The lock finally beeped. The door slid open, retracting into the side of the cargo unit. We stared. About a hundred and fifty people stared back at us.
What the hell?
Women, men, and children of all ages and what looked like all walks of life stood crowded against one another in the cargo hold, some in well-made clothing and others in rags and sandals. No matter what they wore, they were rumpled, huddled, and terrified. The place smelled like a filthy prison. Unwashed bodies. Human waste in corners. Fuck, it was disgusting. And inhumane. Who would do this?
“It’s her.” A middle-aged man at the front of the crowd pointed at Tess. His hand shook from the effort. When had these people last eaten? And why was he pointing at my girlfriend?
Tess pointed back at herself. “Me?”
“He said you’d come for us.”
Tess blanched. I lurched closer to her on the leg that still functioned. Focusing on the man who’d spoken, I demanded, “What are you talking about?”
“She’s come to save us,” he said hollowly. He stared at Tess, everything in his expression half defeated already. “Haven’t you?”
“I’ll help you,” she answered without hesitation. “But I don’t know what happened here. Who told you I’d come?”
“The tall man with the dead eyes. He showed up where we were before and said he was moving us to where you’d be. A Dark Watch general. He moved the whole unit… I don’t know. Several hours ago.” The self-elected spokesperson shook his head, but even that effort seemed to drain him. “I don’t know where we were before that, but there were more of us. Another hold like this one. Some of us have been locked up for almost a week now, and they keep adding people.”
“A Dark Watch general? Tall, dark hair, blue eyes?” Tess barely breathed as she waited for confirmation.
Several people nodded.
Her nostrils flared, and her eyes turned terrible. She angled away from the crowd a little. “Sanaa? What the fuck is going on here?” Fury cracked through every word she launched at the lieutenant over the com units.
“I might have mentioned you deciding to come here,” Mwende answered, a forced blandness almost covering up her accent. “Your uncle was very interested in your arrival on the Ewelock hub, especially after he found some unexpected cargo in the Sambian System. Certain phasers and storage units might have been manipulated in the meantime.”
“Oh, really?” Tess spat.
“Yes, really,” Mwende answered dryly.
Tess turned back around and swept a concerned gaze over the prisoners. “He could have just told us.” All the fury drained from her voice.
“Too many variables. Might not have worked out, and he didn’t want you living with that.”
Too many variables. That was exactly what Tess had been saying about this whole plan from the start. She and Bridgebane were more alike than they realized.
“Your uncle’s a Dark Watch general?” Frank was whiter than a ghost—and I didn’t think it was because of the blood he was losing. “And Sanaa? What’s she?”
Beside me, Tess took a huge breath, like she was gulping down a new reality. She probably was. General Bridgebane had gone from enemy number two to Uncle Nate in a matter of days, and he’d just sealed the deal with Tess by giving her proof that he was working against the Overseer. These were living, breathing people that needed help, not just empty words or vague promises he might not keep.
On top of that, the man was a mastermind. Mwende revealed our plans to him. To come to the Ewelock station. To pose as a maintenance team. Within hours, he’d organized it all. Taking out the LZL phasers. Forcing us to the bottom level to maintain our cover. Sealing a cargo hold full of prisoners to the exact spot from where we’d probably have to take off in a panic. Had he also contacted Bob, making sure the real maintenance team was on its way so that all hell would break loose and we’d never make it to the upper levels? I wouldn’t put it past him, even if it put Tess in danger.
“Frank.” Tess finally answered him. “They’re trustworthy. Look what they gave us.” She spread a hand toward the weakened and terrorized human cargo.Great Powers, the looks on their faces as they watched her. Hope and fear. The utter belief that she would save them. I felt their faith in her like a weight in my chest and wondered how Tess could breathe through the sudden pressure.
A swallow moved Frank’s throat. He nodded. “Better get moving, Bailey.”
“Sanaa, do I need to go to the next level?” Tess asked. “And no half-truths. Just tell me.”
“Yes,” Mwende answered. “And hurry. Security cruisers are starting to circle the station.DW 12is nearby and will undoubtedly be called in for backup.”
“Of course it will,” I muttered. Bridgebane had planned for that also.
Tess backed into the air lock, her hand rising to the door control that would shut us in here. Without her. “He’ll shoot at us, won’t he?”
“You know he will, Daraja.”
And he’d make it look so real it would be. Tess knew that from experience.
