The man bobbed his head in a sort of bow, then hurried back to his table, likely to spread the news. Jael watched as he whispered, and other men glanced their way, looking simultaneously relieved and worried. Within a few minutes, the same prisoner was moving among other groups, warning them about the fact that Perdition could blow up if you tinkered with the wrong wire.
Dred sighed. “They’ll be scared to leave Queensland at this rate.”
“Better than the alternative.” Which was rioting and death. “And at this point, we’ve lifted just about everything we can use.”
“That’s true.” Her tone was bleak.
“We’re in a better position than we have been for a while. So what’s put that look on your face?” Jael couldn’t believe he was asking that, inviting confidences.
Sucker.
“I don’t want to think about the future.” By her tone, she didn’t think they had one.
And Jael had to admit, sometimes it was tough to imagine a way out of here. At the moment, his nebulous escape plan hadn’t coalesced; more immediate problems kept cropping up, but hope flickered inside him, a tiny flame that couldn’t be extinguished. Jael knew what true darkness of the soul felt like. He’d fallen into that abyss in a small cave on Ithiss-Tor, deep within the ground.
When they pulled me out of that hole to extradite me, I barely remembered my name.
“What then?”
“I’m calling in the mark I mentioned before. Quid pro quo, Jael. Tell me something . . . not awful.”
Horror stories he had aplenty, tales of vice, betrayal, and bodily harm. Jael racked his brain for a thing of beauty, but most of what he had, that he cherished, had come from her. That’s probably not what she’s looking for, though. He imagined that she’d punch him the head if he said it out loud. And I’d have it coming.
“When I first broke out of the lab,” he said slowly, “I had never seen direct sunlight before. My education wasn’t all that impressive, either.”
“So you thought it was a fire god?” She was smiling, teasing him.
Who the frag ever teased me? He wanted to hug her for it. The feeling that rose up in him when he looked at her face made him feel like he was choking. Only not in a bad way. I’ve finally lost what little mind I have left.
“No, queenie, I knew about the sun. In theory. But I’d never seen it. I should’ve been running, getting as far away from the facility as possible, but instead I climbed to the highest hill I could find to get a better look at it. And as I reached the summit, I saw my first sunset.”
Jael still remembered that moment of breathless surprise when the sky melted into a sea of colors: pink, orange, yellow, and clouds streaked through with light. Dred seemed to be riveted by his expression, and he tipped his head back, fighting the urge to run. There was physical nakedness, but this was . . . something else entirely.
“And it was beautiful?”
“Spectacular. But that’s not the point. In that moment, I realized I was free—that nobody could do anything to me without my permission. No more drugs, no more needles, no more tests. After that, sunsets represented freedom to me, and I hate being indoors. It’s part of why I became a merc though it wasn’t like I had many other options.”
“So it’s worse for you, being here.”
“I haven’t seen the sun in almost fifty turns. I don’t know if it was calculated or coincidence, but even when they moved me, they kept me in containment units.”
“Come on.” She pushed to her feet and held out her hand.
For maybe the first time in his life, he hoped she wasn’t leading him away for sex. It would feel like a pity move, and he didn’t want it on those terms. But he took it anyway and let her pull him up. Instead of heading for her quarters, she led him on a meandering path through Queensland. They ended in what looked like a storage closet, but inside, it had been appointed like somebody’s personal retreat.
“That’s an old vid console,” he said.
“Yeah. This is Martine’s hangout, but she showed it to me the night we got really drunk together. I think that means I have permission to be here.”
“You sure? I realize you’re the Dread Queen and all, but I’m not sure you want to piss off bright eyes.”
“Why do you call her that anyway?”
“Because this place hasn’t ground the life out of her yet.” Some convicts, you could tell with one look that they’d given up, yielded to despair and acceptance. Not Martine.
“She’s been here almost as long as I have.” With a gesture, Dred seemed to dismiss the subject of Martine though Jael hoped the sharp-toothed woman wouldn’t appear in a rage when she discovered them trespassing. “Sit down, I want to show you something.”
With a growing sense of curiosity, Jael folded into the cushions next to her. She wore a concentrated look as she fiddled with the remote. Eventually, she got the menu up, though the quality was terrible. Lines ran through the picture, making the vid look like a canvas of geometric art. He was patience itself, though, waiting for the reveal. Dred skimmed a number of titles, then she picked one and keyed through it. All at once, he understood. On the screen was a brilliant sunrise, the colors shimmering and lovely despite the screen defects.
“This is what I’ve got,” she said softly. “It’s not freedom, but—”
“It’s more than anyone else ever gave me.”
That wasn’t true in the strictest sense. There had been women—often wealthy—but their gifts didn’t compare. He’d sold the timepieces and jewelry almost as soon as he left them. But this wasn’t the kind of present that could be pawned or taken away. Warm with gratitude, he leaned over to kiss her, and she met him halfway. Her mouth was a galaxy to explore, sweet beyond the telling, and it almost hurt when she tasted him in turn, her breath mingling with his until he wanted to breathe only her. This can’t happen. Not like this. He pulled away, shaken, because it was so much more than sex. When Martine pulled Tam into the room, then stopped short, Jael was grateful.
“What the hell?” Martine demanded, her expression pure outrage.
“It’s my fault,” Jael said. “She just wanted to show me a sunset. We’re leaving now.”
Martine scowled at Dred while Tam eyed the ceiling. Jael stepped out into the hall, measurably cooler than the smaller space had been. Ten minutes later, he knew something was truly wrong when his breath showed in a puff of smoke.
“That . . . is a problem,” he murmured.
Dred swore. “Someone’s gotten to Queensland’s climate controls.”
While nobody could shut off life support, enemy territory could be made profoundly uncomfortable, dangerous even. Like when we poisoned Grigor’s water supply.
“Come.” Jael beckoned with a smile that he hoped looked confident. “Let’s deal with the rats in the walls.”
37
A Cold and Creeping Doom
“This is Silence’s work,” Dred snapped.
Jael offered no argument. “Most likely. Even I’m aware that Mungo isn’t known for his planning capacity. So where’s climate control from here?”
“Four decks down.”
“In the unused part of the station. Should we assemble a team?”
Dred shook her head. “It’s too cold now. The others need to huddle and wrap up.”
“Ah, so my monstrous DNA comes in handy once more. You must think you got a bargain in me, queenie.”
“I don’t think, I know.” But she didn’t have the time to devote to more reassurances. “Hurry. If the ambient temp drops any more, hypothermia could set in.”
“I’ve heard it’s a pleasant way to die.”
“Not in the mood, Jael.”
“I don’t think we’ve been together long enough for you to say that, love.”
“It’s not dictated by length of relationship, just by how much
of a pain in the ass the man is being.”
“That explains a lot.”
She knew he was trying to lighten the mood, but this was a serious problem. Even battles at impossible odds could be won, but if the environment itself turned against them—well, she wouldn’t entertain thoughts of failure. Dred quickened her pace, running past the sluggish sentries. And from what she’d seen running past, the same could be said of the rest of her people. They won’t be any good if we’re attacked. That was her worst fear—that this might be an unholy alliance between Mungo and Silence.
Her joints ached, as if every injury she’d ever taken had rebounded with a vengeance. She remembered how slowly her father had moved on chilly mornings, and the realization that the cold was slowing her reactions made Dred step it up even more. She threw caution aside as she raced to the shaft that led down to the control room. In days past, there would’ve been guards here, but all of the recent losses made it impossible to guard anything but the heart of Queensland itself.
Another instance of losing by attrition.
“Don’t get yourself killed,” Jael called.
“Like I can die,” she shot back. “You saw to that.”
“Are you blaming me? And trust me, you’re not invincible.”
“Shut up and follow me.” She put two hands on the sides of the ladder, braced her feet and the bottom, then just let herself slide.
The rough metal scraped the skin off her palms, but the descent was lightning fast. Blood slicked the path even more, so she was dripping red when she hit the designated deck. Jael was yelling something, but she ignored his words of caution. Her skin itched while it healed over, slow enough not to be visible to the naked eye, but five minutes later, as she closed on the control room, her skin was fresh and new. She swiped the sticky blood residue on her pants.
“You’re insane,” he snarled, catching up to spin her around with a hand on her shoulder. “If you think I’m going to watch you get hurt—”
“Feel free to watch,” the Speaker said.
He emerged from the shadows with ten of Silence’s trained, tongueless killers. Dred jerked away from Jael, incensed that she hadn’t heard or smelled them. The usual reek of death was missing, which made her think they’d started bathing as camouflage. All eleven of them wore the white face paint that marked a hunting party, and the Speaker was smiling.
“I’ve been looking forward to reclaiming the honor you spat upon when you treated me like one of Mungo’s mongrel dogs.”
“How do you plan on doing that, you ghost-face asshole?” Jael stepped up beside her.
“By holding the two of you here long enough to make sure that the rest of Queensland freezes to death, then delivering you to the Handmaiden for a slow, satisfying death.”
Dred laughed. “I don’t like your chances.”
“We shall see.” As they charged, the Speaker blew two darts in quick succession.
“What the frag . . .” Her tongue felt stiff and numb, her limbs paralyzed.
“Happy news. We learned recently that rodents that infest the station have a gland that can be crushed to create a paralytic poison. Don’t worry, I didn’t use enough to kill you, though it is possible, per our early experiments.”
Dred toppled forward, her chains clanking on the floor. Jael hit behind her, though she heard him trying to curse through a choked throat. If he hadn’t healed me, he’d be able to shake this off in seconds. Let’s hope we both recover fast enough to keep the rest of Queensland from dying of frostbite.
“The ambient temperature is not safe for human personnel. Decks twelve to twenty-four are now limited to automated workers.”
Thanks for the tip, VI.
“Ten minutes should do it, I think. Don’t blink. Or you might miss the end of everything you’ve built.” The Speaker leaned down, his fetid breath wafting across Dred’s cheek. “But the Handmaiden tried to show you the true path. There is no end but death.”
It was hell not being able to respond to his bullshit. If rage could help her burn the poison out of her system faster, then Dred should be set. Behind her, Jael made incomprehensible sounds of fury, almost like he was strangling on it. Shit, is he all right? But she couldn’t turn to check, couldn’t see anything but the yellow sclera belonging to the Speaker. When he shifted, she got to study the smeared white paint, his pores, and the prickles of whisker on his sharp chin.
A few seconds later, he straightened, leaving her to gaze at the scuffs at the base of the wall. Her chains were tantalizingly close, but she couldn’t move. You’ll pay. Yet there was only the sickening impotence of dead limbs, nothing she could use to enforce her will. The Speaker leaned over her, and for a few seconds, she thought he meant to assert dominance in a particular way. But instead he only trailed grimy fingers down her cheek. It’s a mercy I can’t feel this. Jael managed to make an animal noise in his throat, and she wanted to warn him not to reveal his weak spot.
Me.
“Lucky for you that the Handmaiden gelds her favorites. It was a hellish ordeal, but in the end, I’m grateful for the blessing. It frees my mind for higher pursuits.”
Death instead of sex.
She’d never known revulsion could crawl inside a person, but it slithered through her innards like a nest of snakes, tangling in her lower stomach, until she was afraid she’d be sick. When the Speaker turned toward Jael, she understood the sound he’d made earlier. Whatever the Speaker chose to do, it would be worse if she had to witness it. Better to take the wounds and suffer the pain. It was a surprising realization but one she couldn’t deny.
“I think I’ll start the pain for my mistress, bring you to her with the sweet scent of blood on your skin.” The skull-faced devil produced a blade.
The feeling came back to her fingers first, but she didn’t give any sign. The Speaker drew a line across Jael’s palm, and red sprang up, trickling between his fingers. He can’t feel it right now, and it’ll heal. But the time was ticking away for the rest of her people. Worry chewed its way through her stomach and started on her spine.
It must be freezing in Queensland. There must be something I can do.
In fact, there was.
But I can’t take the chance. If she unleashed her murderous broadcast, the enemy would tear each other limb from limb, but the effect might not wear off Jael before the poison did. If he goes after me—no, I can’t. I can’t risk it. So come on, body, shake it off. Can’t move too soon. Have to be sure I can fight.
Mustering all patience, she waited. Her heart ticked away the seconds, and gradually, the feeling started to come back, much sooner than the jackass could’ve expected. With a grunt, Dred struck, yanking the Speaker’s ankle, and he fell backward. The rest of the killers were on her, so she rolled, snagging her chains. If they all have poison, I’m fragged. But the low-ranking ones only had shivs, better for her to keep them away as she scrambled back on the floor. She staggered to her feet, whirling her chains in a clumsy circle. Jael was there, teetering but up. He slammed a kick into the Speaker’s stomach to keep the asshole from sticking them with another dart.
“Impossible,” the Speaker wheezed.
“I’ll fight,” she said to Jael. “You get to the control room and fix the temperature.”
To her relief, he didn’t argue. Jael took a few steps back, and, with a running start, launched into an awkward flip over the rest of Silence’s assassins. A few turned as if they’d follow him, but Dred got their attention with a slash of her chains. Two went down beneath the force of the blow, and she kicked out twice, snapping bones with each strike. Eight left.
Movement seemed to help loosen up her seized muscles and joints, so she jogged in place, twirling her chains before. The silent killers encircled her. Rage blinded her, so she lost track of what she was doing to whom, and when her head cleared, the Speaker was gone, and his ten men were dead at her fee
t. She bore multiple cuts and bruises, all over her body, but she had no memory of receiving them. Dred took a step and was surprised to discover her hamstring had been cut. Mother Mary, what’s wrong with me? Jael rushed out of the control room, and he was fast enough to catch her before she hit the ground.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I won? I think.”
“The bodies on the ground point to yes. But . . . you don’t remember the fight?”
Reluctantly, she shook her head.
Jael wore a troubled look. “Has that ever happened before?”
“Not even remotely. Does it happen to you?”
“No. But I wonder if your Psi ability is reacting somehow with my gift.”
“Turning me into a berserker from the old vids?” Dred pushed out a sigh. “Why not? I could use another idiosyncrasy.”
“Did you get the Speaker?” Jael seemed to understand that she didn’t want to discuss her . . . episode, and she could’ve kissed him.
“He took off.”
“Cowardly sack of shit. I regulated the climate control, and I’m going to lock the door. Can you hang there for a minute?”
Blood trickled down the back of her calf, so Dred leaned against the wall. “I’ll be fine. Just need a minute.”
“Now you sound like me.” Jael went to work on the keypad beside the door to the control room. “The security’s shit, but I can rewire it so the hacking solution is counterintuitive, and if they try to get in again, they’ll set off station alarms.”
“That would give us a heads-up, at least. Thanks.”
Once he finished, Jael wrapped an arm around Dred’s shoulders. She leaned on him until the blood dried on her leg, and she stopped feeling the injury. Curious, she bent to examine it. “Already sealed.”
There was still a deep red scab where the knife had sliced through, but the tissue beneath had already knitted together. Her limp disappeared as they approached Queensland. The air was already a bit warmer though she could still see her breath when she exhaled. The rungs of the ladder were cold as she climbed back to the heart of the zone.