11

PREPARATION

THE SUN HAS just set beyond the desert plains of Neospes, casting long shadowy fingers across the face of the Peaks. It seems like days have passed since Caden and I had been in my cave even though it’s only been a few hours. Two, to be exact. We’ d reluctantly rejoined the Sector after ignoring three successive calls on each of our communications devices. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that the Lord King and I had disappeared together. The thought makes me flush. Not that I care what anyone thinks, but I’ d like to keep some things private.

I glance at Caden who, like me, is outfitted in special gear designed to brave the harsh elements beyond the dome. Our eyes meet, and the electricity between us is so tangible, you could power the room with it. I look away. After we left the cave, we’ d gone our separate ways to change and assemble our gear.

I needed space… and clarity.

Being with Caden makes me forget everything—that we’re at war with enemies who will do anything to destroy us. And, worse, what I am—a weapon built to defend and protect. I’m not meant to love or be loved. I wouldn’t change what happened between us, but I recognize it for exactly what it is… a single, suspended moment. A gift.

Now, with lives on the line, we both have a job to do. I have to let him go, for the sake of everyone else, and for my own.

“Riven.” The soft voice interrupts my thoughts. “A word.”

“Of course.” I follow Aurela into a small room. She closes the door behind us. “What is it?”

She eyes me for a long moment. “Is this going to be a problem?”

“What?”

“You and the Lord King.”

I can’t help the slow rush of mortified heat that floods my cheeks. Of course she knows. “No.”

“Good.” Her voice softens and she leans forward, her fingers brushing my hair in an oddly maternal gesture. “Are you well?”

My blush intensifies, along with my sudden dependence on monosyllabic answers. “Yes.”

“You needn’t be ashamed, my darling. It’s a natural thing.”

“Maybe for the Artok,” I mumble. “Not for me.”

“But you are half Artok, and when we love, we love with everything within us,” she says. “I know how you feel about Caden and, well, I suppose it was to be expected.” Staring at her, I don’t know if I’m going to bolt or throw up. The thought that my mother has guessed what happened between Caden and me is utterly and excruciatingly embarrassing.

“Have you had your regular physical since you’ve been back?”

And now she’s talking about our annual standard medical exam, which includes a mandatory vaccine for population control to prevent conception. I swear my cheeks feel like flaming neon beacons. “Yes,” I stammer. “I mean, no. But Caden has. We’re fine. Seriously, can we not talk about this? It’s not like you’re going to be a grandma to little hybrid babies, or anything.”

“Of course not,” she says with a half smile. “Nonetheless, I wanted to make sure that you’re all right and, also, that what happened between the two of you won’t affect your judgment out there.”

“It won’t. Duty, and all that.” The words are harsh, edged with a pain that I can’t quite conceal from her despite my flippant words.

“Riven.”

“Don’t, Mom. It’s fine. I’m fine. I let him go before, remember? A year ago, when I left to find Danton. I can do it again.”

“Riven, about your father.” She draws a harsh breath. “I’m not defending him and what he’s done, but he’s trying.”

My eyes narrow. “Trying what?”

“To make amends.”

“How can you even say that? He can never make up for what he did to me. To Shae.” The pain is like a blow to the face. “He used you, abused your research on genetic coding. He lied to us, abandoned us. There’s nothing he can do to make amends. He made me a monster.”

Her fingers feather along my cheek. “You are my daughter, and what’s in here doesn’t make you any less so. I know you don’t trust him, but your father has… changed. Is changing. I think he’s finally understanding what it means to be a parent.”

I gnash my teeth, remembering his cold smirk and words at Charisma’s house. “Then he’s got you fooled like everyone else.”

“I know you’re angry. You should be. The man’s an arrogant, selfish ass. But deep down, I believe he always cared for you. You, more than anyone or anything.”

I snort, but then remember the chapbook. I shove the thought away ruthlessly. “Danton cares about Danton, and that’s it. We’re nothing but expendable test subjects.”

She doesn’t argue, and maybe it’s better that she doesn’t. My father can’t change. He’s a heartless, calculating bastard who wouldn’t know the meaning of the word father if it hit him in the face. I study my mother. Despite her strength, she’s always had a forgiving heart—her Artok heritage, I suspect—and a part of me can’t fault her for looking for the redemptive qualities in others. It’s what makes her an exceptional leader. My father, however, is another story. He can’t be redeemed. Ever.

“Riven, one more thing. Be careful out there, okay?” Aurela pulls me in for a long embrace. “I’ve lost enough daughters for a lifetime.”

I hug her back, letting her warm scent curl around me. It’s so strange to me that something as simple as an embrace can fuel your desire to live and make you feel invincible. It’s a fleeting thing, of course, but I’ve learned to accept it for what it is. Aurela once told me to accept love gives strength and to give love takes courage. I’m working on both.

“I’ll take care of the Lord King,” I say gruffly. “And keep us both alive.”

When we rejoin the others, I close my eyes and breathe out, letting the tension in my body dissipate. The brief, albeit awkward, conversation with my mother had, strangely enough, helped me to put things into much needed perspective. Thoughts of my father aside, I’ve brought myself clearly into the present, compartmentalizing the past where it can’t affect my choices. I turn my attention to Sauer and my mother.

Sauer has assembled a six-person team: himself, Caden, me, two of Aurela’s trusted soldiers—Arven and a woman named Sylar—and, lastly, Bass.

I frown. “Shouldn’t he remain here to keep an eye on Danton?”

“Bass’s experience is in the field,” Sauer says. “It’s why he was sent to the Otherworld. He’s an asset, quick on his feet, and remarkably adaptable.”

I stare at Bass and he returns my gaze with an even look. He’ d seemed so unassuming, so under the radar in Colorado. Now, dressed in tactical gear, he looks every bit a Neospes soldier. It’s amazing I didn’t see it before. Guess he does blend in with his surroundings. Still, I find it hard to trust anyone who’ d spent any considerable time with my father, no matter what my mother thinks.

“Fine, but he better not get in the way. And what about Danton?”

Aurela nods. “He stays here. We can’t risk Avaria reneging on their promise once he’s in their hands. The trade will occur once the threat is contained. I’ll keep an eye on him, don’t worry,” my mother says. “We’ll hold down the fort until you return.”

“I know what you said earlier, but stay alert.”

“I will,” my mother says. “I’ve got the only shutdown codes for the Vectors, and I’ve verified all the programming code.” I nod, satisfied. “Wind at your back.”

“And at yours.”

We approach the waiting hover, and stop dead in our tracks. I’ve never seen its like before. The forbidding vehicle is half tank and half spaceship, with huge propulsion jets on either side, and heavy-duty plasma weaponry up top. Those plasma cannons could level a small city. Heavy titanium plates plaster the exterior of the hover, making it look like a giant shiny armadillo, and a retractable glass shield covers most of the cabin area. Like the dome, it’s designed to convert and store solar energy. Two all-terrain scouting hoverbikes are strapped to the back, and the hull is jammed to the brim with enough artillery to start a war of our own. The transport looks mean and fierce, and definitely not human-made.

“Where’ d you get this?” I ask, but my words are lost in the hum of conversation.

“Did you leave room for food?” Caden jokes, studying the propulsion jets on the side. “It looks hard-core. I’ve never seen one of these in Neospes before. Does it work like the other hovercraft?”

“Yes and no. Ever see Star Trek in the Otherworld?” Bass asks, eyes twinkling.

Caden gasps. “No way.”

“Relax, Sulu. We’re not going to be flying off into space, or anything. But you know how those engines used antimatter as their energy source? Well, this hover is built with something similar—a matter/antimatter drive train.”

“Whoa. I didn’t think those existed. Not in real life, anyway.”

“It’s volatile technology.”

“Why?” Caden asks.

“Where’ d you get it?” I ask more loudly.

Bass pauses, but answers Caden first. “The engines are unpredictable. We got the idea from the Machines before the War. That’s how they powered the huge war hovers they used to burn our cities to the ground.” His gaze slides to me. “And I can’t say where we got it, that’s classified.”

“Classified?” Caden frowns. “As Lord King, I’m declassifying the information right now.”

Sauer clears his throat. “It was saved after the War. It’s been underground—no one knew what to do with it, so your great-grandfather decided that it would be best to hold on to it. To study it. I think everyone kind of forgot it was there, to tell you the truth.”

“Wait, are you telling me that you’ve never used one of these before?” My voice rises with every word. “And that it’s a Machine ship?”

“Yes, it’s been field-tested. It works just like any other hover.”

I shake my head. “No. There’s no way that we are going in that thing.”

A muscle ticks in Sauer’s jaw. “Riven, it’s two or three times faster than any other hovercraft we have, and its defensive and offensive capabilities are off the charts. It’s our best shot to get to Avaria and back, quickly and safely.” His voice turns hard. “You can stay or go, but this is the vehicle we’re taking. The Lord King’s well-being is my responsibility and I won’t put him at risk, not even to appease you.”

We stare at each other in the charged silence. The last thing I want right now is a standoff with a senior ranking officer—one of my mother’s most trusted men—and, least of all, with Sauer, who has become a friend. “I don’t mean to challenge you,” I concede. “It’s just that you’re putting Caden in a hovercraft designed by the Machines. It seems counterintuitive.”

Sauer nods. “Perhaps, but it is our best option.”

“Fine, but if we blow up, that’s on you.”

Night’s fallen by the time we say our final good-byes. We’re planning to leave via the Eastern quadrant, which has the most direct route through the Outers to the mountain ridges on the far side of the desert. We’ll have to fight off some of Cale’s Reptiles, but hopefully the dark will provide enough cover.

“Wait!”

We all turn at the sound of the voice. It’s my father, walking toward us with something in his hand. Four armed guards escort him, but everyone tenses the minute he’s within arm’s reach.

“I designed this for you,” he says to me. His face is emotionless, but something flickers in his eyes for an instant. I can’t put my finger on what it is.

Is this his way of making amends? I frown—Danton Quinn doesn’t deserve any benefit of the doubt. “I don’t want anything from you.”

“Trust me, you’ll want this.”

I stare at him as he thrusts a folded garment at me. It’s a suit—a Vector suit. The material feels silky against my fingers, and is lighter than any Vector garment I’ve ever worn. “What is this?”

“New suit I designed. It’s thinner, more responsive, and fitted with some new technology—radiation sensors, hazard alerts, that sort of thing.”

“And, thanks to your sick sense of humor, it’s going to shut down mid-battle and get me killed?”

“I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize your life, Riven. You should know that by now. You’re my daughter.”

“You’re a sperm donor, nothing more.” I see that same emotion flicker across his face. Remorse? Sadness? Regret?

He inclines his head. “Be that as it may, I would never hurt you. Anyway, I heard that you ran into some trouble with your last suit, and thought I could help.”

“Bit too late for the Daddy-of-the-Year award, isn’t it? Plus, my suit’s been repaired. I don’t need a new one,” I say coolly.

“This one’s better, more advanced. I made it with your DNA, the sample I took from you in the Otherworld. It’s designed for you, Riven, crafted to be in tune with your singular… skills.”

“You can take your super suit and go right to hell.”

He nods, as if anticipating my response. “Consider it a peace offering.”

We eye each other in stony silence—demonstrating a mulishness that I suppose I inherited from him in the first place. Or maybe I get it from my mother. Glancing at her impassive stance, I square my shoulders and evaluate the facts without emotion. This suit would be an asset and I’ d be a fool not to take it, especially since the repair job on my own was rushed and it still feels slightly glitchy. I’ d stashed some extra standard-issue Vector suits with the rest of my gear as backups. A brand new suit—and one designed specifically to work with my DNA—would come in handy. But, how can I trust anything my father does? Even his motives have motives.

“If Aurela clears the suit, fine. But don’t for a second think that there’s peace between us. You’re a criminal, and you’ll pay for your crimes one way or another.”

“As you say.”

We wait in silence as Aurela nods and has two of her advanced robotic scientists examine the proffered suit. They take it away and return a few minutes later.

“Clear,” one of them says.

Aurela consults with them and returns to our group. “Looks fine. No embedded backdoor codes, and he can’t access it or you remotely. It’s clean.”

“Of course it’s clean,” he says mildly. “The suit is hyper-responsive to you and the whole thing’s a—”

I cut him off. “Don’t you have Vectors to reanimate or people to kill?”

Without looking back, I toss the suit into the hull and climb into the hovercraft.

Inside, Sauer is explaining the controls to the rest of the team—we’ll all be required to drive at some point. It seems pretty simple, but I can’t suppress the unease winding through me as we start moving. I rake my hands through my hair and sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Caden asks. “Is it Danton?”

“No.” I hesitate. “It’s just something Aurela said, but that’s not what’s bugging me. Apart from using a hover that I’ve never seen before, I think it’s weird that the Reptiles haven’t struck yet. Cale has to know that we won’t attack first. But they’re just standing there. What are they waiting for?”

“Maybe it’s a scare tactic. Psychological warfare—defeating the will of the enemy as a precursor to an assault.”

Of course. Cale always was a master manipulator, scheming against the monarchy for years. It makes a sick sort of sense that he’ d wait until the last moment, hoping that the sight of so many Reptiles would send the people of Neospes fleeing for their lives, begging for mercy. But what Cale doesn’t understand is that every last one of us would die before ever yielding the dome to him.

“You better hope Avaria comes through,” I mutter. Caden doesn’t answer, but a muscle starts to tick in his jaw. “Strap in, we’re about to reach the Reptiles.”

Bass leans over. “We may not have to. This thing has stealth mode. That’s how the Machines were able to hit so many cities undetected.”

I frown. “We’ll still have to go through the Reptiles.”

He winks at me, and I don’t miss Caden’s irritation. “Not if we go above them.”

“Above? The hover gear won’t go that high.”

“This beast has vertical propulsion jets. The hover technology conserves energy when necessary, but we could fly all the way to Avaria if we were sure that the fuel would last. I don’t think the commander wants to push it, though.”

The blood in my veins runs cold. Flight technology was outlawed after the war when the Machines took full control of everything that was accessible online. And now, here we are on one of their ships.

Caden and I both watch as Sauer enters a sequence of numbers and everything but the backlit navigation panel goes dark. “What, exactly, is stealth mode?” he asks.

“We mimic our surroundings,” Bass explains. “Kind of like the Vector suits mirroring the environment. It’s like a giant smoke screen. We hide in plain sight.”

“Won’t they hear us coming?”

“Not in this baby. One thing those android pieces of shit knew how to do was build the perfect attack ship—triple threat of stealth, silence, and death.”

I’m not convinced, but sure enough, we glide right over the Reptiles. We’re all holding our breath, but as Bass had explained, even if one of them were to look up, it would only see a shadowy gray sky. Maybe Sauer’s right that this is the best way to get us to Avaria.

“If this ship is so advanced,” Caden asks. “Why can’t we use it against Cale and the Reptiles?”

Sauer’s response is grim. “If we force his hand, we have no idea what he will do to retaliate, and Neospes is vulnerable as it is.”

“You should get some sleep,” I tell Caden, pushing a glowing icon on his seat panel that reclines his chair. “We don’t know what we’ll be up against out here. Rest now while you can. I’m going up top.”

I engage my suit and slip outside. In typical Neospes fashion, the night air is freezing and frost has already crusted on the underside of the cannons. I grab one of the chairs and take up watch position. Sauer insisted that the aircraft has advanced attack detection capabilities, but I don’t care. I have more faith in my own eyes and ears.

“Want some company?” Bass is dressed in a similar insulating suit. A clear mask protects his face.

“Sure.”

He grabs the empty chair and props his feet up on the weaponry, looking as comfortable as if he were sitting at the Winter Games watching an exhibition match. We sit in companionable silence for a while, the shifting landscape flying past. Once again, Sauer was right—we are moving faster than any hover. We’ll probably get to Avaria in two days if we’re lucky.

Bass drums his fingers. I can’t see his eyes, but I can sense he’s watching me. I don’t really want to talk, but I have questions. “What were you doing back there? In the Otherworld with my father? What was he working on?” I give Bass a warning look. “If you tell me that it’s classified, I’ll throw you off this ship.”

He grins. “Wow, I don’t remember you being this feisty. Or, maybe that’s what I liked about you.”

“Stop dancing around the subject and answer the question.”

“He was working on a lot of things.”

“Like the immunity vaccine?”

Bass shoots me a look. “You know about that?”

“I know a lot of things. Is the vaccine for real?”

“Yes, but it’s not one hundred percent effective against all Otherworld infections. Just some of the major ones.”

“What made you take the mission to work with him?”

Bass sends me another sidelong glance. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“From the Otherworld?”

“From this one.” He sighs and clasps his hands behind his head. “You were young, about five. We’ d been testing the first round of reanimation for the Vectors and you sneaked into your father’s lab. One of them attacked you.”

The memory is as real as the day it happened—the feel of that giant, brutal hand winding in my hair and those dead, milky-white eyes. I shake it off. “You were there?”

“I was one of the assistants.”

I squint, scanning the lab in my memory and recalling the figure of a skinny boy cowering in a corner. He must have been new, not much older than me. His face had been as terrified as mine. I nod slowly. “The boy in the gray intern suit. You were about twelve?”

“Ten. It was my first real job in the Sector. I tested off the charts for robotics.” He pauses. “And hand-to-hand combat. Your father thought it was a win/win for him—brains and brawn. I advanced quickly through the ranks of his assistants.”

“I never saw you with him.” I’ d certainly never come face-to-face with Bass until we met in the Otherworld.

“That was part of my job. Being invisible.”

“You did it well.”

“When the Faction approached me, they had been watching me for a while. Let’s just say that Danton Quinn has a unique way of expressing his appreciation and gratitude. My entire family—mother, father, and brother—were killed in a freak factory accident in Sector Three. Only, it wasn’t a freak accident. Turns out someone had tampered with one of the chemical reactors.” He pauses. “It was never confirmed, but I always suspected foul play. Danton wanted my total focus. The rest is history. When Era asked me to spy for her, it was a no-brainer.”

I shake my head in disgusted sympathy, my recent uncertainty about my father’s motives disappearing. He’ll never change. “How do you stop yourself from just throwing him off a building? It would make both worlds better.”

“Trust me, it’s hard not to,” Bass says with a laugh.

I frown. “Why did he let you go on this mission? Wouldn’t he be suspicious?”

Bass’s smile is brilliant. “That’s the beauty of it—me going along was his idea. He thinks we’re keeping an eye on them, and you.”

My father isn’t easy to mislead, yet Bass has somehow managed to pull off this deception. I feel a glimmer of respect. “He hasn’t suspected anything after all this time?”

“I’m good at what I do, Riven.”

Suddenly, I’m grateful that he’s one of the six on this ship. He’s a survivor. He’s loyal. And now I know he has a blood debt to collect.