Page 38 of Kranow (Brides of the Mylos #4)
When the end came, it came suddenly. Marley ’ s first inkling was the door to the hospital room opening, admitting a wildly grinning Kranow and a bouncing Darla.
“ Good, you ’ re dressed! ” Darla said. “ Get something o your feet and let ’ s go! ”
Kranow shook his head at Darla ’ s antics and glanced about the room. Spying her shoes, he picked them up and brought them to her. “ You get to return now. Jackie O ’ Hannigan and her accomplices have been arrested. Sachuu has them in the brig. ”
Marley ’ s eyes grew round. “ Really? What happened? ”
“ She ran her big mouth and got overheard. Xero checked the security logs and matched the data to the kid ’ s story, so they arrested her and her personal assistant. The guy spilled the beans to Sachuu, said he ’ d had no idea until she tried to get him to agree to do this thing that she was the mastermind behind the attack. ” Darla ’ s words came out in a rush. Darla threw a glare at Kranow. “ I ’ m not entirely sure I forgive Sachuu and Gundar for their own dastardly trick, though. ”
Marley looked at Kranow quizzically as she tied the laces on her Keds. He smiled gently at her. “ It ’ s a long story. It begins with a young named Casey and her dog Fritz. Today I picked them and her father up in the shuttle, as her father is taking part in the post-human military program. ”
Marley stood up. “ Okay, well, I ’ m ready to go. I don ’ t want to wait another second. If I don ’ t ever see this room again, it ’ ll be too soon, I tell you! ” She stood up and walked towards the door. “ You guys can tell me the whole story as we go home. ”
She listened in amazement the entire way. “ So, she wanted her personal assistant to print a plastic gun, which was going to be in a box saying it was a yarn loom like we used as kids to make potholders. ”
“ Yes, and she wanted him to put on gloves and go shoot the doctor, any patients there, and then open the door to your room and shoot you. Then put the gun in your hand to make it look like you did it, ” Darla said. “ She ’ d learned that you were still here, in isolation, from when you ’ d been brought in for your panic attack.
“ But didn ’ t the door only open to authorized personnel only? ”
Kranow nodded. “ Yes. She seemed to think that all one had to do was shoot the control panel and it would open. She also thought that Xeranos and the sickbay AI would erase any footage if asked. She did not understand that they are not automatons, that they are sapient AIs who would alert security, lock down sickbay, and back up the footage elsewhere. ”
“ Oh my God. So she was going to try some silly action movie plot that would get me and a bunch of other people killed! That is the craziest thing I ’ ve ever heard! ”
“ She ’ s nutsy cuckoo, ” Darla agreed. “ But she thought if anything went wrong, she could convince Sachuu that the PA was your accomplice so that the investigation would be closed. Then she ’ d do a special report on it, get huge ratings, and her show wouldn ’ t get cancelled. ”
“ Sachuu said she was ranting in her cell about being able to change networks and have more control over her show, when he left her, ” Kranow added. “ She seemed to believe she could still spin the PA as your accomplice and make a show talking about how she was falsely accused and imprisoned. ”
They exited the elevator on their deck. “ So what happens now? And what ’ s this dastardly trick Darla mentioned? ””
“ Well, now we celebrate, because we caught the baddie and you ’ re free, but more to the point, Charlotte isn ’ t dead! I had to come with Kranow to tell you the good news, but I ’ ll love you and leave you for now. I ’ m sure you two have some private celebrating to do. When the others get back from Paris, we ’ ll have a proper party, and Charlotte can explain her role. She was really from Interpol! And yeah, you ’ ll really want to meet Casey. She ’ s a super sweet kid. ”
“ It sounds like I owe her a lot, ” Marley said. “ And Charlotte isn ’ t dead? She was Interpol? ” This could not get any weirder.
“ Yeah, think we all do. Poor kid had a helluva introduction to our little Fleet family. She ’ d not even been here a day! ”
Marley threw Darla a concerned look. “ Is she okay? I ’ m sure that was scary, especially for a kid. ”
“ She is home with her father, feeling much more secure now she has seen justice dealt with so swiftly, ” Kranow said. “ She is a resilient young, used to changes and alerts and such. As for Charlotte, she was here to make sure for the human governments that you really were reformed. She was reported dead so she could be sent back to Earth undetected and help trace the materials used in the blast and head the investigation into Jackie O ’ Hannigan. ”
Marley stared, speechless. Charlotte had been Interpol, tasked with making sure she was on the up and up, only to have gotten caught in a different web of events. Had she known her friend at all, or had it all been lies? She vowed to ask her if she ever saw her again. She ’ d really thought they had made a personal connection and become good friends. She blinked tears away. It was all too overwhelming.
They reached the door to their quarters. Kranow palmed open the door to their quarters. “ We shall see you again soon, Darla, ” he said pointedly. She held up her hands, conceding defeat and backed away laughing.
“ Okay, see you later! ”
Marley entered their quarters and looked around. So much had happened in the short while she ’ d been onboard. It had only been a period of mere months, but somehow, the time seemed both much shorter and much longer. She heard the door whisper shut and felt Kranow against her back before she felt his breath upon her cheek and his arms around her waist. “ I missed you. ”
“ I missed you, too, ” she whispered.
“ How is your sickness? ”
“ Settled now that Dr. Litrelp prescribed me the anti-nausea meds. ” She looked up at him over her shoulder coyly. “ Why, you feel like showing me how much you missed me? ”
“ Indeed. I have felt entirely bereft. ” He leaned down and nuzzled her neck. She shivered in want.
“ Me too, ” she whispered hoarsely. Neither said another coherent word, the soft murmurings they made as they explored and tasted all but unintelligible but the meanings clear: I love you. It was the best homecoming Marley could have wished for. The rest could wait, for now.