Page 72 of Captured
“By who? No one can hope to defeat the Pearl.”
I don’t answer her. The list of people who could want to hurt us is too long.
“Can you see where this comes from?”
We need to see. We need as much information as we can get.
“Why do you think Darhk confiscated my computer? Or he thinks he did,” Sara answers with a dry chuckle. “I can access all the security cameras aboard and there’s not a thing that hunk can do about it.”
She’s awfully sassy for such a small thing, but I don’t say anything. She’ll learn for herself that Drakians have a different idea of discipline than humans. For now, it doesn’t matter.
“Oh, no.” Sara covers her hand with her mouth as the images stop on a hallway filled with smoke. Smoke and uniform-clad figures, moving in an efficient military fashion. The image is too small on the screen for me to see, but I have no doubt that if I could, I’d see a black star embroidered on their chest. “This is not the Rebellion.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Look.” Sara says as the image changes to reveal a gaping hole in the hull of the Pearl and more soldiers pouring in. “The Pearl has been boarded.”
“This is an invasion.”
Where is Rakir? Is he safe?My mind fills with a fear that grips me right at the throat.
“Where are the Drakians?” I ask, my voice distorted and thin.
“Maybe they don’t know where the breach is,” Sara says. “We have to tell them.”
Rakir told me to stay in the room. He made it clear I am under express orders to remain safely hidden, but I have to disobey him. The lives of everyone on board depends on it.
I am a soldier. I am trained in combat. I will not stay hidden when I can save lives.
“Follow me,” I tell Sara. “Do what I do and don’t leave my side.”
There’s only a little hesitation when I get to the door. Sara’s fingers run on her small computer and the door opens, revealing chaos beyond comprehension.
Drakian warriors run in the hallways, their armor covering their entire bodies, their faces pulled into intense focus. A few stray females zip by, held close by their Amares.
“What happened?” I shout as a warrior runs past us, but he doesn’t even slow down.
“This way.” Sara points to our left. “This is where the Command Room is.”
That is where Rakir will be.
We waste no time. We rake the wall through the thickening smoke while the Drakians become fewer and fewer in the hallways. Sara begins to cough and my eyes water as we walk. It seems we’re the only ones stupid enough to wander the halls.
“What are you two doing out here?” An authoritative, feminine voice calls. A human voice. “You should be safely hidden in your rooms.”
Sara and I turn around at the same moment as a woman walks up to us, a human soldier behind her. Her face is streaked with dirt, like she was in the thick of a battle.
“Governor Taylor!” Sara exclaims. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for you, my dear girl.” The woman extends her hand to Sara, ignoring me entirely. “I’ve come to rescue you.”
The woman smiles, her too-thin face splitting into what I know is intended as a maternal expression, but looks more like the face of a predator about to pounce. Her eyes are cold as she looks down on Sara and me. Not the eyes of a woman who came to rescue us.
There’s something wrong here. Something that doesn’t add up. In fact, nothing adds up.
“Wait.” I stop Sara in her tracks, my arm outstretched in her way. “Why should we trust you?”
“This is Governor Taylor,” Sara explains, but she doesn’t try to move. “She’s one of the last voices of opposition to the Human Alliance government. I mean, her family was in power even before the elections were canceled. If there ever was one person who I was always certain worked with the Rebellion...”
