at anyone who came near.
“God, Waverly,” Arthur said, and looked at her, shocked. “I had no idea—”
“Don’t.” Waverly held up a hand, and quickly Arthur turned back to the video.
“There! What’s that?” Arthur pointed at the cart of supplies being rolled toward the shuttle by a group of women. The Waverly on the video screen watched the women suspiciously and then slowly walked toward the shuttle, the muzzle of her gun pointed into the crowd.
It made her sick to see it. What had she become? Was she still frozen inside like that?
Was she still a killer?
“Do you think someone rode in on that cart?” Arthur asked her.
“No way,” she said, jarred back to the present. “It was full of food, and that other cart? See there? That’s full of water. There was no way a person could have fit.”
They watched the screen a few minutes more as the women backed away from the shuttle when the engine’s exhaust flared. The shuttle eased inside the air lock, then it moved out and pulled away from the New Horizon, which grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the black sky.
But the New Horizon is still out there, Waverly reminded herself. It didn’t disappear. And she’s waiting for us. Because she has what we want, and that puts her on top again.
“Wait,” Arthur said. “I thought there was…” He ran the recording back, and they watched the image of the New Horizon shrinking away, until Arthur hit pause. “There!” He pointed at a dim, blurry dot floating in the frozen image, just above the New Horizon.
“What?”
“A OneMan. That’s a OneMan!”
Waverly squinted at the screen, and Arthur hit play again. The dot drifted up from the New Horizon and sped toward the shuttle. Quickly, the OneMan sank out of view below the border of the screen, but it was unmistakable.
“He tethered to you. He reeled himself in. And then somehow he got on board and hid.”
“How? When?”
“He must’ve used the small air lock in the cargo hold.”
Arthur got up from his seat, beckoning to her over his shoulder, and the two of them went down to the cargo hold. At the aft side there was a man-size hatch with a tiny porthole in the door. Arthur and Waverly peered through the scratched glass to see the face mask of an empty OneMan peering back. “You guys didn’t notice this here?”
At first Waverly was too stunned to speak, but she regained her voice to say, “I think I looked in there once, just to see what was inside. The OneMan was facing the other way, so I could only see the back of it.” She shuddered. She’d looked right at the stowaway, hiding in that suit, and she hadn’t seen him. “I thought it was standard to keep a OneMan in there.”
Arthur nodded. “I would probably have thought the same thing.”
“He might have even slept in there, spent his time in there.”
“Logical. It would get claustrophobic, but if he kept the air valves open, he could have stayed there almost the whole time.”
“Yes,” Waverly said. “Oh God, Arthur!”
He put a hand on her shoulder and waited for her to look at him. “Waverly, we should have thought of it, too. We should have searched the shuttle, quarantined it. Hell, we should have jettisoned it.”
She nodded. She could see why Kieran liked Arthur so much. He was kind.
The two walked down the shuttle ramp, and Arthur pressed the button to raise it up again. Waverly watched as the evidence of her frightening passage home disappeared behind the door.
“I have something I need to tell you,” Arthur said as they crossed the empty shuttle bay. The OneMen hanging along the wall seemed to lean away from their hooks, heads bent, as though trying to eavesdrop. Waverly didn’t like looking at them. It reminded her of how many people weren’t on the ship. “You’re going to get upset.”
He had her attention now. “What? What are you talking about?”
“First I want your promise—that you won’t do anything right away. You and I
“God, Waverly,” Arthur said, and looked at her, shocked. “I had no idea—”
“Don’t.” Waverly held up a hand, and quickly Arthur turned back to the video.
“There! What’s that?” Arthur pointed at the cart of supplies being rolled toward the shuttle by a group of women. The Waverly on the video screen watched the women suspiciously and then slowly walked toward the shuttle, the muzzle of her gun pointed into the crowd.
It made her sick to see it. What had she become? Was she still frozen inside like that?
Was she still a killer?
“Do you think someone rode in on that cart?” Arthur asked her.
“No way,” she said, jarred back to the present. “It was full of food, and that other cart? See there? That’s full of water. There was no way a person could have fit.”
They watched the screen a few minutes more as the women backed away from the shuttle when the engine’s exhaust flared. The shuttle eased inside the air lock, then it moved out and pulled away from the New Horizon, which grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the black sky.
But the New Horizon is still out there, Waverly reminded herself. It didn’t disappear. And she’s waiting for us. Because she has what we want, and that puts her on top again.
“Wait,” Arthur said. “I thought there was…” He ran the recording back, and they watched the image of the New Horizon shrinking away, until Arthur hit pause. “There!” He pointed at a dim, blurry dot floating in the frozen image, just above the New Horizon.
“What?”
“A OneMan. That’s a OneMan!”
Waverly squinted at the screen, and Arthur hit play again. The dot drifted up from the New Horizon and sped toward the shuttle. Quickly, the OneMan sank out of view below the border of the screen, but it was unmistakable.
“He tethered to you. He reeled himself in. And then somehow he got on board and hid.”
“How? When?”
“He must’ve used the small air lock in the cargo hold.”
Arthur got up from his seat, beckoning to her over his shoulder, and the two of them went down to the cargo hold. At the aft side there was a man-size hatch with a tiny porthole in the door. Arthur and Waverly peered through the scratched glass to see the face mask of an empty OneMan peering back. “You guys didn’t notice this here?”
At first Waverly was too stunned to speak, but she regained her voice to say, “I think I looked in there once, just to see what was inside. The OneMan was facing the other way, so I could only see the back of it.” She shuddered. She’d looked right at the stowaway, hiding in that suit, and she hadn’t seen him. “I thought it was standard to keep a OneMan in there.”
Arthur nodded. “I would probably have thought the same thing.”
“He might have even slept in there, spent his time in there.”
“Logical. It would get claustrophobic, but if he kept the air valves open, he could have stayed there almost the whole time.”
“Yes,” Waverly said. “Oh God, Arthur!”
He put a hand on her shoulder and waited for her to look at him. “Waverly, we should have thought of it, too. We should have searched the shuttle, quarantined it. Hell, we should have jettisoned it.”
She nodded. She could see why Kieran liked Arthur so much. He was kind.
The two walked down the shuttle ramp, and Arthur pressed the button to raise it up again. Waverly watched as the evidence of her frightening passage home disappeared behind the door.
“I have something I need to tell you,” Arthur said as they crossed the empty shuttle bay. The OneMen hanging along the wall seemed to lean away from their hooks, heads bent, as though trying to eavesdrop. Waverly didn’t like looking at them. It reminded her of how many people weren’t on the ship. “You’re going to get upset.”
He had her attention now. “What? What are you talking about?”
“First I want your promise—that you won’t do anything right away. You and I
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