Michael raised the arm to look at the swollen flesh around the stump, where the robotic spider had connected him with the resized mechanical limb. The tender skin and muscle did burn, but he hardly felt any pain beyond the tingle of the nanotechnology gel that was busy working its magic.
“Not really, to be honest,” Michael said.
“That’s good, sir. The nanotechnology should expedite the recovery process, but I must admit, I was a bit concerned about this operation.” He paused and added, “I’ve never used a spider before.”
“Thanks for keeping that to yourself earlier,” Michael said with a hint of a smile.
“I didn’t want to cause you any distress. Now that the mechanical parts have been connected to your nerves, you should no longer experience phantom pains.”
Michael’s grin widened. “I already feel better. Stronger.”
He got up from the bed, but a wave of dizziness overtook him, and he stumbled several feet before reaching out with his robotic hand. The only thing within reach was a white medical cart.
His hyperalloy palm bashed in the side and sent the cart crashing into the wall. Drawers popped out, and supplies scattered over the deck.
“Shit,” Michael growled.
The noise prompted a rap on the door. He closed his eyes and then opened them, blinking several times. When his vision returned, Layla stood in the open hatchway, with Captain DaVita behind her.
“Layla told me we could start calling you Tin again,” Katrina said. “Now I see why.”
Michael smirked. “This is a bit stronger than that flimsy tin hat,” he said, raising the new arm. He slowly rotated it for the others to see.
Katrina walked over to his bedside and put her hand on his shoulder. “Good to see you, Commander.”
“Likewise, Captain.”
“It’s also good to see that the trip to Red Sphere netted something positive.”
“We also picked up another laser rifle,” Michael said. He looked over at Layla. “You tell her about the nuke?”
“Nuke?” Katrina said. “I’m listening.”
Layla shook her head.
“Nuke?” Katrina repeated.
“We dropped one on Red Sphere,” Michael said. “Wiped that evil place off the map.”
Katrina pursed her lips, frowning, but only for a moment.
“If it were up to me, I would have dropped them into the ocean a long time ago,” Michael said. “But in this case, I agreed with Lieutenant Mitchells. Red Sphere was a stain on human history and remained a clear and present danger to humankind. It needed to be destroyed.”
Katrina seemed to ponder his words for a few more seconds and then said, “I’ll talk to Lieutenant Mitchells about this later. But right now we need to plan our attack on the Metal Islands. Are you good to go to the bridge for the strategic planning meeting?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Good. We’re meeting there in an hour. In the meantime, enjoy some time together.” Katrina stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“A little privacy, Timothy?” Michael said.
The AI had already vanished, but his voice replied, “Roger, Commander.”
Michael returned to the bed and sat, patting the mattress with his metal hand.
She sat down beside him, fingering the braid that lay over her shoulder. “How are you doing?”
“It feels odd, but it works.” He drummed his fingers on the bed.
She watched and let out a sigh.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, just scared about the attack.”
“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared,” he said. “But I’m ready to fight and see our friends again, and to see the sun.”
Layla smiled. It was almost the smile he had fallen in love with all those years ago. But this time, her heart wasn’t entirely in it. Something was bothering her.
“What is it?” he asked, brushing the braid away from her face and over her shoulder with his mechanical hand.
Her eyes flitted to the robotic fingers, but they didn’t seem to bother her.
“There’s something I want you to know,” she said. “I wasn’t going to tell you until this was all over, but if something happens, you deserve to know.”
Michael lowered his hand.
“I think I’m pregnant,” she said. Before he could respond, she added, “But that changes nothing as far as this fight is concerned. I’m still going to do my part. I’m still going to dive with you and the others.”
“Layla,” he said quietly. The thought of becoming a parent did change things. It changed everything.
“What?” she said when he didn’t finish his thought. “Say something, Tin.”
He turned so he could grab both her hands.
“I love you, Layla. You’re my person, and you’re all I’ve ever wanted. Adding another person to our team would be amazing, and that’s exactly why you can’t dive. It’s too dangerous. I want you here on Deliverance during the attack.”
“It’s a bad time for this news, I know.”
He held her gaze, staring into the eyes that he had loved since he was a kid. He and Layla had seen so much together, grown up together, and fought together to keep the airships in the sky.
“I want to dive with you,” she said. “We should be together for this.”
An emergency siren rang out, cutting her off. The rise and fall of the electronic whine echoed through the medical bay. Michael and Layla both stood and moved out to see what was happening.
He punched a comm button and connected to the bridge. “What the hell is going on?”
Ada Winslow responded a beat later. “We’re picking up a ship on the radar.”
“The Hive?”
“No,” Ada replied. “This is on the surface, and it’s headed our way. You’d better get to the bridge, Commander.”
The horns ceased as the last of the Cazador boats vanished on the horizon, the red blinking lights swallowed by the darkness. The call to war was over, replaced by the chiming of some distant bell.
The ding, ding, ding reverberated through the capitol tower. Magnolia’s heart quickened with the chime, and she took in a deep breath to try to calm down.
She knew what the bells meant.
They were a warning, like the emergency sirens on the airships. The lack of movement in the hallways proved that. Everything was on lockdown, which made escaping all the more difficult.
That was why she had taken refuge in the room that Inge and Sofia shared.
“There are too many guards,” Inge said. “You can’t escape.”
“There is no way out of here even if you could get off this rig,” Sofia said.
Magnolia pulled back the drape covering the windows. The Sea Wolf was still docked below, but she had no idea how the hell she was going to get twelve floors down.
She didn’t even have a pair of shoes and was still dressed in a pair of shorts and a ripped T-shirt.
Magnolia turned back to the two women. Besides Rodger and Miles, they were the closest thing to friends she had on the Metal Islands.
“You attacked a scribe and killed two guards,” Inge said. “El Pulpo will not forgive these sins. He will…”
Imulah mumbled into the ripped sleeve she had tied around his mouth. He sat in a chair, gripping his hand, which was still leaking blood onto the floor.
“That’s why I have to try to escape,” Magnolia replied. “You’re welcome to come with me, but you’ve got about a minute to make up your mind.”
Footfalls clanked in the hallway outside their locked door. Armed with only a knife, she had a feeling that things were about to get ugly. But she was more than ready to fight, even if it came down to using her teeth.