He made a quick turn, breaking off his pacing, and stepped quickly over to the bed so he could lean in close to Gillian's ear. 'Come on, Gigi. Wake up, honey. It's time to go.'
She stirred and sat up, her eyes bleary and still half-asleep.
'Where are we going?'
He didn't answer, but instead turned his attention to the machines. Everything looked straightforward enough.
'We have to hurry, Gigi,' he said, turning back to his daughter. 'I need to unhook the machines, okay?'
She looked concerned, the anxiety on her face mirroring his own, but she nodded. It only took him a minute to disconnect her: he just had to remove a few simple electrodes taped to her head, a monitor strapped to her wrist, and another strapped to her abdomen. She flinched each time his fingers touched her bare skin, her face twisting into a grimace of discomfort. The moment when she had reached out and voluntarily touched his hand now seemed long, long ago.
'All done,' he said when he was finished.
He cast around the room frantically until he lo-cated a pair of sandals in the corner. Picking them up, he brought them over to the side of the bed and set them on the floor.
'Put your shoes on. Quickly, now.'
Gillian did as she was told, and a few seconds later the two of them were out in the hallway. They didn't get more than ten feet before Grayson felt a heavy hand come down on his shoulder, hard enough to make him wince.
He spun around, not at all surprised to see it was Hendel who had stopped him. Kahlee was standing just behind the big security chief, looking confused and uncertain.
'You were supposed to wait for the nurse,' Hendel said in an angry voice.
Grayson shrugged his hand off. 'Every second we stay here Gillian could be in danger. I'm done wait- ing.'
'Where are you going to go?' Hendel challenged. 'Where do you think you can take her that Cerberus won't find you?'
'I know people in the Terminus Systems,' he answered quickly, knowing he had to tell them something. 'People I trust.'
'Who's that? Your dust dealer?'
Grayson didn't answer, but simply turned away. Hendel grabbed him again and spun him around, grabbing his shirt and slamming him up against the wall. Pinned there, he saw Gillian watching the confrontation with a look of pure terror.
'Wait!' Kahlee said, stepping in to separate them. 'What if we came with you?'
Both men just looked at her like she was crazy.
'You want to get Gillian out of here,' she said to Grayson, speaking quickly. 'What if we come with you? I can monitor Gillian's implants, and Hendel has basic medical training.'
Neither man replied, though Hendel did let go of Grayson's shirt and took a step back.
'If you're really hiding from a terrorist group then you'll need all the help you can get,' Kahlee added.
'How do I know I can trust you two?' Grayson asked in a guarded tone.
'Hendel already saved Gillian's life once,' Kahlee reminded him. 'As for me, you'll just have to go with your instincts.'
Grayson nodded, this unexpected scenario already playing out in his head. It wasn't the ideal situation, but every second he was still on the station brought him closer to being exposed. All he needed to do was get clear of the Academy, then he could deal with these two on his own terms.
But first he had to sell it. 'You understand what this means, right? You'll probably both lose your jobs.'
Kahlee exchanged glances with Hendel. She turned back to Grayson and nodded solemnly.
'Fine. You two can come,' he said. 'But we have to leave right now, and we don't tell anyone where we're going. If there are other Cerberus agents here at the Academy, I don't want to give them a chance to follow us.'
'Fair enough,' Kahlee agreed, then turned to Hendel. 'Are you in?'
He hesitated before responding. 'If I'm going to keep an eye on Gillian — and you — then it looks like I don't have a choice.' He met Grayson's glare. 'I'm in.'
Grayson turned back to Gillian, crouching down slightly so that their eyes were level. She still looked terrified.
'It's okay, Gigi,' he said softly. 'Nobody's mad anymore. Now we're all going to go on a trip together, okay?'
It took several seconds for her mind to process the situation, then the fear slipped away, replaced with her typical neutral expression. She nodded.
The four of them made their way through the hospital and down the corridor toward the landing bays. Five minutes later they were at security. Despite several curious looks from the guards on duty, they got through with a quick word from Hendel. Ten minutes after that they were on board the ship and pulling away from the station, Grayson at the controls while Hendel, Kahlee, and Gillian were strapped into the passenger seats near the back.
He had Gillian, and he was away from the Academy. And as soon as they accelerated to faster-than-light speed, it would be impossible for anyone to track them. Of course he still had to figure out a way to deal with his two unwanted tagalongs, but he was already working on a plan for that.
A physical confrontation was out of the question. Not only was the security chief bigger than him, he was also a biotic with a pistol strapped to his hip. And he knew from the personnel files he'd studied that both Mitra and Sanders had advanced hand-to-hand combat training.
He didn't have anything to drug them with, and even if he did he doubted Hendel would let down his guard long enough to take any offered food or drink without making sure it hadn't been tampered with.
Fortunately, Grayson wasn't alone in this. He typed in a quick coded message, then sent it off before plotting a course for Omega.
Only then did he allow himself a long, slow sigh of relief.
Fourteen
Six standard weeks ago Lemm'Shal nar Tesleya had chosen, like many young and naive quarians before him, to visit Omega during his Pilgrimage. Foolishly romanticizing what life must be like outside the rigid confines of the Migrant Fleet, he had been fascinated by the idea of millions of inhabitants from all the different species and cultures living in such close proximity, unfettered by laws or government. He'd expected to find adventure and excitement around every corner, as well as the freedom to do whatever he wanted.
It hadn't taken him very long to discover the harsh reality: Omega was a cesspool of violence and depravity. Pointless, random death lurked in the shadows and alleys. The station was a haven for slavers, and he witnessed firsthand weeping men, women, and children being bought and sold like chattel. Within a week he'd come to understand that the so-called freedom of Omega was a perversion of the word. With no laws or government, Rule of Force was the order of the day; the strong thrived and the weak suffered horribly. But nobody can stay strong forever, and he knew that even those on top would one day find themselves brought low.
He had also learned that the inhabitants of Omega lived in constant fear, wrapping themselves in cloaks of anger and hate to keep it at bay. Driven by selfishness and greed, their lives were brutal, short, and miserable. He pitied their wretched existence, and gave thanks to his ancestors for the strong sense of belonging and community fostered among his own people. And so he had left Omega behind, continuing his journey across half a dozen
