by JC Cassels
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said.
“Good.” Poised for flight, she glanced down at his hand, then met his gaze. “I don’t want you to.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted a divorce?”
She shrugged, and with a breathy laugh held out her hands in surrender. “You look at me like that and I don’t know what I want.”
His lips parted in a teasing smile. “Fair enough. Why don’t we table this discussion for another time, then?”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“Shall we?” He stepped back and swept his arm wide. “We still have to get to the docking ring, and every security officer on board is going to be looking for us. We’ll be lucky if they don’t enlist freelance help from the lower levels.”
She grimaced at the thought and fell into step beside him. “They know we’re in this maintenance corridor. They’ll get around to us once they get the dome stabilized.”
“I stowed a bag in the lockers down by the commercial arrivals area. It would be helpful to have.”
“You know what else would be helpful to have? Eyes in the system.” Bo tapped her com-implant. “Sundance, do you copy?”
She listened a moment, then nodded. “We had to shoot our way out of Starlight and I may have compromised the dome,” she said. “Listen, I need Edge to tap into station security and help us out however he can. I need him to clear a path to you, or at least talk me around any patrols in our way.” Bo listened a moment more. “I know you haven’t been able to raise him…but I really, really need him.”
Remembering the IC data reader he’d picked up from Dilly, Blade pulled it from his pocket and switched it on. He handed it to her. “Tell Sundance to send Edge the connect code for this. He might find it easier to communicate that way, and I can use my sunshades as a HUD.”
“Sundance, did you get that?” She nodded and returned the data reader to him. “Great! In the meantime, any help you can give us will be appreciated. Transmit any visual relays to Blade’s reader.”
He opened his sunshades with a flick of his wrist and slid them on. Touching the sync controls on the reader, they flashed in stand-by mode, waiting for data.
“A maintenance map would be helpful,” he said.
After a few seconds, his display lit up with the station schematics. Blade filtered through the layers and pinpointed their location relative to Sundance on the docking ring.
He stopped and looked around, noting the access panels and their numbers.
“What’s wrong?”
“We need to get out of this corridor,” he said. “We’re headed in the wrong direction.”
Turning, he headed back the other way.
“There’s a shaft over here connecting the levels…”
“Shaft? As in lift or ladder?”
“Ladder, most likely.”
He glanced up at the security cams. “But first we need to do something about those.”
He stopped beside a data panel and tapped in a code. The panel beeped rudely at him, denying access. “So much for the easy way,” he muttered. He sighed and lifted his right hand, studying his palm for a few seconds, debating his options.
“What?”
He met her concerned look with a small smile.
“I know that look,” she said. “What are you planning?”
His lips tightened in a grim line. He tapped the palm of his hand. A yellow light flashed twice under his skin.
“What is that?” Her brow furrowed. “Did I know you had something embedded in your hand?”
His lips twitched as the display granted him system-wide access. “You did not.”
“Is that new? What is that? You didn’t just activate some kind of explosive or IC suicide thing did you?”
“It’s an emergency override code.” He glanced at her. “Back door access.”
“Oh! That’s how…” Bo’s face contorted in agony. She cried out.
“Bo?”
He caught her as she fell. Veins stood out as her face turned purple. She panted, struggling to breathe.
“Bo, what’s wrong?”
Gritting her teeth, every muscle in her body contracted as she fought against some invisible foe.
“Talk to me, Barron!”
She grunted and cried out again. Tears gathered in the corners of her tightly closed eyes and escaped into the hair at her temples.
“Com-m-m…im…plant,” she gasped.
Shifting his hold on her, with his fingertips, he lightly traced her skull until he found the com-implant. He pressed lightly, disengaging the actuator.
As quickly as it had begun, whatever it was ceased. Her muscles unlocked and she collapsed against him, gasping for air.
Blade cradled her to his chest and sank slowly to his knees. He brushed her hair from her face.
“Take it easy.”
“Don’t worry.” Her eyelids fluttered open and she searched his face. “It knocked the breath out of me. I need a minute.”
“Don’t switch that thing back on before we get to Sundance,” he said sharply.
Weakly, she held onto his arm across her chest, hugging it closer. “You know you get bossy when you’re scared?”
His lips twitched. He pressed a hard, quick kiss to the top of her head and shifted, propping her into a seated position against his shoulder.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“I dunno.” She shook her head. “All of a sudden my implant just went crazy. I can’t describe it.”
His brow gathered.
Grimacing, she drew her feet under her. “Help me up. I’m good.”
He rose, pulling her to her feet. “Are you sure…”
“My head is killing me, but yeah.” Her eyes narrowed and she leaned closer to the access display on the wall. “What the hell?”
Shifting his hold on her, he scanned the readout. Huge amounts of data flashed past in rapid succession, too fast to make sense of all of it.
“Looks like an info dump,” he said. “You don’t suppose Sundance sent a concentrated burst to the station over your implant, do you?”
She groaned and rubbed her temple. “If he did, I’m going to make sure he never does it again.”
“We’ll worry about that later. Right now…” He tapped in the command override codes for the internal sensors and security cameras, disabling both. “That should do it. If they can’t see us, it’ll make it harder to find us.”
He touched the hatch controls and a hole in the wall irised open, revealing a ladder. “Time to disappear.”
“Do you realize how many levels we’ll have to climb down just to get to Sundance?”
“Yes.” He met her annoyed look with a smile. “I’m looking at station schematics right now. There’s a roundabout route we can take that will get us where we need to go. It should take hours. We need to get out of this corridor now or we’re going to end up on the wrong side of Chiron, which could add a day to the trip. Think you feel up to a little adventure?”
Bo peered down the shaft, then lifted her gaze to his. She held up her Capre in silent question.
He held out his hand, expectantly.
With a long-suffering sigh, she placed the weapon in his hand.
He engaged the safety and tucked her Capre into the holster nestled against the small of his back.
“I would say ‘ladies first,’ but since you’re unarmed, I’ll take the point.”
“You’re afraid I’ll fall.” Folding her arms across her chest, she impatiently tapped one high-heeled shoe against the deck plate. He glanced down at her shoes and his brow gathered.
“Will you be able to climb in those things?”
“Oh, you’d be surprised at the things I can do in high heels,” she retorted. With a jerk of her head, she urged him into the shaft. “Go on. We don’t have all day.”
“Yes, dear.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Bo stepped out of the fifth maintenance shaft she had follo
wed Blade through. He’d led her on so many twists and turns, doubling back, climbing, and descending, that he’d managed to confuse even her sense of direction.
“Are you sure you’re following the right schematic?”
“It’s the one Sundance sent me. Take it up with him.” He grinned at her. “Getting tired?”
She shook her head. The pain from her implant had all but faded.
“I was just thinking of your leg,” she smiled. “You were shot, you know.”
“I was there,” he said. “I remember.”
“Tell me there’s more to your plan than getting lost in maintenance shafts.”
“We’re not lost.”
“You don’t have a plan, do you?”
“I always have a plan.”
“No, you don’t. You say you do, but sometimes you’re winging it.”
“That’s sort of a plan.”
Bo sighed. “No. It’s not.”
“I have a plan.” He shrugged. “Well, I have a goal. I’m a little fuzzy on some of the details.” He took her hand and pulled her after him. “This way. Those supplies I cached are just ahead. As soon as we step out into the main station, they’ll be all over us.”
“So you’ve been doubling back to throw off pursuit.”
He nodded. “They know we’re going to Sundance, so it makes sense that’s where they’d concentrate their efforts. Damaging the dome will have started an evacuation of the station. It should be chaos out there. We’ve been avoiding patrols and maintenance teams.”
She dragged him to a halt.
He rolled his eyes in annoyance as he turned to face her.
“How do you know there have been any patrols? I haven’t seen anyone.”
“Lahtrecki priest, remember?”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“Everything gives off an energy signature. To a trained Lahtrecki priest, that energy is palpable. It’s like having a built-in sensor array.”
“You actually expect me to believe that?”
He sighed. “There’s an insect on the support strut about two meters behind me on the left.”
Craning her neck, Bo peered past his arm. “Nope. Sorry.”
“My left.”
She leaned around his other side.
Her smug smile faded.
Sure enough, a small, black insect rested on the support strut just behind him.
“That doesn’t mean anything” she said. “You saw it before you turned around. You knew it was there.”
His lips twitched. “You’re right, now come on.”
He tugged her after him as he headed back down the corridor.
Bo couldn’t help but stare at the insect as they passed.
Her hand tucked securely in his, she skipped to catch up with him as he increased his pace. They walked quickly in silence.
It had to be a trick. It was nothing more than sleight of hand, or the power of suggestion. It had to be. This was Blade.
Memories she’d rather leave buried haunted her, demanding her attention.
He’d tried to explain all this once before, years ago. It made no more sense now than it had then. But there was no other reasonable explanation for what he had done to their would-be mugger. With a single finger on his forehead, Blade had reduced him to a drooling vegetable. He’d always had an uncanny sense for impending trouble, but that went beyond simply anticipating an attack. That had been active.
His steps slowed. He canted his head. Without explanation, he palmed open a mechanical alcove and shoved her into the cramped space, crowding in behind her. The hatch slid shut, leaving them in darkness, lit only by the flashing lights of the equipment around them.
There was barely enough space for one person, let alone two. His arm slipped around her waist, pulling her against his chest. His heart thumped in an accelerated rhythm against her shoulder…or maybe that was hers and they were synced together.
“Did you shove me in here to grope me?”
“Patrol coming.”
Even in a whisper, his terse tone warned her to be quiet.
“Be honest with me about that energy stuff,” she said, lowering her voice. “That’s just a mind game, right?”
“Whatever you say, Bo.” His tone was distracted, dismissive even.
“I want the truth, Blade!”
He shushed her.
Her lips pursed in annoyance. She lifted her foot, easing the heel of her shoe on top of his. She shifted her weight, letting the sharp heel gouge into his foot.
He sighed and bent his knee, knocking her off-balance. “Stop being childish,” he whispered. “Do you want to get arrested?”
“Talk to me, Blade.” She tried to turn around, but his arm around her waist anchored her in place. “You’re not arguing with me about this. That means you actually believe it.”
“The existence of something is not predicated on one’s belief or disbelief,” he said softly. “The thing in itself isn’t affected by your belief in it or lack thereof. The only thing directly altered by your belief in something as fact is your ability to perceive it.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said.
He shushed her again.
Her brow furrowed, but she lowered her voice. “Believe me, I would know gravity whether I believed in it or not. You’re going to experience its effects no matter what.”
“But it’s only when you believe in gravity as a fact that you can understand it, measure it, and fully explore it.”
Bo considered that for a moment. Maker help her, that actually made sense. “Like repulsor drives and anti-grav field generators?”
“Neither of which would have been conceived without a belief in, and study of, gravity. Only when you believe in it can you begin to master it, learn from it, let it change you into something better. Until then, you’re bound by its mysteries, servant to its nature. Same with the Sentaro.”
“I can always tell when you’re quoting Tahar.” Her lips twisted. “So the Sentaro is like a river? It flows and carries you along as long as you’re oblivious to it. But when you’re aware of it, you can…what? Change the flow?”
“Nothing quite that drastic,” he said. “It still carries you, but you’re no longer slave to its effects. You learn to navigate it more efficiently. You can see swirls and eddies far enough in advance to avoid them. You can better see where you’re going and chart a deliberate path there.”
“Where are you going?”
Silence greeted her.
He exhaled deeply, and much of the tension eased from him.
“Where is the Sentaro taking you?” She repeated.
Leaning closer, he nuzzled her neck. His beard tickled her sensitive skin. His hot breath fell on her ear, setting the small of her back alight with an electric charge. “It was always bringing me back to you.”
He touched the hatch and it slid open. Leaning out, he glanced both ways to make sure the corridor was clear before he left the alcove.
She waited for him to turn and face her.
“Look me in the eye and say that again,” she said.
Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and removed his sunshades.
“There are two great forces in the Lahtrecki faith: the Sentaro, which guides the threads that weave lives together, and the Prenaha, which is the life force of the individual. Many cultures have an understanding of this on some level.”
He held up his hand, showing her his wedding ring.
“Your own people understand it, Bo. The design on our rings is an example of it. You called it a love knot; representing lives coming together, separating, and returning again. A warrior’s promise. A tradition that goes back thousands of years. The Lahtrecki would call it your Prenaha, weaving together with mine in the flow of the Sentaro, becoming one flesh, something stronger together than either could be alone; unbreakable and eternal.”
She stared at his ring, absorbing the meaning of his words. After a long moment, she met his stare. His
eyes, blue as the bluestone that made up her childhood home, showed no hint of deceit.
He gently touched her cheek. “The only thing that has kept me going every day for the past five years has been the belief that our lives are entwined, and that, someday, the Sentaro would bring us together again.”
Lifting a trembling hand, Bo silenced him with her fingers across his lips. “I knew you never had any intention of leaving me once you got me back to Sundance.”
He kissed her fingers and pulled her hand away. “Let’s just say, I had faith that you wouldn’t want me to leave. Was my faith misplaced?”
Was it? Did she still want him to leave?
Bo opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t form an answer. Helplessly she shook her head.
His lips quirked. “You don’t have to answer that right now,” he said. “I have every faith that you’ll know one way or the other by the time you’re back aboard your ship.”
His eyes narrowed as he lifted his gaze and looked past her down the corridor. His brows gathered and he tucked his sunshades into his jacket. “We’re running out of time.” He dropped his arm around her shoulders and started for the exit. “Keep your arm around my waist. It’ll make drawing the Capre easier.”
Nodding her understanding, she slipped her arm around him, her fingertips rested on the grip of her Capre for reassurance.
***
They stepped out of the maintenance corridor into a scene of total panic. Blade’s arm tightened around her shoulders, pulling her closer as a rotund family of Edish raced past, clutching their haphazardly-packed luggage to their midsections.
“I see what you mean about turbulent,” she said.
Raised voices, shouting, shrieking, screaming, blended with the thundering of running feet and other appendages across the deck plates. The stench of perspiration and fear filled the air. Evacuees bounced off them in their haste to escape the station.
“This way.” He steered her away from the stampede of evacuees and into the more heavily-populated waiting area.
The crowd grew denser and more desperate as they approached the commercial liners’ lounges. Bo swallowed a pang of guilt for her role in their fear.