Six

Chapter

Rom was surrounded by enemies. The more he and Norem spoke, the more certain Rom became that the people working on this space station posed a grievous threat. He just couldn’t remember what was in danger. The only thing he knew for certain was that Hayley and Mindy were in immediate jeopardy and that he would do everything in his power to keep them safe.

He didn’t feel as though he was in danger himself. That was odd. Sure, Norem was trying to pretend they were friends, but Rom wasn’t buying that ‘Old Buddy’ act for a moment.

Buddy…

Wait… Rom knew someone. A real friend. A buddy. Someone named Buddy?

Rom shook his head as another wave of dizziness assailed him. He hated to be even a few feet from Hayley, but he needed for her to be safe from himself as well. If he fell and landed on her, she’d be crushed beneath his weight. He strode over to the bed and set her down. Her arms quickly rose to his neck, keeping him close.

“Where are you going?” The panic in her eyes tore at his hearts.

“Nowhere.” He gingerly unclasped her arms and pulled them away. “As much as I want to stay at your side, I need to check out the room. But, I’ll be right here. Okay?”

She nodded, her lips pulled in a tight line. Mindy crawled up the bed making odd, silly grunting noises. Hayley finally burst into a smile. The dog managed to get as close to Hayley as she could, then flopped on her side. Hayley buried her fingers in Mindy’s coat, hugging her close.

“See, Mindy here will keep you company,” Rom said. Hayley looked up, fear suffusing her expression once more. Rom whispered, “I’m not going anywhere,” and squeezed her hand.

She nodded, her eyes glittering with unshed tears, then turned her attention back to Mindy. Rom stepped away quickly. The speed made it slightly easier to move away from her, as well as shielding her from his building rage at Norem.

What the hell had Norem done to her? She was weak as a kitten, her skin looked bloodless, even though the ‘scientist’ hadn’t taken all that much. The worst part was that she was terrified of just about everything.

Despite that, Rom could sense an inner strength within her. She would do anything to protect Mindy, for one thing. She had played it cool with Norem, but Rom had detected it, like a faint echo. It was up to Rom to keep them all safe and get them out of here. He just had to figure out where they were, where they should go, and how they could manage it all.

Yeah, just that.

He needed to remember who he was. At the same time, he doubted that Norem would be so accommodating once Rom came right out and let him know they were enemies. No, Rom needed to keep up the act for as long as possible. He needed to talk to Hayley, to get more information. Except, before he did that, he had to know if Norem was listening in.

On the surface, the room looked like standard quarters for an officer. It was a bit small for Rom’s tastes, and the color scheme was downright dreary. He was accustomed to more light. Light and rainbows. A memory teased the surface of his mind. Milky white crystal with waves of iridescence flowing through it. The image brought a sense of home and belonging that made his hearts ache.

“Are you okay?” Hayley asked.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

How did she know something had been off with him, even for a moment? His expression hadn’t changed, he was certain. Was it possible that she was feeling the same echoes of his emotions as he was feeling for hers? He filed that information away, bringing his focus back to the task at hand.

All the furniture was bolted down. That was a bad sign, pointing to them being in space rather than planetside. Rom would like their odds a lot more if he knew he could smash through a wall, throw Hayley over one shoulder, Mindy over the other, and tear off into the wilderness. Instead, punching a hole in the wrong wall could decompress the room they were in. He had a strange feeling that he would be fine, but Hayley and Mindy wouldn’t. He couldn’t jeopardize their safety.

Rom found a closet and started rifling through the uniforms within. They were all identical to the brown with bronze accents uniforms that the rest of the soldiers wore. Soldiers. Not scientists. Interesting that his brain should pop that word into his awareness. It seemed to fit, though.

They hadn’t passed anyone on their way to these quarters. Rom was certain that it had been intentional. Whether it was a station or a ship, being in space meant compact living to conserve resources, especially for sentients who had to construct their ships out of manufactured materials like this rather than growing them from crystal.

Wait, was that what he’d seen before? The vision of the milky white crystal came back to him. Was that his real home? His ship?

“You won’t find it,” Hayley said.

“Find what?”

“Evidence that these are your quarters. I doubt you’ve ever been here before.”

“Now, what would make you say that?” Rom pulled out a uniform and held it up in front of himself. The pants and sleeves were several inches too short. Hayley laughed, as he’d hoped she would. “Maybe I grew a little on my travels. I could still squeeze into this.”

“Turn it around,” Hayley said. Rom flipped the garment so she could see its other side. She shook her head. “There’s no accommodation for your… spine… thingies.”

“My ‘spine-thingies?’” He chuckled. “Spine plates. And they don’t always have to be up.”

He turned around and willed his spine plates to rest against his back. It took some doing, considering how worked up he still was, but he managed.

“See?” he said.

“Wow, that is cool.”

He turned back to her, smirking as he took in the way she was ogling him. Then he noticed that her skin had that sickly bloodless look again and had taken on a waxy cast. He threw the uniform back in the closet and hurried over to her.

“You need to rest.” He helped her lay back against the pillows, fluffing them up beneath her.

“It’s okay. I’m okay.”

She absolutely was not okay. Rom lifted her hand in his. Her skin was ice cold and clammy, with a bizarrely smooth texture that made his spine plates rise again.

“I’ll get Norem.” He started to rise but her grip tightened.

“No! Please, don’t. I’ll be fine. I just need a minute.”

Rom leaned forward and swiped some hair away from her forehead. Beads of sweat had appeared, then even as he watched, they faded back into her skin. That didn’t seem right. Something was seriously wrong with her. Lights glinted on the shiny wristbands he wore, only inches away from Hayley. He was certain that they possessed technology that could help her, if only he could remember how to use them.

“I feel so useless,” he said. “I know if my memories returned that I could help you.”

“You are helping me.” She smiled softly, her eyes closed. “Whenever you’re close, wherever you touch me, I feel better.”

Something stirred within him. He could feel his heartbeats changing, their alternating cadence coming closer together. Closer to… one-ness? Joining? Why couldn’t he remember? He knew it was important. She was important. She was his world.

“Why is it that I can’t remember anything about myself, and yet I feel as if I know you?” Rom said. “As if I’ve known you my entire life.”

She chuckled. “I think I would remember meeting a giant blue warrior from outer space.”

“I guess so,” he said.

Closeness helps her. We need to be closer.

For some reason, the image of two swirling, chaotic balls of light popped into his mind. They drew closer, merging into one beautiful orb of energy. His eyes burned and his chest felt overfull. Why wouldn’t his brain just let him remember who he was and how he could be useful?

“Hayley, look at me,” he said. When she opened her eyes, he leaned closer. She let out a breath as if even that eased whatever was happening to her. “I will never hurt you. I will protect you. Can you trust me? At least a little?”

After a moment, she nodded.

“Alright.” He nodded back. “If me being close helps you out, then I’m going to get closer. I swear to be a gentleman.”

Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath. Pink flooded her cheeks. She was so pallid, the contrast was glaringly obvious whenever she blushed. Was that disappointment he saw at the corners of her mouth? He was probably projecting. In any case, he had to focus on getting her better before he thought of anything else.

“I’m going to lie next to you,” he said. “Is that okay?”

This time, she nodded without a moment’s hesitation. He tried to hide his smile but failed.

“Well, alright then,” he said. “Mindy’s right there to act as a chaperone.”

Hayley laughed. “I feel like we’re going to a high school dance.”

“I have no idea what that means, but if it makes you laugh, I’m good with it.”

As gingerly as he could, he slid his body next to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. He pressed his bare chest and stomach to her side, his legs to hers. His skin prickled with awareness, heat flooding him wherever they touched skin-to-skin. It was both ecstasy and torture—he never wanted to let go.

Hayley let out a deep sigh, relaxing against him. More color seemed to be seeping back into her skin. The weird waxy texture also vanished after a few moments. What the hell was wrong with her and why did his proximity help? Maybe it wasn’t him. Mindy was plastered to Hayley’s other side.

“Better?” Rom asked gently.

“Mmm.” Hayley smiled, her eyes drifting shut once more.

“Then you just rest. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

She shook her head and forced her eyes open, starting to rise. “No, I can’t sleep.”

Rom urged her to stay lying down. “It’s okay. I’ll protect you.”

She let out a snort that was somehow full of despair. “You can’t protect me. No one can. Not even Dean.”

Rom’s spine plates rose, vibrating against the mattress. He lifted himself on his elbow to give them room while staying as close to Hayley as he could.

“Why does that name make me want to start tearing the room apart?” Rom asked.

“Because he’s the guy who left me with Norem.” Hayley shook her head.

“I already hate him,” Rom said.

She let out that deadened half-laugh again. “You’re not the only one. I can’t believe how foolish I was. I thought he cared about me.”

Rom’s hearts stuttered. “Did you care for him?”

“We dated for a couple of weeks,” she said. “We hadn’t gotten serious or anything yet. Then, when we wanted to, he told me the truth about himself. That he was an alien. I should never have agreed to get on his ship, but you know—travel writer.” She shook her head. “He told me it was going to be the greatest adventure of my life. Then he left me with Norem and vanished.”

Rage tore through Rom. He wanted to find Dean and tear him to pieces. But it didn’t seem right to expose Hayley to that kind of violence and rage. She had been through enough already.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Rom said.

“I want to believe that things happen for a reason.” She buried her fingers in Mindy’s fur and the dog’s tail thumped the bed. “I wouldn’t have found Mindy. She wouldn’t have someone to look out for her and keep her company.”

Mindy looked up and opened her mouth. Rom thought she was about to say something, but all that came out was a little bark. Couldn’t animals talk? He would have sworn they could. Mindy crawled closer to Hayley’s face and started licking her cheek. Hayley’s eyes brightened for a moment, then she smiled and shook her head. It was almost as if the pair were having a conversation that Rom couldn’t hear.

Wait, hadn’t they just met? Rom tried to think over what Hayley had said back in the lab. It had sure seemed to Rom as if they hadn’t known each other before. Now Hayley was talking as if they were old friends. It was yet another puzzle for him to sort out. For the moment, he was just glad that Hayley looked as though she was feeling better. Her cheeks had more color and her breathing was more regular. Rom didn’t know if whatever she’d been dealing with was passing or whether it really was his proximity making her feel better. Either way, he wasn’t going anywhere.

“How did Norem know your name?” Hayley kept staring at Mindy as she spoke.

“I don’t have a good answer for that,” Rom said.

“How about the truth?” She turned to him, her eyes filled with bitter defiance. No matter what she felt because of his nearness, she didn’t trust him. Rom couldn’t blame her.

“We know each other,” Rom said. “Actually, know of each other. And that’s why I know that this room has to be rigged with all kinds of surveillance. Hell, he’s probably watching us and listening to us right now.”

“I just need to know if we’re friends or enemies.” Her voice was stronger than before, filled with a challenge that sent a pleasant shiver over his skin. Rom reached up and cupped her face with one hand.

“You are my everything. I will do anything you need. Be anything you want. All you have to do is say the word.”

“I want you to kill every Tau Ceti on this station.”

His hearts seemed to freeze in his chest, the coldness of her tone, of her request, chilling him to his soul. He lowered his head and closed his eyes as a wave of utter emptiness flooded him.

“I guess I have my answer,” Hayley said. “You don’t want to do it.”

“I don’t want to think about what must have happened to you that would make someone with such a good heart want me to do such a terrible act.” Rom shook his head. He looked back to her and swept his thumb across her cheek. “It’s as good as done. They’re all walking ghosts. I just need to figure out how to keep you and Mindy safe while I take care of it.”

Hayley reached up and clasped his wrist with her hand. Her skin was warm and her grip strong. She really was doing better.

She whispered, “What if it’s more than just Mindy and me that need rescuing?”

The thought had been darting around in the back of his mind, but he’d been too overwhelmed to entertain it. Now, she’d laid it at his feet where it couldn’t be ignored. The size of that lab, the number of people in it, hinted at a much larger operation. Rom doubted that Hayley and Mindy were the only test subjects.

“Anyone who’s here not of their own will gets a pass,” Rom said. “I’ll do my best to protect them and get them to safety. However, you’re my priority.”

Mindy let out a long whining groan and pawed at him. He laughed, taking his hand away from Hayley’s face so that he could pet the dog.

“And you, too,” Rom said.

“Think I can get on that VIP list?” A feminine voice broke into the moment.

Hayley’s eyes went wide and she sat up, forcing Rom to shift away a bit. She looked back at him, her mouth open as she stammered, trying to find something to say.

“Relax,” the voice said. “I’ve looped the feeds so that it looks like you two lovebirds are still snuggling up in bed. Big Blue gave me a perfect in by telling you to rest. Norem thinks you’re sleeping and has one of his goons on the monitors while he works on his research . I’d say you have a couple hours of privacy at least.”

“Hayley, would you mind telling me who my new second favorite person is?” Rom said.

Mindy grunted again and pawed at him.

“Sorry,” he said. “Third.”

The woman laughed and said, “She’d never out me. I can practically see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to come up with a cover for me. Don’t worry, bestie, this is my decision. My name is Katie, and I think it’s past time for us to blow this dump.”