by Jamie Grey
But it had been working perfectly for Larson. It had worked perfectly until she’d taken control of it. Had she infected it with Samil’s virus? Renna stared at the twisted metal. By the gods, had she infected the Athena, too?
She took a steadying breath. It didn’t matter now. She had to get Viktis out of here. Without a glance back, she headed for the Fortune’s Risk. There was only one place that could save him now.
THIRTY-SIX
Renna paced the halls of the Ileth hospital on Viktis’s home world, waiting for some news of his condition. They’d taken him to surgery three hours ago, and she hadn’t heard a word since, despite stopping every nurse that walked by. Her whole body twitched and hummed. She didn’t know if it was from stress or from Samil’s virus, but it didn’t really matter. She had two goals now. Make sure Viktis survived and make sure she warned MYTH about Samil’s plans of attack.
After her sixth cup of bitter coffee, one of the nurses finally took pity on her. “He’s out of surgery and in the recovery room. You can see him for five minutes.”
“Bless you.” Renna took the woman’s cheeks in her hands and kissed her on the forehead. She followed the nurse back into the recovery room and stopped dead inside the door.
Viktis lay pale and still against the white sheets. The bruise around his eye had darkened to an angry green and a jagged cut stretched across his cheekbone, but at least the holes burned into his skin had been tended to, and his other wounds cleaned.
Renna sank into the chair beside his bed. Gods, she was so tired. Her whole body ached. But she wasn’t done yet. Not until he was out of the woods. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed gently. “Don’t you dare die on me, Viktis. You’re the only one I have left. I can’t lose you, too.”
“Good thing I’m not going anywhere, then,” he said weakly. The one eye that wasn’t swollen shut fluttered open.
Relief surged through Renna like a dam breaking. “You’re awake.”
“And you look like shit. What the hell have you been doing?” He coughed violently, and Renna cringed as she waited for the fit to subside. He grimaced. “Guess I probably don’t look so great either.”
“You look handsome as always. You’d better watch out or you’ll have every nurse in this place eating from your hand by the time they spring you.”
He nodded. “A man can hope. So are you going to tell me what happened?”
Renna had been wondering that herself as she paced the halls, but since she only had five minutes with him, it was time for the abbreviated version. “Samil infected my implant with a virus so she could use me to disable the defenses and communication systems at all MYTH facilities. They’re cut off and alone. She’s going to pick them off one by one. Starting with HQ.”
“You have to warn them.”
“That’s my next stop, but I need a favor. I need to borrow your pilot and your ship.”
Viktis closed his eyes. “Dammit, Renna. I just got her.”
“I’ll be careful with her, I promise. Please? She’s the fastest ship in the sector. She’s the only way I can get there in time to save everyone.”
He nodded, not lifting his head from the pillow. He looked exhausted and pale, and another pang of guilt twisted in her gut like a knife. He’d been tortured because of her. He’d cared about her enough to put himself in that kind of danger. It was an unfamiliar feeling, this new openness, this feeling of connection. Even if she had to do this alone, she knew he’d always have her back.
“Fine. Take her. But if there’s a scratch on her when I get her back…”
“I’ll owe you more than the Star Sapphire. I got it.” She got to her feet, pressing a gentle kiss to his uninjured cheek. “Focus on getting yourself better, my friend.”
“Renna. Don’t do anything stupid. Remember you’re not in this alone.” He squeezed her hand. “Help is out there, just wait for it.”
“It’s been a fun ride, Viktis. Take care of yourself.” She pulled away and forced herself to stride from the room without looking back. He’d never let her live it down if he saw the tears streaming down her face.
Ariz Teray typed a command into the Fortune’s Risk navigation system, then turned to Renna. “Entering the Mishi system. We’ll be in Titus Beta space momentarily.”
She stood from her perch on the co-pilot’s chair to get a better view of the planet’s green surface. It grew larger by the second as they headed for the MYTH base near the jagged mountain range in the northern hemisphere. The planet was considered Earth-like, but it was far enough away from central coalition space that it was lightly settled. Perfect for a clandestine MYTH headquarters. Those bastards knew their stuff. Too bad they hadn’t gotten their heads out of their asses long enough to believe her warning.
Renna rested her hip against the arm of the chair. “Thanks for the ride, Ariz. I’m going to have to face the firing squad one way or another, so as soon as we have clearance to land and I’m off the ship, get the hell out of here. Viktis will catch up with you on Forever Station when he’s recovered.”
“My pleasure, Renna. Glad I could help.” The pilot tapped another command into his system and brought up communications.
“MYTH Base Alpha. This is the Fortune’s Risk requesting permission to land.” Static filled the comm channel for several seconds before he tried again. Finally he shook his head. “They’re not answering.”
“Shit. Comms must still be down.” Renna chewed her lip. “We’re going to have to risk landing and hope they don’t shoot us out of the air.”
“Do you really think that’s a good idea?” Ariz asked with a frown.
“We don’t have any other choice. Bring us down.” She needed to warn them about Samil, and if that meant putting herself at risk, then so be it. In her head, warning them had become her number one priority. Once that was done, everything else was their problem to solve.
Ariz started their descent. They were still forty-thousand kilometers away when the mountain exploded.
A wall of flame burst into the air, followed by the roar of detonation. The whole side of the mountain was gone in an instant, consumed by fire.
The pressure of the explosion slammed into the ship, making it stutter and pitch like a drunken sailor as Ariz tried to regain control
A wordless scream echoed through Renna’s mind, and she gripped the back of the pilot’s chair to keep from falling. Finn. She clawed at her throat, unable to breathe. Beside her, Ariz’s eyes went wide at the destruction.
“Gods,” he breathed. “No one could have survived that.” He ran a shaking hand across his face before turning to Renna.
But she was frozen. She couldn’t rip her gaze from the burning, smoking crater where MYTH HQ used to be. Her whole body felt numb, like she was watching this outside of herself. Was he really gone? Were they all gone?
Black smoke billowed into the air as they circled the space that had once housed thousands of people. The air shimmered with heat, and Ariz ordered the ship to higher, away from ground zero.
“We can’t risk landing. The whole area is unstable,” he said.
Renna’s hands curled into claws, digging harder into the leather of the seat. Her death grip was the only thing keeping her on her feet.
A great gust of wind blew through the central strike area, clearing the smoke for a few seconds. Fire engulfed everything that could burn—trees, cement, twisted and melted girders. Saltani iron, the strongest metal in the galaxy, dripped like melted plastic.
Ariz was right. No one could have survived that.
A sob tore from Renna’s throat, and she felt tears stream down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and tried to reach out to the Athena, to feel that connection again, but there was nothing. No tingle, no hum.
Dead.
Finn was gone. Gheewala was gone. Alistair and Jayla. Everyone who’d helped her, who’d been part of her life.
She sank down into the empty seat and curled her arms around her waist. What did she do now? Everythin
g she’d cared about had been ripped from her. There was nothing left.
Except Pallas. Dr. Samil. Whatever the woman called herself, she was a murderer, and she was going to pay for this.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Renna lay curled into a ball on Viktis’s bed. Ariz had ordered her to try to get some rest while they flew back to Illia and the hospital. Rest was the last thing she’d be able to do, but the pilot’s silent sympathy made her skin crawl. Being alone with her grief was the only way she knew how to deal with this.
She stared out into the blackness of space, unseeing, and angrily wiped away the tear trickling down her cheek. Grief could come later, when she’d stopped Samil once and for all. But how? She needed a better plan than marching in and shooting the bitch in the head. That kind of recklessness would only get Renna killed. And after all this, she couldn’t afford to fail now. She owed it to everyone who’d died in that explosion. Finn, Alistair, Commander Jayla, Keva…
Oh gods, someone had to tell Viktis she was gone. She didn’t know what had been between the two of them, but she had a feeling it was stronger than he’d let on. Viktis was a lot like her when it came to relationships—letting people in was difficult, but when it happened, he was a vulnerable mess.
Wrapping her arms around her legs, she rested her head on her knees and let her brain churn through options.
Going back to Shalim wasn’t really an option. Renna couldn’t take the whole facility on by herself, no matter how good a thief she was. She needed to figure out a way to draw the doctor out, to face her one on one. But Samil was the one with all the power now.
She had been from the very beginning, always a step ahead. But how? How did she always seem to know where Renna was going to be before she did?
The click of the intercom echoed through the room, jerking her out of her spinning head. Ariz’s voice filled the cabin. “Renna, there’s a comm coming through for you.”
“Fine. I’ll take it in here.” The last thing she wanted to do was talk to anyone, but she got to her feet and switched on the holo device on Viktis’s desk. It flickered to life, bringing up the image of Dr. Thana Samil.
Pallas.
Hatred flooded through Renna in a blazing rush. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming, but she knew her loathing was written all over her face.
Samil shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry it had to come to this But MYTH had to be purged. Now it can rise like a phoenix from the ashes to become something better. To actually protect humanity.”
“Right. Because creating a cyborg army out of the poor and needy is protecting them,” Renna said. “You can lie to yourself all you want, Doctor, but I know you’re the biggest monster of us all.”
“You misunderstand me, dove. I want to use my new organization to heal instead of hurt, to protect instead of attack. We’ll make a difference in this galaxy.”
Samil’s smug face made every atom in Renna’s body twitch with revulsion. “You’re definitely making a difference, what with all the murder and experimentation you’re doing. Just stop this, Doctor. Face me one on one. Let’s end this.”
Samil smiled. “That’s exactly my plan. You are my key, Renna. I want your altered implant as the hub of my neural network. Your unique physiology will allow me to connect with my teams across the galaxy. I can respond instantly to threats or danger. Think of how much you’ll be helping humanity.”
“You’re fucking insane.”
“Insane. Visionary. Whatever you call me, I plan on changing the world. And I’ve already started. You’ll be pleased at the difference I’ve made in the Izan Tenements.”
Ice formed a solid ball in the pit of her stomach. Annet Parra. That’s why she’d been in Samil’s lab.
“What have you done?” Renna demanded.
“Nothing the residents didn’t ask me to do.” Samil paused and pulled a vial out of her pocket. “This is the drug Navang injected you with. I’ve refined it, based on the changes to your DNA. It should allow the transition to occur in a matter of hours once the implants are installed. These new hybrids will be transformed and added to my neural network and completely under my control within twenty-four hours.”
Renna shot to her feet. “Leave them alone! They have nothing to do with this.”
“But they do. They asked for my help. They want better lives, and my implants will give it to them. They’ll be part of my organization—healthy, well-fed, taken care of.” She smiled. “Those who survive the transition at least.”
Renna remembered all the kids she’d grown up with, the prostitutes who’d helped raise her, the shopkeepers and laundresses who’d worked so hard to get ahead. Samil wanted to change them all. Control them. She couldn’t let the woman succeed.
“Come to me, Renna. You have my word. I’ll stop building my army. I’m done experimenting on people. I have what I need to make a difference now.”
“Your word is worth less than a penis on a Russka,” she spat.
Samil ignored her comment. “I know what it is like to be alone. Your lover is dead, and so are most of your friends. There’s no one left to save but yourself. I’ll be waiting in the tenements for you, Renna. I hope you make the right choice.”
The holo flickered off, leaving Renna staring at the blank wall behind it. It was obviously another trap. Samil had given up all pretense of subtlety at this point. She already knew what buttons to push to get Renna to jump through her hoops.
But at this point, what else did Renna have to lose?
If there was a possibility of stopping Samil once and for all, she had to take it. If the woman unleashed this army on the rest of the galaxy… Renna shook her head. It didn’t bear even thinking about.
Wrapping her arms around her waist, Renna paced Viktis’s cabin. Samil had made it obvious she’d go to any lengths to get Renna. Meeting her on Earth might be a trap, but Renna was dead either way. And the woman was right. Finn and Jayla and Alistair and the rest of the crews of the Athena and Eris were dead because of Renna. She’d destroyed MYTH HQ just with her presence. She couldn’t live with the souls of all those tenement people on her conscience, too.
The only thing left for her was to make it right. And kill the bitch.
THIRTY-EIGHT
Renna pointed at the crumbling landing pad at the edge of the tenements. “You can set her down there, Ariz.”
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “You sure about this? Viktis is going to kill me when he hears what you’ve done.”
“Tell him I held a gun to your head. He’ll believe it.” She smiled at the pilot. “Make sure you get his ship back to him without a scratch. I don’t want that on my conscience, too.” Renna patted down her weapons, verifying she still had her two blasters, three knives, and a pair of small throwing stars tucked into her sleeve. Her lockpicks were hidden in a back pocket, just in case she needed them.
The Fortune’s Risk touched down with barely a bump, and Renna held out her hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Ariz. Fly well.”
The Ileth shook it, squeezing her hand at the end. “Good luck, Renna.”
She slipped out the open hatch, stepping away from the landing area as Ariz took off. The Fortune’s Risk was out of sight moments later, and the sudden silence pressed down on her like a heavy hand.
She was alone. Poetic, really. She’d left this place on her own ten years ago; it made sense she’d come back to it the same way.
Renna inhaled deeply. It even smelled like she remembered—dying grass, rusting metal, and the peculiar scent of decay from the river. The shiny skyscrapers of New York were visible across the sluggish black water, kept exclusive by the carefully guarded bridges onto the island.
But here in the tenements, weeds struggled through the cracked cement, and rusting speeders gathered dust where people had abandoned them when they stopped working. At the edge of New York, the people who couldn’t afford to live in the floating palaces and glass-windowed buildings crowded against the river, watching as
the rich and wealthy lived in ways they could only dream of.
Renna had spent more than a few hours on a bench near the river herself, dreaming of the day when she’d have her own apartment in the city. When she’d own a shiny new speeder and be able to fly to the upper reaches of the place. But now she could see the wear and tear on the once-modern buildings. The steel wasn’t quite so shiny; the speeders, not as fast; the perfect lives, nothing more than a mirage.
Renna picked her way across the debris field surrounding the landing pad. Her body went stiff as she spotted a ragged backpack someone had abandoned beneath a well-worn bench. The brown canvas was ripped and ragged. A faded red patch had been sewn to the front flap.
The Rats.
Instantly, she was thirteen again.
She’d been running with the Rats to make some money. She’d done odd jobs for the gang—stealing, gathering secrets, just being a lackey—but she’d carefully hidden every cent of her earnings in a crack in her mother’s wall. She needed enough to buy a transport off this world. Anywhere she might be able to find a job—she wasn’t picky.
It had been just another day when she’d finally decided to go. Nothing special had happened to send her running, nothing bad was on the horizon. She was just finally ready.
She’d gotten dressed, packed her ratty backpack with three changes of clothes and a holo of her friends, grabbed her credits from the stash in the wall, then shut her bedroom door behind her.
She’d paused outside her mother’s darkened room for almost a minute, wondering if she should bother saying goodbye. Her mother wouldn’t remember; she was sleeping off her latest overdose. But Renna had needed to say goodbye for herself.
Taking a deep breath, she’d entered the stuffy bedroom, the burnt-sugar scent of clay still clinging to the bedclothes. Renna had stared down at the woman who’d raised her, who’d tried to kill her, who’d been her best friend and biggest enemy. A thirteen-year-old hadn’t known how to deal with those types of feelings. She’d only known mothers weren’t supposed to act like that. They were supposed to protect you.