{Earth}

Silence laid out on the floor of the detainment pod and counted the imperfections in the ceiling. She folded her arms behind her head and relaxed. Distracting herself. For the fiftieth time, she sang Elden’s Verse, both parts.

Imminent.

They set up the Progeny’s people masterfully. The nacre fortification virus. The disabler. The decryption. All designed to unlock one man’s memory bank in time for the fireworks to start. And not for the first time, she wondered if she comprised a piece to that puzzle.

A distraction. A diversion. Or… something worse.

Silence rolled onto her side, stretched out languidly. Her reflection came back to her from the two-way mirror. The shirt covered little as it rode up higher than her hips. Nudity never bothered her. But it sure made this generation of humans and Progeny blush.

Kyle wouldn’t turn away. He’d professionally keep his eyes on her own. She liked that about him.

That smirk.

Was Silence a sleeper?

And so the cycle of racing thoughts continued.

The door opened with Dr. Suarez calling behind him, “No. He demanded to see her.”

Silence straightened the shirt for the married doctor’s modesty. She liked Chief Lynn too much to leave herself exposed to the other woman’s husband. He turned to her then and shook his head, incredulously. “You won’t believe this. But T.a.o. returned with Kyle. And he refused to explain anything to us until he saw you. Can you please assure him we didn’t mistreat you? He’s upset.”

She pulled herself onto her feet as if by strings and sidled by him. Twenty-One waited at the nacre glass front of his cell. They gazed at one another, and she took her time. But not smiling, no. She was sad for the Icarus.

“You understand why we need to monitor you, right, Silence? We’re not cruel. We’re concerned.” The human male sounded genuine and kind. His expression reflected his words.

“Will you punish him?”

The doctor recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “No. Of course, not. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I don’t think either of you are necessarily at fault. It’s an aspect of your biology. My primary concern is learning if the virus we tested on him transmitted to you.”

Twenty-One spoke through the glass, “You can trust the doctor. He’s saving us.”

Silence pressed her hand to the glass and smiled when the imprisoned Icarus reciprocated. Trust. With a sweeping gesture, she put her faith in the doctor. “Lead the way.”

Dr. Suarez led her to the cafeteria where Kyle waited with the short woman from the sky. Lynn pointed at Silence behind him. Kyle turned.

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And Silence fought not to claw her way out of the room. His eyes. There was something wrong with his eyes. Empty. Blank. A soulless void with no light inside. She looked away to hide her reaction.

“Good.” He nodded to her before continuing, “Celindria can control T.a.o. I don’t know how to stop it. All I know is that it’s intermittent. Probably because she’s a Seamswalker. During one of the ‘off’ intervals, she rescued me. I brought her here to save her.”

The small woman with beautiful black skin and solid violet eyes peered around the room, but never met a single person’s gaze. When she looked in Silence’s direction, the Icarean female quickly avoided her. Soulless. Like Kyle. This was wrong.

Dr. Suarez kept his hands out as he approached the First Wave Progeny. “Can I examine you? I only want to check your vitals.”

While he checked out the waif, Silence peered around the room, looking to see if anyone—anyone at all—noticed. Chief Lynn kept staring at Kyle in disbelief, but not horror. So wrong.

Kyle caught Silence’s gaze then. He approached her, and her skin tried to crawl off her bones to shrink away from him. Despite that, she held firm. He searched her eyes with those empty green marbles. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

That wasn’t… No. Even that question was wrong. Kyle spoke wonderful things of the Progeny’s people at Iona. Never once would he assume they’d harm her, and she knew that. Still, “I’m well. Chief Lynn treated me very kindly.”

“Good.” It turned Kyle’s back on her with a hand on his hip as It took charge of the room. Also, unlike the man she met two weeks ago. “Listen up. I gathered some intelligence regarding Celindria’s plans for Imminent’s next strike—”

“Not before you’re checked out.” Andrew walked into the room without his partner. Lucas went to investigate the bombing at the chateau with other members of The Brethren and Smith.

Surely Conscience would sense the change in Story Taker. If not, the unusual intentions of the one called T.a.o.

Silence expected the thing inhabiting Kyle’s body to protest an examination, but to her growing concern, It agreed. “You’re right. Vitals check and blood tests all around. Lead the way, Doc.”

Pablo visibly warmed at the nickname. “I’m glad you’re back.”

Lynn joined the two with relief naked in her eyes. “I thought… I thought I watched you die.”

The parasite shook Kyle’s head and chafed Chief Lynn’s arms. “You’re not that lucky.”

With all their laughter, the remaining tension drained from the room.

And into Silence. She lost hope until she caught Andrew looking at her. Maybe someone else noticed after all. He looked away almost immediately, and she felt more alone than ever.

She turned on her heel and made to leave the room. The wrongness of everything picked at her skin like fiberglass. A shower. That would help.

“Silence.”

The urge to vomit from the toxin in the room almost cost her her control. Instead, she mustered every ounce of it for this performance. She even smiled as she faced what was wearing Kyle. “Yes?”

“One sec, Doc,” It called as It led Silence from the room. In the hall, It made a show of confessing, “When the fire almost took me, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. It’s crazy. You were almost my last thought in this world. Of how alone you’d be without me. Here.” It removed the necklace she’d seen Kyle toy with often and donned it over her head. “If you ever get in trouble, use this.”

“What about Ky—you? If you get into trouble?”

The shell grinned. “Don’t you know? I’m always in trouble.” Then, in an act of pure torture, It kissed her cheek. “Let’s talk after.”

Green pools gazed at her, expectantly.

Regret. Silence filled with so much regret. For not engaging him with her needs sooner. For not learning him more. Because surely whatever inhabited him now killed him for that smile that once warmed her through and now chilled her to the bone.

She stared into the face of the most familiar person in her lost world and fought back tears. “I’d like that.” Gripping the chain after the abomination disappeared, Silence swore to avenge Kyle.

Even if it meant killing him.