Axler, James - Outlanders 026 by Sea of Plague (v1.1)

Author:Sea of Plague (v1.1) [Plague, Sea of]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Rolling his eyes heavenward, Kane groaned, "Oh, for the love of—" He prodded Lakesh's backside with the toe of a shoe. "Turn off the waterworks and get up. We don't have time for this."

Lips peeled back from her teeth in a snarl, almost spitting in a feline fury, Domi lunged forward and pushed Kane backward. "Get away from him!"

Lakesh reached up and grabbed her by the wrist. "This is all my fault," he said in a husky whisper. "I should have..." His voice trailed off as he struggled to swallow down a sob.

Domi dropped to her knees beside him and put her arms around his shoulders protectively. She glared up at Kane defiantly, silently daring him to touch Lakesh again.

"You should have killed Sam when you had the chance," Grant grunted, "instead of letting him give you a youth treatment."

Quavell raised a brow arch. "What makes you think Dr. Singh had the chance to kill him? And if he did, would he have been able to do so?"

"We were all there with Sam, too," Domi snapped. "We coulda tried to kill him, but we didn't."

Brigid said sympathetically, "You're absolutely right, Domi. We can't blame Lakesh."

Tears shone on Lakesh's cheeks as he lifted his head to look at her. "No," he said, voice thick with self-loathing, "Grant is right. I sold myself to Sam much like Faust traded his soul to Mephistopheles in exchange for an illusion of youth. But my crime is worse than Faust's, because I sold out all of you along with myself."

Quavell sighed. "Dr. Singh, I think you are suffering from a terrible self-deception, if not a delusion. Or perhaps you simply enjoy playing the martyr."

' 'Shup!'' Domi cried fiercely. In her anger, she reverted to the Outland mode of speech and combined shut and up. "You don't know what you talking about!"

"I know he is trying to retreat from responsibility." Quavell's soft voice carried no heat or edge of accusation, but Kane found himself staring at her in surprise. The hybrid had maintained such a low profile in the weeks since she arrived at the redoubt, her calm words now were as attention-getting as if she were in the throes of a hysterical fit.

"You know shit," Domi half shrieked. "You not even human—"

She bit back the rest of whatever she had to say, but Quavell nodded as if in understanding. ' 'But we share similar interests, do we not? We are kin in spirit. Our bonds are finer and stronger than bonds of blood. Except I will not abandon myself to hate and violence." She touched her swollen belly. "Nor will my child."

Lakesh's face twisted as if he were in great pain. Then, slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, filled his lungs slowly and then emptied them in a prolonged sigh. He turned toward Bry. "Have you detected any ELINT signals indicating movement among the barons who oppose Sam?"

Lakesh made an oblique reference to the Comsat eavesdropping system. Several months before, Lakesh and Bry

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