Page 37 of Ava Greasemonkey

Deep in the recesses of her mind, a dark voice whispered.They all deserved it.She shook that thought away, unhappy with thenegative emotions it brought. She bounced her legs on the floor to soothe herself as she crooned the lullaby once again.

How long do I have to stay here?Ava sighed heavily and looked around the sparse white room.

Vox didn’t say what was going to happen after depositing her in the room with her meager possessions, telling her to wait. Her com didn’t even work so she didn’t know how long it had been, yet she still spun it around her wrist out of habit. She for damn sure didn’t want to leave the room while they were still on a murderous rampage.

Ava flopped back on the actual bed in the room, much more comfortable than the pallet she had been using all these years. She was tired but there was no way she would be able to sleep right now. If the ship was normal, she would have strolled up to the med bay and gotten a sedative. Instead she laid back and played with her hands in the light, making shadows on the wall.

She huffed out her breath, her thoughts continually returning to Vox. He’d done all that to the crew but she still, despite herself, felt attracted to him.

What is wrong with me?She wanted to see him, all of him. Her body flushed at the thought. She was acting lovesick and foolish in a way she’d only read about before in her books. He was responsible for killing so many creatures and yet she kept hoping for him to reappear at her door, to come talk with her longer now that they didn’t have barriers in between them. She was so mixed up inside.

Ava decided to take a shower to pass the time and calm her nerves. She took off the thermal suit and stuffed it in the closet. That, at least, was probably the last time she was going to have to wear it. She stared at herself in the mirror as she stepped out after, dripping wet, noting how hollow her expression looked. Her face looked as uncertain as she felt. She put on a clean clothjumpsuit after she dried off, humming her lullaby again to add some noise. Anything to distract herself.

It was still quiet outside her room. Ava put her ear against the metal paneling to see if she could hear anything from the outside, but she could only hear a low hum from the electrical systems running throughout the ship, powered by the biologics.

After another few minutes of pulling her hair and being frustrated Ava decided she was going to go get a sedative from med bay. There had been no noise outside for quite some time and she needed to know what was going on. It was as good an excuse as any to leave. Sitting idle in here was not good for her mentally.Besides, if they wanted to harm me, I would already be dead.

Having made her decision, there was no longer any hesitation. She opened the door and walked into the hall. Immediately, her resolve wavered as she looked down the path to the navigation room.

Nuor.

If it was still quiet when she got back she would take a peek inside even though Vox said she was now in the cargo bay. She could at least look to get a clue as to what happened to everyone else. Hopefully with Vox seeing that neither she nor Nuor were a threat maybe she would get a chance to see her friend for herself before too long.

What were they going to do with the innocent crew members anyways? Ava added that question to the list of ones she had to ask Vox the next time she saw him.

Ava walked slowly down the long hall to the med bay. She pushed the pinpad and opened the door to the room, immediately seeing Erox and Lirell, standing there with vials in hand, obviously conversing telepathically with each other.

Lirell had a gash on his arm that Erox seemed to be in the middle of healing, holding the heat seal to it that Ava had usedcountless times before. Lirell had a pained look on his face as the seal worked, fusing the skin in a zipper format.

“Yes, Ava?” Erox asked, still holding the seal calmly to the shrinking gash on Lirell. He didn’t even need to turn around to know that it was her. “You are not supposed to wander.”

“I was . . . I am not. I wanted to get something to help me sleep. It’s been a trying cycle. I didn’t know you’d be here.” She shifted her feet nervously while watching Erox work, noting that Vorbax blood was red in color as some dripped down Lirell’s arm where the gash was still open.

Erox turned back to Lirell and repositioned him before continuing to seal the wound, ignoring Ava for the moment. She watched him take his time, sealing it carefully so not even a thin scar remained.

After it was done, Lirell jumped up off the counter, seeming eager to help Ava.

Erox flashed a deeper purple watching him. The dark purple was a different color than the other times she saw them glow. It was usually a shade of blue, though she’d seen Vox flash purple once before. Yet another thing to ask Vox about. What did the different colors signify?

Before Erox could say something, Lirell was rummaging through an open cabinet that had obviously been ransacked before she entered. He emerged, holding a row of round sleeping patches in his hand. He found them so easily that Ava figured those must be universal and not just Phor technology.

He broke one off and handed it to Ava, inhaling deeply when he did. His eyes widened.

“You smell . . . different.”

Ava stepped back. “Different? Yeah, I took a shower. Oh, and I’m just wearing my work clothes, not the thermal suit.”

Lirell stepped closer and sniffed again. Erox placed the heat seal on the counter behind him and joined Lirell as he movedcloser to her, interested. They stood a moment and circled her, sniffing. It was unnerving.

Ava stepped back toward the doorway until she stepped into a hard surface. Spinning around, she saw she had run into Vox’s chest, who had come up behind her.

Instead of moving away, Vox dipped his head over her shoulder and breathed in deep. He must have come in while Lirell was getting the sleeping patch. Ava would put credits on it that when they were glowing they had called for him to come help mind her as well.

Vox reached out a long hand, touching the top of her hair bun, and fingered her hair before he smelled her again.

Ava felt uncomfortable and stepped forward out of his hold, putting the hair that fell out of her bun behind her ears.

All three of them were glowing and looking at each other. Ava stepped away and stood awkwardly to the side, not privy to their conversation, nervously rubbing the sedative patches in her hand.

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