Violet took her time walking back to the airlock. Along the way, she checked on her shoulder wound. The bleeding had stopped, and to her amazement, she watched as her connective tissue knitted itself back together right before her eyes.

Despite her quick recovery, the sense of impending confrontation refused to leave her. She tried consoling herself with the thought that this time she would have the help of a professional security team with lethal options at their disposal, but it did little to assuage her worry.

Even with her procrastination, she was still going to be early if she met them at the airlock. She didn’t want to be there alone with him. Instead, she decided she would meet the security team at the quarantine doors.

She found the heavy blast doors just as she’d left them—lowered and devoid of any signs of humanity. The silence was unnerving, leaving her little choice but to focus on the freak of a man that waited, trapped in the airlock.

Several thuds and clunks sounded from the other side of the blast doors and they began to separate ever so slowly. She heard the complaining of the two officers stuck manning the manual crank.

In another minute, the doors had opened enough for the team to duck underneath them.

Violet had never been so grateful to see other people before in her life. She had to restrain herself from hugging each and every member of the security force.

“Man, is it good to see you guys,” Violet said. The security team was composed of nine members, seven men and two women.

“Believe me, the pleasure is all ours,” the officer in charge said. He stuck out his hand. “We owe you big time, Miss Weaver.”

Violet shook the man’s hand.

“Lieutenant Shields,” he said.

“Call me Violet.” She sized up their force one more time. They all wore the standard security uniform—black fatigues with light body armor. Each member carried a blaster rifle and stun cuffs.

“Is everything alright?” the lieutenant asked, picking up on Violet’s scrutiny.

Violet shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I think we’ll have enough firepower to control the situation—or end it, if needs be.”

“Yeah, about that. What exactly are we dealing with here? Central was kinda vague about what our mission is. Something about apprehending a suspect. I feel like we’re dressed for an overkill here…”

“Believe me when I tell you that you’re not. In fact, I wouldn’t be upset to see a few more of you walk through that door right now. But come on, I’ll explain while we’re on the way.”

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Shields nodded. “Seal the doors,” he ordered.

Violet watched, conflicted, as the doors closed, shutting her off from the rest of the station once again.

“Hang on a second,” Shields ordered. He turned to Violet. “You sure you don’t want to head back to the med bay? We can probably take it from here.”

Violet was tempted, but she knew she had to see this through to the end. She shook her head. “No, I don’t want you guys walking in there blind, and to be honest, part of me wants you to see what I’ve seen and tell me that I’m not crazy.”

Shields laughed nervously, not quite sure what to make of Violet’s statement.

“Alright, then. Seal it up, boys!”

On the way to the airlock, Violet filled the squad in on everything she’d pieced together about the man responsible for the near-genocide of the entire station. She left out the part about her apparent resurrection from the dead and whatever physical transformation she’d undergone.

She hadn’t had time to process everything yet, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to let Security Services know the same thing that had happened to the psychopath who murdered her best friend and tried to destroy the station had happened to her too.

She fielded the incredulous glances she received from the security team as she finished her tale. “I know, it sounds like something out of a horror vid, but you’ll see…”

Except they wouldn’t.

They approached the airlock cautiously. Violet hung back, content to let the professionals do their jobs.

Shields peered through the viewport and then back at Violet.

“What? What is it?” Violet asked. Something wasn’t right.

“It’s empty.”

Violet shook her head violently. “No, that’s not possible! He—” And then it hit her. “He had the administrator access codes…”

“He spaced himself?” Shields asked, disbelievingly.

“It’s the only explanation,” Violet said. “It was either be captured or—”

“Kill himself?” one of the other security members said. “Good riddance, I say.”

“Hear, hear!” several others chimed in, hoisting their weapons up as they cheered.

Violet didn’t bother telling them what she knew—that he wasn’t dead. She crept up to the viewport and looked through for herself. The airlock was empty, completely open to space beyond. One of the lockers was open, and a vac suit was missing. Guess he wanted to stay warm. Given the choice, she would too.

Violet had a vision of Zane floating outward in the deep freeze of infinite space. “Hope you get sucked into a black hole, you fucking bastard,” she mumbled to herself.

One of the security team clapped Violet on the back reassuringly. “Cheer up! That’s the last you’ll see of him.”

Violet offered a tight-lipped smile. “Let’s hope so,” she said. But there was a sense of dread that just wouldn’t leave her. She kept waiting for Zane to pop out from nowhere and begin killing everyone.

Shields must have seen it on her face. He came over and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Come on!” he said. “First round is on me for the Savior of Tryptek Station!”

The security team erupted in cheers and Violet couldn’t help but smile. She didn’t have the heart to tell them she was underage. She allowed herself to be led back toward the quarantine doors and the rest of the station.

Shields got on his comm. “Central, this is Shields. Threat neutralized. You are clear to end quarantine protocol.”