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Chapter 24:
Bag and Burn

Neva spent most of her shift putting away supplies in the infirmary, double-checking that they weren't short on anything that could become critical. Given that there was no knowing what conditions they would find after leaving Freedom Station, she wanted to make certain that they were as well-stocked as possible. The work was also routine enough that she didn't have to think too much while doing it; even though she'd slept in longer than she had intended, she was still running on only a few hours of sleep.

She and Rat had stayed up into the wee hours of their offshift. Lying curled in his arms, skin to skin, the taste of her on his lips whenever they kissed, she'd whispered the plans that had come to her in that moment of perfect clarity, when she knew that she'd never stay on Freedom Station.

"Once this is done...once we find Genevieve...I know what I want to do," she'd told him.

"And what's that?"

"I want to do good, wherever I can. I'd like...to go places, if it's feasible. Find the need, places like your homeworld, where a free clinic can make a real difference. And I don't know how it will work yet, or where the money will come from, or if I'll ever be able to convince any other doctors to join in and really make it into a force for good. But that's my dream. To build something. To make a difference."

Rat had held her closer and promised that he would do anything, anything, to help. And made love with her again, slow and sweet, whispering that was why he loved her, because she had such dreams.

Of course, she'd woken up to find Rat gone to talk to Devin, which had spoiled some of her good mood. She hated to think how that conversation might have played out, especially given how angry Devin had been, when she'd made her choice clear.

Rat hadn't come to see her when he got back, and given the time showing on the wall, he should have returned a while ago. That probably didn't bode well for Devin having been civil, so she went to the com and called their quarters. "Rat? Are you there?"

There was no response, so she switched to the bridge. "Fiona? Is Rat back yet?"

"Fiona's offshift," Jason replied. "Rat left the ship?"

"Um, yeah. He went to meet with, uh, Devin," she mumbled, feeling slightly embarrassed. The whole ship was clearly aware of the drama, but she didn't really want to make even more of a show out of it. "I tried our quarters, but there was no response."

"Hold on," Jason said. A moment later, his voice came over allship. "Bridge to Rat. Captain, report, if you please."

Far too long passed. Then Jason came back. "He's not answering."

"They must have had a lot to talk about. I'm sure it's nothing."

"I'm not," Jason said bluntly. "Because I just tried to raise Rat over his pocket com, and he's not answering that, either. Do you know where they were meeting?"

"No." She looked at the clock again, then realized that it was useless for this. "What's station-time?"

"1300 hours."

"Devin ought to be at work by now."

"I'll call the hospital."

No need for alarm, Neva told herself, despite the uneasiness that pumped adrenaline through her veins. No need at all. There could be a lot of reasons why Rat wouldn't answer a call from the ship.

Really? Like what? What would possibly interfere with his sense of responsibility to the point that he wouldn't answer an urgent summons from one of the crew?

After what seemed an eternity, Jason came back. "Devin's at the hospital. As a patient."

Goddess. "What happened?" she asked. Surely they wouldn't have gotten into a fight. Neither of them were that stupid.

I hope.

"They wouldn't tell me. But I'd bet they'll tell you."

Swearing silently, Neva headed for the bridge.

*   *   *

"Strip him and then strap him down. Securely--we can't afford any mistakes," Dr. Mahadevan said.

"Don't worry," Kai told her. "Xian and I have too much history for me to take any chances. I know how tricky he can be."

They were on board Mahadevan's ship, the Scalpel's Edge, outbound from Freedom Station. The Voracious had been lying low on the outskirts of the system, its transponder killed so that it would stay off beacon. Even now, Harry was moving the ship so that they'd meet up just in time to make the jump together.

And in the meantime, I'll be making myself valuable to the good doctor.

Judicious application of sedative patches had kept Xian under through undock and maneuvers. Now, Duir and one of Mahadevan's soldiers carried him into the ship's rather large infirmary. According to Michele, the Scalpel was of a class of ship normally used to evacuate injured troops, so it was outfitted with an extensive surgery, beds for long-term support of the wounded, and a lot of flashing and beeping equipment that Kai didn't even begin to recognize.

Duir and the soldier began to roughly strip Xian. "You can keep anything of value that he's carrying," Mahadevan said.

Kai went and picked up the coat that Duir had tossed to the floor. It was a little long, but Xian wasn't much taller than her, so it fit well enough. And looks damned good on me, if I do say so myself. The scent of sandalwood and spices rose from the material, underlain with a faint musk that she hadn't smelled in years, but which still made her nerves pop and twang with alarm.

Not anymore, though. He's the one who needs to be afraid now.

She stepped up and jerked hard on the straps, double-checking that they were secure. Naked and unconscious, Xian looked satisfyingly vulnerable. Helpless. Weak. There was a faint gleam of gold at his throat; Duir leaned over and yanked off the pentagram necklace, snapping the chain. "Might buy me a beer somewhere," he said doubtfully, inspecting the charm for a minute before stuffing it in his pocket.

"All secure," Kai reported.

"Excellent," Mahadevan said. "Keep an eye on him. He shouldn't come to during this, but again, I don't want to take any chances."

Moving quickly and efficiently, Mahadevan slipped a mask over Xian's face and started anesthesia, before peeling the sedative patch off his neck and tossing it into the trash. "This was all much easier with an assistant," the doctor remarked as she started an IV, then began inserting a urinary catheter.

"What happened to your assistant?" Kai asked.

"The last telepath we worked on woke up a little early," Mahadevan replied with a calm that sent a chill up Kai's spine. "The Cooperative managed to create six telepaths. All of them except for your brother were brain-wiped by the process and reduced to drooling idiocy. One of them is missing, but I located the remaining four and have studied them extensively. My goal is to compare them to your brother, discover the differences, and then modify the process to create a stable telepath who retains all of her prior memories and personality."

"So you're going to keep him under until you're done with him?" Kai asked, studying Xian's slack face. A tiny trickle of blood marked one earlobe, where Duir had gotten careless removing his earrings.

"Not at all. For one thing, it will be impossible to properly study the chemical cascades in his brain if there's no stimulus."

"And you're going to keep him from killing us all how?"

Mahadevan smiled. "Watch and learn."

She pulled some sort of monitor into place and studied the display. "I have to make certain to place the wires precisely right," she muttered to herself. "With the other telepaths, I had redundancies if one of them received an accidental lobotomy. Xian is unique, however. There will only be this one chance."

Kai watched curiously while the doctor swabbed Xian's forehead with disinfectant, then pulled a machine into place over his face. With a soft whine, a small drill lowered into place, just below the hairline above his right eye. It cut easily through Xian's skin. A moment later, the tone of the drill changed as it began to pierce bone. "Perfect," Mahadevan murmured. "Now the wire."

When the drill retracted, it left behind a trailing wire. "There is one thing that can protect an ordinary person from a telepath," Mahadevan said, as she moved the machinery into a symmetrical position on the left side of Xian's forehead. "A sort of crystal, whose properties we don't entirely understand. We previously used them on ourselves, to keep the telepaths from reaching any brains so protected. My breakthrough was to realize that placing them against the brain of the telepath will block their ability at the source, and thus protect everyone. At the end of each wire is a tiny net, each filament imbedded with hundreds of miniscule particles of the crystal."

"So when he wakes up, he won't be able to hurt us with his mind?"

"Quite right." The second wire was in place now, and the machine withdrew. "Unfortunately, there is one large disadvantage. Over time, the previous subjects went insane. Eventually, their brains liquefied, which of course resulted in termination of the experiments. My hope is that it will take your brother longer to reach that stage."

Kai found herself grinning at the thought of Xian's brain melting out his ears. This is going to be good.

*   *   *

Neva pulled the com bud from her ear and powered the chair around. The rest of the crew had drifted up to the bridge while she talked to the hospital, and she saw concern on their faces.

"Devin was admitted with a mild concussion and nosebleed," she reported. "He was treated and released, and took the rest of the day off to recuperate."

Fiona frowned slightly. "Those are the symptoms of a telepath attack, are they not?"

"Yes, in a mild case," Neva said reluctantly. "But other things can cause them as well."

"I'm going to vote for some other cause," Jason said. "Rat wouldn't have let things get out of hand so easily. He had no reason to engage in an argument, and if Devin had tried to hurt him and he reacted defensively, he would have called the hospital himself. You said that Devin came into the emergency room under his own power?"

"Yes." Neva said. "If Rat had been responsible, he would have felt guilty, would have called the hospital, or insisted on helping Devin get there. But Devin still might know what happened to Rat, or at least have an idea where he went after they talked." She turned back around and reached for the board. "I'll call his apartment."

Jason put his hand on hers, stopping her from punching through on com. "I'd rather speak with Devin face-to-face," he said.

"Why?"

Jason's mouth tightened. "Because if he does have anything to do with Rat's disappearance, I don't want to give him the chance to run."

Neva started to protest that Devin would never hurt anyone, but his last, bitter words came back to her: "On your own head be it."

I thought he was just angry. I thought he meant the fate I've brought on myself, by rejecting him and a life on the station, and choosing to remain on the Exile.

What if I was wrong?

"Let's go," Neva said grimly.

Fiona nodded. "Aye. I'm wondering if we should conceal weapons and run the risk of ending up in front of station security."

Marcus cracked his knuckles loudly. "I don't know," he said with a nasty smile. "I think we've got all the firepower we need right here."

A short time later, Neva walked swiftly through the corridors, Jason at her side, and Marcus and Fiona following them. Smoke had remained behind on the ship, monitoring the com in case Rat tried to call in. Or we get a call from security. Or...

No need to invite trouble, Neva. We've got enough of that already, don't we?

They looked out-of-place amidst the upscale surroundings, and Neva felt horribly conscious of the curious stares they got from some of the other people in the corridors. Fortunately, no one challenged their right to be there; explaining their presence to security was not a complication they needed.

When she got to Devin's door, Neva punched the panel beside it. A muted chime sounded from within. She forced herself to stand still, despite the fact that she was fuming with impatience, while the rest hung back out of sight of any door cameras. After what seemed like an eternity, Devin's voice sounded from the panel.

"Neva? What are you doing here?"

She pasted a hopeful look onto her face. "I...I wanted to talk. I'm sorry if I was harsh with you last shift."

He laughed hollowly. "That's one way to put it. Do you know how everyone looked at me when I came back without you, after you'd chased that...pirate...out of here?"

"I'm sorry, Devin, I truly am."

"Apology accepted. Now go away. If you called the hospital looking for me, then you know that I'm not feeling well."

"It isn't that simple, though, is it? You say you forgive me, but you won't talk to me face-to-face, which tells me that you haven't forgiven me at all. Please, Devin, don't make me stand out here where everyone will stare. I'd like to keep this private."

That must have convinced him. With a sigh, he muttered, "All right."

Have to keep up appearances, don't we?

Oh, Devin. How did it come to this?

The instant the door started to open, Neva found herself shoved to the side. Jason ducked through, while Marcus interposed his body in the gap, in case Devin was quick enough to try and close the door again. There came a muffled squawk from inside, and Marcus nodded and went in. Neva and Alouette followed, and Fiona brought up the rear, slapping the door closed behind her.

Jason had grabbed Devin by the shirt and shoved him into the wall by the door. "What have you done with Rat?" the pilot snarled.

Devin's blue eyes widened, and he clawed wildly at Jason's hands. "Stop! Are you insane? Help!"

"Jason, please!" Neva exclaimed, grabbing his arm. Beneath her fingers, his bicep was rock-hard with tension. "You're hurting him!"

"I don't have a problem with that," Jason said tightly.

"You're not knowing me," Fiona said to Devin in a conversational tone. "I'm Fiona MacLachlan, first mate. We've misplaced our captain, and we're thinking you know something about where he might be. If you do, I'd recommend you be telling us right quick, before someone does something you'll regret."

"There's no need for threats," Neva objected. "Goddess! Let's try to be reasonable about this!"

"I'm not feeling very inclined to reasonable," Jason said between clenched teeth.

Marcus watched Jason in puzzlement. "I'm supposed to be the muscle here," he pointed out.

"Then you can have him next."

"Stop it!" Neva shouted. Jason's dark eyes flicked in her direction, startled. "Devin, I'm sorry about this. Everyone's worried. I'm worried. We know that Rat left the ship to meet you. And we know that you showed up at the hospital with a concussion, and now we can't find Rat. Please, Devin, if you know anything about what's happened to him, tell us."

"I'm not having a conversation while this thug has his hands on me," Devin said coldly. "Tell your bully-boy to back off, then we'll talk. But I refuse to be intimidated by a band of ruffians."

Fiona took a step back. "Jason, Marcus, leave off. Give the man some room."

For a moment, Neva thought Jason would protest. But then he dropped his hands to his side and moved a few paces away.

Devin straightened slowly, brushing off his sleeves haughtily as he did so. "Better. Now, to answer your questions: yes, I met with that villain who calls himself a pirate captain. Neva may be blinded to his true colors, but I assure you, I am not."

"A little more information, and a little less editorializing, if you please," Fiona said. Although her tone was mild, there was an edge to the words.

Devin frowned slightly, but went on. "We met. We talked. I...got dizzy, I suppose, and passed out. Hit my head on the floor and lost consciousness. When I came to, the owner of the restaurant was standing over me, and your...captain...was gone. He left an injured man lying on the floor, not knowing what was wrong with me, whether I'd live or die. He didn't even call emergency services." Devin glanced briefly at Neva, then away. "Perhaps that will tell some people what sort of company they keep."

Fiona had been prowling the apartment while Devin spoke. Now she picked up one of the expensive vases and inspected it thoughtfully. "Interesting story," she said, idly tossing the vase and catching it again. "Too bad I'm not believing a word of it."

Devin sprinted forward. Caught off-guard, both Jason and Marcus lunged for him, but he eeled between them almost before they could react. Devin thrust a hand into one pocket, and Neva's heart lurched.

He's got a gun!

Alouette was in his path; she froze, perhaps torn between getting out of the line of fire and the instinct that said to try to stop him. As Devin's hand cleared his pocket, Neva saw to her surprise that he was holding not a gun, but some sort of baggie, which he flung full-force into Alouette's face.

The bag exploded, releasing a glittering cloud of blue dust.

Shock froze Neva's tongue, as she recognized the substance. Then she shouted, "Alouette! Don't breathe it in! No one touch it!"

A dark shape all but flew across the room. Jason impacted Devin's body in a tackle, slamming him into a glass table that exploded in dagger-like shards beneath them.

Alouette stood frozen in horror, her eyes closed. Tears cursed down her face, making tracks in the mask of clinging blue glitter. "N-Neva? I got some in my eyes! I think I got some in my mouth and breathed it! Erzulie Dantor, lend me strength!"

"Help her!" Fiona shouted in Neva's direction, as if Neva wasn't already running to her friend. Peripherally, Neva was aware of Devin moaning, of Marcus swearing like a dockhand, and Jason doing the same in his native language.

"Hurt me, and she'll never be free of the addiction!" Devin cried, sounding frightened. "She's your navigator, Neva told me, and you can't go anywhere without her! Hurt me, and you'll never get her back; she'll spend the rest of her life on these docks, whoring for her next fix!"

"Shut him up!" Fiona bellowed.

"I've got you," Neva murmured, putting an arm around Alouette's shoulders. "Don't listen to him. It's going to be all right, sweetie. Just lean on me. We're going to go to the bathroom and get that off your face and out of your eyes, all right?"

"O-okay," Alouette said, trying to be strong, even though Neva could feel her trembling.

They went into the nearest bathroom. Alouette's eyes were the most critical worry, so Neva had the navigator step into the shower, which she turned on to form a makeshift eyewash station.

"Just keep your eyes open," she said, putting her arm around her friend for comfort. Both of them were getting wet, but that was the least of her concerns. "I know it's hard, but we want to get every bit of that crap out, all right?"

"Y-yes."

A rush of pure rage slid through Neva's veins, making her tremble. She wanted to go back out and pummel Devin. How dare he. How dare he do this; how dare he hurt Alouette, who never did anything to him.

She knew that he'd changed; she'd accepted that as natural, especially given what he'd been through. But I never thought he'd hurt anyone. Not even Rat, who he maybe had reason to be angry with.

The bathroom door opened, and Fiona came in. Her face was so pale that the scattering of freckles across her nose stood out like drops of drying blood. "How's our patient?" she asked, her cheerful tone horribly false.

"I'm all right," Alouette said, straightening under Neva's arm, as if she didn't want Fiona to see her vulnerable.

"It usually takes half an hour or more for the effects to appear for most hallucinogens," Neva said, vaguely surprised that her voice came out calm. "Right now, I'm worrying about what I can fix--corneal damage. As soon as we get out of the shower, I recommend taking her straight to the hospital."

Fiona's lips tightened. Under Neva's arm, Alouette shuddered.

Curse it. "It's going to be all right, Alouette," Neva said soothingly. "The drug is a hallucinogen, that's all. It won't hurt you physically, understand me?"

Other than the fact it's instantly addictive, of course.

"Then why do I have to go to the hospital?" Alouette asked plaintively. "I just...I want to go back to the ship. Can't I go back to the ship?"

"I want to be able to monitor you while we find the cure," Neva said, careful to keep her tone soothing.

"Can't you do that in the infirmary?"

"I would, sweetie, but the hospital's got better equipment." And if something goes wrong with the cure that Devin promised, we'll be better able to deal with it there.

Goddess. I can't believe this is happening.

"That should be enough," Neva said, turning off the water. "How do your eyes feel?"

Alouette blinked rapidly. "All right, but...I see halos around the lights."

"That will be the effects of the hallucinogen starting." Neva stepped out of the shower, her sodden clothing clinging to her body and water squelching in her boots. "Fiona, will you help Alouette dry off as best you can? I need to talk to Devin."

Neva was acutely aware of the pounding her heart as she went back to the living room; the walk felt as though it took a thousand miles. Devin sat on the floor, guarded by Jason and Marcus. White bandages showed against the copper skin of Jason's forearms, where the glass shards of the table had cut him.

When Devin looked up at her, she felt a rush of pure revulsion. "I blame myself for this," she said. "I wondered how you afforded all this luxury, but it never occurred to me that you would stoop so low. It must be very convenient for you to be assigned to the team looking for a cure for the blue dream addiction, when you were the one who created the drug in the first place."

Devin didn't deny it, only shrugged. "I'm willing to bargain. I know how to cure your navigator, but in return, you're going to let me go."

"No, Devin. That isn't how it's going to work." Neva stopped well out of his reach, forcing him to crane his head back to meet her gaze. "You're going to tell us what you did to Rat, and you're going to cure Alouette. How quickly you do both of those things will directly influence just how much pain you have to go through. Do you understand me?"

He paled. "H-hurt me, and I won't say or do anything."

Marcus leaned in, leering menacingly at Devin. "No, you will. Eventually."

Devin glanced wildly at Neva, then Jason. Whatever he saw in their faces seemed to convince him. "All right. Fine. I didn't do anything to your captain. I just invited him to a restaurant where I had contacts."

"A trap, then," Jason said quietly.

"There were people looking for Xian Jackson. I didn't connect him with your captain, until Neva told me his real name. Then I checked into things and found the description fit."

"So you agreed to lure him into a trap."

Devin's mouth tightened, and he turned burning eyes on Neva. "You're right to blame yourself for this, Neva. I wouldn't have given up your precious pirate captain, would have let him go on his way a free man, no matter how good the bounty I was offered. I would never have hurt you like that. But you picked him over me, when I'm the one who needed you! You chose to be with a killer!"

Something snapped deep inside of her. "You're the murderer, Devin!" she shouted at him. Her hands curled into fists, and for a moment she wanted nothing more than to push past Marcus and hit Devin until he begged for mercy. "How many people have died thanks to your drug?"

"It isn't directly lethal! I'm no more responsible for what people do with it than the manufacturer of-of pain patches, or any other drug!"

"Liar!" she screamed, her throat tearing with the force of her rage. "Goddess curse you!"

Jason grabbed Devin's arm and twisted hard. "Enough of this! Who took Rat? Where is he?"

"I don't know! This isn't the sort of business where you exchange names and addresses!"

"Not good enough. Try again."

"She said that she was his sister. That's all I know, I swear!"

No. Oh no. "But there wasn't a Klegger at dock," Neva said, praying that Devin was wrong, that there had been some kind of mistake.

Jason slowly let go of Devin. His features had settled into an expressionless mask, betraying nothing. "That only means Kai was smart enough not to tip us off to her ambush."

Marcus swore. "They didn't say anything else?"

Devin gave him a resentful glare. "Just that I didn't need to worry about ever seeing him again."

No. Please don't let Rat be dead, please. "We have to find him," she said numbly. "Before Kai does something terrible."

"All right, this is how it's going to be," said Fiona as she emerged back into the room, Alouette behind her. Apparently, she'd heard Devin's confession. "Neva and Jason, you go with Alouette and Devin to the hospital. Devin, if you're thinking of trying something tricky, I'd like to remind you that Jason will rip your head free of your spine if you so much as blink wrong. Marcus and I will alert station security--with any luck, they'll be able to help us find Kai and her merry band of psychopaths. If she meant to be killing Rat straight off, she would have done it at the restaurant, so there's still hope."

A part of Neva wanted to refuse, to insist on going with Fiona, or run through the station searching desperately herself. But Alouette needed her at the hospital, where her skills would be of more use. Half-hating herself, Neva nodded. "All right. Keep us informed."

"Will do." Throwing one final, contemptuous look at Devin, Fiona headed for the door. "Let's move."

*   *   *

Rat blinked muzzily against the bright lights stabbing into his eyes. His head felt congested, as though he'd come down with a bad sinus infection, and his mouth was desert-dry. Cool air chilled his skin and he reached for covers that ought to be there--

And found his hand trapped, pinned. Heart thudding, he raised his head, and immediately let it fall back again as blinding pain spiked through his skull.

Where am I? What happened?

Taking a deep breath, he forced his racing heart to calm. The last thing he remembered was...

Devin. Meeting him at a diner. And then...someone shot me with some sort of taser, and...

Nothing.

I'm a captive. Somewhere. Devin? Would he have done this? Or--

Movement caught his attention, and he turned his head, aware of something tugging painfully against his forehead as he did so. What the hell?

For a moment, he was blinded by the glare of the lights. But as the shadow grew closer, it resolved into a face he'd seen a dozen times on the Exile's security vids from the day she'd taken his ship.

Kai gave him a horrible smile and leaned over. "Hello, big brother," she said.

He jerked wildly at the restraints, but it did no good. He was too tightly bound. It was only as he lay panting that he realized why everything seemed so oddly distant.

There aren't any whispers. None at all, even though she's standing right over me.

Concentrating as hard as he could, he projected a shout at her. Kai!

Pain shattered through his head, and the taste of blood filled his mouth as he jerked instinctively back. What's happening to me? What has she done?

A second figure appeared on the other side of the--bed?--they had him bound to. An older woman, brown-skinned and black-haired, leaned over him with a frown on her elegant features. "Did you just attempt to use your telepathy against your sister, Mr. Jackson?"

Oh, hell. Oh, Goddess. She's wearing a Zatvian uniform. And she knows about me. Knows how to neutralize me.

This is so not good.

"Who are you?" he managed to say, and was ridiculously proud that his voice didn't crack.

She studied him mildly, as if he were a particularly interesting species of bug. "Dr. Mahadevan. You don't remember me, Mr. Jackson, but I remember you very well indeed."

He swallowed against the dryness in his mouth. "Project Zero?"

"Very astute. I'm glad to see that, unlike your compatriots, you retained your intelligence."

Panic clawed at the back of his brain, but he fought to ignore it. "What do you want with me?"

"I want to find out why you were different from all the rest. What happened with you that didn't happen with the others--or vice versa. Why you alone were left functional. Once I discover that, my hope is that it will be simple to develop a version of the process that will not destroy the memories and personalities of anyone who undergoes it."

Oh, God and Goddess. "There's no need," he said, grasping wildly for straws, anything to convince her to let him go. "The aliens are gone. They've left human space."

"Aliens?" Kai asked.

Mahadevan ignored her. "I'm not concerned about the aliens. I'm far more interested in potential applications for our own species. Unfortunately, I'm afraid the process of discovery won't be entirely comfortable for you. I hope that you understand that any suffering you feel is in service to a greater good."

Rat had never thought he would long for what he had always considered a disability, but at the moment he would have given a great deal to suddenly find his telepathy back and operative. "There's no way to do what you want. Please, let me go."

Kai laughed. Mahadevan only arched a brow. "Are you a neuroscientist, Mr. Jackson? No? Then don't presume to lecture me on what is or is not possible."

The doctor disappeared from his view. Kai's eyes followed her, presumably out the door; then, she leaned in.

"Well, brother," she said, so close that her breath brushed his face. "I'm going to help the good doctor find out what makes you tick. And when it's all over, long after you've given up begging for death, I'm going to help her dissect your brain."

Adrenaline pumped through his veins, but the straps held him securely, without possibility of flight or fight. "Kai, please," he said desperately. "Whatever I did to you, I don't remember it. You have to know that by now, if you're working with one of the Project Zero scientists."

"Maybe I don't believe it. And even if I did, maybe I don't care." She drew back a little, grinning wickedly. "Oh, and by the way, if you're hoping that your precious crew is going to save you, they won't. We're outbound from Freedom Station, and they're still sitting at dock. One jump to a turning point, and they'll lose us forever. No one's coming to save you, brother. You have no hope of escape. So get used to it."

She trailed a nail along his face, down his throat, across his chest, and down his belly, where she pressed hard enough to draw blood. Lifting her finger to her lips, she licked off blood and skin, grinning at him the whole time. "Mmm. I can't wait. See you soon."

Her footsteps receded; it was disorienting, not being able to track whispers, having to depend on visual or audio cues like anyone else. When he knew she was gone, Rat closed his eyes and let out a long breath. And tried very, very hard not to be afraid.

*   *   *

Fiona and Marcus hurried down the corridor leading back to the docks. What a disaster this is turning into, she thought with disgust. Our captain gone, our navigator down...

Fear for Alouette pricked her spine. She would rather have gone to the hospital and made damned sure that the navigator was all right. Even if she hadn't been able to do anything but take care of her while Neva kept an eye on Devin...

You've got other responsibilities, my girl. Focus.

Pulling out her pocket com, Fiona said, "Fiona to Exile. Are you there, Smoke?"

There came a few seconds of silence, then: "I'm here."

"We've got trouble. I'd like you to call security, and--"

"There's someone here, Ms. MacLachlan. She showed up just a few minutes ago, on the dock, requesting entrance. She says that she knows what's happened to the captain."

Fiona scowled and exchanged a glance with Marcus. "Now what?" Marcus muttered.

"Smoke, did this woman say who she is?"

"I think she's some sort of bounty hunter. She...she has a sword."

Fiona blinked, certain she'd missed something. "She has a what?"

"A sword."

"Hell's bells. Where is she now?"

"Sitting on the dock in front of our berth. I think she might be...meditating?"

And thus things go from just strange to completely surreal. "We'll be right there. Fiona out."

"Just what we need," Marcus said. "More crazies. Do you think she knows anything?"

"She seems to know that we were missing our captain." Fiona shrugged. "I'm not sure how she could if she hadn't seen or heard something. Whether it was anything useful, well, that remains to be seen."

They took the fastest route back down to the docks, but even so, Fiona had the sense of precious time slipping away. By the time they came in sight of the Exile's berth, her nerves were stretched thin, and she guessed that Marcus felt the same way.

As Smoke had reported, a woman sat in a lotus position in front of the boarding tube. At their approach, she rose lithely to her feet, her hands loose at her sides, perhaps in an attempt to look non-threatening. Which was a wasted attempt, Fiona thought, running her eye over the array of weaponry strapped to the stranger. Whoever she was, she was lucky that security hadn't pulled her in for questioning.

Although not particularly tall, the woman had a presence that made her seem much larger. She was dressed entirely in white, from her boots to her form-fitting pants and shirt. And is that a cloak she's wearing?! The pale clothing contrasted beautifully with her caramel skin and tawny eyes. Hair just a shade lighter than her skin fell in soft ringlets past her shoulders, and framed a face with full lips, broad nose, and perfect cheekbones. The hilt of a sword jutted up over one shoulder, and she had knives strapped to both thighs, and at least one in each boot.

Fiona halted well back from her. "Fiona MacLachlan, first mate," she said. "And who the hell are you?"

The woman bowed gracefully. "I have been sent by the Order of Grenamie. You may call me Silverblade."

The Order of what? "And you're claiming to know what happened to our captain?"

Silverblade inclined her head. "I do. Kai Jackson kidnapped him and took him aboard the Zatvian ship, which undocked shortly thereafter. She was working under the orders of Dr. Parvati Mahadevan, a former Zatvian neuroscientist. I assume you are familiar with Project Zero?"

Fiona and Marcus exchanged a surprised look. "I see," Fiona said at last. "Perhaps you ought to be coming on board where we can discuss this further."

Chapter 25 will be posted July 15, 2009.

Who is this mysterious Silverblade? And what's gotten into Jason? And just how much will I torture poor Rat? Post your speculations now in the forum.

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