Page 11

RIVERA

T he consoles around us flickered in urgent, angry patterns, blinking red across the ancient data archive chamber. A low-pitched alarm groaned to life, vibrating through the floor and up into my bones.

"That can't be good," I muttered, grabbing Varek's arm.

His golden eyes narrowed, lifelines brightening across his skin. "The system is reacting to something. Hammond's drilling, or perhaps our access."

The groan shifted into a shriek that made my teeth hurt. I covered my ears, but it didn't help. The sound traveled through my entire body, setting my markings on fire.

"We need to move," Varek barked, pulling me away from the console. "Now!"

A massive crack split the air as the first energy conduit overhead burst. Blue-white electricity arced across the ceiling, spitting and hissing like a living thing. Where it touched metal, it left scorched black marks. Where it touched the floor, it vaporized the dust into tiny plumes of smoke.

"The system's overloading!" I shouted over the cacophony. "Hammond's drilling must have triggered a cascade failure!"

Another conduit blew, sending a shower of sparks raining down. I ducked, feeling the heat singe my hair. The air around us suddenly changed, filling with a metallic tang that burned my nostrils and throat.

"Atmospheric containment's failing," I choked out, recognizing the symptoms immediately. "That's toxic!"

Varek pulled the edge of his tunic over his mouth. "We need cover!"

I scanned the chamber desperately. Energy arcs lashed the room like whips, striking at random. The consoles we'd been using moments before erupted in a shower of crystal fragments. A thick, blue-white bolt struck inches from my feet, leaving a blackened crater in the floor.

"There!" Varek pointed across the room to a small alcove built into the far wall. Its heavy metal frame and recessed position suggested shielding.

I nodded, calculating the distance, the pattern of the energy strikes, the thickening toxic air. We'd have to time it perfectly or be vaporized trying.

"On my mark," Varek said, watching the energy arcs dance. "Three... two... one... GO!"

We sprinted across the open floor. My lungs burned with each breath of the contaminated air. An energy bolt struck the floor to my left, forcing me to dodge right. Another blasted through a nearby console, sending fragments flying past my face.

The maintenance alcove stood only a few meters away when I heard the ominous crackle above. I looked up to see the largest conduit yet bulging, ready to burst.

"!" Varek shouted, and suddenly his hands were on my back, shoving me forward with Nyxari strength.

I stumbled into the alcove just as the massive conduit exploded. The noise deafened me, a physical pressure against my eardrums. I spun around to see Varek filling the entrance, his broad back to the chaos, his body blocking the narrow opening completely.

The energy arc struck the main console behind him, vaporizing it instantly. Debris flew everywhere – crystal shards, metal fragments, pieces of conduit. They hammered against Varek's back and shoulders, but he didn't move, didn't yield an inch of the opening.

"Varek!" I screamed, but my voice disappeared in the roar of failing systems.

He grunted with pain but held firm, his large frame the only thing between me and certain death. His lifelines pulsed erratically across his skin, flaring bright where the debris struck him.

The alcove was tiny, barely large enough for both of us. His face was inches from mine, his breath coming in short, controlled bursts. Outside, the chamber transformed into a hellscape of deadly energy and toxic gas.

"Are you injured?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"No. You saved me." My heart hammered so hard I thought it might break my ribs. "But you're hurt."

"Minor damage," he dismissed, shifting slightly to better block the entrance.

The movement revealed what he tried to hide – a large, angry burn across his left shoulder, the fabric of his tunic charred away. Blood seeped from multiple lacerations where debris had struck him. The smell of burned flesh hit me, turning my stomach.

"That's not minor," I said, reaching for my utility belt. "Let me help you."

"Focus on survival first. My injuries are secondary."

"You're our survival, you stubborn mountain," I snapped, pulling out my emergency med-kit. "If you collapse from those wounds, we're both dead."

Outside, another explosion rocked the chamber. Varek braced himself against the sides of the alcove, his muscles straining with the effort of keeping his position. His face tightened with pain he tried to hide.

"I need to treat these burns," I said, opening the med-kit. "The energy feedback could cause nerve damage if left untreated."

"There is no space," he pointed out.

He wasn't wrong. The maintenance alcove forced us chest to chest, with barely room to move our arms. But I wasn't about to let him suffer when I could help.

"Turn slightly," I instructed. "Keep blocking the entrance but give me access to your shoulder."

Varek hesitated, then adjusted his position, angling his body so I could reach the worst of his burns while he maintained his protective stance.

"In my pouch," he said, nodding toward a small leather satchel at his hip. "There is a cooling leaf. It will help with the burns."

I reached into his pouch, my fingers brushing against his hip. His lifelines flickered at the contact, and I felt an answering pulse in my own markings. I quickly found the leaf – cool to the touch, with a faint blue tinge.

"Apply the human gel first," he directed, his voice low and strained. "Then the leaf over it."

I squeezed a generous amount of med-gel onto my fingers and gently applied it to the worst of the burns. Varek inhaled sharply but didn't pull away.

"Sorry," I murmured. "Almost done."

His skin felt fever-hot beneath my fingers, his lifelines pulsing in time with his heartbeat. I worked as quickly and gently as possible, conscious of every touch, every brush of my fingers against his damaged skin.

The intimacy of the situation struck me suddenly. Here in this tiny space, with death raging just outside, I was touching him with a gentleness I hadn't known I possessed. The warrior who minutes ago had thrown himself between me and certain death now stood vulnerable, allowing my hands on his wounds.

I placed the cooling leaf over the worst burn, pressing it gently until it adhered to his skin. Varek shuddered, a tremor running through his powerful frame that wasn't because of the pain.

"Better?" I asked softly.

"Yes," he answered, his voice rougher than before. "Thank you."

Through our strange connection, I felt his surprise at my care, his gratitude mingling with something deeper, more complex. The bond between us strengthened in this small space, impossible to ignore with his pain resonating through me, sharp and clear.

"There's a cut on your back," I said, reaching for another application of gel. "Let me?—"

The chamber outside lit up with another massive energy discharge. Varek instinctively pressed closer, shielding me completely, his arms bracing against the walls on either side of my head. For a moment, we were practically embracing, his face inches from mine, our breath mingling in the small space.

His golden eyes met mine, pupils dilated in the dim light. I felt his heartbeat against my chest, rapid and strong. My markings responded to his proximity, silver light dancing beneath my skin, seeking his gold.

"I think," he said carefully, "we may be trapped here for some time."

"Could be worse," I replied, suddenly very aware of every point where our bodies connected. "At least the company's decent."

A ghost of a smile touched his lips. "High praise from you, ."

Another explosion rocked the chamber, sending a shower of debris against Varek's back. He grunted but didn't move, his body a living shield between me and the chaos.

"You're still bleeding," I said, reaching around to apply gel to a gash on his lower back.

"It is nothing."

"It's not nothing. You're injured because of me. Because I had to know what was happening with the facility."

"Because Hammond is destabilizing ancient systems he does not understand," Varek corrected. "Not because of you."

My fingers traced the edge of a cut, feeling his muscles tense beneath my touch. "Still. Thank you. For coming after me. For this."

Varek's lifelines brightened at my words, pulsing in a rhythm that somehow matched the flutter of my own markings. The resonance between us deepened, a current flowing back and forth that made it hard to tell where my sensations ended and his began.

"It is my duty," he said, but the words felt hollow, a thin excuse for something neither of us totally understood.

"Right. Duty." I finished treating the last visible wound I could reach. "All patched up, at least the parts I can see."

Varek shifted slightly, testing his injuries. "Your skill with field medicine is impressive."

"Basic training for all Seraphyne engineers," I explained. "We had to be prepared for accidents in isolated areas."

The roar outside diminished slightly, though energy still crackled through the chamber. Varek remained in his protective stance, unwilling to risk exposure.

"How long do you think this will last?" I asked.

"The system appears to be burning through its excess energy," he replied. "But I cannot predict how long that process will take."

I nodded, trying to ignore how aware I was of him – his scent, his warmth, the steady rhythm of his breathing. My markings continued their silent conversation with his lifelines, silver light meeting gold wherever our skin came close.

"Your markings," Varek said suddenly. "They respond differently now."

I glanced down at the silver patterns visible along my collarbone and arms. "Different how?"

"More... coordinated. When we first met, they reacted chaotically to stimuli. Now they pulse with purpose."

I hadn't noticed the change, but looking at them now, I saw what he meant. The erratic flaring had given way to something more controlled, more deliberate.

"Maybe they're learning," I suggested. "Or maybe it's because of our connection."

Varek's expression tightened. "The bond."

"Is that so terrible?" The question slipped out before I could stop it.

His eyes met mine, searching. "It is... unexpected. Unprecedented. A human and a Nyxari."

"Unprecedented doesn't mean terrible."

"No," he agreed after a long moment. "It does not."

Another shower of sparks rained down outside our shelter. Varek adjusted his position, grimacing slightly as the movement pulled at his injuries.

"When this is over," I said, "we need to find a way to stop Hammond. If he keeps drilling, he'll trigger something worse than this."

Varek nodded, his expression solemn. "The Elders must be warned. And your people as well – those who would listen."

"Not many of those," I admitted. "Hammond has them convinced the Nyxari are the enemy. That your people are hiding technology that could save us all."

"And now you know differently."

"I know the technology is dangerous. I know tampering with it could kill us all." I met his gaze directly. "And I know you saved my life, more than once."

Something shifted in his eyes, a softening I hadn't seen before. "As you have aided me. We survive together, or not at all."

My markings flared at his words, a warm silver light that spread up my arms and across my collarbone. His lifelines responded in kind, golden patterns brightening beneath his skin.

The word hung between us, carrying more weight than either of us had intended. I didn’t want to be wanted because of the bond. I wanted him to want me without it. And in that moment, I could feel that he did

In this small space, with death just beyond, "together" felt like more than a temporary alliance. It felt like a promise.