The Lost Ship of the Tucker Rebellion - Marie Sexton Page 0,44
things: first, I want that video file of Tucker.”
“No way,” Marit said. “If that gets leaked before we get off base—”
“It won’t. I promise. But the guy who can make that evacuation happen, he’s going to want payment. Now, you could fork over half of what you make from the biologicals, but you’re going to need that.”
“You think he’d take the video file instead?” Laramie asked.
Spence nodded. “Abso-fucking-lutely. He’s been looking for something like that as long as I’ve known him. And I can guarantee he won’t go live with it until we’re free and clear of Titan X.”
“We?” Laramie asked. “Who all is ‘we’?”
Spence smiled at him, and as stupid as it was, Denver couldn’t help thinking how he would have liked to be on the receiving end of that smile. “That’s my second request.” And at this, Spence turned to face Denver. “I want you to take me with you.”
“What?” Denver asked. He would have fallen back a step if he weren’t already backed up against the kitchen counter. “Are you serious?”
“Me, and one other.”
“We don’t have room—” Laramie started to say.
“It’ll be crowded on the Jiminy, I know. But we won’t cause trouble. We’ll stay out of your way. We’ll sleep in the cargo bay if you want. I don’t care. And once we get to the alien ship—” He stopped, gnawing on his lip, looking unsure of himself for the first time since walking in the door. His cheeks started to turn red. “Look,” he said, his voice low, and Denver realized this was a conversation Spence would have rather had with Denver alone, but it seemed they were stuck with an audience. “I know we just met. I’m not saying I’m madly in love with you or anything. I’m not asking you to marry me. But I’ve been saving since I was seventeen to buy us passage off Titan X. At the rate I’m going, it’ll be another ten years before I can afford it. All I’m asking is please, don’t make us wait ten more years to get off this shithole of a station. I’ll stay out of your way completely, if that’s what you want. Just say we can come.”
Denver looked to Marit and Laramie for their opinion. It was Marit who spoke. “You said passage for you and one other. Who’s the other?”
“My little sister.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve seen what happens to girls who grow up where we are, on the bottom of the shit heap. She’s only seven right now, and if I can get her out now, before she’s too old…”
Laramie said in Denver’s head.
“What do you mean?” Denver asked him.
Spence squinted at Denver, clearly confused as to who Denver was talking to. “What do I mean about what?”
“Never mind,” Denver said. “So, that’s it? The vid file, and passage for you and your sister off Titan X?”
“That’s it.” He looked around at each of them, meeting their eyes in turn. “So, do we have a deal?”
“I don’t see why not,” Laramie said.
Marit nodded. “It’s more of a plan than we had before. But can your friend really arrange for evacuation of the whole sector?”
“He can,” Spence said. “But even with the evacuation, it’s not like you can just go walking out of here with a pod full of contraband biologicals up your sleeve. You’d still need a cover.”
Denver turned to Laramie, hoping for an idea, but all he saw was Laramie’s utter exhaustion. His drawn face, and the waxen tone of his skin. He needed a treatment, but there was no way he’d go in for it now, while they were in the middle of this.
And suddenly, Denver saw the way.
He felt like an ass for not thinking of it sooner.
An enormous smile slowly spread across his face. “I have an idea.”
Chapter Nine
Spence only stayed a few more minutes—just long enough to hash out the last of their plans and take possession of the video file—before heading home. Denver knew Spence wouldn’t be sleeping, though. He had too much to do before morning.
He wasn’t the only one.
Denver made sure Laramie was hooked up to his machine before returning to his room and climbing into bed, feeling wearier than he had in ages. Laramie’s treatment took one hour and forty-five minutes. Denver allowed himself exactly two hours of sleep before padding quietly down the hall to Laramie’s room. He found his brother