“That’s what we’ve been saying,” Bethiah agrees cheerfully. “And as little bloodshed as possible, right, Matty?”
“That’s right,” I agree quickly. “Helen, you’re incredibly capable. You think you can disable the guards without killing them?”
“Is it safe?” she asks.
Her mind is fixated on the concept of “safe,” it seems. I lean into that. “It will be once we take over the bridge. Let’s make that our priority.”
She pauses for a moment, and then nods. “Yes, I agree.”
Bethiah and Zebah exchange looks of relief. “Okay, now that that part is solved, exactly how are we going to get to the bridge again?”
Helen glances up at the ducts.
CHAPTER 94
MATHIRAS
Even though I don’t like it, Helen climbs through the ducts again. We give her a head start, then wait for our time to leave. We’ll head through the ship once more with an eye on moving toward the bridge. Our plan is to approach and let Helen sneak onto the bridge while we distract. Any cloned guards will be disabled as humanely as possible.
Bethiah hands me a breather to clip to my nose as she and Zebah put back on their environmental suits. I force myself not to look up at the ceiling and give Helen’s position away, even though I’m worried about her. There’s something really wrong with her but I can’t focus on it right now, and that’s killing me. I have to let her be the remote zombie she is right now so we can tackle the bridge and take control of the ship.
We need every advantage we can get.
As we prepared to leave the room (and I slowly woke up from my drugged state) it became more and more clear to me that Helen has shut down every bit of her personality. She didn’t engage in conversation or even look around. She was as still as a statue, only moving when I got to my feet and watching me as if waiting for orders. Whoever programmed her to be a killer must have done this to her, I realized, and I hated it. I wanted to wake her up, to take her in my arms and kiss her until she came back to herself.
“Bad idea,” Bethiah had told me. “We need her as a killing machine until everything is secured.”
Hours have passed, and I’m still wondering if I’ve made a mistake. The cool, efficient Helen climbing through the ventilation system to assassinate those on the bridge is not my Helen. Mine is warm and sweet and kind and naively innocent, and my heart aches that she has to be this other person. I hate that Bethiah is right and we need her like this, though. It’s an advantage, and right now we need all of them.
I’m just going to have to work that much harder to bring her back to her sunny self after this, even if it means staying in the shower for days. I hate it, though. I should be protecting her and I haven’t protected her from this. Instead, I’m sending her straight to the enemy.
“Ready to go?” Zebah asks, her hand on the door handle.
I nod, and Bethiah motions for her to head out into the hall. Both females have blasters out and ready, and I’m a pace behind them since I’m still sluggish from the drugs. Zebah flings open the battered door, knocking it off of its hinges, and steps out into the hall, making herself a target.
All is quiet.
She points her blaster down the hall, then turns and eyes behind her. After a moment, she nods at Bethiah. “All clear.”
Bethiah flicks a hand at me, indicating I should follow her. My limbs feel heavy and slow, but I move behind the females, stepping over the bodies in the hall. The door itself looks as if it was blasted open, and the bar that had been on the other side is now a twisted piece of metal across the hall. Seems like Bethiah and Zebah bombed their way into my room. Unsurprising, but reckless, given that we’re on a ship with a delicate life-support system.
“Why is there no one here?” Zebah asks as she points her blaster at the door at the far end of the hall. “I thought they had us cornered?”
“Mmm.” Bethiah’s voice sounds tinny through the speaker in her environmental suit. “Well, they could be laying another trap, or they could be regrouping at the bridge. If they’re using clones for guards, they might be trying to protect them from us, since each one dead is a loss of credits.” She nudges one of the bodies with her boot. “Or they’ve got something else planned that I’m unaware of. What do you think, va Sithai?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. Just want to get Helen back safely and get this ship under our control.” I think about my fragile mate, her eyes blank as she resolutely crawls through the ductwork. “You think Helen’s near the bridge yet?”