“You know arach code?” When he didn’t reply, I pushed him. “When did you learn arach code?”
He shuddered again.
“We are almost there.”
I was about to tell him not to change the subject, when something poked at my implant. I went quiet, and Askavor did not ask me why. I think he was just relieved to think I’d been distracted. Damned eight-legs didn’t know me very well. Lucky for me.
I lay very, very still, and concentrated on the inside of my head. When the poke came, again, I zeroed in on one of the links Askavor had locked down. This one belonged to Tens. I sat inside my head and stared at it, trying to decide if I wanted to decide between risking some arach IT gumbo getting into my head, and ignoring what might be Tens asking for help—or, better yet, Tens with a plan to get everyone out from under.
It was a good thing Askavor had programmed in vespis, and a very good thing that he had given me the crash-course so I could understand it. I broke through his lock-down in double-quick time, and Tens stepped into my implant just as quick as you please. It worried me that his presence was so weak.
“Tens, you okay?”
And the impression I got was of quiet despair.
“Not about me, Cutter. About you. There’s an arach drop-ship heading your way. Coordinates…” He stopped, his contact almost angry when he asked. “Are you compromised?”
“No. Tens, meet the vespis tech-guy, Askavor. Askavor, Tens. Now, get the hell out of my head so we can talk.”
“I will relay the coordinates to the vespis strike team.”
Tens didn’t wait for my go ahead. Either he knew who—and what—the vespis were, or he took a leap of faith that they weren’t arach. Either way, he gave the coordinates to Askavor, and turned to me, ignoring the spider’s presence as he gave me what else he knew.
“They’re going to hit an outlying settlement. The first drop is to secure it. There’ll be a second as they rotate their troops through to feed.”
“How many?” Askavor, but I didn’t bother asking him what he was still doing in my head. I figured he was gathering data to pass on to the queen.
“Queen?” Tens sounded a little bit alarmed.
“Vespis queen,” Askavor answered, as though I wasn’t right there between them.
“Vespis…” Tens said.
“Wasp people,” I told him. “They have a queen, too.”
“Just what I need,” Tens said, and I knew he stifled the rest of what he was going to say. I caught it anyway, “More bugs.”
I could only hope Askavor had missed it, or would ignore it. Tens was not his usual sharp self.
“How many?” Askavor insisted, and Tens’ presence started, as though it had forgotten where it was.
“Twenty per drop. Three drops. They’ve packed them tight here. We are in the deepest of shit.”
My head swam at what he was saying.
“Have they started feeding, yet?”
It was out before I could stop it, and Tens gave a short, bitter laugh.
“They started as soon as they arrived. Not full draining, just taking a bit off the top, and then making sure we had enough high-protein packs and water to replace it. It’s mandatory we eat. You don’t…” His presence faltered, and then strengthened. “You don’t want to know what happens if you refuse.”
“How many have we lost?”
“Just the one. They piped it through our heads. Cut Mack out. Locked him away from the rest of us. Damped his cabin so I can’t reach him, and he can’t reach out.”
I thought about what I’d seen and wondered how I’d been able to get through.
“We made sure your link was… it’s hard to explain. Let’s just say it’s deeper than a normal comm link. More direct.”
That had implications I didn’t want to think about, right now, so I pushed it aside.
“How are you holding up?”
“I might have a day, depends on what happens with the new food source,” and, given that he’d just given me the coordinates of that food source, and clearly expected me to disrupt it, that didn’t give us much time, but Tens kept talking, “They think they’ve got Mack under control. Don’t need me. He found out what… they’re doing, he’d go berserk. You have any crazy plans that might get us out of this mess, you better do it soon, kiddo. Won’t be too many of us left in another forty-eight.”
From the sound of him, there wouldn’t be too many of them left after the next twenty-four. He cut into my thoughts, again.
“Doc… is safe… for now. They need him. Rohan… and the pup disappeared into the vents. Should be okay a little longer. Mack…” His voice took on a creaky edge. “Don’t know how Mack is. You need to save him, Cutter. Hacked the feed when the shuttle launched. Could feel launch vibration… here. Hacked the navcom. Why I know the coordinates. Patch you through.”
And he did, with Askavor looking on, and looking more and more worried.
Tens contact wavered, and I caught a glimpse of what he was seeing. No wonder he was fading. The arach were feeding. I could see them, each one sitting around the corners of a room, a crew member held slantwise across their chests as they drank. Not a single one of the crew was struggling, and I wished they would.
“Too weak,” Tens said. “You need to take them soon. If you can’t, I’m… sorry, I can’t stick around. You take care… of yourself…”
And then his presence did fade, and Askavor moved with a mental speed and agility I hadn’t expected, to repair the code work I’d destroyed to give Tens access to the implant—and I let him. I watched as he secured my head, one more time, and then I let him shake me out of it.
“You are needed, here,” he said. “There is nothing you can do there—except watch him die.”
He tried, once more, when I continued to stare at
