Page 1 of Rok’s Captive (Barbarians of the Dust #1)

TOO LONG; DIDN’T READ THE FUCKING FINE PRINT

JUSTINE

H urrying down the street, my eyes flick up briefly to a holo-billboard overhead. The Xyma’s iridescent eyes blink slowly above their stiff smile, their cream skin glowing like pearls in an oyster.

Nothing unusual—just another alien selling perfume with flowing silver-blue hair and that signature three-fingered gesture that went viral after first contact.

The Xyma looks so…perfect. Like something sculpted and not real. Not a hair out of place. Not a single blemish on their skin. While I…

I huff as I catch my and my sister’s reflection in the window of a closed-down shop. If this job pays as well as it says it will, we might be able to get our hair done at an actual salon this week—maybe even get one of those Xyma serum treatments so each strand feels like silk. Just that alone, a bit of extra money for self-care, and this job will be worth it. Our hair hasn’t seen professional attention since before Xyma ships became a common sight in our skies.

I check the address on my phone again. Three interviews this week, all rejections. This job has to pan out. The rent’s due. We have nowhere else to go. And beggars can’t be choosers.

I press another breath through my nose as we hurry down the sidewalk. Some douche bumps into me, causing my handbag to swing and almost fall off. I turn my head, scowling at him as my sister grips me and tugs me onward.

“Are you sure they said we can both come?” Jacqui is frowning underneath her shades, and I suddenly wish I’d worn mine, too. I’m in an airy blouse, loose brown pants, and heeled sandals. They’re perfect for this ungodly heat, but I’m sweating, anyway. I’d rolled my blonde hair into a bun and put on my favorite butterfly earrings. I look presentable, I think. Hopefully, it’s enough to land this job. God knows I’m putting my every hope on this.

“Yeah.” I grip Jacqui’s hand as we hurry on. “Lady on the phone said I could bring anyone interested.”

Jacqui frowns and even with the dark shades, I can tell her blue eyes that look so much like mine are glaring at me. “ Justine , are you sure? I didn’t have to send a resume? For alien research ?”

I shrug. “I didn’t either. It was a post I saw on LinkedOut. I just filled out the questionnaire and they took my details. No experience necessary. The listing said they need healthy women for ‘environmental adaptation research.’ Something about testing how humans react in different conditions.”

“And they’re really paying ten grand for that?” Jacqui’s frown deepens and I shrug again.

To be honest, I’m not completely sure why the pay is so high, but I don’t care. “The Xyma could give two shits about money. That’s the whole point of this integration between our species. They get to study us, we get their tech and funding. Win-win.” I try to sound more confident than I feel. “Besides, government-funded research always pays well if you can get it. Remember when Anna from our old apartment did that drug trial? Paid her rent for like six months.”

The explanation feels reasonable enough in my head. After all, the Xyma came and suddenly Earth evolved more than it ever could have in just two years. Makes sense them doing this research if we’re to expand humanity across the stars.

Still, I can feel Jacqui’s glare. For my younger sister, she’s always acted like the mother we both lost.

“Alright, listen.” I stop at the pedestrian crossing, taking a breath that feels just as hot as the air already in my lungs. As we wait for the light to turn green, people crowd at our backs and the humidity goes up by ten fucking degrees. “Look, we don’t have a choice, do we? Unless you can fork up a month’s rent in less than a day, we’re both fucked hard in the ass with a big fat dick, Jaqs. Zero lube, baby.”

An elderly woman scowls at me, probably because of my language, and I cringe, lowering my voice.

“We can turn back now if you’re not sure about it.” The anxiety that’s been chasing me for weeks threatens to raise its head again. We’ll be homeless, but I’ll turn back if Jacqui really wants us to. I just hope she doesn’t. “We can look for something else.”

Jacqui stares at me for a moment before her shoulders sag. “No, you did good finding this. Better than good.” She sighs. “We have to do it. You’re right, we don’t have a choice.”

Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I nod. As the pedestrian light goes green, we turn and race across the road just before the little man turns red.

Jacqui grips my hand tighter as we hurry down the next street. “I just…look, I wore a skirt . Should I have worn pants like you? Jeans? Are we going to be doing physical tests or anything? If that’s the case we’re overdressed, Jus. What if they turn us away and?—”

“You look great.” I give her brown blouse a once over. Her low-heeled brown boots give it some flair. “Hey! Isn’t that one of my blouses?”

She grins at me and I roll my eyes as we turn the corner.

“Better to be overdressed than underdressed,” I whisper, echoing words our mother used to say. Back then, our hair was always done. Our clothes always barely worn. We were little girls who didn’t know how cruel the world could be. Little girls who didn’t expect to grow up in a world where aliens came to Earth and—poof—society just didn’t function anymore.

I guess it could be worse. The aliens didn’t enslave us. They just showed up and gave us tech that made our jobs obsolete.

Just a side effect of peaceful first contact.

Jacqui smiles, squeezing my hand. “You sound like mom.” I don’t miss the note of sadness in her voice. “All seriousness though, Jus, you did the checks, right? I mean, it’s only been like, what, two years since the Xyma showed up? And now we’re signing up to do research with them?”

Two years. It feels like two decades.

“Of course, I did the checks,” I almost growl. To think she’d actually question if I did the checks! “I verified the number on the job post, Jaqs. It matched. It’s the same one on the EXA website. And I researched the organization. EXA. Earth-Xyma Alliance. I mean, we see them on TV all the time. I even looked up their headquarters. It’s that iconic white building in Washington. Not some tent in a sketchy back alley. The website said they’ve partnered with the government to keep humans productive.”

“Productive.” Jacqui says the word like it tastes like dirt as she dodges some man who is walking like he owns the entire sidewalk. She sighs again as we reach the next block and cross the street.

I know why she’s questioning this so much. It’s the Xyma. And even though they’ve turned out to be a peaceful race, it’s still hard to trust them completely. They’re aliens after all. Far more advanced than us. They could have crushed us like bugs when they arrived, but they didn’t. Regardless of that they’re still, well, aliens .

“They’re paying how much again?” she asks after a few moments.

“Ten thousand. If we’re accepted. Then a grand a day after that until the research ends.” Jacqui’s head snaps in my direction, eyebrows shooting above her shades. I hurry on. “I’m not too sure about that part. Maybe I didn’t read it right. But even if it’s a tenth of that it’ll be more than enough for rent and food…if I can get them to give us an advance, that is.” I bite my lower lip, thinking. “And if we make a good impression, maybe they’ll keep us on. We could save until we find more stable jobs. Maybe in one of those new Xyma factories.”

“Landing one of those jobs is rarer than a bitch with three clits.”

I snort. “So two isn’t rare enough?”

Jacqui releases a chuckle before shaking her head. “The Xyma have thousands of robots. Their factories don’t need us. Heck, they don’t need us. I’m surprised they’re helping us at all.”

I bite my lip. She’s right, of course. But that’s why we need this job. We need the money. Things are only going to get harder out here.

Jacqui groans, head tilting forward, and I know she’s looking at her outfit again. No more questions come from her lips though; she’s resigned to putting her best foot forward just like I am. Neither of us has been able to land a job despite constantly applying for over eight months. We have no savings. We’ve sold and pawned every single possession we could part with.

There’s nothing left. Nothing apart from Mom’s butterfly earrings attached to my ears and neither of us is selling those.

“I guess it won’t be so bad, right?” Jacqui murmurs. “Who doesn’t want to work with aliens and get paid to do it?”

I swallow down my emotions, knowing she’s thinking about the same thing I am. That this is our last shot before our landlord demands payment in ‘alternative means’. We’d rather die.

Shit. We really are fucked. In the ass. Zero lube.

My pace slows down as I scan the street. By my side, Jacqui sobers up and a heavy sigh weighs down her shoulders. Those mothering hormones kick in even though she’s only a year younger than I am. I guess we’ve both learned to mother each other since Mom passed over a decade ago. “Cheer up, Jaqs. I’ll buy you ice cream later.”

She snorts and punches me in the side with her elbow. “I’m not a fucking child.”

“Ah, so you don’t want ice cream then? Strawberry with chocolate syrup? Hmm…guess I’ll just have to eat it all on my lonesome.”

“Hey, I never said I didn’t want it!”

“Thought so.” I chuckle as I frown, scanning the street ahead.

“What are you looking for, anyway? I thought you said we’re going to the EXA.”

I shake my head. “No, we’re not going to the headquarters. There’s supposed to be a shuttle taking us to the research facility.”

Her eyebrows rise again. “Really…I guess that doesn’t sound too bad for a ride to Washington.”

“Not Washington. We’re going to Arizona. They said we’d be transported there.”

“Arizona?!”

I give Jacqui a tight-lipped grin. Arizona’s like a death sentence in this heat but, well—again—we have no choice. It’s either this or joining the growing number of people setting up tents along the curb.

“There it is!” I spot the white bus just as it pulls into the bus stop and I’m kind of glad when Jacqui turns her focus to the bus instead of me. “EXA” is emblazoned on the side in big dark letters over an alien script. I don’t know, but it dispels some of my nerves seeing the text there.

“Damn, you’re actually right. They really sent transportation,” Jacqui mutters as I tug her along with me. We hurry together, my eyes widening when I realize all the people at the bus stop seem to be waiting for the same ride. Glancing back at Jacqui, her lifted brows tell me everything I need to know. We’re thinking the same thing. This is a lot of people. But more than that, this is a nice, new, classy-ass bus. The exterior looks brand new, but what I can see of the interior looks even more impressive. Like some futuristic luxury limo or something.

I remind myself this is the Xyma we’re dealing with, not our shitty government who would have made us take public transport and pay for it ourselves, too.

We’re right in front of the wide double doors when they open with a swoosh. I push down the lump in my throat as we step on, but almost stumble at what I see before me. Glancing back at Jacqui, I squeeze her hand hard. Her sister-sister telepathy is fucking on because she gets the gist immediately. Her eyes open wide enough that I see them over the rim of her shades. Before us is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. The bus driver is all sculpted cheekbones and piercing green eyes. He looks almost too perfect to be human, though I can’t place exactly why. Maybe it’s the way his skin seems to shimmer slightly under the fluorescent lights, or the unnaturally still way he holds himself. Almost inhuman if not for the expensive dark suit he’s wearing. Even in the scorching heat, he’s not sweating.

Xyma? No. He doesn’t look anything like the ones I’ve seen on TV.

A shiver goes through me as his gaze slides from me to Jacqui. Only, it’s not the type of shiver that should be there. Not the one that makes my blood tingle and butterflies swirl in my gut. This shiver makes me completely aware, as if there’s a spider on my back and I shouldn’t move as those green eyes focus back on me.

“I—uh—,” I stutter. God, you’d think I haven’t seen an attractive man in years. Have I? I’ve been too damn focused on the fact that we’ve been peacefully invaded. “Is this the bus for the EXA program?” Fuck, he must think I’m an idiot. The logo is on the side of the bus, but the neurotic part of me still has to double-check.

Without saying a thing, the driver simply gives me a stiff nod. That tingle of alertness goes through me again as I force my legs to move. Flipping out my cell phone as we take the two free seats directly behind the driver, I pull up my web browser and type in ‘EXA’ again.

The search results come up. The alliance is spearheaded by representatives from the New World government and the Xyma themselves. Formed soon after first contact, they’ve done a lot of work over the past two years as Earth shifted on the fact that we truly weren’t alone.

Sliding my phone back into my bag, I shift closer to the window as Jacqui leans my way, giving space to the other people boarding the bus. I catch a few faces. A stream of women. There’s one with a cane that comes in and sits in the accessibility bay. One with her hair hiding a birthmark that covers half her face. Another strawberry blonde who catches my eyes and grins. I smile back, some of the tension leaving my shoulders.

It’s just regular people. Like me. Like Jaqs.

“Hey, you seeing this?” Jacqui whispers, her hand tightening on mine as her head tilts toward the stream of people filling the bus. “It’s all women…”

“Yeah,” I murmur. Her observation makes my spine tingle with unease. “I mean, I knew they wanted women, but…”

“Yeah? Only women? Don’t you think that’s weird?”

I squeeze her hand, but can’t quite muster the reassurance I want to give. “The job post said something about biological differences in adaptation.”

“Right…Of course.” She shifts uncomfortably in her seat before adjusting her handbag with a defeated sigh. I place mine in my lap, clutching it a little too tightly. It’s not long till the bus is full, every seat taken.

Slight nervousness makes me look over my shoulder from where we’re seated and I catch the eyes of some of the passengers. Some of them are talking to each other, some are just looking out the windows. It seems like a varied bunch, but I guess that’s what you’d get sourcing people from the city. There’s nothing strange in that. Just a regular bunch of people looking for a quick paycheck like us.

None of them look overly worried or freaked out.

Ten grand if we get in. A grand a day after. If they keep us for the month, that’s like forty a pop. With me and Jaqs that’s like eighty. That’s a good salary for a year. We wouldn’t have to worry so much for a while.

Forcing the anxiety down, I settle into my seat, my gaze shifting to the rearview mirror so I can watch the driver.

When his gaze suddenly flicks up like some hawk, I get that strange feeling again before I look away. Beautiful people are intimidating, but I never thought of myself as someone who was ever so easily frayed. I learned the hard way that life won’t hesitate to pull you down if you let your nerves get in the way. It’s why I’m taking this job. Why I have to try. But this dude…it’s like his eyes are looking under my skin.

This close, I can see the shadow of silver-blue hair cropped close to his skull. So he is Xyma. How did he get his face to look so human? Probably another tech thing or maybe some other research they’ve been conducting. It’s…creepy.

Gaze shifting to Jacqui, I elbow her in the side when I find her blatantly eating up the man candy, only her shades giving her any semblance of discretion.

“Stop!” I hiss.

She grins, running her tongue over her lips for effect. “What? He’s hot.”

“He’s also obviously not human.”

She grins wider, all her apparent worry from before seeming to disappear in the presence of alien dick. “I’ve seen some stuff on the internet…”

“God, you’re gross.”

“Says the girl who hasn’t had a boyfriend in four years.”

I elbow her again, a laugh choking in my throat. “Low blow.”

Jacqui shrugs.

As the bus doors swoosh closed, my chest rises and falls in a sigh.

“WELCOME TO THE EARTH-XYMA ALLIANCE ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.” The automated voice makes me jump. Jacqui lets out a surprised chuckle, head tilting as she looks around. Gaze shifting to the roof, I can’t even see the speaker where the voice should be coming from. “PLEASE TAKE YOUR TRANSLATION DEVICE AND THE PROVIDED LITERATURE. YOUR CONSENT IS REQUIRED FOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PROGRAM.”

My gaze flies to Jacqui’s. So…we’re in? We got into the program already? That’s…fast and not how I’m used to things being done at all.

Sister telepathy buzzing, Jacqui shrugs. “Which translation device?” She whispers.

My eyes are wide as I shrug in an ‘I don’t know what the hell they mean either,’ sort of way. “Maybe we’ll be dealing with Xyma researchers who don’t speak any Earth languages?”

Jacqui’s brows lift higher. “Doubt it. They learned Mandarin and English even before they revealed themselves to us.”

I tilt my head. She does have a point.

I glance around the seats and then in front of me, but I can’t see anything that looks like a translation device or the supposed literature. This isn’t like being on a plane and the seat before you has the safety information card in the pocket.

My mouth damn near falls open when a slot opens at my side, directly in the wall of the bus. Out slips two colorful flyers and a tray with two small circular discs.

“The fuck?” Jacqui breathes. It’s like her murmur echoes through the bus, other people expressing the same wonder. “Those can’t be the translators, can they? They look like earphones.”

Reaching for the two little white things, I pass one to Jaqs as I turn the other over in my fingers.

“How do you turn it on?” Jaqs whispers before she puts it into her ear. I follow her lead and do the same, glancing over my shoulder to see some of the other women following suit, while others seem more hesitant.

“Maybe they’ll tell us how it works when we get there,” I mutter.

Grabbing the two flyers, my gaze shifts to the driver, who still has his gaze on me. Is there something on my face? I find myself self-consciously wiping my hand across my jaw as I give Jacqui her flyer, too.

Finally, he looks away, our bodies jostling as the bus pulls out and continues down the city street. Air conditioning suddenly kicks in and I almost release a groan.

Jacqui huffs a laugh through her nose and shifts her body so she’s comfortable. “God, that feels good. I take it back, Jus. They don’t even have to pay us. Just let us sit on this bus. Fuck the heat.”

Someone chuckles behind us and I look over my shoulder to see a woman with long braided hair nodding in agreement. “She’s right,” the woman says, “it’s like hell out there. At least we’ll travel in comfort.”

A little shiver of excitement goes through me. “You have any idea what we’re in for?”

The woman shakes her head before shrugging. “Can’t say I trust these Xyma, but at this point, everyone and their third cousin twice removed is looking for work. Been at it for months myself.” She lets out a dry laugh. “This pays well and honestly sounds interesting. I mean, getting to work with Xyma tech has to be better than filing for unemployment again.”

I smile at her and nod. It’s a relief to know we’re not the only ones here for the money. I’m about to turn back around when some sort of commotion occurs farther down in the bus. A young woman is speaking rapidly in what sounds like German to someone on her phone, and the woman beside her with strawberry blonde hair is all but beaming, even slightly jumping in her seat.

“I can understand her!” The giddy woman proclaims, and my gaze shifts to Jacqui. My first thought is to roll my eyes. What’s the big deal? But then it hits me. I punch Jacqui in the arm and she winces.

“What the fuck, Jus?—”

“Talk to me.”

“I am talking to you.”

I shake her shoulder. “No, I mean in Japanese. You took classes. You must remember something .”

Jacqui rolls her eyes. “It wasn’t ‘classes’. It was my minor .”

“Jaaaqs…”

“Fine! Hello.”

“No, I mean, talk to me in Japanese!”

“I am talking to you in Japanese! Right now, everything I’m saying.”

“What?”

“Are you okay?”—I take the earbud out as she’s speaking—“Kikoeru?”

My eyes widen into huge pools. “Oh…my…God. I could understand you!” I almost scream. “In English ! Holy shit. Can this thing translate in real time?”

My exclamation spreads through the bus as everyone begins talking at once. “What, really?” Jacqui glances from me to the other women who are busy talking in languages they know. “Try it on me. Talk to me.”

I go blank. “Do love languages count? You know I don’t speak any other languages, Jaqs.” But then, with a grin filled with mischief, I remember one thing. “Hasta la vista, baby.”

Jacqui bursts out laughing. “I’m going to guess you just used the Terminator line, just from the way you smirked.” She’s laughing hard now as I nod. “I heard it in English.”

“Wow.” I reach up and touch the little earbud. “That’s some technology. If the Xyma are sharing tech like this, no wonder everyone is scrambling to find something to pay the bills.”

Jacqui shakes her head. “If this is any indication, maybe this won’t be so bad after all.”

I laugh then, some more tension leaving my shoulders.

“DISAGREEMENT WITH THE TERMS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE LITERATURE WILL RESULT IN REMOVAL FROM THE PROGRAM,” the automated voice says again and I’m jolted back to reality. A hush goes through the bus as we’re all reminded this isn’t a holiday. We’re here for work. Lifting the flyer, I start reading at the same time that Jacqui pushes her shades up to balance on her forehead.

“Let’s see what we’re actually signing up for,” she whispers.

“The EXA Environmental Adaptation Research Program,” I read out loud. “An out-of-this-world experience awaits.” I scoff. Bet a human wrote that part.

The literature in my hand depicts planet Earth on the front of the flyer, facing what I assume is the planet the Xyma came from. It’s tan and looks like it’s filled with rocks and sand. Nothing like our little blue ball. When I open the flyer, I realize it isn’t a regular flyer at all, but that it has several pages folded inside. More like a manual than anything else.

Jacqui chuckles. “Who the hell is going to read all this?”

The bus turns a corner, and we join the line of traffic heading out of the city. Whoo. We’re really doing this.

“Says here participants will be placed in a controlled environment for the research period to test human adaptability,” I murmur, brows furrowing as I read. I flip through more pages. “And then there seems to be a list of…rules…” My frown deepens as I try to read the fine print. “Rules for duration of the research.” I read the title aloud. “No outside communication permitted during testing phases.”

“Makes sense for a controlled experiment,” Jacqui murmurs, her gaze skimming the manual. I see her eyebrow quirk. “Wait, are they saying we’re starting today? Like, right now? I thought this was just orientation.”

I’m staring at the manual, trying to skim fast to find where she saw this particular information. I see more rules as I go.

“Physiological monitors must remain adhered for emergency response protocols. All specimens, organic or otherwise, are property of EXA and will be reclaimed upon project completion. Voluntary withdrawal is only permitted prior to Phase 1 commencement. No unauthorized biological samples. No documenting procedures. No deviating from assigned schedules. No refusing medical examinations.”

“Fuck me now,” Jacqui utters and I’m sure I hear the bus driver growl. When my gaze shifts to him, his gaze flicks to us even though he should be watching the road. It’s unnerving. “Look at this.” Jacqui thrusts the last two pages of the manual into my face and a series of images greets my eyes. There are images of some harsh desert landscapes and what appears to be some kind of habitat dome.

“I get it now,” Jacqui says. “They’re taking us to the Arizona facility and they’ve probably set up some kind of habitat. We’ll live there during the research period in some simulated biome thing. Kind of like those habitat zones they used to test how humans would endure life on Mars.” I can almost hear her confidence increase the more she reasons out loud. “It says we’re starting immediately upon arrival.”

“Wait, what? We don’t have any of our things!” I protest, flipping back through the pages. “There’s gotta be some mistake.”

“Damn,” someone in the seat behind us mutters, and I glance over my shoulder to see a woman scowl at the lengthy fine print. With a roll of her eyes, she pulls a pen from her bag and simply signs. “Who the hell has time to read all this?” she mutters, glancing up at me. “But yeah, it definitely says immediate start. All necessary supplies will be provided.”

I feel a wave of panic rise within me. We can’t back out now; we need this job. But I’m wearing heeled sandals, for God’s sake. How am I supposed to survive in a research facility in these?

I shrug, trying to calm myself. We’re on the interstate now and moving fast.

“It says we’re supposed to be pleasant in all interactions and there…” Jacqui’s still reading. She brings the paper right up to her face, squinting at the fine print. “Hmm…there’s a data privacy thing here, too. At the end of the document. It says that by signing, we’re permitting the EXA as the only one dealing with our data.”

“Well, that’s a given. Why would we want them to share our data?” Scanning the flyer again, my gaze shifts to the road outside. What will we be losing? The few pieces of clothing left in our closet and the leftovers in the fridge? If we’re lucky, this will be a month of free room and board.

Fuck it.

I shrug, taking my pen out. My signature looks huge on the tiny line, but the moment I lift my pen from the paper it feels like it’s all settled. We’re in it now. Gaze shifting to the window, I watch the traffic go by. Here, in the coolness of the bus, the heat outside almost looks unreal. Beside us is a family in a station wagon that probably looked new two years ago. Now it’s packed with their belongings on top and what looks like three kids screaming at each other in the back. A lot of people have been starting over. Moving from the city to try living off grid so they can provide for themselves.

That would be me and Jacqui, too. But even that you need money to do.

As Jacqui signs and hands me back my pen, the automated voice sounds again.

“ALL CONSENTS SIGNED. THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE EARTH-XYMA ALLIANCE ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.”

I turn to Jacqui, brows slightly raised, as I look around for the camera. But just like the speaker, I can’t locate it.

“PLEASE SETTLE IN. IT WILL BE A LONG TRIP.”

I give Jacqui one of those closed-mouthed smiles that say ‘we’re in it now’ and settle back in my seat, eyes ahead as I watch the bus eat the road.

“They seem thorough,” Jacqui whispers and I nod, though my mind is racing with panic. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, right?

For miles, the bus travels, till the city is far behind us and we’re heading far into desert land where dusty gas pumps are miles apart. There’s soft chatter in the bus that slowly reduces into low murmurs. Some people start dozing off. Others become content with staring out the window like I am.

I look at the view as we go by, wondering when was the last time Jacqui and I had a trip outside the city. Years. The last I can remember was long after mom died and we both had a dangerous streak, drinking and partying because we both wanted to die too. It’s a time that’s so painful I don’t want to remember it, but I can’t forget it either. And so I stare out the window now, remembering that time and also knowing that things have to get better for us. We can’t keep living like this.

We’re barely living. We’re simply surviving.

With a sigh, I pull my gaze from the view.

The bus has been traveling for hours. The sun is setting now, casting long shadows across the landscape. I check my phone—no signal, not surprising this far out. What is surprising is that the GPS isn’t working either. Just an error message on a blank screen.

“Weird,” I mutter, showing Jacqui my phone. “GPS is down.”

She shrugs, leaning her head against my shoulder, clearly fighting sleep. “Probably just no coverage out here.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

The bus makes a sudden turn off the main highway onto what looks like a maintenance road—barely more than a dirt path with tire tracks. The ride gets bumpier, jostling some of the dozing women awake.

“ATTENTION PARTICIPANTS,” the automated voice returns, startling several of us. “PREPARING FOR TRANSIT PROTOCOL ADJUSTMENT. PLEASE REMAIN SEATED.”

Jacqui sits up straighter, suddenly alert. “Transit protocol what now?”

The driver speaks for the first time, his voice melodic and strangely accent-free. “Earthlings. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are implementing contingency route alpha. Please remain calm.”

“Contingency route?” a woman a few rows back calls out. “What does that mean?”

No answer comes. The bus continues down the increasingly rough path, the windows reflecting the last rays of sunlight in a way that makes it hard to see outside clearly.

“Initiate secure transit mode,” the driver says, seemingly to no one.

The windows suddenly darken, becoming completely opaque. Several women cry out in alarm.

“What the hell?” I stand up halfway, instinctively reaching for Jacqui’s hand.

“PLEASE REMAIN SEATED,” the automated voice insists, louder this time. “SECURITY PROTOCOLS ACTIVE.”

The driver turns his head slightly, just enough that I can see his profile. Something about the way he moves is too smooth. That uncanny feeling I had earlier returns tenfold. I try to push it back.

This is the Xyma. We can trust them. Earth trusts them. Humans trust them. We can trust them .

“Emergency pressurization required,” he announces. “Implementing atmospheric stabilization.”

Atmospheric stabilization? Awesome. Love that for us. I’ll just stabilize my own atmosphere while we’re at it because panic is definitely setting in.

Before anyone can react, the air vents above us hiss open, and a fine mist begins filling the cabin. It has a faint greenish tint and smells vaguely metallic.

“Cover your mouth!” I hiss to Jacqui, pulling the collar of my blouse up over my nose. All around us, women are doing the same, some crying out in alarm.

“The atmospheric adjustment is for your safety,” the driver says calmly. “Resistance will increase discomfort.”

I glare at his disgustingly attractive face. “What do you mean atmospheric adjust?—”

The bus lurches sideways, then seems to drop several feet all at once, like we’ve driven off a ledge. Women scream. Automatic restraints deploy from our seats, pulling me back down and strapping us in place.

Fear spikes. I try to free myself but I’m suddenly lightheaded, my limbs growing heavy despite my efforts to hold my breath. Jacqui slumps against me, her eyes wide but unfocused.

“Jus,” she slurs, “something’s wrong.”

The bus shudders violently. Through the fog filling my brain, I hear mechanical sounds—clicks and whirs and the hiss of what sounds like hydraulics.

“Transit anomaly detected,” a new voice announces over the speakers. “Initiating emergency protocols.”

The driver stands up—which shouldn’t be possible with the bus still moving—and turns to face us. In the greenish mist, his eyes seem to glow with an inner light.

“Prepare for emergency suspension,” he says, his voice resonating strangely through my earbud, which means he’s probably not speaking fucking English anymore.

“What’s…happening?” I manage to ask, my tongue feeling thick in my mouth.

“Sleep,” he replies simply. “For your protection.”

The mist grows thicker. My eyelids grow heavier. Jacqui’s head falls onto my shoulder, her breathing slowing.

The last thing I hear before consciousness slips away is the driver’s voice, oddly gentle.

“The journey will be longer than anticipated. But you will survive.”

“Transit to orbital station commencing,” says another voice over the speakers. “Estimated arrival: ten Earth hours.”

Orbital what now?

Oh shit.

We should have read the fine print more carefully.

We’re not going to a facility in Arizona.

We’re leaving Earth.