“Price knows we’re using the emergency tubes,” Captain Tremblay said to Commander López when we arrived back at the computer core. “He also knows we’ve got his daughter.”

“Damn,” López muttered. “How the hell is he going to react to that?”

“Hard to say.” Tremblay looked at me. “Depends on how much he wants her back.”

“Oh, he’ll want her back,” López offered. “If not just for the fact that we have her.”

It sounded like I was a possession. It sounded familiar. I glanced off into the electronic towers and said nothing.

“Zenith needs to stand down,” Tremblay said, watching as López scanned the guy with the head injury. “How is he?”

“I feel fine, Captain,” the guy said. “Just a headache.”

“And I can deal with that,” López offered, holding a multi-injector up to the side of his neck. The guy winced and then relaxed as the pain meds took effect. “Concussion, but no bleeding. Rattled your brains, Wilson, but didn’t do anything permanent.”

“Good,” Tremblay said. “You’ve got the watch, but take it easy, OK?”

“Yes, sir.”

Wilson got up and stretched. He seemed a lot better than when we’d left, but that could have been the drugs. He nodded to two other officers and they headed out into the towers to relieve López’s men.

“Take a seat, Adi,” Tremblay said. I watched as López arched her brow at him, but he ignored her.

Stepping forward, I scooped Ratbag up and sat down, settling him on my knees. He blinked sleepily up at me and then snuggled down. Someone had been wearing him out, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out it had been those resting in the pit. A rolled up ball of synthesised wipes was sitting off to the side, evidence of little Ratbag teeth marks all over it.

I tried not to smile.

López repacked the medkit and slid the scanner and injector inside. “This is good,” she said. “Worth the exposure.”

“I hope so,” Tremblay replied, lying back and closing his eyes. He hadn’t taken a pillow or the blanket. But he looked relaxed and entirely unexpected. I’d only ever seen him tense and in charge, firing off orders and making the odd snarky comeback.

Watching him rest was both intriguing and uncomfortable. I looked away unable to relax myself.

López’s two men came back then and fixed themselves something to eat from the synthesiser. Johnson and Anderson fought briefly over a pillow until Commander López glared at them and then purposefully pointed at the captain.

Her eyes flicked across the pit to me. I looked down.

“Get some sleep,” she said. “In a few hours, the captain will want to head out to Deck D.” She looked down at my wrist comm and sighed. “And he’ll want you with him.”

I nodded my head and grabbed a pillow, then lay down on my side. I hadn’t realised I’d laid down facing the captain until I realised his eyes were open and he was watching me. I don’t think Commander López had noticed. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do. He kept staring at me, and I couldn’t look away.

And then Ratbag licked my chin and broke the spell. Thank God for needy dogs is all I can say. I rolled over and put my back to him. Ratbag fell back to sleep within seconds. It took a lot longer for me.

I woke to a steaming mug of coffee placed down on the gel floor beside my nose.

“Rise and shine,” Tremblay murmured.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. “Thanks,” I mumbled, reaching for the drink. Ratbag was curled up in López’s arms. His tail wagged when he saw I was awake, but he didn’t move another muscle.

I sipped the coffee, glad for the pick-me-up and studied the captain who was studying my datapad.

“Have you switched it on?” I asked quietly.

He shook his head. Then flicked his eyes to my face.

“Was it here waiting for you?” he asked.

I shook my head back. “I had it on me when Aquila went rogue.” I should have said when my father attacked. But even though I logically knew that to be the truth, part of me refuted it. How could the man who I called a parent do such a thing? And what did it say about me?

“Then I don’t think we’ll take the chance,” Tremblay said, placing the datapad down beside him. He looked at my wrist comm.

“It’s mine,” I said. “My father’s never touched it.” I knew what he’d been thinking.

“So, Aquila did?” he asked. “Is that a better option?”

I shrugged. I didn’t know what to tell him. The wrist comm had saved my life and theirs. Why couldn’t he just accept it?

The captain scratched at his stubbled jaw and then finished off his coffee. He stood up and placed the disposable cup back in the synthesiser. It was a long time before he turned away from the machine. Another puzzle he hadn’t been able to figure out, I thought.

“Do you need a moment to refresh yourself?” he asked, once he’d turned back to me.

I needed to pee. I nodded, my cheeks heating.

“Johnson will be back soon. You can go then,” he said.

Johnson returned a moment later and sank down beside Armstrong who was using a wipe to wash his face. I grabbed some wipes from the synthesiser for myself and then snapped my fingers for Ratbag to follow me. I was surprised the captain let me wander off alone. But also terribly relieved. We both did our business. I cleaned up as much as I could, lifting the edge of my shirt to sniff at it. It wasn’t nice, but we were all in the same boat. And some of the officers had blood on their clothing.

I walked back to the pit to find the captain, Johnson and Armstrong in discussion. López was awake, drinking coffee. I made quick work of food and water for Ratbag. Going through motions that were normal in a situation that was anything but.

“Nova has the watch,” Tremblay said.

“We have the watch,” the commander replied wearily.

Tremblay hesitated, as if he wanted to say something, but he just nodded his head, looked at me to make sure I was ready, and then turned towards where the hatch was located.

“Ratbag, stay,” I said and followed behind them like I was the puppy.

“There’s a chance that Price will send men into the tubes after us,” Tremblay said at the hatch.

I couldn’t tell him one way or the other. I had no way to know if Aquila had altered my father’s wrist comm as well. I hoped the Aquila I knew hadn’t. But I didn’t know this Aquila. It stood to reason that he’d have the same ability as my Aquila. Although we’d established his internal scans were down. Hopefully, other parts of him were also.

“Let’s do this,” Tremblay said. “Deck D, crew quarters, Ms Price.”

I was Ms Price again. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. But I did know it didn’t make me happy.

I stepped forward and opened the hatch. Johnson peered inside, his rifle’s muzzle leading the way.

“Clear,” he said.

Armstrong jumped in. Johnson followed. Tremblay indicated I should go next. I climbed up; the hatch was a few feet off the floor. My foot slipped, and I slammed back down into the gel edging. It didn’t move to accommodate me. Aquila would have done that in the past.

I missed my friend. I missed how things were. They hadn’t been perfect, but they were enough. I’d had freedom. I’d had Mandy and her stall. I’d had Aquila and Ratbag. I missed it all.

And now I was surrounded by Anderson Universal officers who didn’t trust me and didn’t like me and were angry at my father. I let out a little sob. I wasn’t crying. Not really. But it was too much, and I wanted it all to stop, and it wasn’t going to stop unless we did something to my father to make him stop. And I didn’t know if I could handle what would be required to do that.

A hand came down on my back and just stayed there. Warm. Solid. Reassuring.

I sucked in a breath of air and then another and then righted myself, pushing up and into the tube. Tremblay followed.

It was a moment that probably meant nothing to him, but it meant the world to me.

We’d made it all the way down to Deck D when the ship-wide channel chimed. We were a short distance from the glowing green ladder and the sound of the comms system activating made us all pause mid-stride. It used to chime constantly, but since Aquila went rogue, it had been ominously silent unless delivering orders. I dreaded to think what would come next.

“Any civilian aiding and abetting the criminals led by Hugo Tremblay,” the AI said, “will be punished.”

I turned and looked at the captain. He looked a little startled.

“Doc,” he muttered. Johnson swore softly.

“Any civilian offering information as to their whereabouts or the whereabouts of Adriana Price,” Aquila added, “will be rewarded.”

Tremblay’s eyes met mine. My father knew who I was with, then. There was no going back now. Not that I had ever considered it. But it felt final. It felt like something had been cut off. My home, I supposed. Or what had stood for it.

“See?” I said. “I’m one of you now.”

Captain Tremblay gave me a look that spoke volumes.

“It doesn’t work that way, Adi,” he said.

He still didn’t trust me. Didn’t trust that I was here of my own volition. He still thought my father was playing him. I wasn’t sure what I could do to convince him.

But I knew I had to do something. Things couldn’t go on as they stood.