minister’s personal guard lined up, all guns drawn. Lara purposely aimed wide and fired her own weapon. She might be willing to kidnap her own mother if need be, but killing someone was so not at the top of her to-do list if it could be avoided. They returned fire, obviously with no similar reservations. Lara tabbed on her wrist-sync just in time for the hot plasma to sail right through her.
She leaped onto the catwalk and held on tight as she pushed through the sea spray and tangy bluster. Up ahead, the Calypso’ s rudder peeked over the smooth curve of the hospital pod. Another plasma shot sailed overhead and Lara ducked instinctively. One guard popped out onto the catwalk behind her and strode down the decking as fast as he could squeeze by the railing.
Smaller and faster, Lara ran toward another staircase and leapfrogged down it. Under cover from the platform above, the wind and sea spray lessened, but the rhythmic din of waves smacking the hull echoed in the small space. Six feet away she spotted her destination, the locking clamps and, right next to them, the manual wheel override.
“Halt!”
Another shot catapulted overhead and sparks flared where it hit the hatch. Lara jumped back. With an over-shoulder glance she saw Mr. Burly Guard fire again. This time he hit her wrist-sync. Her muscles spasmed with the abrupt phase change, and her wrist burned. She shucked off the useless white-hot bracelet and tossed it overboard.
“You’re not going anywhere, Captain Soto.”
Lara raised her hands in surrender and propped herself against the hull. Her body ached, her lungs burned and her mission all but failed.
“Rafe?” Mitch lowered the plasma gun he’d raised on instinct and forced his hand to steady despite the adrenaline pumping in his veins.
His old friend looked around the station and clenched his jaw when he found Sabine staring out the viewport. “You shouldn’t be here. Neither of you.”
Sabine looked over. “Are you all right, Commodore? Did you say my son’s name?”
Rafe stepped forward and grabbed Mitch’s wrist. “That’s one of Lara’s syncs on your wrist. Don’t you realize what you’ve done?”
Mitch’s vision spun and he leaned against a chair. “I didn’t want to die, Rafe. This was the only way.”
“You’ve opened yourself to my fate.” Rafe dropped Mitch’s wrist. “You could be trapped between dimensions like we are, but without the protection of the wormhole.”
“So you are alive in the wormhole. The experiment partially worked?”
Sabine circled around the pilot’s chair. She reached to grab Mitch’s arm, but her hand ghosted through him. “Commodore, who are you talking to?”
“Yes.” Rafe’s image weakened and then resurged. “And now you’ve dragged my mother into this.”
Mitch glanced back and forth between Sabine and Rafe. “She can’t hear or see you. She’s not affected by this.”
White fog rolled in from the corners of the room. A chill embraced Mitch and skittered down his spine. The smoky mist swirled around Rafe and coalesced into delicate tendrils. One of those tendrils materialized into a dainty hand. A slight woman stood beside his friend, her arms draped over Rafe like a fragile cage.
Mitch pushed Sabine behind him. “Who is she?”
“We must go, Rafael.”
The woman’s voice vibrated through his body, something he felt rather than heard. Mitch tamped down a shudder and raised his weapon.
His friend clasped the woman’s hand and pulled her closer. “Tell my sister the truth, Mitch. All of it.”
Both Rafe and the woman faded as the mist receded back to the room’s corners. Rafe’s voice filled the room. “If anyone can figure it out, it’s the two of you, but what you’ve done… I’m not sure there’s any going back.”
“Rafe!” Mitch jerked forward directly through the space Rafe and the woman had just occupied.
Not just his hands, but Mitch’s whole body shook as much from the physical shift as from
She leaped onto the catwalk and held on tight as she pushed through the sea spray and tangy bluster. Up ahead, the Calypso’ s rudder peeked over the smooth curve of the hospital pod. Another plasma shot sailed overhead and Lara ducked instinctively. One guard popped out onto the catwalk behind her and strode down the decking as fast as he could squeeze by the railing.
Smaller and faster, Lara ran toward another staircase and leapfrogged down it. Under cover from the platform above, the wind and sea spray lessened, but the rhythmic din of waves smacking the hull echoed in the small space. Six feet away she spotted her destination, the locking clamps and, right next to them, the manual wheel override.
“Halt!”
Another shot catapulted overhead and sparks flared where it hit the hatch. Lara jumped back. With an over-shoulder glance she saw Mr. Burly Guard fire again. This time he hit her wrist-sync. Her muscles spasmed with the abrupt phase change, and her wrist burned. She shucked off the useless white-hot bracelet and tossed it overboard.
“You’re not going anywhere, Captain Soto.”
Lara raised her hands in surrender and propped herself against the hull. Her body ached, her lungs burned and her mission all but failed.
“Rafe?” Mitch lowered the plasma gun he’d raised on instinct and forced his hand to steady despite the adrenaline pumping in his veins.
His old friend looked around the station and clenched his jaw when he found Sabine staring out the viewport. “You shouldn’t be here. Neither of you.”
Sabine looked over. “Are you all right, Commodore? Did you say my son’s name?”
Rafe stepped forward and grabbed Mitch’s wrist. “That’s one of Lara’s syncs on your wrist. Don’t you realize what you’ve done?”
Mitch’s vision spun and he leaned against a chair. “I didn’t want to die, Rafe. This was the only way.”
“You’ve opened yourself to my fate.” Rafe dropped Mitch’s wrist. “You could be trapped between dimensions like we are, but without the protection of the wormhole.”
“So you are alive in the wormhole. The experiment partially worked?”
Sabine circled around the pilot’s chair. She reached to grab Mitch’s arm, but her hand ghosted through him. “Commodore, who are you talking to?”
“Yes.” Rafe’s image weakened and then resurged. “And now you’ve dragged my mother into this.”
Mitch glanced back and forth between Sabine and Rafe. “She can’t hear or see you. She’s not affected by this.”
White fog rolled in from the corners of the room. A chill embraced Mitch and skittered down his spine. The smoky mist swirled around Rafe and coalesced into delicate tendrils. One of those tendrils materialized into a dainty hand. A slight woman stood beside his friend, her arms draped over Rafe like a fragile cage.
Mitch pushed Sabine behind him. “Who is she?”
“We must go, Rafael.”
The woman’s voice vibrated through his body, something he felt rather than heard. Mitch tamped down a shudder and raised his weapon.
His friend clasped the woman’s hand and pulled her closer. “Tell my sister the truth, Mitch. All of it.”
Both Rafe and the woman faded as the mist receded back to the room’s corners. Rafe’s voice filled the room. “If anyone can figure it out, it’s the two of you, but what you’ve done… I’m not sure there’s any going back.”
“Rafe!” Mitch jerked forward directly through the space Rafe and the woman had just occupied.
Not just his hands, but Mitch’s whole body shook as much from the physical shift as from
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