Page 31 of Grumpy Alien Boss

"Beautiful." But I barely glance out the viewport. My mind races with possibilities, none of them good. Pyke never requests meetings without purpose.

"Hey." Olivia's hand covers mine. "Your scales are doing that thing. The thing when you're stressed."

"What thing?"

"They get all spiky. Like a porcupine having a bad hair day."

A laugh escapes me despite my mood. "Porcupines don't have hair."

"See? I made you smile." She squeezes my hand. "Whatever Pyke wants, we'll handle it together."

My chest tightens. Together. Such a simple word, yet it carries so much weight. Humans are fragile. One plasma blast, one wrong move...

"Darwin Rook." She uses my full alias, the way she does when she means business. "Stop brooding."

"I don't brood."

"You're totally brooding. Your mohawk ridge is all droopy."

I check my reflection in the console. My bone ridge stands perfectly erect, thank you very much.

"Made you look." She grins.

The base appears on my scanner, hidden beneath an abandoned silver mine. Ten minutes until we land. Ten minutes until I know what Pyke wants with my Olivia.

"I can hear you thinking from here," she says.

"That's impossible. Vakutans are telepathically shielded."

"Then explain how I know exactly what's going through your head right now."

I raise an eyebrow ridge.

"You're worried about me." She traces the scales on my arm. "Don't be. I'm tougher than I look."

The docking clamps engage with a metallic thunk. Olivia's eyes go wide as she takes in the underwater base through the viewport. Schools of fish dart past, their silver scales catching the last rays of sunlight filtering down from above.

"Welcome to Atlantis," I say, powering down the engines.

"This is way cooler than the Jersey office."

We make our way through the curved corridors. My claws click against the metal floor while Olivia's heels echo behind me. The familiar scent of recycled air and ozone fills my nostrils.

Pyke's office door slides open with a soft hiss. The old warrior rises from behind his desk, his battle-scarred face breaking into a rare smile.

"Miss McGee." He extends his hand. "Welcome to Veritas."

"Captain." Olivia shakes his hand firmly. "Nice setup you have here."

"Please, sit." Pyke gestures to the chairs. "We have much to discuss."

The captain's expression turns grave as he explains about the protestors. My scales bristle at the mention of Grolgath involvement. Those shape-shifting vermin have discovered my identity, threatening everything I've built.

"The Grolgath are using public outrage as a weapon," Pyke says. "They hope to destroy Rook Enterprises and cripple our operations."

"So how do we stop them?" Olivia leans forward.

"You, Miss McGee. You're going to help us set a trap." Pyke's scarred face breaks into a predatory grin. "By betraying Dar to the press."

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