Chapter 210

The World Is Watching, Pt. 2

Valerie looked down at her cards.

Queen-ten of hearts. Her face gave away nothing, but the combination amused her. She cut two chips from her stack and slid them forward.

“Raise. Five hundred.”

To her left, the Doorman checked his cards with one hand, the other resting on the arm of his chair. He’d dressed down for the occasion, though the gold watch remained, as did the heavy thumb ring bearing the ten of spades.

The metal dragon perched on his right shoulder was new, though. It shifted as he moved, tiny claws adjusting their grip. Its head swiveled toward the cards, then away, then back again, as if trying to decide whether poker was interesting. The little machine had become something of a companion since Alexander delivered it, and the Doorman’s attachment to the thing still amused her.

He’d named it. She refused to ask what.

He tossed chips into the center. “Call.”

Valerie glanced past the dealer toward the television mounted on the far wall. The screen showed a panel of four presenters behind a curved desk, with a countdown timer ticking in the corner.

The sound was off. It didn’t need to be on for everyone in the room to know what it was counting toward.

“Action to Jack.”

The dealer’s voice was unhurried. A woman with steady hands and a two of spades ring on her right index finger. She sat there in a crisply pressed uniform, carrying the poise of someone who had dealt thousands of hands and would deal thousands more.

There was a reason they called themselves the Royals. And many had theorized as to the origin of the name. The world would probably be shocked to find out the simplicity of it. The four original members all loved a good game of poker.

That was all.

Valerie turned from the television and studied her brother.

Jack sat with his cards pinched between two fingers, jaw set in a look of familiar displeasure. He wore a charcoal two-piece suit with a black shirt underneath, collar open. His dark hair was cut shorter than the last time she’d seen him in person, which had been longer ago than she cared to admit.

The years had a way of blurring together when everyone was busy with their own plans. His three-day shadow framed the same strong jawline she saw in her own mirror. Time had deepened the angles of his face, sharpened them in ways that made him look less like her younger brother and more like the kind of man people crossed the street to avoid.

He caught her watching and scowled.

She smiled. “Brother, dearest. We’re not playing high-stakes. Play or get out of my way.”

“Kiss my ass, Val.”

She blew him a kiss.

Jack tossed his cards toward the dealer. “Fold.”

The dealer gathered them without comment, then turned to the largest person at the table.

Titanic filled his chair in a way that looked uncomfortable. Seven feet of layered muscle compressed into a seat that had been designed for normal human proportions. His hands dwarfed the cards he shielded between them, thick fingers curled as he leaned down to study what he’d been dealt.

The ten of clubs ring on his right hand caught the light as he shifted.

He looked around the table. Slow, unhurried. Then reached for his chips, grabbed a stack, and tossed them into the center.

The dealer’s hands darted out, stacking the scattered chips neatly before they’d finished settling. “Raise. One thousand.” She turned. “Action is on King.”

Valerie let her gaze drift to the far end of the table.

King looked as if he was napping. His right elbow rested on the table’s edge, head propped against his hand, eyes closed. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he actually was asleep. This was probably the longest break the man had taken in five years, and he’d arrived on Astra Omnia looking like he’d spent every one of those years fighting the red planet barehanded.

The cotton shirt hung loose across broad shoulders, sleeves rolled to the forearms, the top two buttons undone. Faded blue jeans with holes worn through at the knees. Work clothes. Even on the most expensive space station orbiting Earth, seated at a poker game with company he hadn’t kept in too long, the man simply radiated normalcy.

He’d put on some weight over the past five years. But it was the signs of wear that bothered her. They’d deepened since she’d last seen him. Crows feet branched from the corners of his eyes. Shadows pooled beneath them. Deep lines cut across his forehead, and the persistent downturn at the corners of his mouth had set into something close to permanent. His brown hair, always a bit messy before, was now unkempt, and his beard had grown long and wild enough that it obscured half his expression.

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Those deep brown eyes opened. Only his left hand moved, lifting the corners of his cards just enough to see.

He grabbed a few chips and tossed them in. “Call.”

Valerie considered for a moment. Then matched. The Doorman called after her.

The dealer dragged the chips to the center of the table.

Then she rapped her knuckles twice on the table and burned a card. “The flop.” The cards hit the felt. “Jack. Eight. Three. Rainbow.” She looked up. “The action is on Titanic.”

While she waited, Valerie raised an eyebrow at King. “Do you think the Mars Infrastructure Project will be ready?”

King tilted his head in her direction. “Yes. We are ahead of schedule. It’s a pity we don’t have more time, but it will be enough.” His voice was deep and measured. Confident, as he’d always been for as long as they’d known each other.

He glanced at the Doorman. “How’s your part of the plan going?”

“Better’n expected.” The Doorman jabbed his chin at the dealer. “Cindy’s cards got us mapped out across most’a the world.” Then he glanced around the table. “Y’know that once we pull the trigger, it burns the whole doorway network, right?”

King nodded. “I understand. But if the choice is between maintaining the network or evacuating millions when the time comes, the choice is an easy one.” He turned to Valerie. “What about the station? The entire plan rests on being able to use it to bridge the distance between Earth and Mars.”

Titanic grabbed a fistful of chips and tossed them in.

“Bet. Two thousand,” Cindy said. “Action to King.”

King flicked his cards toward the center of the table.

“King folds. Action is on Queen.”

Valerie resisted the urge to recheck her cards. She’d missed the flop almost entirely. No pair. No flush draw. All she had was an inside straight draw. And Titanic played a solid range. Nothing creative, not yet. He was still learning the game. But he played without emotion, and that made him someone to watch out for. Which meant he had started with a pair or an ace at minimum. Maybe suited face cards. Might have even hit the jack.

“Astra Omnia stands ready. Though the diviners are seeing new threats.”

King’s gaze sharpened. “What threats?”

“We must be getting closer to the event itself, because they’re seeing glimpses of… new possible outcomes. Things like technology failing across the planet. Orbitals and space stations crashing to the Earth.” Valerie grabbed some chips and slid them forward. “Call.” She leaned back and sighed. “There’s no way to know if it’s going to affect us. We’re positioned much further out, so the hope is that we remain safe from whatever happens.”

King frowned.

The Doorman called, and Cindy gathered the chips into the pot. Rapped the table twice. Burned a card. Then dealt the turn.

“Queen of Spades. Action to Titanic.”

Titanic stared at the board in silence.

King shook his head. “That’s why we have technopaths and people capable of generating power on standby.”

Valerie nodded. “Grimnir is helping. Augustus and Talia have begun applying magical runes and enchantments.” She clicked her tongue. “Alexander is supposed to provide assistance, too. And more advanced shield tech. Alien. But the timeline is unclear. After today is over, I’ll reach out and inform him that it needs to become a priority. Hopefully he understands.”

“So what if he doesn’t?” Jack asked. “We make him if he says otherwise.”

Valerie raised an eyebrow. “I would oh so love to see you try.”

Jack glared at her. “What? You think I can’t drag him here?”

Titanic checked. Cindy turned to Valerie, subtly showing the action had moved to her, but didn’t interrupt the conversation.

She smiled. “Oh no, dear. I’m sure the odds are in your favor. At least when it comes to getting him here. I’m just wondering… say… what comes after that?”

Jack scoffed. “I put him to work.”

Valerie shook her head. “Wonderful. Absolutely the peak of intelligence. Drag the technopath with such raw power over all things metal and electricity that he makes most others who do the same thing look like children in comparison onto a space station.” Her grin widened. “A place made up of mostly metal. And technology. Powered by electricity. Where he might idly vent you into space with the merest thought.”

Jack scowled.

She continued. “You see why you don’t get to make the decisions, right, brother dear? Let me handle our friends, while you focus on your own work.”

He mumbled something under his breath.

Valerie gave him one more mocking look, then tossed some chips into the middle. “Bet. Four thousand.”

“While we’re on the topic,” King said, cutting in, “how goes the underworld’s preparations?”

Jack perked up. “Good. Real good. We got almost eighteen-hundred locations all over the world equipped with emergency supplies and bunkers now. Bars, casinos, clubs. A few hundred of the more illicit businesses too.” He frowned. “Running a bit light on the weapons, though. We really need to push our suppliers harder.” He turned to Valerie. “Ever since you cut the funding, we’ve been running into issues. When you gonna fix that?”

The Doorman and Titanic called her bet.

Cindy collected the chips. Then dealt the river card. “Ace of diamonds.”

Valerie shook her head. “Won’t be able to give you more anytime soon.”

“What?” Jack growled. “Why? This is important too, you know. It’s not all about getting people out. It’s also about arming those who survive.”

She didn’t mock him this time. “I know, Jack. But even Ace agreed that it’s time to start worrying about the bigger picture beyond the big picture.”

“The fuck does that mean?”

“Don’t fight,” King said, voice low. “If Spencer says it’s important, then it’s important. We stick to the plan. I’ll send you what I can, Jack. Doubt we’ll need any major purchases brought to Mars between now and when it begins.”

Jack took a breath. Visibly deflated. “Fine. Good.”

Titanic checked.

Cindy turned to her without a word. The question in her eyes was obvious.

Valerie glanced at the board. All she had was a pair of queens against a potential straight, bigger pairs, and sets.

She looked up at the muted television. The press conference was about to start. Then she turned to the rack of gear along the far wall, where the entire team’s armor and equipment waited. Finally, she glanced at the only empty chair in the room.

Then she reached down and shoved her chips into the middle. “Fuck it,” she said, her hometown accent slipping out. “Guess we’re all in.”

The Doorman looked at her, peeked at his own cards again, then grinned and shoved his own in. “Hell yeah, we are!”

Titanic studied them both. Then he grunted and pushed his own stack in with one hand.

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