CHAPTER 26
Artemis
Addy shot the four of us a knowing look as we met them on the ramp.
Between her and Tarren, they were carrying a large, strange-looking device that looked more like they’d taken a bunch of spare parts and glued them together.
The prideful way they carried it, however, like they were responsible for the most groundbreaking invention to ever exist, told me there was more to it than I could see from a single glance, that it was far more complex than I could possibly comprehend.
I may have had a technologically enhanced memory and the intelligence that came with it, but I certainly didn’t know everything.
I could get by just fine, but I only knew the basics of engineering.
These two were clearly far more knowledgeable and passionate about the skill.
‘So, that’s what we’re using to keep out the bad guys, huh?’ Cadmus asked, closing the distance to take a closer look.
‘Yup!’ Addy chirped happily.
It seemed all it took to bring her back to her usual, bubbly self was a bit of tinkering.
‘It’s also very heavy,’ Tarren said, side-eying Addy, who wasn’t even breaking a sweat.
Nanite perks.
‘Where do you want it?’
‘In the centre of the village.
If we do this right, we should be able to encompass everything, including the ships, inside the dome.’
‘You got it,’ he wheezed, trying to haul it down the ramp.
But I could already tell he was going to drop it.
Reece, too, since he rushed over to catch it just as it slipped from Tarren’s fingers.
‘Shit,’ he swore. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem,’ Reece replied, and the momentary lack of animosity between them filled me with hope.
Addy practically skipped ahead, dragging poor Reece along behind her.
For someone with such little legs, she sure was fast.
We reached the centre of the village without any issues.
Most of the villagers stayed out of the way, for which we were all grateful, though a few of them stuck their heads out of doors and windows to watch as we passed.
They were a curious bunch, that was for sure.
Just as it was placed on the packed dirt that separated the buildings, Ariadne appeared in the doorway of the closest one.
So that was the infirmary.
I shot her a look, silently asking about Tormik’s state, but she shook her head and shrugged.
It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it also wasn’t the one I didn’t want. That would have to be enough for now.
‘What now?’ Addy asked, just as Xander stepped out from behind Ariadne to join us.
I was surprised to see him, expecting him to stay at Amarantha’s side.
When her face popped up in the window, I realised that he hadn’t.
‘Is everyone inside the village?’ I asked.
‘They’re either here or with the kids on the ship,’ Dorian said as he approached, Bal perched on his shoulders.
‘Hey, sweet boy,’ I greeted him with the smile I reserved solely for him.
‘An’ie A, keep safe,’ he said, pointing to the device.
‘Of course, sweet boy.
I’d never let anyone hurt you.’
The sky suddenly lit up, flames slowly falling in a circle around us.
The ships were here.
We were out of time.
‘Right.
Tarren, activate the bio-dome.
Addy, Reece, Cadmus, and Bromm, you know what to do.
Let’s make this place impenetrable.’
Tarren flipped a switch, pressed a button, then twisted a dial.
The next thing we knew, a beam of light shot straight up in the air, then opened wide as it cascaded down in a shimmering display that would soon become invisible to the naked eye.
It was fast, the dome forming like a bubble, and we knew it worked as it immediately began to clear the smog from the air.
All around, people took deep breaths like they’d never experienced clean air before in their lives, and I realised with heartbreaking clarity that that was the case for most of them.
I doubted any of them had gone much further than the closest market, let alone off planet.
The least we could do to thank them for allowing us to take refuge here was provide them with clean, breathable air.
And safety, of course.
As soon as the dome touched the ground, sealing us in, the huddle of us with nanites began to glow.
I was inside the web in an instant, Bromm and Cadmus already at my side.
I thought I saw a flicker of something out of the corner of my eye, but when I turned, there was only us and the web.
I wondered if perhaps Reece would be able to reach us in here now that we’d had sex, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless it happened. Objectively, it would be interesting to see if our nanites would interact, and how, if they did.
The bio-dome’s coding was easy enough to find, and once we had access, I joined hands with Bromm and Cadmus.
It wasn’t necessary for our goals, but it felt nice, all the same.
Comforting.
Grounding. Like I wasn’t alone.
Because I wasn’t.
A voice whispered in the back of my mind.
Not anymore.
Together, we pushed our will into the code and watched as it changed.
When we opened our eyes, we couldn’t see the change in the dome itself, but we could feel it.
We knew it was there.
Our only hope now was that it was strong enough to hold, because the enemy was here, and they had us surrounded.