Chapter 3
1177 Words
1: Ryann
Ryann
It had been three hours since they’d escaped from Kaiahive, from the Heralds, and from Fay. Three hours of flying, across desert, then across water, and still Ryann couldn’t relax.
The half-empty mug in her hands no longer steamed, and the taste of the drink had long since departed. But holding the mug stopped her from fidgeting.
“You reckon there’s anything for us on those islands?” Piran asked.
He slouched to her left, one hand idly tapping a terminal, his fingers chasing icons around the glass.
“There’s no company presence on any of them,” she said.
“Wasn’t supposed to be in Athelios either.”
“I’m not suggesting we go in blind. But we can’t stay in the air indefinitely.”
He shrugged. “Supplies’re good. Power’s still running fine. Not like Keelin tires either, right?”
“She has her limits. And the Proteus needs attention.”
“Sure. Proximity’s shot, rear left booster’s glitching, loads of alerts blinking.” He smiled. “Keeping an eye on the system. Just in case.”
“Does Keelin know?”
“Not making it a secret. Anyway, no reason we can’t push on to a decent port. There’s one in Remios, right?”
“That’s another five hours away.”
The door to the shower room opened and Deva stepped into the cabin, fresh clothes enveloped in a fug of apple-scented steam.
“Hey,” the young woman said, grabbing a mug from the dispenser and easing into the chair across from Ryann. “No sign of Brice yet?”
Ryann glanced to his bunk, and pushed gently with her lattice. His trace hung there, but it was indistinct, just as it had been since they’d escaped from the city. She got no clear lock on his lattice, and when she focused with intent it was as if his trace became mist, as if she were looking through him.
It was a problem she couldn’t contend with at the moment. He was alive, and he’d returned to help the crew. That was enough for now.
She turned back to Deva. “I’d say he still needs time on his own.”
Piran pulled a face. “Don’t want to think what he’s doing in there. I mean, he doesn’t sleep, does he? Same as Keelin. So what else is he doing cooped up in there? Mind you, could do him some good, relieve some of that tension, you know?”
Deva rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. It was good to see one of them growing up.
Keelin’s voice sounded through Ryann’s lattice, and she tensed.
she sussed back.
There was a pause.
Keelin cut the connection. Ryann returned her attention to the cabin. Deva’s brow furrowed, and she tilted her head in question.
She was a smart kid. Despite a lack of working lattice, she could always tell when Ryann was sussing. She would’ve made a fantastic tracker, with that kind of empathy.
“We’re approaching the islands.”
Deva nodded, but the frown remained. “We still settled on Miko?”
“It looks like they have a landing pad we can use, along with potential supply access.”
“That not a risk? Links to the mainland are monitored, right?”
Piran leaned in. “That’s what I’ve been saying. The company’ll be all over the place. Told you, Ryann—we need to push on. Keelin’s good for it, right?”
“We need a break,” Ryann said. “And there’s no guarantee we’ll be safe in Remios.”
She didn’t need to mention that there was no guarantee of safety anywhere.
“Miko.” Deva tapped the table in thought. “That’s the flat one, right? Not the volcano.”
Ryann shook her head. “Delo’s the volcanic island.”
“So we’re not going there,” Piran said.
“The volcano’s extinct,” Ryann told him—again. “And Delo has possibilities. The land falls away to the east into a tree-covered plain, which would give us cover.”
Piran waved a hand. “Yeah, yeah. Come in low, hide out, run what repairs we can, chill for a bit. Sounds ideal. There going to be a beach with a pool? Bars, couple of nightclubs? Could go for a massage, too.” He shot a glance at Deva. “Not going to get anything like that round here, am I?”
Deva gave him a weak smile. “Sure Keelin’ll c***k your back if you ask.”
The way Piran’s face paled almost made Ryann smile.
And then Keelin’s voice cut through Ryann’s mind.
Ryann took a breath. Deva must’ve picked up on something, because she watched closely, the frown returning.
Ryann raised a hand to settle her.
Keelin sussed.
Piran looked from Deva to Ryann now, confused. His eyes glazed as he accessed the Proteus’ system—and, surely, he’d pull up the data Keelin read.
Keelin sussed.
- Writer
