She glanced around the space and the giant glass cages that were lined on either side of the menagerie, most embedded in the walls. Some were small, some huge, like the ones the locusts were using. Each had its own habitat, own computer system, all linked up to the main panel she and Raul sat at.
In the last week, she’d explored every inch of the space. The rooms off the sides created for plants, the empty cylinder capsules filled with chemicals to transport corpses, and the biodomes for microbes. The plant room also could grow food—like the leaves the locusts consumed.
They’ll need to be fed soon…That reason alone was good enough for her to stay behind. She grumbled for having not thought of it. She and Raul could set them up to be manually fed, but the locusts were finicky with the machines and so they did it themselves.
Athumpsounded, and her gaze snapped to the male locust. Its four forearms were braced against the glass, framing its large, fanged face, and between its furry legs was its rigid cock, purple and meaty.Hell.
Its eyes were on her.
Like Hysterian’s.
The male locust watched her constantly. It made her skin crawl.
The locust was almost worse than Hysterian. She didn’t know if the locust wanted to eat her or to do something far more horrific. Considering its bulge, she had an idea… She did her best to ignore the beast as much as possible, only approaching it when necessary. Even Raul noticed how much the alien creature was interested in her. He offered to do its feedings.
She appreciated his concern but refused him. If she couldn’t handle the first alien animal to be transported, then she wasn’t qualified for this job.
Which amused her to some degree since she only took the job for one purpose only: to get closer to her target. Still, she didn’t want to do a bad job in case it took a while for her to figure out how to achieve her goal.
Getting fired is out of the question.
It was perhaps also hope that she’d survive destroying Hysterian and that she’d have a real future someday.
After all was said and done, she’d go to Gliese or another world like it, get a quiet position, and live a quiet life. If she could help it, she’d never return to Elyria.
Alexa made quick work of feeding the locusts then stepped out of the menagerie. She looked at the armory but kept going, leaving the weapons for another day. Passing the medical chamber and the side passage that led to the reactor and the ship’s bowels, she made her way to the stairs beyond them that led to the upper level of the ship. Sleek silver and white walls surrounded her on every side. Tubes of light ran across the ceiling as well as the floor, embedded into the ship.
TheQuestorwas gorgeous, brand new, completely remodeled from a previous EPED ship. The remodel was obvious, even if she wasn’t already privy to that information. Alexa had never seen a nicer ship.
She was lucky—real lucky—to be here.
Just need a new captain…Then the job would be perfect.
Getting to travel around the universe, seeing exotic faraway places that others couldn’t because of travel restrictions, tasting new food, meeting new people… It was a dream.
Someone else’s dream.
Coming upon the lounge, she peeked in to see if Daniels was within. He wasn’t, which meant he was either in his room, the gym, or in the bridge. She’d have to be careful. Excuses ran through her mind, in case she was caught lurking.
She lingered on the lounge for a moment, eyeing the cleaning bots lasering the floor. There was a round table in the center and two booths to the left. The rest of the room was covered in food replicators of different varieties and activity stations to relieve boredom. It was the far wall that kept her rooted in place, though, where there was a porthole.
Outside, she could see Luxor Port, and the vast wasteland-like moon sprawling beyond. Huge, industrial buildings littered as far as the eye could see. From them, smoke plumed into a hazy pink sky like spiraling pillars. Drones and skiffs flew between them.
Luxor was a dreary place. Most moons were.
Alexa turned from the lounge, glanced at the gym across the way, and kept going. Ahead, she could see the hatch at the end of the hall that opened to the bridge. Before that was a series of closed doors that were more rooms used for housing the crew. Including one filled with dormant androids if the need for them ever arose.
All the doors were closed except one.
Her brow furrowed.
Hysterian’s room was open.
Alexa glanced behind her. She was alone.
I saw Hysterian leave. There’s no way he got past me. Why is his door open? Is it being cleaned?
She heard shuffling within. Instead of turning back and fleeing to the laboratory like she probably should—because it could be Hysterian and then she would have to explain herself again and he probably wouldn’t believe her. Alexa quietly tiptoed to the room.
