She finished her packing quickly after that, driven by a renewed sense of urgency. The storage containers were loaded onto acart, her personal effects sorted and secured. The lab looked bare without her equipment, its surfaces sterile and impersonal.
Someone else will fill this space, she thought. Continue the work I started. Make their own discoveries.
She tried to find comfort in the thought, but it rang hollow. This had been her space, her purpose, her contribution to humanity’s future on Mars. Leaving it behind felt like amputating a part of herself.
But some things are more important than research. Some people are worth more than careers.
She was making one last sweep of the lab when Cass appeared in the doorway, Zach’s massive form looming behind her.
“Ready?”
Alina looked around the empty lab one final time. “As I’ll ever be.”
Cass’s eyes were red-rimmed, her usual composure cracked by emotion. She’d been trying to be brave about Alina’s departure, making jokes about video calls and care packages, but the façade was wearing thin.
“Come on.” Alina pulled her into a hug, holding tight. “Don’t you dare cry. If you cry, I’ll cry, and then I’ll never be able to leave.”
“Too late.” Cass’s voice was muffled against her shoulder. “I started crying yesterday and haven’t stopped.”
“Cass…”
“I know, I know. This is the right thing. You’re doing what you have to do. I understand all of that.” She pulled back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “But you’re my best friend, Alina.You’re the first person I met when I came to Mars, the one who made this place feel like home. And now you’re leaving, and I don’t know when I’ll see you again, and it’s hard.”
The tears Alina had been fighting back broke free, streaming down her cheeks. “I know. I’m sorry. I wish?—”
“Don’t apologize. Not for this.” Cass gripped her shoulders, forcing eye contact. “What you’re doing—choosing love, choosing freedom—that’s brave. That’s right. I just wish I could come with you.”
“You have your own life here. Your own love.” Alina glanced at Zach, who was pretending very hard to be interested in the ceiling. “Mars needs people like you, Cass. People who care about making this world better for everyone, not just the corporations and the politicians.”
“I know.” Cass sniffled, managing a watery smile. “Doesn’t make it any easier.”
They stood like that for a moment, holding onto each other, saying goodbye in the only way that mattered.
“You have the coordinates?” Alina asked finally.
“Encrypted and memorized. I’ll destroy the original as soon as you’re clear.”
“And the samples?—”
“Already distributed. Dr. Rodriguez has the atmospheric data. Dr. Vance is handling the botanical samples. Everything is in trustworthy hands, scattered across half a dozen facilities that GenCon can’t touch.” Cass’s expression hardened. “By the time they figure out what we’ve done, the knowledge will be everywhere. They’ll never be able to suppress it.”
“Thank you.” The words felt inadequate, but Alina didn’t have better ones. “For everything. For believing in me, for helping me, for being my friend when I needed one most.”
“Always.” Cass pulled her into one last fierce hug. “Now get out of here before I change my mind and lock you in a storage closet.”
Zach stepped forward, his massive frame surprisingly gentle as he helped load her containers onto the rover. He didn’t say much—he rarely did—but the careful way he handled her belongings spoke louder than words.
“Take care of her,” Alina said quietly, nodding towards Cass.
“Always.” His voice was rough, but his eyes were kind. “And you take care of yourself. The outer territories are dangerous, even for people who belong there.”
“I’ll have help.”
Something passed across his face—understanding, perhaps, or recognition. He’d been transformed too, after all. Remade into something more than human, something that straddled the line between familiar and alien. If anyone could understand what Rhyx was facing, it was him.
“Good.” He extended a hand, and she shook it firmly. “Safe travels, Dr. Falkner.”
The rover hummed to life beneath her, its familiar vibration a comfort against the chaos of emotions churning in her chest. Cass stood in the doorway of the habitat dome, one hand raised in farewell, her figure growing smaller as Alina pulled away.
