{Enki | Medical Bay}

Triss was about to break Lynn’s hand.

Again.

The woman’s labor was excruciating. Lynn didn’t need the readout from the pain instruments to tell her that. Sweat, blood, and tears poured from the villainous Lyrik, Triss, giving birth to the future adopted daughter of two people Lynn cared for very much, Sagan and Korac. So, the Chief Weapons Engineer to the Shadow would grit her teeth and bear the secondhand pain of this delivery.

If only Lynn had a third hand.

“Ignore what’s happening out there and focus on me, Triss. I won’t let anything happen to you. Remember? We had a deal?”

Lynn’s husband, Dr. Pablo Suarez, was referring to his promise that Triss would see her baby’s daddy one last time before they let her succumb to her injuries. She’d passed the point of no return about an hour ago. Lynn was holding a dead woman’s hand.

It was warm, and it wanted this baby to live.

Which may or may not be complicated by the sudden emergence of Imminent soldiers at the medical bay’s doors. Lynn shouted, “Give me an update, Caedes.”

The gruff Icarus snarled, ripping out some Reipon Lamia’s throat with his teeth. “No nacres. No memory to overwhelm. Isn’t that the case, Bethany?”

Lynn spared a glance at Kyle and Ross’ younger sister. The recovering girl nodded, still unable to speak because of her own terrible memories.

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Okay. No nacres. Think. Think… “How are the hand guns working out?” Each of the Shadow carried one traditional Earth gun to fight nacre-less opponents.

Twenty-One held up his forty-five with a slight pout on his face. “Out of ammo.”

Miy sighed and tossed him a clip. “That’s my last one.”

Triss screamed, and Pablo spared a glance at the Tritan doctor, who assisted him with her delivery. Pablo asked, “Do you know if more soldiers will come?”

Qas shook his head with regret in his eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t even recognize those people or their gear. That’s not Enki-issued.”

“Imminent,” Caedes snarled again.

With all the lilac blood dripping down the bald Icarus’ his face, Lynn kinda saw the appeal for Pehton—

The box which had formed inside Triss’ uterus stretched against her swollen belly and wiggled its fingers. All the while, the former Lyriki leader bowed her spine and screamed. Two of Lynn’s fingers were toast.

All around, more conversation carried on between the Shadow and the Tritan guards, but Lynn focused and put her face near Triss’. “Look at me, you narcissistic bitch. Look at me!”

Triss opened those yellow eyes, hard like citrines, and glared at the human daring to insult her. Her teeth gnashed together, and foam sprayed from her mouth. Triss’ spit was tinged orange with Lyriki blood from where she’d bit her tongue despite the guard in her mouth.

Lynn gripped the woman’s tiny pitch-black hand. “You are not dying until you see Razor again, remember? Or were you ever really as much his acolyte as you made yourself out to be? Maybe you weren’t actually woman enough to serve a god like him. Because if you die now, what chance is there for his daughter to survive?!”

Triss fumed. No, literally. Kerosene filled the air with little wavy lines off her skin. Around the bit in her teeth, she vowed, “I will not fail him.”

While patting her sweat-drenched forehead with a cloth, Lynn soothed the crazy bitch. “You’re damn right you won’t.”

Qas read off the projected readings. “Another contraction inbound.”

Pablo sat at the end of the alien medical bed and met Triss’ eyes. “Get ready.”

Triss stared at Lynn, and on the younger woman’s nod, she bit down and pushed.

Three bones broke this time.