one? Maybe.”
“The next one?”
I nod. “That’s the goal.”
“Blow everyone up and start again?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Will it work?’
“Probably not.”
We both laugh. His is kinda tinny sounding, on account of the cyborg vocal cords. But mine is… hearty. And needed.
“So what do ya say?” I ask. “You wanna come destroy the universe with me?”
“Do I even play a part?” he asks.
And this makes me sad. Because he never got his life either. He was just like me in that respect. Locked inside an interlude.
“Draden, we all play a part. You are walking talking proof that we are more than people. We are minds. And either we all come out the other side together or we don’t come out at all.”
Millions of people shout at us as the liftbot takes Draden and me back down to level one-twenty-two. They demand their weapons back. They demand to know what’s going on. They demand a voice.
But there is no more room for voices.
I am the star-fucked governor of Harem Station and every single one of them signed an agreement when they came to live here. And that agreement said I’m the one in charge.
Their little rebellion failed.
Unity wins today.
Even if it doesn’t look much like unity.
When Draden and I walk in to the spin-node room, everyone is there.
Delphi and Jimmy, with Tycho’s cryopod next to them.
Luck and Nyleena stand next to the open spin node.
Lyra and Serpint hold hands, looking nervous, but ready.
“Did Mighty Boss go inside the node?” I ask Luck.
“Yeah. He went in to find the Succubus. But he said he had no idea what the hell you were talking about, and he’s not going to help us.”
“I’m getting a relay from Tray and Brigit on the Prison Princess ship,” Veila says. “They are going to lose in a matter of minutes. There are just too many Akeelian warships.”
“Tell them to come home. I need them here to complete my plan so tell them to leave the ship and—”
“I’m here.” Tray’s voice booms through some audio system in the room.
God, it’s good to have them all here. Even if we are staring down the end of the universe.
I look at them. Really look at them. Because this plan didn’t come with a guarantee. I don’t even know if it’s possible.
Hell, it’s not even my plan. It’s Alera’s plan. And I knew her for half a night in some weird other time. So… risky doesn’t even cover what I’m about to do.
“Asshole is hailing the station,” Veila says. “What should I do?”
“Leave him out there,” I say. “He’s right where he needs to be. We’re all right where we need to be.”
“So are you gonna spill the plan to save us?” Jimmy says. “Because I gotta tell you, Tycho will be thawed in a little under three minutes and if Delphi is anywhere near him when that happens, the whole station goes boom.”
I don’t say anything. Just let those words hang there in the air.
“Then you’re really gonna do it?” Nyleena says. “You’re going to use us as weapons.”
I nod. Slowly.
“We’re running out of time,” Valor says. “The Station has been breached. The Akeelians are entering on levels nineteen, two-hundred-seven, and three-ninety-nine.”
“They’ve hit the Veiled Vixen,” Veila adds. “Our line of communication is gone. We’re on our own now.”
“We’ve always been on our own,” Luck says.
I point at him. “That’s not true and you know it.”
“You’re going to kill us,” he says. Pushing Nyleena behind him. “You’re going to kill my babies.”
I sigh. “I’m not going to kill us. I’m going to kill this universe.”
“What’s the fucking difference?” Jimmy asks.
“The difference is us,” I say. Turning to Jimmy. Then I point at Tycho and Delphi. They are superbombs. I’ve been told by the Real ALCOR that they have enough destructive power inside them to blow up more than one universe.”
Jimmy throws up his hands. “That’s just fucking great. We’re doomed. The station has been breached. None of our citizens have weapons thanks to them.” He nods his head at Veila and Valor. “So we couldn’t fight back now even you’d let us.”
“Just stop and listen to me, OK?” I point at the girls. “We have five bombs in this room. Delphi, Tycho, Nyleena, Veila, and Lyra.”
“You know who’s not here?” Nyleena snarls. “Corla. How come you’re not going to blow her up?”
“Because she’s already dead, Nyleena. She played her in some past timeline that I couldn’t pinpoint if my life depended on it. She played her part. And I would explain that to you,