The Vanished Specialist (The Lost Planet 2)

My eyes lift to find Breccan glowering at me, a folder tucked against his chest in his arm. Aria, also frowning, stands beside him. They both regard me with disappointment.

“I need to get out of here,” I bark at him. “I need to find a way to heal her.”

Breccan shakes his nog. “Not for at least one more solar. You are still burning with rage. You are unpredictable, Calix. I am sorry.”

A growl rumbles from me. “We do not…we do not have time for this.”

“I understand, which is why Avrell will be assisting. I will bring you your tablet and I have brought what you were reading. But for now, she stays out here and you stay in there.”

Emery pulls away from me and storms over to Breccan. She yanks the folder from his grip and hisses at him, “Leave. You both have done nothing but make things worse.”

Aria gapes at her while Breccan’s brows furrow deeper.

“Very well,” Aria says softly. “If you need us, you know where we’ll be.”

As soon as they’re gone, Emery’s teary eyes meet mine as she hands me the folder. “I hate it here.”

I wince at her words. “I am sorry.”

She shakes her nog, sending two tears snaking down her cheeks. “Not you. Them. This place. Our predicament. I wish we had met someplace else. Where I had my medicine and we were free to just be together without anyone bothered by it.”

Reaching through the bars, I swipe away her tears with my thumbs, my claws gently sliding across her pale flesh. “We are alone now. We will figure out a way. Things will get better. I swear this to you, lilapetal.”

She smiles and hands me the folder. “I trust you. Until you’re free, tell me what you need and I’ll fetch it. Firstly, tell me where to find some blankets. It’s cold down here.”

Sayer makes his presence known once more. “Third door on your right, Emery,” he instructs. “I’m here if you need me.”

For once, his voice is welcome.

“Rogshite,” I mutter under my breath.

Emery sits up and leans her nog to peer inside my cell. We are sitting back to back against the bars. I am studying my father’s notes while she taps away on my tablet to pass the time.

“What is it?” she murmurs. “Everything okay?”

“It is just this…” I point at the messy scrawling left by my father. “The surgical bot. After Belin fell ill after being exposed to one of our toxic plants, he used this machine. Using this technology, he was able to cut him open and explore inside his body to remove the tarry substance. They tracked his progress all the way over here at this facility via a comms system. Belin underwent these treatments where a certain medicine was breathed into him.”

She widens her glassy blue eyes. “Do you not have the medicine here?”

“No,” I grunt. “From his notes, he said that microbots were the future. That this technology was outdated. The morts moved here many revolutions ago. But…”

I think about the rough, harsh terrain and climate that stands between us and those machines. The Graveyard. Sabrevipes. Geostorms. Pathogens.

“No,” I growl. “It is rekking impossible.”

“What is?” She reaches through the bars and threads her fingers with mine.

I bring her hand to my nose and inhale her sweet, addictive scent. “If the technology is still there, we could try it. Even without that medicine. I could give the formula for Haxinth to Avrell. He could make some for us to use for the procedure. Then, once inside, I could directly examine the issues and maybe the microbots would do their job if applied straight to the source.”

She grins at me. “Let’s go. Let’s do it. Anything to get out of this place.”

I squeeze her hand. “Emery, it is not that easy. In fact, it is nearly an impossible journey. At least three treacherous solars’ worth of travel through The Graveyard. So many awful things could happen along the way. I do not want to lose you on a chance.”

She leans in, her hot breath close to my face. “This is my only chance. I don’t think you realize that. Nothing here works. If there’s a machine that you think could help, we have to take that chance.”

Pressing my face against the bar, I seek out her sweet lips. She kisses me softly. I want to pull her in here with me and mate with her properly. Show her how much my soul has bound itself to hers. The stars created this union and I will be rekking damned if they try and tear it apart.

“We will have to vanish,” I whisper in case Sayer is listening. “While no one is looking.” I motion for the tablet. “I will make a list and where everything is at that we will need. Just be quiet and nobody will notice. If you need to take breaks, do it. I need you as strong as you can be for this journey.”