by T. M. Catron
“I can’t change reality, you know. Only their perception of it.”
“No, I don’t really know since you won’t explain it to me. What’s taking them so long?” Rance hated waiting.
“Maybe they had to find someone to use the keypad.”
Something on the panel beeped.
“What a fantastic idea this was,” Solaris said ruefully. She heard him pick up his staff from the floor. “This ruse lasted less time than the last one.”
“Ready?” Rance whispered.
Solaris stood next to her, his shoulder touching hers. “Yes.”
He was going to have to do something, but they didn’t have time to discuss what. Rance trusted Solaris, though. She would go along with whatever plan he devised. They were a team. A surge of pride filled Rance’s chest as she thought about that. Suddenly, she could face anything with him. There was no way they could plow through all those thugs without being identified, but Rance would rather try than to be returned to her father. For that matter, she would rather be questioned by Galaxy Wizards than returned to her father.
That last option seemed likely.
Unwilling to use her gun with so many innocent people around, the captain stowed it under her jacket and prepared to run. There was still a chance the thugs didn’t know their quarry was in the closet. Someone was investigating the noises only. And if the thugs didn’t stun Rance and Solaris when they ran out, could they explain their presence in the closet?
In a rush, a thought occurred to Rance—why draw so much attention to themselves when maybe there was another way? It was both ridiculous and predictable. And yet, it gave them a better chance than their current plan did.
She turned toward Solaris. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she said.
“Take what the wrong—”
Rance gathered her courage and kissed him. Solaris drew in a sharp breath, hesitating. Then, he put his hand on Rance’s arm. Surprised, Rance forgot for a moment that they were in imminent danger.
The door hissed open. Rance and Solaris broke apart. A bright light blazed in their eyes, blinding them.
Rance’s cheeks flushed as she turned—real heat that she couldn’t have faked if she’d wanted to. She had planned on feigning embarrassment, not feeling it.
Five thugs stared them down, stunners pointed in their direction. They looked eager to use them—probably the most excitement they’d had in a while.
Grinning, the first thug swept his eyes over the scene. He looked at the couple, then at the bot laying on the floor. One of its eyes had popped out, and ugly black marks covered its face.
Solaris cleared his throat and stepped out of the closet. He’d changed his face again, this time looking like a darker version of himself. His hair was longer, more unkempt. His clothes looked rumpled.
Rance followed him, pulling her hair around her shoulders to hide as much of her face as possible. But Solaris was disguising her too. Her hair was bright red now instead of brown. She noticed her clothes also looked rumpled. Rance had to give Solaris credit for quick-thinking. It looked like they had been in the closet for a quick rendezvous. With all the noise, it might have been believable. With that thought, the captain’s face turned even redder.
The thug nodded to Solaris as if he were congratulating him. Solaris nodded back in some sort of manly acknowledgment. Rance rolled her eyes at the display, half-expecting them to beat their chests and grunt.
“Sorry, sir,” Solaris said, eyeing the destruction inside the closet. “We got carried away.”
The thugs lowered their weapons.
“This isn’t a brothel,” the first one said.
“No, sir! It’s… well… we just got engaged. And she was a little overcome…”
Rance’s eyes went wide, but she tried to look like this wasn’t news to her.
“See the ring?” Solaris asked.
Rance looked at her left hand. A beautifully ornate diamond ring, delicate and sparkling, adorned her ring finger. It was the most gorgeous piece of jewelry Rance had ever laid eyes on, including the fine jewels she wore when she lived on Xanthes. A lump stuck in her throat, and she looked at Solaris. He winked.
The thug seemed equally impressed. “I think it’s best you leave the museum in case your fiancée is overcome again.”
“Yes, sir. We’re going to dinner. Ready, dear?”
Still trying to overcome the shock that had descended on her in the last minute, Rance choked out an apology before letting Solaris lead her out of the room. The thugs followed, no doubt to escort Rance and Solaris to the entrance.
Jane was still somewhere inside, though. Rance turned. “Please,” she said to the security man behind. There was only one. The others had disappeared, probably to find out where their targets had gone. The remaining man already looked bored at having to escort them out. “A couple of photos. We didn’t get any.”
He looked doubtful.
Rance smiled. “Please? My parents will want them. If my mother can’t see the big moment, she’ll never forgive me.”
The guard sighed. “Don’t go into any more closets, okay? I’ve got work to do.”
“Yes, sir.”
Solaris cleared his throat. “Nice,” he said as the man hurried back through the crowd.
“You have a preference for redheads, Roote?”
“If I’d turned your hair blonde, you would have asked me about that too. Come on, let’s find your mother so we can announce the good news.”
“I notice you didn’t answer the question.”
As they walked, Rance tried to feel the ring on her finger, but there was nothing there. It was an illusion only. She knew that, but the feel of skin on skin was a bit disorienting when her brain expected diamonds.
Someone put a hand on Rance’s arm, stopping her. Rance jumped, expecting the menacing faces of the thugs or Wizards.
An elderly woman stood next to Rance’s elbow, smiling. “I didn’t mean to frighten you! I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and I wondered if you wanted someone to take your picture?”
“Oh!” Rance said, smiling. The suggestion was perfect for their cover. “Of course! Wouldn’t that be great, honey?”
One picture, and then they would continue searching for Jane.
Solaris smiled and offered Rance his arm. She took it, linking arms. The gesture was more intimate than Rance was used to, and it felt awkward. She handed the woman her handset, and the couple backed up until they stood next to an ancient statue of Athena.
“One, two, three,” the woman said. She took several pictures before stopping. “No need to look embarrassed, dears. How about one with your arms around each other?”
“Oh, no, really,” Rance said. “We’re very private people.”
“Nonsense. I heard your conversation with that security official. No one is looking. You’ll be happy you have these later.”
Since the obstinate woman didn’t look like she would give back Rance’s handset until they complied, they stood closer. Solaris put his arm around Rance’s waist, and she copied him. He cleared his throat again.
“Something wrong?” the woman asked.
“No,” he said, smiling. “Just a tickle in my throat.”
The woman fixed him with an accusing stare. “You could look happier. Loosen up, step closer. It’s like you’re hugging your sister, not your fiancée.”
Rance pinched Solaris’ side. “You heard her,” she whispered. “Look happier.”
Solaris pulled Rance closer until their bodies were touching. “Close enough?” he murmured.
Rance flushed. She really had to stop doing that.
“Oh how lovely!” the woman cried. A few people stopped to stare.
Rance wanted to melt into the floor. She had only thought that being chased by Galaxy Wizards was the worst thing that could happen in the museum.
“Beautiful! Now give us a kiss!” the woman shouted. The ring around them tightened with curious people. Most of th
em grinned or snickered.
Rance’s eyes went wide with shock. “You’ve been so kind to take our picture, but all these people want to view the statue. We’re in the way.”
“Kiss her!” a grinning man told Solaris. Rance shot him a dirty look.
“Look at her ring!” his wife said. “You never bought me anything that expensive.”
The burning in Rance’s face grew hotter until she was convinced she had turned magenta to match her new hair.
The little crowd took up the chant. “Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!”
More people gathered. Smiling from ear to ear, the old woman waved Rance’s handset at the crowd like a conductor at the symphony. Solaris started laughing too.
“Oh for the Founders’ sake,” Rance muttered, “kiss me and get it over with.”
Leaning down, Solaris smirked. “I thought you’d never ask, Captain.”
Solaris’ eyes were warm and intense, darker than Rance was used to. As he brushed his lips against hers, she thought that if they had to kiss, it needed to be believable.
She leaned in, returning the kiss until the crowd cheered.
As soon as the audience began clapping, the couple broke apart.
Solaris shook his head, looking back at the Athena statue to hide his own embarrassment.
Rance smiled. “Ha,” she whispered. “Revenge is sweet.”
Solaris looked like he was about to say something when Rance spotted her mother—her real mother, the one dressed like an android—being marched away from the hall by more thugs dressed in black. Rance gasped and pushed Solaris away. He turned in time to see Jane and the thugs disappear.
“No no no no,” Rance said.
While they had been playing for the crowd, her mother had walked straight into a trap.
Chapter Ten
“Sons of the Founders!” Rance hissed.
Desperate not to lose sight of Jane, Rance ignored the friendly calls to push through the crowd. Solaris disentangled himself from a few awkward high-fives and followed.
They ran through the crowded museum, turning down the same corridor Jane had disappeared into. Far ahead, the thugs frog-marched Rance’s mother through the crowds. Two more people dressed in plainclothes emerged from an alcove and followed them.
“Those are the Wizards,” Solaris whispered.
“It doesn’t matter!” Rance said. “We’ve got to follow. You’re still disguising us. Do they know what you’re doing?”
“I don’t think so. If they did, they would disappear to circle back after us.”
“They can’t know what ship you’re on, Roote.”
“I know that, too,” he whispered.
Rance and Solaris followed at a safe distance. The scene ahead of them drew curious looks. No one paid attention to the couple pushing their way through the throngs of people behind.
At the end of a hall, the kidnappers got on an elevator, waving away anyone else who tried to get on.
“No,” Rance said. She managed to lock eyes with her mother as the elevator closed, making a signal she hoped was reassuring. Jane gave her a puzzled look, and Rance realized she didn’t recognize her daughter in disguise.
Then, the doors shut. Not to be deterred, Rance watched the levels change. It was going up.
“They’re taking her to the roof,” Solaris said, coming up behind her. “Come on!”
He led Rance down the hall and to a set of stairs made to look like a castle tower staircase. They ran up, their shoes echoing loudly on the stone walls. “I would have thought they’d take her to the basement,” Rance said between breaths.
“Taking her to the roof can only mean they are leaving.”
Rance pulled out her comm. “James?”
James responded immediately. “Yes, Captain?”
“We need you at the museum now. The roof.”
“I’m not at the Streaker.”
“Get there, James. They’ve got my mother! And get Tally, too.”
Rance didn’t pause to consider where James was or why he had left the ship. She only knew that if he didn’t get the Streaker into the air, her mother would be lost.
They pounded up to the landing where a locked door barred their way. Rance drew her stunner and nodded to Solaris.
He drew his staff out of his satchel and tapped the door.
It swung open.
Starships and transports cruised overhead, shattering the illusion of a peaceful, primitive world inside. The air smelled of rain and sulfur. A small, black shuttlecraft had taken off. The blast from its thrusters blew dust and debris swirling around the flat rooftop.
Knowing she was too late, Rance ran out the door to watch the shuttle turn and shoot off into the sky. Solaris followed her after, stowing his staff in his satchel.
Jane was gone.
Rance pulled out her comm, ready to hail James once more. If they could get into the air, they could see where the shuttlecraft was heading.
Behind them, the door banged open so forcefully it smacked against the outer wall. Rance and Solaris turned. Ten security officials, most of them thugs, pointed weapons at the couple. And these weren’t stunners, either, but dangerous, killing blasters and rifles.
“Face down on the ground!” one of them barked. “Hands behind your head!”
“That’s a bit drastic, isn’t it?” Solaris asked.
“Move!” While the others covered the leader, he moved cautiously toward the pair.
Rance risked a glance at Solaris. He couldn’t use his magic on this open rooftop where everyone would see. If the thugs fired, she had no doubt he would employ a shield to protect them both. Until then, they had to play the game.
Hating every second of it, hating that her mother was drawing farther away while she was stuck on the ground, Rance complied with their orders. She lay face down like they said while the thugs swarmed around her. The tiling on the roof smelled strongly of sulfur leftover from Persephone’s rains. Rance tried not to inhale much air so she wasn’t overwhelmed with the stench.
“I guess we’re not sight-seeing, honey,” Solaris said as he copied her movements. They were still disguised, and for that Rance was grateful. What would happen if she were separated from Solaris, though? From what distance could he maintain the illusion? Rance remembered the first time he had disguised the Streaker, on Doxor 5. Then, they had been half a city away and the illusion had held. He’d done the same thing on Prometheus.
What if they put Rance and Solaris on different ships, though? Rance shook the thought away, certain that it wouldn’t come to that.
The thugs moved in quickly, disarming Rance of her stunner and taking away her handset with its comm and the security footage. Then, for the second time in her life, Rance felt the cold, electrifying current of energy cuffs as they snaked around her wrists and locked her arms behind her back.
The security team cuffed Solaris and took away his satchel. Rance bit back a curse. He couldn’t lose his staff. Solaris, however, didn’t bat an eye when they yanked him roughly to his feet.
They weren’t any gentler with Rance, hoisting her up by her arms. Stabbing pains shot through her shoulders.
“Watch it!” she said. “Are you trying to pull my arms from their sockets?”
“Shut up and move,” the leader said.
They led the two captives back into the building, down the stairs, and through a new, modern hallway with no visitors. It was the off-limits area. Doors and more halls branched off left and right. Soon, they reached an area that smelled of water and cleaning supplies. Tiled floors changed to concrete, and the doors became as large as the bay doors on the Star Streaker.
Rance risked a look at Solaris, whose face was impressively stoic.
Maybe the thugs were escorting them out the back door of the building. To rough them up in a back alley? Worse?
Then, they bypassed exit doors big enough for a whale to fit through, up some metal stairs, past service elevators to another room with the sound of hy
draulics and valves and humming generators. And the smell of saltwater.
Maybe the thugs were taking them to a back office where no one could hear them.
Somehow Rance didn’t think so. She fought the urge to yell at her captors, to taunt them and tell them to fight like men. It wouldn’t do any good, and she needed to save her strength for when Solaris did his thing. He was biding his time, as well.
They went through a door out into an open area with tall metal walls and bay doors. Then, the leader pressed a button that opened a smaller, hatch-like door in the wall. Rance and Solaris were jostled through it.
An ocean of water met them. The air was cold, humid. It seeped through Rance’s clothing almost immediately, causing goosebumps on her arms.
The thugs led them onto an open metal platform that extended out over the water. Farther out, it changed to a walkway with metal grating two feet above the calm, dark surface. They were above one of the aquariums.
“What are we doing at the tanks?” Rance asked. She frantically tried to figure out which tank they were standing over. It wasn’t the whales—much too small. The aquatics? Something told the captain that aquatic men weren’t down there, either. Hopefully, it wasn’t the lantess.
As she watched the water, a lone dorsal fin broke the surface, slicing it as the creature below swam beneath the walkway. From above, it looked like a torpedo. A thirty-foot long torpedo with an arrow-shaped snout and fangs that could be seen from above.
Rance thought that it was one thing to see the reaper from the safety of the viewing area below. Quite another to see it in the water with no barrier between her and the monster.
A loud banging noise came from the opposite wall, and the reaper changed course, swimming away. Rance lost sight of it. Then, a large metal shield or gate that was attached to a track on the opposite wall began to move. It lowered into the water with a hum. With a chill, Rance realized it was to shield the viewing area below.
Even now, Solaris wasn’t giving anything away. Rance wondered why he hadn’t made his move. She braced herself for his shield, for a flash of lightning, but nothing happened.