***

THEIR STEPS WERE MUFFLED by the noise around them. The air cleared until it was almost fresh. No decay, no smoke, nothing. She raised her eyes to see that there were several others up ahead, but she paid them no mind as her dad dropped his arm from her shoulders when they got closer.

They entered a large room. Her breath hitched. Her feet stopped.

The escape pods.

Elodie twisted out of his grip. “No.”

“The ship’s under attack. We can’t stay here. We need to leave.”

“You heard what Gunner said about the pods, we’re no safer in them then we are here.”

Chesnik smiled, brightly, hopeful, and it took her aback. Why is he smiling?

“It’s the Peace Keepers.” Her dad lifted the distress beacon in his hand. “They’re the ones attacking the ship. They’re the ones saying to stand down. All we have to do is get off before they blow a hole in the hull and we’ll be free! They won’t hunt down captives.”

She eyed the beacon warily as her father turned it up. Elodie could hear men talking on the other side but it was all still crackly and faint. Regardless, she could make out words like neutralization and the constant, monotonous blip of stand down.

“We can’t be that far away from commercial airspace,” Chesnik said. “It’s time to go.” He moved away from her but turned back when she didn’t follow. She was still trying to listen to the wispy noises coming through the machine. “Ely?”

“Then why are they firing on the ship if they know we aren’t all pirates?” she asked. Several men filtered around her, heading for the escape pods. She watched as each crewman began to prepare their own.

“Maybe because we’re not fucking standing down? We can’t trust that this old ship will have a functioning life-support system. If the damn captain’s firing back then there’s no choice for them but to go on the offensive. Either way, we can’t stay.”

“How can you be so sure?” She took a step back. Gunner was heading to the bridge at this very moment—if he wasn’t already there.

“Don’t be an idiot. They know.”

“Know what?” One of the programmed escape pods shunted into the wall and then vanished. Her eyes drifted from it to her father.

“They know the ship has captives on it, because all pirates take captives.” Her dad reached for her again and she took another step back. “They connected to our distress signal. They’re expecting us. We won’t be fired upon. Come now, it’s time to leave.”

Just then another explosion hit the ship, worse than before, and she and her father were knocked off their feet. A hum filled her ears as several of the systems nearby restarted. Elodie balanced herself against the tremors as her father regained his feet. She twisted to look down the hallway. “What about the others?” The ones they had just walked away from. The man with the broken leg and the burns on his face.

Her dad pulled her up with a grunt. “There’s no time for them.”

“And Gunner?” she hissed.

“He has his own agenda. You know that as well as I do.” He grabbed her arm violently and jerked her forward. She slid several steps before she fought him. His hold on her arm tightened painfully.

“I’m not leaving!” she shrieked.

“They’re neutralizing the fucking ship, boy! If we don’t leave, we’ll die! Hard vacuum doesn’t give a shit whether you are a pirate or not!” He dragged her to the pod and she resisted the whole way, but the more she struggled, the harder he pulled. Pain speared up her forearm. A rush of adrenaline surged through her just as they reached the pod’s doors.

Leveraging all of her weight and muscle, Elodie jerked backward and wrenched her arm free. The momentum flung her on her ass and tripped her father. She skidded away as she rose to her feet.

“Dad,” she mustered, breathless from fear and adrenaline. “I told you I’m not leaving.”

Another explosion had her careening to the side, sending her back to the floor. Her fingers strained over the metal as she scrambled to stand again, holding her ground. Suddenly, the lights flickered overhead, diverting her attention just long enough for her father to slam into her and wrap his arms around her back. He lifted her off the ground until her feet no longer touched the floor.

“Ely! Stop fighting!”

She couldn’t stop fighting. She wasn’t going to leave Gunner.

Elodie sank her teeth into her dad’s shoulder. Curses filled her ears, and his hold on her faltered. A second. It was enough to pull away and get her feet onto the ground. But he was stronger than her and she knew she was going to lose the battle. There was no way her dad was going to let her stay on the ship.

“Please,” she begged. She knew he was going to win and send her off into space, and if that happened she knew she would never see Gunner again. “Please!”

“Fucking hell,” her dad roared and shoved her into the pod. “I’m trying to save your life!”

“And I’m trying to save his!” She twisted around, screaming and pummeling his chest. His fist came out of nowhere and she had no time to dodge it.

Pain exploded in her head and stars cascaded across her vision as she slunk back into the tiny space. Elodie clutched her brow as blood pooled out of her nose. Her senses flooded with shock. He hit me.

“I will beat you into that pod if that’s what it takes to save your life!” His word struck and she hunched into herself, clasping her nose, unable to move as her dad entered the small space in front of her. “I’m sorry, boy.” His voice was gruff and grief-stricken.

Tears streamed from her eyes. “I’m sorry too.” Her hand inched toward her hip to grasp the pipe attached to her side.

“You’ll forgive me when—”

She slammed it into his shoulder, and he never finished the sentence. Elodie struggled around him until she was free of the tight space. She knew his shock would be as short-lived as her own.

Energy sizzled through her as she knocked him back, aiming for the shoulder she had hit with all her might. Her dad dropped, dazed, and stared wide-eyed back at her as she stepped out.

“You’ll forgive me too, Dad, but I’m not leaving him,” she whispered. The escape pod sequence clicked in the background and a countdown began. Goodbye, Dad.

“Goodbye, Elodie.” He said right before the panel door closed between them. She took another step back as the pod drifted into the wall, away from her and into the endless grey haze that filled her vision. And then, it was gone.

Elodie stood there, staring at the place where her dad had just been.

Last time it took them less than a half-hour to say goodbye. This time it took them mere seconds.

She wiped the blood from her nose and took another step back, and then another. The rest of the men had already left and there were only empty spaces where the other pods had once been.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath just as the lights went off overhead. The noises deepened as darkness cloaked her. She waited until her eyes adjusted to the subtle glow as several emergency outlets powered on.

What’ve I done? Dizziness assailed her, and a pounding, piercing headache began to form behind her eyes. Elodie unzipped her jacket and lifted it to staunch the remaining blood coming from her nose.

“Ely?” someone said from behind her.

She spun around. A shadowy figure appeared in the distance, bent out of shape and clutching the wall. Elodie lifted the pipe in front of herself defensively and took a step back.

“Elodie, it’s me.”

“Gunner?” she breathed.

The figure groaned and leaned into the wall as another tremor went through the ship. She rushed forward, then stopped. A red aura, almost too dark to notice, illuminated from his eyes. It cast his sharp features in muted shadows and gloom, but as her focus shifted and she bridged the last remaining steps between them, she noticed the flare wasn’t reflecting his mood; it was weak.

His back hit the wall with an agonizing grunt. He slid to the floor as she reached forward, dropping her weapon, and cupped his cheeks.

“Oh my god, Gunner.” Fear and worry numbed her. “Are you okay?”

Elodie didn’t wait for his answer before peeling back the remaining shreds of his clothing to check his wounds. The material was soaked with blood. She hoped that it wasn’t all his. She’d seen him in several damaged states after fighting, but never like this. It was almost as if every time he left her, he came back to her in an even worse state than before.

“I’ll be fine,” he groaned, resting his head back, and hooding his eyes.

“Y-you don’t look fine!” Elodie fought back a fresh wave of tears, dropping the wet clothes to her side. “Stay here! I’m going to go find a medical kit.” She moved to stand up, but he caught her wrist in a grip.

“Don’t bother.”

She tried pulling her arm from his hold, but he only tightened it further. “We need to get you medical treatment right now,” she argued, her nerves fraying. “The ship—”

“—is being boarded.”

That stopped her. “What are they going to do with us?”

Gunner smiled weakly. Weakly. It wasn’t a word she’d ever associate with him and it struck fear into her soul.

“It’s the damn government. They kind of...” he flipped his hand, “found us. You should’ve seen how many ships are out there. I’m feeling rather insulted.”

Elodie shook her head. “I don’t understand? Does that mean you got to the bridge? Did we stand down?” She reached up and pushed back the loose, wet hair of his bangs.

“Everything is over.”

She narrowed her eyes. “That doesn’t answer any of my questions.”

He chuckled and pulled her into him. She let him press her into his side, even though he was covered in grime, but so was she, so what did it matter? Elodie rested her cheek on his chest. Gunner’s arm hooked around her shoulder and held her close. Something was off. He’s no longer warm...

“We’re safe.”

Elodie clenched her eyelids shut and curled into him as much as she could, draping her leg over his middle. “Gunner...you’re cold. Why are you so cold?”

“Weak.”

Her heart hurt. “What happened?”

“A lot,” he laughed softly. “I got captured by these damn pirates and they stole my ship.”

“I mean...”

“I was hit with an explosive that rebooted my mainframe. They beat me soon after I awoke. A shit ton more happened over the next couple of weeks. I just haven’t had a chance to regroup yet, but I’ll be fine.”

He sounds so tired. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

She heard the heavy, impending sound of footsteps nearby, accompanied by yells.

“I hope not. It’s been entertaining...”

Her lips twitched into a small smile.