We have all of six meters to go, but it seems LeGran has sent his entire Premier guard to the spaceport to stop us. There are at least five guards standing sentry at the entrance to the launch bay we need. The only upside to this is that I don’t think they know which ship to look for. There would be a lot more guards if that were the case.
Thank you, Leef, and your unsignatured ship!
“What do we do?” Talie whispers next to me.
We’ve got a good viewpoint from the doorway that exits from the hall to the launch bay, but that only means we have more ground to cover. We’ll have to cross the whole hallway—a good ten meters—before we make it to the door. And that’s assuming we make it past the guards, which is not likely in my current condition.
“I…don’t know.” Admitting that stings.
“We need a distraction.” Talie steps back from the door and looks around.
The halls are mostly empty. There are a few lockers where workers keep their personal items but, other than that, there’s only the cleaning supplies….
“Wait a second.” An idea forms. “Shell, can you analyze these chemicals. Do any react?”
“Please look at the ingredient markings for each item, and I will analyze.”
This Shell thing is more helpful than I could have imagined. I eagerly scan my gaze over the lists of items we have in the bucket Leef gave Talie and then move to a closet where a few other supplies are stored.
“You can mix the Xentha floor cleaner with the KPS dissolving mixture to create a satisfying yellow smoke.”
“Satisfying?” Talie says.
I shrug then wish I hadn’t. Every move hurts. That’s it. I’m never getting shot again.
“It should create a sufficient distraction if placed at the intersection of hallway V6 and W9. Though you may need to incapacitate one or two guards, assuming they don’t all rush to investigate.”
I groan.
“What?” Talie asks.
“I hate to break it to you, but I can’t incapacitate anyone right now.”
“I’ll do it.”
“No.” No way. “They are dangerous, and you could get hurt.”
“And we’re not underwater anymore.” Her chin juts up. “I should be able to use my ability to stop them. If not, I’ve fought at least one guard before.”
Her smile hints at flirtation and sends my heart banging against my chest. I’m tempted to relive my goodbye kiss, the one that was so totally worth getting shot for, but the Shell interrupts my thoughts.
“This is a time sensitive matter, Master Cartha. Your heightened levels of dopamine suggest—”
“Thanks, Shell.” Talie gives me a look, but I wave it away. For as useful as it is, this Shell can sure kill a mood.
I turn to the exit map on the wall. It’s standard for a spaceport like this, listing emergency pods specifically for workers as well as travelers.
“Here’s the junction.” I point to a spot on the map.
“They’ll need to see one of us. There’s no way most, if not all, of the guards will leave their station without good reason—even with a smoke bomb.”
“Good point, I can make it down there.”
“You can barely stand. It has to be me.” Talie places the chemical bottles in the bucket.
I want to protest, but she’s right. I’m having trouble standing, and I’m not even sure if I can get across the hall on my own, let alone run back along this corridor.
“I’ll let them see me drop the smoke bomb then come back through the tunnel. When they leave their post, we go. I’ll stop anyone in our way.”
“Talie—”
“Renner.” She squeezes my hand. “I can do this.”
When I meet her blue eyes, they’re warm but insistent. I know she can. It’s not about her ability. It’s about the danger she’s purposefully putting herself in. The danger I should be taking on.
“If you hadn’t gotten yourself shot”—her lips quirk—“you could have acted the hero.”
I shift forward, backing her up against the wall. “I got myself shot to save you.”
“I never asked you to.” Her voice trembles. “Stars, Renner, I can’t—if you die…”
“I’m not going to die.” Her warmth radiates back to me.
One moment. Two. Three ticks pass until the distance is too great. I sink my fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck. I feel that gravitational pull. The one that won’t let me go, no matter how many times she turns me down for the sake of her duty. I can no more discount my feelings than I can ignore the suns as they rise and fall.
“Ren.” She whispers my name right before her lips crash into mine. Her hand snakes into my hair as the other wraps around my back, pulling me to her.
She tastes like honey and smells like fragrant Meloran flowers. She’s strong and beautiful, and her lips draw me to the edge of the Verse, teasing me to let go. To forget duty. To forget danger. To forget anything that isn’t her warmth pressed against me. Her lips on mine. The feeling of need I have for her.
I would give up the galaxy for this girl.
She pulls back. “Renner, I—”
I silence her with a quick kiss and step back. “Not now. I just…I needed that to get me through this next part.”
Sparks flash, and I see she wants to challenge me. To remind me of our duty—but to the black with duty. What I feel for Talie transcends a stupid law, and when we’re out of this, I’m going to tell her that. But for now, we have to make it to freedom first.
“Okay.” She picks up the bucket but pauses to look back at me. “I’ll be fine.”
“You’ll be fine,” I agree.
I just hope the smoke does its job—not only to attract the guards but to cloak Talie’s escape.
She disappears down the hall. I watch until she’s turned the corner. Then I refocus on my view of the hallway through the narrow crack in the door.
Things look the same, so I wait.
Shell attempts a few conversational topics in a not-so-subtle way of distracting me, but I ignore it. The only thing I want is Talie back safely.
I wait, heart pounding, and side throbbing with every breath. And then I see it. The first guard moves a few feet down the hall. Then two more follow.
“Come on. Go. All of you,” I mutter.
Four of the five guards leave but one stays behind.
I do a mental checklist of what hurts when I move. Everything. Okay…so I’m going to be of no use. If only I’d held on to the blast pistol—
Then Talie’s there, breathless and flushed and smelling like rotten eggs.
“It worked. Let’s go.”
“There’s still one guard.” I start to protest, but she doesn’t stop—doesn’t even pause—before she’s out the door trusting that I’ll follow. And, of course, I do.
The lone guard slams back against the wall, though not hard enough to knock him out.
“He’s wearing…something heavy,” she pants.
I’m at the door, and Shell unlocks it just as the guard recovers. Instead of using her ability, which I assume is not as easy due to the added weight, she roundhouse kicks him in the jaw.
Then we’re in the hallway with the door locked behind us.
“Are you all right?” I pant with the effort to keep up.
“Better than you. Come on.”
The strangest feeling comes over me, and then I’m sailing through the air next to Talie. She’s…carrying me with her ability. It’s clear she’s feeling the strain, but she’s focused. I don’t say anything for fear of being a distraction, but I don’t know if we’ll make it.
We reach Leef’s ship just as a blast takes out a chunk of bulkhead above us. The door opens before she has time to insert the chip, and I brace for another guard, but it’s Leef.
“Took you long enough,” he says with a grin. “Let’s go.”