Seth raced back to the bridge, Kiva at his heels. Breathless, she sat down in her chair.
He rapidly swiped and typed, his eyes half closed, jaw tight as he scanned whatever was on the screen. Then, suddenly, he sat back and set a hand over his eyes.
Kiva whispered, “Do you know what it is?”
He dropped his hand. “Pinatubo. One of the four ships.”
“That’s good, right?” Kiva sat up. “Maybe they have an extra HCU.”
Seth did not seem to share her enthusiasm.
She asked him, “Why didn’t we come to Pinatubo if it was closer?”
“Because we didn’t know. The Krakatoa hasn’t communicated with them for a very long time.” Seth squeezed his bottom lip between two fingers.
Kiva’s heart began to race. “Is there a chance my dad could be on that ship?”
“No way.”
“Why not? Do you even know who is on that ship?”
“No, but—”
“Then don’t.” She jabbed a finger at him. “You do not get to tell me not to hope.”
“Listen, your dad, if it even was your dad, left the Krakatoa on a shuttle and no one has heard from him since. There’s no proof that he even made it to another ship.”
Kiva glared at him. “Consider my hope dead and buried.”
“Sorry, I just…” Seth stared at the screen. “I’m not saying he’s dead, okay? I honestly don’t think there’s a chance that this is where he ended up.”
“Fine. But what happens when we get there?” Kiva’s heart raced. “Do we go say hello?”
Seth opened a drawer to his left and pulled out a knife. He secured it in the waistband of his pants and pulled his shirt down. “I go. You stay and hide.”
“No chance.” Kiva stood up.
“I don’t know what I’m walking into.” Seth got to his feet, towering over her as they stood chest to chest. “And I don’t feel like having to save you.”
“Well, maybe I don’t need you to—” The shuttle jolted to a stop and she fell into him.
He caught her firmly. “I need you to go hide.” He set his mouth at her ear, his breath warm on her skin. “Please, Keeves.”
She froze.
She hadn’t realized how much she missed being called that.
Face hot, she stepped back, unable to meet his gaze. “Fine. I’ll hide.”
“I’ll be back.” He set a hand briefly on her arm, then disappeared out the door.
Kiva wanted to follow him, go meet whoever might be out there. Maybe her dad, because she did still have hope he was alive, somewhere. But instead she kept her word and ran to her cabin. She hit the privacy switch to the door, then opened the cabinet. She climbed in the bottom and hugged her knees.
There, in the dark, her breaths were loud and shallow and fast. Her heart pounded so hard she felt it in her ears.
Seth seemed truly concerned about what he would find.
Who was on the Pinatubo?
Were they friendly?
What if they weren’t?
Did they take Seth prisoner?
Would she be next?
As time crept along, the thoughts kept coming, fast and furious.
Why didn’t she go with him?
Because Seth said he didn’t want to have to save her.
And then he’d invoked his nickname for her, the one she thought she would never hear again. The sound of it, coming from him, had melted the ice still inside her.
She’d given in, believed that she needed him to protect her.
But how could he, if he didn’t know what possible dangers might lay in store for them? She was not about to be a willing victim.
Kiva shoved open the door and crawled out. She ran to the bridge and yanked out the drawer where Seth had gotten the knife.
Another lay on top.
As she secured it in her own waistband the same way he had done, other contents of the drawer caught her eye. She lifted out a jumble of thick thread, white tangled with red.
BANG!
Kiva dropped the thread and shoved the drawer in, then raced back to her cabin. She settled herself in the cabinet, a tiny crack of light seeping through.
WHOOSH.
Kiva slapped a hand over her mouth.
How could she have forgotten to lock the door?
She managed to reach around to her back and get the knife.
Maybe they wouldn’t look very hard.
pleasegoawaypleasegoawaypleasegoaway
Maybe, if they already had Seth, they would think he had been alone on the shuttle.
pleasegoawaypleasegoawaypleasegoaway
Her knuckles turned white around the knife.
She held her breath.
The cabinet flew open. A pair of unfamiliar black boots filled her view.
She screamed and jabbed the knife, hair falling into her eyes so she couldn’t see.
Her attacker grunted and squeezed her wrist so hard it hurt.
She cried out and dropped the knife.
But then she threw a punch that connected with hard muscle.
“Hey!” Seth grabbed her arm. “It’s me, it’s me.”
She swept hair out of her face.
His forehead wrinkled. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not okay! I didn’t know what was happening and then I heard the door and then…” She looked up at him. “I could have stabbed you.”
He let go of her. “Not likely.”
“You scared me!”
He rubbed his stomach. “I’d say we’re even.”
She glanced at the doorway.
“I’m alone.” He reached above her head to the top shelf, pulled down a pair of black boots like his, and dropped them at her feet. “Put these on.”
“Why?” She held out a hand toward the door. “Is anyone on the ship?”
Seth tilted his head. “Come and see.”
Kiva sat down and stared at the boots. “And what, they’re just going to magically fit me?”
“The clothes fit, right?”
She glanced down at the pants and shirt.
“No magic,” said Seth. “The Krakatoa has about any size there is, and your mom knew yours.”
Kiva slipped her stockinged feet into the boots and stared at the laces. She had only ever worn sandals. She scowled. And technically, she’d never even worn those.
Seth knelt in front of her and tied the first. “They missed a few lessons in Alexandria.”
She felt like a child as he tied and tightened the other.
He stood up. “Took me the better part of an afternoon to nail tying my stupid boots.”
She wiggled her toes, which had a bit of extra room. Close enough. She took a few steps in the hard soles. Not especially comfortable, but she felt less vulnerable than when she only wore socks.
Seth asked, “Ready?”
Kiva picked up the knife and hesitated a moment before following.
Seth brushed his hand by the privacy button when he reached the door. “Apparently you need a refresher course on how to lock a—”
Kiva smacked him on the shoulder.
Seth grinned down at her. “Come on. You are about to see your first airship.” He led her down the corridor away from the bridge.
“It’s not really my first,” Kiva said. “I mean, I was running around Krakatoa before torpor, right?”
He didn’t turn around. “Do you remember much about that?”
“No.” She stared at his back as they walked. “Do you?”
He stopped abruptly.
She bumped into his back. “Sorry.”
He faced her. “There are flashes from when I was little, I guess. They faded even more after I came out of torpor. Now the flashes … are of Alexandria.”
“Do they ever stop?” she asked.
He raised his eyebrows. “I’ll let you know.”
She wondered what he saw in those memories.
He jabbed a thumb to his right. “Come on.” The airlock, a thick-bordered door, stood before them. “This is where the shuttle hooks up to the airship.” Seth stepped over the high threshold and through.
She didn’t follow.
He turned back. “Trust me, I already checked it out. It’s safe.”
Kiva still hesitated.
“I promise.” Seth held out his hand.
Everything in her wanted to take hold. Not let go.
But did she need him to keep her safe?
No. At least, she hoped not.
Maybe he had a few extra years in the real world, but they had been raised the same. Whatever he could do, she should be able to do as well.
She simply needed time to prove that to him. And to herself.
Kiva secured the knife in her waistband, brushed past his outstretched hand, and entered the short passage to the airship Pinatubo.
Their footsteps clanged on the metal floor of the first long hallway.
Kiva let Seth go past her and followed him into a control room ten times the size of the one on the Tomb.
Kiva gazed at roughly a dozen black leather chairs and twice as many massive monitors that lay flat on the wall, not on tables like the Tomb. “Is it on autopilot?”
Seth sat down in the biggest chair near the center of the bank of monitors. “Yep, first thing I checked when I came on board. And still in a steady trajectory, from what I could figure out.”
She sat in the chair nearest him, stiff leather creaking. “You didn’t see anyone?”
“Nope.”
“But someone must have activated the tractor beam, right?”
“Not necessarily. Except for the airship names painted on the outside, the shuttles for all the airships are identical, and a lot of things are automated. I think that when the Tomb came into range, the Pinatubo recognized it as one of her own shuttles returning home. The tractor beam automatically activated.” Seth tapped the screen. “This is the main control panel. We can deactivate the tractor beam when we’re ready to leave.”
Tension left Kiva’s shoulders.
They hadn’t been caught in some nefarious spider’s web after all. Just an automatic program. She made a mental note to check out that part of the schematics when she got back on the Tomb. “Where is everyone?”
“I don’t know. But let’s go find out.” He stood up. “Feel like exploring?”
Kiva nodded. “Can we find the HCU we need?”
“We can look around, but it would be quicker to find whoever is managing things. I’d love to ask them what they’ve heard from other ships. But first I want to check some other stuff out.” Seth headed out the door and down a wide corridor. He acted as if he knew exactly where to go.
She walked fast to keep up. “Is this like the Krakatoa?”
“So far, identical.” Seth pointed. “This way.”
Kiva stopped in front of the biggest door panel she had ever seen. “What’s in here?”
“If it’s the same as Krakatoa, and I’d bet anything it is…” Seth pushed a button and the panel slid to the side. He breathed out. “Torpor chambers.”
Kiva stared into the massive room that seemed never-ending, unable to keep her mouth from falling open.
A wide aisle stretched before them. Identical clear upright cases lined either side, each several inches taller than Seth. Each big enough to fit a fairly large human.
She became aware of Seth watching her and quickly closed her mouth. She wanted to stare, but she also didn’t. Despite knowing the truth, she wasn’t ready to see it. Not yet.
Her gaze drifted upward to the ceiling, which appeared to be at least forty feet over her head. She jumped when Seth touched her hand.
He said, “We can check out the rest of the ship.”
Relieved, she followed him back into the corridor. “Where to?”
“This way.” As they walked toward the end of the corridor, he said, “I want to see what they did with their Versa Space.” They hit a T and he turned left.
“Their what?” Kiva glanced down the empty hallway to the right before following.
“Versa Space. Each of the ships is identical, but they were given some freedom. The people chosen for each were experts in their fields, geniuses.”
She glanced at him. “Because they had to prepare for a life in space?”
“Exactly. But Trask was no slacker either. He wanted to make it possible for these great minds to keep discovering things, experimenting and inventing, even within the confines of the ship. He made sure each had a Versa Space, a gigantic room that they could use as they wanted.”
“What’s the Versa Space on the Krakatoa used for?” asked Kiva.
Seth took the next right. “It’s where the virtual reality is set up. Our torpor chambers are in there, as well as the ones for our parents and the other adults who live in Alexandria. Much easier to monitor all of us, and unhook us from the VR if we’re in one room.”
“Do you know what other ships did with their Versa Space?”
“Nope.” Seth stopped. “That’s why I want to check it out.” He pointed. “Right up here.” The hallway ended in a sloping ramp that circled all the way up to what appeared to be another. “Race you!” He took off, running up the ramp, his boots clomping.
“Wait!” With a laugh, Kiva gave chase. How natural that felt. All those times they played tag as children. By the river instead of on a spaceship, but still. The familiarity sent a warmth all through her. But she was quickly out of breath and had to walk, still smiling when she reached Seth at the top.
“You’re as slow as ever.” He grinned.
Kiva bent over and set her hands on her knees, catching her breath. Was that the first time he had referenced their childhood? Their time together before all of this?
“Over here.” Seth led her to a set of double doors, nearly identical to the ones on the hall of torpor chambers.
“What if it’s something bad?” she asked.
His forehead wrinkled. “Why would it be bad?”
She glanced around. “What if it’s why there isn’t anyone here?”
“Relax.” Seth set a hand on her arm. “I’m pretty sure most of them are in torpor. Just like on our ship.”
She wanted to ask what would happen if they weren’t, but he pushed open the doors and stepped inside. “Oh, no way!”
Kiva clapped a hand over her open mouth.
Seth threw both fists into the air, then turned to her, a huge grin on his face. “I hope you’re hungry.”