New Elysium: Weapons of War (Book 2)

Coming Out On Top Part 18

"This symphony of lies
Behind these covered eyes
Composed in pure denial
Suffocating verity
Synthetic strings will play
Destruction and decay
This soul endangered
Feel the venom invading these chambers" - "Decryption" - Soul Extract  

Nova, respond?

Ember hesitated a step when he didn't answer. He might have been unconscious. He was pale and wan when she'd left. She wished she'd thought to scan him before leaving.

She was left with the decision to either go back and check on him or move forward to find a little girl who didn't want to be found. She bit her lip, not liking either of her choices.

But if he had fallen asleep or slipped into unconsciousness she would be flying blind. And Jack didn't exactly approve of him so she couldn't imagine just leaving him out there unconscious.

Nova? She tried again. 

Static.

There wasn't much she could do, she sent out another scan and picked up her brother and several other signals coming towards her.

"Shit." Jack was the last person she needed right now. He wouldn't exactly be happy that she was without Greer. But there was nowhere to go.

He rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks at the sight of her. 

She felt the heat rise up to her cheek, knowing at least to Jack she probably looked guilty. He narrowed his eyes at her, running a hand through his hair. 

"I should have known you wouldn't listen."

"But some--"

"You shouldn't be helping. Have you considered what might happen if you got infected?"

"Of course I am, I'm--"

"Ember, you need to go back stay in your room, we are looking for the source..."

"As am I."

He paused. "You know who it is?"

She nodded.

"Do you know where she is?"

"No..." She hesitated.

Jack stopped and cocked his head to the side. He closed his eyes and Ember recognized the look on his face. He reached up and rubbed his temple. He was having a conversation with some of the others on New Elysium. It felt strange, any second now any of the poor infected could come strolling through and they were just standing there staring daggers at each other.

She opened the channels up and listened in. They weren't hiding anything."The Blackstar has just come through nav point FV-648 and is approaching Ehring Station with a request to dock, orders Sir?"

"They are to remain in space, don't allow them re-entry."

"Sir?"

"They are possibly the ones responsible for this mess."

"You know they aren't!" Ember's voice exploded out of her betraying the fact that she'd been listening in. "How dare you! Red didn't do this, and Amy--"

"They're off together aren't they?" Jack's face turned to pity. "Left you here to clean up the mess. Left to go off on a nice romantic adventure without you."

"That's not what they did."

"You have to wonder though, with everything going wrong when Amy Larsson showed--"

Ember sucked in her breath and Jack stopped mid-sentence pinpointing her with his gaze. For the second time since she'd arrived, she was ready to strangle her own twin. Rage suffused her, her hands shook as she clenched them into fists. Jack had always protected her... Until now.