His eyes met mine. “Because you’re not just a resource to us. To me.”
“Then what am I to you, Aeon?”
The question hung between us, neither of us quite ready for whatever answer might follow.
EIGHT
AEON
I stood there frozen beside Olivia’s bed. Her question about what she was to me hung between us, demanding an answer I wasn’t prepared to give yet. My mind scrambled for a response that wouldn’t reveal too much.
Heat crawled up my neck, a sensation I’d been experiencing more often around her. My heart rate increased by twelve percent—a physiological response I couldn’t control. What was she to me? A doctor, certainly. A necessary component for our colony’s survival. But something else had begun to form, something I couldn’t quantify or explain with my usual analytical precision.
I stepped back, creating distance between us. “You’re an exceptionally skilled doctor whose expertise is invaluable to our community.” The words came out stiff and seemingly rehearsed.
Her green eyes narrowed slightly. “That’s not what I asked.”
My jaw tightened. I turned toward the door, desperate to escape the unfamiliar pressure building in my chest. “I need to check on the ship systems. Your earlier... escape attempt may have caused damage.”
“You’re running away from me,” she called after me, her voice somehow both soft and accusatory.
I paused at the doorway but didn’t turn back. “I’m prioritizing colony security right now.”
The door shut behind me, and I stood outside taking three deep breaths—a technique I’d observed humans using to regain composure. It wasn’t working as effectively as I had hoped.
The walk to the hangar bay gave me time to process what had just happened. I had felt cornered by her simple question, and my reaction troubled me. I prided myself on control, on precision, and on knowing exactly what needed to be done in any situation. But Olivia Parker consistently disrupted that equilibrium within me.
The hangar bay doors slid open, and I focused on the immediate task. The maintenance hatch where I had caught Olivia showed signs of tampering. Kneeling beside it, I examined the wiring she had attempted to reconfigure.
“Smart,” I muttered, tracing her work with my fingertips. She had nearly bypassed the security protocol, rerouting the command sequence in a way that showed impressive ingenuity. If I had arrived ten minutes later, she might have succeeded.
I repaired the connections, feeling a strange sense of admiration and pride despite the circumstances. Olivia wasn’t just fighting back. She was doing it with intelligence and creativity. The thought brought an unexpected smile to my face.
“Something amusing about sabotage, Commander?”
I glanced up to find Lieutenant Vex watching me with curiosity.
“Just appreciating our doctor’s resourcefulness,” I answered, standing and closing the hatch.
“She’s trouble,” Vex said. “Helix thinks we should restrict her movements more.”
I felt something fierce flow through my veins. “No. Caging her further will only increase her determination to escape.”
“And what do you suggest instead?”
I considered the question carefully. “Double the guards here and at the medical bay. But I don’t want her confined during the day. She needs to understand this place and our people to see why her skills matter here.”
“You’re different around her,” Vex observed, his head tilting slightly. “More... human.”
I bristled at his assessment. “I’m just ensuring the success of our mission. Nothing more.”
But as I walked away to implement the new security measures, I knew I was lying to Vex—and to myself. Whatever was developing between Olivia and me wasn’t just about the colony’s future anymore. It was something I couldn’t name, something that made me feel both stronger and more vulnerable than I’d ever been.
I soon found Tegan at his post in the security center, his eyes methodically scanning the various monitors that lined the curved wall. His fingertips danced across the console with practiced efficiency.
“Status report?” I leaned against the doorway, trying to appear casual despite the tension knotting my shoulders.
Tegan glanced up, his expression betraying mild surprise. “Aeon. Didn’t expect you until tomorrow’s briefing.”
