11. Alice
CHAPTER 11
ALICE
T he soft hum of the environmental controls pulls me from sleep. My muscles ache in places I forgot existed, a delicious reminder of yesterday's... activities. The small bed creaks as I stretch, and memories flood back - strong blue hands, passionate kisses, the way Davrik's skin felt against mine.
What have I done?
I press my palms against my eyes, but can't stop the smile spreading across my face. Sure, sleeping with someone I barely know isn't exactly my usual style. Let alone an alien! But after months of isolation, the connection felt real. Electric.
The sonic shower pulses against my skin as I try to sort through my jumbled thoughts. Steam fogs the small bathroom mirror, and I catch glimpses of marks on my neck and shoulders. Heat rises to my cheeks.
"You're a scientist, Alice. Be rational," I mutter to myself while wrestling my hair into submission. "It was just... physical attraction. Chemistry. Nothing more."
But even as I say it, I know it's not true. The way he looked at me, touched me... there was something deeper there. Something that makes my heart race just thinking about it.
I don't know if there's any sort of future between us. Maybe it was just a fling; a passion of forced proximity. Even so, I feel grateful getting to have it. Even if we part ways in a couple months, it was thrilling having this little distraction in an otherwise dull and soul crushing year.
Nova can throw me away, put me out of sight on a bullshit assignment for an entire year, but they can't stop me from finding my own fun out here.
Still, part of me hopes this is something long term. It certainly feels like something real, even if I can't define exactly why.
Through the bathroom door, I hear Davrik's soft snores from the couch in the common area. Poor guy - that couch wasn't made for someone his size. But my tiny bed definitely wouldn't have fit us both for sleeping.
I dress quietly in my field clothes, trying not to wake him. What happens now? In less than two months, the collection ship arrives. He'll leave with his mysterious cargo, back to his dangerous life. And I'll stay here, alone with my plants and research.
My throat tightens at the thought. But I push it aside, focusing on getting ready for the day ahead. I have work to do, specimens to catalog. I can't let one incredible night derail my entire mission here.
Still, as I gather my equipment, I can't help stealing glances at his sleeping form through the doorway. His blue skin seems to glow in the station's artificial dawn light. Whatever comes next, I decide, I won't regret this.
The twisted hull of Davrik's ship juts from the purple-tinted grass like a broken tooth. Morning dew makes the metal gleam, almost beautiful in its destruction. I pause in my trek to my research site, gnawing my lower lip.
I shouldn't.
But...
I look around, confident he hasn't left the station yet. He's probably still fast asleep.
"Just a quick peek," I whisper to myself, approaching the wreck. "For science, of course."
The cargo hold door hangs askew, creating an easy entrance. Inside, emergency lights still flicker, casting everything in an eerie blue glow. The air smells of ozone and something distinctly alien - like cardamom mixed with motor oil.
Personal effects litter the small living space. I step carefully around scattered data pads and what looks like a well-worn copy of an old space adventure story. The cover shows a man with green skin holding a plasma rifle while a woman in skimpy clothing clings desperately to his ankle My fingers trace the spine, imagining Davrik reading during long solo flights through space.
Empty food containers tell their own story - all single-serving, all bearing different spaceport stamps. Omega Station. Glimner. Places I've only read about.
"Someone needs to teach you to cook," I murmur, picking up a wrapper. A small hologram projector rolls from beneath it, activating on impact. It flickers to life, showing star charts and flight paths - thousands of them. Each one represents a solo journey.
The cockpit's even more revealing. A small plant sits dead in its pot by the controls - some attempt at companionship, maybe? A string of good luck charms hangs from the ceiling, well-worn from nervous handling.
Moving deeper into the ship, I stumble over debris and catch myself against a sealed container. It's the only thing that seems completely undamaged, secured with multiple locks. The cargo he's so worried about.
The container hums beneath my palm, warm and alive.
My fingers trace the complex locking mechanism, and my scientific curiosity wars with my conscience.
"This is wrong," I whisper to myself, but don't move my hand. "He trusted you enough to stay here. To... to be with you."
But can I trust him? And why all the secrecy? A simple delivery wouldn't need this level of security. And if it's just cargo, why not use my comm system to call for transport? There's so many easy, affordable options for getting off this planet. And he chose none of them.
The questions pile up like the specimens in my lab, begging to be cataloged and understood.
My other hand hovers over the first lock. One quick peek...
"No." I jerk back, wrapping my arms around myself. "You're better than this, Alice."
The ship's emergency lights flicker as if agreeing with me. I pick my way back through the debris, careful not to disturb anything else. The morning air hits my face as I emerge, and I take deep breaths to clear my head.
"Focus on work," I tell myself, adjusting my pack and heading toward the jungle's edge. "Plants don't keep secrets."
But I only make it a few steps before stopping. There's something important in those crates. At least it's important to somebody. And it's important enough for pirates to blast his ship out of orbit to try and get it.
My stomach churns. What if it's something dangerous? Or illegal? Or worse - both? I'm harboring someone I barely know, someone who crashed here under suspicious circumstances.
The jungle looms ahead, its familiar purple canopy suddenly feeling oppressive rather than welcoming. My boots sink slightly into the moist soil as I shift my weight, uncertain.
A breeze carries the sweet scent of nectar from the carnivorous vines I've been studying. They're beautiful but deadly - just like everything else on this planet. Just like, perhaps, the secrets in that ship.
I glance back one more time. The twisted metal catches the morning light, and something cold settles in my chest. What have I gotten myself into?
My boots crunch against the cold ground as I march back to the ship. The morning sun catches on the twisted hull, but I barely notice. My heart pounds against my ribs with each step.
"No more secrets," I mutter, climbing through the broken cargo hold door. "Not after last night."
The emergency lights flicker as I make my way to the secured container. It still hums beneath my fingers when I touch it, almost like it's alive. The complex locking mechanism mocks me with its sleek, impenetrable surface.
"Come on, you stupid thing." I tug at the first lock, but it doesn't budge. "There has to be a way."
My eyes scan the debris-strewn hold. Tools and spare parts litter the floor, scattered from the crash. Behind an overturned storage bin, something long and metal catches my eye.
"Perfect." I grab the crowbar, testing its weight in my hands. The cold steel sends a shiver down my spine, but I grip it tighter. "Sorry, Davrik, but you don't get to sweep me off my feet and then keep playing strange and mysterious courier."
The container's seam looks vulnerable where it meets the lid. I position the crowbar, hands trembling slightly. The metal creaks as I apply pressure.
Just a little more force and-
A low, threatening sound freezes me in place.