Page 26 of Ava Greasemonkey

Vox shook off Erox’s thoughts. Erox could be so single-minded at times. He always was, even when growing up, never taking part in the games Vox would come up with when they were children. Rhutg was as well, for that matter. He was still trying his hardest to not show any interest in the Human. In Ava. That was more understandable though, with his Violie missing. He was a different person before she was taken.

“I want it known that Ava will not be harmed once we start to engage,”Vox ground out. Lirell quickly affirmed, but the other two did not. They were not hostile, however. They did not harm the innocent and Ava was the definition of innocent in Vox’s mind. Not to mention she was a female.

Why was he so intrigued by her? He was not an untested male who had never been around a female before. Lirell’s reaction to her was more understandable from that angle.

What was different? Was it the mystery? The puzzle of who she was?

He listened to the hum of her mind, deciding it was all of that and more. The fabric of her soul called to him, simple and pure despite the life she was leading. He didn’t detect cynicism. She still somehow maintained a zest for life and . . . hope.

Her mind was so easy to navigate. Like their own females were. He felt the way she cared for that Phor, Ebel. And her friend Nuor. Her emotions were strong and pure, like their own.

Everything about her intrigued him. The way she wondered about the Vorbax and her own attraction to him. Her acute loneliness, expressed in the way she left fruits in the vents for the poms. She was playful, making up games and challenges forherself to keep boredom at bay instead of becoming hardened. And her mind as it turned engine parts in her head. Her thinking never stopped.

Through her eyes, he saw the wonder she felt when she stared outside at the stars sometimes when she couldn’t sleep.

He felt it all.

He doubted he would have held on to such a fervor for life like she did had their situations been reversed. Stuck, like she had been, in a cage for almost her entire life instead of the handful of cycles he was now enduring.

She was only now beginning to really question her role here on the ship, which she had clearly thought of as a safe haven before.

He enjoyed being a part of her thoughts and helping her to sift through her worries. She was kind. And trusting. Her mind was captivating. Her soul wasn’t designed to be up above his head, trapped out here amongst the stars, feeling so much fear.

Ava’s mind started to doze and the patterns her brain put off changed.

Fascinating. Vox wanted to know what it was like when she was fully asleep. Her mind leapt and circled so frequently it was no wonder she was so wound up inside. He touched on the edges, feeling her innocent nature and gentle spirit.

She was something he never expected to find outside of Xai.

Nothing he ever expected to find anywhere.

Was he just bored, so he was making up a connection to her? Finding something to focus on in the absence of no stimulation? Perhaps, but he didn’t think so.

He listened to her musings once she woke from her dozing. She remained there, trapped above him, eating one of the fruits she must have gotten from the cargo bay. So resourceful. The relish in her mind as she ate it, imagining she was eating it in an actual orchard, brought a soft smile to his face.

The intercom sounded, breaking the moment. He listened to how Ava shifted above in response, the slight pings that could be masked as anything, rather than a living being traveling through the vents.

He felt her leave, slowly, feeling frustrated by these barriers in between them. He wanted to see her face-to-face. He shifted on the mattress he sat upon and breathed deeply to calm himself, already awaiting the next time she would come back.

Ebel was still not present in the control room when Ava got back from her pointless journey in the vents. She deposited the fruit she gathered on his desk and stripped back down to just her jumpsuit.

His video feeds sat like a forgotten ghost, the power turned off. Ava didn’t linger in the room and instead walked to her own bed, trailing her hand across the biologics tank along the way.Maybe after I sleep he will be back.

It was a futile thought. The room was still empty when she returned after a fitful rest.

Ava stood in the doorway and breathed out in a sigh, limbs feeling heavy. It was a pointless hope as she stood there, gazing sadly at his abandoned seat. He was not back. She suited up anyway, ready to return to the prisoner area, only on foot this time instead of being hidden overhead. Her feet now traced the pathway easily in her costume, pushing her handcart.

“What is wrong, Ava?” Vox asked as she ambled up, mind still on Ebel.

Already she felt more comfortable, more at ease, here in front of his cage, with him glowing. She frowned, suspicious. “How did you know something was wrong?”

“Your mannerisms are off.” He hesitated before adding, slowly, “We can sense emotions, sometimes.”

Ava mulled over that ability. If they could sense them, then it made sense that her suspicions about why she felt calmer here were probably correct. Vox looked at her expectantly.

Ultimately she shook her head, not wanting to talk about Ebel. Vox was in prison; he didn’t need to be concerned with her affairs. “It’s fine. Here, I have your tray.”

Vox didn’t move to take it. He just watched as she removed the metal tray from the cart and slid it through the flap on the bottom. Ava bent over and slid it in farther when he didn’t immediately grab it, pushing it completely through into the cell.

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