Plague of Mybyncia (21 page)

“We need to get back to the Docking
Station.”

“There’s a private one through here,” Sampson
motions to another coral door. After opening it, he indicates the
pool in the center of the room. “Call your Millix. They’ll come. I
must leave you now.”

“We’ll return with Chancellor Keller,” I
promise.

“I know you will,” he squeezes my shoulder.
“I’ll see you soon.”
Without another word, he darts back through the space, making quick
work of tying up the Vermix. I’m so engrossed in his actions that I
don’t even hear my name.

“
Fallon
,” Reid softly calls me again.
“Ready?”

“Yep,” I spin, moving past the Rogues and
into the next room to stand by the pool. Taking a deep breath, I
black out the noise around me, quieting the racing emotions. She
needs to hear this correctly the first time. Closing my eyes, I
concentrate, forming her image in my mind.

Lalu, I need you.

A second of silence and then her voice rings
in my head…

Where are you?

Queen Ravan’s Docking Station. Bring the
others, please.

Yes, Fallon.

Opening my eyes, I look to Reid and the
others. “They’ll be here shortly.”

“What
was
that?” Tucker paces between
us, obvious shock still marring his face. “Were those the captured
Vermix?”

Reid shrugs.

“At least we know who let out the toxin,”
Jace sighs, examining the slight wound on his leg. It’s barely
nicked, a few beads of red staining his suit leg. He cups it
momentarily, “Hopefully there’s no more floating around.”

“Or at the prison,” I watch him investigate
his abrasion. “You sure you’re good to go?”

“What?” he laughs, indicating to his leg,
“this? Yeah—think I can handle a scratch.”

“Seen you handle worse,” Tucker says.

“That’s what I’m saying. Really, Fallon,”
Jace holds a hand to his chest, frowning, “you hurt my pride.”

“Just don’t attract any carnivorous animals,”
I make for the pool, strapping the Enidd to the hook on my hip. At
least we’ll be armed going into the prison—if any lingering Vermix
do make a surprise visit.

Lalu emerges in the center of the pool and
seconds after, seven other Millix appear. My heart speeds up,
starting to constrict the air in my chest. I should probably warn
them about where we’re going. What to expect and how confined
they’ll feel. But if Ariana had told me any of this, I probably
wouldn’t have gone. So instead, when I glance at the others, I
simply ask the thing I really need to know.

“Ready?”

“After you, Boss Lady,” Jace grins.

I toss Reid a glance but he merely shrugs, a
slow smile crossing his lips. Okay, he can agree to this. He takes
off for Palli and once on board, turns to me. “Fallon?”

I climb onto Lalu as she lowers her neck.
“Booker—you got the suit?”

“Right here,” he motions to it draped over
his shoulder. He climbs atop his Millix and Jace and Tucker do the
same. Once we’re ready, I grasp the bairs on Lalu’s neck and lean
in, picturing where we need to go.

To the prison, Lalu. Visitor’s
entrance
.

Yes, Fallon.

“Hold on,” I grip tighter just as she begins
to submerge.

Lalu is in the water first, then Reid and
Tucker, Jace and Booker right after. The three extra Millix travel
alongside—two on either end and one trailing behind. But even with
the speed of the racing Millix, we have to go slower, weaving in
and out of the drifting Mybyncian forms.

“God Almighty…” Tucker whispers as we descend
through a thick fog of them. “How many you think were killed?”

“How many you think are still trapped
inside?” I ask as Lalu swerves under a cluster of bodies. The other
Millix dart around and we join up on the other side. “This is
insane…”

“Let’s get Keller and get back,” Reid says.
“Afterward, we can figure out what to do about everyone trapped and
collecting more Dilly.”

“But it’ll only be temporary,” Tucker throws
him a glance. “We need something to really
heal
them.”

“It’s all we have right now…” Reid returns
the look, lightening his tone at Tucker’s maddening expression.
“I’m sure Sampson will figure something out.”

The weight of that sparks a moment of quiet
as we dive deeper into the dark water, where fewer and fewer of the
dead have strayed. With less to weave through, the Millix race
deeper,
faster
, Lalu leading us to the same spot where Mimi
parked for Ariana’s ascent yesterday.

“Right here,” I motion the others as Lalu
slows to a stop, the other Millix circling to a halt.

“Geez!” Jace curses. “It’s blacker than night
out here.”

“You miss that part?”

He scoffs uncomfortably. “Thought Sampson was
being dramatic.”

“Nope, just honest. Booker,” I turn to him,
“you’ll stay here and wait for us?”

“You got it, Boss Lady.”

Jace, Tucker and Reid strain a chuckle but I
merely roll my eyes. “You can still call me Fallon.”

Booker looks to Reid for approval. He nods,
grinning ear to ear, obviously amused by this. “Whatever she
wants.”

Now Booker turns to me. “Okay, Fallon.”

“Boys…” I grumble to myself. “Okay—who’s
carrying the suit?”

“I’ll do it,” Tucker volunteers and Booker
hands it off to him. Once they’re situated and ready to go, I look
between them, giving them the description I wasn’t gifted.

“Okay, we’ll be going up through there,” I
point to the dark, narrow opening above. “It’ll be black and
extremely
narrow so don’t freak out.”

“You’re talking to the Rogues, baby,” Jace
grins.

“Right,” I roll my eyes. “Look, it’ll be one
long ascent and when we reach the top, we’ll go left, through
another long tunnel. Once we’re out of that one, we’ll be in
another space—wider, but still submerged—and at the top of
that
room, another tunnel. This one will be tighter than the
others. After we’re through, it should be it. We’ll be in the main
part of the prison and then it’s just a matter of getting to
Perio’s cell.”

“Geez…” Jace scoffs, “…don’t think you made
it complex enough.”

“Didn’t say it was going to be easy. Why?
Regretting not staying behind with Werzo?”

“No, I’m not a pussy.”

“Prove it,” I push off from Lalu, heading
straight for the black opening above. But Reid swims past me,
blocking my lead with his Enidd already drawn. He stops me before
entering the passageway.

“I’m going first.”

“You don’t know where you’re going.”

“Up, left, up—I got it.”

“But—”

“There could be something in there,” his
voice tightens. I start to argue but he shakes his head with
finality. “I’m going first. Jace, Tucker,” he calls, “keep behind
Fallon.”

“On it, Boss.”

“Booker,” Reid glances down to him still
sitting on a Millix. “See you in a few.” Without waiting, Reid
takes off through the tunnel and I’m right behind him, Jace behind
me and Tucker after him.

We’ve only been swimming for a few minutes
when Jace gripes, “weren’t kidding about these tunnels. How’re we
going to get Keller back through?”

“You saw how quickly Maris went into shock…”
I remind him. “If he’s been infected, he’ll probably be
unconscious… easier to maneuver.”

“But how’re we going to
move
him?”

“We’ll tie his hand to your ankle,” Reid
calls above me.

“Better than having to push him…” Jace pauses
a moment. Still swimming with furious kicks, he tries again. “But
if he’s unconscious, how will we find him?”

“Sampson said he’d be in Perio’s cell,” I
offer. “I say we start there.”

“The left turn’s here,” Reid takes off in the
new direction and we all follow, making quick time of the second
tunnel but moving through it in stark silence. Finally reaching the
bulbous room of water, we swim to the top, to the last tunnel’s
entrance. Unable to stand the quiet anymore, I break it up with a
reminder.

“This one’s the tightest.”

“Normally I like the sound of that…”Jace
chuckles, earning a laugh from Tucker.

Reid glances back with an amused grin before
taking off through the tunnel. Jace follows next this time, then
me, then Tucker. Swimming for a few minutes, Tucker adds to his
initial reaction.

“Yeah, you would.”

“Being Recruitment Rogue Commander
definitely
had its perks.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” I start but
Tucker knows where I’m going and is quick to cut me off.

“Don’t.”

But I need to know. Ignoring the Rogue
Leader, I focus on Jace again. “Just how many girls
did
you
sleep with?”

“Here we go…” Tucker sighs.

“Look, Fallon… it’s not like I went after
them.”

“Don’t lie to her,” Reid calls back.

“Alright… well I
did
, but they were
basically waving me on.”

“And you couldn’t say no?”

“I didn’t
want
to say no.”

“Are you saying you went after
every
Arrival?”

“Not
every
Arrival,” he corrects,
“half of them were dudes and then… some of the girls were just… not
my type,” he tries putting it delicately. “But the rest…
oh
yeah
.”

We swim in silence a few more minutes as I
try to calculate just how many girls might’ve fallen under Jace’s
seductive charms. And then, a new thought engulfs me, quickly
transitioning to a question I eagerly need to have answered.

“…What about me?”

“You?” he laughs, humored at the thought.
“Hell no. You were off limits from the beginning.”

“Jace…” Reid starts.

“What? She wants to know,” he directs his
attention back to me. “Before I even knew who you were, Boss said
you weren’t an option.”

“
Jace
…” Reid says again, this time
with an edgier tone.

“Wait a second…” Tucker’s confused, trying to
piece the details back together. “That’s not right. I remember
telling you outside right after Reid told me. And we knew who she
was because we’d seen her earlier that day.”

“Nope,” Jace disagrees. “I was told first,
way
before then.”

“How long is ‘way before then’?”

“I want to say…” Jace thinks for a second,
“…day after you arrived?”

Whoa…

“Before you even
talked
to her?”
Tucker tosses the question up to Reid with genuine surprise.
“Really?”

“Does it matter? We’re here.”

Without another word, Reid swims out of the
tunnel and we all follow in silence. Jace and Tucker swim past me,
joining Reid’s furious speed as we all break the surface of the
water. We’re in the same place Ariana took me yesterday—in a
hollowed cave with limestone walls where several large tunnels dot
the area and only a foot or so of solid ground runs the
perimeter.

“Great…” Jace mutters. “More tunnels.”

“Which one is it?”

I motion to an opening up ahead to the right.
“That one.”

Reid swims towards it, jumping effortlessly
onto the ledge. He puts his hand out and pulls Tucker up first. The
two help Jace out and then Reid and Tucker each grab one of my
hands, yanking me out of the water.

Tucker repositions the suit over his
shoulder. “What’re we going to tie Keller up with?”

“Maybe there’s something we can use in the
cell,” Jace suggests.

“There isn’t.”

“Then maybe he has something on him,” Reid
motions us forward. “We’ll figure it out. Come on, we’re wasting
time.”

“You’re right,” Jace glances back to the
water as we all set out down the same passage I took yesterday.
“Booker would’ve never fit through there.”

“Would’ve fit just fine in here,” I move past
the others, further into the tunnel. “This way.”

But before I get too far ahead, Reid slips
his hand in mine and shifts me behind him. “
I
go first. You
don’t know what’s down here.”

“Probably just the chancellor—”

“Just…” he exhales. “Stay behind me.
Please
?”

The pleading tone in his voice pulls at me.
“Okay.”

He nods and takes the lead position again,
keeping one hand in mine and the other on his Enidd. With Jace and
Tucker behind me, Enidds aimed and ready, we approach the end of
the passage and come upon an empty glass tank. My stomach
drops.

Where’s Perio?

Reid leads us closer to the thick glass
divide and as the boys are peering through it, trying to find
anything in the dark water, I glance up the limestone steps and
nearly gasp.

Perio is standing at the bars, his wide,
terrifying eyes watching us with a greedy grin. On the ground in
front of him—on our side of the divide—Chancellor Keller lies
nearly still, involuntarily twitching every few seconds.

“I did not expect so many…” Perio’s smile
turns down after a second, scanning our group, “though I had hoped
for the Fychu.”

Reid yanks me behind him as Jace and Tucker
run up the steps to examine the chancellor on the ground. We’re
right behind them, but even with Perio safely separated by the
limestone bars, Reid makes it a point to keep me behind him,
blocked from the Musko leader.

“I was losing hope anyone would come at all,”
Perio paces about his cell. “It has been awhile since the good
chancellor first arrived. His time must be running low… especially
without any Dilly to counter the toxin.”

“And you were just lucky enough not to be in
the water all night?” I manage to peek past Reid’s shoulder.

“Luck has nothing to do with it.”

“Then you were tipped off,” Reid glowers.

“Incorrect,” Perio sighs, seemingly bored
already, “but as the chancellor here will likely be dead before any
help arrives—a fate you also share—I find no great dilemma in
divulging the truth.”