Archive of Our Own

Alarms blared and jolted Mydei awake from his sleep. He scrambled out of his bunk, grabbed his gun and quickly donned his armored vest before running out of the room and into the corridor. Red lights flashed down the hall as he slid his comms into his ear.

“What’s happening?"

“Mydei! Good, you’re awake!” Phainon’s voice crackled over the radio. “The ship got hit hard by some sort of asteroid, tore a hole right through the portside laboratory. You and I need to bring people to the infirmary.”

Mydei plotted the course in his head. “Copy that. Heading over.” Scientists, lab technicians and lab assistants ran past Mydei as he pushed his way through to ground zero.

The lab was a mess. Equipment and papers lay scattered across the floor, broken vials littering the normally sterile environment. In the center, a small asteroid a few feet taller than Mydei was embedded into the floor, small electrical sparks erupting from where it punctured the wiring.

Hysilens directed some of the other security officers, helping Hyacine run triage on the injured. Anaxagoras was already here, making quick repairs to the ship. Across the room, Phainon was picking up one of the injured and making his way out.

Mydei wasted no time heading over to the head of security. “Status?”

“Eight injured, three unresponsive.” Hysilens responded without pause. “Bring anyone who can still move their limbs to the medbay.”

“Yes, sir.” Mydei quickly walked over to a scientist groaning on the floor and fireman-carried him over his shoulders. He quickly weaved his way through the debris and into the hallway leading to the infirmary.

It didn’t take long for Mydei to reach the medbay, settling the injured scientist down on one of the unoccupied beds. Around him, nurses were working with quiet efficiency to prepare for more people.

“Quite a way to start the day, yeah?” Phainon bumped his shoulder against Mydei’s, a reassuring smile despite the chaos. “Come on, let’s see who can bring in the most injured.”

Mydei rolled his eyes and walked out. “This isn’t a competition, HKS. Stay focused."

Phainon jogged ahead. “You worry too much. We got this.”

The two of them made short work transporting the injured, almost beating out Anaxagoras’ repair work. There were, thankfully, no casualties, but Hyacine insisted on keeping a close eye on everyone for the time being.

Phainon sat down in the waiting room of the medbay, thanking the nurse that came over with some water. “Told you we got this.”

“We got lucky. If it weren’t for the shields we could have lost several people to decompression.” Mydei chided, taking the offered water bottle. “Will you ever take anything seriously?”

Phainon smirked. “Sure. You busy tonight?”

Mydei scoffed, fighting down the flush in his cheeks. “Do you want to incur Cerydra’s wrath?”

“Nothing in the rules says you can’t date your coworkers.” The white-haired man shrugged casually, then gave Mydei a sly grin. “Unless you were thinking of something *else*, of course.”

The water bottle hit Phainon square in the face as Mydei turned around and stalked out of the infirmary. He was too sleep-deprived to deal with this.

-//-//-//-//-//-

“And thus concludes the damage report. Any questions?”

There were a few shakes of the head as Anaxagoras finished his report. At the other end of the meeting table, Cerydra crossed her arms. “Thank you, Anaxagoras. Your findings will be catalogued for future improvements to the ship. This meeting is now adjourned.”

“By catalogued, do you perhaps mean left to gather dust in a filing cabinet alongside my other observations on the ship’s construction?” Anaxagoras huffed as he gathered his papers.

Next to Cerydra, Aglaea restrained her sigh. “There are budgeting constraints we must adhere to. We simply cannot afford to reinforce the entire hull with carbon polymers.”

Anaxagoras’ eye twitched. “Surely that takes precedence over some of the so-called ‘research grants’ the Imperator has permitted upon this vessel?”

Mydei grimaced as he gathered his things. Here they go again.

“The research was vetted by experts in their field.”

“You mean the fools on the board of directors? Who have never so much as held a microscope in their lives?”

“Let’s go. Those two will be at it all day.” Phainon whispered, tugging Mydei towards the exit.

The two security officers quickly exfiltrated the room as the argument started to pick up steam. They made their way down the hall to the cafeteria, where a handful of crew members were already settled down for lunch.

“Hard to imagine we just lost an entire lab this morning.” Phainon mused as he lined up behind Mydei. “Perseverance in the face of calamity, I suppose.”

“Or they’re just apathetic.” Mydei hummed, scooping some food onto his plate.

Phainon bumped his shoulder against his partner. “Ever the optimist, my dear Mydeimos.”

Mydei rolled his eyes and proceeded down the line, picking up a glass of water before finding a table to sit at. Phainon followed shortly behind, humming a mindless tune as he settled down next to Mydei.

“Room for one more?”

The two men looked up to see Cipher holding her tray of food piled higher than either of theirs. Mydei gestured to the seat across him, which their fellow security officer swiftly took. “Thanks, Little Prince.”

“Didn’t see you at the debrief.” Mydei dryly commented.

Cipher laughed as she popped a grape into her mouth. “And watch Seamstress and Anaxa go at each other’s throats for the nth time? No thanks. Besides, I was there on ground zero. I know what happened.”

Mydei sighed and scooped soup into his mouth. “It’s still part of our responsibilities to stay informed.”

“What’s there to rehash? Big fuck ass rock crashed into the lab, embeded itself into the floor, exploded a little.” Cipher chewed on a chicken leg like she was in deep thought. “Hole was patched up, nobody died, everyone wins.”

“Everyone is far too nonchalant about what just happened.” Mydei gruffly remarked as he sliced through his chicken.

Phainon deftly speared a piece of broccoli off of Mydei’s plate and popped it into his mouth. “I suppose since we sustained no casualties, everyone is trying to go back to business as usual.”

Mydei scowled and pulled his tray away from his seatmate. “You have your own food. You could have gotten this yourself.”

“Aww, but it tastes better from you.” Phainon whined, trying to swipe another piece. Mydei batted him away, earning a pout and a flutter of eyelashes. “Fine. I can give the one I took back.”

“Please don’t.”

Cipher made a gagging noise. “You two are disgusting.”

The blonde man huffed and dug into his food. “He’s disgusting. I’m trying to eat.”

“Whatever. I’m gonna go bother Princess Homebody instead.” Cipher dextrously scooped up her tray and sauntered off to find Castorice.

Mydei simply sighed and continued to eat his meal. “HKS.”

“Love you, too.” Phainon pecked his boyfriend’s cheek before bringing his focus to his own food.

After lunch, Mydei found himself posted inside the destroyed lab as lab assistants cleaned up the mess and scavenged what they could. Meanwhile, a group of scientists were gathering samples from the rock, noting the unusual coloration and throwing out theories on its potential composition. Most of this went right over Mydei’s head but he understood enough to know that this was a very strange asteroid indeed. 

One of the scientists that was drilling samples suddenly stopped. “Huh.”

“What’s up?”

“It’s hollow.”

“What?” The other scientists began to crowd around the hole that was made. “How could it be hollow?”

“Maybe it had ice inside that melted and spilled out?”

“Maybe. But Anaxa’s report didn’t say anything about the electronics getting wet.” The leader of this group mused. “Plus, this is a really big cavity. That would be a lot of water.”

“Maybe we got lucky? Could have just seeped through the cracks and landed in the space between the walls.”

“Still, we should find out where that water went. Who knows what could happen?”

“Hey, Officer.” The leader turned to Mydei. “Do you mind reporting this to Lieutenant Hysilens? In case you guys find anything during your rounds.”

Mydei nodded and radioed in the findings. It was indeed odd that they couldn’t find where the contents of the asteroid went, but he was confident they’d find out sooner rather than later.

It didn’t seem like a problem for now.

-//-//-//-//-//-

By the next day, life aboard the ship had returned to more or less what it used to be.

With one of the labs out of commission, they had to rearrange the schedules for use of the remaining spaces; which led to some heated arguments up and down the halls. Mydei found himself spending more time breaking up fights than standing at his post. It was tedious, but keeping the peace was the entire point of his job.

Still, apart from bickering scientists insisting their research takes priority, it was peaceful. Things were predictable. Faces were recognizable. It wasn’t the most glamorous job in the world but it was alright.

Well… almost.

“Phainon!”

Phainon almost jumped out of his seat. “What? What?”

“Have you been paying any attention, Deliverer Boy?” Cipher hissed at him, pointing her fork at him accusingly.

“Uh- Yeah. Of course.” The white-haired man cleared his throat. “Of course I’m paying attention.”

Cipher narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Repeat what Rainbows just said.”

Phainon stared blankly at Hyacine, who was looking at him with concern. “Uh… S-Something about… her pet pony back home?”

Castorice frowned. “That was almost thirty minutes ago, Phainon. Are you okay?”

“Fine! I’m perfectly fine.” Phainon laughed, shoveling more food into his mouth. “The picture of health, I am! Nothing to worry about!”

Before any of them could react, Phainon stood up with his half-eaten plate. “Oh my, would you look at the time. I’ve gotta get back to work. I’ll see you guys later!”

The security officer quickly turned heel and walked away, dumping his leftovers into the trash and leaving the cafeteria. Mydei’s friends all turned to look at him with concern on their faces.

“Is he really okay, Mydei?” Hyacine voiced what everyone was thinking. “Is something going on?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Mydei admitted, staring down at his own food and suddenly not feeling all that hungry.

Cipher scoffed. “Doesn’t he tell you everything, even when you tell him to shut up?”

The blonde man nodded. “Usually, but… he’s been restless at night. He gets out of bed and leaves the room. I tried following him once and he told me to just go back to sleep.”

The ash-haired woman gasped. “Deliverer Boy saying no to alone time with the Little Prince?! Good gods, this must be bad!”

“Cipher, don’t exaggerate.” Castorice chided. “But I agree, it is immensely odd that he seems to be pushing you away.”

Mydei would never admit it, but he was feeling a bit hurt over Phainon’s dodginess. Something was clearly bothering him, and yet he doesn’t want to talk about it? It all seemed far too strange.

“I’ll… try to talk to him again later.”

Later never seemed to arrive, as Phainon kept finding excuses to avoid Mydei’s advances all day. When night came and Mydei thought they could finally talk, Phainon had apparently signed himself up for the night shift.

Now it was starting to bother Mydei. Was Phainon upset with him? Was it something he said? Something he did? Why won’t he talk to him anymore? The questions buzzed and swirled in Mydei’s mind all through the night and well into the morning. When Phainon came back from his shift, he said nothing as he changed into sleepwear and collapsed into his bunk.

“Phainon?”

“Mhm,” came the muffled response from the white-haired man.

Mydei walked over to his bunk and pulled himself up to sit next to Phainon. “HKS, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve been avoiding everyone, even me. You can’t tell me nothing’s wrong.”

Phainon breathed a soft sigh. “Nothing’s wrong, Mydei. Let me sleep.”

Stunned silence hung in the air.

“Was… Did I do something wrong?” Mydei quietly asked.

That seemed to jolt Phainon awake and he sat up with a start. “What? No, no- Why- Why would you think that?”

Mydei looked down at his hands on his knees. “You’re not talking to me. I figured… I must have said or done something to upset you.”

“That- That’s not- Mydei-” Phainon grabbed Mydei’s hand and pressed his lips against it. “You- You can do no wrong to me, okay? This has nothing to do with you, I promise.”

“Then what-”

“I…” Phainon sighed, lowering Mydei’s hand but keeping it firmly grasped. “I haven’t been sleeping well. It happens sometimes. I… I didn’t want to snap at you because of my mood.”

He was hiding something, Mydei was sure of it. “Phainon, are you sure it’s nothing I need to worry about?”

The white-haired man finally looked his boyfriend in the eye. “Yes. I’m sure.”

It wasn’t the total reassurance Mydei was looking for, but there was a sincerity in Phainon’s reply that eased some of the tension in his chest. After some hesitation, Mydei finally nodded. “Alright. If you’re sure.”

“I am.” Phainon leaned forward to capture Mydei’s lips with his own. “I promise, everything will be okay.”

Mydei hummed, leaning forward and pressing his forehead against Phainon’s. “I’m holding you to that, HKS.”

The faint chuckle Phainon gave lightened the weight on Mydei’s shoulders. “Aww, you do care about me.”

“Go to sleep.” Mydei pried himself loose and hopped down from the bunk. “I’ll see you later.”

Phainon leaned over the edge of the bed. “Hey.”

“Mhm?”

“I love you.”

Mydei couldn’t help but get soft. “I love you, too.”

Phainon smiled and turned over in his bunk, and soon the soft sound of snoring filled the room. Mydei sighed, quietly got dressed, and proceeded out of the room for his shift.

Despite the talk, Mydei found himself still worrying about Phainon. As he made his rounds, his mind kept wandering back to the white-haired man and his concerning behaviour.

“Um, excuse me, Officer?”

Mydei turned to the lab assistant that had approached him. “Yes?”

The assistant shrunk a bit. “I-It’s nothing, really, but… would… would you happen to know where Dr. Jodi is?”

Dr. Jodi. Biologist. Primarily works in the greenhouse lab. “No. Is something the matter?”

“Well… w-we haven’t seen her since the asteroid incident… a-and we can’t seem to get her on the comms...”

Odd. They were still in transit, so she should still be on the ship. “Hold on a moment.”

Mydei tuned into the open channels. “Does anyone know where Dr. Jodi is?”

The string of negative responses only added to the security officer’s concern. Mydei turned to the lab assistant. “When and where was the last time you saw her?”

“Um… shortly before the asteroid hit. She was retrieving some samples from cold storage.”

That was next to the portside laboratory. “I’ll go look for her. Maybe she’s in her quarters with a cold and never mentioned it.”

“Thank you, Officer.”

Mydei made his way to the scientist’s quarters and found Dr. Jodi’s room. He politely knocked on the door. “Dr. Jodi? Are you in there?”

No response. Mydei tried again. “Doctor? This is security. Your lab assistants are looking for you.”

Still nothing. Mydei considered his options and decided to check the cold storage. It wouldn’t have been the first time a scientist was so focused on their work that they forget to be a human being.

The cold storage was located next to the portside laboratory. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to have taken any damage from the asteroid strike so the precious samples they kept inside were safe. Mydei had only been here a handful of times, mostly helping someone carry samples to and from the laboratories. He scanned his badge over the sensor and it let out a beep before sliding open.

Inside, the room was just as cold as he remembered it being. Mild mist pooled at the edges of the room, where several floor to ceiling fridges housed the biological samples the ship carried. The center of the room was dominated by shelves containing plants that could only thrive at low temperatures. Mydei made his way into the room, looking between each of the shelves for the missing doctor.

A slight pit started to form in his stomach when he reached the end of the room and found nothing. This was a spaceship in the middle of travel. There was no way anyone could have gotten off without *someone* knowing. Where could she have possibly g-

“Can I help you?”

Mydei nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to find Dr. Jodi standing behind him. She was wearing a face mask and a jacket under her labcoat, but there was no doubt this was her.

“I… My apologies, Doctor. Your assistants have been looking for you.”

“What?” Dr. Jodi shifted through her pockets and pulled out her pager. “Oh dear, it seems my pager died. I must have not noticed it.”

Mydei stiffened. “Doctor, where have you been? Nobody has seen you for two days.”

Dr. Jodi laughed. “Oh, my apologies, Officer. I was feeling unwell and locked myself in my room. I’m feeling much better now, as you can see, but I still have a bit of a sore throat.”

“You could have gone to the infirmary. Hyacine would have seen to you.”

“With all those injured people? No, it’s alright. Just a common cold.” Dr. Jodi patted Mydei’s shoulder. “No need to worry about me, I’ll go see to my assistants now. Thank you, Officer.”

Without another word, Dr. Jodi turned heel and left the room, leaving Mydei to wonder what just happened.

Something about this felt… off. Rationally, everything made sense. A well-meaning scientist isolates themselves to prevent the spread of disease in a very enclosed space and simply forgot to communicate this to her colleagues. It wasn’t the smartest thing, but it was something within the realm of possibility.

Still, Mydei’s stomach churned. As he left the cold storage, he wondered how she managed to sneak up on him. The doors weren’t exactly silent and he was sure he checked every shelf as he walked in. There was no way he could have missed her.

He thought about it all through the day. The lab assistant that approached him thanked him for finding the scientist, saying how she explained her disappearance and was ready to get back to work. All Mydei could do was nod in response as he continued about his work. He was even quieter than normal over dinner, and as he made his way back to his quarters, it was evident his concern was quite palpable.

“You alright, Mydei?” Phainon asked as they settled in for the night. “Are you still worried about this morning? I told you, I’m fine.”

“It’s not that.” Mydei hummed as he laid down in his bunk, staring at the underside of Phainon’s. “Something… weird happened today.”

Phainon immediately hopped down from his bunk and sat down at the foot of Mydei’s. “What do you mean by ‘weird’?”

Mydei glanced over at the white-haired man. He seemed tense, like he was waiting for a blow or a gunshot. “I dunno, just… something doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Tell me about it. Maybe you just need to voice it out.”

Mydei scoffed. “What, like you?”

Phainon shrank at the scathing remark. “Hey, I told you it was something I had to deal with, okay?”

The blonde man sighed and sat up. “No, no, you’re right. I’m sorry.”

A moment of silence passed before Mydei felt the bed shift and he looked up to find Phainon sitting right next to him. “Apology accepted. Now, tell me about what’s bothering you.”

Mydei bit his lip as he tried to find the words to articulate his unease. “You know Dr. Jodi?”

Phainon nodded. “Molecular biologist. She studies the effects of low gravity on single-celled organisms.”

“Her. Apparently, she was missing for two days.”

“‘Missing’?” Phainon looked at Mydei with bafflement. “What do you mean ‘missing’?”

“Her assistants couldn’t find her. Nobody could. She wasn’t answering any of her comms either.”

“And you said she was missing for two days?”

“Yeah. Last anyone had seen her was right before the asteroid destroyed the portside lab.”

Phainon’s eyes widened. “Did anybody go looking for her?”

“Her assistant says they tried and just couldn’t find her. Then, when I went to the cold storage, she was just… there. Popped up right behind me.”

Mydei turned to look at Phainon and for a brief moment swore he saw something pass over his pale features. Then, just as quickly as it came, it disappeared and Phainon was looking at him with understanding. “That does sound really weird.”

“You think I’m going crazy, don’t you?”

“Oh please, we both know you were crazy the moment you agreed to date me.” Phainon teased, earning a soft punch from Mydei. “But no, I don’t think you’re crazy for thinking this is odd. I actually agree with you that something is amiss here.”

“So what do we do now?”

Phainon shrugged. “Investigate, I guess. We try to keep an eye on Dr. Jodi and see if anything else stands out. Best case scenario, she really is just that scatterbrained and all we have to deal with is an airhead biologist.”

“And the worst case scenario?”

“She’s secretly planning to overthrow Cerydra in a mutiny and commandeer the ship.” The white-haired man grinned.

The blonde man rolled his eyes and punched him harder. “Be serious.”

“I am! That’s a possibility!” Phainon laughed. “She could be evil, we don’t know!”

Mydei rolled his eyes and laid back down. “I’m going to sleep.”

Phainon laid down behind his boyfriend and wrapped his arm around the other man’s waist. “Alright, then.”

“Go back to your bunk, Phainon.”

“What, I can’t share a bed with my lover?”

“There are rules, HKS.”

“What they don’t know can’t hurt them.”

“I will kick you off this bunk.”

Phainon whined as he pressed his face into Mydei’s hair. “Mydei, don’t be mean.”

True to his word, Mydei shoved Phainon out of his bunk. “Go sleep in your own bed.”

The white-haired man pouted, but stood up and dusted himself off. “Fine, fine. Don’t come crying to me when you get cold tonight.”

“Good night, Phainon.”

Mydei rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Behind him, the bed creaked and he felt a gentle kiss planted on the side of his head.

“Good night, Mydei. Everything will be okay, I promise.”

-//-//-//-//-//-

“Dr. Jodi? What about her?”

Mydei fought the urge to fidget. “She told me she was sick and I was wondering if she had returned to work.”

Hysilens raised an eyebrow, but checked the logs on her computer anyway. “Her ID was logged into the greenhouse laboratory just five minutes ago. She should still be there.”

The blonde man nodded. “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

As he turned to leave, Hysilens called out. “Mydei.”

“Yes?”

“Is everything alright?”

Mydei paused at the doorway. “Just… keeping the peace.”

Hysilens stayed silent for a moment, then nodded in understanding. “I trust your judgement, Mydeimos.”

Mydei nodded in return and left the room, feeling the unease trickle back into his system. He didn’t have any evidence to present to Hysilens, but his instincts were screaming at him that something was amiss. He would have to investigate further to figure out why.

The security officer eventually made his way down to the greenhouse laboratory. The room was humid, intentionally so, to create a viable environment for growing all sorts of plant life. Tables were covered with plants, papers and sampling containers, all ready to be examined, analyzed and catalogued. Several groups of scientists and their lab assistants were here conducting experiments, including Dr. Jodi and her group.

Mydei nodded to the officer on duty before stationing himself by the door and watching the scientist. Dr. Jodi hovered by her lab assistant, watching him collect a sample from a plant and label it for storage. She stood behind him as he moved from plant to plant, always watching but never seeming to do anything herself.

Was that normal? Maybe she really was just sick and didn’t want to risk contaminating the specimens. Mydei shook his head and left the lab. He was going crazy. The dread in his stomach was growing but nothing was out of place. He stalked down the hall with nothing but his thoughts and the unease settling in his core.

“Hey, did you hear?” A technician on break was chatting up a lab assistant. “There’s some sort of flu spreading on the ship.”

“What? First I heard of that.”

“It’s true. Dr. Jodi was sick and now there are a few other scientists that have locked themselves in their rooms. Honestly, I think there might have been a virus in that asteroid in the lab.”

“Oh yeah, they’re still digging that out, aren’t they?”

“That’s the crazy thing, the whole rock seems to be disintegrating on its own.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They can barely run tests on it before it falls apart. It’s been super weird.”

Mydei froze in his tracks. How many people were sick? Were they sick at all? How was Dr. Jodi related to all of this?

The questions swirled in his mind, echoed in his ears. He started to walk aimlessly down the corridors, swamped by his thoughts.

Dr. Jodi is crucial here. She had to be. How could she have disappeared entirely for days? This was a large ship, yes, but the hallways were well-used. She had to eat during that time, and yet nobody saw her coming and going? It was all so suspicious. Surely someone else is coming to the same conclusion? 

“Mydei?”

Mydei whirled around expecting an ambush, only to find Phainon right behind him.

“Woah, hey, easy.” Phainon placed a hand on Mydei to steady him. “It’s just me. Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Mydei looked at the white-haired man then down the hallway. “Where did you come from?”

Phainon pointed to the hallway right behind him. “I’m on patrol.”

“Right…” He let out a small sigh and leaned against the wall. “Fuck, I’m too wound up.”

“Still investigating Dr. Jodi?”

“What is there to investigate? She’s at her job doing what she’s supposed to do.” Mydei folded his arms across his chest. “I should let this go, but…”

“You think it’s more than Dr. Jodi?” Phainon asked.

Mydei nodded. “I overheard a tech talk about how some scientists have locked themselves up in the past day or so. They think it’s some kind of disease.”

“And what do you think?”

“I think…” Mydei bit his bottom lip in thought. “I think Dr. Jodi might be behind these disappearances.”

Phainon nodded. “Alright. Then we need to find proof.”

Mydei blinked in surprise. “What, that’s it? You believe me, just like that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“It’s crazy. I’m pretty sure I’m crazy.”

“That’s what they said when you took me in.” Phainon’s tone was teasing, even if his gaze went soft. “I wouldn’t be here today if you didn’t give me a chance. For that, I owe you everything.”

Blood rushed up into Mydei’s face and he averted his eyes. “I changed my mind. You’re the one that’s crazy.”

“Guilty as charged.” The white-haired man laughed and pulled Mydei closer, gently kissing the side of his boyfriend’s head. “I’m definitely crazy for you.”

Mydei scoffed but leaned into the embrace. For all his complaints, Mydei couldn’t help but feel comforted and safe when he was with Phainon. The pit in his stomach was still there, but it didn’t feel as overwhelming anymore. As long as Phainon believed in him, things would be alright.

Phainon placed another kiss on Mydei’s head then pulled away. “Much as I’d love to continue this, I still have some work to do. You keep following your gut, see where it takes you. I’ll check in on you again later.”

While he was a little disappointed to no longer be held, Mydei wasn’t going to admit that. “Alright. I’ll see you later, then.”

The white-haired man gave a reassuring smile before heading down the hallway. Mydei watched him go for a few minutes before turning around and heading back to the greenhouse lab. Phainon was right. He had to follow his gut in this. His rational mind would be of no use until he found tangible proof that something was wrong.

Just as he was about to enter the lab, the lab assistant exited with a tray overloaded with samples and almost bumped into him.

“O-Oh! I-I’m so sorry-”

Mydei gently caught him before he dropped everything. “It’s fine. Here, let me help you with that.”

“A-Ah- Th-Thank you!”

The blonde man carefully picked up a few of the samples. “Right. Where to?”

“Some of these are to go to c-cold storage, while the others are gonna be pa-passed over to a team in the starboardside l-laboratory.”

Mydei nodded and the two started making their way to the cold storage room. As they walked, the security officer decided this was the perfect opportunity to investigate. “How is Dr. Jodi? Is she alright?”

The lab assistant nearly jumped out of his skin. “Sh-She’s fine, yes! Still a little sick but otherwise okay…”

“I overheard that some other scientists might also be coming down with something.”

“Oh no! I hope it doesn’t get too b-bad, we’re short staffed as it is, with s-so many of us still injured after the a-asteroid.”

“Right.” Mydei had to be careful not to set off any alarm bells for this person. “Maybe Dr. Jodi should go see the infirmary? Just to be sure?”

The lab assistant nodded. “I’ll… I’ll try to suggest that to her…”

The security officer raised his eyebrow. “Something the matter?”

“N-No, it’s nothing… just…”

Mydei stopped walking. “If she’s abusing you, you have to report it.”

The lab assistant nearly dropped his tray again. “Oh, no no! Nothing like that! Dr. Jodi is the kindest person I know!”

“She just… she seems distracted.”

“Distracted how?”

“Usually, when we collect samples, she would talk to me about things. I know she has a sore throat and everything but she doesn’t even respond when I ask her questions. She just… watches. I think she’s a lot sicker than she lets on.”

Mydei narrowed his eyes, then hummed. “You should ask the medics for their help. Maybe she’ll listen if it comes from a professional.”

“Maybe.” The lab assistant nodded in agreement. “Thank you, Officer. I know this technically isn’t your job…”

“It’s my job to maintain order. If someone is sick, they should be resting.”

“All the same. Thank you.”

Mydei nodded and the two continued on their way. At the cold storage, the lab assistant put the samples away, thanked Mydei for his help, and insisted that he could manage the rest of the task on his own. Mydei simply nodded along and wished the lab assistant good luck.

As the lab assistant left, Mydei made his way back to the greenhouse lab to see if Dr. Jodi was still there. As he was about to turn the corner, he spotted her leaving the lab and walking down the hall. They exchanged nods before Dr. Jodi continued down the hall. Mydei waited a few minutes before deciding that following her would get him the answers he was looking for.

He followed her through the ship, ducking into side hallways and supply rooms to avoid notice. She eventually made her way to the scientists’ quarters and entered her room. Odd, Mydei thought, since most scientists would spend their entire day out doing their experiments. Still, maybe she was in fact sick and taking a short break. That rational side of him tempered the churning in his stomach that something wasn’t quite right.

After about an hour, Dr. Jodi emerged from her room and headed back down the hall. Mydei quickly made himself scarce; it would be a little too conspicuous for her to see him again in the scientists’ quarters of all places.

No luck for now. He’ll try again later.

-//-//-//-//-//-

That evening, Mydei sat at the security office terminal and accessed the logs for Dr. Jodi’s movements in the ship. He pulled up the list and studied her comings and goings.

Exited her room, entered the greenhouse lab, exited the greenhouse lab, entered the cold storage, exited the portside lab-

Wait.

That can’t be right.

Mydei double checked the logs to make sure he was reading it correctly. Dr. Jodi couldn’t have possibly gone from the cold storage to the portside lab; there was no door connecting them. He stood up from the terminal and left the room. This had to be worth checking out.

He made his way to the portside laboratory, where repairs were underway to make it usable again. At the center, the asteroid had indeed reduced in size. Mydei approached the asteroid and peeked inside to see it was indeed hollow. By the size of the hole, whatever was inside must be just slightly bigger than a human being.

A sudden chill washed over Mydei’s body. There was no way that was possible, was it? Could it be that whatever was in this asteroid was actually a creature of some kind?

He backed away from the asteroid and took a breath. The missing people, the odd behaviour, the unusual jumps in location; facing this asteroid, the possibility of some sort of malevolent being at work slowly formed into something horrible Mydei’s mind; a creature that could move through the gaps in the walls, and could maybe even-

Creak.

Mydei froze.

Creak. Creak.

He wasn’t alone anymore.

Creak. Creak.

Someone was here.

Creak.

Some*thing* was here.

Mydei glanced at the glass cabinet to his right, a flicker of movement, hazy in the cracked surface. Whatever it was, it was approaching him slowly.

Like a predator.

He swallowed down the lump in his throat. Stay calm. It hasn’t made a move yet. Maybe he could get the jum-

Movement in the corner of his eye triggered his reflexes just a second too late, as whatever it was grazed the side of his head. Mydei rolled back towards the asteroid, leaning against it for cover from his assailant. He readied his gun and leaned around the corner to fire.

A tall, lanky creature stood by the broken shelves, towering well over any human being on the ship. It was covered in black and brown scales, from its pointed muzzle to its long, sharp tail. Its hands and feet were tipped with claws, its mouth was split into four segments that revealed two rows of razor sharp teeth. Its eyes, however, were the same as the scientist Mydei had been investigating for the past two days, and the tattered remains of a labcoat clung to its body.

“Doctor-”

The creature that was once Dr. Jodi surged forward, claws raised and coming down fast. Mydei raised his gun to shield the blow, but the force of the strike split the weapon in two and sliced a portion of his arm. Recoiling from the pain, Mydei didn’t even see the tail lashing out at him, piercing through his armored vest and into the side of his torso. As it pulled back for a third attack, Mydei grabbed a piece of debris and flung it straight at the creature’s face. It didn’t seem effective, but it was enough to distract the beast as Mydei bolted for the door.

He reached up to activate his comm unit but found nothing instead. With a wince, he realized it must have been knocked out during the creature’s initial surprise attack. Mydei wondered if he could run back to the security office, maybe find someone to help.

A crash brought his attention behind him, where the creature started surging after him. Panic gripped his chest as he realized he wasn’t going to outrun this thing. Even at top form, he would get caught sooner rather than later. He ducked into the first corner he saw, then badged into the first room he saw.

He was met with rows of electronic panels, and a supply closet located at the back of the room. Myde made a mad dash for the door, opened it and slammed it shut.

Out. He had to get out. This thing could crawl through walls, it wasn’t going to be deterred by a few closed doors for long.

Near the floor, Mydei spotted a vent and quickly tried to pry it open with the first metal object he could grab. He crawled into the space and started following it out. This was a horrible idea, but he had to get away from this creature somehow. It knows he had seen it and identified it. It’ll hunt him down.

As he passed by the vent that led to the electronics room, the horrid sound of the door sliding open made his heart stop. Mydei held his breath as he heard the scrape of talons on the metal floor. He pressed himself further into the vent, wincing at the way the steel chilled his wound. The creature was closing in. His blood was definitely on the floor. It wouldn’t take long before it finds him.

His heart hammered in his chest, his breathing was getting shallow. Was this from his injuries or from fear? Both? Was this how he met his end?

Chittering echoed through the room, followed by a loud snort of air. Mydei slowly reached down to his leg and pulled out his combat knife. If he was going to go down here, he wasn’t gonna take it quietly. Maybe it’ll be enough racket to bring the other security officers here. Maybe someone will notice his absence and come looking for him. Even if he doesn’t make it, he’ll give the others a fighting chance.

One talon became visible through the grate. It was practically on top of him. This was it-

BANG!

The creature flinched and hissed, its tail whipping behind it as it turned around.

BANG!

Another flinch, but the creature seemed less fazed this time. It let out a screech, then chittered threateningly at the assailant.

“Hey, it was worth a shot.”

Mydei’s heart dropped to his stomach. What was Phainon doing here? He couldn’t fight this thing on his own.

“I know we can shrug bullets off easily but we aren’t immune to them. Nor to knives. I’ve tested that extensively.”

We?

Mydei dared to inch forward to get a better look out the vent. The creature was fully locked onto the doorway now, where a familiar pair of combat boots stood between it and the hallway. Phainon dropped the gun and pulled out his combat knife.

“You’re not hurting anyone else again.”

In a blink, Phainon and the creature threw themselves at each other and Mydei could barely make out where the invader began and the security officer ended. Blood splattered against the floor as the two tore into each other like wild animals.

At first, Mydei thought he was hallucinating. Blood loss or adrenaline or something of that nature affecting his cognition. However, the longer he watched, the more he realized he was watching two razor tails trying to slice into each other, two pairs of clawed hands swiping and tearing at flesh, two sets of sharpened teeth bared in utter defiance.

The creature screeched. It roared and it hissed. It growled like a starving animal. Maybe that’s what it was; an animal that’s been cornered by a far bigger predator. It was thrown to the floor with inhuman strength, pinned down by a clawed hand covered in white and blue scales. It thrashed about until a second hand came down hard onto its neck. Then, a white tail wrapped itself around the discarded knife Mydei barely noticed had been dropped and was stabbed straight into the joint between the creature’s neck and shoulder.  A horrid gurgling noise erupted from its mouth, blood gushing from the wound and pooling onto the floor.

Mydei watched the white clawed hands pull away, a white tail swishing past the blood on the floor. The hands shrunk back into human hands, the tail disappeared back under the torn shirt, fangs retreated back into a pale face. Phainon breathed a sigh of relief, before sheathing his knife and backing out of the room. Mydei waited for another minute before crawling his way back up the vent and into the supply closet.

Reality crashed down on him all at once and suddenly he found it hard to breathe. Phainon wasn’t human. He was the same as that creature. How long has that been the case? Since the asteroid? Longer? Was he ever human to begin with?

Mydei took a deep breath, then another. His head spun a bit and he remembered he was still bleeding out. Shakily, he got to his feet and pushed his way out of the closet.

The creature still lay motionless on the floor, its jaws slack from its dying breath. Blood pooled into the vent he was just in, sending a faint shiver down his spine. No. Now was not the time to think about this. He had to get help.

He staggered out into the hallway, hand still holding onto his wound. He was starting to get dizzy from blood loss; he had to get to the infirmary soon.

“Mydei!”

Mydei froze as Phainon ran towards him, Hysilens and the other security officers following behind His fight or flight response kicked in and he was about to throw a punch when Phainon’s hands found his shoulders. “Are you okay? Wait, you’re bleeding! When did you get hurt?!”

“I…” Mydei stared at him dumbfounded. He knew what he saw. He knew what Phainon was. By every rational bit of his mind, he should be exposing him to the rest of the crew.

And yet… those same hands that had slaughtered his own kind were holding him so gently. The tenderness in his eyes was unmistakable, so full of genuine concern and care. Was this man really the same as the creature that had massacred their crew?

Mydei swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m fine. The creature got the jump on me and I lost my weapon. I hid in the supply closet.”

Phainon’s hold stiffened. A brief flash of rage passed his expression before it smoothed back down into worry. “Hyacine should take a look at you. Come on, let’s go to the infirmary.”

Mydei let himself get led to the medbay, Phainon looming next to him every single step. Hyacine made quick work tending to Mydei’s wounds, confining the man to bedrest until he fully recovers. Throughout the process, Phainon hovered nearby, almost looming over Hyacine until the medic finally shooed him away to let her do her job.

As Mydei got settled into the bed, Hysilens came by to visit, followed closely by a very concerned Phainon. “Mydeimos. How are you?”

“Better, thanks to Hyacine.” Mydei glanced at Hysilen’s hands covered in gore. “How are things out there?”

“Messy. The Imperator has the entire ship on lockdown. The security team is searching for the missing scientists, or at least what may be left of them. She will most likely be coming here for your statement soon.”

“Understood.”

“Lieutenant,” Phainon began slowly, “would it be alright if I-”

“Yes, you may stay here for the time being. I will be calling for you later.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Hysilens nodded and turned back to Mydei. “Get some rest. We’re in for a busy few days.”

Mydei nodded back and watched Hysilens leave the infirmary, leaving him alone with Phainon. The white-haired man sat at the edge of the bed and gently held Mydei’s hand. “How are you? Really?”

For a moment, the blonde man hesitated to answer. He was still uneasy with the revelation that the man he was dating was actually a shape-changing alien that could easily wipe out the entire crew if he felt like it. One wouldn’t have been able to guess that just by looking at Phainon right now; tired, worried, looking at Mydei with a mixture of fear and relief.

“I’m a little sore, but I’ll be okay. I just need to stay off my feet for a while.”

Phainon smiled softly. “I’m glad. If anything had happened to you…”

Mydei turned his hand over to hold Phainon’s. “I’m plenty tough. I would have been okay.”

“Still. I worry about you, Mydei.”

“Phainon?” Hyacine poked her head into the room. “Hysilens told me you were the one that fought that thing? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Hyacine, I’m fine-”

“No. Come here, I’ll give you a look over.”

Phainon sighed and brought Mydei’s hand up to kiss it. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”

“Okay.” Mydei watched Phainon get up and walk to the door. “Hey.”

Phainon turned around. “Yeah?”

This was crazy.

“I love you.”

Phainon’s eyes widened with surprise then melted into something soft and warm. “I love you, too.”

Mydei’s heart blocked his throat and made it hard for him to breathe. Phainon was dangerous and safe. He was dishonest and sincere. He was alien and human. Nothing about this made sense. Nothing about this was sane. Was this his Phainon? Or was the Phainon he knew never the real one to begin with?

As the door closed and Mydei was left to his thoughts, one thing remained clear.

He was completely insane and still very much in love.