Page 35 of Alien Guardian's Vow
"The core stabilizers are responding," I noted, recognizing the pattern from earlier.
"Good eye." She glanced up, surprise and approval mingling in her expression. "You're learning fast."
"I have a good teacher."
A new alert flashed across the screen, and Rivera cursed under her breath. "He's launching a major intrusion through the backup systems. If he gets through?—"
"What do you need?"
She met my eyes. "Both of us. Same time. Different consoles."
I moved to the secondary station, placing my hands where she indicated. The pain from my burn faded to background noise as I focused entirely on the task.
Now!Her mental command came sharp and clear.
I pushed a surge of energy through the console, feeling her doing the same across the room. Our energies met somewhere in the system's architecture, silver and gold intertwining, forming a barrier that Hammond's intrusion crashed against and dispersed.
The console lights stabilized, shifting from angry red to cautious yellow. Rivera looked across at me, a grim smile of triumph lifting the corner of her mouth. I returned the look with a slight nod.
It amazed me how efficiently we worked together. It was like we shared one mind, anticipating each other's needs before they arose. The bond between us had become not just a connection but a tool, necessary and powerful.
I watched her work, this human engineer fighting so fiercely to save both our peoples. Not long ago, I'd seen humans only as dangerous interlopers, their curiosity a threat to the careful balance my people maintained. Now I saw her—Rivera—as a competent, adaptable partner.
We can do this.
The console readings had stabilized, indicators shifting toward green for the first time since we'd entered the control room. Hammond's latest intrusion attempt had been thoroughly rebuffed, buying us precious time to shore up the systems.
I leaned against the console, finally allowing myself to check the burn on my side. The skin looked angry and blistered, but the damage hadn't spread. Painful, but manageable.
Rivera wiped sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, leaving a smudge of grime across her skin. The water continued swirling around us, carrying small pieces of debris. In the distance, the structure groaned, reminding us of our precarious situation.
"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly.
"Do what?"
"Risk yourself. With the junction box." She gestured to my injured side. "You're already hurt, and that could have made it worse."
I straightened, meeting her gaze directly. "It needed to be done."
"Still." She looked away, then back, something vulnerable in her expression. "Thank you. For the support. For staying calm when I was losing it."
"Your control of the interface..." I paused, my voice strained from the exertion and smoke inhalation. "Remarkable, Rivera."
She stilled at my use of her name, silver markings pulsing once along her collarbone. She studied me across the console, something shifting in her expression. A decision being made.
"You know..." Her voice softened, a slight tremor betraying her nervousness. "Rivera isn't... My first name is Becca."
I went completely still. Among my people, true names held power, shared only with family and those closest to you. I didn't know if humans held the same traditions, but the weight of her offering was clear in her tentative tone, the vulnerability in her eyes.
My lifelines pulsed visibly along my neck and arms as I processed this gift. I met her gaze, searching her face, seeing past the grime and exhaustion to the person beneath—the woman who had fought beside me, challenged me, saved me.
I nodded slowly, deliberately. "Becca," I repeated, my voice low and rough, tasting the unfamiliar syllables. The name felt right, like a missing piece sliding into place.
Relief washed across her face, transmitted through our bond like a cool breeze. She'd offered me something precious, and I had accepted it.
"Just don't wear it out," she said, attempting lightness but not quite masking the significance of the moment.
"I will honor it," I promised, more formally than I'd intended.
