silence and deception.
JOEY’S HAND SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY AND his head throbbed in pain. Someone nearby sobbed and it stirred him awake. “Poly.” His voice sounded weak and a blurry figure moved in response.
“Yes,” she sounded elated at first but turned cross. “Joey, you promised.”
She came into focus. Her bloodshot eyes, staring at him. He reached to touch her face, but his hand wouldn’t move. He looked down to find leather straps attached to his arms and legs. Poly, sitting a couple feet away, had the same straps. He pulled on the strap only to find a chain holding it to the ground.
“Good to see you back, buddy,” Lucas said.
“How long have I been out for?” Joey asked.
“A few hours,” Poly said.
He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, trying to clear them. The room still seemed hazy, but he took in the circular room as best he could. Leaning forward, he looked at each of his friends lined up in a sitting position against a plastered wall. “Where’s Evelyn?” he asked, jerking around when he couldn’t see her.
“Right here,” Edith said. “Surprised these silver bastards didn’t tie her up as well.”
Joey breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his little girl’s face. She regarded him with a smile. He still had her, and that was a start.
His pulse sped up as he thought about the last moments before the Arracks descended on the stone. They had to still be on their planet. These were their type of mud-plastered buildings. “Any guards?” Joey whispered and winced at the pain in his head.
“A couple outside the door,” Poly said.
His hand shook and the tremor moved down the whole right side of his body. His restraints clattered and kept some of the motion to a minimum.
“Joey?” Poly slid her hand closer to him until the chain locked up. He reached and felt her hand with his shaking fingertips.
Normally, he could minimize it with shear willpower, but now the shakes controlled him. After a few seconds, it dwindled, not from his commands but more from running its course. He raised his hand up the few inches he could and made a fist, then extended his fingers out. He needed his shooting hand to work.
“They took all of our stuff,” Poly said, seeing him feeling at his sides for his guns.
Joey grimaced and looked to Julie. “You’ve had a few hours, I’m sure that was enough time to figure a way out of here, right?”
She looked at the dirty floor between her legs. None of them were looking at him. He knew each of them well enough to know he’d missed something major. Even Lucas kept his mouth shut and only glanced at him.
“What?” Joey asked.
“You promised. I can’t do this without you, Joey. But I have to know, if you went slo-mo, then why didn’t we make the jump? We shouldn’t be here.”
“I . . .” he struggled to find the words to tell her their daughter had the same gift as him. “Eve was there, with me, in the slow-mo.”
Poly gasped and shot a look to Evelyn. She turned back and reached her fingers out to him. Tears filled her puffy eyes. “He’s coming here to take her and we’re just stuck here, helpless.”
Seeing her vulnerable, and hearing the will leave her, hurt Joey. He too felt the tears building and he pulled on his restraints, needing to hold his grieving wife and let her know they were going to get out of this. He wouldn’t allow Marcus to take their baby. He’d do whatever it took.
“Julie?” he called between gritted teeth.
She jerked her attention to him. “First, we need to get out of these restraints. Then we can formulate a plan of escape.”
“I say we ambush Marcus; end it all right here, right now,” Joey said.
“That’s crazy,” Julie said.
“We know he’s coming,” Lucas said. “When was the last time we knew where he was, or where he was going? This may be our only chance.”
“That’s not the plan. Believe me, I want to kill the guy as much as you all do, but we
JOEY’S HAND SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY AND his head throbbed in pain. Someone nearby sobbed and it stirred him awake. “Poly.” His voice sounded weak and a blurry figure moved in response.
“Yes,” she sounded elated at first but turned cross. “Joey, you promised.”
She came into focus. Her bloodshot eyes, staring at him. He reached to touch her face, but his hand wouldn’t move. He looked down to find leather straps attached to his arms and legs. Poly, sitting a couple feet away, had the same straps. He pulled on the strap only to find a chain holding it to the ground.
“Good to see you back, buddy,” Lucas said.
“How long have I been out for?” Joey asked.
“A few hours,” Poly said.
He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, trying to clear them. The room still seemed hazy, but he took in the circular room as best he could. Leaning forward, he looked at each of his friends lined up in a sitting position against a plastered wall. “Where’s Evelyn?” he asked, jerking around when he couldn’t see her.
“Right here,” Edith said. “Surprised these silver bastards didn’t tie her up as well.”
Joey breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his little girl’s face. She regarded him with a smile. He still had her, and that was a start.
His pulse sped up as he thought about the last moments before the Arracks descended on the stone. They had to still be on their planet. These were their type of mud-plastered buildings. “Any guards?” Joey whispered and winced at the pain in his head.
“A couple outside the door,” Poly said.
His hand shook and the tremor moved down the whole right side of his body. His restraints clattered and kept some of the motion to a minimum.
“Joey?” Poly slid her hand closer to him until the chain locked up. He reached and felt her hand with his shaking fingertips.
Normally, he could minimize it with shear willpower, but now the shakes controlled him. After a few seconds, it dwindled, not from his commands but more from running its course. He raised his hand up the few inches he could and made a fist, then extended his fingers out. He needed his shooting hand to work.
“They took all of our stuff,” Poly said, seeing him feeling at his sides for his guns.
Joey grimaced and looked to Julie. “You’ve had a few hours, I’m sure that was enough time to figure a way out of here, right?”
She looked at the dirty floor between her legs. None of them were looking at him. He knew each of them well enough to know he’d missed something major. Even Lucas kept his mouth shut and only glanced at him.
“What?” Joey asked.
“You promised. I can’t do this without you, Joey. But I have to know, if you went slo-mo, then why didn’t we make the jump? We shouldn’t be here.”
“I . . .” he struggled to find the words to tell her their daughter had the same gift as him. “Eve was there, with me, in the slow-mo.”
Poly gasped and shot a look to Evelyn. She turned back and reached her fingers out to him. Tears filled her puffy eyes. “He’s coming here to take her and we’re just stuck here, helpless.”
Seeing her vulnerable, and hearing the will leave her, hurt Joey. He too felt the tears building and he pulled on his restraints, needing to hold his grieving wife and let her know they were going to get out of this. He wouldn’t allow Marcus to take their baby. He’d do whatever it took.
“Julie?” he called between gritted teeth.
She jerked her attention to him. “First, we need to get out of these restraints. Then we can formulate a plan of escape.”
“I say we ambush Marcus; end it all right here, right now,” Joey said.
“That’s crazy,” Julie said.
“We know he’s coming,” Lucas said. “When was the last time we knew where he was, or where he was going? This may be our only chance.”
“That’s not the plan. Believe me, I want to kill the guy as much as you all do, but we
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