by Anna Hackett
“Fuck.” She felt like she was choking. They needed to get through.
“We’ll have to hope that Ryan can get it open.” Galen turned, sword lifted, and watched the greenery around them.
“Come on, Ryan,” Harper murmured.
Somewhere nearby, a creature’s wild screech sounded.
Mia looked at Vek. His breathing was more labored, now. She stared at the wall of green.
Come on, Ryan. Please.
Ryan
Ryan tapped on the small screen, her fingers flying. She was flat on her belly in the grass, under some small trees. The control panel that Neve knew of was set into the ground, and had been hidden under a rock.
“Everything’s turned around.” Ryan muttered a curse, trying to work out this strange system. It was like nothing she’d seen before.
“Keep trying,” Corsair said. He and Neve were standing above her, both of them continuously scanning their surroundings for any unwelcome guests. “Your friends’ lives depend on it.”
Ryan snorted. “Wow, thanks for the pep talk.”
The man’s brow creased. “Pep?”
Neve shook her head. “She means that you’re an idiot.”
Corsair stiffened. “I’ve punished people for far less than that insult.”
Neve lifted her chin, her hands tightening on her staff. “Try it, pirate.”
“I am not a pirate. I’m a caravan master.” Another wide, white smile. “You can call me master.”
“In your dreams.”
“Can you guys knock it off?” Ryan grumbled. She hit on something and the screen filled with symbols. “Yes! I got through the system to the Srinar part of it. They’re piggybacking on the existing system in this old ship. The Srinar system, I’m familiar with.” She tapped some more, and images appeared on the small screen.
Neve leaned over her shoulder. “Oh, good, you’ve got the camera feed up. We can see the others.” Then her voice changed. “Uh, oh, they’ve got company.”
Ryan’s stomach did a slow turn. The others were being attacked by bees. Giant freaking bees.
“Get the Srinar cameras shut down, and that door open,” Corsair said.
“I’m trying.” Ryan’s fingers flew over the screen. She shut out the sounds of the angry bees and the shouts of the gladiators.
Suddenly the sound of beautiful singing came through the screen. What the hell?
“Wow,” Neve said. “Mia has a hell of a voice.”
The trio watched on the screen as the bees calmed down, and Galen took care of them. Amazing. Corsair tapped Ryan’s shoulder impatiently, and she got back to work. Door controls. Camera controls. Fucking Srinar and their stupid games. She was going to really mess things up for them.
Ryan fell completely into her zone. This was when everything inside her went still, when she was tapped in deep to a computer system, working her magic.
“Galen and the others are approaching the door,” Corsair said.
“Almost there.” Ryan kept tapping, moving through the system. There! “Got it! Doors are open. And—” she tapped one last time “—the cameras are off. The Srinar are blind.”
“Nice work.” Corsair’s grin was blinding. The man had a rugged, handsome face that begged a woman to take a look—or ten. Ryan idly noted that Neve was studying him rather intently, as well.
“You still in their system?” he asked.
Ryan nodded.
“How about we mess up the Srinar’s little operation a bit before we meet up with the others?”
Ryan nodded, determination filling her. “Excellent idea.” She started deleting information. Anything and everything.
Some things were protected with really tough encryption, but she kept working, her fingers flying.
Then she stopped, scanning the data. Fighter records were flashing across the screen. What if there was information on Dayna in there, somewhere? Or other humans abducted by the Thraxians?
God, what she’d give for a portable data drive right now.
“Speed it up, Ryan.” Corsair pulled a crossbow off his back, aiming it at the bushes ahead of them. “We have company.”
Ryan didn’t see anything, but she didn’t doubt him. “I need a few more minutes.”
Neve lifted her staff. “We can buy you some more time.” She flashed Corsair a glance. “Or, at least, I know I can.”
Corsair smiled again. This time, it was laced with challenge. “Try and keep up, Earth woman.”
Ryan got back to work, conscious of Corsair and Neve moving away from her. Without a sound or a rustle, Nerium guards rushed out of the vegetation.
Yeah, the Srinar were probably going to throw everything they could at them to try and stop Ryan. Delete. Delete. Delete. She smiled grimly.
She saw Corsair explode into action, crossbow bolts firing in quick succession. He dived, rolled and kept firing. Neve was right beside him, jumping high and moving that wicked staff with deadly moves.
Holy hell, the two of them could fight. Ryan had always wanted to be badass, but she knew it required a whole lot of exercise, discipline, and probably early-morning training. Ryan did not do early mornings. She preferred to be a badass with her fingers and a computer screen.
The computer beneath her beeped, and suddenly information flooded the screen. So much data. They could use all of it to crush the Srinar and their operations. She needed to take this with her. Or maybe upload it, somewhere.
She quickly tapped in more commands, trying to make an outside connection. Maybe she could hack some random computer in Kor Magna, and hide the data there. She could recover it later.
“Pirate, throw me,” Neve called out.
Ryan looked up again and saw Corsair grip Neve’s waist. With a powerful flex of his muscled arms, he tossed her up into the air. As she flew, she spun, her staff taking down several guards. She landed in the center of several Nerium, in a crouch. Then she grinned and exploded upward, taking down more guards.
Suddenly, Ryan’s screen blinked and changed. A sharp, masculine face appeared.
“There you are,” the man drawled.
She tensed. If it wasn’t the arrogant boy genius.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
Like she’d been sashaying around on a beachside vacation. “I don’t have time for you, info-boy. This is life or death.”
He frowned. “Can I help?”
She nodded. “I’ve hacked the Srinar system. I’ve accessed their data. All their data. I want everything here, to help shut them down and find others they’ve enslaved.”
“All their data.” A hungry look filled the man’s fascinating, nebula-blue eyes. He cracked his knuckles and Ryan was caught for a second on how long and well-shaped his fingers were. “Let’s do it, Ryan.”
She got to work, and on the screen, she saw his face set with concentration as he buckled down on his end. She could see what he was doing, and dammit, it was ingenious. The man might be arrogant, but he was smart, as well.
Zhim’s link connected, and Ryan quickly started uploading across it. “It’s done. I have to go.”
He stared directly at her. “I look forward to meeting you in person, Ryan Amaya Nagano of Earth. Don’t get hurt coming home.”
A strange feeling swirled in Ryan’s belly. She gave the man a nod, and shut off the screen. She pushed to her feet, and saw that the ground was littered with green-skinned aliens.
Corsair and Neve were standing in the middle of it, back to back. The caravan master turned, sliding his crossbow onto his back with a smile. “I believe I took down one more than you.”
Neve straightened. “You did not.” She spun her staff up behind her back, glaring at him.
“I did,” he insisted.
“You don’t get credit for that last one. I’d already hit him twice. He was a soft target.”
“A draw, then. We took down the same number.”
“I hate cocky men.” In a lightning-fast move, Neve dropped into a crouch and swept
her leg out in a half circle. Her boot hit Corsair’s legs, and knocked the man into a sprawl. His colorful curse filled the air.
Neve stood, pushing her dark curls back off her face. “Now, I officially took down one more than you.”
Ryan tried to hide her smile as a disgruntled Corsair rose to his feet.
“Ah, sorry to interrupt the one-upmanship,” Ryan said. “But I’m finished, and we need to get back to the others before they leave us here.”
Chapter Fifteen
Mia slammed her hand against the door controls once more, useless anger churning inside her. She could hear the rattle of Vek’s breath, and she wanted to scream.
All of a sudden, the door beeped and opened.
“Thank you, Ryan,” she murmured. Beyond the door was like another world. The lush greenery and tangled vegetation gave way to metal walls and a floor in a dull, dark gray. Galen led them inside, the door sliding closed behind them.
Mia took in the rows of workbenches, tools, crates, and cages. Toward the back of the cavernous space, sat rows of hydroponic gardens, with plants floating in fluid underneath strings of bright lights.
Through another large doorway, she saw what she’d hoped to find.
Shuttles.
Mia broke into a jog. “Through here.” There were three ships, but two lay in pieces, with engine parts scattered beside them. It looked like someone was rebuilding them.
The third shuttle had a very different design. It was made of steel and a glass-like substance, in graceful, elegant lines. It had a small dome in the center, reminiscent of the large one in the wreck.
“I’ve never seen a ship like this,” Galen said.
“It’s in good condition.” Mia ran her hand along the side of the hull. There were wear marks, but someone had cared for it. She studied the intact engines. “It is old, though.”
“It looks like the same design as the larger ship,” Harper noted.
Mia moved toward the shuttle door and frowned. There was no control panel that she could see, just the small, engraved image of some sort of flower on the side.
“It’ll be risky to fly out over the desert,” Galen said.
She met his gaze. “It’s worth it. Besides, we’ll head straight back to Kor Magna, and I don’t care if this shuttle is falling apart by the time we get there, just as long as we get Vek back to the healers.”
Galen nodded.
Suddenly, a banging echoed through the space. They all swiveled and looked back at the door they’d come through. Someone was trying to get in.
“Mia, can you fly it?” Galen asked.
Mia looked over to where Thorin was holding Vek’s limp form. He was so still and covered in blood. The cloak hid his legs, but the image of how badly they were injured had already been burned into her brain.
“Yes,” she said. “I can fly it.”
Galen nodded. “Then let’s get aboard.”
Mia turned back to the ship. How the hell was she going to open it, let alone fly it? Every single insecurity she’d ever had poured over her in a rush. She wasn’t smart enough, pretty enough, bold enough, or strong enough. But Vek, the man she was in love with, was depending on her.
She wouldn’t fail him.
She pressed a hand to the metal of the door, trying to think where to start to open it. She felt a faint tingle under her palm and a vague sensation of being linked to the ship.
The door started to lower, and Mia leaped back. She pressed her palm to her thigh and fought back a wave of nausea. The sensation reminded her far too much about being plugged in to Catalyst’s system. A ramp extended out of the shuttle.
“How did you do that?” Harper asked.
“No idea.” Mia’s heart knocked hard in her chest. “But let’s go.”
They all raced up the ramp and into the spacious shuttle. The main cabin contained several rows of elegantly shaped chairs, designed for beings even larger than Thorin. Everything was decorated in shades of cream and green. Mia continued to the cockpit, where two oversized pilots’ chairs sat, facing a round bubble of glass.
“Lie him down here on the floor.” Galen’s voice. “Find some new bandages. We need to put more pressure on those wounds.”
Mia blocked the bustle and conversation out, and leaned over the sleek, cream console. She touched the strange and foreign controls and buttons, but nothing she tried seemed to do anything.
“Mia.” Harper leaned over her shoulder. “Look.”
She peered through the glass at several Nerium and Srinar guards rushing in to the space. Laser fire hit the bubble, and made her flinch. Thankfully, the blasts reflected harmlessly off the ship.
“Can you retract the ramp?” Harper asked.
“No.” She didn’t even know how she had opened it.
Harper pulled her swords. “I’ll make sure no one comes aboard.”
Mia kept trying every combination of controls she could think of. Nothing was working. She slammed a fist against the console in frustration, tears blurring her eyes.
Dammit. Why couldn’t she work this out?
She glanced behind her, and saw Vek flat on the floor, blood pooling beneath his body. And nothing in this damn shuttle was operational.
Suddenly, shouts sounded outside the shuttle. Through the glass, Mia watched a whirling blur come into view, followed by crossbow bolts slamming into the guards. She spotted Ryan’s black hair flaring out behind her, as she ducked and weaved across the maintenance bay. Neve and Corsair followed closely.
“Harper!” Mia shouted. “The others are here.”
“Roger that,” Harper called back.
Seconds later, Ryan sprinted inside, Corsair right behind her.
“Where’s Neve?” Galen asked.
“Right behind us.” Corsair swiveled.
Mia shifted and saw Neve standing at the bottom of the ramp.
“Come on!” Corsair waved his hand.
Neve didn’t head up the ramp. The woman lifted her hand, saluted, then spun and disappeared back into the maintenance bay. Mia saw her fighting her way back through the guards. What the hell was she doing?
Corsair cursed and took a step out on the ramp, but Galen gripped the man’s shoulder. “There’s no time.”
“We can’t leave her,” Mia cried.
“We’re losing him,” Raiden called out.
Mia’s heart lodged in her throat. Vek. She stared at the controls again. Neve had made her choice, and Mia would worry about her later. Right now, Vek needed help.
Mia blew out a breath and cleared her mind. She imagined she was back with Vek in that cave, his hard, warm body pressed to hers, his lips traveling over her skin. She let her hands move over the controls once more, trying to get something to work.
Ryan appeared beside her. “Let me see if I can help.” She sat down in the copilot’s chair beside Mia.
Together, the women quickly worked side-by-side.
“These are the basic controls,” Ryan said, pointing at the console.
Mia swallowed. “The higher-level functions can only be accessed here.” She pointed to a large spike on the console.
Ryan winced. “It looks like whoever designed the ship physically spiked into the system to fly the ship. They must have had some way to physically link in.”
Mia realized she was rubbing at the scar at her temple. Her own reminder of physically linking in. “Can we fly it without doing that?”
“I think so.” Ryan’s hands danced over the controls. “We have no idea what plugging directly into an unknown alien system could do to us.”
The door closed and the ramp retracted. Damn, Ryan was a virtuoso, and a second later, the console flared to life, the shuttle vibrating as the engines engaged.
Ryan grinned at her. “Just don’t ask me to fly the thing. That’s all you.”
“Deal.” Mia quickly determined the ship’s basic controls. Hold on, Vek. “Everyone hold on to something, or strap in. This might be a little bumpy.” She clicked her o
wn harness into place. It was far too big, but it was better than nothing.
As she pushed her palm against a control, the shuttle rose off the ground, the wings shaking, but thankfully not hitting anything. Mia stared straight ahead and focused on flying. She turned the shuttle to aim at the external doors at the end of the maintenance bay.
Ryan touched the co-pilot controls. “Give me a sec. There.” The doors started to retract.
Mia sent the ship forward. Too fast. The left wing scraped against the wall, jerking the shuttle. She heard someone stumble and grunt. “Sorry,” she called, distractedly.
But a moment later, they shot out of the doors and were soaring out over the mountains. The beige sands of the desert lay ahead of them.
“Woo-hoo, Mia.” Ryan leaned over and clapped her on the shoulder. “Nice work!”
“Thanks for the help.” Mia stared straight ahead, her muscles locked tight as she concentrated on flying the ship. “Now, let me fly this thing.” She only had the most basic of controls, but it would have to do.
She didn’t look back at Vek, but in her head, she could picture his pale face, his blood-smeared skin and the terrible wounds. She would get him back to the House of Galen.
She urged more speed from the ship. They hit turbulence, the ship vibrating. The left wing tipped down and Mia overcorrected and the right wing tipped down. They wobbled from side to side, gladiators grumbling, before she smoothed them out the best she could. She couldn’t risk going any faster, or she might lose control of the entire ship.
The minutes ticked by, and she kept her hands tight on the controls.
“His vitals are destabilizing,” Harper yelled. “More pressure, Raiden.”
“His heart’s giving up,” Galen said.
Mia’s heart lodged in her throat. “Keep an eye on the controls.” She unclipped and leaped out of her chair.
“What?” Ryan squeaked. “Mia, no—”
“I’ll be back.” She raced to Vek’s side. The others parted and let her close.
God, his skin was so pale. She rubbed her thumb over his lips and cupped his jaw. “I’m here, Vek. I need you to stay with me. Hold on a little longer.” Please.