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Back Seven Devils
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1.
  4. 2.
  5. 3.
  6. 4.
  7. 5.
  8. 6.
  9. 7.
  10. 8.
  11. 9.
  12. 10.
  13. 11.
  14. 12.
  15. 13.
  16. 14.
  17. 15.
  18. 16.
  19. 17.
  20. 18.
  21. 19.
  22. 20.
  23. 21.
  24. 22.
  25. 23.
  26. 24.
  27. 25.
  28. 26.
  29. 27.
  30. 28.
  31. 29.
  32. 30.
  33. 31.
  34. 32.
  35. 33.
  36. 34.
  37. 35.
  38. 36.
  39. 37.
  40. 38.
  41. 39.
  42. 40.
  43. 41.
  44. 42.
  45. 43.
  46. 44.
  47. 45.
  48. 46.
  49. 47.
  50. 48.
  51. 49.
  52. 50.
  53. 51.
  54. 52.
  55. 53.
  56. 54.
  57. 55.
  58. 56.
  59. 57.
  60. EPILOGUE
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ariadne had cried for the crew every day since it happened. The soldier with red hair and a constellation of freckles who guarded their door. The soldier in charge of the storage hull, his sandy hair always sticking up at the back. The Legate hadn’t been cruel, just uptight. Everyone on Zelus had been distant and cold, but who could those soldiers have been without the Oracle’s programming? Perhaps they would have chosen not to be soldiers at all.

Now they’d never know.

“We would have avoided it if we could have. Gathered them in a pod and sent them out into the stars,” Ariadne insisted. “But we couldn’t. The Oracle’s programming wouldn’t let them surrender. If we wanted to escape, we couldn’t leave a trail.” She took a hitching breath. “There is no excuse. Murder is inexcusable. But desperate people will do anything for freedom.”

“I’m not desperate,” Cato snapped.

“You sure about that? You’re still tempted,” Rhea said. “Aren’t you?”

Cato was quiet. He stared down at his bound hands with some inscrutable expression. Hands that, just hours ago, had nearly ended Ariadne’s life without his awareness or choice. Ariadne wondered at his thoughts. Maybe he was trying to remember the moment those fingers had closed around her throat, when his actions had been decided not by his own judgment, but by those of a program coded into his brain since before infancy. Or maybe he was wondering what else had that program decided without his knowledge. What other memories were hidden from him.

Many, Ariadne wanted to tell him. She’d helped the Oracle program soldiers, after all. One suppressed inconvenient memories all the time.

Whatever path his thoughts had taken must have made up his mind. Cato nodded, once. “Yes. I’m tempted. Gods help me, but yes.” He leaned back and closed his eyes.

He didn’t move as Ariadne gave him another injection of sedative, and Rhea also gave him one last touch. His eyes fluttered shut.

Ariadne met Rhea’s eyes again: Later.

“You go,” Ariadne said to the others. “Let me do my work.”

Rhea nodded. She was the first to leave, then Eris.

Nyx made no move. “I’m staying. I want to see what it’s like.”

“It won’t be pretty,” Ariadne warned. She stroked Cato’s cheek. “Poor guy is about to go through that same nightmare you did.”

“I know. That’s why I want to stay.” Nyx got comfortable in her chair, her hard grip on the armrest betraying her unease. Ariadne wished she was brave enough to give Nyx a hug.

Ariadne started running the code.

36.

CLO

Present day

Clo commanded the ship to jump again.