A few hours later, I was making headway with the new code when my HUD pinged for an incoming call, and I saw Major Kuba flash up.

"Ashley?" I asked. "Everything okay?"

"I'm going to be late," she sighed. "Can you hold the fort?"

"Err, can do," I replied. "Dinner will be ready when you get in."

"Dinner?" she asked.

"I'll make one of my specials," I replied, putting my tools down, my stomach growling as if it knew I was talking about food.

"Piotr," Ashley said, her voice low.

"Yeah," I asked, dubious.

"You know you'll make someone a fantastic husband one day."

I laughed at her. "See you soon, Major." And I cut her off.

But, while she was gone and I noodled over the latest code, I did move to the kitchen to start dinner.

I glanced around the apartment, what had been clean a few days ago, now was not. It didn't seem right; it wasn't my place, but I also cleaned the place up. The kitchen needed attention too, so I set about clearing surfaces and throwing discarded clothes into the wash basket.

I only paused the once, when I bent down to pick up her underwear. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. The room spinning. Am I still overdoing it?

<<You're running a low-grade fever. Perhaps follow up with Doctor Francine?>>

The feel of real silk in my hands, though—I turned and tossed it into the wash basket fast.

<<Heart rate elevated. Why?>>

"Guilty, I shouldn't be touching her personal stuff."

<<But she's your friend?>> Doli asked. <<Why do you feel—guilt?>>

<<Clothes are personal—I'd like to think she's my friend—but—>> I replied.

<<Friends help each other out, right?>>

I was nodding, but I didn't answer. The bubbling pan on the stove made me turn.

A few hours passed, and by the time Ashley walked through the door, her face flushed, I'd forgotten my slight transgression with her underwear.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She ignored my questions, deflecting. "I need a shower. Is dinner okay for five?"

It would alter the taste slightly, but she would never notice, I turned it down. "Yes, take your time."

A few moments later, the water was gushing in her shower, and I watched dinner while studying Doli's coding.

Ashley returned in fuzzy pajamas and pink slippers, her hair up in a towel. This was a side of her I'd not seen as yet.

"That smells good," she said, nosing over my shoulder.

Dinner smelled good, but damn, so did she. Vanilla and coconut soap washed over me, tantalizing other parts of me.

<<Captain, heart rate elevated. Status?>> Doli asked.

<<Fine,>> I replied and focused back on Ashley. I beamed, "One of the things I actually like when I get a chance."

"Cooking?" She moved to a cabinet and pulled out two glasses, reaching for some flavored water from the fridge.

"Yes," I said. "I didn't always eat takeout, and junk food."

"Where did you learn?" She sat at the table, pulling her knees to her chest.

Heat rose up my neck.

"What?" she teased. "That bad?"

"I went to night school for a while," I replied. "Once I was earning enough to pay bills, there were a few things I knew I needed to do. Looking after myself was one of them. That meant real food"

Ashley's expression shifted, becoming more thoughtful. "That's what separates you from the others, you know." She took a sip of her water, studying me. "Most people at the academy had everything handed to them—their education, their opportunities. But you..." she gestured vaguely with her glass, "you fought for everything you have."

I shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise. "Just did what I had to do."

"No," she said firmly. "That's what most people do—the bare minimum to survive. You saw what you needed and went after it. That's why I picked you for this project. That instinct to see beyond the obvious solution."

I placed a full plate of food before her.

"You made this all from scratch?"

"As best I could with what you have in here, not exactly a chef's heaven."

"You've cleaned up too." This time her face fell.

"I don't mind. Seemed the right thing to do."

She took a bite and closed her eyes, savoring it as she chewed. "You know, Piotr, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. About navigating the academy."

I raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"These kids—they're trained to follow protocols, to see the world in terms of rules and procedures." Her eyes locked with mine, intense despite her casual posture. "But out there, in real combat situations, in crisis? Rules get people killed. What saves lives is the ability to adapt, to see the problem differently. That's your strength. Don't let them standardize it out of you."

The conviction in her voice caught me off guard. "Is that what happened to you?"

A shadow crossed her face. "Let's just say I learned the hard way that sometimes, the most dangerous part of a mission is following orders without question." She took another bite, then added quietly, "Your team sees it in you too. That's why they're drawn to you, even if they can't articulate it."

Conversation drifted into comfortable silence while we ate. When she made those little sounds of appreciation, something warm spread through my chest that had nothing to do with attraction.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"This really is good. Thank you."

I nodded at her and waited.

<<Think she'll talk without prompting her?>>

<<I don't know. What do you think?>>

<<Doubtful. You need to ask,>> Doli confirmed.

"What's going on?" I eventually asked. "Something's bothering you beyond the usual."

Ashley looked at me, then toward the back door, out to her labs. She set down her fork with deliberate care. "They've taken my early findings on Doli and are working on them in another lab."

"They can do that?"

"The idea of her has been around millennia," she sighed.

"But?"

"I'm worried they've taken my early programming as well, not just the idea." Her fingers tightened around her glass. "You need to understand something, Piotr. In this world, innovation isn't about creating something new—it's about controlling what you've created. What we're doing with Doli isn't just an engineering project. It's..." she hesitated, choosing her words carefully, "it's a responsibility. Power comes with consequences."

"Is that why you picked me?" I asked. "Because I'm outside the system?"

She met my gaze steadily. "I picked you because you see machines the way they are, not the way someone tells you they should be. Because you question everything, including yourself." She leaned forward. "Listen to me. No matter what happens in the coming weeks, trust that instinct. It's kept you alive this long for a reason."

"So this other Doli?"

"It's nothing like our Doli," she said. "One of the other scientists gave a presentation on it. It's—"

"Weaponized?"

She didn't answer, but her silence was confirmation enough. I began clearing the dishes, processing what she'd said.

"Piotr," she called softly as I stood at the sink. "The academy is teaching you skills, but don't let them change who you are. Your unorthodox approach, the way you look at problems—that's not a flaw to be corrected. It's your greatest asset. Remember that when things get complicated."

It was the most direct advice she'd given me, and something in her tone told me to take it seriously. I nodded, wondering what she knew that I didn't.

I returned to her, from here, she looked lost, shoulders slumped. When I reached out she didn't flinch as I touched her. Gently, I massaged her shoulders, and neck.

"Damn, you're really tens," I said when she actually groaned.

"Sorry," she said and made to move. "It's been a tough day; I should probably head to bed."

"Stay put," I insisted, and carried on with my gentle assault.

Eventually Ashley relaxed, and actually leaned into me. Despite how tight her muscles were, I unwound them, and I found it relaxed me too.

"Better?" I asked when I stopped.

"Thank you," she said and looked up at me. "I needed that."

"Have a warm shower," I told her.

"I just had one," she complained.

"A bath then, if you can. Then sleep. Don't touch any datapad."

She nodded. "I won't. Promise."

I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair. "I'll see you tomorrow," I said.

"Thanks," she said again. "For the apartment, too, I mean it."

I dipped my head and made to leave.

Outside, I turned to head back to my bunk, realizing Ashley was right—it was a fair trek. I glanced up at the silver moon illuminating the base. It actually looked peaceful out.

My feet moved on autopilot, the academy quiet around me, my thoughts louder than my footsteps. Somehow, instead of heading straight for my room, I found myself at the entrance to the engineering wing, drawn by the comforting hum of machinery. Without consciously deciding, I ascended the stairs, each step bringing me closer to a place I hadn't planned, but needed.

Pushing open the door at the top, I emerged onto the rooftop of the academy's engineering wing. It wasn't much, a slab of cold metal overlooking the floodlit grounds, but up here, I could breathe. The stars shimmered above, scattered across the black sky like shards of broken glass. They felt impossibly far away, unreachable, but tonight they seemed brighter than usual. Or maybe that was me, trying to forget the mess I'd made earlier in the day.

The sound of boots on metal interrupted my solitude. Andri Boutack had a way of walking, confident, deliberate, like he owned the ground beneath him.

"Didn't think I'd find you up here," Andri said, his voice more relaxed than usual. He dropped a steaming thermos cup at my side before sitting a few feet away.

<<Alcohol?>>

<<Shield-screen hides thermal sigs, security cams won't flag contraband.>>

I glanced at him, surprised. "What's this? A peace offering?"

"I almost walked away, so call it what you want," he said, taking a sip directly from his flask. "Figured you could probably use it after the day you had."

"Which part." I asked, raising an eyebrow. "The power grid, or the test?"

"The power grid," he said, smirking. "You almost fried it, but your work held until the academy engineers got there."

I snorted a little too loud, then I picked up the cup to take a cautious sip. The warmth of alcohol spread through me, cutting through the chill of the night. "Not my fault the system was patched together with duct tape and hope."

"You're not wrong," Andri said, leaning back and staring at the stars. "Still, you pulled it off. Saved a lot of cadets from failing their first exams."

"I wasn't thinking about the exams," I lied. "I didn't want the whole grid to collapse."

Andri chuckled softly. "Thing is, my brother was in those exams. So, whether you meant to or not, you saved his ass."

I froze, the cup halfway to my lips. "Your brother?"

He nodded. "Cadet Lin Boutack. First-year. If the grid had gone down, they'd have had to redo the whole evaluation. He would've cracked under the pressure. Stress isn't exactly his thing."

I set the cup down, the weight of his words sinking in. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," Andri said, glancing at me. "You don't know me or any of us. You don't think about stuff like that. You just… do it. Fix things. Make them work."

I wasn't sure if that was a compliment or an accusation. "So, why are you here? To thank me on his behalf?"

"Couldn't sleep," Andri shrugged. "Saw you up here, figured maybe I wanted to figure you out."

"Figure me out?" I echoed, narrowing my eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're an enigma, Argassa," he said. "One day, you're sneaking into hangars and stealing chips—"

How the fuck did he know that?

<<Unknown.>> Doli said. <<Shall I investigate?>>

"—the next, you're saving the academy's power grid. People like you don't come around often."

I didn't know how to respond to that. "I'm doing what I can."

"Yeah, but why?" Andri pressed. "What's your angle? You trying to prove something?"

I hesitated, turning the thermos in my hands. "I don't have an angle. I… I don't like seeing things fall apart. If I can fix it, I do."

He studied me for a moment, his smirk fading into something more serious. "You remind me of Lin."

"How?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"He's got this habit of thinking everything's his responsibility," Andri said, his voice softer now. "Even when it's not. He'll take on the world if it means keeping someone else from getting hurt."

I frowned, unsure how to take that. "Sounds like a good quality."

"It is," Andri said. "Until it's not. Don't let it eat you alive, Piotr. You can't fix everything."

I looked at him, caught off guard by how genuine he sounded all of a sudden. "Since when does Andri Boutack give advice?"

"Don't get used to it," he said, but he was smiling. "I wanted to say thanks for what you did. Lin wouldn't have gotten through those exams otherwise. And… I'd hate myself if something happened to him."

His voice had an unexpected vulnerability that caught me off guard. Andri Boutack, the academy's golden, sharing something personal? It was like seeing behind the armor of a classified project.

"No problem," I managed. "But don't get all mushy on me, okay?"

He chuckled, getting up and brushing off his trousers. "Wouldn't dream of it. Got a rep to maintain."

As he was about to head out, I shouted after him. "Hey, Andri?"

"Yeah?"

"Your brother… he's damn lucky to have you."

He looked back, his smile softer this time. "Maybe. But today, I think he was lucky to have you around."

With that, he disappeared down the stairs, leaving me alone with the stars.

Minutes later, I was back at my bunk, staring at the ceiling.

I turned the events over in my mind. The sabotaged power grid could have been catastrophic. Someone was willing to risk hundreds of cadets' futures—for what? To access Doli? To undermine the academy? Or was it something more personal?

I thought of Andri's expression when he'd seen the evidence, that flash of genuine fear before his confident mask returned. Whatever was happening, he knew more than he was saying.

The patterns were beginning to emerge—the power grid, the access attempts to Doli's systems. They weren't random targets. They were probes, testing our defenses, looking for weaknesses.

I pulled up the coordinates from the power grid on my datapad, studying them again. They were incomplete, but they pointed somewhere off-academy grounds. Somewhere that might hold answers.

I tossed the datapad aside. Frustrated. Tired and frustrated.

Trait Progression: Pattern Intrusion Response +7%

Trigger: Independent anomaly re-analysis

Current Progress: 16%

<<Would you like to continue your first class?>> Doli asked.

I checked the time. "Yeah, I have time tonight, but if I fall asleep, don't wake me."

<<Unlikely you'll fall asleep during combat training.>>

She didn't know me that well yet. I chuckled.

<<Loading sequence now.>>

While my body rested, my mind did not, and by the time the first course was complete, three hours had passed.

NOS Cognitive Upload Complete – Combat Sim Week 8

Mental Energy: 6 (Stabilized)

Cognitive Load Index: 38% – Within optimal bounds

Week eight was in the bag, to which I smiled. Exhausted, but happy.

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