Athena's Ashes

by Jamie Grey

  “It makes perfect sense,” he retorted. “Especially if you’ve been working with Samil for months. It explains how you knew where Myka was, how you escaped Navang’s facility, how you were able to control the Athena. This has all been one brilliant set-up.”

  “You’re right, it has. I just wish I was the one who’d thought of it. I’d give anything to wipe that smug sneer off your lips, you short-sighted asshole.” Anger surged through her, and her vision flashed red as her implant kicked on and off, the heads-up display flickering through Finn’s vitals and stats. He was as upset as she was, based on how fast his pulse was racing.

  Beside her, Viktis muttered to her under his breath. “Keep it together, Renna. I have a plan to get us out of this,” he said softly.

  “You and me both.” But she took a deep breath and brought herself under control. She ordered the implant off, and shockingly it obeyed. Maybe she was finally getting the hang of this thing.

  Finn motioned again with his gun. “Hands up, please. Blake, cuff her. But be careful.”

  The lieutenant frowned at Renna, then glanced back at Finn. “You sure about this? I still think there’s something we’re missing here.”

  Renna smiled at Blake. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, handsome, but you’re not going to change his mind. We’ve got a history, and for some reason he can’t see past that. Wish it had been different.”

  Blake shook his head. “But then I’d never have met you. We’ll figure this out, Renna. Just let us take you in and clear it all up.”

  “Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.” As Blake closed in, Renna dropped her hands and struck out with her foot. She swiped Blake’s legs from beneath him, then side-stepped his attempt to grab her.

  Beside her, Viktis launched himself directly at Finn’s gun hand. His long amber fingers closed around Finn’s wrist, twisting it back. The two men grunted as they struggled for control.

  Renna had only a split second before Blake attacked again, but thanks to her earlier sparring with him, she knew exactly where his weaknesses were. And she had no problem using them against him now.

  As the lieutenant tried to jump to his feet, she struck again, her boot connecting firmly with his gut. Blake hissed, going down again, and this time he didn’t get up. Renna didn’t wait to see if he was okay. Instead she turned back to Finn and Viktis.

  The two men were locked together, struggling over Finn’s gun. Viktis seemed to have the worst of it. Sweat poured down his face, and he gasped for breath as Finn twisted his body, seeming to gather his strength.

  Shit. She recognized the move from Bumani, the fighting style he’d taught her so long ago. It was up to her now, and she’d only have one shot at bringing Finn down before he struck. Renna tensed her own body as she readied herself to attack. She’d have to be perfect or Viktis would be directly in the line of fire.

  As Finn’s leg muscles bunched, she struck out, her hand connecting with the soft flesh of his side. Exactly where his kidney was. Three quick strikes and he’d dropped to the ground, the gun clattering across the floor. He curled into the fetal position with a moan, and Renna grabbed Viktis’s arm.

  “Run!”

  Still panting from his fight, Viktis sprinted down the corridor, Renna following close behind. “Through here,” he gasped.

  He jammed a fist against the elevator call button, and seconds later it arrived. They rushed inside as shouting filled the hall.

  Finn was calling for back up.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Renna and Viktis raced across a narrow bridge and into docking bay 324. A prototype long-range Ultra Explorer sat gleaming under the hololights.

  “Prep for takeoff,” Viktis shouted into his comm.

  Renna and the pirate thundered up the gangplank, and the ship’s hatch started closing behind them as soon as they cleared the threshold. The smell of chrome polish and new leather greeted her. Renna inhaled deeply. The ship was gorgeous, but there was no time to admire it now. They needed to get the hell off the station before MYTH scrambled its own ships.

  Viktis raced toward the flight deck, a small area at the front of the ship, and Renna followed closely behind.

  Another Ileth with dark ochre skin sat at the controls, glancing back as they climbed the deck. “Prepped and ready to go, Viktis.”

  “Then get us the hell out of here,” Viktis ordered.

  The warning klaxons screamed throughout the hangar as the alien switched to takeoff mode. The bay door started to rise slowly while the clamps holding the ship in place released as the grav thrusters kicked in. The ship bobbed in place as the door finished rising.

  In the port authority command booth, Finn glared down at her. She met his gaze, then flipped him off with a sneer as the Ileth pilot gunned the controls. With a roar from the engines, they shot into space and out of MYTH’s clutches.

  “Prep for hyperspeed,” Viktis said, rubbing a shaking hand over the ridges in his skull.

  “Where to?” the pilot asked. “I need a destination to plot our course.”

  “I don’t care. Just get us the hell out of here.”

  “Very well, I’ll head for the Egonne system. It’s centrally located, and we should be able to hide out there for a while.” The pilot input the coordinates into his nav computer before turning back to Renna.

  “Ariz Teray at your service,” he said, holding a hand out. “Used to fly for Viktis years ago. I see there are plenty of people out there who still want to kill him.”

  Renna shook it and smiled at the man. “Until recently, I was included in that list. Nice to meet you.”

  Viktis shook his head. “Ariz was never one to follow the rules, but then again neither am I. Must be why we get along so well.” He clapped a hand on the pilot’s shoulder. “We’ll give you real coordinates as soon as we have them. Let me know if there’s any sign of pursuit.”

  “You’ll be the first to know.” Ariz grinned at Renna. “Nice to finally meet you, Miss Carrizal. Back in the day, Viktis talked a lot about you. I can see he wasn’t exaggerating.” His gaze traveled down Renna’s body, and she narrowed her eyes.

  “He wasn’t exaggerating about how many fights I’ve won either,” she said. “Keep it professional or I’ll make sure you learn about my skills firsthand.”

  Ariz’s jaw dropped. “Yes, ma’am. Terribly sorry.”

  Viktis turned away with a chuckle. “Let’s get the tour over with so we can figure out where we go next. As soon as Samil learns we’re on the run, I have a feeling she’ll be after us faster than light speed.”

  Renna followed him from the flight deck toward the back of the ship. She was impressed. It was a pretty ship—trim, lithe, and easy to hide in a spaceport. The prototype engine made it possible to use FTL travel several times without refueling, and the stealth systems were cutting-edge.

  A pang of envy shot through her. If everything had gone according to plan, she might have retired, sold the Star Sapphire, and bought herself one of these by now. She quickly shoved that thought away. Between the implant in her head turning her into a cyborg and being wanted by MYTH, she really needed to give up on the retirement idea.

  “There’s a gathering hub, a mess leading off one side, and the sleeping quarters off the opposite side,” Viktis said as he continued through the ship. He pressed the button to open the hatch into the central room of the ship, where a round table and several comfortable couches sat, ringing the space.

  Another door led to the mess, and Viktis led Renna through it, pointing out the small kitchen where she could heat up the pre-packaged food he’d stocked. Then it was on to the sleeping quarters.

  There were six small berths, more like pods than rooms, just long enough for a bed, which took up the entire space. A button on the wall caused a small shelf to slide out of the wall above the pillow, and another switch turned the pod door opaque, cutting out all light.

  “Not quite like my cabin back on the Eris,” she said ruefully.

  “You
’re so spoiled. Don’t you remember the pods back on the Mikado? Those things were awful.”

  Renna chuckled. “I’d forgotten about those. They smelled of sweat and stinky feet.” She bumped him with her shoulder. “So you going to show me the captain’s quarters? Somehow I can’t see you sleeping in one of these.”

  “Oh, hell no.” Viktis led her to the door at the end of the corridor. It slid open to reveal a half-circle of a room. A large bed sat flush against the straight wall, and a pair of soft chairs sat along the left curve.

  Renna stepped into the room, taking in the luxurious satin duvet and the fluffy white pillows stacked on the bed. “Nice. It’s bigger than my apartment back on Hesperia.”

  “You haven’t seen anything yet.” Viktis pressed a button in the wall, and Renna gasped as it went transparent.

  The entire wall was a floor-to-ceiling window into space.

  “Viktis. That’s amazing.”

  “Want to bunk here with me?” he asked, lips twitching.

  Renna gazed out at the inky universe as stars twinkled in the distance hypnotically. She wanted to say yes—not only for the view, but for Viktis’s presence. Alone in her pod, she knew her thoughts would spiral into the pain of Finn’s betrayal.

  But she shook her head. “Are you trying to take advantage of my vulnerability, Viktis?”

  He smiled sadly. “Just trying to be a friend. But I understand why you don’t trust me, especially after Finn’s behavior. I’m sorry it had to happen like that.”

  “Thanks for getting me out of there.” Renna couldn’t stand the pity in his eyes and stared out the window instead of looking at him. “You didn’t have to help me and you did. That means a lot.”

  “We’re friends. That’s what friends do. You don’t have to do this alone, Ren.”

  “I know.” Silence hung between them awkwardly until she turned back to him. “How about we figure out what kind of dirt Kara dug up on the evil doctor? Maybe we can figure out where she’s going to strike next.” She slipped one of the disks from her bag and inserted it into her tablet. Dealing with a clear threat was easier than trying to deal with the emotions swirling around her head right now.

  A file, similar to the ones she’d seen at MYTH, loaded onto her device, and Renna scanned through the information.

  “Looks like our Dr. Samil grew up on Earth, too. Went to Oxford on a full scholarship. Was recruited into MYTH as soon as she graduated.” Renna glanced at the pair of chairs and nodded at them. “Can I sit?”

  “Of course.” Viktis took the chair closest to the door, while Renna sank into the other.

  “Looks like her first assignment for MYTH was helping start up Titan Industries. That’s where she must have gotten the idea for her code name. Due to her promising biochem career, she was pulled into the science team on Banos Prime after an explosion killed a team of MYTH soldiers.” Renna paused, feeling her jaw drop. “Dr. Samil’s fiancée was a MYTH officer stationed on Banos at the time, and he was caught in the blast, along with Myka. But while the experimental technology saved Myka’s life, it looks like it killed the fiancée.”

  Viktis let out a low whistle.

  “I’m guessing that has a lot to do with her hatred of the organization.” Renna stared down at the picture of the handsome young man. He had dark skin and eyes and a long, straight nose and strong jaw. He wore the rank of commander on the shoulder of his MYTH uniform, but he couldn’t have been more than thirty.

  She tried to swallow past the sudden lump in her throat. His stiff pose and serious expression reminded her of Finn. Before this mess, how would she have responded if he’d been killed on a MYTH mission? Would she have blamed them for his death? Would she have tried to destroy them for it?

  An uncomfortable pressure ached behind her eyes, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. Of course she would. She’d almost allowed herself to go that route when Blur’s compound had been destroyed and she’d thought he’d been killed. She’d wanted vengeance for Hunter’s death. Finn, she corrected. And Blur’s. They’d been family to her, the only family she’d had, and someone had destroyed it.

  Renna cleared her throat, and Viktis glanced at her with a concerned expression. “All right?”

  “Yeah. Just putting myself in her shoes.”

  There was a long moment of silence before Viktis asked, “What’s going on in your head, Ren? I know you have to be hurting. Finn’s being a royal asshole.”

  Renna stared down at her hands clutching the tablet. “What do you think? I fell in love with a man who not only betrayed me, but is willing to take me into custody and have me tried for a crime he should I know I didn’t commit.” She took a shaky breath. “Not to mention the fact that less than two days ago, he promised to trust me.” Her voice broke, and she swallowed against the sudden lump in her throat. “I should have been smarter. Look at my past. The last guy I trusted tried to kill me.”

  Viktis winced. “That’s a low blow, love. You know I only did it because of the job. It wasn’t personal.”

  She shook her head. “I knew it was only a matter of time before you turned on me, but I’d hoped it wouldn’t happen. How could we trust each other when we were both for sale? It could have as easily been the other way around. You’re still the son of the most respected president in Ileth history. You could be the poster child for the next rebellion. Hell, President Viktis has a pretty nice ring to it. I’m surprised someone hasn’t taken out a contract on your head yet.”

  “Who says they haven’t?”

  “Well, no one asked me. I would have taken the job in a heartbeat a few years ago.” She sighed and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’m here now. With a job to do. One way or another.”

  “There are worse places to be,” he said with a smile.

  Renna reached over and squeezed his hand. “I know. I’m not sure how I got so lucky.” Finn’s betrayal had destroyed her chance at having a life, a family. She’d hold on to what she had left with her last breath.

  “You haven’t yet,” he said with a nod toward her tablet. “Now how about you stop getting all sappy on me and get back to that intel. We still have an evil doctor to catch.”

  “Don’t forget about Major Larson. He’s just as big a threat. How long has he been working for her? What’s his game?”

  “Dr. Samil is a beautiful woman. Does he need any other game?” Viktis asked.

  “Maybe not, but that feels a little too convenient. I wish Kara had been able to uncover something else on him.” Renna grimaced at her tablet, rereading the same info she’d found on the MYTH computers.

  “What about this?” Viktis held up another holodisk.

  “Let’s try it.” Renna slipped it into her tablet. “Looks like some sort of audio file.” She clicked play and turned the volume up on her speakers.

  Dr. Samil’s voice filled the room. “Report indicates success with thirty milliliters of solution, along with electrotherapy for the first stage of development. We’ll be proceeding as planned.”

  A deeper man’s voice answered her. “Which facility would you like to send the test subjects to?”

  “Shalim,” Samil answered.

  Renna froze. That wasn’t possible.

  “I’ll have them picked up immediately.”

  “Good. And Larson? Make sure no one sees you this time. We can’t afford mistakes.”

  Renna’s hands trembled so badly the tablet clattered on the table as she tried to set it down.

  “What is it?” Viktis asked, half-rising from his chair.

  Renna shook her head. “Shalim is on Antibes Prime. That’s where I joined Blur’s gang. Where I met Finn.” The place where she thought he’d been killed.

  His eyes widened.

  “Impossible,” she whispered. “The whole planet was almost abandoned after the Koschei Corporation pulled out five years ago. There’s nothing left but a starving population who couldn’t afford to leave and mile after mile of empty buildings. As far as I know, Blur’
s warehouse has been sitting empty since MYTH raided it.”

  “What better place for Samil to hide then?”

  “But why there?” Renna wrapped her arms tightly around her waist. “Why that particular warehouse?

  “Do you really need to ask that? Because of you. She knew you’d be unable to stay away.”

  Renna gazed out into space, her voice flat. “She was right.”

  TWENTY-NINE

  Viktis ordered her to get some sleep before they landed on Antibes Prime, and Renna didn’t argue. Her whole body ached, and that strange throbbing in her brain had started up again. Her tiny little pod looked pretty damn good as she slid into it.

  She was asleep as soon as she put her head to her pillow, but that didn’t mean she dreamed easy.

  Images of Blur’s warehouse as it used to look filled her mind. Shadowy, rundown, faded paint on the walls and broken windows high up letting in the gray sunlight. The burnt-sugar smell of clay and the constant acrid stench from the dying factories at the edge of the city.

  But the screams were different. Screams that echoed through the space and made the hair on her arms rise. Renna tossed and turned, trying to block them out, but they only faded slightly.

  She walked slowly through the warehouse, headed for Blur’s old office. The high ceilings were bathed in shadows, but the floors bore the rusty stains of torture and pain. Renna tried to breathe through her mouth, but the scent of death still reached her.

  Relief flooded through her as she made it through the warehouse gauntlet, but as she rounded the corner, she stopped dead.

  Blur, her murdered mentor, barred the way. The lower part of his face had been ripped away, his jaw and part of his skull replaced by shiny new metal and synthetic skin. His eyes glowed red, just like the hybrids back in Navang’s facility, and his arms were strong and deadly, the metal glinting in the light. Robot arms now, not human.