Sabin bit back a curse. “How long do we have?
“I’m en route with the Rengard. The other closest Eon warship to Earth is the Valantis and they are coming, too. We won’t beat the Kantos. You have twenty-four Earth hours before they arrive.”
Now Sabin cursed. Finley bit her lip.
“One Kantos battlecruiser has gone missing,” Malax added. “We don’t know where it is.”
The news just got worse and worse.
“We’ll do what we can to prepare,” Sabin said.
“Get the StarStorm ready, Sabin, or Terrans will die.”
The screen went blank and Sabin tossed the device onto the bedside table.
Finley crawled across the bed, and wrapped her arms around him. He held her tight.
Their time had run out.
Chapter Fourteen
The next morning, Finley paced the lab, waiting for the astronauts to call in.
“What’s taking so long?” she snapped.
Everyone was packed into her lab and ignored her. They were all tense.
“Woomera Complex, this is Storm Team One.”
Finally.
Dr. Gregson touched the screen. “We’re here, Team One. This is Dr. Amelia Gregson.”
“Sorry for the delay.” The man sighed. “My team worked all night, but they were unable to complete all the required work.”
“What?” Finley stepped forward.
Sabin wrapped an arm around her and held her in place.
“We just don’t have the technical expertise. This project is new tech that we aren’t trained on. I’m sorry.”
“We’ve received news that the Kantos are on their way,” Sabin said.
“We know.” The astronaut’s tone was grim. “We need your weapons scientist up here.”
Finley sucked in a breath. “Me? In space?”
Sabin frowned. “You’re certain Dr. Delgado is required?”
“I’m afraid so. My team did the best they could. We all know this project was fast tracked, for good reason, but that leaves Dr. Delgado as the sole expert. We can’t complete the final piece of work alone. We need her.”
“I’ve never been to space. I have no training.” Panic was a slick, hot slide in her veins.
Sabin gripped her arm. “I’ll be with you. Every step of the way.”
Dr. Gregson frowned. “Finley, we’re out of time and options.”
“God.” She set her shoulders back. “All right.”
She saw a flare of pride in Sabin’s eyes.
“We’ll send a shuttle to collect you,” the astronaut said.
The call ended.
“Well, I guess I’m heading into space.” Her stomach did a jittery turn.
Sabin cupped her face. “I’ll be with you. Every second.”
Before Finley knew it, a Space Corps shuttle touched down on the landing pad in front of the main Woomera building. Her hair was braided, and she carried a small, soft tool kit in her hand, that contained all her gear.
“Good luck.” Gemma hugged her. “You’ve got this.”
Ian saluted.
The side of the shuttle opened and a man appeared, clad in a Space Corps uniform. “Dr. Delgado, Security Commander Solann-Ath. I’m Sub-Captain Malicki.” He waved them aboard. “Dr. Delgado, we have a spacesuit for you.” He took her toolkit.
Inside, the first thing she saw in the tight space of the shuttle was a black-and-white spacesuit hanging from a hook.
“Lieutenant Watts is our pilot today,” the sub-captain said.
A woman waved back at them from the cockpit, sitting in front of a huge panel of controls.
“Get changed,” Sabin said.
Finley moved to the most private area at the back of the shuttle. She took off her clothes, then pulled and heaved to get the formfitting suit on. Her curves were not designed for space.
The suit zipped up to her neck and felt like a second skin. She ran her hands down her body a little self-consciously. It didn’t leave much to the imagination.
When she moved back to the main part of the shuttle, Sabin’s gaze lit up. He took her in and smiled.
She touched her side. “It’s tight.”
“You look great.” He leaned in close and nipped her ear. To the pair in the cockpit, it would look like he was just murmuring to her.
She shivered.
“Take your seats,” the sub-captain called back. “We’re ready for takeoff.”
She and Sabin sat, and clipped their harnesses on.
She could do this. The fate of the world was resting on her shoulders. Sabin reached out and took her hands. He had his scale armor on now. She glanced down. His hand was so much bigger than hers.
“It’s going to be fine,” he said.
She nodded. She wasn’t alone. She knew Sabin would keep her safe, and help her.
The shuttle lifted off. Out the side window, she saw orange dirt and a glimpse of the Woomera buildings, then they speared into the blue sky.
The shuttle sped up and she was pushed back into her seat. She tried to stay calm. Sabin was relaxed. He’d probably done this a thousand times before.
Before she knew it, the blackness of space appeared through the cockpit windshield.
“Oh wow.” The shuttle moved into orbit. She looked back down at the Earth. It looked exactly like every photo she’d ever seen, but it was even more incredible.
“We’re heading straight for the satellite array,” Sub-Captain Malicki called back. “After you’ve completed your work, we’ll rendezvous with the Hurst Space Station.”
As she looked out the window, a huge, orbiting station came into view.
“Is that the Hurst?” she asked.
“Ah, no. That’s the Citadel low-orbit prison.”
That was where Eve Traynor had been wrongfully imprisoned, before this entire situation with the Kantos had exploded. Space Corps had come up with a crazy plan to get the Eon involved, and had forced Eve to abduct an Eon war commander.
Of course, she was now mated to that war commander, and expecting the first Eon-Terran baby. So, Finley guessed it had all worked out.
She glanced at Sabin. She wondered what the mating process was like.
“Approaching satellite six,” the pilot said.
Finley leaned forward. She saw the laser satellite ahead. It had a stocky, cylindrical body, with solar panels swinging out on the sides.
“We’ll come up alongside, then you’ll need to use the air lock to travel across to the satellite and its control panels,” Malicki told them.
Finley’s eyes widened. “Wait. I have to go outside?”
“It’s only a few meters,” the sub-captain said.
“I’ve never spacewalked.” Her breathing sped up. “This is my first time in space!”
Sabin squeezed her hand. “Look at me.”
She met his purple-black eyes. They were so steady and calm.
“You can do this,” he said. “You’re brave, smart. I’ve seen you fight Kantos assassins, work until you fall asleep at your desk, solve complex problems. This will be easy.”
“And you’ll be with me?”
“Right beside you.” He leaned closer. “I think you might enjoy it.”