To my relief, the smoke alarm went off immediately, along with a voice instructing me to evacuate the room, except the fucking door didn’t open. Who would want to do this to me?
Even if Captain Weston was right and Lady Sonja decided to accuse me of treason, she couldn’t just kill me like this, not without a trial anyway. I pressed my body against the wall as the flames on the mattress grew in size. Okay, that was a bad idea.
“Help.” I yelped, ramming my palm on the screen. A series of beeps echoed in my ears and then the door slid open.
“What the fuck?” Captain Weston blurted out in his usual angry tone.
He punched a code into the screen, then the pulled me out. As soon as I stepped out, the room shut down. A loud whooshing sound rattled the walls as the ship’s vent system vacuumed out the fire and hopefully whatever that red gas was.
“Sir.” I turned to face him.
“You really are a full-time job.” He rubbed the furrowed creases between his brows. “Why would you set your cell on fire? You could’ve died.”
“I know that. An agent was released into the room. I wanted to activate the emergency alarm.” I coughed, gasping for air. “But it didn’t work.”
“What?” He glared at me, shaking his head.
Why did he always assume I was lying? “I think it was deliberate.”
“Why would anyone want to kill you?” He marched to the unit next to mine and tapped on the panel.
When the door opened, red smoke rushed out onto the hallway. He darted inside, pulled the two men out, and initiated the emergency lockdown to flush out the smog. If I hadn’t dowloaded to Earth, I wouldn’t be in this mess. I kneeled next to one of the men to check his breathing.
“Is he dead?” Captain Weston asked.
“I think so.” My stomach churned with dread. What the hell was going on? First Ry, now a couple of uniforms? “Is this because they were accused of causing the fire out in the fields?”
“Of course not. We’re required to follow due process.” He raked a hand through his hair, as he glanced up and down the corridor. “Fuck. You’re going to have to come with me.” He gripped my arm and strode toward the stairwell.
He took long and quick strides. I had to practically run to keep up with him. “How did you know I was in trouble?”
“I didn’t. I came to see you for something else.” He released me. When I opened my mouth to ask why, he put up his hand. “Not a word until we get to where we’re going.”
He climbed down the stairs, while I chased after him. Twice, he stopped at the landing to make sure I was still following. Since we’d gotten back to the Epoch, he’d gone from treating me with deadly stares to impatient glares. Oddly enough, I considered that an improvement. When was the last time he had to play nice with a mortal?
When we reached tier ten, he opened the door and waited. My heart pumped hard as we darted across the bridge toward the storage facility where the fallen were kept. I wasn’t sure what to expect.
If we were on our way to Ry’s memorial service, then everyone would be there. Had Captain Weston been able to get a hold of Wela? I wiped my cheeks and fixed my hair and dirty uniform.
Captain Weston touched his palm to the door, and it retracted into the wall automatically. I hugged myself against the cold draft.
“There’s no one here.” My stomach sank, aching for Ry all over again. “I was sure we were here for Ry’s service.”
“No, that’s not happening.” He tapped on his wristband.
10
But Your Killer Hasn't Paid
Catita
“Ry deserves her memorial.”
Though rare, when immortals opted out of immortality, the City of Phoenicis would come together to honor them one last time. Seven days where every household in Phoenicis would line their windowsills with candles to celebrate how bright their light had burned when they were alive.
I pressed my lips together. None of it could bring Ry back. None of it could fill the void in my chest. But Ry had earned her place in the QEC, and she deserved to be celebrated one last time.
“I’m meeting Lady Sonja here. Stay out of sight until she leaves.”
“Just like that? She’s gone and everyone moves on?” I glanced up at the cavernous facility.
“Catita.” He exhaled toward the ceiling.
Something like an electric shock rushed through me when he said my name. He’d never called me by my name before. Ry had to remind him of it often, and still he could never get it right.
“Don’t make me regret bringing you with me. Do as I say.” He pointed toward the end of the room, where row after row of stacked shelves were piled with storage bins.
With long strides, he sauntered toward the entrance to meet Lady Sonja. “Bring her back.” Captain Weston’s deep voice echoed against the high walls.
“You know I can’t do that, Captain.” Lady Sonja strode to the middle of the room where the lights glowed a pale blue.
A small gasp escaped my lips, and I stalked back to the safety of the shelving units. Of course, I had to land in the middle of a clandestine meeting between two of the highest-ranking officers on the ship. I rubbed the hair on the nape of my neck. Lady Sonja’s presence always put me on edge. As one of the founders of Phoenicis, she had been around for over a century, same as Wela and Captain Weston.
What did all this mean to them? What happened to Ry was unprecedented, but more importantly, it meant someone out there wanted the immortal regime gone. Or at the very least, they wanted some sort of control over them.
I hadn’t forgotten how scared Captain Weston
