Earth Afire (The First Formic War 2)

A bathroom.

It was a dead end. There was no hatch here. No way out. No exit. They had come the wrong way. She had taken a risk and lost the bet.

I'll give you five minutes.

She couldn't tell him to wait for her. That was as much as killing everyone else. She would tell him to go. Now. Don't wait for us. Run. Get out. Protect the children, damn you.

She wanted to cry. Segundo had told her to stay alive. He had asked her to keep them together. And she had ruined everything. She had failed. She couldn't even do that much. She was nothing without him.

Abbi was floating there in the corridor in a ball beside her, wrapped up in the straps. Part of Rena wanted to kick her. The other part of her wanted to roll up into a ball and join her.

She clicked on her radio, her voice calm. "Arjuna."

He answered immediately. "Rena! Where are you? The others are loaded up. We need to launch now!"

The others were back on the ship. They would get out at least. That gave Rena some comfort.

"Go," she said.

"What?"

"You heard me. Go. We can't get out in time. Promise me you will take them to a depot. Promise me you'll keep them safe."

He was quiet a moment. "On my life, Lady."

There. It was done. He would keep his word. She knew it. The familia, however broken, would survive. She pushed lightly off the wall and headed back the way she had come. The strap pulled taut and Abbi, still unconscious, followed. She and Abbi would find a room, she decided, somewhere where they could be together and wait for this Khalid. Maybe Rena could talk to him and offer to serve on his ship. Perhaps he would let them both work for their lives.

But no. She was kidding herself. He was a vulture, a killer. There would be no mercy, no joining his ship. He would do what vultures always did.

Nor could she fight them, not armed vultures. Rena had no weapons and no skill for combat. I have to cut Abbi's air, she told herself. And for good this time. That would be the greatest mercy: let Abbi slip peacefully from sleep before this Khalid comes and has his way with her. Yes, thought Rena. I will cut her air and then my own.

She passed a room on her left. She turned her head casually and saw that there were cabinets on the opposite wall filled with supplies. She continued on. She passed a second room. She turned her head again and saw that there was nothing on the opposite wall.

There was no wall.

There were only stars. Millions of s

tars. Where the wall had once been was a gaping hole. She must have passed it when her light went out.

"WAIT!" she shouted into her radio. "WAIT!"

She turned her body and hit the propulsion. She shot out through the hole. The harness strap was tight. Abbi was behind her. They were out of the ship, space all around them. Free.

"Don't leave us! We're out!"

"I see you," said Arjuna. "I'm coming to you."

The Gagak was a big ship but a nimble one. It swooped toward them. Retros fired, slowing it as it neared. The airlock hatch was open, thirty meters away from her. Lola was there at the hatch, waving her to come. "Now, Rena!"

Rena punched the thumb button. She shot forward like a bullet. She came in fast. She fired retros at the last second, but it wasn't fast enough. She hit the hull hard. Abbi was right behind her, careening into her. It knocked the breath out of Rena this time, and she thought she might ricochet off into space. But Lola was faster. She grabbed Rena's hand and pulled them inside. Abbi was in. Lola slammed the hatch shut. "I got them!"

The ship vibrated. The engines roared. Rena braced herself, ready for the force of acceleration. But no force came. "We're not moving," she told Lola.

Lola was unwrapping the harness straps and freeing Abbi. "It's a trick. Help me unwrap her."

Rena was confused but she didn't argue. They pulled the straps free. The airlock was pressurizing, filling with oxygen. Then the lights went out. Rena was panicked a moment. And then they were moving. Rena was nearly thrown backward in the blackness, her hand scrabbling for a handhold. She found one and steadied herself. Then her body adjusted to the acceleration and all was still. The airlock beeped the all-clear, and the interior hatch opened.

Rena was flooded with personal spotlights. The other women were waiting in the cargo bay, shining their lights in the hatch. They helped Rena and Lola and Abbi into the cargo bay and got their helmets off. By then Abbi was coming to, rousing, her eyes slowing blinking open. Alive.