Quinn nodded. “Forever, P.”
I believed them.
12
A Path Forward
Arrangements had been made while I’d had my interlude, and it seemed all anyone needed was my agreement to go forward. I wasn’t sure why I was in charge when geniuses and super-soldiers—who were also probably geniuses—surrounded me, and yet there it was. Clay was ready to go down in the shuttle to the station. Waverly knew him. She’d trust him to get her out of there. The two super-soldiers and Jackson would go with him.
I shook my head. “Look, I’m not Paloma the Great, okay? I have no particular skills that are going to help in this situation. But you need me. Waverly’s not alone. We don’t know how many women are down there. For all we know, we could be shoving hundreds onto the shuttle…”
“It’s probably no more than ten,” Jackson interrupted me. “That’s standard: five to ten. I’ve not purchased a wife. But I’ve seen these things before, unfortunately. Five to ten.”
Okay, well that didn’t negate my point. “They don’t know you. Seeing a female face will help. I’ll stay back. I don’t want to plant bombs. I don’t want to be anywhere near bombs. I’ve spent way too much time around them as it is. I’ll just come out when it’s time to encourage the women to come with us.”
“That makes sense,” Canyon answered, his eyes still on the controls in front of him. He did seem to speak more to machines than people. It must have to do with his eyes.
“Makes sense,” Clay agreed.
“Then we’ll go, too.” The twins didn’t often say the same thing at the same time, but that’s just what they did. They were very in sync today.
I shook my head. “Keith, you need to pilot, and Quinn has to be here to bail us out if things go wrong. I love you. This isn’t for you.”
Keith nodded, but I didn’t see acceptance in Quinn’s blue gaze. He did eventually nod that it was fine. I wasn’t going to be shocked if he somehow got to the station anyway so I added. “Ari can’t be left here with Tommy alone. What if Ari needs help?”
I meant that last bit, but I also knew helping Tommy was about the only other thing Quinn would care about at that moment.
Plans made, I got ready to go. In my case, that meant washing my face one more time. I wanted to be awake, alert, and ready. What we did today was important.
Clay sat down next to me in the shuttle and handed me a gun before he strapped in. I stared at it. “Really?”
He nodded, leaning over after to kiss my cheek. “Try not to shoot me.”
I snorted. “I have no intention of using this thing.”
“I know, and I don’t want you to. I can actually hear Tommy screaming at me in my head for giving it to you. But that being said, you might need it, and so you’re going to have it.” He pointed at the gun. “Push that button to arm it and then squeeze. It has a sight. But I don’t think you’ll have time for that if it comes down to it. Just try not to shoot anyone on our side.”
Okay, I would give it a go.
Jackson pulled the shuttle out of Artemis, and we made way to the station. The super-soldiers were silent. They’d been nothing but nice to me, really going above and beyond, and yet I still found them intimidating to the point I didn’t want to look at them too long. Whoever had made them the way they were had probably done that on purpose. They were meant to be scary.
They were also people who hadn’t asked for this set of circumstances. I raised my gaze and smiled at Rohan. He nodded back, and Clay squeezed my hand.
In terms of space stations, Mars Station had been my only one up until this point. The one we approached underwhelmed me. The Alexanders had kept Mars Station spic and span, even on the outside. This place was falling apart.
Of course, maybe the outside matched what was happening inside. This close to Earth space, how did they get away with this? I knew the answer even as I thought the question. There were borders. If something was just on the other side, it was on the other side. The shuttle shook to a stop, attaching itself to the claw that pulled it to dock.
No one had asked us our intentions. No one boarded the ship to check our cargo. Those were Earth rules, too. If there was no law, then no one was around to enforce anything.
Rohan and Canyon exited the ship without a word. That was when a thought I should have had earlier dawned on me. “Where are we getting the bombs?”
Jackson pointed at the door as he spun his chair in a circle. “You wanted bombs, they made them. Didn’t even take them any time. When I first met them, I didn’t think they had much of a personality, but I was wrong. They do. It’s starting to show more and more as though the longer they stay away from Evander, the more they can actually be who they are. Like Canyon cracks jokes. Subtle jokes. But they’re there.”
His tablet dinged, and he looked down. “They’re done and on their way back.”
“How can that be? They just left.” Was I somehow losing track of time.
“They’re very fast.” Jackson rose and that was when I saw the gun in the holster on his side. We must all be armed. Was that fine here? Could we just walk around armed and no one would say anything?
The door opened, and Rohan came through it. Canyon returned a few seconds later. I waited for someone to say something. They both stood by the door.
Clay cleared his throat. “Everything go okay?”
“Yes.” Rohan nodded. “Bombs are going off now.”
Now? In the distance, I heard a boom and a second later the ship shook slightly. I moved to stand by them near the door so I could see. Chaos abounded. I hadn’t asked them how many people they expected to have killed. The truth was, I didn’t want to know right then. Later, when I could sit and digest the part I played in this, I was sure it would make me sick. I’d ordered them to plan this, and they had.
Rohan took off running, and it was so fast I almost couldn’t follow him. Canyon darted left and vanished. Jackson disappeared into the crowd. Clay turned to me. “I’m going after Jackson. That’s the plan. I’ll find Waverly. We’re going to herd the women this way. You don’t move. You stay right here. Okay?”
He must have assumed that was fine because Clay never gave me a chance to answer before he took off. Sure. I would stay where they’d put me. I would wait. In this case, it really was my highest and best use.
I shuddered at the thought. Highest and best use. That was a phrase from the Sisterhood of the Universe. Why was I thinking it now? I’d officially left that time behind. I didn’t need it invading my thoughts during times of stress. Enough already.
I stood unnoticed. People fled for ships. They wanted off the station if it was blowing up, and I couldn’t blame them. I couldn’t wait to get off of here, and I knew there weren’t going to be any more bombs.
Rohan reappeared, rushing toward the ship. He held smoking metal in his hands.
“What is that?”
“The remnants of the bombs. We can’t leave them here.” He scooted by me onto the shuttle. We were taking what was left of the explosive material with us, and he was holding it in his bare hand?
“Do you not feel pain or burns?”
He shrugged. “It’s burning me. But I’m made to not feel it for hours. My pain sensors were dulled. It lets me keep fighting when others would quit because they’d realize they were dying. I didn’t know that for a long time. This is not okay for me to be holding. I’ll stick my hand in a med machine when I feel it later.”
Anger on his behalf moved through me with a fury. For a second, I actually saw red. He lifted his head to look at me, tilting it to the side. “Are you okay? Your heart rate skyrocketed.”
“Whoever did that to you deserves a torturous death.”
He lifted his eyebrows. “You’re angry. On my behalf.”
“Well, yes I…”
I never finished my thought. Canyon ran past me holding steaming metal but he, at least, wore gloves. Maybe he had normal pain receptors. They’d damaged his eyes. Perhaps that had
been enough.
“Paloma,” Clay called from a distance. I immediately spotted Waverly next to him, Jackson bringing up the rear. Three women with them. I darted from the ship, raising my hand in the air.
“Here, guys. Ladies, you’re safe with us.”
Waverly looked well, a little thinner and in clothes that didn’t fit, clearly meant to show off her curves. The other women were in similar condition. Jackson grabbed my arm. “There was one who wouldn’t come.”
“I could try to grab her.” That’s why I was here.
He shook his head. “She liked who bought her. The auction just started. Can’t save them all.”
I supposed he was right. Clay waited outside the ship, helping each of the women come aboard. That was when I saw the man chasing after Jackson. He looked directly at Clay and raised his gun. Someone moved in his way, and he shoved them aside.
I didn’t think. I reacted. The gun Clay gave me in my hand, I raised it and fired. It was after I watched the man hit the ground that I even realized what I’d done. The gun was warm in my hand, and I couldn’t think of…
Clay grabbed me, his eyes wide. “You just saved my life. Again.”
“Again?” I handed him the gun. I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Had I shot someone before? I was tugged onto the shuttle and put in a chair.
Clay kissed my cheek, once then twice. “When you saved me at the Sisterhood of the Universe. From the falling rock.”
That was right. “You saved me, too, Clay. Over and over. In so many ways.”
This time his kiss was on my lips. “We’ll talk about this when we get to Artemis. Okay? You just killed a man. I’m not glossing over this. I just need to help get us gone.”
Funny, I was perfectly okay. At least for now. The now-dead stranger had planned to shoot Clay, so I’d shot the stranger instead. It wasn’t even a question about whether or not I’d make that choice a million times. I would, again and again.
I looked to my left. Waverly was curled in a ball in the chair. I touched her arm, and she jumped, blinking rapidly as her eyes focused on me. “Paloma. Thank you for this.”
She was thanking me? “Waverly, I’m sorry it took so long. We didn’t know what had happened to you. When we found out, we rushed ourselves here.”
She took my hand in hers. “I didn’t expect any help. Who would come for me? I’m alone in the universe. I always knew it. And then Dad shipped me off to this fate. There wasn’t any rescue. I knew that. That’s what happens when you’re alone.”
By the universe, she was breaking my heart. I knew her feelings like they were my own, had thought those words myself, over and over again. I undid my belt. Clay must have hooked me in; I didn’t remember doing so. I sunk to my knees so I could embrace her. Jackson took us out of space dock, and I almost fell over.
“Listen to me, you are not alone. You have family. We are your family. I am your family. You’re my sister now.” Tears dropped from her eyes, and I wiped them away. I could be strong for her until she could do it again herself. “You saved my life.”
She shook her head. “I took too long. Why didn’t I do that the first day?”
“You were scared. I get it. The point is you did it eventually. I was almost too late getting to you. It doesn’t matter. We’re going to not just be relatives, we’re going to be close friends. I can tell. You’re not alone.”
The cabin had gone quiet. I turned around. All gazes were on me including Clay, whose gaze held so much love in it that it felt like he was hugging me from across the room.
“Can we be friends, too?” One of the other women called out, and I had to figure out what had just been asked.
I nodded. “Ah, sure. Yes. Let’s all be friends. I’d really, really like that. I’m Paloma Sandler.”
Someone gasped. It had to be the last name. “There’s a good branch of the family and a bad one. It’s your lucky day. I’m fantastic.”
Everyone laughed. That was what I wanted.
Artemis buzzed as it traveled through space. I thought I’d gotten used to the noise—it was an old ship—but after being on the modern, almost-silent shuttle, I noticed it again. Clay took a long sip from his drink. It was something Jackson handed him, and I suspected it was alcoholic. He handed it to me next, and I took a sip. I gagged at the bitterness, which made him laugh. How did they drink that stuff?
“Outside of Waverly, all of those women have family. Well, I mean Waverly has family, too. As you rightly pointed out. What I mean is we have to get these women home. They were kidnapped. All of them.”
Yes, we’d do that. Or someone from Diana’s farm would do it. I was done with space travel for a while. Clay tugged on my hand and brought me to him. “You okay? With everything?”
I still was. “Think I might be having a delayed panic?”
“Maybe. Or maybe you really are all right.” He shook his head. “I love you.”
I kissed his chin. “That’s good, Clay Sandler, because I adore you.”
“Hey.” Keith ran around the corner. “Tommy’s up. Sort of. Groggy but up.”
Clay moved before I did, and I ran to keep up with him. Keith grinned from ear to ear. This was what we’d been waiting for. The scene in the medical bay was as expected. Ari stood back, watching the monitor. Tommy, who still looked like he was asleep, rested on the table. Quinn stood to the left, quiet in his observation.
“How’s he doing?”
Ari rocked back on his feet. “Seems okay. He was groggy but talking, and then he went under again. Usually, I’d move him so he could really wake up in his own bed, but I want him here when he finally comes to so we can judge the leg situation.”
That made sense. I walked to Tommy’s side, taking his hand in mine so I could kiss his knuckles. His color was good, and his breathing seemed normal. I let out a breath I’d held. This was great news.
His lids opened slowly. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi there.” I smoothed his hair off his face. “All is going to be okay, now.”
He nodded and closed his eyes again. When Ari pressed a button to adjust the readings on his screen, it beeped, the only noise in the room. We would just wait.
I’d gotten good at that.
Tommy sat up, his legs dangling from the table. He sipped some water. We waited to see if he was digesting the information Ari was giving him or if he was still too out of it from his days in the machine.
“The leg might not hold weight.” He nodded, staring down at his feet. “They don’t hurt.”
Ari sighed. “That’s not surprising, considering the poison. The nerves are dead, most likely.”
Tommy laughed a hard sound. “Wow. You are filled with good news.”
“Listen, when we get back, Dane will operate on you. Cash and Lewis will help. They’ve actually operated without the machines. I haven’t. I’m not making you my guinea pig.” He looked at me. “Do you know that expression?”
I sighed. “I would say lab rat, but I gather it means the same thing. Go on, please, Ari.”
“Sorry, gorgeous. They might be able to get it better than this. They all but cured Diana’s zombieism, for goodness sake. I’m a psychiatrist. Granted, I’ve had to expand my abilities and remember my early schooling, but I’m not going to screw with your leg, Tommy.”
“Well, thanks for that. We won’t know till we know.” He raised his head, winked at him, and jumped down off the table. We all gasped, and in some way or another rushed forward. He stumbled, his left leg giving out, and grabbed onto the table which stopped him from hitting the floor.
“I’m okay.” He spoke through clenched teeth. “It held, and then it didn’t. But it did hold for a second. The jump might have been dumb.”
Quinn hauled him upright, letting Tommy lean on him. “Ya think?”
“Oh, don’t act like you don’t do dumb things all the time.”
Quinn laughed. “Of course I do. But I’m Quinn, and you’re Tommy.”
Tommy shook his
head. “I just fake being reasonable better than you. I pretty much have all the same impulses. Call it the Sandler gene. So what’s the plan?”
“We don’t plan anymore.” Keith shook his head. “We blow things up. We shoot people. It’s going better that way. We’ve been ten times more effective.”
I should have wanted to wince at what Keith said, but instead, I laughed. He was right. “Come on. Let’s get you to your bedroom. Find some food for you. Every day, we’re closer to putting this chapter behind us.”
Tommy nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Oh wait, we don’t do that anymore. So who shot who, and what blew up?”
We’d fill him in, eventually.
The knock sounded on Tommy’s door while he was showering. Clay stood by the entrance to the bathroom in case Tommy needed help. I rose from where I waited and went to the doorway. Ari stood there, holding a cane.
“He can use this in the meantime. I replicated it.”
I winced as I took it from him. “He’s going to hate this.”
“Maybe not, hot stuff. My cousin is so busy making the best of this that he may just take to the cane. I’m supposed to understand how people think, but lately, I haven’t got a clue. So he can use this.”
I nodded. “Thanks. You okay?”
“Well, I hit the ground walking over here because I suddenly saw a dragon. So, no, not okay. But now that I don’t have a patient, I’m going to go get drunk and pass out. See you tomorrow.”
I watched him walk away, wishing there was something I could do for him. Ari was going to have to work this out, and I really hoped he did. In the back of my mind, I knew what I had read about that drug he’d been given—most survivors didn’t last long. His visions weren’t going to get better. They’d either stay the same or get worse.
Clay walked over and took the cane from me. “He’s out and leaning on the counter. I’m going to bring this to him. What do you think the chances are he hits me over the head with it?”
I shrugged. “Fifty-fifty. Seventy-thirty if I wasn’t here.”