DR. SHAW

I should have seen it, Nova Terra thought as she sat in the cell, the shackles heavy against her slender wrists. She remembered how the man she had known as Hauler had allowed her to investigate Altara alone, but had sent in his troops before she could reach the refinery. She’d thought he was trying to protect her, but now it was clear he’d wanted to keep her from discovering any evidence at the site. There were other signs too, like how he had held everyone back, including Spaulding, when her ghost team had faced the spectres in Augustgrad. At the time she had thought it was a smart tactical decision, but now she realized he had simply been giving Tosh time to turn her, get to Mengsk, and escape. And the way he’d stood up for her in the recent meeting with Spaulding: she’d thought he was being loyal to her, but he was only protecting his own interests and giving himself time to set up her betrayal.

All the new faces on the Palatine made more sense now as well. Bennett was preparing for his next move with resoced new troops who were loyal to him. She sighed. Who else was complicit in this plot? Ward, certainly; she’d sensed something off about him from the beginning. Rourke? Spaulding, on the other hand, looked to be completely innocent. Where were the Annihilators now? Probably on their way to Augustgrad to tell the emperor that she was the traitor. The possibilities made her head spin. How could she have missed so much?

And then there was the immediate situation. Seeing Mal slashed with the blade had chilled her to the bone. She knew she had to act quickly to save his life, but there was so much more than that at stake.

When Bennett had asked her to choose, it hadn’t been hard to fill her mind with thoughts of treason. She had believed him when he told her that Mengsk had ordered the massacre of everyone involved with Project: Shadowblade; she was starting to believe he might have been behind the zerg attack on Shi; and she knew that the emperor wouldn’t hesitate to wipe out the entire ghost program if it suited him. He had parceled out information on this mission bit by bit, endangering her life in the process.

Mengsk had always felt that in a universe filled with danger and conflict, a strong hand and unified leadership were needed, and he would do whatever it took to meet those needs. Normally she agreed. Her job was not to question but to obey orders. But part of her felt the betrayal like a stinging slap to the face.

She thought of Gabriel Tosh, Kath Toom, Delta Emblock, Lio Travski, and the others at the academy. When she had arrived there, she’d been a damaged loner, incapable of forming relationships, but she had learned teamwork and the value of friendship, and then she had lost it all again. She had to admit that the idea of regaining her freedom was seductive.

But along with the returning memories of her friends and family, she remembered her family’s murder, and her role in the deaths of hundreds of people. She remembered her vow of loyalty to the Dominion, and her overwhelming need to forget what she’d done in the past. What would her father have said if he knew she wanted to give it all up and end things right then? She could almost hear his voice. That kind of attitude was not like her. People were depending on her, and she had to stand up and do what was right. She was a fighter, always had been, but she was full of empathy too. It was a gift they both shared.

When the surgical team entered the room, Nova barely looked up until someone crouched at her feet and touched her chin, raising her gaze to his own. “I see you’ve accepted your fate,” Dr. Shaw said. “That’s good. It will help us move quickly.” He was smiling at her in a way that made her feel sick to her stomach.

“You knew,” she said. “When I came to you for help, you acted like you had no idea what was happening to me.”

“It didn’t matter,” he said. “Terrazine has a half-life of a few hours, and symptoms usually begin to dissipate fairly soon, although it builds in your system over time and repeated use. There was nothing I could have done for you then. But now I can change everything. Of course, I have my own reasons for enjoying this moment.” He stood back and motioned to an aide to unlock her cuffs, while two unarmored marines stood watch near a medical gurney, with rifles trained on her chest. “You have enough drugs in you to suppress any telekinetic abilities,” he said. “But you still know hand-to-hand combat. I’m going to ask you to get on the gurney here, so we can wheel you to medical and prep you for surgery. If you try to fight us, these two gentlemen will shoot you, and wrangler Kelerchian will die. Do you understand?”

She nodded. The aide unlocked her cuffs with trembling fingers and moved away quickly, keeping her gaze away from Nova’s face.

(God please don’t let her hurt me)

Nova stared at the aide. The inner thought had sounded faint, but it was clear enough. Her teep abilities were back. Were the drugs already fading from her system? She tried to cover her surprise by raising her hands and shaking them as if they’d fallen asleep, but she was afraid Shaw had seen it all.

When she looked back at him, he was directing the gurney to be wheeled over to her and didn’t seem to have noticed anything. She stood, keeping her hands open beside her body, careful to appear nonthreatening and cooperative.

But it was all an act. She was Agent X41822N, loyal to the Dominion, and ready to defend it at all costs. That was enough, but Bennett had made another fatal mistake: he had threatened the only man who meant anything to her; he had pissed her off, and now he was going to feel the full force of her rage.

Hang on, Mal, she thought. I’m coming.