Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1) I.O. Adler (read people like a book TXT) 📖

out onto the floor. She put more into the palm of her hand and sniffed it. It smelled clean.

He made a few more pops.

She tasted it. “I’m making sure it’s safe for us.”

Clean, cool water. If there was anything else in it, she couldn’t detect it. She took a drink before giving the bag to Barrett, who swallowed it down until the bag was empty.

Green Eye watched while finger-combing his tousled mane. His floating interface continued to hover next to him. She pointed at it and he brought it around. He waved away the water triptych. Tapped a few times on the keys. The stick figure appeared again and this time it held something in its hand. In the second panel it put the object in its mouth. The third panel showed the figure with whatever it had eaten in its belly.

Carmen studied the three pictures in case she was missing anything beyond the obvious. “Hungry? Yes, I guess I am, but maybe we better wait on that.”

Green Eye was in the process of creating another scene when Four Arms clickety-click-clicked. Green Eye closed the display and retreated to his place by the door.

“I guess we know who’s in charge,” Carmen murmured.

Barrett didn’t respond, having reclined again.

If only she could spend time with Green Eye’s interface. But without She Who Waits to translate there would be no easy way to make a request without causing another showdown with Four Arms. She watched the guards. The two Melded seemed to be able to communicate without any obvious translator. She felt certain they were different species. The only thing unifying them was their black space suits, their weapons, and the augmentations on their skin, or in Green Eye’s case, two artificial arms along with his shining eye.

More things to learn. But if the Melded were about to take the harvester, she had no time to waste. She paced as Barrett fought to get comfortable.

A hologram appeared on top of the box.

Barrett yelped and rolled out of the way as a bright image grew. A white sphere of light hovered. When the sphere spoke, it was with Jenna’s voice. Her words came loud enough for Carmen to hear her perfectly. And Carmen detected the edge of panic in her voice.

“Car, can you hear me? Are you there?”

“I’m here, Jenna. What’s wrong?”

“The Melded found Mom. They’re threatening to hurt her. I don’t know what to do!”

Carmen shielded her eyes as she squinted at the sphere. “What do you mean threatening her? Where are you?”

“Plugged in. I’m still in the med bay and connected to the harvester. I haven’t given that up yet. But the Cordice talked to me. They invited me into their simulation again a moment ago and told me about what was happening. I now have access to some of their systems. But there’s too much…I can’t make sense of most of it.”

“Focus. Tell me about Mom. I thought she was there inside their simulation.”

“She is, but her body isn’t. It’s here in the home ship on this ring. Mom’s here, Car, but you’ve got to hurry.”

“I’m kind of stuck right now.”

“I know. You’re in the audience chamber, aren’t you? I can see you and Barrett and the two Melded. If you can make it out into the hallway, I think I can access the doors.”

“You think…?”

“I can do it.”

How, Carmen wanted to ask. And why were the Cordice suddenly helping them? And if she got out of the audience chamber, what was she supposed to do to stop the Melded without a weapon? But she couldn’t just wait for her mom to be taken.

Barrett shook his head. “Don’t. Don’t even think about doing anything, neither of you. This has gone too far. You don’t know what trouble you’ll start if you make them angry. We made our case on what we want. Now let them figure it out.”

The man who wanted her to steal the harvester and fly it to Earth was now asking her to sit back and let the Melded abduct her mom?

Not a chance.

The two Melded guards were still alert and watching. The hologram sphere lit up the whole room. While they appeared wary, their weapons remained at their sides. If they had understood any of what Jenna had said and knew what they were planning, they’d be pointing their guns at her.

“Jen, how bright can you make that hologram? When I say so, turn it all the way up.”

“I’ll try.”

Carmen marched towards them and pointed back at the light. “You guys know how to turn that thing off?”

Green Eye moved towards the hologram. But Four Arms gestured wildly at her and stomped a foot. Jabbed the weapon barrel in her direction. Clicked emphatically. Green Eye called out and began gesturing. Distracted, Four Arms lowered his gun, squinting in the light despite his helmet.

Carmen paused and covered her face. “Jen, now!”

The hologram flashed like a star. The explosion of light caused Four Arms to flinch. Even shielded, Carmen’s eyes took a moment to adjust as the hologram began to strobe. Four Arms was fiddling with his helmet and appeared to be having trouble.

This was it. Her chance.

She shoved Four Arms aside. Bolted for the door. But Four Arms was too fast. A hand caught her by the back of her hoodie. She was pulled off her feet and slammed to the floor. She dislodged it but another grabbed her ankle. She kicked it. The guard wasn’t letting go. Through it all he spouted an endless series of clicks.

The doorway was just in reach. She dragged herself and Four Arms across the floor. He was surprisingly light, about as heavy as her nephew Zach.

“Let go of me!”

She kicked again with her heel, this time aiming for Four Arms’ helmet. The