Page 16 of Sy (Alien Berserkers of Izaea #2)

16

T he garrison’s corridors echoed with the aftermath of rescue—boots on metal floors, voices calling updates, the whir of diagnostic equipment being wheeled past. Ashley’s fingers tightened around Lila’s as they emerged from the cave entrance right beside the garrison wall. She hadn’t realized they were so close. The journey to find the kids had felt like miles of endless walking through tunnels and darkness.

“Nearly there, baby,” she murmured, guiding her daughter toward the garrison’s main doors.

Lila’s palm felt clammy against hers. Ashley fought the urge to scoop her up and carry her the rest of the way, knowing her daughter would protest being treated like a child. The stone-walled corridor to medical stretched ahead, seeming impossibly long despite being only a few meters.

“Ashley!”

Michelle Trevor’s voice cut through the air. Ashley’s stride faltered, but she kept moving, pretending she hadn’t heard. Whatever it was could wait. Had to wait.

“Ashley, please… it’s important.” Rapid footsteps approached from behind.

Lila squeezed her hand. “Mom?”

She stopped, her chest tightening as she turned to face her senior engineer. The look in Michelle’s eyes made Ashley’s stomach drop.

“What is it?”

Michelle’s gaze flicked to Lila, her expression softening. “How are you doing, honey?”

“I’m okay,” Lila answered, offering a wavering smile.

“Michelle.” Ashley kept her voice low. “Can this wait? We need to get Lila checked out.”

“I know. I’m so sorry.” Michelle stepped closer, her expression torn. “But the company executives are on holo-call. They’re demanding answers about the earthquake damage. I’ve tried to hold them off as much as I can, but they want to speak to you.” She hesitated and then added, “They’re threatening to pull the project. To withhold payment for the entire crew.”

The words hit Ashley like a physical blow. Her workers depended on their wages. Most of them sent them home to support families.

“How long have they been waiting?”

“Twenty minutes. They’re… not happy.”

Of course they weren’t. When were they ever? Her free hand clenched into a fist, her nails biting into her palm. The need to stay with Lila warred with her duty as project manager. If the company pulled the project now…

“I’ll stay with her.”

Sy’s quiet voice startled her, and she turned. His red eyes held hers steadily. “I will make sure she receives proper care, and I will come for you immediately if there are any problems.”

She studied his face, searching for any hint of doubt. She found none. Instead, she saw the same steady reliability he’d shown throughout the rescue operation. Still, leaving Lila now…

“Mom.” Lila’s voice was quiet but firm. “I’ll be okay. Really.” She attempted a smile again. “Sy can tell me more about Parac’Norr while we wait.”

Ashley’s throat tightened. “You’re sure?”

Lila nodded and then winced slightly at the movement.

“I’ll be as quick as I can,” she promised, leaning down to kiss her daughter on the cheek gently. She breathed in the dusty, smoky scent of Lila’s hair, still carrying traces of the cave-in. “The doctors will take good care of you, and Sy will be right there.”

When she stood, she found Michelle waiting patiently, worry lines creasing her forehead.

“If anything changes—” she started to say to Sy.

“I will fetch you immediately,” he assured her. “You have my word.”

She nodded, forcing herself to release Lila’s hand. Each step away from her daughter felt wrong, like fighting against a physical pull. But Michelle’s expression told her there was no more time to waste. She squared her shoulders, pushing down the ache in her chest, and fell into step beside her senior engineer.

“How bad is it?” she asked as they turned toward the comm center.

Michelle snorted. “Prepare yourself. They’re out for blood.”

The comm room door swung open to reveal a windowless space dominated by a large metal table. The holos of three executives waited with poorly concealed impatience, their crisp suits and pristine offices a stark contrast to the dust and chaos of the garrison comms room. She recognized them all. Martin Reynolds, the company operations director, leaned forward, his expression carved from granite.

“Ms. Jackson. So glad you could join us. I’m sure you’re aware that this is a completely unacceptable level of damage to company equipment,” he said, each word precise and cutting. “The sensor arrays alone represent millions in losses. How do you justify this negligence, Ms. Jackson?”

She sat down, forcing her hands to remain flat on the conference table rather than curl into fists. “With respect, sir, we were dealing with an unprecedented seismic event. Our priority was?—”

“Your priority should have been protecting company assets.” Regina Barrett’s aristocratic features twisted with disdain. Ashley had never liked the woman. Even the stick up her ass probably thought she was too uptight. “Instead, you allowed essential equipment to be destroyed and personnel to be injured. The liability alone?—”

“We evacuated all personnel from the affected areas as soon as we detected the anomaly,” Michelle cut in. “Several crew members were injured during the earthquake when equipment?—”

“When equipment that should have been properly secured caused multiple injuries,” Barrett interrupted. “And then instead of managing the crisis, Ms. Jackson here decided to mount an unauthorized rescue operation for her daughter, leaving the work crews without leadership during an emergency situation.”

The mention of Lila sent ice through Ashley’s veins. How did they know? She hadn’t filed any official reports yet, hadn’t even had time to log the incident. Her pulse quickened as Barrett continued her assault.

“The damage to our equipment is extensive. The timing of your… departure from your duties suggests?—”

“Excuse me,” she interrupted, ignoring Michelle’s warning look, “but how do you know about my daughter? We haven’t submitted any reports about the incident yet.”

A microsecond of silence. Reynolds’ expression didn’t change, but his fingers twitched against his desk. “We have our sources, Ms. Jackson. The question is why you failed to prevent this disaster in the first place.”

Ashley’s back teeth ground together. Beside her, Michelle shifted in her chair, radiating tension.

“The seismic activity was unprecedented,” Ashley repeated, fighting to keep her voice level. “None of our geological surveys indicated?—”

“Perhaps if you’d been focused on your actual duties instead of personal matters—” Barrett’s voice dripped with contempt.

“The board is seriously reconsidering our investment in this operation,” Reynolds cut in. “The equipment losses, the medical expenses, the disruption to our timeline…” He leaned forward, his forearms resting on the desk in front of him. “We’re not convinced the leadership as it stands is equipped to handle these challenges.”

Her stomach clenched. The threat was clear. They were looking for an excuse to clean house, and she and Michelle were to be the scapegoats. Her mind raced to her crew. Families were depending on these contracts—promises made and futures planned. The weight of it pressed against her chest like a physical thing.

“You have forty-eight hours,” Reynolds declared, cutting through her thoughts like a laser. “Present us with a comprehensive damage assessment and action plan. Make sure to include a detailed explanation of how you intend to prevent further losses.”

His dark eyes bored into her. “Failure to satisfy the board’s concerns will result in immediate suspension and loss of remuneration. Is that clear?”

The threat hung in the air like smoke. Ashley forced herself to nod, her professional mask firmly in place despite the Rage burning in her chest. “Perfectly clear, sir.”

“Dismissed.” Reynolds’ image flickered out, followed quickly by Barrett’s, leaving Ashley and Michelle alone in the suddenly too-quiet room.

Her shoulders slumped as soon as the holo-screen went dark. The comm room felt smaller somehow, the walls pressing in with the weight of the executives’ threats still hanging in the air. She pressed her fingertips against her temples, trying to ease the tension headache building there.

Michelle pushed back from the table, her chair scraping against the floor. “Well, that was brutal.” She stood, smoothing her dirt-stained uniform in an automatic gesture. “But something’s not right here.”

“You noticed it too?” Ashley straightened, her spine cracking after being held rigid for so long.

“They knew too much.” Michelle’s brow furrowed as she moved toward the door. “Did you notify headquarters about the earthquake?”

“No.” Ashley fell into step beside her as they left the comm room. “There hasn’t been time. Between the injuries, the rescue operation, and Lila…” She shook her head. “I haven’t filed any reports yet.”

“Then how the fuck did they know?” Michelle asked as they emerged into the corridor. “Not just about the earthquake, but about Lila, about you leaving to rescue her?—”

The words died in her throat as they rounded the corner. Ashley followed her gaze and felt her blood turn to ice. Thompson stood partially hidden in an alcove, speaking quietly into a personal comm unit. When he spotted them, he pocketed the device. His lips curved into a small, satisfied smile that made her stomach turn.

“Son of a—” The curse caught in her throat as Sy’s warning from days ago suddenly clicked into place. Someone sneaking out to make calls. Someone feeding information back to the company.

“Ashley?” Michelle touched her arm, concern evident in her voice.

“It was him.” She watched as Thompson walked away down the corridor, that smug smile still playing on his lips like he hadn’t a care in the world. “Sy told me someone from the human group was sneaking out to make calls. I should have…”

Her hands curled into hard fists at her sides. “I should have realized sooner.”

Michelle’s intake of breath was sharp. “Thompson? But why would he?—”

“Because he’s wanted my job since day one. He’s been undermining me from the start, and now…” She thought of the executives’ threats, their specific knowledge, their eagerness to find fault. “Now he might actually succeed.”

The lights hummed overhead as they watched Thompson disappear around a distant corner, his measured steps echoing with the confidence of a man who thought he’d won. Ashley’s nails bit into her palms as fury and betrayal warred in her chest.

“We need proof,” Michelle said quietly, her usual calm manner hardening into something more determined. “If he’s been feeding information to corporate?—”

“Oh, we’ll get proof.” Her voice was steel wrapped in silk. She thought of Lila in the medical center, of her injured crew members, of all the people depending on this operation for their livelihoods. “That asshole just made a serious mistake.”

A distant door slammed, making them both jump. She forced her fingers to unclench, conscious of the half-moon marks her nails had left in her palms.

“I need to get back to Lila.” She took a deep breath, trying to center herself. “But tomorrow…”

“Tomorrow we start gathering evidence,” Michelle finished, her expression grim. “He won’t know what hit him.”

Boot heels cracked against stone, echoing through the fortress corridor. Sy recognized Ashley’s stride even before she appeared around the corner ahead of him. She moved with sharp, determined steps toward the medical wing, her shoulders rigid with tension.

“Ashley.”

She spun at his voice, one hand catching the rough stone wall. “Sy? Is Lila?—”

“Isan’s checked her thoroughly. Found nothing wrong.” He closed the distance between them. “She’s sleeping in your quarters now.”

Ashley’s knees nearly buckled, but she forced herself to stay upright. His hand shot out to steady her before he could stop himself, his fingers barely grazing her arm before he forced them back to his side. The brief contact burned through him.

“You’re sure?” The raw edge in her voice made his chest tight. “There wasn’t?—”

“Nothing.” He smiled. “I had her moved to your quarters so she can rest. Zeke will be there keeping watch.”

She fell into step beside him, close enough that he caught the tremors of exhaustion running through her. All his instincts demanded he pull her closer, shelter her. He shoved the urge down, hard. She was strong. She wouldn’t welcome his help.

“The meeting?” he asked, though her rigid spine and the bitter tang of anger in her scent already told him plenty.

“Went to hell in a handbasket.” Her laugh held no humor. “Thompson’s been feeding them information. About the settlement, about our defenses.” She ran a hand through her hair, the gesture sharp with frustration. “They’re threatening to broadcast everything unless we agree to their terms.”

Ice shot through his veins. If Thompson had discovered what they really were, if that information reached the empire’s networks… His vision hazed red at the edges. One transmission was all it would take to bring orbital strikes down on them all.

He turned, scanning the corridor until he spotted two Izaeans crossing their path further down. “Here!” The command in his voice brought them running, their boots thundering against stone.

“Search the human, Thompson’s, quarters,” he ordered. “Find any communications equipment. If it’s not there, find where he’s hidden it.” His expression showed what he couldn’t say aloud… that failure wasn’t an option, that they had permission to use whatever methods necessary.

The warriors nodded, their expressions grim. They understood the stakes.

As their footsteps faded, his symbiont stirred. Tired , it whispered in his mind. The weapon…exhausting.

Weapon? He prodded, but the symbiont had already retreated into silence, leaving him with fresh unease coiling in his gut. The silence weighed on him, that single word—weapon—echoing in his mind. He’d seen the way Lila had collapsed, the strange energy that had crackled around her. If his symbiont, ancient and powerful, was exhausted by whatever had happened…

Ashley swayed beside him. Without thinking, he shifted closer, ready to catch her if she fell. The scent of her wrapped around him, and all he wanted to do was hunt Thompson down himself, to tear into anyone who dared threaten her, threaten all of them?—

He cut that thought off.

“We’ll find the equipment,” he said, his voice steady. “And we’ll deal with Thompson.”

She glanced at him. “I know.”

Simple words, heavy with trust that made warmth spread through his chest.

They walked in silence through torch-lit corridors, and his attention fixed on every slight stumble in her step, every catch in her breathing. She was utterly exhausted. Despite the threat of Thompson’s transmissions, he needed to ensure that Ashley and Lila were safe. Then he could worry about weapons, threats, and the growing darkness on their horizon.

They reached her quarters, and he scanned the corridor before following her inside. The familiar scent of her living space hit him first… books, herbs, and that underlying sweetness that was purely Ashley.

He was expecting to see Lila in Ashley’s bed, but her companions stopped him short. She lay tangled in the blankets, one arm flung carelessly over Kal’s chest. The young warrior had curled around her protectively, even in sleep. Tor’s massive frame stretched across the foot of the bed, his bulk creating an unconscious barrier between the door and the others.

Soft breathing filled the room, punctuated by the occasional rustle of fabric as one of the sleepers shifted. The dim glow of the wall sconces cast gentle shadows, softening the new sharp edges of both the males’ faces and making Lila look younger, more vulnerable.

Zeke straightened from where he’d been examining a data pad, his movement drawing Sy’s attention.

“They’re all right?” Ashley asked, concern filling her voice. The sound drew his focus instantly back to her, and he noticed the way she swayed slightly on her feet. “Lila seemed fine when I left, but?—”

“Exhausted,” Zeke confirmed, his tone carefully neutral. “Her vital signs are stable. Prince Isan detected no lasting effects from the exposure.” He paused, tapping something on his pad. “Though he wants them monitored overnight, given the unknown nature of the tech involved.”

Ashley’s shoulders slumped further. Sy caught the slight tremor in her hands, the way she blinked too rapidly at Zeke’s words. He stepped closer, his hands on her upper arms, and she leaned back against him slightly.

“They’ll sleep through the night,” Zeke said, nodding to the trio on the bed. “They’re all exhausted.”

“I’ll just take a quick shower then and sleep on the couch,” she murmured, already turning toward the bathroom.

“The water pipes run through the walls here,” Zeke said in warning. “You’ll wake them.”

Ashley’s shoulders slumped further, and Sy caught the faint tremor in her hands as she pushed her hair back from her face. She looked ready to collapse where she stood.

“The quarters next door are empty,” Zeke suggested, his tone softening. “You could use those facilities while I monitor?—”

“They’re allocated.” The words left Sy’s mouth before he’d fully formed the thought. He kept his expression carefully neutral as Zeke’s eyes snapped to his face.

“I’m fairly certain they’re not.” Zeke frowned. “In fact, I checked the assignments this morning when?—”

“They’re all allocated,” Sy repeated. He met Zeke’s scrutiny without flinching. Understanding flickered in the medic’s eyes. His mouth tightened briefly before smoothing into careful neutrality.

“You can use my quarters,” he said, turning to Ashley. She blinked at him, a tired look in her eyes. “It’s not far.”

“I don’t want to impose?—”

“It’s not an imposition.” He kept his voice steady. “Not at all. I want you there.”

Hells, did he ever want her there.

She hesitated another moment before nodding. “Okay, I just need to grab some things.”

While Ashley gathered what she needed from her dresser, moving carefully to avoid disturbing the sleepers, Sy felt Zeke’s glare boring into him. He didn’t acknowledge it. Instead, he tracked her movements, noting how her fatigue showed in each careful step, each slightly fumbled motion as she collected clothes and toiletries.

“I’ll monitor their readings overnight,” Zeke said finally, his tone deliberately casual. “Prince Isan wants to know immediately if anything changes.”

Sy nodded. Zeke would watch over Lila and the others, which left him free to look after Ashley. His heart beat faster at the thought.

She straightened, a small bag clutched in her hands. “Ready.”

Her eyes met his briefly, something vulnerable flickering in their depths before exhaustion clouded them again.

He moved to open the door, aware of her presence as she passed close to him. He caught Zeke’s pointed look just before the little human female stepped through the doorway.

Ashley paused for a second, glancing back at the sleeping trio one last time, worry still creasing her brow. Then she turned to him, trust written in every line of her body as she waited for him to lead the way.

His breath caught in his throat. She had no idea what that trust did to him, how it both honored and haunted him. With one last nod to Zeke, he stepped through the doorway after her.

He would look after her, give her everything she needed.

And somehow, he had to do it while keeping his hands to himself.