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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Dani

Words couldn’t describe the terrible thoughts running through her head.

This was all beyond fucked up. How could Nadine and the other heads decide the fate of X110 so quickly without even waiting to have her give a report so they could make a clear decision? It was insane.

This world could be saved. They could rebuild. Dammit, that was the whole point of what they were doing!

And yet, they deemed it a loss. They wanted it gone. Did they know already what Marityne had been doing? Or did they see the threats and decide it was just too dangerous?

What was worse, Kryxis was still out there, now wounded, and he had no idea. Once they were gone, a demolition team would come to take their place. They’d set the bombs that would wipe the city off the map and there would be nothing left.

No. No, she couldn’t let that happen.

But even now, the demolition team was getting ready. Even if she could get a meeting with the heads as soon as she got back to the mother ship, she might not be able to stop them in time.

Still, she had to try something.

She secured her helmet after wiping Kryxis’ blood off her face, then grabbed a few things from her locker, including a canteen of water. “Myrell, I need you to make a call to Nadine. Try to get them to stop the demolition team.”

“I’ll do my best,” Myrell said.

“I’ll go with her and try to reason with them too,” said Tom. “I agree this place should be studied first. There’s a lot more here of value than they know.”

Lex stepped up as she closed her locker. “We’ll keep an eye on security and try to stall them as best we can.”

“I could turn the ship power off,” Morse suggested. “So, we can’t leave. Make them think something else went wrong.”

“I will break something!” Phen added.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Dani said.

Sheek came around to her other side. “Let me come with you. You can’t go out there alone. And I have some fight in me yet.”

She thought to say no at first but considered that Sheek was right. “Okay,” she said.

“Here.” Myrell gave her the ISpad with the map. “Don’t get lost.”

“I won’t. I know where he is.” Or at least she was fairly certain.

Myrell put a hand on her shoulder. “Come back,” she said.

“I will.”

“Good luck, Dani,” the others called as she picked up the medkit at her feet and followed Sheek out of the locker room and to the engine room. From there they went out through a hatch behind the ship, where the soldiers didn’t see.

Even with the compression wrap and pain meds, she still couldn’t run very well, so they were forced to take it slow. She jogged at times, straining her muscles, while Sheek kept close beside her even when she could have done laps around her already. They weaved through the buildings and below bridges, stopping every so often to check the map.

The entertainment sector was just a little ways past housing and then the medical district. They found their way to the drain canal and followed it onward. The water had risen even more, flowing faster into the sewer tunnels.

As she jogged and sometimes hobbled, she worried that they wouldn’t make it in time. She hadn’t seen how badly wounded Kryxis was, but it had been bad enough to make him flee.

When they started to pass through the medical sector, Sheek called out, putting out an arm to stop her. Then she pointed over to one wall underneath a small bridge.

There was blue-black blood smeared across, along with a handprint.

“Keep going,” Dani said, her voice shaking slightly. She pushed herself a little faster, ignoring the ache in her ankle.

When they finally made it to the bridge of the entertainment sector, they slowed. It had been dark when Kryxis brought her, but she was certain she could remember which building.

Swiftly, they crossed the bridge. They had been lucky enough not to encounter anything else yet, though a few times her garometer had gone off. When she’d checked, the levels were all over the place, some even as high as twelve.

She hoped it was reading wrong. She refused to stop regardless. They cut down one road and she examined each building. She saw a sign for a gaming center and turned down the alley. When they got to the door, she saw it was cracked open, blood smeared on the edge.

Sheek moved for the door, but Dani stopped her. “No. Keep watch. I need to go in alone.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Dani stepped for the door and tried to wrench it open but was unsuccessful. Sheek came around next to her and helped to pull it open enough so Dani could slip through.

“I’ll be right outside,” Sheek said.

Dani nodded. Slipping inside, she clicked on one of her lights to see down the dark passage. Cautiously, she headed toward the one door she could see at the end that was halfway open, with a dim yellow light streaming across the floor.

When she stepped inside Kryxis’ den, there was only the light of the lamp to see by. Everything else was in shadow.

“Kryxis?” she called. She moved her light across his workstation and saw a pile of metal. Beside it the old medikit from the wellness center sat open, gauze falling out of it. On the ground was his flaretool, a little flame still flickering from the end. “Kryxis, it’s me.”

Something clattered to the floor to her left and she whirled around. She saw a trail of blood and followed it with her light. Curled up below the statue of the four-armed man was Kryxis, clutching his shoulder.

She rushed over, kneeling beside him. “I’m here.”

He stared at her as if he was in shock. He blinked at her with his second eyelids. “Dani,” he whispered. “ Kisa xe var vesh . You…came back.”

She smiled at him. “Yeah, I did.”

He shifted, fangs poking out from his upper lip. “Dani. Esh, lillak .”

She set the medikit down. “Let me see.”

He slid his hand away where he was holding the wound, and she saw he had already started to seal it with a meldpen. The bullet had cut right through his shoulder. Another had caught him across the ribs which he had yet to get to.

“ Vish xi villari na kass nes ra xu fasar .”

She met his eyes, understanding this time. He had planned to clean and heal, then come back and try to reason with her again. Try to make her stay.

She shook her head. “No trying again.” He gave her a painful look, as if she had just punched him in the gut. “Because we have to go now.”

He stared at her confused. “Go?”

She took the meldpen from his other hand then opened her kit and took out a rag, wiping away the blood. “Yes, go. Something very bad is going to happen and I don’t know if I can stop it. So, we have to go.” She dropped the rag and started working on sealing his wound. “Because you’re in danger.”

“Danger…”

“Yes, now hold still.”

He did as she asked. She worked as quickly but as carefully as she could, first sealing the front then his back where the bullet had passed through. When it was finished, she worked on his ribs. She went to place a healing gel on them next, but Kryxis refused, preferring to use his supposed healing saliva instead.

She checked her watch. Soon Saul and his team would be ordering them to leave, and her team would have to try and stall them. Helping Kryxis up even if he didn’t need it, she led him back to the workstation.

“We need to go. Take with you what you want to keep,” she said.

He tilted his head like he didn’t understand. She went over to his shelves and tapped on them. “Take with you to keep.”

“Take…to keep,” he said slowly.

“Yes. Because…gone. All will be gone.” She made a swipe with her hands, hoping he understood. “I’m sorry.” And she really was. This was his only home, and now he was losing everything.

“Take to keep,” he repeated. But he didn’t even look around. All he did was stare at her.

She gave him a confused look back until he closed the distance between them and picked her up. “ Take…”

“Wait, your wounds—”

He held her close and nuzzled against her neck. “ Esta vas nas ishka, lillak,” he whispered against her.

She stilled at first. Then she began to realize.

Pressing her head to his, she hugged him back. “We have to go,” she breathed against him.

She felt his claws almost cut into her suit as he clung to her. “We go.”

Swiftly, he moved for the door, not once looking back.

They made better time with Kryxis carrying her, racing through the medical sector and on past the rows of housing units. The closer they got, the more cautious they grew, keeping a better eye out for soldiers on the rooftops.

She knew she wasn’t going to be able to show up and expect Saul and the others to let Kryxis on board. Nexacor prohibited stowaways. Thankfully, Kryxis was good at not being seen when he didn’t wish to be.

Hiding behind one wall on the edge of the landing dock, she noticed a few men were still outside, including Saul, talking with Lex who was speaking and pointing over to a set of buildings. The ships were running, engines humming to life, but Lex must have found a way to stall them for time.

Dani had Kryxis put her down as they moved around the wall. When Saul and his men had their backs turned, they made a break for the back of the ship. Sheek opened the hatch into the engine room and together they snuck inside.

“You’ll have to stay in here,” Dani said. She went to follow Sheek up to the top but noticed Kryxis still behind her. She turned around and put up her hands. “Stay. Wait for me. Okay?”

He took a step back. “Stay.”

“That’s right. And no messing with the power this time, got it?” She pointed to the power supply. “No.”

He bared his teeth in a wicked grin.

“No.”

He laughed. “ Riza niset arkaris, sifa lillak .” He reached out and caught a lock of her hair, curling it behind her ear before letting his talon brush against her cheek. “I wait for you.”

She shivered at his touch, then took his hand. “You might want to hold on to something.”

“ Xa ,” he said as she released him. He curled his fingers on each hand, showing he’d have no problem with that at all.