The Burn Zone (37 page)

“
Is he alive?
”
I asked her.

“
If you don
’
t
—
”

“
Just tell me, is he alive?
”

She punched the needles deep into Wei
’
s chest.

His eyes bugged out as an electric whine rose in pitch, and the veins in his neck and face bulged. They popped up under his skin like squiggling worms, until they looked ready to burst.

“
Stop!
”
I yelled.
“
Wait!
”

With a loud snap, Wei
’
s entire body erupted. I jumped back, cringing as sheets of warm rain splashed down over me. In the second before I shut my eyes, I saw a wrinkled, empty blob of skin shrink down through the collar of his shirt.

It slopped down onto the floor between us like a big, wet towel. I kept my head turned away, paralyzed, as fat drops dripped down from my hair. The front of my shirt was soaked, but it wasn
’
t blood like I
’
d first thought. It was water.
Warm, salty water.
I wiped it from my face as my mind reeled back to Nix
’
s first visit, when those needles were pointed at me.

“
What
’
s that?
”

“
It will take the sample I need.
”

“
Is this going to hurt?
”

“
Turn around,
”
Sillith said.

I remembered Nix
’
s anxiety, his uncertainty as he
’
d moved the needles closer.

“
...
no, it won
’
t hurt.
”

“
Turn around,
”
she said again.

I turned to see Vamp, soaked and struggling, as she reached down into the wet pile of Wei
’
s empty clothes. From inside she pulled what looked like a
big blood-colored amoeba, fat tentacles slithering out from the sleeves and pant legs while Vamp stared in shock from a few feet away.

She touched the needles to the blob, and water squeezed out of it like a sponge as it shriveled further. She held up the little mass left behind so I could see.

“
What did you do—
”
I had started to ask when she fed the fist-sized jelly through her mask
’
s dispersion field.

I heard a long slurp, followed by the gurgle of a sink draining. At the same time, through the mite cluster, I felt the familiar rush I felt whenever I gave a bottle to
one of my surrogates. It was pleasure, and the relief of hunger being satisfied, if only for a while. Sillith had just eaten Wei.

“
This is what you are,
”
she said, displaying her empty hand.
“
This is your place.
”

Vamp was jerked up off the floor,
then
slammed back down in front of her. His knees splatted down onto the wet floor, and his arms were pulled back taut behind him as if bound by invisible ropes. His head craned back and Sillith leaned in to point the needles down at his exposed throat.

I couldn
’
t speak. It was hard to even breathe. All I could think at that moment was that I didn
’
t have an answer for her. I didn
’
t know where Alexei was, not for sure, and I didn
’
t have the twistkey she wanted either. Even if I wanted to tell her, and if it would stop her from sticking Vamp with those needles, then I would have. I couldn
’
t, because I didn
’
t know. I couldn
’
t even think of a lie.

“
Last chance,
”
she said.

“
I have the wet drive,
”
I told her.
“
It
’
s all I have. I
’
ll give it to you.
”

“
Not good enough.
”

Vamp looked over at me from the corner of his eye, his breath coming fast as the needles moved closer.

“
Run, Sam,
”
he managed.
“
Don
’
t watch this, just—
”

Out of nowhere, Nix flew across the room and planted one heel in the middle of Sillith
’
s chest. The force threw her into the wall, and caused her to let go of Vamp, who pitched down onto the floor. The wand spun in the air and then clattered down next to him as Nix leapt between the two. Sillith sprang back to her feet, every inch of her bristling as she glared back at him.

Nix closed the distance between them and I heard a chirp as he punched through the spot underneath her chest plate.

His fist went straight through, and splintered the latticework bones underneath. I expected to feel agony from her, but it didn
’
t come. Even when he wrenched his fist free and I saw he had dragged something out with it, I sensed no pain. Instead, she looked down at the wormy mass that pulsed between his fingers and I felt fury from her, and something else ... betrayal maybe.

“
You—
”
she started, when all at once the air around her warped and shimmered like water. The ripples grew, and then she vanished.

I jumped as air rushed into the vacuum left behind with a loud bang, and then everything was quiet. Nix turned from the empty space where Sillith had been, his eyes leaving pink trails in the air as he looked down at me.

“
Are you okay?
”
he asked. I nodded, staring at the thing in his hand. The air around it had already begun to ripple when he tossed it away. Before it could hit the floor, it popped out of existence.

“
Where did she go?
”

“
When a haan dies, the body and anything else caught in the warp bubble is gated back to the ship for processing. I tricked the mechanism into believing she was dead.
”

“
So ... she
’
s not?
”

“
No.
”

I looked at the hand he
’
d punched her with. It was clean, and dry, with no evidence of what he
’
d done. I could almost have imagined it.

“
What did you do to her?
”
I asked him.

“
We need to leave,
”
he said.

“
No, answer me.
”

She
’
d hit him hard—hard enough to kill him, easy. Some stupid street dreg broke his arm in two without even trying, but even though he
’
d hit the wall hard enough to break through, there he stood like it never happened.

Vamp backed away from the wet clothing and wiped his face, flicking the salty water away.

“
What the hell was that?
”
he asked.
“
What did she do to him?
”

“
Organic nutrient condensation,
”
Nix said.
“
It
’
s food processing technology.
Part of the Phase Seven package, though it isn
’
t meant to be used on living creatures.
”

“
You okay?
”
Vamp asked. He put his hands on my shoulders, but I was still staring at Nix.
“
Sam, what
’
s up?
”

“
I know what I saw,
”
I told Nix.

“
The inertial dampener was able to—
”

“
That wasn
’
t the dampener—
”

My voice faded as he approached me on a wave of signal that drilled straight into my brain. I felt the confusion and the fear drift away.

“
It was the inertial dampener,
”
he said again.
“
We have to go.
”

“
So she
’
s on the ship?
”
Vamp asked.

“
Not for long,
”
Nix said.
“
She
’
s already on her way back, I guarantee. The trick won
’
t work a second time.
”

I looked at the crack in the wall where Nix had struck it, still unsure.

“
What is it?
”
Vamp asked.

I looked from the splintered wood back to Nix.
He
’
s lying. Again, he
’
s lying.

“
Nothing,
”
I said.
“
He
’
s right. We have to get to Render
’
s Strip. If Dragan did cash in his ration sheet there, Fang might know something.
”

I picked the pistol up off the floor and stuck it in my pocket, then gave Vamp a hug. We were both still wet.

“
Thanks for trying to cover for me,
”
I told him,
“
but she
’
s dangerous,
Vamp
. Don
’
t mess with her, okay?
”

“
Where did you go?
”
he asked.

“
I had to check something out. I didn
’
t want to get you guys involved.
”

“
I woke up and you were gone.
”

“
I
’
m sorry.
”

I looked back down at Wei
’
s wet clothes and saw the needles lying on the floor next to them. When I reached down to pick them up, though, Nix intercepted and snatched it away.

“
Vamp, wait for me outside,
”
I said.

He looked from me to Nix, wary, but he did as I asked. When I heard him moving down the hall, I moved closer to Nix and lowered my voice.

“
I want to know what
’
s going on,
”
I said.

“
I
’
ve told you everything I can.
”

I sighed, and I think he knew what was coming next. I could sense his unspoken protest, his dismay, in a way that reminded me unpleasantly of
Tānchi
.

“
Nix, thanks for all your help, but I think I
’
ll take it from here.
”

“
You are sending me away.
”
Again, the thought of
Tānchi
jabbed at me, that look he gave me as he looked back from the hopper.

“
Yeah.
I guess I am. No offense, Nix, but I
’
ve got enough going on right now without having to watch my back.
”