Page 17

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Finn palmed the biome door lock. Ethan had remained in the command room, finalizing comms with Cade on the surface, but Finn had brought Rose with him.

Still this craziness of needing her close. He flexed his hand, the one that had protected a woman yet cost him years of his life. His actions had left a permanent stain. Even if Rose couldn’t see it.

“Finn.” Her voice at his shoulder pulled him back, returning him to the task at hand. The door wasn’t for opening.

The glass, tinged murky green by the plant growth thriving on the other side, was opaque, obscuring the secrets that lay beyond.

It was also locked tight. Scrub that, not only locked. The deadlocks had been engaged and the mechanism sabotaged from the other side.

Instinctively, his hand brushed the gun holstered at his hip. With each step they took deeper into the heart of the Io, his misgivings became more intense.

Liev and Luca had just arrived fresh from the Io’s Environmental Control Hub with the equipment required to open the door.

“What the absolute fuck?” Luca ran his fingertips along the sealed edges. Expanding foam bulged from the gap under the door like some alien growth. Someone had meticulously applied it, creating an airtight seal that also prevented entry.

The question hung in the air, unanswered, but Finn shared Luca’s sentiment. What the fuck was going on? All of this defied explanation, and the more he considered the facts, the more unsettling the picture.

“Why would people seal themselves off from the rest of the habitat and do it in such a way that even the air can’t get in?” Luca gave the door an irritated kick.

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Liev wielded a bulky welding rig, the equipment salvaged along with several crowbars from the Io’s well-stocked maintenance stores. He lowered a tinted mask over his face, the visor obscuring his features. The welding torch flared to life, the blue flame morphing from a gentle lick to a searing, narrow beam as he adjusted the settings then applied it to the door seal.

Rose paced a short distance down the corridor, away from the hissing noise.

Finn followed her. As a scientist, surely she must have some theory, some hypothesis that could explain the crew’s bizarre actions? “Rose. Any ideas?”

She started as if lost in her thoughts. “One possibility,” she had to raise her voice over the whistling of Liev’s welding torch. “Is a malfunction in the life support systems. If the air filtration or oxygen generation failed in the rest of the habitat, the crew might have sealed themselves in the biome as a last resort.”

“But we’re out here and the life support system is just fucking fine.” Luca joined them, his gaze darting up and down the empty corridor.

“Well…yes.” She looked crestfallen for a moment.

Unable to stop himself, Finn reached out and cupped her elbow. When she didn’t pull away from his touch, a bubble of happiness welled up inside him.

“ And , in that instance.” Luca was on a roll. “Wouldn’t they have sent a distress signal?” His fingers tapped a rapid beat against the leather of his gun holster.

Rose crossed her arms over her body. Doubt lined her face even as intelligence shone in her eyes, but she had no more idea of what was going on here than any of them and that was worrying.

The welding torch sputtered and died. Liev stepped back, his masked face turning toward the group. He lifted the visor. “Good to go.”

Liev removed the welding gear and stepped back. In his place, Finn moved forward with Luca carrying a heavy crowbar. He found the gap Liev had created in the metal and positioned his crowbar.

“On the count of three.” Finn adjusted his grip.

Luca gave a brief nod, flexing his fingers.

“One, two, three.” Finn pushed, using his weight as leverage. The door shuddered, then sprang open with a piercing screech of metal against metal. A rush of warm air hit his face, carrying the pungent scent of crushed leaves.

“Watch your step,” Liev spoke from behind him. “Restoring power has reactivated the security system. There might be security droids coming back online and we might look like hostiles.”

Perfect. Because what this shit show really needed was murderous security robots.

“On you.” Liev touched Luca’s shoulder, covering him as they moved as one into the biome.

Finn hung back, waiting for Rose. A surge of protectiveness washed over him. Just doing his job, right? He pressed his shoulders back. Nothing more . “Stay close. Behind me. Within touching distance.”

Touching distance . Her lips parted at his words, but her eyes conveyed silent trust.

Reassured, he turned and followed Luca and Liev into the biome.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, nature engulfed him. Towering plants flanked his path, their long, slender leaves cascading like a living curtain. Serrated leaves swayed gently in the warm, humid breeze that wafted through the room, their tips dancing. The air was heady with the scent of rich soil and the sweet aroma of blooming flowers hidden somewhere within the dense foliage.

At his feet, stocky plants rambled over the edges of the walkway, their turgid fleshy stems and broad leaves spilling over the boundaries. Above, the ceiling tapered into a vaulted dome from which strips of daylight bulbs created an ambient glow of artificial sunshine.

He’d never seen anything like it. But despite the beauty and luxuriant growth, he couldn’t shake the sense of unease.

He stretched one hand behind him, ostensibly to check Rose was there. His breath caught as her fingers locked around his. He glanced over his shoulder and she gave him a hesitant smile. She was scared but still with him. He winked. You’re doing just fine.

“Fucking planty extremes or what?” Luca’s normally strident voice was hushed .

“Crew ahead.” Liev tapped the tablet strapped to his forearm.

Rose’s nails dug into Finn’s skin as they rounded a corner as one unit.

Finn came to an abrupt halt, his grip on Rose intensifying. Six bodies down. Four males, two females. They lay sprawled across crushed vegetation. It was impossible to tell if they were alive.

Fuck. Finn lowered his weapon. “Duke, six casualties in the biome, all unconscious. Get here.”

His comms crackled with the medic’s voice. “Moving.”

“Is she alive?” Rose wrenched away from him, lurching toward the bodies.

“Rose.” He caught her arm, spinning her to face him. “Who?”

Something flashed in her eyes.

“Who are you looking for?” He glanced at Luca, who was already checking vitals.

“Thea. My sister.” She tore free, stumbling toward Luca.

Sister.

Duke pushed past, dropping beside the nearest casualty. Finn didn’t want to think about where Harris was now, probably shrouded in the dive room. “Breathing. Weak pulse.” Duke’s eyes narrowed. “Severe dehydration. I need immediate evac to medical.”

He fired off orders to Luca and Liev about stretcher retrieval, but Finn barely registered them. His focus was locked on Rose, who had collapsed beside one of the women. Dark hair fanned across the unconscious woman’s shoulders as Rose brushed it from her face.

“Thea. It’s me. Rose. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Finn closed a hand over Rose’s shoulder. “We need to talk.”