17. Maar

CHAPTER 17

MAAR

" W ho are you really?" she asks me again.

I want to answer. But I know this area isn't safe. I've made it into a war zone.

"Come with me, and I'll explain everything," I says. "Please trust me one last time."

Alyssa looks me in the eyes. And then she gets up.

I grab her.

"It will be easier if we move like this," I say, and hold her close, carrying her. She is light and it is no bother to me.

I tighten my grip on Alyssa as we approach the edge of the transport platform. The wind whips around us, carrying the acrid smell of burnt circuitry and ozone from the recent firefight. My heart pounds, not from exertion, but from the weight of what I'm about to do.

"Hold on tight," I mutter, feeling her arms instinctively wrap around my neck.

We leap. For a moment, we're suspended in the Martian air, the ground far below us. Alyssa's breath catches in her throat, a small gasp that sends a shiver down my spine. We land with a thud on the row of passenger aircars, the impact jarring my bones.

"What the hell, Raaj?" Alyssa hisses, her voice a mix of fear and anger.

I don't answer, focusing instead on the task at hand. I scan the line of aircars, looking for one that'll be easy to hotwire. My eyes lock on an older model, its security systems outdated.

"This'll do," I mutter, more to myself than to Alyssa.

I set her down gently, then get to work on the aircar's control panel. My fingers move swiftly, muscle memory taking over as I bypass the security protocols.

"You're stealing a car now?" Alyssa's voice is incredulous. "Who are you?"

The aircar's engine hums to life. "Get in," I say, avoiding her question. "We don't have much time."

She hesitates for a moment, her eyes searching mine. I can see the conflict there, the battle between trust and suspicion. Finally, she climbs in.

I slide into the driver's seat, my hands moving over the controls with practiced ease. The aircar lifts off smoothly, joining the flow of traffic above New London.

"Where are we going?" Alyssa asks, her voice tight.

"Olympus Mons spaceport," I reply, punching in the coordinates. "It's our best shot at getting off-world."

"Off-world?" she echoes. "Raaj, what's going on? Who were those people?"

I glance at her, seeing the fear and confusion in her eyes. It twists something in my chest. "They're after you," I say quietly. "And I'm trying to keep you safe."

"But why-"

A blast rocks the aircar, cutting off her question. I curse, swerving to avoid another shot. In the rearview, I spot two sleek, black aircars gaining on us.

"Hang on," I growl, pushing our vehicle to its limits. "This might get rough."

I weave through the Martian skyline, the stolen aircar groaning under the strain. Alyssa's knuckles are white as she grips the seat, her eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"Hang on," I growl, banking hard to avoid another blast from our pursuers.

The spires of New London blur past us as I push the aircar to its limits. A quick glance at the rearview shows the black aircars still on our tail, relentless in their pursuit.

"Raaj, what the hell is going on?" Alyssa demands, her voice tight with fear.

I don't answer immediately, my mind racing as I focus on a risky maneuver. My hands grip the controls tightly, knuckles white with tension. I dive between two gleaming skyscrapers, the gap barely wide enough for our vehicle. The aircar's metal frame groans in protest as we squeeze through, the building's reflective surfaces flashing by in a dizzying blur.

My heart pounds in my chest, but I force myself to remain calm. This is what I'm trained for, after all. The move pays off spectacularly - in my rearview, I catch a glimpse of one of our pursuers clipping the edge of a building. The black aircar spirals out of control, trailing smoke and debris as it plummets towards the Martian streets below.

A grim smile tugs at my lips. One down, but we're not out of danger yet.

"One down," I mutter, allowing myself a grim smile.

"Raaj!" Alyssa's shout snaps me back to reality.

I take a deep breath, my heart pounding in my chest as I realize the moment of truth has finally arrived. There's no turning back now. "My name isn't Raaj," I confess, the words feeling heavy on my tongue as I force them out. My eyes remain fixed on the neon-lit skyline ahead, unable to face Alyssa's reaction. "It's Maar." The name, my true identity, hangs in the air between us, a revelation that could shatter everything we've been through together. I grip the controls tighter, bracing myself for whatever comes next.

"What?" The confusion in her voice is palpable.

"I wasn't the soldier who saved you on Horus IV," I continue, my words tumbling out in a rush. "I was there, but... on the other side."

Alyssa's sharp intake of breath cuts through the hum of the engine. "What are you saying?"

I risk a glance at her, seeing the hurt and betrayal etched across her face. Her eyes, once filled with warmth and trust, now bore into me with a mixture of confusion and dawning horror. "I was sent to capture you," I confess, my voice barely above a whisper. The words taste bitter on my tongue, each syllable a reminder of my deception. "When I was injured in the chaos, I... I took the real Raaj's identity." I swallow hard, the weight of my actions pressing down on me like a physical force. "I saw an opportunity, and I seized it without thinking of the consequences. Without considering how it would affect you."

"No," she whispers, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's not possible."

"It's true," I say, my voice heavy with regret. "My mission was to kill you."

The silence that follows is deafening, broken only by the whine of our straining engine and the distant blasts from our remaining pursuer.

"Then why?" Alyssa finally asks, her voice barely audible. "Why didn't you?"

I swallow hard, my grip tightening on the controls. "Because I fell in love with you," I admit, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt you."

Alyssa's silence is more damning than any words could be. I focus on flying, on keeping us alive, even as my heart feels like it's being torn apart.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, not sure if she can even hear me over the chaos around us. "I never meant for any of this to happen."