She shined her light down the ladder. The stairs and the next landing were both clear, but her heart pounded at the idea of going down there.
She had come this far and had avoided whatever beast dwelled on the vessel, but she hadn’t found anything useful to her journey.
What would X do?
If X were here, he would already have killed the monster and had it barbecuing on a grill while he took a snooze with his boots propped up on a chair.
That all sounded great, but she wasn’t X. She had never killed anything.
That wasn’t exactly true. She had killed plenty of Cazadores.
But that had been much different. She had pushed a button, not pulled a trigger or stabbed something at close range.
You’re going to have to learn sooner rather than later.
Ada stood and started down the stairs with the barrel of her rifle angled into the darkness. As she reached the landing, the light on her helmet flickered. Fear pierced her heart as darkness flooded the passage.
She reached up and tapped the lamp. The beam knifed into the darkness.
Ada resisted the urge to let out a long sigh of relief. Instead, she kept going, doing what X would have done. The final level was drier than the others, and the bulkheads seemed cleaner, with no moss or other vegetation growing down them.
She moved slowly down the center passage, past hatches to other quarters. One had engineering stenciled over it. The light held steady, illuminating a large space with bulky engine equipment—the old-world kind, fueled by diesel instead of a nuclear reactor.
For the first time in her search, she found something she could really use. Several coiled chains hung from the bulkhead inside a supply room. There were toolboxes, and even some ropes in a plastic crate.
She threw a coiled rope over her shoulder and searched the tools. An adjustable wrench went into her duty belt, and a screwdriver and hammer went in her pack. So did a tape measure.
The find made the exploration worth it. She returned to the engine room, satisfied and confident.
She passed the massive engines and boilers without a glance. It was time to get back to her boat with her goods and kill anything that stepped in her way.
She selected a different exit route, which eventually led to a passage infested with the same flora. The vines grew across the deck and out through open hatches. A pass with her light confirmed they were alive.
Turning too quickly was a costly error. Before she could catch it, the wrench slid out of her duty belt and bounced on the deck with a loud clang.
She flinched at the noise reverberating through the ship. She held in a breath and closed her eyes, anticipating a screech.
After an endless minute of waiting, she took a cautious step back to Engineering.
A screech froze her in midstride.
This one was louder than the others, and it seemed to come from the engine room.
Frozen, she listened.
The echo made locating the source difficult. She took a step back toward the vines, pulling out her machete. The growths writhed at her approach, stopping her again.
Her heart climbed to her throat.
Any sense of confidence vanished at the sight of the wriggling flora.
Coming down here was a mistake. She was trapped between mutant plants and a mutant monster.
Scanning with her helmet light, she searched for a place to hide. A closed hatch seemed the only option. A crooked sign hung from the bulkhead, with an image she recognized from the Hive. The biohazard symbol was the last thing she had expected to see down here.
Another wail sounded, followed by the clank of metal on metal. It sounded like steel fingers scratching the deck.
She felt the hairs on her neck rise. This wasn’t the cry of a Siren. She had heard those over the comms during her time working on the bridge of the airships.
This was a different monster.
With nowhere to run, she grabbed the handle of the biohazard hatch and twisted it as quietly as possible. The loud click made her cringe, but it opened right up.
Ada swept her light over a space full of lab stations.
The screeching grew louder. Dozens of little clattering noises came in the respite between wails.
There wasn’t just one creature out there.
She closed the hatch behind her and sealed it shut with a bar. Then she turned to see what kind of lab she had just locked herself inside.
Her beam revealed a score of large vats. She moved the light from tube to tube. Each had been shattered.
The wail came again, mixing with other screeches and cries.
Ada kept her light on the shattered vats. Whatever they had housed was gone now, and she couldn’t help drawing a connection to the creatures prowling in the darkness outside the hatch.
A hundred people had gathered on the capitol tower rooftop to help unload Discovery and help move the injured. Michael was happy to see them all, but he was too worried about X to celebrate just yet.
Outside the airship, Lieutenant Sloan and Sergeant Wynn oversaw a contingent of militia soldiers tasked with providing security and unloading weapons. Medical support staff had shown up to help with the wounded.
Engineers, mechanics, and technicians in their yellow and red jumpsuits set off to different locations to start work inside and outside the airship.
Michael took a breath of sweet ocean air and followed Layla and Eevi down a ramp. They both were heading back to their quarters for some downtime, and Michael was glad for that. His lover needed rest and a warm shower, and Eevi needed a break from people so she could grieve alone.
Dozens of civilians rushed and jostled for a view of the ship. Cole and Bernie Mintel were among them, searching for their son, Rodger.
But one person was conspicuously absent from the rooftop. He knew that X was in bad shape, but he had still expected the old man to show up. He wanted to go straight to X’s quarters and see him, but Captain Mitchells had ordered Michael to stay here and help.
“We don’t want to raise any alarms,” Les had said. “I’ll go see how he’s doing and sort out exactly what happened.”
Michael wouldn’t argue with his superior officer, but his anxiety grew with every passing second.
“Commander Everhart!” Ted shouted. He walked over with Lena by his side. Hector, Alberto, and several other greenhorn divers had also shown up to help.
“Why the hell are you wearing a jumpsuit?” Magnolia said.
Ted stiffened, then grinned.
“X gave me a second chance, and I’ve been training since you guys left,” he said.
“Did he hurt his brain, too?” Magnolia said. She looked at Michael.
He was too worried and mad to say anything. It wasn’t just being kept in the dark about X that had him upset. The captain had also classified new information about the defectors and a possible mission into the wastes.
Michael took a deep breath and reminded himself how lucky he was to be alive and still with Layla. In two months she would give birth to Bray, and he wanted his son to come into this world during a time of peace. For that to happen, a lot had to change.
The skinwalkers, defectors, and even the Cazador army still posed a threat to their fragile home. And with Rhino dead, they had lost their best ally.
“Yo, Tin,” Magnolia said.
Rodger stepped up. “Hey, Ted, how’s it—”
“Shut up, Rodge,” Magnolia said.
He frowned.
“Start unloading the crates,” Michael said.
Ted and the other greenhorns took off to help.
“Tin,” Magnolia called out. She followed him over to a side hatch. “Tin, wait up.”
“What?”
“Aren’t you worried about Ted joining back up after that stunt—”