Having survived the exhausting trial and made it back into the station, Reece just laid still and smiled for a moment. The thought of doing another EVA anytime soon made him shiver, and he was deeply troubled and incredibly furious with the fact that someone had obviously just tried to murder him. Reece attempted to calm down from the harrowing ordeal and get his raging emotions under control before anyone ran into him.

Playing this smart was vitally important. Bursting into the control room and accusing any member of the crew of murder wouldn’t end well for anyone, including himself. He took his time and secured the inner bulkhead and carefully stowed his suit and gear. They would be needed later to repair the damage he was forced to do to the airlock in order to get back inside.

While finishing up, Reece came to a decision. He would play it off as if he suspected nothing. There had to be an explanation for the damage that was done. The only way Reece could do that would be to say that the gravity system had malfunctioned, his suit’s comms unit was on the fritz, and there was no comms panel inside the airlock. It was still unlikely, but plausible. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Reece activated the intercom via the comms panel.

“Control, do you copy? Over.”

“Loud and clear,” replied Thomas ecstatically. “We thought you were a goner! It’s great to hear your voice! We’ve already had more than our fair share of tragedy today... What happened out there anyways? How’d you get back inside?”

“We had some system malfunctions. I’ll explain it all in person. See you in a minute.”

Reece collected himself and headed off for the control room. When he got there, he was greeted by hugs, shoulder claps, and handshakes. Naeva and Aika were both there, as was Pasha, Sora, Jared, Thato, and Thomas. The rest of the crew was scattered around the station in case Reece had managed to clamp onto one of the immobile pieces of the station. Thomas had already informed them that Reece was safely inside. They all wanted to know what had happened on the spacewalk.

“We tried to reach you on the intercom when the station started to spin up, but we didn’t get a response. Plus, when we tried to stop the spin-up, we were locked out of the system... I am so sorry. I’m just glad you’re okay,” said Naeva, clearly relieved.

Reece noticed that her mascara had run and her eyes were a touch red, but he didn’t say anything about it.

“I’m going to run a complete system diagnostic on the software controls for the AG,” cut in Aika, referring to the artificial gravity system that was now suspect. “I’ll figure out what happened with it.”

“I’d appreciate it. I really don’t want to go through that again, but I have an idea of what happened,” replied Reece to the two women. “It seems the airlock’s bulkhead had caused more damage than I thought. I was able to repair everything, except some damage in the airlock which I’ll get to later. However, it seemed the repair caused several systems to temporarily reset. I must have popped a breaker when I was fixing the wiring for the lab. The comms circuit went down for a while and both the gravity system and outer airlock door were reset to their default positions. That caused the station to spin up. I wouldn’t mind you verifying this, but I’m confident that’s what you’ll find with your diagnostics.”

Once he was past the falsehoods he had told, Reece went on to explain the rest of what had happened just as he remembered. While he told his story, the absent crew members showed up. He felt bad lying to them about the EVA, but he needed to change the details enough to give a plausible explanation for the malfunctioning systems.

He also worried that Aika’s diagnostics may draw attention to her, especially if there was something she could find and point to the culprit. If he tried to smoke out the murderer, he may be able to distract them from doing anything to her. Only he didn’t know how to do that without making things worse. If the killer was in fear of exposure, they may do something rash and endanger the entire crew. Reece would watch, keep an eye on Aika…and wait. He figured he wouldn’t have to wait too long.

Reece told everyone in control that he was worn out after his ordeal and was going to grab some rack time. He went over to the men’s barracks and fetched his journal from his personal belongings, scribbling much of his musings within it. He left out anything that would draw suspicion from anyone who may decide to break protocol and decency and read the journal. The commander entered with Jared in tow. Jared’s left eye was severely bruised. The commander pushed Jared who stumbled towards Reece.

“Reece, Jared’s got something to say to you,” announced Commander Rogers as he shut and secured the barrack’s bulkhead door behind them.

“Uhhh, Reece... I, uhh... I’m really sorry,” mumbled the terrified man as he kept looking to the commander for acknowledgment that he was saying the right things to Reece.

“What are you talking about?” asked Reece though he was pretty sure what the answer would be.

“It was me that spun up the station, turned off your comms, and shut the airlock door. I swear to you, it won’t happen again. I’m so sorry,” explained Jared, sweating profusely as if he feared for his life.

“What!?! Why would you do that? What did I ever do to you? I thought you guys wanted me on your team. This makes no sense at all,” blurted Reece, instantly fuming despite trying to stay calm under all the recent pressure. Anger and confusion battled for control.

“Tell him,” commanded Rogers. Jared swallowed hard.

“Fine. Okay. So... when we return to earth after things have run their course, well... we’ll have to settle down with someone. You see, I wanted that someone to be Sora. However, the decision was made to give her to you,” Jared paused, not wanting to continue.

“And,” prodded the commander.

“And...,” grumbled Jared, swallowing his pride. “I couldn’t handle it. I... understand now that I was just being selfish, and... it’s a small thing next to all of the rewards that will be heaped upon us from the masters of the order.”

Reece couldn’t believe it. He could tell that Jared wasn’t telling him the whole truth, but what he said made sense in a perverse sort of way. The arrogance to think that they had the right to ‘give’ Sora to him, or that he would be okay with ‘taking’ her, was appalling. Confusion gave way to anger, so he figured he’d get a little payback for Sora and keep up the charade at the same time. Quick as a boxer, he sucker-punched Jared in the gut with his right fist. Following up, Reece jabbed the man in his good eye with his left.

“I forgive you,” he told the reeling man as he walked past him.

He patted the commander on the shoulder to say a silent ‘thanks for clearing things up’. He heard the commander chuckle behind him as he left the area.

“I knew you’d fit right in,” stated the commander approvingly.

It made his skin crawl. What Reece was really thinking was how depraved this group must be. However, he needed to keep up pretenses, at least for now. He spun open the bulkhead door and left the barracks and the two men behind before he really went off on the both of them. That would certainly blow the goodwill he had garnered with Commander Rogers. Reece knew that now wasn’t the time.

The rest of the day passed without incident and Reece decided to seek out Naeva. The last thing Angel had told him was that he could trust her if things went sideways. Someone like Jared attempting to kill him definitely qualified for that. Besides, he needed someone to watch his back in case they tried something again. He only half believed it was all Jared’s idea. Having someone to confide in would be cathartic, if not immensely helpful. The enigmatic Naeva would have to do. He found her exercising in the gym along with Sora and Thato.

“Ah, have you come to join us?” welcomed Thato. “We were just beginning some yoga. Please, grab a mat and sit.”

This wasn’t a part of the day that Reece had planned, but it wouldn’t hurt. The day had been extremely stressful, and maybe a little yoga would help him to relax. Reece grabbed a mat and received an introduction to yoga. Clearly, Naeva and Sora were well-versed in it already. Thato made an excellent instructor and Reece got the hang of the forms and movements quickly.

Looking over at Sora, he couldn’t help but think about the commander’s words. They were just going to give her to him, without her having any say at all. It was monstrous and made his stomach churn. He pushed it from his head and concentrated on the forms. When the session was over, he thanked Thato for the lesson. It had helped calm him down and he did feel better. Taking a breath, he approached the dark temptress, a name he found amusingly appropriate for the woman. He couldn’t even look at Sora.

“You’re a natural,” smiled Naeva.

“Thanks,” replied Reece. “Actually, I really need to talk to you in private, if that’s ok.”

“Of course,” she whispered in a way that was meant to beguile and make promises of hidden pleasures. She smiled wickedly and winked, clearly not on the same page with Reece.

As they spoke, Thato and Sora bid them farewell and headed off for their respective barracks to shower and prepare for their duties. It was getting late for Reece and Naeva, but Thato and Sora were working a different shift. Naeva got that mischievous smile on her face again.

“So, what would you like to talk about?” she asked demurely. “Or did you have something besides talking in mind?”

“You are incorrigible,” replied Reece, forgetting about the disturbing thoughts of Sora he had earlier.

Naeva picked up a dark grey rucksack she had brought to the gym. Reece noticed that it had some words of Arabic writing on it, written out in silver.

“What does your gym bag say?” asked Reece in an attempt to change the subject and also just because he was curious.

“What, this?” asked Naeva slyly, indicating the bag she had slung over her shoulder. It’s Persian for ‘Women are like cats. They always land on their feet’.”

“Well,” chuckled Reece. “That is certainly a fitting proverb.”

“Of course, now come,” she beckoned. “We can discuss whatever you want to talk about while we shower. It doesn’t get any more private than that, since the gym showers aren’t often used. Plus, you already know the door can be locked from the inside.”

Reece decided not to argue and followed her to the showers. What she said made sense and her obvious suggestion didn’t sound unpleasant either. Once inside, she locked the portal closed and began stripping down to nothing. Not having a better idea, Reece did the same despite his emotions being in turmoil. She stepped up to him and began kissing him passionately. He returned her kisses for a moment before pulling back. He found her raging libido a bit odd.

“Are you sure you want to do this considering what kind of day we’ve had?” he asked her. “I’m amazed you’re in the mood.”

She studied his face as she considered his words.

“It is true that this day has been horrible,” she carefully answered. “That’s why I don’t just want this. I need it too. Let’s find comfort in each other and make this day a little less awful.”

Her words struck something within him, and he leaned back in and kissed her back with just as much passion as she had. Some of his turmoil was washed away by their shared desire. They fell into each other and for the next hour, they forgot all about the horrors of the day.

Afterward, they lay in each other’s arms. As he held her, Reece understood what she had meant. What they had just done...it didn’t just help her, it helped him as well. The day did get a little bit less awful. But before he could confide in her, they both fell asleep after the long and stressful day.