Theo rose to his full height, and stared at the small thruster in the Ark’s hull. The thruster was too damaged to work as intended, so Theo, Clive, and Mi-Cha patched together their own solution. It would work once the reactor was brought back online, though only for a small time before burning up. Mi-Cha would have to be careful when the ship’s controls were functional again.

  “What else can we do?” Clive asked.

  “This thruster is done.” Theo pulled up his IRIS, and checked the damage report on the hull. He knew what he would see, but Theo wanted to double check, just in case.

  All five thrusters on the starboard side of the Hell’s Ark flashed red. The two Theo and the others repaired listed less severe warnings, but they still existed. The main starboard thruster, now a crater scarring the side of the Ark, was listed as an extreme danger.

  Indistinct shapes waited in the distance, where the Ark was pointing. That was the asteroid field, and it was too close.

  “We’re done here,” Theo said.

  “Uh, done?” Mi-Cha’s voice came over the radio. “You telling me this engine won’t explode at the first sign of power?”

  “It likely will,” Theo said. “We cannot do more than we have, with the tools we have.”

  “Fucking shit,” Mi-Cha muttered. “Fucking Ryder. If he slowed this bitch down for a little bit, we could have the big engine.”

  “We had to make it to Earth on time,” Clive said.

  “We’re making great fuckin’ time!” Mi-Cha pointed into the void. “Look, I can already see Earth!”

  “The Captain made a good choice.”

  “Just ‘cause you choke on Ryder’s dick doesn’t mean I have to,” Mi-Cha said.

  This was about to get out of hand.

  “We are done here. Come.” Theo marched toward the airlock. Clive sighed, and followed.

  “Fuck off and take a side for once.” Mi-Cha, however, trailed behind.

  ? ? ?

  Naoki leaned against the console on the bridge, and did his best to convince himself that he was not lying in ambush. An ambush was what the scientists did when they hunted aliens–when they sprung into action, it was violent. Naoki didn’t plan on anything violent, so he was not lying in ambush.

  Why does it still feel that way?

  The doors on the side hissed open. Theo, Clive, and Mi-Cha stepped out. They froze when they spotted Naoki standing next to the console.

  Well, time for the ambush.

  “Hello,” Naoki tested.

  “Did you need something?” Theo asked.

  “Yes, I needed to talk to you.” Naoki glanced to Clive and Mi-Cha. “It would be best if we talked alone, if you have the time.”

  Theo was still and silent.

  “What, we bad company or somethin’?” Mi-Cha demanded.

  “I don’t want to interrupt your work too much,” Naoki said.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Mi-Cha snorted.

  “Mi-Cha, Clive, I want you to check the systems here,” Theo said.

  “Already checked this bitch; the systems here are fine. It’s everywhere else that’s been fucked by a horse,” Mi-Cha said.

  “Please check it again. I will talk with Naoki,” Theo said.

  Mi-Cha glared at Theo for a moment. When he didn’t respond, Mi-Cha dragged herself away while mumbling something under her breath–likely a string of obscenities.

  Theo turned his gaze back to Naoki.

  “Will this hall work?” Theo pointed the way he’d come from.

  “I think so, yes.”

  The pair headed through the doors, and shut themselves into the hallway between the bridge and airlock.

  Naoki took a deep breath. He made a careful calculation to approach Theo. Clive was far too loyal to Ryder to give up anything but the Captain’s name; Mi-Cha would have likely refused to help just to be contrary. Naoki had seen Theo argue against Ryder’s bad ideas, and he was an honest person. If anyone would help Naoki’s investigation, Theo would.

  That’s not a guarantee, though.

  “I have a few questions about the Captain,” Naoki said.

  “You have files on all of us,” Theo answered.

  “That is true, but those files mostly detail broad work history. It’s unimportant for what I need,” Naoki said.

  “What do you need?”

  “I need something that either confirms Ryder is the spy, or completely clears his name,” Naoki said.

  “Ryder is not the saboteur.” Theo made his statement with a quick and clear certainty that Naoki didn’t trust.

  “How are you sure?” Naoki asked.

  “I have flown with the Captain for five years. I know him well.”

  “What if he was offered a good deal? Would that be enough for him to sabotage his own ship?” Naoki put his hands on his hips.

  “No deal would be good enough to sabotage the ship you’re on,” Theo said.

  “Nothing at all?”

  Theo stared at Naoki in silence. Naoki was aware of just how big Theo’s hands were, how easily they could wrap around his throat.

  “Ryder made a mistake,” Theo said. “He knew the starboard engine was unstable, but he kept flying.”

  “He wanted to reach Earth on time,” Naoki said. Ryder had taken Naoki’s words to heart then, though it only resulted in disaster.

  “He is not the saboteur, though. No one who flies would willingly harm their ship,” Theo said.

  The engine explosion was harmful to everyone aboard, including Ryder. Naoki could believe that was an accident. If Theo’s words were true, then nobody on the ship crew would sabotage the ship, so Mi-Cha and Clive were ruled out. That only left the scientists.

  Would one of them really be the spy?

  “Thank you for telling me this,” Naoki said. “Is there anything else suspicious about Ryder? Even if it doesn’t seem like it would be worthwhile information, I think I should know about it.”

  Theo shook his head.

  Erika could be the saboteur; she benefitted from Luther’s death by taking his job. Being the lead investigator would help her spy. If that was the case though, she wouldn’t have locked herself in an enclosure with a dangerous alien. By that logic, Aymeric also wouldn’t be the saboteur. Petra didn’t have access to the lab’s full systems, but she might have some device to help manipulate the doors.

  Do any of the scientists really seem like murderers?

  “Thank you for your time,” Naoki said.

  The pair stepped back into the bridge.

  “Can we have Theo back now, or are you two gonna keep making out?” Mi-Cha called.

  “I don’t need anything else. Thank you for your time,” Naoki said.

  He took the elevator into the empty galley, thoughts racing through his head. He imagined Erika as the saboteur. She was bold, but bold enough to lock herself into an enclosure with a dangerous alien?

  The idea didn’t sit right with Naoki. His thoughts drifted back to Ryder and the ship crew. It was a bias, and Naoki knew it was a bias. He liked the scientists more than the ship crew; if anyone had to be the enemy, he would rather it be Ryder or Clive than Erika.

  A thin shape passed by Naoki’s eyes.

  It landed on his collar, then yanked back.

  Wire bit into Naoki’s throat. He tried to gasp, but he couldn’t get air in.

  Something heavy hit Naoki in the knee, and he dropped to the ground.

  The wire tightened.

  Naoki clawed at his throat, but couldn’t work his fingers beneath the string. It was cold.

  Naoki tried to force a scream out, but it came out as a pathetic croak.

  I’m being choked.

  The spy was behind Naoki, and was choking him with a wire. He tried to look back and see who was attacking, but the saboteur stayed out of sight. Even if Naoki saw them, would he be able to tell who he was looking at in the dark?

  His fingers wouldn’t respond correctly, and he couldn’t claw at the string anymore.

  Naoki saw an image of his eleventh birthday cake plummeting to the ground. There was that nerve-wracking conversation with his parents, when he explained that he was trans. And the sweat under his armpits when he interviewed for his SmallWorld job.

  Your life really does flash before your eyes.

  The snapshots of Naoki’s life dissolved.