Elena tried to run, but there were machines hidden in the walls, under Sebastien’s control, and they stopped her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The access hatch in the wall irised open, and Callie spun, weapons at the ready.

A small, dark-skinned human with serious (and glowing) eyes and a lot of metallic hardware clamped onto their head looked through the opening. “I have come to rescue you. I would appreciate being rescued in return.” A pause. “Are you coming?”

Callie glanced at Ashok, who shrugged. “Out there is better than in here.”

Callie went out first to make sure it wasn’t an ambush – not that anyone needed to ambush them when they were trapped in a warehouse anyway, but she was feeling exceptionally paranoid. The tunnel beyond was only occupied by their bio-drone and the newcomer, but there was breathable atmosphere out there now, according to her suit diagnostics. Callie beckoned, and Lantern and Ashok followed.

The newcomer looked at Lantern for a long time. “You are a member of the race the builders of this station forced into servitude. I have never met a living alien before. My name is Uzoma.”

“You may call me Lantern.”

“I will take you all to a safe place. Well. Safer. I am impressed that you learned to control the bio-drone. Show me how?”

Uzoma climbed into the drone. Ashok looked a question at Callie. She shooed him in, and got on board herself.

Ashok showed her how the lights worked to direct the drone. “So where are we going?” he said.

Uzoma said, “Continue in the direction you are facing. Take the third left, and then the second right.”

Lantern consulted the infosphere. “There is no second right. The tunnel dead-ends after the first one.”

“This is good,” Uzoma said. “I think you will soon be impressed by me.”

Ashok flashed his lights, and Uzoma made a low ahhhh sound as the bio-drone lumbered forward. “I see. Good.” Uzoma turned to Callie. “I was on the Anjou. I assume Elena made it back to Earth, and sought assistance?”

“She did, more or less. Elena told us about you.” Callie looked Uzoma over. Brain-spider on the back of the head, check, weird eyes, check, but they seemed entirely calm and rational and in control of themselves. Then again, so had Sebastien, until he suddenly hadn’t. “Elena warned us you’d been compromised.”

“You refer to the neural manipulator? It briefly took control of my gross motor functions, turning me into a tool of the station. I acted without my own volition. But these devices are not designed for human anatomy. Not originally, at least. I gather Sebastien has made modifications, and his new models will be more effective on humans.”

Callie didn’t even want to think about what that meant. Not yet. “Sebastien thinks he’s unaffected, too, but the neural manipulator did something to him.”