Page 21 of Human Reform
An hour later, Rune’s footsteps echoed down the corridor before he appeared at my workstation.His expression was stoic as ever, but I detected a hint of something else—reluctance, perhaps.
“It’s done,” he announced.“Commander Helix and Aeon have approved Dr.Bridges’ private office and full system access.”
I felt a strange sensation wash over me—relief mixed with an unfamiliar anticipation that made my blood rush faster.
“Thank you,” Alora said beside me, her voice steady, but I caught the slight upturn at the corner of her mouth.
“Follow me,” Rune instructed, turning on his heel with military precision.
We walked down the curved corridor of the security center, past the main operations floor where Sage caught my eye and raised an eyebrow suggestively.I ignored her, keeping my focus on Alora walking just ahead of me.The way her braid swung against her back with each step was oddly mesmerizing.
Rune stopped at a door halfway down the hall from his office and pressed his hand against the access panel.“This is yours for now,” he said to Alora as the door slid open.“Everything you requested has been provided.”
The office was small but equipped with three high-definition monitors on a sleek desk, a personal datapad, and a separate processing unit that would allow her to work offline.A large window overlooked the jungle canopy, casting dappled light across the metal floor.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Rune said, nodding curtly before departing and leaving us alone.
I moved to her side as she approached the desk, her fingers hovering over the equipment with reverent appreciation.
“Let’s get you set up,” I said, stepping closer than strictly necessary.Her scent filled my senses as I guided her hand to the biometric scanner on her wrist communicator.“Place your hand here and it will sync to your personal identifiers.”
Her skin was warm beneath my touch, sending that now-familiar electricity racing up my arm.When she looked at me, those gray eyes with flecks of silver caught the light, and my chest tightened in response.
“There,” I said as the monitors hummed to life, displaying Planet Alpha’s primary security interface.“Full access, as promised.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, still standing close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from her body.“I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.”The conviction in my voice caught me by surprise.
I pulled up a chair beside hers and sat down, watching as she began navigating through the system with impressive speed and intuition.
“Are you planning to shadow me all day?”She glanced sideways, a teasing lilt in her voice.
“Security protocol.”I kept my expression neutral despite the warmth spreading through me.“As your handler, I need to monitor your initial system access.”
“My handler, huh?”Her lips curved up in a smile that did strange things to me.
“Among other things,” I replied, surprised by my own boldness.
For the next hour, I watched her work, completely captivated by the way her mind functioned—the elegant solutions she conceptualized, and the rapid connections she made between disparate data points.It was like watching a dance I’d never seen before but somehow recognized.
Eventually, I remembered my own duties.“I should probably check on a few things at my workstation.”
“Probably,” she agreed, not looking up from her screen, her fingers tapping across the interface.
I rose reluctantly.“I’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll be here,” she said, finally glancing up with a smile that seemed to reach inside me and rearrange things.
I returned to my workstation and rushed through my daily security checks and alert clearances with unprecedented efficiency.Sage smirked as I practically sprinted through my tasks.
“Someone’s eager,” she called after me as I headed back toward Alora’s office barely twenty minutes later.I didn’t bother denying it.
When I returned, Alora was deep in concentration, her brow furrowed slightly as she studied complex code patterns across all three screens.
“That was quick,” she said without looking up.
“I’m very efficient.”I settled back into the chair beside her, our shoulders nearly touching.
