Please God, don’t let me die next to the most annoying man on this planet

Chapter One

Zurin Five, Andromeda Galaxy, 3033 C.E.

Underground Level One – Transport Dock

First Month of the Lunar Calendar, 21^st Day, 72 Hours Ago

“Anyone care to tell me what’s going on here?”

Javel Marquand leaned casually against the steel doorframe of the transport bay, eyebrows lifted in question and arms crossed. His looked relaxed—bored even—as if the frantic packing and evacuation of twenty scientists in the middle of the night was something he saw everyday.

At once, all activity froze. Everyone from the greenest mining technician to the most senior of the Duran personnel turned to him in shock and vaguely guilty looks.

Looked like he’d caught them in the middle of something they shouldn’t be doing.

A quick glance around the transport dock confirmed Javel’s suspicions. Most, if not all of the Duran Corporation employees were here, dressed for the cold, obviously set to depart in the six transport vessels and one lightweight cargo shuttle that ringed the bay. A faint rumble began shaking the ground and the spell was broken. Someone shouted a command and everyone resumed their hurried packing.

The senior employee in question, Dr. Bascia Avelard, stepped forward. “Lieutenant Marquand.” Tonight, the usually arrogant corporate manager looked frazzled as she quickly approached him.

“Doctor, what’s happening here?”

Despite his casual demeanor, Javel’s insides seethed in anger. His gaze darted around the enormous hangar. These Duran scientists were moving dozens upon dozens of large, silver crates containing what he could only surmise as evidence. But it wasn’t just that. It looked like these Duran employees were also leaving. As in moving out. Even pets in cages were being loaded onto the various ships. He gave a lazy glance towards the gigantic, floor-to-ceiling hangar doors that were routinely sealed. Under normal circumstances, the vertical lights next to them flashed red, indicating that they were in the closed position. It took a full thirty minutes to open the quadruple-thick titanium doors both as protection against the harsh, arctic weather and to slow any possible escapees from the prison below.

The lights now flashed orange.

The hangar doors were opening up. Orange meant there were only fifteen more minutes until the sequence was complete.

Javel swore under his breath. These bastards were running.

The doctor nervously twisted and untwisted her hands. “We weren’t expecting you, lieutenant. What are you doing here?”

“I’m allowed to be here, Dr. Avelard. I’m an officer at this prison and I’m sworn to protect all its personnel, including you.” He looked at her pointedly. “And if it looks like some of the personnel might be doing something questionable,” Javel emphasized the last word, “it’s my job to find out what that might be. And to stop it.”

His first thought was that they somehow discovered that Alliance Enforcement was on to them. Javel fought to remain calm and stay in character. He had no idea if they’d discovered his real identity. These Duran employees were nothing if not paranoid. And why wouldn’t they be? In addition to maintaining the prison, they were also in charge of the highly lucrative mining and processing of Styx, the most powerful narcotic in the galaxy. It was a tightly controlled and highly addictive drug allowed only for medicinal purposes. It was also administered to every prisoner in Zurin Five—a brilliant and diabolical form of inmate control.

But it wasn’t Styx that Alliance Enforcement was interested in. Everyone knew it was mined and processed from Zurin Five under the watchful eyes of the authorities. What AE was after—and the reason why Officer Javel Marquand was working undercover as a detention officer in this frozen planet—was to track down something that was much more insidious.

Something called reefer.

It was the street name for Styx’s more potent cousin. About a decade ago, someone begun tampering with the chemical makeup of Styx. The already powerful drug was transformed into something more deadly, and its makers—whoever they were—flooded the market with the cheaper, more toxic substance. It gave users a blissful, near-orgasmic high before rendering them paranoid and hallucinogenic. It eventually consumed them with a slow and agonizing death.

Since the birth of reefer, AE hunted down every dealer, runner, lab and supplier from all corners of the galaxy, trying and failing miserably to eradicate the threat. But whoever these people were, they were clever and careful, using an enormous network and layer upon layer of perfectly legal enterprises and thousands of foot soldiers that span the galaxy to cover their tracks.

Until now. After years of undercover work, Javel’s investigation finally led him here.

Here was the Zurin Five Penitentiary, the largest and most impenetrable maximum-security lockup in the Andromeda Galaxy. Not one inmate in the prison’s eighty-year history had ever managed to escape. And even if some poor slob did manage to get aboveground, they’d either freeze to death or get eaten by a bearcat.

In addition to the underground one-hundred-thousand-convict facility, the penitentiary also housed the highly-sophisticated and AI-driven mining operation for Styx. Every pallet that left the planet was tagged and tracked, its destination filed and its use clearly documented.

But that was Styx.

Reefer was another business altogether.

The AE investigation recently uncovered evidence pointing to the Duran Corporation as the mastermind behind the creation of reefer. Javel’s assignment was to gather evidence of the illegal operation. He’d spent the bulk of his free time quietly skulking around Levels One through Five, the unmonitored Duran Corporation floors. Within weeks of his arrival, he’d stumbled upon the motherload—reefer laboratories and processing machinery.

It was too bad he’d been unable to carry any type of photographic equipment within the prison—the paranoid Duran employees had state-of-the-art countermeasures against surveillance. But within the relative privacy of his quarters, he’d been furiously documenting all he saw in preparation for an eventual AE raid.

But now, as Javel stared at the evacuating miners and scientists, it looked like the raid was going to have to wait. Or canceled altogether. Dammit. He needed to alert his superiors.

He didn’t pull his phaser out—not yet—although his hand itched to do so. He had no legal cause to detain the Duran personnel. These people weren’t prisoners after all, but miners and scientists hired by Duran to extract every last ounce of Styx from the planet.

The hive of activity continued behind Avelard but she ignored them, focusing instead on Javel. The tiny, wizened woman was uncharacteristically nervous. Panicky even. Could it be because something had gone wrong with the mines? Was that why they were fleeing?

No. His instincts screamed that something else drove these people to hustle. They were practically tripping all over themselves to get to the transport ships. His part-Karatzin nose could sniff the strong scent of terror that lay just under the surface, ready to explode.

But terror from what?

As a precaution, Javel let his right hand hang loose on his side for faster access to his phaser.

“Please stop moving, lieutenant,” ordered Avelard, a phaser miraculously appearing in her hand. “Spread your hands to your sides.”

He bit back his surprise that the old coot was actually armed. With his most disarming smile, he faced the doctor with hands resting casually by his sides. “Doctor, calm down.” With one eye on the phaser, Javel noted the way her hand shook. “If you would explain what’s going on, maybe we could work something out.”

An alarm began blaring through the night air. The preternaturally perky voice of Skipper, the AI computer, suddenly spoke. “Dr. Avelard, please board your ship now. You have exactly ten minutes until the hangar doors open.”

“Thank you Skipper,” said the doctor absently. She continued to wave the phaser at Javel with her shaky hand as she slowly walked to one of the ships, its engine glowing red, signaling its readiness to blast into the sky.

“Doctor,” Javel warned. His gaze darted. There was no one else around. All Duran personnel seemed to have boarded. “Where are you going? Why are you leaving?”

Avelard shook her head. “Can’t you feel them lieutenant?”

“Feel what?”

“The quakes. The planet is about to die in one big energy burst.”

What the hell was she talking about? “You mind speaking in non-scientist talk?”

“You stupid idiot!” she screeched. Her eyes were ablaze, bordering on hysteria. “Haven’t you noticed all the tremors lately?”

Javel shrugged. “Sure I have. Everyone has. Your people told us it was just a byproduct of the mining operation and that it’s always been like that, never better, never worse.” His eyes narrowed. “I suspect you’re about to tell me that it’s all been a lie.”

She inhaled sharply, as if fighting to regain control of herself. “Don’t be so cynical, lieutenant. It’s not like we want the Garrison personnel dead. We weren’t sure of it ourselves until the last round of Power Sweep mining last night.”

“Weren’t sure of what?” he asked, his voice low with suspicion.

“That the planet was about to experience a cataclysmic event.”

“What the hell does that mean?” he demanded.

“It means, you imbecile, that the planet is about to suffer from an imminent explosion,” she screamed, the hysteria back in full force. “Nothing will survive! The whole place is going to become one big giant ball of kinetic energy unleashed into the universe!”

Oh, for the love ofzÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐ–ÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁß_l¼ž“’ß›ˆ‘Óß›œ‹Ñk_ß¶‘—ž“–‘˜ß›šš“†Óß—šòõ‹–š›ß‹ßœ—ž‘‘š“ß§š‘žmŒßœž“’Ñ_ßl¸–‰šß’šß‹—šß—žŒšßž‘›ß›šß†Šßš“šß‹òõ›–Œš’ž”ß™’ß‹—š–ßŒ—–ŒÑ_ß¶m’ßŒŠšß–‹mŒß‘‹ßžŒßž›ßžŒß†Šß‹—–‘”ß–‹ß–ŒÑ_ß¶‹òõ‘š‰šß–ŒÑ_ß²ž†šß†ŠßœŠ“›ß˜š‹ßžßŒšœ‘›ß–‘–‘ß™’ßŒ’š‘šßˆ—ß›šŒ‘m‹ßˆ”ß™òõ»Šž‘zŒ’š‘šß–’ž‹–ž“zkß—šß‹ž–“š›ß™™Ñ_ß·šß”‘šˆß—šßˆžŒßž“–‘˜ßŠ‹ßœŠ“›‘m‹òõ“š‹ß‹—š’ß“šž‰šßˆ–‹—ß‹—Œšßœž‹šŒÑ_ßµž‰š“ßŒŠŒšœ‹š›ß–‹ßœ‘‹ž–‘š›ßšœ›Œß™ß‹—šòõ’–‘–‘˜ßšž‹–‘Ñ_ß¨–‹—Š‹ß–‹Óß‹—ššßˆŠ“›ßšß‘ß™ß‹—ž‹ß»Šž‘ßˆžŒß‹—šòõž–‘Œßš—–‘›ßšš™šÑÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ½Š‹ß—–Œßˆ›Œßˆššß“Œ‹ß‘ß‹—šß›œ‹Ñ_ßl«—ššmŒòõ‘ß‹–’šÓß“–šŠ‹š‘ž‘‹Þß»‘m‹ß†ŠßŠ‘›šŒ‹ž‘›À_ß«—šß“ž‘š‹ž†ßš‡“Œ–‘ß–Œß–’’–‘š‘‹òõž‘›ß–‹mŒß˜–‘˜ß‹ßž™™šœ‹ßš‰š†ßŒŽŠžšß’–““–’š‹šß™ß‹—–Œß™…š‘ß‹Š‘›žÞß½†ß‹—šòõ‹–’šß‹—šß‹š’Œßžšßž““ß›‘šÓß‹—ššßˆ–““ßšß‘‹—–‘˜ß“š™‹ß™ß¥Š–‘ß¹–‰šßŒž‰šòõœ—Š‘”ŒßŒœž‹‹šš›ßž““ß‰šß‹—šß˜ž“ž‡†Þß±ˆhkßŒ—šßš‡‹š‘›š›ß—šßŒ—‹–‘˜ßž’Óòõlh“šžŒšß˜š‹ßŠ‹ß™ß’†ßˆž†ßš™šß¶ß“žŒ‹ß†Šßž–‘Œß‹ß”–‘˜›’ßœ’šÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ³Œ–‘˜ßž‹–š‘œšÓßµž‰š“ß‹”ß‹ˆßŽŠ–œ”ßŒ‹šŒòõ‹ˆž›ß‹—šß›œ‹Ñ_ß¶‘ßŒšœ‘›ŒÓß—šm›ß›–Œž’š›ßž‘›ß‹Š‘š›ß—šßžŠ‘›Ñ_ß·–Œßž’òõŒ‘ž”š›ßžŠ‘›ß—šß‘šœ”ßž‘›ß—šß›Š˜ß—šßˆ‘ß—žŒšß–‘‹ß—šß‹š’“šÑ_ßÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl»œ‹Ókß‹—šßˆž‘–‘˜ß‘‹šßˆžŒß–‘ß—–Œß‰–œšòõž˜ž–‘Ñ_ßl¶ß›‘m‹ßˆž‘‹ß‹ß—Š‹ß†ŠÑ_ßµŠŒ‹ßœž“’ß›ˆ‘ßž‘›ß›‘m‹ß’ž”šßž‘†ßŒŠ››š‘òõ’‰šŒÑ_ß¶m’ß˜–‘˜ß‹ßœ‘‹žœ‹ß¼ž‹ž–‘ß–˜˜šŠßž‘›ßˆšm““ßŒ‹ßž““ß‹—–ŒßŠ‹ÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ½Š‹ßµž‰š“ß—ž›ßŠ‘›ššŒ‹–’ž‹š›ß‹—šßˆ–“†ß“–‹‹“šòõ›œ‹Ñ_ß¨–‹—ßžœ‹–œš›ß’‰šŒÓß—šß–˜—‹ß™‹ßŽŠ–œ”“†ß‹—Š››š›ß–‘‹ßµž‰š“mŒòõ–‘Œ‹šßˆ—–“šßŒ–’Š“‹ž‘šŠŒ“†ßš“ˆ–‘˜ß—–’ß–‘ß‹—šßŒ‹’žœ—Ñ_ß«—šßžœ”ß™ß—šß™–Œ‹òõŒ—‹ßŠßž‘›ßŠ‘œ—š›ß—–’ß‘ß‹—šß–›˜šß™ß—–Œß‘ŒšßžŒßŒ—šß‹Š‘š›ßžŠ‘›Óß—šòõ”‘ššßšž›†ß‹ß›š“–‰šß‹—šß™–‘ž“ß“ˆß‹—ž‹ßˆŠ“›ß‹š’ž–“†ßŠ‹ß‰š†òõš™™šœ‹–‰š“†ß–‘œžžœ–‹ž‹šß—–’ÑÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ½Š‹ßš™šßŒ—šßœŠ“›ß“ž‘›ßžß™–‘ž“ßŒž“‰Óß—šòõ“œ”š›ß—šß”‘ššßž‘›ßŒ—šß’ž›šßœ‘‹žœ‹ßˆ–‹—ß—–ŒßŠ‹šß‹—–˜—Ñ_ßÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ·–Œß‘ŒšßŠ‘š›ßŒ’š‹—–‘˜ß™–šœšÑ_ßµž‰š“òõˆ–‘”“š›ß–‹ß‹ßžŒŒšŒŒß–‹Œßœ‘›–‹–‘Ñ_ß³Šœ”–“†Óß–‹ß›–›‘m‹ß™šš“ß“–”šß‹—šß›…š‘òõ‹—šß”š‘ß‘ŒšŒß—šm›ßš‰šß—ž›Ñ_ß½Š‹ßšœžŠŒšß—šßœŠ“›‘m‹ßŠŒšß‹—šß—žŒšh‘‹òõž‹ßœ“ŒšßŽŠž‹šŒhµž‰š“ß—ž›ß‹ßŠŒšß—–Œß—ž‘›Œß‹ßŒŠ›Ššß—šÓßžßšž“òõ–‘œ‘‰š‘–š‘œšßž‹ß‹—–Œß–‘‹ßœ‘Œ–›š–‘˜ß‹—šß‹—–‘˜ß–‘ß—–Œß™‹ßž‘›ß™žœšÑ_ß¶˜‘–‘˜òõ‹—šßž–‘Óß—šß˜žš›ß—šß‘œšß’šßž‘›ß–’–Œ‘š›ß—šßˆ–‹—ß—–Œßž’ŒÑ_ß«—šòõ›œ‹ß™Š˜—‹ß“–”šßžßšžœž‹ÑÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁlš“šžŒšß—šÞkß›šš›ßžß’ž“šß‰–œšÑ_ß¶‹òõœž’šß™’ßžß‰“Š’šßš‘—ž‘œšß‘ß‘šß™ß‹—šß‹ž‘Œ‹ßŒ—–ŒÑ_ßÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁµž‰š“ß—š“›ß¾‰š“ž›ß–‘ß™‘‹ß™ß—–’ßž‘›ßšžŒ–“†òõ˜–š›ß‹—šß›œ‹mŒß—šž›ß–‘ßžß—“›ß›šŒ–˜‘š›ß‹ßšž”ß—šß‘šœ”Ñ_ßl°ßˆ—ž‹Àkß¬—šòõ™…šß’–›Òˆ–˜˜“šÑ_ß·šß“š‹ß“Œšßž‘‹—šßœœ”†ß˜–‘Óßœ—ž““š‘˜–‘˜ß‹—š’ßž““ßˆ–‹—òõ—–Œßš†šŒÑÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl¨šß—ž‰šßžß“‘˜Òž‘˜šß—žŒšß–‘‹š›òõŒ‹ž–˜—‹ß‹ß†Šß—šž›Ñ_ßš“šžŒšß—šßž‘›ß“š‹ßŠŒß˜ßˆ–‹—Š‹ßž“š‹–‘˜ß‹—šßšŒ‹ß™òõ‹—šß¸ž–Œ‘Óß‹—š‘ßš—žŒßˆšßˆ‘m‹ßŒ—‹ß†ŠÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ·šßŒ—”ß—–Œß—šž›Ñ_ßl¶ß›‘m‹ß‹—–‘”ßŒÑ_ß¦Šmšòõ‘‹ gonna shoot me, not while I have your fearless leader in my arms.” He turned to Avelard, his mouth inches from her cheek. “Isn’t that right, doctor?”

“What do you want?” pleaded Avelard, her voice strained. “I’ll give you anything!”

What he really wanted was to contact Riggeur and his fellow Garrison guards, all still fast asleep. Patience. He was in an extreme tactical disadvantage. He was exposed with Avelard his only source of protection.

Deciding to play along, he asked in affected boredom, “Well, whatcha got?”

The good doctor didn’t waste time. “I have reefer,” she offered. “Tons and tons of it. I could give you two pallets.”

Holy shit. Two pallets of reefer was worth billions in the black market. And for the doctor to offer so much confirmed that the Duran Corporation was indeed behind the manufacture and distribution of the drug. No one had that much, not unless they were the ones making it.

There had to be some way he could surreptitiously activate the comimplant in his neck. He had to stall. “No dice. You said the planet is about to explode and it looks like you’re taking all the transport vessels with you. What the hell am I supposed to do with two cases of reefer? They weigh a ton. I can’t bring that with me.” His mind worked furiously, trying to come up with a plan to distract them long enough for him to tap the back of his neck.

“What about money?”

That offer caught Javel’s attention.

Money. Something he’d always been after. The source of his pain and the ultimate solution to his problems. His ears perked up.

“What about money?” he echoed.

“I could give you all the money you could ever want.”

He pretended astonishment. “You’re attempting to bribe me? A Garrison officer sworn to uphold and protect this facility?”

The doctor smiled coolly. “Who are you trying to fool with that sanctimonious act, lieutenant? I’ve heard of you. Your reputation as the sharpest reefer supplier in three planets preceded you. Even all the way out here.”

Javel narrowed his eyes at her reference to his cover story. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, doctor.”

“Deny all you want lieutenant, but everyone has their price” A preternatural calm had descended upon her. “Name yours.”

Was she kidding? Name his price? How about he tell her he wanted enough to set him up for life? Enough to settle his debts, and not just the monetary ones? Enough to remove a childhood stigma that still plagued him even now? Enough so that he could make the woman of his dreams fall in love with him?

“However much you have, I doubt you have enough,” he spat, allowing his face to show a small hint of disdain. His fingers twitched. All he needed to do was give it one tap…

“Are you certain? How about I give you the amount of money equivalent to those two cases?”

Now his shock was real. Javel did some quick math. And almost fainted. “Just so you and I understand each other, we’re talking about two billion kroenigs, right?”

“Rounding it up, it’ll be two billion, yes.”

“And you just happen to have that much money laying around somewhere?”

The doctor’s eyes bored into his. “Don’t you worry about where it’s coming from, lieutenant. Just know that you’ll have it. If you release us.”

So this is what it feels like to win the lottery.

“Dr. Avelard, please enter your assigned transport vessel now,” said Skipper. “The doors will open in five minutes.”

Without gear to protect him from the sub-zero temperatures, Javel’s system would begin to shut down in about four minutes once the doors opened. He began to think fast.

“How about this?” he countered. “You have seven vessels for twenty people. You can fit nine more in there easy. I’ll wake up the Garrison crew and you can take us all with you.”

Avelard adamantly shook her head. “We have no room for one additional person, let alone nine.”

Because you’re fleeing with the damned evidence.

“But the two billion is yours, lieutenant,” she continued. “To do as you wish. Who knows? You may indeed be lucky enough to escape this planet and you’ll be a very rich man. You can buy anything you want, anyone you want.”

Avelard’s last statement hit Javel hard.

She was right. How many years had he wished he had all the money in the world to accomplish the one thing his heart most desperately desired? Money—or his lack of it—was what had driven him from merc job to merc job before working for Alliance Enforcement. And here he was now, being presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he was actually considering rejecting it?

Idiot, he chastised himself. Javel released Avelard with one shove, but grabbed her and her phaser and pointed it to her chest. “Why would you bribe me if there was no hope of this planet surviving?”

“The planet has no hope of survival, lieutenant. You do. You’ve always struck me as a cunning man, smarter than the lot of the Garrison guards. You of all people should be able to figure a way out of here, I know you can. And when you do, take the money and run. No one will know. Believe me when I tell you that the entire planet will go up in flames. There won’t be any video feeds or any other record of you taking this money because the planet will be reduced to chunks of rock flying through space.”

“Dr. Avelard,” Skipper interrupted again, “the doors will open in two minutes.” The lights next to the doors now flashed yellow.

“Thank you, Skipper.” She looked at Javel. Every second of his indecision seemed to increase her confidence. “What say you, lieutenant? I can make the transfer right now.” She held up her compad and pointed to his.

If she was right, then the planet was toast and there would literally be no evidence of his dishonesty. And she was also definitely right about one thing—he was resourceful and wily enough to find a way out of here.

“How do you know that I won’t be running after you if I get off this planet? I can expose Duran. I know about the mining operation and I could blackmail the company indefinitely.”

For the first time, Avelard broke into a smile. “You won’t do that because you know that if you do, you’re a dead man. You know the power of the Duran Corporation. They will hunt you down and erase you like you’d never existed. Take the money and go, lieutenant. Stay quiet. No one will know. Not even my crew and my personnel will know. They’re all looking at us from the transport ships right now, but none of them are receiving any audio feeds. Your secret will be safe with me.”

When he still didn’t answer, she impatiently tapped her foot. “I have two more minutes, lieutenant. What’s your decision?”

Maybe there was a way to kill two bearcats with one phaser shot.

Slowly so as not to alarm the edgy doctor even more, he dropped his phaser and raised his compad. “All right,” he said with a small nod. “You have yourself a deal.”

Avelard gave him a small smile. “A wise choice, lieutenant.”

Without taking her eyes off him, she pressed a series of buttons on her compad, asked him for his transfer code, and inputted them after Javel rattled off the seventeen-digit number. The entire transaction was completed in ten seconds.

“That’s it?” he said with suspicion when the doctor stepped back.

“That’s it. Congratulations, lieutenant. You’re now a very wealthy man. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a ship to catch.”

The doctor pivoted on her heels and quickly scurried to the closest ship whose hatch was down and waiting just as an alarm blared through the dock, warning everyone that the doors were rising.

Javel cursed to himself and glanced to his right. Already, even with the doors open just a crack, he could feel the frigid blast of air curling through his insides. He didn’t have much time left.

With one swift motion, Javel dropped to the ground and slid forward, stretching his arms to reach for the doctor’s ankles. Although he missed by just a hair, he was rewarded when his fingertips brushed Avelard’s shins, tripping the doctor forward. Almost falling, she was saved at the very last second by one of her colleagues who had stepped off the ship to assist the old woman. Firing his phaser at Javel, the other scientist dragged the doctor backward and into the mouth of the ship.

“Everyone get out of those ships now!” Javel bellowed. His fingers fumbled with his phaser’s buttons, but the small grooves had suddenly become a challenge for his icy hands. Fighting to control his movements, he tried blinking away the moisture that blurred his vision and made his nose run. He wasn’t dressed for the glacial weather and Javel knew he had to get back into the prison bay or risk dying of hypothermia.

The dock doors now stood wide open and each of the ships were powered to leave. He had one more chance. The hatch of the doctor’s ship was still open and Javel concentrated all his firepower in that direction. If only he could disable just one of the ships, create enough repairable damage to prevent it from leaving…

But his luck ran out. His near-frozen fingers played with his aim and he missed, the shot lobbing wide and to the left. Drawing a frustrated breath, Javel could only stand there as each of the ships lifted off and hovered. And then one by one, they blasted out the doors and into the night sky.

Chapter Two

            Zurin Five Penitentiary, Andromeda Galaxy, 3033 C.E.

            Level Fifteen Mining Shaft

            The Present

Please God, don’t let me die next to the most annoying man on the planet.

And so prayed Zurin Five detention officer Xerna Ariante as she ducked to avoid another large stalactite that came crashing down just inches from her head. Her partner and the man she was referring to, Javel Marquand, followed suit, dropping to a ball and rolling in the other direction.

“Wooohooo!” yelled Javel like a twelve year old riding a space coaster. “Did you see that big rock? It looked like a giant titty!”

Xerna looked back at her partner in disgust. How could he make dirty jokes at a time like this? Something was up with him, something that had ratcheted up her chronically laid-back partner’s mood to downright giddy levels.

But now was not the time to dwell on the matter.

The two guards were trapped in a large, cavernous mineshaft deep in the bowels of the penitentiary. A particularly powerful quake had just rearranged everything around them and Xerna’s normal familiarity with the tunnels around the prison’s periphery was sorely being tested. All around her, ceilings had caved in, new passages had opened up, and rubble from the newly disturbed walls formed tall barricades and divides. Her brilliant idea of going to the surface using the little-known mineshaft that led all the way up to the surface suddenly didn’t look so brilliant anymore.

She took a peek from her crouched position and saw a tangled heap of maintenance robots and other equipment mangled by the force of nature as if they weren’t made of titanium. The tremors had reduced these once strong machines into children’s toys as they came careening from every direction, spilling everywhere. The destruction was alarming and so overwhelmingly foreboding that Xerna’s already racing heart quickened even more. It didn’t look good. When the quakes finally ceased, the repairs were going to be extensive and costly. Xerna wasn’t even sure the facility could be salvaged. Maybe Rhonda Alendresis—the Garrison medic and fellow officer—was right. Maybe the planet was on the verge of collapse. But she didn’t want this planet to self-destruct. Xerna mentally chided herself for holding on to a sliver of hope despite the overwhelming evidence around her. She liked living here. It had been her home for the past three years—her refuge—and if it blew up, which was not far from impossible at this point, Xerna had no other place to go. None that would accept her, anyway. And certainly none where she could feel safe enough, secure enough to be herself.

The quakes had finally stopped for now but for how long was anyone’s guess. Javel’s head popped up from behind a piece of twisted beam, his face all smiles. “That was something else!” he called out. “You all right?”

“Fine,” she said, trying hard to inject some calm into her voice. Luckily, Cool was her middle name. If anyone was going to survive this catastrophe, it was going to be her. Panic was something Xerna didn’t do. Already, her mind worked a mile a minute trying to find a way out of this inferno. As for Javel? Maybe she’d let him tag along if he quit being so goddamned cheerful.

But then the earth began to rumble again. Another aftershock, equally powerful than the one just five minutes ago began rocking her world. Xerna lost her grip on the jagged piece of conduit and sailed through the mineshaft like a bird in flight. She landed on her side and rolled to her left, sliding helplessly down a deep, newly-opened pit.

“Xerna, hold on!” yelled Javel.

Just in time, Xerna extended her arms and seized a sharp jut in the rock face. For once, she did what her partner told her to do and hung on for dear life, dangling from the precipice like a pendulum. She shut her eyes to protect them from the dust and debris that rained down.

From above, she could hear Javel yell something. Cracking an eye open, she looked up and saw him sprint down from his elevated hiding place, fighting to stay upright with the grace and balance of a feline. With a few long strides, ducking here and there to avoid more flying equipment, Javel reached her and dropped to his stomach right where her fingertips white-knuckled the ledge. He looked down at her, his happy face replaced by an uncharacteristically worried expression.

“What are you waiting for?” she yelled through gritted teeth. “Pull me up.”

Javel crisscrossed his arms and grabbed her wrists in a tight grip. “Walk up!” he commanded.

With a small nod, Xerna Javel’s handhold to pull herself up. She planted her feet vertically on the ledge as if walking up a straight wall. But then an explosion ripped behind him, knocking his head down and loosening his grip on her. Swallowing a scream, she bit her lip until she tasted blood. They now held onto each other by their fingertips.

“On the count of three…” Javel screamed. The roar of the quake was deafening. Xerna strained to hear her partner. The world was swaying, weaving her legs back and forth as if she were a primate swinging from tree to tree. She began to feel dizzy. Disoriented. The planet felt like it was tilted sideways.

Concentrate, dammit.

Unable to speak, Xerna braced herself and gave her partner a frantic nod. Javel nodded back and gave her giant heave, pulling her out of the hole and back onto the ledge like an enormous sack of grain. Xerna suppressed a cry of pain as her knuckles protested the pressure. He landed on his back and pulled her right along with him.

“Oof,” he exhaled sharply as she landed on his chest.

But before she could check his condition, he encircled his arms around her neck and rolled them both so that he was now directly on top of her, shielding her from the onslaught of the shaking planet. It was a surprisingly comforting sensation. Clutched tightly in his arms, Xerna could feel Javel’s breath hot in her ear. She grabbed onto his uniform and they clung to each, waiting out the anger of the planet as it continued to shake the prison and mineshaft for what seemed an eternity.

But the quake eventually subsided, much to Xerna’s relief.

An eerie silence prevailed in the cavern. The roar of the tremor was gone, replaced by the distant rumblings of the mineshaft continuing to rearrange itself. From far away, she heard the unremitting sounds of metal rending and creaking. Echoes of distant voices filled the hollow shafts of the cavern.

Exhaling, she shifted her head an inch so that her eyes met Javel’s. “You can get off me now.” Her voice sounded unsure even to her own ears.

The mineshaft had become dangerous. What once was normally populated with nothing but robots and giant Power Sweep mining machines was now filled with life. The incessant quakes that began three long days ago caused the AI systems to malfunction, setting the inmates loose within the prison. When the tremors began, Xerna and Javel had to travel from the safety of the Garrison, headquarters of the Zurin Five Penitentiary officers on Level Six, all the way down to Level Nineteen to help rescue their captain, Cole Riggeur, who had been captured by a particularly nasty band of inmates.

And now the two officers were making their way back up, slowly and carefully, trying to avoid prisoners and falling rocks. Xerna had been running on two days without sleep and hardly any food. She and Javel still had some rations left, but they had given quite a bit of it to Capt. Riggeur and Rhonda Alendresis, the Garrison medic, right before they parted ways with the duo.

She was suddenly wracked with guilt. They never should have separated from the Rhonda and the captain. It was all Javel’s fault. He was the one who had convinced her that their survival—all of theirs—stood a better chance if they separated and traveled as two smaller groups.

After the loud rumbling from the bowels of the planet, the silence that surrounded them now was downright menacing. But she welcomed the respite, taking time to catch her breath and calm her nerves. Which was difficult with Javel laying right on top of her.

It didn’t look like her partner was in any hurry to move. He had her pinned down, a corner of his mouth tugging up in the beginnings of a familiar naughty grin.

“Get off me.” She squirmed underneath him.

“What, you don’t wanna stay like this for a little bit longer?” he drawled, as if they had all the time in the world. A dark, bushy eyebrow shot up and his customary look—that trademark devil-may-care leer with the twisted upper lip—was back. “You make a good pillow, Xerna,” he said, his voice husky.

This was sick. They were in the middle of a crumbling mineshaft, surrounded by dangerous prisoners on the loose, in the middle of a planet on the verge of collapse, and all she wanted Javel to do was plunge himself deep into her.

Xerna was in heat. Her body was primed and ready, a near-flawless specimen of part human-part Karatzin perfection needing to mate. The start of her cycle couldn’t have come at a worse time. Xerna had felt the first telltale signs—the hot flashes, the burning sensation, the sensitivity to touch—yesterday during the captain’s rescue. And it had gradually intensified every minute she spent with her quarter-Karatzin partner.

Oh god, why did she have to suffer from this condition? Xerna mentally cursed herself. She absolutely loathed that part of her physiology and wished herself dead every time it happened.

Her brain kept ordering her to push Javel away and burrow into a deep, empty cavern where no one would see her. But her body wouldn’t—couldn’t obey her mind. At this point, the only thing Xerna seemed capable of was staring up into her partner’s gold-green part-reptile eyes in fevered anticipation. It was as if someone else—something else—was in control of her body.

With nothing whatsoever to do with the increased temperature of the mineshaft, Xerna felt herself grow hotter under Javel. She stopped squirming and gripped his sides, encouraging him to continue with a subtle grinding of her own. Her skin felt sensitive to any contact, as if a thousand joules of current zapped through her veins every time Javel brushed her bare skin.

The energy required to remain calm and unaffected was taking its toll. She tugged at her uniform, wishing she could just whip the damned thing off. If she could sweat, Xerna had no doubt she would be drenched by now. Her breathing was shallow and her pulse remained accelerated, and none of her symptoms had anything to do with the danger they were in. In fact, the danger only added to the allure.

Oh god…

It was too early. According to her calendar, she wasn’t scheduled to enter her “condition” for another six weeks. But her body had gotten a kick-start immediately upon Javel’s arrival on the planet only three weeks ago. His part-Karatzin makeup, so closely identical to her own physiology, seemed to have accelerated her need to copulate. And no matter how many times she told herself it was just physical—just chemical—Xerna would find herself staring at her partner, giving him a smile that beckoned Javel in an unmistakable way. It had created tension between them that was intoxicating. Even Little Miss Innocent Rhonda had noticed back down on Level Nineteen.

Now here she was, laying quite happily and contentedly under Javel, her traitorous body involuntarily clenching in anticipation of the age-old process of readying to receive a mate.

She could tell that he sensed it too. How could he not? Javel hovered above her, lips parted and body heated in what Xerna instantly felt as burning desire. Her body was preprogrammed to respond to his just as his was to hers, and their systems were both going haywire. She knew the effects of their proximity when she was in heat. She’d been fighting it since the scientists abandoned them, and it was only getting worse. The timing couldn’t have been more horrible.

Oh god…please… no… not now…

The kiss, when it finally came, was nothing like the pecks they had shared as childhood playmates. Xerna felt a quiver down her spine as Javel’s smooth lips brushed hers. Three weeks of harmless flirting had finally gelled into this moment. His mouth was on fire, like a taste of heaven after a glimpse of hell. With each velvety stroke of his tongue, Xerna felt herself slowly melt into him. When did Javel learn to kiss like this? He propped himself on his elbows and Xerna felt his weight ease a bit from her, giving her more room to breathe.

As if she could do that with his mouth playing havoc with her senses right now.

He continued his intoxicating ministrations tenderly, almost reverently. His tongue traced the lines of her inner lip, her teeth, and finally wrestling playfully with her tongue, a caress so gentle Xerna felt her whole body practically liquefy. How could he hold back when all she wanted to do was grind herself into him?

But with a roar so primal she sounded more animal than human, Xerna ripped herself away from Javel. Their noses were separated by mere inches. Breathing hard, she looked past his shoulders, avoiding the magnetic invitation in his eyes.

“We have to stop,” she said between breaths.

“Xerna…” he began.

“Please, Javel, just get off me.” A war raged within her. Every fiber of her being wanted to stay, but she knew she couldn’t. Shouldn’t. When he still didn’t move, Xerna summoned all her strength and pushed her partner away.

Although possessing superior strength, Javel let himself fall away from her. With a glance back at him, Xerna felt a twinge of guilt. The hurt and disappointment blazed clear in his eyes.

But she looked away and bit her lip, refusing to feel sympathy. Javel was the kind of guy who always got what he wanted. A little disappointment never killed anyone. And they had much bigger problems to worry about right now.

She got up and straightened her clothes, her fingers taking an automatic inventory of her gear—phaser, floodlight, rations, canteen. Everything was intact.

With a deep breath, she relaxed her face into its familiar mask of impassivity and called out to her partner. “Let’s go.”

*****

She hates me. Nice going, asshole.

Running his fingers through his hair in frustration, Javel got up and jogged towards Xerna. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss for words. He honestly couldn’t come up with a single, appropriate thing to say. His brain told him to apologize, but his pride put the brakes on that. He had nothing to apologize for. It hadn’t been just him, no sir. If there was one thing Javel knew, it was how to read a woman’s signals. And Xerna’s invitation had been unmistakable.

So if he didn’t get that part wrong, what the hell was she so pissed about?

Hard to say. They’d been flirting with each other since his arrival at the Garrison, dancing around each other like the two reptiles that they were during mating season. And then they were assigned as each others’ partners. After that, Javel knew it was only a matter of time before they…

Javel shook his head in disgust. This was Xerna he was talking about. Childhood friend, benefactor, and up until a few years ago, Javel’s first love. After he left home, he’d dreamt about her for so long that people around him had accused him of obsessing. He hadn’t been able to get her out of her mind for years. And when the shock wore off after seeing her in the Garrison, the insecurity he’d long ago shrugged off was back. For a brief second, Javel was transported back in time when she was the admiral’s daughter and he the maid’s son. The feeling was acute and highly uncomfortable.

And so he’d tried to keep his distance.

But it was difficult. They were partners after all, and spent practically every waking moment together. Working with her these past few weeks had been a revelation. He’d rediscovered what a fun, funny, charming person Xerna could be, and against his better judgment, Javel began to enjoy her company immensely. He needed to be careful or he would end up falling for her all over again. Especially after that kiss. Holy fuck, it was hot.

But now, as they stumbled their way around the dark mineshaft with only her floodlight to guide them, something was obviously very wrong. And whatever it was, Javel knew it was somehow his fault. It was always the guy’s fault.

Exhaling slowly, he forced his pride down his throat. “Look Xerna, I’m sorry…”

But she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “Forget about it.”

“…I just got carried away…”

“Never happened.”

“…and you looked so hot…”

Xerna stopped her march and pivoted towards him, eyes blazing. Her voice was dangerously low when she murmured, “Javel, I said, zip it. It’s forgotten. It never happened, all right?” And then, she turned away from him and took long, sure strides towards the opening of a small tunnel, leaving him standing mutely in the cavern. If he could see himself in a mirror, Javel knew that his face registered a look of pure confusion. He shook his head and began marching in her direction.

Suddenly, a surge of warm air hit them from behind, like a monster belching from the depths of the mineshaft. Both quickly turned around and Javel had half-expected to see a large animal breathing down their necks. But as they both shone their powerful floodlights into the depths of the mineshaft, they saw nothing.

“What the hell was that?” Javel whispered. He gave the air a sniff but detected on signs of prisoners.

Xerna motioned for him to keep moving. “It’s the caverns below. They’re caving in.”

They were going faster now, jumping over rocks and navigating their way around fallen debris.

“And the rising temps?” Javel asked.

“From the lava flow.”

They were at the end of the mineshaft, and what should have been an opening to a tunnel leading up to the surface was now covered by more rocks. Xerna’s back was to Javel, her gaze traveling up and down the barricade as if looking for a way to penetrate it. She finally faced him and her eyes burned with frustration.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She exhaled sharply. “What do you mean, what’s wrong?” She ticked off her fingers. “We’re deep underground on a planet that’s having earthquakes every five minutes. The prisoners are loose. Our captain, who we abandoned, is dying. All transports and ships have disappeared and we have no way to get out. And the best part is that our best, fastest way to the surface is blocked. Is that enough wrong for you?” The normally calm and taciturn Xerna burned with tension and energy.

Javel squinted and examined his partner more closely. Something was bothering her and it had nothing to do with any of the things she’d mentioned. By the faint beam of the light he carried, he could see that her pupils were dilated. Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing shallow. Even though his ego wanted to believe he’d had something to do with her condition, his mind couldn’t really believe it was his kisses that had brought her to this state. She held her arms tight and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet as if trying to soothe away a hurt. Javel sensed that her partner was trying desperately to pull herself together but found it difficult to do so.

“Calm down, Xerna, everything’s gonna be okay.” Remnants of his former good mood remained and he was still optimistic that they could get out of this planet alive.

“Calm down?” She advanced menacingly towards him, eyes blazing. “You’re telling me to calm down?” She pointed angrily at the cave-in. “Do you realize what this means?”

Actually, he did but decided that playing dumb might make her feel better. So he shook his head. “What does it mean?”

“It means we have to go back into the prison and find a way to climb up and catch the tunnel from one of the higher floors.”

He didn’t really see a problem. “Yeah, so?”

“Yeah so?” she echoed with sarcasm. “The prisoners are running amok. We’d stand a better chance out here than in there.”

“Looks like we have no choice,” he said calmly. It was a little disconcerting to see him and Xerna switch roles. He was usually the one who blew his top. “Time for Plan B.”

“And what’s Plan B?”

“I don’t know yet,” he shrugged. “But I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

And then, as if a fever had broken, Javel saw her partner take several deep breaths and mentally transform herself from irritable diva to cool customer in the blink of an eye. How did she do that?

Her face was once again inscrutable as she analyzed the situation. “The captain and Rhonda were almost killed by prisoners looking for a guard’s DNA and exit codes. Remember the shape shifter who took the captain’s form? There’s bound to be hundreds of them in the prison. We have to figure out a way to cross the complex and get up to a higher floor without attracting anyone’s attention.”

Javel breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like Xerna was back to normal. He didn’t like being the calm one. He needed her cool demeanor so he could be free to blow his top whenever he felt like it. “You got any ideas?” he asked.

“Shhhh!” Xerna suddenly waved her hand to silence him. Both guards instantly killed their floodlights and scurried to the tunnel walls, pinning their backs to them. Javel’s reptile eyes instantly adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to see the outline of the cavern’s topography. Within ten seconds, their acute part-Karatzin hearing picked up voices closing in from the mineshaft. Angry, gravelly voices. Unfamiliar voices.

But voices with a thoroughly familiar stench.

Prisoners.

Javel turned back to Xerna. His unusual night-sight allowed him to see her glowing form as she gripped her phaser and subtly sniffed the air.

“We’ll talk later,” he muttered.

She barely acknowledged his words. In the pitch-black cave, he could hear her breath, soft and shallow to his right.

“Phasers on kill,” she commanded softly, sounding again like her old senior officer self. He heard her mutter, “This is Ariante calling any Garrison personnel. Please respond. I repeat, this is Ariante calling any Garrison guard. Can anyone hear me?”

Static. Even Javel couldn’t hear Xerna over his own comimplant. All communications were malfunctioning.

The cavern had grown eerily silent just as the stench intensified. Inhaling deeply, Javel tightened his grip on his phaser and made one last check to make sure the red indicator light was on kill. He silently reached down to his boot and pulled out a switchblade.

His quarter-Karatzin senses heightened by human adrenaline, Javel smelled before he saw or heard them. They jumped out of hiding and surrounded the two guards. There were four of them, two humans and two golden-skinned Juzzaars, snarling and frothing in the mouth from full-on Styx withdrawal.

In the darkness, Javel could see the outline of their four attackers carrying weapons that seemed jerry-rigged from scavenged pieces in the prison and mineshaft. Swinging their weapons over their heads, the four prisoners grinned at their prey. Perhaps the two Juzzaars thought they had some kind of tactical advantage because they too could see in the dark.

Javel knew that Styx was such a powerful drug that once hooked, it was almost impossible for addicts to recover. They would rather die than be without it. These prisoners would fight to the death to get more of their precious drug. They were in such a frenzy from withdrawal that nothing short of a phaser fire to the head would incapacitate them.

And so fire he did, lobbying the opening salvo and shooting the biggest one in the shoulder. But in addition to the Juzzaar’s heightened sense of strength from withdrawal, he also seemed to have developed a tolerance for pain. The hulking brute absorbed the shot with a mere howl and a small stagger to acknowledge his injury. Crouching down, Javel’s opponent sprang up and grabbed him on his knees, sending them both rolling away from the door and back out toward the mineshaft.

Javel gritted his teeth in frustration. He’d love to take care of these bastards with the Karatzin toxin, but he could only secrete it under extreme duress. Unfortunately, fighting off four attackers was all in a day’s work and his body didn’t really classify his current activity as extreme duress.

The guards’ phaser fire lit the cave in an impressive display of pyrotechnics. Javel tried to sidestep the smaller of the Juzzaars, who stood head and shoulders above him, but the big man was surprisingly quick and agile for someone his size. He reached over and caught Javel in mid-twist. Javel felt meaty, chunky arms grip him so tight around the torso that he began to suffocate. In a feeble attempt to defend himself, Javel banged his captor with the butt of his phaser and repeatedly buried his knife deep into his attacker’s side in quick bursts of energy.

Suddenly, the room lit for one microsecond then darkened once more. The Juzzaar suddenly loosened his grip ever so slightly and fell on his knees. Javel landed on his ass and rolled himself out of the way a split second before the Juzzaar, now obviously dead, dropped to the ground face-first, shaking the ground inside the narrow mineshaft like a tremor.

Javel got up with relief. “Xerna?” he called out.

A quick glance around the dark tunnel revealed the outlines of three dead bodies—four if you count the Juzzaar who had just fallen without so much as a roar of pain. Xerna had killed Javel’s opponent with phaser fire. He smiled in satisfaction. Atta girl. But where was she?

“Over here.” Her voice was small and muffled, sounding like it came from behind a rock ridge.

“Where are you?” Following the direction of her voice, Javel began walking forward until he toed something soft.

“Get your big foot off of me, Marquand,” she complained irritably.

Javel exhaled in relief. She was alive but lying on the ground. Was she hurt?

He crouched down. “You okay?” He wanted to reach for her, but thought perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea. She was acting strangely. Was being extremely skittish. Although now that he could again feel the warmth of her nearness, his pulse began to quicken and his brain sent a powerful heat signal that traveled all the way down south. Damn, he was hard again. Post-fight testosterone mixed with the heady scent of her pheromones.

When she still said nothing, Javel reached out just to reassure himself that she wasn’t injured.

But as his hand brushed across her forehead, his worry deepened. “Babe, holy fuck, you’re burning up.” He holstered his phaser and palmed her cheeks with both hands. They felt like fire. “You have a fever. We have to get you to an infirmary. Are you in any pain?”

Her silence was killing him. “Xerna?” He shook her shoulders, praying she hadn’t passed out. “Xerna?!? Panic began to grow in his gut. “What’s wrong?”

Just as he was about to hoist her into his arms, she shuffled away from him. “Get back, Javel.”

Confused, he knotted his forehead. “What?”

Her voice was small. Far away. “I said, get away from me. Leave me alone. Go. Find the captain. When you do, have him send Rhonda to get me.”

“Xerna, what the hell is the matter with you?” She had retreated even farther away. In the dark, his reptilian eyes could clearly see her outline but he turned on his floodlight anyway. The tunnel was bathed in a comforting yellow glow.

Tucked into the deepest recesses of the tunnel, Xerna squinted at the bright light. She looked tiny, wedged next to a large, jagged boulder, rocking back and forth with her knees folded tight under her chin. Her hair had fallen out of the bun and now tumbled freely down her shoulders and back.

“What did they do to you?” he asked with growing dread.

When she tried to turn away from him again, Javel could take it no more. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to him in a crushing embrace. “Xerna, tell me what’s wrong. Where are you hurt?”

She squirmed in his arms and pushed him, but only far enough away so their eyes met. “Javel, I’ll be okay, I promise,” she said, her voice throaty. “Just as soon as you go away.”

He was beyond confused. Her words said ‘go away’ but her body was definitely saying ‘come here, bad boy.’ He could feel her hands snaking behind him, massaging his back and kneading his neck, and an involuntary groan escaped his lips.

This time, it was she who reached for him and crushed her lips into his. She devoured him, burying her tongue deep into his mouth and ravishing every inch of it. After a few seconds, she withdrew, but only far enough so she could get a nip at his full lower lip.

Javel met her kiss for kiss. His mind swirled into a kaleidoscope of intense color and his body once again prepared to succumb to the pleasures of Xerna. Was this going to be some kind of post-fight, post-danger ritual for them now? If it was, Javel absently thought, he would have to find him a bar fight or two if they ever got out of this planet alive.

Chapter Three

            Level Fifteen Mining Tunnel

Javel’s mouth left hers and traveled across her cheek to her ear. Hot sparks assaulted her insides as his tongue began its fiery journey. The tip traveled in and out and mercilessly nibbled on an earlobe.

“Mmmmm…” he murmured, “babe, I’ve wanted to do this to you forever…”

Xerna knew, knew this wasn’t the right time or place. And even though it felt completely and thoroughly delicious—God, what was he doing to the nape of her neck?—she didn’t want to do this with Javel, her childhood friend-turned-colleague. They had unfinished business. Questions he had to answer. Trust he had to regain. But, feeling trapped by the cage that was her body, Xerna felt powerless to resist.

There could be a bearcat ready to pounce on us right now and I wouldn’t be able to do a damned thing to fight back.

Not that she minded Javel’s kisses. On the contrary, her feelings for her blonde, sexy partner were the closest she’d come in years to allowing herself to be attracted to any male. If he would just give her some straight answers…

Suddenly, all thought left Xerna’s mind. She gave a tiny squeal as he hit a particularly sensitive spot on the back of her neck. “Javel…” she moaned. Her eyes were closed shut, willing her body to resist, to shut down, but it was hopeless. Her part-Karatzin DNA, identical to his, responded involuntarily. There was no stopping the process. Like it or not, they were mates, irresistible to each other, genetically compatible in every way. Perhaps if Javel had been wholly Karatzin or wholly human, she would have stood a chance against his onslaught. But as it were…

“Yeah babe?” came his husky reply. His hands traveled everywhere. He peeled himself off her and got up on one knee and Xerna heard herself growl in protest, although she had no conscious thought of even making that sound. Like a magnet, her body rose up in an attempt to adhere herself to him again, but before she could do that, he reached over and flipped her onto her stomach.

He knew exactly what he was doing. For the first time in her life, Xerna was being satisfied by one of her own—a part-human, part-Karatzin genetic equivalent, and it felt so good. So right. Better than anything she’d ever experienced before. Javel detached the fastenings of her uniform and uncovered her back. The air in the mining shaft had become unusually warm on her bare skin, a bizarre occurrence for an ice-covered planet. Alarm rang in the part of her brain that still worked, but the rest of her body failed to heed the warning. She swiveled her head to tell him that they needed to get out of the mineshaft now, but it quickly died on her lips as she saw the look in his eyes.

The human in Javel had been sublimated and in its place, the Karatzin part of his genetic makeup took full charge. The gold-green of his eyes were more pronounced and if anyone dared interrupt him right this moment, Xerna knew that Javel would snap the intruder’s neck in a nanosecond. As would she.

Bearing down on her exposed neck and shoulders, Javel began to nibble on it, gently at first, and then more urgently. Like every Karatzin woman, Xerna’s most sensitive spot was her upper shoulders and the back of her neck, a knowledge that Javel exploited to its fullest advantage. Xerna’s loud moans of ecstasy mingled with the sounds around them. Everything else was forgotten—the tremors, the escaped prisoners, the destruction surrounding them—as Xerna surrendered to her body’s urges.

Javel’s hands snaked inside her uniform and wrapped themselves around her bare waist, continuing to ravish her with his tongue. She was on the brink of a climax from just his mouth and it just wouldn’t do. Her body needed—demanded that he mate with her. Everything else wasn’t enough.

With a snarl worthy of a bearcat, Xerna turned herself around and pushed Javel off her. His normally well-combed hair was disheveled, his face covered with dirt. He was breathing hard and to Xerna’s heat-filled eyes, her partner—her mate—had never looked sexier or more desirable. They were both breathing hard. Xerna’s skin felt ready to burst into flames if she didn’t get him inside of her this instant.

Quickly as if her very life depended on it—perhaps it did—she reached over and tugged at his uniform, exposing his muscular form. Xerna couldn’t help thinking that his body was made just for her, just the way she liked it—tall, lean, and with just the right amount of well-defined musculature that satisfied her hungry eyes. There he stood in all his naked glory, like a graceful feline ready to pounce on her, muscles coiled in anticipation. With mounting impatience, she shrugged off her own uniform and presented herself to her partner, standing tall and proud, his equal in every way. Despite the heat, Javel remained free of sweat, a gift both of them received from their part-Karatzin ancestry. Xerna couldn’t help but think that this man was built for stealth and speed, with the grace and agility of a dancer. His erection stood large and proud and Xerna eyed it greedily, unable to stop herself from reaching out and testing its heft and width.

With the groan of a man in the throes of pleasure, Javel collapsed on top of her and was inside her in a flash. Xerna’s world shattered into a thousand pieces. She had never felt like this with another man, not when she’d been in heat. She briefly wondered if this was what being on Styx felt like because suddenly, she was both floating in the air and rooted to the ground while flashes of torrential pleasure rained on every part of her body. He completely overwhelmed her five senses. She could smell him—an intoxicating mix of heat, musk, and something indefinable but that her body couldn’t help but respond to. She could see the smooth glow of his skin as his body writhed to match her movements. She could hear his moans, crashing against her ear; and she could taste every pore of him as she took a turn licking and sucking his mouth, his shoulder, his arm, his chest, his very breath.

The ground began to shake again and her rocking with Javel became indistinguishable from the rocking of the planet. With a roar of abandon, Xerna released her pent-up sexual energy in one giant wave of ecstasy. The depths of the cavern amplified her howls of pleasure and echoed through the tunnels of the mineshaft.

*****

Javel looked deeply into Xerna’s still-dazed eyes. Her mouth was parted ever so slightly and swollen from his kisses. He couldn’t help but lean in and plant another one, gently this time, his tongue stealing a quick flicker in and out of her mouth. He was in the throes of disbelief. Never had he thought that he and Xerna… He looked deep into her half-lidded eyes and smiled at the memory of what happened just moments ago. He felt himself harden again at the thought of her…

But then without warning, her eyes widened and her hands splayed across his chest as she gave him a rough shove.

Still disoriented from the best sex he had ever had in his entire life, Javel rolled away and hit his head on a boulder.

“Shit.” He rubbed his head and sat up, eyeing Xerna in annoyance. “What was that for?”

For the second time today, Xerna quickly got up and hastily rearranged herself. Javel felt an acute disappointment as the exposed parts of Xerna’s flesh disappeared under her uniform.

She turned to him with a vaguely guilty expression before hastily looking away, staring down on the ground and avoiding his gaze. “Are you okay?” she murmured.

He gave her an incredulous grin. “Am I okay?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Baby I’m so okay, I’ll show you how okay I am if you come over here one more time.” He patted the spot next to him.

And then, her shoulders sagged as if an unbearable weight had descended upon her. “Thanks,” she said simply.

His smile instantly vanished. “Thanks for what?”

“For that.” She gestured vaguely. “For what you did. I appreciate it.”

“Please, Xerna, no thanks necessary. It was absolutely, positively my pleasure. And up until about a minute ago, I thought it had been your pleasure too.” He was confused and a little hurt. She was talking like he’d just done something mundane for her. Like do her laundry. Instead of rocking her world with the loudest orgasm he’d ever heard from a woman.

“Come on, let’s find our way back to the prison. I doubt we could go the same way we did to get here. I bet the tunnels and shafts have been rearranged again by now.”

She was acting like nothing had just happened between them. Javel frowned, disturbed at the mask of expressionless calm that suddenly covered her face.

Meanwhile, he doubted he could stand just yet. He continued to recline along the rocks, his uniform a tangled heap on the ground. Xerna was resolutely trying not to look at him. Okay, fine. If she was going to act like nothing happened, he could play that game too.

“All right, give me a minute,” he muttered. He stood up on wobbly knees and stretched, making sure he was in her line of sight.

She turned her back and began walking towards a pile of rubble. “I’ll be over there.”

“Nah, you don’t have to. Stay put. I’ll be done in a sec.”

With seeming reluctance, Xerna slowly turned around to face him.

Javel hid a triumphant smile. He knew that at this very moment, Xerna would much rather poke her eyes out with hot titanium rods than look at him. His uniform was inside out and he took his time rearranging it, making sure to give Xerna a nice view of his body. He kept himself in peak physical shape because it was a job requirement, but the fact that it was a hit with a ladies was a nice byproduct. And it seemed that Xerna was no exception. He saw her eyes widen at the sight of his nudity.

He finally shrugged into his uniform and zipped it up. It fit him like second skin, again something Xerna seemed to appreciate. Her mouth hung open and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

He turned to her with a raised brow. “You ready?”

She didn’t answer him but instead, swallowed hard. And then looked away. She seemed to have difficulty breathing.

Javel hid a smile. Served her right. Why should he be the only one suffering?

He quietly gathered his gear and prepared to move out when without warning, she blurted, “I don’t trust you, Javel.”

Taken aback, he frowned. “What?”

She turned to face him, wagging her index finger. “Since you got here on this planet, I know you’ve been up to something. Zurin Five’s on the verge of collapse and you’re acting like you just inherited a billion kroenigs from a long-lost uncle. What’s going on?”

Caught by surprise, Javel uttered a stunned “Nothing!” a little too quickly. He swallowed, hoping his face didn’t betray his lie. That was too close.

“Then what is it?” she persisted. “For the last three weeks, I’ve been watching you. You disappear for long stretches of time unaccounted for—”

“You’ve been keeping tabs on me?” he interrupted in surprise.

Her eyes narrowed in accusation. “I know you found a way to circumvent the tracking signals from the comimplants, Javel. It shows you in your quarters, but I know there are times when you weren’t anywhere near there.”

Was Xerna on to him? He tried a disarming smile. “Babe, I don’t know what you’re talking about. How can Skipper say I’m one place and you say I’m at another? The comimplants are subdermal. I know that if I ever slice mine out of my neck—which I won’t ‘cause I hate pain—an alarm sounds.”

But she wasn’t giving up. Ignoring his explanation, she raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you up to, Javel?” she asked again, this time more slowly.

“What do you think I’m up to, Xerna?”

She snorted. “Why do you always answer a question with a question? My mother said that only people with something to hide do that.”

“Oh yeah? Well my mother said poor people should never be intimidated by rich people just because they happen to have more money.”

Xerna’s eyes widened in shock. And hurt. Her hand flew to cover her open mouth. Slowly, she pivoted in her heels and walked off.

Oh God. He shouldn’t have said that. He swore softly and ran after her. “Xerna, I’m sorry,” he called to her retreating back. “Xerna, wait! I didn’t mean it!”

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Xerna rolled her eyes in response.

“No really. I’m not kidding. What do you need?”

She hesitated for just a fraction of a second, and then said, “I already told you what I need.”

“What’s that?”

“I need you to stay away from me.”

Javel was genuinely confused. “What do you mean?”

“What part of that didn’t you understand. Stay. Away. Keep your distance. At least three meters.”

“Three meters?” he echoed. “Why?”

“You have your secrets, I have mine,” she answered mysteriously. “Although I can’t believe you haven’t guessed it already, considering what we just did in here.”

Suddenly, Javel understood. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to her in astonishment. “You’re in heat!”

She grimaced. “No kidding, genius. You think I jumped your bones back there ‘cause I found your incessant telling of dirty jokes irresistible?”

“But you’re barely even Karatzin!” he protested. “You’re mostly human!” He peered closer. “You can’t secrete the toxin too, can you?”

She shook her head and kept walking, almost tripping over heaps of fallen pipes. “No, I can’t. And I’m not immune to it, so be careful if and when you do it. That’s just one of the few Karatzin things I don’t have. But I sure got everything else. Including the whole heat cycle thing.”

He looked at her in wonder. “How often?”

“Not as often as a full-blooded Karatzin, thank God. Twice, sometimes three times a year.”

“What do you do when it comes?”

She stared at him like he was an idiot. “What do you think I do?”

“Really?” He gave her a leer.

She gave a small laugh. “Of course not, asshole. I bring enough provisions with me and then hide out in the mineshafts.”

“Ah, so that’s why you know these tunnels so well.”

She looked around the mineshaft wistfully. “Yeah. I’ve come to spend a lot of time in here these past three years.”

His voice grew soft. “How come I didn’t know about this? When did it begin?”

Her gaze was suddenly far away. “It started happening the very day I turned eighteen. You didn’t even come to my party, remember? You just up and left without saying goodbye, which by the way, I still haven’t forgiven you for.” A corner of her mouth quirked up. “It could have been a great summer, Marquand.”

His recollection differed quite a bit from hers but he let it go. “Yeah,” he acknowledged. What he remembered as the worst summer of his life could have been the best? “I guess it could have. Pretty ironic, huh?”

She nodded. They entered another tunnel, this time about a quarter mile away from the other tunnel. This one was smaller and even darker. These damned repair robots were everywhere and were moving fast in every direction, still trying to patch things up. Their normal efficiency was now impeded by rubble and debris, and they moved haphazardly, almost as if they didn’t know exactly where to go or what to do. Javel had never seen the machines act this way before and almost ran into at least half-dozen of them.

“So,” he resumed after awhile, still curious. “How long does it last?”

“Three days if I’m lucky. Six if I’m not.”

“What do you mean, six if you’re not?” He grinned. “If it were me, the longer it lasts, the more fun it would be. I certainly wouldn’t hide out.”

But this time, all mirth had left her face. “No, you wouldn’t, would you?” she said, her tone heavy with sarcasm.

He’d obviously said the wrong thing. “What do you mean?” he asked quietly.

She sighed. “Nothing. You wouldn’t get it.”

Realization dawned on Javel. “Is this why you’ve always hated your Karatzinness?”

“Bingo.”

They reached the end of the tunnel on the opposite side of the mineshaft. A large, automated metal door blocked their way. Xerna placed her palm on a small touchpad and motioned for Javel to do the same on the other side. She punched in the Open code but nothing happened.

“I knew it wouldn’t work.” She sighed and walked ten feet from the door towards a small metal panel and began prying it open with her fingers.

“Stop,” he gently asked. “Look at me.” When she lifted her eyes, he said, “I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

“If you said something wrong?”

“You’re acting all offended but I have no idea what I said.”

Muttering something under her breath, Xerna turned away and continued working. “Just help me with this thing, will you?” she said, more loudly this time.

Women. Javel rolled his eyes. “What are we doing?”

“We’re trying to open this panel.”

“Why?”

“It’s a conduit that leads to the prison interior.”

He was amazed at her knowledge of the ins and outs of the prison. “Use your knife,” he suggested, nodding towards the panel.

“I lost it during the fight.”

He dug into his boot and took out his. It was encrusted with dried blood. Xerna wrinkled her nose in distaste.

“Hey, if it works, right?” he challenged her. Slipping the sharp blade between the rock and the panel, he began to pry it open.

It wouldn’t budge. Not one inch. He stopped fiddling with the knife and peered around the edges of the panel.

“It’s fused into the rock. We’ll never be able to open it.”

“Sure we can,” she said confidently.

“No, we can’t. Check this out.” He grabbed her hand and quickly led her fingers to the seam.

She snatched her hand away as if scalded. Javel tried to not take it personally. “Yes we can,” she insisted. “I’ve done it before.”

“What? You have?”

“Yeah, so quit your whining and help me with this.”

“If you’ve done it before, then there should be some loosening of the seam between the rock and the panel. But I don’t feel it.”

She looked at him in exasperation. “I didn’t say I’ve done it before with this panel.”

“Oh. Well why didn’t you tell me?”

“I just did.”

For the love of…

Now Javel felt like hitting somebody in frustration. He’d worked with plenty of women before and had been intimate with many more. Sometimes, he’d even combined the two. But Xerna had the ability to make him admire her one moment, and want to hit her the next. By the light of the floodlight, Javel looked at his partner—his friend—out of the corner of his eye and exhaled.

God, she looked gorgeous, even during almost eighty hours of nonstop duress. Thank God she’d finally lost that bun. It made her look like a damned intergalactic librarian. He wanted to touch that long, dark hair that cascaded down her back. He knew it would be soft. Better yet, he wanted her to sweep it over his naked body. Now wouldn’t that be awesome foreplay? And her lips—easily the best part about her face. They were so full, so juicy, like a ripe fruit just begging to be bitten. Javel ran his tongue across his mouth, feeling the beginnings of another damned erection.

Better look away and concentrate on opening the damned panel. He cleared his throat and asked, “Where does this lead to?”

“All these access panels lead to repair shafts. Minirobots get sent here when some of the major machinery that operates the prison break down. They do an in-site fix and exit again through here.”

“How do you know that?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Like I said, I spend a lot of time down here.”

He stopped trying to rip the panel open. “It’s impossible. Wouldn’t it be easier if we just got one of those microrobots to open this for us?”

“Minirobots,” she corrected. And then with sarcasm, she said, “You go ahead and find us one of those. I’ll wait for you right here.”

“Hey, it’s not a bad idea,” he protested. “You must know where those things come from. Let’s go snatch us one.”

She shook her head. “This door opens to the outer edges of the prison. To get to those minirobots, you would have to travel a good distance away from here. Deeper into the caverns. With the quakes hitting as often as they do, it’ll be suicide to go back.”

He snorted in frustration. He was a man of action, and he didn’t like standing around here doing nothing. And trying to pop open a ventilation vent or whatever this thing was when it clearly wasn’t budging wasn’t his idea of action. “Glad to know you’re open to other options. Me? I choose not to be a sitting duck. I’m going back out to the mineshaft to look for anything that could help us out.”

He straightened up and began walking away.

With a pause, Xerna said, “Watch out for any prisoners.” But she didn’t even look up.

Chapter Four

He has got to be the most infuriating, the most frustrating, the most perplexing man Xerna had ever met. Was he actually…whistling? Xerna didn’t have to strain to hear him. The happy melody bounced all around the walls of the cavern, the tunnel amplifying the sound. She shook her head at his audacity. Or was it cluelessness? He had always been such an enigma to her, even as a child, with that magnetic combination of fearlessness mixed with mischief. She bit her lip, continuing to fiddle with the panel, trying hard not to laugh at some of her crazier Javel memories. Like the time he convinced Cook to give him the rest of Xerna’s birthday cake—chocolate mocha—while promising to clean the oven for him and then tricking Xerna into doing the cleaning. Or the time he left her dangling from a tree, suspended only by her molycra vest, only to return minutes later with a beautiful rose just for her, effectively mollifying her anger.

Yes, Javel was a charmer all right, had been since birth. He was also without a doubt the sexiest, most magnetic, most irresistible man she had ever met. Her insides churned at the memory of their fierce lovemaking, alternating between mortification at her behavior and a longing for more. Oh, Xerna had no doubt that before her cycle was through, she would attack her partner at least one more time. But she was going to do all she can to prevent it.

Trying to bite back a smile, Xerna kept working on the panel. She didn’t mean to start that stupid fight with him, but bickering seemed the only way to distract herself against the heat of his body, the depths of his eyes, the timbre of his voice…

She shook her head. Thankfully, their torrid lovemaking seemed to have temporarily assuaged her needs. But soon, Xerna knew her body would scream for relief once again, and it wouldn’t matter if they were in the middle of another damned earthquake.

But even in her calm state, every small contact she had with Javel—every brush of bare skin, every feel of his breath—made her blood boil in frenzy. His proximity was intoxicating, like Styx to an addict. Xerna sympathized just a little bit with the Zurin Five prisoners. Her craving for Javel was probably the equivalent of a Styx withdrawal for Level Nineteen prisoners—the most dangerous and most violent in Zurin Five, and therefore given the highest dosages.

Oh yes, her Javel withdrawal was just as bad. Her skinned burned for his touch and her throat longed for his taste, like someone dying of hunger.

And all this, coming from a woman who prided herself in always controlling her emotions. Calm, cool Xerna. That was her reputation among the guards, among her few friends, and even among her family. It had always been that way since she was a child back in Upsilon Three. Her father, a retired Admiral in the Andromeda Alliance and now a high-ranking interplanetary diplomat, taught her never to show her cards to friends or enemies alike.

Growing up, she had resented the discipline and training until she had come into her estrus. It was after she experienced the first full flush of her estrus cycle that she began to use skills learned from her training as a coping mechanism. Of course, when at the height of her cycle, nothing she said or did or ate or drank made any difference. She would go into a complete and total sexual frenzy so uncontrollable that it frequently resulted in an injury or two, mostly to the poor man she’d happen to pounce upon. That was why she’d run away.

Thankful for the respite from Javel, Xerna examined her handiwork. He might be right. This particular panel was proving to be a challenge. She adjusted the angle of her floodlight for a better look. The grooves seemed just as tightly shut as they were when she first began. Xerna frowned in frustration. The other one, the one she’d snuck into and out of countless times before, would just pop open with a small tug of her fingernails. This one was unmoving for some reason. The quakes had probably tightened the furrows together. She blew a breath and sat on the ground.

Trying her comimplant one more time, Xerna pressed down on the base of her neck. Nothing. Not even static this time. Communications were still out. She prayed Thrower and Isles were making some kind of progress with the Garrison’s systems. A plan began to form in her mind. What she and Javel needed to do was sneak back into the prison complex and acquire some food and drink before making their way up to the surface via the maintenance shaft. Like all successful plans, it was simple and straightforward, just like her father had taught her to do.

Xerna sighed at the memory of her father. And her mother. She had disappointed them both mightily when she told them of her choice to work as a guard in Zurin Five.

“You want to do what?” the Admiral had asked. Normally a controlled man, his eyes had bulged and his face had mottled with rage.

Xerna had been defiant. “Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I’ve signed the papers and sent my acceptance. I’ve made a commitment to Captain Riggeur and I don’t back away from my commitments.”

“Captain Riggeur can be easily fixed,” her mother sniffed. She reached for a handkerchief to wipe away a tear.

“Xerna, this is madness,” Admiral Ariante thundered.

Of course it would be to him. A fourth-generation admiral, with family members in politics at the highest levels, Xerna’s father wielded great clout and influence. But he had a one-track mind, believing that there was only one way to be a success—to join the military. And Xerna had previously agreed, which was why she was currently training at the Alliance Military Academy.

But something had happened there that had made her resign her commission. Something that, except for a few members of the investigating commission, and of course her victim—that poor guy—no one knew. Her powerful family had threatened the lowly ensign against filing sexual assault charges and the rest of the investigating commission had looked the other was as a favor to her father.

She sat quietly and hung her head while her father continued to scream. She began to tune him out, but did manage to catch a few words, like “…nullifying contracts” and “serving one tour” and “returning to the Academy…”

Xerna shrugged off the memory and continued working. Even with their differences, she’d been close to her parents and missed them. She even missed her wholly-human mother, who never understood Xerna’s heat cycles, and even denied that they existed. Her reaction to Xerna’s trouble at the Academy had been denial, and she had treated her daughter’s condition as if it were nothing more than a pesky tic. After that, Xerna had been told repeatedly that humanity was the most desirable state of being; that she should subjugate her part-Karatzin heritage and even forget it even existed.

But how could she when she was painfully reminded of it twice or thrice a year?

Xerna was suddenly overcome with exhaustion. She sat down and rested her back on the rock, intending only to close her eyes for a few seconds. But after eighty straight hours of being awake, the prison guard hadn’t realized how tired she was. Finally succumbing to sleep, Xerna’s head lolled over to her right side and she was out like a floodlight.

*****

            Level Fifteen — Green Zone

He sorely needed a fix and he needed it yesterday.

Motherfucker.

Former Styx runner and now Level Fifteen prisoner Lucas Bracchius violently swiped the drool that trickled from his mouth.

Tightening his grip on his makeshift weapon, a titanium bar he had ripped out of his cage, Lucas closed his eyes for a moment and tried to find his center.

Fuck, he sounded like some kind of spiritual high priest.

But it seemed to work. After several deep lungfuls of air, the monster headache that was drilling into his head subsided, if only to a degree. Maybe the withdrawal was finally easing up. Since the first of the quakes hit, he had lost all sense of time. What he did know was that he was tired, hungry and desperate.

His gaze darted in terror. The Green Zone, where Styx-related prisoners were kept, raged out of control. Alarms for systems failure blared in every corridor. Liquid of unknown origin gushed from broken pipes and conduits, forcing Lucas to walk gingerly on the slippery surface. Sparks burst from electrical wiring in every direction. And worse, it seemed that every prisoner on the floor was on the loose. The shield that caged them was gone and someone had been busy bending the titanium bars in all the cells as far as Lucas’ eyes could see.

Glancing down at the long corridor littered with broken furniture, debris and prisoners either running, fighting or slinking away, Lucas grew alarmed.

What was happening to the prison?

But his greater worry had nothing to do with the condition of the facility, nor did he care that he was now free. He didn’t even care about the tremors that tossed him around like a toy. What he sorely needed was another dose of Styx. And getting away from the marauding gang of fellow-inmates coming down from their high just like him. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth while wave after wave of nausea assaulted him. But nothing came up. He wished something would. Maybe it would get rid of the awful feeling.

He had to get moving. There were roving bands of mean-looking Level Fifteeners as desperate as him. They were all angling for a fight. He had just left a bunch of them in another corridor pummeling each other, their systems pumped and violent from withdrawal. He was lucky to have gotten away with a few minor bruises. But the withdrawal somehow magnified the pain, and Lucas didn’t think he could stand another confrontation.

He looked around in dazed confusion. He needed more Styx now. Where could he go?

His back to the wall, he shuffled along the corridor towards one of the main intersections of his floor. His first thought was that the prison had been attacked. Or, maybe someone from the outside was breaking out an inmate and blasting through the prison. He sincerely hoped that was the case, although he’d never heard of any bomb powerful enough to breach the four meter-thick durancrete double-walls of Zurin Five. Although the prospect of freedom was enticing, all his system really craved was more taste of Styx.

He reached the end of the hallway and peered around the corner. A fight had broken out in this corridor. A hulking Juzzaar stood grinning to one side while his comrades held a smaller humanoid. They were pummeling the short guy while other inmates scurried about trying not to get noticed.

No such luck for Lucas. He didn’t have the strength or size to scurry around. Standing at two and a half meters, he was large, even by Karatzin standards. To look at him, you wouldn’t think he was part-lizard, but his great-grandmother had been unlucky enough to have gotten pregnant by a full-blooded Karatzin, and so reptile blood sluiced through Lucas’ veins. He had the height, the strength, and the acute senses of his lizard brethren, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t shy away from physical confrontation. But the Styx withdrawal left him debilitated. Insects were marching under his skin. He didn’t trust his vision and his extremities were shaking uncontrollably. He wanted to crawl into the nearest sinkhole and die.

Suddenly, it was as if someone was knifing his insides. Dry heaves violently shook him as he dropped to his knees and clutched his stomach. Someone darted past him but luckily, they ignored him.

After the heaves had subsided, he raised his watery gaze from the floor and looked around. The lights had dimmed. The corridors were now bathed in a low, yellow light that accentuated the greenish tint of his part-reptilian skin.

And the enormous Juzzaar loomed before him.

With a grin of a predator, the large humanoid began advancing, waving his crew towards Lucas. Their eyes gleamed with madness. They all held their own makeshift weapons, brandishing them like ancient swords from long ago.

Lucas swallowed. He straightened to a kneeling position on the wet floor, careful not to slip, and growled.

“Get up, filth,” the large Juzzaar barked. “Drop it.” He motioned to Lucas’ titanium bar.

Although weak from withdrawal, Lucas stood and with the most bravado he could muster, snarled, “You first.”

They were almost equal in size and bulk. Surprise was evident in the Juzzaar’s eyes. Humans were usually much shorter than the gigantic Juzzaar species, but Lucas was also part Juzzaar somewhere along the line. He flexed his arm, tightened his jaw, and with a battle roar, attacked.

In his condition, there was no way he could hope to defeat one enemy in hand-to-hand combat, let alone a dozen. He needed his brain. Using the chaos as cover, Lucas deliberately dropped to the ground right before the Juzzaar could take a swipe at him and slid on the dirty liquid coating the floor, knocking down his enemies like bowling pins. As he hoped, his action disoriented some of the humanoids who were all suffering from different levels of withdrawal. Some of them turned on each other.

But just as Lucas was patting himself on the back and scrambling to get away, he felt a powerful thud hit him on the back of the head. Hitting his chin on the floor, stars danced in his eyes as a maniacal laughter roared behind him.

Turning around, Lucas’ heart thudded in fear.

The large Juzzaar loomed over him, seemingly unaffected by the tumble he took. He gave Lucas a grin dripping with lunacy.

Lucas had no choice but to run. He got up and skidded several times on the slick floor before he got some traction. What the hell did this Juzzaar want from him? He sped away, the hulking brute hot on his heels.

Panting from the exertion, Lucas tried his best to put obstacles in the Juzzaar’s path. A coil dropped from the ceiling and he pulled it behind him. Same with a chair. And even a bunk. But the Juzzaar had no trouble keeping up, running around and over the barriers. Lucas quickly glanced back and saw the wicked glint in his chaser’s eyes.

The Juzzaar was on the hunt. And Lucas was his prey.

The realization revved up his system. Running with a speed he didn’t know he possessed, Lucas rounded corners and zigzagged through hallways, ignoring the chaos and bedlam around him.

But the Juzzaar stayed right on his tail.

Lucas was running on empty. He couldn’t keep this up much longer. He ducked to avoid a live electrical panel with wires dangling dangerously close to the floor.

He had an idea and it had better work because he was out of fuel. Taking deep gulps of air, Lucas stopped, turned towards his advancing opponent, and jumped onto a piece of durancrete wall jutting into the hallway. He wiped a damp hand on his filthy prison uniform and with a roar, grabbed the live wires and lowered them to the wet floor.

A powerful electrical surge radiated outward from its point of origin and crossed the floor, touching the Juzzaar as he was about to pounce on Lucas. With a yelp of pain, he jumped up, and if the situation weren’t so dire, Lucas would have found it quite comical. The hairs on the giant’s body stood on end and he began to emit a vaguely burning odor.

Lucas pulled the live wire off the floor and laid it on top of the wall. Springing up, he dove and tackled his hunter by the shoulders, bringing the giant down in one smooth motion.

It might have been a bit of overkill because the Juzzaar’s eyes began fluttering like he was having a mild seizure. His mouth flapped open and his tongue hung out. Lucas released him in mild disgust and without looking back, used the last ounce of strength he had to sprint away. To be safe, he went through the maze of corridors, turning left and right, and even doubling back to lose any pursuers.

When his lungs were about to burst, he collapsed on the floor, panting and heaving. His throat screamed for water and his leg muscles burned from the effort. Then, his body shut down, pulling Lucas into a deeply unconscious state while his system struggled to recover.

After what seemed like hours later, Lucas was woken up by the deafening roar of the prison population. He cracked an eye open and frowned. He quickly opened both eyes, grimacing at the shooting pain through his skull, and looked around in amazement

It was like the past few days had been nothing but a nightmare. He was now in a hallway that looked remarkably like the Zurin Five Penitentiary of just a few days ago. The ceilings and walls were intact, the floor was dry and clean, the overhead lights shone bright, and prisoners were all in their individual cells. It even felt like the life support system was operational in this part of the prison. The air was surprisingly, refreshingly cool.

Could he have been dreaming? Or was he actually still asleep and this was the dream?

He got up and slowly walked towards the nearest cell.

“You!” called one of the prisoners. It was a large human female whom he vaguely recognized. “Who are you? What is happening here?”

Narrowing his eyes, Lucas answered, “I must look really terrible if you don’t even recognize me, Samira.” He approached gingerly, still not quite sure that he wasn’t dreaming.

The female gasped. “Lucas?” she said in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing walking around? What’s happening to the prison?”

He came closer and studied Samira Jenkins, one of his competitors in the Styx transport business. She looked pale and frightened, but otherwise seemed in good enough health. The electronic force field shielding the cages were gone, but every prisoner was still trapped by the titanium bars. No one from this section of the prison had been strong enough to bend or break them. He looked down the hallway. All the inmates were females. No wonder.

He reached through the bars and gripped Samira’s outstretched hand. It felt warm. And real. It was definitely not a dream.

“I don’t know what’s happening,” he admitted. “But the other prisoners on the floor are loose. Things are breaking down. Haven’t you felt the earthquakes?”

She nodded. “This is our chance. Get me out of here,” she begged.

Lucas released Samira’s hand and stepped back, examining her cage. The howls of the other females in the corridors pierced his eardrums. Was he going to have to free every single goddamned one of them for them to shut the hell up? His eyes spied a hairline crack that crept from the front wall of Samira’s cage all the way to the top. The waist-high front wall, bordered on the top by the titanium bars, was probably weakened enough by the quake that he could use his own titanium bar as a lever to break it.

“Okay,” he instructed Samira. “Stand back.”

The female scooted back and Lucas inserted his titanium rod through the other bars. Using his heels, he tried kicking through the crack while pulling through his bar at the same time, acting as a fulcrum.

Nothing budged. Not the bars, and certainly not the durancrete wall, crack notwithstanding.

“Sorry sweetheart,” he said in frustration. “If I was in better shape, maybe I could help you out. But I haven’t had anything to eat or drink in days.”

“Please!” begged Samira. Her voice was echoed by the other women in the hallway. “Help us! Don’t leave us here!”

With a shake of his head, Lucas turned to go, although it would have been nice to rest his head on the tits of some of the women in this hallway.

“Wait!” called Samira. There was a desperate edge to her voice that made Lucas turn around. He saw her rushing to the back of her cell and came back carrying something.

Oh God…

Lucas’ mouth began to water. In her hand, Samira held a bowl of what looked like days-old oatmeal. It was half-eaten and hardened, but it wasn’t the food that made Lucas salivate.

It was the Styx that was mixed with the oatmeal. This was how the prison turned its guests into docile lambs. And how Lucas, and countless others like him who had been clean going in, had turned into junkies during their stay at the prison.

Taking two large steps toward the female, Lucas reached over and greedily grabbed the bowl from her hand. He couldn’t get the container through the narrow bars and so he used his hands to scoop the food into his mouth. He ate it quickly and sloppily, but took great care not to spill even one drop.

The effect was instantaneous. Euphoria and ecstasy floated into him like spring water dousing an errant fire. All through the corridor, the prisoners clamored for his attention, but Lucas was completely oblivious as his body absorbed the wonderful, glorious, amazing thing that was Styx.

Finishing the last mouthfuls of his meager meal, Lucas licked his fingers and handed the bowl to Samira who took it with an expectant smile.

“Feel better?” she asked.

He grinned, again on top of the world. “Yeah, loads.” The welcome and familiar sensation of peace and tranquility coursed through his veins. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, grateful and amazed for the effect the drug had on him.

“Good. Now get me out of here.”

He nodded. “Sure thing.”

Never again, he promised himself, would he ever be without the drug. Even if he had to kill someone to get it.

He beckoned her closer. The female walked forward, a hopeful look in her eyes. And then, when she was close enough, Lucas reached through the bars and grabbed her. He didn’t know whether it was the Styx that mixed with his fear or adrenaline but he turned her around and with one swift motion, snapped her neck.

The female sank to the floor and Lucas untangled his weapon from Samira’s cell. He turned to the rest of the females, all cowering in their cages. A hungry grin lit his face.

Time to get more Styx.

Chapter Five

            Level Fifteen Maintenance Tunnels

Another tremor shook the earth.

Luckily, it was a fairly mild one and it ceased after a few seconds. Javel shone his light to the far side of the cavern. From where he stood, he could clearly see the robots Xerna had described, way across the other side of an enormous, newly formed pit.

While Xerna always had a plan, Javel was more like the winging-it kind of guy. While to many this might seem like a half-assed way of doing things, Javel found that for him, overthinking something was more of a hindrance. He was better at improvising, figuring things out as he went along. It was what made him a pretty damned good undercover agent for Alliance Enforcement.

And right now, he had some fast thinking to do. How the hell was he supposed to reach those damned robots? The chasm was wide and deep and going around it would take hours. He had no communication with Xerna. His partner could take care of herself, but he still didn’t like being separated from her.

So why the hell did you leave her alone?

Needing to see better than his night-sight allowed, Javel shone his floodlight on anything that might prove useful. The cavern’s kilometer-high ceilings looked intact, but Javel noticed the gouges created by recently fallen stalactites. His eyes scanned the area. He was alone, thank god. It didn’t look like any other inmates had discovered this area. But it was only a matter of time before they did. He started to walk but had to stop to catch his breath. The last tremor had disturbed his sense of balance and his knees were slightly wobbly.

Oh, who was he kidding? The tremors had nothing to do with his loss of equilibrium.

It was all Xerna’s fault.

Xerna’s revelation about her condition had shocked him to the core.

That was why he’d wanted to leave the tunnel. At least temporarily. He needed to get away from her, to let himself think, to allow his body to cool down. Being with Xerna got him too overheated too fast and it was interfering with his concentration. Even though he had every confidence of his ability to somehow figure out a way out of this planet, hell, he was just a guy after all. If someone offered sex, especially someone as hot as Xerna, he was gonna have sex. Especially in the mood he was in. Javel couldn’t help but smile at the memory of his bank account. Not even the thought of being crushed by a falling stalactite could dampen his mood.

But Xerna being in heat certainly explained a lot.

She hadn’t lifted a finger to entice him in any way, yet she had oozed sex from every pore of her being. He could smell it, see it, hell, if he stuck his tongue out into the open air, he could’ve probably tasted it. It was in the way she walked and the way she held her head. The way she looked at him and the way she licked her lips. But it had all been involuntary on her part, nothing more.

It had taken every ounce of his self control to keep his hands to himself every time they were alone together. It was a good thing he’d gotten over his childhood crush on her a long time ago.

Ah, but who was he kidding? A twinge of pain pierced his heart. He’d been obsessed with Xerna for as long as he could remember, but he’d never made a move on her. How could he? He was just the maid’s son, and she was the Admiral’s daughter.

Javel remembered his mother, a hardworking, embittered woman whose husband abandoned her soon after her child—Javel—had been born. From birth, Javel’s mother had pushed him to find a way out of their humble circumstances. She had drilled it into his head that it was the only way to gain respect and love.

And so after a particularly glittering night, at a lavish party celebrating Xerna’s eighteenth birthday and graduation from Primary School, Javel had made up his mind to leave home and make his own fortune in the galaxy. But his motives had been beyond the acquisition of power and money.

He had to show Xerna that he was good enough for her. Javel frowned at the memory.

“Javel, wait,” he heard Xerna call behind him.

The night was hot and Javel stopped in his tracks, tugging at the stiff servant’s jacket his mother had made him wear tonight, feeling stupid for having it on. He just served the drinks. What did it matter what he wore?

He turned around and gulped at what he saw.

The light of the moon intensified the glow of her skin and the gleam in her eyes. She was wearing something that showed off her curves and shimmered as she moved. He didn’t know what to call the color of her dress. It was some kind of blue-green combination that made her eyes pop.

To Javel’s seventeen-year old eyes, Xerna had never looked more beautiful. And more off-limits.

Out of breath, she caught up to him. “Hey,” she said with a smile. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“Where do you think I’ve been?” he grunted, holding up his tray of empty glasses.

She frowned. “Oh.”

He immediately felt guilty. It wasn’t Xerna’s fault that he was a servant. He exhaled sharply and tried to check his temper. “Um, you look hot,” he blurted, and then cringed. Nice compliment, asshole. You sound like an idiot.

But to his surprise, Xerna beamed at him like he’d just read her poetry or something. “Thanks.” She reached over and touched his bicep. “You look nice too.”

“Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow in disbelief because she was obviously lying. He knew he looked completely idiotic in the damned jacket. Clearing his throat, he asked in a more formal tone than he normally used with her, “Can I get you anything?” She’d widened her eyes in surprise, but he couldn’t help the deferential manner. Tonight, Javel acutely felt the class divide between them. Sure, they had grown up together, played side by side and attended the same ritzy school courtesy of her father. But tonight, with him in his servant-wear, and her in her designer duds, he couldn’t help how he felt.

“No silly,” she said with a wink and a smirk. In the background, the faint stirrings of orchestra music began. Xerna reached over and took his tray, placing it gently on a garden bench. “You promised me a dance, remember? And the party’s almost over. You have to dance with me now,” she said.

“I don’t feel much like dancing,” he said curtly. “Why don’t you go on back to the party? I’m sure people are looking for you.”

“No, I made my excuses.” She approached him, arms up and ready to be swept away. “I told everybody my feet hurt and I had to change shoes. But look—” she lifted her dress and showed him her boot-clad foot, grinning at him conspiratorially. “Clever, huh?”

He couldn’t help but grin back. “Yeah, goes real well with the dress.” Ever so slightly, Javel relaxed his guard. Every time he started to feel the chip on the shoulder rearing its ugly head, Xerna somehow knew what to say to make him smile.

“Okay, no more excuses.” She took his arms and placed them on her hip, and then gently laid her arms on his shoulders. “We’re dancing now.”

He hadn’t had so much as one drop to drink tonight but Javel felt heady with intoxication. Maybe it was the fumes from all the drinks he’d been carrying. But more likely it was the girl he held in his arms, a girl he’d wanted so badly for so long that his insides hurt from thinking about it.

They swayed to the music with Xerna taking the lead. He didn’t mind. After all, she’d been the one with the dancing lessons. Javel felt the soft crunching of gravel beneath his two left feet. He felt awkward holding her like this, his arms all akimbo, but to his surprise, Xerna closed the gap between them and pulled him into a tight embrace while continuing to rock to the slow beat. Their foreheads met and she gave him a smile that instantly melted his resistance. He could feel her breath on his lips and saw her part them ever so slightly.

A giant pebble was lodged in Javel’s throat but he was always uncomfortable with silence so he forced himself to speak. “You having fun tonight?” he asked after clearing his throat.

She rested her head on the crook of his neck and he instantly felt himself harden. Oh god, this was beyond embarrassing. He was sure Xerna could feel it too.

But if she did, she gave no hint of it and just murmured, “Yeah, as much fun as you could have with these old military farts. I could’ve had more fun, you know.”

“How’s that?”

“If you’d taken a few minutes to dance with me.”

His eyes narrowed. Gripping her shoulders, he held her away from him and looked into her eyes. “You just don’t get it, do you?”

She ignored him and said, “Let’s finish the dance.”

He exhaled sharply and released her. Walking over to the bench, he picked up his tray and turned his back on her, intending to drop the dirty glasses in the kitchen and go home.

“Hey!” she called after him. “What are you doing? Come back here!”

Javel kept walking and heard Xerna’s footsteps running after him.

“Stop, Javel. Talk to me! Why are you being such a brat?”

He spun around, eyes blazed in anger. “What did you just call me?”

She must have sensed that this was going to be unlike any of their old childhood arguments because she paused, swallowed, and tried her most disarming smile. “I didn’t call you anything.” Holding her arms out, she said, “C’mon. Let’s finish the dance. You promised me!”

Javel had had enough. His easy grin was gone, replaced by seething anger. “You just don’t get it, do you?”

“That’s the second time you’ve said that.” She dropped her arms in confusion. “What is it that I don’t get?”

“Unlike you, I just can’t do anything I want, anytime I wanna do it. I can’t suddenly drop what I’m doing to go have a little twirl on the dance floor. I’m paid help, Xerna, don’t you realize that? Dancing with you in the middle of the party would’ve gotten me in a whole world of trouble. How long have we known each other? Ten years? Eleven? Don’t you get it by now? People like me don’t dance with people like you.”

Xerna looked like he’d just slapped her. “But we’re friends, Javel!” she protested.

“People like me don’t get to be friends with people like you. Sure, we’re friends now. But in another year or two, when you leave home and make your way in the world…”

Indignation blazed in her eyes. “That’s not fair! When have I ever acted like I was better than you? Or that you were somehow beneath me? When have I ever treated you as less than a friend?”

Immediately, Javel felt apologetic. The hurt in her voice was palpable but it was time for her to face the truth. He shook his head. “You and me can never be friends, Xerna.” But even as he said that, his body betrayed him. He reached over and cupped her face, brushing his thumb across her smooth cheek.

God, she’s so beautiful. Her deep brown eyes twinkled in the moonlight and her full lips were just begging for a kiss. So he relented. Feeling her inexorable magnetic pull, Javel forgot all about his insecurities and bent down, brushing his mouth lightly across hers, savoring her scent and feeling her breathe with him. It was entirely innocent, he told himself, just two friends exchanging a small peck.

And then all of a sudden, the kiss morphed into something else. His rough hands caressed her back, bare in her dress, and he felt a sudden, excruciating need to reach down and cup the mound of her generous ass. With a groan, his tongue darted into her open lips and explored. Electric jolts zapped through him as she pulled him closer.

After what seemed an eternity, they both pulled away, out of breath, with crazy smiles on their faces.

“Let’s go,” she murmured, pulling away from him and grabbing his hand.

Javel vaguely remembered that he still had some chores to do tonight. But they were all forgotten as she led him away from the party and into the main house. “Where are we going?”

She gave him a smile filled with promised. “Don’t worry,” she murmured. “No one’s gonna miss you.”

Silently, they made their way towards Xerna’s enormous house. Stepping through the side door, Javel looked around with new eyes.

In a way, he felt like he’d grown up here too. As kids, he and Xerna spent many happy times together, creating havoc that only two high-spirited kids could do. That was, until his mother had taken him aside one day and admonished him for spending too much time inside the house. She warned him that they were getting older, that he couldn’t play with Mistress Xerna like he used to. Javel’s mother had never actually used the word servant, but Javel instinctively knew what she’d meant.

And so, ashamed at his own humble origins, he’d stayed away, his thirteen-year old mind wise and understanding beyond his years, but his young heart refusing to accept.

And now, six years later, here he was, back inside the house.

Walking across the enormous foyer, Javel was suddenly assaulted by the all-too familiar waves of insecurity and humiliation, as if he’d been transported back in time and he was again in his early teens, being told he wasn’t good enough to be friends with the master’s daughter.

He froze in his tracks.

“C’mon,” Xerna said, tugging his arm. “You remember where my room is, right?” She grinned mischievously.

But he released her hand and began backing away, shaking his head in fury. He couldn’t do it.

“Javel, what’s wrong?” Xerna called out, rushing to his side.

He didn’t answer. How could he explain it to her in a way she would understand? She came from a different world and his mother was right. He wasn’t good enough for her.

But he will be. One day, he was going to be as rich and as powerful as her father, and no one would tell him what to do ever again. No one would make him get them another drink. And no one would tell him he wasn’t good enough to be with someone like her.

Without looking back, he turned on his heels and strode swiftly out the door.

*****

“You,” Lucas growled to a cowering woman behind bars. “Give me that.”

Shaking in her cell, the small woman held her plastic cup aloft, holding it close enough to her cage bars so Lucas could reach through and grab it.

Tugging at the cup that wouldn’t fit through the titanium rods, Lucas bent down and drank the precious water being hoarded by the last woman alive in this cell block. All told, Lucas had murdered twenty-seven inmates and four escaped prisoners unlucky enough to have wandered down this particular hallway.

Wiping his mouth, his euphoria-laced brain assessed the situation. High as a cloud in an Upsilon Three night, Lucas grinned in satisfaction. These stupid women were dumb enough to give him all the food they’d been saving and he’d eaten it all. And killed his benefactors through the bars of their cages. Fear and intimidation worked wonders, especially when he threatened to bend their cage bars and rape them. His glower alone made most of the women quake in fear. Easiest theft he’d ever done. And the most satisfying.

The water hadn’t been laced with anything, unfortunately, but it still provided relief for his parched throat. He slid down and sat on the ground, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. All told, he’d probably eaten the equivalent of sixteen meals, all laced with the drug. Had he consumed too much of it?

Nah, there was no such thing as ingesting too much Styx. He never felt better, like a warm blanket had suddenly been wrapped around him. It had eliminated all his aches and pains and he now felt like a billion kroenigs.

He sat for a long time, ignoring the screams reverberating through the prison walls. He was in his happy place and he liked it that way.

And then, another earthquake jolted him back to reality. This time, even though it was a small one, it seemed to rip right beneath him.

He screamed in shock as the floor of the corridor cracked into two angry halves, nearly swallowing him in the void.

Lucas scrambled to get away. His back hugged the wall. This safe corridor, this haven, was safe no longer. A small part of his still-fuzzy brain ordered him to move and lucky for Lucas, his body complied, but with the stumbling gait of a man on drugs.

A light fixture dropped from the ceiling. “Ow.” It landed on his head and plunged the corridor into semi-darkness.

Still in his Styx euphoria, Lucas set off. He skulked along the corridors, ignoring bands of prisoners advancing in his direction. His size and wild demeanor must have scared them off because other than giving him dirty looks, they ignored him and continued marching aimlessly down the hallway, terrorizing weaker inmates.

Even in his sated state, all Lucas could think about was getting his next fix. It consumed him. Sometimes, he felt like he was living a life other than his own. Dammit, he knew the effects of Styx, had resisted its temptation for too long. With a roar, he lifted a fist to the ceiling and cursed loudly. Two prisoners, a man and a woman sprawled on the floor inside one of the cells turned to him with glassy eyes. The woman had really bad shakes. Lucas absently wondered whether he would die the same way—pathetic, undignified, and rotting in his own filth. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and quickly scrambled away.

After innumerable twists and turns, Lucas stopped, his right hand reaching out to grab the wall for support. He looked around.

There must have been quite the battle here. Dozens of dead bodies littered the floor, the corpses wearing a rainbow of colors. A chill crept through his spine.

Prisoners from the floors below were loose too? And they were now on the Green Level?

That didn’t bode well for his survival. He knew the lower floor inmates were all half-crazy and extremely violent. He didn’t want to run into anyone from the Crimson Level. He spied a few victims wearing the colors of the lower floors, but the majority of the dead were his fellow greens.

The floor began to sway. Brightly colored light danced before him. Pretty soon, the nausea would hit followed by the unbelievably painful, agonizing sensation of his skin being peeled.

Lucas removed his hand from the wall but not before brushing his fingers against a seam. To someone sober, it would have been hard to locate the sunken ridge, just a hairline’s width forming a square along the wall. But Lucas’ extra-sensitive doped up fingers felt them immediately. He examined it in curiosity.

Quickly glancing around to make sure no one was coming, Lucas’ gently tapped the panel. It gave a soft hollow clang followed by scuffling noises from within.

He was startled when an answering tap sounded from the other side.

“Help!” came a faint cry.

What the—?

More curious than anything else, Lucas ran his fingers through the edge of the seam. Now that he looked closer, he could see it more clearly. It was a square panel on the wall half a meter wide with rounded corners.

“Who’s there?” he bellowed.

“Help me please!”

It was a woman’s voice. Lucas began tugging and pulling at the seam. His large fingers made no progress and in frustration, he looked around for something that could help.

Spying a broken metal chair, Lucas picked it up and bent one of the legs, just enough so that it stuck out, enabling him to fashion a long pole with it. Using his unwieldy tool, he jammed one end into the seam and began jimmying it so that the panel began to peel away from the wall, one edge at a time. It made a horrible grinding noise that made Lucas clench his teeth, but he continued, ripping the panel little by little.

When there was enough metal for him to hold on to, he dropped his makeshift lever and used his hands to rip the panel. Laying it on the floor, he carefully peered into the nothingness of the dark tunnel. But all of a sudden, a hand grabbed him from the darkness.

Yelping in surprise, Lucas gripped the hand and pulled. It was attached to the body of a woman and she slid from the tunnel and dropped to the floor with an ungraceful thud.

She wore yellow overalls which Lucas remembered was one of the upper floors. Her long, blonde hair was tangled and her eyes were closed. But she had a mysterious smile like she was in possession of a great, big, happy secret.

Lucas recognized the look on her face instantly. This woman was high as a kite on Styx. And judging from her condition, he concluded that she had taken quite a large dose. He studied her and then looked up, squinting at the tunnel where she came from.

There was nothing inside but darkness. He crouched down and gave her a small slap.

“Hey!” she protested, opening one eye a crack.

“What the hell are you doing here, bitch?”

Her smile got even bigger and she ignored Lucas’ question, shutting her eyes again and turning over as if to take a nap.

With a growl, Lucas grabbed her by the shoulders and sat her up. “No one’s had any Styx for days. Where’d you get yours?”

When she still didn’t answer, Lucas began shaking her like a rag doll.

Finally, the woman opened both eyes. Her gaze absently wandered from Lucas’ head to his feet, and her smile got bigger. “Big strong man…” she mumbled. She reached over and began caressing his face, her hands wandering down his chest, and finally giving his balls a faint squeeze.

If he weren’t coming down from his own high, Lucas would have gladly taken the woman up on her invitation. But the faint rumblings of nausea had already begun and at this point, only the pheromones of a female Karatzin in heat could get him hard. With disgust, he threw the woman down and stood up. His acute sense of smell had picked up the scent of more prisoners closing in and he began walking in the opposite direction.

“Hey, wait!” the woman called after him.

Lucas ignored her and continued walking.

“Reefer stash…” she mumbled. “Big crate… guards…”

He spun around. “What did you say?”

When she didn’t answer, he ran back and picked up by the shoulders. “What did you say?”

But it was too late. The woman began convulsing and frothing in the mouth, her eyes open and unseeing as she experienced a full-on Styx overdose. Lucas gently laid her on the ground and watched as she finally succumbed to the powerful drug. Then all her movement ceased. Her breathing stopped but her eyes remained open, her lips curved into a satisfied smile.

Ignoring the stench of advancing prisoners, Lucas studied the dead woman before him.

He should feel pity that one so young and so beautiful now lay dead at his feet. But the question that niggled in Lucas’ mind was where had she gotten a dose large enough to kill her?

And then there were her mysterious ramblings. Even Lucas’ fuzzy brain could still put two and two together, especially when it had something to do with his next fix. The guards of this godforsaken place must be hoarding Styx somewhere in the prison and this woman had stumbled upon it. And had helped herself to too much. Although a part of his brain warned him not to believe the delusional mutterings of a woman so stoned, every fiber of this being ordered him to find this stash and get some for himself.

But he had no idea where to begin. He peered into the tunnel that spat out the woman. Should he go in there? He couldn’t even see where it ended. But his body egged him on, commanding him to find that stash of Styx, wherever it may be. And so Lucas ignored the sane part of his brain and climbed into the tunnel.

Chapter Six

A loud clanging interrupted Javel’s train of thought.

Reprimanding himself for daydreaming, he sprang to his feet and sprinted towards a large stalactite that had fallen to the ground. He crouched behind it, cut off his floodlight and laid in wait, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness and listening to the approaching sounds of someone shuffling through something metal.

Whoever was drawing near didn’t care for stealth. It made a loud scraping racket that echoed loud throughout the cavern.

Javel gave the air a quick sniff and furrowed his brow. He recognized the scent. Human, but part-Karatzin. It wasn’t Xerna, he could tell. But his curiosity was piqued. There weren’t very many human-Karatzin hybrids out there, partly because the appearance of the scaly, reptilian Karatzin usually repulsed humans. Mating between the two species was usually a forced act, brought on by a Karatzin female in heat. At least from his own experience.

Bracing himself for what was likely a confrontation with a prisoner, Javel unholstered his phaser and set it on Stun. With his floodlight in his left hand and his phaser on his right, Javel prepared to spring out of his hiding place. Might as well go on the offensive and get it over with. He knew the intruder’s part-Karatzin makeup could also smell his scent. In fact, the crawling noise now ceased and both men—Javel could smell him now, the strong and disgusting scent of a fellow male—stood stock still in the darkness.

“Stop right there,” Javel snapped. With a flick of a finger, he turned his floodlight on and pointed it to the he humanoid while his other hand brandished his phaser.

The other man squinted in the light. He held his arms up in surrender.

Javel noticed the color of the man’s overalls and approached the Level Fifteen prisoner. “Don’t make any sudden moves. I’m armed.” His trained operative eyes took quick note of the man’s size and his bloodstained clothing. He gripped his phaser tighter. “Name?” he barked.

The prisoner blinked. And peered through the light.

“What is your name, prisoner?” Javel repeated, this time in a louder voice. The man could still be high on Styx.

The prisoner lifted his right hand and shielded his eyes.

“Freeze!” Javel ordered in alarm, all semblance of calm quickly evaporating. There was no telling what a prisoner on Styx withdrawal would do.

But the other man continued to stare at him. “Marquand?” he finally mumbled aloud.

“Yes?” Javel answered in surprise. “Who are you? How do you know my name?” Detention officers on Zurin Five had minimal personal contact with the prisoners and this man certainly would not have known Javel’s name unless they somehow knew each other from the outside.

Recognition lit into Javel’s eyes the same time the prisoner said, “Marquand you son of a bitch. It’s me! Bracchius!”

“Bracchius?” Javel echoed. He clicked his phaser off and advanced towards the larger man. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what the hell am I doing here?” the prisoner answered, engulfing Javel in a bear hug. The two men broke apart and grinned at each other. “I could ask you the same fucking question.”

Javel had spent the past three years as an undercover Styx supplier, attempting without much success to move up the chain and penetrate the tightly controlled supply network. For a few months, he had worked closely with Bracchius. Javel recalled the gigantic Styx runner, a skilled pilot who showed him some of the best places in the galaxy to party. They’d had some good times together.

Javel looked his friend up and down. “Good God, Bracchius, you look like shit.”

“Gee, thanks, pretty boy. I’ve spent the last few days fighting off my fellow prisoners bent on a rampage.” He leaned forward and looked at Javel with curiosity. “Wait a minute. Is that a guard’s uniform you’re wearing?”

Javel looked down at himself in mock surprise. “By god, so it is!”

“Don’t tell me,” Bracchius said in wonder. “You work here as a guard? How did you manage to scam that gig? I always expected you to occupy the cell next to mine. No, don’t tell me—you actually off’d some poor guard and stole his uniform and equipment, am I right?”

“Nah, man, your first guess was right. I work here now. Sweetest gig I ever got.”

“But why?” Lucas gave him a suspicious stare. “Did you suddenly wise up and go on the straight and narrow? You had a pretty good operation on the outside, as I recall. You were making a tidy little profit for yourself.”

Javel debated how much to tell him and came to a decision. He had to maintain his cover. “Don’t you know man?”

“Know what?”

“This planet is Ground Zero for reefer.”

Bracchius frowned. “What do you mean?”

“This is where the stuff comes from. The home planet. This is where they mine Styx and where they magically transform it into reefer.”

Bracchius whistled. “You’re shitting me.”

Javel nodded. “I shit you not.”

But then, another rumble began shaking the cavern. Both men scrambled for cover.

The aftershock only lasted a few seconds but more rocks had shaken themselves loose.

“We gotta get out of here,” Javel said quietly. “The planet’s become unstable.”

“What are you talking about?” Bracchius whispered next to him. “We’re not under attack?”

“God, I wish. The stupid workers from the Duran Corporation overmined the planet and now it’s on the verge of collapse.”

Lucas widened his eyes in disbelief. “Overmined? That’s what’s causing the earthquakes?”

“Yep. Greedy sons of bitches. Evidently they discovered Styx here about eighty years ago and they’ve been mining it ever since. They abandoned the planet four days ago. I’m guessing there’s not a crystal left.”

“Abandoned the planet? But what about the prison? What about the prisoners? How can they get away with leaving thousands of people to die?”

Javel snorted. “I’m guessing that they’ve paid off a lot of people all the way up to the highest levels of government. And all those people care about is the money. As soon as this place explodes, all the evidence of the mining and the reefer and the ditching of the prisoners will disintegrate with the planet. That’s how they’ll get away with it.”

Lucas was silent, shock showing on his meaty face.

Javel slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry buddy, you and me go way back. You stick with me and I’ll figure out a way to get out of this hellhole.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Hey, I owe you man. Remember when you tipped me off about the contract Spencer took out on my life? I said I was gonna pay you back and I meant it. Today’s your lucky day, buddy. It’s payback day.”

Bracchius nodded solemnly. “Thanks, Marquand.”

Javel held his hand out. “Hey, we’re bros, you and me.”

The taller man shook it. “Bros,” he agreed.

*****

“Xerna, wake up.”

From the depths of a dreamless sleep, Xerna cracked open an eye and grabbed the hand that was jabbing into her shoulder. Operating on instinct, she sprang up and took her attacker’s entire arm, twisting it behind his back and pinning him to the wall.

“Xerna, stop! It’s me!”

Javel’s voice penetrated her foggy brain. In shock, she released him instantly.

Angry at herself for lowering her guard even for some much-needed sleep, Xerna turned him around and got in his face. “Never sneak up on me like that again!”

Javel slapped his forehead in mock irritation. “What was I thinking, tapping you on the shoulder like that?”

She backed away from him in a huff and took deep, calming breaths. Her body gave no indication of how much time had passed. Could be hours, could be days. She felt just as tired and hungry as before she dozed off. Except now, she was also irritable and cranky. “Where have you been?”

“I went hunting for a tool that would help us open up that panel behind you,” he reminded her. “Look what I found instead!”

Even before Javel shone his floodlight on the person behind him, Xerna’s body instinctively sensed the presence of another part-Karatzin humanoid male.

Javel stepped away to reveal the tallest brute of a man Xerna had ever seen. His short, blonde hair spiked up into tiny points and his cheekbones were sharp and angular, giving him a menacing appearance. His green overalls barely contained the thick, bulky muscles that roped around his body and his neck was probably the size of Xerna’s thigh. He flashed her a tired but friendly smile.

It could have been worse. If it hadn’t been for her…encounter…with Javel a few hours ago, Xerna had no doubt that she would have jumped this newcomer already. Like an addict who’d just had a fix, her body seemed sated, at least for now. Xerna felt her pulse quicken, but only by a hair and only because she instinctively knew that this man presented some kind of threat. Of what, she was unsure. But instinct told her to watch him closely.

Masculinity oozed from his every pore and as their eyes met, the smile died from his lips. Her face burned from the intensity of his gaze. Leaning forward, he sniffed the air sharply and narrowed his eyes. And then, he gave a low hissing sound that sent a quiver down Xerna’s spine.

The small Karatzin part of her brain recognized the primal invitation and her mouth opened a fraction as her tongue moistened her lips.

He knew.

“Bracchius!” came a sharp cry from Javel. Her partner’s hand shot out and grabbed the taller man’s bicep. The spell was broken and Xerna and Bracchius snapped to.

Grateful for the interruption, she sank back into the shadows of the cave and took large gulps of air, grateful for the darkness. She was mortified. It was bad enough that she had to be with Javel at a time like this, but now there were two of them?

With visible effort, Bracchius tore his gaze away from Xerna and turned to Javel with a weak grin. “Sorry man, you shoulda warned me.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t thinking.” Javel shook his head. “Just watch it, okay? She’s not herself.”

Bracchius glanced back at her. “Yeah, that’s putting it mildly.” And then he sniffed again towards Javel this time and with an arched brow, asked, “You and her?”

“No!” Xerna interrupted, marching forward. “It’s not like that.” She turned to Javel and asked sharply, “Who is he?”

“You all right?” Javel reached over and laid a hand on her neck.

Xerna knew he meant the touch to soothe, but it irritated her and she drew away. “Never mind that,” she spat. Eyeing Bracchius with suspicion, she asked her partner, “What are you doing with a Level Fifteen prisoner?”

“Xerna Ariante, may I present Lucas Bracchius of Upsilon Three,” Javel said with flourish. “He and I go way back.”

“Is that right?” Xerna kept a wary on eye Bracchius. “What are you in here for?”

“Drug running,” Bracchius answered with the wide-eyed innocence of a habitual liar. “Possession too, with intent to sell. All trumped up of course. I’m nothing but a lowly shuttlecraft pilot.”

“Of course,” Xerna agreed with barely disguised sarcasm. The man looked like a dealer through and through. “And you’re part-Karatzin too?”

“That’s right honey.” He gave Xerna a lascivious grin. “On my father’s side.”

It confirmed Xerna’s worst suspicions. She turned to Javel and asked, “How do the two of you know each other?”

“We used to work together,” her partner answered quietly.

She looked at him in surprise. “In what capacity?”

“I was one of his suppliers.”

Xerna’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

Another tremor interrupted their conversation. All three humanoids dropped to the floor and crouched down, waiting for the quake to pass.

But even as she hung on for dear life, all Xerna could think of was, Javel had been involved in the reefer business?

She found it difficult to process that shocking piece of information. How had he managed to get a job as a detention officer in Zurin Five? The background checks were stringent. Practically the only people who managed to pass were either ex-military or ex-law enforcement. There were the exceptions, like Rhonda who was a medic, but Xerna knew that Rigguer would never have let someone with connections to reefer dealing work here. The captain of the Garrison only wanted the best of the best, which meant guards who had absolutely zero ties within the inmate population to avoid the two big sins of a detention officer—favoritism and fraternization.

But now was not the time to think about it. They had to make their way back to the Garrison. Xerna breathed a sigh of relief as the planet stabilized once more. How many tremors had she felt in the last three days? Ten? Twenty? She’d lost count. All she knew was that last quake felt stronger and had lasted longer than all the previous ones. The planet’s condition was becoming increasingly worse.

Xerna turned to Javel. “We’re going to finish this discussion later,” she said tightly. “This tunnel’s becoming really unsteady. We have to get out of here. Did you find anything to help me open the panel?”

Javel got up and dusted his uniform. “Even better.” He walked towards the opening. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

Both men jogged ahead of her, the beam from Javel’s floodlight bobbing up and down in the darkness. The three reached the cavern entrance and Xerna mentally cursed in dismay. Her partner and his friend had no such self-discipline and both men let loose a loud string of expletives in three different languages.

Loose rocks of different sizes completely barricaded the entrance. Only a small opening, about six inches tall at the left topmost corner, prevented them from being entombed. She eyed it critically, attempting to find the wall’s weak point.

“Let’s begin moving the rocks,” Javel ordered. He began lifting the stones, followed closely by Bracchius with his own load. Xerna looked at the two men and noted that the prisoner didn’t seem to be moving as quickly as her partner.

Tearing her eyes away from them, she too went to work and began stacking up some of the rocks on top of each other, forming a small pillar about shoulder-high. And then, when the pile seemed steady, Xerna motioned to Javel. “Boost me up.”

He stopped, his muscles straining from the effort of carrying a large rock. “Why?”

She pointed to the hole in the barricade. “I think I can fit in there.”

“No way.” He shook his head and resumed working. “You can’t fit in there. Besides, this rock mountain doesn’t look too steady. It could topple over.”

Instead of arguing, Xerna turned to Bracchius and said, “You. Boost me up.”

With a grunt, the larger man dropped his stone and approached Xerna. But as he drew nearer, she felt her throat constrict. There was something sinister about this man but she couldn’t put a finger on it. His blue eyes pierced into hers and another lascivious smile appeared on his face. His mouth opened and his tongue darted out and licked his lips, mirroring Xerna’s subtle invitation a few moments ago. He interlaced his fingers, palms faced up, and held them out to Xerna, ready to boost her.

The second she touched him, it was like being zapped with electricity. A low, hissing noise sounded in Xerna’s ears and to her surprise, it had come from her lips. Her hated Karatzin heritage was again rearing its ugly head, dammit all to hell.

Her DNA must be compatible with Bracchius’ as well, which for Xerna, was a statistical impossibility. For years, her body craved in vain for the perfect human-Karatzin human cocktail that could satisfy her urges. Before arriving in Zurin Five, she had succumbed to her body’s impulses and picked up anonymous men from faraway intergalactic taverns and watering holes, always careful not to patronize any place where she might know someone.

And always, these encounters left her feeling dissatisfied and ashamed, like she had been used just as much as she’d used her more than willing partners. But despite surrendering to her urges, her body’s craving continued, unabated and unsatisfied all these years despite her numerous encounters. Her earth-shattering experience in the mineshaft with Javel had, for the first time, satiated her body and given her some peace.

That was, until the appearance of Bracchius.

He faced her now and gave a hissing reply.

“Xerna!” a faraway voice shouted.

From the corner of her eyes, she spied Javel leap into the air and land between her and Bracchius. With a mighty swing, he gave Bracchius a powerful hook that toppled the larger man face-down into the ground.

“Shit!” Javel muttered. He shook his right hand vigorously. “That hurt.”

At his feet, the Level Fifteen prisoner slowly sat up and grabbed his jaw. He blinked his eyes like he’d just woken up. “What d’you do that for?”

Xerna couldn’t see Lucas’ face in the shadows but the voice of the larger man held an unmistakable edge of warning.

“Dude, I said watch it. Try to control yourself, all right?” Javel held his hand out to his buddy and pulled the larger man up.

Bracchius gingerly pressed his chin. “Son of a bitch, that hurt like hell.”

“Sorry, man. Won’t happen again.”

It never ceased to amaze Xerna how men could do that—throw punches one minute and be best friends the next.

Bracchius jabbed an index finger at Javel’s chest. “It better not. And why am I the one you keep warning off? It’s not my damned fault. I’m not the one in fucking heat!” He pointed the same accusing finger at Xerna.

It’s what Xerna had been waiting for. The accusation that she had been asking for it. That it was her fault. She expected Javel to side with his friend and point his own reproachful finger at her.

But to her surprise, her partner grabbed the larger man by the collar and pinned him to the tunnel wall.

“I said, control yourself, all right?” Javel might be smaller and lighter than Bracchius, but it looked like the Zurin Five guard was more than willing and able to take on his friend. “You so much as look at her that way again and I’m gonna fucking tie you up and leave you down here to be buried alive.”

The two men stared at each other as if locked in a duel, and Xerna was certain Javel was about to get pummeled. But a second surprise came when the larger man sagged down and nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah…” Bracchius mumbled, “…fine. Whatever.”

In addition to shame, Xerna now felt aghast at the fact that Javel seemed to be defending her virtue. Since when did a man have to do that for her? She could take care of herself, always had. Facing both men, she squared and shoulders and took a deep breath.

“Gentlemen,” she began, exhaling sharply. What was she supposed to say about this bizarre little love triangle? She was physically drawn to both men, that she couldn’t deny. Her physiology was in charge and it was overriding good judgment. Looking at Javel made her spine tingle, a familiar and not entirety unwelcome sensation. But when she turned to Bracchius, she felt the exact same thing. It made no sense. Her every instinct screamed that Bracchius was bad news and yet, a part of her responded to him. There must be something about his chemical makeup that toyed with her own. Xerna felt completely discombobulated. Every coping mechanism she’d ever used didn’t seem to be working.

Clearing her throat, she began again. “Obviously, you’re both aware of my condition. Bracchius, I don’t know exactly what you’re doing tagging along with us, but for now, we have to get out of this tunnel quick. And I think that if you both just stay a good distance away from me, say ten meters, then I should be able to… things should be… just fine.”

There, she did it. She didn’t jump both men and she actually said something that didn’t embarrass her. Feeling a sliver of pride in herself, Xerna inhaled deeply and turned her back on them, bracing herself for the ascent up the barricade gap.

Chapter Seven

            Level Fifteen Mineshaft

With a deep breath, Lucas tried to stay his racing heart.

Calm down, idiot, or you’ll give yourself away.

He couldn’t believe his luck. God was finally smiling down on Lucas Tiberius Bracchius.

He stood way behind Marquand and the female so that he could continue to ogle her. Sooner or later, he was gonna get his hands on that sweet piece of ass, which was now shimmying up a pile of rock and staring at him right in the face. If only Marquand would shine the light a little lower. Then they’d have themselves quite a view.

Lucas loved nothing more than making it with a woman in heat. He could indulge in his wildest, most abandoned style of fucking—hell, he could even use his fists—and the women usually ate it up. Human males usually found female Karatzins too much to handle, but not him. He actually preferred female Karatzins because of the strength of their heat cycles, even if they were ugly little lizards.

But this human female combined the best of both worlds—the heat of a Karatzin with the eye-popping beauty of a human. Her pheromones weren’t as strong as a pureblood Karatzin, which was a shame, but in this godforsaken place, he’ll take it. He’d been without a woman for far too long.

But the best part was that he finally had a way to get more Styx. Or reefer. These two guards were his ticket to another fix, and Lucas was sticking to them like glue. Plus, knowing his friend Marquand, there was probably more than enough to go around. The old supplier probably had plans to sell the juice after he got out of this planet. Lucas just had to make sure that Marquand would be willing to split the stash with him. And if he didn’t have the inclination to do so, well then, Lucas would just have to convince him.

He smiled at the thought.

“What’s so damned funny?” Marquand growled, stepping next to him.

Lucas quickly schooled his features into a look of innocence while silently reprimanding himself. Marquand was one observant motherfucker.

“Nothing,” Lucas answered nonchalantly.

“I’m through!” Xerna called out through the small opening. “I’m on the other side!”

Marquand walked up to the opening and cupped his face. “How long did you travel?” he bellowed.

“Not long. About fifteen meters.”

Lucas got bored at the back and forth between the two guards and he sat down to daydream about what he would do once he got out of here. The happy prospect of getting out before his sentence ended began to hit him. He felt calm and in control, well within the best and longest stage of a Styx high. But soon enough, he knew that the high would wear off, to be replaced by the debilitating nausea. He had to get his hands on more of the drug very soon.

Suddenly, a loud crashing noise echoed through the cavern.

Lucas instinctively dove down thinking it was another tremor.

A loud cheer erupted from Marquand.

With relief, Lucas saw that the gap was now bigger and more manageable. Javel hoisted himself up and got ready to crawl through.

“Hey!” Lucas sprang up and ran to Marquand. “Don’t leave me here!”

“Nothing to it, my friend,” Marquand replied, raising himself effortlessly onto the gap. “Just up and at ‘em, crawl through, and I’ll catch you on the other side. Big guy like you is bound to land heavy,” he teased.

But that wasn’t Lucas’ problem. “Uh, Marquand?” He gripped the smaller man’s calf just as Marquand began to crawl through the hole.

The guard looked back. “What?”

“I don’t do well in tiny places.”

The guard’s laughter echoed from inside the tunnel. “What? That’s funny, Bracchius. What about all those working girls from Upsilon Two? I recall they were all pretty tiny.”

Lucas tightened his grip. “I’m serious, man. I can’t crawl through there.”

“What’s taking so long?” the female call from the other side.

“Give us a second,” Marquand shouted back. He shimmied backwards from the hole and landed on his feet. Dusting himself off, he faced Lucas with an incredulous look. “You’re telling me that the man who fiercely battled two Monacks in a drunken brawl in Ballack City—who blasted away three Juzzaarian ships chasing him—is afraid of the dark?”

Lucas had always been uncomfortable in anything dark or small, and the Styx—which normally acted as a tranquilizing agent—wasn’t helping. Which meant that its effects were fading. “Just shut up and figure out a way to make that hole bigger.”

“Oh, for crying out loud…”

“C’mon man,” Lucas practically begged. There was no way he was going through that small tunnel. He would die.

“Hey Xerna!” Marquand called out. “Stand back!”

“What are you doing?” the female asked from the other side.

“Just stand back, all right?”

Marquand took position right in front of the hole, about three meters away and unholstered his phaser. With a determined set of his jaw, he took aim and blasted a good chunk of the rocks away from the opening.

While the hole still wasn’t large enough to walk upright, it was definitely a lot more manageable for Lucas than the original one.

The two men scrambled through and ended up facing a furious female on the other side.

“Javel, of all the irresponsible things…”

Lucas involuntarily swallowed. Her eyes lit up in fury was a stunning sight to behold.

“Look, I had no choice, all right?” Marquand argued. “He has some kind of phobia and he wouldn’t go through.”

“Then you should have left him there,” she hissed. She stomped away without looking back.

Lucas turned to Javel. “What’s she so pissed off about?”

Javel shook his head. “If the ceiling starts to cave in on us, it’ll be all your damned fault.” He holstered his phaser and began walking after the female.

Lucas marched after them and kept up with the duo as they traveled back through the mineshaft. He had never been to this part of the prison before and it scared the shit out of him. Every minute, a huge piece of something—sometimes it was a rock, sometimes it was scaffolding from the mines, a lot of times it was just equipment—dropped without warning and the three had to dive for cover. It was nerve wracking and taxing to Lucas’ already tightly-wound system.

For the dozenth time Lucas heard Marquand yell “Incoming!” and the Level Fifteen prisoner again dove down under the nearest shelter he could find. This time, he’d gotten lucky. It was a titanium sheet about two centimeters thick. Lucas didn’t know what it was for, nor did he care. What he did care about was that it acted as a nice shield against the stuff raining down from the cave ceiling.

“Status report!” yelled the female from somewhere to his right.

“I’m all right,” Marquand yelled back in reply. “Bracchius?”

“Yeah,” he answered, out of breath from the excitement. “Me too.”

Lucas saw the female guard get up and wave a hand. “Let’s get moving.”

He got up from his crouched position and began to walk towards the two guards. But suddenly, he felt himself falling as darkness closed in all around him.

Chapter Eight

Oh, for the love of…

Xerna stood next to Javel as her partner scanned the surrounding area with his floodlight, searching for the prisoner who seemed to have disappeared into thin air. They didn’t have time for this nonsense. She gripped Javel’s arm and tried to pull him towards the tunnel. “He’s gone. Let’s go.”

Instead of responding, he shrugged her off and continued shining the light slowly and methodically through every crack and crevice around them. “Stay here. I’m going to look for him.”

She had no intentions of doing what he just asked. “Stay here? Are you crazy? We need to hoof it out of here. Now.”

But her partner ignored her and began circling the area, calling out Lucas’ name in a whisper.

Figuring that helping would speed up the process, Xerna rolled her eyes and switched her own floodlight. Gingerly walking towards the opposite side of the enormous cavern, she mimicked Javel’s actions and shone her light in and around any object large enough to hide someone Lucas’ size.

In between calling out Lucas’ name, Xerna was also busy scanning the perimeter for any signs of prisoners. Even without a seismograph, she could tell that planet was becoming more unstable while the prisoners were getting more and more violent. Even without the effects of Styx withdrawal, panic from the disintegrating prison alone would be enough to cause multiple riots. She and Javel, with their Garrison uniforms, were big, visible targets. There was no way she was letting herself get captured and used as a means to get to the surface, especially after seeing the torture that the captain went through at the hands of the Level Nineteen Monack.

Suddenly, someone cursed to her left. It was soft and muffled, as if the speaker was buried underneath the rubble.

“Lucas?” she whispered, taking care to avoid letting her voice echo through the cavern.

He had no such concerns. “I’m here!” he called out loudly. “Help me!”

Xerna ran awkwardly across the cavern while gingerly steering around the rubble. When she was close enough to her partner, she yelled, “Javel! I found him!”

His floodlight turned and began to approach her. “Where?”

“Over there.” Xerna shone her light onto a big rock that presumably buried the prisoner.

Together, the two guards delicately rolled the stone, revealing the face of a sheepish Lucas, curled into a fetal position inside a small crater. Javel and Xerna worked in silence, taking great care not to disturb the surrounding pieces of rock positioned around the hole. After they created an opening sufficiently large enough for the prisoner to crawl through, Xerna stopped digging and shone her floodlight into the hole.

“Hey Marquand,” he called out. “Thanks for uncovering me.”

“What am I, chopped Monack?” Xerna muttered under her breath.

“Don’t thank me,” Javel answered, reaching down to grab Lucas’ arm. “Thank Xerna. She’s the one who found you.” He heaved the heavier man up and out of the hole.

“What happened?” Xerna asked, trying hard to hide her impatience.

Lucas brushed the dirt off his clothes. “I was running towards the both of you after you gave the all-clear but I must have stepped into this hole. And then this rock came out of nowhere and just my luck, happened to rest itself right on top of me.” He collapsed and gave a shuddering sigh.

Javel shone his floodlight all over Lucas. “Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, presumably looking for a potential wound.

“No man, just my pride,” Lucas responded with a wince.

“So let’s keep moving then,” Xerna said impatiently.

Once more, Javel extended a hand to Lucas and pulled the prisoner to his feet in a smooth motion. But as the Level Fifteen inmate stood up, he took two uncertain steps, staggered forward, and then collapsed face down.

Javel rushed to his side. “Man, are you all right?”

Lucas’ wince was now replaced by a grimace. “Yeah man, I am. But I’m just tired.” He flipped himself to face the two guards. “I’m running on empty and it’s been a couple of days since I got me a taste of Styx, you know?”

“We’ll take a break here then,” Javel replied, opening his canteen and handing it over to Lucas.

The prisoner took a long drink and then returned the flask to her partner. “Thank you.”

Exasperated, Xerna plopped down across from Lucas, her floodlight still turned on, and rested it on a rock to provide for maximum illumination. “How long are we taking this little break?”

“We’ll take as much time as Lucas needs,” Javel answered with an equal amount of irritation.

“And how much time does Lucas need?”

This time it was Lucas who answered. “Just give me a minute to recover. My muscles got a little cramped in there. I just need to stretch them to get them fully functioning again.”

And so they huddled together in silence, listening to the sounds of the crumbling cavern all around them. Unable to help herself, Xerna began watching Javel closely. Sighing heavily, she reluctantly conceded what was an unmistakable fact—virile, graceful and reptile-strong inspite of his pretty boy looks, Javel Marquand gave off a sexy masculine vibe that most women would find at least tantalizing if not downright irresistible. As she pondered the enigma that was Javel, his eyes suddenly met hers and Xerna’s scowl deepened. But the cocky grin that the smart ass flashed in her direction lightened both her frown and her heart.

“See something you like?” Javel asked, his tone playful.

“In your dreams,” she mumbled.

Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away as she heard something that grabbed her attention.

It was a pair of steady, rhythmic beats, one fast and rapid-fire, the other slower and more constant. Xerna had no idea what was making the sounds.

She cocked her head. “You guys hear that?”

Javel raised his brows. “Hear what?”

“That,” she insisted. The sounds were strange. It whooshed through her head as if she was hearing them more through her brain than her ears. Mimicking the thumping noises, she looked at both men and said, “Can’t you hear that? It sounds like…like…like heartbeats. But that’s really strange. I can’t be hearing heartbeats, can I?”

Both men exchanged a look.

“What?”

“You’ve never been able to do that before?” Lucas asked curiously.

“Do what?”

“Hear another person’s heart beating.”

She frowned. “No. Who can do that?”

“Well, Karatzins can. Aren’t you part-Karatzin?”

Her frown deepened. “Yeah, I am. So you’re telling me that this is a Karatzin trait?”

Both men nodded.

“But I’ve never heard that before. No one in my family can do it.”

“Are you sure?” Javel asked, an eyebrow raised.

Come to think of it, she wasn’t sure. Her parents never spoke of their Karatzin heritage, and when they did, it was only to denigrate it and tell her never to speak of it to anyone.

Suddenly, voices echoed through the cavern.

“Prisoners,” Javel hissed. Immediately, he and Xerna extinguished their lights.

The trio froze, not daring to move a muscle. The sound of a pack of prisoners—loud and violent—tore through the cavern. They carried flaming torches which gave the cavern a warm, eerie glow. Shadows danced across the walls. The inmates continued their march meters away from the trio, trampling over everything in their path. Xerna held her breath and stilled her body.

When she could no longer see the glow from their torches, Xerna turned her floodlight back on.

“What are you doing?” Javel lunged for her and with one quick flick, turned her light off and plunged them back into total darkness.

“What are you doing?” she hissed, swatting his hand away. “We need to get out of here before those prisoners return. How are we supposed to find our way out of here without illumination?”

But as she tried to turn her light on one more time, she felt a swoosh and then suddenly, she held nothing but empty air.

“Sorry,” Javel said, his voice a lazy drawl. “I can’t let you have this. Not if you’re gonna use it for evil.”

“Will you quit playing games?” she asked irritably. “Give me my floodlight back or we’ll never get out of here alive.”

“Sure we will,” he said. Suddenly, Xerna felt Javel’s fingers intertwine with her own. “I’ll lead the way.”

His touch sent jolts of current up her spine and she had to clear her throat to speak. “You’ll lead the way,” she echoed with sarcasm. “And how exactly do you intend to do that? It’s pitch black in here.”

“We stand a better chance of reaching the mineshaft if we don’t advertise our presence. Can’t you smell them?”

A quick whiff of the air revealed the looming presence of more prisoners, roaming in and out of the breached tunnels like a pack of marauding bearcats. Javel was right. If the prisoners found them, who knew what they would do to two Garrison guards? Xerna had gruesome images of her hands sliced off and used on the elevator touchpads.

Still, the darkness gave her the willies. “That still doesn’t answer my question. How the hell are we supposed to find our way in the dark?”

She heard him sigh sharply.

“Xerna,” he said, his voice a mixture of patience and exasperation. “You’re part-reptile. Reptiles can see in the dark. Isn’t it about time you started using that particular super-sense of yours?”

“What are you talking about? I can’t see in the dark. No one can. I’ve never heard of such a thing existing outside the animal kingdom.”

“Then you’re just going to have to trust me to lead the way now, don’t you?”

“Lead the way how? Are you telling me you can see in the dark?” Xerna felt his grip tighten.

And then he said, “Yes, that is correct,” without further elaboration.

Now what kind of explanation was that? “You can? Since when?”

“We don’t have time for a history lesson right now.” His voice held a trace of amusement.

“But the cavern is extremely dangerous. There’s all kinds of debris and falling objects and who knows what else. Going without a light is suicide!”

Lucas interrupted. “Xerna,” his voice was a growl. “Close your eyes.”

She glanced sharply at the direction of his voice. “What??”

“Bracchius, we don’t have time for this…” Javel complained.

“Marquand, it’ll just take a minute. She’ll get it right away.” And then his voice turned to her. “Won’t you?”

“Won’t I what?” Xerna asked, confusion thick in her voice.

“Learn how to see in the dark.”

She guffawed in disbelief. “What? You can’t learn to see in the dark. That’s ridiculous.” Xerna turned to Javel. “So you’re telling me that the two of you are capable of seeing in the dark?”

“Not see exactly,” Lucas explained. “I mean, it’s not like wearing night-sight eyebands. All we can see are shapes and silhouettes. I can see the shape of your head but not the specific contours of your eyes or nose or mouth.”

“I see,” Xerna said, not really seeing at all.

Javel blew an exasperated breath. “No, you don’t. Can we do this later? Much later, as in when we’ve gotten out of this hellhole of a planet?”

“Javel on the other hand has thermal vision in addition to night-sight.”

“Thermal vision? What’s that?”

“He can sense heat patterns as well as see people in the dark. He can tell if someone is dead or alive by the amount of heat they’re emitting.”

“This is ridiculous. And all Karatzins can do this? How come I didn’t know about it?”

“Maybe it’s because you’ve avoided all contact with other Karatzins and never bothered to learn anything about that part of yourself.” Javel’s voice was still a lazy drawl but Xerna detected a trace of accusation.

“That’s ridiculous,” she repeated, more defensively this time. “I don’t hang around Monacks either but I know all about their physiology.”

“Which is all the more surprising that you don’t know anything about your own kind.”

“I hardly think that my one-eighth Karatzin makeup classifies me as being kin to full-blooded Karatzins!”

“Whatever. The point is, you know nothing about what Karatzins can and cannot do apart from what you yourself are capable of. So you have the enhanced senses which you like, and the estrus which you hate—”

Mortified, Xerna opened her mouth to protest, but Javel continued talking over her.

“—so you think that’s all we can do. But being a Karatzin means so much more. A lot of it’s misunderstood, which is why so many other species hate us. Our night-sight is one of those things that gets misunderstood. People think we can see through objects and that makes them feel extremely threatened. But night-sight is just that—the ability to see in the dark.”

“And you have this—this ability?” Xerna’s voice was small.

“Yes. Lucas too.”

“Why didn’t I know about this? I mean, we grew up side by side.”

She heard him blow a breath. “I developed it after I left home.”

“I see.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. This was all too incredible.

“We should see if she can do it,” Lucas said to Javel.

“No way, she’s too closed about it. She won’t accept it. She’ll fight it.”

Xerna’s eyes widened. “You mean, you can teach me how to do it?”

Lucas said “Yes” the exact same time Javel said “No.”

“No,” Javel repeated. “It takes years and training and she’s too old to learn.”

Since when was twenty-nine ancient? “Gee, thanks a lot.”

“You never know, she might be a natural,” Lucas protested. “We should at least let her try. And maybe it’s latent with her.”

“You mean it might show up in me later?”

“Later, as in now,” Lucas answered. “We’re going through all these dark tunnels. It’s a good skill to have.”

Xerna heard her partner rustling around in the darkness. “No. We need to start moving.”

Even though they couldn’t see her in the dark—oh, she forgot, they could see in the dark—Xerna glared at them. “Excuse me, I’m the senior officer. I say when we move out. If there’s a way for you to teach me this…this skill, then by all means, teach away. I’m the one who’s most familiar with the tunnels and the mineshafts. If I can see in the dark, even if it’s just outlines, then we’ll be moving that much faster.”

Javel muttered under his breath.

“I’m sorry? I didn’t quite catch that.”

With an exaggerated sigh, he spoke louder. “Fine. I’ll be right here.”

She heard shuffling noises and imagined him settling down on the rocks.

“Now.” Lucas’ voice was close in her ear and she almost jumped. “I want you to concentrate.”

Goosebumps broke on her neck as she felt his breath on her skin. Oh God. She moved several inches away from him. “Wait. Tell me something first. How long does this usually take?”

Javel piped up, his voice bemused. “Training usually begins around age twelve.”

“And when does it end?”

“When you can see in the dark.”

Smart ass. “And how long does that take?”

“About two to three years. Sometimes it takes longer, sometimes shorter. It all depends on the trainee.”

“Two to three years?” she said in dismay.

Lucas’ voice sounded in her ear once more. “You can do this. Just concentrate. It’s really easy once you let yourself feel the motion.”

“What the hell does that mean?” she asked irritably.

“Shhhh,” Lucas commanded.

Xerna felt hands press down on her shoulders and she found herself sitting on the floor cross-legged. She took several deep breaths and felt her heartbeat decelerate slightly.

“Close your eyes,” Lucas gently ordered.

They remained resolutely open. “Okay, they’re closed.”

“Xerna…” Javel warned.

“I thought you couldn’t see facial expressions,” she grumbled under her breath.

“Lucas can’t. I can.”

Yeah, right. Lucky guess.

Out of curiosity more than anything, Xerna let her eyelids fall. The skeptic in her was far from convinced that these two men could actually see in the dark, silhouette or not. If that was the case, why then had Javel been so jumpy the first time they were in the caverns with Rhonda and the captain?

A long span of silence fell. The only things Xerna could hear was the ambient noise from the cave. Creaks from falling equipment. Random screams from god-knows-who. The hum of machines and clicks of AI robots.

“Now,” Lucas’ voice intoned, “the first thing you do is picture in your minds’ eye all the things you hear. Picture them exactly as they make the sound.”

After an exaggerated sigh, she did as she was told. Tried to anyway. She pictured the robots, shiny and gleaming in their titanium bodies, working in the depths of the mineshaft. She pictured conveyor belts snapping. Machinery falling. She even pictured boulders breaking off from the walls of the mines and rolling down the shaft, falling into a gigantic pool of hot, boiling lava, churning and swirling like a big, gigantic bowl of burbling soup…

Lucas’ voice continued, soft and hypnotic in the darkness. “Now imagine these images plunged in darkness. Imagine that you can only see their silhouettes. Their outlines. Really try to see them in your mind’s eye…”

Once again, she did as she was told. She was determined to succeed, determined to show Javel she could do it.

Replaying the previous scene in her mind, she pictured him turning off his floodlight and plunging the tunnel into darkness. But this time, she imagined that everything began emitting a phosphorescent glow. The same glow she could see when wearing night-sight eyebands. Her mind could see outlines and shapes as distinctly as if the tunnel had been illuminated.

She could do it. Her fingertips began tingling in anticipation. She was so positive of the outcome she couldn’t wait to test it out and see if she’d succeeded. Excitement coursed through her veins.

“Now open your eyes,” Lucas commanded.

Humming with impatience, Xerna raised her lids and looked around.

And stared straight into complete darkness.

“Anything?” His voice was hopeful.

She squinted in the darkness trying hard to make something—anything—out. Any shape, any form, any outline of something.

“Nothing,” she said, more bitterly than she intended. Surprised by her own reaction, Xerna furrowed her brow. Had she really expected to be able to see in the dark after a five-minute tutorial? Xerna knew the answer to that, which begged a follow-up question: why then was she so severely disappointed?

“That was a waste of time,” Javel said, impatient.

“Now wait, give her a moment. Sometimes it takes a minute or two for the results to manifest.”

She had to hand it to the big guy. He was one optimistic son of a bitch. Maybe Xerna had misjudged him after all. She’d initially thought him an opportunistic parasite, but now, she was thankful for his patience. Even if this whole seeing-in-the-dark exercise bullcrap didn’t end up transforming her eyesight, she was still grateful. She felt calmer and more in control, no doubt from the meditation exercises, although the question of why Lucas was being so helpful niggled in the back of her mind.

Determined to win one for her tutor and prove her doubting partner wrong, Xerna closed her eyes and concentrated one more time, trying hard to conjure the images Lucas painted for her.

“You have to synchronize the sounds you hear with the images in your mind,” he continued.

Well why didn’t he say that in the first place? With irritation, Xerna closed her eyes and fought to concentrate, finding it much hard this time around to do as Lucas instructed. Her mind saw the activity all around them—falling rocks, opening pits, rumbling walls. But none of them coincided with the sounds she was hearing.

This was impossible.

“Anything?” Lucas interrupted.

She opened her eyes and sighed in frustration. “No, nothing. Everything’s still pitch black.”

“Let’s try one more time…”

Javel’s voice cut through. “That’s enough.” He loudly sniffed the air. “The stink is getting closer and they definitely outnumber us. We have to get moving and secure the tunnel to the surface before it gets breached.”

“We’re safe in here as long as we don’t turn on any of the floodlights,” Lucas answered calmly. “She should give it another try. No one gets it the first time.”

“And what if there are Monacks with them?” Javel countered. “There’s no hiding from them. They’ll be able to smell us just as easily as we can smell them.”

Xerna gave the air a loud sniff. “Nope,” she shook her head. “No Monacks around.”

Javel spoke again, sounding like a pouting child. “Don’t blame me when they grab you like a sitting duck and tear you apart limb from limb.”

“Aw, poor baby,” she teased. “You scared of the big, bad Monack?” He was right, but Lucas was too. They were relatively safe, hidden behind a huge cluster of boulders. If they remained quiet and in the darkness, they should be relatively safe for the next few minutes.

“I thought you were going to be resting, Bracchius. You seem to have recovered nice and quick so we should get going.”

“In a minute,” Xerna said firmly. Somewhere, a yearning deep inside her suddenly awakened. It was a longing to reach out and learn something about a part of herself that she’d always been taught to deny. “I want to try one more time.” A deep tranquility, beyond even her normal taciturn self, surrounded her.

“Xerna…”

“Please Javel,” she begged. “Let me try one more time. I know I can do it.”

His reply was a soft snort. “Fine, whatever. When the Monacks arrive to feast on my body, at least you can see them do it, right?”

Ignoring his protestations, Xerna turned towards Lucas and said, “Let’s try again.”

Once more, the prisoner and the guard, united by some unfathomable need, tried again. Lucas’ soft voice talked Xerna into seeing in her mind’s eye and synchronizing the images with the sounds around them. Closing her eyes, Xerna had no trouble picking up where she left off. She imagined the walls of the cavern, the rock she was sitting on, and even her partner leaning against the far wall looking disgusted and impatient.

Oh yes, her mind had no problems picturing Javel. She could hear his breathing, his heartbeat, and for the first time, Xerna had no problems uniting sight with sound. From the top of his tousled dark blonde hair to his too-pouty, almost feminine mouth, Xerna could see Javel clearly as if he was surrounded by a whole bank of floodlights, looking at her with a curious expression. That she could see and hear him so clearly took her aback, so much so that her hands drew up to touch her eyelids, double-checking that indeed, both were still shut tight.

And they were. Xerna guessed that she could so easily picture her partner because over the last few days, a physical bond had somehow materialized between them. It was palpable, maddening, and definitely frightening. If she concentrated even more, she knew she could pinpoint to the exact millimeter where Javel stood and knew he could do the same with her.

“Let’s try something else,” Lucas intoned, his voice hypnotic. “I want you to go back to a pleasant memory. A time when you felt joyful and carefree. I want you to try to picture that event in your mind’s eye and see if you can walk yourself through the recollection.”

A pleasant memory? For Xerna, they would be few and far between. She honestly couldn’t think of a one that wasn’t tainted by her parents’ intractable ambitions for her.

She shrugged. “I don’t have any.”

Javel snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”

She opened her eyes and turned to the sound of his voice. “Why? Just because I grew up with money?”

“Stop bickering, you two,” Lucas ordered firmly. “You, close your eyes again. We’re wasting time here.”

“You got that right,” Javel muttered under his breath.

“Shut up.” Closing her eyes once more, Xerna took a deep breath and tried to summon the peaceful state she’d been in just a few moments ago.

“Now, where were we?” Lucas intoned, his voice surprisingly un-drug runner-like. “Ah, yes. Happy memory. Dig it up. It’s the fastest way to make your night-sight work.”

“I already told you, I don’t have any.”

“It doesn’t have to be from your childhood. It can be more recent. Anything will do. A good meal, a relaxing massage, sex…”

Sex.

Xerna had never had sex outside of her cycle. She honestly didn’t know how it worked when she wasn’t in heat. The sexual experiences she’d had were not something she would call pleasant or joyful, at least not until the very end when she would orgasm like a cyclone. And even then, it was more of a catharsis. No, the words she would use to describe it would be more like battle and struggle. For her, sex was associated with the futile resistance to her cycle and her reluctant succumbing to her body’s chemistry. She’d never made love and never been made love to.

The closest she’d come to was four days ago in the mineshaft with Javel. Reluctantly, Xerna allowed herself to recall their frenzied lovemaking deep in a tunnel identical to this very same one on the other side of the prison.

It had been the singular most erotic and sexually satisfying moment of her life. Did that count for pleasant? Not even her experience with that handsome Banoi guard last year had come close. Apart from the fact that Javel instinctively knew where and when to touch her, Xerna had also felt a deep emotional bond, almost as if their souls talked each time he’d plunged himself deeply into her. In the middle of it all, she’d actually prayed that it would never end, that he would find the strength to keep going forever.

But immediately afterwards, after the orgasm that almost blasted the top of her head off, she’d been on a verge of a panic attack so intense she thought she was about to suffocate. Remembering with dreadful clarity, Xerna saw herself run away in alarm, from Javel, from herself—she hadn’t quite sorted everything out just yet. The tumble of emotions had been confusing and overpowering but she was sure of one thing—that what she felt for him had been so completely overwhelming that it had frightened the holy shit out of her.

But if there was one thing Xerna was not, it was a coward. So Javel scared the crap out of her. The questions was, why? She’d faced and triumphed over situations that were a whole hell of a lot scarier than this. He didn’t even look that dangerous, with those squinty eyes and too-full mouth.

“Are you picturing something happy?” Lucas interrupted.

She wouldn’t exactly call what she’d been thinking about happy, but she figured it was close enough. “Yeah, I am.”

“Now feel the memory move through you. I want you to concentrate on really being back there. I want you to feel it and smell it and touch it like you’re living it once again.”

Xerna’s breathing accelerated as she followed Lucas’ instructions. In the back of her mind, she knew this wasn’t a very good idea, not with two very masculine, very hot, very willing partners scant meters away from her. Her lips parted ever so slightly and she began breathing through her mouth. Her skin felt warmer and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. And unconsciously, her mouth curled into a smile.

If his claims about his night-sight were true, then Javel could see every change going through her right now. That thought sent a gush of moist heat between her legs. Through her closed eyes, she could feel his heart beat in unison with her own and his breathing became shallow.

This was so not a good idea.

“Now, open your eyes.” Lucas instructed.

Her eyes popped open and sought Javel’s.

But all she could see was more inky nothingness.

Her heart still racing, it took her a second to realize that the experiment had failed again. Forgetting her hormones for a second, her insides churned in disappointment.

“Anything?” Lucas asked expectantly.

Xerna abruptly stood up. “That was a fucking waste of time.” Anger seethed through her, although what had she expected? Neither her part-Karatzin parents had night-sight, not that she could recall anyway. All that stupid experiment had managed to do was stir her cycle once more.

“Don’t be disappointed.” Lucas stood up, his voice a comforting tone. “It takes years to develop the sight, and we usually start training at an earlier age. It was worth a try. I needed to rest anyway. My knees feel like rubber.”

Xerna felt a twinge of guilt. She’d forgotten about Lucas’ withdrawal. “Is it bad?”

“I’m fine now.”

After a pause, she blurted, “Thank you.”

“For what?” His voice was a soft growl.

“For that. For your patience. You’re a really good teacher.”

She heard him chuckle. “Can’t be that good if you still can’t see in the dark.”

“But you certainly have the patience and the gentleness to be a teacher. Maybe after you get out of here, you can quit your reefer running and do something more respectable.”

Now he gave a full belly laugh. “Are you kidding? With the way I look? Mamas won’t let their children near me.”

She suddenly felt a hand encircle her wrist. “Okay children, break time’s over,” Javel said, tugging her. “Time to play ‘follow-the-leader.’ And I want everyone silent as the grave, you got that?”

Xerna shuffled up and began walking with Javel, careful to keep close. The disappointment she’d felt at her failure was still there, but now, a burning curiosity filled her. “Why didn’t it work?”

He paused as if uncertain what to say. “There could be dozens of reasons,” he hedged.

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“What? Tell me. I’ll try harder to get rid of it. I’ll fix it.”

He sighed dramatically. “Oh Xerna…”

“What?”

He suddenly halted, pulling her to a stop next to him. “Don’t you get it?”

She shook her head, confused. “Get what?”

“My guess is that you won’t get the sight until you start accepting that part of yourself. Don’t fight it. You need to embrace it, wallow in it, swim in it until your fingers get all pruney.”

Xerna chuckled. “I didn’t realize you were such a spiritual kind of guy.”

“Laugh all you want but I think I’m right on.”

“What does my acceptance or non-acceptance of my Karatzin heritage have anything to do with it? It doesn’t make sense. I can either do the steps and learn how to acquire night-sight, or I don’t. Simple as that.”

Javel sighed. “Whatever you say.”

And then, quickening his speed, he dragged her towards the mouth of another tunnel in the far opposite direction of the one they came out from.

She didn’t think it possible, but the long tunnel was even darker than the cavern. She stumbled and felt Javel’s strong arms wrap around her.

“Careful,” he mumbled into her ear, his breath hot against her skin.

Xerna felt a shiver through her spine. “Thanks,” she muttered, not trusting herself to say more.

And then, the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel suddenly materialized. It came from a doorway at the far end that lead into the prison.

Chapter Nine

Even mangled the way it was, never had the sight of a door brought Xerna such intense joy and relief.

As silently as possible, the trio walked all the way through the end of the maintenance tunnel. But what should have been a doorway the end was now a twisted, angry heap of metal, crushed to the ground by fallen rocks. Xerna turned her floodlight to its lowest possible setting and fisted a hand up. Recognizing the signal to freeze, both men’s footfalls ceased behind her.

Light shone brightly through the small deformed opening at their feet, about a meter wide and a quarter of a meter tall. Xerna dropped to the ground and peered through the opening, her eyes widening at the scene before her.

They had somehow ended up one floor above on level fourteen. Xerna recognized the aqua stripe along the walls. Grateful for the unexpected luck, Xerna guessed that a quake repositioned the tunnel and angled it to the level right above it.

Turning to the men behind her, she murmured “Standby.” Javel and Bracchius had also dropped down and were now peering through the hole with her.

“Anything interesting?” her partner whispered.

The damage to the aqua level was equally catastrophic as the floors below. The overhead lights flickered on and off. Cracks appeared on the walls and sparks ignited from electrical wires ripped from their casings. Parts of pipes that normally snaked the ceiling hung limp and broken, spewing out whatever contents they originally transported.

Lucky for them, these particular pipes normally carried food.

Xerna could hear Bracchius sniff the air. And then suddenly, something growled low.

“Sorry,” the green level prisoner said sheepishly. “The smell is making me hungry.”

Come to think of it, Xerna was pretty damned hungry herself and the scent of the feeding pipe made her stomach growl as loudly as Bracchius’ belly.

“Come on,” she urged, flipping over and positioning her feet against the opening. “Let’s go get us some food.”

Feet first, Xerna slid through the small hole which, glancing back, turned out to be an entrance to an access panel similar to the one she’d been trying to pry open. Spying the gouges on the edge of the opening, Xerna guessed that the door to this particular one had been ripped open from the prison side.

She looked at Javel with curiosity. “How did you find this ingress point?”

“Don’t thank me,” he answered with a shrug. “Thank the big guy over there. He entered the mineshaft through here.” He motioned over to Bracchius who was shuffling into an empty cell, arms laden with food. He sat on the floor and began gulping something that looked like soggy bread.

Beyond caring that insects buzzed around the food, Xerna kneeled on the floor to pick up anything that looked edible. But just as she was about to reach for something that looked like a sausage link, Javel’s hand clamped on her wrist.

“Careful,” he admonished. “Aren’t those things doped up?”

She shook her head. “No, not until they reach a prisoner’s individual cell. And then another AI robot arm comes shooting out to inject the dose straight into the meal. These were still inside the pipe, so we should be fine.”

Her mother would be aghast that she was eating off the floor but at this point, Xerna didn’t care. She joined the two men in the empty cell and dug in with her fingers, licking and chomping through her first meal in days with gusto.

While they ate, she stole a glance at the big, hulking human across from her who was making disgusting smacking noises with his lips and fingers. Her raging hormones couldn’t help but notice his own good looks, so different from Javel’s. Bracchius was one solid mass of muscle, a mountain of brute strength that some women found attractive. His muscles flexed and rippled even with the innocuous act of eating, his jaw sharpening and tensing with each chewing motion he made. His eyes were a piercing blue, and every time he looked at her direction Xerna felt like she was being mentally undressed. She bit her lip as a new wave of body heat coursed through her that had nothing to do with the rising planetary temperatures.

But even after their intense night-sight lesson, her gut told her that Lucas Bracchius was not to be trusted. She highly doubted that escaping the planet was his real and only endgame. No, the man was after something he perceived to be of greater value than his life.

But what?

Xerna could only think of three things—money, Styx, or sex, not necessarily in that order.

Warily, she glanced up from her food and stole a look at Javel, sitting on one corner quietly chewing on something. A corner of his mouth twitched into a slow, seductive grin as he gave her a wink. Embarrassed, Xerna looked back down but not before she got a glance at his mouth, lips puckered into a pout as he continued his slow, sexy munching.

Remaining on full alert, she lifted a morsel to her mouth and chewed it, willing her body not to retch the days-old food. Both Lucas and Javel were chowing down as if they were dining on fine cuisine. How did men do that?

While she watched her partner from under her lashes, her mind flashed back to the last three weeks, without a doubt the best, most enjoyable time she’d had in the Garrison.

“So, you have a favorite prisoner yet?” Javel had asked her about a week ago as they patrolled Level Ten.

She gave him a eye roll. “Favorite prisoner? Don’t tell me you have one? We’re not supposed to be down here long enough to get to know any of the inmates, let alone have a favorite one.”

They rounded a corner through the prison maze, making sure to eye every single one of the convicts on the floor. The walkabout was mostly for show, to make the prison population aware that there were actual humans that guarded the facility. To keep them unbalanced, the patrols were conducted at random times on different floors, and the same team of guards never patrolled the same level twice in a row.

Javel was making googly eyes with an attractive blonde leaning against the back of her cell.

“They can see you, you know,” Xerna said, rolling her eyes skyward, indicating the surveillance cameras that dotted the ceiling at regular intervals. “Is she your favorite prisoner?”

He peeled his eyes off the blonde and grinned. “She’s definitely a candidate. But you’ve been here a long time. Don’t tell me you haven’t tagged the model prisoners versus the troublemakers.”

Every sight and sound of every millimeter of the prison was recorded and monitored, which was why her response was guarded. “No, not really,” she lied, but she put just enough edge into her voice to let him know she wasn’t exactly being forthcoming. Sure she had her favorite prisoners. Or a favorite prisoner, to be exact.

For the last three years, she’d been quietly keeping tabs on a mysterious, dark-haired woman on Level Seven, the Pink level, where nonviolent prisoners, and presumably— although Xerna wasn’t sure—political prisoners were kept.

With her ramrod straight posture and quiet dignity, the enigmatic prisoner had to be some kind of VIP. But when Xerna tried to look her up in the prison database, a strange thing happened. It listed no name, no crime, no release date. Just a prisoner number and a hauntingly beautiful photo, taken right after she arrived on the planet, with a sadness and defiance etched deep into her eyes. It was as if this prisoner didn’t exist. Xerna’s curiosity had intensified over the years, but she was careful not to speak or even look at the prisoner for any length of time. Still, Xerna had tried to show her a small kindness by regulating her Styx levels to the lowest minimum dosages. Once in a while, the prisoner would meet Xerna’s gaze and flash her a smile that conveyed gratitude, as if she knew what Xerna had done.

Shaking off her contemplation, she turned her attention to Javel. He gave her a wink of understanding, but he also shook his head and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

His smile made his eyes sparkle and it made Xerna inhale sharply. “You,” he answered, his voice throaty. “One of these days, I’m going to stand behind you and pull that bun loose.”

Xerna caught herself before her hand went up to self-consciously touch her hair. She gave him a rueful smile and put a little flirt into her voice. “Are you speaking literally or metaphorically?”

“How would you like me to speak?” he answered with a suggestive—and very sexy—eyebrow waggle.

Xerna smiled at the memory. In response, she had shaken her head in exasperation and kept her mouth shut for fear of reprisals from the eyes in the sky. It had been like that over the past three crazy weeks. Javel would take them to the edge of dangerous territory in front of the cameras and it would be up to her to pull them both back before they got into trouble with Riggeur. Xerna hadn’t been about to jeopardize her standing at the Garrison for the sake of juvenile verbal gymnastics, no matter how entertaining it was. But she had to admit, it had alleviated her boredom and loneliness, and she had been dreading the day when Javel was scheduled to leave.

Oftentimes, she would try to steer him into more neutral conversation.

“What did you do last night?” she’d asked more than once, referring to his off-duty hours.

And often, the conversation would veer back into the suggestive realm. “Nothing much. Just stayed at my place and thought of you. Naked.” Count on Javel to think of nothing but sex.

“Yeah, right. You said yesterday you were going to watch that documentary on the Upsilon Five space races. Was it any good?”

“Uh huh,” Javel had answered, nodding his head absently.

Always on the lookout for interesting recreational activities, Xerna pressed for more details. “What was good about it?”

“Oh, everything,” he’d said with a wave of a hand. And then, as Xerna had come to expect, he changed the topic.

“You wanna grab a bite to eat after our shift?”

That memory made her frown. In the past weeks, she’d begun noticing a pattern in her partner’s speech. Every time she would ask about his off-duty hours, he would evade the question and quickly change the topic. Every single time. At first, she thought it was because he’d been bored and had nothing to say. But it had happened one too many times to escape notice.

And so she had begun to monitor his whereabouts, following him during their breaks. Xerna didn’t know how Javel was able to redirect the signals of the tracking device implanted under his skin. But however he did it, it was pure genius. The monitors and Xerna’s own compad would show that Javel was still in his quarters when in fact, he’d left and she would tail him on foot.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t tail him too closely because his keen sense of smell would detect her presence right away. So while she knew where he was headed, she could never catch him in the act because she would arrive too late and he would already be gone.

But Xerna had established one thing for sure. Javel was up to something. She’d caught him traveling more than once up beyond Level Six, to Levels Two through Five, the Duran Corporation’s offices and apartments and the only unmonitored areas of the prison. And now, despite their life-or-death situation, Xerna’s curiosity remained piqued. She stared at Lucas. If her partner wouldn’t talk about himself, then maybe his friend would.

“So Lucas” she began, addressing the still-chewing Bracchius, “where are you from?” Without meaning to, a slow smile appeared on her face as some of her estrus hormones responded instinctively.

But instead of answering her, the two men looked at each other and exchanged knowing grins.

“See? What did I tell you?” Javel said to Bracchius.

“Yeah man, you’re right again.”

Xerna frowned. “What are you two talking about?”

Javel shook his head, still smiling. “Nothing. Lucas, answer the lady’s question.”

Bracchius finished chewing and licked each of his fingers. “I grew up in Upsilon Three, just like my man Javel over here. But apart from my six-month stay in this lovely facility, I haven’t stayed too long in any one place. How about you? Where are you from?”

His tone was friendly and conversational but Xerna had a strange feeling she was being played. “I’m from Upsilon Three as well,” she said warily. She had no intention of divulging anything more than necessary. Switching the conversation back to the prisoner, she continued, “So you were a runner. How long were you doing that?”

He shrugged and reached for a piece of cheese. Xerna’s stomach did a silent flip when she saw something move within it.

But it didn’t seem to bother Bracchius. He put the whole thing in his mouth and chewed with pleasure. “A few years, give or take,” he said vaguely in between chomps. It seemed he wasn’t any more inclined to give information than she was.

“How exactly did you and Javel hook up?”

He gave Javel a light nod. “Your man here has quite a rep.” Xerna glanced over at Javel, who was quietly chewing in one corner, observing the exchange.

“I got burned by an old supplier,” Bracchius continued. “Sold me some stuff that wasn’t quite up to snuff. So I, uh, took care of him, and then I needed another supplier. I asked around, and his name popped up. Best in the business, my man over here.” He grinned at Javel.

Xerna had difficulty believing that her old friend and childhood confidant had turned into a drug pusher. “How could you have gotten involved in the drug trade?” she turned to him and asked, her voice dripping with accusation.

“We’ll talk about this later,” he replied.

Xerna was so mad she almost didn’t catch the edge to Javel’s voice. She stared at him for a moment. So there was a story lurking behind those green-gold eyes. She was willing to forego the telling right now, but she still had other questions that needed answers.

“And you—” she pointed at Lucas, “what’s your real story?”

“Look, Xerna—” he began.

“That would be Lieutenant Ariante to you, prisoner,” Xerna replied a touch defensively.

“—excuse me, Lieutenant Ariante.” He paused, wrestling with his next words. “I know you don’t trust me. I mean, why should you trust a greenie like me, right? But your man here—”

“He’s not my man!” Xerna denied vehemently.

“Geez, I’m sorry!” Bracchius raised his hands in surrender. He sighed and began again, his tone contrite. “I seem to be saying the wrong things here. My point is that Marquand and I go way back and I would never do anything to put his life in danger. I owe him too much. He’s saved my life more than once and I don’t forget a debt. So trust me when I say that I’m gonna do whatever it takes to help the three of us get off this planet. All right?”

She needed to calm down. Just because her partner was being an asshole didn’t mean she could take her anger out on Bracchius. But looking at the man constantly reminded Xerna of her night-sight failure and it was making her testy. She turned to Javel and asked, “You believe him?”

Javel gave her a small, almost imperceptible nod. But said nothing. She sensed that he wanted her to come to her own conclusions and she appreciated that.

She turned to Bracchius. “All right then,” she said with some resignation.

He responded with a loud belch. “So what’s the plan, lieutenant?”

Xerna rolled her eyes. Men. “We have to cross the prison and get to the exact opposite side of where we’re at to get to another maintenance tunnel.”

“Why?”

“Because that tunnel will lead us back into the mining shaft.”

“But didn’t we just leave that shaft? Why do we wanna go back in there?”

His questions were starting to irk her. “We wanna go back there because that’s the shaft that leads straight up to the surface.” Xerna faced him, hands on hips. “What seems to be the problem, Bracchius?” Xerna narrowed her eyes and examined him. The large humanoid, despite their rest and nourishment, now seemed more unbalanced than ever. His hands shook and his eyes were glazed. He kept glancing back over his shoulder, as if expecting a threat from behind.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, standing up with visible effort. “I was just asking.”

Impatience tugged at her. “No one’s forcing you to come with us. If you’d rather stay here—”

“He’s coming with us,” Javel firmly interjected. He walked over to Bracchius and gave him a slap on the back. “Are you okay, big guy?” he asked with concern, looking into Bracchius’ eyes.

But he didn’t meet Javel’s gaze. Instead, he looked down and mumbled something unintelligible.

With a sigh, she stood up and dusted herself off, tucking away a package of stale crackers into one of her pockets. “You guys almost ready?”

“Give us a second here,” Javel answered with irritation.

“What for?”

Javel swiveled his head and gave her a hard stare. “I said, give us a minute Xerna. Please.”

With a sharp exhale, she walked towards the cell doorway and peered around, using the male bonding moment for a little recon.

This section of level fourteen was like an inferno. Bodies of dead prisoners littered the floor, the corpses showing signs of their violent ends. Xerna crept close and sniffed. Some of them had been dead for a day or two, but a few had perished only hours before. She winced at the sight of two mangled bodies, crushed by objects fallen from the ceiling. The planet’s growing heat was accelerating the decomposition process and the stench of decaying flesh was everywhere.

Suddenly, in the distance, Xerna heard screams. It sounded like someone was getting tortured. She quickly unholstered her phaser and set it on Stun, noting that the charge was dipping precipitously low. She had maybe a dozen Kill charges left. If she ever set it on Explode, it would completely wipe out the power altogether.

She quickly walked back to Javel and Bracchius and found the two men still locked in a huddle.

“Okay lovebirds, break it up. Time to get moving.”

Chapter Ten

            Zurin Five Penitentiary, Level Fourteen

Javel ran to catch up with his partner. She could be such a tight-ass sometimes. Slowing down, he reached over and pulled on her elbow.

“What?” she asked coolly. Xerna the Unflappable was back.

“You could give the big guy a break, you know,” Javel huffed.

They were stealthily making their way through the prison interior with their backs to the walls. Javel and Xerna leapfrogged each other, alternating taking point. Both guards were on high alert, their phasers out and ready.

“What are you talking about?” she hissed low.

Javel looked back and signaled to Bracchius to keep following. He got up from his hiding place and tiptoed his way in their direction, his gait slow and lumbering. “You could quit interrogating him, for one thing.”

Holding her phaser ahead, Xerna darted around another corridor and fired. Javel quickly followed and saw two inmates fall to the ground.

“Go!” she yelled.

Javel and Bracchius sprinted ahead of her to the end of the hallway. Javel held his hand out and stopped Bracchius from going further. The two men plastered their backs to the wall.

“What are we waiting for, man?” Bracchius huffed next to Javel. “You know the way, right? Let’s go.”

“We wait for Xerna,” Javel responded tightly.

Lucas snorted in response.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing man. Nothing at all.”

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Javel bristled. He knew exactly what that snort meant. “This isn’t drug running, Bracchius,” he said, a touch too defensively. “Xerna and I are a team.”

Bracchius sniffed. “Whatever you say, man. Although I get the very distinct impression that she doesn’t like you too much.”

Javel couldn’t help but flash a cocky grin. “That’s just for show. She likes to keep you guessing. But believe me, there’s a lot of Javel love coming from that woman.”

“Yeah, right. Mark my words, man. She’s gonna ditch you the first chance she gets.”

No she wouldn’t. Would she? Deep down, Javel wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Xerna wouldn’t leave him if she was forced to. He certainly showed her that he was one to leave fallen comrades behind. He winced at the memory of abandoning their wounded captain at the hands of one medic and the mercy of the convicts. He knew Xerna held him responsible, although she hadn’t said a word about it since they re-entered the prison. His revelation of being a reefer supplier had shaken her, but that wouldn’t be enough for her to actually abandon him, would it?

Xerna sprinted past them and waved. “This way.”

Following her lead, Javel and Bracchius zigzagged across another corridor, through another, and turned yet again into another. They took cover several times to let marauding bands of prisoners pass. Javel continued to monitor Bracchius’ condition, concerned that his friend was finding it hard to keep up. The big guy was panting and his pace was slowing down considerably.

Xerna held a fist up for the dozenth time. “We have incoming.”

Javel’s eyes traveled across the hallway in search of better cover. Their position was wide open and the prisoners were fast approaching.

Without warning, she grabbed his arm and pulled him through a cell with crumbled walls. There was plenty of hiding space behind the fallen durancrete.

“Bracchius!” he hissed. Javel was getting more and more worried about the big guy. His shaking more pronounced, the Level Fifteen prisoner lumbered towards Javel and Xerna and crouched next to them right before a dozen yelling and screeching convicts paraded their way across the hall. An enormous Juzzaar led the way. The multitude dragged captives behind them, females and smaller males shackled in makeshift handcuffs and neck collars.

“You know, even if we reach the surface, there’s still that small problem of finding transport,” Xerna whispered next to him.

Javel winced as one of the prisoners slammed a metal rod against another prisoner. The group slowly continued their violent parade down the hallway.

“Have you tried your comimplant lately?” he asked.

She nodded. “Every chance I get. You?”

“It’s dead. How about communication through the compads?”

Xerna took hers out and quickly punched some buttons. “This is Ariante calling any Garrison guard,” she whispered. “Can anyone hear me?”

No response. She tried several other channels with the same result. She pocketed it with frustration. “You got any ideas about getting off this planet?”

“I’m hoping the Duranies left something flyworthy.”

“I doubt it. Besides, if they did, do you know how to fly?”

“No, which is why I brought the big guy with us. He’s a runner, remember?”

Xerna’s eyes were wide. “Oh.”

“Yeah, so can you give him a break already? He’s going through full-on Styx withdrawal.”

“He can hear us,” she said wryly, nodding to Bracchius who crouched shoulder-to-shoulder with Javel. “And for the record, I was not interrogating you,” she said to the prisoner. “I was just making conversation.”

Javel shook his head. “Whatever you say.” He heard Bracchius sigh next to him.

“I’ll be fine,” the prisoner said. “Just give me a minute.”

“We don’t have a minute,” Xerna gritted.

Javel gave her a sharp glance. “Easy there. Remember he’s our pilot.” Xerna seemed to be going back and forth on Lucas, as if she couldn’t make up her mind whether or not the big guy could be trusted. She better get over it. They had to work together or perish with the planet. He had two billion kroenigs burning a hole in his pocket. He smiled in anticipation. Oh, the things he would buy with that money.

Xerna interrupted his thoughts. “What are you smiling about?”

He shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s get going.”

He mentally slapped himself. He had to be more cautious. No more unguarded moments for the too-astute Xerna to observe. She was already suspicious of him. He had no intention of ever revealing the truth about the money and if all went according to plan, there would be no reason for him to do so.

They left their hiding place and continued to weave their way around Level Fourteen. Crossing the prison was a lot harder than he’d anticipated. In addition to the roving bands of mad prisoners, various impediments blocked their progress. Some of the passages were unstable and they had to change direction several times.

After another circuitous route that left Javel a little dizzy, they came upon an empty hallway filled with live electrical wires hanging from the ceiling.

Xerna signaled a stop and eyed the passageway critically. “We need to double back and take another route.”

Javel looked down the hallway. “Why? There’s no one here and it’s the fastest way to the northwest side of the floor.”

“What do you mean, why?” Xerna pointed to a wire that blazed red. “The end of each of those things are about a thousand joules of charge. If one of us lands so much as a pinky on them, we’re fried.”

“You’re being an alarmist.” Javel tried to keep the edge off his voice but he was growing antsy. From where he stood, he could see the exit to the mineshaft. He’d rather creep forward than backtrack on a run. “There’s about a meter and a half space between the wires. If we go real slow, we should be safe. And if we get zapped, our uniforms will provide some protection.”

“What about him?” Xerna nodded towards Lucas.

The big guy squared his shoulders and looked at the two guards. “I’ll be fine.”

They had to slow their progress to a crawl to make their way around the live charges. This time, Xerna took point, parting her way through the curtain of wires and concentrated on touching only the ones coated with vinyl. Javel, with a hand around Bracchius’ arm, followed closely behind.

Please, don’t let a quake start now.

A spark suddenly ignited to their right and Xerna was thrown off balance. Instinctively reaching out for support, her fingers accidentally touched a live charge and she screamed in pain.

“Xerna!” Javel yelled.

She fell to the ground and hurtled through more live charges, hot sparks touching her body and sending off electrical flashes. Luckily, her uniform, designed as lightweight body armor, protected her somewhat as she rolled away and cleared the area.

Javel froze in his tracks, caught between swinging wires, unsure of what to do. “Xerna, talk to me!” he yelled across the corridor. “Are you all right?”

“She’ll be all right soon enough,” an ominous voice answered.

Javel tightened his jaw and wished for that earthquake right about now. He exchanged glances with Xerna who was sprawled on the ground, her breathing shallow and her eyes glazed. She turned her head an inch and met his gaze. Her look screamed, Didn’t you smell them coming?

He hadn’t. Why was she looking at him like it was his fault? She was the one who’d distracted him in the first place by getting burnt and falling down.

The voice came from the familiar-looking figure of an enormous Juzzaar, the one they’d spied just an hour ago dragging smaller, helpless prisoners through the hallways. Unlike any of the other prisoners, he wore the crimson uniform of a Level Nineteen inmate, the most violent and most dangerous ones housed in Zurin Five. It looked like he had gathered himself quite an army of followers.

The Juzzaar smiled wide. “And what do we have here?” he greeted. His glance traveled across the trio, taking in their uniform and equipment.

His gaze fell on Javel’s phaser. Fighting the urge to grip his weapon, Javel affected a bored voice and said, “Let us pass, prisoner, and we might choose to let this little incident go.”

The Juzzaar laughed aloud, a sound that boomed across the hallway. His crew joined him as Javel took a head count—at least a dozen in front and five to his right.

“Or what?” he answered with menace. He took one step towards Javel.

And then, from the corner of his eye, Javel saw Xerna twitch. Everyone had their eye on him so no one saw her struggle to kneel on wobbly knees with a gleam of pure determination in her eyes. He continued to banter with the Juzzaar, trying his best to deflect any possible attention away from Xerna.

She had her phaser out, although her hand was unsteady and her aim probably poor. Atta girl. She crawled silently behind the group, faster than anyone who’d been hit with live electric current had any right to do. He was amazed and tried to help her by stalling, talking, his voice calm and soothing, presenting no threats to the Juzzaar and his posse.

But he couldn’t avoid widening his eyes in amazement when Xerna finally stood with her phaser aloft and pointed it at the Juzzaar’s back. “Nobody move,” she commanded, her voice scratchy.

Everyone’s head swiveled back at the sound of her voice. At the same instant, Javel drew his phaser and flipped it on Kill. He aimed it between the Juzzaar’s eyes and fired.

He missed his target by a hair. For such a big brute, he was surprisingly fast. The Juzzaar reached to his left and grabbed another prisoner, using the smaller man as a shield. The shorter man’s screams of fear stopped Javel’s phaser attack cold.

But that short pause cost him. Something heavy dropped on his phaser arm and knocked down his weapon. It clattered loudly on the floor. Another prisoner tackled him from the side and grabbed him in an arm lock. Javel ducked and twisted away as yet another prisoner jumped him from behind and sent him tumbling forward. His chin hit the ground with a thud and Javel saw stars. He felt fingers pulling his hair, lifting his head and getting ready to pound his face back down on the durancrete floor.

With a roar, Javel reached back and pulled off his attacker, wrestling him to the ground. It was a small human with a crazed look on his face as he grappled Javel, knocking him on his ass.

Where the hell was his phaser?

From his peripheral vision, he saw Xerna crouch behind a large fallen pipe for cover. She continuously discharged her phaser at the throng coming at her two and three at a time. Her hand was steady and her aim true as one humanoid after another fell.

He was no help whatsoever, goddammit. As Javel grappled with his lone attacker, he finally saw his phaser. But to Javel’s horror, the giant Juzzaar suddenly materialized out of nowhere and bent down to pick the weapon up. He fiddled with it for an instant before holding it aloft. Javel could clearly see the indicator button set to Explode.

“Everyone freeze!” bellowed the Juzzaar.

As if someone just turned off a switch, all activity suddenly stopped. Everyone turned to their leader whose smile exposed rotting teeth.

“Greetings and salutations,” he said, bowing formally to Javel. He turned and repeated it in front of Xerna. “Trinos Iomera at your service. And you are?”

From behind her pipe, Xerna raised her head and in a steady voice said, “Our identities are of no concern to you, prisoner. You will put down that phaser immediately and be on your way.”

Trinos lumbered over to Javel and gave him a conspiratorial wink. “She’s got a mouth on her, doesn’t she?”

Still pinned to the ground, Javel tried to wrestle his way free but another prisoner aided his captor and sat squarely across his legs, further immobilizing him. “What do you want, Juzzaar?” Javel said through gritted teeth.

“I want what everyone wants,” Trinos answered with a smile. “Peace, happiness, and a way out of this hellhole, what do you think?” He grabbed Javel by the hair and smashed his forehead on the ground.

Pain exploded through his skull the likes Javel had never felt before. Blood gushed from the wound as he struggled to catch his breath.

“I’m sorry to say I can’t help you there.” Xerna’s voice was as cool as ever but Javel saw the grip on her phaser shake just a little. “This store’s all out of peace and happiness, buddy. As for a way out of here? There is none.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You’re as good as dead, Iomera.”

What was she doing? “Shut up, lieutenant,” he growled through pursed lips.

“What’s the use of giving our friend here false hope?” Xerna continued, her conversational tone belying her harsh words. “Let’s just tell everyone here the fate that awaits them.”

Trinos’s ears perked up. He walked away from Javel and pointed his phaser back at Xerna. “And what’s that, female?”

“Don’t you know?” she taunted. “This planet is experiencing a cataclysmic seismic event. Unfortunately, we’ve all been abandoned by the Duran Corporation. They’ve taken all means of transport with them. You’re all trapped here, same as we are.” She gave a small nod in Javel’s direction.

Javel was aghast. Was she nuts? Why was she antagonizing this crazy Juzzaar? Javel stole a glance at Trinos. The giant appeared to be growing angrier and angrier at Xerna’s speech. Javel’s eyes darted around, searching for reinforcements. Where was Lucas?

“And you fuckers were just going to leave us here to die? There wasn’t going to be an evacuation? A transfer to another prison?” The Juzzaar’s fingers began to play with the trigger. Javel held his breath.

“Take a look around you,” Xerna replied, continuing her casual tone. “Does it look like someone’s coming to evacuate you losers any time soon?”

With a roar, Trinos slapped Xerna so forcefully she flew across the corridor and landed on a wall. With long strides, he was on top of her, gripping her by the arm and pulling her up. “I know you Garrison lowlifes have a plan to get out of here and you’re taking me with you.”

“You mean us, boss,” squeaked one of his minions.

“Taking us with you.”

“Leave her alone!” Javel shouted, trying to wriggle free of his captors. Why won’t she fire her phaser? He called out to Trinos. “Come here and face me, you son of a bitch.”

But the Juzzaar ignored him. With a flick of his wrist, he motioned to his minions and said, “Tie him up. And take his supplies and weapons.”

Rough hands twisted his arms behind him. They frisked him and divested him of all the contents from his pockets and everything hanging from his belt. But he didn’t care about any of that.

With growing alarm, he saw Trinos pick up a limp Xerna and fling her over his shoulder.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Panic gripped Javel by the throat. “Release her now!” He tried to twist himself free but couldn’t.

The Juzzaar turned, his eyes alight with greed. “This one’s going through her estrus.” He grinned and gave Xerna’s backside a sniff. “When she wakes up, she and I will have some fun. Maybe that’ll convince someone—” he gave Javel a menacing glare, “—to take me off this godforsaken planet.”

“Take us off this godforsaken planet, boss.”

“Whatever!” With Xerna on his shoulder, Iomera turned his back and began walking away, still brandishing Javel’s phaser.

Javel’s sight darkened at the thought of this monster having his way with Xerna. His fingertips started to twitch. From out of nowhere, he heard a hissing sound that he realized with surprise came from him. Blood rushed to his head. A fierce wave of possessiveness engulfed him. No! Xerna is mine! She is MY mate. No one else better lay a fucking finger on her!

With a surge of adrenaline, he gave a reptilian hiss and shrugged off his captors, charging Trinos at full speed. But his path was blocked by more prisoners who again jumped him and wrestled him to the ground.

A pair of hands grabbed his legs and another pair encircled his wrists, pulling them behind him. He was on his stomach and someone heavy and large landed on his back, immobilizing him. Javel struggled with all his might but he couldn’t move a muscle. “Xerna!” he cried out at Trinos’s retreating back. “Wake up!”

Suddenly, a sweet and familiar scent assaulted Javel’s nose. It was a cloying, overpowering smell, similar to the sharp odor of cloves.

Realization dawned on him. His gaze darted wildly, searching for its source.

In the ensuing melee, he’d forgotten all about Bracchius who now emerged from between two loose panels. The odor was coming from him. All around them, prisoners were gripping their necks and making awful retching sounds.

“Bracchius, no!” Javel screamed. He sprinted across the hallway and caught up to Trinos just as the Juzzaar dropped to his knees and released Xerna, clutching his own neck and making horrific gagging noises.

With one arm, Javel deftly caught his partner before she hit the ground. Gripping her firmly, he dashed away from the crowd, putting as much distance between him and Bracchius as he could. Making a series of turns through hallways and passages, Javel finally stopped when he could no longer make out the scent of cloves. A few wary prisoners glanced in their direction but quickly looked away and minded their own business. Panting behind him, Bracchius ran to a stop and gripped his chest, bending over and heaving at the exertion.

Spying an empty cell, he quickly entered and gently laid Xerna down on the empty bunk. “Xerna?” He began slapping her face and loosening the fastenings of her uniform. “Wake up. Talk to me.”

Javel was so focused on her that he jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around and saw the grinning face of Bracchius who had materialized next to him. “Son of a bitch!” He swatted the prisoner’s hand away. “You scared the shit out of me!”

Bracchius rocked on his heels as if proud of himself. “You’re welcome, man.”

He looked at his friend with disbelief. “Am I supposed to be thanking you for something?”

“Well yeah? Who do you think made all those prisoners fall to the ground?”

Javel stood and frantically motioned to Xerna’s prone body. “Thanks for nothing. She’s going to die soon if we don’t get water to her.”

But the tall humanoid stood rooted to the ground, staring at the beautiful guard. “What’s wrong with her?”

With a shove, Javel frantically pushed Bracchius out the cell doorway. “She obviously inhaled some of your toxin. Go man, now! If we don’t hydrate her, she’ll be dead in minutes!”

“But why did she pass out? She’s part Karatzin!”

“She’s not immune!” Javel was rapidly losing patience. “Go!”

Lucas started walking, but Javel heard him mutter, “She’s not immune? But, but—”

The big guy finally picked up his pace and jogged out of sight, preventing Javel from hearing the rest of his mumblings. As he knelt back down and undid the rest of Xerna’s uniform buttons, he looked at his timepiece. The clock was ticking and she didn’t have much time left before her airways constricted and were completely blocked.

Chapter Eleven

            Level Fourteen – Aqua Level

There had to be some way for him to alienate one against the other.

His eyes searched high and low for something that might be a source of water, but to no avail. Although truth be told, he wasn’t really looking that hard. Out of breath, Lucas slowed down and tried to catch his breath. It was a fool’s errand. If there was a water source anywhere on this level, inmates were undoubtedly standing guard, ready to charge a heavy price for its use.

Lucas finally stopped and leaned against a wall. The prison population streamed in and out of the corridors, ignoring him and going about their way. Some of them looked happy, although from what, Lucas had a difficult time guessing. Didn’t these fools see the end of the world coming? But most of them looked just like him, their eyes glazed and their expressions desperate. He knew all-too-well what they were seeking and it wasn’t escape. They needed Styx, as did he.

Lucky for him he knew where he could get some. All he needed was patience. But it felt like Monacks were gnawing on his insides and he didn’t know how much longer he could bear the pain.

He couldn’t keep up the pace set by Marquand and the female. It was also getting increasingly stressful to watch his behavior around her. He thought that teaching her the fundamentals of night-sight would have somehow earned him some trust, but no. She seemed colder and bitchier than ever after her failure. How was he supposed to know that she was a talentless hack who couldn’t get even the most basic of night-sight techniques? She probably blamed him.

He had to take her out now. Without her, the reefer would be split two ways instead of three. But he was hampered by Marquand’s obvious affections for her. He needed to somehow divide the two and separate them, or at least, plant seeds of doubt in his friend’s mind so that he’d be willing to abandon her if and when the opportunity presented itself.

But Lucas’ first attempt in instilling distrust had been sloppy. His warnings about her had been too obvious. Marquand’s reaction had been visceral.

No, Lucas had to try something more subtle. He had to drop more subtle hints, build Marquand’s doubt a hair at a time.

The toxin had been a tactical mistake. If she recovered, it will probably amplify her suspicions even more. He prayed the bitch would just do everyone a favor and die already. Back in the mineshaft, she let slip the fact that although she was part-Karatzin, she didn’t possess the unique toxin-releasing ability shared by all of their race. And a lack of talent in that area automatically meant a mirroring lack of immunity.

If only Marquand hadn’t caught her in time and sprinted her out of the toxin’s reach. If only she would have been exposed for just a minute longer. No more suspicious looks for Lucas, and he would have had Marquand’s stash of reefer all to himself.

Lucas resumed walking to avoid another band of prisoners eyeing him from across the corridors. He turned his back on them and headed in the opposite direction, taking care not to rush and appear threatened. He noticed that one member of the group was a Monack and those shapeshifters could sense fear a mile away.

“Hey!” A scratchy voice called out to Lucas. “You! Stop! Someone told us you knew the whereabouts of a couple of guards.”

Suddenly on alert, Lucas stopped in his tracks as an idea formed in his mind.

Maybe there was a way to get rid of the female after all, and he wouldn’t even have to get his hands dirty.

*****

Where the hell was he?

Two minutes had already passed, two precious minutes Xerna didn’t have to spare. Javel remembered seeing full containers of water back towards the feeding conduits. Lucas should have headed straight there. So what the hell was taking him so long?

Javel rubbed Xerna’s cheek as she moaned. He looked up at the overhead lights that flickered on and off, and finally, dimmed just a few levels more.

She desperately needed to ingest water to stave off the poison’s deadly effects. It was a simple yet effective antidote, but the poison usually killed too quickly for any cure to work. Right now, there wasn’t much Javel could do. He had no idea how much of the toxin she’d breathed in but guessed that it was not an insignificant amount considering that the brute who carried Xerna collapsed almost instantly upon breathing the fumes.

He checked his timepiece again. Another thirty second had passed. He sprang up and looked out the hallway, half-expecting Lucas’s familiar lumbering walk. But the hallway was empty. Dammit, where was he?

Javel cracked his knuckles repeatedly, a nervous habit. He debated what to do. He knew exactly where he could find water but he didn’t want to leave Xerna’s side.

Suddenly, Xerna’s body began convulsing. It was a soft twitch, but Javel knew that if she didn’t get water now, she would suffer from permanent neurological damage and die. He prayed that somehow, some part of her physiology—some unused, long-dormant, recessive gene—would wake up and help her fight the poison. Another minute passed. The poison was quickly working its way into her bloodstream, attacking her central nervous and circulatory systems.

Putting his palm on her chest, Javel leaned into her face to assess her breathing. It was shallow and rapid. Her skin felt too cool to the touch and he realized with near-panic she was going into shock. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Don’t die on me now, Xerna,” Javel commanded softly into her ear.

But he got no response.

She was too beautiful to die, didn’t she know that? Fighting back a panic that threatened to paralyze him, Javel clutched her hand and sank to the ground.

Chapter Twelve

            Zurin Five Penitentiary

            Level Six – The Garrison

            Three weeks ago

Cole Riggeur, the perfectionist and acerbic captain of the Garrison detention officers, cleared his throat to start the meeting. “Everyone, before we begin, I’d like to introduce the new people.”

Xerna barely bothered to look up from her compad. It’s been three years since she’d begun work at the Garrison. The parade of new faces every forty days was something she’d grown so accustomed to that she barely bothered to remember names. Today, there were quite a few items that required her attention—checking the arrival of supplies, recalibrating all the guard weapons, running routine diagnostics on several essential system—that the staff meeting held little interest for her and she was anxious to begin her real work.

All nine detention officers were around an oblong conference table in the Garrison Control Room, a massive high-ceilinged hall ringed with catwalks used to access the AI computers dangling from the ceiling. The brains of the prison were located here—both the artificial kind and the human kind. To the captain’s right was his no-nonsense second in command, Lieutenant Lucia Isles, who sat next to her fidgety and perpetually morose partner, Jonathan Thrower. Xerna sat between Thrower and another veteran serving her second consecutive tour of duty, artificial intelligence engineer Nya Soderstrom. Her partner, the tall, imposing Amani Viyour was next to her, and to his right rounded off the last of the Garrison veterans, medic Rhonda Alendressis.

Two new recruits were to Rhonda’s right and Xerna was too preoccupied to notice them. Every forty days, which was the length of the Garrison tour of duty, Xerna was assigned a new partner and today was one of those days. She never looked forward to breaking in the new guy but after three years of working in Zurin Five, it had become second nature. She looked down on her compad and continued working while Riggeur’s voice droned in the background

Suddenly, the captain’s voice penetrated Xerna’s brain.

“…Lieutenant Javel Marquand will be partnered with Lieutenant Ariante…”

Xerna abruptly looked up, almost knocking her compad to the ground.

“Yes, lieutenant?” Riggeur asked.

The captain was talking to her. She looked around the conference table. Everyone stared at her expectantly. Hiding her embarrassment, she comported her face to neutral and cleared her throat.

“Nothing, captain. Please continue.”

Nothing my ass. Her face remained blank but her knuckles gripped the armrests of her seat.

Because sitting directly across the table from her was one of the new guys, her new partner for the next forty days. And Xerna couldn’t help but widen her eyes in shock.

What the hell is he doing here?

The captain’s voice droned on but Xerna didn’t hear a word he said. From across the table, her old friend gave her a wink and the smallest of smiles.

Xerna’s heart rate went into overdrive.

Javel. Talk about a blast from the past. Memories of her childhood, her home, of Upsilon Three suddenly flashed across her mind and she unconsciously winced, rubbing her temples and pretending a headache to banish away the unpleasant thoughts. She stole another glance at Javel who gave her a familiar-looking eyebrow waggle.

She couldn’t acknowledge knowing him, not in public and certainly not in front of the captain. Riggeur had made it perfectly clear to everyone in the Garrison that fraternization between the officers was expressly forbidden. In theory, Xerna didn’t have a problem with that. With people coming and going every forty days, it was easy to avoid personal entanglements.

But the reality was somewhat different. At least for her.

She inhaled sharply as more unwanted memories pierced her mind. Memories of highly secret and physically charged encounters with former Garrison officers deep in the bowels of the penitentiary. That really young guy from Jalex Six, fresh out of AE Academy. The cute Banoi from last year. The brute of a half-Juzzaar from four months ago. Xerna was a stickler for the rules in every way, except for the fraternization policy.

Zurin Five had given her the perfect setup to deal with her condition. There were eight guards plus the captain split into teams of two—a man and a woman per pair—that changed and rotated every forty days. The teams functioned as independent units and rarely interacted with other teams except for the daily staff meetings. If anyone slacked off or made a mistake, Skipper, the frighteningly omniscient AI computer, inevitably and instantaneously caught the oversight and reported it immediately to the Control Room. Guards who didn’t make the cut—and very few didn’t—were immediately replaced. The money was very good, the duties light, and so the list of potential candidates was long. Many guards came into the job inevitably dazzled by the technology and the relative ease of the tasks. But after forty days, they were predictably burnt out from loneliness and tedium and couldn’t wait to leave.

Except for Xerna. This was the perfect place for her. And as she returned Javel’s gaze with a blank stare, she mentally calculated the date of her last cycle.

It should be safe. She’d suffered from one exactly sixty days ago, and so Javel’s presence should have no effect on her.

At that thought, she breathed a sigh of relief. It would be good to catch up with her childhood friend. It had been—she counted in her head—ten years since they’d last seen each other.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when everyone stood up, signaling the end of the meeting. “Any questions?” Riggeur asked.

Negative replies were mumbled and everyone hustled out to begin their day. Xerna bent down to collect her compad when she suddenly felt him next to her.

“Hello, stranger.”

Her body froze as his voice sent shivers down her spine.

Willing herself to breathe, Xerna slowly turned to face a smiling Javel.

God, it was good to see him. His green-gold eyes, as familiar and mischievous as ever, smiled back at her expectantly. He stood tall and proud, doing great justice to the one-piece dark gray bodysuit worn by all Garrison officers. Xerna couldn’t help but notice his broad shoulders that tapered into a narrow waist and slim hips. She bit her lip and tried to come up with an appropriate response to his greeting. A handshake would be too cold and would probably offend him, but even a friendly peck on the cheek would be way too personal and would most definitely catch the eye of the captain.

What she really wanted to do was wrap him in a full-contact body hug, complete with snaking arms and legs. Dammit. He looks good enough to eat.

Frozen with indecision, she cleared her throat and blurted, “Good morning, Lieutenant Marquand. Welcome to Zurin Five.”

Oh God, that sounded terrible.

Understandably, Javel frowned. She would too, if he’d greeted her the same way. They stood directly across each other, just a foot away, and Xerna suddenly felt sparks crackling around them. Did anyone else notice? She furtively looked around and was relieved when no one paid them any attention, including the captain. If Riggeur knew of their previous relationship, Javel would be asked to leave right away. Xerna didn’t want him leaving just yet.

But Javel was always a quick study. Recovering fast, he rearranged his features to a neutral expression before giving an equally bland greeting. “Thank you, Lieutenant Ariante. And may I say that it will be a pleasure working with you for the next forty days.”

Hesitating just a fraction, Xerna nodded with great relief. “Likewise, lieutenant.” Thank you. Before she said or did anything else that might get them into trouble, Xerna pivoted on her heels and led Javel away from the conference table.

The first part of her job was to orient her new partner on the prison’s schematics. With a wave of her hand, she motioned Javel to follow her to one end of the Control Room, towards a panel that looked like a large, square table made of granite. Xerna tapped a series of buttons on a console.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the middle of the table and spread across the square. A rotating three-dimensional diagram of the prison, the Garrison and the Duran offices appeared and she proceeded to acquaint Javel of his new surroundings.

“This is where we are,” she said, pointing to two blue dots on the matrix, and proceeded to give him her memorized speech on the prison. Although she’d given this lecture dozens of times before, she found herself jumbling her words. After the dozenth mistake, she smiled sheepishly and looked at him to see if he’d noticed.

Big mistake. There he stood, only inches away from her, his face knotted in concentration as he studied the prison holomatrix. Her throat dried up as she noticed the slight golden tan of his skin and the lightening of his air, and briefly wondered where he’d been. But he didn’t meet her gaze and instead looked straight ahead, asking intelligent, pointed questions here and there. Disappointed, Xerna answered them absently, working hard to still the rapid beating of her heart. She could feel the warmth emanating from him and her body tightened in response.

She felt an unexpected tap on her forearm. “Xerna?”

She almost jumped. “Yes, Javel?”

“You were saying?”

Oh lord, how embarrassing. Xerna quickly averted her eyes before Javel figured out that he had caught her in the middle of a daydream. What was wrong with her? She’d worked closely before with very good-looking men and it hadn’t affected her this way.

Clearing her throat, she moved on to giving Javel a tour of the rest of the vast Control Room, pointing out the location of the different AI systems that controlled temperature, facilities, sustenance, life support, and most importantly, security. Nya and Amani were hard at work on one corner, monitoring the activity levels in all the systems that ran the prison.

Xerna and Javel turned left and continued walking through a series of monitor banks.

“Every nook, every cranny, every possible place a prisoner can hide is captured by cameras,” she explained. She saw him nod and turn his head. Once again, their eyes locked.

“What are you staring at?” he asked, a corner of his mouth quirking in amusement.

She shook her head in amazement. “You. Look at you. You haven’t changed a bit.”

His grin grew wider. “Glad to know you still remember me. I thought you’d forgotten.”

Xerna frowned. “Of course I remember you, Lieutenant.”

He shrugged. “Could have fooled me.” His eyes traveled down the length of her body and Xerna felt her face heat up. “You’ve certainly changed. You look great. Better than the last time I saw you.”

Xerna held her breath and ignored his comment. She hadn’t exactly been telling the truth. The twenty-seven year old Javel now stood a few inches taller than the last time she saw him. His cheekbones were sharper, his hair shorter, his demeanor more confident. He walked with a cocky swagger that suggested a man thoroughly comfortable in his own skin.

But of all the changes in Javel, the most noticeable one—at least to her—was the change in his eyes. Gone was the innocence of the boy she once knew. They were now harder, sharper, possessing a hawk-like edge as if he’d seen too much at too young an age.

He was no doubt the sexiest thing to ever walk through the Garrison doors in a long, long time.

Deep breaths, girl. And get back to work.

Xerna wrenched her eyes away and turned her back to him, forcing herself to continue her monologue. She explained how the complex artificial intelligence system allowed a handful of guards to operate the one-hundred-thousand-inmate facility; how the security system worked; how Styx made the prisoners docile; she even went into the prison’s history, explaining the involvement of the Duran Corporation.

Despite her reasons for coming to Zurin Five, Xerna was proud of her job at the Garrison and enjoyed showing off the facility. She wrapped up her presentation by pointing out that the penitentiary was impervious to escape. The design was so clever it prevented any infiltration from the outside and was nearly impossible to break free from within.

Xerna led Javel out of engineering, waving goodbye to Nya and Amani. Checking her compad, she tapped the screen that detailed their daily tasks. “It looks like we’ve been assigned to patrol the upper levels today,” she said, still avoiding his eyes. She pointed to a set of elevators at the end of the corridor. “You ready?”

But instead of following her, he suddenly halted with a puzzled expression. Stopping next to him, she turned and asked, “Anything wrong?”

His crossed his arms over his chest and lifted an eyebrow. “We haven’t seen each other in ten years and this is the greeting I get? How about a hug?” He smiled and unfurled his arms wide in invitation.

Xerna’s gaze quickly darted to the overhead cameras attached to the ceiling. He followed her gaze and with a nod, dropped his arms and sighed, shaking his head and resuming his walk. He passed her, but instead of activating the elevator, he made a sharp turn to the left and into the holographic hallway that displayed restful images of faraway Earth.

He was going the wrong way. “Lieutenant, wait!” Xerna called after him.

It had taken every drop of her willpower to reject that tempting embrace. His gesture of affection suddenly washed a feeling of homesickness through her, so intense and so acute her knees actually weakened for one brief moment.

Where was he going? Xerna quickened her steps to follow him. It looked like he was headed into the officers’ quarters. He rounded a corridor and she lost him from view, but she had an idea where his final destination was going to be. She turned the same corner and fell behind him just as the doors to his quarters swooshed shut.

Xerna recognized the familiar tightness of Javel’s shoulders as anger. He’d always been easy for her to read, and now, she was instantly regretful that she had rebuffed his show of affection. So what if there were cameras scanning every millimeter of the Garrison and beyond? It wasn’t like the captain watched every second of the footage.

Silently, she regarded her new partner as he walked over to his gear. He pulled out a bottle and looked at it for a long time as if debating whether to indulge or not. And then, with a shake of his head, he unscrewed it and took a giant swig.

“Don’t let Riggeur smell your breath,” Xerna said with a smile.

With a giant swoosh, Javel spat the liquid and began coughing.

Unable to help her laughter, Xerna took two steps forward and started whacking his back.

“Where the hell did you come from?” he sputtered.

“I snuck in right behind you,” she replied, continuing her pounding. “Old trick of mine, remember?”

With a huff, he walked away and grabbed a glass from the bar before pouring himself some water and quickly taking a drink. “Yeah, vaguely,” he said after finishing. His eyes narrowed a hair as he regarded her with a smoky look. “What are you doing in here?”

“I followed you. Look, I’m sorry—” Xerna held her hands up in apology. “—I had to pretend like we didn’t know each other. If Riggeur found out we have a previous acquaintance, he’ll send you home. Fraternization’s not allowed in the Garrison, you know that.”

“I hardly call giving a long-lost friend a hug ‘fraternization,’” he protested. And then, with a shrug, he put the glass down and faced her. “How about in the hallway outside Engineering? It was deserted. No one was looking. I couldn’t even get a hug there?”

“Cameras, remember?” she said simply. “They’re everywhere, even in here. The only place that doesn’t have them are levels one to five. The Duran floors.”

His scowl deepened. “So no hug even in here, huh?”

Unable to resist any longer, Xerna ran so fast into Javel’s arms that they both toppled down to the waiting armchair, giving him the full-contact body hug she’d been wanting to give him from the minute she saw him. Fuck the cameras. She’d bribe Nya to alter the feeds later. Or offer to do a double shift for her.

Laughing with delight, Xerna snuggled into her friend’s arms and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You stupid idiot, you almost blew it. The captain has bearcat eyes, you know.”

He held her tight and a lazy smile played on his face. “I can handle Riggeur, don’t you worry about him. All I know is that I haven’t seen you in like, ten years, and you were acting like a frigid robot. Here, let me take a look at you.”

They silently regarded each other, playful smiles lighting their faces. Their pleasure at seeing each other was obvious. They sat on the couch, their knees mere inches apart. Xerna tucked her legs under her.

“You look great,” he said after a long pause. “I almost didn’t recognize you. Why do you wear your hair like that?”

Xerna’s hand went up and self-consciously patted her bun. “What, you don’t like it?”

“Makes you look all stiff,” he said, reaching up to tug at the tight knot.

“Ouch! Quit it.” She took his hand and stilled it. “Enough of that. Tell me everything you’ve been doing for the last ten years and don’t leave out any details. Last I heard, you were involved in something really shady. Your mother was having fits about it.”

He spread his arms across the seat and leaned back, his face the picture of amusement. “Ah, but that was during my impetuous youth. I’m all grown up now. I’m a detention officer at the Zurin Five Penitentiary, wouldn’t you know it?”

“I know, and you look good too.” She stole another appreciative glance. “Women must be flocking at your doorstep.”

“Nah, I’ve been too busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Oh, this and that.”

Xerna caught his evasive tone and her curiosity was aroused. Javel had left Upsilon Three under mysterious circumstances the day she turned eighteen, never to be seen again. He had stories to tell and she was curious to hear them.

“Like what?” she prodded.

“It’s a long story,” he said. “But enough about me. How about you? How did you end up here? What did your parents say? I bet they weren’t too happy, huh? Especially your dad?”

Even after ten years apart, Xerna immediately saw through Javel’s deft changing of the subject disguised as idle chatter. She got the distinct impression that he was hiding something behind that devil-may-care grin.

So he had something to hide? She’ll play along. For now. Shrugging her shoulders, she answered, “Yeah, my dad was definitely not happy about it.”

“How long have you been working here?”

“Three years, give or take a few weeks.”

His face blanched. “Three years? Holy shit, that’s a long time. How can you stand it? I’ve been here three hours and I’m already getting antsy. Whatever happened to Party Girl Xerna?”

Xerna winced at the mention of the old nickname. Yes, there had been a time when she indulged her wilder side. But truth be told, she much preferred her three-year old Zurin Five cultivated persona of the cool, unflappable officer. It suited her better and served to hide the truth about her condition. People who knew her now would never guess she suffered from uncontrollable heat cycles.

“She’s all grown up and left the building.” She can give vague answers too. Switching to a more neutral topic, she asked, “Have you been home lately?”

She had expected him to say no, but surprisingly, he nodded. “Yeah, my mother’s been sick. Oh, she’s okay,” he quickly said at Xerna’s cry of concern. “She just has some byproducts of aging. Pain in her knees and hips mostly. I’ve actually been back at least a dozen times over the past two years.”

She frowned. “So, you’ve seen my parents?”

He nodded, his face showing sympathy.

“And how are they?”

He paused, as if unsure of what to say. “I take it you didn’t leave home on very good terms.”

“No.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

She sighed. “It’s a long story. Maybe over some ale after we get off duty. Speaking of which, we need to get going. You have a long day of training ahead of you.”

But before Xerna could get up off the couch, strong hands pinned her down.

“Just tell me one more thing. You with anybody right now?”

Xerna’s face heated in mild embarrassment. Turning the question around, she shook her head and mumbled, “You?”

“Not at all,” he said with a leer. “I’m free as a bird.”

Her discomfiture forgotten, Xerna saw mischief in Javel’s eyes and she smacked him playfully, but he caught her hand and held it in his.

They stared at each other for a minute as the atmosphere subtly changed. Javel shifted in his seat and began to softly rub her cheek with his thumb.

“Hey, stop that,” she said, fighting to remain jovial, teasing. Swatting his hand, she got up and straightened her clothes, pinning strands of hair that had fallen out of her bun. From her position, she turned around and looked back at her new partner, fully intending to order him back to work.

But the look in his eyes stopped her.

It was a look of pure and intense hunger. Xerna swallowed, unable to move, caught in Javel’s gaze that was both hot and primeval. His tongue darted and moistened his lips. Xerna’s gaze unconsciously followed the movement.

Wetness suddenly washed between her legs as the familiar and dreaded sensation of desire began to flood through her.

No, this was Javel. Her old friend and confidant, now her new partner. She couldn’t take advantage of him, not this way.

Xerna gave him a rueful smile as if to apologize for her own actions and took two steps back, the distance providing a distinct and definite refusal to his subtle invitation.

As if reading her unspoken rejection, the hunger quickly left his eyes and Xerna was left wondering if she’d imagined it after all. His face now sported a playful leer as he waggled his eyebrows. He gave a cat-like stretch, got up and slowly moved towards the door. “Yeah, I know, time to earn the big bucks they pay us, right?”

She gave him a small nod, watching and secretly admiring his graceful, languid movements. Her friend had grown up to be quite a specimen of a man. If she didn’t watch out, she’d be in big trouble, heat cycle or not.

Chapter Thirteen

            Level Fourteen – The Present

The dream had been so vivid it was like it happened just moments ago.

With a start, Xerna awoke with the sensation that something wet and warm was licking her face.

Swatting it away, she turned over and mumbled something, wanting only to curl up and go back to sleep. Or die. Her head hurt something fierce, as if someone was reaching into her skull and squeezing it mercilessly. Nausea gripped her insides so brutally that actually vomiting would be a welcome relief.

“Xerna, wake up,” came a voice, distant and familiar, as if coming from the end of a large barrel. From the depths of her barely-alert consciousness, she recognized Javel’s voice.

“Go away…want to sleep…” she muttered.

But the bastard was persistent. “Come on, you need to wake up.”

And then she felt him hoisting her up and the intensity of her headache multiplied exponentially.

            With a loud groan, Xerna felt herself sit upright when Javel propped her up. Cursing him out, she cracked an eye open and his blurry visage greeted her.

And then he enveloped her in a fierce bear hug.

“You’re gonna be fine, you’re gonna be fine…” he murmured repeatedly, sounding more like he was reassuring himself.

Tearing herself away, she muttered, “I know that” irritably. “What happened?” She closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples while cursing the lights that flashed on and off in the cell.

“You were poisoned,” he answered. “Here, drink this.”

She took the proffered canteen and tipped it to her lips, welcoming the refreshing taste of water down her parched throat. She drank greedily, her headache diminishing with each swallow.

When she’d drank every last drop, she wiped her mouth dry and handed the canteen back. “Thank you.” Her voice was a weak croak. “What did I get hit with?”

“Karatzin poison,” he answered. “Except for the monster headache and the light sensitivity, you should be fine. I hydrated you about five minutes after exposure.”

“Thank you.” That explained why she was soggy all over. She looked into her partner’s concerned face and didn’t think she’d ever seen him looking so worried. “Hey,” she said, touching his furrowed brow, “like you said, I’ll be fine. Just give me a minute.” They stared at each other for a brief moment and Xerna felt the familiar jolt of electricity pass between them. She saw Javel’s eyes drop to her lips and his eyes darkened, as if debating whether to kiss her or not.

She took the decision away from him by taking a deep breath and wiping away the wetness on her face and neck.

The spell broken, Javel stood and walked to the doorway, peering out with alert eyes.

“Do you know who secreted the poison?” she asked. “Did we run into a Karatzin back there?”

“No, we didn’t,” he answered, his gaze still on the corridor outside. He turned to her with an irritated look. “What the hell were you doing back there anyway?”

She blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Why were you deliberately antagonizing that stupid Juzzaar? Did you want him to kick your ass?”

She rolled her eyes. “I was trying to distract him so you could kick his ass.”

He turned away, his shoulders slumping, as if someone just deflated him. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh. Next time, you need to do a better job of backing me up.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, whatever.”

Xerna lifted her hand—it weighed like lead—and placed it on his shoulder. “Hey,” she croaked. She cleared her throat and began again. “Don’t pick a fight and then ignore me. What’s going on?”

He abruptly stood. “Nothing.”

She closed her eyes and sighed. She hated it when Javel got all strong and silent on her. Whatever was bothering him, she had no energy for coaxing it out of him right now. “What do you mean nothing? Something’s obviously wrong.”

But then when he turned back to face her, his eyes glowed with a fire Xerna had never seen before. It made her swallow involuntarily.

“Next time you pull a stunt like that, you better tell me what the plan is first, you got that? Because if you put me through something like that again, I swear to god—”

Xerna held her arms up in weak surrender. “All right, calm down, I will. And will you stop worrying? I’m fine, you said so yourself.”

But instead of answering, Javel turned away once again and planted his back to the wall, peering out. Xerna studied him for a moment. His jaw was set in a hard line and his left cheek was twitching. That only happened when he was really ticked off.

He was right. Sort of. She should have first clued him in on her plan. But couldn’t he figure it out mid-plan and roll with it?

With a sigh, Xerna stood up and straightened her uniform. Every stitch she wore was wet—down to the tips of her shoes. Javel must have just gone to town on the water. Still feeling woozy, she joined his vigil by the doorway. But after taking two steps, her hand shot out and gripped his arm as a wave of dizziness swept through her. The room began spinning and her knees suddenly buckled.

Two strong hands gripped her shoulder and lead her back to the bunk.

“You okay?” he asked with concern. He pushed her down into a sitting position and placed her head between her knees. “Breathe deeply,” he ordered.

Xerna had never had a fainting spell in her life and she didn’t intend to have one now. For the second time, she followed her partner’s instructions and inhaled deeply, letting the wave of shakiness pass her. Raising her head, she blinked rapidly and tried to steady her nerves.

“Feel better?” he asked.

But before she could answer, the faint odor of prisoners began to waft into the hallway.

Xerna and Javel exchanged a look.

“We need to leave now,” she whispered urgently. “There’s no place to hide in here.” Anyone standing in the hallway had an unobstructed view of the cell.

But Javel shook his head. “No, we can’t go yet. We have to wait for Lucas.”

Xerna frowned. “Well, where is he?”

Javel exhaled in exasperation. “I sent him to get water. That was about—” he glanced at this timepiece, “—twenty minutes ago.”

“You sent him to get water twenty minutes ago?” Xerna echoed, puzzled. “So where did all this water come from?” She pointed to six empty jugs on the floor.

“When he didn’t come back in four minutes, I finally had to go hunting for it myself. I found some, back where we had come from. It wasn’t that hard to find.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Did you say you saw who secreted the Karatzin poison?”

Something was apparently really fascinating on the floor. “No, I didn’t,”

Xerna put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t say or you didn’t see?”

“I didn’t say,” he replied evasively.

“So you saw who did it,” she muttered. It’s like pulling teeth…

With a sigh, Javel turned to her and after a slight hesitation, said, “It was Lucas, all right?”

Xerna’s jaw tightened. “I knew it.” Ignoring her headache, she stood up and strode to the doorway. “Didn’t I tell you he couldn’t be trusted?” she hissed through clenched teeth. “We definitely need to get out of here before he returns. And before these other prisoners find us.” She looked at her partner expectantly, who sat on the bunk unmoving.

“I’m not leaving without Lucas.”

She inhaled sharply. “Javel, forget about him. Let’s go.”

He shook his head. “No. I’m not abandoning him. If we get out, he gets out. End of story.”

“He’s the one who abandoned us, can’t you see that? He’s long gone. If he was coming back, he’d be here by now.”

Javel crossed his arms in response, stubborn as an earth mule. “Maybe he’s in trouble.”

She studied him closely, her curiosity growing. “Boy, he must owe you something big if you want to save his ass so badly.”

Javel’s eyes narrowed. Xerna suddenly felt defensive, as if she’d just said something wrong.

“Actually, it’s the other way around. You may think of him as nothing more than a crook but he’s saved my life more than once. He’s a good man, Xerna. I don’t know what you have against him.”

She spun around and immediately regretted it as the world tilted precariously. “Javel, I don’t think he’s a just thug and a crook, not after he took the time to teach me about night-sight. But that doesn’t mean he can be trusted either. No matter what the two of you have been through outside these prison walls, right here, right now, my gut is telling me he has an ulterior motive and he’s glommed onto us because he thinks we can advance his agenda.”

Javel’s eyes lit in anger. “Of course he’s after something!” he said, almost shouting. “It’s the same thing you and I are after—he’s trying to figure out a way off this damned planet! If you were in his position and you ran into two of the guards, wouldn’t you attach yourself to their hip too?”

But Xerna shook her head. “He just tried to kill me.”

“What?” Javel looked at her in disbelief. “How and for what possible reason?”

She got right in his face. “Look, I know you have doubts about him too. I can see it in your eyes. You’re wondering if he released the toxin with the knowledge that both of us are immune. Well, let me tell you that he knows I’m not immune and he did it anyway. He let it loose just as I was in his line of sight. He tried to kill me, Javel.”

“That’s nonsense,” her partner huffed, meeting her glare for glare. “He knows you’re part-Karatzin so naturally, he assumed you’re immune. He wouldn’t have let it loose otherwise.”

“You’re wrong!” Xerna jabbed an index finger on his chest. “He knows I’m not immune. I told him so when we were in the mineshaft. I’m telling you, he tried to kill me.”

“That’s absolutely ridiculous,” Javel said with contempt. “He must have misunderstood you.”

“I didn’t speak a foreign language,” Xerna snapped. “He could understand me just fine. I’m telling you, that man just tried to kill me. And when he finds out he didn’t succeed, he’s going to come back and finish the job. As for why, I have no earthly idea but it doesn’t make the attempt less real.”

“Will you listen to yourself? Since when have you become so paranoid?”

“And since when have you refused to believe in evidence that’s biting you in the ass?”

“What evidence?” Javel laughed derisively. “I hear nothing but assumptions and speculations.”

Xerna had no comeback for that one because suddenly, she became aware of his proximity. His nose was inches away from hers and their eyes locked. His presence suddenly assaulted her every sense and she found herself unable to look away from his penetrating gaze. Against her will, her tongue darted out and moistened her lips, which were now parted ever so slightly.

She had no idea how long they sat there staring at each other but a small tremor suddenly shook the ground and broke the spell. Both guards scrambled for cover under the bunk but the quaking stopped as soon as it began.

For once, she was grateful for the quake. “Look, do you want to bicker some more or do you want to stay alive?” she muttered, coming out from under the bunk. “Because I can smell more prisoners coming our way and if we don’t get moving, we’re so dead it won’t matter if your buddy is telling the truth or not.”

“We’re staying put. If we move, he’ll never be able to find us.”

“And what do you propose to do about the approaching prisoners?”

“You just sit there and look pretty. I’ll take care of them.”

“Right.” Xerna cocked an eyebrow. “By yourself and without a weapon.”

He held up his fists and flashed her that infuriating grin. “And what do you call these?”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. And I’m just supposed to just sit here and watch you get pummeled?”

“No one’s getting pummeled. At least not me.” He lifted his nose and gave the air another sniff. “It doesn’t smell like there’s a lot of them. I’m guessing three, maybe four max. I can take ‘em no problem. Besides—” he pointed to the phaser hooked on her belt, “—you have your weapon. Which begs the question, why didn’t you fire at Iomera? You had dozens of openings.”

Xerna unholstered her phaser and held it up. “It’s dead.”

Javel’s grin grew wider. “Then it’ll be just you and me and our fists, babe. Should be fun. You feeling up to it?”

Itching for a fight, Xerna shook her head in resignation and faced the doorway. Sometimes her partner could be the most stubborn and infuriating man in the universe. “If I can’t kick your ass, might as well kick somebody else’s.”

They plastered their backs against the interior cell wall and waited. The smell got stronger. Xerna bent down and took hold of a loose titanium bar from the floor and balanced it in her hand.

“He did it to save us,” Javel muttered next to her, picking up on their argument.

She resumed her position. “Oh, he did it all right,” she agreed, “but to off me.”

Javel’s jaw tightened as the stench of incoming prisoners grew stronger. “Let’s say you did tell him you weren’t immune.”

Irritated, Xerna tried to shush him. Will he never stop yapping?

“The man’s going through Styx withdrawal,” he continued in a whisper. “His faculties aren’t the sharpest at the moment. He definitely just misunderstood you.”

The stench was now overpowering, but surprisingly, the corridor remained silent. Whoever was moving towards them was doing it stealthily, as if he knew the guards were lying in wait.

“Shut up and be quiet already,” she muttered under her breath. “And no, he didn’t misunderstand me, and yes, he did try to kill me.”

And then Lucas jumped through the doorway, taking Xerna by surprise. “You got one thing right, Lieutenant Ariante,” he said, his eyes brimming with anger. “I did deliberately release the toxin and I did remember that you weren’t immune.”

Chapter Fourteen

Javel jumped at the sound of Lucas’ voice.

Although relieved that the big guy had finally shown up, Javel was definitely unhappy about his friend’s revelation. But he was certain Lucas had a perfectly good reason for his actions. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time for that explanation right now. He faced the Level Fifteen prisoner who was looking at him and Xerna with a thunderous expression.

Javel held a palm up in greeting. “Hey man, where have you been?” He injected his voice with concern. The big guy looked ready to explode. He’d obviously overheard Xerna. Stoned or not, Lucas was still a head taller than him and weighed a good ten kilos more. No sense rattling the Styx-deprived prisoner any further. Javel took a tentative step forward and said, “We’ve been waiting for you. We gotta go. I smell a pack headed our way.” He gave Xerna a narrowed look that told her to shut up.

But instead of heading out the corridor, Lucas advanced into the cell. He looked at Xerna with an expression so murderous that Javel’s protective instinct for his partner rose a notch.

“How dare you accuse me of trying to kill you!” Lucas roared. “I saved your ass, you ungrateful bitch! I was your only hope. I waited until you were far enough away before releasing the toxin. If I hadn’t done it, that monster would have carried you away and killed you after raping you, bitch.”

Javel looked at his partner with apprehension. By now, she was standing diagonally with her right foot planted back in a classic fighting stance, her fists up and tight against her body.

“You will address me as Lieutenant Ariante, prisoner,” she snapped.

Lucas’ and Xerna’s eyes were locked, hands fisted, ready to tear each others’ limbs apart.

But then suddenly, the odor of the room subtly changed and Javel sniffed the difference.

It was the smell of pheromones, hot and heavy in the small cell, secreted by Xerna in waves. A hot flash of jealousy suddenly knifed through Javel’s insides. He’d never felt anything like it before and he didn’t like it. He felt the abrupt urge to knock each and every single one of Lucas’ teeth loose. His pulse accelerated and his nerve endings grew more sensitive as his body let loose a surge of adrenaline urging him to fight.

But he mustn’t. Shouldn’t. Not now, not with the threat of another possible angry prison mob waiting for them around the corner. Javel had to keep a cool head and diffuse this highly-charged situation before the two part-Karatzins either broke each others’ necks or engaged in wild animal sex right here on the prison floor, the second one being the more likely scenario.

Exhaling sharply, Javel forced himself to decompress and pressed a rueful smile to his lips. He grabbed Lucas’ arm which felt like a titanium beam and said in a semi-teasing voice, “I hate to break this up kids, especially since I’d love to see your ass get kicked by a girl Lucas, but we have to go.” Javel pivoted the bigger man around to face the cell door. “We’ll talk about this later, I promise you. But now, I smell prisoners on the hunt.”

With great reluctance, Lucas allowed Javel to lead him away from Xerna, who now smiled seductively, flashing both men a pair of hot bedroom eyes.

Both men involuntarily stopped in their tracks and stared at the female in heat.

At that very second, breath hissing in invitation, Xerna surged forward and launched herself onto Bracchius.

The bigger man spun away from Javel and deftly caught Xerna with both arms. Dangling her over the floor, he staggered forward and pinned her against the wall while his mouth bore down and devoured her lips.

It couldn’t be called kissing because Lucas looked like he was biting huge chunks off her face. His wide open mouth sucked deep and hard on her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids and her neck.

Hypnotized, Javel was rooted to the ground, unsure of what to do. Xerna looked like she wanted it. Hell, she was the one who jumped Bracchius. Her eyes were closed and her entire face scrunched in ecstasy. It turned Javel on and repulsed him at the same time.

Xerna’s legs were now wrapped around Lucas’ torso and the big guy was groping her uniform with frustrated grunts. He dropped to his knees with Xerna still wrapped around him. Javel’s gaze followed them and what he saw in Lucas’ eyes stunned him.

The big guy didn’t even look human. Instead, he was a wild beast in the throes of mating. Was that how Javel had looked when he and Xerna made love in the mineshaft?

A dose of shame swept through him at the thought. He cared about Xerna. Loved her even. She deserved more from him—from any man—than this frantic, animalistic coupling.

But even though she was a slave to her body’s powerful urges, Javel was pissed as all hell. At her, for letting Lucas paw her like this. At Lucas for not controlling himself like he promised he would. Javel’s hands curled into fists, wanting to break every bone in Lucas’ body.

But most especially, Javel was furious at himself for having allowed this to happen. Frozen with fear and indecision, his gut warned him to walk away and let nature take its course. Lucas was the larger, stronger male, the obvious winner in this age-old mating ritual. For a brief moment, Javel felt a flash of self-loathing at the thought that he wasn’t good enough for Xerna. The thought of interrupting them actually scared Javel. Lucas would probably break him in half without an ounce of remorse and go back to what he was doing.

The latches on her uniform were now undone as Lucas mauled her gorgeous breasts. He bit a dark brown nipple and she answered with sharp, whimpering cries.

A mixture of desire and frustration suddenly assaulted Javel’s senses as he bit his lip in rage. He wanted Xerna for himself. But interrupting the coupling of a more dominant part-Karatzin male would be suicide. There was also the fact that Xerna wanted Lucas.

But right as the Level Fifteen prisoner completely unfastened Xerna’s uniform, she opened her eyes and looked at Javel.

Help me.

He could read her gaze as loud as if she’d screamed it in his ear.

And suicide or not, that was invitation enough for him.

Javel strode across the room and gripped his friend’s shoulder.

Lucas grunted and looked up, angry at the interruption. He tried to swat the intruder away but Javel caught his wrist.

“I warned you not to do that,” Javel growled. And then, he let loose the strongest, most powerful hook he’d ever thrown.

Styx withdrawal or not, Javel had to throw a hell of a first punch to instantly incapacitate Lucas or he wouldn’t stand a chance against the bigger man in a protracted fight. Quick as lightning, he sidestepped to the right to let Lucas rotate twice at the force of the punch. The big man landed on his hands and knees when he finally stopped spinning.

Javel saw Xerna blink several times and swallow hard before she swiftly pulled on her suit and zipped it shut. And then, without a word, she ran out the cell.

Javel wanted to run after her but unfortunately, something else occupied his attention.

With a soft grunt, Lucas slowly stood up. Javel hinged himself slightly forward, knees soft, ready to spring away at the slightest provocation from his erstwhile buddy. Stance guarded, he circled around Lucas while the bigger man cleared his vision and wiggled his jaw.

As if waking from a deep sleep, the Level Fifteener blinked several times and met Javel’s gaze with a frown. “What the hell?”

Hands still loosely fisted, Javel asked, “Lucas? You all right buddy?”

“What the hell happened?” He grimaced and rubbed his jaw. “I feel like a shuttle pod just landed on my face.”

Javel scrutinized his friend. “What do you remember?” he asked, not entirely convinced that Lucas wasn’t acting.

“I came back in here to bring you this—” Lucas dug inside his prison coveralls and brought out a small acrylic container of water. “And then she accuses me of poisoning her. Next thing I know, I feel this shooting pain on my cheek, like someone just clocked me.” He punched himself in slow-motion for emphasis.

“You don’t remember anything else?” Javel persisted. “Anything that happened in between?”

“Not really. Everything’s still kinda fuzzy. Why? What happened?” He looked around the room, his expression dazed. “Where’d she go? I got this water for her and she’s not even here.”

Xerna.

Panic gripped Javel at the thought of a Xerna in heat, alone and loose among the prison population.

“Let’s go,” he barked. “We have to find her.” Javel picked up the rod Xerna had dropped and crept out the door. He glanced at Lucas who followed behind. How could he not remember almost raping Xerna? For her own safety and protection, maybe he should ditch his so-called friend behind.

“What do you mean, we have to find her?” Lucas asked as the two men plastered themselves along the prison corridor and began to shuffle ahead. “Where is she?”

Javel looked dubious. “You really don’t remember what happened just now?”

With a wry grin, Lucas adjusted his crotch. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m guessing your partner’s disappearance has something to do with this.” With a smirk, he added, “Did we get it on or something?”

Javel’s temper finally reached its boiling point. Turning to the bigger man, he pushed his forearm against Lucas’ throat, cutting off his breathing. “You guessed right, prisoner,” Javel hissed. “I warned you not to touch her again, and what do you do? You maul her.”

Lucas held up his hands in surrender. “I swear I don’t remember a thing!” he gagged, clawing at Javel. “Whatever I did, it wasn’t my fault! You have to believe me!”

Disgusted, Javel released him and Lucas landed on his knees, hands clutched around his neck. “I should just leave you here for the planet to swallow.”

“No, don’t,” Lucas begged, his voice hoarse. He gasped for air several times before quickly continuing. “You need someone to pilot a ship, remember?”

Javel stepped away in disgust. The stupid fuck was right. In his anger, he had forgotten all about their need for a pilot.

“Get up,” he ordered. “We have to go find her. And when we do find her, I want you to do everything you can to keep it in your pants, do you understand? I don’t care what you have to do—you can go give yourself a fucking concussion, if that’s what it takes.”

Lucas slowly straightened up. “If I get a concussion, I wouldn’t be able to fly.”

Javel stealthily move down the corridor, sniffing the air for signs of Xerna. “Whatever. You know what I mean,” he answered irritably.

It would have been so much easier to locate her with his compad, but he’d lost it somewhere between the tunnel and the prison. He was going to have to do this the old-fashioned way. Inhaling softly, he picked up a faint trace of her scent on the left side of a hallway that forked in two. Javel hoped she didn’t aimlessly wander about but had instead followed their predetermined path to the mineshaft.

Her scent grew stronger as they continued down the corridor. Javel stared in shock at the destruction of this part of the prison. The ceiling had almost completely collapsed. Javel looked up and saw the pipes and electronic components, normally hidden from view, dangling precipitously from above. Dead bodies littered the ground, some of them crushed by falling chunks of durancrete. And prisoners wearing the many different colors from this floor and down below ran aimlessly up and down the passageways, seemingly dazed and lost.

Sparks flew from overhanging electrical conduits and Javel and Lucas had to be incredibly careful not to trip on debris scattered throughout the floor. The hallway dead-ended into a T-configuration. Her scent here was strong. It began to engulf him and he felt slightly woozy. Her estrus cycle must be at full peak by now and a warmth washed through him that had nothing to do with the heat of the air.

Then suddenly, a howl sounded through the corridor.

“This way,” he called to Lucas.

“Are you sure?”

Javel beckoned him with growing impatience. “Of course I’m sure. Come on.” Breaking into a jog, both men turned right and glanced at the cells along the corridor.

A subtle tremor suddenly shook the ground. Javel swore under his breath. The quake was going to slow them down.

The prisoner stench here was almost overwhelming. Many of the cells contained inmates too weakened and incapacitated to move. They lay on their cots, hands gripping their torsos, obviously injured or suffering through the last and most difficult stages of Styx withdrawal.

Lucas walked in front, his gait more relaxed and confident with each step he took. Wondering about his friend’s improving condition made Javel trip on something. He fell to the ground, smashing his chin onto a piece of fallen wall.

Stars danced across his eyes. A pair of strong hands pulled him up.

“Thanks, buddy,” Javel mumbled.

But as he was placed upright, he looked at his rescuer in shock.

“We meet again, prison guard.” Trinos loomed above him, grinning like a fool. “I hope we can at long last be friends.”

What the hell? Javel’s insides twisted in fury. How the fuck did he survive the Karatzin toxin?

But he had no time to speculate. Xerna’s scent—he could smell a whiff of fear mixed in—practically screamed at him from somewhere nearby. She was here, in one of the cells behind him, and this Juzzaar freak was holding her hostage.

“Where is she?” Javel snarled.

Trinos merely smiled. “And who might we be referring to?”

Four of Trinos’s peons dragged Javel upright. A prisoner held him on each side while one pulled his hair back, immobilizing him. His eyes scanned the area. Where the hell was Bracchius?

He was severely outnumbered and his only chance at victory was the element of surprise. Before his captors could bind him, Javel sprang forward, kicking and punching and creating as much distraction as he could.

“Restrain him!” Trinos bellowed over the ruckus.

They came at him from all different directions. Javel spun around and tried to block the punches that rained down his torso and face. His attackers seemed to be multiplying. Javel felt a nose crunch under his fist. The prisoners were slow, their jabs weak. He felt confident that he could take on ten, twenty prisoners without breaking a sweat.

But without warning, he suddenly slumped to the floor, his hand clamped over the family jewels. Someone had gotten a lucky hit. Rocking in agony, Javel cracked an eye open in time to see Trinos’s foot crash down on his head.

*****

God, kill me now and end my misery…

Javel clamped his eyes shut as the most agonizing pain ripped through his head. It hurt to move. Hell, it hurt to breathe. He tried to twist his head to the right and inhaled sharply as more pain coursed through him.

He stilled his breath and assessed his condition. His hands were bound and he lay prone on a hard surface. It hurt to open his eyes but he gritted through the pain and forced a slit.

He was in a cell. Two prisoners stood guard right by the door with their backs to him. Javel noted their lack of weapons. He closed his eyes and turned ever so slightly away from them. He wasn’t dead so they obviously needed something from him. Probably his palm print and the security code to the doors.

With great care, he slowly began to undo the twine around his wrists, working with his eyes closed, loosening one knot after another, a counter-hostage trick learned from the AE. With a small flick of his wrists, he slid his hands free of the rope and continued to lay on the bunk, feigning sleep.

The two guards were speaking to each other in a foreign language which Javel strained to understand. It sounded like Banoi. He only had a passing acquaintance with the language and caught bits and pieces of familiar words.

One prisoner gestured with his hands. “…rumors...Styx…guards…”

The other one was more agitated and sounded like he was trying to pick a fight. He poked the first prisoner on the chest and said, “…escape…prison…earthquakes…”

Javel put the second guard’s words into context and filled in the blanks. That’s right buddy. If I were you, I’d be thinking about escape options right about now instead of babysitting a prison guard.

When their argument grew louder, Javel surreptitiously gave the air a stronger sniff.

Xerna was close—he could smell her nearby. But the presence of dozens of prisoners in close proximity played havoc with his lizard senses and made it impossible to distinguish between the dozens of other humanoid odors wafting through his cell. Javel slowly exhaled, careful to avoid showing any outward signs of consciousness. He took a mental inventory of his injuries. Nothing broken, thank god, but he still had a big whopper of a headache. And his groin felt sore and not in a good way. Javel shut his eyes and breathed deeply, willing his body to relax and chase away the pain.

But relaxing was nearly impossible. He was seriously, deathly afraid for Xerna. He realized with growing terror that she was in danger in more ways than one. That they would kill her was no question. That they would toy with her was inevitable, given that she was a prison guard and an obvious outlet for their frustration.

But in her condition, there was also the very great certainty that the men would use her for their sick, sexual needs. And her body would no doubt respond. But her mind would be revolted and that was what Javel was most afraid of. The psychological damage to Xerna would be greater than anything physical they could ever do to her.

The terror that gripped his insides almost paralyzed him with fear.

For a brief instant, Javel felt raw anger at Xerna for putting him in this position. If she hadn’t run off like that, he wouldn’t be worrying about her right now.

But his anger dissipated just as quickly as it had appeared. Of course he understood completely why she’d bolted. He couldn’t even imagine what she must be going through. He wanted to take her away and keep her safe for all eternity, holding her in his arms and making love to her all day long.

Javel had no idea what to do with these emotions. Better put them away and examine them later. Much, much later.

His heart racing, he tried a few more deep breaths to keep the panic at bay. He couldn’t let fear crush him. He had to think. Strategize a way out of this. He was alone with no backup. Who knew where the rest of the Garrison crew were? For all he knew, they’ve been off the planet days ago. If that was the case, he didn’t blame them one iota for abandoning him and Xerna. He’d have done the same thing in their position.

But that still left him with no visible or easy options.

And then suddenly, Javel heard a loud commotion in the hallway. There was much shouting and grunting. With a start, Javel sat up as he recognized another approaching scent.

Moments later, Lucas staggered into the cell. The two humanoids that dragged him were smaller and obviously weaker than either Javel or Lucas, but one of them held a phaser. Javel narrowed his eyes, recognizing his own weapon.

And then, the prisoner pointed the phaser at Lucas and fired.

Lucas immediately stiffened, his mouth open in a silent scream. He fell to the ground with a thud. The stench of burning flesh assailed Javel’s nostrils.

Javel instantly sprung to life. “Noooo!” he cried. In a flash, he tackled the shooter and they both rolled on the floor. The phaser clattered to the ground and Javel struggled to crawl after it. From behind, a hand clamped on his ankle and started to tug, dragging him away from the weapon. Javel’s shoulder landed on the ground and fresh pain shot through him.

He lay prone on the floor, pain radiating from every bone in his body. His vision began to spin. He glanced over at Lucas and wondered if his friend had been killed or merely stunned. If he was dead, it looked like Javel would be joining him soon because his eyes were certainly playing tricks on him. Lucas looked like he was moving. Twitching. Javel must be hallucinating because there was no way Lucas could move, not after that phaser shot at point blank rage.

But move he did. Javel’s eyes widened in astonishment as the big guy sat up, shook his head off, and crawled towards the phaser.

He needed to distract his attackers long enough for Lucas to grab the weapon. Summoning his last reserves of strength, he continued to resist, punching and grabbing and kicking at anything that moved.

But even in their weakened state, the prisoners fought like bearcats. Javel managed to land a hook on someone’s face while simultaneously kicking another person’s shoulder. Crawling from under them, he grabbed two heads and butted them together. They slid slowly to the floor in a comical heap.

Two more to go. With great effort, Javel stood and faced the last of the prisoners. They snarled at Javel, displaying sharp teeth.

Bring it on. He fisted his hands up and beckoned to the two.

But to his surprise, the prisoners suddenly froze in mid-attack and dropped to the floor. The second man fell, revealing a kneeling Lucas, phaser gripped tight in his hand.

Javel dropped his fists in relief. “Man, am I happy to see you alive.” He strode forward and grabbed Lucas’ arm, intending to help him up.

But to his surprise, the big guy shrugged him off and stood without assistance. Javel looked at his friend in astonishment. “Weren’t you just phasered?” he asked with disbelief.

Lucas shook his head and gave Javel a weak smile. “Nah man, they missed.”

Javel eyed him warily. “Really? Looked like that guy nailed you.”

“I said I’m fine,” Lucas insisted. “Sorry it took me so long to get here. I got detained.”

“It’s okay buddy, I’m just glad you’re here.” Javel held a palm out. “I think that belongs to me.”

Lucas dug back down into his overalls and pulled out the phaser, but held it an arms length away as if reluctant to part with it. With irritation, Javel snapped it out of Lucas’ hand and holstered it, the weight of the weapon a reassuring presence on his side.

Javel quietly moved to the cell’s opening and stuck his head out quickly, looking both ways and quickly ducking back inside. They had to stay put. Prisoners swarmed the hallway. “Did you see Xerna anywhere?” he whispered.

But before Lucas could answer, they heard loud footsteps approaching. Quickly laying back down, both men were silent as another multitude of prisoners shuffled by.

It was many minutes when the throng finally passed. Javel remained motionless and repeated the question topmost on his mind. “Did you see Xerna anywhere?”

The other man didn’t say a word and merely shook his head.

Javel’s hopes soared at the possibility that Xerna might have gotten away. But it was quickly crushed by Lucas’ next words.

“I heard them talking about her, though. They have her, man. I’m sorry.”

“She’s alive?” Javel asked, dreading the answer.

At Lucas’ nod, Javel was flooded with relief. “Where are they holding her?”

Lucas’ shoulders went up and back down.

“Is she okay?”

He shrugged once more.

Javel bit his lip in frustration. “Do you have anything else?”

Lucas shook his head.

Javel sharply exhaled. He was grateful that she was alive, but something didn’t make sense. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t get what?” Lucas asked.

“They want something. Why else are they keeping her alive? Why are they keeping me alive? I’m a Garrison detention officer. I thought they’d shoot me and Xerna on sight.”

“They want help escaping, obviously,” Lucas answered.

“Well yeah, obviously,” Javel agreed. “But they want something else. Otherwise, they would have just pressed a phaser to my back and ordered me to lead them up the elevators and used my DNA to open the doors. No,” he shook his head, “they want something more.”

Lucas was bobbing his head up and down. “You’re right about that. Before I got captured, I overheard some of the twelvies talking,” he whispered urgently, referring to Level Twelve prisoners. “Trinos was with them. Somehow, they’re convinced that you’re holding on to a stockpile of Styx somewhere in the prison and they aim to get their hands on it.”

Javel swiveled his head so fast his vision blurred for a brief second. “What?” he said, his volume too loud to be safe.

“Shhh!” Lucas warned.

“Sorry,” Javel continued, whispering this time. “What bullshit is that?”

Lucas gave him a narrowed glance. “It’s not true?”

“Of course it’s not true,” Javel huffed. “The planet is about to explode! If I had a stash of Styx somewhere, I’d happily give it to Trinos to keep him from coming after us. He’d be docile and too doped up to know what was coming.”

“Well, you better tell him that then,” Lucas said. “Because I’m guessing that’s why he’s holding Xerna and that’s why he’s keeping you alive.”

“I’d be happy to.” Javel got up, phaser on hand. “Let’s go find the son of a bitch.”

“Wait.” Lucas held his arm in a grip as strong as steel.

“What?”

“You sure you don’t have a supply with you?”

Javel shrugged his arm off with a grunt. “Of course I don’t. And even if I did, I wouldn’t be hoarding it. I’d be giving it away like candy, believe me. It’d be a lot easier getting through a phalanx of prisoners high on Styx.”

But he got the feeling that Lucas didn’t entirely believe him. “You think I’m lying?”

Lucas shrugged. “Whatever, man. Let’s go.”

Pausing for an instant, Javel shook off his unease and rescanned the area. There were prisoners about but none of them looked like they belonged in Trinos’s posse.

They needed to blend in. Javel glanced at the dead prisoners on the floor. They were all enormous brutes. Walking towards the shortest one, who was still a head taller than him, Javel positioned his hands under the dead man’s armpits and heaved him to a sitting position. “Help me out here,” he panted to Lucas.

“What are you doing?” Lucas took his place and he moved to the front of the man.

Wincing slightly, Javel began unzipping the dead prisoner’s overalls. “I need camouflage.” Disrobing a dead prisoner was not on his list favorite things to do.

Together the two men removed the aqua jumpsuit and Javel donned it. It was too large, but it gave room to wear his uniform underneath.

The two men stepped into the bright lights of the corridor, in full view of about two dozen Level Twelve prisoners.

Lucas took point. “How are we going to find Trinos?”

“We won’t. If we’re lucky, he’ll find us.” Javel followed closely, careful to walk behind the large prisoner.

And then without warning, another tremor hit.

Javel cursed the timing. The roar from the planet’s trembling was louder this time around, the shaking more powerful. He and Lucas hit the deck and tried to hold on to something, but the force of the vibration sent both men careening across the floor.

Javel heard walls collapse, pipes explode, and prisoners wail. And from somewhere deep in the maze of the prison, his brain isolated the lone sound of a woman’s scream.

Xerna. She was alive. But barely. The sound was inhuman, a piercing cry of pure anguish that pierced his heart, sending a fresh surge of adrenaline through his system.

Paralyzed for one second, Javel was unsure what to do. Where did the scream come from? Panic overwhelmed his senses. His first instinct was to tear through the aqua level cell by cell until he found her.

He felt Lucas grip him in the shoulder. “You okay, man?”

He shrugged Lucas’ hand. “Yeah,” he muttered, his brain going a mile a minute. Taking several deep breaths, Javel forced himself to think. He couldn’t go from cell to cell, that would take too much time. There’s gotta be some other way to find her.

Suddenly, inspiration struck. Why hadn’t he thought of it before? Mentally kicking himself, Javel pulled on Lucas’ arm. “This way.”

Chapter Fifteen

            Zurin Five Penitentiary – Level Fourteen

How the hell did she let herself get captured?

Xerna gave herself a mental kick in the head for her stupidity. It was inexcusable. She couldn’t believe that her cool, calm self had lost it after her encounter with Lucas. Unthinking, she had meandered through the prison, making one confusing turn after another, her vision blurred with unshed tears. She hadn’t even noticed the overpowering stench of Trinos and his henchmen until they were right on top of her. They had caught her completely unaware, taking no more than five measly minutes to subdue and hog-tie her like a hunted animal.

He loomed over her now. “Tell me, bitch!” Trinos screamed, hitting her across the cheek. “Tell me where you and that partner of yours hid it!”

Xerna tasted blood and felt teeth loosen. Slowly, she swiveled her head and looked at Trinos with murderous eyes. “What exactly are you referring to?” she said through clenched jaws.

She was strapped down naked on some kind of table, her legs and arms splayed tight. It had taken three men to finally subdue her and she had the injuries to show it. Her entire body was raw and sore, covered with cuts and swollen with bruises. Her face felt like it had been rearranged.

With great care, she kept her face neutral and her voice expressionless. No way was she about to give these bastards the satisfaction of seeing her in pain. From her peripheral vision, she could see a phaser hanging from Trinos’s waist next to what suspiciously looked like a compad, both probably Javel’s. That was probably how he had tracked down. Xerna mentally cursed her partner for being so careless with his Garrison-issued equipment.

Trinos loomed over her, his face twisted into a grimace. “Don’t play with me, bitch!” His spit sprayed all over her and she hadn’t been fast enough to hide a sickened wince.

Another slap landed on her cheek. “Oh, so you think I’m disgusting, do you?” He leaned closer and got in her face. “You think Trinos is repellent?” He reached over and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Tell me where it is!”

Xerna tried to stare through him. Tell him where what was? He was increasingly incoherent, babbling about things that just didn’t make sense.

“Trinos,” she said in a calm, modulated voice even though her jaw hurt like hell. “What is it that you want?”

He released her chin and grabbed a fistful of her hair. “Stop the Miss Innocent Act!” he roared.

Xerna bit back a cry as she felt the stinging tug of pain assault her scalp. She swallowed the tears and thought fast. What she could possibly have that was of value to him?

“Look,” she’d said softly. It hurt to talk. She wiggled her jaw a bit and tried again. “This planet is falling apart,” she whispered, disbelieving that she was about to offer this son of a bitch a way out of this planet. If anyone deserved to die, it was Trinos and his merry band of lunatics. But it was her only hope. “We all need to get out of here. You can escape with me. I can lead you and your men to the surface.” Of course, she conveniently failed to tell him that once they were on the surface, there was still the small problem of transport. But if he took her up on her offer, he’d find out about it soon enough. She’ll deal with it then.

But instead of agreeing, he merely laughed. “You think we don’t know what’s really happening to this prison?” he asked sarcastically. “Alliance Enforcement has finally decided to get rid of us once and for all, haven’t they? Just eliminate the prison in one fell swoop! We’re all going to die and you’re going to die with us, whore!”

She shook her head and winced from the pain. “I’m going to explain this to you in words you should understand. The planet’s become unstable. The mining operation left giant ridges that released heavy lava flow and it’s making its way up to the surface as we speak. If we don’t get out now, we’ll be caught in the explosion.”

Trinos stared at her, processing her words. Then all three of her captors huddled together and frantically whispered to each other.

He walked back to Xerna and began caressing her thigh. She tried to keep the contents of her stomach from heaving.

“If what you say is true, then something doesn’t make sense.” His hand traveled up her shin, tracing the contours and ridges of her knee. “What are you guards doing down here then? Why haven’t you evacuated?”

Xerna swallowed. Her body was automatically responding to his touch and it revolted her. “Believe me, it wasn’t our choice to stay. The Duran employees fled without letting anyone know.”

With a roar, Trinos slammed a fist next to Xerna’s head. “You expect me to believe that, bitch?” he howled. Then, Xerna felt his breath on her ear. “I’ll tell you my little theory. I think you and that partner of yours deliberately stayed so you could take care of the Styx and the reefer that’s still here in the prison, didn’t you? The rumors are true, aren’t they?”

She needed to keep her mouth shut but curiosity got the better of her. “What rumors?”

“That prison guards are in possession of a supply of the juice. That one of you is safeguarding a stockpile.”

Even in her injured state, Xerna couldn’t help but laugh. Ow. That hurt. “Where did you hear that load of crap?”

He was positively giddy now. “Don’t even bother to deny it,” he cackled. “Me and my men—” he waved a hand at the motley band behind him. “—we’re ready to die. We know there’s no way out of this planet. So we’ll die, big fucking deal. Our life ain’t worth shit anyway. But we surely don’t wanna die in pain. We need the reefer.”

“I don’t have any,” she said quietly.

At her words, Trinos sprung up and gripped her neck, almost cutting off her breathing. Xerna gasped for air.

“Don’t lie to me, slut! We were told you and that partner of yours got a whole crateload of them!”

“That is ridiculous!” Xerna protested. She didn’t have enough energy for this bullshit. “If we had some, I would have given it to you by now. What possible use would we have of a crateload of Styx? Don’t you see that we have bigger problems than this? The planet is exploding! We need to get out of here! You can either work with us or you can get out of the way and let us leave!”

Trinos circled around her and roared in laughter. “You stupid bitch! Don’t you know how much one crate is worth? Don’t play dumb with me. You’re not going anywhere, girly, not without me! You and that smart partner of yours purposely got your sorry asses left behind so you could fly out of here with the stockpile to yourselves, am I right?”

Xerna closed her eyes as a sinking feeling lodged itself in the pit of her stomach. These prisoners had nothing to lose. They were in the throes of acute withdrawal and wouldn’t listen to sense. She couldn’t bargain with them. Couldn’t offer them freedom because they thought their situation was hopeless. And the thing that they wanted the most, the thing they craved for, was something she was incapable of giving.

For the hundredth time, she cursed the Duran Corporation for making junkies out of the prisoners and abandoning them all to die.

She gauged her surroundings. They were in one of the larger holding cells on Level Fourteen, a waiting room of sorts, used to hold prisoners before they were brought to their permanent cells. Unlike the individual cells, the illumination in this room shone brightly. There were three men in the room with her plus god-only-knows how many more outside.

With growing terror, Xerna looked up and saw all three men suddenly surround her. A hungry look lit Trinos’s eyes as he reached over and squeezed her breasts.

Xerna suddenly got a whiff of the male hormones that filled the room. It was strong and potent. In acute shame, she felt her body clench in response.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked, a sliver of control disappearing.

With a lecherous grin, Trinos continued to paw her. His hands ran down her ribcage and stomach, heading south into the deep heat that suddenly flooded between her legs. Xerna did all she could to keep the bile from rising up her throat. Yet her body began betraying her once more as it tightened in eagerness, readying itself to receive the unwanted intruders.

She was about to get raped. The world suddenly shrank into the size of the room. Her heartbeat accelerated in anticipation. Her breathing quickened and her temperature rose. It was all autonomic, her brain’s higher function shutting down, animal instinct taking over.

But her soul screamed in rage and shame, angry at her attackers and at herself. Her mind begged her body to resist. She stifled a scream as she saw Trinos disrobe.

An earthquake suddenly erupted. As Trinos loomed over her, she felt the last sliver of control slip away and a powerful scream of the most agonizing pain overcame her. It was an otherworldly cry that sent rivers of tears gushing down her cheeks.

*****

Was Javel seriously going after the woman?

Lucas remained rooted to the ground, disbelief etched on his face. Javel never gave any woman a second glance. They chased him, not the other way around.

With a sigh, he let the Zurin Five officer lead the way. The two friends moved quickly, darting through and around obstacles. Every few meters or so, Javel would stop and sniff the air, each time shaking his head in frustration before resuming their punishing pace.

Lucas stared at Javel’s back in resignation. His buddy turned out to be quite the disappointment. The most ruthless merc in the galaxy, the man who’d left a dozen women pining after him on Theta Three, the man who’d walk into any bar and be immediately surrounded by half dozen of the best-looking babes in the place, had let himself get soft. Frankly, Lucas was shocked that they hadn’t taken advantage of the chaos on the planet to gather a load of robots up to the surface. Lucas could buy himself a new shuttleblaster with just two of those titanium beauties.

The smoke suddenly thickened and he couldn’t see his own feet. He tripped against an unknown object and cursed loudly. “I hope you have a plan, buddy,” he yelled.

Javel had him by the collar and maneuvered him through the corridor. They bumped into hysterical prisoners wearing a variety of colors. It looked like every floor had been breached and all the inmates now moved freely between levels.

He could barely hear. Shit, he could barely walk. Over the last twenty-four hours, the Styx withdrawal had come back with a vengeance. The itchy, gnawing need for another fix grew by the second. It was hard to make himself care about escaping the planet when all he wanted to do was inhale, inject or devour—he didn’t care how—crateloads of the drug.

For several brief, glorious hours, he’d felt great. Back to his normal, kick-ass self. Like he was on top of the world thanks to Trinos and his own personal stash of Styx, which he’d shared with Lucas. In exchange, he had to promise the stupid Juzzaar a cut of Javel’s hoard and the female for Trinos’ own personal enjoyment.

But things only got worse when his only plan to secure more of the drug blew up in his face. Lucas shook his head. Trinos hadn’t done what he was supposed to do. After Lucas had saved Trinos’ ass from the Karatzin toxin when he doused the stupid Juzzaar with the water meant for that female, Trinos was supposed to interrogate the two guards into revealing where the Styx was after Lucas led them back to him.

Stupid fucking idiot. Why did he ever think that miserable Juzzaar could do the job?

“This way!” Javel yelled.

“Where are we going?” he asked over the din.

Instead of answering, the Garrison guard merely tugged at Lucas’ prison coveralls. This way where? All around them, chaos reigned. Where could they possibly go that would be better?

The pair crisscrossed more corridors, ducking under fallen beams and leaping over barricades while attempting to avoid other prisoners. The more docile and weaker ones walked aimlessly on, their faces wan and their shoulders slumped in defeat. Lucas saw some of the stronger prisoners beating the smaller and weaker ones into submission. He didn’t see the point of it. They were all about to die. All that mattered was getting rid of the bugs that crawled under his skin. Then, he would die a happy man.

Suddenly, he was kissing the floor and crawling on his belly. All he could see were the soles of Javel’s boots, who was also crawling in front of him. Together, they shimmied across the corridor like a couple of very slow snakes. After what seemed like a million kilometers, Javel sprung upright and Lucas felt himself dragged up by the collar again.

He looked around in confusion. “Wh-where are we?” he asked in a daze.

“Sit tight for a sec,” Javel answered. “Let’s hope this thing still works.”

They were under an archway in front of wide set of elevator doors. Despite feeling wobbly, Lucas watched in fascination as Javel forced a panel off the wall. Behind it sat a flat monitor next to an alphanumeric touchpad.

“What’s that?” he asked in a whisper.

“Keep a lookout,” Javel ordered tersely, his fingers flying through the touchpad. And then he paused, waiting for a response.

But the screen remained blank. Javel slapped the panel several times, cursing out loud. After a few more whacks, the screen buzzed to life. “Aha!” he said in triumph.

Lucas glanced at the screen and swallowed at the images he saw.

Screen after screen showed the extent of the destruction on Level Fourteen. He barely recognized the prison as picture after picture confirmed what they already knew—that the population of Level Fourteen was all but decimated. Lucas’ stomach recoiled when the screen showed a Monack feasting on a fellow inmate.

Without taking his eyes off the monitor, Javel asked in a soft, deadly voice, “Think, Lucas. You must have seen Xerna somewhere. Try to remember.”

Lucas shook his head. “Look at that carnage. She’s probably already dead. It’s an insane asylum out there. No use going back for her. And if she ain’t dead, then Trinos and his men are surely havin’ their way with her now. You don’t want someone who’s been used by Trinos that way.”

Suddenly, Javel’s hand shot out and grabbed him by the neck. Lucas gagged and felt his windpipe constrict. “Take it easy!” he managed to spit out.

But the guard’s voice was like steel. “Don’t you ever say that about Xerna ever again, do you hear me?” He tightened his hold and spots appeared in Lucas’ eyes.

But before he slipped into unconsciousness, Javel released him. He collapsed against the wall, his knees giving out. Javel held him up by the armpits to prevent him from sliding completely to the floor.

“Gee, thanks,” Lucas managed to sputter out.

With narrowed eyes, Javel simply said, “You can either come with me to get her or you can stay here and get eaten by a Monack. Your choice.”

From the look in his friend’s eyes, Lucas realized that Javel intended to search through every cell on every floor of this goddamned prison if that’s what it took to find his precious partner. He held his arms up in surrender and said, “Okay fine, whatever. You obviously wanna die on this rock.”

“No one’s forcing you to tag along.”

He gave his buddy a lopsided grin. “Yeah, but someone has to watch your six.”

Suddenly, Javel released him and gripped the monitor. His fingers tapped some buttons and an image filled the screen. It was at an odd angle, as if the camera had been knocked to its side.

Despite the skewed position, the picture was crystal clear. Javel gasped out loud as the camera clearly showed a woman’s face. It was the bitchy lieutenant. She was splayed on a table like a sacrificial offering, struggling fiercely against her bonds. Javel’s eyes narrowed as he spied the three men surrounding her. They laughed hysterically at her distress. One of them was Trinos. Lucas saw Javel’s jaw tighten as the big Juzzaar began rubbing his hand on the female’s breasts.

Lucas swallowed. Even through the tilted image, he could see that she was magnificent. A wondrous specimen of breeding female that hypnotized him and quickened his pulse. But before he went into a trance, Javel slapped him on the back and pushed him out the hallway.

“Start running,” Javel said, sprinting away from Lucas. “I know where she is.”

Chapter Sixteen

She was so close. He could feel her. And smell her.

Javel sprinted through the prison, dragging a plodding Lucas behind. He didn’t want to think about what Xerna was going through right now. All he wanted to concentrate on was getting to her. As he rounded a corner, he was suddenly engulfed by her scent and it almost slammed him to a halt. It was the scent of her estrus, powerful and familiar, no doubt tantalizing every male within the cell block. Javel held his phaser aloft, ready to shoot anyone who dared impede his way.

He slowed his advance and crept along the corridor, gauging the best way to approach. Her scent was intoxicating. Several male prisoners writhed on the floor in agony as they sniffed the air. Javel felt a familiar warmth flash through him with each step he took.

But there was also something else.

He could smell terror in the air, so thick he could almost touch it. He stopped his approach and with a hand signal, ordered Lucas to do the same.

Using only her scent to guide him, Javel zeroed in on the cell that held Xerna. It came from cell at the end of a very long corridor. He now had a direct visual of her location and needed to plan the fastest, easiest way to extract her with minimum damage to himself and Lucas.

Javel counted about a dozen inmates hanging around outside, milling about. He took several calming breaths and willed his heartbeat to slow.

His eyes traveled along the corridor and noted the dim light—a tactical advantage—and the numerous egress points—a possible disadvantage. He couldn’t rely solely on speed and the element of surprise, not without superior firepower to back him up.

How would a tac team approach?

Or better yet, what would Xerna—the supreme tactician—do?

The simpler the plan, the better. Lucas could distract the mob while Javel extracted her. But one look at the big guy told Javel he was in no shape to help. The Level Sixteen prisoner’s eyes were glazed, drool trickling down his mouth.

No, Javel was going to have to provide the distraction himself. But could he trust Lucas to get Xerna out in one piece?

Scanning the area for any possible weapons, his gaze landed on the remains of a robot crushed by a large piece of ceiling. He got on his stomach and shimmied across the expansive hallway.

The robot was in motion, its metal arms clawing the air in an attempt to right itself. Its head shook back and forth while emanating a loud, screeching sound. But, most important to Javel, the robot’s eyes continued to gleam green, indicating that its central processing unit was still intact.

Placing both hands on each side of the robot’s head, Javel braced his foot on its shoulder and gave it a strong yank. Sensing danger, the robot tried to swipe at Javel but he twisted away to avoid an incoming wallop

With two more strong tugs, the head was finally severed in a shower of sparks. Placing it under his arm, Javel quickly got on his back and rolled to where Lucas stood against the far wall, slumped but still upright.

Javel shook the big guy into alertness and showed him his prize. “Check it out. I hit paydirt.”

Lucas cracked an eye open and looked at the robot, his eyes sparking with interest. “Nice,” he mumbled, closely examining it. “But what are you going to do with it?”

Javel snapped open a panel behind the head and reached inside, twisting out something green and glowing. With a grin, he held something up for Lucas to see. “Know what this is?” He bounced the small orb in his hand which pulsed green like a heartbeat. “Munsil power source. Can be used as an explosive.” He passed it to Lucas whose eyes lit in recognition.

The big guy managed a weak smile. “You’re one lucky son of a bitch.”

Javel’s grin grew wider. This was indeed a lucky break.

“But what are you going to use to propel it?” Lucas asked, handing the orb back to Javel. “It’s not gonna detonate if you just lob it across the floor.”

“I don’t need a grenade launcher, just something simple. Like what you devised when we hijacked that reefer shipment last year.”

But Lucas didn’t respond. His eyelids began to fall and his body swayed to the left.

Javel caught him with a start. “Hey buddy.” He gave Lucas small taps on the cheek. “I need you right now. You with me?”

The big guy gave a shuddering sigh and looked up with a tight smile. “Sorry, I’m not feeling too well. But yeah, I think I can do what you want. What’s your plan? We can’t just toss this in the room with your girlfriend—”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“—Whatever. Point is, this thing’ll take out probably the entire wing of this level, not to mention trigger another earthquake.”

Javel quickly outlined his plan while Lucas worked his giant fingers, fashioning a sling from the strips off the bottom of Javel’s pant legs. When he was finished, he handed it to Javel who slipped it into his pocket.

“She’s just around the corner,” Javel whispered.

Both men craned their necks and zeroed in on their target. Holding his palm face up behind him, Javel felt the warm solidity of the orb as Lucas placed it in his hand.

The resulting explosion was going to wipe out the entire hallway and perhaps the next. Javel needed to place a nice amount of distance between the bomb and Xerna. “You ready?” He handed his phaser to Lucas.

“You sure you wanna do this?” he answered, pocketing the weapon.

“Just do your job. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point. You remember where it is, right?” Javel frowned in worry. Was it just the lighting or was the big guy turning slightly green?

Lucas snorted. “Of course I do. Don’t worry about me. Worry about Miss Reptile-In-Heat. You better hope she doesn’t jump me when she lays her eyes on me again.”

Javel glanced sharply back at his friend. “Lucas…” His voice was filled with warning.

“Okay, okay, I was just kidding. Go. I can handle it.”

Without a backward glance, Javel stood and removed the prison overalls that covered his Garrison uniform. Time to set his plan in motion.

With as much swagger as he could muster, he rounded the corner and casually sauntered to where the prisoners mingled, making sure they got a full view of his approach.

One by one, they took note of his presence and faced him, their uniforms forming a pastel-colored phalanx that blocked the hallway. Someone shouted something and moments later, Trinos himself emerged from a doorway, followed by two of his other minions.

Javel felt his blood pressure rise at the sight of Trinos adjusting his clothing. Channeling another dose of Xerna’s calm, he hid his rage. He continued to slowly advance, twisting his lips into a casual grin.

He gave them all a jaunty wave. “Greetings.”

Two of the men lunged at him. But Javel deftly stepped to his side and landed quick chops to the back of each man’s head. Their knees buckled and they landed on the ground, unconscious.

“You fellas should know better than to engage a Garrison guard in hand-to-hand combat,” he tsk’d, shaking his head as if marveling their stupidity. “Especially since you all seem to be suffering from withdrawal, am I right?” He raised his hands and beckoned with his fingers. “Who’s next?”

Two more men lunged at him and Javel dispatched them just as swiftly. By the time the third pair engaged him, they were a bit smarter, coming at him from two opposite directions. One went high and the other went low, and soon, the three men were tangled on the floor. But as his limbs automatically executed defensive moves, his eyes roamed the hallway in search of a glimpse of Xerna.

“Trinos!” Javel bellowed, wrestling for position. “Call off your army! I’m here to make a deal!”

Trinos sat regally in one corner as if royalty observing a gladiator fight. “Yeah, right,” he answered, laughing uproariously.

Javel narrowly missed getting poked in the eye. Rolling to his right, he dislodged the first man away from him and sprang up before giving the second man a solid hook to the right. The rest of Trinos’s men backed up slowly and gave the fighters a wide berth. The Styx-deprived prisoners were no match for Javel, weakened as they were by withdrawal. Landing lightning-quick punches, he dispatched them one-by-one with ease.

With a raised brow, Javel held loosely raised fists and stood in a loose fighting stance. “Who’s next?” he called out. “Anyone?” He swiveled his head the other direction. “Anyone?”

“What about me?”

Javel whirled around just in time to find a grinning Trinos pointing the nose of a phaser straight to his face.

Javel recognized Xerna’s dead phaser. “Whoa,” he said, spreading his arms wide in mock surrender. “Be careful where you point that thing. Do you even know how to use it?”

“Of course I do, you stupid imbecile!”

And to demonstrate, Trinos pressed a button and fired.

Javel stood in surprise as the thin beam of light shot out from the weapon and traveled inches away from his ear. Maybe the phaser wasn’t Xerna’s after all. Or maybe it hadn’t been dead like she thought. A loud thud sounded behind him. With a backward glance, Javel turned and saw an aqua-clad prisoner twitching behind him, his body emitting the familiar burning smell of a phaser victim.

“Was that really necessary?” he drawled, facing Trinos once more. “I came to offer you a deal and all you do is send your paeans after me. I’m hurt.” He clutched his chest in mock disappointment. “That’s fine by me. If you don’t want some of the juice I got, your loss.” He turned and ambled away as if taking a stroll on the beach.

But only after five strides, Trinos said, “Stop.”

Javel kept walking. His insides were tense as a spring. Any second now, he was about to put his plan in motion.

“I said, stop!” For emphasis, Trinos shot a low beam on the ceiling and it clanked heavily on the floor blocking Javel’s path.

He turned and looked at Trinos with a raised brow. “Oh, so you’re interested now, are you?”

The gigantic Juzzaar stepped closer and two of his men flanked him. Javel saw that the phaser was now set on Explode. He also noticed the bulge of a compad under the aqua prisoner’s uniform.

It was time.

In a flash, Javel sprinted through the corridor away from Xerna’s captors and into a sea of other prisoners. He dove into the throng, ducking and weaving in and out of bodies as phaser fire sounded behind him. Prisoners screamed as they got hit.

He continued running and passed Lucas’ position. Turning the opposite direction, Javel roared “Now!” and raced away from his friend, leading the mad group of inmates away from Xerna’s position and deeper into the center of Level Fourteen.

He needed to get as deep into the prison as possible to prevent the explosion from annihilating the outer walls. But a quick glance back told him to slow down. He was moving too quickly and was losing his pursuers. His plan wouldn’t work if they can’t follow him. He decelerated to a jog and sniffed the air to gauge his distance from Trinos. He needed to let them catch up. Javel slowed to a walk and stomped his feet to make some noise.

But as he turned forward, he saw his way blocked by a small, wiry little man wearing crimson overalls. His appearance was curious. He didn’t look anything like the brutish prisoners housed on Level Nineteen. In fact, he looked like someone’s genial old uncle, with red cheeks and a closely trimmed beard. Still, the fact that he wore crimson made Javel wary. That level housed only the most violent of prisoners.

Javel held a hand up in greeting, continuing to walk slowly. “Let me pass, little man and no harm will come to you.”

But the little man merely looked at Javel, his smile growing larger. He didn’t seem like he was going anywhere.

“Out of my way, prisoner,” Javel said, his irritation growing. He tried circling to the man’s right, and then left, but the little fellow kept blocking him, his smile growing wider and his eyes twinkling as if all this was a game designed for his amusement. Javel cursed as he caught a stronger whiff of Trinos and his men approaching.

Javel’s patience had run out. He broke into a sprint and approached the little man head on at full speed, preparing to knock him out of the way.

But as he approached, the prisoner’s arm shot out and grabbed him by the neck, a feat impossible for a mere human.

Pinned to the wall, Javel could only choke and gasp for air. He tried to break free from the hold but the crimson prisoner’s grip was like titanium. He was a good four meters away from Javel, but his arm was extended the same length, pinning the Zurin Five officer at an impossibly lengthy distance.

Javel cursed even as he saw spots dance before his eyes. This man was a shape shifter. A Monack. The only species more feared in the Andromeda Galaxy than Karatzins.

He fought to remain conscious and had only one more weapon in his arsenal. With supreme concentration, Javel attempted to release the infamous Karatzin nerve toxin that disrupted the brain’s receptors and rendered its victims paralyzed if exposed in high amounts. But because he was only quarter Karatzin, his ability to secrete the poison depended upon the level of duress he was in. And even then, it sometimes didn’t work. His mixed-blood heritage had effectively diluted his ability to wield this weapon.

With Trinos getting closer, Javel shut his eyes and summoned his worst fear. His imagination didn’t have to travel far. Image after image of Xerna, raped and mutilated at the hands of the Zurin Five prisoners, flashed before him.

Javel suddenly felt cold and clammy and his skin grew rubbery to the touch. Seconds later, right before he crossed over to unconsciousness, Javel’s pores released the deadly Karatzin poison.

The area around him was suddenly flooded with a sickly sweet scent, similar to the smell of earth almonds. The hold around Javel’s neck mercifully loosened and the Monack slumped to the ground. Javel fell to his knees, gasping for air. He could hear thuds around him as one by one, the poison dispersed and his approaching pursuers dropped to the ground, dead or dying.

Almost immediately, Skipper’s voice filled the air. “Warning. Toxic gas detected. Decontamination sequence omega-five activated. All detention personnel report immediately to the Garrison.”

A gigantic fan connected to a vent slid down from the ceiling and began to operate, sucking out poison from the air. A set of sprinklers activated and water began to rain from above. But as quickly as it began, the big fans coughed once, and then stopped working altogether. The blast of water suddenly slowed to a trickle. The sweet smell of the toxin continued to linger, lighter this time, but no less deadly in its effects. Without a working air re-circulator and the absence of water the poison will continue to linger and attack anyone who dare pass by the yellow cloud that hung like an invisible net in this part of Level Fourteen.

Javel staggered over the fallen bodies, marveling at the speed and effectiveness of the Karatzin poison. But he exhaled in frustration when he failed to see the body of Trinos among the dead.

And then without warning, Javel suddenly dropped to his knees.

With his super-speed and agility, it took a great deal to incapacitate a part Karatzin humanoid like Javel. But phaser fire was one thing that would do it. His body-armor reinforced uniform did little to protect him as he felt the electromagnetic radiation travel with lightning speed through his veins, immobilizing him. He’d only been stunned once in his life during Alliance Enforcement training, but that was one time too many and an experience he’d vowed to avoid.

Fortunately, his eyes still worked and so he looked up. His gaze met the looming figure of Trinos who was brandishing a phaser and laughing maniacally.

“Looking for this?” the Juzzaar asked with a sneer.

Javel couldn’t move a muscle. Not to talk, not to twitch a cheek, not even to wiggle his pinkie.

The big Juzzaar came closer and Javel noticed that he had something covering his face. It was some kind of thin membrane that had obviously protected him from the effects of the Karatzin poison. With growing repugnance, Javel realized it was someone else’s face that had been peeled off and stuck on the laughing Juzzaar.

“Handy things, these Monacks, aren’t they?” Trinos sneered. “Did you know that their skin can act as an oxygen-penetrating face mask? Of course,” he continued, advancing slowly towards the still-kneeling Javel, “you have to harvest it while the host is still alive. But thanks to you, I was able to get some of that magic skin. The Juzzaar walked closer and plopped himself on top of the dead bodies. “Now, here’s how it’s going to work. I have the phaser and you don’t. I have your little tracking device—” Trinos held up the compad, “—and you don’t. I have your sweet, delicious, luscious friend, and you don’t.”

At this point, Javel willed all his muscles to move. His fists itched to knock the smile off Trinos’s ugly face. But raising his eyebrows was all Javel could manage.

Trinos droned on. “…but most importantly, you have something I want. And you’re going to lead me to it and then die.”

Javel tested the inside of his mouth and felt himself able to move his tongue. He tried parting his lips. They obeyed, but only by a fraction.

“What could I possibly have that you want?” Javel mumbled slowly, making sure to enunciate every word. His tongue felt like lead but there could be no room for misunderstanding.

“Why, our share of the reefer, of course,” the Juzzaar answered.

Javel tightened his jaw. He knew his lie would get him in trouble.

“I still have your woman, prison guard!” A slap landed on Javel’s face. “If you don’t tell me where the reefer is in the next ten seconds, she’s gonna be in even bigger trouble than she is right now.”

Chapter Seventeen

Javel’s cheeks began to tingle as sensation slowly returned to his body. “You bastard,” he spat. “If you touch her, you’ll never get your reefer.”

“Is that right?” Trinos’s eyes gleamed. “I think it’s the other way around, pretty boy. You give me the drugs and maybe I won’t touch your little whore.”

Javel wasn’t sure that playing along was the best plan, but he was desperate. His only tactical advantage was Trinos’s weakness for the drug. Willing his jaw to work, Javel muttered, “Fine. You have a deal.”

“Oho, so you’re a hostage negotiator now, are you?” Trinos reached over and cold-cocked him on the head, sending him down on the ground. His vision exploded into a thousand points of light.

But the pain seemed to reactivate his nerve endings. He felt sensation course through his torso and limbs. While down on the ground, he tested his toes and fingers and found them completely mobile.

Trinos continued to scream insults and obscenities above him. Javel ignored the Juzzaar and concentrated instead on surreptitiously pulling the green orb from out his pocket. His movements were slow, his muscles protesting. Javel felt like he was moving underwater. But he didn’t have much time. The biological elements of the ball were rapidly losing power, and with it goes the weapon’s exploding capacity. He also knew he had to be fifty meters away from the blast when it occurred.

Well, that can’t be helped. He could barely move five inches, let alone fifty meters. But the orb was his only weapon. He had to use it.

“So where is it, pretty boy?” Trinos asked once more, poking Javel on the shoulder.

Pretending complete paralysis, more pain wracked Javel’s body as Trinos rained punches on him. By the time the Juzzaar exhausted his strength, Javel was sprawled across the floor, bleeding from his nose.

Breathing hard, Trinos sat next to him. “You wanna talk yet?” he asked, his words slurring.

Javel gave a small nod. The beating seemed to have speeded his recovery from the phaser stun—it was either that, or he really was superhuman. He suppressed a small smile as he realized that he could now move his arms and legs. Much to his surprise, Trinos’ eyes were closed and the stupid Juzzaar seemed to have slipped into unconsciousness. Yeah buddy, beating someone up can be pretty exhausting.

Careful not to lay a finger on him, Javel’s arm slowly traveled towards the sleeping giant, past his face, his chest, and down on his waistbelt where the phaser and compad lay.

Just a few more centimeters…slowly…slowly…he chanted in his head.

But just seconds before he would have closed in on the weapon, the Juzzaar’s eyes sprang open and his hand grabbed Javel’s wrist.

Springing into action—which was more like a wobbly amble because of his unsteady legs—Javel grabbed Trinos’s arm and twisted him onto his stomach. Pinning both Trinos’s arms behind his back, Javel managed to grab his compad and phaser before tearing off the Juzzaar’s face mask with a smooth tug.

Javel didn’t release his hold until the giant took his last, gasping, sucking breath. The effects of the Karatzin poison lingered strong in the air and Javel made a mental note not to lead Xerna down this path.

Quickly, he rolled off the Juzzaar and took deep breaths of his own. With relief, he reached over and closed his hand around his phaser. He grabbed his compad and secreted it in one of his pockets. He tried to stand but his knees buckled and he landed on his ass. Swearing softly, Javel tried again. He couldn’t afford to give in to exhaustion, not now. Forcing himself to slow down, he got to his feet and after giving the Juzzaar’s corpse one last satisfied look, he turned away and staggered towards the rendezvous point with Xerna and Lucas.

After a few twists and turns, he finally reached their predetermined meeting place, a set of elevators in the prison’s periphery. But there was no sign of the duo.

Activating his compad, Javel checked for their position. A blue dot and a red dot in very close proximity to each other indicated that they hadn’t moved from their original position. What the hell are they waiting for? With foreboding, Javel doubled back and within minutes, burst into a scene he had been dreading.

A naked Xerna had her entire body wrapped completely around Lucas. The air crackled with sexual energy. Javel gave thanks for the complexity of prison attire as Lucas fumbled for his uniform’s snaps and closures, his large fingers groping with frustration.

Instinctively, Javel’s hand gripped his phaser and held it aloft with the full intention of killing his friend. Blood thundered in his ears at the scene before him. Xerna looked like she was in the throes of ecstasy as the two locked lips and kissed with wild abandon. Her skin was flushed and her hair hung loose down her back. Momentarily hypnotized, Javel could only stare at Xerna who had never looked more beautiful in his eyes.

Snapping to, he gave a low growl. Lucas’ eyes flew open and he emitted an answering roar— two animals challenging each other for the right to mate. The prisoner’s eyes were dilated and mesmerized. Javel was certain his face showed the exact same expression.

With strength and energy coming from some unknown place deep in his gut, Javel thundered forward and gripped Lucas by the hair, pulling him away from Xerna. He faced her and before he could think, roared, “What the hell’s the matter with you? Can’t you control yourself for five minutes?”

In her hazy state, Xerna at first didn’t look like she understood. But an instant later, her eyes widened and she recoiled from both men as if she’d been slapped.

Oh god. “Xerna, baby, I didn’t mean it.” Javel felt like total shit. “I know it’s not you…”

But before he could finish his apology, Lucas was upon him. Javel crashed into the wall behind him as Lucas’ powerful right uppercut hit him in the solar plexus. The phaser flew in the air. He couldn’t breathe. He slid to the ground and his hand fumbled for the weapon while keeping an eye on the advancing behemoth in front of him.

“Whoa Lucas, buddy…” He was a dead man. He could never defeat Lucas in a fistfight. He had to do something. Javel began snapping his fingers for attention. “…it’s me. Wake up.”

But his friend was gone, replaced by a gigantic hissing reptile protecting his prize. Javel wildly looked around in search of another weapon. Lucas took two steps in his direction and launched a hook. Ducking away from the punch, Javel grabbed a hunk of durancrete and flung it at Lucas.

But the giant merely extended his arms and deftly caught it. Bad luck. Now Lucas had a weapon.

But before he could fling it, Javel crouched low and tackled the giant around the knees. Both men came tumbling back. Javel narrowly missed getting crushed by the piece of durancrete as it pinned Lucas on the chest. Javel got up and started towards Xerna. But with a howl, Lucas heaved the boulder away from him and sprung up, advancing towards Javel.

Goddammit, I’m too fucking tired for this. But before Lucas could pounce on his sorry ass, a funny look lit his face. And then, with a loud grunt, he crashed face first to the ground in an immobile lump.

*****

With a flick of her thumb, Xerna turned the phaser off. She dropped her arm and turned to Javel. “You all right?”

With a sharp inhale, Javel sank to the ground in a tired heap. “Yeah. I think so.”

She examined him closely but maintained her distance. “Anything broken? Are you bleeding from anywhere?”

He shook his head. “Thank you.” He looked up and asked her with obvious concern, “How about you? Are you all right?”

During the fight, Xerna had thankfully snapped to and used the time to get herself decent. She was back in uniform and her hair was knotted in a loose bun. “I’m fine,” she answered. She walked over to Lucas and examined him.

Javel’s gaze followed her. “Is he dead?”

“No.” She prodded Lucas with a foot. “I just stunned him.”

He raised his brows in mock surprise. “Really? I thought you’d have killed him.”

Xerna was in no mood for teasing. “I couldn’t risk hitting you with the shot.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

She met Javel’s gaze with narrowed eyes and her breath got stuck in her throat. Even after his near brush with death, he was looking at her with a gaze so intense she felt naked and vulnerable. His nostrils were flared, his eyes darkened, and his voice was a throaty whisper.

He wanted her. Right here, right now, and by god, she wanted him too. Even after what he’d said to her.

What he’d said to her…

Can’t you control yourself for five minutes? His voice suddenly rang in her ears.

With willpower she didn’t know she possessed, she tore her gaze away from him and looked out the hallway. “Don’t mention it,” she answered tightly. “You’d have done the same thing for me. Catch your breath for a few minutes. The coast seems clear. For the moment. What happened to Trinos?” She knew she was babbling but she couldn’t help it. The silence had suddenly become way too uncomfortable.

Javel frowned. “Don’t worry about him. I took care of him and his groupies.”

She released a breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding. “Thank God. If I saw that motherfucker again, I would have killed him with my bare hands.” She bit her lip, realizing that her statement wasn’t entirely true. She might have done it, but only after mating with him first. “Thank you.”

He nodded and simply said, “You’re welcome.”

Now that she’d established that he was fine, Xerna had difficulty looking Javel in the eye. Not after what he’d walked into just a few minutes ago. And especially not now that she knew what he really thought of her.

Can’t you control yourself? he’d screamed.

No, obviously she couldn’t. Shame and anger flooded through her. Under the guise of reconnoitering the hallway, she got up and peered out. But her real motive was to get as much distance away from him as possible. She was on the verge of tears and she’d be damned if she cried in front of him. She gripped her hands into tight fists, trying hard to think of something else. Anything else.

What the hell had happened? One minute, she was strapped onto a table about to be raped by Trinos and his minions, the next she had her arms and legs around Lucas, ready to devour him completely. She barely remembered him releasing her bonds or his pleas of refusal when she’d wrapped herself around him.

The images came back now, unbidden and accusing. Lucas had said no. Loudly and repeatedly. Her hands traveled to her cheek when she remembered him slapping her.

But the force of her estrus had been too much. Today was her sixth day, the peak, and she had been out of control. A part-Karatzin male really had no defense against the onslaught of a woman in heat and Lucas had eventually given in like she knew he would.

Only Javel’s entrance had saved her, his appearance a powerful water hose dousing a burning building.

Can’t you control yourself?

His words blared into her head like klaxons.

By all rights, she should be angry at him for the insult. But the truth was she was furious at herself. Why couldn’t she control herself and resist the lure of her estrus like a wild animal? Shamefully, another flashback forcefully replayed itself in Xerna’s mind.

Hours ago, Trinos had leered and salivated over her while he strapped her onto a table and yanked all her clothes off. She should have fought back. He was obviously weakened by Styx withdrawal and it would have been easy for her—a master of two martial arts—to dispatch him and his two sidekicks.

But no. She’d laid there proud, in all her naked glory, jutting a hip and displaying her chest as if to say, “Come and get me, baby.” She’d licked her lips, batted her eyes and smiled a come-hither smile, her body taking over and her mind shutting down in anticipation of scratching that itch that her heat cycle inevitably brought, strong as a cyclone and seemingly unstoppable.

But her heart screamed that it was wrong. Deep inside, Xerna longed for Javel and only Javel. It was his touch she craved, his kisses she hungered after. Trinos’s grotesque hands all over her body had been a perversity of what she’d really wanted.

But even when Javel had finally arrived out in the corridor, she had screamed in protest when the three men were called out to deal with the disturbance. Her body had demanded the completion of the mating act. But as soon as they’d left the room, her rational brain—what was left of it—had taken over and she had thankfully awoken from her delirium.

But she hadn’t been able to undo her restraints and so she lay in wait for Javel to triumph over Trinos and rescue her, knowing that when he entered the room, she would be unable to control herself once again.

But it hadn’t been Javel who entered. Xerna inhaled sharply as the hulking figure of Lucas appeared instead. His eyes had been averted, as if afraid of what he might see.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, still walking with his gaze downcast. “I’m not going to touch you. I’m just going to remove your bonds and you can get dressed. Javel’s supposed to meet up with us two corridors over.”

With her voice constricted in her throat, Xerna could only nod as he advanced a few more meters and stood over her. His gaze landed on her wrists and he reached over to undo her knots.

But by the time he began working on her ankles, Xerna’s fever had reappeared and kicked into overdrive. Lucas’ scent had been strong, his muscles smooth. And as he touched her right ankle to undo the knot, Xerna began to unconsciously caress his forearm with a fingertip.

He inhaled sharply and quickly withdrew his arm as if stung.

“Lucas…”

As if under hypnosis, Lucas’s gaze finally met hers. In a heartbeat, Xerna’s unspoken invitation was accepted. She had no doubt that if Javel had not walked in when he did, she and Lucas would have mated many times over.

Can’t you control yourself?

Now, Xerna quickly returned to the room and stole a glance at Javel, expecting to see judgment and recriminations. It seemed like years had passed since they had mated deep in the prison mineshaft.

But to her surprise, he met her stare with only tenderness and concern. Or was it pity?

Xerna stiffened her spine. “I’m fine,” she insisted on his unasked question.

“I know you are.” He gingerly stood and stretched. “I’m ready. How does it look out there?”

“It’s clear for now.” She looked at the sleeping figure of Lucas. “What about him?”

“What about him?” Javel echoed.

“Are we leaving him behind?”

“After what just happened, I didn’t think you’d want to take him.”

She shrugged. “Wasn’t his fault.”

“Xerna…”

“It wasn’t,” she insisted. “I’m sorry Javel, but it’s my fault. I’m apologizing to you, and when Lucas wakes up, I’m apologizing to him too.”

Javel strode closer with his arms out, his intention to touch her clear. “Xerna…”

If he laid a finger on her, she would spontaneously combust. “Javel, don’t. Stay away.” She shrank away and deftly avoided his hand.

His arms came down and rested on his side. His cheek twitched and Xerna recognized the sliver of anger tightening his jaw.

But she chose to ignore his silent tantrum and instead, pointed to Lucas. “We leave as soon as he awakens. It should be any minute now. I used the lowest Stun setting.”

As soon as they were off Zurin Five, Xerna was going to look for an even more desolate planet as her new hiding place. She was tired of the cold. Tired of avoiding people. Tired of running away from her condition. Maybe there was a nice, uninhabited Desert-Class planet out there somewhere. This time around, she was going to completely isolate herself from all humanoids.

“Dammit Xerna, stop avoiding the subject,” Javel hissed. He stopped in front of her and grabbed her shoulders. “We need to talk about this. If you don’t think it’s my fault or Lucas’ fault, then it’s not your fault either. That’s how we’re built. It’s in our genes. You could no more hide from it or turn it off than you could turn off your heart or your digestive system.”

But before she could answer, her comimplant miraculously buzzed to life, startling them both. She gave her neck a small tap and saw Javel mirror her movements.

“This is Garrison guard Nya,” a female voice sounded in her ear. It was faint and Xerna struggled to listen. “For those of you guards out there listening, we have good news. We found a ship.”

At her words, Xerna’s heartbeat began to accelerate. She shrugged Javel’s hands off her shoulders and strained to hear.

“…not a shuttle, not a Duran vessel, a mercenary ship,” Nya continued. “It’s been parked illegally on a hidden landing platform for quite some time. The coordinates are forty by sixteen in the Beta sector. Get there as fast as you can. There is enough room for the whole Garrison and more. But watch your backs. If the mercenaries are still in the vicinity, they won’t like us borrowing their vessel…”

The rest of Nya’s message was drowned by static.

Xerna almost fell to her knees in relief. Finally, a way out of this deathtrap.

She pressed her comimplant and spoke rapidly. “Nya, this is Xerna, do you copy?” She waited for a response, but none came. “Come in Nya. Are Rhonda and the captain with you?” Her voice grew more insistent. “Nya! Amani! Captain! Can anyone hear me? Marquand and I are on our way. We have one additional passenger. Do you copy?”

Guilt ate at her once more at the thought of having abandoned the captain and Rhonda. They should never have separated. If it had been the other way around, Xerna knew that the captain would never have left them. Xerna said a quick prayer for the entire Garrison crew. She hoped everyone heard the transmission and were now all headed for the ship. And she prayed harder for the captain. His injuries had been severe when she and Javel parted from him and Rhonda. If he or Rhonda perished, Xerna didn’t know if she could forgive herself.

Swearing softly, she gave her implant a couple more insistent taps before giving up. She took a deep breath and met Javel’s gaze.   They stared at each other for a long moment. His eyes seemed to bore into her very soul.

But then a grunt sounded to their left and the spell was broken.

Xerna tore her gaze away from Javel and looked down at a stirring Lucas. The giant rubbed his face and moaned loudly. He opened a bruised eye and asked, “Are we saved?”

The two detention officers couldn’t help a chuckle. Javel pulled Lucas to his feet and wrapped the prisoner’s arm over his shoulder. “Soon buddy, soon.” The three began shuffling towards the doorway. “Can you make it?”

He nodded grimly. From under his lashes, he glance at Xerna. “Lieutenant Ariante, I’m sorry…”

Xerna interrupted. “No, I’m the one who should be apologizing, Lucas. You said no. Very clearly.” She stole a glance at Javel, who looked resolutely forward. She took Lucas’ other arm and draped it over her neck. With a deep breath, she said, “Let’s go.”

Ducking to avoid collapsing walls and surging electrical circuits, the trio double-timed it back out the corridor where bedlam reigned. The two guards and limping convict made their way through the maze of corridors that finally led them to the doors of the maintenance tunnel. Both guards hurriedly laid a palm on the touchpad on each side and Xerna held her breath as she typed the code to open the door.

With a hiss, the massive doors parted. Javel turned around and began firing at the prisoners who were attempting to follow them.

“Close it now!” he bellowed as they ran.

Xerna hurriedly typed the code on the interior touchpad and the doors swooshed shut.

The welcome blast of furnace-like air greeted the them as they crossed the opening to the tunnel, which was pitch black except for a faint glow at the other end. Although the rising temperatures felt great, Xerna’s worry increased. It had only been about forty hours since they’d left the other tunnel, but the heat had seemed about twenty Kelvin warmer—a huge spike in such a short period of time.

“It’s a lot warmer here than in the other tunnel,” Javel observed, echoing her thoughts. He shone their lone floodlight ahead and started walking fast.

“Feels good,” grunted Lucas.

“You won’t think so once you know what’s causing it,” Javel answered irritably.

Xerna glanced at her normally laid-back partner. His face was etched into hard lines as he peered ahead in concentration.

“What do you mean?” Lucas asked.

As the trio jogged ahead, Javel updated Lucas on the planet’s seismic status. Xerna set the pace, each step focused on only one task—getting to the mineshaft and climbing to the surface. She mentally mapped out their route and made a list of necessary items. They needed to make a pit stop at the Garrison for arctic parkas and oxygen masks.

The two men continued yapping like old women, irritating Xerna’s already-raw nerves. Even Javel’s normally husky voice annoyed her.

Can’t you control yourself?

The sound of the accusation thundered in her brain. The air was thick and hard to breathe. Xerna bit her lip and fought the urge to cry. She was nothing but a fake. An animal masquerading as human.

They emerged from the tunnel and back into the immense cavern. Random echoes of chaos and destruction filled the distant air and the temperature suddenly crossed over from warm to this side of hot. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness but it was still difficult to see. She felt Javel’s fingers interlace with hers, and even though his touch was electrifying, she was grateful for his guidance and hung on.

Suddenly, they heard a growl to their right. It was nearby and it smelled and sounded suspiciously like a Monack. The lizard-like Karatzins shared many traits with their shape-shifting brothers. Both species had super-acute senses, were butt-ugly in their native form, and were two of the most despised species in the galaxy. Probably because both were mean and bloodthirsty as hell. And that was on a good day.

Javel pulled her to the right as the three scrambled away from the growling noise. If they could avoid a confrontation with a Monack, all the better.

There was only one way to go.

“Up,” murmured Javel.

Moving up would divert their scent from the Monacks. She felt arms snake around her waist as he hoisted her up a pile of boulders. Although she couldn’t see, she assumed Lucas was right behind them. Up they went, excruciatingly slow. The path was treacherous. Many times, Xerna felt her foothold slip. She would have fallen if not for the help of Javel pulling her from above and Lucas catching her from below. She was slowing them down. Now she wished that the night-sight experiment had worked. They could have scaled this mountain a lot faster if she could see. She fought to keep her breath even and her heartbeat steady, but the effort to climb strained her already exhausted muscles.

Lucas suddenly yelped from below and the sound was followed by rocks tumbling down like an avalanche.

“Lucas!” Javel hissed. Turning to Xerna, he barked, “Stay here. Don’t move a muscle.”

“I can help!” she insisted.

“This pile of rocks is unstable. You’d be a bigger help if you stayed put and not destabilize it.”

Before she could utter another word of protest, he was gone, clambering down the slope noiselessly.

Xerna carefully sat down and drew her knees up. Apart from his faint footfalls, Javel made no sound that Xerna could discern, no doubt using his super hearing and super nose to do the tracking. Not to mention his super-duper eyesight. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the inky darkness, but to no avail. She gripped her arms tight and breathed deeply. Everything hurt. She was tired, hungry and thirsty. She had nothing left in her pockets—no rations, no water, no knife, no compad. Xerna had lost count of the days and nights, but from the slowdown of her estrus, she guessed that they had been trapped for about ten days. Her system desperately wanted to shut down. She slapped her cheeks, willing herself back to alertness. She had to stay conscious for as long as she could. But they were running out of time. The merc ship wouldn’t wait forever and she didn’t know if she could survive running without fuel for much longer.

Where the hell were Lucas and Javel? Fear began to creep back into her chest. She’d lost track of how long Javel had been gone. But as she debated what to do, Xerna heard two very distinct heartbeats heading back up the hill.

“Javel?” she called out softly.

“I’m hear,” he answered. “Miss me?”

Pain in the ass. “You got him?”

“Yeah, I got him.”

“Sorry,” Lucas said, in obvious pain. “I didn’t look where I was going. I walked right over an unstable piece of rock and fell down.”

“Are you all right?” Xerna asked.

“Yeah, fine.”

“No, he’s not,” Javel interrupted. “He’s got a twisted ankle.”

“Guys,” Lucas rasped, “leave me. I’ll just slow you down.”

“No,” Javel and Xerna said simultaneously as another steady rumble began.

“We have to get out of here.” Xerna felt for one of Lucas’ arms and draped it over her shoulders. “Grab the other,” she instructed Javel.

As fast as they could, the trio began hiking up the hill, each step more treacherous than the last. The quake grew stronger.

“Keep going!” Dodging loose rocks, they clambered downhill and finally reached a level surface, picking up speed. Xerna’s lungs burned from the effort but soldiered on, with thoughts of vegetable soup and a comfortable bed propelling her forward. Javel wound them left and right, neatly dodging obstacles even in the darkness. But she wasn’t nearly so nimble. Tripping dozens of times, Xerna couldn’t stop the curses that flew from her lips.

Then, without warning, she felt the two men halt.

Grateful for the break, she released Lucas and bent over, sucking in air. “What’s wrong? Why are we stopping?” She could barely get the words out between each hyperventilating breath.

Neither man answered as Javel switched his floodlight and shone it forward.

Chapter Eighteen

Xerna, Javel and Lucas stopped cold and stared down at the opening of an enormous gorge about fifty meters across that blocked their progress. Javel stared across the gorge tand eyed their destination—the entrance to the mineshaft that tunneled straight up to the surface.

He shone the beam from one end of the gorge to other, as far as it would travel, his jaw tight. “Fuck it all to hell.” He turned to Xerna and mumbled, “You got any ideas?”

Her eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area, her face grim. “Not a one. You?”

He snorted. “Yeah, but they all involve things we don’t have on hand. Like a wing glider. What about you?” He turned to Lucas.

The Level Fifteen prisoner looked like he’d been struck mute. His mouth hung open and his eyes bulged.

“I guess not,” mumbled Javel.

Even without the planet’s crumbling infrastructure, crossing the chasm would have presented an enormous challenge. The ridges were steep and slippery and the gorge was deep, at least one hundred meters down. Crossing it on foot would have tested even the most skilled of mountain climbers. It would have been treacherous, especially with Lucas’ bum ankle, but Javel could have figured something out.

Unfortunately, something else made the gorge completely impassable. Angry, boiling lava snaked through the pit, forming a river of molten death. The trio stood at the mouth of the gorge and looked down in awe at the bright orange liquid that burbled and hissed, gushing from one end of the gorge to another. The sight was completely incongruous with the planet’s climate and topography. It affirmed the Duran’s scientists’ predictions with deadly accuracy. So the old woman Avelard was right. The planet was about to explode. Up until this very moment, Javel had thought her to be a gutless alarmist, a puppet of the Duran corporation. But now, with the evidence of the planet’s imminent collapse before his eyes, a knot of dread wrapped its deadly tentacles around his dry throat, constricting his breathing.

Goddammit all to hell, why did I ever let those Duran fuckers leave the planet? Why was I so fucking greedy?

Footsteps sounded behind them. “It’s the Monacks.” He sharply exhaled and killed his floodlight, lifting Lucas by the armpits and scurrying away from the approaching mob. He heard Xerna scrambling behind them. The prisoners were still a distance away but Javel could hear their angry voices.

“Find… guards…”

“Get more Styx…”

“Cut up…bodies…open elevator…”

Xerna sniffed the air. “They’re close. Where do should we go?”

“Keep walking,” he ordered, yanking Lucas’ arm. With his night-sight, he could clearly see the outline of every rock and crevice in the cavern. He dragged his companions behind a boulder, shushing them both when they began to ask questions.

He had an idea. He peered from behind their hiding place and squinted at the eerie glow coming from the gorge. He glanced up and assessed the stability of the tall piles of rocks surrounding the opening. Turning to Xerna and Lucas, he muttered, “You two. Stay here.”

Xerna grabbed his arm and held tight. “Where are you going?”

Javel was astonished at the emotion in her voice. Was she worried? He wanted to give her a flip answer, reassure her that everything was going to be all right, but even he realized the seriousness of their situation. “I’m going to try something. If I don’t come back in ten minutes, you and Lucas are to proceed without me.”

“Proceed without you?” she echoed, her voicing rising a notch. “What the hell are you planning?”

Xerna tried to hide her panic but he somehow sensed it simmering just below the surface. Acting purely on instinct, he drew her close and kissed her deeply, feeling desire shudder through him. Her lips were so silky, her smell so intoxicating, and as she snuggled deeper into his arms, he felt himself harden against her soft, yielding body.

But no. Exhaling in agony, he tore himself away. “Xerna…”

“Javel,” she cut him off. “You’re scaring the shit out of me. You’re staying right here and we’re going to figure a way out of here. Together.”

God, he loved her. He always had and always will, clearly and so completely, he realized that now. No matter how much he tried to forget or ignore. And there was no way she was going to be harmed, not on his watch.

But he couldn’t let her worry either. “You gonna miss me?” he asked, using his best devil-may-care tone.

To his surprise, Xerna’s voice actually broke when she replied, “You big, stupid idiot. You’d better come back in one piece or I’m going to kill you myself.”

His grin grew wider. “So you’re saying you’re going to miss me?”

In response, Xerna pulled him for another deep, lingering kiss. Javel didn’t think he could remain standing.

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Lucas made exaggerated retching noises in the background.

The two guards pulled away from each other. “Shut up,” they both said with a smile.

He turned to Lucas and grabbed him by the shoulder. Hard. In the dark, he heard the Level Fifteen prisoner wince. “You better watch it, big guy,” he said, his voice filled with warning. “You touch her again…”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. Go.”

He felt Xerna give him one final hug. “Get outta here,” she said, her voice filled with determination.

With one last kiss, Javel bounded out from behind the boulder and sprinted away.

Now unencumbered, he was able to move ten times faster through the rough terrain. His hand dug through his pockets in search of something. With a sigh of relief, he fished out the still-pulsing Munsil orb. The light was weak but it was still thankfully there. He palmed it and gripped his floodlight, climbing slowly and carefully to the top of a particularly tall heap of debris.

With a clear vantage point of the entire cavern, Javel scanned the surroundings for the Monacks chasing after them. He was too far up to use his sense of smell and relied instead on a more advanced form of technology.

He flipped on his compad and held it aloft like a talisman. There. A series of red dots were about fifty meters east of his location and approaching fast. For his plan to work, he would need them to come much closer. With patience he didn’t know he had, he waited until they advanced. Forty meters… thirty… twenty…

When at last, they were almost right on top of him, he turned the full force of his floodlight on, immobilizing them with surprise for one precious second.

Javel grinned. “Looking for me?”

In an instant, he leapt through the air and gave a rolling landing on the ground, popping up close to the band of prisoners. He got ready to fire his phaser when a familiar voice sounded in his ears.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite Garrison guard.”

Javel whirled and came face-to-face with a grotesque sight.

He recoiled in disgust. It was Trinos, but not. Javel squinted in disbelief.

The Juzzaar was bent over and crouched behind a motley group that included four Monacks. The toxin had done its job on him. Trinos’s left eye socket was empty. His skin was an angry shade of red, as if he’d spent time inside an oven. Large, festering sores covered his arms. If it weren’t for his menacing voice, Javel would never have recognized him.

Trinos looked at Javel and grimaced. “Come to say your last words before you die, did you?”

How the hell had he survived the Karatzin toxin? Again? This was really starting to get old. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite monster from the deep,” Javel drawled, hiding his shock. “I can’t say it’s nice to see you again, Trinos. Still after me, I see.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, pretty boy,” he said with a sneer. Saliva dribbled from the corners of his mouth. Javel clamped the bile rising from his throat. “We’re not after you. We’re after the reefer. Wherever you go, we’ll be right on your tail, make no mistake.”

As Trinos talked, Javel’s senses went on hyperalert. He knew the exact number of Trinos’s men—twelve. He knew where everyone stood, what everyone held as a weapon, and where they were looking. He could hear their heartbeats—like a thunderous herd of earth horses—in symphony in his head. He gauged everyone’s strength and speed, rating their threat levels.

And when he was ready, Javel sprang up and leapt down from the pile of rocks, raised his phaser and fired.

The Juzzaar dove to the ground and returned fire. Javel was caught off guard. Where the hell did Trinos get another phaser? Landing nimbly on his feet, Javel dashed across remnants of AI components and continued to fire. He took cover behind another pile of debris as the darkened cavern lit up with phaser shots.

“Ow!” Javel almost dropped his phaser as another sharp, jagged pebble came sailing up like a missile. Aiming his phaser at the thrower, he fired and hit one of the Monacks. The shapeshifter went down. Unlike his weakened opponent, Javel’s aim was dead on and he hit the two other Monacks advancing towards him. But it was only a matter of time before the three downed Monacks sprang back to life. Lacking a central nervous system, those sons of bitches were tough to kill. Javel had to get his plan in motion before they regained consciousness. There was another Monack around here somewhere. His eyes scanned for a hunched figure but came up blank. Where did that fucker go?

He jammed his hand in his pocket and came up with the Munsil orb. Gripping it tight, he crawled on his elbows, popping from behind his cover to return fire. He was close. Javel’s final destination was the farthest wall of the cavern on this side of the lava river.

It was now or never. He jumped up from his hiding place, ready to pitch the ball, when a bellow sounded from Trinos.

“Freeze or she’s a dead whore!”

Javel was immobilized in horror when he realized where the fourth Monack had gone. Fumbling for his floodlight, he shone it forward, right onto the face of Xerna who was struggling against the shapeshifter’s grip.

“Let me go,” she screamed. She tried different release moves on the Monack to no avail. He would merely re-clasp himself around her after fluidly transforming into another shape, cleanly avoiding any of her attacks. There was frustration and anger in her eyes. Trinos stood next to the struggling guard and pointed his phaser at Xerna’s temple in triumph.

“Recognize your weapon?” he taunted her. “Thank you for allowing me to use it. It came in quite handy in a number of occasions.”

“It’s the only reason these Monacks are listening to you,” Xerna spat back. “If you lost that thing even for one second, they would devour you alive.”

At the mention of food, the Monack who held Xerna began to chomp. “I want to eat her!” he growled.

“Shut up!” Trinos shouted. “You will. But after we get what we want.”

“You can have it!” Javel bellowed from across the cavern. “I’ll tell you where the damned Styx is!”

Trinos shook his head. “Oho, nice try, prison guard. I know you’ll say anything to get me to release your little whore, but I’m not falling for that. No, you’re not telling us anything. You will take us there yourself or she dies. A slow, painful death.” He dug the phaser into Xerna’s jugular. “Do I make myself clear?”

Javel’s jaw tightened. “Crystal.”

“Drop your phaser and put your hands up.”

Motherfucker. With great reluctance, Javel released the weapon with a clatter.

“So?” Trinos asked, digging the phaser deeper into Xerna’s flesh. “Where is it?”

Stall. He had to stall. “Obviously, it’s not here.” Where the hell was Lucas? How come he always managed to vanish at the first signs of danger?

“Well? Where is it?”

The weight of the Munsil orb was heavy in his hand. Thinking fast, Javel came up with Plan B. He only had a split second to execute it and he better not screw up or they were all dead.

In one smooth movement he shone his powerful floodlight directly into the eyes of the Monack holding Xerna. “It’s up your ass, motherfucker.”

Momentarily blinded by the rays, the Monack howled in anger right before Javel lobbed the Munsil ball high above the lava river.

As if in slow motion, the pulsing ball traveled in a glowing green arc towards the cavern ceiling. From the corner of his eye, Javel saw Trinos and the Monacks follow the ball’s trajectory more with curiosity than any sense of alarm. The ball flew in the air and hit the overhead rocks.

“Watch out!” he bellowed. Javel executed a quick tuck-and-roll, diving for cover. But instead of the huge explosion that he was expecting, the orb merely bounced on the rocks and sped down, landing straight into the bubbling lava.

“Shit, shit, shit…” he muttered, his mind racing. Defective piece of Duran technology. He dove for his phaser and prepared to fire. But who to hit first? Trinos with his phaser on Xerna’s throat, or the Monack that held her?

But before he could decide, a strange sound began to emanate from the lava. It was faint at first, like the moaning of an old woman in pain. But a few seconds, later, the noise grew louder. The moaning was transformed into popping and burbling sounds, like water boiling. Knotting his forehead, Javel tried to locate the source of the noise and frowned at what he saw.

Sections of the lava river appeared to be boiling as huge bubbles grew and popped right where the Munsil orb had landed just moments ago. Javel’s eyes widened and he looked back at Xerna in a panic.

“Very smart move, Garrison guard,” Trinos screeched. He moved the phaser from Xerna’s throat back to her temple. Javel saw her wince in pain. “You have now just killed your bitch.” He made a show of switching the phaser controls from Stun to Kill.

And fired.

Chapter Nineteen

“Nooooooo!”

Javel leapt through the air towards Xerna just as an enormous explosion rocked behind him. The force of the blast propelled him off the ground and sent him flying higher into the air, his legs and arms pumping as if he was running through space.

Panic gripped him as he saw Xerna crumple to the ground.

No.

She couldn’t be dead.

Javel landed on his feet and broke into a run, tackling Trinos and crushing him to the ground. A sharp, stinging pain ripped through him as he felt one of the Monack’s sharp claws dig into his flesh.

But he didn’t care. All he cared about was killing this son of a bitch who hurt Xerna.

He had the Juzzaar by the neck. With strength he didn’t know he possessed, he used momentum to swing the larger man around and hit the Monack behind him with full force. The ground began to shake. Rocks started falling from the ceiling, but Javel was oblivious.

All three stumbled to the ground just as the tremors ceased.

“Javel!” a voice suddenly called from behind him.

His grip on Trinos’s neck was tight and then tightened some more. There was no way he was going to stop until this son of a bitch was deader than dead. His vision was tunneled and his mind was steady, focused on doing one thing only.

The Juzzaar’s eyes began to roll up and his convulsions grew weaker until he was motionless on the ground. The Monack who held Xerna was sprawled next to them, his head cracked open on a sharp end of a nearby boulder. With one final shudder, the Juzzaar chased out a breath and was finally unmoving. Still, Javel refused to release his grip.

Just then, a steady hand grabbed his shoulder. “Javel, stop.”

It was the same voice that had shouted his name from moments ago. He looked up, and couldn’t believe what he saw.

“I’m okay,” Xerna said, pulling him up and away from the dead Juzzaar. “My phaser malfunctioned again. Nothing came out. I really gotta get that thing fixed—”

He didn’t let her finish before pulling her into a fierce embrace. “Thank God…”

Shrugging him away, she gave him a tight smile. “We’re not off the tundra yet.” She pointed to the remains of the explosion.

Javel turned around and stared in amazement at the sight before him. “Holy shit,” he muttered.

The Garrison officers stared at the precipice of the lava gorge. The blast from the Munsil ball had dislodged enormous boulders from the walls of the cavern. They were now looking at a makeshift bridge created by the falling rocks

“You lucky son of a bitch,” she said, shaking her head. “Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the foot of the newly-formed walkway.

But his feet refused to move. “Are you nuts? You don’t intend for us to cross the lava river on that pile of rocks, do you?”

More voices sounded from behind. “Unless you have a better idea,” Xerna snapped.

He shook his head. “Look at it. Parts of the rocks are melting away.”

“We better hustle then. If we move now, we’ll get across before everything disintegrates.”

It was a straight shot towards the other side. Xerna was right—they needed cross now. But even as they made their way down the unstable slope, Javel could see the lava’s deadly acid eating its way through their temporary bridge..

He felt his foot slip an inch. “Where’s Lucas?” Javel stifled a gasp as one of the large boulders directly ahead of them dissolved into the flowing lava.

She answered but he couldn’t make out what she said over the roar of the cavern. He cupped his ear. “What?”

Xerna had a stricken look on her face. “He’s dead, Javel! He tried to protect me from Trinos but he got shot!” The ground began to move again. Rocks and debris rained down.

Javel screeched to a halt as if rooted to the ground. He’d always had a fondness for the big guy and news of his death brought a sharp pain to his chest.

“Come on!” Xerna began pulling him towards the foot of the makeshift bridge. “Before this whole thing melts!”

With one last look back, Javel exhaled sharply and grabbed Xerna’s hand. Using one arm to shield himself from falling objects and the other hand to hold onto to Xerna, they scrambled down the precipice together. Even through his boots, Javel could sense the heat of the rocks. Going down was tricky and slow, but both Garrison guards knew they had no more time to spare.

They finally landed at the foot of the slope. Hand in hand, they inched across the makeshift bridge while the unsteady boulders tried their best to dislodge them. Javel cringed before he stepped on anything, never knowing if it was solid or wobbly. Every few seconds, another one would melt beneath their feet.

They finally made it across in one piece just as another avalanche of rocks began.

Javel pulled Xerna faster. “Hurry!” The two guards tore through the remaining few meters to the opening of the tunnel. His legs burned and he struggled to breathe. Xerna was right next to him, keeping up. Javel raised his arms to block more rocks that rained from above. He could barely see in front of him. His entire being was focused on reaching the tunnel opening.

Finally, in one mad dash, he and Xerna reached the tunnel door just as a deafening rumble sounded behind them. The two guards collapsed in a heap and looked back in time to see a gigantic chunk of the cavern wall cave in right where they had been standing just seconds ago.

Instinctively, Javel crawled through the floor and wrapped himself above Xerna. The ground continued to shake underneath them and the two guards held their breath and their position.

“Let’s get out of here!” Xerna said from under him. She wiggled free and crouched up, grabbing him by his uniform as the ground continued to tremble. “Move!” Javel sprang up and raced after her.

Just then, Xerna slowed to a halt and turned around. Grabbing his floodlight from his belt, she turned it on and shone it across the passageway. “This way.”

The quake had transformed into a dull roar by the time they reached the end of the tunnel. Javel stopped dead in his tracks at the sight that met him. “Holy shit.”

They had reached the bottom of the mineshaft. Xerna shone the light at the foot of the stairs and with the beam, traced each step as it ascended straight up. She gave a wolf whistle when the light failed to illuminate the top of the stairway. “I’d forgotten what a long way up this was. You ready to climb?”

His muscles ached, his stomach was empty, his body was bruised all over, but damned if the sight of the stairway didnm‹òõ’ž”šß—–’ß™šš“ß“–”šßžß’–““–‘ß”š‘–˜Œßž““ß‰šßž˜ž–‘Ñ_ßl¯–šœšß™ßœž”šÓkß—šßŒž–›òõˆ–‹—ßžßœœ”†ß˜–‘Ñ_ßl¦ŠÀkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ§š‘žßŒ’–“š›ßžœ”Óß—šßˆŒßžœ—š›ß–‘ßžòõœ—ž““š‘˜šÑ_ßl«†ß‹ß”ššßŠÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ½šœžŠŒšß—šß•ŠŒ‹ßœŠ“›‘m‹ßšŒ–Œ‹Óß—šß˜žš›òõ—šß†ß‹—šßˆž–Œ‹ßž‘›ßšŒŒš›ß—–Œß“–Œß‹ß—šŒÓßš“šžŒ–‘˜ß—šß•ŠŒ‹ßžŒßŽŠ–œ”“†Ñ_ßl¦Šòõž‘›ß’šÓß™™ß‹—–Œß“ž‘š‹Óß–‘ßžß—‹ß‹Šß™ßˆž‹šÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl¶Œß‹—ž‹ßžß’–ŒšÀkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl°—Óß–‹mŒß’šß‹—ž‘ßžß’–ŒšÑ_ß¶‹mŒßžòõ˜Šžž‘‹ššÑk_ß¾‘›ß‹—š‘ÓßžŒß–™ßžß›ž’ß—ž›ßŠŒ‹ß–‘Œ–›šß—–Œßœ—šŒ‹Óß—šß™–‘ž““†ß“š‹òõ–‹ßŠ‹Ñ_ßl¶ß“‰šß†Šß§š‘žÑ_ß¶ßž“ˆž†Œß—ž‰šÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ·šßš†šŒßˆ–›š‘š›ß–‘ßž’ž…š’š‘‹Ñ_ß¾‘›ß‹—š‘òõ‘žˆš›ß–‘ßŒŠŒ–œ–‘Ñ_ßl¦Šß›À_ß¨—†ÀkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl¨—ž‹ß›ß†Šß’šž‘Óßˆ—†ÀkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ¬—šß˜Š‘‹š›ßž‘›ßŠ““š›ßžˆž†Ñ_ßl¨šm““ß‹ž“”òõžŠ‹ß‹—–Œß“ž‹šÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ·–Œß˜–‘ß˜šˆß–˜˜šÑ_ßl±‹—–‘˜ß‹ß‹ž“”òõžŠ‹ÓßžšÑ_ß¾‘›ß¶ß”‘ˆß†Šß“‰šß’šß‹Ñ_ß¼ž‘m‹ß˜š‹ß†Šß—ž‘›Œß™™ß’šÓßžŒßžòõ’ž‹‹šß™ß™žœ‹ÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ¬—šß‹Š‘š›ßžŠ‘›Óß—šß“–ŒßŠŒš›Ñ_ßl¾š‘m‹òõˆšßŒŠšß™ßŠŒš“‰šŒÓß“‰šß†ÀkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl·š†Óß¶ß•ŠŒ‹ßœž““Œßnš’ßžŒß¶ßŒššŒßnš’ÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ¬—šß““š›ß—šßš†šŒßž‘›ß™žœš›ßž—šž›Óß—šòõžœšßŽŠ–œ”š‘–‘˜Ñ_ßl¼’šß‘Ñ_ß³š‹mŒß˜š‹ßŠ‹ß™ß—ššÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁÙ‘ŒÄÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßž“–˜‘Âœš‘‹šßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Åœš‘‹šØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁÕÕÕÕÕÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁÙ‘ŒÄÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ¼“–’–‘˜ß‹—šß‹ˆš“‰šß“š‰š“Œß‹—Š˜—ß‹—šòõ’–‘šŒ—ž™‹ßŠ‘›šß‘’ž“ßœ–œŠ’Œ‹ž‘œšŒßˆŠ“›ß—ž‰šß‹ž”š‘ß‹—šß‹ˆß—†Œ–œž““†ß™–‹òõ˜Šž›Œßžß’ššßœŠ“šß™ß—ŠŒÑ_ß½Š‹ß‹—šŒšßˆššß™žß™’ß‘’ž“ßœ–œŠ’Œ‹ž‘œšŒÑ_ßµž‰š“òõž‘›ß§š‘žß—ž›ß‹ß’ž”šß™šŽŠš‘‹ßŒ‹Œß‹ß–‘ß‹—š’Œš“‰šŒßž˜ž–‘Œ‹ß‹—šßˆž““ßžŒòõ•šœ‹Œß™š““ßš‰š†ß‹–’šßž‘ßšž‹—ŽŠž”šß—–‹Ñ_ß«—š†ß—ž›ß‹ßœšš›ß˜–‘˜š“†Óß‹šŒ‹–‘˜òõšžœ—ßŒ‹ž–ßŒ‹šß™ßŒ‹ž–“–‹†ßž“‘˜ß‹—šßˆž†Ñ_ß«—šßž–ß‹ž‰š“š›ßŒ–“š‘‹“†Óßž‰–›–‘˜òõž‘†ß‘–Œšß‹—ž‹ß’–˜—‹ßž‹‹žœ‹ßž‹‹š‘‹–‘ÑÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁ«—š†ßšŒ‹š›ß‘ß³š‰š“ß«ˆš“‰šÓß«š‘ßž‘›ßº–˜—‹Ñ_òõ°‘œšß‹—š†ßœŒŒš›ß³š‰š“ß¬š‰š‘Óß§š‘žßœž““š›ßžß—ž“‹Ñ_ßl°‘šß“žŒ‹ßšž”ÓkßŒ—šòõ—Š™™š›Ñ_ß¬—šß‹Š‘š›ß‹—šß™“›“–˜—‹ß™™ßž‘›ß“Š‘˜š›ß‹—š’ß–‘‹ß›ž”‘šŒŒÑ_ß¬–‹‹–‘˜òõ›ˆ‘ÓßŒ—šßš˜ž‘ß’žŒŒž˜–‘˜ßžßœž“™Ñ_ß·šß“š˜Œßˆššßš˜–‘‘–‘˜ß‹ßœž’ßž‘›ß—šòõžœ—š›ß‹—ž‹ßŒœšž’š›ß™ßš“š‘–Œ—’š‘‹Ñ_ßÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†Ä‹š‡‹Ò–‘›š‘‹ÅÑÊ–‘ØÁÃŒž‘òõŒ‹†“šÂØ™‘‹Ò™ž’–“†ÅÝ½”ß¾‘‹–ŽŠžÝØÁl¨šmšßž“’Œ‹ßž‹ß‹—šß¸ž–Œ‘Ókßµž‰š“ßžŒŒŠš›òõ—šÑ_ß§š‘žß™š“‹ß—–’ß—“›ß—šß—ž‘›Ñ_ßl¨šm““ßŒ‹ß‹—ššßž‘›ß˜š‹ßŒŠ“–šŒÑkÃÐŒž‘ÁÃÐÁòõòõÃßœ“žŒŒÂ²Œ±’ž“ßŒ‹†“šÂØ‹š‡‹Òž“–˜‘Å•ŠŒ‹–™†;text-indent:.5in'>With a heavy sigh, Xerna forced herself to stand back up. “So can you really see in the dark?”

Javel turned the floodlight back on and shone it ahead. “Like I said before, just outlines and heat signatures. Not complete images.”

Xerna began walking again, her feet protesting with each step. “Sounds good to me. What do the images look like?”

“Inanimate objects have green outlines around them. Things that are alive are usually between yellow or red. The warmer the image is, the redder it becomes. Like right now, I can tell your legs are hurting you, aren’t they?”

“Stop staring at my legs.”

Javel gave a laugh as they continued ascending the stairs.

Shaking her head, Xerna promised herself that if they ever got out of this alive, she was going to explore this amazing possibility of her anatomy. Who knew if after all this time, it was even possible for her to see in the dark? But she was going to give it a try and find out. Maybe Lucas was right. For her, maybe it was a latent ability. She felt a twinge of anger at her parents for hiding this knowledge from her.

But for now, as her eyes began to open to her true nature, Xerna felt the anger and shame—her two constant companions since age eighteen—ebb away. Curiosity and wonder took their place. Whether she would ever come to accept herself completely was another question altogether. After all, she still had to deal with her uncontrollable estrus cycle, which even now, in the middle of a life and death struggle, continued to torment her. Xerna looked at her partner’s strong, sinewy back and fought to keep her hands to herself.

He must feel it too. Xerna was grateful that he was choosing to ignore it. It couldn’t be easy for him, being around her at a time like this. But unlike her, he seemed in control of his urges. Her respect for Javel had grown tenfold since this whole ordeal began, wisecracks notwithstanding. He cared for her, that much was evident. His declaration of love might even be true. Likely, it was just his body responding to her estrus.

But what about her? Did she love him? Could she love anyone, being the way that she was? Climbing this mineshaft had given her plenty of time to think. How could she stay loyal to one man when during her heat, she seemed to want to be with any man who would have her?

Javel deserved better than her, better than anything she could offer him. Her heart ached at the thought of being without him for the rest of her life because she did love him, with a fierceness and strength that surprised even her. She’d loved him for a long time now, but had ignored it and sublimated it for the very reasons she couldn’t be with him now.

Her eyes began to moisten, but this was no time to behave like a sentimental fool. With a sharp sigh, she steeled her shoulders and fought the urge to release her tears.

A few more steps up and they were on the platform that led to the tunnel towards Level Six. Both guards staggered towards the panel that led into the catwalk high above the Garrison. With one powerful heave, the panel gave way and both guards stumbled into the welcome sight of the Control Room.

Even in the dim light, with the AI computers malfunctioning, never had the sight of the Garrison been so welcome. Breathing a sigh of relief, Xerna noted the warm air that wafted up the catwalk. The animated voice of Skipper kept repeating, “All Garrison personnel, please evacuate the facility immediately.”

The two guards swiftly descended the stairs. “Try to contact Nya or Amani again,” Xerna said as she crossed the room. “I’m getting arctic parkas and oxygen tanks for us.”

She left Javel standing by the comm station, pressing buttons and speaking into the transmitter. A few turns later, she found herself inside what remained of her living quarters. The quakes had left nothing untouched. Xerna froze amid the rubble. She wasn’t a sentimental woman by any means, but it still hurt to see her home for the past three years in complete and utter destruction. A small fire raged in what used to be her kitchen. Every wall had large and small cracks snaking through it. Every piece of furniture had been tossed as if by a giant hand.

She gingerly walked through the wreckage towards the remains of her hall closet. The pneumatic door was stuck partway and Xerna had to squeeze through to reach the crates high above. Wrestling with the containers, she managed to heave the box that contained her spare arctic gear. Normally stored in Level One, Xerna always kept a spare of everything in her quarters. Riggeur and the rest of the veteran crew had always chided her for being an alarmist, but it looked like her overpreparedness had finally paid off.

Xerna opened the crate and grabbed her thick parka and oxygen respirator. Her hunt for a spare parka for Javel yielded no results. They would need to make a final pit stop at Garrison storage for another suit and respirator. But with the prisoners loose, there was no telling if anything remained intact.

Bundling her pile, she took one last look at her disintegrated quarters. It had been home, no matter that she’d chosen to live the life of the ascetic and given it nary a personal touch. But there was one thing she needed to take with her before she left. Taking two long strides, she crossed the sitting area and rummaged through the rubble, coming up with a small statue. Xerna rubbed her thumb at the familiar figure of a female sprite carved out of crystal. Javel had given it to her before they had parted ways back in Upsilon Three ten long years ago. She had no idea why she’d kept it all these years, but it had been her only reminder of home. Of Javel. Clutching it to her chest, she hadn’t realized how much this little sprite had meant to her until she’d almost lost it.

Quickly pocketing the figure, she grabbed her bundle and walked out the door without another look back. A grim smile tugged at her lips. The promise of a more interesting future awaited her off this planet. She couldn’t wait to leave.

Xerna traversed the hallways of the Garrison at a run. She rounded the corner and burst through the Control Room. “Any luck contacting Nya or Amani?”

But instead of an answer from Javel, there was only silence.

What the hell was her smart ass of a partner up to now? “Javel?” The comm station was unmanned. Her eyes scanned the length of the room. “Hey, where are you?” she called out one more time, her voice rising in irritation.

Xerna whipped her head to the right and was stunned at the sight that greeted her.

Chapter Twenty

            Level Six — The Garrison

“Javel?” Xerna released her bundle and the respirator made a loud clank against the floor.

“Hello again, Lieutenant Ariante. So nice of you to join us.”

A grinning Lucas stood in the middle of the Control Room. He held what looked like Javel’s phaser in one shaky hand and was pointing it towards the conference table where her partner lay, his arms and legs restrained across each corner.

Xerna stopped her advance, her forehead knotting in confusion. “Lucas? You’re alive!”

Lucas stood tall and menacing. “Of course I’m alive, bitch!” His eyes were large, his pupils dilated, and blood gushed from open cuts on his head. He was on the downswing of his Styx withdrawal and pretty soon, Xerna knew the convulsions would begin. Her gaze traveled to Javel in near-panic. If Lucas’ thumb slipped just a fraction of an inch…

“It’s okay, Xerna. This is just one big misunderstanding.” For a man who was hog-tied on a table with his own weapon trained against him, Javel looked surprisingly calm. He shrugged his shoulders as if they were talking about nothing more relevant than the weather.

It was all well and good that her partner didn’t seem to find the situation alarming, but she certainly did. “Lucas, put down the phaser right now.” She held out her hands, palms face up. “What misunderstanding?”

Lucas gave a snort. “Oh, you know, that little oversight you had in the cavern where you abandoned me in the hands of those Monacks!”

“Abandoned you?” Xerna echoed. “I saw you get shot by a phaser. You weren’t breathing. I thought you were dead!”

He turned to Javel. “She’s lying. She never even checked up on me. This is all her fault but I know how you can make it up to me.”

Xerna took a slow, deep, calming breath and eyed the phaser in Lucas’ hand. Even in his deteriorated state, the Level Fifteen prisoner was extremely dangerous. She was careful not to make any sudden movements. “How can we make it up to you?”

He leered and saliva trickled from the corners of his mouth. Xerna tried not to recoil in disgust. “You can give me some of that juice you and pretty boy here have been hoarding. And I don’t mean just to tide me over. I want the whole take.”

“For the last time,” Xerna yelled in exasperation, “we don’t have any Styx! Believe me, if I had any, I’d give you the whole thing just to shut you up!”

“Oh, and part with billions of kroenigs’ worth of merchandise?” Lucas’ voice dripped with sarcasm. “I don’t buy it.” He turned to Javel. “I told you man, we don’t need her.” He sounded desperate. Pleading. “If you hadn’t saved her with that water, it’d have been just you and me, buddy. We could’ve divided the product in half and flown outta here. We’d be rich beyond our wildest dreams. But no. You had to save this bitch and keep the stash for yourself.”

“Wait a minute,” Xerna interrupted. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?”

“Planned what?”

“This. Trapping us both. Making us lead you to our so-called drug stash. This is why you’ve been tagging alongside is, isn’t it?”

He chuckled. “Well, it certainly ain’t for the conversation.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You were the one who led Trinos to us, didn’t you? When we were waiting for you to bring water back to the cell.”

His chuckle turned into a full belly laugh. “She’s a smart one, ain’t she, Marquand,” he said, turning to Javel. “I thought I’d tell you all about my misdeeds right before I killed you, but I didn’t even have to open my mouth. Your brilliant partner seemed to have figured it all out.”

He gave Xerna a sad smile. “But unfortunately for you, this is the end of the road, bitch. You too, my friend,” he said, looking back at Javel. “I’m boarding that ship with my share of the reefer.” He walked towards Javel and nudged him with the phaser. “How much is it? I heard two crateloads, is that right? That must be worth, let’s see…two billion, give or take?”

Xerna snapped her fingers and enunciated. “Hey Lucas. We. Have. No. Styx. What part of that don’t you understand?”

As soon as she said it, Lucas eyes lit in anger and Xerna realized she’d gone too far. In four strides, he was on her. His speed and agility took her by surprise. Reaching up, he grabbed her by the hair and swung her by her scalp, slamming her down against a console.

Pain erupted in her head. With her last ounce of strength, Xerna wrapped her arms around him and tackled him to the ground.

“Get off me, whore!” he bellowed. He tried pulling her away by the hair but she clung hard. She released her right hand and frantically groped her pockets, searching for any possible weapon that she could use against him.

Her fingers wrapped around her little sprite. In a flash, she whipped it out and held it aloft. With a quick flick of her wrist, she rammed it straight through Lucas’ leg, striking him in the fleshy part of his inner thigh. A satisfying gush of blood greeted her sight.

But instead of weakening him, it seemed to increase his frenzy. With a roar, Lucas grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Pain shot through her as her palm involuntarily dislodged the sprite. It dropped to the floor with a rattle. In the distance, she vaguely heard Javel shouting her name. Lucas grabbed her by the shoulders and mashed her against a wall. Stars danced before her eyes. Two of her front teeth loosened and blood oozed freely out of her nose. But no way was she giving up. Xerna continued to gnash against him, using every trick she knew and a few she’d invented along the way.

She didn’t know how long she and Lucas locked in battle but with one final roar, he smashed his head against hers and Xerna collapsed to the ground, unable to move one more muscle.

Breathing hard, she felt him grab her feet and drag her across the room where he lifted her onto a smaller console. He spread her legs and arms and with pieces of errant twine and fabric, tied her hands and feet on each corner leg of the table. Now she and Javel were in the exact same position. Their eyes met and she could see the look of helplessness in his eyes.

Panic began to burble in Xerna’s throat. She tried lifting her head for a better view of her captor but she had no strength left. There was a persistent ringing in her ears and her vision was blurred. She probably had a concussion. Suddenly, everything was too bright and Xerna closed her eyes in an attempt to lessen the sharp pain that stabbed her between the eyes.

Once he finished binding her hands and feet, Lucas staggered between Xerna and Javel. “Now…” he gasped, “…either one of you start talking, or you won’t like what I’m going to do to her.”

From the corner of her eye, Xerna saw Javel thrash and flay against his restraints. His hands and feet were tied all in one strong knot. She absently wondered how her partner had allowed himself to get into a position of such vulnerability. It probably had something to do with his misplaced trust on Lucas. But even though she’d been proven right about the Level Fifteen prisoner, it didn’t make her happy in the least.

“What do you want?” she gritted through bloodied lips.

“Are you deaf?” Lucas shouted. “I want the reefer, and I want it now. I need a dose bad and I want the rest of the stash.”

“Are you deaf?” Xerna spat, losing all patience. “How many times do we have to tell you, we don’t have any!” Why wasn’t Javel backing her up? She saw her partner gnash against his restraints but nary a whisper crossed his lips.

Instead of arguing further, Lucas paused and furrowed his brow. He tilted his head in amazement. “Could it be?” He walked over to Javel, who had momentarily stopped his thrashing. Lucas reached over and yanked Javel by the hair, bringing his head up. “You didn’t tell her, did you?”

Xerna exhaled sharply, a knot of dread forming in her stomach. “Tell me what?”

Instead of answering, Lucas erupted in more laughter. He leaned over to Javel. “Man, you’re a fucking genius. You hid it from her, didn’t you?”

Javel shook his head. “She’s telling the truth!” he shouted, desperation at the edge of his voice. “We don’t have any.”

“Aw c’mon, man! Don’t do this to me.” Lucas raised Javel’s phaser and slapped him with it. Blood oozed from Javel’s lip. “Fine. Have it your way.”

With an ominous grin, Lucas circled the Control Room as if searching for something. Looking up, he spied an object that made him smile wider. Xerna’s gaze followed him with growing trepidation. He walked to the conference table where Javel was tied up and jumped between her partner’s spread legs, grabbing a wire that was attached to a coil that dangled from the ceiling.

Xerna immediately knew what Lucas wanted to do. “Noooo!” she screamed. The coil, fastened to a large conduit, rolled back and forth against the flimsy metal of the catwalk, threatening to fall. She heard Javel inhale sharply. Soon, the coil’s oscillation began to slow until it finally stopped. But she realized that when the next quake hits, if Javel still lay beneath the coil, it would come crashing down, crushing her partner to his death.

Xerna’s vision suddenly darkened. “You evil fucker,” she roared, flailing against her bonds. “When I get my hands on you—”

Lucas’ face twisted into a grotesque leer. “You wanna lay a hand on me, whore?” he taunted.

Suddenly, his breath suddenly materialized next to her ear. His tongue darted back and forth, nibbling and licking, sending strong shivers down her tight core.

Xerna closed her eyes in dread. No. Not again.

Involuntarily, she felt her insides clench once more as her body readied itself for mating. Xerna screamed in violent protest at the coming invasion, but even to her ears, it came out as a rapturous moan, an invitation to any male coming her way.

“Xerna!” Javel roared next to her.

Her eyes popped open as she saw the catwalk above Javel give slightly from the weight of the coil. But her traitorous body paid no attention. A fevered intensity wrapped itself around her and spasms of pleasure rocked her body as Lucas devoured the heat between her legs. He licked and nibbled, sending shooting bursts of ecstasy through her.

“Oh god, oh god…” she moaned, caught between her body’s behavior and her heart’s desire to save her partner. Her lover. Her mate. From the corner of her eye, Xerna could see that the restraint around Javel’s right wrist had dug into his flesh. Blood oozed onto the table as he continued to flay against the ropes.

A flash of sparks suddenly exploded to her right and the Garrison was plunged in darkness. Xerna blinked, trying to adjust her eyes. The panic that threatened to well up her throat now gripped her full throttle by the chest. She was about to get raped for real. No one was coming to help. She couldn’t even help herself. Tears flowed freely down Xerna’s cheeks, and to her utter disgust, Lucas began licking them off with sickening smacking sounds.

“Aaah…” he said with relish, “so you’ve finally realized the hopelessness of your situation, haven’t you?”

At least, Xerna thought, she was about to die soon. The Garrison was completely unstable and one more tremor will cause its walls and ceiling to finally cave in. She wouldn’t have to face the consequences of her disgusting behavior.

She was part-Karatzin and in these last moments of her life, she needed to accept it. Embrace it, right before she was to be sexually assaulted and killed. For the first time in her life, Xerna stopped resisting the torrents of pleasure that rained through her body as Lucas’s hands roamed everywhere, tearing at her uniform and touching every exposed part of her skin.

Xerna finally let the shame and humiliation roll off her shoulders, allowing herself to swim in the physical sensations. Her mind closed and her shoulders sagged, surrendering to the waves of heat coursing through her. She allowed her emotions to run free, to fully experience, without judgment or self-hatred, the despicable acts being perpetrated upon her.

It was as if an enormous weight was suddenly lifted off her chest. Xerna inhaled deeply, surrounded by a true calm and acceptance she had never before felt. The emotion shocked her but left a surprising balance in her system, as if a missing part of her had finally found its way home.

So this is what it felt like to be Karatzin.

But then, from the depths of the darkness, a voice penetrated her soul.

Don’t give up. Fight him.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked to her right. At first, it sounded like Javel, but he was too far away. The voice had been closer and higher pitched.

Where had it come from?

Don’t let him win. Fight him!

How could she? She had no strength, no power, no will to resist.

But you still have your mind. Use it!

She wanted the voice to go away and leave her to her depths of despair. But it wouldn’t leave. Whoever it was, it was loud and bossy.

Get off your ass Xerna and fight him! Figure out a way, dammit!

With a start, she realized that it was her own voice, speaking inside her mind.

Since when had she developed a dual personality? And more importantly, how was she supposed to fight someone twice her size while tied down to a table?

While tied down to a table.

A flicker of an idea formed in Xerna’s mind. She just hoped she’d be able to resist long enough for her plan to work.

She began moaning softly, rocking her hips back and forth. She was only partly acting. Lucas had his hand between her legs, massaging roughly, and the feeling was electrifying.

She struggled to open her eyes and to her surprise, the room was now bathed in a soft, greenish glow. Did an emergency light activate? Blinking rapidly, Xerna realized that she could now somehow make out the outline of every object in the room as if it had been traced by a luminous pen.

Night-sight. Holy shit, she finally had it. And by god, it kicked as much ass as she thought it would.

Delight surged through her like a raging waterfall, and it wasn’t just because Lucas was currently feasting on a bared nipple.

She could absently hear Javel calling out her name in the background. But she ignored him as a fire raged between her legs, sending streams of pleasure up her spine. With wild abandon, Xerna’s body quivered in ecstasy, her pheromones sending both men an open invitation.

“Oh, yeah baby…” Lucas growled above her.

In the darkened room, she could see his facial expression cast in green, twisted in perverse anticipation as he tore the rest of her uniform away. Again, Xerna felt the warm air caress her skin as her clothes too came off with tearing sounds. Lucas was panting and practically salivating, with portions of his cheeks and lips glowing red. He positioned himself above her, his penis huge and angry, glowing a fiery red in the darkened room.

She turned her head ever so slightly to glance at Javel whose muscles glowed bright orange, tension radiating from every inch of his body. And something else. Desire surged through him like the river of hot, flowing lava that mixed with the anger that coursed through his veins. She could see all that and more, the wonder of her newfound sixth sense nearly overwhelming her.

Lucas glowed bright hot and ready. He had taken all his clothes off and was now ready to plunge himself above her. Xerna felt her body tighten in eagerness. But unlike before, there were no strains of shame or embarrassment that clouded her mind. She no longer felt the need to deny the fact that she wasn’t responsible for her own actions.

Maybe it was because her cycle was finally dying down, or it could be her newfound acceptance of who she was, but Xerna now felt in complete control of the situation, despite her body’s eagerness to receive Lucas. Her mind was surprisingly lucid, free from the fever that used to overwhelm her when she was in the grip of her cycle. She knew what she had to do.

“Undo my hand,” she groaned, her voice thick with heat. “I want to touch you.”

It was the first time she’d ever spoken during the three times she and Lucas had come close to sex and she could tell he was taken aback. Xerna lifted her still-bound right hand. “Please,” she whispered. “I need to touch you.”

Hesitating for just a fraction, Lucas tore himself away from her but quickly came back with her sprite in his hand. Xerna swallowed in nervous anticipation, but kept her gaze half-lidded and smoky, knowing that he could sense her readiness.

Next to her, Javel had grown silent as Lucas approached with the sharp figurine. Xerna could hear her heartbeat thunder through her ears. Biting back a scream, she winced as Lucas bent down and sliced the air.

Her right hand was suddenly free. And then Xerna felt a heavy weight press down upon her as Lucas settled himself on top.

“Here I come, bitch,” he growled, lifting his pelvis high above her hips for the optimum entry position. He felt for her opening, clutched himself, and plunged into her in one swift motion.

But that was when Xerna, with her complete and perfect night-sight, stabbed Lucas straight in the eyes with two extended fingers of her newly freed hand.

Howling in pain, Lucas reared his head up and smacked Xerna across the face. But she’d caught him by surprise and the slap had been halfhearted. She reached up and forked her fingers into his neck before grabbing his balls and twisting them in her hand.

The big man fell to the floor in agony. Xerna’s hand flew across the table and closed around her sprite, its outline crystal clear in the darkness. Moments later, her ropes were lying in pieces on the floor and she was on her feet, giving Lucas several swift kicks to the solar plexus with the tip of her boots. She was completely naked save for her footwear, which made Xerna chuckle for an instant. A soldier was only as good as her shoes, an Alliance trainer had once told her.

In the dark, she scrambled for Javel’s phaser which Lucas had left lying on the floor. Grabbing it and turning around, she opened fire just as Lucas emerged from his crouched position. Hitting him squarely on the chest, he fell with a thud, paralyzed by the phaser’s Stun setting. Lucky bastard. Xerna hadn’t had time to adjust the controls. If he had set it on Kill or Explode earlier, he’d be a goner by now.

She ran towards Javel and used her sprite to cut his ropes. Without even bothering to check his wrists or ankles, Javel encircled her in a gigantic embrace and murmured her name repeatedly into her hair. “Xerna, Xerna, Xerna…” His voice cracked, sounding as if he was trying to fight back tears.

“Shhhh…it’s okay.” She ran her fingers through his hair to try to soothe him. Wait a minute, why was he the one who needed soothing? “Hey,” she gently chided. “I was the one who was almost raped and killed, remember?”

Javel sniffed and looked into her eyes. “You are one tough cookie, you know that?” He gave her a rueful smile as their eyes met.

“Yeah, I am, aren’t I?” She reached down and caressed his cheek. “You okay? You ready to go up the surface?”

He nodded, and then his trademark leer came back. “But first, let’s get you some clothes, shall we? I don’t think you’ll survive very long on the surface wearing your birthday suit.”

Xerna smacked him in the arm. She untangled himself from his embrace and with an utter lack of modesty—no time for that now—she reached over and grabbed the remnants of her uniform from the floor, donning it in a hurry. It wasn’t bad. Apart from a large tear in the front torso, it stayed in place.

“Let’s go,” she murmured. The two guards began jogging out of the Control Room. But after two steps, Javel spun around and eyed her with suspicion. “Xerna…”

“Yes?”

“Look at me.”

Xerna turned to look straight into Javel’s eyes. “What?”

His face broke into a grin. “Holy shit, you did it, didn’t you?” He grabbed her by the shoulders and searched her face.

“Did what?” she asked, confused.

“You have night-sight! When did that happen?”

Oh, that’s right. It had completely slipped Xerna’s mind. Night-sight to her now felt like second nature and she couldn’t believe she’d lived through her first twenty-nine years without it. “Just now, actually. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

He stared at her for a moment. “Congratulations,” he said with a knowing smile. “I knew you could do it.”

“You did not,” she protested. But she returned his smile.

As they crossed the hallway into the storage area, a thought niggled in the back of Xerna’s mind. “Why is it that all the prisoners we encounter seem to think we’re in possession of Styx?”

In the dark, she saw Javel shrug. “I have no idea.”

“Weird, isn’t it? They really believe we have some. It’s amazing what the mind can do in times of stress.” Tapping her neck, she pressed her comm implant. “This is Xerna calling Nya or Amani. Can either of you hear me?”

This time, instead of silence, a sharp static sound cackled through her earpiece, making her wince. At the same time, a machine-like hum filled the air as lights suddenly flickered and turned back on. Xerna spied her gear and hurried to pick it up. She motioned for Javel to follow her.

They reached the other end of the Control Room and prepared to exit when some of the systems miraculously sprang back to life. Xerna strode towards one of the monitors and began pressing buttons on the console.

“Let’s see if we could get a picture of this merc ship from one of the surface cams,” she said, her voice hopeful. “If we can pinpoint its exact location, it would save us some time.”

She scrolled through several screens until she found it. “Yeah!” She pumped her fists in triumph. There it was, sitting pretty in a plateau off the cave entrance on Level One.

“It looks like about five kilometers away, give or take,” Javel said, his excitement palpable.

A low rumble started again and the pictures onscreen flickered and the lights dimmed. Different pictures appeared on the monitors. But no matter. They now knew their exact destination and heading. Xerna could taste escape on the tip of her tongue. All they had to do now was grab a parka for Javel and climb five more levels.

Grabbing his hand, the two jogged into the hallway and headed for the catwalk stairs that climbed back up the mineshaft. At this point, it was still the fastest and most direct route to the surface.

But on their way, they passed a bank of monitors and something caught Xerna’s eye.

Chapter Twenty-One

            Level Six, Hallway Outside The Garrison

The enormous floor-to-ceiling wall of monitors that normally displayed images from surveillance cameras throughout the prison now only showed one, caught in an endless loop of the same footage.

Javel briefly glanced at the flickering image and felt his heart stop. The video was fuzzy and filled with static, but his face and body were unmistakable. A cold wash swept over him as he saw himself engaged in a heated conversation with Dr. Avelard on the penitentiary docks on Level One ten long days ago.

Of all the things the system could be stuck on…

He quickly turned to a mesmerized Xerna who stared blankly at the monitors. Faint audio accompanied the footage.

“I have Styx. Tons and tons of it. I could give you two cases!”

“I could give you all the money you could ever want.”

“I can make the transfer right now.”

“All right doctor. You have yourself a deal.”

Dear God. No. He quickly caught Xerna’s sleeve and tried to tug her away. “Come on, let’s go.”

But she shrugged off his hold. “Javel?” she said, her brows furrowed in confusion. Her eyes were still trained on the screens. “What am I watching here? It looks like…like…”

He wanted to smash the damned monitors with his bare fists. “Xerna, I can explain…” he said, helplessly raising his hands in surrender.

She slowly turned to him. “What do you mean, you can explain? Explain what? This video has somehow been corrupted, right? It can’t be showing what I think it’s showing.”

She looked at him hopefully, expectantly, and all Javel had to do was lie expertly like he knew he could. He could say that yes, the images had obviously been tampered, and she would believe him. Her beautiful face was upturned, her eyes hopeful. But as their gazes met and held, he began to squirm.

No, he couldn’t lie to her. But he couldn’t tell her the truth either. He would hate her and never speak to her again. He couldn’t let that happen.

But he could delay. Yes, that’s what he would do.

Grabbing Xerna by the hand, he began forcefully pulling her up the catwalk. “I promise we’ll talk about it later. On the ship, the second we get there.”

But her hands were ice cold and she pulled away from him. Her face had become a pale mask. With growing dread, Javel realized he didn’t have to tell her anything. She already knew.

Xerna slowly advanced towards him, her eyes lit in a fiery rage. “This—” she pointed to the monitors, fire brimming in her eyes, “—is the reason why the inmates think we have Styx, don’t they? Only they misunderstood and thought you’d actually acquired two crateloads of the stuff instead of selling your life and the lives of the people you work with for money!” She spat the last word as if it were poison. “You were there when the scientists left and didn’t tell anyone. You hid this from Riggeur and you hid this from all of us. You’ve condemned us all to die.” She said all this as if she were reciting facts from a textbook, calmly and with no emotion.

Javel would have rather dealt with shouting and histrionics. This Xerna terrified the shit out of him. He raised his arms in defense. “Hold on, it wasn’t like that at all.”

“No?” she asked. She raised a finger and jabbed him on the chest. “Then explain to me why it appears as if you were taking a bribe to let them go. Explain to me why you didn’t report them to Riggeur as soon as they left. Explain why you didn’t share the knowledge that there were no more ships on this godforsaken planet before Nya and Amani got sent up to scrounge for one. And better yet, explain to me why every single prisoner on this planet thinks you have a stash of Styx!”

“But I don’t!”

“Ah, therein lies the rub, doesn’t it?” The corners of her mouth twitched in a disappointed smile. “Someone must have broken here, into the Garrison, and saw this video loop. They probably were too drugged up or too much into withdrawal pains to understand exactly what you’d done. All they knew was that you seemed to have accepted two crateloads of Styx. They didn’t bother to comprehend the fact that you’d actually done something much, much worse. That you’d traded our freedom for money. And of all the stupid things to do! How did you figure you would get out of here?”

“I wasn’t thinking!” Javel could feel the beginnings of another panic attack seep through his veins. “I was blinded by all the money. I’d never even come close to having that much money to my name! Don’t you see? I did it for you! I’ve never felt that I was good enough for you. I’m poor as dirt! I have nothing to my name. Why do you think I’ve stayed away for so long? I want to give you everything you would ever want or need. And with the two million, I finally can!”

Exhaling sharply, Xerna began backing away, revulsion on her face. She looked at him as if he were some kind of monster. “What the hell are you saying? That this is my fault? That I somehow made you do this?”

“No—” That came out all wrong. He sprinted to catch up to her. “Xerna, let me explain—”

Once more, she shrugged away from his grip. “Don’t touch me.” She whirled around and the look in her eyes made Javel feel like she’d punched him in the gut. “You’re obviously not the man I thought you were. To sell your colleagues’ lives, mine, yours for any price is beyond despicable. How could you ever have thought it was the right thing to do?”

“I’d have figured something out! I knew we would find a way out of here!”

She turned and marched towards the Garrison exit doors. She laid a palm on the touchpad and typed in the code. Miraculously, the doors parted open and Xerna walked through. Facing him again, she spat out, “Oh, you would have found a way out of here, wouldn’t you?” She shook her head as if in great sadness. “You know what?”

“What?” He was desperate now, fighting for his life like he’d never fought before.

But before she could answer, a loud, screeching noise sounded from above. Both guards looked up. Javel was filled with a sick dread as an enormous beam the size of a small transport ship hung overhead by the thinnest of metal rods. Balanced precariously, it began rocking back and forth, threatening to fall directly on top of Xerna.

Before he could react, the beam came down with a deafening crash. An avalanche of other debris rained down after it.

Javel hit the deck and crouched low, protecting his head with his arms. He shimmied on his belly for the relative safety of the conference table and used it as a shield.

Precious minutes later, the coast was finally clear. Javel peered from under his arms as dust settled around him.

The destruction of the hallway was complete. The walls and ceiling had caved in like a giant avalanche. Javel coughed and sputtered as smoke from a nearby fire reached his nostrils. He stumbled towards the direction of the Garrison exit where Xerna had stood just seconds before the first beam fell. “Xerna?” he called out, trying hard to squelch the terror in his voice.

He reached the spot, but large fragments of the walls and ceilings barricaded the once-open doorway, making it completely impassable. He called her name several times, praying that she’d been able to sidestep at the last minute. But no matter how hard he strained to listen, he was unable to make out any humanoid sounds. No cries, no breathing, no scent, nothing.

Which could only mean two things: that either Xerna had been crushed so deeply underneath that his nose couldn’t track her, or that she had gotten away.

For his own personal sanity, he fervently hoped it was the latter.

Climbing above the rubble, Javel dug frantically, tossing pieces of scalding metal parts away. He wanted to find her but at the same time hoped she’d managed to escape. He continued, his hands beginning to blister from handling metal that sizzled to the touch. But he never even felt them.

Xerna, you can’t be dead.

They couldn’t leave things like this—with her thinking that he was nothing but a mercenary son of a bitch. Javel kept digging, although in the back of his mind, he knew that if Xerna was underneath all the rubble, she’d most likely be dead. The smart thing to do would be to hightail it to the merc ship.

But he soldiered on, holding his breath as he got deeper and lower into the mountain of rubble while calling her name repeatedly.

Who the hell was he kidding? Love hadn’t been his prime motivation for accepting the money. It had been greed, pure and simple. A part of him was mercenary. His intentions had been anything but honorable and it was time for him to admit that. Because now, with Xerna possibly buried by a thousand kilos of wreckage, what was the use in pretending? Somehow, he had deluded himself into thinking he was more of a man than he really was.

She was right. He was nothing but a greedy merc, still green with envy after all these years, still looking over the fence to the big house and imagining that it was him with the wealthy family and all the money in the world.

If he and Xerna survived—and that was still a big if—there was no possibility that she was ever going to forgive him for his colossal error. His action had been more than a mistake. It was an egregious, mortal sin. And truly, he didn’t blame her for writing him off. How could he have done it? Looking back, he could clearly see the enormity of his actions. If it weren’t for the luck of Nya and Amani finding that merc ship, Javel would have doomed them all on this planet.

Out of breath, he finally stopped his futile digging and clambered down on the other side of the wreckage towards the Garrison exit. As near as he could tell, Xerna was not under the rubble. His instincts told him that she’d gotten away in the nick of time. But the digging had felt constructive, so he kept on, even though he knew he should be running out of there and making his way towards the ship.

It was because he couldn’t face her. If he ever saw her again, how could he ever look her in the eye? How could he profess his love for her, after what he’d done? Maybe he should just sit here and roll with the impending planetary destruction. His shame threatened to overwhelm him. Moisture sprang from his eyes as he tried and failed to recall the last time he’d cried.

But even though he was nothing but a greedy merc and a gutless opportunist, he was no suicidal coward. With a heavy sigh, Javel got up and began staggering towards the only means of escape left—the Garrison stairs. But as he crossed the wide passageway that used to showcase natural scenery from Earth, he skidded to a halt.

A lone man stood at the entrance of the stairwell, a mean-looking phaser rifle slung across his shoulder. Their gazes met and Javel’s eyes widened in shock.

What the hell was this guy doing here?

The man was wearing the uniform of an Imperial soldier. Make that a former Imperial soldier. Two years ago, peace had arrived in the Andromeda Galaxy when members of the Minoux royal family had finally been hunted down and killed. In a coup orchestrated by the military, who in turn had been financed by the Duran Corporation, the Minouxs were defeated and butchered one by one.

But there were persistent rumors that some of them had survived and continued the fight. During his stint as a reefer, he’d encountered members of their rebel forces from time to time. But even though he was an AE officer and was tasked with hunting down members of the former ruling family, he hadn’t wanted to blow his cover and so had never engaged them. And now, one of them was here with a big-assed gun. Weapon aside, Javel had no intentions of tangling with this soldier. If one was here, then surely there were more. This explained the presence of the merc ship. It was obviously theirs. Javel had no idea what they were doing on Zurin Five nor did he care. All he wanted was to get past this guy and onto that ship.

“Halt!” the soldier ordered, raising his rifle.

Before he could fire, Javel lifted his hands in surrender. “I’m unarmed.”

The soldier aimed for Javel’s forehead. “Stay right were you are and identify yourself.”

“My name is Javel Marquand and I’m an officer with the Garrison. I’ve been informed that there’s a ship on the surface waiting to evacuate us. Does it belong to you?”

The guard hesitated a fraction before replying. “Yes, it does.”

Javel waited for more but the man said nothing else. “This planet is on the verge of collapse. I’ve been informed by my colleagues that it’s available to transport our entire crew off this planet. Can you confirm?”

The soldier shook his head. “I’m afraid you’ve been misinformed.” He tightened his hold on the rifle. “I’m afraid we’re all full up. There’s no more room for you.”

Javel knotted his forehead in confusion. “No room?” he echoed. “No room for me, or for the entire crew?”

“I’m afraid that information is classified.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” This man was being deliberately obtuse. “Classified how? Can’t you see everything around you is falling apart? What the hell are you still doing here? You people need to evacuate now. Whatever it is you need, I can help. I can navigate or gain access or point you in the right direction.”

“You have nothing we need nor want.” Well, at least that was a refreshing change, Javel thought. The soldier continued. “And if you don’t turn around and go back to where you came from, I’m going to shoot. Now go away.”

Javel fisted his hands in frustration. This little man was all that stood between him and survival. He thought of Xerna coming this way. Had she met her fate at the hands of this asshole?

“Tell me this then,” Javel said, desperately forcing his voice to remain cool. “Did you encounter another Garrison guard—a female—your way recently? She’s tall, has dark hair, is really, really hot?” Javel hadn’t meant to add that last part but he knew it would get the soldier’s attention.

The man cocked an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “Really hot? No, no one like that. A few ugly humans, that’s all. They’re all dead, over there.” He pointed the rifle at three lifeless bodies on the floor. “Which is what you’re going to be if you don’t turn around and leave.”

So Xerna hadn’t come this way. Javel was both relieved and worried. She hadn’t encountered this idiot, thank god. But where was she? This was the only way out. The last quake had completely blocked the way to the mineshaft. Javel assessed his options. He had to take this guy out and find Xerna. But unfortunately, he looked like a seasoned fighter, fresh and alert, holding his weapon with an expert hand. Javel didn’t stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat. Hell, in any kind of combat. In his battered state, he would be dead in a matter of seconds, even if he had his phaser. He could think of no way to outmaneuver this man, no ploy to outwit him. In his condition, Javel only had one more weapon in his arsenal. Reaching slowly in his pocket, he pulled out his compad.

“Maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement,” he offered.

“Like I said shithead, you got nothing I want.” He tilted his phaser so Javel could see the indicator light pulsing bright red—it was fully powered and ready to kill. “You’re lucky I’m feeling good right now. I’d have shot you already. Now for the last time, get lost, will ya? Before my people return. And then all bets are off. I can’t promise you they won’t shoot you on sight.”

“Ah, but I have something that might interest you.” Javel’s fingers flew across the screen of his compad, pulling up evidence of his monstrous blunder that started this whole thing. He turned the compad around and showed the screen to the soldier. “May I?”

With a nod from his opponent, Javel walked across the room, careful not to make any sudden movements. He held the compad close to the soldier’s face. “You ever seen so many zeroes in your life?”

The soldier inhaled sharply and looked at Javel with a sneer. “Don’t tell me all that money’s yours. You’re a fucking Garrison guard! How the hell did you come up with that much dough?”

“Do you care?” Javel countered. “It’s all yours man, that is, if you let me and the rest of my crew board your ship.”

He didn’t even have to finish his sentence before the soldier began rummaging through his pockets and pulled out an identical comm device. “I want it all. Now,” he barked.

Javel raised his compad away from the soldier’s reach. “Not so fast. First, I want your assurance that we wait for as long as possible for my people before your ship takes off. And I want you to give me time to look for one of my colleagues.”

“The hot chick you were talking about?”

“Yeah. I’ll give you half now, and half when we’re all safely onboard.”

But the soldier shook his head. “No dice. We came here for something specific. You’re either onboard when we take off or you’re not. You must be crazy if you think we’re staying on this fucking planet for one second longer than we need to. And fuck that halfsies shit. You give me the whole thing or you don’t step one foot on my ship.”

“No fucking way—” Javel began to argue.

But the soldier raised his rifle and pointed it at Javel’s chest. “Those are my terms, officer. Take it or leave it. You wanna be rich and dead, or poor and alive?”

With that simple choice, this grunt of a soldier had managed to boil down the essence of Javel’s dilemma.

But what dilemma? There really was none. He was responsible for this entire disaster. If it hadn’t been for him, the entire Garrison crew would have been evacuated by now and Xerna would be by his side, safe and sound.

This was the only way in or out of the Garrison. Sooner or later, if everyone managed the trek up from underground, they would encounter this soldier. He would probably try to extort something from them too, but Javel knew they had nothing of value to give. But he had. In one fell swoop, he could buy their way out of here, even if it meant giving up the thing that made him Xerna’s equal.

Javel’s shoulders slumped. He felt completely and thoroughly defeated. The money was meaningless now, and he might as well give it to this asshole. But even if he did, there was no guarantee that any of the remaining Garrison crew—the captain and Rhonda, Thrower, Isles, his pal Raylor, and Xerna—would make it. They still had to travel to this point and who knew where they all were?

He reached up and tried his comm implant once more. “Xerna, come in.”

Silence. His compad was equally mute.

“You got ten seconds, pretty boy,” the soldier snickered. “What’s it gonna be?”

Without another word, Javel held up his compad and tapped the screen with a finger. The soldier held his aloft as both devices communicated with each other.

*****

Xerna couldn’t believe her eyes.

She crouched on the floor, hidden behind an easy chair in mute shock at the second big surprise of the day. The sight of Javel giving away two billion kroenigs as if he had plenty more where that came from left her mouth hanging open.

She’d arrived at this passageway in time to witness three prisoners shot dead with phaser blasts to the skull. Using the battle as cover, Xerna dove behind some furniture and crouched down, watching in disgust at the soldier scavenging through the dead prisoners pockets when it was all over.

She’d laid there quietly, patiently, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. While she waited, she overheard bits and pieces of communication between the soldier and the rest of his team and the first stunner of the day greeted her.

They were searching for Zarah Minoux, former princess of the Andromeda Galaxy. She was here? A prisoner in Zurin Five? Xerna knew that members of the former imperial ruling family were either dead or scattered across the galaxy trying to evade Alliance Enforcement who continued to hunt them. But she’d never heard that the crown princess had been one of the ones who’d escaped. Or that she’d been captured and incarcerated.

She eyed the scene before her now with great interest. Whatever their noble motives might be in rescuing the princess, it seemed some of the Imperial Forces were not above taking bribes.

It was just a matter of seconds before the transaction was complete. Javel’s shoulders sagged and his face looked like a black thundercloud. “There, it’s done,” he said, his voice dropping an octave.

The soldier couldn’t hide a wide grin. “So it is.” He waved his rifle at Javel. “All right guard, you can go. The ship is up the surface. Go through this doorway and climb the open shaft all the way to the surface. You’re gonna need a parka for the cold and an oxygen tank for the noxious gases. We have some extras, but not much. Tell one of the other men up there that Caraxano sent you. The ship’s on a landing platform about four kilometers from the mouth of the shaft, but you have to skirt around an active volcano. Should be no problem for someone like you,” he said mockingly.

But Javel shook his head. “No. I have to find my partner. I can’t leave without her.”

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “But I can’t promise you we’ll still be here when you find her.”

With surprising speed, Javel grabbed the man’s lapel and pinned him against the wall. “A deal’s a deal. I paid you two fucking billion kroenigs to transport us off this planet. The least you could do is give me a few minutes to round up my people.”

In alarm, Xerna saw the soldier raise the rifle and press the trigger. But a split second before the weapon discharged, Javel managed to push his opponent away and roll across the floor.

But he was no match for the soldier’s speed. The imperial rebel sprinted easily towards Javel and smashed the phaser across her partner’s face. Xerna covered her mouth with her hand to hide her gasp. The soldier then loomed over Javel and grinned, planting a foot on his chest and aiming the rifle straight between his eyes. “You should have left when you had the chance, idiot.”

It was a lousy opening but she could wait no longer. Xerna sprang from her hiding place. Concentrating solely on the soldier’s back, Xerna forgot her exhaustion and fired Javel’s phaser, which she’d recovered from the Control Room. The first beam hit the soldier on the arm and the second on the shoulder before the weapon finally ran out of power.

But the soldier must have been wearing body armor. Instead of falling down, he merely staggered forward and wheeled around, his rifle now aimed squarely at her.

“Well, what do we have here?” He walked over at her bent figure. “Could you be the hottie he’s been trying to save?”

“Fuck you,” Xerna said between gritted teeth. With her last reserves of energy, she bent down and rushed forward, tackling the soldier and grabbing him around his legs. With one swift motion, she rammed her head up his crotch and they both went down as he gave a howl of pain.

While he squirmed in agony, Xerna quickly reached over and grabbed the rifle from his slackened fingers. She stood up, aimed it at the soldier’s exposed throat and fired, its powerful beam ripping a fatal wound across the man’s neck.

Xerna inhaled in relief before rushing over to Javel, who lay motionless on the floor.

“Javel?” She gently slapped his cheeks. “Wake up. Can you hear me?” Her gaze roamed across his body checking for signs of injury.

“Xerna?” he croaked weakly.

“To the rescue.”

He cracked an eye open and his gaze darted to her rifle. “You not here to finish me off, are you?”

She couldn’t help it. Her lips twitched before a full-on belly laugh overtook her. “No, silly, not unless you’re planning on doing something stupid again.”

She helped him up and wrapped his arm over her neck. “Let’s get off this planet,” she said with a smile.

But before they could take a step towards the exit, a female voice spoke to their right. “Halt,” the voice commanded. It was followed by the distinctive sounds of more phaser rifles powering up.

Chapter Twenty-Two

What now?

Xerna smelled the new people before she saw them. Whipping around, she came face to face with a woman wearing the garb of a prisoner.

Stunned, Xerna aimed the phaser rifle at her. “It’s you.” Third surprise of the day.

The woman stepped forward. Despite her clothes and the grime on her face, Xerna recognized the lilac-clad woman. It was her favorite prisoner from Level Eight, the enigmatic female with the regal bearing who never spoke but who always acknowledged Xerna with a nod whenever she was on patrol.

“My name is Zarah Minoux of the Royal House of Andromeda,” she said. “And these are my soldiers, one of whom I see you’ve murdered. You will explain yourself.”

“Murdered?” Xerna was incredulous. “There is nothing to explain. That soldier of yours extorted money from my partner in exchange for transport on your ship. I killed him when he attacked Lieutenant Marquand. If you don’t believe me, you can examine the man’s compad. You’ll see that just moments ago, he received a transfer of two billion kroenigs from my partner’s account.”

Minoux raised a brow but said nothing. One of the other soldiers behind her did as Xerna asked and picked up the compads, examining their transactions while Xerna tapped her foot in impatience. Javel shifted beside her but she still felt her legs and shoulders stiffen from his weight. He was a heavy man.

Finally, one of Minoux’s minions came forward and whispered something in the princess’ ear.

“It is quite unfortunate that one of my soldiers accepted a bribe. That is not the way of my people. I am grateful to you for uncovering his deceit. It is just as well that he is dead.”

The planet began to rumble once more. Xerna looked around at the shaking walls. “What about the transport out of here?”

Minoux began walking and motioned for the Garrison guards to follow her. “One of your fellow officers has already negotiated passage for all of you.”

“What of our captain, Cole Riggeur? And our medic, Rhonda Alendresis?” Xerna persisted.

“They are safely ensconced on the brig of my ship, which is where the two of you will also be.”

At this point, Xerna didn’t care that Minoux said the word brig and concentrated instead on the news that the captain and Rhonda were alive. She turned to the barely-conscious Javel. “Did you hear that babe? The captain and Rhonda are fine.” Relief overwhelmed her.

The princess’ soldiers led them towards the exit. “This way,” Minoux said. “We’re running out of time.”

In fits and starts, the partners followed the royal crew and shuffled up the mineshaft, one treacherous step at a time. The going was rough and the two guards fell behind. Javel’s injuries slowed them down even more.

“Javel, we have to hurry,” Xerna said, urging him. Her legs burned with the effort of assisting him and her shoulders were beginning to cramp up. She could barely see the soldiers clambering ahead of them in the shaft.

“Babe,” he gasped. “Xerna…” he quickly corrected himself when he saw her arch an eyebrow.

“Shhh…no talking. Just concentrate on getting up to the surface.”

Suddenly, she felt hands on her shoulders as Javel whipped her around to face him. Their noses touched and his jaw tightened. “I’m so sorry.” His voice was barely a whisper. “In case we don’t make it out of here, I just want you to know how sorry I am. For everything.”

To Xerna’s surprise—the fourth of the day—Javel’s eyes began to moisten. Any more surprises and she was going to have a heart attack. Quickly and firmly, so there was no doubt about how she felt, she cupped his face and pulled his head down, giving him a quick, sweet, gentle kiss. She ended it a second later and Javel’s eyes blazed with hope.

“I forgive you, you big idiot,” Xerna said with a small smile. “I love you too.”

“But I almost got everyone trapped on this planet,” he protested. “I almost got the entire Garrison crew killed. I almost got you killed. And Lucas…you told me not to trust him…”

She pulled him closer, feeling the warmth of his breath against hers. “But you gave up the money.”

He sighed. “Well, yeah.”

She winced. “It was a lot of money.”

He nodded. “It sure was.”

“Why?”

Gently cupping her cheeks, he rolled his eyes. “I knew that if I didn’t, then I really was a dead man. You’d have killed me.”

Xerna stifled a laugh. “Are you trying to convince me not to forgive you?” she teased.

“No, of course not. But I wouldn’t have forgiven me if I were you. You’ve become soft in your old age.” They regarded each other with gentle smiles.

But a thought suddenly crossed Xerna’s mind. Frowning, she asked, “You’re not gonna hate me later for that, are you?”

He released her cheeks and wrapped his arms around her, breathing into her ear. “Forget about the money. It’s over. I gave it away. It felt weird the whole time I had it. Like I stole it. I was happy for, oh, a couple of days. But after that, it just ate at me like acid. Giving it up was the right thing to do.”

Xerna smiled her first true smile in the past eleven days. “Babe, we’ll talk about this more when we get on that ship. But let me just say this.” She touched her forehead to Javel’s. “You giving up that money told me more than any I’m sorries you could ever say. I understand what it meant to you and what giving it up did to you.” When he started to speak again, Xerna placed a finger on his lips. “I said, we’ll talk about it later. But I wanted to tell you that I completely forgive you. And I love you. And I can’t wait to make love to you again, outside of my heat cycle. Which I’ve never done before, you know.” His eyes widened in amazement. “I’m yours, if you’ll have me.”

Instead of answering her, he pulled her into an even tighter embrace, crushing his lips to hers. The kiss made Xerna’s knees weak. They drew apart several long minutes later with silly grins on their faces.

But his grin vanished, replaced by a frown. “I have one more thing to tell you.”

“Can’t it wait?” she asked, suddenly impatient to reach the ship.

“No.” He was suddenly serious. “I need to tell you now, in case Minoux’s people find out. I need you to cover for me.”

“Cover for you how?” she asked, puzzled.

“I’m with Alliance Enforcement. I was sent here undercover to ferret out the reefer manufacturing. But AE’s been hunting down the last of the imperial family rebel forces for the last two years. If they find out what I am, they’ll kill me.”

In the dark, Xerna’s eyes grew larger. “Get out!” she shouted, pushing Javel away. “You’re AE?”

“Shhhhh!” He nervously glanced up the mineshaft.

Stunned, Xerna stood mute for a few seconds. Recovering, she exhaled and looked at him closely, examining him like a bug under a microscope. “All this time, you’ve been AE?” she whispered.

He nodded but said nothing. He just watched her, waiting for her reaction.

She backed away from him. “Who the hell are you, Javel? First you’re a Garrison detention officer, then you’re a drug pusher, and now you’re AE?” She shook her head as if clearing her vision. “I don’t know who you are anymore. Where the hell is my childhood friend?”

Javel took two unsteady steps towards her and wrapped her in a full-body embrace. She melted into his arms even as her mind swirled in protest.

“Xerna,” he breathed into her ear. “It’s me, it’s your Javel. It’s always been me when it’s been the two of us together.   I never lied to you about anything these past three weeks. Sure, I hid things from you, but I had to.”

She stopped squirming and let him hold her for a long moment. Amid the rumblings of the planet, her body recognized what her mind refused to acknowledge. They were meant to be together in a way that seemed to go beyond the physical. She could hear his heartbeat, in synchrony with her own, beating strong and steady. She closed her eyes and let her mind follow her heart. Despite her protestations, she did indeed know who he was, from the first minute he stepped on Zurin Five. This was Javel. Her friend, her lover, her mate. The very core of her being recognized this as sure as she knew her love for him.

A slow smile formed on her lips. “I knew you couldn’t have been a drug runner,” she whispered in triumph, shaking her head. “So all this time, you’d been investigating Duran? That’s what you were doing in the upper levels?”

He nodded again. “They started the whole reefer business and Zurin Five is ground zero. If it weren’t for these quakes, I would have nailed them too. We were in the middle of organizing a raid but they fled before we were ready. They took everything with them. And I’m sure the earthquakes destroyed anything they left behind.”

“What?! They made reefer?” She was ready for that heart attack now. “How did I not know this?”

They began walking up again and Javel grunted when his foot snagged on something. “Not a lot of people do. It was a well-hidden secret. The labs and the processing plants are all on Levels Two and Three. Those levels are unmonitored and Garrison officers aren’t allowed to go there.”

“So how come you were able to come and go?”

He flashed her a sheepish smile. “I was flirting with one of the scientists.”

Xerna rolled her eyes.

“But seriously,” he continued, his voice dropping to a growl. “That’s part of the reason I…took the bribe. They were fleeing with the evidence and I thought we could trace them with the money they transferred to my account.”

Xerna was silent. It finally all made sense. She chastised herself for her condemnation. Tightening her arm around him, she stopped and gazed into his eyes. “Javel, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For not believing in you. You could never have really been a reefer supplier, what was I thinking?”

He winked. “I wanted you to believe the act. I was undercover, remember?”

Thirty slow and excruciating minutes later, the limping duo finally arrived at the top of the shaft where the thick hangar doors had already been thankfully opened. The fierce wind whipped at them as they huddled closer for warmth, with only their thin guards’ uniforms for protection.

“Here,” someone shouted from behind. Xerna turned and an Imperial soldier handed them two parkas and two oxygen tanks.

“Thanks!” she shouted over the roar of the wind. She gratefully donned hers and helped Javel with his.

She tightened the clasps around their parkas and flashed a smile. “That explains it.”

“Explains what?”

“How you passed Riggeur’s background checks. The AE doctored your documents, didn’t they?”

His grin was back. “Of course. What kind of a covert operation would we be if we didn’t do stuff like that?”

Shaking her head, she turned to face the planet. “We have a lot of catching up to do, don’t we?”

He smiled back and caressed her cheek. “We sure do. A lifetime’s worth.”

“You ready” she asked, her voice challenging.

“Yeah, you?”

Her grin grew wider. They were finally getting off this planet and jumping into another unknown. And she didn’t want to do with anyone else but him. Her fingers tingled in anticipation.

“I’ll race ya.”

They both wrapped the hoods of their parkas tight around their heads and placed the respirator masks on. Hand-in-hand, they stepped off the platform and raced across the frozen tundra towards the waiting ship and the rest of their future together.

The End