by Caryn Lix
But as the doors slid wider, two of the creatures whipped past, their tails flailing before they vanished into space—and Tyler went with them. Alexei made a choking sound that belied his indifference, his hands clamping on the arms of his chair. For just a moment bile rose in my throat, but I swallowed the grief. That left two in the bay, probably clinging to something against the vacuum. I didn’t have time to worry about them. I fired up the shuttle’s engines and lurched into space.
Piloting the shuttle was almost impossible with all the damage. The controls responded like a comm device stuttering through the last of its battery. Of course, we didn’t need the shuttle to reach the ship. We’d only needed it to escape Sanctuary. With our XE suits, we could abandon it anytime, but that also meant abandoning Mia’s supplies.
Alexei’s voice cut into my comms. “Any weapons on this thing?”
“What? No. It’s a station-to-Earth transit, not some sort of warship.” I hesitated, cold foreboding clutching my heart. “Why?”
Alexei nodded at the back window. The last two creatures were on our tail. “How?” I shrieked. “How are they alive?” I had no idea how they maneuvered without thrusters, but they did, making course adjustments, aiming at the ship. Then again, the ship’s AI had seemed totally foreign to me. It was completely possible the aliens had technology I didn’t understand. More importantly . . . “Alexei, they’re heading straight for us.”
THIRTY-EIGHT
I SWORE, JAMMING THE SHUTTLE’S controls, veering left. Instead of responding, the controls cut out completely, leaving us drifting through space. I slammed my fist into the panel in frustration.
The creatures grew steadily in the porthole. I unstrapped from my seat and floated to the rear of the shuttle. Alexei joined me. The creatures moved through space like fish in water—graceful, their tails lashing, their course clear. “Well,” I said, “we now know they can survive without oxygen.”
Alexei’s expression turned thoughtful. “But for how long? Their ship, it’s pressurized and oxygenated.”
“Maybe that’s only to keep us alive until we complete the transformation?”
“Maybe,” he echoed, but he continued to stare at the creatures, frowning.
“What are they doing?” I demanded as the aliens floundered around. My voice seemed shrill. I drew a deep breath, bringing it under control. “They should be on us by now.”
Comprehension dawned on Alexei’s face. “Of course. They can’t hear us. There’s nothing to hear in space.”
We stared at one another. “Then . . . how do they navigate between their ship and the station? How do they . . . ?” The words caught in my throat. I flew to the control panel, banging on it until it flickered reluctantly to life. “Radio signals,” I muttered, altering the sensors. Sure enough, I found what I was looking for on an incredibly low frequency. “Here!” I exclaimed. “The ship emits a signal. That’s what jammed our comms before. The creatures—they’re not following us. They’re going home.”
Alexei bent over me as best he could in his bulky XE suit. “Can you block it?”
“Maybe.” I pulled up the shuttle’s visual code. “We don’t have weapons, but if I find the location, I can get out there and yank it off manually.” I scanned the system until I found a small device affixed to the bottom of the alien ship. “Can you pilot this shuttle, Alexei?”
I couldn’t see his face, but suspicion laced his voice. “I’ve flown personal aircraft back on Earth. This looks similar enough to manage. Why?”
“I need you to try to reactivate the shuttle’s controls while I’m gone.”
A long silence, and then his voice, tinged with danger: “Where are you going?”
I pulled a wrench out of the tool kit and tucked it into my utility belt. Nothing in my standard tool belt would stand up to what I intended. “To dismantle that thing before the creatures get there.”
“No. I should do it. I’m stronger.”
“I have more experience maneuvering in zero g,” I returned sharply. This was not the time for some testosterone-driven battle. “Stay with Mia,” I added, playing my trump card, and his expression told me I’d won. “I’ll be back soon.”
I hoped.
I checked the thruster levels on my suit. I’d grabbed one at random, and fortunately it was a new suit, with almost full charges. Before Alexei could talk me out of my own suicide, I popped the shuttle door and pushed off, directing myself at the ship.
The creatures drifted behind me. They were drifting, at least, and not likely to catch the shuttle any time soon. And I didn’t have to worry about them hearing me. I aimed myself at the ship and accelerated. The temptation, of course, was to go too far too fast. Adrenaline coursed through my system, leaving me in full fight-or-flight mode. But if I hurried, I might overshoot the ship, wasting time and fuel turning around, so I forced myself to keep a steady pace. I fixed my gaze on my goal, but in my peripheral vision I could still see the two dead aliens in the distance . . . and Tyler’s body tumbling between them, frozen and hollow. I hoped we were right about the sedatives in the aliens’ claws. I hoped he’d died quick and hadn’t felt a thing. It was the best I could hope for, and more than I’d given Matt.
Had Matt died in terror, bleeding out, his last sight Cage and me running away from him at top speed? I allowed myself a broken sob at the memory. I couldn’t afford to lose it, not here, not now. But my hands shook and my stomach lurched and I swore to myself that even if I couldn’t ever tell anyone what had really happened, I would find a way to honor his memory—not to mention my mother’s. She wouldn’t get much sympathy from the prisoners, I knew. It would only be me who mourned her—and maybe Dad. I didn’t know. I didn’t know what to think.
At last I reached the ship. I grabbed its blocky exterior and clambered hand over hand to the small box fastened underneath. I stared at it dubiously. It looked like any other chunk of the ship. I’d examined the readings pretty carefully before I took off. But what if I was wrong? What if I hacked off something essential—or something completely useless? “Alexei?” I asked, hoping the comms worked. Only static greeted me. This close to the radio signal, our comms were fried.
Seven falls. Time to get up again. I steeled myself and grabbed the ship with one hand. With the other, I swung the wrench. The impact jarred all the way up my arm, shaking my grip loose. The wrench broke free and spiraled into space.
A cry of dismay escaped my lips. I could chase after it, but it was already a distant glimmer, and my fuel only went so far. The shuttle drew steadily closer—Alexei must have the controls working—and the creatures were not far behind. I clutched a protrusion with both hands and swung myself around, kicking the device with all my might. Without gravity, though, that didn’t go far. I cursed myself for not letting Alexei do this. Maybe his increased strength would have made the difference. But I doubted it. The angle, the lack of gravity, made it impossible to build enough force.
Except . . . I still had nearly half a tank of thruster fuel.
I realigned myself, angling my feet toward the device. For an instant I drifted loose, surrounded by infinite space, about to do something incredibly stupid. If I gave myself too much time to think, my resolve would falter, so I didn’t think. I triggered the thrusters, driving myself forward with half the remaining fuel behind me.
I collided with the device. It snapped—and so did something in my foot. I cried in pain, the sound echoing in my helmet. But the device dangled loose, hanging from the ship by a single solid shard. I tugged at it, but it stuck fast. Gritting my teeth, I angled myself again, positioned so my good foot would hit the device, my bad foot tucked beneath me. I expended the rest of my fuel. This time I didn’t hurt myself, although the impact jarred my leg. The device came free and hurtled into space—and me behind it. Frantic, I scrambled for a hold on the ship as it flashed by. At the last second my fingers closed around a protrusion. I clutched it, wrenching my shoulders, and managed to hold on. Pain reverberated through my leg, and my shoul
der throbbed. Something wet trickled down my arm—I’d torn Cage’s stitches.
The thought of Cage got me moving. I climbed the ship, awkwardly, my right leg almost useless. Tears pricked my eyelids, but I bit my lip, holding them back. Hurt later, cry later. Move now.
At last I rounded the far side of the ship. In the distance, the aliens drifted toward the device as it floated away. Was it my imagination, or were they already moving more slowly—as if they wouldn’t last much longer without atmosphere?
I climbed a bit further, my limbs trembling with exhaustion, and paused to rest, clinging to the side of the ship. That turned out to be a mistake. My sore foot throbbed in agony, and any attempt to move it sent pain rifling through my whole leg. After a few tries I gave up and let it lie limp, tugging myself forward with my hands and my good leg, leaving the injured one dangling behind me.
I wouldn’t last much longer. I summoned the last of my reserves, a final push of adrenaline forcing me to the top of the ship.
And then my straining grasp fumbled over a handhold and slid loose. Instinctively I activated my jets, but I’d burned through the last of my fuel. Panicked, I grabbed for the ship, my fingers brushing its bumps and crannies as I spun in space, my own struggles propelling me into the void.
Suddenly, a gloved hand clamped over my wrist, and Alexei hauled me forward. He dragged me the last few feet to where he’d magnetically locked the shuttle to the ship’s exterior. The rational part of me realized the ship must contain some form of metal for that to work, meaning it wasn’t plastic after all. The rest of me just shivered in exhaustion. “You made it,” I managed. “You landed the shuttle.”
“Da. Are you all right, dorogaya moya?”
I almost laughed at the endearment. Less than thirty-six hours ago, Alexei had argued in favor of punching me in the face and hurling me into a prison cell. Now . . . “My leg,” I managed. “Can you help me inside? Where’s Mia?”
“I already got her in.” And he’d left her to come after me? Something twisted in my heart. I wondered if he’d be as concerned if he knew the truth. After losing three people in as many hours, after losing the mother I’d thought loved me more than anything, I suddenly felt that Alexei’s friendship was the most important thing in the solar system.
Alexei half lifted, half pushed me into the ship, then pulled the hatch shut behind us. The second that pressurization returned—and with it, gravity—I collapsed, groaning in pain at the pressure on my leg. Alexei stripped off his gloves, but pulled me free of my suit before escaping his own.
After a few minutes gasping for air, I struggled to my feet, ignoring Alexei’s protests. The pain wasn’t as bad now. I’d maybe broken a toe, sprained my ankle. It hurt, but a few deep breaths brought it under control, as long as I didn’t try to stand on it. “Where are Cage and the others?”
He snorted. “When did you think I had time to look for them?”
I examined Mia as Alexei freed her from her suit. She was bleeding badly, but her wounds didn’t look life threatening. I worried about the condition of her legs, though—the creatures had sunk their claws deep. “Will she be okay by herself ?” Alexei asked. I blinked at him in surprise, and he shrugged. “The best thing I can do for her right now is find Reed. He can help her.”
I nodded. “She’s stable. She should be fine.” As long as she didn’t wake up. Of course if she did, I suspected we’d hear her swearing from anywhere in the ship.
A quick glance into the next room’s chambers revealed the creatures, peaceful in their slumber. When we opened the last set of doors, voices reached our ears, arguing in Mandarin. “Cage!” I cried.
He appeared in front of me, a wide grin splitting his face, and he threw his arms around me. I screeched in protest. “Careful! What about your . . . ?”
He twirled, showing off his bandages. “Feeling much better now that I’m pumped full of painkillers.”
“Painkillers?” I asked, stumbling as he stepped away and I lost his support.
“Yeah. We found them in the emergency kits on our tool belts.” He inspected my limp. “You hurt?”
“My foot,” I said. “It’s a long story. Mia’s down too. And Tyler . . .” For about the hundredth time that day, my eyes swam with tears. I swallowed hard, blinking them back. “He was trying to help Mia.”
Cage’s face fell. He tugged me against him, a slight tremor racking his limbs. “He was just a kid,” he whispered. “I dragged him into this mess.”
Alexei cleared his throat softly, and we pulled away. “Later,” he reminded us, not unkindly.
“Kenzie, is that you?” Rune demanded from around the corner. “Come help me with this, please.”
Alexei nudged me. “Don’t tell her. Not yet. I’m going to get Mia.”
I nodded. I leaned on Cage as we walked into the command center, wincing with every step. His warmth suffused me. I’d missed having him by my side. Rune waited, her face creased with worry. “What’s going on?” I demanded.
Rune gestured to the consoles. “I managed to interact with the system, at least on some level. It’s . . . complicated. It doesn’t operate with the same logic as the computers I’m used to.”
I rested against one of the consoles since the aliens didn’t appear to believe in chairs. “And?”
Cage blew out his breath in frustration. “And, we have a simple solution to our problem, but Rune has a moral objection.” He gestured around the ship. “We don’t have to return to Earth, not for quite a while. Rune says the shuttle’s outside, so I’m assuming we have supplies. We have life support, and between you and Rune, we can keep the ship running, go wherever we want.”
I stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “Yeah, no problem at all, except for the hundred-odd aliens sleeping in the next room.”
“And that’s the solution. Rune’s found a way to blow them into space. We can vent the circles individually—just like the prison sectors back on Sanctuary.”
She stomped her foot. “Right. And kill a hundred sentient creatures in their sleep.”
“Is that worse than what they planned to do to us?”
“We aren’t them, though.” Her voice took on a pleading note. “Cage. Exterminate an entire race of aliens? If we do this, we’re as bad as they are.”
“I doubt this is their entire race.” Cage sighed in exasperation. “Rune, this is about survival. There’s no time for sentiment!”
“This isn’t our only option! We can turn ourselves in and let the Earth authorities take over.”
“And what do you think they’re going to do with the aliens, serve them milk and cookies?” Cage threw his hands up in disgust. I got the feeling this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. He pointed at me. “You know this is the only choice.”
Rune shot me a look of appeal. “They might be unfriendly, but they’re alive—thinking, feeling beings. We can’t simply murder them in their sleep.”
The two of them stared at me. Not for the first time, I wished this was all some dream, maybe a really messed-up episode of RMDG5 I was watching, huddled under a blanket in a bed at camp. “You two started this. You fight it out.” I struggled to disguise the tremor in my voice.
“Fight what out?” Alexei returned, carrying Mia in his arms.
Mia shook her head, slowly regaining consciousness. Both Cage and Rune gaped at the sight of her. “God, Mia,” Cage said. “Those things did a number on you.”
“Tell me about it,” she choked. Cage vanished and reappeared with barely a flicker, holding what looked like a beaker of water and a couple of pills, presumably painkillers. She didn’t protest when he dropped them straight into her mouth and brought the beaker to her lips. “Thanks,” she said. “Put me down, Lex.”
His jaw tightened, and Mia’s eyes narrowed. They had some sort of intense silent confrontation, ending when Alexei carefully set Mia on her feet, keeping one arm looped around her waist. She wobbled and he tensed, ready to catch her, but she manag
ed to stay upright. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Rune blinked. “Where’s Tyler?”
Cage and I exchanged glances. “There’s another reason to get rid of them,” he said at last, and proceeded to fill both Rune and Mia in on the details they’d missed. I expected tears from Rune, but she only closed her eyes, as if she’d become numb to loss and death.
But for just a second, utter rage glinted in Mia’s eyes. “How is this even a debate? Vent the damn things into space.”
“It’s not that simple,” I said. “Rune’s right. If we do this, aren’t we as bad as them?” I hesitated. “For the sake of argument, how difficult is it to vent the chambers?”
Rune shrugged. “The chambers are sealed. They connect directly to the exterior. There’s no danger to us.”
“Then there’s no argument,” Mia snapped. Alexei shifted, and her eyes slanted in his direction. “What?”
“So far, these haven’t done anything but sleep.” Alexei shrugged apologetically. “Do we really have to kill them?”
Mia gaped at him. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“I’m fine with killing something that’s trying to kill me. I’m less fine with murder.”
“It isn’t murder!” Mia shouted so loudly we all jumped. “They killed Tyler. They killed Matt. They are trying to exterminate us! ”
“Kenzie?” Cage interrupted.
“What?”
“We have two against, two for. What do you think?”
“Oh, no.” I shook my head frantically. “I am not going to be your tie breaker. Not on this one.”
He exchanged speaking glances with Mia. “Leave it to me, then. Rune, how do I do it?”
She folded her arms. “Kenzie’s right. We can’t make this decision. We . . .”
“Hu Lin, show me how to vent the damn chambers.”
“No!”
He turned, towering over her, and grabbed her arm. “Right now you are standing between me and the safety of everyone on this ship,” he snarled. Rune flinched, her eyes round and huge, as if she couldn’t believe this was her brother yelling in her face. “If you’re not going to do what I say, then show me a gaisi de button and I’ll do it myself !”
