Taken by the Alien Rebel Read online

  Evie laughed and rolled her eyes, then turned on her heel to start walking again. “Yeah. Okay. Whatever.”

  But before she’d taken more than a few steps, Toryx’s strong blue hand had reached out to grab her forearm and stop her.

  “Evie, who have you become? You were an intergalactic smuggler. You thrived on adventure. You lived for adrenaline rushes. Have you really become so domesticated that you’re content to sit back and let life happen to you instead of rushing bravely into danger?”

  Evie frowned and said nothing. Toryx had struck a nerve, and he apparently knew it, because he pressed forward with his little speech.

  “Look, you’re the best damn pilot in Zocrone. Sludge it, you might be the best pilot in the Seven Galaxies.”

  Evie rolled her eyes. “Okay, now you’re exaggerating.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve seen you flying. You have this instinctive ability to get a ship safely through a storm. If anyone can get out in the middle of these crazy storms, it’s you.”

  “No one can get out in these storms. Not even me.”

  “You won’t know until you try. Let’s try. I’ll go with you and be your copilot.”

  “You’ll die!”

  Toryx shrugged. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take. But I honestly don’t think I would die. Not with you as pilot.”

  Evie hesitated, unsure of what to say. She had to admit that it felt good to know that Toryx thought so highly of her piloting abilities. It was a nice ego boost. But that ego boost wasn’t enough to make her want to risk her life.

  “It’s a suicide mission,” she repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. “And besides, even if I did want to go, Daxar would never approve it. He’s not going to want to lose two of his closest friends on Zocrone.”

  “So we don’t ask for permission. We just leave.”

  “Do you have clearance to override the lockdown? Because I don’t. Every exit out of the City Dome is sealed, guarded, and alarmed.”

  “I don’t have clearance,” Toryx admitted. “But I’m sure I could figure out a way to get it. I’m well-known enough that I could probably concoct some official-sounding story of why I should have it. As soon as I convince one of the tech guys to give me clearance, you can pilot your ship out of here before Daxar realizes what’s going on. It’s not like anyone is going to chase us into the storm. And if we do make it back with water and supplies, I’m sure everyone will forgive us for taking off without permission. Even Daxar.”

  Evie stared at Toryx in disbelief. He was serious. She’d always thought he was the most easygoing of Daxar’s group of advisors, but these days he was proving to be the feistiest.

  “Toryx, really…” she started to say. But before she could finish her thought, her e-assistant started beeping with an urgent message alarm. Toryx frowned and pulled his e-assistant out of his pocket, and Evie realized that his was beeping as well.

  Evie’s nerves were suddenly on edge. The urgent message alarm was used to contact her when emergency assistance was needed, but she couldn’t imagine what her assistance would be needed for right now. She’d often been called on to fly emergency rescue missions out onto Zocrone’s surface when Zocronians got stuck out there, but no one was outside the City Dome right now. There was nowhere for her to fly. So why was she being summoned?

  With her heart pounding wildly in her chest, she swiped to unlock the e-assistant with her fingerprints, and quickly scanned the message.

  Emergency alert for all high-level Dome Techs: The outside Dome in Sector 2.75 has been compromised by storm debris. All Dome Techs are requested to respond immediately to assist in repairing the damage before it becomes catastrophic. Repeat: all Dome Techs requested to report immediately to Sector 2.75.

  Evie frowned and looked up at Toryx. “Did you just get the same message as I did, calling for the Dome Techs?”

  Toryx nodded, and started to shove his e-assistant back in his pocket. “Come on. Let’s go report.”

  Evie hesitated, feeling confused. “Are you a Dome Tech? I’m not, so I don’t know why I got this message. And I didn’t think you were either.”

  “I’m not,” Toryx confirmed. “It looks like they mistakenly sent the message out to everyone, but I’m still glad they sent it. Come on. Let’s go.”

  Evie was more confused than ever now. “Why would we go report if we aren’t Dome Techs? We’re just going to get in the way.”

  Toryx was already moving forward, and he grabbed Evie’s hand to drag her along with him. “We’re not going to get in the way. We’re just going to request exit clearance to ‘help’ with the Dome repairs.”

  Suddenly, Toryx’s intentions became clear. In the confusion of the Dome repairs, Evie and Toryx could probably show that they’d received the urgent message and convince those in charge of the Dome’s exit codes to give them clearance so they could help with the repairs. With that clearance, Evie and Toryx would be able to escape out into the storm and attempt an unauthorized supply run.

  Evie pulled her arm away from Toryx and stopped. “No. No way. I’m not going behind Daxar’s back. Besides, we don’t have a ship.”

  Toryx stopped as well, and turned back to look at her. “I thought the Starburst was still running.”

  “Well, yes. But that’s not my ship. Technically it belongs to Nova. And she’ll kill me if I ruin it.”

  Toryx rolled his eyes upward. “Really, Evie. Are you that slow of a learner? Nova can’t kill you if you’re already dead from crashing in the storm. And if you don’t crash, that would mean you made it back with supplies. No one is going to kill you then.”

  Evie still hesitated, but her resolve was starting to waver.

  She was starting to have the crazy thought that maybe she should do this.

  After all, what was she really living for here on Zocrone? Toryx was right. She was basically sitting around waiting to die. She had a chance to try to save herself. To try to save the whole population of Zocrone. To try to save the people who mattered most to her in the world—her smuggling crew. True, they weren’t really a crew anymore. They didn’t go on smuggling missions anymore.

  But in Evie’s heart, Nova, Maisie, and Anya would always be her crew. How could she pass up this last-ditch effort to help them? Toryx was right. She was the best pilot around. If anyone could do this, it was her. She had to try. And as much as Toryx got on her nerves sometimes, she knew he was the only one crazy enough to go on this mission with her.

  This might be her last and only chance.

  Taking a deep breath, and still hardly able to believe that she was about to do this, Evie met Toryx’s fiery gaze and nodded.

  “Alright,” she said, desperately trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Let’s do this.”

  Toryx smiled, and then, without another word, he turned and started running toward the industrial section of the City Dome.

  Evie ran after him. She was really doing this.

  All she could hope for was that she and Toryx would somehow survive this suicide mission.

  Chapter Three

  Toryx strapped himself into the co-pilot’s chair and told himself not to bother Evie as she went through her pre-flight checklist. Keeping quiet wasn’t in his nature, and right now he had a thousand questions he wanted to ask her, the most important of which was “How much longer until we can get out of here?”

  He managed to keep his mouth shut for the moment at least, and distracted himself by glancing around the Starburst’s bridge. The spaceship was a medium sized cargo ship, and in here it looked pretty much like any other cargo ship Toryx had ever been in. Evie had assured him, however, that the ship was anything but ordinary. It had engine modifications that allowed it run much faster and quieter than your average spaceship, and its hull was reinforced with Zekkardite. Zekkardite was only found on Zocrone, and mining the mineral had allowed the Zocronians to live comfortably, in relative wealth. When the Starburst had been rebuilt after crash landing on Zocrone, Evie h
ad wanted to experiment with putting Zekkardite on the hull. She’d told Toryx that she was pleased with the results, and he hoped that meant that the ship would be strong enough to hold out against the storms they were about to face.

  He knew it was still a long shot, but he didn’t care. For the first time in months, Toryx felt alive. He was about to do something. He was about to face down the storms that were trying to take down his people. If he was lucky, he would win this showdown. If he wasn’t, well, at least he’d tried.

  Evie glanced over at him and smiled, but he could tell that the smile was forced. Evie’s face was so pale it was almost white, and even though Toryx wasn’t exactly an expert on human physiology, he knew that wasn’t a good sign. She was nervous, and her hands were shaking slightly.

  He had to put her mind at ease. It would never do for her to be terrified before they even made it out of the City Dome. She needed to be calm and completely focused. Toryx reached over and put his hand over her hand.

  “Relax,” he said with an easy smile. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  He truly believed that. No matter what happened, they would come out of this with honor. And that was enough for him.

  Evie’s smile widened a little, although she still looked nervous. But even with her nerves getting the best of her, Evie looked beautiful.

  Toryx was startled by how attracted he felt to her in that moment. He should have been thinking strictly about the dangerous mission they were about to attempt, but her hand under his felt so soft and warm that it was difficult for him to focus on anything else. He felt a crackling electricity filling the air between the two of them, and for a moment it felt so strong that he thought it must be some aftereffect of a problem with the ship.

  But no. A quick glance at the ship’s status screens told him all systems on the ship were normal. That’s when Toryx knew for sure that the electricity he was feeling was due to his desire for Evie.

  But she’s a human.

  Toryx had always thought he’d settle down with one of his own kind—a Zocronian female. But so far, none of the Zocronian women had caught his eye. He’d dated plenty of them, yes. And plenty of them had been nice enough. But there had never been that spark.

  He was feeling that spark now. And if the way Evie was suddenly looking at him was any indication, she felt it, too.

  Toryx told himself that he was being ridiculous. They should be focusing on getting out of the City Dome and surviving. But how could he look into Evie’s eyes and not completely drown in them?

  He’d spent countless hours with her in council meetings when Daxar wanted advice on some issue or another. And Toryx had always thought that Evie was beautiful. Her steel blue eyes held so much strength and determination, and her dark black hair always looked so silky smooth that he wanted to reach out and touch it. But he had never considered actually pursuing her romantically.

  He was considering it now. Minutes before they were both going to possibly die by crash landing on Zocrone’s stormy outer surface, Toryx had realized that Evie was damn sexy and that he wanted her.

  She seemed to recognize what he was feeling, because she blushed and looked away. He noticed that she didn’t pull her hand back, though. It gave him a little thrill to think that she was also experiencing a sudden rush of desire.

  If only they had more time to explore those feelings before they had to head out into the storms. But they didn’t, and they both knew it. Toryx gritted his teeth together. All the more reason for them to survive this, so they would actually have a chance to see what this spark meant.

  “We should go,” Evie said quietly, although she still didn’t move her hand. “All systems are ready.”

  Toryx knew that was his cue to pull back his hand. As much as he didn’t want to, it was time, so he gave Evie’s hand a quick squeeze and then let go of it. “Alright. Good luck. You’ve got this.”

  Evie nodded, turning her pale, drawn face back toward the system status screens. “Are you sure we have clearance to leave?” she asked.

  “Yes. I’ve got the codes right here. The head boss at Sector 2.75 didn’t question me much. When I said I’d received the message and was there to help, he agreed to adjust my clearance status for twenty-four hours. So as long as we leave within the next…” Toryx glanced at his watch. “…the next twenty-two hours and seventeen minutes, we should be good.”

  Evie took a deep breath. “Ok. Let’s pray those clearance codes you got are legit.”

  Toryx nodded and tugged on the straps of his seat to make sure they were secure. He was sure that the clearance codes would work, but they would need to make a fast exit. As soon as Evie’s spaceship left its hangar, all hell was going to break loose. The techs responsible for watching over the Dome’s exit were going to disable everyone’s access codes as quickly as possible. Evie had to beat the techs out of the airlock or this mission would never get off the ground.

  Toryx didn’t even want to think about how angry Daxar would be if they were caught before getting out. Better to die on the surface of the outside planet than to have to face the Chief’s anger. Daxar was known as “Grumpy Blue,” and with good reason. The Chief had a fierce temper, and those who crossed him were often treated to quite an outburst of rage.

  Toryx wasn’t interested in seeing how great that rage would be if Daxar knew one of his council members and best friends had just disobeyed direct orders not to leave the City Dome.

  Evie had checked her safety restraints, and then nodded at him one final time. “Go ahead and enter the codes. As soon as they’re validated, I’m gonna zoom out of this Docking Station like a bat out of hell.”

  Toryx looked at her in confusion. “A what?”

  Evie cracked a genuine smile. “Never mind. It’s an expression we use on Earth. It just means really fast.”

  Toryx grinned. “Well, then. I approve. Let me enter these codes and you can fly like a bat or whatever the sludge you just said.”

  Toryx leaned forward to the computer that interfaced with Zocrone’s City Dome security system. He carefully entered the clearance codes he’d been given that would allow them out of any of the City Domes’ exits.

  The exits were set up as a two stage airlock. The codes would allow Evie and Toryx to exit the City Dome into the airlock, where the glass would seal behind them. This is what the Dome techs were currently doing over in Sector 2.75. The airlock allowed them to work on the damaged section of the outer City Dome without actually going out in the storm. Of course, the techs had to wear survival suits, because the damaged portion of the Dome could not seal out the outside atmosphere. But at least the Dome itself still offered plenty of protection from the outside wind and debris.

  Evie and Toryx planned to exit out of Sector 3.25, and they would not be remaining inside the airlock. As soon as the thick glass sealed behind them, the airlock would pressurize to the outside atmosphere. Once the pressurization was complete, the outer gate would open and Evie and Toryx would be free to head out into the storm. That was when the real fun would begin.

  “Alright, I’m about to hit enter.” Toryx glanced over at Evie, who nodded at him. She had her hands poised over the Starburst’s controls, ready to take off the second the codes were validated. Toryx took one last, deep breath, and then hit enter.

  A few seconds later, the screen in front of Toryx turned green and blinked with a “Code Accepted” message in both English and standard Universal. Before Toryx could even glance over at Evie to make sure she had seen the message, the Starburst was moving—and it was moving fast.

  Evie’s reputation as one of the best pilots in the Seven Galaxies was well-earned. She flew through the Docking Station’s corridors so quickly that Toryx was sure they were going to crash into the walls and burst into a ball of flames. But at each turn, they somehow managed to make it without turning into a fiery wreck. All around them, loud sirens were blaring and red lights were flashing. Because the whole city was on lockdown, a spaceship leaving its sta
tion triggered an alert. The techs were no doubt trying right now to close the airlock door that Toryx had just opened with his clearance codes. Evie had to get to that gate before the techs overrode the codes and the door started closing again.

  As dizzy as he was, Toryx managed to see the gate up ahead of them. It was still open, but he could see that it was closing. “Evie!” he yelled. “The gate! It’s closing!”

  “I know! We can still make it though. Hang on to your seat.”

  Toryx was already hanging on for dear life, his blue knuckles gripping the armrests so tightly that he was surprised he hadn’t broken the seat into pieces. He wasn’t sure how Evie was managing to steer this thing with so much speed and so many changes of direction, but she didn’t look nearly as dizzy as he felt.

  That girl has serious talent. Even in his disoriented state, Toryx couldn’t help but admire her. All the paleness was gone from her face now. She was laser focused and heading toward the door so fast that there was no way she was going to be able to stop them in time to avoid a full on collision with the glass if they didn’t get there before the door closed. From where Toryx sat, it didn’t look like they were going to make it. He resisted the urge to cry out and warn Evie. He was sure she knew what she was doing better than he did, and distracting her right now would not be helpful.

  As they approached within seconds of the airlock, the door was already halfway closed. The door was made to accommodate ships much larger than the Starburst, but even still: the Starburst was too large to fit through half of the door’s opening or less. Toryx closed his eyes and braced for impact. At least in the final seconds of his life he would know that he’d done everything he could to try to save Zocrone.

  Toryx could feel Evie braking the ship as hard as she could now, but it was too late. No matter how fast she stopped it, it wouldn’t be fast enough. They were going to collide.