Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1)(82)

Better.

I turn to the Trigger’s case, fire into the glass. A thousand cracks spread out across the surface like spiderwebs. I lift my disruptor and give it a gentle tap with the butt, and the glass shatters at the precise moment the gravity kicks back in.

We all drop to the ground suddenly, off guard, me on my belly in a hail of glittering splinters. Cat and Auri hit the floor nearby, my Ace grunting as she lands. There’s a long, disgusting splash as the insides of the ultrasaur hit the ground outside, followed by a heavy, wet thump as the rest of its body follows. I push myself onto my knees, shaking the glass fragments from my hair.

Bianchi’s techs must’ve engaged the secondary grav-generators.

We had to run out of time eventually.

I hear a series of electronic beeps at my back. The sound of heavy locks sliding away. My heart lurches at the small, somber hiss of the office door opening.

I already know what I’ll see when I turn around, and still, my gut is full of butterflies as I glance over my shoulder. I let my disruptor fall from my fingers to the polished boards as a bloodcurdling scream of rage fills the air.

So close.

Casseldon Bianchi storms into the room, flanked on all sides by his bodyguards. They’re Chellerian, every one—big as small cars and armed to the teeth. Bianchi’s four eyes are wide with rage, fangs bared in a snarl as he stalks into his office. But it’s not the smashed cases, the scene of chaos, the antiques scattered among the broken glass on the floor that make him raise his fists and scream again. It’s the long slick of gore outside the glass. The sight of his most prized pet—the rarest beast in the galaxy—reduced to the consistency of the soup of the day.

“Skaa taa ve benn!” he roars.

And turning on me, all four of his red eyes narrow to paper cuts.

“Hoo-maaan,” he hisses.

His punch lifts me off the ground, sends me back into the wall. I hit the deck with my knees, jagged pain in my gut, blood in my mouth. Bianchi grabs a disruptor from one of his goons, points it at my head. Auri screams my name, Cat raises her weapon as Bianchi’s goons all draw on her.

“No firing in here please, gentlemen,” comes a sexless electronic voice.

I glance up, clutching my aching belly, breath rasping through my teeth. A GIA operative in a featureless gray suit steps into the room, flanked by a second.

Bianchi bellows in Chellerian. He points to the splattered remains of his ultrasaur with three arms while waving his weapon at me with the other.

“And I appreciate that, Mr. Bianchi,” the operative says, motioning at Auri. “But as we explained, this asset is of vital importance to Terra. We would prefer that she did not become collateral damage to your fit of pique.”

Bianchi tilts his head, looming over the G-man and growling in perfect Terran.

“This is my ship. My world. You have no jurisdiction here, hoo-maaan.”

I can’t see its face, but the operative speaks like it didn’t even blink. “You would not even have been aware of this robbery had we not informed you of it, Mr. Bianchi. Some gratitude might be in order.”

“If you had warned me sooner, my pet would not be dead!”

“The Bellerophon is only a few hours away from the World Ship, sir. On arrival, our Princeps will compensate you adequately for your losses. We require only the girl. As for the rest of these traitors”—the G-man gestures to me and Cat—“we are sure a man of your reputation will enjoy taking his time with them in your holding cells.”

“Waitaminute,” Cat says, stepping forward. “That wasn’t the deal. …”

I turn on her, eyes widening. “Deal?”

She doesn’t look me in the face, staring at the GIA agent instead. “You said we had immunity! You said we could go back to our lives!”

The agent tilts its head. “We lied, Legionnaire Brannock.”

“You sold us out?” I whisper at Cat, hands curling into fists.

She meets my eyes, tears welling in her own. “I … I did it for the squad, Ty.”

“For the squad?” I yell. “You betrayed me for the squad?”

“Betrayed?” Cat’s voice is incredulous. “If anyone betrayed us, it’s you!”

“What?”

“You heard me!” Cat points at Auri. “Ever since she came aboard the Longbow you’ve thrown the regs out the window! Sucking us all down into the toilet, and for what? For her?” She presses her hands to her breast and whines. “Oh, I’m so sweet and helpless, Mr. Jones, won’t you gather me up in your big strong—”

“That’s what this is about?” I demand. “You and me?”

Bianchi steps forward and growls. “Enough—”

“This has nothing to do with us!” Cat screams right over the top of him. “This is about the Legion! About the academy! Everything we worked for since we were kids, Tyler! Some skirt bats her eyes at you and you throw it all away?”

“It was a mistake, Cat!” I yell. “I’m sorry about what happened between us on shore leave! I’m sorry I messed it up! But isn’t it about time you got over it?”

Her eyes widen at that. “You sonofa …”

She launches herself across the room, slugs me right in the jaw, shoves me back into a display, cracking my skull on the glass. I tackle her backward, we crash into the Trigger display, knocking it over as we hit the deck. Broken glass and flailing fists, Cat pounding on my face and screaming, screaming.