Atrophy (11 page)

“I’d like to run a full system diagnostic, but that would take several hours.”

Rian’s features hardened as he shook his head. “We were already cutting it close to reach Arleta in time before this happened. Missing the cargo is not an option.”

Lianna’s lips pressed together, her expression far from impressed. “Fine. Give me half an hour to check the primary systems so I can be sure we won’t explode instead of splicing into void-space, and I’ll check the rest once we’re on our way.”

Rian gave a single nod. “Get to it.”

Lianna didn’t reply, simply turned and started punching various tabs of information up onto the viewport.

Rian dropped into his seat, barely sparing a glance for Tannin standing nearby. “You all heard the doctor—warm liquids ASAP. Now get the hell off my bridge.”

Zahli glared at him, and he caught her annoyed look.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re all so grateful that we won’t be turning into human popsicles today. Now don’t make me repeat myself, or next time I’ll be using all the grown-up words.”

She rolled her eyes as she joined Kira and headed down the short steps and across to the galley, shivering as the temperature started rising again. It would have been nice to hear her brother offer a sincere thank you, but considering his usual attitude, the fact that he’d said anything was a minor miracle.

As Callan got the condiments dispenser spouting coffee and she set out several mugs, the question of what would have happened if Tannin hadn’t been here surfaced in her thoughts. She glanced over to where he stood next to the galley bench, letting Kira check him over. Sure, Lianna might have been able to fix the problem, but could she have done it as quickly without Tannin? As of this moment, she was profoundly grateful that he’d taken the risk to stowaway on their ship.

Chapter Eight

“I
have to tell you something.”

Tannin looked up from the chess pieces quivering slightly on the board to where Zahli sat across from him. They were set up at a crate in the cargo hold, since the rest of the crew rarely came down here. None of them except Rian and Callan had specifically said they didn’t want him around, but since he wasn’t part of the crew, he didn’t feel like he could hang around up in the galley and common room. Zahli had told him he had every right to go wherever he wanted on the ship, after what he’d done for them the evening before, but for the remaining hours he had left on this ship, he felt better keeping to his borrowed cabin or the wide-open space of the cargo bay.

He’d also been trying to avoid Zahli, but the girl had appointed herself his near-constant companion. And apparently almost freezing to death had messed up his sense of self-preservation. Because when he’d gone to bed, he hadn’t been able to think about anything except the way Zahli had held his hand and how she’d looked at him—with utter confidence that he’d fix the ship and maybe a hint of something else… Admiration? Affection? Devotion? Some kind of warm sentiment he had trouble recognizing, but responded to on an instinctual level.

This morning hadn’t been any better. She distracted him in a way he knew meant that his feelings were most definitely compromised where she was concerned. But considering the fascinating contradictions of her, how could he not be? Except, oh, her psychotic brother would cut off his balls if he even suspected all the ways Tannin wanted to get to know Zahli better.

Now, sitting across from her under the weak lights along the cargo bay’s bulkhead, he could tell from the tension in her body, whatever she had to tell him wasn’t going to be good.

He looked down at the board and moved the knight. There was only one thing that could be weighing on her mind.

“Did the officers from Erebus finally catch up with us?”

She sighed and countered his move with one of her bishops. “I’m sorry, I meant to tell you sooner, but between getting those records for me and the ship shutting down yesterday, it kind of got lost in the background.”

His heart clunked to a stop, like it had frozen solid, spreading ice through his veins until he felt numb down to his very soul. The threatening blade of the authorities finding him had been hovering over his neck ever since he’d set foot on this ship. Now that he knew they were coming, the slice of that blade was almost a relief—the waiting had been far worse.

But he couldn’t regret the short, tantalizing and excruciating touch of freedom. Whatever fate waited for him back on Erebus he would endure, because meeting Zahli—even if his only play had been to help her hide the officer she’d killed and get the ship back online after the virus—it had been worth every day of planning and hoping for the last twelve years.

“Whether you told me before or now, it wouldn’t have made a difference. They were going to find us eventually.” The ship’s comms interrupted before he could say anything else.

“Attention aggravating riffraff, we’ll be exiting void-space in ten seconds. We should hit dirt on Arleta in about half an hour.”

Rian’s voice cut out again and Tannin raised a brow at Zahli. “Does he always address the crew like that, or is he still pissed about having me onboard? Did the fact I helped your nav fix the virus yesterday make him more pissed?”

She snorted. “Are you kidding? That was him being nice. You’ll know when he’s pissed about something. In fact, when he’s in a bad mood, he usually just exits void-space with no warning at all. We’re all used to it, so it’s been a while since he’s done anyone some damage.”

Tannin shook his head as she started packing away the chess pieces. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“Deep down he’s a decent man.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.” He’d describe Sherron as a lot of things, but
decent
wasn’t one of them. Deranged might be a better fit.

“He let you stay onboard, didn’t he? And he let you into the systems to fix the ship yesterday. That’s a pretty big deal for him.”

He gave a short laugh, though the sound held little humor. “Yeah, but not before he stabbed me and literally held a gun to my head. Anyway, it wasn’t like he had much of a choice.”

Reaching across the crate, he helped her pick up the last few game pieces. His hand collided with hers when they both reached for the same figure. As sparks from the contact of her skin ran up his arm, the ship shimmied and he had that weird sensation of being in two places at once. He caught her fingers and held them for a moment, needing an anchor while he waited for his brain to stop sloshing around in his skull.

“You really get used to that?” He shook his head in a small movement to help clear it.

“After a few hundred jumps, yeah.”

She squeezed his fingers and temptation swamped him, riding him with the urge to do more than simply hold her hand. Those kinds of cravings could only lead to trouble, and he had enough on his plate without the added complication of Zahli, no matter how intriguing the enticement might be. Releasing her fingers, he sat back.

“What I was trying to tell you is that some Erebus officers will be waiting to board when we land on Arleta.”

The warm sensations coursing through his body turned into icicles, lacerating his insides. “I suppose there’s no way for me to get off before they come on-ship?”

“We’ll work something out, I promise.”

He dragged a hand over his face. A long, hard life of being on the run stretched out in front of him. But, what had he expected? That once he got off-planet, the IPC would just forget about him? In all truth, he’d never considered much beyond the initial escape. He couldn’t go back, though. Anything would be better than Erebus.

“Please, Tannin, trust me. We’ll get you through this. We owe you that much at least, after yesterday.”

Her blue eyes had an intent, determined gleam to them and he stood, a full, bursting sensation filling his chest. She made him experience things he’d never felt before. He wanted to believe everything she said, but fate often had different ideas.

“You’ve done more than enough for me already. Don’t put yourself at risk. If they find me, you keep your mouth shut and pretend like you had no clue, okay?”

She didn’t look all that impressed at his suggestion. “Come on, let’s go up to the bridge and see what Rian has to say.”

She walked past him to the freight elevator, but he remained where he stood.

If he ever saw Rian again, it’d be too soon. Though he’d outwardly kept his cool yesterday, he’d been sure for a moment or two there that he’d end up bleeding again, with that gun jammed against his chest. Since he’d helped Lianna fix the virus he’d been doing a good job of avoiding the sonuvabitch. Going up onto the man’s bridge yet again seemed like it’d be asking for another knife wound. “I’m not really in the mood to have a weapon pointed at me.”

Zahli rolled her eyes and came back to tug on his arms, leading him into the elevator.

“If you two would actually speak to each other, you’d find out you have a lot in common.”

He scoffed as the elevator doors clanged closed. “No offense, but I think that’s stretching it a bit.”

“You’ll see.” She glanced up at him, a small smile on her lips, the lights above catching on her freckles. A sparking surge of lust hit him, making him aware of how alone they were, that no one could possibly see them in the private confines of the cargo elevator. The more time he spent with her, the harder and harder it became to resist the rising urge to take some of her wholesome goodness for himself.

He looked away, clenching his fists as he concentrated on the panel in front of him, breathing shallowly through the moment. The seconds passed sluggish, but at last they arrived at the top level of the ship and the doors opened on the passageway leading to the bridge. Zahli strode out ahead of him, her steps seeming light as she walked. Tannin followed at a slower pace, willing his mind and body into some sort of obedience.

Idiot… If Sherron gets even a hint of what you’re thinking, he’ll make that knifing look like a beach walk
. The many and varied ways Rian could maim him went a long way toward helping him regain some equilibrium.

Up on the bridge, the vista of the planet they were approaching took up the main viewport. Zahli went and stood by Rian’s chair, but Tannin hung back in the doorway, leaning against the partition.

“Have you located Rance’s ship yet?” Rian asked, looking at Lianna.

“Picking up his signal now. I’m also getting an indication there’s an IPC ship landing just ahead of us. They’ve relayed a message requesting we set down near them.”

Apprehension ate at Tannin like acid. The Erebus officers were probably already monitoring this ship. There’d be no way to escape without them detecting it.

“Fine, follow them down. And send a message to Rance telling him we’ve arrived, and we’ll meet for the cargo as soon as we’ve hit dirt.”

Rian swiveled in his chair and looked up at his sister, pushing his hair back. “Did you want something?”

Zahli crossed her arms and cocked a hip, seeming ready for a fight. “In case you forgot, Tannin all but saved us yesterday. Before that, you said you’d think about it.”

Rian glanced at him with that psychotic glint in his eye, the same one he’d had right before he’d stabbed him. Tannin locked his knees against the urge to take a large step back, since it wouldn’t put him out of shooting range.

“And I told you not to ask me about it until we were dirt-side.”

“Don’t be a stubborn ass, Rian. We’re on a trajectory to land.”

Tannin held his breath, unable to believe anyone, even Sherron’s own sister, would dare call him a
stubborn ass
.

“Take him down to the cargo hold.” Rian turned back to his display, giving Zahli his shoulder.

Zahli glared, her angry expression scarily similar to her brother’s. “Rian—”

“Callan!” Rian yelled right over top of her.

Tannin glanced over his shoulders at the clomping footsteps coming up the stairs behind him.

Callan jogged up and stopped beside him in the doorway, weapons strapped on him like ornaments on a Christmas tree. “Yes, Cap’tin?”

“Take the scumrat down to the cargo hold. Everyone else, we’ll have visitors onboard shortly. Don’t act like we have anything to hide. I want the officers on and off as quick as possible.”

Callan took his arm, but Tannin shrugged out of his hold.

A strange sort of numbness overtook him. This was it then. Rian would hand him over to the officers, and he’d be back on Erebus before he knew it. He turned and walked ahead of Callan, heading down to the cargo bay. He could hear Zahli talking in heated tones to Rian, but the words were lost in the turmoil going on within him. Now he had to decide—death, or a fate worse than that for his remaining years. He eyed the impressive array of arsenal Callan carried. Glancing back toward the bridge as they reached the stairs, he made sure Zahli hadn’t followed them.

He paused at the top of the stairs, waiting for Callan to catch up. “I can’t go back there.”

Callan motioned for him to start down the stairs. “Doesn’t seem like you’ve got much of a choice.”

“There’s still one option I can take.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

Tannin stopped on the next landing and turned to look up at him. “Death.”

Callan paused and eyed him closely, sizing him up. “You would rather die than go back to Erebus?”

“Yes.” He spun and descended the rest of the steps. He didn’t owe Callan or anyone else an explanation. That wasn’t entirely true. He perhaps owed Zahli some justification, but he couldn’t imagine what she’d have to say about his decision. Actually, he
could
imagine what she would say. So, he couldn’t let her find out.

The sound of the heavy-atmosphere engines began winding down, and then came a slight thud and jolt as the ship landed. Walking across the metal grate flooring, Tannin leaned against the crate where he and Zahli had played chess.

“So why are you telling me this?” Callan stopped at the foot of the stairs, resting a hand on one of his holstered guns.

“Because you can do something about it.”

Callan swore. “You asking me to kill you?”

“Like I said, I can’t go back there.” He grabbed the rim of the crate, feeling the sharp edge press into his palms. His lungs seized, making it hard to draw a full breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, too many emotions colliding all at once to feel anything clearly.

“And you expect me to stand here and kill you in cold blood?”

He opened his eyes as Callan pulled out his nucleon gun and took three steps towards him, aiming the gun at his head. Tannin’s heart pounded erratically in a strange kind of terrified thrill. It could all be over—all his problems, his entire, damned, ill-fate life—all finished in one flash.

On the other end of the gun, Callan cocked his head to the side. “Are you having second thoughts, wondering if it’s really what you want?”

“No second thoughts, not when there’s no choice.”

“As much as I like where this is heading, Zahli’s already pissed off enough without you putting a permanent hole in the scumrat, Callan.” Rian stood on the landing just above the cargo bay floor. “Besides, I don’t really want to be finding skull fragments and brain matter all over the place for the next month like we did last time some stupid bastard got his head blown off down here.”

Rian walked down the last few steps and stopped next to Callan, who holstered his gun.

Callan leaned an elbow on a nearby stack of crates. “I can’t decide if he’s dumb as a horse’s rear end or got as much balls as you, Cap’tin.”

Rian crossed his arms, widening his stance a little. “I’d vote for the first option, but it’d be insulting to horses.”

Tannin risked a frown at the pair. Seemed his imminent capture by IPC officers had put Rian in a good mood. The guy had actually made a joke, albeit an insulting, sarcastic one.

Voices coming from the stairs caught Tannin’s attention, and he looked up to see Zahli, with the rest of the crew behind her. She had a pulse pistol and knife attached to her belt, slung low over her sexy hips. The sight chilled him, reminding him of what she’d had to do on Erebus. Though he hadn’t done anything except help her escape the building, he was fiercely grateful he’d even been there for her. And a small part of him wished he could stay, make sure she never got into trouble like that again. With Rian for a brother, her safety didn’t seem all that guaranteed. Except who was he kidding? It wasn’t his responsibility to look after her, and she’d clearly proven she could handle herself.