Page 88 of The Program

‘Uh, no. He won’t harm anyone unless you try to harm him first, though. He’s just a baby and he’s learning just like every other.’

A frown deepened the already cavernous wrinkles on his face. I didn’t let his age deter me from acknowledging his continued prowess on the battlefield, however. He had been a strong and steady presence within the IU’s military since long before even my parents were alive, and he was showing zero signs of slowing down. The fact that he was here, blatantly abandoning the organisation he had so faithfully dedicated his life to for so many solars was proof of how far we had fallen.

‘That’s… a big baby,’ was his only response. I was just as stumped as him. The thing wasenormous,already reaching my sternum in height, and I was no small guy.

His comment seemed to break the tension running through the lines of Artemis’s body, a laugh bursting out of her as she continued to stroke the creature with a fondness that belied mutual trust and affection.

‘Dave Junior might look big now, but you should’ve seen Dave Senior,’ she smirked, pride filling her at the prospect of how truly massive the thing was going to grow.

‘Wait,’ I started. ‘Dave?Junior?’

She merely shrugged. ‘Long story.’

‘Xander,’ called the one voice that could have made me stop time if she’d demanded it.

‘Adara!’ I shouted, searching the crowd for a glimpse of pink. I found it, though she wasn’t in the crowd, but one of the carts, a familiar head of silver hair peeking out the top alongside her.

I rushed forward, desperate to hold her in my arms after so long apart and to ensure she was safe and unharmed. She hauled herself over the edge, though not without Reece’s help to lift her over due to her exceptionally short stature, and I caught her before her feet could touch the ground. Lifting her into my arms and crushing her to my chest the way I’d wanted to for so long, I breathed her in.

Only, her scent wasn’t what I expected. She smelled like sweat, fear, blood, and something distinctly metallic.

I ignored all of that, though, when her arms wrapped just as tightly around me.

‘Are you okay, baby?’ I asked her. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘I’m fine now. Arty saved us. We can talk more about it when we’re far the fuck away from this stars-damned station,’ she said.

Her tone rang a multitude of alarm bells inside my head, but she was right. We would have time for a proper reunion once we were deep into space the opposite direction from Nova Station.

I clutched Addy to me as I strode back towards Artemis and the group that had formed around her and the creature while my focus was on the woman now safely tucked away in my arms. No, not a creature, I corrected myself. The Kikshrut. Dave Junior.

Stars, what a name.

We returned to my previous spot to find the Griknot Princeling and his shadow standing beside Artemis, the other members of their teams – barring Reece, who was still inside a laundry cart for some reason – gathered around and gazed with varying states of curiosity at the creature of myths and legends. What was perhaps the most surprising was how Cadmus Alaida had positioned himself so close to Artemis and Bromm, almost as if he were trying to climb into their skins.

Adara noticed the direction of my gaze and shook her head with a smirk, only it melted into a heavy expression of sadness soon after. ‘Later,’ she told me.

I pursed my lips but nodded anyway, pushing her head back down to rest on my shoulder while I stroked my fingers through her hair.

‘You were supposed to stay on the ship, Junior,’ Artemis scolded, and the animal lowered his eyes in submission as if he could actually understand her words. Perhaps he could, or perhaps he was merely responding to her body language.

No, that wasn’t it. Her words may have been chastising, but she was hugging him to her with gentle affection. He understood.

She rose and turned to Corporal Gwym whom I’d missed on my initial once-over of the group. Hum’Rit was right beside him, Stanson on his other side, the trio of combat instructors clustered together.

‘Can you grab the Nutri-Bars? I need to check out the damage Junior’s done to the ship when he got out and fix it before we can leave.’

He nodded and jogged off, Hum’Rit and Stanson in tow.

Right as they left, a commotion sounded from the laundry carts, Reece’s voice rising above the sound of what could only be babies whining. Oh, no…

‘A little help here!’ he called, and Henrik dragged his team over straight away. ‘There’s poop all over this one’s back!’

‘The children are waking up,’ Addy stated, concern lacing her words.

‘How many?’ I asked.

‘Hundreds,’ she responded glumly.

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