Salvation

by Caryn Lix

  No kidding. Matt, Mia, Cage, and me … could there be four people with more history among them?

  I left the apartment and knocked on the door of the apartment Mia was sharing with Alexei. A long moment passed in which I wondered if she was even there, and then the door slid open. If she was surprised to see me, she didn’t show it, looking through me with blank eyes. “Yeah?”

  “Can I come in? We need to talk.”

  She stared at me a moment longer, then sighed and stepped aside, letting me pass.

  The apartment was little different from my own. Mia tossed herself down on a sofa, raising a cloud of dust, folded her arms, and glared at me.

  I settled into a chair across from her, searching for words. I’d already apologized for lying to them, for hiding what had happened with Matt, a thousand times. I didn’t feel like doing it again. If Mia couldn’t forgive me, well, another apology wasn’t likely to change her mind. But I was sick of letting her glare at me without saying anything.

  “Listen,” Mia snapped before I found my words, “I get it, okay? And I don’t blame you for being pissed. I can’t, really. Poetic justice and all that.”

  I blinked, trying to catch up with what she was saying. “Mia, I—”

  “I’m sorry.” It was probably the least apologetic apology I’d ever heard, considering she had her arms folded over her chest and was glaring at me like she hoped I’d evaporate. “Doesn’t mean much, does it? Words are empty.”

  “Mia, what are you talking about?”

  She sighed and leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her knees. “You want me to say it? Fine. I am sorry. I’m sorry I killed your father.” A laugh tore from her throat, a harsh, unhappy sound. “And now you can say whatever’s been on your mind.”

  I blinked, replaying the moment in my mind. The aliens had shredded through the bulkhead, ripping into my father, and Mia had …

  Mia had tried to kill them, and the bullets tore my father to pieces.

  I’d known that, of course. I’d seen it. It had impressed itself on every part of my mind. And yet, somehow, I’d never thought of Mia as killing him. In my mind, the aliens stood out in stark and vivid detail, eclipsing everything else.

  I stared at her, processing this new information. “Mia … ,” I said slowly. I got what she meant now about poetic justice. She’d blamed me for killing Matt when I’d been aiming for an alien, and here she’d done the same thing. “Mia, I don’t blame you for what happened to my dad.”

  Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Then why have you been so distant?”

  I threw up my hands. “I don’t think I have been! You’re the one pulling away. But if I am acting differently, Mia, maybe it’s because my dad did die and I have no family left? Or because we’re stranded on some apocalyptic wasteland of a planet with no way to escape? Or maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with the fact that you’ve barely looked at me, much less talked to me, since we got here!”

  She hesitated, gnawing on her lower lip while she mulled over my words. “How can you not blame me?” she asked at last, and there was something in her voice I’d never heard before, something like the bitter self-recrimination I’d carried around when I’d thought I killed Matt. “I pulled the trigger. I—”

  “Mia. My dad was already dead.” I swallowed. It hurt to talk like this, to talk about him like he was nothing—a character in Robo Mecha Dream Girl, maybe, not a real person, not my flesh-and-blood father who’d so recently breathed and walked and schemed. “The aliens would have torn him to pieces. If anything, you kept him from an incredibly agonizing …” I trailed off. I couldn’t talk about that, not even now. “He made his choices,” I said instead. “He followed Omnistellar, and he brought those aliens to Obsidian. He betrayed Legion. And in the end, those choices, well … they resulted in his death. I don’t think my dad was a bad person, but Omnistellar got in his head like they did with my mom. Like they did with me.” I read the confusion in Mia’s eyes. I was babbling, letting my thoughts and feelings about my family pour out of me, and I forced myself to focus. “My dad died because he let Omnistellar summon the aliens to Obsidian,” I said slowly, emphasizing each word. “And Omnistellar lost control of the situation, as anyone could have told them they would. The aliens killed my father, Mia. Maybe Omnistellar played a role. You? You were trying to save him, to save us all.”

  She glared at me for another second, then shot to her feet and stalked to the window, resting her hands on her hips. We stayed like that for a long minute, her silhouetted against the sunlight, and me … well, me waiting. I’d never expected anything like this. I didn’t think I’d realized Mia was capable of feeling guilt, at least not where I was concerned. Knowing she’d been carrying the same burden as me made her a little more human, and it gave me the strength to say, “I know we have a … strange relationship. But you’ve had my back through everything we’ve seen, even if you didn’t like me much. If you need to hear me say I forgive you, then I forgive you. But really, Mia, there’s nothing to forgive.”

  “Kenzie,” she replied. “Stop. Talking. Just …” She spun on me and because of the light behind her I couldn’t read her expression, but a moment later she’d pulled me into a fierce hug, so tight she almost cracked my ribs. Within seconds she shoved me away just as violently and stomped into the kitchen. “So anyway,” she said, “about this plan tonight.”

  “I … what?”

  “Do you want something to eat? I think we have some nuts left.” She leaped onto a shelf and rummaged through a cupboard. “Alexei always puts things so high. Here we go. Cashews, maybe? That’s what they look like. They’re kind of stale, but not too bad.”

  I shook my head. This was the best Mia had in terms of friendship. And who could blame her? Years forced to work for criminals who murdered her sister and then more years in a cold, sterile jail cell … When exactly would she have had time to develop her people skills? “Cashews sound good,” I said, taking the olive branch for what it was worth. “Let’s hammer out the details for tonight before Cage and Matt can take over.”

  She leveled a finger in my direction and slid a tin of nuts down the counter. “Now you’re talking.”

  And if her face had been wet when she hugged me, well, I wouldn’t mention it. We sat together and a glimmer of hope sparked inside me. If Mia and I could get past the miles between us, maybe I really did stand a chance of keeping everyone safe.

  NINE

  THE DAY PASSED QUICKLY, A blur of naps and uncomfortable conversations. The raiding crew returned with a few more items—not much, because we’d salvaged most of what the neighborhood had to offer the day before, but Reed assured me they’d made as big a celebration as if they’d hit the jackpot. “What about the tech?” I asked as Legion sorted through what remained of our supplies. “Any luck there?”

  “I think so.” Rune produced a tablet. She held it between her hands, her eyes closed, and her skin seemed to meld with the edges of the machine, a phenomenon that had terrified me when I first saw it but now seemed as natural as breathing. After a moment a faint glow lit the screen, and she beamed in pleasure. “It won’t work if I let go, though. So much for Reed’s video games.”

  He sulked. “Only because you won’t hold it while I play.”

  I leaned over Rune’s shoulder in interest. “Have you searched the tablet? Maybe we can get some idea of what this planet was like, or who lived here.”

  “There seems to be some sort of internet connection, but it’s down now, of course. I haven’t gone through much of it, but I don’t see much difference from a tablet you’d find in our solar system.”

  “Photographs?” I suggested.

  Rune blinked. “I’m an idiot. I didn’t check.” She stared at the tablet for a moment longer, and then a holographic image formed above the small device.

  It showed a family: three women, maybe sisters from their similarities, and a man who could have been their father. One of the women was holding a baby. She gently
rocked it in her arms as the image shifted and changed. “They look exactly like us,” I said softly. It was madness. You could have showed me this holo and told me it was from anywhere in our solar system and I’d have believed you.

  Reed looked between me and Rune. “There’s no more question about it. We’re on Liam’s homeworld.”

  Liam, the alien we’d met on Obsidian, was so terrified of the creatures that he’d been willing to do anything to survive them—even if it meant betraying us. And none of that mattered, because he’d met exactly the end he feared, mowed down by the creatures in their attack on the ship. “But if this is his homeworld … ,” I said slowly, and then trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

  Rune did it for me. “Then the aliens have been here. Maybe they’re the ones who caused all this devastation.”

  A heavy silence settled over us. So the aliens had been here. That was one thing.

  The bigger question was, were they here still?

  * * *

  “Kenzie?” Cage tapped his knuckles against my arm and gave me a grin. “You okay?”

  I forced a smile and nodded. By mutual consent, Reed, Rune, and I had agreed not to tell anyone what we suspected about the aliens. I’d argued in favor of telling Cage, but Rune talked me out of it, pointing out that Cage had enough on his mind and didn’t need even more worry to split his attention. It wasn’t lying to him, exactly. I’d tell him for sure if I got proof. Tonight would give us a lot more information, or I hoped it would. If we found the thief, we’d be able to question them and learn exactly what had happened on this planet. If it turned out to be the aliens, well, everyone would discover the truth then. If it didn’t, I’d have spared them a few hours of the gnawing terror and anxiety currently residing in my stomach.

  Matt, Mia, Cage, and I settled in the shadows on the bottom floor of the apartment building. We’d wrapped ourselves in warm clothes and blankets and sat close together, leaning against the wall as the desert night settled over us. We had bottles of something similar to coffee, which was never my favorite caffeine delivery system, and a few snacks to keep us going. More importantly, we had weapons: a long, wicked hunting knife for Mia, who seemed to know how to use it; something like a machete for Matt; and smaller weapons more like daggers for me and Cage, who had less experience with knives. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with the weapon if I needed it, but its weight at my belt was comforting. I wasn’t completely defenseless.

  Between us, Mia and I easily pulled Cage and Matt under our invisibility. Mia’s invisibility had always extended to anything she carried on her body, and it had only grown more powerful. I could mimic the power of anyone in my range (although what that range was, precisely, I had yet to figure out—the limits of discovering your powers while on the run). We didn’t need to worry about being seen. We just needed to stay quiet.

  As the night settled over us, Cage spoke softly. “So,” he said, “Matt.”

  On my left, Matt’s arm tensed against me. On my right sat Cage, his fingers laced through my own, his leg pressed to mine. Mia was on his right, and being uncharacteristically quiet. “What?” Matt replied, a cautious note in his voice.

  “Now that we have a few minutes … what exactly happened to you after Sanctuary?”

  Matt sighed heavily and seemed to sag. For a long moment I didn’t think he’d answer, but then he spoke, his voice slow and heavy. “It’s like I told you. I crashed on Earth and found an Omnistellar goon squad waiting for me. They dragged me out of the escape pod and arrested me. At the time I was furious. I was sure you’d left me for dead, decided my injuries were too much to handle while you escaped to the alien ship.” That, of course, wasn’t true. We’d assumed Matt was dead because he had been dead. It was only a fun new twist in his power that saved him. “So I guess it didn’t take much convincing to make me spill the beans. Besides, I was scared. I didn’t know if there were more of those creatures nearby, planning to attack Earth.”

  “You did the right thing,” I murmured. “Even if Omnistellar abused the information, you didn’t know what they’d do with it. They’re the most powerful corporation in the system. If anyone could have protected us, it was them.”

  Matt snorted. “Yeah. Too bad they went another way.” He lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, a gesture I felt rather than saw. It was sort of strange to be sitting here with three other people I couldn’t see. “Anyway, they gave me a choice: work with Legion or go back to jail. They promised that if I worked for Legion, they’d take care of my family, pay me, let me earn my freedom. It sounded pretty good.” He hesitated. “To be honest, though … going after you guys was part of the lure. I was angry. I genuinely thought you’d abandoned me.”

  “I’m sure Omnistellar didn’t discourage that perspective,” said Mia dryly from the other side of Cage. I’d wondered if she was even listening.

  “No,” he said slowly. “I didn’t see it at the time, but now, in retrospect … They stoked the fires of my revenge pretty strongly. And then they turned me over to the doctors.” A shudder went through him. “I think they were experimenting as much as anything. Priya told me Omnistellar mercenaries have to be anomalies to survive the process, but they usually receive their implants over several months. I got mine in the space of a few days. I think I died on the table twice, but of course my power resurrected me. And then when they were done, I was a mess of wounds. Apparently my power doesn’t heal me unless I actually die. So that’s what they did. Killed me, I mean. They gave me a lethal injection, and when I came back, I was myself again … except not. Faster. Stronger. With a bunch of new cybernetic implants and abilities.”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped, imagining the pain Matt had gone through. “No wonder you hated us.”

  “The hatred got me through,” he confessed. “When the pain got too much to bear, I dreamed of getting even with you guys, and … You know, I want to tell you I’m sorry. Not that I didn’t have reason to be angry at the time, but even if you did abandon me, it wouldn’t justify betraying you in return.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Cage reached behind me to squeeze his former friend’s shoulder.

  “I really hope … all of you can forgive me. Given time.”

  Did all of us mean Rune? I kind of thought it did, and a smile touched my lips. “If you can forgive us, we can forgive you. I’m sure of it.” I hoped he caught my meaning.

  If he did, he didn’t show it. “Anyway, they passed me over to Priya, and she and the others bundled me onto their ship and into space. I know you don’t like them, and I get it. But they’re … They were good to me. Helped me. Taught me to come to terms with my new implants. They treated me like an equal, not a kid. I wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for them.”

  “Hang on a sec.” My mind caught up with the story. “You’re saying that Hallam and Priya, they’re anomalies?”

  “You didn’t know?”

  “I just assumed their abilities came from the implants. What do they do?”

  “Hallam was always the strongest guy around. The implants just accentuated a power he already had. Priya, though, her abilities are mental, like yours. Not languages,” he added. “Strategy. She can slow a situation down and consider it from every angle in the time it takes most people to blink. So if you’re wondering why I keep following Priya’s orders, well, it’s because I trust her. She’s tough and smart and quick on her feet. There’s a reason she’s in charge.”

  “Right,” Mia drawled. “She’s a saint.”

  “I didn’t say that. Just … give her a chance, all right?”

  Silence met his suggestion. True, Priya and Hallam had stood with us on the ship. They’d learned that Omnistellar was betraying them, plotting to use them and leave them for dead. The decision must have come quickly, after they’d invested so much time and money in upgrading Matt. I didn’t think there was any risk of Legion trying to arrest us again, even if we made it home.

  But at the same time, I couldn’t hel
p remembering how Priya had slapped handcuffs on us after we’d saved her from the monster who’d killed her teammate, Bian. Fully understanding the threat we were up against, she’d remained mindlessly determined to fulfill her contract and do her job. And apparently, she’d done that after a superpowered consideration of the strategy involved. That kind of single-mindedness was dangerous. If anyone should know, it was me, born and raised in Omnistellar’s iron grasp.

  The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable. I searched for something to say. Priya and Hallam had helped me more than the others; if anyone was going to trust them, I suspected I’d have to start. But I’d just mended fences with Mia, and I didn’t want to set her off again. Also, I wasn’t sure I did trust Priya—or Matt, either, if you came down to it. I believed him when he said he forgave me, and I meant it when I said I understood what he’d been through and forgave him.

  But if he was torn between helping us and helping his new teammates in Legion? It was hard to say who he’d side with.

  Matt sighed, interpreting our silence. “Keep an open mind. Okay?”

  “I always do,” said Mia.

  Another silence stretched between us, and then something like a snicker escaped Matt. Cage choked, and I found myself fighting a smile. “What?” Mia demanded.

  Mia, keeping an open mind—Mia, who’d wanted to toss me out an airlock until I’d saved her life half a dozen times. A wild giggle escaped me, and Cage dropped his head to his hands. His arms tensed against me as he buried his face, smothering his laughter, while Matt sputtered on my left.

  “Fine, fine,” Mia snapped. “Laugh it up. I’m not the one who—”

  “Wait.” I jerked upright. Was that movement in the shadows? “Quiet. All of you, right now.”

  Everyone instantly stilled, and I leaned forward, careful not to make any noise as I peered across the street.

  “Kenzie, what is it?” Cage whispered.

  I shook my head, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see me. I’d been sure I’d seen something in …