Evo smiles to himself and shakes his head like he doesn’t know why I think that. “A quiet life, safe, with my Brothers, and someone to share my time with. But even if we win, that will not happen. So I just want to keep those I care about close enough that I do not lose them to the abyss again. Not knowing is worse than knowing the worst.”
“You dream of fighting for your family,” I offer.
“If I cannot have anything else, that is what I want.” Evo rubs a hand over his digibadge. “Because then at least I know I’m trying and hope is not lost.”
I close my eyes and sink heavily into the soft bed. “You’re hot, but that dedication is what I love most.”
Love? Did I say that? Like…I meant...Waves of sleep grip me, pulling me under.
Shadows crawl over my thoughts. Only this time, it isn’t Solcrue that haunt me. It’s an image of Xiphos far out in the darkness. I’m supposed to operate it, and I know next to nothing about it. The fear that my blood won’t do what it’s supposed to when the time comes has me wanting to crawl away and hide.
It’s why I have to join the mission. I have to fight to distract myself from this new pressure, something I never asked for.
“Aera…” Evo’s voice is an anchor in the darkness. “I’m here.”
Chapter 13: Evo
Aera cries and shivers in her sleep. She’s thin like most human survivors. The moment my filtration is complete, I climb back into my armor and close up my helmet, then I pick up a blanket and cover her. I pack away the equipment Ribos used on me, then sit by her feet, watching the entrance of the medbay and listening to the Titan network, so I can be ready to get Aera geared up and decide which ship is safest for her to be on for the mission.
I can still taste her kiss on my lips and linger in the delicate flavor of her beautiful living body. Even when I felt the change tighten my skin and the pigmentation alteration registered in my vision, I knew I wasn’t becoming human any more than I can become Fracture or Armor. It is just a temporary change, something I can never be again.
But I liked it a little too much.
When Lotus calls for the meeting, I gently brace Aera’s shoulder, wishing I could let her sleep. But I don’t think she’d appreciate being left out of the mission. She made it very clear, she wants to go.
She grabs my wrist and tugs me over, rearing a fist back like she’s ready to pummel me.
“Aera!”
When she sees it’s me, Aera immediately releases me. “Sorry! Sorry. I…”
Aera sits up, opens my helmet, and kisses me. The change begins again and, for a moment, I don’t want to stop it. I just want to linger in this tender moment here with her, in her affection, and this feeling that I finally belong somewhere. ButLotus’ announcement repeats, and I have to break away from Aera.
I close up my helmet and get up. “I hoped you would sleep better.”
“Does anyone sleep well anymore?” she asks with a deep breath. Aera reties her long, wavy ponytail and pats the pocket with the chip in it. “That’s just what happens when Solcrue come in and grab you in the middle of the night.”
“Did that happen to you?” I ask.
She rubs her eyes as she walks into the hallway. “A few times. That’s the problem with being low on weapons and supplies and staff, trying to survive in the deep black. We ventured in periodically to trade supplies on Earth Minor for intel or protection for the movement of resistance cargo when they were still on Diemos. But just because we can’t see something out there in the dark, doesn’t mean there aren’t things there.
“Centurion’sscanners were just outdated. It took a while to upgrade them. Like everything else. Mistakes were made. Sometimes more than once. But we survived. About nine percent of us. A little less.”
Rogue and Relic Brothers join us in the hallway as we gather in the main hangar for the briefing, even though I already know what they’re going to say because I’ve heard it over the Titan network. But we have to do public meetings so the humans can learn what we know.
Toriszi stands beside Chasm and Savage, now with Commander Tarrant from Aera’s ship, who looks like he’s feeling better than when we journeyed back to the nebula.
A woman with olive skin, wearing a set of noise-cancelling earmuffs, stands in the walkway as we enter the hangar, handing out small devices. She gives one to Aera. “Hi, I’m Cara!”
Aera winces and raises her voice. “I can hear you just fine!”
Cara smiles and hands her a device, then taps her earmuff. As she speaks, I see her code load in my telepathic network.
Cara>>Local: Sorry about that. I am the half-breed that can’t join you. But I would if I could. State your name so it links you in the feed.
Aera speaks as she hooks the unit over her left ear. “ Aera.”
Unknown>>Local: Aera.
