Annie went over every possible scenario she could think of in her mind. She didn’t know how much strength she had. Her head still hurt, and that was a warning to be careful in how much Talent she used. She’d have to somehow use it as little as possible, and still escape. If she went too big, she risked blacking out.
Blacking out now meant she would never wake up.
So, she waited. And plotted. And hoped against hope to see Arcus enter her cell before the guards did.
When she heard the seal release on the door, her heart stuttered. Arcus wasn’t coming in time.
Two guards entered. She saw two more out in the hall. She supposed she had only herself to blame. After her display at the shop, they weren’t taking any chances. She stood up, keeping her shoulders down, her posture defeated. She had to lull them into thinking she was done, spent.
Each guard grabbed one of her arms. She remained passive, walking with them as though going for an afternoon stroll and not marching to her execution.
They strode down the hall in formation: one guard in front, one on either side, one in the back. Annie walked in the middle. Her eyes dropped to the pain baton on the guard’s belt in front of her. She risked a surreptitious glance at the guards on either side. Each of them also had a pain baton. Safe to assume the guard behind her wore one as well. They are small, light, easily manipulated by her telekinesis.
She didn’t think she could do all four at once. Three would be a risk. Two, she was confident of. She could do two.
Her heart pounded as she envisioned it in her mind. Hit the two guards to either side of her, then the one behind, then the one in front.
No, no.
She should hit the one behind her first. Everyone would stop to see what was wrong when he went down. Then she’d hit the two holding her, and hope she’d have enough time to still get the one in front before he grabbed her.
Now she just needed the right spot. This hallway gave her nowhere to go. They were still in the slave quarters. Where were executions held?
The longer they walked, the more she hoped the guards would relax. They took her out of the slave quarters and to a familiar lift. This was the same lift she’d taken countless times to the production floor, where ship parts were manufactured. But instead of going up, the guards directed the lift down. She’d never gone down before. She didn’t know what waited on the lower levels, but she could guess it was nothing good.
Annie paid close attention when the guard accessed the controls of the lift. He used a narrow key attached to his belt. The control panel didn’t seem to require any other security.
She took a deep breath. This was closer quarters than she’d imagined, but it was now or never. Closing her eyes, she used her telekinesis and reached for the first guard’s pain baton. She lifted it carefully, careful not to pull it too hard, and then triggered it, shoving it against his side.
He made a strangled sound and dropped against the wall of the lift, panting and hunched over.
Annie kept her own posture relaxed, staring straight ahead as the other guards turned. Two of them put hands to their batons. Their fingers brushed not only the handle, which was safe, but also the rest of the length. They hadn’t yet moved to grip them, making her job even easier. She triggered the controls, and they both stiffened and dropped, crying out in pain.
By then, the last guard had figured her out. Before she could do anything, he hit her. His fist drove into her gut. She doubled over, retching.
“You freaky bitch,” he growled in her ear. His pain baton was in his hand, but he only held the handle. It descended toward her. If he hit her, she was dead. She’d lose the ability to focus, and they’d drug her again.
She screamed in fury and released a huge push of telekinesis, bigger than anything she should have done. Her head pounded, but the guard flew back and struck the side of the lift. The baton was still in his grip. Annie focused on it, forcing his hand to move, bringing the baton closer and closer to his shoulder and neck. He strained against her, but the strength of desperation was on her side. Finally, it touched him, and he screamed.
She didn’t have long. In a few minutes, the guards would recover. She leaned down and plucked the lift key from the nearest guard’s belt, and used it to select the production floor.
If she could get there, she could escape.
Her hands trembled as she waited for the lift the move. She kept a close eye on all four security guards. So far, they were still twitching, lying in a heap on the floor. But every minute that passed was one less she had.
Should she just kill them? Wouldn’t they raise the alarm? Some part of her rebelled at casually killing four helpless people, even if they had been about to do the same thing to her.
“Annie!”
She jumped at the sound of her name, spoken so close.
“Arcus!”
He was in the lift with her, somehow. How was he here? He looked down at the guards and his eyebrows rose.
“Nice work. We have to go.” He held his out to her. “Take it.”
Without hesitation, she did. She gasped as the two of them faded to a translucent appearance.
“What—what’s happening?”
He grinned. “We’re ghosts! Sort of. Now, this is very important. Whatever happens, do not let go.” He walked right through the lift wall just as one of the guards staggered to his feet. Annie was pulled through the wall with him.
They didn’t go to the production floor. Instead, Arcus took her right through the walls of the lift tube, and through the offices and rooms beyond.
Annie, how many Talented slaves are here? That was Dante’s voice in her head. Finally!
I don’t know. When I was here before, there were just over forty of us.
Forty.
She could hear the anger simmering in that single word.
How many children? he asked.
Most of them. They usually sell us off when we reach adulthood. Or, I thought they did. Maybe they kill us. ‘Write us off’ she called it, like a business expense in a ledger.
All right. We’re not leaving them.
Joy spread through her. We’re not?
No. Arcus, get her out.
But how—?
Leave that to me. We need Niobe. Get to the ship.
She and Arcus flew through rooms and buildings. They burst out into open air and kept going. Hold on, Annie. Just a little bit longer.
Annie grinned at him. She was giddy with too many emotions. Escaping death. Her freedom. Saving the others! She couldn’t contain it all. Yes, fatigue pulled at her, her head hurt, her leg ached, but all of that was nothing compared to everything else she was feeling.
They reached the spaceport, moving much faster than they could have walking normally. This was what she imagined flying to be like. Arcus arrowed straight for the dock with Niobe, and he didn’t stop until they swept past Salla, who was tidying up the tool trolley, and through the hull right onto the ship.
He let go of her hand and she staggered as her body became solid again. Hands caught her arms to steady her, but it wasn’t Arcus, it was Payne. Arcus kept moving into the cockpit.
Annie laughed, and threw her arms around Payne’s neck. She didn’t say anything. She knew she didn’t have to. Her emotions spoke for her. He held her, giving her the hug she needed, and she felt him smiling where his face touched hers.
“I’m glad you’re happy,” he said. “And I’m glad you’re safe.”
“We’re going to get the others!”
He pulled back, and he was still smiling at her. The brooding, dark expression he usually wore was gone.
“I know,” he said. “Dante told me.”
Beneath them, the deck rumbled as the ship’s engine came to life.
“Time to see how good your friend is. Grab a seat, Annie.” Payne helped her strap into a jump seat, even though they weren’t going to be space jumping yet.
“What’s the plan?” she asked him. His hands stopped moving, and he met her gaze. This close, his eyes were even more beautiful, the lashes thick over dark irises.
“Do you want to see it as it happens?” he asked her.
“Yes.”
He unbuckled her and took her hand, leading her through the ship to the cockpit. Payne sat in the copilot’s chair next to Arcus, and she sat in a seat behind them. Arcus did something and a holo projection of the view outside appeared in front of them. They were flying over the scrapyards to Laripim’s main facility. Below, Annie could see junkers staring up at them.
“I think it’s time for stealth flaps,” Payne said.
“On it.” Arcus said. He grinned at Annie over his shoulder. “She’s flying right. Seems you and Salla did a great job.”
In wonder, Annie watched as the ship docked on Laripim’s own landing bay. The entire facility was dark. No lights. No security. No movement.
“What happened?” she asked.
Arcus laughed. “Just a little facility-wide power failure. We have about five minutes before the backup power finishes rerouting and they get it back.”
“Shouldn’t that have happened as soon as they lost power?”
“Yep. But Dante knows his way around a command system. He made it run a full self-diagnostic before engaging.”
As though his name had summoned him, Dante came out of the main door. He was holding the hand of a small figure, and was followed by dozens more. He had them. All of them.
Annie put her hands to her mouth. Tears filled her eyes. He’d done it! They were doing it. Every single Talented child would wake up tomorrow free.
It was too much. She cried, first softly, and then harder. She couldn’t stop.
“Is she all right?” she heard Arcus ask Payne.
“She will be.” Payne stood up and moved to Annie’s side. “She just needs rest. Her Talent is overtasked, and she’s been through a lot.” He helped Annie to her feet, murmuring meaningless, soothing things.
She barely remembered him walking her back, putting her to bed in a room that looked startling familiar.
“I know this place,” she told him, grabbing his jacket in one hand as he tucked a blanket around her. “I’ve seen it before, in my dreams.”
“That’s good, Annie.” Payne leaned forward and pressed his lips to her brow. “You should sleep now. It will all be fine. Just rest.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she couldn’t possibly sleep with everything happening. But then her eyes slipped closed and fatigue rolled over her in a wave.
She slept.