“That all depends on you, Sergeant. Your co-operation is essential.” The look E1 gave her made Arin’s skin crawl. The woman smiled. “I have to admit, your way of getting the DNA samples we asked for was rather bold, but having been there myself, I can’t judge you for your methods.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Arin’s anger wasmounting, compounded by the fact that she felt completely and utterly helpless.
“You know what I mean,” E1 whispered as they passed darkened cubicles occupied by agents who were hooked up to complex monitoring equipment.
A wave of disgust swept through Arin, and she shuddered. Had these people somehow hacked into the escape pod’s monitoring systems? She didn’t like the way E1 looked at her, as if they shared some dirty secret.
They made their way down to the bridge, which was surprisingly crowded. Pilots and navigators focused intently on their holoscreens, and armed guards lurked in the shadows, watching everything.
The whole scene had a sinister feel to it. Arin had walked straight into theotherside of the Federation; the hidden, covert side that nobody ever talked about. It was a side ordinary citizens probably didn’t even know about.
How many hidden surveillance cruisers did Nonhuman Affairs have out there? They were watching everything.
“Are the radiation shields intact?” Barely noticed by Arin, E2 had trailed behind them, and now he spoke for the first time.
“One hundred percent,” one of the navigators replied.
“Good.” E2 stood before the bridge with his arms crossed as E1 leaned close to Arin.
“Watch now,” she said softly.
An image of their escape pod appeared on a large holoscreen. Floating in the cold, empty void of space, it appeared so tiny. So vulnerable.
Rykal was in there. Arin’s chest tightened as a terrible realization dawned on her. “No,” she whispered, a wave of horror washing over her. “You said you wouldn’t…”
“Prepare all missiles,” E2 said. “Stand by.”
“You can’t do this,” Arin snapped. She strode towards E2, forgetting where she was.
“Fire.”
“No!” Arin screamed, her body moving of its own accord as the holoscreen showed a sleek missile leaving its launcher, turning into a white flash as it shot towards the escape pod.
Arin’s mind went blank as white-hot fury consumed her. A vicious cry of anger and grief escaped her throat as she reached inside her jacket and drew one of the Callidum knives Rykal had given her. She reached E2 and knew nothing but hatred.
There was a flash, and the pod exploded in a white ball of heat. There was no sound, just a whisper of an aftershock that shook the cabin. Arin couldn’t bear to look anymore.
The knife was in her hands. She knew nothing but rage.
They hadtakenhim from her.
The blade connected with E2’s chest. There was a faintpopas it sliced through rib and lung and Jupiter knows what else. The man screamed, and for the first time in her life, Arin found that sound—the sound of human suffering—satisfying. Warm blood streamed over her hand, coppery and glistening. She tried to reach for the other blade, but someone was restraining her now, and there were gloved hands all over her as she fought like a wildcat, attempting to kick and punch until she heard a cry of pain behind her.
“Fucking bitch!”
“I need her alive. Take her down, but don’t kill her.”
She swung wildly as five or six troopers surrounded her, and although she was strong, their combined strength was greater. They took her down to the floor with a thud, pressing their weight into her ribs and stomach and crushing her legs as she howled and kicked.
They piled onto her like wrestlers until she was completely restrained and could move no more.
Breathing heavily, Arin looked up and saw E1 squatting down beside her, her face still composed in that infuriating expressionless mask.
Truly, the woman was inhuman.
“I didn’t quite expectthatreaction,” E1 murmured.
“Fuck you.” Arin spat in her face. “You have no idea what you’ve just done.” She tried to hold her grief at bay, but a giant chasm of loss was opening up inside her.
