Lina looked back as the door closed again, a curious look on her face. She gave him a wave before he couldn’t see her anymore. Xaleyp turned to the soldier.

“Why does he want me?” he asked.

“That’s none of my concern.” The soldier relaxed slightly as the lift started moving upward again. “I was just sent to retrieve you. Suppose he’ll tell you himself once you’re there. I know this new to you and all, but I would suggest, however, that you speak about him a little more respectfully.”

After several seconds of travel, the door hissed open again. This hallway was different. While it was a similar design to the two layers below, it was brighter, more refined, more sophisticated.

They made several turns through the halls. Xaleyp tried to keep up, but he quickly lost track of where they were. Periodically, windows allowed him to see out. The space station looked impossibly large when he looked down. It seemed to stretch for kilometers, yet was tiny compared to the planet it orbited. He could lose himself for days in Vertyn.

Soon, they were outside the Colonel’s office. With a chime, the door opened to reveal a reception area. A couch sat at either end of the small room, and a desk was directly in front of them. There was another door at the back right side of the room. The office assistant looked up from his work as they entered.

“One Xaleyp Vah’Aris,” the soldier said. “By personal request of Colonel Ire.”

“Yes,” a slow, drawling voice said. “The Colonel is waiting. Go on in. You are to return to your regular duties, Sergeant.”

The soldier bowed to the receptionist and turned, walking out the door. It hissed twice, leaving Xaleyp standing motionless in the middle of the room and looking at the door. The door stared back at him, solid and resolute.

“I wouldn’t leave him waiting if I were you, cadet,” the man said without looking up. “Best hurry in.”

Xaleyp felt a lump form in his throat as he crossed the room. A voice whispered around him, just out of earshot. The same voice from his memory at the same inaudible level as the first time he heard it. The more he tried to focus on it, the further it seemed to move away. When he reached the door, it hissed open and the whisper stopped at once.

Inside was a rather formal room. The walls were not the familiar gray metal of the station but were carefully laid planks of a dark brown wood. A rug was spread across the center of the floor. To one side was a fireplace, and to the other, a bookshelf adorned with dozens of books. At the back of the room was a window displaying an empty area of space. A desk was in front of it with a single man and two chairs on the side closer to Xaleyp.

He recognized the man again at once. Not just from when he spoke earlier, but from when Ire kidnapped him. The scar across the cheek, the short, gray hair, the thin lips. Xaleyp felt the anger rising inside him once more. The lips of the Colonel curled upward just slightly.

“Xaleyp Vah’Aris.” The man gestured to the seats. “Please, sit down.”

Xaleyp obeyed, sitting in the nearest chair. It was made of a sort of impossibly soft gel that seemed to envelop and hold him in place.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I sent for you,” the Colonel said. Xaleyp nodded, his lips suddenly dry. “I thought it would be best if I formally introduced us.”

“You’re the man who kidnapped me,” Xaleyp said, struggling to keep from stuttering over the words. His voice was quiet, and he shrunk away at the look the man gave him.

“I didn’t kidnap you, child.” He laughed. “Is that what you think? No, no, no. Your father signed a contract, and per that contract, we conscripted you and brought you here, to this wonderful, state of the art, training facility. It was actually one of his last acts.”

“What does that mean?” Xaleyp’s face filled with puzzlement. “What do you mean one of his last acts?”

“Well, I arranged for his car to be blown up.” Ire’s voice was direct and unwavering. “I didn’t want him in the way, so I removed him.”

“What about my mom?” Xaleyp felt like his throat was closing up and tears welled up in his eyes. His dad was dead? How could he be? He always seemed so invincible, as if nothing could stop him. “Is she okay?”

“I admire that about you.” Colonel Ire stood and walked to the window, clasping his hands behind his back. “You and your father, so alike, always looking out for those around you even when it is yourself that is in danger. To answer your question, though, I would have to say she is not okay. She had an unfortunate accident and is no longer with us.”

Xaleyp dug his fingers into the arm of the chair. Tears made their way down his cheeks, dripping in small splotches onto his fatigues.

“Of course, that is why I wanted to speak with you.” Ire turned to look Xaleyp in the eyes. A grin passed over his face when he saw the young boy in distress. “I am going to make you my pet project—A personal challenge, if you will—and if you don’t follow every order we give, you will join your parents.”

“Why are you doing this?” Xaleyp asked, tears freely flowing.

His parents dead? That was not safe. The one job his dad gave him. What about Rach? Was she okay?

“Your father was strong willed. I would expect the same from you. However, consider this a warning. If you refuse to do what we say, you will suffer the consequences. Now, go join your fellow cadets in the mess hall and get something to eat. You look hungry.”

Ire sat back down, his eye twitching as he accessed his CAM. Xaleyp carefully stood, not sure if his legs would cooperate with him. He walked out the door and past the receptionist, who hardly even looked at the boy, more focused on his work.

After a few minutes of aimless wandering, Xaleyp found his way back to the lift. Instead of going to the mess hall, he worked out the path back to the dormitory. There were a few other people there, none of them he knew by name but had seen before. Two boys sat to the left watching the holoprojector, and there was another boy and two girls on the right.

Xaleyp walked over to the door on the right when the second from the left opened. Lina walked out. When she saw him, she ran over to him. Some kids around the room looked over at the sudden noise but quickly went back to their own activities and conversation.

“Xaleyp, you’re okay.” She was smiling widely. Upon seeing the look on his face, however, it disappeared. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t really want to talk about it.” Xaleyp kept walking. With a deep breath, he turned to look at the girl. “I’ll see you in the morning?”

She nodded, the smile returning to her face. He turned back to the door, and it hissed open as he neared it. Crossing the room, he found his bunk and slid the compartment open. He tossed the datapad into the corner by the footlocker. The gel mattress felt soft underneath him, yet also miles away.

His parents were dead. Rach was missing. He was told to do just one thing. Keep his mom and Rach safe. He failed.

“When you meet her, you must trust her.”

Could it have been talking about Lina? What was so important about whoever it was? What did the room, the machine, the mechanical arms mean? As he lay there trying to sleep, Xaleyp never felt more alone. At least he could look forward to Lina being there in the morning.