Page 47

The first stop was a scan from the guards.

I heard the beep and then we were moving again, but briefly until we stopped again.

We waited for a few seconds and then together we lifted the lid of the case, peeking out to make sure we were alone.

No one was in sight in the sterile, dull room.

We climbed out as silently as possible and put the lid back.

Zephyr went straight to the dumb waiter, while I went to the door.

Before going through, I glanced back at her one last time, heart in my throat.

I breathed, putting her and all my love into a small part of my mind, saving it for later, and focused on saving Zelena.

These types of missions weren’t my favorite, but I’d done many of them. This was no different.

Get the target, don’t get caught.

Simple.

I hoped.

It took me barely five minutes to reach the dark ballroom, yet I was sweating and nauseous by the time I arrived. I may have been an old hat at this, but there’d never been this much at stake before. The woman I loved and the woman who was family to me, both in danger.

The ballroom was a long rectangle with beautiful chandeliers hanging above in the shape of starbursts.

The floor was decorated with roses entwined with stars, the Krynn seal.

The black and red of the floor was shined to reflect everything so it was a bit disorienting if I looked down too long.

The walls were covered in paintings and tapestries.

At the very back of the room, the walls stuck out in a strange square shape, right near the servant entrance where staff would bring out trays of refreshments.

It could simply be a kitchen or storage space, but then why wasn’t it on the schematic?

I tried the double doors at the back, ready to pick the lock, when they opened smoothly.

My skin prickled with unease as I stepped through.

This is too fucking easy. I didn’t see a single person on the way here.

The staff entrance led to a very short hall that ended at a food preparation room that looked like a kitchen except for the lack of stoves.

But to the left of it, was a wall that shimmered if I looked at it out of the corner of my eye.

I ran my hands along the smooth metal until I found a nearly imperceptible seam on the right side.

A pop door.

I sent Zephyr a ping to her CPU to let her know I was ready and a few seconds later I received one back.

“Here we go.”

I pressed on the pop door and it sprang out from the wall, revealing a door that slid to the side.

I opened it enough to slip through and then closed it.

For a second I was in total darkness until lights above me clicked on to reveal cells, three on either side of a short walk way.

They were about the size of a large shower and inside one was Zelena, crumpled to the floor, dark purple blood on her tendrils and hands.

“Oh my god…” I ran to the cell and examined the key code pad.

My CPU ran a decoding program and I keyed in the code. The door clicked open and I darted inside, kneeling down beside her.

“Zelena,” I whispered, my fingers searching for a pulse in her wrist.

It was there but weak, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Her hand twitched and she started to shift with a moan. I helped her sit up and the moment I looked at her bloodied and swollen face, I saw red.

“Sh-sherrod,” she slurred, one of her front teeth missing, “what are you…no, no, no! You shouldn’t…shouldn’t be here.”

“I heard you were taken, I had to—”

She slapped me across the face far harder than I would’ve thought possible in her current condition.

“You idiot! I’m bait.”

“And very good bait too,” said a smug voice behind me.

I had my phase pistol in my hand and I spun around, firing quick. But the only thing I managed to hit was a security droid that sparked and shook. The voice had come from a screen on the droid’s stomach.

“Now, now,” Cypher chided, “is that any way to treat your hosts?”

The door to the cell slammed shut and I raised my pistol to fire at it.

“I wouldn’t. That glass is plexicore, you’ll just ricochet the bolt right into yourself or your friend.”

I put the pistol down and glared at the screen on the droid, who was starting to repair itself.

“Alright, you caught me,” I snarled. “Now what the fuck do you want?”

“Oh, I didn’t want you,” Cypher grinned.

And my stomach dropped.

Zephyr…

“But you will be a very good lesson for her. One that the commander tried to teach her and failed.”

Before I could ponder what the fuck he meant by that, gas began to fill the small space. It smelled like lemons and stung my nostrils. I recognized it as a strong sedative gas, not a poison and was thankful for the small favor. I hit the floor and coughed as I met Zelena’s bloodshot eyes.

“The…drive?” she gasped.

“It’s for,” I coughed, “Zephyr.”

“You make it…so difficult.”

She grabbed my forearm and pried the compartment open with her bloodied fingers. My vision was starting to go hazy, my filtration systems unable to get the drug out of my system fast enough. I tried to shake my head at the small pill shaped drive she held out to me, but Zelena yanked me toward her.

“You can’t…save her…if you’re…if you’re…”

Her grip loosened and she slumped to the floor, the drive falling to the floor.

I was just conscious enough to know she was right.

I had to make sure I could save Zephyr, and I wouldn’t be able to do that if I was dead.

So I fumbled around for the small pill, finally grasping it between partially numbed fingers.

Just before I lost consciousness, I managed to stuff it in my mouth and swallow.