Chapter Six
Captain Harvey McClane
Despite her issues, the Mandalay finally set sail.
Harvey McClane stood ramrod straight on the bridge, hands clasped hard behind his back as he angled his stiff neck at the view screen.
It offered an unrivaled view of the Mandalay slowly slipping away from the shipyards.
The shipyards were a testament to Coalition technology, and they sat stark in the center of the screen. The Mandalay would be more. Better. The top of her class. The first of a new breed of ship.
If he could find a way to stop the issues that plagued her.
This was where he should give a speech. Tradition dictated that as a ship first set sail its captain would lead the crew in a rousing oration.
The problem was, he couldn’t find the words.
Why? Because unease had settled deep in his gut, cutting out every other feeling.
He was a young captain, granted, but he’d still been in command long enough to know he should shut off his disquiet and lead his crew.
But he couldn’t. Deep inside the unease kept growing. It crawled up his back and sank deep into the back of his head, leaving a prickling sensation curling around his neck.
His XO turned to him. She nodded low. “Captain?” she prompted.
He cleared his throat, gaze fixed on the shipyards as they grew smaller and smaller, the expanse of star-studded space swallowing them.
Captain Harvey McClane had made a career out of tracking down problems. He was self-admittedly one of the best troubleshooters in the fleet.
So why did he feel as if this problem – whatever it was – was beyond him?
…
Lieutenant Hunter McClane
He walked to the cargo bay, ignoring his brother’s speech as it echoed over the Mandalay’s audio system.
Most other crew he passed stood to attention in the hallways and corridors, heads tilted up in pride as they listened to their Captain’s rousing words.
Hunter blocked it out.
He had work to do. Because he reasoned if he threw himself into it, he’d stop thinking about everything else.
He hadn’t seen Ava for a full two days. It had taken that long for Chief Engineer B’cal to fix the critical issues with the ship.
Though B’cal had assured a meeting of senior staff that most issues were under control, Hunter couldn’t say he felt at ease.
For the past two days, his nerves had been growing like wildfire. He could feel them simmering in his veins, occasionally catching in his heart and exploding into full-blown panic.
It wasn’t just the accidents. It was a heck of a lot more than that.
From every angle he looked at it, he didn’t want to be here – on this ship, under Harvey’s command, and smack bang between whatever was happening with the Avixans.
He knew he was being unkind to Meva. She deserved better. The truth was, he was never really sure where he stood with her anyway. She was beguiling, sure, passionate and stunning, absolutely. In short, she was everything he’d always thought he’d want in a relationship.
And yet, at the back of his mind, he was always questioning how long it would last. She’d either wake up one day and realize he was never going to step out of his brother’s shadow, or he was going to stuff it up some other way.
“I never even wanted to join the goddamn Academy,” he admitted to himself in a dark whisper as he petulantly plucked his scanner from his hip holster.
He walked around a sharp corner and walked smack bang into someone.
He knocked them off their feet, and they tumbled against the wall.
He jerked out a hand to help, but it froze in midair as a woman with shocked purple eyes and flame red hair turned to stare at him.
His hand remained there as if cast in stone.
He recoiled with a sharp breath that drew hard into his lungs, and he took a jerked step back. “Sorry. I should have been more careful,” he forced himself to say. With that, he turned sharply on his heel and walked back in the direction he’d come, even though the cargo bay was past Ava.
“Stop,” she said.
He couldn’t say her voice was authoritative. It wasn’t brimming with anger.
But it had a certain subtle force behind it that quickened his nerves.
Body turning rigid, he ground his boots into the floor, twisted over his shoulder, and shot her a warning look. “Why?”
She knelt down and slowly plucked up his scanner with her left hand. Her move was awkward, her fingers obviously weak. She fumbled with the scanner before swapping it to her right hand and holding it out to him. “You dropped this.”
He hesitated before pushing forward and snatching it from her. He didn’t say a word.
“Aren’t you headed to cargo bay four?” she asked as she dropped her left arm to her side and gently massaged the wrist.
He snapped his head around again. “How the hell do you know that?” He bristled.
“Your scanner’s on. Your task is displayed on the screen. I caught a glance of it.”
He turned around fully. “That could have been sensitive information. You had no right—”
“I glanced at it, Lieutenant. If it was so damn sensitive, you shouldn’t have barreled into me and flung it at my feet.” She tried to hide a wince as she kept massaging her wrist.
His cheeks became as hard as bone as his lips drew into the thinnest frown he could manage. “I don’t like your tone. Ensign.”
“I apologize, Lieutenant.” She took a deliberate step back and gestured down the corridor beside her. “But your cargo bay is that way.” As she gestured her left arm twitched.
Reason told him to ignore it. Reason was far from his mind right now. “If you’re still injured, go to the med bay, tell B’cal, and be replaced with someone more competent. This ship is barely holding together as it is. Don’t waste your shift when someone—”
She turned from him and began walking away.
“Hey, I’m talking to you.”
“No,” she looked sharply over her shoulder, “You’re berating me. I don’t know what I’ve done to offend you, Lieutenant, but this is out of line.”
His cheeks smarted as if he’d been slapped. “What did you say?”
“If you have something to tell me that directly relates to my task, go ahead. If not, I’m busy.” She kept stalking away.
His anger got the better of him, and he jogged up to her. “I’m not done here. Ensign.”
They rounded a corner. She flicked her hair over her shoulder as she tried to ignore him.
He put on a burst of speed, trying to get in front of her, not glancing at the floor once.
Her eyes locked wide as she looked at something past him, then she lurched forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back.
He banged into her left arm, her fingers catching on his side as he jolted past.
She let out a choke of pain, locked a hand on her wrist, and fell down to one knee.
“What the hell was that?” He rounded on her. Then he looked past and saw the slowly seeping puddle of neuro fluid.
It was covering half the corridor.
A sticky black fluid, it looked like watered-down tar.
If he’d stepped in it, it would have electrocuted him.
He acted on instinct, grabbed a hand on her good shoulder, and pulled her back.
He felt her wince in pain.
“God,” he spat, “The gel packs are leaking. Why the hell didn’t the sensors warn us?”
“They’re still not fully operational in this area. They keep turning off. That’s the reason I’m down here. B’cal sent me to figure out where the problem is.”
His anger slipped away as he saw how carefully she cradled her left wrist.
Guilt punched through his gut quicker than a bolt of lightning. “Are you okay? I’m sorry I caught your hand on the way past.” Genuine compassion twisted his features, and there wasn’t a thing he could do to hide it.
>
She looked up into his face, her lips pressed together as she obviously tried to figure out whether he was being serious. Eventually, she nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“Didn’t Chen fix your arm up?”
“As best as he can. It’s going to take a while. I should be okay soon, though.”
He found his gaze fixing on her armlets. They caught the light from above, the strange carved metal glistening.
She saw him staring at them, and she half turned, obscuring them from view. “I know what you’re going to say. Just don’t bother, please,” there was a plaintive, emotional edge to her tone. “I can’t take them off. Not unless you want to take my arms with them. And that would kill me.”
His stomach clenched so hard it felt as if his gut tied itself into a knot. It was her reaction – the vulnerability crumpling her shoulders and shifting in her weary gaze.
Not much seemed to rattle Ava. Or maybe she was just good at hiding her true feelings.
He found himself swallowing, a lump forming in his throat. “I… I’m….”
Reason dictated he should say he was sorry.
He wanted to, but he couldn’t push the words out.
He kept going back to Meva. How she’d reacted when she’d told him about Ava.
Ava’s eyes grew wide again as she glanced past him. “There are more leaks.”
He jerked his head to follow her move, and his cheeks paled. “Come on, we need to move back.” Without thinking, he tenderly placed a hand on her good shoulder and guided her back. At the same time, he tapped his wrist device. “B’cal?”
His comlink crackled for a few seconds but finally connected. “This better be good. I’m knee deep in problems right now.”
“This is Lieutenant McClane. I’m near Cargo Bay Four. There’s a significant neural gel leak covering the corridor, and it’s growing.”
B’cal swore bitterly. “Right. Get out of there, and I’ll send an emergency cleanup crew. I’ve got a crewman down there right now—”
“Ava?” Hunter didn’t even realize he left out her rank. “I’ve already found her.”
“Right. Both of you get out of there. That area is cursed. I’m telling you. We don’t need an engineer, we need a goddamn exorcist.” With a shrill beep, B’cal’s call ended.
“Right, come on.” For some reason, he kept his hand tenderly locked on her shoulder.
She didn’t shrug him off.
A few strands of her fire red hair brushed over his bare fingers and thumb.
It was different to Meva’s hair. Not just the color – the feel. It was softer. It felt like satin slipping over his skin.
When his face had fallen against it after he’d tumbled into her in the bar, it had been like nuzzling up to a cloud.
… It took him too long to realize how inappropriate that thought was.
While it was easy to chase it from his mind with a short reminder of how treacherous she was, it was impossible to chase it from his body.
Reluctantly, he forced himself to pull his hand back.
They headed around another corridor and stopped.
There was another gel leak.
This one covered the whole floor from wall to wall.
He stood there in stunned silence, staring at it and wondering what the hell was happening.
Suddenly Ava knocked into him with her shoulder and pushed him back.
His eyes jerked down to see a spurt of neural gel spill from a seam in the floor right by his feet.
He grabbed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back, his face slicking with ice-cold sweat. “What the hell’s happening here?”
Ava stabbed a finger against her wristband which – due to her armlets – was located around her upper arm. “Chief, we’ve got another—”
Her communicator crackled back with silence.
He brought up a shaking hand and crammed a sweaty thumb over his wrist device. “B’cal—”
Nothing but static.
“You have got to be kidding me. The communication system cannot be on the blink again. Come on,” he bellowed as he slapped a shaking hand over his device.
Nothing but static.
“We need to pull back. More gel’s leaking,” she pointed out in a shaking tone.
He looked down to see she was right.
They retreated further into the corridor.
They were trapped.
His furious heartbeat rang in his ears, its shaking vibration shuddering down his throat and hard into his head.
“We’ll be okay, we’ll get out of here,” he promised.
She didn’t say a word. Instead, she locked her wide-eyed gaze on the slowly encroaching deadly liquid.
“B’cal’s sending a cleanup team. We will get out of here.”
“He has no idea how bad this is,” she pointed out in a quiet tone, “We have to do something.”
She took a step back, face locked on the black pool of gel.
He grabbed her arm and yanked her close as a leak appeared right under her boots.
She fell hard against his chest, soft hair tickling the underside of his chin.
He caught sight of her wide luminescent eyes. This close, he could see the pale-blue flecks that rimmed her pupils. They looked like halos.
“Behind you.” She wrapped her arm around his middle and pulled him closer.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a spurt of black.
His heart jumped into his throat as his mind spun.
They had to get out of here.
How?
His gaze darted around the walls, looking for anything.
Anything.
He caught sight of an access vent above him.
It was too high for even him to jump, let alone Ava.
But then he saw the release valve beside it.
He snatched his scanner from his belt. If he could just get it to connect to the release valve, he could open the hatch.
The deadly black liquid encroached on them from all sides.
His fingers slipped over the scanners controls, so much sweat building between them he couldn’t hold them steady. “Come on,” he screamed.
They were still pressed together on the only section of safe flooring. He had to loop an arm up and around her back to work on the scanner.
Suddenly he felt her wriggle an arm free and grab something from her belt. She brought it up.
It was a magnetic lock used to secure a tool to the floor or wall if you were experiencing gravitational issues.
She obviously knew what he was thinking, and this was the perfect tool.
Slamming his scanner on his belt, he shifted back as far as he could.
She ducked down to her knees, giving his arm the space it would need for a throw.
He jammed his tongue behind his teeth, said a short, desperate prayer, and threw the mag lock at the vent control.
Heart ringing in his ears and blood turning to ice in his veins, he was sure it would fall short.
It didn’t. Just in time, it changed direction and hooked right over the vent control.
There was a beep, and the vent hatch opened, swinging down low.
In an ideal world, you didn’t have to throw a mag lock at the ceiling to get a vent to open. You did it remotely.
The Mandalay was far from an ideal world. It was a death trap.
As the vent hatch swung open, a ladder formed, rungs locking into place with resonant clicks.
Fortunately, the ladder didn’t extend all the way to the floor – it stopped just a foot off it.
By now the black gel had encroached so far they were stranded on a tiny island two feet in diameter.
The ladder was a good meter away.
He rocked back on his feet getting ready to make the jump.
He stopped.
She wouldn’t make it. Especially with her wrists.
She didn’t say a word, though.
She was going to let him make the jump, save himself, and….
He lurched to the floor, sure his knees didn’t push into the liquid.
“What are you doing?” she spluttered.
“Get on my back,” he commanded. “Now. You won’t make that jump. Now move.”
She hesitated, then clambered onto his back, legs hooking under his arms, chest pushing against his back.
He stood, clenching his muscles to carry her weight. “Hook your arms around my neck and wrap your arms around my waist as tightly as you can,” he ordered.
She did it, her armlets pressing against his throat, the metal cold and smooth, her legs locked in front of him.
He sucked in a breath that shunted hard into his lungs, and released his arms from her legs, letting them swing loosely by his sides.
He rocked back, took a single step, then threw himself at the ladder.
….
He just made it.
His scrabbling hands grasped the rungs. With a grunt that punched down the corridor, he swung his legs up just in time so his boots didn’t drag through the gel.
His heart could have exploded, his mind could have crumpled.
They’d made it.
Thankfully Ava was strong enough to keep herself locked around his back, her face pressing hard against his cheek.
He started to climb the ladder.
Suddenly, one of the rungs gave way. He managed to grab another, jerking to the side and almost falling but saving himself just in time.
The rung fell heavily into the ever-deepening pool of gel.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something splash onto Ava’s right armlet.
Neuro gel.
He froze, expecting the both of them to be electrocuted to a crisp. Neuro gel was so energy rich that a single drop could kill ten people.
His terrified gaze locked on it.
But nothing happened.
“It’s okay,” she managed. Slowly, she pulled her right arm from around his neck and held it out at a right angle, pushing in closer with her chest as she secured her remaining arm harder around him.
He couldn’t help but keep his gaze locked on that single drop of black liquid until finally they made it up the ladder.
A grunt tore from his throat as he pulled them both up into the vent.
Carefully she unwrapped herself from around him, always keeping her arm held as far from him as she could.
He twisted and crouched in the tunnel, gaze locking on the liquid again.
She looked fine for now, but who knew how long her armlets would hold up – neuro gel was extremely corrosive.
“We have to get that off you,” he stuttered, desperate gaze slicing from side-to-side as he looked for anything that could help.
He spied a loose section of rubber-like insulation running along the walls. He secured a hand around it and yanked it with a hard breath that puffed Ava’s hair over her face.
The insulation would stop him from being electrocuted, but it wouldn’t be able to mop up the neuro gel.
He needed something absorbent. Anything.
He cast around until his gaze settled on his shirt.
Without another thought, he tugged it off, revealing his bare chest underneath.
Ava politely looked to the side, never letting her arm drop as she held it at an uncomfortable angle.
He ripped his shirt in half and wrapped half around the rod of insulation, which was luckily rigid enough that it didn’t flop around in his hands.
“Alright, come here.” He gestured her forward.
“This is too dangerous. We should just wait. If any of that gel gets on you—”
“And if any of it gets on you,” he spoke in a strident tone that drowned her out, “You’ll die. So come here.”
Reluctantly she brought her arm forward. “Just be careful,” she begged in a quiet voice.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of letting you die today.”
“I was talking about you,” she corrected.
He didn’t answer. He drew his lips together, clenched his jaw, and carefully began to mop up the black liquid.
It was a delicate task.
A long one, too. He didn’t stop until he was damn sure he’d mopped it all up – every goddamn particle. Then he reached past her, shuffling forward on his knees, and discarded his shirt and the rod of insulation out of the open hatch.
He heard it hit the floor below with a squelch.
She began to shift forward.
“Not so fast.” He shifted past her again, naked torso brushing against her side as he reached into a side panel and yanked out a long section of insulation. He proceeded to wrap it around her armlet, tying it in place with the other half of his shirt.
She didn’t once stare at his bare chest, even though it was right in front of her, instead shifting her head to the side.
When he was done, he rested back on his haunches.
She shifted her head around and looked straight into his eyes. “Thank you.”
His stomach kicked. Maybe it was adrenaline, leftover fear from the fact he’d almost died.
Maybe it was the way she looked at him.
He cleared his throat.
She shifted forward, a few strands of her long hair brushing perilously close to her armlet.
He’d cleaned it with all the precision of a doctor scouring a wound, and covered it in insulation, but he knew he still had to be careful. “Hold up.” He brought a hand forward in a stopping motion. “We need to secure your hair tightly. It could transfer microparticles onto your clothes.”
“Oh.” She moved to do it herself.
“No. I’ve got this.” He shuffled around her on his knees, flesh digging hard into the ridged gangway-metal of the floor.
He let his fingers trail along her neck, gathering all her hair.
She shivered.
Or maybe he did.
It was hard to tell.
He pulled out the clip that was only holding half her hair in now, secured it in his mouth, bunched her hair into a bun, and locked it in place.
He tested it, gazing up and down her back, even bending around and checking the side of her face to ensure no strands could come loose.
The struggle for survival was over, but his heart was still beating wildly. Not too fast, but hard. He felt it thump through his chest like a metronome keeping rhythm.
He sucked in a breath, tried to calm himself, then nodded down the tunnel. “Come on. Try to keep everything away from your armlet.”
He shifted in front of her, got down on his hands and knees, and began to crawl.
As soon as he locked his hands on the painful grating, he recoiled. Not from pain, but because a realization struck him.
“Your wrists.” He jerked his head back to her.
“I’ll be fine.” She shuffled past him, expression controlled, even though he knew every movement would be putting her through hell.
He winced in sympathy. “Okay. I’d tell you to wait here, but the truth is, I don’t want you anywhere near here. This place is too goddamn dangerous. Just… distract yourself from the pain,” he encouraged, trying to crawl beside her, despite the cramped tunnel, just so he could keep his gaze locked on her.
“I’ll be fine. I’ve faced worse,” she said offhand.
There was something about the way she said it that told him she wasn’t lying.
Maybe he should keep quiet, but he didn’t want to. “What do you mean?”
She didn’t answer.
Curiosity burned in his gut. He wanted to know – no, needed to know – who the hell she’d been on Avixa and why she was here now.
Maybe she could guess what he was thinking, because she suddenly broke eye contact and stared concertedly at the floor. As she did, a strand of hair cut down from her bun and flared around her eyes.
He lurched forward and caught it, fingers brushing against her cheek.
It, like her hair, was soft. Her skin was supple and smooth, her cheek cushioning his fingers as he swept her loose hair
back into her bun, securing it tightly behind her clip.
Throughout the whole move, she didn’t move a muscle. She did look at him, though.
His stomach kicked at the question behind her gaze.
He found himself swallowing hard again.
Then he remembered his question. A spike of courage flared through his chest.
Chen had told him to just ask, so he would.
“Ava,” he looked at her directly, “What were you on Avixa? Why did you join the Academy? And why do the other Avixans have such a problem with you?”
She froze, a breath trapped in her throat as her chest pushed hard against her arms.
“I… I just want to know your side of the story. Meva… Meva said you came from the ruling class,” he blurted before he could stop himself.
There was no way he should be sharing this information with Ava. But he couldn’t stop himself.
Ava let out a snort. It wasn’t derisive. It was hurt.
It piqued his curiosity even more. He pressed closer out of curiosity, which wasn’t hard considering these closed confines. “I know it’s a faux pas in Avixan society to discuss these things, but just help me understand.”
He thought she’d ignore him.
She even shuffled a few meters down the tunnel. Then she stopped. “I’m not from the ruling class. Not really.”
“What do you mean?” He reached her side again. “Meva said you… your people oppress hers.” Again, he knew he should stop himself, but again he could not.
Ava’s shoulders hunched, then she suddenly pushed back and collapsed against the small wall. Drawing her knees up, she let her left arm rest in her lap as she kept her right arm held as far away as she could.
She looked right into his eyes. “Why are you asking this?”
“Because I want to know the truth. Is that so bad? I know you can’t tell me everything, I know your society doesn’t share information with outsiders, but you’ve got to give me something.” He had no idea why he was being so earnest.
No. That was a lie. He knew exactly why. Ava had been willing to die for him.
Chen was right. That did count for something.
He met her hard gaze, never looking away.
Eventually, she did. She closed her eyes. “You want to know why I left Avixa? Because I can’t handle responsibility.”
It wasn’t the answer he’d expected.
It did something to him. Slowed him right down.
As Ava sat pressed against the wall, her eyes still closed, he recognized exactly what she was feeling.
He’d felt it before. Just this morning, in fact.
He didn’t want to be here, either. He couldn’t hack the responsibility his brother seemed so determined to pile on his shoulders.
“I wanted to get away. Live a normal life,” she continued, never opening her eyes.
“Ava,” the last knot unwound from his heart, “I’m sorry I treated you like that—”
“Hunter?!” suddenly Harvey’s voice boomed over Hunter’s wrist device. He jolted back in surprise.
“Harvey? I mean, Captain?”
“Christ, you’re alright. The whole section of corridor you were in is a mess, neuro gel everywhere. How the hell did you get out of there?”
“Long story. Glad to hear your voice, though. Communications were down.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“In the vent system. Do me a favor, send me through a map. I want to get out of here as quickly as I can.”
“Alright… done. Confirm receipt.”
Hunter yanked up his arm and checked his WD. “Got it.”
“Make contact when you’re out.” With that, Harvey signed off.
Hunter began to grin, then stopped.
He realized something. Not once had Harvey asked where Ava was. Maybe Harvey had no idea she was in this section, but B’cal would have told him, surely.
Which left another uncomfortable possibility.
Hunter found his stomach knotting as he thought about it, a cold sweat prickling between his shoulders.
The rational part of his mind told him he was jumping to conclusions. The irrational, passionate side couldn’t push away the fear Harvey wasn’t concerned about Ava.
As Hunter’s stomach clenched even harder at that thought, he couldn’t stop himself from appreciating the irony.
Literally half an hour ago, he’d been certain Ava was the enemy.
Now….
“Come on.” She shifted forward, flexed her wrists, then locked her hands on the floor. “Where should we head?”
He didn’t tell her he wanted to stay right here and finish the conversation they’d just started.
She had to get out of here, and her right armlet had to be cleaned of neural liquid.
So he assessed the map Harvey had sent him and made some quick calculations.
Then he winced. “I’m sorry, Ava, but it’s going to take at least ten minutes of crawling to get out of here. Are your wrists going to hold up?”
“I’ll be fine.”
He couldn’t stop himself from chuckling lightly. “You’re meant to be weak, Ensign Ava, so how come you’re turning out to be so strong?” He had no idea where that comment had come from. It had sprung from his lips before he’d thought it through.
Now it hung there in the air.
Slowly she shifted and glanced at him. He could just make out those little pale blue halos of light around her pupils. He found himself wanted to get closer to study them in full.
“True strength doesn’t have anything to do with how much you can lift,” she noted as she turned and kept shuffling forward, “It’s to do with how much you can withstand without breaking.”
Her quiet words sent a tingle down his back as he followed her down the tunnel.
…
Ava
There was too much to think about.
The passionate Hunter McClane kept revealing facts she couldn’t ignore.
Meva had lied to him about Avixan society. Worse, apparently – she frequently took her bangles off.
Unless under exceptional medical circumstances, a non-priestess was never meant to remove their bangles.
They weren’t mere adornments. They were locks. While they did not function the same way as Ava’s – holding her completely off from her powers – they could be activated.
Should an Avixan forget the most sacred rule and begin using their powers to rule and destroy, a priestess could activate their locks, and the offending Avixan would fall unconscious into a specialized stasis that could only be broken by a priestess.
All Avixans wore locks, not just as a constant reminder of what they should not become, but as an insurance measure, lest they ignored all decency and became devils once more.
As for the fact Meva had obviously been lying to Hunter, that was a different matter.
Avixans considered sharing information about their society a crime for one reason and one reason alone: so the truth did not come out. They couldn’t let the modern Milky Way know what they’d once been. Devils. Murderers. Vicious conquerors.
Meva had not breathed a word of this true reality, so technically, she’d committed no crime.
“Hey, you’ve gone all quiet,” Hunter said gently from in front of her, twisting over his shoulder to check on her, “You okay?”
She nodded.
She was not okay.
She didn’t know what to do.
Technically she could contact the Avixan government and share her suspicions with them, but she didn’t have any evidence, just hearsay.
She’d need evidence to have Meva extradited back to Avixa. Not just because her case wouldn’t stick, but on moral grounds, too. Putting aside the fact Meva hated her, Ava couldn’t get her extradited if she’d done nothing wrong. In all likelihood, Meva’s unusual behavior was just a reaction to her freedom. The same freedom Ava as now trying to enjoy.
“What are you thinking about? It’s… not what I
told you about Meva, right? Look, I think I might have made a mistake; I shouldn’t have shared that information. You’re not gonna… get her in trouble, right?”
Hunter plucked her problem right out of her head and laid it before her.
She had to make a decision now.
She took a breath and found herself shaking her head. “No.”
“… You’re not actually lying, are you?” he asked after a few seconds of peering at her intently.
His observation threw her, and she blinked hard. “Sorry?”
“I think I’m the one who should be sorry, Ava. I’ve judged you too harshly.”
“I… oh…” she trailed off, head dropping down as she gazed at her hands.
He chuckled lightly. “You’re not usually lost for words. I guess that was one of the reasons you, ah, irritated me so much,” he gave another bashful chuckle as he massaged the back of his neck, “You always seem so calm and in control. Nothing fazes you. Nothing scares you.”
“There’s plenty that scares me,” she answered in such a quiet tone her voice could barely carry. Her gaze sliced naturally toward her armlets. When she looked up, she realized Hunter had followed her gaze.
He looked pointedly from her armlets to her face. “I guess there is. I misjudged you. I’m sorry.” He stopped and reached a hand out to her. “Friends?” His direct gaze took on a strange quality as he stared right into her eyes.
She didn’t take his hand.
He grinned awkwardly. “I’m not going to bite. It’s okay, you can shake it.”
“I kinda don’t want to kill you.” He’d reached his left hand out toward her right hand. She pulled up her right arm and pointed to the insulation.
He gave an embarrassed wince. “Sorry about that.” He dropped his hand.
On instinct, an odd energy playing through the pit of her belly, she pulled up her left hand and held it out.
She said nothing.
He hesitated for the briefest moment.
Then he reached out and grabbed his firm hard fingers around her own.
They shook hands.
There was energy behind the move, and a prickly heat spread through her chest.
Suddenly his WD beeped. He jolted back, clearly not expecting the distraction. “Yeah?” he answered.
“Where are you?” it was Captain McClane.
“Still in the tunnels, Harv. We’re almost out.”
“We?” Captain McClane questioned.
Hunter’s lips drew together in an unmistakably angry move. She’d honestly seen enough of the wrong side of Lieutenant Hunter McClane’s anger to recognize it easily.
“Ensign Ava’s here with me. I assumed you knew.” Hunter said.
Then he mouthed something.
Most wouldn’t have been able to pick it up. Ava could. As his lips moved harshly over his lips, he mouthed, “Though you didn’t ask.”
There was a long pause. “That’s good to know. How long until you get out of there?”
Hunter didn’t answer right away. Instead, he jerked his head to the side and stiffened his jaw. “Not what you should be asking, Harv,” he whispered.
“Lieutenant?” the Captain prompted.
“She’s holding up great considering the circumstances, but she is injured,” Hunter replied, even though the Captain hadn’t asked that.
There was another considerable pause from the Captain’s end.
Even though she was just guessing, it seemed uncomfortable.
“Yeah, she’s injured her wrists again,” Hunter continued in the kind of tone that suggested he was responding to a question.
A question that had never been asked.
“We’re also going to need a decon team. She got some neural liquid on one of her armlets. I’ve cleared away as much as I can and covered the armlet with insulation. But it’s still going to have to be cleaned.”
“Right,” Captain McClane eventually answered. “I’ll relay the message to the Chief.”
“Hmm,” Hunter grunted. “We’re about three minutes away.” With that, Hunter ended the transmission.
She stared at him in shock. “What was that about?”
Hunter shifted his jaw around. “Sometimes Harv needs to be reminded of what really matters. I’m sorry, Ava.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“Your Captain shouldn’t have forgotten about you,” Hunter blurted, looking at her meaningfully from under his crumpled brow.
“It’s okay.”
“Maybe to you, but not to me. Anyhow, I guess we should push on. The sooner we get you up and off your wrists, the better.”
She nodded, another strand of hair cutting in front of her face.
He automatically leaned forward, bare chest brushing against her left arm as he tucked it into her bun. “Come on,” he said in a strange tone when he finished.
She followed him.
She was sure not to look at his naked torso.
She knew humans were not as free with their bodies as Avixans. Nudity was not an issue within Avixan society. Humans found great indignity in baring their skin.
So, though her gaze kept slipping back to the hard muscled line of his back, she determinedly returned her eyes to the floor.
Those three minutes flew past in a flash.
Finally, they found a hatch.
“Hold on,” she said before he could open it.
Carefully, she began removing her tunic top.
His eyes widened, gaze snapping down to her chest. “Ah, what are you doing?” he choked.
“It’s okay. I have a singlet on underneath. You can have my tunic top.” It was hard undressing with only one arm. She’d have to be extremely careful when pulling her arm out of from her right sleeve. But she knew she could do it without the fabric touching her armlet.
“It’s okay, Ava,” his words were still choked for some reason.
“I understand humans aren’t comfortable with showing bare skin. Please, you can use this.” She reached her right sleeve and found it was much harder to wriggle out of it than she’d accounted for.
“It won’t fit, and it’s okay,” he chuckled.
“No, but I—”
He kept chuckling.
He had a nice chuckle. Light. Melodious.
“Just stop before you get stuck.” He gently pulled her top back over her head.
Then he rested back on his haunches and laughed again.
She couldn’t tell if he was laughing at her, but it certainly didn’t seem derogatory.
“Come on.” He tilted his head toward the hatch. As he broke her gaze and turned to the hatch, his eyes lingered on her for a few seconds.
Then, with a cough, he opened the hatch and clambered out.
There were already people in the corridor. B’cal and a few other engineers.
B’cal took one look at Hunter’s naked torso and cleared his throat. “I’m not even going to ask.”
Hunter visibly flushed. “I used my top to soak up the neural gel on her armlet. It was the only thing at hand absorbent enough.”
B’cal shrugged. “Well, that does make sense. Anyhow, where’s my gel leak?”
Ava hesitated, then proffered her arm.
B’cal raised an eyebrow. He pursed his lips together and whistled. “Those armlets of yours save the day again, ha? One of these days you’re going to have to tell me what they’re made of. Most metal would have been eaten away within a few minutes of exposure to neural gel.”
She didn’t say anything.
She couldn’t.
“Anyhow, come here.” B’cal plucked a scanner from his belt and waved it over her armlet. He nodded. “Damn, it’s holding up alright. The residual neuro gel hasn’t eaten through it. Hasn’t even dented it as far as I can tell.” He whistled through his teeth.
“So there is residual gel?” Hunter blurted.
“Sure is. Only so much you can mop up with a lieutenant’s top. We’re going to have to clear the rest back in a dec
on room. In any another circumstance, I wouldn’t advise walking, but you seem fine,” he nodded at her, “So let’s go.”
“Wait, is that safe?” Hunter blurted again.
“Relax, lieutenant – you’ve done a pretty good job containing any residual gel with that insulation. She’ll be fine to walk. And frankly, considering the state this ship’s in, it’ll be quicker. So come on.”
She pushed off, and Hunter took up step beside her.
B’cal arched his eyebrow. “Lieutenant, you might want to take the opportunity to nip back to your quarters and put on a top.”
Hunter cleared his throat.
He looked at her once more before reluctantly pushing off into a sprint.
He’d changed.
Quickly.
When he’d argued with her this morning, she’d been ready to write him off.
Now she was starting to realize he was a decent man. Maybe something even more….
“Keep your arm steady, don’t go banging it into anything,” B’cal warned from beside her. “Luckily for us, a decon room is close.”
She nodded.
They reached the room at the end of the deck. By the time she’d walked inside, somehow Hunter was back.
B’cal narrowed his eyes and looked at him warily. “How in the hell did you run back to your quarters so quickly?”
Though Hunter was puffed, he didn’t look as if he’d run the more than kilometer expanse of the Mandalay.
“I ran to the armory,” Hunter explained as he quickly caught his breath. Then he nodded at her. “Have you cleaned it yet?”
“We haven’t even begun,” B’cal snorted. “Some of us aren’t as fast as you.”
“Well, what do you need?” Hunter asked hurriedly.
“Nothing. This should be relatively simple,” B’cal mumbled.
It wasn’t simple.
…
Lieutenant Hunter McClane
Something wasn’t right. He didn’t need to rely on the sinking feeling pushing through his gut – he could see it in B’cal’s pressed stare.
After several minutes of trying, Ava seated on a metal bench, her elbow and wrist locked in place by robotic arms, B’cal took a sharp step back. “There’s only one thing for it. We’re going to have to remove the armlet.”
Ava stiffened, her head tucking low as she snapped her gaze away from B’cal.
“I know, I know – you’re not allowed to. Don’t worry, I’ve met enough Avixans to know this isn’t the done thing. But unless we do it, your life’s going to be in danger. I have no idea how long your armlet is going to hold up against the gel, but it won’t be able to do it forever.”
Ava withdrew into a pressured silence, her gaze locked on the opposite wall.
“She can’t remove it,” Hunter found himself rising to her defense automatically, “Apparently they don’t come off.”
“What?” B’cal frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s a note on her file. Look it up.”
B’cal didn’t waste time. He looked up her file on a holographic panel.
He pushed a breath through his thin lips. “I really don’t see any way around this. Ensign, your file says we shouldn’t try to remove them, but—”
He didn’t get a chance to finish. At that moment Harvey and Shera walked in.
Ava’s gaze locked on Shera so quickly it was a surprise her purple eyes didn’t spring from her head.
Her breathing became short, her chest barely shifting as it seemed she devoted all attention to watching Shera.
Harvey drew to a stop and nodded at B’cal. “I was informed we have a potential neural gel contamination. Have you cleaned it?”
B’cal looked uncomfortable as he shook his head. “The contamination is on one of her armlets. I’m not sure why, but I can’t clean it with standard procedures. Nothing’s working.”
“Then remove the armlet and dispose of it,” Harvey ordered easily.
“We can’t remove it,” Hunter interrupted at once.
“Why not?” Harvey challenged. “I’m well aware of Avixan protocol around their ceremonial wristbands. However, considering the direct danger this poses to my ship, I’m ordering you to take it off.”
“I understand, Captain, but there’s a note on her file saying we shouldn’t attempt to remove it,” B’cal said diplomatically.
“Ensign, explain this to us. How do we remove your armlet?” Harvey demanded.
Ava couldn’t look at him. As she sat there, her face became blotchy, and she drummed her left hand against the metal table in a flighty, nervous move.
She was barely breathing.
“Ensign,” Harvey snapped.
Hunter’s hackles rose. “Captain, I don’t think this is that simple,” he said through bared teeth. What he really wanted to say was Harvey was completely out of line.
“Fine. Lieutenant Commander,” Harvey turned to Shera, “How do we remove that armlet?”
Shera hadn’t looked away from Ava once. Her expression… was enough to curdle his blood.
“You can’t remove the armlet. I suppose you could chop her arm off.”
Hunter lurched, his limbs jolting at the mere suggestion. “What the hell?”
“You do that, and it’ll kill me,” Ava said in the smallest voice imaginable. Finally, she turned and looked right at Shera.
“Sorry, Ensign?” Harvey demanded.
As Ava looked at Shera, something happened. The terror that had been pulsing through Ava’s gaze seconds before hardened. “If you attempt to remove them in any way or chop my arm off, you will kill me,” for the first time she spoke loudly and directly, all the time staring at Shera. “Which is something you already know, Lieutenant Commander.”
“I’d watch your tone,” Harvey snapped almost immediately.
Shera didn’t move a muscle.
“Are you serious, it’ll kill you?” Hunter asked.
Ava nodded.
Harvey still looked angry, but Hunter could see as he cast a nervous glance from Ava to Shera. “Is she telling the truth?”
Again, Shera didn’t move a muscle.
You didn’t need to be a genius to realize Shera was trying to make her mind up. Nor did you need to be a genius to realize how much animosity she held for Ava.
Or maybe you did. Because Harvey still turned fully from Ava and nodded at Shera. “Is the Ensign telling the truth?”
Shera opened her mouth.
Was it just Hunter, or was there a flare of cold victory flicking in Shera’s gaze.
Ava put her left arm up, dipped her head low, and stared up at Shera. “I would be very careful, Lieutenant Commander. They’re all witnesses. Tell them the wrong thing, and the Avixan government will find out.”
There was so much tension surging between them, he was surprised the air didn’t crackle.
“How dare you threaten a—” Harvey began.
Shera cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to the floor. “I didn’t mean to suggest cutting your arm off was a safe option. It was merely a logical extension of the Captain’s question. Not a practical one.”
“No, because it would kill me.” Ava still held her hand up, still looked at Shera with an unflinching gaze.
“… Yes, it would kill you. I apologize if my words were mistaken. I will clarify: there is no method to remove those armlets, Captain, without killing her.” Shera’s voice was cold, emotionless, withdrawn.
The voice of someone who’d just lost a gamble.
Harvey looked shocked. The guy usually controlled his expression, even in the toughest circumstance, but now he looked floored. “Shera?”
B’cal was still in the room, so was Ava. As a captain, he shouldn’t be talking so informally.
“Captain?” Shera appeared to smooth a nonplussed expression onto her face, then flicked her gaze up and nodded.
Nerves mixed with anger in Hunter’s gut. “Why would you suggest that if you knew—”
“It was not a suggestion, just a comment. I now realize it was an inappropriate one,” Shera replied smoothly.
“Bullshit,” the word exploded from Hunter’s mouth before he could control himself.
“Lieutenant, outside, now,” Harvey barked.
Hunter stood there, stock still.
Fuck Harvey.
Fuck the Coalition.
This wasn’t right.
He was seconds from punching his brother and buying himself a court martial.
“It’s fine, Lieutenant,” Ava broke the tense silence.
There was a direct, controlled, gentle quality to her tone.
It saw him slice his gaze over to her.
She nodded evenly.
“Outside, now,” Harvey barked again.
Reluctantly, Hunter followed.
Just as they reached the doors, Harvey hesitated. He glanced at Shera over his shoulder. “Lieutenant Commander, thank you for your assistance here. You can return to your duties now.”
Shera nodded low, turned, and strode past him.
Not once did she look at Ava, letting her gaze slip along the floor like a river avoiding a stone.
She strode past, down the corridor, and quickly out of sight.
The doors closed behind Hunter and Harvey. Harvey waited until Shera was completely out of sight before he turned on Hunter, his face pressed with livid anger. “What the hell were you doing in there? That was way out of line.”
“What the hell was I doing? What the hell were you doing?”
“Do not argue with me, Lieutenant. I will have to reprimand you for this.”
“You go ahead,” Hunter spat, “Because I’m going to look forward to the opportunity to explain to the probation committee why a captain suggesting chopping the arm off one of his ensigns.”
Harvey paled. Not just with indignant shock – with what Hunter hoped was realization.
“You do realize what just happened in there, right?” Hunter barreled on. “An ensign told you removing her armlet would kill her. And you were willing to override that advice with nothing more than the word of a woman who clearly hates her.”
Harvey opened his mouth.
Hunter still wouldn’t let him speak. “Do you have any idea how bad that would look, Captain?”
Finally, the penny dropped.
Harvey’s face – once red with rage – paled considerably. “It wasn’t like that,” he finally managed.
“Bullshit, Harv, it was exactly like that. If Shera had told you to remove Ava’s arm, you would have made the order. What the hell were you thinking?”
“I would not have made the order,” Harvey tried in a firmer tone, but his gaze was weak.
“Harvey, I know you, and this is not you. Shera clearly has deep seated animosity toward Ensign Ava. It is affecting her ability to work. She should not be in the same room as Ava, let alone in a position to decide about Ava’s physical wellbeing,” as Hunter spoke, some of the strident anger evaporated from his tone, being replaced with concerned exasperation.
Despite the fact Harvey was Hunter’s brother, he was still the Captain. At any moment Harvey could end this conversation and put Hunter in the brig for insubordination.
He didn’t.
He just stood there and stared at his brother.
“I have no idea what’s going on between Ava and Shera, but you can’t afford to ignore it. Nor can you afford only to take Shera’s side. You’re the captain of this crew. You have a responsibility to everyone.”
That comment reached Harvey like nothing else could. All the blood appeared to drain from his face as he took a hard step back. “Lieutenant, that’s enough.”
“Prove it. Do something,” Hunter challenged.
“Hunter, stop,” Harvey snapped.
Just before Hunter could fear he’d booked a one-way ticket to the brig, Harvey dropped his gaze.
He looked disappointed. Hunter could guess who he was disappointed in.
Himself.
“Harvey, this morning I was just like you. Then I realized there’s always two sides to a coin.”
“What does that mean?” Harvey asked, tone measured, most of his anger gone.
“It means I made a snap judgment based on one person’s story. It means I made a mistake, and this is me trying to fix it,” Hunter said, realizing the truth of his statement as he said it. He was making up for what he’d put Ava through.
In the tunnels, she’d earned his loyalty.
Harvey didn’t appear to know what to say.
Hunter did. “Guilty until proven innocent, brother, you always say that. Now live by it.” With that, Hunter turned back around and entered the decon room.
Ava hadn’t moved. She was staring at the wall, lost in nervous thought.
She looked up as he entered.
He nodded low. “We’ll figure out what to do, Ava. Any luck figuring out a work around, chief?”
B’cal was ready to answer but stopped as Harvey strode back in.
Maybe he was trying to hide it, but Hunter could tell Harvey looked chastened.
As he should.
Hopefully, now he’d do the right thing.
Harvey cleared his throat. “What are our options, chief?”
No, Harvey – Hunter thought – this is where you acknowledge your mistake to Ava and apologize.
B’cal looked warily around the room. It was clear he had no idea what was happening. Or maybe he did. Was it just Hunter, or was B’cal standing protectively close to Ava? “Just as long as no one suggests cutting anyone’s arm off again, I should be able to come up with a solution eventually.”
It wasn’t exactly a pointed comment, but it was close.
Harvey tensed.
Come on, Harv – Hunter thought – do the right thing and apologize.
Harvey’s stiff posture deflated somewhat. “Ensign, I’m not entirely sure what just happened. I don’t know what exactly went on between you and Lieutenant Commander Shera. However, in light of your circumstances, I will not note a reprimand on your file. That being said, I am ordering you to tell me everything you can about those armlets. We need to find some way to remove the neural gel without endangering your life.”
At first, Ava withdrew into an edgy silence.
“Ensign, please,” Harvey tried once more, and this time his tone was genuine. Not stiff, not strict.
“I don’t know too much about their design. I do know they form a neural link with my brain. If someone tries to forcibly remove them, or the arm they’re on, it’ll fry my nervous system.”
“Wait, they must be electrified then,” B’cal interrupted.
“Chief?” Harvey asked.
“Ah, hold on.” B’cal put up a hand, walked over to the equipment locker on the other side of the room, and removed a huge field scanner. He returned to Ava and scanned her arm. Anyone smaller than B’cal would have had to anchor the scanner on a table, but the chief’s massive form hefted it easily. “Ah, there we go. Very subtle.” He whistled through his teeth. “I couldn’t pick it up with the other scanners. You’re right. Ensign, forms a permanent link with your nervous system. And that very same energy field is why I’m having so much trouble removing the remaining gel.”
“Chief, do you have a solution?” Harvey asked.
“Sure do. I’ve got this now.” He chuckled as he marched over to the equipment locker and started rooting around in it.
Hunter deflated so much it was a surprise his shoulders didn’t detach and sink through the floor.
As he glanced over at his brother, he realized Harvey appeared to relax too.
Harvey waited there until B’cal finally gave the all clear.
Then he left the room.
Hunter caught sight of Harvey’s expression as he walked through the doors.
A cloud of confusion and guilt hung over his brother’s face.
B’cal ordered Ava straight to the med bay. As Hunter turned to follow, B’cal asked him to hang back.
/> As soon as Ava left the room, B’cal turned on Hunter. “What happened here?” he asked directly.
Hunter didn’t need clarification. He knew what B’cal was asking.
Hunter drew in a deep breath. “I don’t know.”
“And I don’t like it,” B’cal stated flatly. “Lieutenant Commander Shera was out of line. I’m no doctor, but from what I’ve figured out of those armlets, Ensign Ava was right – their removal would’ve killed her. So what the hell just happened back there? And more to the point, why would anyone wear those?”
All good questions. All questions that were screaming out for answers.
First things first. “Chief, do me a favor. You’ve already transferred Ava to engineering, right?”
B’cal nodded. “Why?”
“I know there are two other Avixans onboard, not including Meva and Shera. Do you reckon you can give Ava tasks that will keep her away from all four of them?”
“Consider it done.”
Hunter let out a breath of relief. “Well, at least that’s something.”
“What else are you going to do?” B’cal crossed his arms, looking serious.
“I’m going to find out everything I can.” Hunter nodded at him and left the room, his own promise ringing in his ears.