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I’ve never taken control. I’ve accomplished many things, but I prefer to hang in the wings, watching for the moment things go wrong. Or right – though, that rarely ever happens.
It’s probably a coping mechanism, but frequently it has saved my life. This time, I need to take action.
Turin inhales. “Fine,” he says. “I’ll trust you. I have to, right?”
“I’m not like the men who made you,” I say.
He nods, but I can tell there’s still that fear inside him.
He just needs to trust me.
“Halloway, are you cool with this? With us, together?” I ask.
The captain nods, but he scrunches his head and neck like a caught rat. “Do we have to bring him back?”
I drag my molars together. “Yes,” I say.
“But how will that work?” he asks.
I bend my neck and try to stay calm. “It doesn’t matter how it will work. We’re doing it, and that’s final.”
We don’t know what Earth will be like when we get back. For all we know, Earth might not even exist anymore. Plenty of civilizations have wiped themselves out. Are we that special?
The odds are stacked against us, but that’s what makes us strong. We keep pushing, no matter what the cost.
That’s love.
Turin steps forward. “We don’t know, yet. But it’s a gamble we’re willing to bet on.”
I can’t use his protection as a crutch forever. Soon, very fucking soon, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands. Fully.
I’ll have to be the one to get us off this rock. I’ll be the one to bear and rear our child. For someone who never wanted to be a driver of the ship, I’ve really jumped headfirst into this whole thing.
“I’m sorry,” Halloway apologizes. “I’m just worried.”
Turn laughs anxiously. “You’re worried? Zakar could be right around the corner.”
“Impossible,” Halloway says, eyes beaming. “I shot him. Three times in the head, and he went down. I even felt his pulse.”
For a moment, Turin just stares at him. Then, after going over everything in his head, he looks at the hallway leading to the cargo hold.
Something’s wrong.
“What is it?” I ask.
He throws a finger to his lips. “Shh.”
Cautiously, he looks around the rusted corridors, sniffing gently. When he comes back, he looks worse off than before.
“You’ve led him here,” Turin says, chest rising.
“I’ve done no such thing,” Halloway argues.
Turin takes my hand. “You’ve brought him here to kill us,” he says.
The captain swallows and looks erratic, but not necessarily guilty. He backs against the console as Turin steps toward him.
“No,” he says. “That’s not what—“
