Atrophy (24 page)

Deciding he’d just have to brazen it out, he went back up to the common room, following the drift of voices.

Rian glanced up at him as he walked in, and Zander gave a low whistle.

“That’s a great look you’re sporting there.” Zander slung a chair around and dropped into it.

Cold apprehension stabbed at him, and Tannin ran a self-conscious hand through his hair.
Hell
. Had it really given him away?

“Yeah,” Callan agreed. “That’s heaps more colorful than the last bruise Rian gave me.”

Relief coursed through him as he touched a finger to his forgotten jaw. Of course they were talking about where Rian had punched him. Apparently sex was a great pain killer.

“So, what’s the plan then?” he asked, uprighting a chair and then sitting on it.

“Put the engine back together and get the hell off the Rim.” Rian set a bottle of Violaine down on the table with a
thunk
.
Typical
. Tannin shook his head as Zander passed glasses around.

Tannin leaned back in his seat, the reality of the past few hours hitting home. “Niels will just keep coming until he gets what he wants, won’t he?”

Rian nodded. “That’s why we’re going to go find him first.”

Chapter Twenty

T
annin watched Rian tap some kind of information into a commpad then hand it back to the mine foreman who’d come out to greet them. An automated drone unloaded the heavy ball bearings from the back of the ATV Callan had hired.

The trip to Tetsu had been uneventful. After everything that’d happened, he probably should be grateful. Except he wasn’t. Because
uneventful
included no repeat performance with Zahli.

He’d hardly gotten any sleep last night, turning restlessly and wishing Zahli could take the edge off for him. He’d considered sneaking over to her cabin, but it would have been too risky. The walls were far from soundproof. Once or twice, he’d heard Rian yelling in his sleep—presumably nightmares left over from the war. And the captain slept a level above them.

Since he lost his mind when he had his hands on Zahli, he didn’t imagine keeping quiet would be at the forefront of his thoughts if he got her naked again. The only good thing he could say was that Rian didn’t seem to suspect anything.

After Captain Admiral Graydon left the ship, Callan hired an ATV, and Rian ordered Tannin to ride shotgun, while the ship’s security specialist had climbed up to stand behind the crates, huge-ass nucleon rifle strapped across his back and four other guns holstered to his hips and thighs. He’d kept hold of the roll-bars as Rian had driven them out to the mining compound.

There wasn’t much to see on this part of Tetsu—the climate seemed kind of arid, nothing but dry yellow grasses and spindly shrubs in the rocky terrain between the modest spaceport and the mining headquarters. He’d seen the small city from a distance, since the spaceport was on the very outskirts of the municipality, but the low, austere buildings hadn’t looked like much.

Once all the crates had been moved onto a hover pallet, Rian waved to the foreman and climbed back behind the wheel of the ATV. Tannin returned to play shotgun, the seat beneath him hot from the sun. Now that the crates were gone, Callan sat in the back, flipping the huge gun around to rest across his thighs as they took off.

Tannin tried not to let his thoughts drift, but the scenery was all the same, and even though Zahli’s brother was sitting right beside him, it was hard not to think about what they’d done in the medbay the night before, and when they might be able to do it again. Having her hadn’t cured his cravings, it’d only made them worse.

Something glinted as it dropped into the road in front of them. Rian swore, yanking the ATV into a sharp turn that almost sent them into a roll. Tannin grabbed onto the bar next to his head, shooting an annoyed look at Rian.

“What the hell—?”

A deep boom reverberated, blasting out heat, dust, and smoke that roared over them like a blistering tidal wave. Rian swerved, but managed to keep the ATV under control. They cleared the blast radius and shot out of the smoke and dust cloud.

“What the freck was that?” Tannin glanced over his shoulder. Another ATV burned through the cloud after them.

“Gas grenade,” Rian snapped in return. “Callan?”

“On it.” Callan lit up with the rifle, sending a spray of nucleon blasts toward the other vehicle. Tannin half turned in his seat, yanking out the single pulse pistol and flipping it to the most lethal setting. If these guys decided to make their presence known by lobbing a grenade at them, they weren’t playing around.

They were coming up on an intersection with no other vehicles in sight. A blast of ammo sparked off the roll bars above them. Callan cursed then returned fire.

“Incoming!” Callan yelled a second before another cylindrical object came down in front of them—closer this time. Tannin grabbed on as Rian yanked the wheel, going offroad altogether. But it was too late. The grenade went off, this time blasting them with tiny rocks and bits of debris, the heat singeing the hairs on his arms.

The smoke and dust was blinding. The ATV jerked to a halt when it rammed into something. Tannin wrenched forward, hitting the dashboard and knocking the wind out of his chest. He pushed away, forcing air into his aching lungs and coughing.

Rian was slumped forward over the wheel. Grabbing his shoulder, Tannin pulled him back against the seat. His already pounding heart slammed into his ribs at the sight of a piece of metal, easily as long and thick as his forearm, sticking out of Rian’s chest.

“
Jezus
.” He pushed his fingers against Rian’s neck, relieved to find a pulse. “Callan?”

Callan had jumped out of the vehicle and brought his rifle up. “Little busy,” he yelled as he fired at the ATV speeding toward them.

Tannin shoved out of his seat, ran over, and yanked Callan’s nucleon guns off his hips. Tannin lined up the weaving vehicle but instead of aiming for the occupants like Callan, he fired at the engine and wheels. Most of his shots missed as the ATV zigzagged. Then one tire went and a blast hit the engine, making it flash and spark. The vehicle jolted to the left and flipped, rolling over and over until it came to rest upside down.

Keeping his gun up, Callan jogged over. One of the men was pinned underneath the wreckage while the other had been thrown clear. Callan didn’t hesitate as he stepped up and shot both of them in the head.

He came back less than a second later, sweat dribbling down the side of his face.

“Reidar. Both of them.”

“Shite. Rian.” He’d actually forgotten about the captain and the horrific wound in his chest. Tannin ran around to the driver’s side of the ATV, where Rian still slumped, unconscious.

When he saw the captain, Callan swore and checked for a pulse. “Help me get him out.”

Between the two of them, they hauled Rian out of the front and laid up in the back. Callan ripped off his shirt, climbed into the back, and pressed the material into the wound around the metal.

Goddamn, there was so much blood.

“Everette, get your ass behind that wheel and get us back to the ship
. Now
.”

S
houting dragged Zahli up from her fitful sleep, though she hadn’t been out long enough, because her eyes ached and her head felt heavy. The ear-pounding drone of Jensen’s tools had stopped. Another yell forced her upright. Callan. Something in his tone struck a chord of urgency.

Shoeless, she ran into the passageway while pulling on her T-shirt, meeting Ella and Kira dashing from the level above.

“What’s going on?” she asked as the two of them followed her down to the cargo hold.

“I don’t know,” Kira answered. “Callan said Rian’s injured.”

Uneasiness shot through her, but that was probably an over-reaction. If Rian didn’t happen to be causing injuries, he was usually copping them himself. It shouldn’t surprise her that he’d come home with yet another wound.

She reached the landing on the cargo bay floor and stumbled to a stop, Kira bumping her shoulder as she passed.

There was blood
everywhere
.

Rian was laid out in the back of the four-wheeler, with Callan kneeling above him, his hands pressed against Rian’s chest where a large, twisted piece of metal jutted out, glistening with streaks of dark red. Blood splattered the front of Callan’s white tank top and covered his arms almost from the elbows down. A trickle of dark red dripped off the corner of the vehicle, down onto the metal grate flooring.

“
Oh my god
.” Her heart lodged in her throat, blocking it until she couldn’t breathe around it.

Large warm hands settled on her shoulders. On some level, she sensed Tannin in front of her, talking to her, but her whole existence had shrunk to Rian and his very life seeping out onto the ship’s floor.

Kira climbed into the back of the transporter, taking over from Callan.

“He’s not breathing.” Callan’s voice came out raspy as he sat back, wiping at the sweat and dirt on the side of his face, but leaving a streak of red it its place.

A hand against Rian’s neck, Kira said, “His pulse is thready. We need to get him up to the medbay or we’re going to lose him.” She slipped off the edge of the ATV and ran to unclip the emergency hover stretcher from the bulkhead.

Zahli’s brain kicked into gear and she looked up at Tannin, oddly aware of how the steel mesh flooring bit into her bare feet. “What happened?”

His expression was grim. “We made the delivery and on the way back to the ship they attacked us.”

Tannin didn’t need to clarify who
they
were. He gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze then went to join the others as Kira positioned the stretcher. He and Callan lifted Rian over in one quick movement.

Kira directed the hover gurney toward the freight elevator.

The elevator doors closed.

Zahli didn’t want to hear anymore, had heard more than enough. She shoved past Tannin, ran for the stairs, and made it up there just as Kira guided the stretcher out of the lift. Once clear, the doctor pushed it at a run, all the way down the passage into the medbay. Kira kicked down the legs from underneath the gurney, turning it into a makeshift bed. She pulled down the ship’s life support and diagnostic system—the resus and regen unit—locking it in place on the sides of the cot.

The system whirred to life, beeping and clicking as it ran a diagnostic, but Kira started shaking her head. “This isn’t good. He’s lost so much blood and one of his heart valves is damaged. He might be too far gone.”

Zahli’s heart stuttered. Wishing she could hold Rian’s hand, she stepped forward, but the regen unit surrounded him like a cocoon.

Kira braced her hands against the edge of the diag apparatus. “I don’t know what to do. The machine is sustaining him, but his wounds…”

The doctor dropped her head for a moment, desolation in every line of her body.

No
. Denial blazed through Zahli, a fresh burn of pain. Rian couldn’t die. He
couldn’t.

“I can help him.” The quiet, calm sound of Ella’s voice came behind Zahli.

“I can heal him, if you’ll trust me.” Ella glided forward, her hands clasped in front her, passing where Sen, Lianna, Callan, and Tannin stood in the doorway.

Kira straightened. “Can you really? You’ll have to bring him back from the brink. His heart stopped beating on its own over a minute ago.”

“Please.” Zahli’s voice broke over the word, but she didn’t care. Her brother was technically already dead. Tannin wrapped an arm around her shoulders as her eyes started stinging, tears gathering on her lashes. “Please, Ella, we trust you. Please help him.”

Ella nodded as Kira tugged the regen unit up. The priestess stopped by the edge of the bed and wrapped both hands around the piece of twisted metal. She yanked upwards, with more strength than Zahli would have ever believed the woman possessed.

Ella dropped the debris to the floor, where it landed with a hollow clunk. Rian’s skin had turned an unhealthy gray color, his lips blue, yet the priestess’s movements were unhurried. After taking the ragged edges of Rian’s shirt, she ripped, exposing the extent of his injury. Seeming unfazed by the ooze of blood, she laid both palms over the gaping wound and a moment later, the cot started shaking. Loose instruments on the nearby diag cart clinked together and everything around them vibrated.

Rian’s skin mended just like an MRD would do, except faster. It only took a matter of seconds for the wound to entirely close over, but Ella kept her hands there for a few moments longer. She took a deep breath and then trailed her fingers to the center of his chest. She touched him right above his heart and Rian’s whole body jerked like he’d been zapped with a jolt of live electricity. After that, Ella’s hand traveled to his mouth, where she laid her fingers against his lips.

Rian sucked in a breath with a hard gasp, and his eyes snapped open. He panted, his chest heaving with rapid, shuddering succession. His hand shot out and grabbed Ella’s wrist, pulling her off balance. She landed against the side of the cot, her free hand braced against his upper chest.

“What are you doing?” His voice came out raspy, but he sounded as pissed as ever.

Relief rushed through Zahli in an intense wave, making her feel lightheaded. Luckily Tannin had a hold on her, otherwise she might have done something embarrassing like faint. She leaned into his side and he looked down at her, concern in his tender gaze.

Kira moved closer to the bed, holding her hand-held diag scanner over where the wound in Rian’s chest used to be. Apart from all the blood, he looked fine. There wasn’t even a scar where the metal had stuck out. Ella’s talent was nothing short of amazing.

“He’s totally healed. There’s no trace of any damage. And all his vitals appear normal.” Kira sounded astounded.

Rian glanced over at Kira, pushing the scanner away.

“What the frecking hell is going on?” He seemed to realize he still held onto Ella and dropped her wrist, shoving her back a step as he sat up.

Looking down at himself, he picked at the edge of his ripped shirt, soaked and stuck to his skin from all the blood. “And who the hell bled all over me?
Christ
.”

“You died.”

Everyone looked at Zahli when she blurted the words out.

What, were they going to hide the truth from him, sugarcoat how close to frecking
dead
he’d been? No doubt they were all thinking the same thing anyway.

Rian looked at her as if
she
were the crazy one. “Don’t you think if I’d actually been dead I would have stayed that way?”

“Rian, you really were dead.” Kira’s quiet tone caught his attention and he looked over at her. “By the time Callan and Tannin got you back here, you’d stopped breathing. Your heart stopped beating before I could get you hooked up to the ship’s emergency diag machine. You were gone and I didn’t know what to do.”

Zahli picked up the piece of metal that’d been the cause of everything and held it up. “This was sticking out of your chest.”

Rian took it from her and glanced down at the smooth expanse of skin between his pecs. “All right, this is some sort of joke, right? Because if this was in my chest, where’s the wound?”

“I healed you.” Ella sounded annoyed and it was the first time Zahli could ever remember hearing anything but an even, calm tone from the priestess. Ella reached out and touched the end of the sharp fragment. The whole thing crumbled in Rian’s hand, falling to the bed and floor like sand. “And I can just as easily un-heal you.”