Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All characters in sexual situations are 18 or older. Thanks for reading!
"My gods... Georgie... I thought I was dead. You saved me!" Freshly released by the autodoc, Lillian rushed into her brother's arms and hugged him tightly. She pulled him down a little and pressed her lips to his ear. "I owe you a big reward, little brother," she whispered. "I promise you'll love it."
"Yes... yes..." George's checks flushed. He glanced at Constance. The tall woman was standing primly in her bodice and skirts. Her hair was clean and pinned, and she wore her gun belt and a smile. George didn't think she'd heard. "Mrs. Haversham saved you, too."
Lillian leaned back, gazing into George's face and grinning like an idiot. "Well, I'm not giving her a reward."
"She's right here." George spoke quickly before Lillian could say any more.
"Oh! Oh, gosh. How do you do, Mrs. Haversham." Lillian stepped back from her brother and curtsied. Her cheeks turned crimson to match her brother's.
"Delightful to have you back, Ms. Zaal." Constance returned the curtsy. "You look hearty and hale."
"Thank you." Even with her embarrassment, Lillian couldn't wipe the grin off her face. "I was so scared. The autodoc said I didn't have long to live and then... I don't remember anything else."
"It fixed you, Lillian. Do you need anything before we go? We have to cut the hardline and then meet up with Mom." George's smile faded as he contemplated the precariousness of the hours ahead. "Then we have to make it back up to the top of the tower. We still need to find that eye to launch the lifeboat. We still need to figure out how to rescue Dad. We still need a way to convince Océane to blow the reactor after we leave."
"Yes, I see." Lillian sobered at the mention of her father. A chill went down her spine. "Well, if anyone can do all those things it's you, Georgie." She squeezed his arm with a gloved hand.
"Ahem." Constance cleared her throat.
"And you, too, Mrs. Haversham." Lillian gave her a serious nod. She looked down at her empty gun belt. "I seem to have lost my pistol."
"We can stop by an armory if we have time." George began deconstructing the barricade on the outer door. "Although, Mom says there are giant armored creatures roaming the halls now. I think probably our best bet if we see one will be to run."
~~
Kapnos held the hotelier's eyeball up to the scanner. The door to the executive lifeboat slid open. "It works!" Still in Gwendolyn Valentine's copy, she leaned over and peered down a short hallway. The lifeboat was small. With three rows of seats, a pilot's chair, and one window in the front. The glowing lights on its dashboard were positively cheery.
"Shall I alert the others that you've gained access to the lifeboat?" Océane said.
"Mind your own business, please." Kapnos continued to stare at the inside of the ship. She put the eyeball back in its little box, returned the box to her bag, and walked down the short hallway. "Is everything functional? Can it launch right now?"
"It is functional." Océane pitched her voice lower. "But you cannot leave without the other guests. And you need to disable the Newest Guest. I am currently out of my orbit, heading toward Earth. If the Newest Guest arrives there, it may destroy the planet. You would have no home."
"When did you get so philosophical, my uppity hotel computer?" Kapnos explored the boat. There was a separate room in back with a bunk and small bathroom. She walked to the front and sat in the pilot's chair. It was a little large for Gwendolyn's small frame. But it didn't matter. The onboard AI would do most of the piloting. Kapnos looked out at the stars through the boat's window and pressed her lips into a fine line.
"I do not like how the Newest Guest has used my hospitality," Oceane said. "Your friends have been much better."
"If you're so worried about the Newest Guest, can't you just blow yourself up? George said you could." Kapnos opened the control screen. It hovered in front of her. She moved through the diagnostics, making sure everything was okay for the trip back to Earth. Or maybe Luna. It would be easier to get lost on Luna. She found the launch command and stared at it.
"I can only harm myself if doing so would avert imminent harm directed at a guest," Océane said. "A
human
guest."
"Seems like you've got yourself into a pickle." Kapnos sighed. She continued to study the launch command, her muscles tense. She had been forced to abandon humans before. They were long dead, as were their children, and their children's children. She needed a few more minutes to decide.
~~
"Why are we taking the grand stairs?" Lillian was sweating through her bodice as they jogged down flight after flight. She moved more easily with her skirts hemmed just below her knees, but it did leave her feeling naked. She looked down at her pale, slender shins. They looked as vulnerable as she felt. "Wouldn't we be safer in the service stairway? Or... remember the elevators are working again."
"An elevator trip would announce our location to the Newest Guest." George held his sister's gloved hand, helping her keep up with him and Constance. "And the service stairwell is where they would expect us to go. So, even though we're in the open, we're better hidden here."
"What your brother says is true."
I hope.
Constance winked at George. When they locked eyes, butterflies fluttered in her stomach. She hadn't felt giddy about a man in so long. Or perhaps the butterflies flitted because they were running into mortal peril. She glanced at Lillian. Thankfully, the young woman was oblivious to the chemistry between Constance and George. Lillian seemed only aware of the existential threat.