Page 72 of Alien's Love Child

"Tyren, my boy!" The boss's gravelly voice fills the office. He lounges behind his desk, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. "Or should I say Davin? I'm never quite sure these days."

The pressure on my skull increases. "Drop it," a voice commands. The gun clatters to the floor.

"You know," the boss stands, straightening his cuffs, "I had a feeling you'd come back. Sentiment's a funny thing, isn't it? Makes people predictable."

"Funny. I remember you being taller." My mouth runs dry, but I keep my voice steady.

He laughs, the sound echoing off the metal walls. "And I remember you being smarter. Did you really think we wouldn't be watching? That we wouldn't notice you playing house with that pretty smuggler?"

My hands curl into fists. The mention of Jesse makes my blood boil, but I force myself to stay still. The gun barrel hasn't moved an inch.

"Take a seat, Tyren. Let's catch up." He gestures to a chair. "Tell me about your son. Leo, isn't it? Such a strong name."

Ice floods my veins. "Touch them, and?—"

"You'll what?" He takes a sip of his drink. "Kill me? Please. We both know how this works. You're alive because I allowed it. Your family's alive because I allowed it." His PerComm chirps, and he glances at it with a smile.

The boss swirls his drink, ice clinking against glass. "You know, when I first found you in that rubble, barely breathing, I saw potential. Raw material to mold. Tyren was everything I hoped for – efficient, ruthless, loyal."

"Sorry to disappoint." The gun barrel digs deeper into my skull.

"Oh, but that's just it." He sets his glass down, leaning forward. "The real test came later. Finding Jesse? That wasn't about the data. We knew that was a lost cause, anyhow. What moron would keep such incriminating evidence just hanging around? No. That was about you."

My chest tightens. The pieces click into place – the convenient intel about her location, the specific orders to bring her in alive.

"I needed to know if anything of Davin remained before I started grooming you for leadership." He taps his fingers on the desk. "Even with your memories wiped, something in you recognized her. And that's when Tyren started to crack."

"You used her as bait." The words taste like ash in my mouth.

"Used you both, actually. A perfect little experiment." His smile doesn't reach his eyes. "I had such high hopes for Tyren. But the moment you saw her again..." He shakes his head. "Love. It ruins everything."

"If you knew I'd fail, why send me?"

"Insurance. If you stayed Tyren, excellent. If not..." He shrugs. "Well, here we are. Though I must admit, the child wasan unexpected variable. Made things more interesting, didn't it?"

The mention of Leo makes my hands shake. All those months as Tyren, all those missions – just tests leading to this moment.

"I suppose I should thank you," I say, keeping my voice steady. "You helped me find my family."

His laugh echoes off the walls. "Family? Oh, Tyren. You really have gone soft. Kill him."

A sharp crack echoes through the office, and warm blood splatters across my neck. The guard crumples behind me, his gun clattering against the metal floor. The boss's eyes go wide, and he bolts from his chair, slipping through a hidden door in the paneling.

I move to follow, but shouts and gunfire erupt outside. I snatch up my fallen weapon and sprint to the catwalks, taking the stairs two at a time. The smog's thinner up here, and moonlight streams through the broken skylights.

Jesse lies prone on the highest walkway, her rifle trained on the chaos below. Her red hair glows like fire under the artificial lights. She doesn't look up as I approach, keeping her eye pressed to the scope.

"Nice shot." I crouch beside her, scanning the factory floor. Guards scramble for cover as more shots ring out.

"You were taking too long with the dramatic monologuing." She adjusts her aim slightly. "By the way, your ex-boss is a real piece of work."

"Heard all that, did you?"

"Every word." Her finger tightens on the trigger, and another guard falls. "Using me as bait? That's just rude."

"Jesse—"

"We'll talk about it later." She shifts position, tracking movement below. "Right now, we need to catch that bastardbefore he reaches his ship. Unless you'd rather stay here and discuss your feelings?"

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