Ton and Victor helped X to his feet and off the boat. They followed Sloan to the internal door, where she hesitated.
“Better take the cage,” she said. “No way you can get up those stairs and still be alive at the top.”
X didn’t argue.
Sloan still didn’t move. “King Xavier, I beg you to listen to the doctor,” she said. “You’re hurt really bad and should get—”
“I need to get to the radio in the command center,” he said as firmly as his weakened condition would allow.
Sloan finally nodded at Ton and Victor, and they all set off for the door that led to the outer pier. From there, they took the elevator cage.
The beautiful view of teal water and purple sunset did little to relieve the anguish overwhelming X. He had been hurt worse than this before, but losing Rhino cut as deep as anything he had ever known.
Sloan spoke to Wynn over the radio again—a welcome distraction from the dreadful thoughts plaguing him.
“Sergeant Wynn said Colonel Forge has left the Purple Pearl,” Sloan said. “Our team is cleaning up the bodies now and will have Rhino sent to the capitol rig.”
Suddenly light-headed, X leaned against the cage. She reached out to help him.
“I’m okay,” he lied.
The cage clanked to the top level, and she opened the gate. From there, they took several flights of stairs up to the command center, stopping twice for X to catch his breath. Victor and Ton practically carried him up the last flight.
“Sorry,” Victor said when X cried out in pain.
He was hurt bad, all right, and would need surgery to remove the arrows. But it was nothing he hadn’t experienced before. It just meant more scars and more stories.
This one was a tale he wanted to forget, though. Seeing Rhino beaten and stabbed like a Siren was too much to bear. A tear welled in his eye as Ton and Victor helped him off the top landing.
Sloan opened the door to the room, letting Miles out. The dog rushed over, barking and then brushing against X.
Samson rose from the radio equipment to stare.
“Rads and lightning, man!” said the engineer. “You look like you just fought an army.”
Miles whined and licked X’s hand.
“It’s okay, boy,” X said, giving the dog a feeble scratch behind the ears.
“Did he fight an army?” Samson asked Sloan.
“Yeah, pretty much,” she replied.
X staggered into the room and waved Ton and Victor off. They stepped back, and he fell against the table. Both men reached out to help, along with Sloan, but X waved them all back.
“I’m fine,” he said.
Even the dog wasn’t buying it, and he let out a low whine. X sat on the chair in front of the radio equipment, and Miles came to sit beside him. X reached out for the receiver, and Samson handed it to him.
“Captain Mitchells, do you copy?” X said.
Static crackled; then a voice came on.
“King Xavier, I copy,” Les said.
“What’s your status?” X asked.
“Sir, I’m not sure what Samson has told you,” said the captain, “but we’re on our way back with thirty-one survivors from the bunker. We’ve sustained some major losses rescuing them.”
X steeled himself and listened to Les rattle off the losses of Cazadores, a militia soldier, and Alexander, plus all the equipment and Star Grazer itself. The captain went on to list the injured, including Edgar and Arlo.
Overall, the mission had been a success, though at a steep cost, especially for the Cazadores. But at least they had two survivors to tell the tale to their comrades when they returned home.
“We retrieved the Sea Wolf with two of General Santiago’s men,” Les said. “The surf had taken them out to sea, which saved them from the skinwalkers.”
“Where are the skinwalkers now?” X asked.
“Licking their wounds, but I have a feeling Horn will come for the throne once he recovers. Sofia overheard him saying that was his plan.”
“Let him come,” X said.
“There’s something else,” Les said.
X winced from a rush of pain and blinked away the dots in his vision.
“Timothy has been talking to the survivors we rescued,” Les said. “They know more about the defectors than we do.”
Static broke over the speakers, blocking the rest of the transmission.
“Les, come again,” X groaned.
The channel cleared, and Les came back online.
“I said these people know more about the defectors than we do,” he said, “and they claim to know how to shut them down.”
X’s shaking hand lowered the handset. He took a moment to think. Raising it back to his mouth felt like lifting a fifty-pound anchor.
“Is Tin there?” X asked.
“Yes, right here. Hold on.”
“X?” said a voice.
“Hey, kid, good to hear you.”
“You don’t sound so good,” Michael said.
“I’ve got a few more scars, but I’ll be fine.” He wanted to talk about Rhino, but couldn’t find the words to describe what had happened. “General Rhino didn’t make it.”
White noise filled the room.
“Michael,” X said.
“Yeah. Holy shit, X. What happened?”
“We averted a war.” X couldn’t say much more over the radio, and Michael must have sensed that.
“But there’s another war coming, kid,” X said. “A different kind of war that’s going to require Hell Divers.”
“We dive so humanity survives, always,” Michael said. “It’s what we do.”
The door to the command center opened, and Dr. Huff entered. X turned back to the radio, stars bursting across his vision like little bombs going off.
Samson bent down to grab the receiver. “I’ve got it, X,” he said.
“I got to go, Tin,” X managed to say. “I love you, Michael.”
“I love you, too, Xavier.”
Sloan and Huff helped X out of the chair while Samson sat back down at the radio equipment. Ton and Victor clasped forearms and carefully picked X up under his legs to carry him, and he finally let his body weight go while his burdened mind grappled with the future.
In a few short months, Layla and Michael would welcome Bray to the Vanguard Islands. There was a lot to do between now and then.
Rhino had given his life to help pave the way for peace. But more threats were closing in on their new home, and before X could face them, he had to rest and heal. He would need his strength more than ever for this next fight.
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