies and peering into cells.

  I find Jex first, stunned and badly beaten. He’s naked and covered in purple welts. I run to him and try to lift him. His fists come flying at me. “Jex! It’s me, Kate. I’m here to get you out!” I grunt and block his swings. “Stop fighting me, you idiot!” My armor gives me the strength to hoist him up over my shoulder and carry him out of his cell.

  I put him down right outside the door and lower myself to meet his eyes. “It’s Kate, Jex. I’m not going to hurt you. Where’s Rune?” When he doesn’t answer me, I shake his shoulder and pinch his arm. “Where is Rune?” I growl.

  His eyes lift to the left, through the haze of smoke. Without thinking I jump up and rush ahead, across the huge expanse of the room. Dozens of men, stripped bare, stumble out of their cells. My eyes scan their faces frantically, looking for Rune. “Rune!” I call out. “General Rune! Has anyone seen him?”

  One prisoner pushes at me and points to a closed cell door. “He won’t be able to move.”

  I grab hold of his wrist and stop him from walking right into the melee behind us. “Thank you,” I say, patting his hand.

  He looks down at our exchange in confusion, but I just wave him off and head for Rune’s cell, but two Caelum lunge toward me on either side, blocking his door. Their enormous size unnerves me for a moment, just enough time to feel the jittering curl of hysteria bubbling up in my throat, then I raise my arm and blast out a bright wall of electric-blue bolts of energy.

  When the smoke clears, they’re both gone and dark gray ash softly drifts down. I pull off my helmet and yank at the keypad of the door, pulling it open.

  The chaos from the fighting behind me rises to a fervent pitch, and then suddenly stops. I take the faceplate off so he can see it’s me. I step though the cell in the dead silence and my gaze immediately locks on Rune’s. His eyes, rimmed red and bloodshot, widen. His lips part. “You came for me?” His voice is low, barely louder than a breath. “He told me you were dead.” I can see the heartbreak in his face and hear the pure relief in his voice.

  Heat blooms out across my chest and my cheeks flush with fire. I’m suddenly aware of how I might look in this moment, my hair matted and tangled, stuck to my face from my sweat and tears. No, I’m not dead, though I might look like half a zombie right now.

  But he doesn’t seem to notice, or mind. He pushes his body off the wall, pain marring his features, but there’s also something more—some sort of ruthless, thunderous need to reach me. His hands pull me hard against him, gathering me in his arms. His hands, bruised and covered in scrapes, cup my cheeks, and the cool silk of his lips press against mine. His kiss is gentle at first and then, as if he’s just awoken from a deep slumber his whole body awakens, and he pushes me against the wall kissing me deeper, harder. There’s a desperation behind it, a need and desire I’d never felt from someone else before. I feel his kiss in every nerve ending in my body. He moves his lips against mine, our bodies touching, melting into each other. I want more of him. More than his lips and his gentle hands on my face. I grasp at his hair and whimper into his mouth. This kiss is more than someone wanting to repopulate his ship, this kiss means something so much more.

  He pulls away slowly, reluctantly, and presses his forehead to mine. “What a precious feeling this is, with you in my arms,” he breathes. “It’s bigger than this universe, it feels too big. Against all reason we could ever find to fight it, I could not. It’s everything.”

  I take a deep breath, resolving to tell him how I feel.

  “Oh good, you’re both here,” a voice snarls from behind us.

  I reel backward, staggering to keep my balance, and Rune sags weakly against me almost making us both collapse to the floor.

  Pious stands, fully armored save for his faceplate, before us, leering down. “Time’s up, Rune.”

  53

  Kate

  A bright red dot passes over my eyes as Pious aims his weapon-clad arms right at my forehead. It tingles and heats my skin as it moves over my features only to stop and sizzle right in the middle of my forehead. “Pity you didn’t have more time, female.”

  I laugh bitterly. “You had to cheat and push the timer ahead. You’re scared, aren’t you?” I know I’m not in any position to back talk him, but my rage is too great and it’s hard to keep a hold on. “You’re nothing m
ore than a coward.”

  “Oh my, but I will enjoy extinguishing your life,” he taunts, low.

  “No,” Rune grunts, shoving himself in front of me, pressing me back against the wall. “You will not harm her!” Then Rune charges forward, his arms thrusting into Pious’s, sending the barrel of his index finger up toward the ceiling. A bright bolt of electricity zaps out of his fingertip, hissing against the wall right above my right ear. A sudden intense burning vibration surges through my entire body and I scream, but no sound comes out. For a second I’m frozen in agony, unable to move, as a hot charge of electricity surges through my spine. I fight the stillness, catapulting myself off the metal wall and away from the charge. My limbs tremble and sting.

  In front of me Rune’s hands rise up, wrap around Pious’s neck and squeeze tight against his windpipe. His face turns red and darkens to purple, until he manages to slam a solid fist right into Rune’s left side. Weak to begin with, Rune drops to the floor, limp and unmoving.

  When Pious rights himself and lifts his gaze up to mine, it’s me who is aiming my weapon now at him. A strange emptiness fills my head, my finger quivers out between us.

  “Have you ever killed someone, female?” he asks in a mocking tone.

  I’m sure he’s just trying to stall, buy some time with some great prolific monologue to try and sway me to lower my weapon. But I won’t. I can’t. The thing is, I’m barely able to stand or see straight. I know my weapon is targeted somewhere on his body, but my vision is too blurry to see the exact spot. If I miss him, or maybe even if I don’t miss him, Rune lays between us, his unclothed skin touching the metal on the floor. Will he be hit as well? Will the charge surge through his body as it did mine? How will it affect him without armor on, when I’m still shaking from the shock of it hitting a wall I was leaning on, fully armored?

  “Weighing the pros and cons of—what do some religious beliefs say—burning in the fiery depths of hell for murdering someone,” his lips twist into a sympathetic smile. “It is a conundrum, is it not?”

  I focus all my concentration on holding the glowing dot steady between his eyebrows and click my fingers deep inside my gloves. “No, it isn’t at all, honestly.”

  He wasn’t expecting me to say that; his eyebrows meet where the red circle gleams.

  There’s a slight movement by my feet. Rune is waking, but I don’t dare take my attention away from the evil depths of Pious’s eyes.

  “Then what is your hesitation, girl?”

  The smile on my face slowly widens. “I’m savoring this moment.”

  His nostrils flare.

  Below us, Rune’s eyes open to narrow slits and look up at us. I just need a little more time. I just need Rune to shift out of the way.

  “What moment is that, pray tell.”

  “The moment you realize that females are not the inferior gender.”

  “Is that what you believe I am thinking?”

  Slowly, Rune leans up on his palms, his body limp and weak.

  There’s a flash of thought in Pious’s eyes and my stomach drops. He’s about to do something. His body instantly lowers, hands punching out to grab Rune. My fingers move faster than my brain. There’s a fiery blast of wind that stings my cheeks and Pious drops to the floor, convulsing and shaking while electric-blue currents dance over him.

  Rune slumps down next, his body writhing and thrashing from the same cobalt bolts that cover Pious. Sweat beading like thousands of pearls bursting through his skin. “Damn it!” I scream. My eyes dart around the room. I need something to cover him with. I need to stop the charge before it kills him, but I can see nothing but a thick haze of fumes. “Jex!” I yell out, praying he’s still alive to help me. My knees buckle, my legs giving way, and I crumple to the floor next to Rune.

  My limbs are heavy, but I begin tearing off my armor, thrusting each piece onto Rune’s body. “Jex!” I cry out again. Please, this can’t end with me killing Rune by accident.

  The isolation ward is thick with black smoke. I can’t tell if any of the others that came with me are okay. I can’t even see if they are still here. I cry out again for Jex, and it sounds no louder than a broken whimper.

  Frantic, I put all my armor on Rune, covering him fully, but his body still shakes, tremoring uncontrollably under the metal. Tears fill my eyes and burn at the bridge of my nose. If he dies, it’ll be all my fault.

  So intent on dressing Rune in my armor, I lose focus on Pious and where his body collapsed on the floor. I thought nothing about him until the stench and heat of his breath labored in my ear. “That wasn’t quite the escape you desired, was it? Nice try, though, female. Good effort.”

  I swallow back a gasp as his hands grab my shoulders, and his body slithers up like a snake behind me. “Don’t try anything more foolish now,” he whispers, “or you’ll both be dead before you inhale your next breath.” The sharp edge of a blade slides across my throat; I can feel the gentle burn of it scraping over my skin.

  My body stiffens, and it feels like the point of the knife nicks the corner of my chin. “Easy now, female. You wouldn’t want your throat slit, would you?”

  “N-no,” I answer, low.

  “Good, now that that’s settled, let’s have you stand up. Slowly.”

  In slow motion, I rise to my feet, bringing my hands up close to my throat. I keep my eyes locked down on Rune’s face, searching for any sign he’s okay, but come up empty. His body lays still; at least the tremors have stopped—now he just looks like he’s sleeping. I can’t even tell if he’s still breathing.

  The fog shifts in front of us and a harsh voice rings out. “I wouldn’t move if I were you.” It sounds like Jex, but I’m not one hundred percent certain.

  I feel the flinch in Pious’s body, hear his sharp drawn breath of surprise. “Show yourself, Caelum.” He tightens his hold on me. “Step forward and let me see who it is that is willing to die for this parasite…or this criminal that lies at my feet.”

  The smoke advances toward us, rolling over Rune’s still body, obscuring him completely. Then I hear the slightest scraping sound of metal being dragged along the floor. The only thing I can think to do is begin to cough and gag loudly to block the sound. It helps that the fog has rolled up to my face and smells like brimstone and charred flesh. I cough louder and louder. Jex is moving Rune! I can’t see it, but it must be what’s happening.

  I hope that’s what’s happening.

  “You have no way out of here, Pious. There are too many who are opposed to you that block your exit,” a different voice calls out. It must be Tore’s.

  “I’ll slit her throat,” Pious says calmly.

  I don’t like that idea. The real threat of it bubbles in my stomach, making my insides a watery mess.

  I tilt my head back trying to gauge Pious’s expression, but all that manages to accomplish is a harsher sting of his blade raking against my skin. “Move again and you die,” he whispers in my ear.

  I stand motionless, but my insides tremble uncontrollably. A hysterical wildness pulses through me. I want to drop down and slam my arms into his kneecaps. My palms and fingers throb to grab the point of the knife and push it away from my neck and right into his.

  “Go ahead,” Jex’s dark voice laughs, “slit her throat. Oh wait,” his voice is condescending and cruel, “wouldn’t the parasite’s blood contaminate your ship? Better to sleeve yourself and throw her out the isolation ward’s airlock. Either way, I don’t care. I am not Rune, and that female means nothing to me.”

  I’m going to be sick. Tears instantly blind me and run down into the corners of my lips, tasting salty and sharp. I swallow back the bile that rises up the back of my throat, and try desperately to keep still. I can’t believe Jex would do this to me.

  My blood pounds fast. It slams through my heart and drums loud in my ear. Jex and Pious exchange more words, but I hear nothing, all I can think of is these will be my last few minutes if I don’t do or say something. I need to negotiate my way
out of this situation. I need to wake Rune up and get him to help me.

  “Jex, please!” I beg.

  “She wants off the ship so badly, I’d have her in the airlock already. I’d love to see her find her way out of one,” Jex says.

  “Do you truly believe I’m trying to deceive you, Caelum? Do you think I won’t push her out an airlock?” My feet falter and stumble over each other as Pious pulls me in a backward direction. Oh God, he’s taking me to the airlock. He’s going to do exactly what Jex suggested.

  My legs aren’t strong enough to hold me and I drop. A sharp pinprick of pain slices the corner of my jaw and I know immediately by the warmth that drips down my skin, Pious has cut me.

  I don’t think he notices the blood as he yanks me back through the haze and smoke and into a narrow walkway. He whirls on me and shoves me from behind. I stagger into the wall and grasp at my neck, my hand comes away bloody.

  “Move, now!” He propels me ahead, thrusting an electrical charge from his fingertips at me, like a damn cattle prod.

  I roll and jump along the wall, moving fast to get out of arm’s reach of him. I feel lightheaded and dizzy from seeing my own blood on my hands, though I know it’s not enough for worry. Pious doesn’t know that, maybe I could use it against him. I brace myself against the wall and hold my hand out to him, “You…you cut my throat,” I cry.

  His dark eyes widen, but he doesn’t cringe away or take the bait. “You’ll be dead in a minute, don’t fret.” He pokes at me again with the zap of his finger, and pain surges through my insides. “Ten seconds in the vacuum of space and all the water in your skin and blood will vaporize.” He’s shouting the words so the others in the room behind us will hear. He’s hoping Rune will come and fight for me, so they could face each other one on one. I must admit I want the same thing. I want someone to stop this madman once and for all.

 

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