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.

Streger, who stood against the controls, stared at her in shock. “You!”

Jane strode up to him. “What’s the matter? Not the Colt you were expecting? You know, my brother may be dangerous, but I’m the one you should really be afraid of.” She pressed the barrel of her weapon into his chest. “Take me to Adam.”

Streger’s eyes burned with hatred. Jane returned his glare, longing to pull the trigger. With him out of her way, she could take her sweet time searching the starcar. If anyone deserved to die, it was the bastard before her. The list of reasons could have stretched from there to Kydera.

Only the thought of Adam kept her hand still. People weren’t supposed to kill other people, especially unarmed ones they’d cornered. Life was sacred, even an evil life. At least, that was what Adam would have told her. She wasn’t sure if she believed the same, but she chose to listen.

Streger’s gaze shifted.

What’s he doing? With a flick of her wrist, Jane blasted the wall beside him as a warning. “If you try anything, I’ll end you. Understand? Now, let’s go.”

Streger twisted his face into a dark scowl. He walked to the door. “Fine. You can have your precious robot, Pony.” He spat the nickname with disgust.

Jane fired at the ground by his feet. Streger froze.

“Only Devin gets to call me that.” She shoved him with the barrel of her weapon. “Move.”

Streger exited the control room, walking at what seemed to be a glacial pace. “Where is your precious brother?” His tone mocked her. “You left him behind to get blown up, didn’t you?”

Jane clenched her jaw. No, I didn’t. He told me to go, and he’s gotta be on his way out by now. “Walk faster.”

“I wonder how long he has to live.” Streger, still taking slow, indolent steps, glanced over his shoulder at her. “Two minutes? Three at most?”

He had to be mocking her—both with his words and with his dawdling—for a reason, probably to distract her so he could escape. She wouldn’t let him. Don’t listen.

“You’re quieter than usual,” Streger said. “Don’t you want to know why I did what I did?”

Jane did crave answers, and she started to speak, then pressed her mouth shut. If I talk to him, I’ll give him an opening. I can worry about getting answers after he’s arrested.

Streger entered a stairwell and walked up. “I must admit—you’re a lot calmer than I would have expected. You’ve never kept your temper in check before.” He let out a quick laugh. “I loved it when you clocked your brother!”

Jane suppressed a shudder. She didn’t want to think about how long Streger had watched her. He’d been at her father’s funeral and backstage at her concert. He’d been in her brother’s head. Every moment she’d thought her own had been a show for the creep. I’ll bet he even watched me sleep.

She followed him up the stairs, clenching her teeth.

“Life is a game we can’t win.” Streger’s voice was low. “I decided I might as well partake in the fun.”

“Fun?” Jane couldn’t contain herself any longer. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

Streger spun around, mouth twisted in an ugly grin. “Finally, she responds!”

Jane recoiled. “Stay back!”

“Life likes to throw things at us.” Streger continued up the stairs, moving in plodding steps. “It screws with us, then sits back and watches us flounder.” He stopped at the top of the staircase. “All I’ve done is imitate life’s cruel sense of humor. It jerks us around to see what we’ll do, and I joined in when I entered the game.”

“Enough talking.” Jane took a step up. “Keep walking, or—”

“Or what?” Marcus whirled to face her. His eyes bore into hers with a kind of hunger. “What would you do?”

He grabbed her wrist with both hands. Jane automatically pulled the trigger. Her shot missed. He pulled her toward him. She tripped on the steps. With a shove, he let go of her arm. She fell backward down the stairs and crashed into the wall below. Her body ached from the impact, and her head spun.

She hurriedly stood. Streger was right in front of her. Before she could react, he tore the gun from her grasp.

He fired, and she ducked. His blast hit the wall by her head. Shit!

She stared in terror as he approached, gun aimed at her. She backed away, inching closer to the doorway. If she could make it into the corridor, she stood a chance of escaping.

“Things turn quickly, don’t they?” Streger’s hungry eyes seemed ready to consume her. “I don’t know if I want to kill you or keep you.”

Keep me? A shiver shot up Jane’s spine at the thought of what he could mean by that.

Streger shook his head. “If you hadn’t gone running to Adam each time I prodded you, you could’ve had it all.”

“What do you mean?” Jane asked.

“I wanted to see how far you’d go for your dearly beloved, so I sent your brother after him and let your little demon friend know what was about to go down. I never thought you’d take it as far as you did!” He let out a cynical laugh, and his eyes tilted in an expression of bewilderment. “Why would you risk everything for some AI?”

Jane took another step toward the doorway. She kept her eyes on him so they wouldn’t betray her intent. My turn to stall. “I don’t see him as an AI. I’ve gone through the rational stuff before: he’ll bring me trouble, everything would be easier without him, and all that. But it never sticks because in the end, the thing about Adam is… I love him.”

The distraction seemed to work. Streger’s face twisted into something hideous, wrathful, and he moved toward her. Jane sidestepped. The doorway had to be right behind her. But she couldn’t just turn and run. The gun was aimed right at her, and Streger didn’t seem as if he’d hesitate to shoot her in the back.

“Why do you love him?” Streger’s voice rose with what sounded like desperation. “Do you know what he is?”

Unable to help herself, Jane said, “Do you know what you are?”

Streger’s eyes seemed ready to burst with mad rage. With his empty hand, he grabbed at her. Jane jumped back. He’d attacked her once before, and there was no telling what he’d do since he was armed.

She lunged at him and grabbed the wrist of his gun hand. The weapon’s barrel stared at her. To get out of its line of fire, she pivoted so that Streger was behind her. She dug her fingers into his wrist as he tried to yank it out of her grasp. She felt his breath on the back of her neck. Disgusted, she instinctively threw her left elbow back.

The impact rippled through her bones. Streger’s cry buzzed in her ear. She saw his grip slacken and threw her elbow back again. As he staggered back, she grabbed the thumb of his gun hand and peeled it back. She released his wrist and slammed her forearm into the barrel.

The gun landed on the floor with a clatter. Knowing she had to get Streger away from it, Jane kicked her heel into his stomach. As he flew back, she rushed to grab the gun.

She spun to face him. He came at her—

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Jane’s eyes told her she was the one who’d pulled the trigger, but she felt nothing in her hand.

Streger sprawled on the ground. Three charred holes dotted his body. Blood seeped from each. His brown eyes stared at her. Jane expected him to blink. She kept the gun aimed at him. Any moment, he could spring up and attack her again.

Streger remained motionless. On the floor, a pool of red crept toward her. Jane watched in fascination, keeping her eyes on him. The moment she looked away, he could make his move.

Coldness enveloped her. He won’t.

The last words she’d spoken to him echoed in her mind: Do you know what you are?

“You’re dead, asshole.” For some reason, she wanted to laugh.

More disturbing than the body before her was the hollowness in her heart. She should have been scared. Or sad. Or something.

I killed him. The words carried no impact. Streger was dead, and she wasn’t sorry. In fact, she was glad.

There lay the man who had killed her father, who had shot Riley, who had tortured Adam. The man who had set her at her brother’s throat just to see what would happen. Who had enslaved the minds of others, taking from each the one thing that should have been entirely theirs: their own selves.

He’s evil. Why should I be sorry that I killed him? The coldness tightened its grip around her. Does thinking that make me evil, too?

The ship trembled, forcing Jane out of her trance. Confused, she turned around. Outside the window in the corridor, a bright explosion flared toward her, bursting from the end of the second starcar. A second explosion lit the blackness from another section of the Moray. The self-destruct sequence had started.

Devin’s not in there.

A third explosion illuminated a small, triangular ship docked at the Moray’s side. A Barracuda—likely Devin’s.

No. I’m not buying it. He found a way out.

The universe had lied to her too many times. She wouldn’t believe a thing it told her, no matter how apparent it seemed.

The explosions grew larger. Fear rose within Jane. She pushed it back down. Devin couldn’t be on board. “I’m not buying it, you jerk! You don’t get to go down in some glorious blaze of self-sacrifice! You’re gonna die old and decrepit like everyone else!”

Parts of the ship looked undamaged. Since Streger was gone, she could take command of the vessel, go back, make sure Devin wasn’t there…

But the end of the second starcar had already been obliterated by the explosions. Even if she wanted to go through with her insane idea, she couldn’t. There was no place to dock.

She turned away, unable to watch any longer. Her gaze fell on Streger’s body, which remained where he’d fallen. What was I expecting? That he’d disappear?

She closed her eyes and reminded herself why she was there in the first place. Adam’s been locked up long enough.

She inhaled, then marched into the stairwell. Her stomach turned as she stepped over Streger. His lifeless eyes seemed to follow her.

You’d better have been leading me in the right direction.

It didn’t really matter. The starcar was as good as hers, and she could search every room at her own pace. As she would have been able to if she’d just shot him in the first place. Would’ve spared me a lot of trouble.

She refused to feel anything for the sonuvabitch. After all, she’d lectured both Devin and Adam countless times for being perpetually guilt-ridden over deaths that hadn’t really been their faults. When it came to Streger, she’d had no choice, either. If she hadn’t pulled the trigger, she would have been the one lying at the bottom of the steps.

She stopped at the top of the stairs and considered the next flight, wondering whether Streger had been heading for the second or third level. She looked out into the door-lined corridor. I guess I have to start somewhere.

Intending to blast down the nearest door, she raised her gun. A flash of green caught her eye. The square security scanner by the door blinked at her. Jane tentatively pressed her hand against it. To her surprise, the door slid open.

Streger must not have locked this starcar. I guess he didn’t need to, since he wasn’t expecting anyone else.

The asshole had probably thought he could disappear and carry on with his life, never facing justice for his deeds. His lifeless eyes burned in her mind. Jane tried to banish the image.

She entered the room. Nothing but empty lab tables and empty cells, like the one she’d been locked in. Twisted sonuvabitch.

She left and moved on to the next room. Then the next. And the next.

She reached the door at the end of the corridor. Its security scanner, like the others, glowed green. She pressed it.

The door slid open. Adam, unconscious and bound to a metal chair, came into view. The gun fell from Jane’s hand. A mixture of surprise and relief flooded her.

She rushed to him. “Adam!”

His head hung limply over his chest. She put her hands on his shoulders and peered into his face.

“Adam, it’s me!”

A crescent gleamed on his face: the metal that lay beneath his synthetic skin. A small hole, tiny in circumference but apparently fairly deep, pierced his forehead. Thin scratches streaked his right hand, and holes with blackened edges covered his shirt—something had burned him in several places, scorching away parts of his skin. A gaping injury in the side of his neck revealed the machinery underneath, and it looked as if something had been ripped out.

All Jane saw were signs of Streger’s cruelty. That bastard.

She put her hand on Adam’s face and leaned toward him. “C’mon, Adam, wake up! It’s over now.”

He didn’t react, remaining completely motionless—no breath, nothing.

Am I too late?

No, Streger wanted Adam alive. With Adam trapped and no longer a threat, Streger had no reason to kill him. But perhaps Streger feared what Adam was capable of. An electromagnetic pulse had knocked Adam out in the past. Perhaps something like that kept him unconscious at present.

The line of green lights along the edges of the chair called Jane’s attention. That’s it. Something’s activated here… I just have to turn it off.

She stood and looked around. A touchscreen glowed on the wall. She approached, hoping it had been left unlocked as well. To her relief, it reacted to her touch.

A list of icons lined the left edge. One of them was labeled “lights.” Figuring the rest had to control various devices in the lab, Jane quickly went down the list and deactivated them all. Machines whirred and beeped as they powered down. Too impatient to check what was what, she didn’t turn around until she’d finished.

The lights on Adam’s chair were dark, and the restraints around his wrists and ankles lay open, like unclasped claws.

Jane darted to his side. “Adam, wake up!”

Adam stirred.

Jane let out a breath. She put a hand on his shoulder and shook him. “Adam!”

Adam opened his eyes. His peridot eyes met hers, and he blinked in shock. His lips parted, but he seemed incapable of words.

Jane smiled. “Yes, it’s really me.”

“Jane?” As though hit by reality, he bolted forward. “You have to get out of here. If—”

“Streger’s gone.”

“What?” Adam furrowed his brow in confusion. “How are you here?”

The question sparked Jane’s fury. “What do you mean, how am I here? Did you think you could disappear on me and that I’d never find out?”

“I… I didn’t want—”

“You didn’t want? What if this is what I want to do? What if this is where I want to be?” Tears filled her eyes. “Adam, what did you think would happen? Did you really think I’d just forget you? That I’d never try to find you?” Her voice rose to practically a scream, but she didn’t care. “You could have died before I had a chance to save you! And then what? What did you think would happen?”

“I-I’m so sorry.” His voice trembled. He seemed as though he wanted to say more, but couldn’t.

Jane’s anger faded. “Don’t cut me out ever again, okay?” She put a hand on his face. “It’s over. You’re safe with me.”

Adam looked up. His expression held so much—shock, relief, joy, awe. He seemed too overwhelmed to speak. His eyes shone with a kind of love too deep for words, as though she were the only light in the universe. In spite of herself, Jane smiled. For that look, she would have fought Streger all over again.

She took his hand and gave it a gentle tug. “Let’s get out of here.”

Adam stood slowly, as though uncertain if he remembered how. Jane bit her lip. He’d been trapped in that chair for weeks. She couldn’t imagine the pain he must have endured.

No one will ever hurt you again.

Jane kept his hand in hers in case he needed help. When Adam finally straightened, it hit her that he was truly safe and by her side. Flooded by a rush of longing, she leaned toward him.

The ground lurched. Remembering where she was, Jane reluctantly drew back.

Adam looked past her. “What was that?”

“Not sure.” Jane wondered if it was another impact from the nearby explosion. In any case, she had to get to the control room and take command of the vessel. “C’mon.”

She walked out of the lab. Seeing the entrance to the stairwell ahead, she tensed. Streger still lay there.

Knowing she’d have to come clean sooner or later, she admitted, “I killed Streger.” She turned to Adam, wondering how he’d react.

Adam blinked in surprise, then put his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay?” No horror, no judgment—his eyes held only sympathy, telling her that he was certain she’d been justified in her actions.

Unexpected relief released Jane’s tension. He clearly trusted that she hadn’t had a choice.

So why couldn’t she trust herself? Why did Streger’s eyes still burn in her mind?

“I killed him,” she repeated. “I killed him…” Her breaths shortened. Each gasp failed, stopping in her throat.

Adam embraced her.

Jane buried her face in his shoulder, battling the urge to scream. “He deserved it.”

She looked up. Adam’s metal scar glinted beneath the light. She recalled the video of him screaming in anguish. The pain in Riley’s eyes as he tried to stand. Her father’s face, once so powerful and commanding, robbed of all he’d worked for.

And Devin—what kind of hell had he gone through? It occurred to her that she’d never told him that she forgave him. Why hadn’t she told him? What if—

What if nothing. He made it out before the ship blew.

Her breath steadied.

Another lurch. She didn’t have time to stand there.

“Streger’s body’s in the stairwell.” Jane turned and marched forward. “Just thought I’d warn you.”

Not wanting to see those eyes again, she rushed down the stairs, keeping her gaze ahead. She heard Adam’s footsteps behind her.

She ran into the control room, took the pilot’s seat, and grabbed the controls. Streger had left the vessel drifting through space. On the viewscreen, the detonations continued.

Jane steered the starcar away. If the explosions got any bigger, they could hit her vessel, and she hadn’t come that far just to end up caught in a blast.

She felt Adam’s hand on her shoulder. He must have sensed that something troubled her. She met his questioning gaze and put her hand on his. “I’ll explain later.” Though she knew that had she been in his place, she’d want the explanation immediately, she couldn’t bring herself to relive what she’d been through in words. She nodded at the copilot’s seat beside her. “Buckle up.”

Adam complied.

The communications light flashed. Wondering who it could be, Jane pressed the icon to put it through.

A regal face appeared on the screen: Commander Vega, the woman who had once helped prove Devin’s innocence.

“Marcus Streger.” Her voice was menacing. “This is Commander Jihan Vega of the Megatooth warship RKSS Granite Flame. My vessel carries enough firepower to take out a fleet. If you do not reveal your location immediately, I will unleash my silo in every direction. One of the missiles will certainly hit you. You may not survive.”

Jane scrambled to press the “respond” icon. “Don’t fire! It’s me, Jane Colt!”

Commander Vega blinked as though startled. “What are you doing here?”

“I was Streger’s prisoner. I’ve taken control of his ship. And… he’s dead. It was self-defense, I swear.”

Commander Vega nodded grimly. “Very well.” She snapped her face to the left. “Weapons officer, stand down.” She turned back to Jane. “Unveil the vessel.”

“Okay. I mean… Yes, Commander.” Jane swiped through the control panel, looking for the command that would allow her to do so. She found the icon and swiped it. “Did that work?”

Commander Vega turned to her right and raised her eyebrows.

“Affirmative,” said a female voice.

Commander Vega shifted her gaze. “Take us to the vessel’s location.” She looked back at Jane. “Stop your vessel and remain where you are.”

Jane brought the ship to a halt. “Yes, Commander.”

On the viewscreen, the enormous red warship came into sight. Commander Vega glanced to her left. “Activate the tractor beam.”

A distant male voice responded, “Yes, Commander.”

The starcar pitched. According to the navigation chart, it drew closer to the advancing warship.

Jane turned to Adam, who gazed musingly at the viewscreen. The exposed metal on his face reflected the Granite Flame’s image.

Jane bolted forward. What the hell was I thinking?

She’d instinctively responded to Commander Vega’s authority, but what would happen once the starcar and the warship met? The commander would surely have her troops board.

I’ve gotta hide him somewhere. No—I just have to hide his injuries. A few bandages and a jacket or something should do it. I’m sure Streger has a med kit and some kind of wardrobe around here…

She started to get up.

“Remain where you are.” Commander Vega’s voice was stern. She looked past Jane. “Are you alone?”

Jane looked up innocently. “Yes.” She wasn’t sure why she’d lied, but a tight feeling in her stomach told her she couldn’t let the commander know Adam was there with her.

“Are you armed?”

Jane shook her head.

“My troops will board in a few minutes. Until then, remain vigilant.” Commander Vega sounded concerned.

What does that mean? “Why?”

“Agent Adesina of ISARK informed me that Streger was conducting experiments on an artificial being. The machine could be on board the starcar. Do not be afraid; it is likely confined. But for your own safety, stay in the control room and, if you haven’t already, lock the door.”

Jane’s heart pounded. Agent Adesina had to know about Adam. Streger was gone, but ISARK still wanted him.

She turned and caught Adam’s eye, then quickly ended the transmission.

The warship drew closer. Once Commander Vega’s troops boarded, Jane would have no way of saving Adam. After everything she’d been through, she’d lose him all the same.

The cannons’ controls lay before her. She could fight. But if she attacked a Kyderan military vessel, she’d be branded an enemy of the nation, a terrorist. They’d probably convict her in absentia, and the warrant for her arrest would give permission to use deadly force.

She could never go home.

Adam gave her a sad smile. “You stopped Streger. Thanks to you, he’ll never hurt anyone again.”

Jane couldn’t speak. Didn’t he care that he was about to be condemned all over again? No, of course not. He only cared that she was all right. He’d probably tell her to forget him—again.

The cannons’ controls called to her. She could hear the universe’s ultimatum. By her side was Adam, the one who had always been there for her, even when she’d thought she didn’t need him. The one who seemed to glow with an angelic light, who loved her in spite of her craziness. As far as she knew, nothing was absolute except his love for her, a love she fiercely returned.

She could have him, the universe said. But if she wanted to keep him, she’d have to leave behind everything she knew, everything she’d worked for, with no chance of returning.

Adam leaned toward her. “It’s okay, Jane.”

“What’s okay?” Rage flared through her head. “What am I supposed to do? Watch them take you away again? Spend the rest of my life wondering how long they tortured you before they let you die?” She turned to the controls. To hell with that.

The universe, or the Absolute, or God, or Fate—whoever—demanded the life she’d known in exchange for Adam.

Take it. She swiped the icon to veil the ship, then activated the cannons.

“What are you doing?” Adam sounded panicked.

“Adam, I lost you once, and it killed me.” Jane aimed the cannons. “I tried letting you go, and it left me hollow.” The communications light blinked frantically. She ignored it. “I can’t lose you again.”

She unleashed the starcar’s silo at Granite Flame. It was a Megatooth warship—it would survive the bombardment. But she wouldn’t survive the return fire.

She veered the ship and engaged lightspeed, not caring which direction she headed in. An alarm flashed as a missile flew toward her. The ship lurched.

The navigation screen told her that more missiles were on their way. But nothing could outpace lightspeed, and she was invisible. Commander Vega could fire shots in the dark all she wanted. Her previous threat must have been an intimidation tactic, and Jane wouldn’t fall for it again.

“Jane!” Adam had been calling her name, and she’d ignored him.

She checked the navigation chart. Empty space stretched ahead for at least a few light-hours. Certain that her pursuer wouldn’t catch her, she let go of the controls and turned to him. “I know. That was stupid. I’m a fugitive for life, now—like you.”

“No.” Adam shook his head. “Stop the ship. Send Commander Vega a message telling her that I did it.” He unbuckled his safety belt and stood. “I attacked you, and—”

“Adam!” Jane smiled incredulously at his last-ditch attempt to save her from a life as a fugitive. “It’s done. We’ll run so far, they’ll never find us.”

Adam stared in disbelief. There it was again—the look that told her only she mattered to him. She wouldn’t regret her choice.

She got up from the pilot’s seat and walked to him. “I tried to warn you. So did Pandora. ‘Stay away from Jane Colt,’ we said. But now, it’s too late.” She took his hand. “You’re stuck with me.” Forever. She angled her mouth as a thought occurred to her. Why not? “Marry me, Adam. I mean it this time.”

Adam tightened his hand around hers, gazing at her as though too stunned to speak.

She threw her arms around him and kissed him. Adam’s arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. In that moment, nothing else existed. Security? Wealth? Success? The universe could have them. She’d received the better end of the bargain.

She felt herself melt into Adam’s presence and wished she could remain in his embrace until the last star flamed out.