I walked with Bajer through the hallways at an urgent pace. After ten minutes, we reached our destination.
The ship still rattled.
“Are they still attacking?” I asked.
Bajer nodded grimly. “We’re holding them at bay for now, but we won’t be able to escape unless they stop tracking us.”
He gestured for me to enter through a door. Inside was an operating table surrounded by wicked-looking tools suspended above it.
“Go ahead and lie down,” Bajer said.
I obeyed. He strapped me in and began fiddling with the machines until they hummed to life.
Long razors descended toward my arm.
They cut.
The pain was blinding. Stars burst across my vision.
“Hold steady,” Bajer said. “It’ll be over soon. They’re installing the new watch now.”
Something new touched my skin—and just like that, the pain vanished.
I looked down.
A new flesh watch wrapped seamlessly around my arm. I tried to flex my fingers but found I couldn’t.
“Ouch,” I muttered as Bajer unstrapped me. That was going to hurt for the next few days.
This watch wasn’t as obvious as the last one. It blended smoothly with my skin.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Bajer said. “I should have caught the problem sooner.”
Stolen story; please report.
Suddenly, words began appearing in the air in front of me. Battle updates scrolled past—most of them grim, suggesting the ship was moments from being blown apart.
Then, finally:
TRACKER DEACTIVATED.
CLOAKING SYSTEM: ACTIVATED.
SHIP STATUS: DAMAGED.
“What does damaged mean?” I asked.
“We’ll be fine,” Bajer said.
Then he turned to me. “What I still don’t understand is how you managed to defeat a Darkling on your own.”
“Why did you have a Darkling on your ship in the first place?” I asked.
He sighed and began his explanation.
“Leo was a very talented kid. But he always wanted more power. One day, I caught him experimenting with Dark Matter in its purest form. I told him to stop, but he must have continued, and…”
The older man’s voice broke. Tears welled in his eyes.
And the matter took him over, I thought. It turned him into a Darkling.
Then I heard a voice in my head.
Harper.
“How are you talking to me?” I asked.
“I’m speaking through the flesh watch, nimrod,” she replied. “Anyway, Claire tried to move Leo’s body, but he started wriggling around and is trying to escape. She wants Bajer there ASAP.”
I relayed the message.
We ran through the hallways until we reached Claire and Leo. Leo struggled violently as Claire held him tightly by the armpits.
“Let me go!” he moaned in despair. “I don’t want to go to that place!”
I glanced at Bajer.
Then I heard his voice in my mind.
“We have a prison for Darklings on Titan,” he said. “I’ve only been once. That was more than enough.”
I swallowed.
Did Leo really deserve that place?
An idea formed in my mind—one that violated everything I had studied.
But it was worth trying.
“Leo,” I said, locking eyes with him. “Can you generate any Dark Matter?”
Claire and Bajer looked at me like I was insane—but they didn’t stop me.
Leo raised his hands.
Nothing happened.
“I don’t think he has any left,” I said quietly. “If he did, he’d be using it to fight you.”
Claire and Bajer exchanged a glance. They didn’t speak aloud, but I realized they probably didn’t need to. Their flesh watches connected them.
After a moment, Bajer turned back to me.
“You can return to your quarters,” he said gently. “Go see your friends.”
Dismissed.
I started walking back toward my room, slower than necessary. After everything I’d done, they were pushing me aside so they could handle it themselves.
That night, I lay in bed with Leo’s face burned into my conscience.
After hours of tossing and turning, I finally drifted into uneasy sleep—dreaming of Darklings, Dark Matter, and what I had done to him.
I was different.
There was no denying that now.
