Britta inched her way over to Lucy and reached out a tentative hand. The dog slurped her tongue across the back of it.
“Ugh!” Britta wiped her hand on her sunsuit, but bent over again to touch the dog.
Alec looked uncomfortable. “Sorry for not telling you ahead of time. I was afraid you wouldn’t take her if you knew.”
“Wait, back up a second,” said Markus. “You think we’re taking that thing with us?”
Alec stood straighter. “Yeah. It’s the last animal alive down here, so I’d say we’re taking her. Trust me, she’s more loyal than any person you’ve ever met.”
I stared into Lucy’s deep brown eyes and watched her tail wag forcefully in response to Britta’s hand on her long golden fur. She certainly seemed happier than any person I’d met. I wasn’t sure what the dog had to be happy about, but I guess she wouldn’t know that she was the last of her kind around.
I reached down to touch her again, but had to jostle with Britta for petting space. “How is this possible? I’d heard rumors that a few animals and plants were kept in secret by the Consulate, but we’ve never seen any of them in Sector Five.”
Alec sighed. “Yeah, most of the animals died out a hundred or so years ago, but the Consulate kept a few species alive in case they ever found a new planet. When the water problem got worse, I heard they put most of the animals down to conserve water—you wouldn’t believe how much this one drinks.” He pointed at Lucy. “Don’t worry though,” he rushed on, “I have plenty of water and energy packets for her.” He gestured at a bulging duffel bag. “Like I said, I’m the only one here and I’m a great scavenger. Everything left behind is mine, well, ours now.”
Markus still stayed far from the dog. “And you got her how?”
Grief crossed Alec’s face. “When I realized everyone left, I started checking out all the buildings. I broke into a Consulate building one day, and they had this huge area with metal holding cells. Most were empty but a few had animals in them.” His jaw tightened and his fists clenched. “They weren’t alive. Looked starved to death … like they were just left there. I heard whimpering and found Lucy in the last cell. She was emaciated and really dehydrated, but I got her healthy again. She was the only one alive.”
Britta scratched behind Lucy’s ear, and Lucy licked Britta’s arm in response. Britta didn’t pull away this time. “So sad. She’s a pretty cool little creature. Do you know if the Consulate took any with them to Caelia? James and I didn’t see any, but we only stayed in one colony.”
Alec shook his head. “No clue. With how much those jerks screwed everything up, I’m surprised they made it there at all.”
“Speaking of Caelia, we should head back and get the others so we can show Tora and Alec the wonder of oceans,” Markus said.
Alec flashed a lopsided grin. “Sí. I plan on jumping into one as soon as I can.” He turned toward Lucy and his eyes darkened. “And then I’m going to find me some Consulate burners and see how they like being put down.”
His anger was raw and bitter—it reminded me of my own after my sister died.
Britta nodded. “I’ll definitely help out with that.”
Alec pressed a button on a small square device and a long thermoplastic strip emerged from it. He attached it to a ring around Lucy’s neck. “It’s a leash and collar,” he explained. “For walking.”
Britta did her weird half-smile. “I’ll do it. I’ll walk her.”
She led Lucy toward the door, where Markus stood with crossed arms. “Oh, tell me you don’t think she’s the tiniest bit cute.”
Markus shrugged. “Fine. I don’t think she’s the tiniest bit cute.”
Britta punched Markus on the arm and laughed. “No way. Pet her, then tell me that.”
Markus frowned. “I’m not touching that thing. Who knows what diseases it has?”
“She,” said Britta. “It’s a she, not an it. And she’s way too cute to have a disease.”
Britta pulled on her helmet, wrestled Lucy into an extra sunsuit, and marched past Markus into the street with the dog in her arms. “Come on, people, we haven’t got all day.”
Markus grunted and followed her out. He must have known he was way outnumbered on the dog issue.
Alec shrugged his shoulders at me, and grabbed his own helmet along with the enormous duffel bag. I smiled. He seemed like a good guy. He was certainly the first one I’d met that went out of his way to rescue an animal, let alone give it a cute name. Plus, he got huge bonus points for not shooting at me. James could learn a lot from him.
“Are you really as perfect as you seem?” I asked.
Alec’s smile evaporated. “No one’s perfect in this hellhole of a world. It’s just a matter of degrees of imperfection.” He gestured for me to go ahead of him, and we exited onto the deserted street.
Once on board, the dog curled up at Britta’s feet, causing her to gush more about how cute she was. The more Britta gushed, the more Markus scowled.
“Jealous of a dog, Markus?” I teased.
“Whatever. I guess I’ll leave it to you then … you know, to explain the dog to Kale.” He gunned the engine and we flew away from one desolate area toward another.
The mention of Kale’s name was like a slap across the face. In an hour, I’d have to deal with James and Kale. I’d told Alec some basic stuff in our earlier messaging but that was before Markus overheard the whole “let’s kill Tora” convo. I mentioned to Alec that Kale hadn’t known we were coming for him, and wasn’t happy about it.
“He’s not happy with any of us,” Britta added. “So don’t be expecting a welcome wagon. Be on guard and don’t trust them. Hopefully, we’ll all get to Caelia and can go our separate ways.” She eyed Markus. “Except for you … I’m thinking of hanging with you a while longer.”
Markus laughed. “For a while, huh? Lucky me.”
I didn’t feel so lighthearted. Maybe there would be safety in numbers. I’d play the dumb and apologetic role, and hope I could get James alone to talk. Britta and Markus would back me up if things got bad.
“So what’s your story, Alec?” Britta asked, looking over her shoulder at him. “Kinda fortunate that Tora found you, huh?”
Alec sighed. “No kidding. Seems we kept missing each other on the Net.” He turned to smile at me. “I seriously don’t know how to ever repay you, mi ángel.”
I blushed. No one had ever called me their angel before.
Alec told Marcus and Britta the story about his friend and how he ended up alone in the pod city.
“Guess if you’ve gotta be stranded alone, it’s better to be inside the pod city than out,” Markus remarked. “I see why you hate the Consulate so much.”
Alec’s face darkened. “You have no idea.”
I turned to Alec. “You got a gun?”
He patted beneath his shirt. “Yeah. Why?”
“You just might need to use it is why. That’s all.” I exhaled slowly and sank back in the seat.
Markus’ com system crackled and beeped. He lobbed it underhand toward me. “Here, I’m sure you’re the one they want to talk to.”
Hesitating, I pressed my finger on the button. “We’re heading back now—”
“No, don’t come here.” James spoke so quickly, it was hard to follow. “Leave us. I don’t want you to—”
My heart pounded. What had happened? “James?”
Silence on the other end and then crackling.
“Tora, that you?”
“Yes … sir,” I answered. My skin crawled at the sound of his voice. I’d hoped he’d had some sort of sun-related death while I was gone.
“Good, James got ahold of you. How far are you?”
“We should be there in thirty. We got the survivor. He’s fine.”
Alec pointed at Lucy, but I shook my head. Kale would put a laser blast through anything that couldn’t pull its own weight, and he definitely wouldn’t be giving it water.
“Great, glad he’s okay. We’ve m
ade it through half of the Consulate ship. Call when you get here.”
I caught Britta’s raised eyebrow. She knew as well as I did that Kale didn’t care if the survivor was okay.
“Okay, Kale. We’ll meet you there.”
“That was interesting,” said Alec.
“James was trying to warn us, I mean you,” said Britta. “What should we do?”
“Going back there doesn’t seem to be in anyone’s best interest,” Markus said.
Alec looked back and forth among us, as though we were a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. He spoke slowly. “So why exactly are we going there?”
Britta scoffed. “Because Tora and James … well, it’s complicated.”
Heat flooded my face.
Markus looked back at me over his shoulder. “Are you sure it’s worth it? If he cared enough to warn you, maybe we should listen to him and just head to Caelia.”
Britta pulled her hand from Lucy’s head and raised it in the air. “I second the motion.”
“I want to see me some ocean,” Alec added. “I owe you big-time, Tora, but I didn’t plan to get rescued just to be killed by some loco.”
I couldn’t catch my breath and my heart pounded. I had a much better chance of survival if I went along with the group, but I couldn’t live with the version of myself that would leave. James knew he wouldn’t survive long if we left, yet he’d been willing to sacrifice himself so that we’d be safe. That had to mean something.
If I didn’t do the right thing, I’d have nothing. I wouldn’t be my father’s daughter. “I’m not leaving him. I can’t do it.”
“Look, sweetcakes, I get that you have mixed feelings for him, but I heard the dude say he would kill you. Britta’s right that it’s too big a risk—”
“Stop, Markus. It won’t take long. Worst-case scenario, I die and you all go to Caelia without me.”
Britta studied me while she continued to stroke Lucy. I fought the tears trying to overtake my eyes.
“Tora?” It was the softest I’d ever heard her speak.
“Yeah?” I stared straight ahead at the vast bloodred sky out the window.
“It’s okay. We’ve got your back.”
Alec leaned over and squeezed my hand. “Yeah, I definitely got your back.”
I couldn’t stop it this time. I cried.
Chapter EIGHTEEN
EVERYONE DOZED OFF ON THE FLIGHT BACK, TRYING TO GRAB a few minutes of rest before whatever came next. It felt like forever since I’d gotten a full night’s sleep. I stretched as we approached our target. Only a few hours of daylight remained, and the sky glowed a brilliant reddish orange, making the entire landscape look like a raging inferno. The sun sure wasn’t dying without a fight. It would be admirable if I wasn’t made of such flammable material.
We landed fifty feet from the Consulate ship.
“You okay?” Alec asked.
I nodded, then reached to secure my satchel. A wet tongue greeted my hand, and I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s like she knows I’m upset.”
Alec laughed. “It’s crazy how much she knows.”
I stood and stretched. T.O. in my bag and B.K. in my hand still didn’t seem like enough if they started shooting right away.
I pushed the button on the com system and Kale picked up immediately. “Get your asses over here, we could use help.”
Britta thought we should leave Lucy on Kale’s ship for now, and I agreed. The fewer surprises for Kale, the better. If we waited until we were airborne to tell him, he’d have no choice. That’s if Kale made it onto his ship at all. I hoped we could get away without him. Alec poured Lucy a bowl of water and put her in the hatch room until we got back. If we got back.
“Be a good girl,” Alec told her.
I wasn’t usually a betting kind of girl, but odds were the dog would outlast us all.
As I suited up for the brief trip, Alec caught my eye and winked like he knew everything would turn out okay. I wished I had his confidence. We stepped out into the sweltering air and ran for the Consulate ship. It had to be ten times the size of Kale’s compact ship. Markus insisted on going in the main hatch first, in case Kale had planned an ambush. Britta, Alec, and I followed, and Alec stayed close to my side. No one was in the entryway when we got there.
I checked the oxygen reader on my Infinity, and called through the helmet coms. “The air reading looks okay, only a little lower than normal.”
Alec removed his helmet and frowned at me. “That’s weird. Wasn’t that gaping hole I just saw outside because of your shot?”
“Her slightly misguided shot,” Britta added, but smiled.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because the air shouldn’t be okay. It would mean someone sealed off the area around the damaged wing to keep the levels stable. And that would mean—”
“Survivors.”
I jumped at Kale’s voice and whipped my head around. He strode up to Alec and shook his hand. “I’m Kale. Nice to see they rescued someone with some brains.”
Alec looked leery, but forced a smile. “Thanks, I’m Alec.”
I sucked my breath in when James walked in behind him. This time he didn’t avoid eye contact and his hazel eyes locked on mine—until Kale turned around. Then his eyes flicked to Kale. “James and I have scoped out the starboard side and haven’t found anyone yet. Those bastards have to be here somewhere. Help us check out this side, then we just need to raid the med room, grab the spare parts, and go.”
They’d been in the room with me for ten whole seconds and hadn’t started shooting. Maybe Kale had changed his mind, or James had changed it for him. We moved down the hallway and an acrid smell of smoke filled the air. The hallways were black and burned, like fire had ripped through the ship. It must have been caused by the explosion when the ship crashed. I touched one of the walls, and came away with black ash covering my finger.
We came to a room with a huge window into the hallway, allowing us to view the suspended sleep pad and various medical equipment inside.
“Great. The med room. We’ll stop here on the way back,” Kale said.
We started moving past it when a laser came through the door, narrowly missing Britta. She dove and rolled on the floor, coming up on the other side of the door frame.
“Now!” Kale yelled and charged into the med room. James and Britta followed him, while I stood back with Alec and Markus. The room looked empty but there was a large white cabinet under the suspended sleep pad.
Kale’s voice sounded calm and deadly. “We know you’re back there, and there are six of us and only one of you.”
It reminded me of the day when I was the one facing them, and I felt a little sorry for the guy. For about a minute. I had to do something to make Kale think I was with him one hundred percent, and my gun wasn’t named B.K. for nothing. If it worked on boulders, taking out a med cabinet would be easy. With one shot from my gun, the cabinet vanished, bits of thermoplastic showering the air around the startled soldier. His eyes darted around the room, as if checking for other hiding spots. Not finding one, he dropped his gun and raised his hands in the air.
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
“What the—” I stopped midsentence as the soldier fell to the ground.
Kale and James continued firing until he stopped moving. Markus stood frozen, gun down at his side, and Alec’s mouth hung open. They hadn’t been kidding about the “no enemy survivors” thing. I tried to wrap my brain around the fact that James just shot an unarmed person. An unarmed person who had tried to surrender. James, who was supposed to save people with his medical skills.
Kale’s head whipped around toward Britta. Her unfired weapon hadn’t gone unnoticed. She held her head high, in clear defiance of yet another order. She’d refused to kill an unarmed soldier despite knowing Kale’s rule. That earned her more points in my book. After what seemed like the most awkward silence ever, he turned away from her and nodded at James.
James walked over to me. “Hey, Tora
.”
My stupid heart skidded in my chest at the sound of his voice. Not like anyone would accuse his words of being romantic or anything, but still. He wouldn’t have warned me to stay away if he didn’t care about me a little. He reached down to touch my hand, and my knees almost buckled.
Until he jerked B.K. out of my hand. Before I could react, he passed it over to Kale. “Sorry about this.”
“Nothing personal,” Kale said, turning the gun over in his hand. “If there hadn’t been survivors on board, I would’ve done this sooner.” He raised an eyebrow. “James?”
James nodded. He pulled my hands in front of me. I tried to pull away but in one quick movement he’d slapped handcuffs around my wrists. Old-school cuffs that required a real key rather than an electronic one. At least he’d cuffed my hands in front of me rather than behind my back. I’d spent all this time thinking James was really on my side, and it took him mere seconds to set me straight. The sun was turning out to be the least of my adversaries. At least it didn’t discriminate with its destruction—I knew what to expect.
Markus held up a hand. “Whoa. No need for that, is there, captain? She just wanted to help a guy out.”
“Yeah,” said Alec. “It’s my fault … sir. I begged her to come get me.”
Kale stood taller. “Standard protocol. I just can’t have her kidnapping my soldiers again.” He stared at me. “I’m the only one with the key to those by the way.” So that was why I didn’t have the electronic cuffs. He was worried that someone might help me out. The thought gave me hope.
Britta’s chest puffed up like she was about to give Kale a piece of her mind, but I shook my head slightly at her. Pissing Kale off wouldn’t help me. Killing him would.
Kale sprang into commander mode. “Listen up. Britta and I will make sure the control room is clear. Markus, you and Alec move the parts and the last crate over to my ship. James, you stay here in the med room with this one.” He nodded toward me. “Take whatever supplies you need, and we’ll get out of here.”
This one. I didn’t even warrant use of my name. I’d seen enough videos on my Infinity to know that the no-name character was the first to go. I was the red shirt.
Burn Out Page 14
