Page 47 of Ava Greasemonkey

Ava cracked open the bathroom to confirm he was gone. Thankfully, the room was now empty. She sighed in relief that she didn’t need to confront him about giving her physical privacy in addition to mental like she did earlier. She liked Lirell, she truly did, but she needed some time to herself.

Chapter 17

Clenching her hands in tight fists, Ava steeled herself before leaving the room, staring at the doorway. It was just a hallway. Nothing to be afraid of.

Taking a deep breath, Ava left the crew member’s room at a run with her head down. She avoided looking side to side. The still halls creeped her out, and the bloodstains still ran on the floors and walls. Thankfully, her feet knew the path by heart, so she was able to just keep her head down and run, ignoring everything else around her.

Ava scanned her com outside the engine hall and her shoulders visibly sagged upon seeing that that the pass still worked, unlike the communications, and the doors swung open to admit her. She smiled in relief hearing the familiar ping.

She leaned back against the door as it closed and let out a sigh. It felt good to be back here, even if things were different. The metal parts and engine grease smelled like home.

Squinting, Ava looked ahead of her toward the large tank in the center of the engine. It was not good, however, to see that the biologics were clearly disturbed. Ava walked forward carefully, eyes wide, her previous relief from being back in the room forgotten. Lirell was understating it when he said they were not calm. It looked like a tornado instead of the lazy bubbles popping inside of the container like she was used to seeing.

She walked, hesitantly, to the front of the tank. Vox was standing there with his hand pressed to the side of the glass. He wore a frown, clearly frustrated.

He turned as she approached, eyes gentling when he saw her. “Right now, seeing you, has been the first positive feeling I could get out of these creatures since last cycle.”

Ava walked up to the tank and put her hand on it, spreading her fingers out wide. At the top she could see a layer of food sitting uneaten, which had to be from the last time she was in here over a cycle ago. As silly as it was, her heart swelled in the fact that the biologics, whatever they were, might actually care for her. She took her other hand and also pressed it against the tanks until she felt a pulse inside from them swirling around.

Ava didn’t know if they could hear but said a soft, “It’s okay,” and sat back on her heels next to the tank. She rubbed the side of it and watched the biologics start to follow her hand, slowly.

Vox stepped away, watching her interact with them. He kept his distance but glanced up and down the length of the tank. “Thank you. They seem to finally be eating. I know it is inconvenient to sit here, but the engine’s output has been affected by their emotions.”

He didn’t have to continue. Ava responded as she swirled her hand along the front, “I will stay for a bit. I miss it here anyway. If Ebel could come visit, I am sure they would feel much more at ease.”

Vox shifted on his feet. “I will see if that can be arranged. The engine needs to pick up speed. He is not a threat anymore with you here and with his queen no longer alive.” He went and sat across from Ava, at the wall storing the biologics’ food, sliding down with his knees up and feet planted firmly on the ground.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her after a pause. “Do you need anything I can provide?”

Ava was surprised by his asking but answered, “Sleeping helped a lot. Lirell said you had your check-in already?”

“Yes. As long as the ship moves at a bit more of a brisk pace,” he said, glancing up at the tank, “we should be arriving within three more sleep cycles.”

That wasn’t very long. Ava felt a bead of anxiety rush through her. She would have liked more time to prepare and psych herself up to talk to Rhutg. Now she was crunched for time.

Vox didn’t appear to share her anxiety. He sat against the wall calmly. It reminded her of when he was in the holding cell just waiting. The silence didn’t last long before he asked her, “Ava, Lirell said you dream. What do you dream of?”

“What dreams are? I told Lirell . . .”

“No, what would you imagine for yourself if you were not here?”

Ava didn’t have to think long. “A place where I could grow real food and have sunshine above me. To do things that I want to do, rather than have to do. What about you?” As attracted as she was to him, he was an enigma.

“Hmm . . .” He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, contemplating the question. “My dream is similar to yours. Above all though, it is a desire of all Vorbax males to have a mate to protect and care for.”

Ava’s heart thumped at his simple words.

Vox looked up at the biologics, which were now so much calmer. “Our planet does not have technology like this. Or atleast, it didn’t before we needed to learn for protection. We lived in harmony with nature, not against it like some do, who exploit it to further themselves. In a lot of ways, this ship is more organic than other tech that I’ve seen. Other machines, they have to operate with batteries or little nuclear devices. This is . . . ‘

Ava completed his sentence while she strung her finger along the front of the tank. “It’s alive.”

Vox nodded, watching her so intently Ava blushed. “If we had an energy source like this, our technology might have looked different too.”

“What technology do you have? What is Xai like?”

Glancing up again at the biologics and the engine, Vox sighed before answering. “Nothing like this. We are, sad to say, primitive in comparison. Thankfully we have our abilities to understand and absorb other’s information. This helps us to not be ignorant of what is beyond our planet. Those on Xai still enjoy living how we always have but we have bartered and traded for items for protection. We now have a few ships and a neural net that covers most of the planet, making it harder to breach.”

They sat in silence a few more moments until he spoke again. “Ava? You do not need to fear the halls anymore. They have been cleaned, all the innocent have been properly cremated, and it is safe to walk them again.”

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