Kale punched some coordinates into a virtual keyboard that appeared in front of him. The ship dove lower toward the distant planet. James pointed me toward a seat and he sat in the one next to it. When I pressed a button on the chair, mechanical restraints enclosed me in a tight embrace. The boy I’d thought was my dream guy sat within a foot of me, yet the only thing touching me protectively was a thermoplastic harness. Story of my life.
“Hang on,” Kale called before pushing his own restraint button.
The descent became faster and steeper, and I wondered if I’d actually feel anything at all if the ship suddenly ripped apart. The satchel pressed into my side as we hurtled through space. A roar ripped through my ears when the ship entered the planet’s atmosphere, and the entire ship began vibrating. My heart had pretty much lodged itself in my throat, and I gripped the arms of my chair with white knuckles. The vibrating turned to violent shaking—it reminded me strangely of my mother’s withdrawals when she’d tried to quit the pain meds. Something popped and a piece of plastic flew through the air, inches from my head.
“Not a big deal,” Kale yelled above the noise.
A second later, something else popped, and a hissing sound added to the grating sound of the shaking ship.
“That was a big fuckin’ deal!” Kale screamed. The shaking came to an abrupt halt, though the hissing remained. Kale furiously worked on the control panel, sweat breaking out on his brow. If he was flustered, it couldn’t be good.
“What is it, sir?” James asked. Even he was pale.
“The pressure for the fuel system of the landing rockets. Without it … well …” He didn’t finish his thought, and continued pushing buttons in random succession. I guessed he was trying to manually override the system. Something must have worked, because the hissing stopped and a new humming sound took its place.
I opened my mouth to ask about it but we hit the ground first. The ship screeched and lurched in protest against the planet’s surface. If not for the protective restraints, I likely would have been thrown right through the windshield. It made me wonder about Alec and Markus, and I hoped Lucy was okay. The ship groaned as it finally came to a stop.
Kale pushed a button and his restraints retracted. “Not bad. The thrusters weren’t able to fully engage in time, but any landing you can walk away from is a good one.”
The scene in front of us was strange. The surface of the planet seemed to shift and move around us. Mountainous hills arose on either side of the ship, then shrank and grew again into a different formation. The ship rumbled as it crested on a mound that formed beneath us.
I pushed the button on my own harness. “I want to check on the others,” I announced. Right before I find a way outta here.
Kale looked at James. “Take her, but come right back.”
I sprinted down the hall, James following after me. “Wait up,” he yelled. He’d tucked B.K. into his waistband too, which gave me a small, though temporary, sense of relief.
The ship lurched again as the ground beneath us changed shape, and I grasped the wall to steady myself. Lucy’s pitiful whimpering sounded from inside the room, and she scratched desperately against the door.
“It’s locked from the inside,” James said, waving his hand over the panel to no avail.
At least Alec had listened to my warning. “Is there an override system?” I asked.
James called up to Kale, who must have done something, because the door opened a second later. So much for my plan to keep Lucy safe—Kale could open whatever door he wanted at any time. Lucy bounded out the door and into my arms. “You’re okay, girl. It’s okay. Just a little rough landing is all.”
I stepped into the room and almost stepped on Alec. Markus lay on the floor a few feet away. James leaned down to check each of them. “Their breathing and heart rates are fine. They must have rolled out of the chambers during the descent.”
My eyes widened. “You’re telling me they slept through that. What the hell did you give them anyway?”
James didn’t answer. Lucy padded over to Alec and tried to nose her way into his pocket for treats. James absently put his hand on her back and petted her a second before realizing what he was doing. He jerked his hand back and stood up. “She’s hungry. You can bring her food and water, but keep her back here, away from …” He paused, and looked at Markus and Alec. “Let’s go. They’ll be fine.”
I snorted. “Yeah, until you give them their next dose.”
James ignored me. His footsteps echoed behind me as I headed toward the kitchen to find something for Lucy to eat. Guess I wouldn’t be going anywhere without his company. I had to figure something out fast. As I neared the kitchen door, I scanned the hallway ahead. The entry hatch to the ship was at the end of it. Everyone except me had removed their suits, which hung by the main hatch door. Since my suit was still on, all I needed was one of the helmets tossed nearby on the floor.
Hide-and-seek on a ship of this size would only last so long, but I might have a chance on the planet. If Kale was right that the Consulate would eventually find us, maybe they would come sooner rather than later. The Consulate rescuing me was a long shot, but it wasn’t like I had an abundance of options at the moment.
Though the surface seemed way unstable, if it could hold the weight of the ship, it would hold me. Plus, the multitude of hills would provide great hiding spots. James was fast, but he’d need to put on his whole suit. If I could just make it through the door. My muscles tensed. I had to try.
The ground moved again and the ship settled back hard against the surface. I stumbled, crashing into James, who fell against the wall. My face was so close to his I could feel his breath, and his arms caught me around the waist. My skin tingled at his touch and goose bumps broke out along my arms. His lips came closer to mine, and for one second, I was positive he was going to kiss me.
A part of me wanted to believe he’d finally come to his senses, and maybe now we could get the hell out of here. The other part of me knew better.
Kale’s voice tore from the com system. “James, it’s time to carry out the final orders, soldier.”
James sighed and dropped my hand. “Yes, sir.” Since his com system was on, I guessed I wasn’t getting a private death this time around. He pulled out both guns from his pants and powered up B.K. I remembered what he said about being a great shot, that he could kill me with one shot from a long distance. At present, he was less than a foot away and had not one, but two guns. I was so dead.
“Seriously? Why two guns if you’re such a great shot?” I asked, right as a mountain formed underneath us, and pushed the ship upward at a strange angle. We tilted sideways, teetering in the air.
James fell sideways, and I stumbled as fast as I could toward the main hatch. My pulse raced and I propelled my legs faster, hoping the ship would stay unbalanced for a minute longer. My feet kept slipping on the angled floor, so I used my hands to help navigate toward my goal.
“Stop!” he yelled after me. “It’s dangerous out there.”
Was he serious? “Yeah—you shooting me is so much safer!” I yelled.
“Shoot her already,” I heard Kale shout through the com.
I scrambled for my helmet, and pushed the hatch door button. My heart hammered as I tried to attach the helmet to the suit, but my hands shook so badly that it took several attempts.
The hatch opened and I ran outside, only to realize that the ship rested on the peak of a very tall mountain. My feet slid out from under me, and I landed on my butt and started sliding down the steep side. I picked up speed, wishing I had more padding in my rear as I hit every bump on the way down. Tons of smaller hills dotted the area around me. At the rate I was going, I’d be nothing more than a splat on the ground when I hit bottom. The sound of yelling in my helmet com startled me, and I looked up to see James coming out the hatch door, gun in hand. Damn, he was fast.
The ground came faster and faster, and I had seconds until impact. I shut my eyes and braced my
self. Rapid shifting occurred under me, and the ground leveled. The ship slammed down behind me as the mountain disappeared as quickly as it had come. I opened my eyes and turned around. The ship was several hundred feet away, but James was halfway to me and closing in fast. I jerked myself to my feet, ignoring the throbbing pain, and ran toward a cluster of hills that had newly formed. There were about twelve of them—I just had to hide long enough to figure out a new plan.
My breathing came in ragged bursts. I ran into the hills and kept going until I found a small enclosure in one of the farthest ones. I sank to my knees and tried to catch my breath. I pulled T.O. out of my satchel, though I wasn’t sure what good it would do. Even if the bomb destroyed Kale and his ship, it would kill the others too, except maybe James, and I’d be stuck on a bizarre planet. I was totally screwed.
“Just tell me where you are, Tora,” James’ voice pleaded through my helmet.
I stood and leaned against the alcove in the hill. I didn’t want to sound as weak and tired as I felt. “You’ll never find me,” I said with false confidence.
Guess I spoke too soon, because the planet shifted again and all of the hills disappeared at once. James stood several hundred feet away. There was nothing between us. His voice was calm. “I have to do this.”
I heard Kale’s voice through James’ com system. “I have a visual on you, James. Good work. Finish her and get back to the ship.”
A roar in the sky made me look up. The Consulate had found us. One ship was about to touch down, and two other small dots in the distance had to be the other ships.
I flicked the switch on The Obliterator and raised an eyebrow at James. “Does this change anything?” My finger hovered over the trigger panel.
He shook his head, and trained both guns on me. A shot tore into me and pain flooded my senses. Everything around me turned blurry and seemed to happen in slow motion.
The roar of the Consulate ship grew louder as it landed. What seemed like fifty soldiers poured out of the ship, weapons drawn. Behind James, I saw Kale’s ship lift in the air and gun for the horizon. I opened my mouth to speak but the pain was too great, so I pointed instead—maybe Kale deserting him would change his mind about shooting again.
James gazed skyward as Kale’s ship departed. He lowered his gun and ran toward me, “Tora! Don’t move. I’m coming—”
That’s when the soldiers took aim en masse at James. A shot ripped into his leg and another went through his arm. My heart lurched despite the fact that he’d just shot me. I couldn’t watch him die. Plus, if they didn’t realize who I was, they’d turn on me next. I gripped T.O. with my last remaining strength.
God help us all. I pushed the button.
Chapter TWENTY-THREE
LAUGHTER FILTERED THROUGH THE MIST AROUND ME. GIRLISH laughter. I flew through the air, attempting to locate the source of the sound. The wind caressed my hair, blowing it in tangles around my face. I wore no sunsuit, and the sun warmed my skin, yet didn’t cook it. I broke through the foggy substance and followed the childlike giggles. The sky was a brilliant blue, dotted with a thick substance I knew were clouds, even though there had been no clouds for centuries. The sun was warm yellow in color, bearing no resemblance to the red inferno of Earth. I inhaled the scent of fresh clean air—and flowers. Wildflowers. Somehow I knew what everything was without being told.
“Callie!” I called. Her name felt like sugar in my mouth. I tried to fly faster. Leaves and flowers floated down on me as I soared through the sky.
“Come and find me,” Callie called back, her giggles echoing in front of me, behind me, everywhere.
“It’s not funny, Callie. Come out. I want to see you.”
The scent of wildflowers grew stronger and a single calla lily floated into my hand. I grasped the flower and inhaled deeply. It was how I’d imagined it would smell. Soft and sweet like my sister, which was why I nicknamed her after a flower. I’m going to find you, Calla lily, I’d call after her. She loved it when I called her by that name.
“I picked it for you. Do you like it?” she asked. Callie floated before me, dressed in her favorite floral shirt. She still didn’t look a day over seven years old. This time when I reached out for her, my fingers didn’t touch just air. The material of her shirt felt strange in my hand. Not quite solid, but still tangible.
“It’s really you?” I asked. She nodded and I flung my arms around her to hug her. Her body felt more like a rippling energy wave than human. She blinked in and out of physical form. “Callie, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have locked the door that day. It’s all my fault.” Tears cascaded down my face and dripped onto her blond ponytail. I tried to smooth her hair with my hand, but couldn’t seem to touch her actual hair.
She looked up at me with shimmery eyes. “It wasn’t your fault. All you ever did was try to keep me safe. I shouldn’t have gone out there—you warned me.”
How could she forgive me so easily? “Callie, where’s Mom?”
Callie smiled. “She’s around. She’s much happier now. She loves you so much and is sorry for causing you pain.”
This caused a fresh wave of tears. My throat felt like a lump of dirt had wedged itself inside. I’d never let my sister out of my sight again. “I’m so glad we’re together. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
Callie cocked her head to one side, as if she was listening to something that I couldn’t hear. She turned around to look behind her. All I saw was the vast expanse of blue sky. Callie frowned when she turned back around. Her voice sounded farther away, even though she remained right in front of me. “You can’t stay, Tora. You’re still needed down there.”
“No way. I finally found you. I’m not going to leave you.” But Callie began to fade away.
She flew to me and kissed my cheek, a buzz of warm energy against my skin. Then she danced out of reach, skimming over a cloud as she moved farther away from me. “Don’t worry, we’ll see each other again before you know it.”
“Don’t go!” I screamed. I fought as my body propelled itself down toward the planet below. Air currents ripped through me as I descended.
“No!” I yelled. Nobody listened.
I heard Callie’s faint voice despite the distance. “I love you, Tora,” she called as I went back through the clouds. My view was obscured by the fine, white vapor.
“I love you too, Callie,” I called back. Her small, tinkling laugh answered me, spreading warmth through my chest. Though my body felt more solid and heavier with each second, a great weight lifted from my shoulders.
“Ms. Reynolds.” It wasn’t Callie’s voice. No clouds, no flowers, no leaves surrounded me. No nothing, except blackness.
“Ms. Reynolds.” The voice grew more insistent.
My eyes opened a crack, allowing a sliver of light to penetrate. I squinted and squeezed them shut again. My throat burned. God, I craved water.
A hand touched my arm and shook it. A firm shake, definitely not gentle. “We need you to wake up now.”
“And I need water,” I croaked, keeping my eyes shut tight. When a bottle was pressed into my hands, I forced myself to open them. Damn, the light was bright in here. Maybe I was dead; maybe I’d died on that strange planet. Other hands propped me up into a sitting position.
Everything was blurry, yet I managed to bring the bottle to my lips with a little assistance from the various other hands in the room. I sipped the water. It was cold. My eyes opened wider. The water was cold. This was what cold was. Where the hell was I if not dead, because who had cold water?
A man in wire-rimmed glasses and a shiny silver coat approached me. “Ms. Reynolds, it appears you’ve been shot.”
“No shit. Tell me something I don’t know.”
A murmur ran through the room. How many people were in here anyway? Trying to look around made me dizzy and my vision blurred further. “Sshhh, take it easy. You’ve been through a lot.” More hands leaned me back against the pillow. I took the bottle with me, not caring that I wa
s sloshing water down the front of my gown every time I took a sip. If I was in a gown, this had to be some sort of medical facility.
I gulped the rest of the water, then waited for my vision to clear. The room was stark white, which only made the light seem brighter. I waved my empty bottle in the air, and someone brought me a refill.
“How’d I get here?” I asked, looking around. There were eight or nine figures in the room, and they all wore long coats. Only the man in wire-rimmed glasses had a shiny silver coat though. He must have been the one in charge, because he addressed my question.
He scoffed. “You mean before or after your little bomb destroyed two of our ships? We had to stop chasing Commander Stark to come back and retrieve you. He got away and many of our men’s lives were lost thanks to you.”
Kale’s last name was Stark? Though I wasn’t happy he got away, it meant Alec, Markus, and Lucy were safe—for now at least. I attempted to sneer at the wire-rimmed man, but choked on my water. It dribbled down my chin. “You know that eyeglasses went out of style like two hundred years ago, right?”
One of the women in the room, dressed in a shiny green coat, smiled. “He thinks it lends an air of authority.” She shut up after Mr. Wire-Rims shot her a nasty look. I wondered what one had to do to earn a shiny coat. I’d like mine in lavender.
Wait. Clothing reminded me of my satchel. I swiveled to check around me. “Where’s my bag?”
The man pushed his glasses up higher on his nose. Did no one else realize how crazy it was to wear glasses as an accessory? “Your bag is fine … it was on your body when you triggered the bomb. Now, about you. We found you after receiving the distress call on the com system,” he said smoothly.
“What distress call?” I asked, genuinely confused.
The man came closer. I felt his touch even though he wasn’t near enough to reach, and shivered. “The young man was worried that Tora Reynolds—only survivor of the great Dr. Micah Reynolds—was going to be ambushed.”
Young man? Had Markus found a way to contact the Consulate? If not, who the hell were these people?
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