THE DAY PASSED QUICKLY, A blur of naps and uncomfortable conversations. The raiding crew returned with a few more items—not much, because we’d salvaged most of what the neighborhood had to offer the day before, but Reed assured me they’d made as big a celebration as if they’d hit the jackpot. “What about the tech?” I asked as Legion sorted through what remained of our supplies. “Any luck there?”
“I think so.” Rune produced a tablet. She held it between her hands, her eyes closed, and her skin seemed to meld with the edges of the machine, a phenomenon that had terrified me when I first saw it but now seemed as natural as breathing. After a moment a faint glow lit the screen, and she beamed in pleasure. “It won’t work if I let go, though. So much for Reed’s video games.”
He sulked. “Only because you won’t hold it while I play.”
I leaned over Rune’s shoulder in interest. “Have you searched the tablet? Maybe we can get some idea of what this planet was like, or who lived here.”
“There seems to be some sort of internet connection, but it’s down now, of course. I haven’t gone through much of it, but I don’t see much difference from a tablet you’d find in our solar system.”
“Photographs?” I suggested.
Rune blinked. “I’m an idiot. I didn’t check.” She stared at the tablet for a moment longer, and then a holographic image formed above the small device.
It showed a family: three women, maybe sisters from their similarities, and a man who could have been their father. One of the women was holding a baby. She gently rocked it in her arms as the image shifted and changed. “They look exactly like us,” I said softly. It was madness. You could have showed me this holo and told me it was from anywhere in our solar system and I’d have believed you.
Reed looked between me and Rune. “There’s no more question about it. We’re on Liam’s homeworld.”
Liam, the alien we’d met on Obsidian, was so terrified of the creatures that he’d been willing to do anything to survive them—even if it meant betraying us. And none of that mattered, because he’d met exactly the end he feared, mowed down by the creatures in their attack on the ship. “But if this is his homeworld … ,” I said slowly, and then trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
Rune did it for me. “Then the aliens have been here. Maybe they’re the ones who caused all this devastation.”
A heavy silence settled over us. So the aliens had been here. That was one thing.
The bigger question was, were they here still?
“Kenzie?” Cage tapped his knuckles against my arm and gave me a grin. “You okay?”
I forced a smile and nodded. By mutual consent, Reed, Rune, and I had agreed not to tell anyone what we suspected about the aliens. I’d argued in favor of telling Cage, but Rune talked me out of it, pointing out that Cage had enough on his mind and didn’t need even more worry to split his attention. It wasn’t lying to him, exactly. I’d tell him for sure if I got proof. Tonight would give us a lot more information, or I hoped it would. If we found the thief, we’d be able to question them and learn exactly what had happened on this planet. If it turned out to be the aliens, well, everyone would discover the truth then. If it didn’t, I’d have spared them a few hours of the gnawing terror and anxiety currently residing in my stomach.
Matt, Mia, Cage, and I settled in the shadows on the bottom floor of the apartment building. We’d wrapped ourselves in warm clothes and blankets and sat close together, leaning against the wall as the desert night settled over us. We had bottles of something similar to coffee, which was never my favorite caffeine delivery system, and a few snacks to keep us going. More importantly, we had weapons: a long, wicked hunting knife for Mia, who seemed to know how to use it; something like a machete for Matt; and smaller weapons more like daggers for me and Cage, who had less experience with knives. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with the weapon if I needed it, but its weight at my belt was comforting. I wasn’t completely defenseless.
Between us, Mia and I easily pulled Cage and Matt under our invisibility. Mia’s invisibility had always extended to anything she carried on her body, and it had only grown more powerful. I could mimic the power of anyone in my range (although what that range was, precisely, I had yet to figure out—the limits of discovering your powers while on the run). We didn’t need to worry about being seen. We just needed to stay quiet.
As the night settled over us, Cage spoke softly. “So,” he said, “Matt.”
On my left, Matt’s arm tensed against me. On my right sat Cage, his fingers laced through my own, his leg pressed to mine. Mia was on his right, and being uncharacteristically quiet. “What?” Matt replied, a cautious note in his voice.
“Now that we have a few minutes … what exactly happened to you after Sanctuary?”
Matt sighed heavily and seemed to sag. For a long moment I didn’t think he’d answer, but then he spoke, his voice slow and heavy. “It’s like I told you. I crashed on Earth and found an Omnistellar goon squad waiting for me. They dragged me out of the escape pod and arrested me. At the time I was furious. I was sure you’d left me for dead, decided my injuries were too much to handle while you escaped to the alien ship.” That, of course, wasn’t true. We’d assumed Matt was dead because he had been dead. It was only a fun new twist in his power that saved him. “So I guess it didn’t take much convincing to make me spill the beans. Besides, I was scared. I didn’t know if there were more of those creatures nearby, planning to attack Earth.”
“You did the right thing,” I murmured. “Even if Omnistellar abused the information, you didn’t know what they’d do with it. They’re the most powerful corporation in the system. If anyone could have protected us, it was them.”
Matt snorted. “Yeah. Too bad they went another way.” He lifted his hand to rub the back of his neck, a gesture I felt rather than saw. It was sort of strange to be sitting here with three other people I couldn’t see. “Anyway, they gave me a choice: work with Legion or go back to jail. They promised that if I worked for Legion, they’d take care of my family, pay me, let me earn my freedom. It sounded pretty good.” He hesitated. “To be honest, though … going after you guys was part of the lure. I was angry. I genuinely thought you’d abandoned me.”
“I’m sure Omnistellar didn’t discourage that perspective,” said Mia dryly from the other side of Cage. I’d wondered if she was even listening.
“No,” he said slowly. “I didn’t see it at the time, but now, in retrospect … They stoked the fires of my revenge pretty strongly. And then they turned me over to the doctors.” A shudder went through him. “I think they were experimenting as much as anything. Priya told me Omnistellar mercenaries have to be anomalies to survive the process, but they usually receive their implants over several months. I got mine in the space of a few days. I think I died on the table twice, but of course my power resurrected me. And then when they were done, I was a mess of wounds. Apparently my power doesn’t heal me unless I actually die. So that’s what they did. Killed me, I mean. They gave me a lethal injection, and when I came back, I was myself again … except not. Faster. Stronger. With a bunch of new cybernetic implants and abilities.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped, imagining the pain Matt had gone through. “No wonder you hated us.”
“The hatred got me through,” he confessed. “When the pain got too much to bear, I dreamed of getting even with you guys, and … You know, I want to tell you I’m sorry. Not that I didn’t have reason to be angry at the time, but even if you did abandon me, it wouldn’t justify betraying you in return.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Cage reached behind me to squeeze his former friend’s shoulder.
“I really hope … all of you can forgive me. Given time.”
Did all of us mean Rune? I kind of thought it did, and a smile touched my lips. “If you can forgive us, we can forgive you. I’m sure of it.” I hoped he caught my meaning.
If he did, he didn’t show it. “Anyway, they passed me over to Priya, and she and the others bundled me onto their ship and into space. I know you don’t like them, and I get it. But they’re … They were good to me. Helped me. Taught me to come to terms with my new implants. They treated me like an equal, not a kid. I wouldn’t have survived if it weren’t for them.”
“Hang on a sec.” My mind caught up with the story. “You’re saying that Hallam and Priya, they’re anomalies?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I just assumed their abilities came from the implants. What do they do?”
“Hallam was always the strongest guy around. The implants just accentuated a power he already had. Priya, though, her abilities are mental, like yours. Not languages,” he added. “Strategy. She can slow a situation down and consider it from every angle in the time it takes most people to blink. So if you’re wondering why I keep following Priya’s orders, well, it’s because I trust her. She’s tough and smart and quick on her feet. There’s a reason she’s in charge.”
“Right,” Mia drawled. “She’s a saint.”
“I didn’t say that. Just … give her a chance, all right?”
Silence met his suggestion. True, Priya and Hallam had stood with us on the ship. They’d learned that Omnistellar was betraying them, plotting to use them and leave them for dead. The decision must have come quickly, after they’d invested so much time and money in upgrading Matt. I didn’t think there was any risk of Legion trying to arrest us again, even if we made it home.
But at the same time, I couldn’t help remembering how Priya had slapped handcuffs on us after we’d saved her from the monster who’d killed her teammate, Bian. Fully understanding the threat we were up against, she’d remained mindlessly determined to fulfill her contract and do her job. And apparently, she’d done that after a superpowered consideration of the strategy involved. That kind of single-mindedness was dangerous. If anyone should know, it was me, born and raised in Omnistellar’s iron grasp.
The silence stretched long enough to become uncomfortable. I searched for something to say. Priya and Hallam had helped me more than the others; if anyone was going to trust them, I suspected I’d have to start. But I’d just mended fences with Mia, and I didn’t want to set her off again. Also, I wasn’t sure I did trust Priya—or Matt, either, if you came down to it. I believed him when he said he forgave me, and I meant it when I said I understood what he’d been through and forgave him.
But if he was torn between helping us and helping his new teammates in Legion? It was hard to say who he’d side with.
Matt sighed, interpreting our silence. “Keep an open mind. Okay?”
“I always do,” said Mia.
Another silence stretched between us, and then something like a snicker escaped Matt. Cage choked, and I found myself fighting a smile. “What?” Mia demanded.
Mia, keeping an open mind—Mia, who’d wanted to toss me out an airlock until I’d saved her life half a dozen times. A wild giggle escaped me, and Cage dropped his head to his hands. His arms tensed against me as he buried his face, smothering his laughter, while Matt sputtered on my left.
“Fine, fine,” Mia snapped. “Laugh it up. I’m not the one who—”
“Wait.” I jerked upright. Was that movement in the shadows? “Quiet. All of you, right now.”
Everyone instantly stilled, and I leaned forward, careful not to make any noise as I peered across the street.
“Kenzie, what is it?” Cage whispered.
I shook my head, forgetting for a moment that he couldn’t see me. I’d been sure I’d seen something in …
And there it was again. A shape, slipping between two buildings and darting across the street. Matt gasped on my left, letting me know he’d seen it too.
Our thief was back.