Unknown Horizons by CJ Birch

Author:CJ Birch [Birch, CJ]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626399396
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2017-02-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

The first thing I see is Vasa and two security guards standing over me.

At last, he says, “What the hell happened?”

“Someone locked me in and decompressed the room.”

“Why didn’t you recompress it?” Vasa walks over to the panel and tries to open it. “Oh,” he says when he can’t.

I can tell from his face when the scene in front of him begins to make sense. He turns to the guards and tells them to get the captain.

I don’t want her to see me like this, like a cat who shit itself because it got trapped in a box. “I’m fine. Don’t bring her into this.”

He kneels down in front of me and helps me sit up. “Ash, you’re covered in blood. One or maybe several of the crew just tried to kill you. She’s gonna want to know. You didn’t think the tracker was just for the crew’s protection, did you?” Vasa’s dirty-sock stench fills my nostrils, but I don’t even mind. Anything familiar is comforting right now.

It doesn’t take long for the captain to get there. She must have run most of the way because the guards are a few minutes behind her. She stops dead at the door, slightly out of breath, a few strands of inky hair out of place, and takes in the room. When our eyes lock, her shoulders relax.

“Jesus, Ash. They told me there was an accident.”

Vasa helps me to stand. “It wasn’t an accident,” he says. “I’m going to let Ash tell you what happened. We’re waiting on a message from the Posterus, and if I’m not there to intercept it, we’ll have to wait a full twelve hours before they can resend.” He gives me a pointed look before withdrawing with the guards.

I should be thankful. If the captain hadn’t insisted on the tracker and ordered Vasa to keep an eye on me, I’d be dead. But I’m not. I’m furious, and I’m not sure if it’s at her or myself for needing the help in the first place.

She lifts my chin, inspecting my neck and face. Her eyes shift to the pried paneling and then widen. Seeing it from her perspective, I feel even more embarrassed.

She grabs for one of my hands. Turning it over, she lifts it to examine the damage. The cuts on my palms have clotted. It looks worse than it really is. It doesn’t even hurt that much. I close my eyes, fighting a mixture of emotions. I feel the panic rising again, but I’d rather the anger instead.

“What happened?”

I shrug and open my eyes. She’s staring straight into them, and my breath catches at the closeness and intensity.

“I got locked in, and the room began decompressing.”

She does the same thing Vasa did, she checks the panel next to the door, and when it doesn’t open, she leans in close to inspect it.

“It’s welded,” she says in shock.

I nod.

Her brain is working through the sequence, seeing the filters and tools spread around the room. She looks back at me and just stares.

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