She worked slowly, making as little noise as possible. Next, she added a tablespoon of oil—cheap, vegetable stuff used to lubricate certain parts of the nutriblock machine. She put the solution in an opaque container to let it settle, hiding it behind other supplies. She’d still have to figure out how to filter it without anyone noticing and hope she could rig it into one of her aerosols she used for spot-spraying fertilisers. For a relatively easy solution, there were still things that could go wrong.

Naomi stood, coming back into view of the comms and harvesting the last of the algae and leaving it to dry, and prepped the new crop. If Valerie fast-forwarded through the feed of the night, she’d see her about her usual business, even if it was at unusual hours. Naomi had always been an insomniac, doing most of her best studying in the late hours of the night or early hours of the morning. Evan had been, too. They’d pulled plenty of all-nighters in undergrad.

Don’t think about Evan.

Naomi hefted one of the reinforced empty glass vials thoughtfully, squeezing it tight. With enough force, it could hurt, especially with the metal cap at the end. She had over a hundred clubs in the lab that Lebedeva and Valerie couldn’t confiscate. She took a spare one and slid it underneath her mattress, which was close to the door.

Finally, she crawled into bed, lying on her back, bone tired but wide awake. She ran over the options in her mind, running her fingertips over her stomach. A headache pulsed at her temples.

By the time she eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep, she had a plan.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

129 Days After Launch

2 Days to Mars

120 Days to Cavendish

Someone woke her up, grabbing her by the upper arm and hauling her upright.

Naomi blinked at Hixon, bleary from fractured sleep. By the time she remembered the glass vial under her mattress, she’d already been dragged out into the hallway.

“I’m taking you to see Hart,” Hixon said, voice tight. “Lebedeva is bringing her to the lab for your scan.”

So Lebedeva had mentioned it to Valerie, or she had been listening through the comms. Naomi hadn’t had time to slyly filter her pepper solution or enact any of the rest of her plan. What if she didn’t get a chance to complete it? At least this was a chance to speak to Hart and Hixon. Valerie was keeping her distance.

“This better not be some ill-thought-out ploy,” Hixon said.

“I want to make sure the baby is healthy,” Naomi said. She eased from foot to foot—her ankles were swollen. “Hart is going to be so very happy to see you as her jailer.”

Hixon’s grip tightened. “Watch it, Lovelace.”

Hixon had chosen her side, but she’d be an easier mark than Lebedeva.