by Carysa Locke
“Good, you’re awake. I wanted to have a little chat before I leave for the shareholder meeting this afternoon.” The woman leaned forward, her dark eyes piercing. “You know you left us with a lot of work still on your contract. By my calculations, you cost the company close to nine million credits in labor over the past eight years. That’s an offense that could see you thrown into a cell for the rest of your life.”
Annie laughed, which turned into another cough. “I never had any contract,” she said. “Not with you.”
“Of course you did,” the woman said. “All of our employees sign contracts. The special ones, like you, sign for an extended length. In return for all of life’s little luxuries, you work for us for as long as the arrangement is satisfactory, to the hours we specify.”
Luxuries? Like food and clothing? “I never signed anything.”
“Oh, but you did. You were maybe seven at the time, but we do have your signature, on a contract, filed safely away should we need it. We saved you from a dreary existence of starvation and crippling poverty.”
“Is that the fiction you sell people?” Annie shook her head. “You’re a piece of work.”
“And you’re an ungrateful brat.” The woman nodded to the guard, and he stepped forward and hit Annie with a pain baton. Agony screamed through her nerve endings. She lost all control of her body. All she could do was ride it out, tears streaming down her face as her arms and legs spasmed.
Memories rushed Annie. Other places, other times when this had happened. Once, when she’d attacked a guard for hitting a young boy. Another time, she’d wired a control panel wrong when she was working the production line. She’d been ten years old.
Pain batons left no overt signs of abuse, but the pain they caused was something you never forgot.
When the woman finally signaled the guard to step back, Annie lay on the floor and struggled to get her breath back. Her body trembled with the after effects. Her legs didn’t want to work. Nothing wanted to work. She had no idea how long she lay there before her limbs responded to her demands and she was able to sit up again.
Meek, Annie. You’re supposed to be meek. She’d forgotten.
“I—I’m sorry,” she made herself say to the woman.
“Yes, I’m sure you are.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t.” For a long moment, the woman studied Annie. “Our security team told me about you. How you tried to kill the man who turned you in. How you had our irreplaceable prototype and intended to steal it.”
Annie froze. There was something in the woman’s voice. Something cold and ugly. A terrible feeling moved through her, an awareness of something to come. Was this her Talent telling her, or just instinct? She didn’t know.
“I contemplated what to do with you, before I came here,” the woman said. “You’re a low-level, high-risk asset. You left once. You could again. And you stole something far more valuable than you will ever be from the company. What if you had sold it to our competitors? You have no loyalty.”
Loyalty was earned. But Annie bit the words back. She had a feeling she was past the point where acting meek could help her, but she didn’t see the point in antagonizing the woman, either.
“I have a choice. I could slap a control collar on you, make sure you never leave again. Or, I can write you off as a bad investment.”
Annie’s heart pounded. Neither option was good, but she could guess what it meant to be written off. She had to survive long enough for the others to come for her. Bile in her throat, she bowed her head in the most subservient posture possible.
“Please, please. I promise I won’t leave again. I never meant to steal from anyone. I found that crystal in the scrapyard just this morning. It was just lying there. I was going to turn it in for the reward, I was—”
“Do you think I’m stupid?”
“N—no.”
“Clearly, you do. You were going to turn it in? To us? The company you betrayed?” She tsked. “I think not.” The woman rose to her feet, her elegant shoes with tall silver heels clicking on the metal floor. “You are not worth the trouble and expense of a control collar. We’re writing you off as of this afternoon.” She gave the guard a brisk nod, and clicked her way out of the room.
Annie watched those shoes go, keeping her head down. The guard followed the woman out, the door slamming shut behind him.
They were going to kill her. That woman had just ordered her execution. How much time did she have?
Annie closed her eyes. She had to tell them. Could she use her Talent? She’d never tried to use telepathy before. She thought about what the others had told her. What it had felt like to talk mentally to Dante.
Dante was probably her best bet. It had seemed like he was the strongest telepath. She concentrated on him, on the feel of his mind.
Dante. Can you hear me?
Annie waited, but only silence answered her. Don’t panic, she told herself. This was just like the scrap summit yesterday morning. She’d remained calm, and her telekinesis had worked. This was no different. She spent some time breathing, calming her mind, and then tried again.
Dante. Please, it’s Annie. I need you to answer me. I—I’m in trouble. I think they’re going to kill me. No, I know they are. Please. We can’t wait for Salla to finish. I have to escape now.
No answer. A tear of frustration slipped down her face. Scrap, why wouldn’t this work?
Fine. It was fine. She’d escaped without help once before. She would just have to do it again. Somehow.
Annie looked around the room. There was nothing in here she could use. She’d have to do something when the guards came for her. That would be her opening. Until then, all she could was reserve her strength…and wait.
Chapter 9
Annie went over every possible scenario she could think of in her mind. She didn’t know how much strength she had. Her head still hurt, and that was a warning to be careful in how much Talent she used. She’d have to somehow use it as little as possible, and still escape. If she went too big, she risked blacking out.
Blacking out now meant she would never wake up.
So, she waited. And plotted. And hoped against hope to see Arcus enter her cell before the guards did.
When she heard the seal release on the door, her heart stuttered. Arcus wasn’t coming in time.
Two guards entered. She saw two more out in the hall. She supposed she had only herself to blame. After her display at the shop, they weren’t taking any chances. She stood up, keeping her shoulders down, her posture defeated. She had to lull them into thinking she was done, spent.
Each guard grabbed one of her arms. She remained passive, walking with them as though going for an afternoon stroll and not marching to her execution.
They strode down the hall in formation: one guard in front, one on either side, one in the back. Annie walked in the middle. Her eyes dropped to the pain baton on the guard’s belt in front of her. She risked a surreptitious glance at the guards on either side. Each of them also had a pain baton. Safe to assume the guard behind her wore one as well. They are small, light, easily manipulated by her telekinesis.
She didn’t think she could do all four at once. Three would be a risk. Two, she was confident of. She could do two.
Her heart pounded as she envisioned it in her mind. Hit the two guards to either side of her, then the one behind, then the one in front.
No, no.
She should hit the one behind her first. Everyone would stop to see what was wrong when he went down. Then she’d hit the two holding her, and hope she’d have enough time to still get the one in front before he grabbed her.
Now she just needed the right spot. This hallway gave her nowhere to go. They were still in the slave quarters. Where were executions held?
The longer they walked, the more she hoped the guards would relax. They took her out of the slave quarters and to a familiar lift. This was the same lift she’d taken countless times to
the production floor, where ship parts were manufactured. But instead of going up, the guards directed the lift down. She’d never gone down before. She didn’t know what waited on the lower levels, but she could guess it was nothing good.
Annie paid close attention when the guard accessed the controls of the lift. He used a narrow key attached to his belt. The control panel didn’t seem to require any other security.
She took a deep breath. This was closer quarters than she’d imagined, but it was now or never. Closing her eyes, she used her telekinesis and reached for the first guard’s pain baton. She lifted it carefully, careful not to pull it too hard, and then triggered it, shoving it against his side.
He made a strangled sound and dropped against the wall of the lift, panting and hunched over.
Annie kept her own posture relaxed, staring straight ahead as the other guards turned. Two of them put hands to their batons. Their fingers brushed not only the handle, which was safe, but also the rest of the length. They hadn’t yet moved to grip them, making her job even easier. She triggered the controls, and they both stiffened and dropped, crying out in pain.
By then, the last guard had figured her out. Before she could do anything, he hit her. His fist drove into her gut. She doubled over, retching.
“You freaky bitch,” he growled in her ear. His pain baton was in his hand, but he only held the handle. It descended toward her. If he hit her, she was dead. She’d lose the ability to focus, and they’d drug her again.
She screamed in fury and released a huge push of telekinesis, bigger than anything she should have done. Her head pounded, but the guard flew back and struck the side of the lift. The baton was still in his grip. Annie focused on it, forcing his hand to move, bringing the baton closer and closer to his shoulder and neck. He strained against her, but the strength of desperation was on her side. Finally, it touched him, and he screamed.
She didn’t have long. In a few minutes, the guards would recover. She leaned down and plucked the lift key from the nearest guard’s belt, and used it to select the production floor.
If she could get there, she could escape.
Her hands trembled as she waited for the lift the move. She kept a close eye on all four security guards. So far, they were still twitching, lying in a heap on the floor. But every minute that passed was one less she had.
Should she just kill them? Wouldn’t they raise the alarm? Some part of her rebelled at casually killing four helpless people, even if they had been about to do the same thing to her.
“Annie!”
She jumped at the sound of her name, spoken so close.
“Arcus!”
He was in the lift with her, somehow. How was he here? He looked down at the guards and his eyebrows rose.
“Nice work. We have to go.” He held his out to her. “Take it.”
Without hesitation, she did. She gasped as the two of them faded to a translucent appearance.
“What—what’s happening?”
He grinned. “We’re ghosts! Sort of. Now, this is very important. Whatever happens, do not let go.” He walked right through the lift wall just as one of the guards staggered to his feet. Annie was pulled through the wall with him.
They didn’t go to the production floor. Instead, Arcus took her right through the walls of the lift tube, and through the offices and rooms beyond.
Annie, how many Talented slaves are here? That was Dante’s voice in her head. Finally!
I don’t know. When I was here before, there were just over forty of us.
Forty.
She could hear the anger simmering in that single word.
How many children? he asked.
Most of them. They usually sell us off when we reach adulthood. Or, I thought they did. Maybe they kill us. ‘Write us off’ she called it, like a business expense in a ledger.
All right. We’re not leaving them.
Joy spread through her. We’re not?
No. Arcus, get her out.
But how—?
Leave that to me. We need Niobe. Get to the ship.
She and Arcus flew through rooms and buildings. They burst out into open air and kept going. Hold on, Annie. Just a little bit longer.
Annie grinned at him. She was giddy with too many emotions. Escaping death. Her freedom. Saving the others! She couldn’t contain it all. Yes, fatigue pulled at her, her head hurt, her leg ached, but all of that was nothing compared to everything else she was feeling.
They reached the spaceport, moving much faster than they could have walking normally. This was what she imagined flying to be like. Arcus arrowed straight for the dock with Niobe, and he didn’t stop until they swept past Salla, who was tidying up the tool trolley, and through the hull right onto the ship.
He let go of her hand and she staggered as her body became solid again. Hands caught her arms to steady her, but it wasn’t Arcus, it was Payne. Arcus kept moving into the cockpit.
Annie laughed, and threw her arms around Payne’s neck. She didn’t say anything. She knew she didn’t have to. Her emotions spoke for her. He held her, giving her the hug she needed, and she felt him smiling where his face touched hers.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” he said. “And I’m glad you’re safe.”
“We’re going to get the others!”
He pulled back, and he was still smiling at her. The brooding, dark expression he usually wore was gone.
“I know,” he said. “Dante told me.”
Beneath them, the deck rumbled as the ship’s engine came to life.
“Time to see how good your friend is. Grab a seat, Annie.” Payne helped her strap into a jump seat, even though they weren’t going to be space jumping yet.
“What’s the plan?” she asked him. His hands stopped moving, and he met her gaze. This close, his eyes were even more beautiful, the lashes thick over dark irises.
“Do you want to see it as it happens?” he asked her.
“Yes.”
He unbuckled her and took her hand, leading her through the ship to the cockpit. Payne sat in the copilot’s chair next to Arcus, and she sat in a seat behind them. Arcus did something and a holo projection of the view outside appeared in front of them. They were flying over the scrapyards to Laripim’s main facility. Below, Annie could see junkers staring up at them.
“I think it’s time for stealth flaps,” Payne said.
“On it.” Arcus said. He grinned at Annie over his shoulder. “She’s flying right. Seems you and Salla did a great job.”
In wonder, Annie watched as the ship docked on Laripim’s own landing bay. The entire facility was dark. No lights. No security. No movement.
“What happened?” she asked.
Arcus laughed. “Just a little facility-wide power failure. We have about five minutes before the backup power finishes rerouting and they get it back.”
“Shouldn’t that have happened as soon as they lost power?”
“Yep. But Dante knows his way around a command system. He made it run a full self-diagnostic before engaging.”
As though his name had summoned him, Dante came out of the main door. He was holding the hand of a small figure, and was followed by dozens more. He had them. All of them.
Annie put her hands to her mouth. Tears filled her eyes. He’d done it! They were doing it. Every single Talented child would wake up tomorrow free.
It was too much. She cried, first softly, and then harder. She couldn’t stop.
“Is she all right?” she heard Arcus ask Payne.
“She will be.” Payne stood up and moved to Annie’s side. “She just needs rest. Her Talent is overtasked, and she’s been through a lot.” He helped Annie to her feet, murmuring meaningless, soothing things.
She barely remembered him walking her back, putting her to bed in a room that looked startling familiar.
“I know this place,” she told him, grabbing his jacket in one hand as he tucked a blanket around her. “I’ve seen it before, in my dreams.”<
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“That’s good, Annie.” Payne leaned forward and pressed his lips to her brow. “You should sleep now. It will all be fine. Just rest.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she couldn’t possibly sleep with everything happening. But then her eyes slipped closed and fatigue rolled over her in a wave.
She slept.
Epilogue
One year later
“What do you think?” Arcus asked, his voice teasing. He was holding her hand, and was only just now letting her sense and feel where he’d led her. Annie was wearing a blindfold, so she couldn’t see.
But the minute Arcus let go of her hand, she smelled it. The salty air. She felt the wind in her face, heard the waves crashing and the birds calling in the air. Felt the sand beneath her feet, wet and smooth.
“We’re at the beach,” she said, laughing. Reaching up, she tore the blindfold away.
“Surprise!” Arcus spread his arms wide. He was wearing loose cotton pants and no shirt. He was also barefoot. His silvery hair whipped around his face, and he grinned at her.
Payne elbowed him in the ribs. “Idiot, she’s not surprised.”
“Oh, I am!”
Payne gave her a disbelieving look. Of course, he knew she was lying.
Shush, you, she sent to him on a tight thread. Don’t spoil it.
“I swear!” she continued out loud. “When you said you were taking me someplace special, I had no idea where you could mean.”
“That’s good.” Dante planted a kiss on her cheek, his arm around her waist. “Sometimes it feels like you’ve seen so much of our lives together already, it can be tough to surprise you.”
She hugged him. More conservative than Arcus, he was fully clothed, but the wind tugged at his shirt, pulling it tight against his chest. Annie pulled away from him and ran across the sand until cool water rushed over her feet. With a laugh she danced back and tripped, falling on her butt in the surf.
“Now you’ve done it,” Arcus said.
He was right. Water washed over her, drenching her lightweight skirt. She didn’t mind though. The beach was one of her favorite places on any planet, something all of her men knew. She studied that sand beneath her. It was gray, not golden, but full of other myriad colors, too. White, blue, green, brown — the sand was all of them and more. She dug her fingers into it, and watched the impressions fill with water.
