Chapter Forty-Three

 

Mertex races down the hall, and I see what he’s looking up at: the mechanism built to push a giant sculpture of Minda out over the stage, where wires are supposed to float it down for the opening scene. Just like the beginning of Hearts Wanted, where Minda played a young actress in the chorus of a theater company production where everyone twines ribbons around a sculpture of the theater’s first diva – only, in honor of Mamá’s chocofootage, this one’s made of chocolate. It’s at least three times as big as the chocolate sculpture Brill had nearly been frozen inside.

The fluorescent pink wires are flopping loose against the sculpture’s shoulders. Minda’s staring inside one of the ovens, so focused she doesn’t even notice that the contraption is moving overhead. There’s a bang, and the oven door goes dark with splattered cake batter. Minda flinches. Her mic is already on. She says a guttural word in Zantite, then mumbles, “I thought I had this down.”

Mamá, who was on the other side of the kitchen, moves closer to help her.

My heart freezes. “No!”

“Minda!” Mertex shouts, dashing towards her, as the choco-statue starts to wobble.

Brill could easily get there in time to snatch both of them out of the way. If he’s still here.

As I run towards the two divas, I quickly scan the set, hoping he’s here to help, hoping he’s not, so Frank can’t find him.

Mi vida’s here all right, pero someone has darted him again, and he’s standing inside a ring of cops, looking woozy. I glance over at Frank as we both race towards mi mamá. Is he really planning to destroy my love, my heart, my life?

Mamá backpedals from the rage-powerful Zantite barreling towards her. Mertex grabs Minda, shoves her out of the way as the sculpture falls, dropping him squarely under it. Minda’s high-pitched wail as he disappears shatters the entire row of glasses on the table, pops half the lights. The sculpture cracks in half. Even after nearby Zantites drag the chocolate pieces off him, Mertex doesn’t even try to get up. From the way he’s lying, something’s broken, low in his back.

Minda looks up at where the sculpture was perched, and moisture glitters in her eyes. “Why did you do that?”

He shrugs, his shoulders moving the choco-rubble that covers the floor. “Because that’s what you do when you love someone.”

“You what now?” she says, and it’s only half a joke.

“I love you. And I’m glad I’m getting the chance to say it, even if it’s too late to do anything else.”

She looks at me, alarmed. I shake my head, just the same way Brill had when I’d walked into that cave asking about Ball. Only, unlike Ball, there’s no chance of Murry improbably surviving this. Mertex may look full of vitality, pero there’s no filtering the IH out of his blood.

It’s even harder to be on this side of the head-shake.

Minda bursts into tears. I’ve never seen a Zantite cry before. It’s not pretty.

Tyson moves over to us, watching with sympathy in his eyes. Has he lost someone he loved, too? Or is he sympathizing with Mertex, who is receiving punishment for something he didn’t do?

“I’ve been given the Invincible Heart.” Mertex holds up a hand, cups Minda’s face. “I just want to know, though, before I sleep – why me?”

“What?” Minda sniffs.

“When we were on the warship, why pick me, when all the other guys were bigger, stronger – funnier?”

She runs a finger along his jawline. “None of them were as beautiful on the inside.”

OK. I can’t take it. I pull out the goggles Brill stuck in my bag, and flip them back to the setting that will let me see as Minda sees. I gasp. There’s a fine filigree of red heat lines glowing on both of them, outlining veins and touch points and the swirl where they’re both blushing. And Mertex really is beautiful.

“Let me see tat.” Tyson elbows me, and the instinctive fear hits me again when I look at his reptile’s face through the goggles. He’s more or less one temperature, though there’s collected heat somewhere deep in his cabeza. I’m guessing that’s the core of his brain.

I hand over the goggles, and when he looks through them, he draws a breath, like a little niño. I wonder what it must be like to see through Zantite eyes – as filtered through a Myska’s vision. He scratches the back of one hand with the other, idly, like he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

Minda’s tears fall on Mertex’s shirt. “You never did remember, when we were little kids. When I first moved here.”

Mertex looks confused. “I thought you came here after I left.”

She takes both his hands in hers. “That’s when I came back. We only lived here for a couple of years. When I returned they said you had enlisted.”

“I don’t…” Suddenly, he smiles, displaying all those shark teeth with the same geeky eagerness he’s always shown. “Were you the girl with the doll? And the flower-print replacement leg?”

Minda blushes even more solidly green. “That leg was part of why we moved the first time. When my dad got in trouble, some of the girls injured me when they tried to drive me out of my learning pod. And when I came here – the social order had already been set. I didn’t think anyone was going to accept me until you…” Minda looks up at the rest of us. “It’s not common for people from this region of Zant to move far from their families, unless there’s no suitable pod for their children. My mom and I were alone. I was getting bullied until one day Mertex stopped it, and the girls apologized.”

I’ve seen Minda in a dress – see her now, on her knees by Murry – and now that she’s outgrown the flowers there’s no way you could tell she has a prosthetic. That kids would be so cruel as to snap off her leg when she was already hurting over whatever happened to her papá – when Minda told me that people get over buzzbashing and unpopularity, she’d been speaking from experience.

Mertex looks at the rest of us too, like he’s just realizing his impending death has an audience.

I move closer to him, bending down on the opposite side from Minda. Murry’s the only one in this room who can come close to understanding my addiction. The need, the power, at the same time the raw fear that it’s going to end you. “So the feel of the Invincible Heart. You’ll tell me if it’s amazing, right?”

He manages a laugh. “You know as well as I do how bad it sucks. Especially now when it’s telling me to leap and run, take on the worlds – only I can’t move my legs.” He takes a deep breath. “Promise me you won’t die like this.”

He knows about the betting pools on how long it’s going to take me to give in. He can feel the drug’s power, its seduction – and he’s channeling all that rage into looking back at me, challenging me to say I’m stronger than this. And yet, it’s un prometo I can’t quite make.

“I promise you I will do my best, mijo, with all my might.”

“Then your success is assured.” He holds out a hand, touches mine, completing the formal exchange. Pero, it isn’t just a formality. He means it. “The crash after IH comes on fast. I’ve got a little while, but I don’t want everyone watching.”

Just like in a Zandywood holoshow, where the camera turns away before death arrives.

“Then I’ll say goodbye now.” I take Minda’s oversized hand in mine. “Mertex told me once that if he had to die, he wanted it to be in your arms. That he wanted you to sing him the lullaby from Wandering Wild.”

Mertex’s face turns solid green, all the way across the bridge of his nose. “But that was when I never thought it would be possible.”

“I wish we had more time,” Minda tells him.

Tears fill his oversized eyes, pero they don’t fall. “I’ve always been a coward. I’m so scared right now.”

“A coward?” Minda protests. “A coward wouldn’t have done that to save me.”

“That’s right.” Fizzax steps from behind me, kneels by Mertex. “I’d be scared right now too. Did I ever tell you my uncle took the Invincible Heart? I was a kid at the time, and I thought it was fascinating and cool and oh so brave. But I’d never do it.”

They don’t need me here. I turn away, as Tyson moves to help them transport Mertex somewhere a little more private.

I look for Brill, where I’d seen him ringed by the cops, pero he’s not there.

Ice tickles down my spine. I’d thought he’d be safe in their custody, at least until this was over.

Pero, no y no. Nunca. Frank’s already leading Brill towards the gaping hole we crashed the tanker through. I race over, reaching the storeroom door just as they make it around the lake of syrup. Brill is still darted, still looking nauseated. His eyes are solid black, and he frowns at me like he was hoping I wouldn’t get caught in the middle of this. Pero he stops moving, and Frank looks back to see what’s causing the hesitation.

I dash across the receding pool of syrup, the sticky mess sucking at my shoes. “That’s a little cowardly, don’t you think, Viejo?”

Frank sighs. “It would have been easier for everyone if we’d gotten out of here without you noticing.”

“At least take the dart out, and let him say goodbye.”

“And have him run? I’m getting too old to chase a Krom.”

“Babe, it’ll be OK.” It won’t. And Brill knows it. He looks like he wants to reach out to me, pero his hands are cuffed behind his back to keep him from pulling out the dart. “At least I know the su.”

That’s loco. Where’s the comfort in getting a bullet from someone you know, instead of from a stranger?

I try one more time to appeal to Frank. “There’s a Galactic Inspector here, and dozens of witnesses who saw you take him.”

Frank nods. “The cops handed him over to me, for questioning. And I didn’t lie to them. We are going to have a little chat first.”

First. My heart feels like ice. “You know he doesn’t deserve this.”

“Come on.” Frank puts a hand on Brill’s shoulder, starts walking him across the parking lot. “Get in the van.”

“Jimena didn’t deserve it either.” My voice comes out softer than I’d meant for it to, more raw with emotion. “Ask Brill why when you have your little chat.”

A blush breaks across Frank’s cheeks and nose, pero he’s still acting like he hasn’t heard me.

Brill manages the step up onto the back seat of the van despite the dart and his handicapped balance.

“No!” I race over to the van, pushing Frank out of the way. I manage to get the dart out of Brill’s neck, prying the embedded device out with it, and get turned back around to–

Bang! Pain blooms through my chest.

I’m wearing the body armor, pero the force of it still takes my breath away. I sit down, hard, on the floor and glance at the neat hole Frank just put in my shirt. From the front seat, Botas whines. Frank has him strapped in, pero he’s pulling at the restraints, trying to come to me.

Brill makes eye contact with me, and when I nod that I’m OK, mi vida looks reproachfully at Frank. “You promised not to do that.”

“Kek.” I’m not going to ask what kind of deal he made, not when every breath hurts. “You know this is my fault for digging into HGB. I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for me.”

“I love you, Babe.” He shrugs. “Besides, they’d already cuffed me. So it wasn’t much of a concession.”

“Get out of the van, Bo.” Frank doesn’t look like he’s about to apologize for shooting me. And he’s not about to pretend he knew I was wearing body armor.

“Babe. Everything I told you before still stands. Even the part about Gavin.” Brill’s main concern is taking care of me. He still looks ill. It will take a while for the dart’s effect to wear off – if he even lives long enough for that to happen. “You’ll wear that pendant for a good long time, won’t you? And then if you want Kaliel or somebody else – well, I’m OK with that.”

“Mi vida, I–” I reach up and kiss Brill, hard and deep, for a good long time. Frank’s going to have to shoot me again if he wants to stop it. This really is our last beso. And I don’t know how to say goodbye. When we finally break apart, I look at Brill. No pet names, no laughing hope of reprieve. “Brill Cray, eres el amor de mi vida. Verdaderamente. Siempre pensaré en ti.” I’m glad he’s learned enough Spanish that I can say it that way, in the language of my heart. You truly are the love of my life. I will think of you always.

“Babe.” He looks like he wants to reach out for me again.

“Bo.” Frank says it softer this time. “Out now.”

I step off the van and Frank closes the door.

Minda’s still got her mic, and she’s turned the speakers up loud. Behind me, I can hear her start singing.

The van drives away.

I sink to my knees, my chest sparkling with shock and aching from the bullet. Frank might as well have shot me for real. Because that’s one loss too many. All I want is to blunt this pain.

Rex isn’t still here on shore leave, pero he gave me his number when he left – and I hadn’t been able to make myself throw it away. No matter what I just told Mertex, I’m about to call the unethical doc’s assistant, because he has to know someone here who can get me a dose of the Invincible Heart.

I need courage to confront Frank and make him look me in the eye one more time as I tell him I’m going to do everything in my power to break everything that belongs to HGB. And if I’m still high on IH, who knows what might happen?

Rex has just answered the phone when Fizzax walks up to me, still on my knees in the parking lot. He kneels across from me and arches one of those almost non-existent Zantite eyebrows at Rex. He puts a hand on my face, makes me look at him. “This is trying your best? Mertex’s heat lines haven’t even faded yet.”

I hang up on Rex. Fizzax is part of the group of cops that just handed Brill over without a second thought. I look at him steadily. “How am I supposed to be strong without him?”

He tilts his cabeza. “Without Mertex?”

“Without Brill.”

“Brill’s gone?” Fizzax had been in with Mertex and Minda. He’d missed the entire thing. I don’t have the strength to explain it right now. Let him assume for the moment that Brill just left. Fizzax purses his rubbery lips. “I haven’t known you that long, but from what I’ve seen, your strength has never come from someone else. Come back inside, and let’s talk. Minda’s got a bar in there, and I make a mean bexarkk. Best thing for a broken heart.”