Page 18 of The Hollowed

“Not sure when I’ll be back,” Alex said, his voice softer than normal. “But I’ll make sure someone comes down to take note of what you need.”

“Where are you headed this time?” Mrs. Garcia pressed.

Alex opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a word out, another voice cut in from behind.

“Yeah, Alex, where are we going?”

He turned to find Myra leaning against the archway, arms crossed over her chest in that defensive pose he knew all too well. He didn’t need to guess why she was here. Word of the mission had clearly made its way through the usual backchannels of the barracks before he’d had the chance to talk to her himself.

Before he could respond, Myra pushed off the wall, grabbed a basket, and disappeared into one of the aisles without waiting for an invitation.

“I’ll be right back,” Alex told Mrs. Garcia. She gave him an understanding smile, the kind that said she knew better than to get in the middle of whatever this was.

Talking to Myra was as difficult as trying to get her to obey a command. Not because of their history, though that certainly didn’t help, but because Myra only ever moved on her own terms. She was stubborn, the kind of person who wouldn’t lift a finger unless she’d already decided it was worth lifting. When Alex had ended their fling, she hadn’t looked hurt, just irritated that he’d been the one to do it first.

Myra clicked her tongue as she reached for the same medical supplies as Alex from the shelf, not bothering to look at him.“What’s in it for me?” she asked flatly as she moved on to the next item on her list. “You know everything comes at a price, so your offer better be pretty damn good.”

Alex huffed, threading a hand through his hair and tugging lightly at the nape of his neck. He’d expected this. Myra never agreed to anything without leverage, and this time he didn’t have anything valuable to offer her.

“They’ll promote you to sergeant if we make it back,” Alex said. “I know you’ve been waiting for a chance to prove yourself, and here it is. You get first pick on missions and,” Alex paused, measuring his next words carefully, “if you get promoted, they might be more willing to accept whatever is going on between you and Ciph —”

“Don’t,” Myra interrupted before Alex could finish his sentence. “Don’t bring him into this.” She rolled her eyes, completely unimpressed. “I’m going to need more than a title if I’m risking my life out there for Lucilla.”

Alex’s jaw tightened. “Fine. Tell me what you want, and I’ll see it happens.”

“Even if it involves her?” Myra asked.

That caught him off guard, but he didn’t flinch. “I’m listening.”

“There’s a peds patient in 1107,” she began.

“Jace?” he asked.

Myra nodded. “Yup. Poor kid’s dying waiting for a kidney transplant. Get Luci to move him up on the transplant list and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Alex studied her for a moment. Her request was different than what he’d expected. It wasn’t selfish but it was calculated, maybe even noble in its own way. But asking Luci to bypass protocol would put her in direct violation of Prometheus’s rules.

He exhaled slowly. “You don’t make anything easy, do you?”

A faint smirk curved on Myra’s lips. “You wouldn’t trust me if I did.”

After a second, Alex nodded. “Alright. I’ll talk to her.”

“Good,” Myra replied, tossing a roll of gauze into her basket. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a deal, Sergeant.”

Alex lifted his hand to knock against the thick sliding glass door of Luci’s lab, but before his knuckles could make contact, the door hissed open. She stood with her back to him, focused on whatever occupied the counter in front of her. He slipped inside, letting the sterile chill of the lab wrap around him.

Nearly everything was in order now. His bag was packed, gear accounted for, and Myra’s price set. All that remained was convincing Luci to break protocol.

“Shh, give me a second,” Luci said without turning, her voice soft and distracted.

He nodded silently and watched as her gloved hands moved with precision, locking the vials into place.

“Sorry,” she muttered, glancing over her shoulder. “I had to get that right first try. Once this box is sealed, I can’t open it until we reach AZ-7.” Luci tapped at the latch as if to emphasize the finality of it.

Alex shifted his weight and rested his hands at his hips.“That’s actually why I’m here. I’ve got Myra on board, but you know something’s always gotta be in it for her”

Her brow arched as her expression turned into a mix of curiosity and confusion. “I’m listening.”