“No.”

“Let’s go.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Eve glanced down at the open bag. “We could shock the bastards by tossing those at them and hopefully give us time to escape if we run into a raiding party.”

A snort came from Danica. “Stunned by dick. I like it.”

“Let’s go,” Eve repeated. A breach on the other side would keep the door from opening. They’d be trapped. She hit the button and prayed. The seals released and portal opened.

The damage was severe where metal had buckled in a few places along the floor and walls but it remained intact. She pressed the release button to the next section. The doors didn’t respond.

“Oh no,” Danica whispered.

Eve tapped it harder and waited. It didn’t open. Her heart sank as she glanced at her sister. “It’s compromised. We’re not leaving Control. Get back in there. When they force open this door, the oxygen will be sucked out and it will decompress unless they are able to stabilize the next room first. I don’t want to be standing here to find out.”

“What about the vents? They are sealed but we could pry them open and wiggle through into another section.”

“It’s too risky. There aren’t sensors to tell us if they are safe.”

“Right.” Danica winced. “I’m not thinking straight.”

They retreated and sealed the door. It wouldn’t buy them much time if the pirates had cutting equipment or were good at hacking into wires. Splicing the right ones after breaking open a panel would gain them access. It was an old ship with inferior security.

“I am so sorry. We’ve never been breached before. I wouldn’t have done it if I ever thought it was possible.”

Eve battled her emotions. Part of her was furious that her sister had pulled such a bonehead stunt but yelling at her wasn’t going to fix the grim situation. Danica loved to play pranks, was always trying to make her laugh, but messing with their weapons crossed the line. She studied the other woman’s face, read the sheer regret and the dawning horror of her actions. They were going to die and she didn’t want their last moments to consist of nothing but harsh words and discord.

She pushed back her anger. She’d always been the serious one, while Danica used humor as a way to deal with their tough life. It was what she loved most about her sister. Their personalities were polar opposites. A sense of sadness tightened her chest when she saw those expressions on Danica’s face. Her lighthearted spirit seemed crushed.

Eve hugged Danica, trying to give her comfort. “Who would have guessed those freaks could come up with this kind of brilliant plan? They usually are so scatterbrained from the insanity that they can’t work together in groups. They turn on each other instead.”

“I should have kept the weapons in here.”

“It’s irrelevant now. Stop dwelling on it. You couldn’t have predicted this would happen.” She released her, stepping back. “Don’t beat yourself up. Beat on the mutants instead.”

“But—”

“I need you, Danica. Forget it and let’s deal with this situation we’re currently in. We have mutants boarding the ship.”

“Okay. You probably should put on more clothes.” Danica glanced down her body. “Or strip totally naked. They won’t even notice me if you flash them your goods until I’ve snatched one of their weapons to use against them. What do you think of that plan?”

“No. I don’t want to make it easier on them if getting me totally na**d is their goal.” She rolled her shoulders and lifted one leg at a time, stretching. “It’s hand-to-hand combat. Do you remember your training?”

“Of course. Do you want to put on your shoes? Touching them is going to be gross. At least cover your feet.”

“I’ll be faster without anything slowing me down.”

“As in being fully clothed?”

“I tore my suit to get out of it quicker. It’s just more for them to grab onto in a fight. Throat, groin and the knees. Those are the weak spots. Take them down and out.”

“I remember. Do you want something to tie your hair back with?”

Eve hesitated. “No. They might go for it and I’d rather just lose a handful or two than risking them getting a firm enough hold on me to gain an advantage.”

“I could cut it.” She pointed to a sharp piece of metal.

Eve shuddered. “No. It will take too long to regrow it to this length. I don’t like looking in a mirror and having flashbacks of the past. New life, long hair. My motto.”

“I understand.” Danica gave her a sympathetic look. “I hope we survive. Maybe I’ll grow my hair out as long as yours.”

“I’m not ready to die and neither are you. Go for the kill. Don’t screw around, okay? Mind over matter. We can do this.” She stared into Danica’s eyes. “We’re meaner. Keep repeating that no matter how many come at us and take them out fast.”

“Okay. I don’t plan to play around in a fight. Like I want to repeatedly hit them. Not!” Danica pulled her sleeves down to her wrists. “I’m going to try to avoid using my bare hands. Do you think their skin is as squishy as it looks? I’d totally puke if I hit one of them and my fist went all the way through.”

“I worry about you.” Eve grimaced. “Thanks for putting that image in my head. I really hope you’re wrong. I’m also glad I missed breakfast. It’s tough to kick ass while food is coming up.”

“This is a good time to worry.” Danica’s gaze fixed on the sealed doors. “I wish there was more maneuvering room in here. The designers of this line of freighters were idiots to make the command center so small. It’s going to be tight quarters if there are a lot of them.”

“It’s a transport freighter. They wanted maximum cargo space. Stay by my side or at my back. Don’t allow them get between us. We stand a better chance that way.”

“I know. I’m not senile.” Her sister turned, bent and came up holding the two sex toys from the bag.

“What are you going to do with those?”

She offered one to Eve. “Maybe we can poke out an eye or something if we use them properly. And it beats touching those mutants with my fingers.”

“I’m not taking that. Did you bump your head too? I think I passed out for a little while after the engines died and that last impact happened. I don’t know how much time went by but it wasn’t long. I don’t believe I have a concussion. I’m feeling fine. Maybe you should get behind me and let me fight the first wave.”

“I conked out too but I’m okay. You think there are going to be that many?” Some of Danica’s bravado faded.

“I don’t know. We killed a bunch of them but I lost count of how many we plowed into before the engines died and the sensors failed. The screen got a little wonky before that so I couldn’t see everything we nailed. There’s also no way to tell the number of pirates living on each ship.”

A loud screech of metal made them both wince.

“They are coming,” Eve whispered, staring at the door.

“That sounded like a seal being forced open.”

They both backed up.

“Keep your voice down. Maybe they won’t hear us and move on.”

“I doubt they are stupid enough to forget to check here but our voices aren’t going to carry through that sealed door.”

“I’m not used to it being this quiet, with the engines out. We could hope it was part of something collapsing instead of them tearing through seals.”

“I don’t think so.” Eve hated to disagree but every instinct told her someone or a bunch of “someones” were coming at them. “You ready? We’ve faced tougher shit than this. Remember that bar on the station with all the mechanics? That was grim.”

“There were only seven of them and they were out of shape.”

“Yeah, but they were really pissed off. You told them they were incompetent after the repairs they did.”

“I was right. We’re still having issues or at least we did, when we still had a semi-working ship. I’m glad we stuck together, Eve. I know I bitched a lot about leaving Earth with you but it was better than staying. You saved my life. It was only a matter of time before I made a mistake and they discovered—”

The door was activated when the lights on the panel next to it flashed but the lock held. There was no doubt they’d been boarded.

“They could be morons,” Eve hoped aloud. “Maybe they won’t figure out how to bust in.”

“That would be great.”

“Yeah. Of course it would also mean we’re trapped on a disabled ship in pirate territory. At least this way we’ll be able to steal something to make it to Titan. If they can reach us, it might gain us a way out. They know we’re women so they’ll want us alive. That means they are sealing any breaches they pass so we don’t die outright. They have to be smart enough to know we won’t have suits.”

“I like the way you always find a bright side.”

“I try.”

“You’re good at it, Eve. That’s why you’re our brave leader.”

“I’m not feeling it so much at this second. Those things are really ugly.”

The light completely cut out on the door panel.

“Fuck.” Eve tensed. “It looks like they know how to disable the door lock. Here we go. Game on!”

A soft growl filled the small room and Eve envied her sister that kind of rage. She was just scared shitless. Danica moved, stepped in front of her and took a protective stance.

Eve studied her back and pondered ordering her to switch positions. She had always felt responsible for Danica’s well-being and was more skilled in hand-to-hand combat. She dismissed the idea though. Protective instincts were a strong motivation to win and they would distract her from being terrified.

“Don’t worry about me,” she coached, feeling proud. “Just concentrate on what they are doing. Don’t get sucker punched like you did in that bar because you saw me go down. I’ll get back up.”

“I remember,” Danica swore. “You dived in to break his legs but I thought you were hurt.”

“I’m tougher than that.”

Danica gave a sharp nod. “I have this.”

“I know you do.” Sadness filled Eve again. Their chances of survival were very slim. She refrained from saying “those” three words. Danica knew she loved her and it would sound more like a goodbye than a reminder.

“Let’s do the single-file routine.”

Eve moved into fighting stance. She was right behind Danica, their bodies aligned in the same position. “Set.”

They’d reached the command center of the transport. They hadn’t discovered any bodies yet. Of course the damage had been massive in the sections they’d had to clear. Most of them were airless corridors, some leading to open space. The corpses of the crew were probably tangled with the wreckage that had been vented outside and were floating in space.

Blackie, face mask in place, raised his weapon to aim at the door as Gene, kneeling in front of the electrical panel, turned his way and nodded. Gene stood about the same time that the bulkhead doors slid open.

The sight of a brunette with bright green eyes, wearing a blue jumpsuit, was the first thing Blackie spotted. She blocked his view of the woman behind her but there was no doubt of her fellow crewmember’s sex since he got a glimpse of rounded br**sts contained inside a small shirt before something hit his chest. The one in front had pitched an object at him.

Instinct made him catch it before it bounced off, instantly assuming it was an explosive device. He glanced down to gauge the type, hoping there was a clear path to throw it far enough to avoid being killed. His mind blanked for a second as he gawked, freezing.