Free Frost Station Alpha 1-6: The Complete Series by Ruby Lionsdrake Page A

while hurt. And I heard what Makk said. To keep her alive, that’s it. Give her the computer.”
    Tamryn found her tablet pressed into her hand. Zar’s young face was apologetic beneath the tattoo, but he stepped back. This Rebek must outrank him. Whatever Makkon had said, Zar didn’t look like he dared to try to stop Rebek from hurting her.
    Tamryn closed her eyes, aware of the cool feel of the tablet, the rounded edges against her palm. If only it were a weapon, or if only she could think up something clever to do with it. If Porter was out there somewhere, Tamryn didn’t want to do anything to help these people find her. If anyone could come up with something to do to get the station back, it would be she. Tamryn couldn’t betray her, no matter how much this bastard hurt her.
    “Open it,” Rebek growled, his voice low and dangerous.
    His thumb dug into a pressure point in her neck, and pain ricocheted through her body. She couldn’t hold back a gasp or the tears that sprang to her eyes, but she locked her mouth shut. She tightened her fist around the tablet, trying to focus her thoughts on it and not the increasing pain as Rebek dug in. The only thing that gave her some bravery and the ability to resist was knowing that they wouldn’t kill her, not until their damned message was sent.
    “What are you doing to my prisoner, Rebek?” an ice cold voice asked from the other side of the room.
    Rebek released her so quickly, Tamryn almost toppled onto Cox.
    “Her comm beeped, sir,” Zar said. “We were trying to get her to answer it. Figure that means there’s at least one more soldier or scientist out there.”
    It took Tamryn a moment to blink the black dots out of her vision and steady herself enough to stand straight. She turned around, hoping she would see Makkon about to drive a fist into Rebek’s stomach. But he was looking at her, his eyes closed to slits. Right. He wasn’t an ally, and he probably wasn’t going to beat up any of his own people on her behalf.
    “Noted. I’ll send out a search party.” Makkon strode toward her and cut her bonds. “But for now, we have more pressing concerns. Let’s go, Pavlenko. We’re taking a walk.”
    “Can’t wait,” she muttered, slipping her tablet into her pocket as he reached for her opposite arm.
    She expected one of them to notice the movement and take the item from her, but Makkon wasn’t even looking at her. He was walking toward the door almost before he grabbed her. Zar opened his mouth—he probably hadn’t missed it—but whatever he saw in his commander’s face convinced him not to say anything. As Tamryn followed Makkon, she did not question her luck. Fate knew it was the first luck she’d had tonight.
    She had to hurry to keep up with Makkon. The stubborn part of her made her want to dawdle, anything to delay his mission.
    “We going to communications?” She remembered what his last errand had entailed and if this had to do with that, delaying him might not be a good idea.
    He gave her a dark look. “No.”
    Tamryn decided against delays, and walked into the lift with him without struggling. The uneasy feeling of dread in her stomach, a feeling that had grown extremely familiar tonight, returned when he pressed Level Ten. The top level, the one that led to the upper gun station. Did he think she could do something to help with bombs? If he’d found the ones in Comm and Control, maybe he thought she’d set them and was a munitions expert. She shook her head. If he needed help disarming explosives, he should have kept Sergeant Wu alive.
    They walked out of the lift on Level Ten and strode straight to the end of the corridor where a ladder led upward.
    Makkon stopped at the bottom. “You first.”
    “Such a gentleman,” she said, knowing full well he didn’t want to give her a chance to run—or a chance to be at his back.
    Tamryn climbed up, wondering if she might do something in the second or two she would have before he climbed into