Page 29 of Bite for Sore Eyes

This is who I am, she realized, feeling a spark of her old confidence returning. Illness or no illness, this is still who I am at my core.

Within minutes, she'd pulled up diagnostic reports that painted a clearer picture of the network's health. "Good news first—nothing appears to have been compromised, though we'll need to run a few more comprehensive scans to be absolutely certain."

Relief flickered across Jace's features. "And the bad news?"

"You've got some significant gaps in your infrastructure. Probably from recent upgrades that created pathways where system failures could propagate." She highlighted several sections of code on the display. "These vulnerabilities could explain how the random failures are manifesting."

Jace leaned closer, studying her analysis with growing excitement. "I did implement an upgrade about a month ago, but the initial tests showed no problems. And I've been working around the clock trying to understand why these failures keep happening, but they seem completely random and unrelated."

"They're not random," Lana said with growing certainty. "There's definitely a pattern here, but it's subtle. I could help you trace it if you don't mind some assistance."

"Mind?" Jace's eyes lit up like she'd offered him the keys to a candy store. "I would love to work with you. Your input could be exactly what we need to solve this."

Footsteps approached from behind, and Torren's voice carried a note of formal introduction. "Vaughn, perfect timing. We were about to come find you. I'd like you to meet Lana Morales, our fated mate."

Lana turned to see an older bear shifter with neatly trimmed dark hair and intelligent brown eyes behind lightweight glasses. His utility clothing and measured bearing spoke to decades of engineering experience, but his expression seemed less than welcoming as his gaze swept over her.

"Hello, Lana," Vaughn said, his tone carefully neutral. "What brings you to our facility today?"

"I was just offering to help with the security problems," she replied, noting the slight tension that appeared around his eyes. "See if I could give any fresh solutions."

Vaughn's jaw tightened a fraction. "I'm not sure that's necessary. These are complex systems that require years of experience to understand properly."

Territorial, Lana diagnosed immediately, recognizing the type from her military and NSA days. Probably feels threatened by an outsider suggesting his systems need fixing.

"But if Rath and Torren approve, then I suppose I'll stay out of the way," Vaughn continued, his words technically polite but edged with clear dismissal.

Before anyone could respond, he turned and walked away with measured steps, leaving an awkward silence in his wake.

"Don't take it personally," Jace said quietly. "Vaughn's been running things here for thirty years. He's earned his reputation, but he doesn't always warm up to new approaches immediately."

"I've dealt with worse territorial behavior back on Earth," Lana said with a slight smile. "Some things are universal, apparently."

But even as she spoke, a familiar warning sensation began building at the base of her skull—the subtle wrongness that always preceded an episode. Her vision wavered slightly at the edges, and she felt the first hints of that distinctive numbness starting in her fingertips.

Not now, she thought desperately. Not when I'm finally feeling useful again.

"If you'll excuse me," she said, forcing her voice to remain steady, "could someone point me toward the ladies' restroom?"

"Sure thing," Jace replied, gesturing down a side corridor. "Just down that hallway, first door on your right."

"Thank you." She managed to keep her steps measured and casual as she headed toward the corridor, fighting the growing instability in her legs.

Just make it to the bathroom, she told herself. Then you can deal with whatever's happening.

But as she pushed through the restroom door, her feet suddenly lost all sensation, as if someone had severed the neural connections between her brain and her lower legs. She pitched forward, her head clipping the edge of the sink as she fell. The impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through her skull and stars exploded across her vision. Then she found herself sprawled on the cold tile floor, dazed and struggling to orient herself.

Brilliant, Lana, she thought woozily, tasting copper where she'd bitten her tongue. Isolate yourself right when you need help most.

The familiar panic of an episode began to build in her chest, made worse by the throbbing in her head and the fact that she was alone in an alien facility with no way to contact anyone.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea to keep managing her illness alone.

TWELVE

TORREN

Torren stood beside Jace's workstation, his attention split between the diagnostic displays and the corridor where Lana had disappeared several minutes earlier. The familiar hum of the security center's equipment couldn't quite mask the growing unease that had settled in his chest.