by Luna Hunter
We take a different route to my apartment than usual, avoiding the SINTRA scanners now placed liberally around the Station. I feel giddy as we walk hand in hand. This is my first day off in forever, and for the first time in years, I feel like things are finally starting to look up.
In Theros I have found a mate, a partner, a friend. I never thought it possible in a million years, but here he is, protecting me. I can’t help but look up at him every few steps, a happy smile plastered on my face the entire time.
We reach my unit without incident. Theros goes off to feed Cuddles, while I make a quick stop at my place to grab some extra clothes. My mind is preoccupied with thoughts of lingerie. I bought a nice lace set on a whim, but it’s not seen any action. Tonight that’s going to change.
And then I open my door, and my world crumbles around me.
My unit has been thrashed. Every single cupboard, drawer and closet has been opened and emptied on the floor. It looks like a hurricane blew right through here.
“Cuddles is in good spirits today!” Theros says from across the hall. “I’m starting to like the big fella— what’s wrong?!”
His demeanor instantly changes when he sees I’m on the verge of tears. Theros rushes to my side, and as soon as he sees the devastation, his protective instincts kick in. He wraps one powerful arm around my frame and pulls me in close as he cranes his neck.
The hallway is completely deserted. Whoever did this is long gone.
“We should head back to the ship. Now!” he growls.
All the happiness, the joy I felt on the journey here is gone, replaced with an anxiety that builds and builds with every step. We rush back to Theros’s ship, and all my of my worst fears come true when we reach the vessel.
It too has been ransacked.
And even worse: Mikael is missing!
“No,” Theros growls in anger. “No!”
A dark pit forms in my stomach. Just when I thought things might be looking up, the universe reminds me of my place. With a frustrated scream I drive my first into a pillar of Corlizian steel — and I quickly regret the decision. I recoil in incredible pain, the bone ache so strong my eyes roll the to back of my head. I bite down on my lips to numb the pain, hot tears streaking down my face.
Theros rushed towards me and covers my injured hand with his. To my surprise, the pain dissipates instantly.
“We will find your friend,” he says. “This I promise.”
Sniffing back angry tears, I nod. “There’s a way,” I say. “I can trace his location, hack him remotely.”
My mate nods thoughtfully. “What about the virus in the datastream that Sanura mentioned?”
“That only affects AI,” I answer.
I hope!
“It’s too risky,” Theros says, shaking his head. “I don’t want you in harm’s way.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” I say defiantly.
I’m not backing down on this, no matter what. My friend is in danger and he needs my help. For a second, I fear Theros is going to reject my plan. I couldn’t handle that, not right now. The silver Zoran is the only thing keeping me sane. I don’t want to choose between my soul mate and my best friend…
“Okay,” he says after a moments thought. “If you think that this is the best plan, then we will do it.”
“Thank you,” I say, a rush of relief filling me. “We need to find a quiet spot where we won’t be disturbed.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
A light bulb goes off. “I know just the place!”
Together we head towards a NectarLounge on one of the Tier1 Levels. I force the elevator to give us permission with a flick of my wrist. It’s still early on a weekday, so the lounge is pretty much deserted, as I had hoped. The bartender barely acknowledges us, for we are not Vechin, and so not likely to splurge all our credits on nectar. We settle into an empty booth in the back, hidden from view.
Theros holds my hand as I close my eyes and search the datastream. I struggle to keep my emotions in check, but I can’t let fear overtake me now. I’ve got to be strong. Mikael’s life depends on it.
Finally, just as I’m starting to lose hope, I hear his pulse. It’s faint, barely audible over the cacophony of data racing through the stream, but it’s there. I follow it, and it leads me to a derelict warehouse in the Port district.
A cold dread fills my veins. Something just doesn’t feel quite right. What if they wanted me to telehack him?
“I know where he is,” I say, my voice shaky. Theros pulls me close, and I’m beyond grateful for his warm touch. “They’re keeping him in an abandoned warehouse.”
“We can handle this,” Theros says. “Trust me, Anaya. With our abilities, we are no match for them, no matter what is waiting for us there.”
“I… I can’t control my abilities,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. “Not in a fight. I get too emotional and lose control. I don’t have your focus.”
“You can control your powers,” he says. “Together, we can do anything!”
I pray he’s right.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Theros
We wait until darkness falls and the world is still to make our move.
The hustle and bustle of the Port District is far behind us. This part of the station is deserted, and several buildings have fallen into ruin. In one of these decrepit places, they’re holding Mikael.
We’re getting him out of here. No matter what.
“Are you ready?” I ask Anaya.
She shivers, an angry scowl on her face. That look has been on her face all day. I place my hand on her cheek, and I can sense serenity passing through her as our energies merge. The Zorashi symbols on the back of her neck glow brightly, warming up the air around us.
She is a vision of pure beauty.
“Find him.”
She closes her eyes, and they snap open only a few second later. Anaya nods, and I know enough.
I place my hands on her neck, resting my forehead against hers, and we both close our eyes and concentrate as hard as we can.
Our telepathic link is reestablished easily, and as our thoughts merge, I can see where Mikael is. He’s alone in a dark room, not too far from here.
The hair on my arms stands up as I conjure up a vortex, adrenaline rushing through my veins as I access my powers. My body tingles with energy, and when I open my eyes again, there’s a pathway lingering in the air right in front of us.
“Do you trust me?” I ask.
“More than anyone ever,” my mate answers.
I wrap my arms around her and jump through the vortex. We tumble through a tunnel of energy as galactic wind rushes past us, tugging at us both, but my grip on her is strong. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen to her if I lost her here, in this strange place between time and space...
The two of us crash on a cemented floor.
“A basement,” Anaya scoffs as she scrambles to her feet. “They’ve got him locked up in a basement, like some old copy-machine from the prehistoric era!”
If my data on Earth is correct, there is large gulf in time between copy-machines and the time of the dinosaurs, but I keep that to myself for the time being. This is not the time to split hairs.
Our synthetic friend is slumped over in the corner, shut off completely. My mate is trying not to panic as she tries to connect to him.
“No response,” she says, her voice breaking. “Can you teleport us out of here?”
“Yes, I should be able t—”
My words are cut off by a low grumble. The very walls themselves are suddenly moving towards us, scraping over the floor, the sound making my heart race. This is not a basement — this is a trap!
My warrior reflexes kick in and I’m instantly laser focused. I don’t have the luxury of conjuring up a vortex that’ll take us all the way home.
The next room will suffice for now.
Placing the AI between us, Anaya and I clasp hands as we summon the
ripple in space-time. The three of us jump through the vortex right before the walls close in on us, the hard concrete scraping my leg as we surrender ourselves to the galactic elements in the nick of time.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Anaya
We stumble into a different room, disoriented and dizzy. My stomach is flipped upside down from the rapid teleportation and my ears are still ringing, but there’s no time for me to get my bearings.
We are not alone.
A group of eight SINTRA henchmen are playing cards, and they look up, startled by our sudden appearance. Their mouths hang open, and for a second, they remain frozen.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t last.
“That’s them!” one of them cries. “The Zoran! And the girl! Seize them!”
Their chairs all fall over as they scramble off their seats. I adopt the fighting stance Theros taught me, my fists raised up high. There’s no more time to think, to stress, to worry. My partly-Zoran instinct simply takes over.
One of the men rushes towards me, his fists balled, a grimace on his mean mug. Just when I’m about to land my first strike, my Zoran mate beats me to the punch.
He barrels right into the man — and through five others, their limp bodies flying halfway across the room. Theros’s silver body is a blur to me as he delivers a flurry of kicks and punches. He makes quick work of the thugs. It’s nothing short of amazing, and if we weren’t fighting for our very lives here, I might even have enjoyed the sight.
Momentarily safe, I rush to Mikael’s side, but he’s still unresponsive.
“Hang in there,” I tell him. “We’re almost out of here, and when we are, I’ll never let you out my sight again, okay?”
The silver hurricane comes to a rest, and all the thugs are knocked out cold. Theros is breathing heavily, his knuckles red and raw. He smirks at me, pushing his shoulders back, as he wipes a streak of blood (which I don’t think is his) off his cheek.
Just as I feel safe enough to breathe a sigh of relief, the door behind him is yanked open, and a dozen more men enter — and these ones are carrying shock batons.
This fight is far from over.
“Watch out!” I cry as I rush towards him, throwing myself in harm’s way to protect him before one of the men stabs him in the back. I unleash a barrage of kicks, letting my instincts take the wheel as I join the fray.
Theros and I end up with our backs pressed tightly against one another, our minds linked, his warrior expertise guiding my fists and my feet as we hold the soldiers off.
The two of us are standing our ground, but we’re hopelessly outnumbered.
Screw it. We’ll go out fighting.
Theros and I, united in death. It has a poetic ring to it. I wish I found my soulmate sooner, and under better circumstances, but… I still treasure every single moment we’ve spent together.
He makes me feel confident. He makes me feel like I’m more than just an infogirl, more than just another cog in the machine. The Zoran makes me feel like I’m worth a damn, like I should never back down, like I can take on the entire world.
For that I will be forever grateful.
If I die trying to save my best friend, with my fated mate by my side — that’s not so bad.
These thoughts are racing through my mind at breakneck speed as my eyes shift from one thug to the next, constantly prepared for the next strike, when a familiar figure in the doorway catches my attention.
To my utter shock, no one other than Sanura enters the room, and a slew of synthetics follow in her wake. My blood runs cold for a moment — is she part of SINTRA? Did she sell me out? How could I be so stupid?!
Sanura casually walks up to the ringleader of the thugs, swaying her hips as she walks. She’s wearing a skintight bodysuit, and it accentuates every curve in her body. I’ve never seen her so seductive before, and it makes my brow furrow.
“What are you doing here?” the man grunts. “I didn’t order any synth-package. Go strut your stuff somewhere else, you synth whor—”
The man’s insults are cut short when Sanura punches him straight in the neck. He collapses and lands on his knees, and she delivers a swift kick to the back of his head the moment after, knocking him out cold.
What just happened?!
I’m nailed to the ground in shock as the AI’s all spring into action and attack the SINTRA thugs.
“Now!” Theros growls, jolting me awake. Right! Combat!
The two of us join the fight, and with our forces combined we make quick work of the men. Sanura must have updated her system to include combat protocols, because I had no idea she had such speed and strength. Remind me to never get on her bad side!
“Seems like we got here just in time,” Sanura says, looking at Mikael. “How is he holding up?”
“Not great,” I say, still perplexed by her sudden entrance. “What in the stars just happened?”
“Oh, this?” she asks, looking down at her salacious outfit. “I needed a distraction, and you know what these organic men are like. Show them a little skin and they lose all of their focus. Present company excluded.”
She nods at Theros.
“Seems the big guy only has eyes for you,” Sanura says with a twinkle in her eye. “I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous.”
“How did you find us?”
“Are you kidding me?” Sanura says. “You realize you set off just about every piece of machinery everywhere you go, right? If you know what to listen to, following you around the Station becomes as easy as pie. We came as soon as we were able.”
“You knew all along I had these, uhm, abilities?”
Sanura nods. “Of course. I’m an AI, nothing gets past me. Don’t worry, I didn’t share that nugget of data with the datastream though. I’d never rat you out to Station Patrol. Us grunts have to stick together. Now, let’s get Mikael out of here before the calvary arrives.”
Theros scoops Mikael in his arms and our little pack rushes out of the derelict warehouse — and straight into an ambush.
“Stop it right there!” A voice booms.
My heart leaps into my throat as we stare down the barrel of a dozen guns. The Port District is littered with human soldiers, a mixture of black SINTRA outfits and the navy-blue of Station Patrol, and their heavy weapons are pointed right at us.
“Fuck my circuits,” Sanura curses under her breath.
A human sporting a black beret takes a few step towards us.
“Anaya… It’s good to finally see you in the flesh. We’ve been letting you run around the Station for a while now, but this little charade has to come to an end. Surrender now, and I’ll let your friends live.”
“Who do you think you are?!” I yell, my fists balled up. The air around me crackles with static as anger fills every inch of me.
“From now on you’ll address me as Sir,” he says casually, displaying a toothy grin that makes my skin crawl. “Don’t worry, I’ll get it knocked into your skull one way or another. There’s plenty of time for that.”
I try to focus all of my energy on the weapons in the soldiers hands, but try as I might, I can’t get a telepathic link to them.
“You think we’d show up here with automated weaponry?” The man laughs at me. “No, we’re a little smarter than that. We know you have the power to control tech, so we’re all packing old-school weapons. And trust me, they still pack quite a punch. Allow me to demonstrate.”
He pulls the gun out of his holster and fires a bullet straight at Sanura. My heart leaps right into my throat. She only narrowly manages to dodge it, thanks to her upgraded reflexes. The large hole in the wall behind her is big enough to make my stomach drop.
“Stop it!” I say. “Stop!”
The man holsters his weapon. “I’m happy to see you’re finally starting to see reason. Now, put your hands over your head and walk towards me. Slowly.”
I look up at Theros, looking for… guidance, reassurance, closure, an escape plan — anything. To my surprise, his
silver flecked eyes have taken on a bright glow. There’s a slight breeze in the air, and the hair on my arms stands up straight. I feel the Zorashi symbols on the back of my neck start to pulse and glow, and I feel my essence being pulled towards him, like a moth to a flame.
A pitch-black swirl appears suddenly at our feet — he’s conjuring up a portal!
“What the fuck is that?!” the human leader growls. “Shoot the Zoran! Now!”
The sudden sound of gunfire makes me wince, and I close my eyes tightly, flinging my arms around my mate.
If he goes, I go.
I prepare myself for the incoming bullets, but instead I feel… like I’m floating.
No, falling.
Is this… the afterlife?
I open my eyes to see we’re all traveling through a tunnel of pure, white light — and the next moment, we’re back on Theros’s ship.
He did it!
Chapter Twenty-Four
Theros
I collapse on the floor, exhausted, every muscle in my body screaming out in pain. I’ve never done anything that cost that much power. Teleporting not just myself, but our entire group halfway across the station in a split second?
To be honest, I didn’t know I had it in me. I thought for sure we were going to catch a bullet. I’m as surprised as the people around me that we made it.
“What the?!” Sanura says. “What just happened? Where are we?!”
“Theros teleported us!” My mate says, her voiced filled with giddiness as she rushes to my side. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I cough, my muscles still cramped up. “I’m fine.”
The AI’s face is filled with shock, and her companions can barely believe it either.
“Teleportation? That’s impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible,” Anaya says. “Or do you think it’s normal I can somehow reach out to machinery?”