passed the library, Megan glanced out at me—she’d made it that far. I nodded toward Val, held up one finger, and grabbed the spyril pack from the storage room.
I hurried back to Val, then began setting out the spyril’s parts on a couch—positioned so that when Val walked over to look at them, she’d have her back to the door to the docking room. Val went over the spyril’s pieces quickly and efficiently, checking each for scratches, then ensuring that the cords were attached correctly and tightly.
As Val worked, Megan slipped into the room behind us, then eased open the door into the docking chamber. She vanished into the darkness beyond.
“If something went wrong,” Val said, “it wasn’t the equipment’s fault.”
“You look like you know a lot about the equipment,” I said, nodding toward the spyril. “Almost as much as Mizzy does.”
“Come on,” Val said, placing the last set of wires back into the pack. If I’d made any kind of connection with her earlier in the sub, I couldn’t spot a sign of it now. She was back to being cold.
“Val, I really am sorry about Sam,” I said. “I’m sure nobody could ever replace him, but someone has to use this equipment, and someone has to run point.”
“I don’t care that you’re using the spyril. Honestly, how unprofessional do you think I am?”
“Then why are you so terse with me?”
“I’m terse with everyone,” she said, then tossed me the pack and walked toward the docking room.
I grabbed my rifle and followed. Together we entered the short hallway between rooms and I closed the door behind me, plunging us into darkness. From there we crossed and opened the door into the docking room, where we followed the familiar guide ropes that led us to the submarine.
Had I given Megan enough time? Sweating, I waited as Val undid the hatch down into the vehicle. Megan would have had to make her way through the unfamiliar room, open the hatch, then slip in and redo it.
I was given no clues as to whether she’d managed it or not. I climbed down and resealed the hatch while Val settled into the driver’s seat. She turned on the soft emergency-style lights and took us down into the depths.
I glanced back anxiously at the bathroom, but nothing seemed out of place. What followed was a short, tense trip through the darkened waters of Babilar. Val didn’t try to strike up any conversation as we traveled, and though I wished I could do something about the strained awkwardness between us, I just couldn’t manage it right then. Not with the stress of Megan hiding just feet from us.
Eventually Val let us up in the middle of a still, black bay among glowing buildings, none of them too close. We didn’t always use the half-sunken buildings for docking. Regalia couldn’t look everywhere, and so long as we were quiet, a quick drop-off in the middle of a deserted bay could be stealthier than using the same docking stations over and over.
I peeked out through the hatch, inspecting the distant lights, which were mirrored in the waters below. This city was so surreal. Never mind those glows, the phantom sounds of radios playing music in the distance. I still wasn’t used to buildings with so much variety to them—stonework, glass, bricks.
I climbed back down and regarded the wetsuit. Then I reluctantly started pulling off my shirt.
“There’s a bathroom in the back, kid,” Val said dryly.
I glanced at it and found myself imagining being forced into that small room with Megan, pressed against her, somehow trying to change without alerting Val of what was going on. Blushing at the thought, I reminded myself that Megan would probably end up stabbing me or something if we were confined in such a tight space.
I wanted to try anyway.
Unfortunately, my brain seized upon a better idea. Stupid brain. “It looks really cramped in there,” I said. “I don’t suppose you’d mind going up above?”
Val sighed loudly, but she got up from her seat and brushed past me, climbing up the ladder. I stripped down to my boxers and grabbed the wetsuit.
“You don’t look half bad with your shirt off,” Megan noted quietly. “For a nerd.”
I about fell over, one leg into the wetsuit. Megan had slipped out of the bathroom without me noticing. I’d assumed she’d stay in there until I’d dressed, but apparently not. I worked more quickly, trying to hide my blush.
“Nice work, by the way,” Megan whispered. “I