Yeah, he was.
“This isn’t everywhere. This isn’t anywhere.” Kiru glanced around, which only took a split second. “I didn’t mean to get you into this mess, James. All I wanted was to get out of one.”
She was a criminal, a space pirate. He couldn’t believe a word she said, shouldn’t trust a thing she did. It was because of her that he was trapped. She was trapped with him, of course, and she was also naked and gorgeous and…
Norton tried to ignore her, which was almost impossible. The room was so tiny, his body was always touching her nude, soft, warm, supple flesh. He focused his attention on the black box.
“Why,” he asked, “did the pirates come to Hideaway?”
“Maybe they were looking for treasure. How should I know?”
“Because you’re one of them.”
“I’m not! Would Grawl have tried to robotomise me if I was?”
“The spook squad who arrested us thought you were a pirate.”
“And they thought you were one!”
“Only because I was associating with you.”
“Associating? Is that what they called it in your day?”
“Yeah. Mixing with a known criminal. You.”
“I came to Hideaway with the pirates, but I wasn’t one of them.”
“You admit you were with them?”
“On the same ship. But you know what it’s like, you can’t choose who you sit next to on a long flight. I didn’t want to be mixed up with space pirates, so I had to pretend I was on Hideaway before they arrived.”
“With me as your alibi?”
“Yes.”
“So I could have been anyone? You chose a room at random, broke in, and threatened the occupant, who happened to be me.”
“Lucky you. It’s true what they say: Everyone’s a winner on Hideaway.”
“For every winner, there’s a loser.”
“What have you lost, James?”
“My clothes, my freedom.” Norton held up his right hand to start counting, then realised that wasn’t a good way of demonstrating.
“Your finger. Can’t blame me for that. Or your clothes. What else have you lost? Your virginity. Okay, I apologise.”
“And what have you lost? Nothing. Not even your clothes. You didn’t have any.”
“I’ve lost nothing, but I’ve found you. You’re my treasure. My buried treasure! I’m so glad they dug you up.”
“Why should I believe you? You’re using me.”
“I wouldn’t use just anyone. What do you think I am?”
“A space pirate.”
“How can I convince you?” It was Kiru’s turn to raise her hand, as if swearing an oath. “I am not now, neither have I ever been, a space pirate.”
Norton wanted to believe her. He met her gaze. Her eyes were so open, so honest, so limpid, so perfect.
“Believe me,” she said, “I’m not a pirate.”
He believed her. His instincts would never have allowed him to associate with a criminal. He leaned forward to kiss her.
“I’m an escaped convict,” she said.
“What?”
She silenced him with a kiss.
“No!” He moved back as far as he could, which wasn’t very far.
“I’m still the same girl, James. Don’t pretend you’re not interested. I can see the evidence with my own eyes.”
“Evidence? I bet you know all about evidence!”
“I’m going to tell you a story. My story. If you don’t want to listen, then leave.”
She told him. He listened. Because he couldn’t leave.
“… and then the worst thing in my whole sad, rotten, miserable life happened,” Kiru concluded, “I met you.”
Norton had to admit that Kiru’s autobiography was sad, rotten, miserable. If it was true.
“Look at it this way,” he said, “things can only get better.”
“Or, if I look at it this way—” she twisted her body until she was upside down, her feet braced on the curved ceiling—“you certainly look better.”
It was Norton’s job to be suspicious, and he knew he should never trust a dame, but Kiru’s story had mesmerised his mind. Now she was hypnotising his body with her superb physique.
It was Kiru who had finally warmed him up after his frozen voyage through time. Having slept so long, he’d never fully awoken. Until now. It was as if he’d been sleepwalking, letting others run his life.
Not anymore.
After all that had happened since arriving on Hideaway, Norton should have been exhausted. He felt tired, but his mind was totally alert for the first time in centuries. From now on, he resolved, no outsider would control him.
“Oh,” said Norton, losing his resolution as he looked at her, “no.”
“Oh,” said Kiru, as she looked at part of him, “yes.”
“We can’t.”
“We can.”
“How? There’s not enough space.”
“I’ll show you,” said Kiru, and she did.
“Shhhh,” said Kiru, putting a finger to her lips.
“Why, am I boring you?” said Norton, who was narrating his biography.
“Shhhh,” repeated Kiru, and this time she put a finger to his lips. “You hear anything?”
Norton shook his head.
“Sounds like an alarm,” said Kiru. “Like an emergency siren on a spaceship.”
“Hideaway is a spaceship. Of a sort.”
“Not this sort. We’re probably on a convict ship.”
Wayne Norton looked around, but all he could see was the inside of the small sphere where he and Kiru were trapped. The surface was white, and it gave off a dull glow. If it was made of glass, it would have been like the inside a goldfish bowl, without the water. Which was just as well because he couldn’t swim.
“We can’t be,” he said.
“We can be. I’ve been on one before. Not like this, inside a cell like this, but it feels the same, feels like a convict ship.”
“How did we get here?”
“Transferred inside this piece of baggage.” Kiru tapped the side of the sphere. “We’re cargo. They must have captured all the pirates who attacked Hideaway, and we’re on our way to Clink with them.”
Norton had first heard about the penal planet from Diana. Arazon, also known as Clink. Then he remembered something, something very important. “My finger! They were going to give it back when I left Hideaway!”
“They let you keep all the rest. After what you did, some planets would have chopped off everything.”
“What did I do? Nothing.”
“On most worlds, captured pirates are executed immediately.”
“I’m not a pirate.”
“They think you are. And that’s enough. Now be quiet!” Kiru put her ear to the side of their cell. “There’s trouble outside.”
She reached over to the small metal box. Before Norton could stop her, she untied the chain.
The lid sprang back and a blue worm oozed out. It was so fat it almost filled the box, so fat there was no room for any others. There were no others. It had eaten them all. Tiny fangs snapping as it searched for something else to swallow, the worm slid slowly across the cell, leaving a sticky trail of blue slime.
“And there’s trouble inside,” said Norton, pressing himself hard up against the curved wall. “Why did you do that?”
“I felt sorry for them. For it. Do you want to be locked up in here?”
“No.”
“And that poor little thing doesn’t want to be locked up in there. Time to go, James. It’s our turn to get out.”
She opened the door.
Norton was watching the worm, so he didn’t see what Kiru did, but a round hole appeared almost directly above them.
“How did you do that?”
“I told you. It’s my trick. I open doors.”
“You could have done this earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“It wasn’t important then. It is now. Listen.”