New Elysium: Weapons of War (Book 2)

Order/Disorder Part 20

"Is this everlasting love?
Could you live without me now?
It's not enough
To say you can't get through tonight
Could you be without my love?
- The Anix, "Everlasting Love"

They spent the rest of their trip back to New Elysium without speaking a word. The brutality of each of their actions during their fight had done less damage than the brutal honesty of their words. But the things that had been said during their fight had to be said. And now, although they spent the rest of their trip back to New Elysium mostly in silence, it didn't feel like the awkward, oppressive silence that was left behind when things remain unsaid. Instead, the air between them was cleared, like after a thunderstorm. The comfortable silence of friends who didn't have to figure each other out.

As soon as they saw the lights of Ehring station Red reached out to Ember through their private commlink. He wanted nothing more than to hear her voice again. He spread himself through his connection to the Blackstar just to amplify a signal. He felt Adam push back momentarily before giving way and allowing the connection to go through. It wasn't much, just enough to let Red know the AI hadn't forgiven him and on this ship, Red wasn't in charge. 

Ember?

He felt a connection for the briefest moment in time, and then...

Static. 

He tried again and again with no success, ultimately removing his hand from the interface frowning. He should have been able to reach her, even from here...

"Something is wrong." He turned back to Amy, but she was already glowering as she stared at her console, 'denied' scrolling across her screens. They weren't giving them a berth. New Elysium had locked them out. 

"Yeah, no shit."

She stared at her screen, her face pinched with worry. A few keystrokes and she was broadcasting her signal loud and clear. Red nodded in approval, someone would hear that, no matter what part of New Elysium they were on.

"Why would they deny us?" Red voiced the question out loud and then immediately thought of the answer.

They didn't listen, they weren't loyal cogs in his machine. They came and went, and then there was the issue of Red and Ember. Ember's death sentence from Neo-Tokyo by a bounty, because of her involvement with him. The list probably could go on... but he ran a hand through his hair, his mind figuring out the best way to infiltrate Ehring Station.

He wasn't leaving without Ember if that's what Jack wanted.

"I'll keep hailing them," Null turned to him, her face pinched with frustration. "But one way or another, we are getting on that station." She clenched a closed fist against the console before taking a deep breath.

More than one way to infiltrate-- Lars started, when suddenly, Jack's face appeared on the screen. He looked exhausted and there were dark circles under his blue eyes.

Red was next to Amy in an instant almost bowling her out of the way. She shoved him back with a glare.

"Jack? What's going on down there?"

"Don't pretend you don't know," Jack snapped.

His eyes narrowed at them. Red studied him, he was more than tired. Exhaustion poured out of him. He seemed to have aged a few years since they'd left.

"You've been nothing but trouble... and--"

"Haven't got a fucking clue what you're talking about, Jack." Red crossed his arms to keep himself from punching the screen. Jack's face had become one of his favorite things to hit as of late.