Page 16 of I Dated a Retired Hero

Re-entry woke her.Damn. I always forget about this part.She fell, and the world turned to fire around her.

She fell, and the moment she hit the atmosphere, she returned to the site. Petrov was sitting with the team members, and she looked at him. “Can you run a final sweep and make sure that I didn’t miss anything?”

“The drones already went out and came back.” Petrov smiled. “We are clear, and we can’t thank you enough.”

She nodded, and then, she turned to the team as they got up and stepped toward her. She snorted. “Fuck all, ya’ll.”

She kicked off and flew home as fast as she could. They had no chance to catch her, but she really needed to get some sleep. Finally, the sadness was gone, and she just felt numb. She could sleep with numb.

A polite knock at her door got her out of a heavy sleep. She jerked up and staggered to the door, wearing only a tee. She was rubbing her face as she opened the door to Zera and the Aksallan prefect.

“Titanium. How nice to see you. Please come in and read me the arrest warrant. It should put me right to sleep.” She nodded to her boss. “Zera.”

“Litha... you look fine.”

“Thanks. I am still tired.” She yawned. “I haven’t done an absorption like that in years.”

Zera lifted a small object. “You are clear.”

“Yeah. I know. Sorry. You woke me.”

Zera sighed. “Please have a seat.”

Litha walked to her couch and sat, propping her head on her fist. “So, what brings you here, Madame Prefect?”

“We have had an offer for you.” She grimaced.

“Oh, that sounds intriguing. Do tell.”

Zera snorted. “It is a job offer... of sorts.”

“Curiouser and curiouser.” Litha yawned.

“The Erradians are impressed with your skills, and they want you on standby when they open the object in the zone. They don’t trust it not to be as radioactive as the outer hull was.”

Litha nodded. “Sure. I just want to get some more sleep.”

“They are offering you accommodations there. A transporter will bring you over. You just need to get dressed first. Do you agree?” The prefect was looking at her.

Litha shrugged. “Sure.”

“Miss, what happened? You used to be so cheerful.” The prefect was staring.

“Oh, that was when I had hope. Hope has since been flushed. I don’t get to be like everybody else, so now, I don’t give a fuck.”

The prefect asked, “Have you tried the BDC? They found a match for Salat, and if they can find that, they can find anyone.”

Litha turned to Zera. “You tell her. I will get my suit.”

By the time she was dressed in her armoured bodysuit, the prefect was looking so sad. Zera was looking depressed.

Litha yawned again. “Right. Where is my ride?”

Zera said, “You don’t want to think about it?”

“Nothing changes for me except my location. I am still dangerous, I am still alone, and I am still mad about it. So, while I contemplate my options, I am just going to keep busy.”

Zera said, “What about your lab?”

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