“Nobody’s here,” Asher whispers from behind me.
I scan the room, wishing I could have the clear vision I experienced every time I’ve had to protect myself. “Yes, but something happened here.”
“Obviously,” someone says behind me, and I whirl around, my heart flying into my throat.
Gavin stands just inside the submersible, rubbing the back of his neck. “Damn it, Evie. Did you really have to knock me out?”
I open my mouth to apologize, but Asher beats me to it. “You should know better than anyone that she didn’t mean to. Besides, if you hadn’t attacked me like a maniac, she wouldn’t have had to subdue you.”
“‘Subdue’? Fancy word for coldcock.” Gavin glares at him, then turns his attention to the room. He shudders and gets that wild look in his eyes again. I swallow and worry that he’s going to do something to Asher again, but he takes a deep breath and his eyes focus. He looks around, zeroing in on the doors. “Looks like someone did some clean up.” He turns his attention to me, his eyes traveling up and down my body. “How are you feeling? Anything different?”
I assess myself, then shake my head. “Everything feels the same.”
He gives Asher a smug look, even though it’s easy to see the worry lines spreading across his brow. “See? Nothing has changed. Now let’s get the hell out of here before Mother figures out we’re back.”
He takes a step back into the sub, but Asher says, “Nice try. We have to find someone to fix Evie.”
“No one here can help her. Everyone here is trained to hurt her,” Gavin points out. He shifts slightly to one foot and almost instantly transfers his weight back.
“Someone here has to know something about nanos. They wouldn’t keep using them if no one here knew how to make them work or fix them if they malfunctioned.” Asher tilts his head to the side, his expression saying, “Just try to argue with me.”
Gavin stares daggers at him and I’m terrified they’re going to get into it again.
“Come on, Gavin. We made it this far,” I say. “We can’t quit now.” And I have no plans of doing so either.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “We need to go back.”
Asher looks at me, then shrugs. “Then go. No one is stopping you.” Then he turns back to the door. “Come on, Evie, let’s go find some help.”
Gavin still has his arms crossed, but he’s watching me now, his eyes pleading with me. I look back to Asher, who has his hand on the door, then back to Gavin.
I let out a breath and give Gavin a look of apology. “I have to.” It tears me up inside to do it, but I go to Asher, who opens the door and glances around quickly before stepping into the hall. Second-guessing and regretting every step I take away from Gavin, I follow Asher into the hallway.
My mind whirls with déjà vu, but I can’t remember what exactly is familiar about it. Other than it reminds me a bit of that strange complex Asher and I got lost in, back in the Outlands. My body tingles a bit as I wait for some kind of panic attack, but when nothing happens, I release the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“Where to?” Asher’s voice echoes. There are only two options, but it’s pitch-dark one way and the other dead-ends several meters up ahead.
“I guess this way.” I start moving down the pitch-dark hallway.
Asher follows, and we’re a ways down the hall when we hear a door open. Because of the echoes it’s hard to tell where the door is, but when we hear footsteps, we push ourselves tight against the wall and try to breathe as shallowly as possible.
The footsteps tread slowly, and a light flicks on to our left—the way we came from—but I can’t see who’s holding it. I hope it’s Gavin, but I doubt it. Where would he have gotten a light?
The light sweeps from side to side as it continues forward and my heart pumps furiously. I wonder if anyone else can hear it. I’m afraid to move, but if we stay where we are we’ll be caught for sure.
Finally, I decide I have to move. I slide my foot out, then move my body to join it.
The light immediately swings in my direction and shines in my face, blinding me. “Evie?” Gavin says, the same relief I feel in his voice.
“Oh, thank Mother,” I say, wrapping my arms around him in a strangle hold as he steps next to me.
“I’d rather not, actually,” he says, but he holds me just as tightly. The stuff in his hands presses painfully into my back, but I don’t care.
“You stayed,” I say, my voice muffled by his chest.
He pushes me away a little and tilts my chin up with his finger. “I won’t ever leave you again.”
“Promise?” I ask.
“Promise.” He smiles, but before I can smile back he’s kissing me. My stomach flips and my heart trips, but I kiss him back, breathing in his scent like air and holding on to him as if my life depends on it. And it might just. I don’t think I could handle it if he were gone again. Thinking he was dead had just about killed me, too.
Behind me, Asher clears his throat and regretfully I peel myself from Gavin, but I wrap my hand around his forearm. I’m not letting him go again, either.
“Where did you find that?” Asher cuts in, gesturing to the light in Gavin’s hand.
“It’s from before. We needed it the last time we were here because the Enforcers cut off the power so the murderous monsters running around the Sector would have an easier time killing us. Thankfully we had plasma and machine guns.” He shoves something at Asher. “I left them in the submersible. I guess it’s a good thing, too. If I can’t persuade you not to go, at least I can try to offer some kind of protection.”
“What is this?” Asher stares at the silver contraption in his hand.
“It’s a gun, dipshit. It’s called a Reising and it’s fully automatic. You do know how to work a gun, don’t you? I’m all out of knives.”
“Knives?” Asher asks. I’m a bit perplexed myself.
“I figured with all your backstabbing experience a knife would be your weapon of choice, right?”
Asher makes this sound in his throat and I step between the two of them, trying to prevent another fight. This isn’t the time or the place.
“Great! We have weapons. Let’s keep moving, shall we?”
At first no one moves, and then Asher puts a hand on my shoulder. “Lead the way. I’ll be right behind you.”
Gavin snorts. “Typical. Hiding behind someone.” He slings the Reising over his shoulder by the strap and palms the smaller one, holding it and the flashlight in the same hand and taking my hand with the other, before he starts walking, leaving Asher to follow or not.
Gavin
The Sector is so quiet it’s almost creepier than the first time we were here. It’s hard to believe that it is the same place. But I don’t drop my guard. I’m sure those … things are still here somewhere and the minute I turn in the wrong direction they’re going to jump out and claw my face off.
I don’t want to be here. What I really want to do is grab Evie in a football hold and run straight back to the submarine. But Evie is nothing if not stubborn, and with Asher feeding her stubbornness, there’s no way I would win. So it’s on to plan B. Which … I haven’t quite figured out yet. Being here makes it almost impossible to think.
The dark is playing tricks on my mind. There are times that I’m positive something is right next to me, so close it could breathe on me, but when I flash the light, there’s nothing there. And then there’s the horrible creaking sounds. It reminds me of when I used to climb around the old wrecked warships as a kid. The sound was unnerving when I heard it then; it’s even more terrifying now. It’s making me jumpy, and my nerves are so tight I’m afraid they’re going to snap at any minute.