This could have been a written message, except… “Emergency meeting, be here within the hour.”
“Another one?” I ask, instead of telling him we’re on our way.
“Yeah.” He looks at Risk’s mesh and says, “And no, it’s not about your unsanctioned trip to the crash site.”
“What is it about?”
“Arc and Kilo found something in Calisan. That’s all I can say right now.”
“He didn’t call us.” Chrys slides out of her perch and joins us.
“He can’t. An explosion wiped out their communication equipment and relays. They had to route the information to us through a CSS satellite patch.”
“Are they okay?”
“As far as I know, yes. They were adamant that everyone needs to be here. I don’t know why, but your outpost isn’t safe.”
I nod. “Understood.”
When the call disconnects, I look down at Chrys. “I need to shower.”
“Now?” Her brows quirk, but she doesn’t try to fight me as I take her hand and drag her along behind me.
She laughs as I spin her out of her clothes and wraps her arms around my neck as I pull her into the shower, the water beating down on us.
“I’m not going, am I?” She kisses me instead of letting me answer, and I have time to enjoy it, so I do.
But eventually, I have to pull back. “The two of you have to stay. We have to go.”
She nods. “He’s going to be so mad at you.”
“I know. This meeting is going to be the worst one yet.”
CHRYS
The urge to tell them to stay is staggering.
Risk lifts me off the ground to twirl me around. “I love you, koah. You’re going to be okay.”
He kisses me and I want, so badly, to drag them back into our bedroom, to block out the rest of the world one more time and wait for Arc to come back to us. But we can’t.
“I love you, too.”
When he puts me back on my feet, he nudges me toward Shock and hands Kissu my frankenbunny bag.
He prances away with it like it’s prey he caught, but I don’t question it. I’m not going to question anything they do right now.
Shock glares out the window, mouth twisted in a scowl I don’t like.
Helicopters circle the wreckage like vultures, and the cleanup crews shuffle over it like swarming insects. It makes my skin crawl.
“It’s probably the worst time to have this meeting,” he says with an irritated sigh.
“Probably… but you’ve got to go.”
“I do.”
He wraps his arms around my shoulders, holding me close, lips to my ear as we both stare out the window. “We love you. We wouldn’t leave you if we weren’t certain you’ll be okay.”
