Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The lab felt smaller somehow, its familiar equipment and sterile surfaces suddenly foreign.
Alina stood in the center of her workspace, methodically disconnecting data cables and transferring files to portable storage units.
Three years of research, of late nights and early mornings, of breakthroughs and setbacks—all reduced to a stack of drives that fit in her palm.
This is the right choice, she reminded herself. The only choice.
The mantra had become a familiar refrain over the past two days, repeated with each decision, each goodbye, each step closer to the moment when she would leave Border Town behind forever. It didn’t make the leaving any easier.
“Dr. Falkner?”
She turned to find Dr. Rodriguez hovering in the doorway, his weathered face creased with concern.
He’d been one of her first colleagues when she’d arrived on Mars, patient and kind in ways that had made the transition bearable.
The thought of never seeing him again brought an unexpected tightness to her throat.
“Dr. Rodriguez.” She managed a smile that felt almost genuine. “I was going to come find you before I left.”
“Is it true, then? You’re really leaving us?”
“I’ve accepted a position at another facility. It’s…” She paused, searching for the right words. “It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Rodriguez’s eyes flickered to the empty desk in the corner—Martin’s desk, conspicuously vacant for the past three days. Something passed across his face, too quick to read, before his expression smoothed into careful neutrality.
“We’ll miss you here. Your work on the atmospheric samples was groundbreaking.”
“Thank you. That means more than you know.”
He stepped into the lab, lowering his voice. “If this is about… about the situation with Dr. Reece…”
Alina felt her shoulders stiffen. She knew what he was implying—what everyone was implying.
Martin’s harassment had been an open secret in the department, whispered about in break rooms and discussed in carefully worded complaints that never quite made it through the proper channels.
It made a convenient explanation for her sudden departure, one she had no intention of correcting.
“It’s not just about that,” she said carefully. “But I won’t pretend it didn’t factor into my decision.”
Rodriguez nodded, relief evident in his posture. “I understand. I only wish I’d done more to address the situation before it reached this point.”
“There wasn’t much anyone could do.” The words were true enough, even if they weren’t referring to the same thing. “Some problems don’t have easy solutions.”
“No, they don’t.” He extended his hand, and she shook it firmly. “Good luck, Dr. Falkner. Wherever you’re going, they’re lucky to have you.”
“Thank you, Dr. Rodriguez. Take care of yourself.”
He left, and she returned to her packing with renewed determination. The sooner she finished here, the sooner she could leave. The sooner she could be with Rhyx.
The thought of him sent warmth spreading through her chest, chasing away some of the melancholy that had settled there.
Two days. It had only been two days since she’d seen him, since she’d felt his arms around her and tasted his kiss, but it felt like an eternity.
Every moment apart was a small agony, a constant awareness of his absence that she carried like a physical weight.
Soon, she promised herself. Soon we’ll be together, and we’ll never have to be apart again.
She was securing the last of her personal items when the door slid open again. This time, the figure that filled the frame was considerably less welcome.
Bruce Bentley stood in the doorway, his corporate-standard suit immaculate despite the dust that seemed to coat everything on Mars. His smile was polished, practiced, revealing nothing of the calculations happening behind his eyes.
“Dr. Falkner. I heard you were leaving us.”
“News travels fast.” She kept her voice neutral, her hands steady as she continued her work. “Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Bentley?”
“I was hoping we could talk.” He stepped into the lab uninvited, letting the door slide shut behind him. “I’ve just received some rather disturbing news.”
“Oh?”
“Dr. Reece is missing.”
The words hung in the air between them, heavy with implication. Alina forced herself to maintain eye contact, to keep her expression blank despite the sudden hammering of her heart.
“Missing?”
“He was supposed to meet with our team three days ago. He never arrived.” Bentley’s eyes never left her face. “His last known location was somewhere in the mountains. The same mountains where you were conducting your survey.”
“That’s unfortunate.” She sealed another storage container with deliberate care. “Though I can’t say I’m surprised. Dr. Reece always did have… ambitious plans. Perhaps he received a better offer.”
“A better offer?”
“From one of your competitors, perhaps. Or maybe he finally decided to strike out on his own.” She shrugged, the gesture carefully casual.
“He talked about it often enough. The desire to make a name for himself, to be recognized for his brilliance.” The last word carried a subtle edge of contempt that she didn’t bother to hide.
“I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually, taking credit for someone else’s discovery. ”
Bentley studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. She met his gaze steadily, refusing to be the first to look away.
“You don’t seem particularly concerned about a missing colleague.”
“Martin Reece was never my colleague. He was an obstacle at best, a predator at worst.” The words came out sharper than she’d intended, but she didn’t regret them. “Forgive me if I can’t summon much sympathy for his current predicament.”
Something flickered in Bentley’s eyes—surprise, perhaps, or grudging respect. “You’re more direct than I expected, Dr. Falkner.”
“I’m tired of playing games.” She turned to face him fully, crossing her arms. “If you have something to say, say it. Otherwise, I have packing to finish.”
He was quiet for a moment, then nodded slowly. “Fair enough. I came to make you an offer.”
“I’m not interested.”
“You haven’t heard it yet.”
“I don’t need to.” She picked up another container, weighing it in her hands.
“GenCon has nothing I want, Mr. Bentley. Not your resources, not your facilities, not your promises of funding and recognition. I’ve seen how your organization operates—the corners you cut, the ethics you bend, the people you use up and discard. I want no part of it.”
“That’s a very… principled position.” His tone suggested that principles were a quaint but ultimately impractical consideration. “But principles don’t pay for research. They don’t open doors, or provide protection.”
“Protection from what?”
The question hung between them, loaded with implications neither was willing to voice.
Bentley smiled, the expression never quite reaching his eyes.
“The universe is a dangerous place, Dr. Falkner. Especially for researchers working on the frontier. Accidents happen. Equipment fails. Data gets lost.” He spread his hands in a gesture of affected helplessness.
“It would be a pity if we found ourselves at odds.”
Alina felt a chill run down her spine, but she refused to let it show. “Is that a threat, Mr. Bentley?”
“Merely an observation.” He adjusted his cuffs, the movement precise and controlled. “GenCon has resources that extend far beyond Mars. Connections that reach into every corner of human space. We could be valuable allies… or formidable obstacles.”
For a moment, she was tempted to tell him everything.
To throw the truth in his face and watch his carefully constructed facade crumble.
Your pet scientist is dead. He fell from a cliff because he tried to murder me.
And the ‘anomaly’ you’ve been chasing? He’s mine.
My mate. My future. And you’ll never touch him.
Instead, she took a breath and let it out slowly.
“I appreciate your… candor, Mr. Bentley. But I have no issue with you personally, nor with GenCon as an organization.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, but she forced herself to continue.
“I simply have no desire to work with you. My decision to leave has nothing to do with your company—it’s a personal choice, motivated by personal reasons. ”
She met his eyes, willing him to believe her. “You’re welcome to continue your research here. I wish you every success. But our paths will not cross again.”
Bentley held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Very well, Dr. Falkner. I accept your decision.” He turned towards the door, then paused. “If you change your mind, you know how to reach me.”
“I won’t.”
He smiled, a thin, knowing expression that made her skin crawl. “We’ll see.”
The door slid shut behind him, and Alina let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her hands were trembling slightly, and she pressed them flat against the lab bench until they steadied.
He knows something, she thought. Maybe not everything, but something.
It didn’t matter. In a few hours, she would be gone. In a few days, she would be so far from Border Town that GenCon’s reach couldn’t touch her. And Rhyx—
The thought of him steadied her, centering her in a way nothing else could. Whatever dangers lay ahead, they would face them together. That was enough.
She finished her packing quickly after that, driven by a renewed sense of urgency. The storage containers were loaded onto a cart, her personal effects sorted and secured. The lab looked bare without her equipment, its surfaces sterile and impersonal.
Someone else will fill this space, she thought. Continue the work I started. Make their own discoveries.
She tried to find comfort in the thought, but it rang hollow. This had been her space, her purpose, her contribution to humanity’s future on Mars. Leaving it behind felt like amputating a part of herself.