by T. M. Catron
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 hydraulics 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.
“What is our infraction?” Solaris asked.
“Breathing,” the leader answered. Then, he nodded to the other thugs, and two of them plucked Rance off her feet and moved toward the water.
“No!” she yelled, twisting and fighting, trying to kick and wiggle away. But their grips were firm, and they had little trouble moving her over to the edge. “Pirates!” she yelled.
They threw Rance in feet first, energy cuffs and all. She floated through the air for a second, disbelieving. The water seemed to stay below her for a long time as if she were moving in slow motion. Then, reality struck as it rushed up to meet her.
Rance took a deep breath as the icy water plunged over her head. Cold, cold liquid engulfed her, swallowed her. So cold, it almost sucked the air right back out of her lungs. Stunned at first, Rance sank into the dark depths. Then, the shock wore off enough for her adrenaline to kick in. She opened her eyes and kicked forcefully toward the light above. Her upper body hindered her, weighing her down like an anchor. And like an anchor, she began to keel over sideways, her head going toward the bottom of the tank.
Rance’s heart sped up, beating so rapidly she thought it would tear out her throat. Her lungs were about to burst.
As she watched, Solaris broke the surface of the water above. He had been thrown in head first, but his hands were somehow free. He swam toward her with powerful strokes, the look on his face one of terror.
Rance remembered the reaper.
How had she forgotten it? Panicking, she twisted around, desperately looking for the deadly fish. She glimpsed something, and her heart stopped, but when she forced herself to look closer, she saw it was Solaris’ satchel sinking down to the bottom of the tank. Was it the bottom? Rance had lost all sense of direction now. It had to be the bottom, though. Things didn’t sink up.
And then Solaris was there, hooking an arm through hers, pulling her upward. Her terror increased. Any moment, the reaper’s razor-sharp teeth were going to slice her in two as it had that grouper. Then, it would attack Solaris. Without his staff, he wouldn’t be able to fight it.
Despite having grown up on a dust-covered planet, Rance knew how to swim. Her father had a pool, and she’d learned at an early age. The captain tried to relax enough to regain control of her panicking body. Then, determined not to weigh Solaris down, she kicked for her life.
When they broke the surface, Rance took the best breath of air she’d ever had in her life. She coughed and sputtered as saltwater entered her mouth. Her vision had blurred, and it took a moment for her to get her bearings. Solaris held her close, his hands on her arms. In another second, the energy cuffs disengaged, and Rance felt them release her wrists and fall away. She worked her arms furiously, determined to relieve Solaris of her dead weight.
“Can you swim over there?” he asked, panting. He pointed to the metal walkway over the pool. It was over two feet above the water, but Rance thought she could reach it. The thugs had disappeared.
“Yes,” she said and began swimming. Rance’s body was weak, cold. Her arms protested the movement, but she found the strength to swim over to the platform. When she reached it, she kicked hard and grabbed the edge, so relieved she wanted to cry. The metal was cold and slippery, and her fingers were numb. She forced herself to hold on, never so happy to have long arms.
Then she turned to reach out a hand to Solaris, expecting him to be directly behind her.
He wasn’t there.
The chilling memory of that dorsal fin sliced through Rance’s heart, and she spun around, fear
ing the worst. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Rance knew she should do something, but her brain had jammed and she couldn’t remember what it was.
Something brushed Rance’s leg, and she almost lost her tenuous grip on the platform. She kicked, ready to fight the monster slithering through the water. She kicked something. Spurred on by her fear, Rance remembered to get out of the water. She grabbed the walkway with her other hand, trying to heave herself up onto the platform.
Then, Solaris surfaced with a gasp.
“Ow!” he said. “You kicked me.”
“What happened?” Rance asked. She stopped struggling and reached out a hand to him. Her voice bounced off the walls, the water, and came back to her.
“Went to get my staff,” he said, grasping her hand. She pulled him to where he could grab the platform too. He wiped water from his eyes and nose.
“Did you get it?”
“No. Why aren’t you up there already?”
“I was looking for you. Let’s get out of here.”
While hanging onto the platform with one hand, Solaris grabbed Rance’s belt with the other. Rance pulled, and Solaris helped hoist her out of the water. She scrambled onto the platform, dripping water, shaking uncontrollably. Turning quickly, she reached a hand down to Solaris, but he had let go of the platform.
“I have to go back,” he said grimly.
“You can get another staff!”
Solaris met her eyes. “Not easily. Got to get it, Rance,” he said. Then, he went under.
“Solaris!” she called, so upset that she forgot to use his alias. Rance scanned the surface of the water, down into the depths. The lights above glared on the water like the late-afternoon sun, and she had trouble seeing below the surface.
Rance’s fear turned to anger. What was Solaris thinking? The staff was a weapon, a tool only. Why would he risk his life to save it?
A minute passed. Where was the reaper? Why hadn’t she seen it yet? Rance’s imagination began to run amok. Every small wave was Solaris fighting for his life. Every ripple was caused by his drowning. Rance looked for any movement, any bubbles. She half expected the water to darken with blood.
A minute passed. It felt like twenty. Rance hung out over the platform, determined to grab Solaris as soon as his head broke the surface of the water.
When she thought that his time was up, that he couldn’t hold his breath any longer, Solaris surfaced in the middle of the pool. Without a word, he took a deep breath and dove again.
Rance stood up and yelled, screamed at him. His foolishness was going to get him killed.
And then she saw the monstrous outline of the reaper as it passed over where Solaris had surfaced. It circled the area once, twice, then dove.
The reaper was going to attack from above.
Without another thought, Rance dove back into the water. This time, it warmed her chilled body. Rance opened her eyes to look below, turning, twisting to see the animal that horrified her. Anger and terror fueled her search, and she moved lower, hoping for a glimpse of Solaris coming back to the surface.
Dark water all around. It hadn’t been this dark when they were in the viewing area. Then, Rance realized the bottom lights had been turned off. Just as she’d thought, the viewing glass was closed off as well. So the visitors couldn’t see them ripped apart.
No Solaris. No reaper.
Cold, cruel fear crept down Rance’s spine. Where were they? She surfaced, took another deep breath, and then dove again.
She spotted Solaris while at the same time seeing a silver flash of movement at the limit of her vision.
Solaris swam furiously toward the surface, his staff in hand.
The reaper swam faster, moving so fast it looked like a bullet speeding toward him. Solaris wasn’t going to make it. He didn’t even act like he saw it. Rance cried out a warning, and a giant bubble escaped her mouth.
Solaris noticed it, and a flash of fear crossed his face. He twisted in the water, holding the staff out in front of him. A purple shield shot out from it, toward the monster. The reaper hit the shield and bounced off as if it had collided with the wall of the aquarium. The force knocked Solaris deeper into the water, and a giant bubble escaped his mouth. He looked disoriented as he twisted around, trying to find the surface. Rance thrashed her hands through the water to get his attention.
The reaper shook its head, trying to figure out what happened. It recovered more quickly than Rance would have imagined. She wanted to give another warning, but when she looked back, Solaris was swimming for the surface again.
The reaper charged again. Having already expelled her air, Rance could only watch in horror as the reaper gained on him. Her lungs threatened to burst, forcing her to head for the surface.
But she couldn’t stop watching.
Sensing the impending attack, Solaris turned again. This time, his hand and his staff extended toward the reaper. Instead of a shield, a wave erupted from him. This time, the reaper saw it coming and tried to change course. Solaris’ wave hit it broadside. The creature opened its mouth, exposing all its teeth. Then, it rolled over onto its side, drifting away, stunned. Solaris made for the surface, bubbles trailing through his nose and mouth.
Rance had to surface too. As soon as her head broke the water, she gulped air and kicked for the platform. Solaris looked furious, but he didn’t say anything as he swam the rest of the way.
When they reached the platform, Solaris flung the staff onto the metal grating with a clatter. He grabbed Rance’s belt again to hoist her up. She grabbed the platform and saw something out of the corner of her right eye.
From the surface of the water, the reaper’s dorsal fin looked ten times taller than it had from the platform, or even from the water below.
“Look out!” Rance screamed.
The reaper charged, the water churning as it spotted its prey.
Solaris had thrown his staff away.
Rance scrambled to get onto the platform. She grabbed metal, dug her fingers into the grating, felt a nail give way with a burst of pain. Then she was out of the water and turned to grab Solaris’ arm. He was already halfway up. Rance grabbed his belt and pulled hard.
The reaper was almost there. Rance saw the intelligent eye, the fangs. She pulled for all she was worth, falling backward in her haste to get Solaris out of the water. He cleared the edge as they heard a great splash behind. Water sprayed them, and Solaris hurried to get his feet away from it.
When they had moved safely out of range, they both lay panting on the metal grating. Solaris was on his stomach, staring down into the water.
Rance turned over to look too. The reaper circled slightly below the surface, beneath the grating. If she had been able to reach through, she could have touched its dorsal fin.
Rance shuddered. “Do you think it can break the platform?”
“I don’t know. Don’t want to find out.” Solaris stood.
The icy cold had seeped into Rance’s bones, her lips were numb, and standing took a great effort. Solaris didn’t look any better off than she did. Reality began to sink in. They had barely survived. Solaris had barely made it, all because of that staff.
“I hate you,” Rance mumbled as relief flooded through her. Tears fell down her face, blinded her.
Solaris watched her while he picked up his weapon. Then, he looked at it, that hunk of metal without any designs on it, and nodded. “I hate myself a little.”
Wishing to be as far away from the edge of the platform as possible, Rance moved over to the door. She placed a hand on it, testing the handle.
Locked.
“They took my handset,” she said. She felt defeated. Lost. “How are we supposed to get to the ship in time? How are we going to tell the crew to get ready?”
Solaris quietly walked over to stand beside her. With a tap of his staff, he unlocked the door. “Guess you’ll have to get that Ghost, after all.”
“I hate you, do you hear me?” Rance whispered again. She didn�
�t, not deep down, but Rance’s fear still had control of her. The tide of adrenaline was only just beginning to ebb.
“Noted, Captain,” he said.
Rance wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened. Since the thugs had taken her stunner too, Rance was unarmed. Solaris moved in front of her, his staff ready to defend them against more enemies.
When he nodded, she opened the door.
Chapter Eleven
Rance had expected the goons to station themselves outside the door, but the hallway was empty. She and Solaris moved into it quickly, happy to leave the tank behind.
“Do you remember how to get out of here?” Rance asked with difficulty. She shivered so severely that her teeth chattered.
“I remember where the emergency exits were. Shall we try those?” Solaris asked, reverting to his typical, practical self. His shirt clung to his chest. Any other time, Rance might have enjoyed the subtle view of his lean muscles. Right now, the captain couldn’t think of anything but her own cold body.
Rance shot him an irritated look. She wasn’t ready to joke with him. Not yet. Maybe in a few years. “Why weren’t you handcuffed when you went into the water?”
“They took them off just before tossing me in. Said something about giving me a sporting chance to save you. Those thugs thought it was all just a joke.”
“I wonder how many other people they’ve tossed in that tank,” Rance said darkly.
“You should ask your mother.”
A sickening feeling took hold of Rance that had nothing to do with her near-death experience. “We’ve lost her, haven’t we?”
“Maybe not. Let’s get to the Streaker and reassess.” Solaris looked at Rance with concern. “You okay?”
“I’m freezing. No, I’m beyond freezing. We need to find something to cover up with.”
“We’ll be alright once we get outside.”
They entered one of the loading bays. It was empty, so Rance and Solaris hurried to the door marked Exit. When they opened it, though, they saw at least ten armed guards standing outside.
