The Ark

34.

"What did Axel find today?" I blurted without hesitation.

I felt Zaphron's head fall off the arm that was propping it up. "What?"

"Delta just told me to ask you what Axel found today."

He let out a low whistle. "God she's quick. Axel only checked in with me a few minutes ago."

"And?" I prompted, impatient for him to continue. A vague memory of a conversation between Zaphron and Axel back at club popped into my head. Something about Axel and Atlanta chasing up a lead.

There was a pause and Zaphron's elbow grazed my shoulder as he rubbed a hand down his face. "Axel and Atlanta went to check out a port," he said slowly. "There's a rumour that Zenith's deploying her first wave of private troops to the Old World—and Axel just confirmed it's happening."

I whipped my head around, just about headbutting him in the jaw. "She's sending off troops already?"

"You know what Zenith's like. She wants to start the development as soon as possible."

I sucked in a long breath and squeezed my eyes shut. Those poor people in the Old World have no idea what's coming for them.

"What can we do?" I asked, my voice gaining a wobble as all the hope I had left ebbed away.  I'd run out of time.

"I'm still optimistic about the malware, but we're going to have to find it soon. Zenith's plans have been a little delayed by the storm."

"How delayed?" I asked. "Because I can't see me finding that virus anytime soon."

Zaphron let out an exhale that hit me full in the face. "You will," he dropped his voice low, his huskiness becoming more pronounced. "I've got faith in you."

I swallowed back the ache rising in my throat. How could near-strangers like Zaphron and Delta have any kind of faith in me when I didn't even have faith in myself?

"Why?" I whispered, barely able to hear myself over a distant roll of thunder. "I've done nothing to prove I'm capable—"

"Astrid." Zaphron pressed his forehead to mine and I bit down on my lip in surprise. "You've done nothing but prove you're capable. Against all odds, you kept yourself alive. You've evaded the most powerful woman on the Ark as she's tried to hunt you down. Hell, you even broken into ZenTech HQ and crashed your Dad's memorial while you should have been laying low."

"But I wasn't alone. I had help for all those things."

Zaphron kept his forehead pressed against mine, each of his words casting a tiny breeze across my lips. "You don't have to do this alone either. We're going to help however we can."

I inhaled. The cramped space had become stuffy with our body heat and the overwhelming scent of our shared deodorant filled the air.

It smelled like Zaphron.