Purity Read online

  Boone narrowed his eyes and looked at her. “No emotions, huh? I would think that has a lot to do with the dampers your suit has been pumping into you.”

  K’s mouth was tight. “For the last time, my suit has nothing to do with my lack of emotion. It is my devotion to Purity that helps me purge unwanted feelings, nothing more.”

  “Uh-huh.” He took another sip of hot chocolate. “We’ll let you go a week or two without the suit and then see if you’re still feeling so frosty, darlin’.”

  “A week?” Though it was clear she was struggling to keep her expression calm, her voice rose uncertainly. “I thought you said you would give me back my suit if I agreed to cooperate.”

  “Oh, so you’re feeling cooperative now?” Boone eyed her. “Well, it doesn’t matter if you are or not. The damn thing is too damaged to do you any good right now. It’ll be weeks before it’s regenerated enough to wear again. Maybe months.”

  “Months?” This time he could hear the panic from her voice. “But I need it. It shields me—protects me.”

  “It drugs you,” Boone said firmly. “And considering all the shit it’s been pumping into you, I’d sign you into rehab for a whole damn year if you were one of my regular patients.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I am not your patient.”

  “No, you’re my prisoner.” Boone leaned closer to her and she inched back, just a little. The reaction made him even angrier somehow. He didn’t bite, Goddamnit, even if she did deserve it. “I’m pretty damn sure we’re treating you a hell of a lot better than you would treat us if the situation was reversed.” He growled. “The Purists don’t usually give their captives hot chocolate before purging them, do they?”

  “I don’t want your filthy Impure drink.” Her voice had gone back to a monotone and she stared straight ahead. “I only want my suit. If you will not give it to me, I might as well purge myself. It is my duty to die now that I have become contaminated anyway.”

  Boone could scarcely believe what he was hearing. “You’re serious? You really want to die just because I touched you?”

  “Isn’t that the effect you usually have on women?” Loki’s sarcastic tenor broke Boone’s concentration on the girl. He looked up in irritation to see the effete Erian leaning against one of the mess hall counters, wearing a self satisfied smirk.

  “I swear, Loki, if you weren’t such a talented pilot I’d kick your ass three ways to Sunday.”

  “I love you too, Boone.” Loki blew him a kiss. “Now kids, if you’re about done playing footsie under the table we need to talk about our course.”

  Boone frowned. “What’s there to talk about? Engage the hyperdrive and we’ll go straight to Midas.”

  “Impossible.” Loki shook his head. “Sorry Boone but that last blast to get us away from the Purist vessel and into deep orbit fried the transconducer so the hyperdrive is barely limping along at half power. And since Princess Purist and her band of merry Paladins shot Krill, we have no engineer to fix it.” He gave K an unfriendly look which she returned with a blank stare.

  “What?” Boone ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “But I thought—”

  “I told you this thing was a pile of junk when you bought it.” Loki thumped the curving wall behind him, making a hollow boom. “Now if we were aboard the Dream Spinner right now we’d already be halfway to Midas. Not that it would do you any good.”

  “What are you talking about?” Boone growled. “Of course it would.”

  “Not if you’re depending on her to help.” Loki nodded at K. “Go on, sweetheart, tell Boone here what you’ll do the minute we get to the mines,” he urged.

  K sat up straighter, her chin lifted proudly. “If you take me to the pshalite mines I’ll announce that I have been contaminated and that I must be purged at once.”

  “See?” Loki said. “She’s still in full Paladin mode. You touched her and she’s contaminated—therefore she wants to die. She’s no help to you like she is now, Boone.”

  “She’ll be plenty of help if she wants to get her suit back.” Boone clenched his jaw in frustration. “We’ve already waited so long—”

  “And we’ll have to wait a little longer. Look, Boone…” Loki put an empty mug in the food simulator and pushed a few buttons. “At least you know the Purists don’t do rape. So other than a little hard labor, she should be fine.”

  “Easy for you to say.” Boone got up and started pacing. “It’s been almost six solar months already. Who knows what goes on in those mines?”

  “She probably does.” Loki nodded at K again. “Tell him what happens to prisoners in the pshalite mines, Paladin. What’s the life expectancy?”

  K frowned. “I don’t have exact statistics but I believe barring accidents and injuries—”

  “See? Accidents and injuries. It’s a fucking mine, Loki. Dark, dirty, underground. There are probably cave-ins and gas explosions and—”

  “Boone, honey, please…” Mom was suddenly beside him, taking his arm. Their height different was such that the top of her head barely reached his elbow but it didn’t matter. He felt a current of calm flowing between them at her touch. “Relax,” she murmured. “Getting upset won’t help. Release your fears to the Goddess.”

  “I’m sorry.” He sank down beside K again who was looking at him as though he was an escaped lunatic. I probably just displayed more emotion in the last five seconds than she’s felt in the last five years, Boone thought sourly.

  “It’s okay, honey. We know why you’re upset,” Mom said soothingly.

  “I just get so crazy when I think of it,” Boone muttered. “She’s my little sister and she’s out there alone, unprotected…”

  “Shayla can take care of herself better than you think.” Loki took the now full mug out of the simulator and sipped something that smelled like a cross between beer and chicken soup. “She’s a tough girl. She’ll make it a little while longer.”

  “How much longer?” Boone demanded.

  “It’s going to take us at least two solar weeks to get back to Minotaur and then we have to pray they have the part we need.” Loki blew on his beer soup and took another sip.

  Boone looked up wearily. “And if they don’t?”

  Loki shrugged. “Then I hope you like saurian meat. The outpost on Minny isn’t very big and from what I hear that’s mostly what’s on the menu. We could be eating it for quite some time if we have to wait for a part from Eros or Colossus.”

  “Let’s cut the worst case scenario shit and say they have the part on hand,” Boone said evenly. “Then can we fly directly to Midas?”

  Loki frowned. “I’d like to tell you absolutely yes, Boone, but I just don’t think it’s wise. We need to go to Eros first, ditch this piece of junk and get the Dream Spinner out of drydock.”

  Boone sighed. “Look, Loki, I know you don’t like this ship but—”

  “It’s not a matter of me liking it or not. It’s too obviously Erian. You saw how her crew reacted to it.” He nodded at K. “Do you really want to take it into Purist air space? I think that’s a bad idea unless you want to be helping dear little sis dig big nasty chunks of pshalite out of the ground instead of rescuing her.”

  “You know I don’t.”

  “I didn’t think so. Good, so we agree that a short layover at Eros is necessary. And not just to change ships.”

  “What?” Boone frowned. “What else do we need to do? Take on supplies? That shouldn’t take too long.”

  “No, it shouldn’t but we need more than supplies or at least I do. I have to find a new touch-partner. Or have you forgotten that one of little Miss Purity’s crew killed Chall?” There was genuine pain in his voice—and real hatred in his eyes when he looked at K.

  Boone ran both hands through his hair. Great, this just gets better and better! “Christ, Loki,” he said, trying to choose his words carefully. “I know I got you into this mess in the first place and I’m sorry Chall is gone. But we don’t have three or four solar months fo