Mera

MERA

Another fucking door.

This one didn't have that ship's wheel contraption in the middle.

Instead, it looked like there were two handles, jutting towards the ceiling on either side of the passageway, just far enough apart that Kovas wouldn't be able to reach them both.

It might be convenient for the Uune, with their strangely coiled tentacles, but one person on their own couldn't do it.

That was all right.

Kovas wasn't alone. And neither was I.

The thought sent a bloom of warmth through my chest.

I wasn't alone.

And maybe, just maybe....

I stopped that thought in its tracks.

Plenty of time to think what else the future might hold after we'd gotten out of here and I was sure we would have one.

"If it's anything like the last, it will be too much for you," Kovas said. "Let me pull down the first one, then come and help."

But it wasn't that easy.

He tugged to the first one down but the instant he took his hand off, it spring back into place.

"Maybe there's a certain order?" I offered.

With a grunt, he nodded and came over and pulled down the lever next to me.

It went right back into place the instant he let go.

"It's clear they both need to be pulled at the same time," I said. "You have to let me try."

His hand brushed the curve of my chin. "This seems like such a small thing, and yet I cannot do it for you."

I laughed but couldn't think of anything to say.

He'd killed Garlku. And every guard in our way.

He'd protected me, sheltered me.

And now he was upset because of something that was actually physically impossible for him to complete?

He was obviously used to being far too hard on himself.

"One, two, three!" I pulled down on the lever with all my might.

It barely budged.

Kovas stood at the other side of the door, matching the angle of my lever perfectly, but it obviously wasn't going to be enough.

"Dammit"

I wrapped my arms around the lever, bracing my feet against the wall and pushed out as hard as I could.

It moved! Bit by bit, the lever came down as I strained against it until finally with a low groan of rusted metal the door slid open.

Just in time for me to land smack on my ass as my arms went weak, jellylike from exhaustion.

I scrambled to my feet, quickly checking the bag with Garlku's percomm.

It was the only thing we'd found. I'd be more than a little annoyed with myself if I broke it by sitting on it.

It was fine, and so was I, even if my hip hurt a bit. Stretching it, I grimaced slightly at the ache that ran down to my ankle. Must have twisted it a little.

My lips pressed together in irritation.

Good grief, Mera , I chided myself.

Are you going to whine about twisting your leg when Kovas has been fighting so hard, despite barely being recovered?

Get a grip, girl.

Poor Kovas's face was scrunched up, his hand over his nose and mouth.

Even I smelled it now.

"What's in there?" I asked, leaning carefully through the door and answered my own question.

A vast vat of a brilliant blue liquid stretched out before us, sparkling in the light of a fixture set into a dome high above us.

"Coolant," Kovas said. "This must supply the entire station."

I stared at him, confused. "Isn't space cold enough? Why do we need something like this?"

"The amount of machinery and engines required to operate Thodos generate far more heat than could be successfully transferred to the whole of the station," he answered easily. "It is simple thermodynamics."

All right then.

I guess that made sense if I thought about it, but I'm not sure I would have called it simple. Apparently my guy was more than just a killing machine.

"Do we need to go back?" I tried to keep the defeat from my voice. We had no idea how close the guards were, how we'd get back up to the level from which we'd fallen, any of it. It just all seemed too overwhelming to try again.

"No," he answered. "We follow that." He pointed to something I hadn't noticed.

From the small platform that jutted out from where we stood, a thin ledge circled the vat, leading to another door at the far side.

"We just follow the path."

I stared at the ledge, trying to imagine being able to walk down it. Failed utterly.

"You might think I would be over this with the dancing and whatnot. But I'm not actually that graceful."

This time he laughed. "Do you really think I would let you fall?" He took my hand, and stepped onto the ledge as easily as if walking down the middle of the Promenade. "Let's go."

The ledge was wider than it looked. Barely.

My back pressed to the wall, I shuffled sideways, trying not to look down into the mesmerizing blue below, but I couldn't help it.

I didn't have to know what the coolant was made of to know that it wouldn't be a great idea to go swimming in it.

"Kovas?" The high pitch of my voice shouted my nervousness all through the chamber. "Can you distract me?"

Another shuffling step, and another.

From behind me, his answer sounded perfectly calm. Bastard. "What would you like me to distract you with?"

Crap. Maybe I should have phrased that differently. Just the memory of his hands on my body, his breath at my throat, was enough to make me blush.

"Tell me about Tessi. You said you knew her, right?" That should be a safe enough topic, right?

The silence stretched out as we kept moving.

"I do not know her well," Kovas said as we made it to the halfway point. "But she is the mate of Alkard, our leader. He ordered the search for you to please her."

Wait. What?

"Tessi's not anyone's mate," I argued, stopping and turning to stare at him. "She's not even dating anyone!"

Kovas tilted his head. "I assure you, she is his mate. There is no possible question of the matter."

"Hmph. We'll see about that." I started moving again, but my thoughts were a mess.

Had Tessi done something crazy to get help for me?

Did I need to get out of here, and then go rescue her?

Maybe, but I couldn't do anything about it now.

I just needed to focus.

Side step, shuffle, keep my back against the wall. Repeat.

Almost to the door. Just a bit farther.

And then it didn't matter how close we were to the door.

Because my knee picked that moment to buckle under me.

Flailing, falling, my body twisted in mid-air, pitching me forward until the sparkling toxic blue below filled my vision.

I didn't even have time to scream.

"Mera!"

In an instant, I was swept into Kovas's arms, pressing against his chest. "Hold on."

"You jumped?" I whispered. How could he do such a thing?

From the corner of my eye, the world blurred around us as he kicked off from the wall of the vat, sending us flying back up. With one arm, he grabbed the edge of the walkway, swinging us further along. Then light as a feather, we landed on the platform on the far side.

He collapsed, sprawling onto his side, bare feet dangling off the edge.

"Kovas!" I shouted, falling to my knees beside him.

"Are you all right?" he said, his voice so soft, I almost couldn't make out the words. "Did I hurt you?"

"You never could." I fought back a sniffle. This was no time to start crying. Later, after we were out of this mess, I was going to find the biggest bucket of ice cream on Thodos III and cry myself silly.

Now, there were things to do.

Carefully, I rolled Kovas to his back. Then using the shoulder seams of the tunic, I dragged him the rest of the way onto the platform.

"What do you need?" Crouching next to him, I pushed the dark hair from his face, letting my fingers linger on the red marks of his cheek.

"I'll be fine." He started to push himself upright, but I held him down.

"We don't know how to open this door yet," I argued. "Let me poke at it while you rest."

He didn't answer, and I watched the rise and fall of his chest for a long moment before standing.

I could figure out how we were getting out of here. It was my turn to do something useful.

There were no levers here, just a single dark panel set into the wall on the left side of the door a little over the height of my head.

No buttons, no card slot.

Stop, Mera. Think.

No one understood what the Uune were doing as they built Thodos III. Some speculated they only built the shell of the station, and the mechanisms that kept us all alive were slowly developed by the earliest inhabitants.

Either way, there was no telling why they'd done something.

Except, I could guess that in this case it seemed like they'd made it hard to get into this chamber because of the toxic brew below.

Sort of like a safety measure.

If that was the case, could they have made it super easy to get out?

"Please," I whispered. "We need this. Just one thing to go easily." Glancing down to where Kovas rested, my chest tightened.

How much more could he take?

Biting my lip, I reached up and simply pressed my hand against the panel.

One, two, three seconds, and nothing happened.

And then like a miracle, the door smoothly slid open, and a cool breeze struck my cheeks.

"Kovas, come on!" I glanced down again, but he was already up, moving in front of me.

Checking for danger, I realized.

Protecting me, again.

"The fans on this side seem to be in better repair," he said, reaching behind to take my hand. "Shall we see where we are?"

Winding through the corridors, slowly, we saw signs of life.

"Do you know where we are yet?" I asked, stepping around a pile of half-rotted refuse, doing my best not to look at it too closely.

The corridors branched and turned, but the light seemed to grow brighter in one direction. Good enough for now.

"Somewhere in the border between the Under and the Serpentine," Kovas answered. "Our best bet is to try to make it to the Fallen Star without attracting any attention."

Thinking about what the pair of us must look like, I tried not to laugh. He was still barefoot, in ragged pants and an ill-fitting tunic, and my blue gown was held together with knots and crossed fingers. We were both filthy, and Kovas was spattered with blood.

I probably was, too, but didn't really want to know about it. Not until we were somewhere I could actually do something about it.

"Thank you," he grunted, squeezing my shoulder.

The touch sent flutters through my chest, but I scoffed in response. "For what?"

"Getting us out of there," he responded quietly. "It's my job to rescue you."

"You're being silly," I replied firmly. "You saved my life. Now I'm saving yours."

"You saved mine first," he argued.

I poked him on his shoulder. "Are we really going to play this game?'

"What game?"

"The I lo…" I cut myself off, shaking my head.

The ‘I love you more' game.

I'd overheard other couples playing it, the silly argument over who cared the most about each other.

I'd thought maybe someday I'd play it with a lover, someone sweet and kind who loved me to the moon and back.

But Kovas was a Vinduthi, and I was a human, both of us injured and on the run.

Probably not the right time to dwell on foolish fantasies.

The Fallen Star was a long way from here, and even though we had Garlku's percomm, neither of us could unlock it for help.

We needed to get to help, but first, we needed to find a place to rest. Kovas had pushed himself to the limit, even if he wouldn't admit it.

If we stumbled into a well trafficked area of the station, we could face enemies just as easily as friends. And if we were attacked now, I wasn't sure Kovas would be able to fight.

I did know he'd die trying to protect me.

And I couldn't let that happen.

Gingerly, I started testing doors, looking for any place we could take shelter, even if it was for just a few hours.

A dirt-grimed window caught my attention.

Maybe we'd found a refuge after all.

Opening the door was difficult. It was almost sealed shut from years of being left untouched.

"Can you open this?"

Kovas took his arm off me and leaned against the wall while pushing it in with ease.

We walked into what seemed to be an abandoned laundromat.

You could see where hanging racks had fallen, leaving piles of fabric on the floor, and old machines lined up against the wall that separated this room from the next.

"Not exactly a luxury suite," I said, looking around. "But maybe we can work with this."

"We should keep going," he grumbled. "Get more distance under us."

I rubbed my eyes. He was right, I knew it.

But so was I.

"I'll make you a bet," I decided. "If you can pick me up and carry me out of here, I'll come without an argument."

Standing before him with my hands on my hips, I blocked the door. "Come and get me."

His eyes flashed, the crimson burning deeper.

Maybe I should have thought this through a little more.

Whoops?