“She’s in cell two-one-ten,” Pavlov said, bent over the orderly’s computer.
“Perfect. Find the key code.” I broke into a trot, heading down the hall of cells, passing empty chambers until I found cell 2110.
“Shit.”
“What is it?” Darius asked as he caught up with me, then he saw the Emperor’s cell. “Oh. Shit.”
Astrid was indeed in the cell. Her wounds were bandaged, and she seemed to be healing well. I could tell by the readouts on the side of her medical stasis chamber.
“I didn’t realize her wounds were so serious,” Darius said.
“They weren’t. They put her in stasis to prevent her escaping,” I said. “Bet you five crowns the moment I purge the chamber, alarms will sound and guards come running.”
“No bet,” Darius replied, his face grim. “Can we transfer the chamber to a gurney, push her out somehow?”
“We’d be seen,” Tredesceu said. He and Pavlov joined us.
“What about waiting it out? Maybe she can be stimmed up, at least until we reach the cruiser…” Darius began, but Pavlov frowned.
“Even if you execute an emergency purge and inject stimulants, it will take her several minutes to return to full functionality,” the big demon said.
The four of us stood in silence outside the Emperor’s cell, grimly contemplating our choices, until Darius asked, “So what do we do now?”
I’d intended to dress Astrid in a dead guard’s uniform and try to bluff our way out, but that was impossible now.
I turned to Darius. “Archduke, go back to the ship.”
“And leave you here? I wouldn’t dream of it,” Darius protested, but I silenced him.
“Once we leave this cell block, we won’t make it three meters before someone sounds the alarm. We can’t shoot our way out, not the four of us. You get to the cruiser, send all noncombatant personnel to the surface, and bring every soldier you have to rescue us,” I ordered. “They won’t expect an attack from your ship. You’ll hit them from behind and clear a way for us to get back. Once they’re distracted, we’llslip out with the Emperor and be flying free before anyone realizes what has happened,” I explained.
“They’ll surely send a squad to secure the Emperor,” Darius agued.
I nodded. “I’m counting on it.”
“This station has heavy lancer defenses,” Pavlov said ominously. “Your cruiser won’t survive departing its berth, and any shuttle sent planetward after we raise the alarm will be incinerated.”
Darius smiled. “We won’t use shuttles. My cruiser has drop pods.” Darius raised his eyebrows at me. “Have you used drop pods before?”
Pavlov and Tredesceu nodded. I grimaced. “Not since the Academy,” I admitted. “But it’s the only way I see for us to get past those lancers.”
“Don’t worry. It’s as easy as falling off a log,” Darius said, giving me a comforting clap on the arm.
“It’s not the fall, but the landing I’m worried about,” I said, trying to keep a note of hysterical laughter out of my voice as I realized what we were about to do.
Darius took my shoulders, concern written large across his features. “Levar…”
I brushed his hands away. “You should go. The longer we wait, the more likely someone will stumble over one of our corpses. Realistically, you’ve got ten minutes. We’ll wait for your signal, or until the alarm sounds, whichever comes first.”
Darius glanced at my companions and asked, “Either of you coming with me?”
“Someone needs to make certain the Emperor and Consort don’t get killed,” Tredesceu replied immediately, his voice cheerful despite his grim expression.
“It will be an honor to die saving the Emperor,” Pavlov said, positively beaming.
The archduke drew himself up and bowed to us, actually bowed at the waist. “I salute you, three of the finest transhumans I’ve ever had the pleasure of serving with.”
I grinned, holding back the tears my treacherous eyes threatened to let loose. “Go, you fool. Your ten minutes are running.”
