Page 126 of Across the Universe (Across the Universe 1)

“You know at least what the frozens are here for, right?”

“They are experts at terraforming, and environment, and defense. ”

Orion snorts. “They are experts at taking the planet away from us. ”

“You don’t make any sense,” I say, squeezing Amy’s hand tighter.

“They’re the colonists, not us. Never us. When we finally land, they’ll use us. As slaves in their terraforming, and—if there are hostile aliens on the planet—as soldiers. They plan to work us or kill us. They put our great-great-great-whatever grandparents on this ship so that they could breed slaves and soldiers. That’s all. ”

Amy gasps. “That’s why you’re killing the ones with military experience. You think they’ll make the people born on the ship fight when they land. ”

“I know they will!” Orion roars. I can see the Eldest in him now, when he shouts. “And if there are no hostiles to fight, then they’ll use that military experience to force us into slave labor. It’s the perfect plan: growing expendable people while they sleep!”

“But why me?” Amy says, her voice a desperate whisper. “When you unplugged me, surely you could tell I wasn’t my daddy? Why didn’t you put me back in before I melted? Why did you let me wake up?”

A slow, evil smile spreads across Orion’s face. His gaze pierces mine. I clench my fists. Orion cocks an eyebrow at me.

“I keep my secrets,” Orion says, glancing at Amy.

“Daddy isn’t a slave driver,” Amy says. “And if there were ‘hostile’ aliens, he wouldn’t force you to fight. ”

Orion shrugs. “How do you know that for sure? And,” he adds before Amy can say anything else, “either way, better safe than sorry. ”

“Your kind of safe means killing my dad!”

Orion glances behind her at Eldest’s body. Clearly, he has no hang-ups about killing.

“If you don’t like it . . . ” he says, walking over to the cryogenic freezing tube on the other side of the room. He opens the door and sweeps his arm to display the interior. “By all means, refreeze yourself. Sleep until we reach planetside, and see what kind of man your father really is. That is,” he adds, thinking, “if Elder and I decide to let your father live until planet-landing. ”

“You’re as evil as him!” Amy hisses, pointing at Eldest’s lifeless body.

“But you know what’s really gonna twist you?” Orion asks. “The fact that Elder sort of agrees with everything I’m saying. ”

“No, I don’t—” I start when Amy looks back at me with her beautiful accusing eyes.

“And the fact that Elder here’s the one who gave me the idea for unplugging them in the first place. ”

Amy covers her mouth with her hand. Her eyes fill with disgust, and it’s directed at me.

“Don’t believe him,” I plead.

“No, really, it’s true. You have realized that, haven’t you, Elder?” Orion sneers, laughing, and I wonder how much he knows. I search his face, and see mine in it. We share the same DNA, but we aren’t the same person. But maybe the same emotions and self-doubts and fears are woven into our identical genetic code.

“Why don’t you tell her?” Orion continues. “Or would you like me to?”

“Tell me what?” Amy asks.

I stride across the room to where Orion is standing beside the cryogenic freezer. My hands are clenched into fists.

“She’s a pretty thing,” Orion whispers to me, low so Amy and Doc can’t hear. “Very pretty. Is that why you did it?”

“Shut up,” I growl.

“Don’t let her get in our way. ”

I know that there are all sorts of logical reasons why I should do it. Orion is as crazy as Eldest, his method of control just as twisted, if not more so. I’ll never be able to talk him out of killing the frozens, and he needs to be punished for the deaths he has already caused.

But those aren’t the reasons why I shove Orion into the cryofreezer and lock him inside.