Chapter 11 : Flashbacks

Theodora's POV I glanced back to the sliding doors, now numerous goons guarding the exit. My gun was only a few feet from me. All it took was a well-timed lunge. Six bullets. Nine men in this room including the Pantomath. Not enough for each of them, but I didn't need it. The gears turned in my head, a plan forming in a few seconds. Then there was the question of Javier by my feet. How the hell was I going to drag his massive body out of this club with henchmen on my tail? I didn't have super strength, only an impeccable aim. Wait. I mulled over the conversation. The Pantomath was cocky, and it helped that I played stupid. It's amazing how much he lets slip out of his lips. The Pantomath said that the serum would wear off shortly. I needed to stall. "Don't even think about it, Theodora," The Pantomath said, clearly pleased with himself. "I forgot to tell you that STC answers to me. Your ship is grounded until I say otherwise." Fuck. I tilted my head to the side. "Wow. Look at you," I answered in the most condescending way I could. "Big man on Zeus 9." "I'm willing to be generous, after everything you've done for me. I'll let you leave but I require appropriate payment." I clasped my hands around my back, not forgetting the hidden weapon I had in the lining of my jacket. I subtly unzipped my jacket, setting my hands on my hips. "How do I even know you have the information I need? How do I know you're not lying?" He chuckled and moved his chair back, opening a drawer and revealing an official-looking document. "Right here." He laid it face down near my colt. "VIN number and last known coordinates." "I thought you had an eidetic memory. Why the paperwork?" I asked innocently, but the question was pointed. I knew it would question his legitimacy and send him on a long-winded explanation. It was his weak point. He was sharp and quick-witted most of the time, but he was also so fucking prideful. The Pantomath frowned, bracing himself against the desk. "Eidetic memory is the ability to recall images with incredible accuracy, however, even the strongest magic has its drawbacks. To remember something, I must forget another. I don't value coordinates." I hummed, noticing Javier stir by my feet. Slowly, standing up. He grunted and I reached out to help brace him from falling. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Dizzy," Javier grumbled. "Oh, try not to move so fast," the Pantomath said. "You'll be weak for a few hours." Then he looked at me again. "Make your mind, Theodora, or I will take them both. Bleed them dry and harvest their organs. Then you'll have more death on your hands." A thickness formed in my throat. I looked up at Javier. His breathtaking eyes were drowsy but clear. Then I thought of Ellie. A memory of her reaching for me, wide dark eyes begging me for salvation from her wartorn planet. She pulled against the bottom of my greaves, her village in flames behind her. I was ordered to clear the town. Escort civilians off-planet while humankind claimed it. I didn't know that terraforming it also meant purging all living things. Including the nymphs. Gomez went off script with the fellow officers I thought were my friends, bloodthirsty and violently taking what they wanted to feel like Gods. The nymphs were helpless. Pacifists who didn't know how to fight. I was disgusted. And I wasn't the only one. Benji and I were in the same platoon. He was the only one who survived being under my charge when we took on the corruption within the Galactic military head-on. Gomez gave me orders to kill Ellie. Join in the fun. I shot him in the face instead. Best fucking decision I ever made. Despite the consequences. Our last stand before the explosions. "I can't let you take Ellie," I replied with finality. "What?" Javier drew back from me, nearly stumbling over lethargic feet. I stared up at him, murmuring, "I'm sorry." "Sorry?" Javier shouted, betrayal painted his tone. The Pantomath chuckled, looking over at Jarhead. "Hit the daywalker again." "Wait!" I pleaded, putting both of my hands together, moving them together as if I was washing them. In a split-second decision, I took wide strides to Javier, fisting my hand in his shirt and dragging him down for a kiss. He recoiled completely in shock, but without his daywalker strength, he couldn't back away from me. His plush lips were cool to the touch, sending a few waves of comfort through my system. I kissed him with passion. I could feel the cords in his neck straining in confusion. I murmured against his mouth, barely audible, "Play along." Using his body to cover me, I reached into the lining of my jacket for my concealed weapon, courtesy of Mads. Javier made a throaty noise, parting his lips and kissing me back. His mouth sent shivers of delight down my spine, prickling goosebumps up and down my arms. He was such a good kisser, it wasn't fair. To add to the facade, Javier reached up and cupped my cheek, my face fitting nearly perfectly in his large palm. "How could you do this to me, Theo?" he sighed against my lips. Not Captain Walker. Theo. The silkiest sound I had ever heard. "I'm sorry," I whispered, pulling myself back away from him, pretending my shoulders were heavier than they actually were. I turned my back to Javier as Jarhead restrained him. Javier shouted something as I slowly turned to approach the Pantomath's desk. And by the pleased look on the warlock's face, his guard was down. Good. He wasn't even looking at the weapon hiding in my sleeve. "Oh, how lovely," the Pantomath declared with his gaping smile. "Talk about valuable." He looked up at Javier and Jarhead and said, "Take him back to the warehouse. Set up a table for him." He reached down across the papers on his desk and handed me the appropriate one for Sol. Perfect. Now only one thing left to do. The Pantomath braced himself against his desk, only a few inches from my colt. "Before you do that," I started, trailing my fingers along the etchings in the wood, and sliding the flaming knife to the appropriate place in my other hand. My fingers ghosted over the button that brought it to life. The warlock allowed it, curiosity circling his blackened eyes. I parted my lips to finish my sentence, but I clicked the button, and a lasered blade flew out of the weapon and slammed into the Pantomath's hand. He cried out in surprise and I snatched my gun, snapping back and using a split-second calculation to shoot Jarhead in the shoulder, causing him to release Javier. Five bullets left. Javier ducked, took Jarhead's phaser, and came back to me as I turned the gun to the Pantomath's head. "Release the lockdown. Now," I demanded. The warlock visibly seethed, writhing in pain as the lasered knife kept his hand pinned to his desk, smoking with the smell of a burning corpse. "You stupid bitch." "Yeah. Yeah." I hopped over the desk, my gun still pressed against his temple. "Lockdown. Or I blow your head off." I cocked the hammer. Still a far more intimidating sound than the phaser. Javier braced next to me, prepared to offer fire when I need it. "Behind me!" I ordered Javier, who obeyed without a second thought. The Pantomath was going to be our shield. "Shoot her!" the Pantomath demanded. At his order, I gripped the warlock's body, lurching him backward to be restrained in my arms. The white-hot blade twisted in his hand at the movement, causing a guttural shout of agony to bubble past the Pantomath's lips. I laughed. "I guarantee I'm a faster shot." I looked over at the henchmen. "Who's it going to be? Your paycheck…" I jabbed the warlock in the side. "Or…well your paycheck. Shoot me and he dies." The Pantomath struggled, the gaping wound in his hand cauterized open. "You talk a big game, Theo, but I doubt you know how to use that antique." "Wanna bet?" I hissed. "You've never been a gambling man." I swear I watched a bead of sweat slip down his face. There was a silent moment as his eyes flickered down to his phone. With his free hand, he touched the biometric scanner and said, "Lift the lockdown." A simulated voice repeated his statement. "Now let me go," the Pantomath growled. "Not yet." I tilted my head to Javier, signaling him to follow me. "Tell your goons to stay out of my way." The warlock's Adam's apple bobbed and he said, "Do as she says." With the Pantomath trapped against my body, my gun bruising the side of his head, I used him to get out of the Playhouse. The music was off, everyone's eyes on Javier and me as we kept moving. I tapped the comm on my jacket. "Benji. Prepare for takeoff." He answered instantly, no question about it. Javier was right next to me, so close I could feel the chill of his skin cooling my erratic heartbeat. Flashbacks from the Hermes Cluster threatened to pull me under again, but I fought against it, dragging the Pantomath down the main street to the dock. "You won't get away with this, Theodora," The Pantomath snarled, "I'll find you and I'll use your skin to embroider my spellbooks." I knew that the Pantomath would lock us in the space station if he had a chance. He would make my life miserable. He'd take Ellie. Javier. Hell, he'd even harvest the rest of my crew simply for knowing me. "I don't need to get away with this," I replied. "I just need a headstart." Finally, we made it to the dock. The crowds of beggars and scam artists parted the way for us, eyes as wide as saucers and I kept their kingpin hostage. "Get the door, Javier," I ordered, but the cargo door was already opening, Daxton waiting for us in the cargo bay. I was waiting for the absolute last minute to let the Pantomath go. I didn't trust him. Not for a second. I stood on the edge of the gangway. Benji started to hover the Peacemaker and right as we got about ten feet off the ground, I shoved the Pantomath onto the dock and screamed, "Now!" "Resume the lockdown!" The Pantomath howled and instantly I heard giant bulkhead doors start to slide closed in the distance. Phasers went off everywhere, slicing through the air, trying to shoot me down. A few of the bolts tore through me, grazing painfully against my arms. One embedded into my leg. But the adrenaline fired harder than the anguish. I dove inside the cargo doors, sealing them shut before we broke the simulated atmosphere. Javier and Daxton were buckled in, prepared to jump. The entire ship shook as we entered hyperdrive. "Hold onto something!" Benji shouted over the intercom. I reached for a buckle, a handle, or something, but I wasn't fast enough. But before I could go flying, thick arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into a tight hold. I held on for dear life, tucking my face into his corded neck and screwing my eyes tightly closed. The ship rattled, a loud scrape sounding across the side of the ship. We thumped and shook, my stomach churning, and my body trembling. A whimper helplessly slipped from my lips as I breathed in, the rich musky scent of him comforting me. Then everything in the ship settled. I was breathing heavily, trembles still assaulting my body. The adrenaline was starting to come down. I slowly veered back, the thick arms still encircling me. I was met with wide, concerned golden eyes. "Are you okay?" Javier asked, pressing a large palm against my cheek. I gulped hard, trying to find the words, but instead, I just broke out of his grip. I couldn't do this right now. "What happened down there?" Daxton asked, drawing my attention to him as he unbuckled his seat. "Oh, fuck! You got shot." "I…I…" I tried to speak, but my tongue felt thick, and eyes were watering with overwhelming sensation. I was still on fight or flight. I couldn't feel the injuries. I couldn't even speak. I was completely overwhelmed. "I'm still trying to realize what happened," Javier stated, thankfully drawing Daxton's attention to him. I had to get out of here. I couldn't crumble like this in front of my brother. It would destroy his image of me as the strong big sister. I couldn't do this right now. He couldn't see me like this. Flashes of helplessness plagued my vision as I tried to stay in the present. Keep it together, Theo. Keep it the fuck together.