by Devi Mara
The car was where she had left it, the only sign of life on the street. She pulled the car keys from her pocket as she walked, gripping them tightly. Every whistle of the wind and crackle of the ice made her look over her shoulder. Finally, she reached the car and jerked the driver's side door open.
The engine struggled in the cold, but roared to life when she pressed on the accelerator. Robin backed out of the parking space and drove to the stop sign. Her instincts warred with her common sense. Logic told her to park several blocks in the opposite direction of Mrs. Winters’ house, but the rest of her gravitated toward familiar territory. She ultimately turned left, driving through unfamiliar streets until she found a secluded parking lot.
It was blocked from the street by a two-story apartment building. She killed the engine and sat, in the cold and the quiet, with nothing but the ticking of the car engine to break the silence.
A loud bang shook the ground and rattled her teeth. Robin grabbed at the door handle, until the door opened and dumped her out onto the asphalt. She lurched to her feet and ran, not bothering to close the car door in her rush to escape. Another loud bang echoed through the town. It was followed by over a dozen sharp rifle reports. Then she heard it, the sound she had come to associate with death. The sound of thunder and the shaking of the earth. Chest heaving, Robin gripped the edge of the apartment building and peeked around the corner.
Like a dark shadow on the horizon, the ship came. Robin gave up any attempt at stealth and ran in the opposite direction. Another echoing boom shook the ground, immediately followed by a strange mechanical sound. Robin paused at the corner, her hand clutching the pole of the stop sign, and looked back the way she had come. A tank crawled into view. All around it, uniformed soldiers swarmed. As more and more of them came into view, she saw the reason for their frantic behavior.
It was just like on the news, a black cloud of energy extending upwards and outwards from an advancing line of figures. Addar’s people. Her breath caught in her throat. She had to run, to hide. No. She had to warn George and Shannon.
Holding tight to that thought, Robin forced down her panic and focused on her surroundings. She took a deep breath, before setting off toward the store at a jog. With the boarded up windows, the store could serve as a shelter. Assuming that the building was not leveled. Robin shoved the thought away.
Half a block from the grocery store, she stumbled from between two houses and came face-to-face with one of the gang members. He paused, gun pointed to her right, and stared at her in shock. Robin froze. Without moving her head, her eyes frantically searched for the rest of his group.
"Well, well," he said, with a sickening smile. "What have we got here?"
Robin started to take a step backwards when his gun swung around to point at her chest.
The man shook his head, smiling in mock sympathy. "Did you get separated from the rest of your group?"
Robin scowled at him in silence.
The tank fired again and the man looked toward the sound. Robin took advantage of his distraction and ran. He shouted something from behind her, but she did not slow down. Robin raced across the street and between two buildings. The entry to the alley behind the grocery store was just ahead of her when a bang sounded from behind her. A brick in the wall to her right exploded. He was shooting at her.
She swung around the corner into the alley and slammed her back up against the brick wall. His hurried footsteps came closer. Soon, she could hear his harsh breathing. Just before he came into view, he let out a strangled gasp. Robin squeezed her eyes closed. Any moment, he would come around the corner and kill her.
The moment stretched until she hesitantly opened one eye. Her other eye popped open when nothing but the empty alley greeted her. Robin frowned. It could be a trick. He could be waiting for her just around the corner. As the thoughts swirled in her mind, she eased toward the mouth of the alley. Moving forward just enough to peek around the corner, her eyes widened.
The man lay prone on the ice covered sidewalk. His eyes stared unseeing at the winter sky and his gun was nowhere to be seen. Robin's eyes darted around, searching for her rescuer, but the street was as empty as it had been before. The boom of the tank drew her attention back to the current situation. She spun away from the dead man and hurried back down the alley.
As her hand touched the handle of the grocery store’s back door, the scrape of a shoe on the ground made her freeze. Robin slowly turned her head to look toward the sound. Her eyes met a familiar gray gaze and her shoulders sagged with relief. It was short-lived. The tank fired again, closer this time, and Addar took several steps toward her. Robin stared at him hard. She had two choices, but as she looked into his eyes she realized she really only had one.
Robin pulled open the door to the store room and slipped inside, gesturing for Addar to follow her. The moment he was clear, she slammed the door closed and locked it from the inside. They stood together in the nearly bare store room and stared at each other.
"Robin? Is that you?"
Robin looked over her shoulder to see Shannon standing in the doorway. As the woman caught sight of Addar, confusion creased her brow.
Robin cleared her throat. "Shannon, this is..." Robin trailed off, as she tried to think of an explanation for Addar's sudden appearance.
"I am a friend of Robin's."
"Oh. Well, then it is nice to meet you." Shannon came further into the room and held out her hand in greeting.
Robin watched, feeling conflicted, as Addar and Shannon shook hands.
…
"What are you doing here?"
The two of them sat side-by-side on her cot, their shoulders brushing. The main area of the store was quiet and empty. Shannon and George Sr. had retired to their cot in the store room over an hour before, and the only noise for the past half hour had been quiet snoring.
Addar turned his head to look at her. "I'm here for you."
Robin stared at him. She had intended to tell him to leave, but his quiet admission and the soft look in his gray eyes made the words die in her throat.
Addar turned his body to face her. She knew she should say something, but when his hands rose to cradle her face she stayed silent. She did not pull away when he pressed his lips to hers gently. Her eyes opened when he pulled back.
"You are not supposed to be here, are you?"
His silence was answer in itself.
Robin nodded. "What now?"
He stroked her cheek. "When the military leaves, you should go with them."
Robin frowned. "Are your people not fighting them?"
Addar's gaze dropped to her lips. "They are." His thumb brushed over her mouth.
Robin resisted the urge to kiss the pad of his finger. "They are, you aren't?"
He gave her a wry smile. "It's complicated."
Against all logic, Robin found herself returning his smile. "When is it not?"
Her gaze dropped to his mouth and she had to fight the urge to lean forward. She asked a question to distract herself.
“What was the purpose of you being here?" At his confused frown, she clarified. "Before. Before the lab and all of this."
For the first time, his eyes left her. He turned to press his back to the wall and his gaze wandered to the boarded over window.
"You won’t tell me?"
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "The mission."
When he did not expound, Robin leaned closer to him. "And what was the mission?"
Something flashed in his eyes, dark and sharp around the edges. Robin pressed down the urge to move away from him.
"Trade. The mission was for trade."
“And this is how you establish trade? By waging war?"
Addar turned to face her, rising up on his knees until he loomed over her. "Not with you."
Robin took in his fierce expression. Trying to read between the lines. "If not with us, then who?"
Addar’s expression turned pained. "Planets are commodities.
Inhabited planets are highly sought after."
She must be misunderstanding him. He could not be saying what she thought he was saying.
"You..." She trailed off. "How many?"
"I have lost count."
Worlds. Worlds like hers. Captured, enslaved, sold. And he had lost count. Robin rose to her feet, moving away from him. She needed to put distance between them. What had she done? Robin paced back and forth across the concrete floor. She could see Addar watching her from the corner of her eye. As bad as his actions were, hers were just as bad. Unknowing or not, she had brought about the destruction of her own people.
The thought stole her breath away and she froze mid-step. Her mind filled with static. She was vaguely aware of Addar approaching her. She jerked violently at the first touch of his hand on her shoulder.
"Why are you helping me?"
From his face, she could see it was a loaded question. He was still for several beats, before he took her hand and led her back to the cot. She let him gently push her down on the sleeping bag and drape one of the blankets around her shoulders.
"Am I the only one?" At his raised eyebrow, she continued. "Of all of the worlds, am I the only one you have helped?"
"Yes."
"Can you stop it?"
"No." His gaze did not leave hers.
"Would you if you could?"
He leaned closer to her. "Without any hesitation."
She believed him.
They sat in silence for what felt like hours. At some point, Robin's hand had found its way into Addar's. Neither one of them mentioned it. A strange sort of peace filled her at the knowledge that the future was no longer uncertain. Horrible or not, at least she knew the invaders’ plans. Knowledge was, and had always been, power.
"You are thinking," Addar murmured.
"With my knowledge of your biology, why would you willingly let me go with the military?"
"Safety."
Robin looked down at their joined hands, as Addar’s thumb rubbed her knuckles. "Mine, maybe. Are you worried I will find a way to stop you?"
"Me?"
Robin opened her mouth, then closed it again without speaking. His question drew her up short. She scanned his face.
"What about me?"
He pulled back from her.
"If your mission succeeds, I will be just like the rest of my species."
Eyes narrowed, Addar started to respond when a loud crash split the air. The two of them leapt to their feet in time to watch the glass of the store’s front window shatter. A moment later, dozens of hands began tugging at the boards covering the opening. Without the glass, the sounds of a distant battle filled the empty store. The people outside yelled demands and threats, as they succeeded in jerking one of the boards free.
A gun appeared in the gap between the remaining boards and fired. Addar jerked Robin to the side. The bullet narrowly missed her, slamming into the wall where her head had been seconds before. Robin looked at Addar with wide eyes.
"What's going on?" Shannon asked, as she appeared in the doorway to the storeroom.
"Get down!" Robin yelled, a moment before the gun appeared again.
Shannon dropped to the ground in time to avoid a bullet. Her terrified gaze found Robin's across the room.
"Go with her," Addar ordered. He nudged Robin toward Shannon.
Robin shook her head. "What about you?"
Addar nudged her again. "Go!"
When Addar turned to face the window, seemingly dismissing her, Robin ran to the storeroom and slammed the door behind her. She looked at George and Shannon, the three of them shocked into silence. On the other side of the door, the screaming began. Robin pressed her ear to the door.
There were no gunshots, only screams that slowly faded into nothingness. After mere moments, the store fell silent. A solid knock against the door made her jump back.
"Robin, it's me."
Robin chose not to analyze the relief she felt. She pulled open the door and Addar stepped forward to meet her. His gaze swept over her, before fixing on her face. Against her will, her eyes moved past him to take in the rest of the store. She got only a vague impression of mangled bodies, before Addar blocked her gaze. Her eyes met his.
"They would have killed us."
Addar nodded.
Robin stepped forward, until there was only an inch between them. She laid her hand on his chest.
Pitching her voice low enough that only he could hear her, she said, "Thank you."
Silently, Addar laced his fingers with hers.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Robin stood on the sidewalk, the ice cracking and shifting under her boots, as she kept watch. Behind her, Addar and George worked to add more boards to the front window of the store. She could hear the tinkle of glass from inside, where Shannon tried to clean up the mess. Robin glanced over her shoulder at Addar.
The boards holding the front door closed had been removed during the fight. With the last board in place over the window, George and Addar began to carry the bodies to the building next door. Addar met her gaze as they passed behind her. He was obviously attempting to blend in. He grimaced along with George as they carried the body, as if the weight was difficult to bear. Robin turned her head away.
It was impossible not to notice the approaching battle. The noises had gotten closer during the night, and as she looked to the east, the ship loomed. The black smoke of the burned city wrapped around the ship and filled the sky like dark clouds. Gaze fastened on the sight, Robin jumped at the feel of a hand on her arm.
She turned her head to see Addar standing just behind her. Their eyes met.
"You will leave tonight."
Robin watched Addar walk back into the store. A moment later, he returned with George and another body. The pattern continued for another 20 minutes, before Shannon called her to return to the store. After Robin was safely inside, George and Addar boarded over the door.
"I could use some breakfast," George said.
After a moment, Shannon nodded. "I'll go open something."
Robin watched her leave, then turned back to see Addar and George speaking quietly. She turned away and followed Shannon.
When she walked into the storeroom, Shannon was already at work with a handheld can opener. She looked up and gave Robin a small smile.
"Here to help?" At Robin's nod, she pointed to a large can of mixed fruit. "There should be another can opener on the shelf."
Robin followed her gaze to one of the empty shells. Sure enough, there was a rusty can opener. She grabbed it and returned to the table, standing across from Shannon. They worked in a companionable silence, until two large cans of beef stew and a can of mixed fruit had been opened. Shannon dumped the stew into a plastic container and set it in the microwave. The machine made an alarming grinding sound as the turntable spun, but soon the smell of warm stew filled the small room.
"Food ready?"
Shannon nodded, as she pulled the container from the microwave, not bothering to look at her husband.
He came into the room followed closely by Addar.
The four of them sat down at the card table and Robin passed out the spoons. The only bowl held the stew, the fruit still in the can. They took turns taking spoonfuls of the stew and Shannon and George soon pulled Addar into a light conversation. Robin mostly ignored it, until a question caught her attention.
"So, Addar how do you know Robin?" Shannon asked.
Addar's gaze caught Robin's briefly, before he turned his attention back to Shannon. "Work."
Shannon turned to look at Robin. "You are both scientists?"
"Something like that." Robin took another bite of stew to avoid meeting Shannon's eyes.
"So, you are a doctor as well?" George asked.
Addar shook his head. "Nothing so glamorous as that."
"Your name, Addar, does that mean anything?"
Robin watched Addar look first at Shannon, then at her. "It means ‘scout’."
Scout. Somehow she was not surprised.
"Like the person sent ahead to make sure the situation is safe?" George asked.
Addar frowned. "The definition is somewhat more complex in my language."
For one terrifying moment, Robin was sure the couple would ask about his language. When they did not, she let out a silent sigh of relief.
"What does it mean in your language, then?"
Addar gave Shannon's question a slight frown. "In my culture, the Scout leads the attack."
Addar's eyes found hers and Robin stood abruptly.
"If you would excuse me." Robin fled the storeroom without waiting for acknowledgment.
She walked to the front of the store and stood next to the boarded over window, her body shaking. A leader. That was why he always knew when and where they would attack. She rubbed at her arms, peering through the thin gap in the boards to look out at the empty street. He was one of their leaders and he still could not stop the attack.
Robin felt his presence behind her. She expected him to speak, but he did not. He moved up to stand beside her; both of them looked out at the street.
Why didn't you tell me you were their leader?" Robin asked quietly.
"It makes no difference."
"No difference?" Robin said, turning to look at him.
"No," he said without looking at her. "Everyone answers to someone.” He looked down at her. “You should gather your things."
Robin frowned. "You said we would not leave until tonight."
"They are moving faster than I anticipated." He looked like he wanted to say more, but turned away instead.
"Are you connected to them? The rest of your people."
"Yes. I can feel them approaching.
"Will there be any soldiers left by the time they get here?"
The question made him look at her. “Yes. And you will go with them."
Robin took a step toward him, looking up into his face. She frowned. "What happens when they find out who I am?"
He echoed her frown.
"What makes you think they will not just arrest me?" Robin pushed, moving closer to him.
