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“I’ll explain later.Let’s get these mechanical assholes away from Mason. I’ll distract them. You sneak up from behind.” Without waiting for a reply, I tightened my grip on my knives and moved into view of the searching robots. Three were in my sight line, though I knew more were still around, searching.

I was tired of running, tired of being scared, and as crazy as this distraction plan was, I needed a chance to let out some of this pent-up emotion.

“You want me? Come get me!” I shrieked at the robots.

Reality was a bitch. When three robots rolled at me with weapons drawn, my newfound bravery dissipated. Use your brain, Sam. They’d hesitated when I behaved rashly.

With a battle cry Tarzan would be proud of, I ran headfirst at them. They froze. I darted to the side and around, jamming my knife into the neck of the closest one.

At the first pop, the others seemed to make up their minds what to do with me. They turned, both pointing their weapons at me, and I braced myself for the double dose of electricity, hoping the others would figure out what I meant when I said there was a way out.

The familiar pop and sizzle sounds of blades slicing through silicone made me focus, and I’d never been so grateful to see Jackson or Nicole when they appeared from behind the now-disabled bots.

“There are two more coming,” Nicole announced. She smiled at me, really smiled, because it lit up her eyes, and somehow it gave me the courage and determination I needed.

“You get Mason,” I told Jackson. “Nicole and I will handle those two, then we’ll catch up with you on the path toward the statue.”

No time to think about Travis right then. That was a problem we would have to figure out when we were safe.

* * *

Once we rendezvoused at the decapitated statue of Poseidon, I explained to everyone there was an escape pod back near the aquarium that had to be started remotely from Engineering. I’d discounted it before, knowing only a dead woman and Mrs. Bennet had access, and that the computer would no doubt have locked us out. But because we’d managed to take out so many robot staffers, I now believed it was possible for me to get past the overrides long enough to start it up. Mason seemed to be okay, despite losing a fair amount of blood from the broken glass and suffering a twisted ankle. I didn’t want to leave him but agreed to let Nicole stay instead while Jackson and I snuck downstairs so I could attempt the overrides. The whole thing felt too easy, but I wouldn’t second-guess myself. I refused.

The absence of bots felt worse than actively being attacked. The eerie silence filled with only the hum of machinery kept me on edge as we first stopped at the stasis beds to check on the occupants. We found over three quarters of them filled. It seemed the few robots not responding to our vandalism were efficient at gathering the visitors one by one from their locked-down rooms. My stomach churned when I pictured being trapped inside one of those things in a never-ending dream featuring robots injecting me with a giant needle.

Jackson led me over to the nearest console and stood guard as I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Soon my fingers flew over the screen, my tech brain kicking into gear.

“It’s done,” I whispered, sending the panel back to sleep mode. “It’ll take some time to fully activate and go online.”

Jackson nodded, wide-eyed, and we both rushed back up the steps. My heart thudded in my ribcage as I prayed to whoever might be listening that we’d find Nicole and Mason still alive and present at the statue’s base.

The moment my gaze locked with Mason’s, tears bloomed in my eyes with relief.

“Sam did it,” Jackson said as I rushed to Mason’s side.

He winced when he put his arms around me. “I had no doubt she could.”

“We have some time to kill while it comes fully online. Let’s go get you clean and patched up a bit,” I said, helping him to his feet.

“Jackson and I will go back downstairs and see if we can figure out any way to wake up some of our sleeping friends to bring back to the surface with us.” Nicole grabbed Jackson’s hand and took off before we could so much as respond. But the plan sounded good to me. Alone time with Mason might calm some of my anxiety about the situation. I didn’t want to be separated from him again.

“How many of those things are left?” Mason asked as we paused for him to catch his breath.

“Let’s see,” I said, taking my time for his sake. “There were nine we picked off originally. Then another eleven…so six. Not bad. Oh, and don’t worry because I’m armed.” I grinned and lifted my shirt just enough to show the handles of the knives I had tucked in the waistband of my shorts. I’d replaced my broken one when we stopped at the Fisherman, and I’d wrapped the blades with some fabric from one of the few unused stasis beds on the lower deck.

“I’m in good hands,” Mason said, hobbling toward me.

I waited for him to kiss me, hoping it would somehow give him the energy he needed to keep going. I didn’t know if it was doing more harm than good to take care of his wounds versus just leaving him to rest. I had to go with my instincts on that.

“Let’s go,” he said, brushing my hair to the side.

I nodded, not trusting my voice, and helped him get an arm around my shoulder.

It took us a good half hour to cover the distance that would normally have taken us ten minutes or less.

“Where to now?” Mason asked, pausing again.