Gabriel was glad the woman had the sense to pull away from him when she did. Because all of his sense had clearly left him if he was considering kissing someone he’d just met over the body of a man he’d just killed.
Unintentionally killed, but still.
He was trying not to think about the attendant and the weight of the oxygen tank in his hand as it made contact with the man’s skull.
The woman extended her hand to him. “I’m Ilana.”
He shook off the mental image and shook her hand. “Gabriel.”
Ilana glanced at the kid still in the chair where Gabriel had buckled them in. They were extraordinarily pale, with a blue undertone to their skin, breathing so slowly he could barely see their chest moving. Their shaved head and loose robe gave them an androgynous look.
“I left my full rescue kit back home.” Ilana knelt in front of the kid and took their small hand into hers. “If I’d known… I might have been able to help them somehow. They’re so cold.”
Gabriel examined the flat paneled walls of the shuttle’s cabin. “Does this shuttle feel narrow to you?”
“Like, more than it should be?” Ilana furrowed her brow. “This is the first space shuttle I’ve ever been on so I’m not the best person to ask.”
“I didn’t get a great look outside but I could’ve sworn it appeared wider than this. Does it just have extra cargo space?” he muttered to himself.
As he pushed on the panels, one of them gave way with a click.
Ilana locked eyes with him, rapt. Gabriel opened the panel.
“What the…” his companion muttered.
Inside was a small coffin-shaped cryo-chamber. Its darkened window panel lit up at Gabriel’s touch, revealing a child in hibernation, dressed in long white robes, their head shaved.
“Is this some kind of medical transport?” Ilana asked.
“One would hope.” Gabriel shook his head. “But that feels a little too… benign for this.”
He opened the next three panels to reveal more of the same, while Ilana opened the panels on her side. Seven chambers each filled with a kid, one chamber empty.
Ilana motioned towards the kid in the seat. “This empty one must’ve been theirs. Should we put them back in?”
Gabriel considered this. “They seemed to have made a significant effort to get out. I’m not a medic, but I know these older cryo models require an injection before treatment. If they’re just under the effects of hibernation serum, it should wear off faster outside the chamber. They don’t appear to be in immediate danger and waking up naturally shouldn’t hurt them.”
“That’s good to hear.” Ilana sighed and sat back down. She swiveled in her chair to face the dead attendant’s body. “Guess he’s just out of luck.”
It was such an absurd thing to say that Gabriel burst into laughter. He felt slightly unhinged, off-kilter. He laughed so hard his eyes stung with tears.
She eyed him with concern. “You okay there?”
“Yeah, it’s just…” He let out a breath. “I’ve never killed anyone before.”
She studied him as he dreaded her judgment. Would she call him a killer? Was he repulsive to her now? Was he repulsed at himself? “I’m glad to hear that. As a general rule when meeting someone new, the fewer people they’ve killed, the better.”
That got another chuckle out of him but he’d lost his wind. He slid down the wall to the floor, elbows on his knees, and hung his head with a sigh. “At least one of us is taking it well.”
“Sorry,” she said after a silence. “It’s one of the hazards of the job.”
“Yeah?” He focused on her to avoid his spiraling thoughts. “What job is that?”
She slid onto the floor opposite him and leaned back her head against the wall, her gaze turning distant. “For the last five years, I worked as a frontier keeper for the province. We broke apart storm and fire systems before they hit the metros, but civilians in the outskirts would often get caught up. There’s only so much you can do to brace against a Category 8 hurricane without a dome for protection. Some people really would rather die on their land than move. Anyway, sometimes you’ve got to lean into the dark absurdity of a situation to get through it.”
“Wow.” He hadn’t expected that but he wasn’t surprised. Not after seeing her in action earlier. “What made you go for such an intense job?”
She shrugged. “Not much ever happened in my town. It helped me feel… alive. Like I mattered. Plus I always had a habit of going for the highest branch, I guess.” She chuckled. “It always drove my mom crazy. And space was the highest branch of them all.”
His day had gone awry in such a way that he had no point of reference. But her account grounded him. “Thank you for your perspective.”
“If it helps, I’m not glad that person died. But I am glad you saved me. If you hadn’t found me…” She shook her head and closed her eyes.
“Fuck,” Gabriel muttered at the massive contusion on her temple. “You’re bruised.”
“Oh, am I?” She groped at the wound, grimacing as her fingertips grazed the darkening bump. “That part of the encounter was not something the frontier service prepared me for.”
And there it was – the vulnerability under her bluster. Something about the way she shrank just a little squeezed at his heart. She had been scared.
He reached out to her. “May I?”
She nodded, her face blooming with color. He wondered how else he could make her blush all over, then realized he could get addicted to the sight.
Ilana tilted her head as he neared, exposing the side of her face to him. But he didn’t touch her. Instead, his fingers grazed her hair away from her face and nudged her collar for a better look at the rest of the bruising around her neck. Her lashes fluttered and lowered. The moment was so still he could see her pulse.
“You’re right,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I’m not glad that person died. But I am glad I came after you.”
To his surprise, she leaned into his touch, bringing up her hand to cradle his against her cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.
A sense of pride grew in his chest. He’d had this capable person’s life in his hands and he’d protected her. If he had to do it again, he absolutely would.
Gabriel’s com chimed in his ear. “Dr. Fontaine, we’ve received your distress signal. Alliance forces are coming to pick you up in T minus three minutes.”
They spent that time together in silence, their hands touching, their bodies sharing the space in comfort, bracing each other for whatever was to come.
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