Page 22

Kari

My fingers pathetically click along keys as I struggle once more to understand Kij’s damn equipment and find anything that isn’t the same dribble I’ve been reading for weeks now! I growl at myself and close the tabs, standing from my seat. My feet carry me across the space for a moment as I try to calm down, then something catches my eye. I turn to watch Kij’s screens change so rapidly, his fingers of all four hands clicking across multiple keyboards, his eyes bouncing around, I have no idea how he does it.

I step closer, watching over his shoulder, feeling a head rush as I struggle to see even a single word on each one of these pages.

“Kari, I can’t work with you breathing over my shoulder. You’ve got to stop.” His voice is smooth and polite, he seems less agitated today, and that’s good, but I’m not feeling his chill at all.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to understand these different nets you use or how to navigate them, I keep finding the same fucking things over and over. I’m getting nowhere!” I throw my hands up and spin away from him. The noise in the room dies as he turns his chair to face me.

“It’s all right, you’re not used to such a setup, and as Charlie and his friends have told me, I’m above most people’s leagues. My software is complicated and easy for me but not everyone else.” He stares at me with a gentle look for a long moment as I sigh. Then he continues on a deep inhale. “Why don’t you let me continue the research, trust me to find the answers you seek and call you as soon as I have something. I’ll be much faster. It takes one more thing off your plate.”

I inhale and sigh heavily, feeling a lead weight in my stomach. “But it’s supposed to be my duty to solve this. Does it still count if I don’t find the information?”

“What matters most, Kari, finding the information or acting upon it and saving everyone? Does it really matter in the end how you won the war, who helped you, as long as you accomplished your goal? Trusting and relying on others to help you does not make you a failure or any less in charge of this mission. Delegation is a big part of being a leader and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Go do what you do best, let me do what I do best, and, together, we’ll solve this puzzle.”

I stare at his big purple eyes and blue skin for a long moment before releasing a slow breath. My head nods gently, and I turn and leave. I hear him, I do, but I also feel like a failure. He may have said that I’m not, but it doesn’t stop that feeling from boiling up. I’m used to doing most things on my own, being the smart one, the strong one, the one able to handle anything. This is officially out of my wheelhouse, and I have no choice but to delegate this to someone who’s capable. It just hurts that I can’t even manage to help a little.

My feet carry me through the ship, hearing little from the others around, and I head for the ramp to exit. Kosiiba is waiting by the door and walks me out. He puts an arm around my shoulders and pulls me in, hugging me close. “You’ll figure this out, don’t let this get you down or the enemy wins.”

We pause outside the ship, and I look up at him, giving him a small smile.

“You wanna throw some rocks and yell a little? It always helps me when I’m feeling off.” Kosiiba grins at me, baiting me into it, and I huff a small laugh, giving in. It may very well help.

He jogs over to the edge of the sea, grabbing some small and medium-sized rocks that won’t hurt anyone, and hands them to me. “Here, like this.” He grabs one in his right hand, reels back, and yells loudly as he launches the rock as far as he can, breathing deeply as he waits for the plunk in the water. The childish grin on his face tells me how good this really makes him feel, so I follow his lead, hoping he’s right.

I grab a larger rock, squeeze it in my palm, feeling the cool stone, and then reel back. My chest expands with a large breath before I swing forward, yelling out as loud as I can. When all the air in my lungs is expelled in a huff, I take a slow, deep breath to calm myself as I listen for the plunk. My heart races before slowing, a small adrenaline rush fueling me and making me feel light again. So, I throw another, and another. Once my left hand is empty of rocks, I stop and stare at the water lapping the shore.

That was therapeutic. I feel much better. “Thanks, Kosiiba,” I mutter as we stand in companionable silence, watching the water. It’s a beautiful sound, the water lapping like that. There is a small breeze in the trees, little animals and birds making noise, and it’s just blissful. For all of about five minutes.

Then there’s a blinding light that has us both scoffing and backing away, only to find that Ethan and Zaynt are left. “Hey, Captain, long time, no see!” Ethan calls as he heads for me. I grin and meet him halfway, shaking his hand.

He looks good, older, more confident. His curly hair is cut short, his brown eyes shining with excitement. He seems to have grown into himself, filling out his clothing better, not as scrawny as he was. “You remember our good friend Zaynt?”

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to see you again, Captain Kari.” Zaynt’s voice is smooth, crisp, and he seems very professional. He’s wearing a stealthy-looking outfit, his hair pulled up in a bun, showing the shaved sides of his head. He has the same pixie-type features Layanna had with the sharp nose and thin lips, but he’s definitely more masculine.

“How have things been for you guys? Last I heard, you were all trying hard to save some kids and take down a trafficking ring? Is that right?”

Ethan chuckles, and Zaynt simply nods with his lips pressed into a line. “Zaynt here blew ‘em up, our problems are over for now. And after he nearly died and recovered, he met his mate and joined her in the universal law enforcement.” Ethan speaks animatedly, his words flowing up and down, some emphasized for theatrics, and I grin. “He’s a big shot now.” Ethan leans over, whispering the last bit around his hand with a wink.

Zaynt scoffs and rolls his black eyes at Ethan’s antics, but I chuckle. Glad to see they’ve managed all they sought to do. “So you’ve ended the reign of terror, huh? Tell me all about it!”

Ethan and Zaynt work together to explain their story to me, how this all started way back when with Layanna getting taken and Zaynt getting her out, which is how they found Ethan. Molly’s kidnapping was unrelated but brought about a new working friendship and resources for them, but saving Maya for Shannon was a massive struggle. Without Kij, they never would have found her again. Zaynt tells me about his struggles with watching Shannon and Ethan fight so hard to research, stay strong, keep going, when everything felt hopeless. He wanted to stop all this, to give them a happy life, and the only way to do it was to stop the Reapers. So they embarked on a final mission, one to gather evidence to put them away for good, allowing them to work alongside the universal law enforcement in secret, only for the Reapers to choose another way out. Unfortunately, they don’t get locked away forever, but they can’t harm anyone else anymore.

Zaynt reaches into his pocket and hands me a card with his name on it, his rank, and a number to dial. “If you ever happen to be in a position where you think you need a big amount of backup, you call me personally. I’ll make sure you’re helped, whether it’s us alone or my squad, you’ll have your backup.”

I stare at the card for a long time, memorizing the little details, struggling to keep the tears at bay. “I don’t understand. You kids barely know me, barely know us, and yet, you’re willing to offer yourselves up to help me no matter what it takes or means. Why?”

I look up to see Ethan’s shocked face. “What the hell do you mean why? You’re a part of our ever-growing family of friends, that’s why! And when one of our own is in need, we jump and help, no questions asked. You helped us tremendously when we needed it, and, sure, it came with a price, but it’s made a personal connection that I would never want to break. You’re family now, Cap’n. We help family. That’s why we’re here today. Kij is onto something, but he needs to bounce ideas and categorize things, and we help him with that.” Ethan shrugs, his left brow rising for a moment with his shoulder as his eyes twinkle.

He pauses, and I give him a quizzical look, wondering if I should go back inside and offer more help. My gaze flits to the ship, and Ethan chuckles again, Zaynt joining in this time as he grumbles, “Let me guess, he kicked you out for making his job harder?”

“Yes!” I scoff and sigh, and the boys laugh. “Well, sort of. I gave up, too.”

Ethan pats my shoulder. “Don’t be offended. He did it to us, too, at first. But we’ve begun to learn his style. We can’t manage his algorithms like he can, we can’t scan through the information as quickly as he can, but when he has things of use sorted, we can help begin drawing patterns and making connections for him. We work as a team. It’s not always easy, he’s always twenty steps ahead of us, but it’s fun for us. If he told you to leave, it’s also because he doesn’t like seeing you upset that you can’t seem to do what he can. He doesn’t like to flaunt his ability, he just likes to do it. Let him help, let us help, and when you’re able to jump in, trust me, we’ll let you. We aren’t here to step on toes.”

I sigh, and nod. “He… said something similar.” I scoff and smile. “Well, I guess you guys better get to it. I’ll leave you be, and when you have something, you all know how to reach me.” There’s a large part of me that’s so grateful for their help that I vow to do something special for each and every one of them when this is all over, I just have no idea what. Which, once again, makes me feel like a useless failure as I struggle to accomplish anything today.

Ethan pulls me into a quick hug before the boys head into the ship, leaving me with Kosiiba and the quiet of the woods. “Let’s go home, Kosiiba.” My words are said through a sigh, my gaze on the trail ahead, as exhaustion begins to tug at me. If I’m going to be useless, I might as well get some rest. Right?