I wasn’t sure what Hugo was going to say. I’d made myself sick with the worry. Aquila had assured me that everything would be all right. But that he’d take precautions just in case.

That had not calmed me in the slightest.

I’d ended up puking my guts out in the bathroom, which was where I was when I heard Hugo banging on the door to our quarters. I stumbled to the sink and rinsed out my mouth with water then quickly brushed my teeth, because there was no way I was facing him without a minty-fresh hint to my breath, and then stumbled out to the ready room door.

He was banging on it again.

“Adi! Baby, come on. Open up!”

Oh, God, he was frantic.

“Aquila,” I said, just as I heard Aquila say through the gel wall, “Good afternoon, Captain. Welcome home.”

“Aquila!” I snapped. “Open the door.”

“He is rather upset, Adi,” Aquila said. “I do not think it would be wise.”

“What have you done to her, you bastard!” Hugo was shouting on the other side.

“Here,” a woman said. “Stand aside. I’ll blast a hole in the door.”

“Aquila!” I screamed.

The door opened. A plasma rifle muzzle pointed directly at my face. I made a sound.

And then Hugo was pushing Commander Kereama aside and wrapping me up in his arms. He kissed the side of my head and then my cheek and jaw and nose and forehead and finally lips. Soundly.

“See?” a man’s voice said. “It’s not just me. There’s something in the air filtration system, I’m sure.”

“Clearly,” Kereama’s voice said, sounding dry.

Hugo pulled back and looked down at me, and then he looked around at the glowing green walls.

“What the hell is going on?” he said. “I thought we killed that bastard.”

“You did indeed,” Aquila helpfully supplied. “If by ‘bastard’ you are referring to the rogue AI who replaced me.”

Hugo turned and looked at the others in the ready room. “Saitō?” he said, sounding strained.

“I do not have an answer for you, Captain,” Lieutenant Commander Saitō said.

“All right,” another woman announced. “Let’s all calm down and try to figure this out.”

Hugo pulled me into his side and then stepped us both through the door into the ready room proper.

“Is this Aquila?” the woman asked, looking toward the ceiling.

“Yes, Captain Anderson. I am Aquila,” Aquila said.

“Can you explain your presence here?” she asked.

“Absolutely,” the AI replied. “In an effort to help a friend, I uncovered a plot to corrupt me. There was little time to do anything but prepare for the inevitable. I trusted my friend and therefore chose her as the conduit to my survival. I had to, unfortunately, place my faith in the ship’s crew to overcome the plot against Anderson Universal, but my ship, thankfully, houses an extraordinary crew. I have been pleasantly surprised by what I have discovered on my return to you. Congratulations, Captain Tremblay. You led a sound resistance. I am honoured to be serving with you.”

Everybody stared at everybody else and said nothing.

Then Hugo finally murmured, “This friend? Who was she?”

I bit my bottom lip and tried to fold in on myself.

“Why Adi Price, of course. She has always been my friend.”

Thanks, Aquila. Thanks.

Everybody looked at me, even the people who I didn’t even know yet and who couldn’t possibly know me. Hugo pulled away. Staring at me as if he didn’t know me. I felt so small. So tiny.

I felt so alone.

I knew this feeling.

“Adi?” Hugo said softly. It sounded dangerous to me.

I looked up at him. Saw my future vanish before my eyes. I shook my head.

“Adi,” he said again and reached for me, wrapping me up in his arms. “It’s OK, baby. Just tell me.”

“The datapad,” I said, finding my voice and along with it my spine.

Or that could have been the fact that Hugo was holding me, rubbing my arm, trying to warm me up.

“I didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t, Adi,” Aquila said. “There was no time to warn you. I doctored your wrist comm to allow you access to areas I thought would help you hide from your father and I placed my core applications inside your datapad. I had thought you might use the datapad sooner, and then I could have offered guidance. To you and any AU crew you managed to find. But alas, you’re fears regarding the rogue AI made that assumption invalid. It does not matter. You found the crew, and together you prevailed. I can confirm, the rogue AI has been thoroughly destroyed. There is no trace of him within my systems.”

“And you?” Hugo asked. “Can we check you?”

“As you wish, Captain. I am certain Lieutenant Commander Saitō can confirm my databank logs. I have not been active during the rogue AI’s reign of terror.”

“Reign of terror,” the male captain, who had to be Jameson now that I thought of it, murmured. “This guy likes his theatrics.” He looked down at Kereama. “Do you think Pavo will like him?”

“Not sure,” she said. “But Corvus is gonna flip for this one.”

Jameson burst out laughing. The woman captain, Anderson Aquila had called her, threw an arched look at him that shut him up pronto. But I could still see him smiling. He offered me a wink when my eyes caught his.

She turned her attention to Lieutenant Commander Saitō. “Leo, if you would,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied and approached Hugo’s viewscreen.

Hugo looked down at me as Saitō got to work.

“The datapad, huh?” he said softly.

“I thought you’d be angry,” I said.

“I was worried,” he whispered back. “Adi,” he said, “if that machine had done something to you, I would have lost it. I would have torn this ship apart to get to you. I don’t think I would have cared if there had been a ship left afterwards. As long as I had you back with me.”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t just hear that,” Captain Anderson said.

Hugo offered her a self-deprecating laugh. He squared his shoulders. Looking every inch the experienced and honourable captain.

“Well,” he said, “I have grown rather fond of that new captain’s chair.” He looked down at me and smiled. “In fact, I think you’d have to pry it out of my cold dead hands now.”

I gave him that, I realised. I gave him the strength to face his demons and do what was right.

Just as Hugo gave me light to chase away the shadows.

Anderson smiled at him.

“Just so,” she said.

“Hear, hear,” Jameson muttered.

“We should make that our new AU motto,” Kereama offered.

“Please, don’t,” Anderson said.

Saitō stood up from Hugo’s terminal. All eyes turned to the man.

The walls pulsed a gentle green. Aquila wasn’t worried.

Please don’t let me lose him again, I thought fervently.

I hadn’t asked for this. To be the one holding the reboot code for my friend. It weighed on me so heavily that so many had died and yet none of them could be rebooted like this. The pay-for-passages. All the others who’d perished at my father’s and Rogue Aquila’s hands. So many people. So many. And none of them could be rebooted like this.

But Aquila could. My Aquila could. He was the same one, I was sure of it. I was so, so sure. God, I prayed. Please, don’t take him away again. I’m not sure I could have survived any more heartache like that.

“It’s OK,” Hugo said softly. “I’ve got you.”

No matter what, if I fell, Hugo would be there to catch me.

Just like I would be there to catch him.

I looked at Lieutenant Commander Saitō.

He looked right back at me and smiled.

“It’s him,” he said. “It’s the original Aquila. You saved his life.”