by Pearl Foxx
Some stupid girl.
Veronica stood up and shook out her hair. This was not the way a Gideon handled a problem. She didn’t have to wait around on Maxsym to help her. There were many perks to having dated most of the attractive officers and high-ranking technicians, engineers, and supervisors. She had connections Maxsym didn’t. To find out what was happening on Level 1162, she didn’t need to do anything more than ask.
She finger-combed her locks and switched on her vidscreen. She tapped out familiar numbers and called an ex-boyfriend, Winston. His recent promotion had been in the research and development security department. If anyone would know details about the situation on Level 1162, he would. And if she got lucky, he might even work on that level.
When the screen lit up, an adult version of the scrawny blond boy who had once been her obsession appeared. He looked older, the circles under his eyes darker, and he wore spectacles.
"Veronica! What a delight to see your face."
"Hey, you!” She put on her best vapid smile and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "It's been, like, forever. I was just sitting here, bored as can be thanks to the extra security measures. I mean, I know the human resistance is bad, but being stuck in my room all day is getting ridiculous. I thought I would give you a call and see what you were up to."
He pushed his glasses up his nose. "I would love to get together some time. I could come to your rooms and keep you company if you'd like."
Veronica put on her best pout. "I don't know. I've been in this room all day. I'm so bored. If I watch one more antique holovid, I think I'll go out of my mind."
He laughed, the sound more like a bray. "Murder on the Orient Express again?"
"You know me so well," she flirted. "I just need to get out of here. Isn't there something we can go do?" She paused, pretending to consider her options before widening her eyes with excitement. “I know! Everyone has been talking about your promotion. Why don’t you show me what you do now? It must be terribly exciting.”
“Oh, it is, but …” Winston shifted in his seat and sucked in his cheeks. "Do you think we can convince the guards to let you wander the halls unsupervised?"
"I have these guards wrapped around my little finger."
The notion of showing off to the commander’s daughter proved too tempting, and his resolve crumbled beneath her hopeful smile. “I do have something fascinating I've been working on. I think you’d love to see it."
“Fantastic!” She clapped her hands, careful to keep beaming as she fished for more information. "What floor is your office on? Maybe I could meet you there."
He shifted his eyes as if looking around the room to see if anyone was listening. "1162, but you can’t get here on your own. I’ll come escort you."
Veronica's heart lurched. Now she wouldn’t even have to ditch Winston to investigate 1162. Even Maxsym hadn’t gotten this close to gaining access to the secret level.
“I’ll be waiting,” she told him before shutting off the screen and setting her vidscreen aside.
Part of her thought about calling Maxsym to let him know where she was going, just in case something happened. But this was Winston, the most harmless, innocuous man in existence. She could handle him.
Let Maxsym continue to think her stupid. He could think that right up to the point when she solved the mystery on Level 1162.
Veronica dressed in a stylish flowing tunic with tight-fitting pants underneath, the colors bright, and arranged her hair in an elaborate hairstyle which required calling her stylist to help her set it. She did everything as if going on a real date. She couldn't let her complete lack of interest in Winston keep her from using him to prove her father wasn't the monster he seemed to be.
As she thought about it, she realized just how little of the station she saw. Her life was small and sheltered. She didn't want to be the person both her father and Maxsym accused her of being. She wanted to be the version of herself she knew existed deep inside, the person who was capable of bigger and more exciting things than designer clothes and fancy hairdos.
Winston arrived at her door and presented his arm. She wrapped her hand around it with a forced giggle. She batted her eyelashes at the guard on duty and told him they were going for a stroll, no reason for him to tag along. The guard hesitated, but she sent him a lascivious smile and winked, which secured her at least a few moments of freedom.
"You’d think he’d never met you before," her ex whispered in her ear, his breath sour.
She laughed. "I think he's new."
They chatted about old times and friends they had in common as they walked through the halls. They didn’t head toward the main elevator but back to the convoy lift reserved for substation deliveries. The lift was almost as large as her bedroom and could accommodate entire sections of ships that needed to be moved through the station for repairs or repurposing.
Winston pressed his hand against the control panel, and the convoy lift doors slid open.
"After you.” He bowed and gestured with his hand in an old-fashioned display of chivalry.
Veronica held in her annoyance as she stepped inside, careful to keep her heels from falling through the metal grating in the floor.
"Computer, Level 1162. Security access number 87409."
“Yes, Winston Morris,” the computer replied.
"I've never had to put in my security access number manually before, except for the one time we needed to huddle in the escape pod after that terrible terrorist attack by the human resistance,” Veronica said, careful to keep her tone light and disinterested. But the fact that he had to use his security clearance to even reach the floor meant it required the highest-level access. She memorized his security number for later.
"This floor is very secure. Only a handful of people are permitted access. Your father personally invited me on this project.” Winston’s chest puffed out, and she wanted to punch him in the throat. “He was impressed by my Xenozoomorphology work at the interplanetary research center."
"Oh, that sounds so interesting." She wrapped her hand around his arm again. Barely a noodle compared to Maxsym’s muscular figure. She had become so used to his overly warm bulk. Although she shouldn't compare Winston to the massive guard, it was impossible not to when he was so often the focus of her thoughts and had completely captured her imagination. Maxsym stood at least five inches taller and another ten inches broader than Winston. By all measures, her ex was a perfectly handsome man, but now that she’d felt the raw power of a body like Maxsym’s and seen the fire in his eyes when he looked at her, she couldn't imagine settling for anything less.
The lift doors opened into a small, narrow hallway with low ceilings crisscrossed with an intricate ventilation system. At the only doorway at the end of the hall, Winston entered his security access number again and pulled out what looked like an old-fashioned key from his pocket. Just like paper provided the only ture secrecy on the station, a real lock meant that whatever happened behind the door was intended to stay private.
He opened the door and turned the lights on. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, creating bright spots in her vision. As her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, rows of desks appeared in the middle of the room and containment cages ran along the walls. Farther into the room, she heard a small mewling sound. Something about the noise made her skin prickle with goosebumps.
"What kind of creatures do you keep in here?" she asked in as light a voice as she could squeeze through her throat.
Winston’s eyes burned with the secret. He’d always enjoyed lording information over others. "The kind you can't even imagine. Horrible, disgusting creatures. You’ll probably scream.”
She bit her tongue to hold back her retort until she could control her temper enough to ask, “Are they dangerous or ugly?”
“Both. You need the highest level of security clearance to know.” He paused, for the first time looking nervous about having her down here. “We should probably—”
“Oh, Win
ston, please. Show me.”
He’d always loved it when she begged, and he couldn’t resist now, just as she’d expected. He lowered his voice as if someone were around to hear. “Your father found a new planet. One with humanoid aliens on it."
Veronica's breath rushed out of her. “Does it have a name?”
“Kladuu. They found it through a wormhole. Can you believe it? An actual wormhole.”
Her head swam with the realization that her father had indeed discovered Kladuu, the planet the strange man named Caj had mentioned. And if Caj was from Kladuu, that meant he was an alien. A humanoid alien from a planet unlisted in the Intergalactic Alliance of Planets and Lifeforms and one her father was keeping secret from the entire space station.
She had the horrible growing feeling that this was about a whole lot more than just her father’s Falconers.
“Wow,” was all she managed to mumble. Suddenly, the smell of antiseptic made her nauseous, and the flickering lights made her dizzy. From the back of the room, the small cry sounded again, long and low like a half-hearted yowl.
"And the most fascinating thing about these new creatures is they can shape-shift." Winston walked past the row of desks to a small cage at the back of the room, the source of the sound.
The interior of the cage was shadowed. Veronica crouched and peered inside. Two golden eyes blinked back at her, reflecting the light.
Winston kicked the cage, and the animal skittered forward, letting out a terrified howl.
“Winston!” Veronica snapped too harshly. The little cat, a mere baby, trembled at the front of the cage. She wanted to stick her fingers through the cage and comfort the little animal, but she held back, forcing herself to soften her voice as she said, “You scared it, silly.”
"It’s fine,” he scoffed.
Burn marks ran along its skin where tufts of fur had fallen out. Ribs poked against its flesh, and its eyes were rheumy and weak. She turned her face toward the shadows of the lab so Winston wouldn’t see how her eyes filled with tears. “What’s it called?”
“A Katu. K-A-T-U. It looks almost exactly like an ancient Earth panther, but under the right circumstances, this creature can transform into a humanoid."
Seeing the small creature huddled in the cage, mewling and rubbing a paw over its raw and bloody snout, Veronica’s head spun even more. She was lightheaded and overwhelmed. Everything she believed about the world and her father was wrong.
This wasn’t about the Falconers at all.
Her father was involved in something far, far worse.
"Why isn't it human, then?"
"We don’t know what triggers its transformation, but it appears to be emotional. We've been experimenting to encourage the creatures to shift back and forth—"
"You mean you have more of these?" she interrupted and stood to face Winston.
"Kladuu is home to many species of shape-shifters. These things are only one example. Right now, unfortunately, we don't have any of the others. They were all shipped to Earth for further study. We only keep a small number here for direct research."
There were more? More animals—no, people, she corrected herself—being treated like this? Her heart broke. Somewhere inside, this little cat was a small child.
"What are you trying to accomplish? Why are you studying them?” Veronica did her best to keep the disgust from her voice, but Winston's eyes narrowed slightly.
"My focus is on extracting the DNA of a shifter. The theoretical application would be to combine shifter genetics with the DNA of a human to create a soldier who can transform into any shape he desires. Can you imagine the advantage that would give us? If we could shift into a creature that could breathe in inhospitable atmospheres, or swim underwater without needing air, or fly over vast landscapes without touching the ground?"
Winston’s excitement grew the more he talked about his work, forgetting about Veronica's question and volunteering more information than she could have thought to ask.
Her legs shook. She needed to sit down, lie down, crawl right in that cage of the poor animal and hold it in her arms and promise no one would ever hurt it again. But all she could do was stand there with the best flirtatious smile she could muster and nod.
"Amazing,” she managed in a voice that only wavered slightly. “We could do so much with that information. But why would they give it to us? They’re certainly not trading their own people for free."
A dark look came over Winston's face, and Veronica worried he wouldn't answer. "There is a trade. The Kladian culture is still very primitive, and various creatures practice a certain kind of caste system. We offer equal compensation to make the exchange fair. And the scientific advantages we are uncovering through our research are invaluable."
“So, you’re—I mean, my father is trading goods for these shape-shifters.” Veronica felt faint. Heat washed up her neck, and her vision started to fade out.
“Are you okay? You look pale.” He took her arm as she swayed.
"Winston," she choked out. "I'm so very sorry, but I'm feeling a bit off. I think I forgot to eat my evening meal and my blood sugar is crashing. Would you mind escorting me back to my room?"
He looked disappointed, but he nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist.
She leaned against his body, allowing him to hold her up.
When they turned, she spotted a second, larger door. Her voice trembled as she asked, “Where does that go?”
Winston followed her line of sight to the door. “Oh.” He bit off the word. “I don’t have access to that room. Only your father and the highest-ranking techs go there. I believe they’re taking my theories on combining DNA and executing them. I should be in there during their experiments.”
Experiments. The word ran over her like ice water. Whatever happened behind that door was worse, far worse, than what she’d seen out here in the lab. She shuddered.
As they walked away, she glanced back at the cages. Two golden eyes watched her leave. She felt like the world was tumbling away beneath her feet.
Her father knew about this.
Her father was responsible for this.
After sending Winston on his way outside her family’s quarters, she leaned against the wall and took a series of steadying breaths. Nothing about the world lined up correctly anymore.
Once she’d collected herself, she walked in the opposite direction. She didn’t even know where she was heading until she’d commanded the elevator’s computer to take her to the floor where the guards resided.
On the control panel inside the elevator, she accessed the security system to find out which room belonged to Maxsym. Maxsym Dracones. The name suited him perfectly.
Before she knew it, she was standing outside his door, hovering in a hallway full of men and women in guard uniforms. They milled around, conversing with each other, coming home or going to work. Their easy-going attitudes were very different from the guards she encountered in the residential quarters.
A few turned their eyes in her direction, and she felt silly just standing there in her designer clothes and overdone hair. But again, knocking on the door would be an admission of need—of needing him. She wasn't exactly sure where the two of them stood.
When she finally worked up the nerve to knock on the door, he answered it so fast she had to take a step back.
He loomed in the doorway, his hulking size impressive when framed. He wore casual black pants and a tight-fitting long black shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Through the tight clothing, she could see the outline of his rigid abs and bulging arms. The sheer scale and power of him took her breath away.
Before she had a chance to say anything, he looked behind her, peeked both ways down the hall, then pulled her into his room and slammed the door closed behind them.
He stepped back, which took effort for such a large man in the tiny space, and glared at her. "What the hell are you doing here?" He crossed his arms over his chest, making his pectoral muscles stand out eve
n more.
"I didn't know where else to go." Unbidden tears rose in her eyes. She hadn't come here with a plan in mind, and she didn't even know if she could trust him with what she had found out. But he was the only person on the station she could talk to.
Before she got another word out, Maxsym wrapped her in his strong arms, shocking her completely. He pulled her tight against his chest, and after a stunned moment, she buried her face against his body and breathed him in. The spicy scent she didn't recognize returned, and her stomach fluttered. Even in the worst of moments, she couldn't stop her attraction to him.
He soothed her as the tears fell and ushered her to his bed. They sat next to each other, his arms wrapped around her and her practically sitting in his lap as she sobbed and revealed everything she had learned, from the security numbers to the lab, to the cages and the little creature inside it, to the second door Winston couldn’t access.
"That animal, that little cat,” she finished, her voice watery with tears. “Winston called it a Katu."
Maxsym's arms tightened around her, almost too tight.
"A what?" he growled, making her shiver against him.
"A Katu.” She sniffed, her nose running. “My father is doing something horrible. I don't know how he could possibly be involved in the things Winston said. This is so much worse than spending too much money on the Falconer program. I don't know what to do anymore."
Maxsym held her at arm’s length. With one hand, he wiped her tears away and smoothed her hair down. It was the gentlest he'd ever touched her. “I will fix this, Ronnie. I promise.”
He met her gaze without blinking.
She let out a breath she didn’t mean to hold. “I can’t just sit here. I have to do something. Maxsym, that little cat. They’ll hurt it.”
