Addison Monroe glanced out the window of her office at Waystation Helios, a smile on her face. As focused as she often was on her work, she made a point of looking out into the atrium every now and again, just to remind herself why she’d worked so many late nights and nearly every weekend for the past eighteen months.

A vibrant meeting area greeted her--a space bathed in sunlight, filled with creature comforts for both the human and Karuvar societies. It was often the first place mates found one another, and the connections that charged the very air of Waystation Helios were no less magical to Addison than they had been on that first day, when Meg Cauthran had matched with Verkiir.

Some of Addison’s colleagues disputed the existence of anything so frivolous as “magic,” but Addison believed magic and science went hand in hand. Science was more than its parts; more than the predictable firing of neurons. When every incredible part came together to create a cohesive whole, that was magic. Completely verifiable and quantifiable, but no less amazing.

And that magic happened every day at Helios--ever since they’d rolled out the Matchmaker program. When it came down to the science, the Matchmaker program was just a series of algorithms that scanned several well-maintained databases to determine which human and Karuvar might have matching implants. But the magic? That played out right before her eyes.

A shy, young Karuvar male had docked at Helios two months ago, hoping to find a match. The programmers in charge of the Matchmaker were absolutely puzzled when, after a solid month, they still hadn’t found anyone for him. Some suggested transferring him to Selene or another Waystation, just in case the database wasn’t complete, but Addison encouraged him to stay.

He had, and now he was meeting his mate for the first time. The woman who’d arrived at Helios that morning had not registered her implant--she just felt drawn to the center. Such a curious thing, likely inspired by biochemistry and some primitive instinct. In a word? Magic.

Now they were together. Just talking for the time being, but every couple of minutes, they drifted closer. The sight of it--the existence of that enigmatic pull--made Addison smile.

“The Matchmaker find anything for you yet?” a familiar voice asked.

Ashley Cauthran, Meg’s seventeen year old sister, had been working at Helios part-time for over a year. She was more interested in older human technology, but the job suited her well. Her presence as Addison’s assistant had been a blessing… and sometimes a curse, because the young woman was the nosiest person Addison had ever met.

“Not since the last time I checked,” she said, returning her attention to her computer.

“And how long ago was that?” Ash asked. “Because you’re looking at that couple like a dog drooling over a bone.”

Addison knew better than to blush. Ash would take that and run with it. So she simply turned a flat stare on her young friend, one blonde brow arching finely.

“Okay, don’t give me the Smart Science Lady look, it’s not fair,” she groused.

“I don’t know any other way to look,” Addison said, the hint of a smirk ruining her illusion of innocence. “And to answer your question, I think it was a few months ago. You know I haven’t had any time to worry about anything other than Vazik’s implant.”

There were other reasons, of course. Addison’s gaze flicked to the framed picture of her mother she kept on her desk. Ash didn’t need to know anything about that, especially when she wouldn’t argue with Addison’s logic to begin with. The work they were doing was of vital importance for humanity and Karuvar society alike. As the first kit born to a human mother, Vazik was proof that both species could continue… together. Today was the moment of truth, though. The moment they’d been working toward for months.

Today was the day he was to receive his implant, the thing that would define him; that would allow him to not just survive, but thrive in this new world. Failure was simply not an option, and so Addison had spent every waking hour ensuring the implant was strong from a bio-engineering standpoint.

“God, they can’t get here soon enough,” Ash said with a teenager’s fatigue. “Meg’s been driving me and Verkiir up a fucking wall for weeks now. If you thought she was bad when he had his first exam?” She shook her head. “Boy, you’re in for a treat.”

Addison laughed softly. She’d met with Meg recently, and she had indeed witnessed the woman’s frantic concern over her son.

“I can’t say I blame her,” Addison said. “New mothers are always overprotective.”

“Doesn’t help that she’s got Drol’gan breathing down her neck, talking about ‘the future of the species’ and all that.”

Addison snorted at Ash’s almost perfect rendition of the Karuvar Pathfinder’s lofty voice, every syllable carefully enunciated.

“I imagine he can’t help it.”

She’d long studied the Karuvar--she knew all about the crisis their people had been undergoing before the mating program was created. It would undoubtedly be a crisis again if Vazik was unable to receive an implant, but Addison was confident that would not happen.

“He here yet?”

She glanced over at Ash, expecting exactly what she saw--the girl fully occupied transcribing medical charts, her face turned away. She wasn’t blushing. Addison couldn’t see even the hint of rosy cheeks. But her expression would still give her away; they both knew it.

“Drol’gan, or his son?” she asked, unable to help herself.

Drann, the next Karuvar in line to be Pathfinder, was a sweet boy from everything Addison knew. A bit naive, and he likely needed more of an edge before he succeeded his father, but he would be a good leader some day.

He was also a huge distraction, though. Ash’s crush wasn’t well-hidden. Everyone assumed their implants would sync when they came of age, but until that time, Addison counted on having to do her assistant’s work whenever Drann was around.

“I mean, they’re both coming, right? It’s kind of a big deal.”

“It is, which is why I need those charts put into the system before they get here.”

“You got it, boss,” Ash said; a meager attempt at tweaking Addison in return.

But she was too focused on her own task. Sparing one last glance out the window, she returned to making her final check. This implant would be perfect. She would stake her career on it.

* * *

The Zavellan docked at Waystation Helios precisely at 1300, exactly when Meg and Verkiir were set to arrive. Anticipation swelled in Addison as she heard the telltale sound of the hydraulic lift coupled with the pleasant ding that rang out whenever someone was seen through one of the exterior hubs.

With Ash’s help, she finished getting the room set up, fending off the reporters that had come to observe. She took no issue with them being present--the world would want to know, and she was happy to have the scientific collusion between human and Karuvar shared with any and everyone who cared to listen, but she had no interest in being plied with questions before anything even happened.

A small team was assembled including a medical doctor and another bio-engineer, just to ensure a flawless procedure. Freshly sterilized equipment was presented, and Addison finally brought in the implant, leaving it in its locked, glass case.

The Pathfinder and his son were the first to arrive, and Addison greeted them with the respect they were due, graciously sidestepping Drol’gan’s flirtatious comments. He was incorrigible, really, and had been from the day she’d met him. But it was always nice to be appreciated.

The truest smile she wore came when Meg finally arrived, though, carrying Vazik in her arms. The woman had become her dearest friend, and it was always a treat to see her. Not to mention the fact that her son was absolutely adorable.

He had the same gold skin and gold eyes his father possessed, along with nubby little growths that Verkiir assured her would sprout into full horns when he reached puberty. His face was softer, though, round and full like his mother’s. He did not possess much of the Karuvar scale plating or the tail, but she knew many of these adaptations would eventually come from the implant itself.

“Goodness, he’s gotten even bigger than the last time I saw him.”

And that had been a mere week ago.

“He should be. He eats like a mutant horse,” Ash commented, still retaining her humor despite the fact that she certainly had blushed at Drann’s presence.

“He eats what he needs,” Verkiir said, shooting his sister-in-law a half-hearted glare. “He will grow to be strong.”

“He’s already strong,” Meg said, hefting him to the other side of her body. “Don’t let him anywhere near your hair. He’s fascinated with it right now.”

“Noted,” Addison said with a smile.

The Pathfinder greeted the mated pair while Addison and Ashley helped Meg and Vazik get situated on the exam table. It would be easier if his mother held him. The procedure wasn’t extremely invasive, but there would still be a bit of pain, and the lights and sounds would likely frighten him.

“If you are ready, I believe we can begin?” she asked Meg. “Ashley, bring the reporters back in, please.”

Meg looked up to her mate who’d moved to stand protectively by her side. The look in his eyes said he would barely tolerate Addison touching his son, let alone the other two scientists involved in the procedure, but he knew it must be done. After a long moment, he finally nodded his consent.

With everyone situated, Addison gave the go-ahead to Dr. Burke, the medical doctor in charge of making the incision. She readied the implant while he worked, removing it from the case with sterile gloves. It was such a tiny thing--barely larger than a processing unit in her terminal. But it was responsible for keeping Karuvar and humans alive. It would be responsible for helping little Vazik adapt to his world and any others he visited.

And one day, someone out there would be fitted with the exact same implant. He’d find that person, and she would be his mate, just like his parents before him.

That wasn’t even mentioning the fact that this one implant was going to create a ripple effect across the scientific community. The first human and Karuvar offspring to be fitted for an implant. And she, Addison Monroe, had been responsible for its design and installation.

If only her mother could see her now.

“Doctor,” Burke said, acknowledging that he was ready for her.

Vazik was surprisingly quiet, the numbing medicine evidently doing its job. Either that or he was already as brave and stubborn as his parents.

That would make it easier, at least. Grasping the implant with one of the surgical instruments, Addison smiled at Ash from behind a protective mask.

“Would you like to assist?”

Ashley’s eyes widened and she nodded vigorously.

“Remember the program I showed you? Once I give you the signal, execute it, please.”

A programmer had handled all of the code, but Addison still knew enough to double-check it and make sure there was nothing wrong. Once she fitted the implant into Vazik’s arm, Ash could run the program and the little device would be activated. From there, it should only take a few seconds before it began to integrate with his body.

Addison’s nerves flared as she gently slid the implant into the incision. She didn’t question her abilities, but she didn’t usually have this much of an audience.

“It’s in. Go ahead, Ashley,” she said.

One keystroke and a few seconds later, Ash confirmed, “Done. Program’s run.”

“How long will it be before it takes?” one of the reporters asked.

“Not long now. We should start to see markings even as Doctor Burke’s closing him up. No doubt the implant will finish the job, as well.”

The closure was just a precaution. The implant would ensure the wound was closed and that healthy skin sealed it, but Addison could appreciate following best practices.

So she stood back, allowing Dr. Burke the chance to close the tiny incision. Her gaze was fixed on the infant’s arm, and yet… she wasn’t seeing anything. No tiny tendrils spidering outward from the implant site. No tattooed lines that looked like ink spilled just beneath the skin.

“Sometimes it takes a moment,” she assured her audience, all of whom were also watching with bated breath.

But still nothing happened. Vazik finally began to wail, a harsh and piercing cry, yet his arm remained bare.

The first stirrings of panic rose in Addison, but she shoved them down, making her way to the terminal.

“Did I do something wrong?” Ash asked. “I did it exactly the way you showed me, I didn’t--”

“It’s not you,” Addison assured her, taking over the station. “You did what you were supposed to do.”

That was easy enough to see. The program had been executed. All of the code was transferred to Vazik’s implant.

But it wasn’t taking. Why wasn’t it taking?

“Dr. Monroe?” she heard Drol’gan ask.

“What have you done to my son?” Verkiir snarled.

Everyone spoke at once, the sound amplifying tenfold in Addison’s mind. She tried to block it out, tried to concentrate, but the numbers in front of her bled together.

“What does this mean for the Karuvar breeding effort?”

“How significant is this failure?”

“Should we halt the program entirely?”

So many words. So many voices. Her anxiety was reaching new heights, her nerves wrung out like wet rags.

By the time Verkiir opened his mouth again, she’d had enough.

“Out!” she all but shouted. “Everyone except Meg and Vazik, leave this room right now.”

Verkiir’s growl lashed across the too-small space. Vazik cried even louder. But Meg placed a hand on her mate’s arm and bounced her infant son on her hip, managing to soothe both.

For now.

“I just need time,” Addison amended. “I apologize, but the sooner you leave, the sooner I can fix this.”

Drol’gan gave her a weighty look, but in the end, he nodded. His acquiescence was enough to move the others, and after several agonizing moments, Addison was left with only Meg and the kit.

“You’ve got this,” Meg said, an encouraging smile on her face. “It’s probably just some weird bug.”

Addison fought for the smile she offered in return, all while praying to any deity who would listen.

Please, please let it just be a bug.