erupted, and Brook was infected with their contagious excitement. Twins! That was an incredible blessing.
“How far along?” Dizzy asked, her hand cupping her more prominent bump.
“Eleven weeks.”
“How are you feeling?” Ella asked.
“Tired mostly,” Hallie answered. “My morning sickness is worse in the afternoons, but the nausea meds seem to work well.”
“They were the only thing that kept me going,” Dizzy said. “I was practically living in the bathroom until I found the right dose.”
As Dizzy and Hallie shared morning sickness stories, Ella joined her at the sink. She bumped their hips together and smiled. “You and Cipher planning to try for a little bundle of joy soon?”
Brook blushed and shrugged. “We’ve talked about it for the future.”
“I haven’t known Cipher long, but I think he’ll be an amazing dad.”
“I agree.” She had first-hand experience with his patience, kindness and love for teaching.
“They can be a little weird up here about fertility,” Ella explained, her voice softer now. “Hallie and the general had to basically smuggle fertility drugs onto the ship for her.” She looked sad as she added, “Raze has some medical issues that make it almost impossible for us to conceive. We’ve been working with Risk, though.”
“I hope whatever you try works.”
“Thank you.” She shrugged and confessed, “We are already planning to adopt. A biological child would be a wonderful addition to our family, but our hearts are wide open and ready for a child that grew in another mother’s belly.”
“Are there a lot of orphans in The City?” She knew Ella was heavily involved in charitable works there.
“So, so many,” Ella replied sadly. “We’ll never be able to find families and homes for all of them, but we have to try. Every child deserves to be safe and loved.”
Brook could see how important this work was to Ella. When she left a short while later, Cipher’s cake in hand, she wondered if she had what it took to be an adoptive mother. It wouldn’t be easy, especially if the child was older and had suffered neglect or abuse, but she imagined it would be the most natural thing in the world to love and protect any child.
Safe in their home, she placed the cake in the refrigerator for Cipher to enjoy later. Thoughts of sad and abandoned children led her mind to thoughts of Terror aimlessly wandering the ship. The fact that he was wearing ear plugs worried her. How much emotional pain was he in right now? How alone did he feel?
Knowing that she was the only one he had spoken to since his rescue and concerned that he was at risk of falling into a deep depression, she decided she had to try to find him. Her gaze moved to Cipher’s workroom. The glasses!
She retrieved the glasses from the drawer where she had found them the other day and slipped them into place. She tapped the rim of the right lens until the correct overlay was in place. She could see the blueprints of the plumbing and electrical wires on each wall.
Cipher had explained that there were hidden access points on every floor of the ship. She just had to find the one on this floor to get into the secret corridors where Terror had taken up residence.
Fully aware that Cipher was going to be upset but unable to abandon Terror again, she left their quarters and wandered down the hall until she found an access door to the left of the elevator. She wasn’t sure how to open it until she noticed a diagram of two wires leading to a single spot about four feet from the floor.
When she touched it, there was a soft hiss and then a click as a panel in the wall moved. She stepped through the small space created and found herself in a seemingly endless hallway. Miles of metal grate gangways stretched as far as she could see in front of and behind her. Looking down, there were multiple levels of walkways. Looking up, it was the same thing.
The panel slid closed behind her, and suddenly she was committed to her admittedly bad idea. She was in a labyrinth of metal with no idea which way to go. Left? Right? Stay on this level or move up or down?
Remembering what Menace had said about Terror appearing near the shooting range, she tapped the glasses until they displayed a 3-D layout of the ship. She found the armory and shooting range and noticed it was accessible if she walked the