{Earth}

Pablo drew another vial of Silence’s blood. “Okay. One more and then you’re all done here. Good?”

A mute nod. The Icarean female sucked all the gratitude and relief of the last few hours out of Pablo. Her melancholy prompted the examination in the first place. He only met her a few days ago, but her personality made an impression. Alive. A little wild. Living every moment with an earnest fascination and appreciation for the heartbeats around her.

So what happened? With his back to her, he asked, “Are you feeling all right, Silence?”

The warrior woman lived up to her name.

Facing her with his back leaning against the cabinet, he pressed, “You were livelier when we escorted you to the detainment pod. Does this have to do with Kyle?”

Silence’s head snapped up. The search she gave his eyes opened his soul to her. What did she want to see there? Confounded with it, she finally opened up her mouth, “Haven’t you noticed—”

The knock on the door startled Pablo, as enraptured as he was with Silence.

“It’s Andrew.”

The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned at the spike in adrenaline from the jump scare. “Come in.”

Silence returned to staring at the tile floor, no longer willing to talk.

“Sorry for interrupting. We heard from X and R.” Two aliens from Lukemore who set traps for the Volcano Day battle. Tumu contacted them as part of the declaration of war against Imminent. “Enki’s letting them through. They’ll be here in the next day or two. Legir, too.” The Leader of Yu’s history went deep in Earth and Cinder. One of his son’s, Bin, befriended Nox. Through a cruel twist of fate and manipulation, Nox killed Bin. This prompted Bin’s twelve brothers to seek revenge. They all fell to Nox. Legir eagerly joined the Volcano Day battle, providing medical help across the field. Recently, he mentored different members of the Shadow. Including Pablo and Sagan.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him again.” Pablo smiled fondly. The centrifuge finished. “One second.”

Andrew peered curiously over the doctor’s shoulder as he dripped Silence’s blood onto a plate. Under the microscope, he carefully introduced an element of Lynn’s nacre disabling weapon to the nanites in the female’s blood. The results disturbed him. “Shit.” He spun on his stool to face Andrew. One shake of his head had them both looking at Silence.

She stared with a subdued alternative of her typical curiosity. Her voice stripped of her usual force of personality, she softly asked, “What is it?”

“After Twenty-One… you contracted the nacre fortifying virus. We can’t let you leave the facility. Not until everything settles down.” Pablo watched her reaction to the news. From the squeeze of her fists to the flitting of her eyes between him and Andrew, she absorbed it.

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Silence tried to speak twice, clearing her throat. “I can’t help with the reconnaissance?”

Pablo shook his head, and Andrew took over. “It would set us impossibly far back if they captured you.” He held up his hand to stave her arguments. “I’ve heard of your fighting prowess. You’re an incredible warrior. But we’ve been blindsided so much we can’t risk you.”

“Can you take it out of me?”

“I don’t have a cure yet, I’m sorry. We weren’t planning to make one, but if you want, you can help me do that. We can test with you. If you’ll let us?” Pablo sincerely wanted to help her despite his suspicions. Silence seemed so lost in this world. And she saved them from Imminent’s first attack during the Twenty-One transfer.

Convenient coincidence or Imminent sleeper? Either way, he wanted to help her.

“Yes. I’d like that. I want to help Kyle.” Some of the earnestness returned.

Pablo failed to see the connection, but he appreciated her eagerness. “You and Twenty-One will spend some time together this way. I’ll get some consent forms ready.”

Andrew crossed over to the exam table and took up in front of the female Icarus. “You do that. I’ll test her intentions. I thought you’d be more comfortable if we were alone for that, Silence.”

She peered at Conscience a long time before flashing those big gray eyes at Pablo. “Yes. Thank you, Dr. Suarez. I’ll be fine with Andrew while you retrieve your papers.”

Pablo sensed an exchange taking place. An accord of sorts between the two. He left them alone with curiosity burning in his veins. Until he caught the figure approaching him from the opposite end of the hall.

Lynn looked infinitely better since Kyle returned. That said a lot, considering their rocky terms. Alone for the first time in days, Pablo opened his arms to Lynn. She fell into them and squeezed tightly. “I just want off this ride.”

“Shh…” Pablo kissed her locs. “We’ll get through this.” He stepped back and pressed her hand to his tattoo over his nacre. Over their wedding vows.

She traced the words. Never endanger this. “T.a.o.’s window ended. She’s returning to Celindria. Shit… I can’t believe this. It’s so convoluted.”

“If you think about Nox’s Verse, it makes sense. We’re hitting the location on Reipon first. T.a.o. promised to take us there. No one’s heard from Tumu. I don’t like any of this—”

Pablo kissed his wife, deeply. Pressed her firmly against the wall and planted both hands on either side of her face. He ground into her hips with his own, and she purred for him.

Lynn broke away with a stern finger in his face. “I know what you’re up to. You’re trying to distract me. As much as I usually love it, I can’t imagine this is an appropriate time for it. Even by our standards.”

“You’re right.” He backed off, hands on hips, and bit his bottom lip to restrain himself. “Silence agreed to tests for the cure to the virus. She definitely contracted it.”

“Do you think it was intentional?”

He shook his head, bewildered. “I honestly don’t know anymore. At first, I suspected it. But now…”

“We’re adopting her. And Twenty-One. We do this. Pick up strays and make them official Shadow.” Lynn shrugged and thrust fingers in her hair. As two of those lucky strays, they found little room to complain but… “I just want to blow stuff up.”

Pablo chuckled once. Twice. He opened up and laughed. Despite her best efforts, Lynn joined him. He kissed her forehead with all his love for her and smooshed them together. They both gripped their own chains over their vows. The Shadow.

After a long, comforting minute basking in his wife’s love and the love of their family, Pablo asked, “Have you heard from Sagan? It’s been a few days since Kyle returned.”

Lynn sniffed and nodded. “Korac answered her device—so much for prison. He said she needed to rest. He’ll wake her later today.”

Pablo smiled timidly and headed for those documents. “We wore her out.”

She followed down the hall. “Well, let’s hope she got plenty of sleep. Because we’ll need her for this. I don’t trust T.a.o. as the only Seamswalker on a forbidden planet.”

“Sagan’s like all the Shadow.” Pablo glanced back to see Lynn waiting for him to elaborate. “Strong and resilient. That’s how we always remain.”