The drone led her back up to the lounge and deposited her in the same seat she’d occupied during takeoff and sat down beside her. Apparently others had gotten the memo to converge too, because the room was packed.
She didn’t see Dr. Lenoir. Or General Yurkutz.
The passengers talked among themselves but kept looking around the room as if waiting for someone or something. After almost an hour, their whispers morphed into grumbles.
A young man close to her age plopped down in the empty seat on her left. Stubble dotted his chin, and his hair was shorn on the sides but long and wavy on the top.
Shifting in her seat, Grey tried to get comfortable but caught the guy glancing at her bound hands. She leaned back and closed her eyes. At least they were less likely to hurt her out here in this public space.
“What’d you do?”
Grey flipped her eyes open but didn’t bother looking at the guy beside her.
“I said what’d you do?”
She lifted her manacled hands. “Does it matter?”
“You kill somebody?”
Grey dropped them back in her lap. “Why are you here?”
He laughed. “Genesis is the greatest chance of a lifetime.” He spread his arms as if indicating the whole universe. “Some grads go to Paris or Berlin for their studies, but I, Paul Alvarez III, am going to Jupiter. Can you believe that?”
Remembering the drone beside her, Grey tried to tune the young man out. Would there be a way to escape once they landed? On Earth, drones had unlimited range. Communication signals could be repeated through any of the hundreds of Mazdaar satellites. But maybe they had limits on Jupiter.
“I said can you believe that?” Paul was leaning forward, trying to catch her eye.
Grey reluctantly turned to her fellow passenger. She was already in trouble. She didn’t need to pretend she was anything but a rebel. “If Mazdaar’s so great, why did they tell us Jupiter was uninhabitable for so many years?”
Paul lifted an eyebrow, leaning back into his seat without answering.
“Why’d you want to go?” Grey asked.
“Who wouldn’t?” Paul shrugged. “Like I said, it’s the chance of a lifetime!”
Grey sighed, trying to ignore the pinch of her restraints.
Paul snorted. “Well, maybe not for you.”
“No.” She glared at him. “Not for me.”
Just then a booming announcement came from the speakers, this time without musical fanfare. The male voice—Grey wasn’t sure if it was the captain or not—was monotone. “We apologize for the wait, but we think you’ll agree it was worth it.”
There was a long pause. Then all the lights cut out, and the room was thrust into complete darkness. Not even the blue bar lights remained lit.
A collective gasp spread through the compartment. Grey was wondering how she could take advantage of the darkness when the walls of the ship seemed to disappear and become as glass. In every direction was space. And stars. Magnificent, brilliant, stars.
Even more amazing was a sight Grey could barely believe she was seeing. Suspended in the darkness, surrounded by the stars and filling the entire right window, was an enormous planet bathed in swirling bands of color—vibrant reds and oranges, blues and greens.
Someone whispered, “Oh, my word.”
Jupiter.
* * *
Chapter 19
As Jupiter loomed, reflecting light on everything in the lounge, the passengers murmured excitedly. Everyone pointed and whispered, but Grey could only stare at the massive planet where her life might come to an end.
They’d be landing soon. How long would General Yurkutz find it useful to keep her alive? She hadn’t given them any information. Why keep an informant who didn’t inform?
“We hope you enjoy the rest of your flight,” the voice finished as the lights switched back on.
The windows disappeared, and the walls manifested again. Conversations resumed, and that’s when Grey spotted Yurkutz sauntering into the lounge from the direction of the captain’s quarters. Her cape fluttered behind her in a wake and two drones trailed her, both wearing armored breastplates and leg and arm shields.
Rising at her approach, Grey’s drone guard gave a salute like it had been programmed to do.
Grey remained slumped in her chair.
“Bring her,” Yurkutz ordered, and Grey was pulled up to standing. She jerked out of the drone’s grasp and followed, struggling to keep up. Would this be another torture session?
The tiny chamber they took her to had a panel of controls on one wall but no chairs or furniture of any kind. As the door closed behind them, Grey felt the heat of fear creeping up her neck. Alone with three drones and General Yurkutz. This couldn’t—
“Begin,” the general said.
Before Grey could even wonder what that meant, the female drone backhanded her across the face. The blow almost knocked Grey down, but she sidestepped enough to catch herself. Blood instantly flowed from her nose, dripping on the pristine floor. Another punch opened her lip, and she fell to her knees.
“That will do,” Yurkutz said, and the drone stepped back.
Her face stinging, Grey raised her eyes to the monster of a woman before her.
“Why don’t . . . you believe me? I don’t know anything.”
Turning from her, Yurkutz maneuvered the controls on the wall, and a video screen materialized in front of them. The Mazdaar general rapidly blinked three times. “Did you know your father hid something very important from you?”
More blood tickled down Grey’s chin.
“I knew him before you were ever born,” Yurkutz said.
“You’re lying.”
Was this woman toying with her? Trying to rile her into giving up her parents?
Grey focused on the hovering screen between them. At first all she saw was static; then slowly an image appeared. When she saw the man’s worried face she let out an involuntary sob, the horror of Mazdaar’s plan sinking in.
“Dad!” Grey climbed to her feet.
The drones instantly surrounded her, holding her back. One of them punched her in the stomach, and Grey doubled over. Was showing her Dad’s picture another of Yurkutz’s sick torture techniques, or was that a live transmission of her father?
“Good afternoon, Tanner.” The general’s voice dripped diplomacy. “You are wise to finally respond to our requests for communication.”
“I want to see my daughter.”
“You will, sir. You most definitely will.”
“What have you done to her?”
“It’s good to see you are alive and well. Rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated.”
His sandy hair was grayer and he now had a full beard, but Grey would recognize Dad anywhere. Could it really be him? If so, where was he? And where was Mom?
“I refuse to speak further until I see my daughter,” Tanner said.
General Yurkutz smiled. “Very well.”
***
Rin had been watching Communications Specialist Maggie Coronado program the computer on the cosmoship’s main bridge all morning. Apparently, the CS had been living ten miles from the silo in an underground bunker for longer than Rin had been alive.
Rin was getting tired of waiting. “Ms. Coronado, what exactly are you doing?”
Wearing an auris plug, the woman had been tapping on a keyboard, studying screens, and listening intently through her device for hours. “Please call me Maggie.”
“Okay, Maggie, what are you doing?”
“These holographic receivers need to be tuned.” Maggie pressed her bracelet controller with a fingertip. “And I’m transferring the alert codes from my controller to the ship. If anyone from Mazdaar as much as sneezes about Jupiter, we’ll know it.”
Rin sat down on the cold, metal floor. Mrs. March had assigned her to help Maggie, but she’d been doing nothing but standing around. She wondered if they were just trying to keep her out of the way.
“Will there
be others coming?” So far, about thirty people had arrived in the silo, but Rin knew there were hundreds living in the Preserve.
Maggie pushed strands of her curly hair away from her face. “Commander March made the call to evacuate the southern region of the Preserve, but not everyone responded.”
“Why not?”
Maggie gave a sad shrug. “Perhaps they forgot we have an enemy. They’ve been lulled into complacency over the years.”
Pulling her knees to her chest, Rin rested her chin on them.
God, if you’re out there, I need your help. And please help Grey, wherever she is. I want to see her again.
An insistent, high-pitched beep oscillated from one of the receivers. Maggie’s hands flew over the knobs and dials. “Whoa. That’s a transmission from Genesis herself.”
She brought up a green, holographic image. The split-screen hovered in midair, disappeared, then hovered again.
Rin clambered to her feet. Maggie was muttering at the controls when Mrs. March, Kildare, and Dana burst into the room.
“We’ve never received one from this distance before,” Maggie said. “I’m hoping the system can handle it.”
“Is there audio?” Kildare asked.
“Bringing it online.”
“Can they hear us?” Rin asked.
“It’s one-way. We’re tapping into a remote conversation,” responded Maggie.
Squinting, Rin tried to make out the faces as the blurry images slowly sharpened. She recognized them both almost simultaneously. One side of the screen showed General Evangeline Yurkutz, a woman Rin was beginning to hate. On the other—Rin clasped her hand to her mouth.
Dad.
“As we suspected,” Dana whispered. “They’re using Grey to get to Tanner.”
Mrs. March came and stood beside Rin as Yurkutz’s voice sliced through the room. “Tanner Alexander, I present your daughter, Grey.”
They could see the general step back, and the camera zoomed in on Grey surrounded by drones. Her hands were tied, and a stream of blood flowed from her nose down her lip and chin.
Rin cried into her hand.
“She’s alive, dear.” Mrs. March patted her back. “At least she’s alive.”
“But what have they done to her?”
Dana stared at the hologram, fingers balled. “Probably electroshock torture and a few old-fashioned punches for Tanner’s sake.”
Mrs. March shot a look in Dana’s direction, but the young woman didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were glued to the screen.
Dad’s expression morphed into rage. Then he seemed to suppress his anger and asked, “What do you want?” He pronounced each word slowly and deliberately.
“You know what we want,” Yurkutz said. “You have three days. We will be waiting at Orion settlement.”
Dana was shaking her head.
“And I don’t think I need to remind you . . .” A groan came from somewhere behind her, obviously Grey. “What will happen if you decline our invitation.”
Rin could see her father’s eyes glistening in the high-def image. Then everything went black. No one moved or spoke until Maggie stood up with a sigh.
“Was that really my father?” Rin whispered.
“I believe so,” Mrs. March said.
“And Grey?”
Dana turned around, facing Rin. “She’s onboard Genesis, which should touch down on Jupiter later today.”
“But where was he? How did they contact him?”
Mrs. March gestured toward Maggie. She scrolled through several screens then gave a small nod of finality. “His signal came from the surface.”
“What?” Rin shot Mrs. March a questioning look. “He’s on Jupiter? How can that be?”
“It’s certainly possible,” Mrs. March said in a low voice. “Last we heard from Tanner and Sue, they were about to hit the Tunguska tunnel.” Her eyes met Rin’s. “They were on a mission to rescue prisoners from the planet. For years I believed they were dead too. But then we caught wind of Mazdaar’s search for them and began to hope.”
Rin tried to keep her composure, but she had seen the anguish in her father’s eyes and the blood dripping down Grey’s face. Yes, they were alive, but for how long? And where was Mom?
* * *
Chapter 20
This time General Yurkutz didn’t take Grey back to her cell. Instead, she was marched through the darker, Spartan lounge—the one full of armed Mazdaar military. They were all strapping into their seats. She caught one female soldier staring at her; then the soldier quickly looked away.
One of the drones shoved Grey into a seat in the corner, slipping a chain through her cuffs and attaching it to the chair. Grey pulled at the chain, but it didn’t budge.
She tilted her head back to try and stem the flow from her nose, which had started bleeding again. Between the swelling and the blood trickling down the back of her throat, it was hard to breathe. And it was slowly becoming clear why they’d captured her. This wasn’t really about her, just like Yurkutz had been saying all along. It was about her parents. For some reason Mazdaar was hunting them down, and Grey was the bait. But how could Dad be on Jupiter?
She wanted to rejoice that he was alive, but Dad would give in to them. She knew it. He’d come for her, and Yurkutz would capture him too. And where was Mom? Dead?
Please, please, please don’t let that be true after all this.
The cosmoship’s frame vibrated so violently she had to concentrate to keep her teeth from grinding together. Why had she been separated from the other passengers and brought down here? Her body squashed against her restraints as a roar filled the room. All conversation ceased, and the soldiers braced themselves as much as Grey did. Was that fear in their eyes?
Every fiber in Grey’s body seemed to shudder with the ship, and in a matter of seconds the room grew as hot as the desert. It was dangerous to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere; it had to be worse on this much larger planet. Would the ship burst into flames and send them all to fiery graves? She was already as good as dead in Mazdaar’s hands anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t be so terrible to die now. It would be quick, and she wouldn’t have to endure any more torment.
Just when Grey thought her ears would burst from the noise, the quaking ceased and the craft seemed to float, her body suspended and light for a moment.
“Men and women of Mazdaar.” General Yurkutz’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Prepare for landing as instructed. Proceed according to your orders.”
Orders?
In the center of the room, a man with the build of a bear stood up. “All right, you heard her, blokes! This is what you’ve trained for. I expect you to live up to that emblem you wear!”
The soldiers let out a deafening cheer and sent the two-fingered Mazdaar salute skyward. Grey felt a new sense of dread as a pair of soldiers approached her. They released her from the chair and replaced the shock cuffs with regular handcuffs. For that, at least, she was thankful.
All the uniforms fell into formation two-wide and exited the lounge doors, dragging Grey with them. They marched down multiple corridors until they were back in the bottom hold of Genesis, where Grey had first seen the laser cannons. Everyone stood at attention in front of where the hatch doors would no doubt materialize after they settled to the surface of the planet.
It was all Grey could do to shove down her rising panic.
***
Rin stared up at the gleaming blue cosmoship, Tevah. A whisper of steam hissed from its side, white lights glowing along its hull. The sleeping giant was awakening.
Holding Tram’s and Trif’s lead ropes, Rin felt frozen in place as she took in the magnitude of it all. “Ready, boys?” she whispered.
Trif nudged her arm, but Tram stared at the ship, his ears pointed forward, head raised with apprehension. She tried to ease his tension with a soft voice but knew it would be a long journey for both of them.
She led the zorses toward the jaws of Tevah, hoping they wouldn’t balk or spook.
Tram and Trif had faced many dangers over the years out in the Preserve and were desensitized to strange places and sounds, but this was of a different magnitude entirely. She walked them up the ramp without incident, her boots thumping and their hooves clopping.
Rin tried to act like her older sister and thrust her shoulders back to face this new adventure head on. But she kept seeing the blood on Grey’s face, the terror in her eyes. Rin hated Mazdaar for hurting Grey.
She led Tram and Trif into the hold of the vessel. Men and women bustled around her stacking and securing crates, their chatter filling the cavernous space. Someone shouted; someone else called back. Metal clattered on metal, someone hammered, a tiger roared.
Tram and Trif stopped in their tracks at the sound of the predator.
“It’s okay,” Rin cooed. “It can’t get you.”
Kildare’s cats were safely stowed in cages, along with dozens of other animals, including horses and zebras, dogs and cats. Rin smiled, glad Tram and Trif wouldn’t be alone.
Kildare had almost convinced Mrs. March her zorses were expendable since they were sterile, but one look into Rin’s horrified face, and Mrs. March had made the exception. Tram and Trif were the only nonbreeding pair of animals allowed on board.
“I hope you realize how privileged you are.”
Rin swung around after securing Tram and Trif to see Dana standing behind her. The young woman had changed into a tan, one-piece polymeric flight suit.
“They’re . . . I could never . . .”
Dana gave her the hint of a smile. “I know.”
Even though she had renounced her mother’s name and all its benefits, Dana still carried herself with the poise of a Mazdaar official. Rin had to remember that even though Dana had been connected at birth, she’d had her Dot surgically removed shortly after Mom and Dad helped her escape. There was still a faint white hint of a scar on her forehead where the implant had once been embedded. She certainly seemed loyal enough.
“Could I ask you something?” Dana said.
Rin shrugged.
“How did . . .” Dana glanced away for a moment. “How did you two survive for five years out here by yourselves?”
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