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That's when we see Clara. She has her EF shock gun ready, but she looks confused. The bounty hunters' ships were cloaked. That means, there could be more of them hiding.
"Guys, hurry," she says.
I slow my craft and carefully land, heart beating a million beats per second.
Anna yanks off her seat belt and hugs me tighter than ever before. "We did it," Anna says.
This is no time for celebrating.
I open the doors and let the engine cool down. Smoke rises from the underside of the left wing where it scraped against the ground. "Be careful," I say. "We don't know if that was all of them."
"Don't worry about me," she says.
Easier said than done. These days, she's all I worry about.
I stay near the ship and watch as Clara and Anna connect with a hug. It's a tearful reunion, but one I have little time for. In a war zone, emotions will get you killed.
Anna touches Clara’s face. "I can't believe it's really you."
Clara takes step back. "You don't look that pregnant," she says.
"Give it a month. It's only been a few weeks," Anna says.
Clara nods, but her smile fades as her eyes focus on me. "Is that the savage who did this to you?"
Anna glances back. "Don't be mean," she says.
"Mean? He hasn't seen mean," Clara says.
Clara pushes past Anna until she gets close enough to slap me in the face, which she promptly does. I take a giant breath as her print stings my cheek. "Well, it's nice meeting you, too,” I grunt.
"How could you?" she asks.
I sigh, but I keep my mouth closed because she looks like she might not be finished chewing me out.
"You took a solid soldier away from my team. You stole my best friend," she says.
"When I saw her, she was about to die from Xygo fever. Her chromosomes were degenerating. I bought her with the last of my savings, endangered my life, and made sure she lived to tell the tale," I say.
I figure it's a pretty convincing argument. That's why it blows my mind when she slaps me again.
"There is no justification for your sick and twisted breeding frenzy," she says.
"Good. I didn't come here to justify myself. I came here because it was Anna's wish to leave this planet," I say. “Your friend needs you.”
She looks to her friend for support, but she doesn't get it. Anna is mine now. Her past is the past.
Anna runs between us. "I hate to break up this fight, but we almost just died. We need to figure out a plan," Anna says.
The wind changes speed and direction. Three green lights appear, just barely visible through the trees. Quickly, the lights start to spin.
Anna and Clara jump back. I stand still, mouth falling open with shock.
"What are they?" Anna asks.
"Distorter beams. They scramble the tech," I say. But it's not Syndicate mechanics. It's someone else.
I look back at our craft. Smoke wafts from the engine. There's no way to take off now. A strong sensation of guilt washes over me. I should have never allowed us to leave.
