Page 36 of Swipe Right for Stardust

Zarnak squeezed my hand reassuringly. “I’m sure they’re fine. We need to focus on our own progress now.”

He was right, of course. We were making good time, the distance between us and the leading team shrinking with each carefully timed move.

Suddenly, I felt a strange tugging sensation in my suit. The gravity around me seemed to intensify, pulling me in multiple directions at once.

“Zarnak!” I cried out, panic rising in my throat. “Something’s wrong with my suit!”

His eyes widened as he realized what was happening. “The gravity stabilizers are malfunctioning,” he said, his own suit beginning to twitch and jerk.

I felt myself being yanked in opposing directions, as if my limbs were trying to fly apart. Terror gripped me as I imagined being torn to pieces by the conflicting gravitational forces.

“What do we do?” I asked, my voice shaking along with my body.

Zarnak fought against his own malfunctioning suit to reach me. “We need to recalibrate the stabilizers,” he said. “Can you reach the control panel on your left arm?”

I struggled to move my arm, fighting against the pull of gravity. My fingers trembled as I fumbled with the panel, barely able to flip it open.

“I’ve got it,” I said, relief washing over me as the controls came into view. “Now what?”

Zarnak talked me through the recalibration process, his calm voice a lifeline in the chaos. As I worked, the conflicting forces began to subside.

Finally, with a soft beep, my suit stabilized. I let out a shaky breath, the terror of the past few moments leaving me weak-kneed.

“We did it,” I said, a proud smile spreading across my face despite my lingering fear.

Zarnak nodded, relief evident in his expression. “Excellent work, Vanessa. Your quick thinking saved us both.”

The intensity in his eyes made my breath short for entirely different reasons than the danger we’d just faced.

“Zarnak,” I whispered, not sure what I wanted to say, but feeling like I needed to say something.

He leaned in slightly, and I thought he might kiss me. My lips parted in anticipation, my body thrumming with nervous energy.

But then a distant shout broke the spell. Rachel and Tarnox had noticed our presence and were redoubling their efforts to maintain their lead.

Zarnak pulled back, clearing his throat. “Shall we?” he asked gruffly.

I nodded, trying to ignore the pang of disappointment. “Right. Let’s show them what we’re made of.”

ZARNAK

Istudied the steep ascent before us, my eyes tracing the jagged path upward. The floating rocks hung suspended in the air, defying gravity in a way that still astounded me despite my years of scientific study.

“Looks like we’ve got quite the climb ahead,” Vanessa said, her breath coming in short gasps.

I glanced at her, noting the sheen of sweat on her forehead and the slight tremor in her hands. Concern welled up inside me.

“Are you all right?” I asked, unable to keep the worry from my voice.

She flashed me a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Just peachy. Nothing like a vertical marathon to get the blood pumping, right?”

I chuckled despite myself. “Your optimism is admirable. Shall we proceed?”

We began our ascent, leaping from rock to rock. The reduced gravity made each jump feel like flying, but it also made precision landings more challenging.

As we climbed higher, I noticed Vanessa’s movements becoming less fluid, her landings more unsteady. She paused on a larger rock, hands on her knees, gasping for air.

“Vanessa?” I moved closer, fighting the urge to wrap an arm around her. “We can rest if you need to.”

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