Into the Black Hole

Chapter 34: The Final Piece

Persistent knocking startles me awake. Timour's arms tighten around my waist, warmth from his bare chest seeping into my back. His chin rests on my shoulder while he whispers in my ear, "Are you expecting someone?"

"What time is it?" I question groggily.

Timour pulls out his portal. "Zero-five-forty-two hours."

I groan.

"I can get rid of them," he says, sitting up and taking all the heat with him.

"Wait." I grasp his forearm. "What if it's—?"

More knocking rattles the door. "Ailee?" calls an agitated Huxley. "If you don't open the door in five seconds, I will."

"Shit," I say under my breath, scrambling off the bed to stand up and adjust my tank top. "Stay hidden." I tell Timour, gesturing for him to get out of the door's view. He's not happy but does what I request, positioning himself on the bed's edge.

For a split second, I pause. Did Huxley discover that I entered the lab? What will he do? Cracking open the door, I flinch against the bright hallway lights. I blink my eyes a few times and make out Huxley's familiar smirk. He's impeccable as always in black leather, looking like he recently decided to join a hovercraft gang.

My eyes shift left and right. The guards are gone. "Where's the fire?" I question. "Impending death is the only acceptable justification for you waking me up this early."

His eyes twinkle. "Funny. What about rescuing you from possible impending death? Does that qualify?"

"Elaborate."

"We caught the guy."

I raise my eyebrows. "Intribot guy?"

"Yep."

"Was he working alone?"

"As far as I can tell."

"And you know it's him?"

Huxley nods. "The DNA match is exact, so unless he has an unregistered twin running around... On top of that, he'd been in hiding for over a week."

"Oh, well, that's great news." I smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," says Huxley sincerely, "but I also came here to ask if you wanted to witness the interrogation. It begins at zero-six-hundred hours."

"Is it standard protocol for the victim of a crime to be present during the interrogation?"

"Nope. But I'm Boss, so I make the rules. Besides, the court system here works a little differently compared to the UE. He'll probably be convicted today, and I just thought you'd want to be there for closure." He holds up his hands. "I completely understand if you don't want to see him. I simply wanted to grant you the option."

Bursts of anger, confusion, and fear dash through me at the prospect of glimpsing my attacker, and I attempt to conceal my anxiety by quipping, "You couldn't do the interrogation closer to noon?"

Huxley sees right through me. "We've been keeping him up all night, trying to tire him out."

Taking a deep breath, I finalize my decision. "Can you give me two minutes?"

He nods.

Back in my room, I quietly explain the situation to Timour while I put on a beige trenchcoat, not bothering to change my tank top and shorts. I'm beginning to believe the code words are merely a way for Felix to monitor my engagements with Huxley—Felix can probably surveil Huxley efficiently all by himself—but steering clear of the Quartermaster's wrath, I message him "Lunch at 12:00." I doubt he's awake.