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Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. EPILOGUE
  51. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  52. About the Author
  53. What’s next onyour reading list?

“And sent me and Walters straight into a trap?” She scoffed and then laughed, and then went dead quiet. Girdy. Did he know more than he let on? He had been so nervous about this particular crew . . . Maybe Girdy discovered something concrete after launch and sent that divert order. He might have been trying to protect her and Walters from the Brigantine. Or maybe it was just a normal divert order, one she had stupidly chosen to ignore. Girdy hadn’t signed off on the redirect, so her instincts told her it wasn’t him. Someone above him wanted to keep them away from the Brigantine, and it was obvious now why. If they knew about the Foxfire infestation, then Girdy was right, someone was deliberately sabotaging crews who wound up dead.

Or taken over.

Edison was watching her, so she met his eye steadily.

“I’m not giving you my VIT credentials, and only I know the password.”

“Obviously.” Edison winced, eyes flashing, fighting something back. “Piero will try to threaten it out of you. Rayan and Misato will sit there for the rest of their lives trying all ten thousand possible combinations.”

“And you?” she asked, a little nervous to hear the answer.

“Me?” Edison gave a short laugh. “I don’t want your VIT credentials, Devar. I have something else in mind altogether.”

“Like what? I’m no idiot. You’re not going to trick me.”

Rosalyn watched him turn away. She wished he hadn’t, she wished she could see his eyes and make sure they weren’t glowing white. How could she trust a single thing he said? Shifting a step to the side, she carefully watched the table he loomed over, and studied his eyes in the glossy surface. They didn’t change as he put both hands on the table and lowered his head, taking a deep breath.

“Ha. No,” Edison said. “Like revenge.”

13

Deception, Mother was beginning to realize, was a human’s greatest asset. They told half-truths or complete falsities without hesitation. Revenge. Her favorite child wanted revenge. This more than anything else frightened her. She had watched the other children fight in their myriad ways, watched the young biologist crack his head open in despair, not knowing such a mistake only made integration easier. A wound must be tended to by the body itself, resources allocated and diverted, leaving the nervous system less guarded.

No such opportunities presented themselves with her favorite, the captain; in fact, he seemed to be growing stronger in his defenses. She was losing him. Losing him. It was impossible. They should have been fully integrated by now, thoughts, desires and actions utterly linked.