Page 84 of Caught By Menace

“If those sky warriors engage the Sixer crew, the distraction ought to buy you some time to escape. It won’t be much time but it’s a chance.”

“If I get an opportunity, I’ll take it,” Naya promised. “I’d love to see my twentyfourth birthday next month, but it’s out of my hands.”

Her arm patched up and her plan laid out, Naya dug through the secondhand clothing until she found an outfit. She stripped down to her undies and bra and hopped into the loose-fitting cargo pants and a blue-and-white-flannel shirt. An old belt helped keep her pants in place. She stuffed her feet in a pair of slightly too-large men’s boots and shrugged into a brown jacket with an even darker hood. Winter had come a few weeks early to Calyx. She needed to stay warm.

“Here.” Dankirk thrust a sheathed knife and small pistol into her hands. “You’ll need these.”

“Thanks.” She slipped the knife into her boot and tucked the gun into the back of her waistband.

“My offer still stands, Naya. You can come with me and we’ll go to the colonies. You can leave all this behind.”

“I can’t.” She turned him down gently. “If it was just about me, I’d be tempted to say yes. I can’t let Hallie or Menace get hurt.”

“Even though he hurt you?”

Naya sighed. “It’s not that simple, Danny. You can’t possibly understand the kind of pressure Terror exerts. It’s not like the secret police here. This guy—he’s unfeeling. He’s a monster. He doesn’t care who gets hurt so long as he accomplishes his mission. I know what he did to make me come here and attempt this. I can only imagine how he twisted Menace’s arm.”

He looked as though he wanted to argue with her but didn’t. Instead he hugged her tightly. “Good luck, Naya. Be safe.”

She lingered in her friend’s embrace, enjoying the comfort of another person’s heat and strength. His friendship and love bolstered her courage. Pulling back, she cleared her throat. “I’ll see you soon.”

Naya fled the safe house through a side door. She breathed in the cold, crisp winter air. She’d gotten so used to the climate-controlled interiors of theValiantthat the chilly wind burning her cheeks and nose was something of a novelty. She burrowed down a little deeper into the brown coat and pushed her hands into the pockets.

Head down, she traversed the dirty streets in search of the bars, pawnshops and secret gambling dens where the kind of lowlifes she needed were sure to be found. She made sure to talk loudly and stupidly at every stop. She wanted people to hear her asking for a place to buy a gun or that she was looking for work of the smuggling variety. She wanted a big, honking sign on her back that said “kidnap me!”

She stopped for lunch midafternoon. The food carts that lined the retail sector of the city drew her closer. Danny had given her some money to tide her over. It was more than enough to buy a hot meal and a drink. She found a discarded cable spool and joined the handful of day laborers gathered there to eat. She savored every bite of the sloppy, spicy sandwich, fully aware it might be her last meal.

Her gaze moved around the bustling sector. A series of paper advertisements plastered on the crumbling walls caught her eye. The shock of recognizing an old acquaintance arced through her. Elladee, a fellow homeless child and orphan, had been part of Dankirk’s pack of street urchins.

Even back then, Ella had been strikingly beautiful. Naya couldn’t believe where that gorgeous face had gotten her. Apparently she’d risen from humble beginnings to find a career as a designer’s muse. Naya was happy to see someone had escaped that hellish existence.

She finished her meal and drank the last of her tea. Naya scanned the area while she dumped her trash. The sensation of being watched had grown stronger. She’d spotted one of Danny’s tails earlier but had lost track of her in the crowd. This felt different. No doubt the Sixers or maybe even the Splinter cell they worked with had gotten wind of her.

Flipping up the hood on her coat, Naya hugged her arms across her chest and started walking again. Her heartbeat fluttered wildly. She made a split-second decision to take a less crowded side street, knowing full well she was probably going to be accosted. She said a silent prayer that they wouldn’t try to knock her out with a club of some kind. Nothing like a head injury to slow her down when the seconds counted…

It seemed the universe heard her plea and decided to do her a solid. She heard the rushing footsteps but didn’t try to outrun them. Before she could turn around, two arms grabbed her around the waist. She threw back both elbows and hit her mark. Her attacker grunted but got the upper hand by smashing a wet cloth to her face. The sicklysweet scent invaded her burning nostrils. Her body went slack but she fought the urge to black out.

Her assailant turned her in his arms. Her sleepy eyes widened briefly at the sight of the familiar face before she slipped into an unconscious state.Nattie.

When she woke, her head pounded so hard it made her nauseous. She rolled onto her side, wincing as cold, unyielding stone pressed into her flesh, and pushed up onto her hands and knees. The urge to vomit was too strong to deny. She retched pitifully onto the dirty stone floor. So much for her last meal…

“Here, pet.” Nattie’s familiar voice filtered through her dry-heaving. “Drink this.”

Still groggy and unsteady, Naya crawled away from the mess she’d made and tried to adjust her hazy vision. She was in a dank cell. Her brother crouched on the other side of the bars and wiggled a bottle of water at her. “Nattie?”

“I think I hit you with too much of the sleepy juice,” he said with an apologetic smile. “You’ll be fine though.”

Limbs trembling, she made her way across the cell to the bars and flopped down on her butt. Her nose burned so badly. She rubbed her forehead. “Why did you do that to me?”

He pressed the water into her hands. “Why did you come back?”

She fought with the lid and finally managed to twist it open. “You know why.”

He sighed heavily. “It won’t change anything.”

Naya swished a mouthful of water and spit it into the corner. She gulped a few swallows of the expensive purified water and eased the pain in her throat. Her vision started to clear and she got her first good look at her brother. He looked even worse than the photograph she’d seen. Something had happened to his right eye. The iris was milky-gray. Red streaks marred the sclera. The pockmarks on his face were even deeper and harsher. His teeth were brown nubs in spots.

“Hell, Nattie.” She reached through the bars and gripped his hand. “When did you start using Impulse?”

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