Chapter Thirteen
Kait
WHEN KAIT opened her eyes, she was moving, and she watched a series of white rectangles pass overhead. As she came back to herself, the rectangles resolved into ceiling tiles, and she realized someone was pushing her along on a wheeled gurney.Where am I going? Where am I? What the hell happened?
Slowly, carefully, she tried to move, but she was firmly secured with no range of movement.Okay,time to figure out where you are, Kait, and quickly. Her reporting on the crime beat taught her that kidnap victims had the best chances of escape early in the process of the abduction.
She should feel scared, possibly betrayed, but all she felt was determined and angry. She wondered if her anger was keeping the fear at bay. She tried turning her head slightly, to see if she could look at the walls.
The walls were also white and periodically marked with numbers. At her feet, a man in a blue uniform was pulling the gurney. Keeping an eye on him in case he turned around, she twisted her neck, craning to take in as much as she possibly could.
They passed by a door with emergency signage on it reading, STELLA MARIS EVAC POD 139.
Oh fuck. I’m in space!
Kait fought down panic.Don’t you dare. Keep your wits about you, girl.
The gurney slowed, and Kait quickly closed her eyes.
“Which one’s this?” asked a gruff voice.
“The damaged one,” answered the man who had been pulling the gurney.
“Damaged? How?”
“She’s marked up,” grumbled the gurney man.
“So what?” said the first voice with a barking laugh. “From what I hear, these assholes handle the merchandise pretty goddam roughly.”
“Yeah, but they like to mark ’em up themselves,” answered the gurney man.
There was a beep then the pneumaticwhooshof a door sliding open and Kait was in motion again. She kept her eyes tightly shut.
“Anyway, this one’s here on special orders,” observed the gurney man.
“Fuckin hell, what’dshedo?”
“Dunno. Blew the wrong guy? Didn’t blow the right guy? Anyway, she’s here now,” cackled the gurney man. The wheels locked with aclick.
“Did you ever think about…y’know?” The first man’s voice was receding.
“More than your life is worth, ma—” The door whooshed shut.
Tears fell from Kait’s eyes.Okay, Kait, this really sucks. You get one minute to feel miserable.
She sobbed out loud, once, twice.Aurelian…Aurelian, where are you? I need you here.
Kait slowed and deepened her breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth.Aurelian may not be coming, Kait, and that’s the truth. You know in your heart if he can, he will. But he might not be able to, and that means it’s down to you.
She opened her eyes and looked around as much as she could.
Kait was in a small cubicle with a steel toilet in one corner, a door on the far side, a fold-down bed against the wall. Next to the toilet was a sink and a mirror. At least one camera nestled in the corner between the wall and the ceiling.
Was the room wired for sound?Time to find out.“I need to pee,” said Kait loudly, looking directly at the camera. She waited.
Nothing.
She tried again. “I need to pee. I can just let go if you want, but it’s gonna make a mess.”
