Page 10 of Human Reform
I pressed the small button on my wrist communicator to activate the door using my security system clearance before she could respond.I needed to flee from these feelings I didn’t understand and couldn’t control around her.
I stalked down the medical bay’s curved corridor, my footsteps echoing against the polished floor as I tried to make sense of the storm raging inside me.Rejection.That’s what this feeling really was—sharp and uncomfortable, lodged somewhere beneath my sternum.
Why did I care so much that this human woman, this stranger, didn’t want to stay?Why did the thought of her leaving twist something vital inside me?
I found Olivia in the supply room, sorting through freshly sterilized medical instruments.Her brown waves were pulled back in a practical ponytail, her practiced hands moving with efficient purpose.
“Olivia,” I said, my voice sounding rougher than intended.
She looked up, her green eyes scanning my face with that uncanny perception that made her such an effective doctor.“Daxon.Everything okay with our guest?”
“She needs breakfast,” I said flatly, crossing my arms over my chest.“And she wants to leave.”
Olivia set down the instrument tray and turned to face me fully.“That’s not surprising.I’d have been shocked if she immediately embraced being kidnapped.”
“We didn’t kidnap her.We… requisitioned her expertise.”
A slight smile curved her lips.“That’s what Aeon called it when he brought me here against my will, too.”
I shifted uncomfortably.“This is different.”
“Is it?”Olivia’s eyebrow arched in that knowing way that reminded me so much of Aeon when he thought he was being clever.“Let me guess.You can’t stop thinking about her.You’re already measuring your words carefully around her.Something about her presence makes your chest feel tight.”
Heat crept up my neck.“We need her technical skills to fix the glitches.”
“Of course you do,” she said, not bothering to hide her amusement.“I’ll get her something to eat and check her shoulder.But, Daxon?”
“What?”
“She’ll never agree to help us if she doesn’t understand what she’s helping.I only came around when I saw the pregnant mothers and the children.When I realized real lives were at stake.”
I ran a hand through my hair, frustration simmering just beneath my skin.“What are you suggesting?”
“Show her the colony.Let her see what we’ve built here—what’s at risk if these glitches continue.People respond to connection, not abstract problems.”
The idea made immediate, visceral sense.I nodded, surprised at how eager I felt at the prospect of spending more time with Alora.“Will you help get her some proper clothes for going outside?The medical gowns aren’t suitable.”
“Of course.”Olivia’s expression softened.“And I’ll talk to her.Woman to woman—share my experience.It might help.”
“Thank you,” I said, the words feeling inadequate for the relief washing through me.“We desperately need her help before something irreparable happens during one of these episodes.”
“I know,” Olivia said, her expression growing serious.“Aeon had one last week while holding our little Maya.Thankfully I was there to take the baby, but…” She trailed off, the implication clear.
My jaw clenched at the thought.Our future—our children—were at risk.“I’ll return in a few hours to take her on a tour.”
Olivia nodded.“I’ll make sure she’s ready.”
I turned to leave but then paused.“Olivia?What if she still refuses?”
Something in my voice must have betrayed the depth of my concern because Olivia’s expression turned thoughtful.
“She won’t,” she said with quiet confidence.“Not once she sees what’s at stake.Not once she sees the real you.”
I frowned, confused by her meaning, but she simply smiled and returned to her work.
The door hissed shut behind me as I exited the medical bay into the morning light.Planet Alpha’s twin suns filtered through the jungle canopy, casting dappled patterns across the stone pathway.The colony was already alive with activity—cyborgs and humans moving between buildings, tending gardens, and carrying supplies.
I headed toward the security center, needing space to process the unfamiliar emotions churning inside me.The thought of Alora leaving—of never seeing her again—created a hollow sensation in my chest that I couldn’t classify or correct.What was happening to me?I’d never felt this way toward anyone before.
