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lips down onto hers. Do you think that will work? she asked when she released him.
We can try.
A klaxon sounded, informing them the reactor emergency shut down procedures
had failed and detonation was thirty minutes away.
We d better go.
She ran after Adon to a hatchway which led to a platform above a single rail. He
went to a control pylon set in the middle of the platform and examined the simple
controls. Looking over his shoulder she saw the map indicating the tramway did a loop
from the south to the north pole and back again on the opposite side of the asteroid.
There were four tramways that girdled the small planet.
Adon pressed a green button. Immediately a hum erupted from the rail. It s
working. It will take a few moments to power up. He pointed down the track to a
bulky hatch assembly. The rail heads to a big airlock assembly, Adon explained.
She tightened her fingers about her trigger guard. And it will take us to the
north pole?
Yep. He traced the map with his finger. There s even a stop near the Nymph!
Then we ll get out there and hike across the surface. How far?
Looks like about a kilometer.
Can t we stop it closer?
There is an emergency brake.
The airlock hatch, like the iris of a great eye, suddenly opened and a squat box-
shaped tram car rolled silently toward them. The side door slid open and she followed
him onboard. He checked the control panel inside the door, satisfied himself he knew
how to operate it and closed the door.
The tram lurched slightly and rolled into the airlock. Through the small window
at the rear she watched the airlock hatch blink shut. The door in front of them opened to
the awe-inspiring ruddy glow of the black hole. The tram trundled out and entered the
Mikala Ash Chains of Passion: Slave to Lust - 83 -
deep-sided trench that led eventually to the north pole and freedom. Will you show
me how to work it? she asked.
He gave her a quizzical glance.
Just in case, she offered.
He showed her the brake switch and indicated on the lighted map how the
progress of the tram could be followed. The Nymph is around here. So we ll brake
when we get close.
His beautiful eyes had that dazed look about them again. Mi-Kun must have
reached out for him. Katsumi reached up and caressed his cheek. Her fingers traced the
line of his jaw, stopping just short of the wound at his neck. Poor Adon didn t have any
mental techniques to shield himself like she did. He could turn on her at any moment if
Mi-Kun so wished it.
They had less than twenty-five minutes to get the Nymph off and away. If Lord
Draco and Mi-Kun turned their attention back on them instead of whatever mission
they were on, she and Adon would, she feared, succumb to their thrall.
She didn t know how much time they had before Draco or Mi-Kun searched for
them. It could be anytime. She had to act now if she was to act at all. She turned to
Adon and kissed him. His lips were strangely cold and his tongue a lump in his mouth.
Forgive me, she said.
Huh?
She took a deep breath and hit him square on the jaw.
Chapter 8
Katsumi lowered Adon onto the bench seat, kissed him and snapped his helmet
in place. Keeping her mind blank she went to the control panel to watch their progress
on the lighted map. Stations were spaced unevenly along the track where they serviced
installations of unknown purpose. Out the side windows she watched the trench walls
rapidly slide by. At this rate they d be at the pole in no time. For the first time in hours
she felt truly happy. Escape was well within their reach.
She put on her own helmet. Maia?
Yes, Katsumi.
We need to leave this place immediately Adon and I are onboard. The asteroid s
reactor will blow in, she consulted her wrist chronometer, twenty-three minutes.
The ship is prepped and ready, Maia announced.
Thank you. If Mi-Kun or Lord Draco approach the ship, whatever you do, don t
let them in.
That is counter to emergency SOS protocols.
Forget the fucking protocols! They are dangerous criminals, Katsumi shouted.
SOS protocol programming prevents me from doing as you request.
Maia, you must understand. They attacked us and tried to kill us. You must not
let them on board.
SOS protocol programming prevents --
Maia, you asked before about love. Remember? You asked me how do you
know you re in love.
I remember.
Just imagine what your life, your existence, would be like if Adon dies.
Mikala Ash Chains of Passion: Slave to Lust - 85 -
The silence was protracted, an eternity when considering Maia s computing
capacity.
If Draco or Mi-Kun get on board, Katsumi continued urgently, Adon will not
survive, trust me on this.
Another, shorter silence. Very well. I am reading Adon s suit telltales. He
appears to be unconscious. Will he need medical attention when you arrive?
Fear stabbed at her guts. What if she d hit him too hard? Perhaps& The tram
slid to a shuddering halt. What the hell?
She looked out the window. They were at a platform. She studied the map and
decided it must be a scheduled stop. The silent seconds dragged into a minute. She
punched the green start button. Nothing happened. Come on! She pounded the
button again.
The tram lurched into motion and slowly accelerated, resuming, after a minute,
its normal cruising speed. It must have been on a pre-programmed run. But that wasn t
going to help them. She didn t want it to stop at the& she counted the stops on the
map. There were fifteen. That meant at least fifteen minutes before she could brake
close to the Nymph! She had to override it. But how? She asked Maia.
From your description you do not have access to the main control board. The
tram is a slave unit.
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