Planet Athion: The Complete Series by Angel Lawson

66

Alex

Sittingin the Master’s office has a surreal feel to it. I imagine it’s like being in an American CEO’s office in the early 2000s, everything’s expensive and well built. Dark wood and polished brass. I feel like I’m living in an old episode of television. I sneak a glance at Mercy. She looks similarly uncomfortable.

“You okay?” I ask her. Sometimes I feel a different bond with her, one she probably shares with Damon as well. We’re humans in a foreign land. We’re the aliens, but this place? Everything about it feels strange.

“I hate this room.” She looks around in disgust. “These quarters.”

“I know.” I look at a mounted moose head over a large stone fireplace. “I mean, what is that for? Are we to assume he hunted that? Did he see that on an episode of Mad Men?”

That makes her smile. “The Master is eccentric, that’s for sure. Or was, when he had the freedom to have opinions.”

“I’ll feel better when he’s eliminated,” I say as Damon walks into the room, followed by Dimka and Kai. They’ve all been working together for a few days now. Kai still moves slowly. I’ve just been released by the doctor. The broken ribs set me back a few days.

“Unfortunately,” Kai says, taking the position behind the desk; now that he’s recovered, he’s back in charge as Commander of our unit, “we need the Master alive for intelligence. This is only one birthing ring on this planet. Our goal is to infiltrate them all, including brothels and any Tradrych in possession of a human slave.”

“How do we do that?” I ask.

He presses a few buttons on the desk and brings up a massive screen behind his desk. It shows a layout of the facility, including an overlay of active-time video. “It won’t be easy but these guys gave us our head start.” He nods at Damon and Dimka.

Damon leans against the desk. “When I learned about Cassidy and Amias’ betrayal and your kidnapping, they aborted their mission and went straight to the Custo. We were given an entire battalion, but something else happened too.” He glances at Mercy. “That video of Mercy helping the pregnant woman at the fuel station went viral across the universe. Everyone saw it. They saw her kindness and bravery. She struck a chord, particularly with the Athions and the new pioneers at the transition facility.”

Mercy frowns. “What are you talking about? I was just doing my job.”

“Exactly,” Dimka says, in a low voice. “You stuck to your mission. You were loyal to the humans and committed to the health of an unborn child. Up here, in a world where children are endangered? That one act made you an icon for the future.”

There are times when it’s hard to understand what it’s like to be an Athion, where women and children are their most valuable assets. At home, we take them for granted, but here? They’re a gift. I’ve seen the video and understand the power of it, even as a human.

“So, people united behind the cause of saving Mercy,” I say.

Damon nods. “And taking back the birthing rings.”

“Wait,” Mercy says, still processing everything. “You think these people are rallying because of me?”

“Babe,” Damon says with a smirk on his lips, “I know they are.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means going against my will that day and helping that pregnant woman sparked a rebellion,” he tells her. “It’s not going to be an easy road and it’s way more public than I would have ever wanted, but it’s a good thing, Mercy. It’s a very good thing.”

“What do we do first?” I ask, feeling as overwhelmed as Mercy looks.

“The Custo could never get the upper hand on the Master because his enterprise was too big. His slaves too scared. But your spark has forged a bond between the people. To succeed, we need an uprising, and it starts here on Cryron. We’re vetting every resident that lived here, determining if they are with or against us. Many were slaves. Some were part of the Master’s inner circle. We’re locking up those that aren’t with the cause, hoping to use them for intel.” He glances at each of us. “Once we have enough information to move forward, we’ll make teams and head out.”

I nod, but a deep frown tugs at Mercy’s lips. Dimka notices and says, “Mercy? What’s wrong?”

“Who’s leading these teams?”

“We will,” Kai answers.

“And you’ll leave here—leave me?”

Damon’s jaw tics. “There will be missions off of Cryron, yes.”

She stands and shakes her head. “I’m not okay with that. I just got you all back in one place. I’m not willing to let you go again.”

Kai rubs his forehead. “There isn’t a choice. It’s war, Mercy.”

“There’s always a choice.” She walks toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Damon asks.

“To check on the women in the ward. Unlike the four of you, I know my obligation and where I’m needed.”

She wrenches open the door and slams it behind her.

The four of us sit in stunned silence.

After a moment, I say, “Did you really think she was going to accept that?”

“It’s our job,” Kai says. “Mercy’s job is to take care of pregnant women. Ours is to keep them safe.”

I push to my feet, feeling the dull ache in my healing ribs. “If you’ve learned anything over the last few months, it may be that it’s time for our mindsets to change.”

Without another word, I exit the room. Those guys may be willing to jump back into hell again, but I’m not. I want the best of both worlds. One where I fulfill my mission and one where I’m with my girl.

I’m not going to stop until I find a way for that to happen.