by Caryn Lix
Mom nodded, her lips still pursed, telltale worry lines creasing her brow. “I know. And we can’t abandon a ship in potential danger. I’m just very suspicious of the circumstances.” She sighed heavily. “Rita, you’re coming off a ten-hour watch. You okay to pilot?”
“I’m always okay.” Rita shoved herself to her feet. “I’ll get dressed and head out.” She hesitated. “I’ll have to take the second shuttle. You guys will be on your own here.”
Mom slipped her arm around my waist, the first physical contact we’d had in days. I leaned into her, grateful she’d broken our stalemate. “We’ll be fine.”
Rita grabbed a tablet, already plotting her course. “Shouldn’t take me more than a few hours to reach the vessel. If the signal is interfering with our comms, I’ll probably lose contact with you partway there. Once I hit the merchant vessel, I’ll deactivate the emergency signal and get in touch.”
“Be careful,” Mom advised, and I realized Colonel Trace’s comments were on her mind too. “Under no circumstances approach the vessel if it doesn’t seem safe. If I order your recall, I want you back here with no questions asked.”
“Copy that, Commander.” Rita spared me a wink as she ran for the door.
It slid shut behind her, leaving me and Mom truly and completely alone. I hesitated. “So, did you want me to stay on?”
“Head to your room and get some rest,” Mom replied. “But leave your comm on. I’ll buzz if I need you.” She tightened her arm around me.
I hugged her back. “Are you sure? Protocol says . . .”
“I won’t leave you out. As soon as something happens, I’ll wake you up. But you’re coming off shift, and protocol says you’re supposed to rest.”
She had her command voice back on. My mother had slipped into the background. I nodded, knowing argument was fruitless. Omnistellar Concepts gave us a lot. Citizenship in a corporation, especially one like ours, meant security, freedom, mobility, and better services than for your average person. But it came at a cost. The company demanded utter loyalty in exchange for those privileges. That loyalty had been drilled into me from the moment I was born, and I knew neither my mom nor I would abandon procedure now.
Although I had full intentions of obeying my mother—eventually—I ran to the window near the bay. After a few seconds, the shuttle carrying Rita erupted from the station, hurtling into space. It was eerily similar to watching Dad, Jonathan, and Noah head to Earth a few days ago, and seeing that second shuttle disappear filled me with a sense of foreboding. Mom and I were truly trapped here now, alongside the hundred-odd prisoners.
Rita would be fine, wouldn’t she? I shook my head. I was letting everything that had happened lately—Trace’s comments, the last drill, my parents, the prisoners—infect my thoughts. The timing was coincidental, but maybe this was another drill? There were plenty of explanations to choose from.
I ran my hand down Sanctuary’s wall as Rita receded into the darkness, quickly becoming another prick of light in the velvet sky. We were safe here. Sanctuary was our protection, and it was good at its job. We just had to keep it running, and everything would be fine.
And on that thought, alarms shattered the silence again.
The signal is sent. The waiting is done. And yet there is waiting to endure. And spirit to absorb. And life to harvest.
So few now, and yet so many. So weak, and yet so strong.
They are and they are and they are, and they drift no more. They have arrived. It is time.
Teeth gnash in the darkness. Malice expands.
It is time.
SIX
AS I TOOK OFF FOR the command center, alarms urging me onward, a security door slid out of the wall and cut off my retreat. My jaw dropped. I had never seen that happen before. I hadn’t known that could happen. “Mom!” I called, triggering my comm device. My heart thudded against my rib cage.
Her crisp tone cut through the klaxons. “It’s Commander, Kenzie.”
That told me everything I needed to know. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Not another drill. Not now.”
“We treat every alarm as a full-blown emergency, regardless of the circumstances. Now, I need you in the command center.”
“Yeah, great idea,” I agreed dryly. “Unfortunately, Sanctuary locked me out.”
“What? Where are you?”
I winced. “Mom, can you turn off the alarms?”
She hesitated. They’d commented on that during the debrief, although as a footnote buried under a lot of well dones. To her credit, a second later the klaxons stopped and I could think again. “I’m by the shuttle bay,” I said. “I was watching Rita launch.”
A moment later, Mom was back, her voice even terser. “I can’t contact Rita. Communication is blocked. Kenzie, what do you mean, Sanctuary locked you out?”
“Some sort of blast door.” I examined it. I couldn’t even find a seam, much less a way through the passage. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought it was another wall. “There’s no way past it, Mom—I mean, Commander.”
“All right. Grab your XE suit, head into the prison, and use the emergency airlock.”
A chill raced through me. “You want me to go outside?”
“You’ve done it before, and I need you in the command center. We’re the only two guards on the station.” I heard her adjust something in the background. “Cameras show no unusual activity in the sectors. All prisoners are secure in their cells. Still, take it slow. Check before you advance. If anything in the cellblock seems suspicious, lock it down, contact me, and we’ll find another route.” She hesitated briefly. “If anything seems suspicious, Kenzie. I mean it. No one expects you to put your life on the line.”
I drew a deep breath. Under normal circumstances, I didn’t mind space walks. I actually kind of enjoyed them. There was something terrifying but awe inspiring about clinging to a station on the edge of nothingness. But this was not a normal circumstance. And the idea of getting anywhere near sector 5, where I’d have to access the emergency airlock, made my knees go weak.
I wouldn’t have to go into the sector itself, though, just the prison block. And I could hardly refuse the order. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll contact you before I evacuate.”
“Be careful, honey.” Mom’s voice caught on the last word—definite breach of protocol, and a sign of how worried she really was. “Contact me as soon as you’re in your suit.” She signed off, no doubt to deal with one of the other thousand emergencies demanding her attention.
Before I could think too hard about what I was doing, I bolted down the corridor to one of two equipment storage rooms. They held XE suits for each crew member, specially fitted and meticulously maintained. Mine hung on a hook below my name. I didn’t put it on, but threw it over my shoulder instead. I’d move faster carrying it.
I half worried, half hoped Sanctuary would lock me out of the prison, but I logged through with the same code and thumb scan I’d used a few nights ago. Once again, I stumbled down the metal staircase, the corridors below illuminating as I advanced. The emergency airlock at the bottom of the stairs, directly outside sector 5, vented the entire stairwell when activated. I had to move quickly. The airlock required Mom’s authorization from the command center to blow, which meant I needed to get suited and ready before contacting her.
It shouldn’t be a problem. I’d practiced with the XE suit a thousand times, first at camps as a kid, later in junior guard training, and of course during drills on Sanctuary itself—and once even when I wasn’t supposed to, late at night with a tempting boy on a station camp. But it would be the first time I’d ever tested a speed prep without anyone to back me up and double-check my seals.
You’ll be fine, I promised myself. You’ll tether to the station so you can’t get lost. Just keep moving.
I stumbled over a step, almost dropping my suit but managing to snag it before it went over the edge. After that, I slowed my pace. Speed mattered, but not as much as keeping my suit intact.
It wasn’t exactly designed to tear easily, but pitching down five flights of metal stairs might test its limits, especially the faceplate.
I reached the bottom without incident. Light flooding the area revealed the airlock, an ominous trap door set into the floor. I dropped my helmet and jumped into the bottom half of the XE suit, effectively immobilizing my legs.
At the same time, something clattered behind me. I jerked up and twisted toward the source of the noise, but the bulky material of my half-worn suit caught around my knees, sending me sprawling on the ground.
Two familiar figures emerged from the shadows.
Danshov and Hu.
My jaw dropped. “How . . . ?” I whispered.
They didn’t answer, but came at me with identical expressions of grim determination.
“Mom!” I shouted, activating my wrist comm with a thought—thank God for implanted devices. “Mom, I’m at sector five. Two prisoners have escaped! They’re—”
Danshov’s massive hand clamped over my mouth. I struggled against him, but with my legs tangled in my suit, it was like fighting a brick wall.
“Kenzie!” Mom shouted frantically. “What’s going on? Kenzie, come in!”
The terror in her voice gave me new strength, but Danshov’s free arm circled my stomach, trapping both arms against my sides. I struggled furiously. My teeth scraped his palm and his grip tightened painfully over my jaw, making me gasp.
In my second of distraction, Hu caught my wrist. He squeezed both sides of the comm device and applied pressure in exactly the right spot. The unit slid out, leaving a metal gap in my wrist. Before I could react, he pressed the power switch. Mom’s voice screeched, then faded to nothing.
I screamed into Danshov’s hand, working my legs free of the suit. My right foot came loose, and I aimed a kick at Hu’s face. He stumbled, hit the wall, and plastered a hand to his nose.
Danshov lifted me right off the ground, shaking me hard. I kicked my other leg free. After swinging my knees up, I drove both feet back with all my might.
He anticipated the move, twisting aside. I connected with his thigh, a couple inches lower than I’d intended. It drew a grunt from the monster, though. “Chert voz’mi,” he grumbled in my ear. “Would you quit it?”
Hu grinned, swiping a hand across his nose to stop the ooze of blood. “Told you she’d be trouble.”
“She’s trouble, all right. Now can I knock her out?”
“That’s not necessary.” Hu came closer, although he was a lot more cautious about it this time. I channeled the full force of my hatred into my glare, the only weapon they’d left me. He reached into his back pocket to produce a small, jagged piece of metal.
I froze, my body taut against Danshov’s. A smear of what could only be blood marred the edge of that metal.
“Right,” Hu said, correctly interpreting my posture. “It’s not exactly a precision weapon, but it’s sharp enough to do some damage. Especially if you’re squirming around and we can’t control where we’re stabbing. You get my drift?”
I glared at him a moment longer, my mind racing, playing the odds. After a moment I bobbed my head.
“Good.” Hu glanced at Danshov. “I think you can let go of her now. She knows she’s not going anywhere.”
Danshov grumbled. “I still think we should knock her out. Quicker and easier.”
“Dude, you hang around Mia too much. She’s harmless. Let her go.”
My feet hit the ground. I slumped forward, shoulders hunched, pretending an injury to my left foot. It was only half pretending—I was pretty sure that whatever Danshov’s power chart might say, he was actually made of stone. Nothing else explained the agony caused by kicking him.
“You all right?” Hu asked.
“She’s fine,” Danshov snapped. “On your feet. Now.”
I cringed away, throwing up a hand as if to protect myself. “Okay,” I said, allowing a tremor to enter my voice. Not too much of one, a mere hint. I reached for the stair railing as if to steady myself.
Hu and Danshov both moved instinctively to help.
Bracing my arms on the railing, I threw my weight forward, swinging my legs in an arc. I didn’t aim at Danshov—he wasn’t going down, not from any blow I could deliver. Instead, I drove both knees into Hu’s back, sending him tumbling into his pal.
And then I bolted.
SEVEN
I COULDN’T OUTRUN THEM, NOT for long—but I didn’t have to. I’d knocked them off balance. I only needed to reach the fourth-floor prison cells.
My instinct, obviously, was to run for the exit, but I knew better. If Danshov or Hu caught up to me before I relocked the door, I’d have released them into Sanctuary proper. And while the station could apparently slam down security walls wherever it damn well pleased, that was more than I was willing to risk. Once again, I remembered Mom’s momentary panic when she’d learned about the girl in the alley. If I let these monsters loose, who knew what they’d do? They might kill my mom or, worse, find a way to escape the station. And then how many deaths would be on my conscience?
If I made it into the sector-4 cells ahead of them, though, I could trap them in the stairwell. From there I could access the server room on four and restore communication with Mom, who could vent the stairwell, sending both boys into space. I felt a twinge of guilt at that thought but stowed it quickly. As Mom always said, safety and security came first—even at the cost of a prisoner’s life. Even at the cost of our own.
Of course, that assumed no sector-4 prisoners were out of their cells, but it was a chance I had to take. I didn’t want to consider the possibility of rushing into sector 4 only to find every prisoner on the loose. There were only two prisoners in the stairwell, and cellmates at that. Hopefully only one cell was open.
I raced up the stairs three at a time, hauling myself along the railing. Behind me, Hu swore in what I supposed was Mandarin, based on his file. A second later, footsteps clattered behind me.
I slammed my thumb on the scanner. The instant the print cleared, I rattled my code into the keypad. I got through the first three digits before hands caught me from behind and slammed me against the metal door. I cried out—more from shock than actual pain—as air forced its way from my lungs.
Sharp, corded arms surrounded me; a long, lithe body pressed against mine. Hu, not Danshov—which made sense. Danshov was too big to move with that kind of speed. Still, Hu must have blasted off the floor to catch me this quickly. I’d knocked him off balance pretty well, and I was no tortoise myself.
Hu tightened his grip on my wrist, and this time my cry was of pain. He brought his lips to my ear and said, in a voice laced with anger, “Enough.” He gave me a slight shake. “I’m going to let go of you, but if you attack me again, I will let Alexei knock you out. And he won’t be gentle about it. You got me?”
My natural stubbornness surged to the surface, but I choked it down. The boys were armed. There were two of them, and they were stronger than me. I’d blown my chance at escape, and they wouldn’t fall for another ploy like the one I’d just pulled. Gritting my teeth, I bobbed my head.
Slowly, Hu released me. I turned to face him and pressed my back against the wall as I cradled my injured wrist. He leaned in, seeming to suck the oxygen out of the space. I wished he wasn’t so damn attractive—somehow, the clean, angular lines of his face made his malice that much worse. He didn’t look nearly as amused as the first time I’d kicked him, at least, so that was something. And if they’d wanted to kill me, they would have done it by now. Another point in my favor.
Still. I didn’t have to fake my fear this time when Danshov came up behind him. He at least looked the part of the villain, with his square jaw and scarred cheek. I held out my hands in surrender. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll go with you. I give up.”
“Uh-huh.” Danshov’s eyes narrowed. “Cage, offer’s still on the table.”
Hu—Cage?—chuckled, his good humor restored. “I think we’re okay.” He gestured to
me. “But I also think you can walk in front of us. Back down the stairs, there’s a good girl.”
My mother would have recognized the look I shot him, one I’d used to silence countless others in training scenarios. I couldn’t stand anyone condescending to me. Fortunately, my anger burned away some of my fear, and I stomped down the stairs without tripping, trembling, or otherwise humiliating myself.
Now I saw what I’d missed before: the door to sector 5 was slightly ajar. I pointed and demanded, “How?”
“You’ll see soon enough.” Danshov prodded my shoulder. “In you go.”
I gulped, remembering my last adventure in sector 5. Every muscle in my body strained, itching for me to run. But I had nowhere to go, and no way to flee. If I didn’t walk through on my own, they’d make me, and my pride wouldn’t allow that. With trembling hands, I stepped through the door.
The prison looked as I remembered it except for one thing: all of the prisoners, without exception, were outside their cells. The doors stood open, the prisoners lining the hall. I froze under the hostility of their glares. Their expressions made it clear: none of them wanted anything so much as to claw the flesh off my face.
Danshov nudged me from behind. “Keep moving.”
A girl broke off from the crowd. I recognized her instantly as Hu’s twin sister. I would have recognized her even without seeing her file. She didn’t look exactly like her brother, but they had the same fluid way of moving, the same sharply defined features. Her hair hung in a loose braid over her shoulder, knotted carefully to keep it secure.
She was also the only person in the room who didn’t look like she wanted to hurt me. She took my elbow and guided me gently away from Hu and Danshov. “Come with me,” she said.
Her brother leaped between us, and I couldn’t help but notice how everyone leaned back, deferring to him. His very presence dominated the room. “No.”
