The Shattered Way (Champions of the Crystal Book 7)

Chapter 19.5

Sabrina pried the vent cover up and shoved it further into the duct, not wanting to drop it and make a lot of noise. She pondered the best way to lower herself so she wouldn't have to drop the entire height of the room; Ford's experience in this area guided her, but her body wasn't as strong as his, and she ended up wrenching her shoulder pretty badly and falling further than either of them intended. She sat for a moment in the empty room, catching her breath and doing an inventory of all the little scrapes and bruises she'd gained.

No going back that way, she thought, looking up at the vent. There was nothing to stand on in the room.

No great loss, Ford thought.

What if I can't get any of the doors open?

You will.

Right. She got up and went to the room's only door. It slid open for her without hesitation.

Told you, Ford thought smugly. No need to lock any of these doors. We aren't supposed to be in that section at all.

Do you want me to backtrack toward you and see if I can open the door between you and the Forbidden Zone?

Let's see what's around first.

Sabrina went down the corridor, trying doors. They all slid open for her, and the rooms were mostly dark and empty. A few of them contained furniture and equipment; Ford had her examine them, but he seemed as puzzled as she was. When a door slid open to reveal a dimly lit room, Sabrina took a step back in surprise. This one's in use. She drew in a breath and stepped inside, stopping again when she made out a body lying on the raised slab. At first she thought it was a child; then she recognized Rudolf. His brain had been dismantled and was lying in pieces around him; one of his legs and part of his torso had also been taken apart.

Ford's stab of grief and anger lanced through her, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Can we put him back together?

It will take time. A lot more than we probably have.

I'm sorry, darling.

Keep going. There's nothing for you to do in there.

But why take him apart?

To study our technology, perhaps. I don't know. Ford withdrew from the link a little, not wanting to distract her with his reaction to seeing his creation desecrated. They probably took the ship apart too, if it wasn't destroyed when they pulled it out of the Way, he added after a minute.

That means they'll learn about Way technology, Sabrina thought in horror.

They already did, or they couldn't have tracked us and forced emergence, Ford pointed out.

Sabrina thought about that for a moment. So they not only know how to build biological phase shifting devices, but also how to disrupt Ways? Who are these people?

I don't know, but we have to find out. Keep moving! I don't want you to meet any of them if we can help it. Ideally we don't want them to know we've been wandering around at all. Surprise is pretty much our only advantage.

Right. I don't want to meet them either, Sabrina agreed. But where are they? It seems so weird to just leave us here without guards.

They don't need guards. We can't breathe the atmosphere, so we can't escape. Elegantly simple.

Sabrina had a moment's longing for an adversary who would trip over their own plans, although she couldn't think of anyone in particular she'd encountered in the past who could really be described that way. With a sigh, she opened the door across the hall.

It was fully lit, and she blinked, momentarily blinded but able to glimpse that the room was occupied. As the figures turned to face her, she focused on the figure laid out on the slab: Marie. She moved forward without conscious thought, and it was only when she was grabbed by both arms that she focused on her captors.

Kyan! She and Ford both thought at once, before panic swamped the link.