them. They weren’t even in this arm of the Milky Way.
The distance made Molly sick. When they formed this plan at Earnie’s, each event was as near as the next word uttered—as close as points on a paper chart. The unfathomable distance that would divide her crew couldn’t be appreciated while they huddled together in
Molly felt an enormous doubt envelop her, followed by a certainty: she would never see her friends again.
“Right?” Cole asked her.
“Yeah. Of course,” she responded.
Cole glanced over from the driver’s seat. “Were you even listening?”
She couldn’t lie to him. “Actually, I was thinking about Edison and Anlyn. How we just left them at Earnie’s and whether we’ll ever see them again.”
He didn’t respond at first, just peered forward while the road slid under the rental. “We will. In a few days, max. We just need to find out if anyone outside of the Academy cares where we are. We’ll never be free until we know.”
“How’d we get like this? I mean, with you devising a plan that takes us to the Navy and me wishing we could just fly away?”
“I think we both went from curious to angry, and you and I react oppositely to each. Now stop dwelling on our friends, we’ll see them soon enough.” He looked at her. “I promise you.”
She really wanted to believe him.
34
Geting into the Academy contained as many risks as jumping through to Earth. They had to rely on the guard at the gate not recognizing Cole as he filled out a visitor’s pass. It wasn’t as if they were ever passing through here while they were cadets, but they couldn’t know how guards rotated out with the rest of campus security.
Cole used one of the underclassmen he knew as an excuse, pretended to be his older brother. The credentials they purchased from Earnie had last names that matched, and Cole turned on his charm. After a few minutes with a clipboard, a new pass was programmed and their rental was waved through.
He handed Molly the visitor’s pass and she tucked it under her seat. It wouldn’t open the one set of doors she needed to get into—but Cole’s badge would. She checked that she had it in her front pocket and adjusted the recording device under her collar.
They circled the parking lot several times to find a suitable parking space. Cole backed the rental up so his window faced the Academy. They both peered at the wall that housed the administrative offices. and Cole’s finger jabbed out as he counted the windows from right to left.
“That’s Saunders’s office,” he said, pointing. “The one with the lights off.”
Molly leaned forward to look through his window, but she didn’t need to know which office belonged to the Captain. She just wanted him to be there when she came calling. “How long before the cadets are in the simulators?” she asked.
Cole already had the small heat scope up to one eye, scanning through the windows for signs of life. He pulled it away and looked down at his watch. “Another half hour. Hopefully Saunders is back by then.”
“If not, I wouldn’t mind talking to Lucin first. Once we clear him, we could probably use his help in confronting Saunders.”
Cole turned and frowned at her. “You need to keep in mind how badly Lucin is gonna take this, even if he
“Okay. Gods, I get it. This isn’t going to be easy no matter what we find out.”
“Darn right it’s not.” Cole squinted back through the scope while Molly watched the clock. Once again, she appreciated the Navy’s precision. Right then, for the brief respite it offered.
At 1430, Saunders’s lights still had not come on. Molly looked to Cole for permission to move and he nodded. They both got out of the car, Molly heading for a side entrance and Cole stepping back to the trunk. They both had serious military faces sticking up out of their civilian disguises.
Molly strolled swiftly to the administrative entrance by the corner of the building. She felt exposed in front of all those windows, but anyone who might recognize her would soon get a personal visit, anyway. She felt better concealed as she sank into the pocket by the door, visible now only to the security gate across the lawn.
With the first pass of Cole’s badge, Molly watched the red light blink off—and then back to red. Her heart skipped a beat. She waved it again and it had the same effect. She looked around at the empty lawn and parking lot, sure that someone would be watching her and growing suspicious.
After the third pass, the light went green. A pleasant beep rang out followed by a mechanical click as the internal lock released. Molly blew out her held breath and pressed the door open, entering air-conditioned halls with checkerboard floors that smelled of industrial cleansers. The familiarity of the scene rocked her. She approached Saunders’s office, compelled to reach out and rub her fingers along the walls, greeting, if not a friend, at least an old acquaintance.
The Captain’s lights had been off as she rounded the building, but her anger drove her there first. She hoped Cole was already in position as she banged on the thick oak.
Nothing.
She waited a few moments in frustration, her body eager to wash away its memories of their last confrontation. She couldn’t wait to be the one performing the dressing-down.
The silent door denied her that satisfaction and the worn bench mocked her. She gave up and walked down the hall toward Lucin, trying to push aside the adrenaline coursing through her from just being near Saunders’s office. She worked to replace her anger with the hope of seeing an old friend.
She rapped her knuckles on the old wooden door as if her being here was the most normal thing in the galaxy. She heard the squeak of an old chair emanate from within followed by the quick steps of Lucin’s lithe gait. The doorknob started to twist and Molly felt a surge of excitement rise up as she prepared to surprise the Admiral. The door opened swiftly; she stepped forward to wrap Lucin up in a hug.
“Molly?!”
One of his hands froze on the doorknob, but the other arm came up around her. Molly squeezed him tight while Lucin leaned back to see her face, obviously needing a second, confirming glance.
She obliged him by stepping back, smiling.
“Molly!” he repeated. Lucin poked his head out the door and looked up and down the hallway, then pulled her inside and shut it.
“I thought you were dead!” he exclaimed.
She tried to point out otherwise, but he continued talking.
“When you never jumped back, we tried not to assume the worst, a hyperdrive malfunction or something, but—oh, my goodness! I’m so glad you’re alive.” He clasped both of her shoulders with his hands, studying her. “I’ve been blaming myself. I thought I sent you… I thought I got you killed.”
He turned and glanced out the window, walked over and peered through the slits of the blinds. “How’s the ship?” It was as if he’d expected to see
“It’s safe,” Molly said. “And I’m sorry to worry you. We’ve had nothing but problems since we landed on Palan.”
Lucin turned and half-sat on the far edge of his desk. He gestured to the chair by Molly and she gladly plopped down. “Safe?” he asked. “But where is it?” His forehead bunched up with worry.
Molly ignored the question, she had too many of her own to consider. “Where’s Captain Saunders?”
Lucin cocked his head. “Why do you ask?”
“We think he’s been trying to get us killed.” She leaned forward, her elbows on her knees, and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Simmons was killed on Palan. The Navy there didn’t have us in their system. There were
