“Penelope,” he said, softly. Even over the murmur of voices around him, she heard and answered through the small device he carried on his belt for manual commands.
“Yes, Tyff?”
“Run the security schematics again.”
“Again?”
“Again.”
“Okay. You are still nervous, boss?”
“Yes,” he said, absently. His stomach was tight, and it felt like it was trying to twist its way out through his belly button. “I feel like something huge is about to happen. Something immense is getting closer every day.”
“Sounds like baloney to me,” Penelope said sarcastically. “You’re just nervy about taking on the big job.”
“I hope so, Penelope,” he said softly. “I hope so.”
Still, the whirring inside him intensified, and he held to his chair to keep upright. Nobody needed to see the weakness. More than anything, he needed to be strong—even if only for himself.
Chapter Fourteen
The jolting of the truck only served to make Renay queasier. She eventually managed to pack herself into a corner of the large cargo area that was full of burlap sacks of flour. They held her in position and kept her from the hard metal floor and sides.
She curled up, keeping her arms around her belly. The constant spinning was starting to get to her stomach, and she’d had so little solid food, she was determined to keep down everything she had.
Initially, she worried the truck would make stops along the way, and she would be discovered. But after a few hours on the road she realized they must be driving straight through. She knew it would take a few hours to get into the city and the cramped area in the back of the truck was getting less comfortable by the second.
Still, she knew if she were discovered, it would mean a one-way ticket back to the hospital. Then she would never make it to the tower. Maybe, once she actually got there, she could talk to the medical officers about staying. They couldn’t kick out a sick person. Could they?
Once I’m there, it won’t be like this. We’ll find each other and all this will stop.
Eventually, the rocking of the truck began to settle down. They must have hit the freeway, where the road was smoother. She wrapped her arms around a sack of flour and leaned her face against it, letting the faint rocking lull her into a restless sleep. This time, no glorious dreams greeted her.
When she woke sometime later, it was completely dark and deathly still. She worried for a moment that she had been abandoned at a random location, but when she slithered to the edge of the truck cargo bay and lifted the tarp, she saw other vehicles and stacks of storage bays.
Wherever I am, it’s time to disembark, she thought. Getting out of the truck was enough of a struggle that she really hoped she wouldn’t have to do it again. She wasn’t even sure she was at the tower yet so getting back into—and out of—the truck was still a possibility.
Across the cargo bay, Renay saw the dim light of an exit sign. She hurried toward it—well, shuffled was probably more correct. If she hadn’t been so worried about getting snapped up, she would have crawled. The only thing that seemed to stop the vertigo was being closer to the ground.
When she touched the door, she waited for alarms to sound or people to shout. When nothing happened, she pushed it softly open and slipped through. The other side was just a grey concrete stairwell and Renay looked on it with dismay.
How am I ever gonna make it all the way up there?
“Hello.” The intercom near her head crackled to life. It sounded… well. It sounded like a person. Renay looked around furtively, wondering if she was on camera.
“Uh… Hello,” she answered.
“What are you doing?” the intercom asked. “This is a strange way to break into the tower, even if you managed it quite well.”
“Please, don’t call security,” Renay begged. “I mean, you probably are security, and you’re watching me, and it’s your job and all, but please—”
“Shh,” the intercom said. “I’m part of security. Kinda. My name is Penelope.”
“I’m Renay.”
“Excellent. First name basis. What the fuck are you doing, Renay?”
“I’m not here to make trouble. I promise.”
“Well, I think you have obviously seen trouble,” Penelope said, wryly. “You certainly don’t look dangerous. Why are you breaking into the tower with your guts hanging out?”
“I need to find my mate,” she pleaded. She was so tired she couldn’t bear explaining herself again. “He’s here, or on the ship. I was injured in the attack and I saw him fly over me. I’m experiencing the Knowing but for some reason, he isn’t.”
“Hmm,” Penelope said. “Tell me something only a Preor would know?”
“Katoth pants will catch the wred quite painfully in a spinning jump if they aren’t fastened correctly,” Renay blurted out.
Penelope laughed heartily. “Good enough for me! I’ve seen it happen! Fucking hilarious! The guy I saw, if he had lifted his leg another ten degrees, he would have castrated himself!”
“Penelope.”
“Yeah?”
“How are you going to get me to my mate?”
“You don’t know his name?”
“No.”
“That does make things tricky. I could send you straight to Chashan.”
“Who’s that?”
“Our medical officer. He has a lot of pregnant mates up there who can keep you company.”
“No!” Renay said, firmly. “I’ll just have the same issues I had with Whelon. He was going to have me committed or something because he didn’t think it was possible for the Knowing to be one sided.”
“Oh, what a dick.” Penelope sighed in exasperation. “I expected better from him, but dragons are dragons, I guess. Now, honey, what you’re going to want to do is take these stairs to the first doorway, just there. See the blinking light?”
“Yes, I see it.”
“Okay. Once you get through, the service elevator will take you to the roof without crossing paths with the others.”
“Thank you!”
“Don’t thank me yet. We aren’t even halfway there yet!”
Renay focused on the stairs. She had to slip up each one with incredible slowness, inching along. She clutched the banister with both hands, and pulled herself with what little strength she had. More than once she had to stop and rest, and Penelope encouraged her every step of the way.
“Okay, nearly there,” the AI said. “Let’s get you on that elevator!”
Renay pushed through the door, relieved to see that the hallway was dark and quiet. The service elevator was large, obviously made to bring equipment to the roof. She crawled inside and collapsed in a corner.
Her consciousness faded in and out as they traveled up. She could smell her mate, sense the heat from his skin. She muttered under her breath as they got closer to the top of the tower, feeling like the second she touched him, she would be healed.
“You’ve got it bad,” Penelope remarked. “I’ve no doubt it’s the Knowing. It’s weird that he’s not feeling it, but we have plenty of evidence so far that it can be blocked.”