my gaze and just shakes his head as if he can’t believe it.
He pulls the energy wave gun, then pauses. That’s right, figure it out. The force from that weapon will shatter the leg and damage the shuttle. Jarren switches to his kill zapper. Except that too will harm the shuttle, knocking out the electronics. Then he touches my pulse gun, but no one can shoot that but me. Well, unless he reprogrammed it to his own electrical signal. I’ve a moment of panic before he drops his hand.
Grinning, he shouts over the noise, “Guess you’re coming back with us. Hold on or not. Either way is fine with me.”
Oh my stars! I didn’t quite think this through. To be fair, it was one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions. Although not dying is preferable to dying.
He retreats into the shuttle and the door closes. Now what? The ground blurs far underneath me. It’ll take six hours to get to his base. Can I hang on that long? They’re flying straight and my weight is on the foot. It’s windy and cold, but not enough to shake me loose.
The big question is, what happens once we get there. He’ll interrogate me with his pink liquid and I’ll tell him everything, including how I can access the Q-net without— The Q-net! With all the stress, I’d forgotten. I close my eyes and confirm I’m still connected. Amazing.
I could ask it to shut off the shuttle’s engine. Except we’d crash and die. How about the explosive device on my back? Concentrating, I focus on it. No. It’s a straight communication from the device to the trigger. No need for the Q-net. Disappointment stabs through me. At least I can send a message to my parents and Niall. But what should I say?
2522:245: Mom and Dad, I’m sorry for putting you through such grief, but Jarren was going to kill me no matter what happened and this way I’m able to save your lives, which is a huge comfort to me. Even though I only worked in security for sixty-two days, I tapped into my inner guardian lion and it feels good to help others. I know, I’m shocked too. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next. I’m going to try to stay alive, which means Jarren will have me. But that’s better than the alternative. And I’ll try everything in my power to escape and send you messages from time to time. Jarren’s going to regret this. Trust me. I love you both. Please send a message to Phoenix for me and tell him I love him. I never told him that before and it’s a shame it has to come to this for me to tell my brother that I love him.
I send it, imagining Phoenix will not be too upset about the news. After all, he left knowing he’d never see us again so this will just be more of a regret. Something like: it’s a shame, she had such potential. The next message is going to be harder to compose.
2522:245: Niall, I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together, but I had to get away or risk killing everyone I care about. The security team has become my family—and not the distant cousins or annoying crazy uncle family—but actual deep level love. Surprising! Who knew I’d be worried about Bendix and Rance? And speaking of Rance, the man is supposed to be in bed recovering. And so is Zaim. And YOU! Thank you for disobeying orders, though. I’m glad I was able to see you one more time before…whatever happens next. I’ll never forget you, Toad. And do me a favor the next time you meet a cute and annoying girl your age? Don’t be a jerk! Love you!
Composing those messages is emotionally exhausting. But the fact that I can when I’m hanging onto a flying shuttle is a good sign that I will be able to communicate with my parents and Niall in the future. And maybe, if I can get this damn device off my back, I can strike a blow for the good guys. Hope warms me from the inside out. I’ve a new sense of purpose. Plus, I’ve plenty of time to plan.
It’s dark by the time we arrive at Jarren’s forest base. The temperature is near freezing. My hands and face have long since gone numb. Lumpy blackness spreads out below. We descend closer to the forest. The moist scent of living green warms