CHAPTER 17

Artemis

E veryone was looking at me.

At first I dismissed it. I’d assumed I was imagining things, my own mind running away with my anxiety over being around other people. But we slept and the next day came around, and everyone was still staring at me as if I’d suddenly grown an extra limb. At first I worried that Addy had reneged on her promise to keep my secret, but when no one brought anything up and they still behaved normally, aside from the staring, I was starting to get irritated.

It was an odd emotion to feel around this particular group of people, one I had yet to find cause to feel around them. But I detested being the centre of attention, and I hated not knowing even more. Growing up the way that I had, The Program ensured that any attention on you was never pleasant. In fact, it was to be actively avoided. And here, on our way to Nova Academy, anyone paying close enough attention to me would see that I was not whom I was presenting myself to be. Already, Addy had started putting the pieces together. It wouldn’t be long until others began to do the same.

I knew as soon as Adara confronted me that my time here was running out. That, and the mess I seemed to have found myself in regarding the assault had ensured that staying under the radar would be impossible from here on out. I would need to ramp up my investigation, get the information I needed, and then get out of here before I was truly discovered.

It was one thing for Addy to know that I was female, but she couldn’t find out about the rest. It wouldn’t only put me and my mission in danger but her, too. And everyone else here. If they found me they would come for me, and they’d destroy everything in their path in the process.

No one would be left alive. Witnesses – especially those from the military that were not already on their payroll – would be a devastating blow to The Program. They wouldn’t risk leaving anyone alive to spread the truth and raise unrest within the IU’s general population. There would be war.

The guilt of my decisions twisted in my gut like a writhing serpent, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop the emotions from overwhelming me. I liked these people. At least the ones I had begun to get to know on a slightly deeper level. And even those I didn’t know so well, like Dorian and his crew, I didn’t want anything bad to happen to them just because of their proximity to me.

My timeline had just been hacked in half, and I needed to get a move on and get out before disaster struck or I would never forgive myself for bringing my problems to them. I had been utilising my enhanced senses to eavesdrop on the conversations on the ship, but so far I had yet to find anything worthwhile beyond the two officers in the mess hall a few days ago. While the confirmation was great, there were no other hushed discussions, no mentions of The Program or any of the scientists, nothing .

I knew I would have to double down in my efforts, start sneaking around in the night when they were more likely to hold these secret meetings, but with the scrutiny of the entire ship suddenly aimed in our direction it was making things a little – make that a lot – trickier. I wanted to murder whoever had pointed the fingers at a member of my team, because it’s put a halt on my own investigations. Even more than sharing a room had. If I tried to connect to the ship’s databases with the others around they were undoubtedly going to notice that I wasn’t normal and start asking questions.

I was struggling to maintain my optimism for the outcome of this quest. Everything was working against me and there was nothing working with me. Events that I had not calculated for had created an increasing amount of obstacles. With each day I remained undercover I found myself growing more and more exhausted by the whole ordeal.

I wanted to have Libby back. I wanted to be myself again. I didn’t want to be constantly looking over my shoulder, sleeping with one eye open, or skating by in survival mode. I wanted a life, I wanted safety, I wanted peace and quiet, and I wanted my family whole again.

Cadmus and Henrik rejoined us in the morning, alongside the captain. I assumed Addy had already made her way down for the day when she failed to appear. I didn’t understand why since she posed the biggest threat to me and my intentions, but I was disappointed by her absence.

I told myself it was because I’d gotten used to seeing her every day, not because I was eager to see the woman who was adamant we were going to be friends. At the end of the day, I couldn’t trust her. I couldn’t trust anyone. Not really.

‘Alright, listen up,’ the captain called to get our attention. ‘It’s a new week and a new rotation, which means that starting from today and for the next seven days you will begin your orientation. Your schedules should already be supplied to you via your holo-tabs. You will attend classes as per usual, but your schedules have been synchronised to allow you to remain together. Your teams are now officially considered a squad under my direct command.

‘Stick together, watch each other’s backs, but you are to behave as if there is nothing wrong. I’m needed elsewhere today. If anything happens I can be contacted through my first lieutenant. Your instructors will be able to contact her as needed.’

‘Are we to eat in the mess hall, or should we avoid it like before?’ Bromm asked, and I was glad he was the one to ask for clarification.

‘Come back here for your meals. I’ll have them delivered as I did before. But don’t advertise it. I don’t want to be inundated with entitled cadets claiming unfair treatment and favouritism. Am I clear?’

‘Yes, sir,’ we chorused.

‘All right. Enjoy your first day of classes. Dismissed.’

He strode from the room like a man with a plan. I supposed that was true, though he hadn’t clued us in further.

A moment passed before Foryk rose and the rest of us followed him out into the hallway. It wasn’t as empty as we’d assumed it would be with the captain and Addy no longer around. Until we ran into a man a recognised from my first day as the officer with the crooked nose that had allocated me to a room. He was a lot more jovial this morning than the last time we’d met. His face lit up with a dopey smile as he exited the only other room on this deck that I hadn’t had access to. I had gathered that it belonged to the first lieutenant, but he didn’t strike me as the type to rock a feminine name like Jorna, so I wondered what he was up to.

That was until the woman who must have been Jorna also exited the room and pressed a kiss to his lips before ducking back inside.

Oh.

‘Good morning, cadets,’ the man greeted, and then did a double take. ‘Cadets that aren’t supposed to be on this deck…’

I stepped forward with my hand extended. He took it with a grip that was stronger than etiquette deemed necessary. ‘Cadet Corporal Arthur Mercer, sir. The captain has temporarily relocated us to this floor.’

His eyebrows shot straight up. ‘Did he now? And why would he do that?’

I didn’t like the insinuation in his tone that we were lying, and I didn’t want to give him any more information. I got a weird vibe from him like he was the one being untruthful, though I couldn’t exactly place what it was that gave me such an impression. Either way, something told me not to trust this man, and I listened to that little voice in the back of my mind.

There was a threat in his eyes when he eyed me up and down. It was mostly hidden and I wasn’t sure anyone else caught it as his expression didn’t change, but it was there, and it reinforced my initial impression that this man hiding his true self. My response conveyed my distrust.

‘We need to get going or we’ll be late for class, but if you have any questions feel free to direct them towards the captain. I’m sure if there’s something that he wants you to know then he’ll be more than happy to inform you himself.’

The malice in his eyes flashed at my blatant brush off. I hadn’t intended to insult him, necessarily, but I found it remarkably difficult to speak to him with any degree of respect. The way he held himself, that hidden danger lurking behind his eyes, it reminded me of the scientists from The Program, and I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I needed to stay far away from this man or he could become a problem. Possibly a large enough one to completely derail my mission.

‘I’ll do that,’ he said, his tone taking on a harder edge, though everyone was looking at me rather than him and I knew they hadn’t noticed what I had.

I gave him a brusque nod and then walked towards the elevator on the other side of the corridor. There were two, though one was reserved only for the captain or the first lieutenant, I assumed to give them exclusive access to the ship and it’s classified areas. It was only once we were inside that I realised I’d never gotten the man’s name.

‘What was that?’ Reece asked in a hushed whisper when the elevator door closed us in. The others were conversing softly with one another and not paying us any attention.

‘I don’t know,’ I admitted. ‘I just got a bad vibe.’

He arched an eyebrow. ‘Are your vibes usually correct? ’

My lips flattened into a thin line. ‘Usually.’

He studied me before his chin dipped in a decisive nod. ‘Okay, then.’

His trust in me was flattering and went a long way in relieving the tension that had wound its way throughout my muscles. I hadn’t realised how much I’d needed someone to be on my side until that moment, but I was glad he was, even for just this one small thing. It made me feel a little bit less alone. I just hoped his faith in me wouldn’t get him hurt.

Or worse, killed.

???

It turned out that our first class for the day was combat training in the ship’s ridiculously large gymnasium. It contained different sections with various equipment, all to accommodate not only the varying lessons but the diversity of the races. It took up the entire length of the ship, the whole deck dedicated to physical training.

There was weight training in one corner, a track that lapped the circumference of the room, an obstacle course on the opposite side, training mats, a boxing ring, and even a domed ceiling for those of Drakfern descent. A few winged men already circled up high, gliding through an artificial air current generated by a fan as their brightly coloured plumes and scales glinted when the light hit at just the right angle.

Though I didn’t see women with their even more extravagant plumes, it was the first time I had seen a pure-bred Drakfern, let alone so many in one room as they stretched their wings and took flight. It was a breathtaking sight.

As we gathered around the centre of the cavernous room with the other congregating cadets, I couldn’t stop myself from gazing longingly at the rack of weapons lining the walls. Guns, lasers, bows and arrows, blades of various sizes and shapes. The list went on, and I was practically salivating at the chance to get my hands on them.

‘Cadets, gather ‘round!’ a male shouted from the edge of the mats. We followed the order quickly, which was a pleasant change from how the first week went. He was an older Yu’Rom male with shortly cropped, thinning hair, which was unusual for a Yu’Rom. Their hair a point of honour and pride. His weathered features were pinched as he drilled his gaze into us, but he stood straight and sturdy, strength emanating from him in an aura of don’t fuck me with me despite his shorter stature.

I liked him already.

‘This week will be centred on assessing you. We’ll test your strengths, discover your weaknesses, and determine a personalised training schedule for each of you that will be implemented when we land. Locker rooms are to the left. Your locker number is your identification number, and your uniforms are already inside. You have ten clicks to be back here and ready to receive further instructions. Go.’

We all scurried towards the only door within sight, though I maintained a distance back from everyone else. Reece noticed and held back beside me, shooting me a questioning look, but I couldn’t exactly tell him I was waiting to figure out how I was going to change without revealing my decidedly female anatomy so I kept quiet.

Luckily, most men were already in the process of changing when we entered, so they weren’t focused on me. The lockers were thin, full-length doors adorned only by the scanners, and since mine was the first I gestured for Reece to move on and find his own. His was quite a distance down, so we has a silent conversation in which he determined I was okay to be left alone. I’d spotted a sign for a restroom, so at least I had a place to change with some privacy.

It was oddly reminiscent of the way Libby and I would communicate in The Program, our subtle body language the only way to talk without the scientists discovering our unauthorised interactions. They didn’t always use multiple test subjects at the same time, but they did it often enough that we’d created an entire system of gestures that translated into our own secret language.

Fuck, I missed her.

My eyes started to sting with emotion. I quickly blinked away the tears before they could fall and focused on the present. It would do no one any favours for me to break down now, though I was aware I wouldn’t be able to keep it all contained forever. For now, pretending would have to do.

I grabbed the plain black shorts and simple grey tee that was provided for training purposes, the material thin, breathable and absorbent, and carried them to the restroom. It was a long room with stalls lining one wall and urinals lining the other. Naturally, I chose one of the stalls to enter. It was cramped, but spacious enough to change without any issues.

When I exited, I hurriedly stored my uniform in my locker and jogged to catch up with the others. Most of them were already waiting back at the mats, our instructor waiting patiently with two more officers.

There was one more cadet that ran up after me, and he was greeted with a scathing look from the instructor. ‘Now that we’re all here, let’s begin. I am Corporal Stanson.’ He gestured behind him. ‘And these are my colleagues, Corporals Hum’Rit and Gwym. Each morning you will be here for training, and you will rotate between the three of us. Those with me will be training in hand-to-hand combat and weaponry. Corporal Hum’Rit focuses on running, stamina, and the general health of your bodies and your minds. Corporal Gwym will either be tutoring you with weights or instructing aerial combat for those of you with wings. You got all that?’

If we didn’t, nobody wanted to be the one to say so. A few of the other cadets looked a little lost but I didn’t mirror the sentiment. I was well-versed in this sort of training and my brain retained information better than most, thanks to The Program. I would have likely already studied much of what the instructors intended to teach, but the practical experience would round out the education.

It might have been a form of torture to get their desired results, but I could grudgingly admit that those results came in handy more often than not.

‘Good. If your team leader’s ID number ends in an even number, you’re with Hum’Rit; odds are with Gwym; if you’re a multiple of five, you’re with me. Hop to it!’

Dorian’s number was two, so they headed to the Griknot corporal while Reece, Bromm, Foryk and I made our way towards the bright red, winged instructor. I didn’t miss the disappointment from Cadmus as he walked in the other direction from Corporal Gwym. It was the first time I’d seen him out of uniform, and so I’d never noticed the large purple wings protruding from his back.

Drakfern wings were private and intimate, if my research was correct. Unless they were flying, they kept them tucked away, strapped down and hidden under their clothes. They weren’t so conservative with them on their home planet. Visitors were rarely welcomed to their treetop cities and settlements. They still kept them away from public view around the others in the IU.

He caught my eye and, realising where I was looking, shimmied his wings and ruffled his feathers. A smirk graced his lips. He didn’t open them for me to get a better look, but I still appreciated the way the colours peaked through. Despite his obvious teasing, the show underscored with a blatantly sexual insinuation I wasn’t sure he meant, I struggled to pull my gaze away. I had to force my head to turn with the prospect of studying the corporal’s stunningly vibrant wings instead, though I would have to be more discreet in my observations. Culturally, staring at a Drakfern’s wings was an indication of sexual attraction and an invitation to act on it. I didn’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.

He turned to us with a broad grin stretching across his cheeks, but it wasn’t comforting. There was a glint in his eyes that suggested we weren’t going to like what he had planned, and when he gestured to the weightlifting equipment behind him, I knew I was going to have to put forward my best acting skills.

I was strong. Too strong. And I was going to have to pretend to be less so for the purposes of this class, especially under the scrutiny of so many people.

It was time to put my acting skills to the test.