“What’s your problem?” Rin asked.
“This wasn’t how I wanted it to go, okay?”
“I’m sure none of this is easy for you,” Rin said, “but it isn’t for me either.”
Dana closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Rin.”
She searched Dana’s face. Had she brought her all the way out here to tell her bad news? “Oh, please, no. Grey isn’t—”
“It’s not Grey.” Dana reached into her coat.
Rin watched in horror as she pulled out a stun pistol. “What are you—”
Dana quickly pressed it to Rin’s neck and pulled the trigger.
Everything went black.
***
Mom stared into Grey’s eyes. “Your father and I were on a Yien mission to rescue as many of the prisoners on this planet as we could. But when we hit the lower levels of the atmosphere, something went wrong—I now think it was the winds, but we didn’t know about them at the time I made the call as the captain to abandon the ship, and your father obeyed my order. He ejected with the rest of the crew.”
Mom squeezed Grey’s hand. “I stayed on the bridge until the last moment, hoping I’d find some way to stabilize the ship, but when there was no hope, I ejected too. We searched for weeks, but we never found him.”
Grey was shaking her head. “But I saw him. I saw Dad.” She held out her wrists, showing her mother the raw marks from the shock cuffs. “General Yurkutz was using me to find both of you. She was communicating with him somehow. I—”
“You saw your father?”
“I didn’t know if it was real, but yeah, I saw an image of him. Yurkutz was talking to him on some sort of screen. She told him he knew what she wanted and that he had three days to bring it to Orion settlement or else she’d hurt me even more.”
Mom pressed her fingers to her mouth. “I hoped . . . oh, Grey, I hoped so much, but . . . are you sure it was him?”
“He had a beard, but it was him.”
“Oh, thank you, Lord.” Mom gave her another hug.
“Why does Mazdaar want Dad?” Grey asked.
“How much has Mrs. March told you?”
“I didn’t even know Jupiter was habitable until a few days ago.”
She listened intently to her mother’s story, and Grey began to realize she could never see her mother the same way again. She was a pilot, Dad a brilliant scientist. And the cosmoship in their silo was part of it all.
“They want your father for his brains,” Mom said. “He’s been on the run from them ever since he was your age.”
Her mother knelt down beside the cot. “I can’t tell you how much I hated leaving you.” Mom swallowed, glancing away.
“It’s okay.”
Mom shook her head. “No it’s . . . not. It’s not.”
She held her mother’s hand, understanding traveling between them. They’d lost five years.
“I thought about you and Rin every single day.”
“Mrs. March helped us.”
Her mother smiled. “I knew she would.”
“Where did you get all this stuff?” Grey gestured toward the maps, tables, and equipment in the gallery.
“Most if it was scavenged from the remains of a crashed Mazdaar cosmoship.”
“How have you managed to stay hidden? Their settlement’s so close.” Grey pictured the dome and the soldiers. Even after running most of the night and the journey with Pierce and his men, she’d probably only traveled twenty kilometers, if that.
Mom gave a wave in the direction of the settlement. “It’s different on Jupiter. Mazdaar’s technology is very limited here, at least for now. Even a lot of the equipment we salvaged is obsolete. The Lord had a plan in all this, I think. We’ve been able to learn a lot about Jupiter in the hopes that somehow Commander March and the others will be able to join us before Earth is completely taken over.”
Grey looked away, not wanting to openly disagree with her mother about the God stuff. It was hard to understand how God could’ve planned for them to spend five years thinking they were orphans.
“Dad’s playing right into their hands. He’s going to do what they want.”
Sue Alexander rested her hand on Grey’s leg, then stood and walked over to the table in the middle of the room where Grey noticed some sort of black weapon sitting out in the open. Mom ignored the gun and brought over a map. Jet would’ve paid a fortune for something like that on Earth. Hand drawn, it included detailed topography of the area around the camp and outward toward the range named the Castle Mountains.
“But how did they even contact Dad? Is there any way to figure out where he is? We could warn him.”
“We’ve exhausted every attempt to find him.”
Just then Pierce stuck his head in the doorway. “Captain?” He jerked a thumb toward the cavern. “We need you. Now.”
* * *
Chapter 30
What’s the problem?” Mom asked, not leaving Grey’s side. “Because if it can wait, my daughter and I are—”
“The soldier you sent to the infirmary, she—”
Grey struggled to sit up, feeling woozy.
“Yes?” Mom asked.
“Actually,” Pierce nodded at Grey, “she’s asking for your daughter.”
Mom turned to Grey. “What happened to you, sweetheart? How do you know this soldier?”
“She helped me escape.” Grey quickly explained, noting how her mother blanched when she spoke of getting shot.
“Captain, if you’re going to question her, you’ll want to hurry. They don’t expect her to make it.”
Grey had known Lee’s wound was bad, but she’d still hoped the people here could do something for her. She climbed to her feet without help, ready to go wherever Pierce led them.
At the infirmary, which was another cavity off the main cavern, Pierce held open the cloth door for them. Grey was surprised at how bright the lanterns made everything. She spotted medic Sharaya along with Finley and an armed female guard.
Three cots made out of logs lashed together were lined up against the wall. Only one was occupied, and Grey rushed to it. Lee was lying very still, her eyes closed. Grey feared the worst but then saw the sergeant’s chest rise and fall. The smell of pungent antiseptic surrounded the bed.
“I’m surprised she’s made it this long,” Sharaya whispered to Mom.
Grey leaned over the cot. The woman’s eyes fluttered open. When she saw Grey, she tried to speak. “I . . .” Lee swallowed. “I’m glad . . . you got away.”
“Thanks to you.”
Lee gave her a weak smile, and Grey felt herself choking up. Would she disappoint her mother by caring about this soldier?
Mom came over. “I’m sorry, soldier, but I need to ask you some questions.”
Giving a nod, Lee shifted in the cot.
“My name is Captain Sue Alexander, and I appreciate you helping Grey more than you can know.”
Lee coughed. “She is a . . . brave girl.”
“I know.”
“Mazdaar . . . we . . . we aren’t all evil,” Lee whispered.
“We need to know about your mission here.”
Lee closed her eyes, her breath rattling in her throat.
Finley stood beside Mom. “We can get the information out of her.”
“No.”
“But, Captain—”
“I said no.” Mom stepped right up to Finley, invading his personal space. “We will not stoop to their level.”
Opening her eyes again, Lee stared up at Mom. Did she have a mother back on Earth who would grieve?
“Don’t let them . . . get my body.” Lee’s voice was barely audible. “Please.”
Her mother nodded.
“The prisoners.” Lee coughed again, and a dribble of crimson appeared on her lips. “They’re going to use them to make . . . drones.”
Mom leaned closer. “What?”
Lee’s eyes half closed and a gurgling came from her chest. Finley spun on his heels and marched ou
t.
“Lee, please,” Grey whispered, begging the woman to hang onto life yet knowing it was too late. Lee had realized she was going to die right from the beginning, hadn’t she?
As the dying Mazdaar warrior’s chest stopped rising, Grey sidled close to her mother.
All was quiet. They stared down at the utter stillness of Lee’s body.
“What did she mean?” Grey said as Mom gently led her out of the room.
Captain Sue Alexander straightened her shoulders, the muscles in her neck tensing into cords. “They’re going to execute the prisoners and use their bodies to make drones.”
* * *
Chapter 31
As Rin regained consciousness, she realized her hands and legs were bound. A gag that smelled like oil was stuffed in her mouth, and she was lying on something hard and metallic. A scratchy blindfold squeezed around her head, its knot digging into the back of her skull. She thrashed her body in all directions trying to loosen her bonds but only ended up making everything tighter.
An engine roared, and the floor beneath her vibrated. She continued to struggle against her restraints, even though it wasn’t helping. She guessed she was lying in the back of the Jeep. Where was Dana taking her? How long would it be before Mrs. March realized something was wrong?
The truth was dawning. Dana must be an infiltrate, and Mrs. March and the entire crew could be in as much danger as she was.
Rin wanted to scream through her gag. Mom and Dad had risked their lives for this girl helping her defect from Mazdaar.
Had everything Dana said to her been a lie?
She listened. Hard.
The Jeep’s engine rumbled steadily, and her cheeks dug into the cold, grooved metal.
Please help me.
She lost track of time. Her hands went numb. Her back ached. When they finally stopped, Rin was ready to fight. A well-aimed kick might buy her a few seconds, but what then? She couldn’t exactly run away all tied up like this.
Rin thought she heard Dana muttering from the driver’s seat.
Someone shouted, and the Jeep’s door squeaked open.
“I’m unarmed,” Dana said.
Liar.
A male voice spoke back, but Rin couldn’t understand the words. Her pulse throbbed in her ears. If Dana had taken her to Orion settlement, Grey could be here too! Maybe this was how she would find her.
Suddenly, the back door of the Jeep flung open, and rough, gloved hands dragged her out and flung her to the ground. Someone ripped the blindfold off, and she blinked at the Mazdaar MP scowling down at her.
All thoughts of fighting vanished as she stared down the barrel of his violetflare gun. Dana stood beside him, another Mazdaar soldier training a laser on her too. Wasn’t Dana on their side? Then Rin remembered how she said her mother had put a price on her head. Would these guards try to collect?
“I told you,” Dana said. “Take me to my mother.”
The sentry laughed a deep, who-the-heck-do-you-think-you-are laugh. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to see you.”
His partner chuckled back.
Rin tried to catch Dana’s eye, but she wouldn’t meet her gaze.
“And who’s she?” The taller soldier ripped the gag from Rin’s mouth, and she gulped in fresh air. Grit coated her teeth. She spit some of it out.
“Tanner and Sue Alexander’s youngest daughter,” Dana said.
Exchanging looks, the soldiers seemed to silently confer.
Rin surreptitiously took in as much as she could of her surroundings. A huge, black cosmoship, probably ten times larger than Tevah, hulked beside a domed building. Beyond, a thick grove of weird trees stood like sentries. She licked at her cracked lips.
“This’ll be interesting,” the guard muttered, jerking his head toward the dome. He aimed his gun at Rin’s ankles and shot at the ropes. They disintegrated in a burst of flame, and she yelped.
The soldier rolled his eyes. “Oh, relax. It was low voltage. Now get up and move.”
Wincing at the sting and trying not to glance down at her scorched pants, Rin stumbled to her feet and nearly fell, her thighs and calves tingling from lack of circulation. And she was sure that beam had eaten through more than rope.
The taller soldier poked Dana in the back. “Both of you.”
Dana glowered at him but finally complied, falling into step beside Rin. The guards trailed them, weapons drawn and ready. Rin’s shoulder brushed against Dana’s arm.
“Why’d you do this?” she whispered.
The only response was the crunching of boots in the rainbow-colored dirt.
***
With Lee’s revelation still ringing in her ears, Grey mechanically followed her mother out of the infirmary down another passageway in the rock which wove through the massive cave this group apparently called home.
“I thought drones were man-made robots.”
“They used to be,” Mom said.
Grey remembered the drones she’d seen in Mazdaar City. Their skin had looked and felt so real. Was that because it was?
“How long have they—”
“Years.” Mom kept up a fast pace, leading the way. “They first experimented with body parts, but they found limitations working with bodies that had been dead for more than a few minutes. After eight minutes brain cells die. Mazdaar has been trying to make a drone from an intact human body since before you were born.”
Using body parts from casualties was one thing. But could they really have brought those people to Jupiter to harvest their flesh?
“Grey.” Mom stopped and rested her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Before I knew him, your father invented a special chip that mimics the electronic signals of the human brain, something that would allow Mazdaar to do this. When he found out what his invention would be used for, he destroyed it. Mazdaar wasn’t exactly happy with him.”
“That’s why they want him now, isn’t it? To make those chips.”
“And it’s just like Evangeline to use his own children as collateral.”
“But I escaped.”
“Your father probably doesn’t know that, and Evangeline certainly isn’t going to tell him.”
Mom started walking again. Her expression was grim yet determined. She waved over the female guard who’d been following them. “Tell Pierce to gather everyone. Twenty minutes.”
Back in what seemed to be her mother’s quarters, Mom guided Grey over to the cot again. “I want you to rest.”
“But—”
“Please, Grey.”
She sat on the bed, a million questions coming to her lips. A part of her wanted to let her mother take care of her, but for five years Grey had been the one in charge. Did her mother have any idea what that had been like, to be twelve and have to make the decisions of an adult? She’d rocked a crying eight-year-old Rin to sleep for weeks.
“Why couldn’t you have told us you were working for the Yien Dynasty and Mrs. March?”
Kneeling down in front of her, Mom held Grey’s hands in her own. “I would trust you with my life, but I would not trust Mazdaar with yours.” She turned Grey’s hands up to reveal the worst of the burn scars on her wrists. “Look what they did to you. I couldn’t knowingly put you and your sister at risk. That’s why we couldn’t tell you anything. I hated lying to you, sweetheart. I hope you’ll forgive me for that.”
That’s when Grey noticed that her mother had scars on her wrists too. Had they always been there?
“I know what they’re capable of,” Mom whispered. “Your father and I wanted to spare you, but apparently we didn’t succeed.”
“I wish I’d known who you guys really were.” Wouldn’t things have been different if she had? She might’ve trusted Jet more or asked Mrs. March more questions.
“Honey, you were just a girl. We were planning to tell you and Rin everything when you got older.”
Grey sighed, rubbing her eyes. She wanted to rejoice at this reunion with her mother, but how could she when Ri
n was practically a galaxy away and she still had no idea where her father was?
Grey noticed strands of white weaving through Mom’s hair that hadn’t been there years ago. Being separated from her children had to have been terrible for her. She probably felt responsible for Dad too.
“I never gave up hope that I’d see you again.” Mom smiled, reaching out to touch her cheek, almost as if she was making sure Grey was real.
“Rin always believed you’d come back.”
Mom blinked quickly. “Oh, little Rin.”
“She’s almost as tall as me, but she’s still thin as a twig.” Grey fingered her bandage to keep from looking into Mom’s eyes. “She never stopped praying.” Rin always tried to hide it, knowing how Grey felt about prayer, but Grey had heard her whispering sometimes at night. Maybe her kid sister was the one who’d gotten it right after all.
If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
Sue Alexander stood and approached a cabinet on the wall. She removed a clean but stained hand towel, wet a corner of it from a canteen hanging on the back of a chair, and returned to Grey. Without a word, her mother gently wiped her face of the caked-on blood and dirt. She caressed her daughter with her other hand.
Grey closed her eyes as the cool cloth soothed her eyelids. It had been so long since she’d slept.
“You’re beautiful,” Mom said.
“I’ve got a fat lip.”
Her mother chuckled.
“Rin’s the pretty one. You’ll see, she . . . she’s . . . I looked after her, Mom. I don’t know what I’ll do if . . .”
Mom helped Grey lie down on the cot and placed a warm blanket over her. “I love you,” she whispered.
* * *
Chapter 32
As the entrance to the dome slammed shut behind them, Rin flinched. They walked past rows of cells with tiny openings in the doors, and her nose wrinkled at the smell of human excrement wafting out of them. Through the bars, Rin could see fearful eyes staring back at her.
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