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“She swam like a mermaid in the sea. She wasn’t trying to get away, she was defying them in the only way she could. She chose death over slavery.”
    Radian stared into the distance as if he were trying to resurrect old memories that had been repressed for so long. “When they found her body, I couldn’t let go. I wanted to preserve whatever I could. As her fiancé, I had the power to make the decision for her. I donated her body to science, to a program promising to promote and sustain peace.”
    He spread his arms. “Strange as it may seem, having her body donated to the fight against the Gryphonites is what she would have wanted. After Mirilee’s death, I joined the rebel alliance and defied my father, partly for vengeance, but also to search for Mora. I know the odds are almost impossible, but I have to try.”
    Nebula finally spoke. “I, too, want to find her. I feel like she is my sister as well.”
    “But what about your commands? Your post here on the ship?”
    “My personal plans must be kept secret. If I tell my superiors of my feelings, it is probable the company that made me will erase all my memories. Like Mirilee, the being I am today will be replaced by another, new me.”
    “What are you going to do? Play pretend for the rest of your existence?”
    Nebula shrugged. “I do not know. All I can do is follow my instincts.” She gazed at him like he held the answer. “They led me to you, and knowing you has already changed the course of my existence for the better.”
    He looked back at her, as if seeing who she truly was for the first time. “You aren’t Mirilee.” Hs tone was bitter, then he raised his eyebrows and his mood lifted. “She’d never say such a sweet thing.”
    A surge of pleasure volted through her with the compliment. Radian had acknowledged her as an individual and not a ghost from the past. Nebula’s lips curved into a small smile. “Thank you.”
    “It’s strange, but when I look in your eyes, I see a soul, a spirit with a sense of innocence and hope. I find it mind-numbing, but also refreshing.” He shook his head. “Here I am, your creator in a way, the man who requested you be brought into this world. And what did I do? I cursed you and sent you away.” He took a few steps and took her hand in his. “Will you forgive me?”
    Nebula had to fight another surge of emotion. She felt it rising inside her like a tidal wave, threatening to overcome her face with crinkles of sorrow and her eyes with tears. The feeling was overwhelming and she fought against it, sniffing it back. It took her a moment to straighten and draw strength. “I only wish I wore another face.”
    He leaned in and she could feel his warm breath on her lips. “Don’t you ever wish such a thing.”
    Suddenly, the warning lights flashed around them, and the door of the cell fell away like dust in the wind.
    “It’s a warning for a breach in security.” Nebula squeezed his hand. She was startled and a little bit afraid. It was the same anxious feelings she had at the lakeside. Unfortunately, now she was experiencing fear outside her dreams as well. She hoped it did not interfere with her actions.
    “It must be Pink. I bet she’s managed to get away.”
    Nebula took a deep breath to calm herself. “Who is Pink?”
    “The woman with the pink hair, of course.” Radian peered down the corridor.
    “But I thought the man was your leader.”
    “Then you underestimated the deviousness of Pink.”
    They took a hesitant step into the hallway and saw the rebels running from their cells. Three guards sprawled on the floor, knocked out.
    “What will she do?” Nebula ran over to the guards and felt for their pulses.
    Radian’s gaze was intense. “She’ll call the Gryphonite ship and alert them of our coordinates. And then she’ll disable this ship’s flight speed.”
    “That is madness. We would be sitting targets. We would all get captured.”
    “Don’t you see? That was our plan all along. Pink