Jared shook his head. “How much longer until we can jump?”
“Maybe twenty minutes. I ordered the jump but are we in any shape for it?”
“We finished the repairs,” Kane said, “but this is a very old ship and it was not designed for speed.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” She turned away. “Computer, cancel the second two jumps for now. What’s the ET for the first jump?”
“Seventeen minutes, forty seconds.”
“Everyone needs to get into their harnesses for the jump,” Chloe said, turning to Jared and Kane.
“I will go and inform them,” Kane said.
“Uh … Maybe I should go? You two don’t seem to be getting along very well with the new guys.”
Jared and Kane both feigned surprise. There were telltale signs of guilt, though, that gave that the lie.
“Do you think they’re in the showers by now?”
Their expressions abruptly became thunderous. Jared strode to the com unit and opened all channels. “All stations prepare for a hyper-jump in … sixteen minutes, thirty seconds, mark.”
He repeated the order several times, but Chloe wasn’t especially reassured. “You know half the com units in the ship are non-functioning!”
“The unit in the bathing facility works,” he retorted tightly.
Chloe blinked at him, wondering why he seemed so concerned about her coming upon the others bathing, but finally decided not to push it. The truth was, despite the distractions of everything that had been happening, she thought Jared and Kane were both acting just a little strange. She didn’t know if she should be alarmed about it or not, but there was no getting around the fact that they were starting to make her just a little uneasy.
Chloe had already settled in her seat before she remembered the weapons she’d hidden. Getting up again, she raced around the bridge collecting them and stowed them in a locker.
“You should put the pistols you are carrying in there, as well,” Jared said coolly.
Chloe stiffened, but she didn’t turn around. “Right! I forgot about them.”
She thought she’d managed to affect the appearance of nonchalance by the time she’d finished and headed back to her seat, but she discovered Kane and Jared were both studying her keenly.
“Something is … disturbing you?” Kane asked.
Aside from the fact that he’d asked when he never seemed to notice anything like that before? “Nope. The computer says we should reach the point for the hyper-jump well ahead of whoever that is that’s tailing us.”
She sat drumming her fingers on one thigh for a few moments. “Maybe I should just check to see if the others got the message? You didn’t happen to ask the others what their names were?”
“Damon is one,” Jared said tightly.
Chloe chuckled. “Oh, I know his name. I meant the others.”
“Cyborgs,” Jared growled, abruptly throwing his harness off and striding to the com unit again. “Cyborgs! Acknowledge receipt of last order!”
“Acknowledging receipt,” said a voice on the com after a prolonged pause that had made Chloe increasingly uneasy.
“Name, soldier?”
There was a brief pause, as of surprise. “Lucien CS91701.”
“Identify the others.”
“Sebastian CS66676, Thor CS667821, and Damon PD00534.”
“Location?”
