Page 38 of Crush
Fury and a pounding fear warred for supremacy in Adeline’s body as she careened around the hollow robot’s broken leg. But what was really annoying her was the little voice in her head that needed no translation tutting,wow, sothisis definitely a choice.
But it was her choice. She’d been compelled to marry Robert because their families wanted it. Despite her faltering marriage, she’d gotten pregnant, and by the time she’d realized it wasn’t just stress making her queasy, restrictive local law and Robert’s controlling behavior had ended any other options. Even signing the contract with the IDA had felt like a last chance, not a choice.
She would not let fear hold her back anymore.
Also, she had some things she needed to say to Teq.
But standing between them was a giant freakin killer robot who had tried to take her son.
Fury winning over the fear, she swung the orc chainsaw with brutal intent. It wasn’t really a chainsaw, she knew, and it was large and ridiculously heavy, but it fit her Earther hands well enough. Compatible in all the ways that mattered, it threw off a viciously brilliant light that screamed of severing and pain.
Almost like a song of what she’d been through to get this far.
This far and no farther. She had found a safe spot to stash Oliver, but she was going to fight until she’d made the damn universe itself their home.
She jammed the chainsaw up into what would be like the belly of the robot, hoping to hit important mechanical guts.
Under Dorn’s erratic control and the damage she’d already done, the robot was staggering around like a cross between a drunk and a toddler. But it was still large and heavy and an outright menace.
And the hull wasright there.
She might not have committed the entire IDA handbook to memory, but she had a mom-of-a-seven-year-old-science-geek general understanding of what happened if the outer layer of the ship was breached into space.
But through the waving menace of the robot arms, she caught a glimpse of Teq. So close. If they could just—
Before she couldjustwhat, the ship’s klaxon sounded, strident and urgent.
“Warning: Contact imminent. Brace for impact.”
Contact? With what?
Despite all the commotion and her concentration, she felt the bone-deep thud through her feet all the way to her jaw. And instant later, the whole ship jolted.
“Adeline!” Teq’s hoarse shout barely reached her over the klaxon. “Hold on.”
Hold on? To what? Why?
A corner of the hatch tore aside with a squeal of rending metal.
The shriek of air evacuating through the hole was even worse.
The bay was huge with plenty of air—for the moment. But the hole was getting bigger. Through it, she caught a glimpse of a docking tunnel, poorly aligned.
And Dorn’s robot with Teq aboard was trundling toward it.
Stumping along on one solid leg part, the robot wheeled side to side. The wind yanked at her, trying to knock her over too. If she fell, would she be sucked out?
But she had to stop the robot, at least until Teq could get free. Because suddenly, self-actualizing her revenge against Dorn/Robert, didn’t seem so important as saving her crusher.
As the robot staggered onward, its sideways tilt put one arm in reach of Ollie’s rock. With a snap of its pincers, Dorn grabbed the crate.
She didn’t want to care. That rock had caused more trouble than it was worth, even if she kept hearing it might be worth a lot.
But Ollie would be devastated. And so would the orcs’ chances at the Luster, their chances at a better life.
Turned out, shedidwant revenge against everyone who’d tried to take what was hers.
And maybe she was feeling a little fiercely orcish herself.
