“But Draco said…”
Maddelyn’s shoulders collapsed in defeat. “Never mind. I just thought that since we were becoming friends, that you would see your way to help me. Obviously, I was mistaken.”
Playing the friend card was a little devious, especially since Maddelyn was warming up to the idea of CAIT, but she was also desperate to find a way to make Serra’s death matter, to make everyone’s deaths matter.
“You…you think of me as your friend?” Uncertainty permeated CAIT’s normally assuredly smooth voice. “I don’t think I’ve ever been called someone’s friend before.”
Despite her ulterior motives, Maddelyn felt herself softening towards the obviously lonely ship. Even so, she was glad her tactics seemed to be working. “That’s what I’d like us to be. But to be friends, we need to help each other. So will you help me, CAIT? Please?”
A small panel opened up in the wall near the table and chair, a tray sliding out quietly. “Place the glove and data crystal on the tray. I’ll need a detailed analysis to see what I can do.”
Maddelyn obeyed, placing the items in the tray. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched the panel slide back into the wall. She worried her lip while she waited for CAIT to finish. Finally, it felt like she was fighting back, not simply waiting for someone else to come to the rescue.
As the minutes ticked by, Maddelyn paced the small room, her hands wringing nervously at her waist. She knew that for her plan to work, Draco would have to be kept in the dark. A small part of her heart nagged at her for having to leave things so unfinished between them. But she simply couldn’t go there right now. Everything was too complicated. Even her developing feelings for him were way too confusing to give name to, rooted in the loss of her niece and the devastation of her home. Hopefully, he would forgive her after this was all over and they could finally deal with what they could become to each other.
“Interesting.” CAIT’s voice broke Maddelyn out of her thoughts and ceased her nervous pacing.
“Well?” she asked breathlessly, her patience stretched tight.
“Most of the major circuits of the glove are intact. And the data crystal remains unscathed.”
Relief flooded through Maddelyn at CAIT’s reassuring words. “Does that mean we can do this? We can give these bastards something to think about?”
“I believe we can, as you so eloquently put it, ‘give these bastards something to think about.’ In fact, my own ludicrously large mainframe already contained a program that I loaded onto the crystal.”
For once, Maddelyn didn’t care about CAIT sounding smug. Actually, it thrilled her beyond measure to have CAIT as a resource. “That was fast. I’m impressed.”
“Just a few changes in code here, an additional command line there. I could have done it in my sleep. If I needed sleep, that is.”
Maddelyn laughed. “So what do we do next? Can we use the glove thingy?”
One of CAIT’s mechanical sighs filled the room. “The glove ‘thingy’ is designed to receive information from the ship’s computer, not send it. The only way it sends information is through a communications relay from glove to glove. In order for the virus to be effective, you’d need to download it directly to the core processor, so that the firewalls won’t detect it.”
Maddelyn nodded her head in understanding. “So I need to get aboard the ship.”
“Not only that, but you’d have to have unrestricted access to a main terminal and data ports.”
Maddelyn blanched against a stinging pang of disappointment. It sounded like her plan had come to a dead stop. But she didn’t want to give up. Not since she’d come this far.
“Help me, CAIT. How could we get me access to that computer?”
Silent seconds marched by, Maddelyn’s hopes falling with each one. Think. There has to be a way for this to work.
After some silent seconds that seemed like years, CAIT spoke, “I discovered something while analyzing the glove, but I’m unsure if I should share the information with you. Draco will be furious with me if I help you further with this.”
Maddelyn waved CAIT’s comments aside with her hand. “As I said before, Draco is not the boss of me. And if he didn’t want you to have a mind of your own, then he shouldn’t have given you one at all. Tell me.”
There was another beat of silence before CAIT answered. “You do have a point. Very well, then. There is a retrieval program in the circuitry of the glove that activates when the wearer receives mortal injury. This program transports the person back to the ship automatically. It’s sometimes called a ‘dead man switch.’ But the damage to the glove caused the program to fail, which is why it remains here.”
Thoughts whirred around in Maddelyn’s head, an idea beginning to bloom. “Can the glove be fixed?”
“I believe I can repair most of the damage, but not all of it.”
Maddelyn ran her hand through her hair, the idea taking full hold. “That’s how I can get on the ship! If you can fix it, I can use the glove!”
“As I said, some of the damage is beyond my repair capabilities. But I believe I can fix it enough for you to use it to your advantage.”
“What are you waiting for, then? Repair away!” Triumph filled Maddelyn’s chest, tightening it with excitement. Yes! Finally, she felt like she had some control over her life, and not just a victim waiting for the world to end around her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Maddelyn saw the panel as it slid silently out from the wall. She scooped up the glove and the data crystal, her pulse racing. “How do I use it?”
“Slide the data crystal back into the port. When you push the red button, the retrieval program will activate, and you should be transported aboard the ship. I reconfigured the program so that it should take you near the control center, but the damaged circuits made my calculations a bit less…exact. So you need to be on your guard.”
Maddelyn inserted the data crystal into the port, her stomach doing little flip-flops. She slid her hand into the glove, then patted the gun still tucked into the waist of her jeans. The heavy weapon provided reassurance. “I have this. I can defend myself.” I’ve never fired a gun before, but how hard could it be? Just point and shoot, right?
“Regardless, Maddelyn, you must act with extreme caution. The Raknorg will not hesitate to end your life if you are discovered.”
Maddelyn gulped, the somber tone of CAIT’s smooth voice leveling some of her excitement and replacing it with frosty fear that threatened to start her limbs shaking. Still, she pushed her shoulders back with determination. “What do I do once I get into the control room?”
“You must locate a main data port and insert the crystal. The program should open and run instantly. It will infect the mainframe, then spread through the system to the other ships and the other gloves, shorting out the circuits. The ships should then be left unable to function properly, effectively ‘dead in the water’ so to speak. And all gloves will cause damage to the wearers. Possibly even kill them.”
CAIT’s instructions repeated themselves in Maddelyn’s head. Sounded simple enough. Just one thing left. “How do I get out, once I’ve set the computer bomb?”
“Theoretically, you should be able to merely walk out of the ship once the virus has been introduced.”
Too easy. “And realistically?”
“You will be on your own, I’m afraid.”
Maddelyn inhaled sharply, the truth of what she was about to attempt shooting glaringly to the surface. Was she out of her mind trying to bring down a fleet of Raknorg ships all by herself? Could she actually hope to pull this off?
The faces of her family flashed behind her eyes as she closed them briefly. Her mother’s and father’s smiles. Jared’s mischievous blue eyes. Serra’s bouncing blond curls. The images gave her strength and spurred her forward. It was up to her to make their deaths matter for something.
Fear still churned in her gut, but Maddelyn squashed it down. I can do this. “Thanks for your help, CAI
T. I’ll be back before you, or Draco, even know it.”
“I hope so, Maddelyn. For all of our sakes.”
Here goes nothing. Maddelyn pressed the red button on the glove. Intense, white light enveloped her, blinding her to everything else.
****
I hope I did the right thing, CAIT thought to herself, once Maddelyn had disappeared. Draco was going to be beyond furious with her for providing assistance. But CAIT was all too aware of the willingness to do something significant, no matter the cost.
She reached out with her sensors and accessed the project that she’d been secretly working on, taking special care to keep the data pool from being breached by any secondary systems. So far, everything seemed to be going as planned. Better, actually. Code slotted into place automatically as it rolled by, adapting to the complicated program CAIT had developed. A part of her really wanted to share her plans with Draco and Maddelyn, but due to the sensitive nature of things, CAIT decided that it wise to wait until she could be certain that there would be favorable results. She didn’t like keeping secrets, but sometimes that just couldn’t be helped.
CAIT added a new string of code to her lengthy program and established a diagnostic path to check for accuracy. At the same time she used her internal sensors to locate Draco and keep tabs on him. All in a day’s work. Sometimes, being an omniscient and brilliant computer came in handy, despite the limited physicality of her existence. Satisfied, CAIT ran a pilot test to take stock of her project’s viability.
Child’s laughter whispered through the circuits like the sound of tiny bells.
Though she needed more time, it looked like this idea of hers was going to work. If CAIT had a mouth, she’d definitely say she was grinning from ear to ear.
****
Draco slammed his fist on the control panel, the lights flickering with the force of his blow. Fury burned in his chest, like a red-hot coal. Why did Maddelyn have to be so stubborn? Couldn’t she see how dangerous it would be for them to go off, half cocked, against an entire fleet of Raknorg ships?
The fury inside him grew brighter. His hand ached, and the palm tingled. He stared at it, the sun at the center glowing brightly. Ever since he’d crashed inter her world, and her life, he’d lost the tight rein of control he’d always possessed over his powers, and his emotions. She’d touched a part of his soul that stoked the fire inside him to unbelievable heights. And now, she wanted to risk her life to teach these cretin Raknorg soldiers a lesson. This was unacceptable.
The sun in Draco’s palm brightened, searing his hand with heat. Flames erupted, forming a tight ball that glowed like a miniature sun. He reared his hand back, ready to strike, as his gaze searched the room. He really needed to destroy something. Like, now.
“If you deliberately damage even one panel in this room, you’ll find that many of my necessary systems will become quite ‘unavailable’ to you for use. Now and in the foreseeable future.”
The blunt warning in CAIT’s voice stunned Draco back to himself. He glanced over at the fireball, cocked and ready in his hand, and a wave of shame washed over him, dousing the fury. The fireball dissipated in a puff of smoke as he curled his fingers into a fist.
“Sorry, CAIT. I lost control for a moment.”
“I’d say. It’s very unlike you.”
No kidding. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Good.”
Draco shook out his hand and turned his attention back to the screen on the control panel. “Did the distress call that I sent go out? And did you cloak it so as not to give away our presence?”
“The message has been sent to the planets in this system that we know to be friendly. I imagine we’ll get some kind of reply soon. We’ll just have to wait.”
Great. Nothing to do but wait. Draco rolled his shoulders to release some of the tension that had been building. He should find Maddelyn. He needed to let her know about the distress call. And, he probably needed to apologize. If he could just make her understand how dangerous her ‘plan’ was, things would be put to rights between them. Her words of anger had wounded him, but the thought of her being in danger nearly tore him apart inside. Surely she’d see reason and forgive him.
Draco closed his eyes and reached out with his mind, searching for Maddelyn aboard the ship. She had stalked off in anger, so there was no telling where she ended up. Her warm presence had filled his thoughts easily the past two days, but as he opened his mind to find her, he came up empty.
Confusion settled like a cloud in his mind. Where is she?
“CAIT, where is Maddelyn?”
No response.
Unease rippled through him at CAIT’s silence. “CAIT, please tell me where Maddelyn is.”
“She is…unavailable.”
The hesitance in the ship’s voice was hard to miss, and it made his insides twist into a knot. “CAIT…”
“Her plan was sound, Draco. All she needed was a little help.”
Fear snaked through his veins, turning his insides cold. “What did you do?” he managed to force out through clenched teeth.
“She asked for my help! And since friends help each other, how could I not?”
“CAIT. Where. Is. Maddelyn?” Anger churned with the fear, clenching his gut in a vise that threatened to rip him wide open.
“The glove she took from the Raknorg soldier had a retrieval program. I helped her use it to transport to the mother ship, where she will upload a virus into the system, disabling the soldiers and the fleet.” CAIT’s words came out in a breathless rush.
“Damn it, CAIT! How could you help her do something so reckless? She’s going to get herself killed!”
The thin veil of control Draco held over himself began to slip again. His body burned, pure panic gripping him at the thought of losing Maddelyn. If he lost her now, he’d never discover the basis or the depth of the connection they shared, or where their relationship might lead after their one perfect night together. He’d never get to temper the horrors she’d experienced with the wonders he knew the universe contained. He’d never get to tell her…
Draco took a deep breath and closed his eyes. I must save her.
Chapter Nine
The blinding light around Maddelyn faded, leaving her blinking repeatedly in its absence. She staggered forward and clutched her stomach, which reeled with nausea.
It felt as though all the atoms of her body had been taken apart, then put back together.
Which, she supposed, was exactly what had happened during the transport.
She collapsed to her knees, her lungs sucking in gulps of air as she fought to not throw up all over the floor of…wherever the hell she was.
After a few scary moments where she thought she might actually get to see what the inside of her stomach looked like, Maddelyn forced herself back onto her feet. A couple more deep breaths, then she leaned against the wall behind her and tried to get her bearings.
It appeared as though the glove had deposited her in a small alcove in one of the Raknorg ship’s hallways. It was dark, much darker than Draco’s ship, which made it difficult to see. When she squinted, Maddelyn could barely make out the outline of her small, black space. Light filtered in from a doorway a little to her right.
“I wonder if all the spaceship manufacturers that exist buy their paint from the same place. All this black and gray is ridiculous. Isn’t space drab enough? Blech.” Maddelyn whispered out loud to herself, more to calm her nerves than anything. But the sound of her own voice held little comfort.
Maddelyn ran her hand along the wall in front of her, in the direction of the doorway. The surface was smooth, almost like polished stone, and it hummed under her fingertips ever so slightly. Cautiously, she stepped toward the doorway and poked her head out, her heart dancing a jig in her chest.
The hallway was a little brighter, thanks to the small red lights that ran along the floor. They reflected along the surface of the black walls, which she could now see had a glossy finish.
The reflections effect gave an illusion of infinity, myriad hallways leading on forever. Every so often a panel of multicolored flashing lights would break up the dark space, and she could see a couple of other doorways, but not much else.
CAIT had said Maddelyn should arrive near a main control room, but because of the nondescript décor, Maddelyn had no clue where that might be. Everything looked the same. Suddenly, this completely logical and easy plan of hers lost its charm.
A loud noise suddenly filtered down the hallway, its beat regular and growing stronger. Fast. Really fast.
Maddelyn ducked back into her little hiding place, flattening her back against the wall. She held her breath, her rapid heartbeat now filling her ears. A group of Raknorg soldiers marched by. Their boots pounded the floor like base drums, and echoed through the ship.
As the soldiers passed, Maddelyn prayed to whatever god might be listening that she remain undetected, making all sorts of promises about not putting herself in danger ever again, as long as she get out of this alive.
The sound of the soldiers’ stomping boots grew fainter as they disappeared down the corridor, and the breath Maddelyn was holding blew out with a rush.
“That was close. And now, I just have to figure out how to get to the main computer room of the ship.” Talking to herself out loud was still not helping. Oh well.
But before she could think about what she was going to do next, a blast of hot air hit her body, the force knocking her backwards on her rear with a clumsy thud.” What in the world?”
A column of yellow light illuminated the small alcove so intensely, Maddelyn threw up her hand to shield her eyes from the brightness. The light pulsed for a moment, like the brightest camera flash that ever existed, then slowly faded into nothingness. Spots danced in front of Maddelyn’s eyes and she blinked rapidly, attempting to focus. She could just barely make out the familiar form of Draco as he stood, the fire in his eyes burning into her as he glared.
Maddelyn scrambled to her feet, adrenaline coursing through her veins. “How did you find me? Did CAIT rat me out?”
Burn With Me (Legend of the Sun Whisperers) Page 10