Page 19 of Rebels Rising (The Intergalactic Union #3)

Reece

I stared at the closed door to the cockpit, anxiety and nerves making my palms sweat. I wiped them on my jumpsuit and took a deep breath, trying in vain to calm myself down. I didn’t know why I was so nervous, but standing here at the precipice seemed like taking a leap off the tallest cliff. Either I was going to fly or I was going to plummet into the rocks and die a painful, gruesome death.

‘Pull yourself together, man,’ I chastised myself under my breath. ‘Just knock.’

I raised my fist to do just that, but froze before my knuckles could make contact.

‘For fuck sake, Reece, just knock,’ I berated myself again.

With more effort than it should have taken, my knuckles rapped against the door. A tick later, it opened to reveal GC Stanson.

‘Mister Hastings? What can I do for you?’

My jaw worked as I tried to get words out of my mouth. Finally, I’m able to stammer out a sentence. ‘Um, is Arty… wait, no, Artemis, I mean… Is the captain available?’

‘Reece?’ Artemis’s voice drifted to me from somewhere inside the cockpit. She popped up behind the Yu’Rom pilot, her curiosity blending with concern. ‘Are you okay? What’s wrong?’

I wanted to hate the fact that she could tell I was struggling, but her actions were proof that she was more in tune with me than I’d dared to hope. She could still read me like an open book, and there was something reassuring about that, enough to help me relax.

‘Um, nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering if you had a click to talk?’

She squinted her eyes at me as if searching for a lie, but she wouldn’t find one. Seemingly satisfied, she nodded. ‘Sure. Is this a private conversation?’

‘That would be preferable,’ I concurred.

‘I’ve got Bal and Junior,’ Stanson told her and Artemis gave her a grateful smile.

‘Thanks, Eloria. I’ll be back soon.’

The pilot waved her comment away. ‘Don’t worry about it. Take your time.’

Artemis led the way, and we ended up at a doorless bunk. There was a single, large bed in the centre and a pile of shredded blankets in the corner which I assumed was Dave Junior’s bed. She’d taken me to her room.

She sat on the edge of her mattress and gestured for me to join her. I perched carefully on the corner, uncertain what to do with myself or how to begin this conversation. Artemis took the decision from me, however, and made a comment that made my heart clench painfully in my chest.

‘You’re mad at me.’

‘No! No, I’m not mad at you.’

‘Yes, you are. It’s okay, I get it, but please don’t lie about it.’

I swivelled my body so I was facing her fully, catching her gaze in my own. ‘No, Artemis. I’m not lying. I’m not mad at you.’

Her previously stoic expression shifted so minutely that I almost didn’t catch it, but there was a flicker of confusion and hurt that she quickly covered up again. ‘Then what is this about? I thought…’

‘That I was going to have a go at you for lying? No, Arty, that’s not what this is about.’

‘So… you’re not upset with me?’

I inhaled a stuttered breath, my exhale just as shaky. ‘No, I’m not upset with you. I’m upset about this whole situation. I’m upset that I was wrongfully convicted of a disgusting crime that I never committed. I’m upset that I ended up under The Program’s knife. And I’m upset because I miss you and I don’t know how to talk to you anymore.’

‘Oh, Reece.’ Her arms wrapped around me in a desperate hug that I fell into without any protest, burying my face in her shoulder to try and hide the way my emotions screamed through my expression.

‘I knew you’d come for me, I just didn’t expect everything to no longer make sense,’ I whispered into her neck.

Her hands rubbed soothing circles on my back, one coming up to tangle her fingers at the base of my hair. Her nails scratched pleasantly, and I sank even further into her embrace.

‘Can I be honest with you, Reece?’ she asked, her voice small and hesitant while her arms tightened around me as if afraid I would run away.

‘Please.’

‘I never planned on coming back.’

Surprisingly, my heart didn’t sink like I thought it would at her confession. ‘I figured as much,’ I admitted.

‘I was never planning on staying, either.’

‘I gathered that, too.’

‘I only came back because the kids were on Nova Station.’

‘I know.’

‘I’m so sorry.’

This time I was the one who tightened my grip, afraid she would pull away when we were finally starting to get somewhere. ‘You never would have left us there. I know the kids were the reason you came back, but I know you never would have abandoned us if you had the chance to get us out. I understand.’

‘Do you really, though? Because I would have left you all there if our paths had never crossed again.’

‘But they did cross,’ I said determinedly, pulling back so I could look her in the eye. ‘You had the opportunity to get me, Addy, and all those kids out and you took it. You escaped your own prison and saved all those women there, too. Just because you weren’t actively planning an escape doesn’t make you a bad person, or a bad friend. You can’t be everywhere at once.’

‘I wish I could. It would make this all a hell of a lot easier.’

A chuckle escaped unbidden. ‘Right?’

Silence ensued, but it was a comforting quiet as we held onto one another like our lives depended on it. With each moment that passed I felt the fissure between us stitching together, a scar forming as we healed the rift between us. Our relationship would never be the same as it was before, we were too different from those people to continue where we’d left off, but there was hope and trust and something pure between us that made me believe we were going to be okay.

I felt silly now, thinking back on how I’d been avoiding her. Dorian was right. Artemis was still Arty, just a lot more feminine now than before. With multiple lovers as well, apparently.

‘So… you and Cadmus. Is that like, a thing now?’ I asked, ending our moment.

She laughed as she untangled her arms from around me, a faint blush painting her cheeks. ‘Yeah, that’s definitely a thing now.’

I coughed to try and cover up my laughter, but it was a useless endeavour.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Liar. Tell me.’

‘It’s just… Cadmus? In a relationship? I can’t see it.’

She chuckled. ‘Yeah, it was a bit of a shock to me, too, but he’s actually really sweet when he wants to be. He gets all shy sometimes, too. It’s adorable.’

I shook my head in disbelief. ‘How did you go to a blushing virgin to fucking two men at the same time?’

She shrugged but her lips pulled back in a lopsided smirk. ‘I’m not complaining.’

I gave her a playful shove that almost knocked her onto the floor, just like how I’d pushed over Dorian earlier this morning and she gave me a wide-eyed look.

‘You’re stronger.’

I sighed, my earlier worries coming back to me in a flood of uncertainty. ‘Yeah. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to pull you.’

‘Oh?’

‘It’s just… will I ever be able to get back to where I was at before? I’ve lost so much muscle mass…’

She snorted a laugh and tried to cover it up by throwing her hand over her mouth. ‘You worried about your figure, Reece?’

‘Shut up,’ I gave a weak chuckle. ‘I’m serious. I’ve never been a skinny guy and I worked hard for those muscles. I can’t find any weights that will help. They’re all too light now.’

She held out her arm and flexed, showing me the bulging bicep outlined beneath her jumpsuit. ‘Does it look like I’m struggling with that?’

Hope lit up within me as I eyed the physical representation of her strength. ‘No.’

‘You don’t have to worry about that, Reece. Weights aren’t completely pointless. The nanites give you a boost, the grafts in your bones will make them withstand stronger pressure, but your muscles still work like regular muscles. They need a proper workout to keep them in shape.’

I let out an exaggerated sigh and fell back on the bed, spreading my arms wide as I let the relief run through me. ‘Thank fuck for that.’

‘You’ll need to keep on top of it, though. Missing a workout means losing any progress even quicker than usual.’

‘I don’t care. As long as I’m not doomed to be a twig for the rest of my life, I’m happy.’

‘We can work out together if you want. Maybe we should make it a part of our training sessions.’

‘Sure. We can call it Cyborg Zumba.’

She let out a bark of laughter and smacked my stomach. ‘Never.’

When our laughter died down, I sat up at studied her speculatively. I noted a lightness in her that hadn’t been present while she was posing as a male, but there was still something weighing her down.

‘Are you okay, Arty?’

‘Me? Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?’

‘Because you’ve lived a life of torture and pain. You’re on the run from the organisation that caused all your suffering. You got a ship full of strangers and hundreds of babies. You’re away from Libby again.’

‘Okay, okay. Stop. I get it.’

I waited patiently for her to answer the question, honestly this time. ‘The thing you need to understand about me, Reece, is that I’ve lived my life in a constant state of survival. I’ve been tested in every way imaginable, and even some unimaginable. I’ve endured physical, mental and emotional turmoil. I don’t know any other way to exist. I think I’d be more worried if there wasn’t something to worry about. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.’

A growl rumbled from deep in my chest, and the sound held a slightly mechanical tinge to it that I ignored in favour of my anger. ‘That’s fucked up. You don’t have to live your life like that anymore, Arty. You have people on your side now. A whole damn army.’

Her next words sent a child down my spine.

‘An army isn’t going to be enough to stop The Program. They’re too powerful.’

‘But we have you,’ I argued. ‘You can teach those of us who have been their subjects how to wield our abilities. We can help you fight back.’

‘They have more just like us, Reece, except they’ve been successfully brainwashed into believing they’re fighting for the betterment of the Intergalactic Union. Some of them believe The Program is the IU’s most powerful governing body. I’m not enough. Even with the others, we’re never going to be enough on our own.’

I levelled her with my most serious stare. ‘Then we’ll just have to make sure we’re not on our own.’

‘I’m not in the habit of seeking out miracles,’ she said, her tone sharp and her eyes hardening.

‘Miracles are for dreamers. We’ll fight for what we need and win allies on our own merit,’ I told her.

The smile she gave me told me enough. She didn’t believe anyone would back us. Maybe she didn’t believe anyone would back her , but she’d managed to corral a decent crowd of soldiers directly from one of the IU’s largest military bases onto her side with only a single speech. She’d been herself, shed light on the truth, and hadn’t asked anyone for anything except to think for themselves.

That was how we were going to win this war. That was why we’d all chosen to stand by her side. She’d accepted us despite the inconvenience because that was the kind of person she was, and I was proud to call her my friend.

‘Believe what you want, Arty, but we’ll prove you wrong soon enough. We’ll have an army ready to fight in now time, just you wait.’

Her smile brightened at my words, and I felt my chest swell with pride that I could succeed in turning her mood around so quickly. She may not have believe those words just yet, but I tell she wanted to.

The moment was interrupted when Adara skidded to a halt just inside the mangled doorway, panting from her sprint.

‘Artemis, come quick. Bromm’s awake!’