Athena's Ashes (2 page)

Thinking about her mother’s attempt to kill her in a drug-induced rage still made Renna flush with shame and hatred. Still made her wary of trusting anyone. Even Finn.

Samil’s expression softened. “I know. And for someone with your past, you’ve come a long way. You’re now part of an intergalactic organization, doing your part to save the universe. You’ve become something bigger than just a thief. I admire you for that.”

“If I had a choice, I would’ve been long gone by now. I’m no hero, and I certainly am not a team player. I don’t need to depend on a galactic organization. I just need myself.” Renna settled back against the pillows and crossed her arms. “MYTH can keep its good deeds. I’m just in this for the dental plan.” And just maybe to make sure she got a shot at happily ever after.

Samil chuckled, and Renna felt a responding smile twist her lips. Despite the needles and the fact that the doctor viewed Renna as a science experiment, she liked the woman. Samil was whip-smart, and if anyone could solve this puzzle, it would be her.

“What am I going to do with you, dove?” the doctor asked with a shake of her head.

“Save me, I hope.” But the doctor could stop using that stupid nickname any time now. Thinking of Renna as a meek little dove was laughable.

“I’m doing my best. I do wish Navang’s facility hadn’t been destroyed. If I had access to his drugs and research, it would make all of this so much easier. Or even Myka Aldani. At one time, he was the key to all of this.”

Renna’s pulse jumped, and she dropped her gaze to the stark white tiles on the floor. This was exactly why she’d sent Finn on the run with Myka. Destroying the facility had been the only way to stop the human-robot hybrid army Navang and Pallas were building, but it had also signed Renna’s death warrant, and put the kid in even more danger.

Had she made the right choice? Could she have stopped Navang another way?

“Do you know why Captain Finn destroyed the place?” Samil asked. “It doesn’t make sense. The captain doesn’t disobey orders.”

“You know Finn?” She clenched her hands in her lap at the unexpected pang of jealousy. The past seven years had changed Finn into a different person, and those years were wrapped in a protective cloak that seemed to surround his heart. He was different, but that Finn from her childhood still remained. She’d thought they’d have plenty of time to get to know him again, to figure out if there was, in fact, a relationship developing under her nose, but life never worked out the way she planned.

Samil nodded. “I was ship doctor for a year on the
Athena
. He’s a good man. It must have been something big for him to turn his back on MYTH.” Her blue eyes searched Renna’s. “Are you sure he didn’t tell you anything?”

A lump formed in her throat, and she had to swallow around it before answering. “Finn and I didn’t exactly get along when I came on board.” Sticking to half-truths was the safest bet for now, until she figured out who she could trust.

“Right. I’d heard he was angry that Major Dallas wanted him to work with a thief on the last mission. You, I presume?”

“Guilty as charged. He wasn’t likely to confide in me either way.”

“Probably not. I know how he felt about people like you.” Samil’s eyes widened. “I mean, people who don’t follow the law.” She shook her head with an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry, this isn’t coming out right. I just mean Finn’s a good man. For him to go on the run from MYTH means something is seriously wrong.”

Renna nodded. “I get it. I’m a thief. Untrustworthy. But I was hired to do a job and that’s what I did.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it, Renna. I’m sorry.” The doctor glanced at the door. “Now that I’ve put my foot in it, I’m going to go make sure my assistant has your newest sample. Stay positive, Renna, it’s going to be fine.”

“I hope you’re right because it feels like my brain is about to ooze out my ears.”

Samil unlocked another drawer with her thumbprint and rummaged inside. She pulled out a small, flesh-colored disk. “Here, put this medipatch on. It should help with the pain.”

Renna slapped it on her arm. “Thanks, doc. I’ll see you later. Hopefully much, much later.”

Samil smiled as she left. The door swished shut behind her, and the sound of the lock re-engaging echoed through the room.

TWO

Renna blinked open her eyes as someone knocked at her door. It slid open before she could respond, but she’d pretty much given up on the concept of privacy. Doctors, nurses, even security staff were in and out of her room at all hours of the day and night. She’d gotten used to sleeping through it in the time she’d been there.

“Good morning, Miss Carrizal.” The boy’s olive skin was smooth and unlined, his dark hair cropped close to his head. Although he didn’t look old enough to carry a gun, a standard MYTH-issued blaster sat in the holster at his waist. She recognized him as one of the MYTH guards permanently stationed outside her room.

“Something I can help you with, Private?” she asked.

“We’re here to take you to meet with the admiral.”

Renna yawned and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes. “Can I use the bathroom first? I’m sure the admiral won’t mind, especially if I brush my teeth.” She grimaced. “Turning into a cyborg does nothing for the morning breath.”

The young soldier frowned, but finally nodded. “You have five minutes.”

He retreated from the room, leaving Renna staring at the door. About damn time someone beside the doctor was finally paying attention to her. She’d already been at the facility for five days. Any longer and she would’ve had to find a way to manipulate them into letting her leave.

After making sure the
Athena
was long gone, she’d sent her distress signal to MYTH. It had only taken a few hours for their team to arrive at Aldani’s labs. Based on that, she guessed this facility was on Titus Beta, a nearby planet in the same star system. But wherever they were, MYTH had locked down the comm channels so tightly that she couldn’t get a message out, even with her implant’s new and improved abilities.

But if the admiral finally wanted to see her, maybe that meant things were moving and she could start putting her plan in place.

Quickly, Renna brushed her hair and tied the dark length back into a neat ponytail. She used the ultraviolet cleaner on her teeth, grinning at her reflection in the mirror to make sure they were clean. She’d like to chug down a cup of coffee before having to face the firing squad, but at least she felt halfway human.

The guard opened her door, gesturing with his gun. “Time’s up. Come along, Miss Carrizal.”

She bit back a smirk. He was lucky she felt generous this morning. The kid’s grip on the blaster was all wrong. What exactly was MYTH teaching their recruits? It would only take her two moves to disarm him. Finn would have read him the riot act if he’d been under his command. He’d been so tough on the new recruits. More than a few of them had burst into tears during his training sessions.

Renna fell into step with the private as they started down the long, brightly lit hallway. Another guard joined them from a nearby room as they passed. The two men flanked her, walking close enough that the scent of starch on their stiff gray uniforms tickled her nose.

“Where we headed?” she asked as they turned right down another corridor. The plain white walls and metal floors were standard pre-fab bunker materials used in most buildings on the Outer Rim. Her surroundings didn’t lend much help in figuring out exactly what planet she was on, but maybe she could get one of these rookies to slip up.

The younger guard walked like a marionette beside her, pretending not to hear her question. He wouldn’t last long with that stick up his ass. She’d be more than happy to knock him down a peg or two. “Come on. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“The admiral and her staff are waiting in the large conference room.” He snapped out the words with his jaw clenched. “There will also be six MYTH agents and four guards stationed outside. I suggest you stay on your best behavior if you ever want to see the outside of this facility again.”

“You sound like you’re scared of me, private.” Renna smiled slyly. “I’m so honored. But didn’t you hear that I’ve turned over a new leaf? Respectable, that’s me.”

His whole body was one stiff mass of muscles, and Renna chuckled. Baiting him was too much fun. He was just so…earnest.

They reached the end of the hallway and turned left. Four guards in their gray-and-gold uniforms stood at attention beside a thick glass door, each carrying a modified sonic rifle.

Renna let out a low whistle. “What exactly do you think I’m going to do to the admiral? I don’t even have a weapon.”

He blinked slowly once, and then his flinty eyes settled on her face. Without moving his stone-hard facial muscles, he pressed his thumb to the scanner on the wall and the door slid open, revealing a large conference room with a round, white table and eight chairs.

“Sit down. The admiral and her staff will join you momentarily.”

“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” She flashed him an unrepentant grin and threw herself into one of the chairs. A low buffet table sat along the far wall with a pitcher of water and eight glasses, while a giant holoscreen took up the opposite wall. Just another non-descript room, in a non-descript building, on a non-descript planet. Pretty much exactly what she’d expected from MYTH leadership. Everything was neat, orderly, and by the book.

No wonder they had no idea Pallas was running circles around them.

The door opened, and six MYTH special agents marched into the room, taking up stations in each corner, with two on either side of the door. They wore the shiny, black, full-body suits she’d first seen on Finn back on Hesperia.

Another twinge of longing shot through her. Dammit. Why did everything remind her of Finn?

Stop it, Renna
. Staying on her game was the only thing that mattered right now because, if she failed, she’d never get the chance to see Finn again.

She crossed her arms and pretended to study her fingernails while she snuck glances at the motionless soldiers. Three men, three women. Two were Ileth, one Delfine, and three humans. None of them had Finn’s intimidating presence, just the same cold glare that he’d shot her when they’d first met back on Hesperia. That look had almost turned the blood in her veins to ice.

But this was quite the honor guard for a lowly thief, even if they weren’t as scary as Finn. What exactly had they told everyone about her?

The door slid open again, and a tall, muscular woman marched into the room. Her jet-black hair was pulled back into a no-nonsense bun, and wrinkles framed cool gray eyes.

The agents snapped to attention, saluting as she took a seat at the head of the table.

Renna continued to lounge in her chair, legs outstretched. She wasn’t MYTH yet and didn’t owe anyone a salute.

After the admiral had taken her seat, two more humans with major’s stripes on their chests entered the room—one male, one female. Renna’s muscles went rigid. Larson. What the hell was he doing here? Her skin crawled with his unexpected presence. One of Navang’s last reveals was that Major Larson worked for Pallas. He was a traitor to MYTH and to the Coalition.

He was also apparently part of the admiral’s advisory group.

Something surged in her implant, sending a zap of pain through her. Renna sucked in a sharp breath and squeezed her eyes closed. Her mind spun and sputtered as her implant tried to process a new stream of information. Unlike feeling the facility’s communications arrays when she’d first arrived, this was sharp and painful, like needles stabbing into the soft tissue of her brain. A slow trickle of data started to download to her implant, easing the pressure enough that she could open her eyes.

The admiral quirked an eyebrow. “Is everything all right, Miss Carrizal?”

Renna forced her voice to stay steady. “I’m fine, ma’am.” She’d have to be careful, especially with Dr. Samil. They couldn’t know about the changes happening in her head or they’d never let her go.

“Very well then, let’s get started. I’m Admiral Kamila Usamov. We’ve brought you here today to debrief you on the Myka Aldani rescue mission and the destruction of Draven Navang’s facility on Vall.” The admiral steepled her fingers and watched Renna, letting the silence stretch between them.

As much as she wanted to be stubborn and wait the woman out, Renna needed to make them think they had the upper hand. Engaging the admiral in a battle of wills wasn’t part of the plan. After thirty seconds, long enough to make it look like she was putting up a fight, Renna dropped her gaze to the table.

The admiral smiled, but before she could speak, the door slid open again.

Renna’s jaw dropped as a dead man stepped into the room.

THREE