The Syn-En Solution by Linda Andrews

you can tell, not much aboard the Starfarer is habitable.”
    Starfarer . Definitely on a spaceship. Goo oozed between Nell’s fingers as she clung to the side of the fuselage a yard away from the admiral. She couldn’t possibly be on a spaceship. The depression had scrapped the shuttle and the international space station. Yet, it explained why her feet didn’t touch deck, but not why theirs did.
    “Ten more life pods.” Grace grinned from the screen.
    Everyone straightened.
    “Oh and there’s my little surprise.” Grace pinned Nell with a glare. “Did you like her? Probably not since you covered her up.”
    Nell felt her mouth drop open, words crashed into each other and came out as a growl. First the witch tried to kill me, now she insults me. I don’t think so . Before Nell uttered a word, the admiral turned around, silencing her with a look. She obeyed only because he and his men had saved her life.
    The admiral switched his focus to the screen. “She’s human.”
    Grace slammed her fists against the screen and shrieked. “I’m human. She’s garbage. Ten more for insolence.”
    Nell winced. Ten more what? What had helping her cost him and his men? She pushed away from the hunk of metal aiming for the admiral. She grabbed his hand, wrapping both of hers around his as she bumped into his side. Air left her lungs in a grunt from the collision. He seemed to have barely felt it.
    Fury blazed in Grace’s eyes. A moment later a smile curdled her lips. “Get rid of her or I’ll take out twenty more pods.”
    Nell bit her tongue to keep from lashing out. The soldiers had saved her; they wouldn’t kill her.
    The admiral’s hand tightened in hers. “As you know, Sir, our programming prevents us from harming unarmed citizens.”
    “But she wasn’t unarmed, was she, lieutenant?” Grace stroked her chin, foreplay before the main event. “She had explosives, enough to destroy the Starfarer , I’d wager.”
    Nell’s temper took control of her tongue. “You did that to me! You should be brought up on charges, stripped of your rank and tossed in jail.”
    Grace chuckled. “It’s her or another hundred or so of your men, Ensign.”
    The Admiral/Ensign nodded. “Deactivate the human.”
    Shock rendered Nell mute.
    Two different soldiers stepped from the debris.
    A moment passed before she recognized the woman who had restrained her before.
    Nell pushed off the admiral/ensign heading away from them. She bumped into something hard and immoveable. “No. No.”
    Hands closed around her.
    She looked up into the masked face of the doctor. “I came here to save you.”
    More hands pulled her away from the doctor’s chest.
    Nell jerked in their hold, but couldn’t move. “That’s why I joined. I can help.”
    “Kill her now.” Grace leaned back, licking her lips. “I’ll watch to make certain it is done properly.”
    “No!” Nell planted her feet on the thigh of the woman to her left. She pushed trying to free herself but only felt more like a bug pinned to a mat. “No!”
    “It will be fast.” The doctor stepped forward, a syringe peeking above his index finger. His warm hands caressed her forearm, before he lowered the needle and stuck it into the vein in the crook of her arm.
    Nell’s muscles warmed and relaxed. The fight left her body, but not her brain. Fight. Do something !
    The man and woman holding her arms lowered their face shields.
    The doctor snapped a capsule and waved the broken glass vial under her nose. The scent of burnt almonds grew overpowering. An ache and throb banged inside her skull. Her limbs felt heavy and she could hear her heart slowing.
    Grace broke into a full-fledged laugh. “Hmm. Cyanide is a might too quick. Next time I’ll be more specific in the manner of death.”
    “Should we toss the remains out the airlock, Sir?”
    Nell’s head bobbed forward. She closed her eyes, waiting for death. Her lungs stopped working. Soon she’d see the light, be greeted by her family