Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Mal fought back her panic.
Xander’s face held its now-familiar mask of calm. But she knew exactly what he was planning.
She gripped his shirt. “You saw what happened to that man. The place is a death trap, and I’m certain Forge only showed us the tip of what’s down there. No one can survive it, not even you.”
“Malin, I’m a CenSec. If anyone can make it, it’s me.”
The lump in her throat was so huge, she could barely breathe. “I’m coming with you.”
He shook his head, and she finally got a reaction, a flash of something hot and dangerous in his eyes. “No. I’ve got a better chance of getting through alone. If I have to watch out for you, we’ll both get killed.”
Dammit, he was right. “I don’t want to lose you.” Not when I just found you.
He cupped her face. “You won’t. I plan on coming back. There are still many things on my list we have yet to try.”
She felt tears sting her eyes. She never cried. “Well then, you have some good incentive.” She went up on her toes and kissed him. His kiss was rougher than usual, and she returned it with everything she had. She delved into his mouth, trying to get inside him.
Because a part of her knew that when he went in that maze, he’d be lost to her. If he died in there, a part of her would die too. If he made it out with the Antikythera, he’d leave her and go back to his planet.
A lone tear tracked down her cheek.
“I’ve got to find somewhere for you to hide, and then I need to find a way into the maze.” He slid his hand into her hair and tugged her head back. With his other hand, his thumb brushed the tear away. “I’ll get out.”
She managed a nod.
He pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Stay here amongst the crowd. Smile. Look like you’re having fun. Once I find a good hiding place, I’ll come and get you.”
She nodded again and watched him stride through the revelers. Suddenly chilled, she grabbed a drink off the tray of a passing waiter and gulped it back. It burned a little but as the warmth spread through her, it helped settle her nerves.
“Since your cyborg’s left you all alone, how about that dance now?”
Mal stilled, horror blowing through her. She turned slowly to face Forge.
“I’m not really feeling up for dancing.”
He stared at her. “You didn’t like my show?”
“You killed a man.” She tried to keep the venom from her voice. Thought she might have been successful.
He shrugged. “This is my world. My rules.”
“Life isn’t important to you?”
“By all means, it’s absolutely vital to me.
” He glanced around the room. “But not these lives. These insipid, vacuous hangers-on who waste the spark of life inside them. For me, the life I give my creations is what is important. I take things that people like those around us throw away, then I make something special and give it life.”
“You think you’re a god?”
He chuckled. “God, scientist, creator. In my own little domain, yes, I’m all those things. Now, tell me what you think of my maze? You’re a creator too, so your opinion matters.”
Mal shook her head. “I’m not a creator.”
“You take old things apart and give the parts new life. That’s creation.” He smiled. “We’re alike, you and I.”
That smile made her think of the wraith beasts of Carin IV. Right before they tore their prey to pieces. It made her sick to think he thought they were alike. “I don’t think so.”
His smile slipped.
She swallowed. “I think you have genius. That maze…some of the things in it are incredible. I’m just not sure you’re putting it to good use.”
He stalked closer. “Really?” A dangerous whisper.
“You killed that man for no good reason.” Stars, stop talking, Malin.
Forge’s eyes narrowed to slits.
Time to change the subject. She waved at the room. “Why do you surround yourself with metal creations? Way out here on a rogue planet? Don’t you like people?”
“I have a room full of people here.”
“But you don’t like them. I think you’d love to send them all running through your maze and watch them bleed.” Stars be, Malin, shut your mouth.
“I do prefer machines.” He tipped his head. “Like you. That’s why I thought you’d understand. They don’t disobey you, they don’t break your heart, and they don’t betray you.”
Her chest tightened. “Someone betrayed you?”
His face hardened and he looked away.
Mal took a careful breath. “I know all about betrayal and disappointment.”
Forge looked back at her. “Granger?”
She lifted a shoulder. “He was just the last in a semi-long list. But I realized that their failures aren’t my own.”
“You know nothing.” Forge spat the words. “Nothing.”
She heard the pain in his voice. “You must have loved her very much.”
His hands clenched. “She was an unworthy bitch. I built this for her.” He swept his arm out.
“I wanted a place where it could be just the two of us. I put everything I had into making something unique, special.” His face twisted.
“She was horrified. She didn’t want to live so far from the central systems, her family, friends, her planet.
Her damned family barely gave her the time of day. ”
“I’m sorry,” Malin whispered.
“She looked at my palace, the palace I built for her, and she didn’t want it. Didn’t want me.”
“I know it hurts. I’m sure she regrets hurting you.”
“I’m sure she does.” That sharp smile again. “She became the first person to test out the Technomaze.”
Mal’s stomach turned over and her dinner threatened to reappear. “I’ve had my heart hurt before. It’s horrible, but we can’t let it rule our lives. You can’t let it change you.” Or turn you into a psycho murderer.
“Hurt? Not broken?” A curious tone.
“That’s right. At the time I thought it had been shattered, but now I know differently.”
“Hmm, you don’t think the CenSec is going to break your heart?”
Her blood froze. “Ah, what are—?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Ms. Phoenix. Aston told me who you are. I know your cousins by reputation alone. I would never have guessed a CenSec to be smart enough to find treasure hunters to help him find the Antikythera.”
Where was Xander? “Forge—”
“He will break your heart. Cyborgs have no capacity for love. Xyla certainly didn’t.”
Mal tasted bile in her throat. “She was Centaxian.”
“Bingo!” He pointed at Mal. “You win the prize. I thought she’d last longer in the maze, being stronger and faster than the average human. She didn’t.”
Mal’s arms dropped to her sides. She didn’t know what to say, but a sense of impending doom settled on her and made her feel like she was drowning.
“I got my revenge on Xyla, but it wasn’t satisfying enough. Now I want revenge on her entire planet. Rexon Dax and the Rahl are the tools helping me get it.”
Hurry up, Xander. She tried to covertly scan the room.
“Are you looking for your cyborg? Here he comes now.”
She looked past Forge and the crowd parted. Two robots were carrying Xander between them. His feet were dragging on the ground and his head hung loosely.
No. As they tossed him on the floor in front of her, she rushed to him. “Xander.” She brushed a hand over his hair and pressed the other to his chest. She felt the rise and fall and tried to force back her panic.
His eyes were open, neon green flickering in their depths. He was holding onto consciousness by a thread.
She released the breath she was holding. “What did you do to him?”
Forge pointed to one of the robots. It held up a familiar blue energy weapon. “Who do you think invented the tech and gave it to the Rahl?”
Mal felt the crowd around them staring, but none came too close. She was all-too-aware that no one would help them. No one wanted to end up in the nightmare maze.
“You both came here under false pretenses.” Forge’s voice rose to fill the room. “You’ve broken my rules and now, you will suffer my consequences.”
Mal knew what was coming. She gripped onto Xander. “It was lucky you killed the woman who loved you. I know she would have hated to see the monster you’ve become.”
Forge’s eyes flashed, then he touched the computer screen embedded in his arm.
The floor beneath Malin and Xander opened up.
As they dropped, a scream lodged in her throat. She wrapped herself around Xander, unable to do anything but hold on.
They slid down a chute, and seconds later, flew out an opening. After a sickening drop through the air, they landed in a pile of disused wiring and insulation.
Part of Xander’s upper body landed on Mal, forcing all the air out of her lungs. Stunned for a second, she lifted her head, trying to focus.
Her heartbeat reverberated in her ears, and she stared at the scrap metal walls that towered over them.
They were in the maze.
Xander fought through the fog weighing him down.
His systems were rebooting. At least one of them was damaged, but most of them were spooling back up.
“Xander? Can you hear me?”
A hand brushed over his hair. So gentle.
“I’m here.” His voice sounded rusty.
“Thank the stars.” She blew out a breath. “Are you okay?”
No. Malin was stuck in this goddamned maze. It was his worst nightmare. “I will be. Systems are coming back online.” He managed to lift his head. Her dark hair was mussed and sticking up in spikes at the back, but she looked fine.
She looked around, her eyes a little wild. He looked too. Thankfully, none of Forge’s creations were rushing at them.
Yet.
Until his systems were back, Xander only had his enhanced strength and his training. He’d need all of it to get Malin out alive.
“Well, you wanted to get in here,” she said.
Yes. But not like this.
A loud clanking noise echoed along one of the pathways leading to the pile of insulation they’d landed in.
She stared that way. Swallowed. “What do we do now?”
“Head towards the center. Solve the riddle.”
“The riddle? That’s our best chance?” She made a face as she helped him stand. “Our odds aren’t good.”
She was correct. He’d run the probabilities of their survival. But, his probabilities didn’t take into account what he would do to keep this woman safe.
He cupped her jaw. “You’re with a CenSec, remember?”
Her lips trembled. “I’d never forget that.”
No, she wouldn’t. And she was the only person he’d met who was never scared of him or bothered by it.
Xander stripped out of his coat and yanked off his bowtie. He watched her kick her heels off. “You can’t go on with bare feet.”
“It’s not ideal, but I’m likely to break an ankle in here.”
She was right. But that didn’t mean he liked it.
She shoved her shoulders back. “So, oh-great-CenSec, which way to the center of this hellhole?”
He looked at the three pathways that lead off from their location. He remembered the images Forge had showed above. Xander had memorized the few brief aerial shots.
“That way.” He pointed to the central path.
They headed down the narrow pathway. It was only wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side.
He didn’t like the fact that nothing had attacked them so far. It left his nerves on edge, and he could feel the tension pumping off Malin.
She cleared her throat. “Flames are your friends and never take the easy path…what was the rest of it?”
“Find the point and become the master. Reach the treasure. For now, let’s just focus on the first part.”
“Right. Flames are your friends and never take the easy path.” She scowled. “I get the feeling there are no easy paths in here.”
They came to a four-way crossroads.
“Look, flames.” Malin trotted over to where red-orange flames shot upward from a pipe against one wall. “They don’t look very friendly.”
“Let’s keep moving.” Xander felt the sensation of someone, or something, watching them. Damn his systems being offline. If he could scan the area… “Let’s head left.”
The path twisted and turned.
And led away from the center of the maze.
They reached another junction.
“Dammit,” Xander muttered.
Malin bumped his side with her shoulder. “You didn’t think this was going to be easy, did you?”
No. But he thought he’d have all his enhancements available to him. Right now, he felt blind. And that left Malin in danger, which was unacceptable.
“No flames around here.” She wandered forward. Above them some junk arched overhead like some sort of giant metallic sculpture.
He studied the twisted metal overhead. Something about it…
She took another step forward.
“Malin, no—” He dived, tackling her to the ground. He turned so he took the brunt of the fall, her slight weight on top of him.
Flames shot downward in a long sheet, like a deadly, orange waterfall.
“Sweet scrap.” Malin sagged against him.
He held her tight for a second, and tried to calm his racing heart. Then he helped her to her feet.
After the flames died off, she studied the metal above them. “It has a motion sensor. But this part to the left—” she gestured “—doesn’t seem to be connected. Looks safe to go through there.”
He studied it. She was right, but still… “I’ll go first.”
They safely skirted the fire trap.
On the other side, she gave a little laugh, and moved up beside him. “We’ll have to—”
Suddenly, the floor gave way beneath her. She screamed.
As she fell, Xander lunged forward and caught sight of giant metal spikes below, spearing up like needle-sharp teeth.
He reached for her, but her twisting body slipped through his grasp.