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Chapter 7

XONA AND TYRYN SPOKE QUIETLY in the front seats. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Xona glanced back at me several times. Well, glared back might be a better description.

Otherwise, it was quiet, almost peaceful. Jilia and Adrien were asleep, and Adrien’s head lolled against the wall behind him. I memorized his sharp cheekbones and the way his jaw tapered down to his pointy chin. His thick lips were opened slightly as he slept, and I wished that I could kiss him. Anything to wipe away the memory of what I’d just done.

I unbuckled my belt strap and moved closer to Tyryn and Xona. I didn’t have a very good view out the front window, but I could see the distant bright lights ahead.

“We’re heading into a city?”

Xona ignored me.

“Right outside it,” Tyryn said. “There’s a factory there.” He pointed below, where I could just make out the outline of a cluster of structures. “The factory’s chief engineer is an Upper. Officially, he works for Comm Corp, but in actuality he’s a Rez spy.”

“Really?” I’d never met an Upper who worked with the Rez. Uppers were usually the enemy, the privileged class who used people for drone labor without any qualms.

The engines quieted as Tyryn settled the transport down in a covered transport bay. It jolted only lightly when we made contact with the ground.

“’Allo mates!” someone called just as Tyryn opened the back door of the transport. A very tall wiry man was waiting for us. His face was covered in dark stubble as if he hadn’t shaved in a week, and he smiled widely when Adrien woke up, unclipped himself, and stepped out of the transport.

“Shorty!” the man said, clapping Adrien hard on the back. Adrien was only an inch shorter than him, both of them well over six feet.

“Henk.” Adrien grinned back.

“You folks are early. Glad to see ya ain’t got any holes in you.”

Adrien didn’t say anything, but he did embrace the man.

Henk let go and turned to me, his arms open wide. “And the telek girl!” He stepped and hugged me hard right as I stepped out of the transport, lifting me up off my feet. “So good to meet ya. Shorty’s talked about ya enough to make a man’s ears bleed.”

I turned to Adrien who smiled and looked down, his ears turning pink.

“Welcome to my factory,” Henk said, gesturing behind him. “All the newest models, shiny and ready to be shipped.”

As I looked around, I gasped a little to see hundreds of vehicles packed in the covered space, all in orderly rows. One was a row of duos, another was full of large trucks, skinny in front but with wide bulbous backsides; others looked like variations on the simple quad transport design we’d come in.

Jilia stepped down from the vehicle next.

“My favorite doc! Now it’s really a party.” Henk spread his arms wide, but Jilia smacked them down, then winced and held her ribs.

Henk’s eyebrows scrunched together. “You broke, Doc?”

“Nothing I can’t fix. And don’t think I’ve forgotten last time,” she said, an eyebrow raised.

“Aw, come on,” Henk said, looking almost contrite. “One little accident with blasting powder and a guy can never live it down?”

Jilia rolled her eyes. “So is the container ready? I don’t want to stop here any longer than we have to.”

“Did ya think I wouldn’t come through for my favorite gal?” Henk grinned.

“I thought I was your favorite doctor,” Jilia said.

Henk leaned in, his voice low. “Who says ya can’t be both?” He wiggled his eyebrows, then pulled back. “It’s over here.” He gestured with his arm for us to follow.

“Top-of-the-line, next gen transports,” Henk explained as we walked down between rows of vehicles. “All hover-based tech.”

“No more wheeled models?” Adrien asked.

Henk laughed. “Who would drive on a road when you can fly?” He waved one hand smoothly through the air, like a vessel in flight, and let out a low whistle. “Antigravity tech’s gotten good enough for these nonpropulsion engines to go mainstream. I oughta know, since I helped design ’em.” He flashed a smile.

Adrien leaned over as we walked past a row of blue transports. “Henk designs transports, but he’s also the Rez’s best weapons expert. Unfortunately, he has a habit of testing out his favorite new toys.”

Henk overheard and smiled charmingly. “They just make such a lovely ka-boom!” He moved his fingers outward in a wide circle to demonstrate the sight. “And it scared a stitch into the bastards craftin’ V-chip parts.”

“The General warned you about being too reckless. Blowing up one V-chip factory isn’t going to change anything,” Jilia snapped. “We’re trying to win a war here!”

“Aw, it all turned out okay. And look at this,” Henk lifted his arm and rotated it at the shoulder. “One factory blasted back to hell where it belongs and you got me right put together again. Not to mention I got a nifty scar out of the deal.” He pulled back his tunic around the neck to show the slight line across his shoulder.

Jilia glared at him. “You’re hopeless.”

He sidled closer to her. “That’s what all the ladies say. Wanna try and reform me anyway?”

She pushed him away, but I saw the quirk of a smile play at the edge of her mouth.

“Ah, here we are. One Grade A shipping container for my favorite fleeing misfits.” Henk pointed to a row of huge boxes with the giant Comm Corp insignia on the side. Several of the hatches were open, revealing more shining transport vehicles packed up inside. But Henk led us to one that only had a few crates stacked against the walls.

“Sorry. This is the best I can do on short notice.”

Xona stepped inside and looked around. “I’ve traveled in worse,” she said. She clicked open the lid of one of the crates. “Got anything good in here?” She moved on to the next container, opening it up and rifling through some of the contents.

“Xona,” Tyryn said, a warning in his voice.

Xona ignored him and kept lifting and examining items.

“Right, then,” Henk said. “So I’ll close you up. This here’s the oxygen generator. You’ll have a day’s worth, though you shouldn’t need it. Transports will pick up the container and drop you at the shipping yard, and then you’ll be attached to a freight train heading south.”

I frowned. “We’ll be part of a Comm Corp freight train? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Henk just grinned. “Safest way to travel long distances. Right under their noses. Then someone from the Foundation will pick up the container and voilà.” He held out his hands wide. “You’re delivered to your new home.”

I must have still looked skeptical, because Jilia put a hand on my arm. “As much as I hate to admit it, Henk’s very good at what he does.”

“Wait, was that a compliment, Doc?” Henk put his hands dramatically to his chest. “I may faint.”

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” Xona said, pulling out a weapon as big as her forearm from the crate in the corner.

“Xona,” Tyryn said, marching over and yanking the weapon out of her hand. He put it back in the crate and shut the lid.

“A girl after my own heart,” Henk said. Then he nodded at the rest of us. “Safe travels.”

“And Doc,” Henk said. “As always, a pleasure.” He stepped in and planted a kiss right on Jilia’s mouth before she swatted him away, her face reddened. “You—”

Henk shut the door tight before she could finish.