She kept it there while staring out the main viewer and that endless span of stars. Then, something on the screen changed, and she blinked. A glint reflected up ahead.
The glint enlarged when Sawyer touched a control on the terminal, changing into a full-fledged Guardian.
She let go of the ration at her neck, and it dropped to the deck with a softsplat. “What were your orders?” she whispered, her panic growing again.
He hesitated, then said, “To pick you up. To take you to Cazin on theCorvus. That’s it.” He pressed his PALM to the terminal when a message materialized at the bottom of the viewer.
The closer they drew, the more her heart beat in her throat and her head pounded. The ship’s details became more defined: the gray exterior, the massive amounts of decks, the cannons dotting the hull. Her stomach swirled with dread. She dropped her feet to the floor and gripped the edge of the terminal.
Sawyer circled them aft. The hangar doors were already open, the lights within welcoming them inside. Tiny dots on the left and right of the landing lights formed into defenders standing in rows. Another group at the rear of the hangar wore bio-suits, and two med beds hovered close by.
“Sawyer…?” she murmured, her chest seizing tight.
“The welcoming party,” he muttered, never taking his hands or eyes off the controls.
“What are they going to do to me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not good enough. Why are you bringing me here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Not good enough!” she shouted, but it was too late. The ship settled on the landing pad.
The control she’d regained over her breathing left as rapidly as bio-waste in a reclamation unit. Wynn opened and closed her hands, trying to keep hold of her sanity.
What did they know?
Sawyer powered down the engine, and the ship fell silent while the screaming in her head rose in volume.
“Up,” he ordered when he stood.
She found her legs moving even though everything in her told her to get away.
“Let’s go.” He led her to a spiral staircase and made her go down first. She almost tumbled the entire way down from the shaking in her legs.
His hand gripping her upper arm, they passed the spot where he’d tortured her, and headed to the cargo hold’s doors. He lifted his hand to the controls, then hesitated.
“Get your hands on your head.”
She turned slightly and blinked the panicked haze from her vision. “What?”
“Get your hands on your fucking head,” he barked, then muttered, “Scientists and their questions.” He hit the control that opened the door and lowered the ramp. It whined loudly, echoing inside the cargo hold.
“And don’t make any sudden moves.” He interlaced his fingers behind his head.
Swallowing, she did the same, and watched as the ramp lowered to the deck. Defenders clogged the space around the ship, their weapons aimed at them. The ration she’d just eaten surged up her throat.
Sawyer stepped ahead, shielding her. Then the shouting started.
“Step out of the ship!”
“Walk slowly!”
“Drop your weapons!”
“On your knees!”
