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Byrne had his hands on her iers covered her ainst his arainst his body in a vise-like grip, her feet dangling in the air The flashlight fell froo rarass, its beath of the dry blades
Thin lips caainst them
"You’ve been expected," Byrne whispered, his words close, yet no hint of breath puffed against her cheek Molly reached back to claw at his face, but he just tucked her under one aro door closed When the ramp sealed, he struck the control panel with his bare fist, de the hull around it
Molly kicked her captor physically and herselfher helled to take in a breath of air--the way she was being carried forced her to exert energy just to stabilize her body Her legs hung aardly, her spine bent and jolted with pain from each of Byrne’s steps Even the red band added to her torhtsuit pocket She twisted around and grabbed Byrne’s ar a solid-steel rod
Just when she thought she’d pass out from the exertion and inability to breathe, Byrne threw her down in a patch of dirt The area around her glowed in the soft light of a nearby work la hummed softly in the distance
Molly tried to launch herself up, but Byrne grabbed her again and pushed her back to the ground His fingers dug between thenerves that shot nu pain s continued to screa still, don’t you, Mollie Fyde?"
Byrne’s other hand went to her thigh, up near her hip Fingers as hard and thin as screwdrivers dug deep at her hip socket, grinding against the bone Molly had never felt such pain before It wasn’t so she could screaree of motor control Instead, her jaw fell open in shock, her eyes ith fear Even the leg he wasn’t gripping vibrated with pain, both flight boots thuness, a numbness that could be felt
Her stomach lurched, then bunched up in knots
Molly turned her head to the side and threw up her lasagna She spat, her eyes rolling up in the back of her head as she tried to will herself unconscious She drea blackness that usually overtook her in rip held her just over the precipice of consciousness Her legs continued to treo, there was nothing Molly could do but relish the feeling of not being tortured She tried to wipe her chin, but her arm flopped, li at her like a specioing to do so very bad to you Nod if you understand"
Molly nodded Once It was all she couldher eyeballs around to take in her surroundings felt like an accomplishrew up next to a low brick wall There was a fireplace at the far edge of the pool of light, a chiht It was the ruined foundation of an old building, all the wood long since ground to dust, carried off by the wind
Byrne grinned "Recognize the place?" he asked
Molly tried to shake her head, but only her eyesback and forth
"No? You should We had tea in this very room back on Dakura This is the little hell your hed "Eternity! She didn’t last another twenty years, thanks to you"
"Din’t kill ’er," Molly slurred
"Even worse You had one of your cronies do it, didn’t you? Just like Lucin Tellyour information? I know it isn’t from your father And there’s not an inch of that ship I haven’t inspected So I’o to Dakura, and just what do you know about this place?"
A weak smile was all she could pull off Byrne’s hand cah Molly could feel the pain, like a ht spot yet Her leg went numb in anticipation and she tried to slide her pelvis out of the way--but it didn’t budge
••••
"WALTER?"
His na the hell out of his from the top of the human’s dresser and back into the drawer He pushed it closed as quietly as he could and peeked out the door--up, then down the hallway
"Hello?"
It ht the cahtly "Hello?" he asked again "Where are you?"
The voice booth of the ship:
"COME TO THE COCKPIT"
Walter had the sudden urge to do the very opposite He looked the other way, to the laz, then back up the shaft of the ship The Wadi’s head peeked around the corner froue flicked out
"What if I don’t wanna?!" he yelled to the Wadi
The creature’s head pulled back
Walter crept up through the cargo bay; he glanced at the portholes, which showed nothing but pitch black outside He wondered if he was about to get in trouble for looting Cole’s rooed since he left it The Wadi flicked her tongue out at Walter, tasting the air
"You have a very loud voicse," he told the Wadi
The voice boo the cockpit: "HIT THE BUTTON MARKED ‘MIC’ ON THE RADIO IT’S THE PANEL BESIDE THE LOUD HAILER, AND RIGHT NEXT TO--"
Walter flicked it before the voice could complete the sentence "I knohere the radio iss," he hissed
"There you are," the lady said, in a more sensible volume "I need your help"
"Sssure you do But who are you?"
"Can you adjust the squelch?" the voice asked "I’ quite a hiss from the cockpit mic"
Walter leaned across the controls between the two seats, his face just a foot fro the dash with saliva
"Oh, nature ahead of us--I mean ahead of you--that I don’t like I need you to run some tests for--"
"Who are you?" Walter interrupted He shooed the Wadi from Molly’s seat and plopped down in the captain’s chair
"I’m, uha friend of Mollie’s I--well, I was supposed to o ramp Can you check it for me?"
"Are you outside?" Walter spun in his chair and peeked through the porthole The planet was darker than space, but a pale glow could be seen directly ahead of the ship
"I was I’ fro’s wrong with it"
"Ssure," he said, working his way out of the seat