Page 6 of Human Reform
Without conscious thought, my fingers found the medical bay feed, zeroing in on Alora’s room.She was sitting on the bed now, her knees pulled to her chest, and her face contemplative rather than afraid.Something loosened in my chest at the sight.
“Checking on our guest?”Sage’s voice carried a knowing edge that grated on my nerves.
“Monitoring a potential security risk,” I corrected, not looking away from the screen.
“Sure.”Her tone made it clear she wasn’t buying it.“And that’s why you’re ignoring the seven other security alerts that just pinged your station?”
I reluctantly turned to the alert panel and cleared the minor notifications—perimeter sensor adjustments, communications checks, and standard protocol updates.
But my eyes kept drifting back to her feed.
Alora had moved to the window now, studying the alien landscape beyond with analytical intensity.Her fingers traced the glass, following the outline of the distant jungle canopy.I found myself wondering what she was thinking.
“You know,” Sage said with infuriating casualness, “staring at her isn’t going to fix whatever happened.”
I turned sharply.“What makes you think something happened?”
“You’re breathing differently.Your posture’s changed.”She leaned forward, her voice dropping.“And a medical supply requisition that just came through for room twelve.”
My jaw clenched.“I had an episode.”
“In front of her?”Sage whistled low.“Bold strategy for a first impression.”
“It wasn’t intentional,” I growled, the frustration rising again.
“None of them are.”Her voice softened.“That’s why she’s here.Remember?”
I nodded, forcing my attention back to the security protocols I should have been reviewing hours ago.But as the night deepened, I found myself watching Alora through the night, memorizing her movements, her expressions, and the way she finally curled up on the bed—not sleeping, just waiting.
Something was happening to me.Something I couldn’t control or rationalize.And for the first time in my existence, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
THREE
ALORA
I keptmy breathing even and my body motionless beneath the thin blanket as golden-violet light from Planet Alpha’s twin suns filtered through the window of my room in this medical facility.The strange, otherworldly glow painted patterns across my eyelids, but I forced myself to remain still when I heard the keypad being punched outside my door.
Last night had been a mental hamster wheel of anxiety, guilt, and bewilderment.Hour after hour, I’d replayed Daxon’s words in my mind.
The code that turned us into mindless weapons.Made us kill?—
His rage hadn’t seemed programmed or artificial.It had erupted from somewhere raw and wounded, a place I understood all too well.The same place had driven me to abandon my career and hide in the mountains.
I’d spent three years running from what I’d done at CyberEvolution.Now my sins had literally hunted me down and dragged me to another planet.Poetic justice had one hell of a sense of humor.
The lock disengaged with a soft click.I kept my eyes closed, my breathing deliberately deep and rhythmic.Whoever was at the door paused at the threshold, and I fought the urge to peek.My muscles coiled, ready to spring into action the moment an opportunity presented itself.
But my plan had one major flaw.I had no idea where I’d run to.This wasn’t Earth, with its familiar landmarks and escape routes.This was an alien jungle world with God-knew-what waiting outside the colony’s boundaries.
“I know you’re awake,” came a deep voice that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.
Daxon.Again.But he hadn’t entered the room.
I maintained my sleeping facade, waiting to see if he’d approach.
“Your cardiac rhythm changed thirty seconds ago,” he continued from the doorway.“And your breathing pattern has shifted from REM sleep to conscious control.”I heard the faintest trace of amusement in his tone.“Are you always this stubborn, Dr.Bridges?”
Caught in my deception, I opened one eye.“Are you always this invasive of privacy?”
