Zoraida Cordova - A Crash of Fate

“He wasn’t there.”

“On one hand, we have some time to fix this. On the other, I’m worried. Dok doesn’t leave the shop unattended. Especially when he’s sent most of his staff on errands.”

“Tap was worried, too.”

He settled into the plush black leather of the couch, one arm outstretched behind her. If she leaned in, she’d be resting her head on his shoulder. She knew she shouldn’t let her guard down. She didn’t give in to her impulse, though every part of her ached and she longed to rest. How was he able to be comfortable at a time like this? She’d forgotten about his ability to fall asleep anywhere. Under a tree even when there were bugs crawling around. Inside the hollow of a petrified tree. On the ground behind their homes when they’d stare at the sky and try to make sense of the moons and stars. He would tell her stories he’d heard from his parents about the ancient ruins that surrounded them. Then he’d fall asleep while she complained about the cold and worried about grass snakes. The memory seemed to unfold itself from the recesses of her mind, where she thought she’d locked it away. Why hadn’t she tried to come back sooner?

“Do I have something on my face?” Jules asked.

She was staring at him. She knew she was staring at him, but it wasn’t for the reason he thought. Though, how could he know the reasons at all? Heat crept up her neck and settled on her cheekbones, something she blamed on all the running around she’d been doing. Otherwise, Izzy would have been forced to admit to herself that she was staring at Julen Rakab not because of his confounding kindness and optimism but because he was, in so many words, beautiful.

“Dust,” she said, and folded her arms across her chest.

“I don’t know, Izzy,” Jules said. “Do you have any idea what’s in the parcel? Maybe we can—”

“If it was something we could replace, Dok wouldn’t have had someone deliver it from another planet.”

He scrutinized her with a stare that was becoming all too familiar. “You don’t know what’s in it, do you?”

“No,” she said. “Part of the job is to not ask questions. Besides, he’s your boss. Do you have any idea?”

Jules sighed. “I don’t know why Dok does anything.”

“Good. That’s settled.” She held her palm out. “Give me the access card. I’ll swap the parcels.”

At that he sat forward. “If you get caught—”

“I won’t.”

“Izzy, it’s dangerous.”

She shrugged a shoulder and kept drinking her sparkly flower drink. She couldn’t read the label, except the words “Flora Wow” in Basic. “You did your part. Besides, I’m smaller. You’re a meter and a half tall.”

“I’m one point eighty-five meters tall and it comes in handy. Sometimes,” he amended with a rueful grin that kick-started her rapid pulse again. She had to get herself under control. All those emotions had screwed her up in the first place. Whatever she was feeling for Jules needed to be shoved in a compartment and sealed shut.

“More of a reason for it to be me. Bring the speeder closer and pray to the spires that it doesn’t stall again.”

“You only get that one shot at my baby, Izzy,” he warned her.

She raised her hands in mock defeat. They didn’t have to wait long for the siren announcing shift change to blare. She left behind the cloak she’d swiped from an open cargo box because they agreed it was conspicuous. Instead, she stripped off her leather jacket and Jules removed his tunic, remaining in a threadbare white T-shirt he’d clearly outgrown seasons before.

She used the bathroom in the ship to splash water on her face and tug on the tunic. It was far too big on her, but when she cinched it with her own belt, it was closer to what the local human workers on the launchpad wore. After tying her hair in a knot, she slipped the card in her pocket and walked off the boarding ramp.

Sometimes, when Izzy was unsure of what to do on a job, she wondered what her mother might do. Ixel Garsea always walked into a room with her head held high. Izzy hadn’t quite managed the same pride that had made her mother appear unapproachable, but as she headed for the office with the pack strapped to her back, walking against the chaos of the shift change, she thought she was getting close.

When she palmed the card against the sensor and the doors slid open, she could finally breathe. The air smelled cold, a mix of chemicals and earthy notes she wasn’t familiar with. Crates and boxes of shipments were stacked in heaps that were less organized than Dok-Ondar’s den. Dok’s at least felt like it had a method to the chaos. Jules had mentioned Ohnaka Transport Solutions was losing business. It was a wonder anything could be found let alone delivered.

She crept through the place, eyes darting from wooden crate to metallic crate. She cursed herself for not marking her parcel somehow, but she was certain she could identify it among the others. First she needed to find it. She lifted a stack of furry pelts that shimmered like an oil slick in the rain. With the back of her hand she caressed one, and it was the softest thing she’d ever touched. She knew of no creature it could be from, but her curiosity was piqued. Perhaps when she got out of there she could go in search of one.

Barrels of brew took up a corner. The items there didn’t look like they were meant to be shipped at all. Most of the boxes were open. She looked in one and found some sort of round gold coins. Her eyes followed the boxes up. Far out of her reach, there it was: the briefcase with the square keypad at the center. Far too high for her to reach. She grumbled. Jules wouldn’t even have had to stretch for it. She decided she would not tell him about this part. All she needed was something to stand on. The crate she was able to move got her within centimeters of the briefcase handle. She jumped and her hand folded around it. Then she repeated the motion to place the correct briefcase. Sweat poured between her shoulder blades and down her breast, but she had it. With her heart racing, she shoved the crate back and turned to go.

Noise came from the other side of the door. She could hear Lee’s rough voice. The memory of her sharp teeth flashed into Izzy’s mind. If she’d been able to practically put Jules in a headlock, what would she do to Izzy?

There was nowhere to hide. Besides, what if Lee could smell Izzy? Did that heightened sense translate on land or only underwater? She didn’t have time to debate that, and knew there was only one place safe enough to hide. Lifting half the shimmering pelts, she burrowed between them, staying as flat as she could. She felt a little smug knowing Jules would have been too long to hide in the same spot. But as she tugged the briefcase in with her, her sweaty hand slipped. The case fell to the floor just as the doors whooshed open.

“Blast!” Lee shouted, only a fraction of her slapping webbed feet visible from where Izzy was. “I’m losing my mind. Where is my access card? Thank Karkari I remembered the override codes.”

A pair of heavy brown boots and a flatbed cart followed closely behind Lee. “Where am I going?” said a woman with a smooth alto voice.

Lee’s growl made Izzy’s body clench. She was glad she’d relieved herself in the Avent100’s restroom. “Do you smell that?”

“I dunno. Did someone clean?”

Izzy would have snorted if she hadn’t been holding her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut, as if that would make her invisible. The pelts were bulky enough, she reminded herself. There was not a single part of her sticking out. Her lungs burned, and despite all the liquid she’d drunk, her mouth felt like she’d been chewing on sand. The slap of feet approached, and she felt the weight above her lighten.