Why did that keep happening?

Why was it so easy for me to walk into his arms and let him hold me? I’d never wanted anything like that before. In fact, I went to great lengths to ensure that I didn’t want anything like that.

I was an idiot for telling him all of that stuff about my illness. I’d done exactly what I swore I would never do. I let my illness make me vulnerable.

The stiff feeling on my cheeks from dried tears served as a reminder that I was weak.

I thought of Mariella again. She seemed so at peace with the fact that we might never find a cure. She didn’t carry the same fear I did.

Or, if she did, it didn’t eat away at her as it did me. It was entirely possible that I was wasting my life searching for a cure that couldn’t be found.

But even if I made the choice to stop searching for one, I don’t think I could even have just a normal life. The looming threat of the illness would weigh on my mind always.

I was grateful that Axtin didn’t ask any questions about it as we walked.

He seemed content just to walk in silence.

I should say something, I really should.

Thank him, maybe? I don’t know. I’d never been in this situation before. There wasn’t a set procedure to follow.

In the end, I decided not to say anything.

The silence didn’t last long.

We were soon approaching the Quake station. This building was part of a network that spanned a good majority of the settled world.

This planet was supposed to be a paradise, almost identical to Earth, but when the first generation arrived, that was not exactly the case. The air was breathable, and the natural food and water sources weren’t toxic, but the planet frequently trembled with earthquakes. The first generation built these Quake stations to combat the issue.

Each Quake station was built around a massive drill. Each drill was perfectly placed according to the seismic wave readings received at each station. The drills basically acted like earthquake reflectors.

The quakes still hit, but these stations helped redirect them to an area far away from cities and towns. I’ve always wondered if that will cause problems for us in the future. Humans have many gifts, but foresight is not one of them.

From the outside of the building, the drill wasn’t visible. It just looks like a very large, very square treehouse made from metal that has started to rust due to the damp, tropical climate.

It’s silent. Quake stations should never be silent.

“Something isn’t right,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Axtin.

I was about to run in and investigate, but Axtin grabbed my arm before I could even take my first step.

“We just had a long talk about you rushing into danger and already you’re looking to get yourself into trouble,” he said with a grin.

I rolled my eyes but still felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

For once, I let him take the lead. He drew a blaster and motioned for me to stay behind him. We crouched low and cautiously approached the silent Quake station.

We walked up the stairs into the main building, trying to keep our footfalls on the metal floor as silent as we could.

Axtin pressed his back against the wall beneath a window and pulled me in next to him. He lifted a finger to his lips, warning me to stay silent, as he slowly lifted himself up to look through the window.

“It’s empty,” he said.

“That’s strange. Quake stations need to be staffed at all times,” I said.

Seismic readings were constantly pouring in to be analyzed and geological experiments were frequently being performed in the Quake stations, not to mention the drill maintenance. Running the Quake station was a full-time job.

“I don’t want to upset you,” Axtin said hesitantly. “but a lot of the equipment and stuff isn’t looking too good. I think this place was attacked.”

“Xathi?” I asked, my eyes going wide in horror.

“It’s hard to say. I don’t see any bodies,” Axtin said, taking another look through the window.

“Maybe everyone ran away?” I ventured, knowing how foolish my hopefulness sounded.

“Perhaps,” Axtin said with a kind smile.

But I could see the truth in his eyes. Everyone was probably dead. From what I learned about the Xathi, they didn’t just kill populations.

They harvested them.

The image of the hologram child flashed in my mind’s eye. My chest tightened.

I had to stop. I had to stop thinking about it right now, or I would lose it again.

Think about your research, think about your research, I repeated to myself until I felt my heart rate slow down to a normal speed.

“Can we go inside?” I asked.

I think Axtin appreciated that I asked this time, rather than just charging in. He checked the window one more time before nodding to me. The door to the building was crumpled as if it had taken a heavy blow.

I couldn’t open it. I went back to the glassless window and hoisted myself in. I heard Axtin’s boots scrape against the metal floors as he followed me.

Most of the equipment was inoperable. Many of the larger machines looked like they had been smashed. Whether it was deliberate or not, I’d never know.

Crackling and sparks from some of the exposed wires told me that the power was still on. A small bit of luck in what was shaping up to be a disastrous excursion. I just needed that luck to last a little longer.

“I just need to find a working computer,” I said to Axtin. “Or even a data pad. I could probably work with that.”

“I don’t think you’re going to find one here,” Axtin said, looking around the ruined facility.

With a frustrated sigh, I quickly headed toward the back of the building. In most labs, there was a designated office space with three or four computers meant for everyday work, typing up reports, submitting supply orders, and the like.

There was such a room at the back of the lab.

The first desk was missing its computer entirely. The second boasted a smashed monitor. In the farthest and least damaged corner of the room, a monitor flickered weakly.

“You any good with computers?” I called to Axtin.

He laughed and gestured to himself.

“Do I look like I’ve spent a lot of time working on computers?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but laugh. Between the tactical armor and the insane number of weapons—especially the giant hammer—strapped to various parts of him, it was hard to imagine him sitting behind a desk typing away at something.

“Fair point,” I conceded.

I approached the flickering monitor. The cable controlling the display was badly frayed. I was afraid that if I touched it, I would only make it worse.

From what I could see, the computer was still connected to the university network. The touchscreen was tricky, often not responding to my touch correctly, but I managed to open the database.

I carefully entered my credentials, having to start over several times because the monitor kept flickering out and resetting. Eventually, I was granted access to my personal database. The display was blurry and inconsistent, but it was there.

All of my research was right there where I’d left it. I could have sobbed with relief.

“It’s here!” I exclaimed, beaming at Axtin. “It’s all here. I snuck a data drive into the pack with the prototype bombs. Can you hand it to me?”

Axtin stared at me in disbelief.

“I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that you stole a data disk from a refugee lab, or that you want me to reach my hand into a bag of experimental bombs,” he said.

“Just be careful, and it shouldn’t be a problem,” I shrugged.

The look he gave me almost made me laugh out loud.

“Or if you’re too scared, just give me the bag, and I’ll get it myself.”

“No, I can get it,” he said quickly.

He gingerly reached into the bag and pulled out the small silver data drive. He tossed it to me. I caught it and eagerly jammed it into the data port.

It took a few tries. The port was damaged. The computer didn’t recognize it right away.

While I was waiting for my research to copy itself onto the data drive, Axtin spoke up.

“So, how close are you to finding a cure?” he asked.

I furrowed my brow, not sure how to answer.

“Well, that’s a complicated question,” I replied. “As of right now, I have the largest collection of data pertaining to this genetic disease. However, I still don’t know what caused it in the first place or what could possibly be used to fight it. It’s resistant to all medications used to treat illnesses with similar symptoms.”

“I see,” Axtin said, though I could tell he didn’t fully understand.

“I’ll explain it to you better when we’re somewhere safe,” I offered with a small smile.

“I’d like that,” he grinned back at me.

Ideally, I would want to return to Duvest to work in the lab there. But I couldn’t bring Axtin with me. I didn’t want to risk another mob situation.

I didn’t know what I would do if Axtin was seriously hurt, or worse, killed, by angry hateful humans.

Maybe I could work on the Vengeance. It’d be safer, and I could potentially convince Mariella to join up with me again.

And Axtin would be there. I realized with a jolt that I didn’t like the idea of not having Axtin close by. But I couldn’t think about that right now.

I swiped the data disk and tucked it away somewhere safe once the transfer was complete. Just having my research with me made me feel so much better.

“Let’s go,” Axtin suggested. “I don’t want whatever caused this mess to come back looking for more.”

I nodded in agreement.

We walked through the forest once again in silence. All I could think about was how I would get to the next step in my research. I was so lost in thought that I collided with Axtin’s back when he stopped short.

I was about to ask him why he stopped, then I heard the shouting.

He motioned for me to get low and stay behind him. I obeyed. We worked our way through the thick trees until we came upon a small clearing.

People in dirty clothes huddled in groups as Xathi soldiers rounded them up. Some of them were children.

“Axtin,” I whimpered, clutching his arm.

He put his hand over mine and squeezed.

The Xathi were wearing some kind of…suit. It didn’t look like armor. They were hard as rocks, they didn’t need armor in the first place. I could see energy rippling across the surface of the suits.

I was still staring at them when Axtin tried to guide me away.

“What are you doing?” I hissed.

“Leaving,” he whispered back.

I dug my heels into the ground and yanked against him.

“There are children in there, Axtin!” I said, trying to keep my voice as quiet as possible.

Axtin didn’t meet my gaze as he tried to move me away again.

I held fast.

If Axtin wasn’t going to fight for those people, I sure as hell would.