His heavy stare bore into her, and as it did, her anxiety grew. Could he read her intentions? Did he see through her mask? Did Cyborgs really read minds?
Alexa’s fear spiked. This was too much, too fast. She wasn’t ready. Her fingers trembled.
No one should be subjected to this murderous Cyborg’s intimidation.
Hysterian stepped aside, breaking eye contact with her, startling her out of her rising panic.
“Raul, you can go now. We’ll meet you in the lab,” he ordered.
“I think—” Raul began.
Hysterian scowled at Raul, and she never saw a man cower so fast. Alexa was sure she’d been cowering a moment ago. Raul gave her an apologetic look as he fled.
It was just her and Hysterian now.
For nearly twelve years, she dreamed of this moment. She was sixteen when she’d discovered her dad’s body. This moment, in her head, was her getting justice, with Hysterian on the floor, waiting for the final blow, unable to stop her.
This moment never had her recovering from a near panic attack.
“Captain”—she swallowed, trying not to wither when his gaze returned to her—“what can I do for you?” His pupils jittered, but it happened so fast she couldn’t be sure.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Dear,” he said, reaching out his hand.
Alexa stared at it.
‘We’re not supposed to get too close.’ Raul’s warning fluttered through her head.
Hysterian’s hand was gloved, covered like the rest of him. She recalled rumors about his skin on Elyria… One touch: bliss or death.
This is a test.
Holding back her need to wipe her palm on her suit, she clasped his hand. His fingers wrapped tightly around hers, and his thumb pressed down into the back of her hand, trapping it so thoroughly that fear zipped up her spine.
Their hands shook once before she jerked it out of his grasp.
“Nice to…meet you, Captain,” she managed, pressing her nails into her palm. “Are you okay?”
Hysterian’s head cocked.
Alexa wished she could read his expression, but his mouth was covered.
She didn’t even know what Hysterian truly looked like. It bothered her. She liked to imagine he was the ugliest motherfucker there ever was, but she knew that wasn’t true. She had a picture of him facing away, looking at something outside the frame, in the lining of her bag. Just the contour of his face proved he was handsome.
All Cyborgs were uncannily attractive.
Fuck them. A lot of people are attractive and are evil.
“I run hot, Dear.”
“Is that why you cover yourself up?” she asked before she could think better of it.
“Do you always ask so many idiotic questions of your superiors?”
Her lips pursed. “No, sir. I apologize. You startled me, that’s all. I’ll get out of your way and head for the menagerie.” She needed to get out of here before she asked or did something really dumb. Getting fired before they even took off would hurt her chances of success.
She couldn’t let her dad down, not after everything she’d been through, everything she risked.
She tried to leave, but he stepped in front of her, blocking the exit again.
“I am teasing,” he said, further confusing her. “I don’t mind questions. Raul told you I was a shifter, and he’s right. I just run hotter than most, but it’s not why I cover myself, Dear.”
The way he said her name made her uncomfortable. “You were listening to Raul and me?”
“Yes.”
She was suddenly very thankful she didn’t grill her coworker for information.
“I’m sorry,” she said, hoping he’d finally move out of her way.
He didn’t.
He took a step toward her. “Why are you sorry?”
“I—” Her mouth snapped closed as she craned her neck to meet his gaze.
“You’re not sorry, are you?”
“No…”
“Don’t ever lie to me, I will know. It’s my job to know.”
Tension filled the space, and the ability to breathe left her. She was afraid of him, she realized, truly afraid. This was her dad’s murderer. She’d never been afraid of him before. Only the ending…
He now knows I exist.
“Yes, sir,” she said, keeping her voice level. “I won’t do it again.”
“Good to know.” He moved out of her way.
Alexa slipped past him as quickly as possible. Like she was moving under the watchful gaze of a gargoyle. One waiting to strike out for blood. She stepped out the door, her heart lodged in her throat.
“Alexa.” His voice was ominous.
She stilled.
“Don’t ever try and get close to me. You won’t survive it. Defective doesn’t come close. That was the briefing you missed.”
Alexa fled, taking his warning to heart.
Two
Alexa entered the menagerie to the sound of a crash and men yelling.
The whole crew was surrounding a large, wooden box on a robotic lift as she neared. Screeches were coming from the inside of it. Something banged within, and the box shook hard, rocking just enough to one side that it almost fell over.
She ran over to help the others keep the box in place.
“Keep your hands on it! Don’t let it fall,” Daniels barked. He caught sight of her. “Where have you been, Dear?” Frustration edged his tone.
“With me,” Hysterian said, joining them around the crate and saving her from yet another reprimand.
She was getting a lot of them recently.
Daniels went back to what he was doing. “Very good,” he muttered.
Hysterian grabbed the back of the box, promptly stopping whatever was inside from overturning it. “Restart the lift. We need to get it into the enclosure. Now!”
Like ants, they all scrambled. The shrieks of what was within grew by the second. Alexa rushed to the enclosure that the lift was heading for and signed into the adjoining computer. She unlocked it, and the glass door to the enclosure rose up. Hysterian lined up the wooden box to the opening, latching it. The enclosure’s door lowered to align with the crate.
His arms were straining, tense and spread wide to keep the box from falling. “Dear, when the beast enters the cage, shut the panel. You may only have a second to do so. If the locust gets out, we’ll have blood on our hands.” He grunted.
Locust? Whatever was inside didn’t sound like a bug. It sounded like a monkey—a large one.
“Yes, Captain.”
Raul and Daniels readied tranquilizer guns.
“Everyone ready?” Hysterian called.
“Yes,” they all said to varying degrees. Pigeon, the ship’s EPED liaison and mechanic, wiped his mouth, and Horace, another member of the bridge crew, placed his hands on his hips. Alexa poised her finger over the door’s trigger.
Hysterian let go of the box, jumped a top, and unlocked a mechanism. The part of the crate lined with the enclosure swung open.
Something big shot out, slamming into the back wall of the reinforced glass cage with a howl. Alexa initiated the panel door shut. Hysterian jumped off the crate and pushed it out of the way as the door came down. The creature spun around, nostrils flaring, and four meaty arms rose only to slam down onto the ground with a resounding bang.