Thirteen
Kesia knew there were others like her, but had not seen any of them until the moment they were ushered into the Hermes’ hold. They didn’t talk, or suss, or openly acknowledge each others’ presence, but it felt right to be together at last.
As the Hermes lifted from the Deck and slid out of Metis, the man from the high room entered the hold. She knew it was him before he spoke, before he introduced himself, because she could feel his trace, cold and calculating. And marked.
“All ten of you together, finally. I’ve been anticipating this moment for so long.” He smiled. “I’ve talked to each of you, but I have not yet introduced myself. I’m Murdoch Kollias, chief operations officer on this project. And I feel honoured to be a part of something that has birthed such incredible beings
