Perilous Space prison didn’t look like a drift. It wasn’t a stack of levels that spun gracefully in the vacuum of space creating its own gravity. Absent were the large viewing windows or the different-colored lights along the floors. No cheery welcoming message repeated from the communications tower with docking instructions and mentions of drift-specific sites to see or stores to visit. Instead, it sat as a square block, stark and intimidating, which didn’t look as though it belonged floating in space at all. Ren pegged the architecture as something he would’ve found on a planet, squat and cube-shaped and ugly, positioned in the middle of a field encompassed by a high fence. The only light came from a beacon on top of a spindle at the very center. It sat perfectly still in the middle of a large sea of broken parts, and broken ships, and broken dreams.
“That is the weirdest thing floating I’ve ever seen.” Darby leaned close to the view screen and squinted. “Is it real?”
“Yeah, it’s real.” Asher sidled close to Ren’s side. “Ren?”
The room Liam had shown them fit right into the overall look. It was a prison after all. Ren hoped his brother was still there and this wasn’t a snipe hunt. He needed it to be real. This was his only shot. He couldn’t ask Rowan to continue to put everyone at risk, especially with the stakes as high as they were.
Reluctant to reach out, Ren scrunched his features and closed his eyes. The low hum of despair vibrated in the depths of Ren’s veins along with the bare minimum of systems needed to keep the occupants alive—air and gravity. A large weapons system singed the outside of Ren’s consciousness, and he recoiled from the power it drew from the generators, draining and straining the grid even at rest. He’d hate to feel the weapons when they were engaged, and the thought made him shudder. It would destroy the ship with one shot, and Ren wasn’t certain he could stop it.
“See if you can check the validity of the information from the voices. Scan for the docking bay.”
Ren surged outward using the Star Stream’s sensors. He felt the brush of the other beings as they hovered close and cloaked the ship in debris. No external communications pinged his senses. The docking bay was tiny and hidden around the back of the structure, where it faced the ring of junk, which floated on three sides, caught in the small gravitational pull.
“Found it.”
You’re doing well. Keep going. You’re on the right trajectory.
Ren nodded. “They say we’re on track.”
“Good,” Rowan said from her captain’s chair. “Thank them for us.”
Thank you.
The ship moved through the debris, and the group of technopaths moved the large pieces out of their way and otherwise kept close to the hull, acting as a shield. The Star Stream moved achingly slow to avoid attention.
It wasn’t fast enough for Ren, and his anxiety welled within him and made his skin crawl. Even Asher’s hands on him, grounding him to the present, didn’t keep his stomach from twisting and his body breaking out in acrid sweat. He clenched his eyes shut and focused on his job.
Lucas piloted. Asher and Ollie scanned the sensors and comms. Darby and Penelope readied for the physical assault and liberation of the prison. Ren scanned for blueprints.
“I have a map,” he said.
“Can you cast it on the screen.”
Ren nodded, and, with a flick of his wrist, the layout of the block appeared. It was straightforward, with few twists and turns. Each floor had the same basic layout of hallways, except the lowest, which was the docking platform, and the top, which appeared to have larger rooms—maybe offices? Or labs for the experiments Liam had talked about? The four layers in between just small rooms next to each other with single exits into a large hallway.
Liam was in one of those rooms.
Ren was sure of it.
“This looks straightforward enough,” Asher said, flipping through the pages. “I only wish we knew what room Liam was in exactly. We’ll have to open the doors to them all and hope we find him.”
“Or he finds us,” Darby said. She moved from her spot by the outer vid screen to Asher’s console. She leaned over it and dragged her finger over the map. “If we could separate the guards from the prisoners, then we could have the prisoners all come down to the docking bay. Maybe trap the brass on the top floor?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Asher said. “We lure the officers to the top and have Ren shut them in. Then we open all the prison doors.”
“Two problems,” Rowan said. “One—we don’t know where the star host prisoners are versus the actual bad guys that are housed there for things other than a little pickpocketing. And two—Abiathar. He’ll have Ren or one of the others turn on us as soon as he can speak.”
“I’ll be fine as long as Ash is with me,” Ren ground out.
We’ll be with you as well. We’ll not allow a coercer to harm you.
“So we’ll go door-to-door. We’ll lock most of the guards on the top floor, enter through the dock, and then work our way through. Maybe Ren will be able to access records and get us the right door.”
“I don’t like the idea of you all being on there for a long time,” Penelope said. “The longer you stay, the higher the chances of being crunched.”
“And I don’t like the idea of docking there long either. Don’t forget we have disembodied voices that are helping us. Who knows where their allegiances lie and what they’ll do when they get a chance.” Lucas kept a tight grip on the piloting controls and his gaze on the screen, but he grimaced as he said the words. “Did they hear that?”
“No,” Ren said. “They’re locked out of systems right now. I put up a barrier.”
“Smart thinking.”
Rowan stood and came over. “That’s our plan, then? Ash, is there a Phoenix Corps code or signal that would get everyone to congregate in one place?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
Asher nodded, face grim. “Yeah. There’s a few.”
“Great. We’re doing this.”
“We’re doing this,” Ash agreed.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Darby said, rubbing her hands together. Her dark eyes glittered. “This is the big one. The one all thieves and cons talk about and laugh that no one would be stupid enough to do.”
“That’s… not reassuring.”
She shrugged. “It wasn’t really meant to be.”
“Ren?” Asher asked. “Are you ready?”
Heart lodged in his throat and his body trembling from excitement and panic, Ren nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.”
“We’re with you, Ren.”
We’re with you.
_
They left the bridge when there were only a few meters left of the approach. The debris had peeled from the ship and spread out toward the docking bay to cover their route.
We’ll stay as long as you need us.
Thank you.
Dressed in black, hood pulled up over his head and a pulse gun strapped to his side, Ren fidgeted as the others prepared. Darby took the offered pulse gun with a reverence Ren hadn’t seen her display for anything else. She slid it in an arm holster Rowan had tightened across her back. She also had over her shoulder a bag of tricks and gadgets that she and Ollie had developed. Ren hadn’t asked, but he would wager that included explosives. Darby did have an enthusiasm for blowing things up.
“Don’t use the pulse gun unless you absolutely have to.” Rowan patted Darby’s shoulder in a sisterly fashion. “Let Ren disable them first if he can. He’s good at it. Follow Asher’s and Ollie’s leads when it comes to shooting.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Ollie clipped his own guns at his hip and shoulder. “Don’t shoot if you can run.”
“We’ll be fine,” Asher said, tone flat, not at all reassuring. “If this goes right, we won’t run into anyone other than who we’re looking for. Search and rescue. Do not engage.”
Lucas’s voice came over the comm. “We’re five minutes out at this pace. Be safe out there. Come back to the ship as soon as you can, and we’ll blast out of here.”
Ren rolled his shoulders. “The star hosts in the debris are going to hover nearby until we’re ready to depart. And they’ll continue to cover us.”
“Okay, Ren, send the announcement.”
Ren took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He focused past the hull of the Star Stream, and reached out until he met the circuits of the prison. He trickled in and stopped abruptly. A large barrier loomed in front of him. It was a wall of static and code, built upon more static and lines and bricks of programming. He poked it tentatively, and electricity bloomed out in a webbed pattern encompassing the whole of the system. Unperturbed, Ren pushed slightly harder. It resisted, and the code thickened and spread farther and wider so that it was difficult for Ren to find a way around. It was a deterrent, a way to keep the technopaths housed at the prison from taking over.
Face scrunched, Ren pushed against the wall, and it repelled him, sent him scurrying back into his body. He gasped and took a step back and fell into Asher.
“It’s blocked.”
“What do you mean?” Asher asked, gripping Ren by the biceps. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine but… it’s going to take me a minute. There’s a…. wall.”
Rowan arched an eyebrow. “A wall? Of what?”
“Code and… I’m sure there are going to be traps and snares once I get through that. I… should’ve known. It’s meant to hold star hosts and that means technopaths too.”
Rowan and Asher exchanged a glance. “We should pull back,” Asher said. “It’s too dangerous.”
“No! I’ve got it.” I need help.
What’s wrong, little one?
There’s a wall and traps. I might not be able to get through.
Burn, Ren. Burn as we showed you. Focus on your strongest emotions and overwhelm.
“Ren?” Asher’s hand wrapped around the back of his neck. His thumb ran over the straining tendon. “What’s the plan?”
“One more try. That’s all I need.”
“Hurry. We don’t have much time to sit out here.”
Ren dove back into Perilous Space. He encountered the wall and stopped. Gathering his power in his chest, he concentrated on his fear, and his hope, and his desire for peace. His power welled within him, and he burned.
He’d always associated his power with blue. His vision would go blue. His eyes, he was told, would glow blue. The sparks and webs of electricity would tangle in blue lines and drip like water from his body in blue drops. The hottest stars radiated blue, but he already bathed in blue. As he drew power to him, coaxed energy from the generators and from his core, he burned darkly.
Blue deepened to violet, then black consumed him and wrapped around his virtual self. His back arched, and his fists clenched. Ren pushed through the barrier, and it burst in a shower of sparkles of red and orange and purple like fireworks booming against the darkness of the sky. Ren broke through the barrier; code scattered like leaves on the wind. He raced into the wires, scorched out of snares and traps, and left a trail of shadow behind him.
He sorted through the active systems. Information pounded at him from all sides, and tricks and catches awaited him. There were codes and blocks to sweep aside and break through. He slid into the communication system and found the mechanisms he needed. Using the prison’s normal computer alarm system, Ren sent claxons blaring and bathed the prison is flashing red lights.
“Forcefield failure. Imminent pressure loss. All personnel seek emergency shelter on level five.”
Pleased, Ren set the message on repeat, then returned, retreating in waves. He checked the vid feeds. Corps guards and officers headed to the top floor scrambling for the lifts and stairs.
Secure in his body, he grinned at the others. His vision was shadowed. “Message delivered. Everyone is fleeing from the imminent forcefield failure.”
“You are entirely too pleased with yourself,” Darby said. She knocked his shoulder. “I like it.”
“Did you hear that, Lucas? The dock should be deserted. Take us in.”
“I hear you, and we are almost there. Okay, Ren, can you get that forcefield down?”
Ren checked the security cameras and confirmed that the dock was deserted. He sensed the field at the forefront of his star sense. He powered it down, and Lucas slid the ship into the empty slip with precision. As soon as they passed the threshold, Ren flipped the field back on.
“Pressurization achieved. Good luck.”
Asher nodded to the group. “Let’s go. Darby, stay behind Rowan and Ollie. Ren, you’re with me. Liam is priority. Anyone else is a bonus. Understood?”
They nodded. “Good. Anything weird, head back to the ship.”
Asher yanked the door open. They slid out, one by one. Asher, Ollie, and Rowan had their weapons drawn and ready. “This way.” Asher gestured, following the blueprint Ren had downloaded.
Ren’s message bleated overhead. He resisted the urge to silence it because that would be suspicious. He tugged his hood closer, though the fabric did nothing to block the noise.
“How’s it looking?”
Ren checked the feeds. Everyone had evacuated to the top floor. There were several people in a single, large room. “They’re all on the top floor. All of them.”
“Are they locked in?”
Ren cocked his head. “No. There is something going on. Other than us. They… they have someone up there. They have… someone important.”
“Millicent?”
Ren shook his head. “No.” Peering through the security channels, Ren saw the familiar form of the man who left him to bleed on Crei. He saw the man who had taunted him in a hologram in the citadel. He saw the man responsible for setting all the wheels in motion. “They have Vos.”
“Vos? That’s why VanMeerten was so smug. She thought she had the leader.”
Ollie shouldered close. “What’s the plan now?”
“The same. Find Liam. We can leave Vos to rot. Ren.”
Ren snapped his head toward Asher, his vision no longer blue but a mixture of shadow and light. “Yes?”
“Lock them in.”
Ren flashed like a crack of lightning from the sky and sizzled through the circuits. Finding the locks, he took satisfaction in engaging them all. The doors that were open swung closed, and the bolts slid home. He singed the relays and the protectors. No one would be able to undo what he’d done, unless they were a technopath.
“Done,” Ren said, his voice monotone.
“Ren? What’s a man who knows everything but admits he knows nothing?”
“A paradox,” Ren answered. “Don’t worry, Ash. I’m here.”
“Your eyes are black. But you’re right. I’ll be worried later. Where’s Liam?”
Ren was searching through the information, sorting through files, looking for his brother’s name or his power. He flipped through code and tossed lines aside, until only notes on Liam and his missions remained. While looking for his location, Ren sent the pertinent information to the Star Stream through the tenuous connection the ship shared with the prison.
“We need to go up. Second floor, third door on the left. Nadie is next to him. Abiathar is down the hall. There are others as well. Several others. I can’t open the doors. They’re not on the system. They’re not electronic locks.”
Asher placed his hand on Ren’s arm. “It’s okay. We’ll figure it out. But we need to hurry.” Asher ushered them to the stairs. “Do you have the comms?”
Ren nodded. He held out his palm, and energy dripped from the whirlpool of power in his hand. “Right here.”
Asher inched closer; his breath seared the skin of Ren’s fingers. “You’re hot and scary at the same time. We’ll talk more about this later.”
Ren blushed and shrugged. Taking control of the communications, he fed everything to the physical comms they all carried. They’d all be able to hear what was said through the prison’s communication system. Right now, the channel was silent.
Asher pushed open the door to the stairwell and, with pulse gun raised, he peeked around the frame. He waved them all in, and the door closed behind them, leaving them in relative darkness. Ren switched on the lights with a blink, keeping them dim. Crouching, Asher lead the group up the stairs. They didn’t meet another soul, and, on the first-floor landing, Asher paused.
“Ren, can you lock this door?”
Pushing past the webs of code that wanted to ensnare him, Ren engaged the automatic lock.
“Done.”
“Good.” Asher relaxed. “Darby and Rowan will stay here and guard our exit. With no one at the dock and with this door locked, the only attack will come from above. Stay on the comms, and let us know if you hear anything.”
Rowan swept her braid from her shoulder. “I’m not staying behind.”
“You’re not,” Asher agreed. “You’re protecting our exit. And you have Darby with you in case we need any kind of fancy explosion to aid in our escape.”
Darby rubbed her knuckles on her shirt. “You know me so well.”
“And if we get pinched, you can come save us,” Ollie said, with a sly smile.
“Fine,” Rowan said. “But I’m not happy about it.”
“You never are,” Asher muttered. He looked at Ollie and Ren. “Ready?”
The three of them crept up the second set of stairs. Ren kept one part of himself in the prison systems and the other alert in his body. Spread thin, he had less control over his anxiety, and his blood pounded. Panic crawled in his veins but did not take root, not yet. He remembered he needed to breathe, evenly and deeply, to keep everything under control, but his exhalations were staccato, as his concentration focused on not hitting a trap in the system.
“Second floor,” Asher whispered. “There will be a long hallway and then a cross corridor. Ollie, you’ll hide around that corner and protect our flank and our way back out.”
“Got it, Ash.”
“Ren, you’ll get Liam.”
Ren closed his eyes. Something was going on. Something… a warning pinged in his chest. The locks! Ren raced to the top floor but the locks he’d previously engaged were now encased in code. They were open.
“Ren?” Asher said forcefully. “Everything okay?”
Ren bit his tongue. “Yeah, but we need to hurry. Something is weird upstairs.”
Asher read the lie in Ren’s face, but didn’t call him out. He shook his head and frowning. Instead of pushing the door open slightly, Asher kicked it open with force. The door swung outward so hard it hit the inner wall.
Asher and Ollie jumped out, back-to-back, weapons raised. But there was no one. No exchange of fire. They moved silently, and Ren followed Asher down the corridor. Ollie broke off as Asher had instructed.
After a few feet, Ren counted one door. Then two. Then three—
“This one,” Ren said. “This one. This is it.” He peered through the small window blocked by a shaky forcefield but couldn’t see through the static with his human eyes. He pressed his palm flat next to the door and concentrated. He looked, but there was no electronic mechanism on the door, and, parsing through the circuits and systems, he could find no power source. He powered down the forcefield, but he couldn’t open the door. No, no, no! They were so close. His brother should be in there. Liam was in there.
He snapped back into his body. “Ash,” he said, his voice desperate, twisting Asher’s name into a plea. Excitement and panic made him tremble, and he touched the door. He tugged on the handle; his palm was slick with sweat, and his fingers trembled. “I can’t open it. I can’t.”
Asher waved to Ollie and kept his pulse gun raised as Ollie crossed from the last intersection to where they stood. Asher covered his movement.
“Ren, calm down. Ollie, it looks like the lock is manual.”
Ren had missed the obvious—a large metal bar sheathed in a metal container crossed the face of the door. Ollie studied it before grabbing a knob. He pulled, his muscles strained beneath his dark skin, and the bar screeched until it crossed the crease of the wall. Ren grabbed the handle, and they pulled the door open. It scraped across the floor, and Ren winced at the sound.
It slowly swung open, and, when the space was big enough, Ren slipped into the room.
A figure lay on the bed, unmoving, and Ren raced to the bunk. His shin smacked into the bed frame, and he shook the body’s shoulder. Oh, please. Oh, please. Oh, please.
Liam rolled to his back and blinked up, confused, his eyes blurry, and his forehead crinkled. “Ren?” he croaked. “Is this a dream?”
Ren smiled so wide his cheeks hurt. His heart pounded, and joy flashed through him; his eyes stung with tears. “Get up. This isn’t a dream.”
Liam shot up, and Ren jumped backward to keep from knocking their heads together. Liam swung his legs around. The white of the medical scrubs he wore washed out his complexion, and his eyes were shadowed with lack of sleep and worry, but he grinned when he staggered to his feet.
“Ren?” Ren caught him in a hug and held on. Liam sagged into his arms. “What are you doing here? What have you done?”
“No time to talk. We need to go.”
Ren swung Liam’s arm over his shoulder and grabbed his waist. They hobbled to the door, and Ren peeked around the frame.
Ollie and Asher waited, scanning the hallway, weapons up and ready.
“Got him?” Asher asked, casting a glance over his shoulder.
Ren beamed. “Yes. Yes, I have him.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Liam rasped. “Wait, there are others. There are others here, and they’re going to move us or kill us. I’m not sure which but, please.”
“Sorry, kid, but we don’t have time.” Asher raised the comm to his mouth. “We’ve got Liam. How are you doing?”
Darby’s voice came back. “We’re clear, but we heard chatter on the comms that Vos is loose in the facility. He got away in the commotion.”
“Stars,” Asher cursed. “Is that what you hid in the stairwell?” he said, gaze cutting to Ren.
Ren shrugged. “I didn’t know he was loose. I did feel the doors open on the top floor.”
Asher clutched his gun and dipped his chin toward his comm. “Eyes open. We don’t want to run into him or anyone who is hunting him.”
“Gotcha, boss,” Darby said.
“Ren? What’s going on?” Liam rasped. He was heavy on Ren’s shoulder, and his weight threatened to pull Ren to the floor. But he wouldn’t let Ollie take Liam. They needed Ollie for protection, and Ren wasn’t going to give up. Not now. He hauled Liam closer.
“We’ve got to get out of here before we’re crunched by one of the Corps.”
“Like me?” The figure that stepped out from the cross section wore the Corps uniform and a smug smile. He stopped in the middle of the hallway to block their path to the docking bay.
“You,” Asher said, voice hard.
Corporeal Zag smirked. “Me.”
“How’d you get free?”
“Manual override,” Zag said, with a shrug. “This base is not technopath-friendly. And you may be navigating now, but I guarantee you’ll make a mistake. It’s a matter of time.”
Ren scoffed. “Stars. Figured we’d run into an utter cog,” Ren said. Liam hung on his arm like a limpet and squinted at Ren. Ren thrust his chin at Zag. “He killed me.”
Zag pressed a hand to his chest. “I didn’t kill you.” He reached for his hip, and Asher raised his weapon and trained it on Zag.
“Don’t.”
Zag stopped, smirk still firmly in place, and raised his hands. “The gun in my holster killed you.” His hand fluttered, and Asher moved forward, stepping between Ren and Zag. “You’re interrupting the reunion, Morgan. I’d love for another bullet to find its way to your friend. Maybe this time, he’ll stay dead.”
“Out of the way,” Asher said, gesturing with the tip of his gun. “Back the way you came and maybe focus on the real threat.”
Zag smiled. “You mean Vos, that duster playing leader? He may have escaped, but we’ll catch him again. Just as I’ve caught you.”
“You haven’t caught us yet. And I promise you,” Asher said, body trembling with rage, “you don’t want to catch me.”
Ren reached out but there were no weapons on Zag he could use. And the hallway was only equipped with cameras—no weapons for technopaths to turn on their captors.
“Is that a threat, Morgan?” He tapped his chin. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were doing grunt work on Bara? We’re taking that planet over, you know. The Corps is done with you foolish dusters coming up here to space and mucking up the drifts. It’s not just techies and star hosts we’re imprisoning now.”
“A police state. Nice. Except you won’t be able to police anything once you’re all vented.”
Zag laughed. He dipped his head and met Ren’s gaze. “You going to vent me?” He swaggered closer. “What will your little brother think about you killing soldiers on Erden? Or the ones on Bara? That was you, wasn’t it?”
Ren narrowed his eyes. The longer they stood there, the longer Zag stalled, the greater the threat of capture or worse. Liam was already weakening, his pressure on Ren’s body was becoming a dead weight that he wouldn’t be able to support.
“It’s not Ren you have to worry about.”
“Vos? That cog? He’s a duster cog. He’s not a threat to me.” Zag cocked his head and peered over Asher’s shoulder. “And neither are you, Ren. Is that your name? Take away the access to tech, and you’re a scared, little, village boy.”
Liam rolled his eyes. “This guy is a dick,” he said out loud. “Why are we listening to this? I don’t know you and I don’t like you.” Liam turned to Asher. “Shoot him.”
Asher didn’t hesitate. The first shot glanced off Zag’s knee, and he fell to a kneeling position. The second hit him in the shoulder and sent him sprawling on his back. Asher strode forward, bent down, and slipped the gun from the holster on Zag’s hip. He pocketed it and kicked Zag’s injured leg. He hissed, eyelids fluttering, hanging onto consciousness by a thread.
Asher leaned close to Zag’s face. “Don’t interfere again. Next time, I won’t miss.” Asher stepped on the burn and the smoking fabric on Zag’s knee. “Understand?”
Zag grunted and squirmed on the floor. “I get it,” he gritted out.
“Good.” He grabbed Zag’s hair and slammed his head onto the hard floor. Zag’s body went limp.
“Your boyfriend is awesome,” Liam said, with a wide grin. “I like him.”
“You’re entirely too snarky for someone who has spent the past year locked in a maximum-security facility,” Ren said. “Let’s go before anything else happens.”
“My brother can do anything,” Liam said with a smile. “And so can his boyfriend. And you.” He looked at Ollie. “You look awesome and intimidating. I bet you can do anything you want as well.” Liam listed to the side, and Ren staggered. “I’m happy!”
“I think you’re loopy,” Ren grunted. “Are you… are you drugged?”
Asher grabbed Liam’s other side. “Let’s get out of here.”
“The others!” Liam insisted. “We can’t leave them.”
Asher furrowed his brow.
“Ren! We can’t leave them. They drugged us all.”
“To make you easier to move,” Asher said. “Okay, we’ll figure something out. Ren? Any ideas?”
They staggered toward the stairwell door. “One.” On the other side with the door closed behind them, Ren pushed Liam over to Ollie. “I have one idea,” Ren said then dove into the circuits and found Vos on the vid feeds.
Vos hurried down a hallway, looking harried and pale, not the man Ren had known.
“You. Vos,” Ren’s voice echoed over the comm in the hall, “go to the docks and wait for me there.”
Vos looked at the ceiling, eyes wide. “You,” he said. “You’re dead.”
“No, just a ghost. Hurry. You don’t have much time.”
Vos frowned, but nodded.
Ren retreated to his body and found Ollie, Asher, and Liam staring at him.
Asher leaned close. “What did you do?”
“Found us an ally.”