Page 108 of Veiled Vixen

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE - VALOR

The alarms are still blaring loudly outside in the hallway outside the harem room. Baby turns them off as we move forward towards the memorial service platform, which is stationary and located at the top of the station when not in use for a ceremony. But the alarms are on an automatic backup circuit and cannot be turned off as long as the emergency is still in progress.

We have since learned that the alarms are due to the loss of breathable air at the top of the station and by the time we are all situated on the platform and ready for the announcement, we are breathing heavy with exertion and lack of oxygen.

“We need to go down,” Lyra pants. “I can’t breathe!”

“Just take slow, shallow breaths,” Serpint says, holding her hand. “We’re going now.”

Crux looks at us. “Are we ready for this?”

We all nod, even though I’m not sure we could ever be ready for what’s coming. We barely understand what’s happening.

“OK,” Crux says. He stands in the center of the platform facing the direction we’ll be traveling and the rest of us stand shoulder to shoulder so we make a circle. Lyra on his right, then Serpint, then Veila, then me.

It occurs to me in this moment. Just as the platform begins to descend, that we—all of us here on this platform—we are the most hated people on this station right now.

And as we lower down and Crux begins to talk—

“Attention,” he says. “Please. I need your attention.”

—even the people on our side begin to jeer and boo.

“We are going to surrender to Luck. We will be—”

But the collective yelling—all the millions of people on this station in unison—all but drowns him out.

“Listen!” Crux says, his voice amplified through the various sound systems, his face—all our faces—on every screen that’s still working. “We have to stand together! This war between us must end so we can prepare—”

Something comes hurtling through the air at us. Serpint shoots it mid-air with a plasma pistol, and it shatters, raining hot, flaming debris down on our heads. I cover Veila, and Serpint does the same for Lyra.

Crux continues to talk.

But no one is listening.

We are several levels below where we started and moving forward to make a long journey around the ring so everyone can hear and see Crux deliver his message at least for a moment. It’s easier to breathe now, but it’s clear that people above us are gasping for breath and beginning to panic. They start rushing the various non-moving escalators, desperate for air.

But news of the air issue travels fast and within seconds the upper levels are mass panic and confusion. A riot of fearful people who want to get down to a lower level.

People at the top start jumping over the side, maybe assuming the safety bots will catch them, but they’re not working right. Baby is barely in control of the announcement system.

And as soon as everyone realizes this, the screaming becomes louder and the rush to the escalators turns into a riot for survival.

Then, because the bodies that fell—and continue to fall as we descend—hit the bottom of the station, another wave of panic comes up from down below.

This is not going well.

“Oh, my God!” Lyra says. “What do we do?”

“Keep going!” I yell. “We have to get it under control or everyone will die! Just keep talking, Crux! Make them hear you!”

“Please,” Crux yells. But the lights—which were already low and near emergency levels—are flickering and suddenly his voice is no longer being amplified and the screens blank out into meaningless static.

That’s when I notice fingertips gripping the side of the platform. We are still descending and moving forward through the ring of the station. But somehow people are underneath us. Clawing their way up and over the ledge of the platform.

And then I see forearms. And a foot comes over the side. Then another and another and then…

Heads.