27

COUP DE GRACE

BASS CIRCLES ME, pulling his staff from its holster and twirling it over his hands. That’s why he’s so fast. I should have seen it earlier, but I’ d wanted—no, needed—to trust him so badly that I’ d been blind to all the signs. If Bass is anything like Rila—artificially modified—then he is not to be underestimated.

“I’m not going to fight you.”

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice. I’ll be gentle and we’ll stick to standard sparring rules. Every strike you get on me, you get to save one hostage.”

“And if you get a strike?”

“I kill one.”

He spins his staff, and crouches into fighting stance. I don’t move. I’m not going to play this game, not when there are so many lives at stake. Bass’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline and he grins crookedly before lunging with a powerful strike to my stomach. The breath whooshes out of me and I stagger back. Without hesitation, he spins away and puts a bullet in the head of the closest Vector, the one standing trussed next to Sauer.

“Next time, it will be a human. Fight back.”

“I don’t want to fight you. Can’t you see what you’re doing? You’re going to murder people based on injustices you think you suffered as a child. We all have our demons. Mine was him for a long time”—I jerk my head to my father, whose open eyes are now glued to us—“but he doesn’t define me. My actions define me.”

“Brave words from someone who is already genetically superior. Now fight, Riven. I want to see just how good you are.”

“You already did, remember? In the bone yard.” He blanches a little, but the look is quickly erased by an overconfident expression. Bass lunges again, catching me on the shoulder. I don’t even try to deflect the hit. “I’m not fighting you.”

Before I can blink, he swings around and shoots Arven right between the eyes. My mother’s scream is agonizing, as is Sauer’s groan. “See what you made me do?” said Bass. “You could’ve saved him. You chose not to. What were you saying before about actions?”

The swell of rage is overwhelming. I know Bass is pushing my buttons, but I don’t care. He wants to play, so we’ll play. I swing my ninjatas and wait, watching him. He shifts the weapon mode on his staff, turning both ends into triple-pronged machetes. Guess he means to draw blood. He lunges, his blade swinging dangerously close to my ear. I drop to my knees and roll, slicing one of my ninjatas through a well-muscled thigh.

“Aurela,” I say and swoop back in, my blade nicking up the side of his cheek, and then down the other. “Sauer, Enola. Want me to keep going? I can go all day.”

“I really enjoy when you get all feisty.” He swipes at the lines of blood on his cheeks, and studies the fluid. I can see the injected nanobes doing what they’re meant to—healing his broken skin.

Bass swings his staff, the playful expression on his face gone. He’s all business now, and we start sparring in earnest, ducking and weaving out of each other’s way in a blinding blur. He’s good—more than good—and I have to work to keep up with him. It’s like battling a version of myself—one that can make decisions on the fly and be unpredictable. After several intense minutes, we’re both breathing hard.

Inka has worked her way back toward Sauer and the others. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a shadow creeping against the wall. But the moment of distraction costs me as Bass gets in a blow to the side of my head that makes me see stars.

“Aurela.”

I narrow my eyes. “I already took her out.”

“And I put her back in.”

“You’re changing the rules.”

“It’s my game.”

I grit my teeth as he comes at me again, but this time I sidestep him neatly, bringing the hilt of my ninjata up into the soft rear part of his skull. I sweep my foot out, and he goes down hard onto his back. “Double hit. Aurela and Caden.”

“Caden’s not in the game,” Cale screeches from the periphery.

I glare at him. “If he can change the rules, so can I, and I choose Caden.”

Bass stands, rubbing the back of his head and wincing. “Cale’s right. The lovely Lord King is not an option. I made a promise, you see. And it’s my game.”

This game of Bass’s is all for sport, I see that now, a twisted way to punish me for being the cyborg he wants to be. He’s not going to give me any hostages, and with him changing the rules, I’m not going to have any advantage. I don’t know how I missed the signs—Bass’s cruelty or the rocket-sized chip on his shoulder. Maybe I’ d wanted to focus so badly on someone other than Caden that I’ d had blinders on all along.

Truth is, I’ d liked Bass’s attention. I liked it so much that I refused to see what was right in front of my face. The clues were there—his presence in the Otherworld, showing up with my father at Charisma’s, everting to escape the moss monster when he should have died, his derisive thoughts about the Otherworlders. None of that had registered. I’ d fallen for his lies the minute he’ d told me that sob story about his parents.

A sour, cold feeling settles in my stomach. “You said you were there when… with Shae. Were you the one to make her into a Vector?”

Bass’s smile is pure, vengeful victory. “She was one of my greatest works.”

“I’m going to end you.”

With a hiss, I spin between Bass and Cale, ninjatas flying out and meeting my mark on each of their torsos. They stagger back at the same time, and I signal to Inka who releases three arrows into the Reptile ranks. Cale melts back into the darkness, coward that he is, and Bass wheels on me with a roar. I kick him in the mouth, wiping that smile off for good, my ninjatas a blur as my rage takes over. Bass can barely fend off my manic blows with his staff. Inka fires more arrows as Reptiles rush me from all corners—no doubt summoned by Sebba. A shower of darts follows, felling four more assailants, and I send a grateful look to the slight figure in the shadows.

“Rila!” Bass bellows, recognizing the weapons. “Get out here and do what you’re programmed to do.”

Inka dispatches the last of the Reptiles as Rila slinks past Sauer and the others and appears behind an unsuspecting Cale, who’s hiding on the far side of the hangar.

“Hi,” she says, her blade tipped into the vulnerable still-human side of his temple. Cale’s hands go wide in surrender. He knows exactly what she’s capable of.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sauer cutting his bonds loose with a knife that Rila must have slipped him on her way to Cale’s side. Sauer gets to work on freeing the others, before rushing over to Caden. He looks anxious as he checks Caden’s vitals, but I can’t let worry distract me. Not now. The noise has drawn more Reptiles, and they’re swarming the door.

It’s my turn to taunt Bass. “I forgot to tell you. Rila’s on my side, now.”

His face contorts as studded pikes appear on the ends of his staff, and he swings it viciously at me. I dance back until we’re by the far side of the hangar, away from the others. I let Bass get close and he hefts the pike again. I duck easily, squatting down and kicking out in a sweep that catches him in the ankles. Bass topples, and I waste no time jumping on top of him, my ninjatas scissored at his neck.

“Sebba!” Bass thunders, his throat bobbing beneath my blades. His cold eyes don’t leave mine for a second. “Summon all the Reptiles. Now. And you… you are mine.” He pushes up against the blades until welts appear on his neck from the sharp edges. “You can’t kill me. Deep down you know we are the same. You are mine.”

“You’re insane,” I say, trying to press down. But instead, my arms fall limp to my sides and I keel over.

What’s happening? I ask the suit, which suddenly seems to be going rogue, holding me immobile.

Secure Sebba program script operational. Shutting down DNA sync.

That sneaky bastard. He’ d programmed parameters into the suit—ones that become operational if I ever come close to killing him.

Override. Now!

Negative.

Then shut down. I swipe at the neck of the suit, trying to disconnect it from my brain and body, but it only cinches tighter like a full-body noose. Something cool slithers into my spine—the suit’s injecting some kind of paralyzing agent into my bloodstream. Fighting with every ounce of strength, it isn’t long before I am unable to move an inch. I’m imprisoned in an inescapable casing, my brain the only thing functioning. I glance around, taking a desperate count. Sauer’s still with Caden, Aurela, and Enola. Cale is lying in a crumpled heap on the ground. Rila is nowhere in sight.

Bass pulls himself up to leer over me. “I told you once. Always be prepared for the inevitable. I knew you’ d be the one to try to stop me. I had to build you something that would make you feel invincible, and then take it away at the very last moment, just as you realize how much you’ve depended on it.” He leans down to press a kiss to my forehead. “Watch, sweet warrior. Watch while I kill every last member of your family. When this is over, you’ll be the queen you always wanted to be.” He laughs. “Oh, I know all your secrets—how badly you wanted the Lord King to choose you. It’s pathetic.”

I try to talk—try to tell him that I’ll do anything he wants—but my lips are glued together. Bass walks away. I watch in slow motion as hundreds of Reptiles pour in like a foul river of broken metal and bones, barricading the entrance to the hangar. They surround Bass like a god, and I can only stare helplessly when Inka’s bow is wrenched from her grip and they force her to the ground. Only the slight twist of Bass’s fingers stops them from ripping her to shreds.

“Slowly now, I want the General to watch every excruciating moment. How could this human be more worthy than you?” he asks. “To you? All because of a boy you think you’re in love with? Love is nothing, and has no place in this world. You are flawed because of it. It taints you with its promises, and then discards you when it sees fit.” Bass’s voice becomes gentler as his fingers brush Inka’s bronze skin. She doesn’t even flinch. “I’ll save this one for last.” He stands. “Bring me the other Avarian.”

Inka struggles against the hold of the Reptiles, fear flashing across her face. Bass is quick to notice. “Figured she means something to you after you went all crazy against your father. This should be interesting.”

Bass nods to one of the nearby Reptiles, which has a soldering laser for an arm. I want to scream as they hold Enola down, but my body is unresponsive. She doesn’t make a sound, not even when they burn the top layer of skin from her arms. Her dark lips turn white and a single tear slips from the corner of her eye. The tissue puckers and blisters, the scent of scorched flesh saturating the air. Inka screams, thrashing against the Reptiles holding her in place, as the laser moves to Enola’s chest.

“Stop.” The voice is weak but authoritative, and my eyes fly to Caden’s form. He’s standing, half-leaning on Sauer.

Bass sneers. “The Lord King awakens.”

“Stop this, Bass.”

“May I remind you that you have no authority here?”

“I’m asking you. Just take me. Do what you will with me, but let them go. The Avarians have done nothing to you.”

“Nothing?” Bass scoffs. “Look at everything they’ve hoarded and hidden. They’re more than selfish. And they, too, will pay.”

“That’s not Inka’s fault. That was her father’s choice. You already dealt with him. Let them go. Show mercy, I’m begging you.”

Listening to Caden’s desperate plea, I’m so focused on what he’s saying that I suddenly realize a person is lying flat next to me on her stomach. Rila shimmies closer.

“I know you can hear me,” she whispers. “I’m going to try to disconnect the suit. It may hurt.”

I wince as she wrenches the connectors out of my body. Even with the paralysis agent, I can feel the sharp sting as the suit tries to hang on to me like a leech. Rila tugs each plug out, careful not to make any noise or draw attention. Blood rushes into my numb limbs as the suit powers down, flaking off my body like a discarded snakeskin. I’m in underclothes, but I don’t care. I can move.

I study the slight girl stretched out beside me, suddenly grateful I hadn’t left her to die in the lab. “Thank you, Rila.”

She nods and leans in. “You should trust them, you know, the nanobes. They’re yours. I know what you said about them not defining me, but they are part of you.”

I stare at her for a moment, then take off at a mad run toward the ship, leaping over bodies and slashing with my ninjatas. My entire body glows blue. I’m a bright neon streak across the hangar. Bass stares at the spot where his suit is lying in a crumpled heap, and he turns back to me, howling.

“Stop her!”

He lunges at me as dozens of Reptiles converge, but I push myself faster, vaulting off one of them at the last moment to propel myself in a flying somersault to the top of the ship. Bass is fast, but not fast enough. I don’t hesitate, slipping through the hatch and powering up the ship with a mental command. I don’t need the suit to be an accelerator. The ship is already attuned to me—I feel it locking on.

“Shields!”

The ship is already taking a beating. I power up and point the cannon into the middle of the fray and fire. The shock makes part of the hangar explode outward. A wave of waiting Vectors surges through the opening, engaging the Reptiles as if possessed. I switch to guns, and start picking off the Reptiles closest to Sauer one by one. He, Caden, Aurela, and Inka are pressed into a tight circle with Enola and Danton lying between them and a ring of Reptiles closing in. I shoot faster.

Bass jumps off the ship and the Reptiles clear a path for him. He swats off a couple Vectors like gnats, and melts into the mass of clashing bodies. I lose sight of him when a few rogue Reptiles break forward to attack Caden’s group.

The Reptiles press in on the circle, obscuring it from view. I contemplate shooting the plasma weapon again, but Caden and the others could be in the blast radius, so I keep picking off individual Reptiles.

“Locate Bass,” I tell the ship, paying close attention as it runs its facial analysis program. I finally see him. He’s holding the Lord King in a choke hold, the edge of his staff now a sharp sword and pressed against Caden’s stomach. Sauer, Aurela, and Inka have lowered their weapons, surrendering.

Bass looks directly at me, his face, large and ferocious on screen. “You’re clever, Riven. I’ll give you that. But I know your weakness and I will gut your lover from navel to nose if you don’t get off that ship.”

“Don’t do it, Riven!” Caden shouts and earns a vicious stab to the belly. I can see the blood flowering through the shallow wound.

“The next one will be much deeper, I promise,” Bass growls.

I press the communicator. “Don’t hurt him. I’m coming out.”

But instead of exiting the ship, I swing myself down through the hatch to the engine room, and retrieve the weapon Arven had hidden inside the shell of the magnetic rings. I wonder why Bass didn’t destroy it, but then realize that he meant to use it against the Reptiles. He needed them to attack Neospes, but he despised them the same way he scorned humans. Once they’ d done their jobs, eliminating them would have been easy.

I exhale slowly, hefting the weapon in my hands. This could be the end of me, but I know what I have to do. I open the hatch as promised. As the door slides open, my eyes find Caden’s and I communicate my good-byes with a painful sigh. I look to my mother who nods once, touching her fingers to her lips in silent acknowledgment.

“Riven,” Caden whispers, his face stricken as his eyes dart from my face to the metal cylinder in my arms. “No…”

I glare at Bass. “Game over, assclown.”

Bass lifts his staff in a rage, but he doesn’t complete the strike. Not when I fire the weapon and everything goes black.