She already did. She saved my heart. But he wouldn’t know anything about that. He doesn’t have a heart.
“Perhaps,” I say. “But I can sleep easy knowing that no one will be here to save you.”
“I don’t need saving.”
I pull the red emergency lever and stare him dead in the eyes. “Go fuck yourself, Zakar.”
A siren rings out, so blaring it sends Zakar back. “Turn it off!” he screams, twitching.
The frequencies won’t be enough to harm him permanently, but they’ll buy me some time.
I pull myself out of the escape hatch and jump through a set of large trees. “Naomi!” I shout and listen for a response.
There is only the sound of Zakar’s footsteps pounding against the soil. She could be anywhere.
She could be in the cave we hid out inside earlier. She could be back at her starship, waiting for me to arrive with the fuel that’s long gone.
It’s possible she’s back at Discovery Base. But why would she go there?
I need to act fast. Zakar’s saliva contains enzymes that cause a person to mutate. Eventually, Halloway will die, but for now, he is highly dangerous. She doesn’t know how cruel his condition will turn.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe she has already seen a mild glimpse of the monster he has become.
I ravage through the thick leaves, eyes focused on a set of footsteps. They lead me to the small encampment we found Fassbender, along with the rest of her starship’s crew.
No one is around, but the prints in the mud lead me to believe that something happened here very recently.
I search the camp. There’s a small case containing male clothing. It’s nothing of importance, so I toss it aside.
Lowering to the wet ground, I find some frayed rope. Near to the rope is a piece of torn clothing. I recognize it as the pattern on the bottom of Naomi’s pants.
Her scent lingers the air. This is where she came. She must have rescued the others, but that doesn’t explain where Fassbender or the Captain are hiding.
Something happened here. Someone hurt or tried to hurt Naomi. Whoever that someone is will pay.
I keep off the path, heading deeper and deeper into the jungle. Fully primal, I use my scent to guide me. Somehow, I end up back at the sleeping quarters.
Slowing down, I reach the door of the first room. With caution, push it open.
The room is empty, but there’s the message scrawled on the wall. Betrayal. Now I recognize where I am. This is Dr. Steven N. Grubber’s room.
Nothing about this is shocking to me. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that something is different about this place. I walk inside and sit on the cot.
On the dresser is a wallet. I open it and flip through the strange plastic cards, all numbered systematically. I pause when I reach a photograph of the man who lied to me.
It’s a family picture, and everyone is smiling. He is with a partner he loves.
I set the photograph back down and bite the inside of my cheek.
Do bad men deserve to die? Or do they deserve some compassion and understanding? I cannot pretend to know the answer.
But as I sit and think about this man, and the impact he had on my life, I start to let go. And once I do, I can remember things a little more clearly.
I remember looking into his eyes as he lay dying. His hands were cold, and his pupils looked like the storm clouds in the sky.
He told me, “We need to get to the servers.”
Zakar pulled him away, said I needed to follow his lead.