Finally, she found what she was looking for. A faint circle set in the underside of the ship.
It was possible that someone on the bridge could push a button and make it easy to connect the emergency exit to the runner, but she had no way of contacting Ethan to ask him to do that.
They would have to do this the hard way.
36
Ethan was going justa little mad.
It had taken time to find a portable light, but now he had one set up, the bridge had become like a badly illuminated cave. He almost felt trapped underground.
It had been over an hour since he’d seen Sylvester holding a laz to Velda’s head, and he’d contemplated leaving the bridge and going to find her over and over again.
But she had mouthed ‘trust me’ and that had put a chain on his protectiveness.
She wanted time. He would give her time.
She had a way about her. It had affected the Caruso. It had affected the medic, Yarmouth.
She would work her magic and make a plan.
She hadn’t wanted him to give up the bridge, so he would hold it. But if he didn’t get some sign she was all right soon, he would have to reconsider his options.
He eyed the seven people he’d shot and stacked side by side on one side of the bridge. He’d found restraints for four of them, and he kept checking to make sure the other three weren’t coming to.
It probably wouldn’t be long before they did.
He wanted off this ship so badly, he almost wished they’d taken the runner when they’d had access to the launch bay, but that wasn’t going to get them far. He reckoned they’d be better off taking the whole ship and flying back to Aponi.
That was before the Caruso’s virus had taken out the power.
He and the silver balls had tried to find out how they’d done it, but the silver balls were new to Caruso tech and while they thought with enough time they could do it, it would not be quick.
He looked over at the lens he’d covered with a black cloth before the power cut out, and wished he’d noticed it earlier.
Sylvester had obviously seen him in here, and he’d grabbed Velda straight away.
He wished now he’d found a way to take the bridge with her, rather than ask her to be a diversion.
They had both paid the price for that mistake.
He only hoped the Caruso’s interference was at least adding to the chaos out there, which would help Velda to escape.
All he could see from the tiny one way window set into the bridge doors were two guards, a portable light sitting on a table between them, both with weapons firmly aimed where he would have to come out.
There was a knock against the floor near his feet. It sounded like someone was hitting the underneath of the ship with a hammer.
He lifted up the light and moved carefully over to where he’d heard the noise, and noticed the faint outline of a circle on the floor. It was relatively large—wide enough for two people to stand inside it comfortably—and as he stared at it, it lifted up, spun clockwise, and then flipped open.
He stepped closer, laz raised, and found Velda, standing in a shoulder-height airlock chamber, looking up at him.
“Hey, there,” she said, and lifted up her hands.
He shifted his weapon over his shoulder, set down the light, and lifted her onto the bridge.
“How?” He ran his hand over her hair, breathing in the cold tang of space on her.
“I’ve got the runner hovering below. I’ve got an extra suit because we’re going to have to crawl over the roof, and then we’re going to leave this whole mess behind us.” She hugged his waist in a tight squeeze and then stepped back. “Looks like your victims are coming round.”
