Ouroboros 4: End by Odette C. Bell Page A

head pointedly. 'Whatever you want to do, I'll help—'
    'Is that a threat?' Harrington snapped.
    Before Carson could shout at the guy, or just plain attack him, Nida whirled on her foot and placed her hands on her hips. 'No, Harrington, it is not a threat. Nothing I have done so far has been threatening. Carson is correct: the Captain told you to watch me, not berate me. While you can't follow orders, I can. I'm here to tell the Lieutenant here that when we reach Earth, I'll defer to his judgment,' she raised a hand sharply, 'before you snap that's a threat, it isn't. Neither Carson nor I have attacked you. We simply want to get our story across. Now, how about you walk me back to the brig before you blow that vein in your head or have a stroke?'
    Carson was dumbstruck.
    Not as flabbergasted as Harrington though. He looked ready to flay the cadet alive. Instead he grumbled to the security team and marched towards the door.
    For a brief moment, Carson made eye contact with Nida. He wanted to shoot her a smile, but settled with crumpling his lips in and half shaking his head. 'Way to go,' he mouthed.
    She quickly looked mortified at what she'd done—it would have been the first time she'd bad mouthed a superior—but soon turned on her foot to leave.
    He seriously didn't want to see her go, but there was nothing he could do.
    Not until he reached Earth.
    There, he'd do everything he could to make them believe.
    Watching her leave under guard gave him the resolve he needed to stiffen his back and tell himself this wasn't over.
    He was going to do what it took to save the Coalition and get Nida back.
    Whatever it took . . . .
     

Chapter 11
    Carson Blake
    He was standing with Captain Singh and Admiral Forest.
    He was ready to move every mountain, drain every sea, and go to any lengths to get them to believe him.
    Once the Orion had arrived at Earth, he’d headed down to the Academy at once.
    Though there were plenty of people who wanted to see him, he had to do this.
    He’d practically fought his way into the Admiral’s office.
    Now he was before her, pleading.
    ‘Admiral, please, you’ve got to believe me,’ Carson began, the emotion pounding through his heart as his words shook from his mouth.
    ‘Time travel is impossible,’ Singh said.
    The Admiral simply raised a hand.
    Though he wanted to press his point, he hesitated. There was a strange quality behind the Admiral’s gaze. Though it was as authoritative as always, he could sense a hint of hesitation.
    She looked . . . surprised. Deeply, powerfully surprised. While she was doing a good job of hiding it, she couldn’t smooth the crinkle at the edge of her lips, nor the stiff look to the skin beneath her eyes.
    ‘What is it?’ he asked perceptively.
    She looked up at him. For a long time she didn’t answer. In fact, ever since he’d muscled his way into her office, she’d been strangely silent.
    Everyone else he’d met was quick to decry his outlandish tale. Admiral Forest looked . . . scared. ‘You need to come with me,’ she finally blurted, ‘there’s something I have to show you.’
    ‘Admiral?’ he looked at her from underneath his eyebrows. ‘What is it?’
    She looked pressured. Her neck was stiff and rigid against her collar, the muscles taut and hard. Instead of answering, she turned hard on her heel, her boot squeaking, and waved them on.
    Carson’s stomach kicked with nerves. What was the Admiral about to show them? What could have her this scared at a time like this?
    It better not be another problem, he thought bitterly. With the Vex’s attack immanent, he couldn’t bear anything else screwing up now. This was not a good time for the Coalition to be stretched thin. If they had any hope of fighting the Vex, they had to have a unified front.
    Forest led them deep into the heart of the Command building. Though Carson had walked these halls many times before, never had he felt such an air of immediacy. From the hurrying steps of