Page 8 of Kryxis

“No. It’s not.”

He chuckled again. “All right. Well, maybe I can persuade you over to the dark side. Give you a shooting lesson, how about?”

“I know how to shoot.”

“Or maybe show you how to take someone down with one move, huh? Every cute girl should know how to put a guy on his back.”

“Can I practice on you first?”

He laughed.

“I gotta get back to work.” She took her helmet.

There was another sound behind her. A low sound she couldn’t quite place. She looked back but only saw shadows.

“All right. You’re stressed. Sorry to bother you. Maybe we can talk again back on the ship?”

She didn’t answer but studied the dark.

“Yo, Garret, more bugs over here,” Ryatt called.

“I’ll be right there,” Garret called back. “Hey, Dani?”

She blinked and glanced back at him. He actually looked a little concerned, “You cool?”

She gripped her helmet. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He winked at her. “Talk later.” He put his helmet back on and slipped into the other room.

Her face warmed a little.

Damn him.

Not so long ago, she would have let that kind of flirtation pass, would have pulled him into a room and let him strip her, pinning her to a wall without another thought. She let Vincent and Killian get away with a whole lot just to have those kinds of moments. She wasn’t ashamed to admit she’d been active, especially at the academy. Men, sometimes women.

But she’d gotten tired of the fights, the drama, the betrayal. And word always got around. Even in her more serious relationships, she couldn’t stifle that feeling that she wasn’tenough. That they just weren’t in sync, that she was being overlooked, and that she was only temporary. A temporary lover, not a serious companion. They called her pretty, cute, curvy. They liked her eyes and her smile. They liked how she talked to them.

But she was still a low-level junk collector.

Sometimes she felt like her mother. Her mother was so brilliant, so steadfast, hardheaded. She was also Father’s little sidepiece. Mom did find another partner for a time before she passed away, but it took many duds, many people who didn’t take her seriously.

She didn’t want that. But she needed to prove herself. So, no more dates. No more late-night flings until she got what she wanted and where she needed to be. And then she’d worry about how lonely she felt.

She adjusted her helmet back into place, focusing again on the room. She found a couple more machines and went to work taking out the cryo-batteries, ignoring the unease that still gnawed at her. Carefully setting the batteries in her pack, she went across a large section of computers, searching for more. Her light went across the rows of slim monitors then froze.

There was a set of doors to one side. A few bugs scattered from her lights as she approached. Through the glass of one door, she could see a dark room beyond, only—

Dani frowned. She touched a switch on her wrist, dimming her lights.

Was that a light inside?

Her eyes narrowed. There was a soft blue glow…

From a small crack between the opening of the doors, she could see faint shadows within. Curling her hands around the doors, she tried to pry them open.

The doors groaned as she slid them apart then refused to budge after a few feet. She peered inside. Yes, there was something glowing inside.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t fit through the entrance with her pack. Shrugging it off, she left it beside the doors. Before entering, she checked her garometer. There were readings, but they were low energy levels.

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