Zero Magnitude (Galaxy Mavericks Book 3)

by Michael La Ronn

  She hated being watched, studied. All while she sat in a comfortable leather chair in a sunlit office with a blue aquarium and a doctor smiling constantly at her as if he had a head condition.

  “No, I'm not angry,” Devi said.

  “I'm glad,” Dr. Acheson said. “This is a major improvement.”

  He had only asked her how she felt about her mother abandoning her.

  Of course it made her angry. But she didn't feel anything today.

  “How did it feel when Mary asked to adopt you?” Dr. Acheson asked. “It has been almost six months, yes?”

  “It felt… good,” Devi said, squeezing a purple stress ball.

  “Talk to me about what was going through your mind.”

  “It was a mix of emotions,” Devi said, staring at the aquarium. She followed a blue tang on its never-ending lap around a castle made from coral.

  “I wanted to put the past behind me, but I felt like it would always follow me wherever I went.”

  “Because you felt guilty.”

  “I kept thinking I must have been a bad kid for my mom to abandon me,” Devi said. “I should have been better.”

  The doctor took off his eyeglasses. “What makes you say that?”

  “It's the only answer,” Devi said.

  “What did you do wrong?”

  “I don't know.”

  “Then do you think it is wise to blame yourself?”

  Devi hung her head.

  “Sometimes,” the doctor said, hesitating, “there are other reasons things in life happen. Reasons beyond our understanding. I don't think you did anything wrong, Devi. Far from it.”

  Devi sighed. He just didn't understand.

  “But I understand why you feel that way, and your feelings are valid. Let's talk some more about them.”

  “Why?” Devi asked. “All I do is tell you how I feel!”

  The doctor leaned forward.

  “My job is to evaluate you and give an update to the courts about your progress,” he said. “In order to grant Mary the right to adopt you, you have to show me that you have developed, and that you are okay.”

  “Is something wrong with me?” Devi asked.

  “Do you want to go home with Mary?” Dr. Acheson asked. “You can tell me the truth.”

  “Yes, I do,” Devi said. She didn't want anyone intercepting her chances of being with Mary. If she had to lie, she would lie.

  “I am very happy with Mary, and she reminds me of my mother…”

  ***

  Mary rubbed Devi’s shoulders as they walked out of the doctor’s office. The small waiting room was empty except for a mother and toddler waiting patiently in the corner. The place smelled like children, and there were toys everywhere.

  Devi held the squeeze ball, and she pumped it a few times.

  “Same as usual?” Mary asked.

  “Same.”

  “Well, that's good,” Mary said. “If it's okay, I need to make a pit stop before we go to the hearing.”

  Devi had been waiting all day for the hearing. The final one. Where the judge would award custody to Mary. Until that happened, none of this felt real. The galaxy could take her away at any moment and she would never see Mary again. Just like she would never see Rajinder or Wilmer or anyone else that she barely got to know before they disappeared from her life forever.

  “It's fine,” Devi said.

  Mary pulled out her keys as they walked to her white sedan parked in the parking lot under a mesquite tree. The clouds were darkening with rain; before the appointment it had been sunny and warm. Now there was a slight chill in the air.

  “It should only take a few minutes,” Mary said. “I have to meet with a client. Just dropping off some paperwork for my final round of cases.”

  “Okay,” Devi said.

  “Are you nervous for today?” Mary asked.

  “No.”

  Mary smiled.

  “Good,” she said after a moment.

  Devi wondered what she was thinking.

  Mary pressed her key fob and unlocked the car.

  A shadow appeared near the car and Mary stopped, putting her arm in front of Devi.

  An Indian woman stepped out from behind the tree. She was prim, with a bindi on her forehead between the eyes. She wore a blouse and a long black skirt. Her skin was dark, like Devi’s mother and father and her brother and sister and her aunties and cousins, and though the woman’s face was scrunched up in anger, Devi felt a connection. She was the first person she'd seen that shared her heritage since being abducted.

  “Can I help you?” Mary asked, holding Devi tight.

  “What you're doing is wrong,” the woman said.

  “What I'm doing is none of your business,” Mary said.

  “It's unheard of, and if the judge lets you get away with this, he should go to jail too,” the woman said.

  “I'm within my legal rights,” Mary said. “I think you should leave.”

  “It's not about your rights!” the woman shouted, pointing her long index finger at Mary. “It's about the child's. The child's, you terrible woman!”

  Mary ushered Devi past the woman and told her to get in the car.

  “I'm calling the police,” Mary said. “Leave or I'll have you arrested.”

  “Have you no conscience?” the woman said. “Have you no remorse for what you're doing? You’re skirting an ethical line.”

  Mary slammed Devi’s door and walked to the driver’s side.

  “I'm doing what's best for her,” Mary said under her breath. “And if you don't like it, screw you.”

  “She should be with her own,” the woman said. “Not you. She's messed up enough without you robbing her of her culture now, too!”

  Mary climbed into the car and shut the door. She started the engine, keeping her eyes on the woman.

  “Mary, who is she?” Devi asked.

  “No one important, honey,” Mary said. “No one important.”

  “Why was she so mad?” Devi asked.

  “A lot of people are angry with me right now,” Mary said. “But it's okay, Devi. Just trust me when I say—oh my God, Devi, get down!”

  The woman had a large rock in her hands, and she was running toward the windshield.

  “You'll pay for this!” the woman cried.

  Devi shielded her face and looked away.

  Thunk!

  The glass cracked as Mary stomped on the accelerator, jumping the car over a curb. The woman staggered back and fell into the grass.

  Mary sped through the parking lot and kept the woman in her rearview mirror.

  “Are you okay?” Mary asked.

  Devi stared at the giant crater of cracked glass in the center of the windshield.

  In the rearview mirror, the woman sat on the curb, weeping.

  Chapter 19

  Devika caught her breath against the back of a tree. She was drenched, and she wrung water out of her hair.

  Michiko lay on the rainforest floor, staring up at the canopy. Her chest was heaving up and down. The river was behind her, through foliage and vines.

  “We should be safe for a little while,” Devika said.

  She took off her life vest and helmet, and let them crash to the ground.

  It was a miracle she had her backpack. She opened it and pulled out her last box of bullets.

  Michiko sat up.

  “Are you going to kill me now?” she asked.

  Devika disengaged the handcoil magazine and loaded the needle-like bullets inside, squinting an eye to make sure they entered properly. Then she loaded the gun, making Michiko wince.

  “I'm not going to kill you,” Devika said.

  Michiko crab-walked away, her eyes on the gun.

  Devika glanced at the river, then at the dark forest ahead. The birds were twittering loudly, and the river’s rushing was closer than she would have liked.

  Michiko whimpered. Sighing, Devika tucked the gun on her belt, out of sight.

  “If we
move now, we should be able to make it to the end of the tour by sunset, right?” Devika asked.

  “Tour,” Michiko said. “Tour? There is no more tour.” She pointed back at the river. “The rest of them are all dead! How can you say that?”

  Devika wanted to throw something at Michiko. She hated political correctness.

  “I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me,” Devika said.

  “Who are you?”

  “I'm Lara Stella, remember?”

  “Why are they after you?”

  Devika started into the woods.

  “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  Michiko caught up to her.

  “Whatever you did, you really must have pissed them off,” Michiko said.

  They came to a fallen tree trunk. Devika climbed on top of the trunk and held out her hand for Michiko.

  “Need a hand?” Devika asked.

  “You're sure you're not going to kill me?” Michiko asked.

  “If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already,” Devika said. “And I'm sorry to say this, but you're slowing me down.”

  Michiko grabbed her hand. Devika pulled her up, and they climbed over the fallen tree.

  “We weren't far from the docks of the Green Hotel,” Michiko said. “We were probably not more than a mile or two away.”

  “Are you sure?” Devika asked.

  “Positive. I do this trail every day.”

  A whining, mechanical sound buzzed through the air above.

  A spaceship.

  It was probably scanning the water, looking for her.

  “I would rather not follow the river,” Devika said. “Is there an alternative route?”

  Michiko charged ahead.

  “We can probably be there in an hour or two. The forest thins out a few meters ahead.”

  “Great,” Devika said. “And Michiko—”

  The woman turned around. Her face was wet and her safari clothes clung to her skin.

  Devika tried to speak.

  “I, um…”

  Michiko cocked her head.

  “I'm sorry that this happened,” Devika said.

  Michiko turned away and pushed through two vines, tears in her eyes.

  Devika shifted her backpack to distribute the weight.

  “This is going to be awkward,” she said under her breath.

  Chapter 20

  “Miss Sharma, will you approach the stand?”

  In the stuffy courtroom, all eyes turned to Devi, who was sitting in the front row with Mary.

  Mary’s parents were there, an elderly couple whom Devi had met for the first time.

  Outside the courtroom, the hallway was filled with photographers and journalists who had all come to see the outcome of what would happen between her and Mary.

  Devi hadn't understood the reason for all the commotion. But on the way to the courtroom, Mary—who was cautious and nervous—calmly explained to her that the whole galaxy was watching, that Devi was a true hero, and that, for reasons that Mary herself could not understand, the galaxy was divided on the opinion of whether it was ethically correct for a social worker to adopt a child that she had been working with directly.

  Devi felt the judge’s eyes on her. Mary touched her hand and whispered in her ear.

  “It's all right, honey,” she said. “Just remember what we talked about. Tell him the truth.”

  The judge, who sat atop a tall mahogany bench, motioned her to come forward. He was Indian with graying hair, and the proceedings didn't seem to bother him.

  “It's all right,” he said.

  The two security guards escorted her to the bench.

  This was the part she had been waiting for.

  “The judge may not want to speak to you,” Mary had said, “but if he does, he will ask you some simple questions.”

  Devi gulped as she looked up at the thin Indian man.

  “Miss Sharma,” the judge whispered. “How are you today?”

  “I am fine, thank you.”

  “Very good. Do you speak Hindi?”

  “Not very well, sir.”

  “Ah. Well, that's a shame. I would have very much liked to speak with you in our mother tongue, so we could have an honest conversation. But that's not your fault. Does Miss Mary treat you well?”

  “Very well.”

  “Has she ever hurt you or said anything mean?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Does she make sure you have enough to eat and drink?”

  “In the few times I have been with her, yes she has, sir.”

  “That's very good, Miss Sharma. Very good. Do you understand what is about to happen?”

  “Yes, sir. Miss Mary is about to become my legal guardian.”

  “Do you understand that it is permanent, that there is no going back?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “She will be your guardian forever,” the judge said.

  “I understand, sir.”

  “Good, Miss Sharma. Miss Williams, will you step forward?”

  Mary stood and approached the bench, stopping next to Devi.

  “Miss Williams, you have started a media firestorm,” the judge said.

  “I'm used to starting firestorms,” Mary said, smiling. “I'm a social worker, Your Honor.”

  “Do you understand the adoption is permanent?” the judge asked.

  “Yes, Your Honor.”

  “You understand that from this day forward, you must do everything in your power to provide the best life possible for this child?”

  “Yes, and that is what I have done from the moment I met her. And I will continue to.”

  The judge nodded. “Then by the power vested in me by the Rah Galaxy, I declare that Miss Mary Williams has become the legal guardian of Miss Devika Sharma. Would you like to bang the gavel, young lady?”

  The judge handed his gavel to Devi and she banged it on his desk.

  Mary’s parents applauded.

  Mary wrapped an arm around Devi. And for the first time in a long time, Devi smiled.

  And laughed.

  “What do you say we have a cookout?” Mary asked.

  ***

  The media met them outside the courtroom with a barrage of questions.

  “Miss Williams, do you think this was right?”

  “Devi, how do you feel?”

  “Miss Williams, care to comment about the ethics of what you did?”

  Mary pushed the reporters away and took Devi by the shoulders.

  “Leave my daughter alone,” Mary said. “You've done enough.”

  They exited the court pod doors and a crowd of protestors awaited them, chanting angrily under the gray sky.

  “The children matter most!” they shouted.

  “You're a devil!”

  “A child belongs with their own!”

  Mary and two security guards ushered Devi through the crowd, toward Mary’s car in the distance.

  Nearby, a woman spit on Mary, hitting her on the cheek.

  Mary ignored the glob of spit dripping down her face and pushed Devi forward.

  It was only when they were in the car and the protesters were in the rearview mirror that Mary breathed a little.

  “Why were they so angry?” Devi asked.

  “Because they don't understand you like I do,” Mary said. “Now let’s go home. All my family flew in from Gargantua and they can't wait to meet you.”

  Devi turned on the radio. Rock ‘n’ roll music played from the speakers.

  Mary turned to her in surprise.

  Devi had surprised herself. It had been years since she listened to music.

  They sang to the music as a thunderstorm raged outside.

  Chapter 21

  Devika and Michiko emerged from the woods. The Green Hotel awaited them, a sprawling, vine-covered mansion in the middle of a lush garden.

  “I have never been happier to see this place,” Michiko said.

  “That makes two of us,” Devika said.
<
br />   They had walked for an hour and a half, hardly talking. Devika didn’t believe in small talk, and she typically gave one-word answers to Michiko’s questions. False one-word answers.

  “We’ve got to call the police,” Michiko said as they started for the hotel. “We’ve got to bring that killer to justice.”

  Instead of responding, Devika focused on a large field filled with spaceships and hangars behind the hotel.

  The spaceport.

  It was close enough that she could get there by shuttle in a few minutes.

  Her heart raced.

  Once she got out of the planet’s atmosphere, she would be free. She could hide out on another planet, regroup, and then figure out how to be Tavin Miloschenko’s worst nightmare now that he had tried to kill her.

  “There’s a security guard at the front desk,” Michiko said. “We’ll have him page the police.”

  “Good,” Devika said, trying to feign interest. “Do you know when the next spaceship shuttle leaves?”

  “To the spaceport?”

  Devika nodded.

  Michiko stopped and folded her arms.

  “I can’t believe you,” she said.

  “I’m sorry?” Devika asked.

  “You’re going to leave after everything that happened?”

  “It’s nothing personal. But I really do need to get back home—”

  “You told me you were staying at The Green Hotel,” Michiko said.

  “I am.”

  “So why do you want to leave all of a sudden?” Michiko asked.

  “I picked the half-day tour. I was supposed to leave this evening.”

  “They’re after you, aren’t they?” Michiko asked.

  “Who?”

  “Whoever was after you, you still need to call the police,” Michiko said. “They need to go to jail.”

  “I don’t know why they shot those people,” Devika said. “What matters is that you and I are safe. I’ll tell the police what they want to know. But I’m not married to this planet.”

  A spaceship took off from the spaceport and rocketed toward the stars. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in a gradient of oranges and pinks.

  “Come on,” Devika said. “Not much further to go.”