Page 33 of Tethered

“Captain. A word please?” It’s Barker, and he sounds about as unimpressed as before.

Goosebumps ripple across my skin. This is where I get caught, and Vee will have to watch his mother get arrested. I’ll lose custody and maybe Dominik will eventually turn him against me. He’ll go to a private school where all the kids will make fun of him for having an inmate for a mother—

“How can I help?”

Tanisira sounds calm. How can she sound so calm right now?

“I’d like to talk to your colleague in there,” Barker says.

My heart feels like it’s going to escape from its confines.

“Mabel?”

“Yes. Can you patch me through to her and give us a moment, please?”

Oh, my—

I gag a little, literally sick with nerves. Maybe he wants me to flip on Tanisira. Maybe he just wants to drag my arse out of here because he’s having a bad day. There’s a noticeable pause where I imagine Tanisira giving the officer a scathing look.

Then she answers, “Sure. Let me ask her—”

“No, don’t worry about that. She’ll want to talk to me.”

I scream inside my head. But there’s no way for Tanisira to deny his request without arousing suspicion. We were lucky enough the officers were willing to walk away earlier. I listen to the sound of her footfall with dread. I don’t think she’ll go far, but it makes me feel hot and irritable anyway.

“Do not say anything. Pretend to be so inconsolable that you can’t speak.” Tanisira’s whisper is even quieter in my ear.

Assuming the airlock intercom is active, I don’t reply. The door taunts me, and I brace myself for the unavoidable.

Barker calls through the intercom and it filters through my helmet. “Mabel, can you hear me?” His voice is also quiet, as if he doesn’t want Tanisira to overhear. Strange. “My name is officer Barker.”

I suck in a breath, and I don’t even have to pretend to be anxious. It’s shallow and wheezy, echoing behind my visor. I suck in a few more, trying to restart my lungs. It worries me that he came back alone. Maybe he thinks he can lure me into a false sense of safety and catch me out that way.

“Are you okay?” he prods.

Closing my eyes, I wish he would just put me out of my misery. I could speed up the inevitable but I’m frozen in place. It’s fine—I can start brainstorming my prison nickname. Depending on where they’re picked up, a lot of prisoners get sent to Venusian labour camps. Terraforming isn’t cheap or fast work, and many private companies have contracts with the prisons. If that happens to me, I will have no chance of seeing Vee.

Barker interrupts maybe my second spiral in as many minutes. “Mabel, I need to check that you feel safe on this vessel. You sounded very panicked, and I don’t like that I can’t see you face to face.”

Yeah, sure. I almost snort, despite myself.

“I know what people get up to on yachts like this when young women are around and far from home. People like Dominik Gryphon and his friends. Officially, I can’t do anything unless you say something, but I can get you off this ship, right now, either way.”

What? My eyes snap open. I’m so shocked that I make a sound in the back of my throat. It seems to spur Barker on. “Is that a yes? If you’re unsafe here, we can line up the ships and you can board through our airlock. You won’t have to see anyone.”

Oh. He doesn’t suspect me… he thinks I’m being taken advantage of. My heart, which had been pounding, skips a little beat at this unexpected turn. Sometimes, humanity does surprise me.

Tanisira, perhaps just as amazed as I, stays silent in my other ear. I inhale deeply, because I think a shaky voice right now would only convince Officer Barker than I’m scared and in an abusive situation. And though it’s sweet, I really don’t want to encourage his overture.

“Thank you, officer, but I’m just really bad in confined spaces.” I have to clear my throat halfway through, and I still sound a little scratchy.

There’s a long silence, which only makes me want to scream. If he insists on waiting until the ‘damage’ to the airlock is fixed, just to make sure I’m okay, it’s all over. I force a nervous laugh. “I know it’s silly to be in this career with claustrophobia, but I normally keep a tight ship, and doors always open when I tell them to. Blame it on my mother, who said I could never be an astronaut. Proved her wrong, didn’t I? Well, kind of.”

Tanisira titters and it brings a real smile to my mouth. The audacity of her, after that performance she gave earlier.

But then, miracle of all miracles, Barker’s voice is less strained and at a normal volume when he replies. “Yeah, you proved her wrong. You’ll be okay; your captain seems really determined to get you out. Have a good night, Mabel. Captain, we’re all good here.”

Barker believes me. Somehow, we made it work.