Zak stepped into the path of her reflection. He stood before her. Even in the filtered glow from the atrium, his eyes smoldered. They bore into her, making her feel vulnerable and desirable all in one glance.
“You aren’t going to die, Aimee.”
She shook her head, angry with the tears that began to well. “You can’t make that promise.”
He reached for her arms as his head dipped close to hers. So close that if she just tilted her neck back, she could—
“I won’t let you die.” His vow was hoarse.
“Why?” she pleaded.
“Because—”
Zak leaned in and his lips claimed hers. It was a soft kiss, but his grip on her arms confirmed that husky promise. Gentle sweeps of his mouth made her legs grow weak. She leaned into him, returning those kisses, feeling a tear slip from the corner of her closed eye. He parted from her, but the warm flesh of his forehead still pressed against hers.
“That’s why,” he whispered.
Aimee wanted to respond, but his mouth proved too tempting. She could feel his lips so near to hers and she yearned for that heated connection. With the end of her world close at hand, liberation that she had never possessed before manifested itself. She reached up and cupped his cheeks in her palms, pulling him closer so that she could kiss him again. Until this moment she hadn't really considered her age, but every bit of woman in her poured into this kiss. She shivered when his lips brushed across hers and returned for a deeper caress. Her hands slipped up behind his neck, reveling in the coarse texture of his hair.
Zak’s arms folded around her, pulling her tight into his embrace. She felt his heart pounding and it exhilarated her to know that she was the reason for the hastened beat. The friction of his lips against hers turned her body into liquid and she was afraid she might pour out of his arms.
“Aimee,” he whispered, “I am not going to lose you.”
She whimpered and reached to kiss him again, but he held his mouth just out of reach.
“I threw myself into the role of the Warrior,” he spoke, “and I was damn good at it…but at what cost? I never even considered a woman in my life before.” His hand reached up to cup her face. “And then this stranger shows up. This beautiful stranger who stows away on my ship. A girl who attacked men twice her size because she was afraid for me. A woman who has survived near death with me.” His eyes glowed. “I want you. I want you in my life.”
Aimee dusted her fingers against his jaw, where a muscle pumped beneath her touch. He was so beautiful with his chiseled chin and high cheekbones. Exotic and handsome. She drew back to take in more of him…and screamed.
“Zak!”
“What?” He jerked back. His eyes flashed and his body tensed. He was alert, seeking out a foe. “What did you hear?”
She whimpered and clamped her hand over her mouth.
“Aimee, what’s wrong?” Zak reached for her.
She held her hand up between them and pointed. Zak’s glance followed her finger.
“No.” He stumbled back.
His hand dropped to his chest and his palm flattened over the blushed glow beneath it. The red pulsed through his fingers and Aimee’s eyes locked onto that radiance.
“Oh, Zak, no,” she cried. She broke from her stupor and reached for him, shaking him out of frustration and pain. “No. This can’t happen. I want you too. This can’t be happening.”
Zak was speechless, still staring down at his stomach. He looked up, anguished.
“You have to leave me now,” he ordered.
She surged against him, her arms looping around his neck. “No.”
“Aimee.” His touch on her hair was tender. “You are so beautiful and so strong. I have no doubt that you will find some way to beat this.”
Tears poured from her eyes now. She used the back of her hand to swipe at them and Zak reached up with his thumb to assist.
“Raja said that once the suit lights up,” she hiccupped, “you may only have days.”
Zak’s smile was sad. “I have so much to prepare, and yet—”
“Yet?”
He cupped her cheeks, brushing the tears. “I want to be with you.”
Aimee smiled through her sobs. She hefted onto her toes and kissed him.
Zak’s head jerked back. “You can’t do that.”
“Why?” Her laugh sounded hysterical. “Are you afraid I’ll catch this from you? There is nowhere to go, Zak. Nowhere to hide. No safe distance.”
“Dammit.”
“Where did you learn that word?”
He flashed a cheerless grin. “You said it about ten times in our travels.”
“Oh.”
"Zak." She dropped her arms to her sides. Her hands trembled. "I'm afraid that when we walk out of this atrium I may never see you again. They will take us somewhere—separate us—and we will just wait to die. Alone." Her throat restricted to the point that she could barely speak. "And I'll never be able to tell you how I feel about you."
Zak relaxed. There was a resigned quirk to his lips as he urged, "You can tell me right now."
She had to smile at that. If there had ever been any doubts about her feelings, they were dispelled by the ardor in his eyes—by the soft grin, and that simple and husky statement.
"You—" she began, ready to say something eloquent, but she ended up resorting to the raw truth. "You make my heart hurt."
Dark eyebrows narrowed. "Well, that's not good."
"Yes. It is good. It hurts like there is a hug trapped inside my chest, and that hug is so tormented because it can't wrap around you."
The eyebrows lifted.
"And you make me talk too much. Back home...I don't talk. Everyone else talks and I just listen, but around you—"
"Keep talking," he insisted.
His encouragement made her heart hurt again.
"I admire you,” she said. “You have commendable goals. You don't want to just go to college and become an engineer...you want to banish the Korons from your planet and rebuild your world. That humbles me."
The pulsing red glow on his abdomen mocked her declaration.
"And you didn't yell at me for stowing away in your ship."
Zak smiled. "Maybe I was glad you did."
Aimee held her breath. "And when you look at me like that," she hesitated, "you make me feel like a woman."
His smile vanished. His eyes smoldered. He took one step forward and thrust his hands into her hair, tipping her head back as he dipped down and took her mouth. He kissed her again. Slower. Softer. And he brushed the words against her lips, "You are a woman." His head lifted slightly so that he could look in her eyes. "And I wish you could be mine."
Aimee mewled a protest.
"But—" his glance drifted down to the red reflection off her uniform.
"No." She grabbed for his arms. "No, Zak. No." She shook her head. "There has to be a way to save you. To save us."
"I've been trying, Aimee. My commendable goals are irrelevant now. I can't go back home until I find a way to end this disease—" he stopped himself.
They both knew he would never make it back there.
Instead of finishing, Zak wrapped his arms around Aimee and drew her tight into his embrace. She nestled her cheek on his collarbone and felt his head resting on top of hers. They stood in that silent embrace for a long time. The stars around her were smeared by the tears in her eyes. Brilliant slashes of white paint on a black tarp.
Somewhere in the nearby trees, a Sumpum stuck its head out. The rustle of the leaves roused Zak as he lifted his chin and set Aimee back slightly so he could look into her eyes.
"You are not red yet, so let's get you back there. Maybe you will be okay."
Aimee touched a finger to his lips to silence him. Then she replaced her finger with her lips. He kissed her back.
"Aimee." His forehead rested against hers. "We can't hide from it here."
She stepped back—away from that warmth—out of his arms—and s
tared at him with tears in her eyes.
"Dammit," she cursed.
"Dammit," he echoed with a sad smirk.
He offered his hand. She looked at it for a second. So strong. It was a tool used to fell creatures the likes of which she had never seen before. This hand was capable of wielding weapons that could end a life in a millisecond. She reached for it and entwined her fingers with his.
"I wish I was the antidote, Zak. I wish Salvan had done something right for a change and brought back a cure from Earth. But no. He just grabbed me, and I can't help you. I can't help myself. How cruel is fate to bring us together...only to—"
Zak frowned. "Don't say the words. Don't say them, Aimee."
He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.
She was never going to let go.
* * *
“I knew you were memorizing the combination that first time we came here,” Zak smirked as they exited the atrium.
Before Aimee could reply, a JOH sailed towards them. It was lit up like a firecracker, the blue crystalline face flashing a brilliant yellow overlay. It emitted a raucous alarm, and after a moment of this chaotic appeal, JOH's normal facade returned. His mouth was set in a grim line.
"I'm sorry, Zak. You know it is my duty to report all X-codes."
Zak nodded. "I know. We're on our way."
"There are so many, Zak." JOH's black slits portrayed angst.
"Vodu?" Zak urged. "Is there any word?"
"He has been moved deep into the Jay-nine."
Aimee slanted a look at Zak and saw the morose set of his jaw.
"What is the Jay-nine?" she asked.
"It's where they put the worst cases."
A strangled protest bubbled up in her throat. This disease had been surreal to this point, but now the impact was forming a lasso around her. Her only link to sanity was the grip of Zak's hand.
She caught JOH's black eyes flicker down to that connection. Perhaps she just imagined it, but there seemed to be a sad resignation to his animated face.
"I'll guide you." JOH didn't offer. It was a command. "The halls are packed near the mouth of the Bio Ward. We will go in the back way."
"The back way," Zak explained to her, "is through the laboratories."
The laboratories.
A chill charged through her. Why did that word sound evil?
* * *
The laboratories were a series of rooms stacked behind the epic health facility. These were walls she could not see through and Zak answered her unvoiced question. "There's too much security back here. They've implemented cloaking layers within the walls. It is an alternate technology to turning the lock on or off. These are permanent barriers that eyes or ears cannot penetrate."
"What's so secretive? Everyone knows the scientists are tucked in back here, looking for a cure."
"As impractical as it may seem,” JOH explained, “there is always an option for sabotage. Security must be very strong."
They entered into a narrow corridor, tight enough that they were forced to walk single-file. JOH led the way with Zak taking up the rear. The trek was disconcerting with seemingly no end in sight. JOH halted suddenly, and Aimee felt Zak's hands circle reassuringly around her waist. To her right, a door materialized and behind it she perceived brief glimpses of aluminum tables, gaunt faces, jaundiced skin, and scientists in caps with veils.
The obstruction that halted JOH's progress was the unexpected emergence of a man in a silver suit, his head concealed beneath a white fabric hood with a thick meshed mask obscuring the eyes and mouth. He clutched a metal portfolio to his chest. Aimee gasped when the man reached up and tore off his hood. It was Salvan. His pale hair was disheveled and his eyes were bright with panic and zeal. His gaze dropped to Zak's chest and Aimee swore a glint of pleasure flashed there. But then that gaze dropped further to note Zak's hand linked with hers. Salvan's eyebrows furrowed.
Aimee could feel him trying to seek out her torso, but she was standing sideways in the tight alley, her chest pressed up against Zak's arm.
Salvan composed himself as he addressed Zak.
"It looks like you will be joining Vodu in the Jay-nine satellite."
Aimee choked on panic which caused Salvan's eyes to flash towards hers. "Don't worry, Aimee. I'm sure you will be joining them shortly. I will need to test both of you to see how far advanced you are." He turned around and waved his hand. "Follow me."
Aimee looked up at Zak. His jaw was set with conviction. He offered her a brief nod and whispered, "Be strong. No matter how much I don’t like that man, he’s right. This analysis still has to be completed."
Be strong.
She glanced down at his chest. How could she be strong?
Salvan slipped into a compartment to their right. As they followed him inside, Aimee noticed that it was a rather spartan lab. It contained a metallic table and steel shelves that lined the stark white walls. These ledges were loaded with paraphernalia that looked intended for torture, and she would scream bloody murder if they were applied to her body in any fashion.
Salvan flipped open his portfolio.
"I have the test results of your blood from after your graceful landing in the flight bay."
Salvan's lips pursed and Aimee felt Zak's hand constrict. She squeezed him back for encouragement.
"Aimee's plasma has not been affected," he paused, "yet. Zak, your blood showed traces of the disease so you are advancing at the speed that would be expected." He nodded towards the table. "Now if you will just climb on there, I’ll call in my assistant to run another test." He clapped the portfolio shut and held it against his chest like it was the Bible, or the tablet of knowledge that could not be surrendered to anyone.
Aimee touched Zak's arm, urging him towards the table. Her tears were curtailed. They would come later. Right now she wanted answers. She wanted to know how much time she had with him. If it was just days, she intended to make it a lifetime.
A young woman arrived and Aimee immediately felt a pang at how much this woman resembled Raja.
"Salvan, Raja? Is she—"
Salvan looked at her. For a moment there was a flash of anguish in his eyes, but he blinked and his gaze remained as stark as the walls.
"She is gone."
"Gone?" That word bore the menace of a black hole.
"In the Jay-nine."
She hated the Jay-nine.
The young woman slipped a sparkling green bracelet around Zak's wrist. Aimee had lost hold of his hand when he sat on the table. She watched the bracelet throb a strobe light that beat in time with his pulse. Dragging the armlet back off his wrist, the woman held it up to her eyes.
"Salvan?" She frowned. "Look at this."
Zak's head snapped at the tone of her voice.
Snagging the bracelet from her, Salvan hefted it up to his eyes. He scowled. "Well, obviously it's wrong. Take it again."
The woman applied the bracelet to Zak's wrist and this time everyone in the room focused on that pulsating glow. She removed it, held it up, and announced, "It's the same."
"Let me see that." Salvan wrenched the device from her hand.
"What does it say?" Aimee asked, fearing the worst.
Salvan shrugged, but he looked far from unaffected. "It would appear the disease is withdrawing in him."
When Aimee gasped, he added quickly, "We'll take it again in a few minutes and see if there is any fluctuation. Meanwhile we have to check you. I'm sure you've contracted it by now."
"Your attitude does not help this situation." Zak berated. Up until this point she could tell he was holding it together, but now anger crept into his demeanor.
“My attitude,” Salvan spat, “is a professional one. We have chaos here. With Vodu near death and you heading down the same path. It would appear that I am going to have to take over soon.”
“In what universe would you possibly be next in the chain of command?” Zak fired.
“In this universe, illness is our foe. Your weapons. Your
terra angels. Your Warrior skills will not hold much influence. A man of the sciences…a man who can help these people…that is your future leader.”
“How exactly are you going to help them?” Zak challenged. “There is no cure, and you sure can’t find one.”
Salvan’s face grew red. He clutched the aluminum portfolio tight to his chest with one arm and the other pointed at Zak. “I’ll be alive yet. That’s more than you will be able to say.”
“But you just told me the disease is retreating inside me.”
“A fluke,” Salvan barked. “Your fate is inevitable.”
“I think I would like the opinion of another scientist.”
Aimee watched the verbal volley, but she was distracted by the portfolio clutched to Salvan’s chest. It was metallic and reflective—reflective enough to act as a mirror.
“Salvan—”
“They are all busy right now.” Salvan continued his debate with Zak, ignoring her.
“Salvan—”
“You just don’t want to face the truth.”
“Salvan—”
“What?” he cried with wild eyes aimed at her.
Aimee nodded her head. “What is that you are holding?”
Salvan glanced down. “My notes, of course.”
“Can I see them?”
“Absolutely not.” Pale eyebrows vaulted.
“Well,” she hesitated, “could you just lower that case for a moment?”
“I don’t know what you’re going on about, but we don’t have any time for these absurdities.”
“Salvan.” A sense of calm possessed her. “Put your notes down on the table.”
Zak caught her eye. She saw curiosity there, but with the brief tip of her head she saw enlightenment bloom.
“Put the notes down,” Zak ordered.
Salvan glanced back and forth between them, and then finally to his assistant who stood rapt in the corner. She edged back a step.
Expelling a curse that Aimee could not translate, Salvan slammed the portfolio onto the table. The loud clap of metal against metal startled her, but she realized with dismay that her hunch was correct. A red band dissected Salvan’s suit, making his abdomen glow. He glanced down at it in dismay, and then he shouted at the assistant. “Give me the bracelet.”
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