The AutoDoc spun around Erika’s body. Its spindly metal limbs focused around her bullet wound. Sometimes a needle would come out and inject medicine into Erika’s veins. She felt a little better, but what Erika really needed was a blood transfusion. The AutoDoc couldn’t do that, though, so she would have to deal with weakness for a while.

  “Theo, Mi-Cha? This is Erika. I’m in the med bay with…” Erika stared at the Carnifex. The alien stood still at Erika’s side, like a robot waiting for commands. The Carnifex sliced Clive in half, but now their carapace was cleansed of blood, and everyone was supposed to work with them.

  “Aymeric is with you?” Theo asked.

  “No. Aymeric is dead,” Erika said. “I’m with the Carnifex.”

  “Oh fucking shit,” Mi-Cha said. “Can something go right for once?”

  “The Carnifex is intelligent, and they can communicate. They want to help kill the Lamia,” Erika said.

  “Okay, you’ve lost it,” Mi-Cha muttered.

  Erika bit down a laugh. Yes, she absolutely was losing it. She should let out that laugh just to prove how far she’d spiraled.

  But you’re supposed to be the stalwart leader. You can’t go around laughing like a maniac, now can you?

  “Are you two safe? Can you make it to the med bay?” Erika asked.

  “We can be there,” Theo said.

  While Theo and Mi-Cha walked to the med bay, and the AutoDoc worked, Erika formulated a plan. The plan was insane, and even through the haze of drugs, Erika knew her plan was insane. She turned her attention to the Carnifex. They chirped in response.

  Erika mimed: Can we kill the Lamia with an explosion.

  The Carnifex made a low chirp. Erika couldn’t tell if it was a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’

  She tried another question: Will you kill me?

  The Carnifex made the low chirp again–that was the ‘no,’ then.

  Erika: Can we help each other?

  The Carnifex made a higher pitched chirp. Erika understood the system. She also understood that she couldn’t kill the Lamia with an explosion, so she could rule out Aymeric’s bomb as a useful weapon.

  Erika listed off murder methods. The Carnifex disagreed with all of them.

  Is there a way to kill the Lamia? Erika asked.

  The Carnifex responded with a low chirp.

  But the Lamia had to die for everyone else to live.

  Are you so sure about that? Erika realized the solution. It didn’t involve a bomb, or some super weapon, but it would get rid of the Lamia once and for all. Or she was grasping for straws.

  The doors to the med bay opened.

  “Jesus shit!” Mi-Cha reeled from the Carnifex.

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  The alien readied their tail.

  “No!” Erika waved her free hand. “Friends! They’re friends.”

  The Carnifex glanced to Erika and made a quizzical noise.

  “You can really communicate with the Carnifex,” Theo said. Erika heard a trace of awe in his voice. It was the first time she’d heard any emotion from the mechanic.

  “They want to help,” Erika said. “We can trust the Carnifex.”

  “Right. Yeah.” Mi-Cha looked the alien over, still waiting for it to lunge.

  “The Carnifex killed Clive in self defense. They won’t hurt us unless we attack.” At least, that’s what Erika hoped for.

  The AutoDoc beeped, then folded back into place.

  Erika sat up. Her head swam and she wanted to vomit up a lunch she hadn’t eaten. Erika lowered herself back onto the bed.

  “Theo, Mi-Cha, can you come here, please? There’s something we need to talk about,” Erika said.

  “Is it about Aymeric? Cause we saw him in the airlock. Kinda hard not to,” Mi-Cha said.

  Erika winced.

  “Mi-Cha, I’m so sorry that–”

  “Sorry for what? I’ve always wanted my exes to die violently,” Mi-Cha grinned, but there was no humor in it. Some part of her missed Aymeric. And, despite everything, Erika missed him, too. She would miss his laugh, and even how his music bled through his earbuds.

  “What did you need to talk about?” Theo asked.

  Erika tried to shake her thoughts away, though the reminiscing continued in the background.

  “We need this ship up and running again,” Erika said. “Theo, I need you to go into the reactor room, use the anesthesia on the Aranea, and get the power back to the engines. While he does that, Mi-Cha, you need to be ready in the pilot’s seat.”

  “Won’t the Lamia still be in my way?” Theo asked.

  Erika cracked a smile. She couldn’t help herself; this was the best part of the plan.

  “It won’t be,” she said. “The Carnifex and I are going to lead it to the shuttle bay and knock it out of the ship.”

  “That’ll kill it?” Mi-Cha asked.

  “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that the Lamia will no longer be on the Ark.” Erika then turned to the Carnifex and started explaining their role in the plan.

  “Holy shit,” Mi-Cha muttered. “Man, I love working with you.”

  The Carnifex made a high pitched chirp: they understood what Erika planned to do, and they agreed with the plan. Erika looked the alien over.

  What will we do with you once this is all over? Erika wanted to send the Carnifex home, but the Ark didn’t have an escape pod or shuttle. Erika pushed that issue to the back of her mind. She would deal with it after the Lamia was gone.

  Erika sat up. The world still swayed, but it wasn’t as bad as last time.

  “Does anyone have any complaints?” Erika asked.

  Theo and Mi-Cha shook their heads.

  “Then let’s get to work.”

  Erika led Theo, Mi-Cha, and the Carnifex out of the med bay. She was wobbly on her feet, but she could move.

  “How long do we have until we reach the asteroid field?” Erika asked.

  “I don’t know. Not long,” Mi-Cha said.

  “Then we hurry,” Erika said.

  Theo delved into the airlock to retrieve three EVA suits, along with Ryder’s pistol. The group needed EVA suits, just in case the Lamia ripped open the Ark’s hull. Erika doubted the pistol would do anything against the Lamia, but it was a good weapon to have. It was heavy in Erika’s hands. She checked the magazine to find five bullets left.

  Most of the bullets had been fired at you.

  Erika grabbed the shock spear she dropped, too. It was another useless weapon, but Erika felt better having it.

  Everyone but the Carnifex scrambled into EVA suits. Mi-Cha hurried in the pilot’s chair while Erika, Theo, and the Carnifex descended into the galley. It was still dark, so Erika and Theo had to use the flashlights on their helmets to see.

  In the galley, Erika found a second shock spear near the kitchen. She gave that to Theo, along with the Aranea anesthetic.

  “Will it be dangerous to me?” Theo held up the anesthetic.

  “No. Even if you didn’t have the helmet, the gas wouldn’t harm you,” Erika answered.

  Theo nodded.

  Erika went over a mental checklist in her head. She had weapons and a plan. If she needed to, she could go the lab and pick up Aymeric’s bomb. Even if it didn’t kill the–

  Metal screeched. Flesh groaned.

  The Lamia pulled itself up the elevator shaft.

  Erika’s shoulder throbbed and her thigh ached. She hadn’t fully mentally prepared to see the Lamia again.

  Well, here it is.

  “I’ll keep it distracted. Theo, get to the engine room. Mi-Cha, stay ready,” Erika ordered.

  “Got it,” Mi-Cha said.

  Theo marched along the edge of the room, toward the ladder.

  The Carnifex adjusted its footing and held its tail ready.

  Erika took a deep breath, then raised Ryder’s pistol to the rising Lamia.