The jane colt trilogy, p.71
The Jane Colt Trilogy, page 71
He kicked down another door. Again, the room was empty. Streger had to have been the only person on board the Pride. Otherwise, Devin should have run into someone else.
“Devin, did you hear me?” Adesina yelled through his communication implant.
Devin ignored her. The next door lay open at the other end of the corridor. He ran toward it. Jane probably wouldn’t be inside, but he couldn’t take any chances. As he neared, he noticed the Acuitas logo painted on the wall.
He entered the room. No one.
A solitary desk stood at the center. Visible by the large chair was the end of the crescent-shaped monitor. Images flashed across the screen.
This could be Streger’s office.
If the computer was still active, it might tell him where Jane was. Devin rushed to the monitor and swiped it. It didn’t react—Streger must have locked it. But he’d left his applications open, including one that appeared to be a security feed. A window occupying the left side of the monitor flashed a series of videos, displaying various views of corridors.
It appeared to be a sequential feed, showing the views from numerous cameras one by one. Each video displayed its location across the bottom.
Jane’s image could appear any moment, but the Pride had to have hundreds of cameras. The ship could blow before the app cycled through them all. Each second Devin stood in front of the monitor could have been another second spent searching. Each glance away from the screen could have been an opportunity lost. The opposing forces paralyzed him.
Empty corridor after empty corridor. The images switched so slowly. The duel in Devin’s head grew fiercer. Stay, and he could fritter away minutes he didn’t have. Leave, and he could lose the chance to find Jane at all.
Behind the duel, accusations hissed in his mind. His actions, his fault. Two innocent lives could end because of his folly. Each attempt at escape had buried him deeper into the pit. Mistake after mistake, all his doing.
His one solace was the thought that he wouldn’t have to linger knowing that his sister had died because of him. If it all ended there, he’d gladly accept his fate. If there was an afterlife, he wouldn’t deserve absolution.
“Eleven minutes to self-destruct.”
Image after image, all useless, each a promise for the next and a broken promise from the previous.
I should go. She could be in the next room.
And if she wasn’t? If she was in the distant corner of another starcar?
The image flicked. A man sprinted down a corridor: Streger, no doubt making his getaway. Devin glimpsed the location. Streger ran through the lowest level of the front starcar, heading toward the back. Where’s he going?
“Get the fuck out!” Adesina’s voice rang through his head.
Devin had been too distracted to notice her previous words. He must have subconsciously absorbed them, for he suddenly remembered her saying, “The Pride’s front two starcars have been unveiled.”
The image changed. The present camera displayed a room with several tables. In the center, Adam sat bound to a high-backed chair, his head bent over his chest. Exposed metal gleamed under the lights. Despite the blaring alarms, he remained limp.
Devin couldn’t find it in himself to ask for forgiveness.
The image changed again. More emptiness. A realization hit him. Streger planned to detach the third, invisible starcar and disappear. He had Adam. He would continue his perverse project. Did he have Jane as well?
That’s it. Devin’s agitation won, and he felt himself bolt out the door before his mind could catch up. If Jane was on the third starcar, she would survive the self-destruct. The security feed rotated through each camera in a certain order. Adam’s image had been among the first to appear from the third starcar. It would take too long to wait for the feed to cycle through and start from the first.
More blasting, more kicking, more empty rooms. Each presented Devin with a combination of disappointment and relief. Disappointment that he hadn’t found his sister, relief that each failure meant she could be in the safe zone.
A security bot approached. Devin ducked as it raised its weapon. Then he fired back, aiming for its joints. Damn. I thought Silver got them all.
He dodged behind the bot, jammed the barrel of his gun into the joint between its head and body, and fired. The bot went limp. At least the internal defenses aren’t firing. Streger probably thinks I’m dead.
An open staircase lay to Devin’s right. Nothing in front, nothing to the left. He ran up. A sharp stinging flared down his back from his shoulder. A laser must have grazed him. He turned into the corridor the next level up.
“Ten minutes to self-destruct.”
Time remained, but was it enough to find Jane? Had he wasted too much time in Streger’s office? Devin flung the question away. He couldn’t afford to panic. Never mind that each empty room brought him closer to the outcome he dreaded.
Absolute One, God, whoever you are—if I can’t save Jane, then please, don’t save me.
A high scream, distant but piercing, cut through the alarms and the blasting. “Let me out! Please! Somebody!”
It’s Jane.
Devin sprinted toward the sound, pushing himself to move faster than he ever had before. If his heart burst from his chest, if his lungs ran out of air—let them.
Jane banged her fists against the transparent wall. “Anybody! Please! Let me out!”
Tears of panic flowed down her face. She couldn’t die. She had too many unfinished melodies in her soul, clawing at her heart for a chance to be heard. More importantly, she hadn’t had a chance to tell Adam that he meant more to her than any of those songs. It could all end that night, and only a spattering of ash, drifting through the silent abyss of space, would remain of her. Her rage, her joy, her strife, her love—all had been in vain, and the only thing anyone would remember of her was that Victor Colt’s crazy daughter, who’d once dreamed of music, had died in an explosion.
No. That won’t be my requiem. I’ll write my own damn requiem!
She backed up. She’d tried kicking the transparent wall down previously, only to land painfully on her back. She had to try again. What had all that training been for if she couldn’t kick down a pathetic little piece of glass?
She turned to the side, then crossed one leg behind the other as she launched herself sideways toward the door. The force was strongest when kicking from behind. Though the sound of her heel against the cell’s wall split the air, her leg wasn’t strong enough.
She fell onto her stomach. The impact knocked the breath from her body. She forced herself to stand and let loose another scream. “Help! Somebody!”
Her ears buzzed from the loudness. If there were anyone left on the ship, they would have heard her. That not a single person had even peeked inside the room holding her left her with a growing sense of despair.
She refused to acknowledge it. Every time she’d been in a hopeless situation, she’d managed to come out all right. Her current predicament was no different. Until she was actually dead, she would believe in her ability to survive. I’m gonna make it.
Pain scratched her throat from all the screaming, but she ignored it. Until her vocal chords snapped, she would keep screaming. Until her hands broke, she would keep pounding at the door. Someone would answer. She wasn’t supposed to die just yet.
But if I do… Hey, Absolute? Can You do me a favor? Tell Adam that I love him in more ways than I could ever express. And tell Devin that I forgive him, and that there’s nothing he can do to make me turn against him. So be it, truly.
She closed her eyes and took a moment to remind herself that she’d had a decent run at life. In her twenty-three short years, she’d done and discovered more things than most could dream of doing in a lifetime. How others, hearing of her story, would judge her was beyond her control, and looking back, the only thing she truly regretted was letting Adam go so easily.
I hope you’ll have more time in this world than I did, Adam. I hope you escape that sonuvabitch Streger and find everything you’re looking for. If this is my swan song, well, I guess I’ll see you in the beyond.
“Nine minutes to self-destruct.”
She opened her eyes, inhaled, and let out another cry for help in case anyone remained on board the doomed Moray. After a few seconds, she backed up, aiming to kick the wall again.
Blasts, startling in their brightness, pierced the door outside the cell, the one leading out of the lab. What’s happening?
The lab’s door fell, pushed down by something black. Jane blinked in shock. Then, she felt a relieved smile spread across her face as she recognized the figure that came rushing in.
Devin! Her mouth couldn’t form his name. So much brightness poured into her mind, she could hardly handle it. Of course her brother would have been the one to rescue her. Why should she have been surprised? He had always been there for her. Since he was there, everything was sure to turn out all right. Relief and joy and a million other things flooded her, leaving her unable to speak.
“Get back.” Devin aimed the gun at the edge of her cell.
Jane pressed herself into the corner. After a few blasts along the sides, Devin instructed her to kick the wall down. Jane complied. The transparent wall fell.
She rushed out and threw her arms around him. She felt her brother’s close embrace, and his head against the top of hers.
He let go. “Run.”
Jane rushed out of the room, and Devin ran beside her.
Despite the danger, she had to ask: “What happened?”
Devin seemed to hear all the unspoken questions swirling behind those two words. “Rourke—Streger—was holding you hostage.” His words came quickly between breaths as he ran. “I found out he was selling ISARK secrets. He knew I knew, and he had his mind-controlled snipers follow you. Riley and Adam, too.”
Devin paused abruptly and held out a hand to stop her. He peered around the corner, then continued forward. Jane followed him down the tunnel leading to the second starcar, listening as he gave her a condensed version of past events.
“Eight minutes to self-destruct.”
Jane barely heard the ship’s voice through her brother’s explanation. The truth coalesced in her mind, and everything that had made no sense was explained. Devin had only revealed Adam to keep Rourke—Streger—from giving a kill order. Riley had been shot by ISARK’s forces. The same or worse would have happened to Jane if Devin had disobeyed. Shock spun through her mind at the sudden influx of information, but gladness outshone it.
Of course her brother had been forced by circumstances beyond his control. Of course he’d been manipulated by a powerful evil, doing what he could to keep her safe. Any resentment she’d held against him dissipated—except one.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jane released the question between jagged inhalations. A confession would have spared her so much anguish. Her anger sparked anew. He should have told her—he’d owed her the truth.
Before she could say anything, Devin shoved her. Blasts spewed toward her. Jane crashed into a wall. She whirled in time to see Devin’s shots rip through a security bot’s head. The bot crashed onto the ground.
Devin winced as he approached her. His black body armor appeared torn at the left side, near his stomach. He must have noticed her alarmed expression, for he said, “Just a graze.” He glanced around, worry clouding his eyes. He firmed his expression as he stopped before her. “Adam’s in the third starcar. Streger plans to detach and run.”
His words made sense, but Jane didn’t understand what he wanted. She gave him an inquisitive look.
Devin grabbed her hand and pressed his gun into her palm. “Go!”
Jane automatically wrapped her fingers around the weapon’s handle. “What?”
“Streger’s close to reaching the third starcar by now, if he hasn’t already. I’ll go to this one’s control room and keep him from escaping until you get there.”
Jane stared. Bit by bit, his words came together. He wanted her to leave him behind and find Adam on her own. Time was short. A manual override would keep Devin from leaving the Pride until she’d made it onto the third starcar. By then, he might not have time to escape the self-destruct.
“Like hell!” She grabbed his arm. “We’ve gotta go!”
Devin yanked himself out her grasp. “Jane, listen! Streger could detach any second!”
“Let him! We’ll take your ship and chase him down!”
“He’ll disappear.” Devin’s expression was grim.
Jane struggled to breathe. If she listened, she would find Adam, but her brother might not survive. If she insisted that they escape to Devin’s ship, she might never find Adam. Even if she tracked Streger down, the bastard could have killed Adam by then.
Her brother or the one she loved. She couldn’t choose. She couldn’t.
Devin grabbed her shoulders. “For fuck’s sake, Jane, go to Adam.” The intensity of his expression startled her. “I’ll make it out.”
The seconds ticked away. Unable to choose for herself, she clenched her jaw and acquiesced to the authority in his voice. “You’d better. Because if you don’t—”
“I know.” Devin released her with a slight smile. “You’ll kill me.” His expression turned serious. “Go.”
Jane instinctively obeyed. Her legs carried her faster than she’d thought possible. Never mind the burning in her lungs. The sooner she made it to the third starcar, the sooner her brother could escape. Several minutes remained in the countdown—he had time.
She glanced over her shoulder. Devin was nowhere in sight. His gun felt heavy in her hand, and it hit her that she’d have to face Streger alone.
Drawing a breath, she tightened her grip on the weapon and sprinted forward.
“Seven minutes to self-destruct.”
Devin raced up the stairs. The control room couldn’t be far. He swung around a corner. The double doors he sought lay before him. He reached into his belt for his second weapon. A sharp spasm pierced his side, overwhelming him. He stumbled against the wall, grabbing the injury.
Wetness seeped through his fingers. He straightened. Not yet.
He grabbed his gun and headed to the double doors. Three blasts down the crack between them, followed by two more on either side of the center blast. The mechanism was the same on most large spacecraft.
As expected, Devin was able to pry the doors open. Pain stabbed his side. The wetness spread. It didn’t matter.
What mattered was the emergency button beneath the control panel. As long as he held it down, no starcar could detach. It seemed simplistic, but it was designed precisely for that reason—so that any crewmember could prevent a hijacking. Devin felt the button’s round form and pressed it.
The large screen before him displayed the same security feed as in Streger’s office. One by one, various views of the Pride paraded across the monitor. Devin wondered how long he would need to hold down the button. Too long, and the third starcar could be caught in the explosion. Not long enough, and Jane might not make it in time.
“Six minutes to self-destruct.”
Considering that Streger hadn’t detached in the time that had passed since the countdown had begun, Devin knew Jane would need at least a few more minutes. Time seemed to slow as Devin waited, but he could do nothing but hold the button. With his other hand, he clutched his wound, trying to slow the bleeding.
“Five minutes to self-destruct.”
Devin kept his eyes fixed on the viewscreen, hoping luck would be kinder than it had been previously. The screen displayed views of the second starcar at present. Jane could turn up on one of them. He watched the sequence of feeds, ignoring the throbbing in his side. He suddenly realized how cold he was, and his vision swam.
A flash of motion on the viewscreen: Jane zooming toward the tunnel between the second and third starcars.
Devin collapsed forward in relief. Or was it weakness? His left elbow banged into the control panel as he caught himself. He kept his right hand on the button.
Seconds later, Jane disappeared from view. Devin’s strength disappeared as well. Darkness clouded his vision, and his head fell forward. His sister would need a few more moments before she reached safety. Though his legs wanted to melt from weariness, he remained upright, hand pressed against the button.
“Four minutes to self-destruct.”
She must be on board by now. Unable to support himself any longer, Devin sank to the ground. Barely a second after his hand left the button, he glimpsed a message on the screen saying that the third starcar had detached.
Time to go. He tried to stand. Blackness invaded his vision, and coldness overwhelmed him. He made it forward a few steps, then collapsed again. The blood continued spreading. He felt his heartbeat in its unrelenting rhythm.
Well, Death, looks like you’ve caught up. Devin let his head sink into the ground. On the screen, he glimpsed his sister running down the third starcar’s corridor, her eyes snapping with energy.
A smile crept onto his lips. Give him hell, Pony.
Chapter 26
Take It
Jane aimed her gun at the crack between the control room’s doors. That bastard Streger lay behind them. She sprayed the crack with lasers, determined to make him face her.
Beneath the blasting, she heard a man’s cry. “Colt! Colt, stop! I’ll open it!”
Jane briefly gave the trigger a rest, then continued blasting. Streger could take the opportunity to activate his internal defenses or security bots. Better keep him scared.
The viewscreen became visible through the holes she’d created. Figuring she’d done enough damage to be able to push the door open, she approached. One good shove was all it took to send the right door sliding into the wall.
