Part 18 (2/2)

”Threnody.”

She opened her eyes slowly, staring at her knees. She knew that voice.

Slowly, achingly, Threnody lifted her head enough to see the woman standing in front of her. For a moment, Threnody thought she was dreaming. Gone was the dark brown hair, shaved off completely for the surgery the older woman must have gone through. Harsh red lines still laced the skin of her skull, and her eyes were like empty holes in her face. She wore soft-looking black pants and a gray, long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt. She looked as if she had lost weight.

Ciari looked fragile.

Threnody sniffed loudly. Her nose itched from all the dried blood inside it. ”Never saw you out of uniform before.”

”I've never seen a Stryker without a neurotracker still breathing,” Ciari said.

”Liar.” Threnody smiled, the corners of her mouth cracking. Her lips were dry.

Someone had brought another chair into Threnody's cell while she was unconscious. Ciari sat down in it and laced her hands together in her lap. She stared at Threnody with a heavy, unblinking gaze that was hard to meet. Something was off about the way the older woman acted, and it made Threnody uneasy.

”I'm not giving you up to the World Court,” Ciari said after a moment.

”That's not really a kindness.”

”You took my daughter. It's not about kindness.”

Threnody rolled her head from side to side, trying to ease the heavy ache in her shoulders. The motion brought a wave of nausea, but she managed to not throw up this time. She stank enough as it was. She hadn't eaten since being teleported in, but she'd been given some sips of water. It wasn't enough to sooth the parchedness in her mouth. Swallowing, Threnody stopped moving so her stomach would settle. The pressure in her head was all mental trauma, but Lucas's s.h.i.+eld was still standing. She a.s.sumed it was the only reason she was still alive.

”Her father wanted full custody, not visiting rights,” Threnody said. ”Sorry.”

”Lucas is making a mess of things.”

”So, no more pretending?” Threnody let out a heavy sigh, flexing her fingers. The rubber gloves made her skin itch. She couldn't stretch her arms, not with her wrists cuffed to the chair, and her joints felt tight. ”I would have kept your secret.”

”Jael already knows. She was keeping it safe. How did you find out where we were keeping her?”

”The Syndicate trained me as a tactician, remember? I took the details we had and came up with the best possible scenario.”

”Was releasing information about the Ark your idea?”

”I'm just a soldier, Ciari. All I do is follow orders.”

”No, you aren't. And, no, you don't.”

Threnody licked her lips and chuckled softly. ”Never was very good at lying about how I felt.”

Ciari nodded agreement. ”It's what got you into this mess in the first place. I never wanted to send you on that mission to the Slums.”

”You were just following orders, right?”

”I won't apologize for my actions.”

”I know,” Threnody said quietly. ”You have nothing to apologize for.”

”The world knows about the launch now. About the Ark. The World Court is pus.h.i.+ng up the launch date, which means we Strykers have only got days left to live.”

Threnody stared at her, not liking the toneless way Ciari was speaking. Her voice had no emotion, not even the coldness that came with an empath's rigid control. She was just-empty.

”What can I say that will make you believe there's a way out of this?” Threnody said. ”That the Strykers don't have to die like animals?”

”Belief requires faith. I have none.”

Threnody flinched. ”I learned to.”

”You aren't the first to make that mistake.” Ciari pushed herself to her feet and approached Threnody. ”You won't be the last. But mistakes are what make us human.”

Ciari unlocked first one cuff, then the other. Threnody stared blankly down at her freed hands.

”Lie down and get some rest, Threnody. We aren't done fighting yet.”

Ciari walked out of the cell without looking back. Threnody slowly pulled her arms free of the cuffs and stretched them, groaning as stiff muscles protested the movement. She peeled off the rubber gloves, tossing them away. Then she leaned over to undo the cuffs around her ankles, hissing as the ache in her ribs got sharper. She pulled the rubber boots off her feet before carefully sliding out of the chair. Her aching ribs protested the movement, but Threnody still lay down on the cold metal floor, fingers of one hand curled over the collar wrapped around her throat, the bioware tipped needles digging deep into her skin and vertebrae. She still obeyed the order given to her.

Threnody closed her eyes to block out the light, and slept.

TWENTY-FIVE.

SEPTEMBER 2379.

THE HAGUE, THE NETHERLANDS.

Sharra knew what it meant when the pirate stream hit the world press and society was unable to look away. She paused in front of the vidscreen long enough to watch it all the way through once. Then she retreated to the bunker suite she called home and began to pack.

They were on a schedule that Erik had been keeping to over the past few years. It was easy for her to go through that mental list and see exactly where she was in packing up her life.

”Mama, what are these boxes for?” Lillian asked.

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