Renna slapped it on her arm. “Thanks, doc. I’ll see you later. Hopefully much, much later.”
Samil smiled as she left. The door swished shut behind her, and the sound of the lock re-engaging echoed through the room.
TWO
Renna blinked open her eyes as someone knocked at her door. It slid open before she could respond, but she’d pretty much given up on the concept of privacy. Doctors, nurses, even security staff were in and out of her room at all hours of the day and night. She’d gotten used to sleeping through it in the time she’d been there.
“Good morning, Miss Carrizal.” The boy’s olive skin was smooth and unlined, his dark hair cropped close to his head. Although he didn’t look old enough to carry a gun, a standard MYTH-issued blaster sat in the holster at his waist. She recognized him as one of the MYTH guards permanently stationed outside her room.
“Something I can help you with, Private?” she asked.
“We’re here to take you to meet with the admiral.”
Renna yawned and sat up on the bed, rubbing her eyes. “Can I use the bathroom first? I’m sure the admiral won’t mind, especially if I brush my teeth.” She grimaced. “Turning into a cyborg does nothing for the morning breath.”
The young soldier frowned, but finally nodded. “You have five minutes.”
He retreated from the room, leaving Renna staring at the door. About damn time someone beside the doctor was finally paying attention to her. She’d already been at the facility for five days. Any longer and she would’ve had to find a way to manipulate them into letting her leave.
After making sure the Athena was long gone, she’d sent her distress signal to MYTH. It had only taken a few hours for their team to arrive at Aldani’s labs. Based on that, she guessed this facility was on Titus Beta, a nearby planet in the same star system. But wherever they were, MYTH had locked down the comm channels so tightly that she couldn’t get a message out, even with her implant’s new and improved abilities.
But if the admiral finally wanted to see her, maybe that meant things were moving and she could start putting her plan in place.
Quickly, Renna brushed her hair and tied the dark length back into a neat ponytail. She used the ultraviolet cleaner on her teeth, grinning at her reflection in the mirror to make sure they were clean. She’d like to chug down a cup of coffee before having to face the firing squad, but at least she felt halfway human.
The guard opened her door, gesturing with his gun. “Time’s up. Come along, Miss Carrizal.”
She bit back a smirk. He was lucky she felt generous this morning. The kid’s grip on the blaster was all wrong. What exactly was MYTH teaching their recruits? It would only take her two moves to disarm him. Finn would have read him the riot act if he’d been under his command. He’d been so tough on the new recruits. More than a few of them had burst into tears during his training sessions.
Renna fell into step with the private as they started down the long, brightly lit hallway. Another guard joined them from a nearby room as they passed. The two men flanked her, walking close enough that the scent of starch on their stiff gray uniforms tickled her nose.
“Where we headed?” she asked as they turned right down another corridor. The plain white walls and metal floors were standard pre-fab bunker materials used in most buildings on the Outer Rim. Her surroundings didn’t lend much help in figuring out exactly what planet she was on, but maybe she could get one of these rookies to slip up.
The younger guard walked like a marionette beside her, pretending not to hear her question. He wouldn’t last long with that stick up his ass. She’d be more than happy to knock him down a peg or two. “Come on. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
“The admiral and her staff are waiting in the large conference room.” He snapped out the words with his jaw clenched. “There will also be six MYTH agents and four guards stationed outside. I suggest you stay on your best behavior if you ever want to see the outside of this facility again.”
“You sound like you’re scared of me, private.” Renna smiled slyly. “I’m so honored. But didn’t you hear that I’ve turned over a new leaf? Respectable, that’s me.”
His whole body was one stiff mass of muscles, and Renna chuckled. Baiting him was too much fun. He was just so…earnest.
They reached the end of the hallway and turned left. Four guards in their gray-and-gold uniforms stood at attention beside a thick glass door, each carrying a modified sonic rifle.
Renna let out a low whistle. “What exactly do you think I’m going to do to the admiral? I don’t even have a weapon.”
He blinked slowly once, and then his flinty eyes settled on her face. Without moving his stone-hard facial muscles, he pressed his thumb to the scanner on the wall and the door slid open, revealing a large conference room with a round, white table and eight chairs.
“Sit down. The admiral and her staff will join you momentarily.”
“Whatever you say, sweetheart.” She flashed him an unrepentant grin and threw herself into one of the chairs. A low buffet table sat along the far wall with a pitcher of water and eight glasses, while a giant holoscreen took up the opposite wall. Just another non-descript room, in a non-descript building, on a non-descript planet. Pretty much exactly what she’d expected from MYTH leadership. Everything was neat, orderly, and by the book.
No wonder they had no idea Pallas was running circles around them.
The door opened, and six MYTH special agents marched into the room, taking up stations in each corner, with two on either side of the door. They wore the shiny, black, full-body suits she’d first seen on Finn back on Hesperia.
Another twinge of longing shot through her. Dammit. Why did everything remind her of Finn?
Stop it, Renna. Staying on her game was the only thing that mattered right now because, if she failed, she’d never get the chance to see Finn again.
She crossed her arms and pretended to study her fingernails while she snuck glances at the motionless soldiers. Three men, three women. Two were Ileth, one Delfine, and three humans. None of them had Finn’s intimidating presence, just the same cold glare that he’d shot her when they’d first met back on Hesperia. That look had almost turned the blood in her veins to ice.
But this was quite the honor guard for a lowly thief, even if they weren’t as scary as Finn. What exactly had they told everyone about her?
The door slid open again, and a tall, muscular woman marched into the room. Her jet-black hair was pulled back into a no-nonsense bun, and wrinkles framed cool gray eyes.