Aphelion

by L. J. Higgins

  “Good to hear. I also hope you two won’t be missing any more of my sessions. You were both supposed to be at training an hour ago, not to mention you weren’t at dinner last night or breakfast this morning.”

  I glanced at the clock above my cupboard. How did we sleep so late? “Crap. I’m so sorry. We were up late talking, and I must’ve forgot to set an alarm.”

  “We’re really sorry,” added Reece.

  “How about you go to your own room and freshen up, Reece,” suggested Ricko.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “See you at lunch,” I said as he moved toward the door.

  He nodded. “Thanks for last night.”

  As the door closed behind Reece, Ricko stepped towards me. “What the hell was that?”

  “Whoa.” I held my hands up in defence. “Nothing happened. You wanted us to sort things out, so we did.”

  “And you think it’s appropriate to have your rookie sleep … in your bed?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You have people sleep in your room all the time.”

  “That’s different. Those women are in different departments, not under my command. This… isn’t appropriate. You can’t have a relationship with the rookie you’re training. It’s a conflict of interest. A distraction. It’s the last thing you need when you’re out on a mission, and the last thing you need when you’re trying to get back out into the field.”

  My mouth dropped open. “You’ve got to be kidding! You and Commander Kane are the ones who have been insisting I make friends and spend more time with the other hunters, and now you’re telling me the one friend I did make isn’t right?”

  “There’s a hundred other recruits to choose from. Go make friends with one of them. Preferably a female recruit.”

  “What? A girl can’t be friends with a guy now? What’s this really about?”

  “Nothing.” He growled and drew in a deep breath. “Look. Be friends with whoever you want. Just don’t let it be the reason you miss out on training and waste my time. I have better things to do than wait for your sorry asses to show up.”

  “It was one time, and I said I’m sorry.”

  “At least whatever was going on between you two is sorted out. I don’t think I could’ve handled another training session with all that tension in the room anyway. What was going on between you two exactly?”

  “He was pissed I went out on a mission with you and didn’t tell him. He said I wasn’t putting in enough effort to train him, and now I’ve promised him I will.”

  “I don’t blame the guy. I hope you keep to your word and train him well. I don’t think you realise how serious Commander Kane is about keeping you out of the field until you prove you’re ready. You need to get yourself together.”

  “Prove I’m ready?” I snapped. “What else do I have to do? I do everything you and the Commander ever ask of me. I make one freaking mistake and this is what I get?”

  “Do you know what it takes to be a great alien hunter?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  “Zero mistakes. You make one mistake out in the field and you’re dead meat. You of all people should know that.”

  I stepped towards him. “You know I’m a damn good hunter. I don’t know what you and Commander Kane are trying to do. Test me? Break me? Whatever it is, I’ll pass with flying colours like I always do. Now would you leave so I can shower and then have lunch with my new friend? I’m starving.”

  “I’ll see you at training this afternoon. Don’t be late.” Ricko stormed out slamming the door behind him.

  I didn’t know what Ricko’s problem was. Maybe Olivia had finally grown a brain and rejected him. I had no idea, but I wasn’t going to let him get under my skin. I’d done as he’d asked. I’d fixed my issues with Reece and had come out the other side with my first friend in over two years. I was happy to have a friend. Happy to have someone who cared about my life before Skywatchers.

  I jumped in for a quick shower before pulling on some fresh clothes and plaiting my hair. After lunch I’d talk to Commander Kane. I had to find out what on Earth was going on, and what it would take to get Reece and me back in the field.

  In the mess hall I piled up a plate of food, my stomach aching from my two missed meals, and made my way over to an empty table.

  “Ky, over here.”

  Reece’s waving hand caught my attention. He sat at a table with three others all of whom looked at me expectantly. I glanced between them and the empty table. I’d already stepped out of my comfort zone being nice to one person. Could I really be nice to three more? The excitement in Reece’s eyes made my feet shuffle towards him, and I cursed myself for being so soft. I slid my plate onto the table and sat beside him.

  “Thought you were going to ditch us,” he said.

  “Me too,” I replied.

  “Ky, meet Justin, Steve, and Natalie.” He gestured towards each one in turn.

  I gave them a tight smile. “Hi, I’m Ky.”

  “We know who you are,” said Justin.

  Justin was tall and thin with short black hair, in his early twenties. Realising I was staring as I profiled him, I gave him a tight smile to hide my awkwardness.

  “You’re a bit of a celebrity around here,” added Steve, who also had dark hair but looked a few years older than Justin. He was also stockier and a head shorter.

  “Guys, you’re embarrassing the girl. Sorry, Ky.” Natalie punched Steve in the arm.

  I liked her already. She had beautiful blonde hair she’d plaited much like mine and was around the same age as Steve.

  “What made you decide to come sit with the rest of us mediocre hunters?” Justin asked before shovelling a forkful of food into his mouth.

  I looked to Reece, and Natalie gave Justin a punch as well.

  I shrugged. “Commander Kane decided I should be less of a hermit. So here I am.”

  “Well, we’re happy you’re sitting with us,” said Natalie. “Maybe you can tell us all your hunting secrets.”

  “Can we at least let her eat first?” suggested Reece.

  I glanced his way, nodding silent thanks.

  “I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday,” I said, taking a welcome bite.

  “You and Reece must be training hard. He hasn’t eaten since yesterday either,” said Steve, inhaling another bite.

  I remained quiet as we ate, listening to the conversation around the table. Reece was so comfortable joking and laughing with them. I hadn’t seen that side of him before, and I couldn’t help but smile a little.

  When I finished, I rose from the table taking my empty plate.

  “Where are you racing off to?” asked Justin.

  “I need to go see if Commander Kane has time to see me before training,” I said, facing Reece. “I’ll see you there?”

  “See you there,” he echoed.

  “Ummm, thanks for letting me sit with you,” I addressed the group.

  “Anytime.” Natalie smiled. “Join us for dinner?”

  “I’ll see how things go,” I replied.

  “She’s taking this socialising thing one meal at a time,” said Reece.

  I shot him a glare before leaving them to place my dirty plate in the washing bin and heading out of the mess hall towards the Commander’s office.

  The door was slightly open when I arrived. As I touched the handle I heard not only Commander Kane’s voice but Ricko’s. I dropped my hand and stepped back to wait for them to finish, but their voices carried out into the waiting room.

  “Do I need to be worried about her?” asked Commander Kane.

  “No sir, I have her under control,” Ricko replied.

  “It doesn’t sound that way. This is a delicate time, Agent Rickson, if we let anyone get to Kylah…”

  My body went rigid at the sound of my name.

  “They won’t, sir,” Ricko said. “She’s started forming a close bond with the rookie. It’s not ideal, and I would’ve preferred it be
me she chose to confide in, but maybe it’ll distract her for a while. At least until it’s safe to send her back out on missions. It’ll also give her more of an attachment to Skywatchers, which can only help.”

  My ears strained, and my heart raced at their words. I knew they talked about me behind my back, but hearing it for myself made me feel sick. Why did they need me to be distracted? How could they be doubting my attachment to Skywatchers? Part of me wanted to burst into the room and demand they explain themselves, but my curiosity kept me firmly in place.

  “Maybe I should give her an office job, keep her here and out of their hands,” suggested the Commander.

  My fists clenched tight. An office job would be torture. Why not stab me in the eye with a pen instead? It’d be less painful.

  “With all due respect, sir, that’ll only upset her more.”

  I smiled at Ricko fighting for me. He could be a pain in my ass, but he always looked out for me.

  “You’ve trained her well,” Ricko continued. “She believes everything you’ve ever taught her, and that’s what keeps her here. You stop her from hunting, and you risk all of that slipping away. She’s already suspicious after what happened with the alien who almost shot her.”

  “Suspicious? How? Should I be concerned?” asked Commander Kane.

  “No sir. She’s just curious why she was able to overpower the alien and why it needed a gun after all she’s heard about them. I explained it to her and everything is fine.”

  My stomach churned and my head ached, unable to process his words. I’d trusted Ricko not to tell the Commander about my questions, but here he was announcing my fears to the last person I wanted to hear them. Maybe he didn’t have my back after all.

  “I hope you’re right, Agent Rickson. Continue to train her and let her cultivate this friendship with the rookie. Let’s hope it keeps her occupied until it’s safe to send her out again.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  My mind reeled as I backed away from the door. Safe? Why wasn’t it safe? Was the alien who’d nearly killed us looking for me?

  I took a few deep breaths. Commander Kane and Ricko had trained me and looked out for me since I was fifteen. They wouldn’t do something that wasn’t in my best interests… would they?

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sensing the conversation between Commander Kane and Ricko was wrapping up I convinced my feet to move and sped away from the Commander’s office. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I needed to process what I’d heard while trying to convince myself I was overreacting. What were they hiding from me?

  I rode the elevator up to my floor, staring into space. Stepping out, I fumbled for my swipe card and looked up to find Reece standing in front of my door.

  “Hey, thought I’d come see if you were ready for training,” he said. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “I don’t know,” I replied, finding my card.

  He drew his eyebrows together. “Let’s get you inside so you can have a seat and a drink of water.”

  I scanned my card and Reece placed a hand on the small of my back to guide me into my room. I bee-lined to my bed, still in a daze. Crawling in, I lay on my back staring up at the ceiling. My mind raced with the Commander’s and Ricko’s words and I couldn’t shake the feeling there was something I was missing.

  “Did something happen at your meeting with Commander Kane?” Reece handed me a glass of water.

  I sat up and took a sip before placing it on my bedside table. “I ended up not having a meeting.”

  “What happened?” He eyed me, brow creased in worry.

  The bed gave a little as he sat beside me.

  “When I got there, he was already talking to Ricko. The door was open and…”

  “And what?”

  “And I don’t know. They were talking about me. About keeping me safe inside Skywatchers. About my friendship with you being good because it meant I had more of an attachment to this place. It’s like they were hiding me from something. Aliens, maybe? I didn’t know. Maybe I should’ve gone in and asked, but something stopped me.”

  Reece mulled over my words for a moment before replying, “I think you did the right thing. I can’t imagine they’d be happy knowing you were eavesdropping on their conversation. My father always taught me to listen to my gut instinct. If yours told you something was wrong, then listen to it.”

  “It was weird. Something about it just doesn’t sit right with me. They’re keeping secrets, I just know it.”

  Reece sat in silent thought for a moment, as though fighting an internal battle. “Ky, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  A loud banging on my door made us both jump. I looked to Reece, my eyes wide.

  “I’ll get it,” he offered.

  He opened the door to reveal Ricko.

  “You two going to come to training this afternoon or are you planning on wasting my time again?” he asked.

  “We were just about to come down,” said Reece. “I came to make sure this one didn’t forget.”

  “How could I forget with you two on my case?” I asked, trying to shake the uneasiness. “Let’s do this.”

  “Now you two aren’t ready to kill each other, I think I can trust you with boxing gloves,” Ricko instructed. “Ky, you’re up first. Reece can wear the pads.”

  His normalcy irritated me. How could he have such a secretive conversation about me and be completely fine to my face? Had he been doing that since I came to Skywatchers? It had me wondering what else I didn’t know.

  I shook my head as I laced up my gloves. They wouldn’t do that to me. I was sure I was blowing what I’d heard out of proportion. But never had I had such a feeling of unease constricting my chest.

  “You okay?” asked Reece in a hushed voice.

  I nodded and drew in a deep breath as he held up the pads.

  “You’ve got this. Take it out on the pads.”

  “You two done with your private conversation?” asked Ricko.

  “Yes, sir,” replied Reece.

  “Twenty jabs to start. Go!” instructed Ricko.

  Reece tensed his arms, pads in place, as I swung into action. I breathed out with each punch, focusing on hitting the pads rather than the conversation I’d overheard.

  “You can hit harder than that,” barked Ricko.

  I pushed myself to punch harder, finding it difficult to reel in my thoughts. Ricko had said I believed everything Commander Kane had taught me. What did he mean by that? Had they been lying to me from the beginning, or was I reading it wrong?

  My glove slipped as I hit the edge of the pad, deflecting into Reece’s chest. He let out an ‘oomph’ and took a step back.

  “Crap, sorry,” I said.

  “What the hell was that?” asked Ricko.

  “I’m fine,” replied Reece, gasping for air.

  “You might be, but Ky’s not. Where’s your head at today? Your punches are all over the place.”

  “Sorry, I’m just not feeling one hundred percent,” I replied, wiping my forehead with my arm.

  “It’s fine. Refocus and we can go again,” said Reece.

  “You back with us?” asked Ricko.

  “Yes sir,” I replied.

  “All right then. Jab, jab, uppercut, uppercut. Go!”

  Reece gave me a small nod and I returned the gesture before starting my new set.

  After being put through my paces I pulled off my gloves and held the pads while Reece repeated what I’d done, but with much more precision. Focusing on his punches against the pads helped me slow my racing thoughts, but they didn’t disappear completely. I had so many questions, but no way of getting the answers unless I asked the Commander or Ricko directly. Reece was right. My instincts told me that would be a bad idea, and I planned on listening to them. If Ricko and Commander Kane thought I was questioning Skywatchers, I’d be demoted and sent back to basic training, or worse, relieved of duty.

  “That’ll do for today,�
� Ricko said as Reece finished his final set.

  Face glazed with sweat, Reece removed his gloves and left to find his water bottle.

  “Everything okay, Ky? Your head wasn’t in the game today. He’s not becoming a distraction already, is he?” Ricko gestured at Reece’s retreating back.

  “It’s got nothing to do with Reece. I just feel off today. Maybe my body’s starting to fall apart because you won’t let us go out on a mission. It’s out of practice.”

  “You know you have to prove you’re both ready before I give the green light.”

  “Exactly. You know I’m ready. You saw me kill that alien. And I’ll do it again if you let us go out on a mission. How’s the rookie supposed to learn if he’s stuck here boxing?”

  “You hesitated.”

  “Hesitated?”

  “When we took out that alien. You hesitated to shoot it.”

  “I told you. I made sure I had the perfect shot. There’s no room for error. You taught me that.”

  “I’m not sure I believe you, but I did teach you that. The reason I’m not letting you out has to do with more than just your ability.”

  “What else then?” I grumbled. “You wanted me to make friends, so I have.”

  “With Reece?”

  “And I sit with other hunters at meal times now,” I added.

  “You’re becoming a regular social butterfly. Who knew you had it in you,” he replied.

  “Don’t change the subject. Why can’t we have a mission? I promise I’ll watch Reece closely and I’ll teach him instead of telling him to stay out of my way.”

  He pondered this for a moment, then shook his head. “Not yet.”

  “Why not? Give me one good reason.

  He paused again. I waited for him to tell me the truth, why they needed me to stay at Skywatchers and be “safe.”

  “I just don’t think you’re ready.”

  “That’s crap, and you know it,” I snapped at him.

  “Ky, watch your tone.” He shot me a warning glance.

  “What’s the real reason?” My confidence grew with each word. The need to know overpowered my instinct to stay quiet. “Why are you so afraid to let me go out?”