Page 96 of Alien Jeopardy

But it’s not there.

Or rather, we’re not there. The maze is gone.

Alas, poor labyrinth, I hardly knew ye.

An icy wind sweeps over me, such a stark contrast to the heat of the marsh that I shiver all over.

“I found you,” Rex tells me, holding my muddy face in his hands. He kisses me, hard, and I melt into him, beyond relieved.

Relieved to be in his arms, relieved that he found me—and relieved that it’s him.

“My Ka-Rexsh,” I say, pulling away, my gaze tracing over every inch of his face, checking him for wounds. I hug him close again.

He’s okay.

He’s here, he’s real, and he’s okay.

I’m crying again.

“As touching as this is, I have to break you up so we can continue with our show format,” a familiar voice says.

“Ken?” I glance around. “Is the crawfish okay?”

It’s an utterly absurd thing to ask, but I feel bad for the kaiju crustacean.

Ken stares at me for a long moment, apparently thrown.

I swallow.

“The crawfish, as you call it, is fine.”

“Thank you,” I say meekly, vowing not to interrupt Ken again. He looks less transparent here, wherever here is.

It looks like a sci-fi rendering of a spaceship. Bright white lights, a huge screen full of symbols I can’t make heads or tails of, and a whole lot of shiny metal.

“As I was saying,” Ken continues slowly, smiling expansively at us, “You two are the first to finish your journey here onMated and Afraid. As such, you will be the first to arrive at the Suevan colony that Billie and Ayro worked so hard to help secure for you all.”

“Are Billie and Ayro there?” I interrupt.

So much for that resolution.

Ken’s grin falters. A second ticks by. Another.

“Sorry,” I say, only slightly sorry. Rex tightens his grip on my waist.

“Billie and Ayro are none of your concern,” he finally answers. “But you will find out everything soon, when you tune in to another episode ofMated and Afraidyourselves. In addition to the incredible prize package your former producers put together, I also arranged for a basket of goodies to help you remember your time here on Station X0-3. And you, at home, can purchase it too!” Ken addresses this to what I can only assume is one of the camera feeds. “Join us again for another episode ofMated and Afraid, where we will find out if Lily and Zan-De’Eer will fare any better against my labyrinth!”

Ken’s smile fades.

Suddenly, I wish I were facing the crawfish again because Ken is fucking scary. I cling to Rex, and he wraps his wing around me, hiding me from view.

“I’ll be transferring you to Sueva momentarily,” Rex says, his over-the-top announcer voice replaced by something more matter-of-fact.

“What happened to?—”

Rex coughs, cutting off my question and giving me a meaningful look.

“My comms tablet?” I finish meekly. I was going to ask what happened to all the people on the space station, because it’s important.