Authors: Laurann Dohner
remaining one. When he wakes, tell him to live a happy life for me, and that will make
us even. I kept my promise. I protected your life since you won’t be in any danger with
a live male in your family unit.”
She numbly moved and activated a pod. The smell of acid smoke teased her nose
and she sniffed. Coal frowned and inhaled. He looked grim as their gazes met.
“The fire has spread inside the walls, into the electrical conduits is my best
estimation. It’s just a matter of time before the damage is so severe that no life will be
sustainable. We don’t have much time. Open it.”
The pod had slid out fully from the wall and she touched the top, activating the lid
to open up. Coal adjusted his hold on Ice’s large body, cradling him in his massive arms
enough to lift him over the edge and settle his body down. Megan only hesitated for a
second before she climbed in after him. A hand grabbed her arm, stopping her. Her
head jerked up.
“What are you doing? These are designed for one individual.”
“If he wakes before we’re picked up, he’s going to freak out and may get himself
killed. If I’m on top of him I can keep him calm and still.” She paused. “And I’d rather
risk both of our lives than just leave you behind to die.”
Coal released her. “You’re brave.”
“Actually, I’m scared shitless. I don’t want to die, but if I do, I’m with Ice. It’s the
only way I want to go out. Is it just me or does this thing look similar to a deep coffin?”
She tried to joke, desperate to find some humor so she didn’t start crying. “Talk about
irony, considering I might die in it.”
Coal smiled softly. “I’m going to put myself and the council male into the last pod
so we at least have a chance of survival as well. Good luck, Megan. You’re worthy of
Ice. He’s a good male that I am honored to call friend. Tell him that please.”
“I promise. Thank you.”
Megan lay facedown on top of Ice’s limp body. Her thighs were flush with his and
her cheek rested on his bare chest over his heart. She looked up to peer over her
shoulder as Coal reached to activate the lid. She saw the release control when the lid
sealed closed because it was the only thing that glowed. It turned red as the pod slid
123
Laurann Dohner
back into the wall and then it jerked to a stop. The light flashed to green. Her hands
shook as she shifted enough to bend her arm up and over her shoulder. Her fingers
brushed the button, pushed, and then she cried out in surprise.
The pod shot them away from the shuttle, the force suddenly sucking her tightly
against Ice, obviously designed to do that to hold the occupant in place. The loud pod
engines hummed as they burned strongly to send the capsule flying into space and
away from the shuttle. Minutes passed before the engines suddenly died and an eerie
silence settled around her, only broken by their breathing.
The gravity stabilized so she could move again as she lifted her head and stared
into the utter darkness around her. It was pitch black, no lights were on the control
panel above her any longer and she wondered if they were just going to remain trapped
in space until they ran out of oxygen or until someone located the capsule. She really
hoped that a cyborg ship was on its way, not sure if the council had a chance to make
anyone aware of their predicament.
“Emergency life capsule activated.” A female computer voice startled Megan. “I am
currently triangulating our location and will make exact calculations to set a course to
Earth. I will send distress signals for pickup of any Earth vessels we may come into
contact with as soon as we are within transmission range of one. I currently am not
showing any on radar.”
“Delay that order,” Megan gasped. The last thing they needed was to be piloted to
Earth or to have the computer hail Earth ships to come pick them up. They’d rescue
them all right but then turn Ice over to Earth Government.
“Unable to accept command. What is the abort code for auto programming?”
“Oh shit,” Megan hissed. “Emergency response.” She knew the universal code to
take command of a computer.
“I am in emergency response mode.”
“Abort auto programming.”
“Unable to comply without authorization. I will dose you if you do not comply
with auto procedure. The capsule is fully functional, my diagnostics read no damage
and oxygen levels are acceptable.”
We’re in a world of shit
, Megan though. The computer could dose them, which boiled
down to the computer having the ability to release a gas with the oxygen it pumped in
for her to breathe that would knock out an unruly, panicked passenger. Usually a
captain of a pod would literally dose a freaked-out person with a shot but since it was a
single capsule totally controlled by the onboard computer, gas made sense.
“I am calm,” she lied.
“Understood. Location mapped.” The computer paused. “We are nine days from
Earth. I am setting course.”
“Did your sensors read an extra passenger?” She hoped to confuse the computer
and stall it. “Lights please.”
124
Touching Ice
A dim light filled the capsule interior, barely bright enough for Megan to get a good
look at her surroundings. Above her were some controls but she didn’t see the panel for
the computer. She twisted her head and caught sight of it down by her feet. It had to be
the access and she needed to get to it. She doubted she could hack the computer to take
control of it but it was all she could think to do.
It had to be at her feet. She ground her teeth in frustration and tried to turn around.
She realized quickly that she couldn’t flip around. She wiggled and rolled over to face
the top of the lid with her back against Ice’s limp body. She attempted to sit up but she
couldn’t do more than lift up two feet before the lid blocked her. The heavy pants she
wore hampered her movements.
“Two life forms confirmed,” the computer stated. “That is against life-capsule
specifications.”
Megan immediately became awash with relief. “Perhaps you should run a complete
analysis on possible ways to conserve resources to make sure both life forms survive the
trip to Earth. I suggest you check with your manual.”
“Running scenarios.”
Megan wondered if she had minutes or hours before the computer stopped looping
its programming, searching for a solution. She needed to figure out a way to make her
body small enough to squeeze into a ball. She reached down, unfastened her pants, and
shoved them down, kicking at the legs until they slid from her ankles, freeing her
completely.
She took a deep breath, blew it out, and pulled her knees high up into her chest. She
rolled onto her side, keeping in a tight formation, and tucked her head up, spreading
her knees slightly to make room. She reached out with one arm, gripped a handful of
Ice’s pants, and started to pull. Her body moved, her ass rubbing against one side of the
container while the back of her head pressed against the other side. She pulled harder,
tucking her body tighter together. A slow inch at a time, she turned until she got her
back clear of the side.
She had made it. She stretched her legs out, careful not to kick Ice in the face, and
rolled onto her stomach. She reached up, grabbed Ice’s leather-covered ankles, and
pulled herself toward them and the panel just inches from the soles of his boots.
“Assessment made,” the computer stated.
Megan wanted to curse. She’d hoped to confuse the computer for a while. “What is
the conclusion?” Her fingernails explored the panel, trying to pry it off.
“I am adjusting oxygen levels to low. Passengers may experience lightheadedness if
they move around but they will not suffocate. There is no reason to fear immediate
death. I will cut food and liquid rations in half. Passengers may experience hunger but
each passenger will be permitted to have one nutrient bar every twelve hours and two
ounces of liquid. It will be the bare minimum to sustain life.”
The panel popped off and Megan stared inside, squinting at what she had to deal
with. She mouthed a silent curse, studying the mass of wires and circuit boards.
125
Laurann Dohner
“I’m reading an open panel.”
“Yes, you are. One popped off. I’ll put it back on,” Megan lied.
She inched closer and read the tops of the integrated circuits. Each were labeled
clearly with numbers but that didn’t do her much good. Her expertise was in
programming, not hardware, and she really doubted the computer would give her
instructions on how to disable the navigational system or take the engines offline, if it
were even possible to from that panel. Then again, she could give it a try.
“Computer, what kind of navigational system are you running? I’m worried about
your accuracy.”
“Unable to share that classified information.”
“If you conserve energy by routing it to life support instead of navigation, will that
increase power to life support?”
“Affirmative.”
Hope soared in Megan. “On that basis, I am ordering you not to start engines and
route all power to life support. Is it in your directive to override standard procedure to
avoid risking human life?”
“Affirmative.”
I’ve got you now
, Megan thought. “I am ordering you to route all power to life
support and keep the engines off.”
The computer hesitated. “Is a human injured? According to my estimation it is
possible to do both if I lower oxygen levels.”
“I’m injured,” Megan lied. “I need full oxygen levels. I’m having trouble
breathing.”
The low sound of a fan hummed to life and Megan relaxed, setting the panel back
in place. The computer had responded to her commands. She’d found a loophole in its
programming.
“Reserving all excess energy for life support. Navigational systems powered down,
engines powered down. Scanning for possible rescue vessels and will emit a distress
signal when one comes within range.”
“Thank you.” Megan closed her eyes and lowered her face, resting it on Ice’s
leather-clad lower leg. Her tense body relaxed.
That was close and I got lucky,
she
thought.
Time passed as Megan lay there. Ice remained unconscious but it was a blessing.
She knew she needed to move, needed to twist her body up and turn around again so
she and Ice were facing the same way, but she admitted that she’d been through an
ordeal. She worried that the Markus Models might be able to come after the life
capsules. She also hoped that if a ship did find them, it belonged to cyborgs.
Ice twitched and softly groaned. Alarm rushed through Megan. She pushed up and
twisted her head, watching him lift an arm, bump her foot, and then he touched his
face.
126
Touching Ice
“What the―”
“It’s all right,” Megan said quickly. “I’m with you and don’t move.”
The big body under her tensed, his muscles tightening, and she lifted up higher,
bumping her head on the top of the lid, but watched as Ice lifted his head. She couldn’t
miss the stark, pale expression on his face as he realized where they were.
“I’m with you. Don’t move, okay? It’s tight in here and if you struggle you’re going
to hurt me.”
His eyes were wide, alarmed, and the fear he experienced couldn’t be denied as he
locked gazes with her. His mouth opened and a soft moan came out. A new expression
gripped his features, twisted them, and she knew panic when she saw it.
“Ice, listen to me. It’s all right. I’m here, I’m with you, and we’re really okay. Take a
deep breath. There is plenty of air.”
“What happened?” His tone deepened into a raspy, harsh sound before he started
to pant. “How did I get in this thing?” His hands moved and he gripped her calves, his
hold painful. “Megan, what did you do?”
“Coal did it actually. He hit you and knocked you out. He put you inside the
capsule and I didn’t want you to wake up alone so here I am.” She forced a smile.
He stared at her, horrified. Megan bit her lip and tried to think of anything to say to
calm him. She couldn’t even promise him that rescue from his people would come soon.
“I’m with you and we’re together. Just listen to my voice, okay?”
His fingers moved, rubbed her legs, and he dropped his head back as he closed his
eyes tightly. “I need to get out of here.” His breathing increased and his legs under her
shifted, one heel digging into the soft floor.
She didn’t see an emergency kit as she turned her head to search for one. The
capsule didn’t seem to contain one so the thought of knocking Ice out was a useless one.
She needed to distract him and fast, before he totally lost it. She could tell he was about
to with the way he shifted again, softly moaned, and his hands trembled where he
gripped her legs.
She needed to turn around, get nose to nose with him, perhaps cup his face, make
him stare into her eyes and get control of him. “Ice, I’m going to turn around, okay?
You need to let go of my legs so I can curl into a ball again and wiggle enough to twist
back to you.”
He shook his head, his hold on her legs tightening instead of loosening. “I need to
get out of here.”