“You’d hurt him.”
“I would do whatever is necessary to ensure the success of this project.” Naran set down the datapad. “Becsul is useful, but not irreplaceable. There are other males with compatible genetics. Less pleasant ones, perhaps. Less inclined to treat you with the care he’s shown.” He smiled again, and this time there was no warmth in it at all. “I trust I’ve made myself clear.”
Her hands shook with fear, with rage, with the desperate urge to launch herself across the desk and claw that smug expression off his face.
Before she could respond, a klaxon blared through the office.
Naran’s head snapped up, his expression shifting from smug satisfaction to sharp alertness. The alarm continued, a pulsing wail that seemed to vibrate through the ancient stone.
“What—” He touched something on his desk. “Report. What’s happening?”
A voice crackled through the speaker, distorted by static. “Fire in the lower laboratory, Councilor. Origin unknown. We’re evacuating non-essential personnel.”
“Fire.” Naran’s eyes narrowed. He looked at her, and she saw suspicion crystallizing in his gaze. “You wouldn’t know anything about this, would you?”
“How could I? I’ve been locked in a cell.”
“And your Captain?”
She kept her face blank, even as her heart raced. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Naran stared at her for a long moment. Then he turned to the guard who had escorted her. “Take her back to her cell. Stay with her until I send word.”
The guard stepped forward, his grip on her arm rougher this time. “Come.”
“And if she tries anything?” Naran’s voice stopped them at the door. “You have my permission to respond accordingly.”
“Understood, Councilor.”
The corridors were chaos.
Smoke drifted through the air, acrid and chemical, making her eyes water. Staff members rushed past in both directions, some carrying equipment, others simply fleeing towards the exits. The alarm continued its relentless wail, underscored by shouted commands and the distant crash of something heavy falling.
The diversion,she realized.This is the diversion.
But she was supposed to be in her cell when it happened. Becsul was supposed to come for her. Instead she was being dragged through pandemonium by a guard who clearly had no intention of letting her out of his sight.
“Move faster.” The guard shoved her forward, and she stumbled, barely catching herself against the wall. “The Councilor wants you secured.”
“I’m moving as fast as I can.”
They reached her cell. The guard keyed in the override code—a sequence she memorized automatically, her mind cataloguing every useful piece of information—and the door slid open.
The technician was inside, still holding Robbie, her grey face tight with fear. When she saw Melissa, relief flooded her features.
“You’re back,” the female said, handing her the baby. “I should—the evacuation?—”
“Go.” The guard jerked his head towards the door. “I’ll stay with the prisoner.”
The technician fled, and the door sealed shut behind her.
She clutched Robbie to her chest, backing away from the guard instinctively. He was watching her with an expression she didn’t like—something predatory, something hungry.
“Well.” He took a step towards her. “Alone at last.”
“Stay back.”
“Or what?” Another step. “You’ll scream? No one can hear you over that alarm. And even if they could…” He smiled, revealing teeth that had been filed to points. “Councilor Naran gave me permission to respond accordingly. Did you hear that part?”
