Chapter 96: Captivity

  Chloe wanted to scratch at the tiny hole on her neck where the Feds had injected Limiters. She couldn't. Nanomechanical constructs shackled her arms and legs to the floor of her cell.

  She tried to tell herself the itch was only psychosomatic, anyway.

  She figured she was fixating on it to keep her mind off the rest of her situation. On the bright side, she doubted she'd be itching much longer.

  She shuddered.

  More for the distraction than anything else, she said, “It'll be okay, Mili.”

  Milissa wasn't bound, thank the Principle, although she, too, had been given Limiters and locked into this cell by the Animus Hunters who stood watch outside, silent shadows in their weird, ominous armor.

  The Kyrillos girl looked up. Her eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed, and her lip trembled when she spoke. “Chloe...”

  “It'll be okay,” Chloe repeated. She tried to keep her voice calm and level. Maybe she was too frightened to panic, because she seemed to pull it off. “Nobody's going to hurt you.”

  “It's so lonely,” Milissa whispered. Her shoulders shook. “It's like you're not even there.”

  Of course. Milissa was a natural empath, not one who could turn the effect on and off as Chloe had learned to. She'd experienced others' feelings since before she'd been old enough to have anything beyond basic sensation.

  Now, thanks to the Limiters coursing through her bloodstream and sealing off her powers, Milissa couldn't feel any feelings but her own – and those couldn't be any kind of happy.

  Chloe wished she could go to her friend and hold her. She wished a lot of things that weren't going to happen.

  She did the next best thing. “You are not alone, Milissa.”

  Milissa looked up. “I know, Chloe. It's terrible for me to complain about my problems when you –”

  “I don't just mean me, Mili,” Chloe said. “You have Rudy, and Stephan, and even my mom, too. And Slava and Quinn and Tarkov and all the men-at-arms who've been happy to serve you. You have everybody who's ever done you a kindness and everybody you've ever done a kindness for.”

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  “B-but, they're not here,” Milissa stammered. “It's just you and me. And them.” She threw a hateful glance to the Animus Hunters outside.

  “The people you care about don't have to be here,” Chloe said gently.

  Milissa looked back to her, frowning. “I can't feel them, though.”

  “Sure you can. You can't feel them in your head, Mili, but you can still feel them...” For a wonder, Chloe didn't even have to force the smile onto her lips. “I'd tap my heart, but, you know.”

  “Yeah,” Milissa said. She stared at Chloe's bonds. “I know.”

  “As long as you've got friends and family who love you, Mili, and Principle knows you do, you aren't ever really alone. It may feel like it, but if you close your eyes –”

  Milissa did.

  “– and think about the people you care about, it's the next best thing to their being with you.”

  A little smile formed on Milissa's face.

  Its twin rested on Chloe's, at least for a few minutes.

  She knelt and hung her head and closed her eyes.

  Principle, she thought, this is uncomfortable. Her neck was cramped. Her arms were cramped. And that stupid injection still itched.

  The Feds didn't really think the shackles would hold her, of course. If their Limiters failed, it would take at least the better part of the Animus Hunter Corps to do so. The shackles were probably meant to keep her from concentrating.

  Which, she had to admit, they did a pretty good job of.

  “Chloe,” Milissa whispered. Chloe felt her friend's arms slide around her back and her friend's head press to her shoulder. “Thank you. So much. You're the best friend ever.”

  Chloe smiled at her. “If I were that, Mili, I wouldn't have dragged you into a place like this.”

  Milissa looked up. Cocked her head. “Actually, that's... probably true,” she admitted.

  “Wait a minute,” Chloe said, filling her voice with mock-indignation. “Rudy and I wanted you to stay safe with your brother's people. You dragged yourself here!”

  Milissa giggled. “Best. Ever.”

  Chloe looked away. She didn't want Milissa to see the tears welling up in her eyes. If they'd been happy ones, she'd have shared them, because Principle knew the both of them probably needed a good cry to go with the bad.

  But her tears weren't happy.

  They weren't for Milissa, either.

  Rudy, she thought, are you okay? I never got to see if you got away. And Mom? They didn't hurt you, did they? Dad, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. Maybe Rudy still can, but... it doesn't look like he's going to win his Etemenos Cup, even if he's okay. You were right, Dad.

  Rudy...

  I miss you already, Chloe thought. I love you.

  Stupid powers.

  Stupid erinyes.

  I want to marry you, Rudy. I want to get out of this and see you again. I want you to hold me like you used to. Or, she thought with a little embarrassment, not like you used to.

  But, Chloe thought, it sure didn't look like any of that would happen.