THE TITAN EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER 38 - Fire Power

Everyone gathered around the eBoard screen, eyes shifting to Sarah as she spoke, and then back again to the display of the station map on the tablet. Her eyes caught Phoenix's attention as she glanced his way, reminding him of a pair of marbles he played with as a child, clear and sapphire blue, bursting with flecks of silver.

She removed the eBoard from the pole mount and touched the screen, enlarged a section of the layout, and said, "The main laboratory is on the third-floor, middle corridor, past one of the spoke tunnels, in Sector C."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Phoenix said.

"Like I said, we need to split up?"

"That doesn't sound smart," Callisto replied. "You said yourself that Sergov may have thawed out by now."

"We believe his molecular structure is resistant to the cold. He's immortal, and he's a monster," Sarah said, a slight quake in her voice. "Not a wonderful combination, but nothing we can't handle."

"So," with a bit of a frown and a wrinkled brow, Phoenix surveyed the group, "as Dr. Lawson suggested, three of us go for the cases in the main lab, and the other three pay a visit to the pod bays on Sector A. Then we met up in D, and scoot."

Next to Phoenix, Ariel mumbled something. "What was that?" he asked.

She scratched the side of her neck, eyes wide. "Just said, 'It sounds simple enough."

When Phoenix looked up from Ariel, Nova was staring at him. He held her gaze for a moment, wondering if there was any part of them as a couple that still existed inside her anywhere? A thought occurred to him. Could Nova be jealous of Ariel? That look was strange enough, but the fact remained, he had spent most of his time aboard the station paired up with the doctor. If Nova had felt anything, even a remnant, a sliver of their past, then she might remember more.

Phoenix eyed the screen. "We'll find out what we can concerning the whereabouts of your husband. You still consider him your—"

"Yes, he's still my husband."

"Just checking. Okay. Nova and Dr. Lawson can go with me, then."

"You're not thinking like a pilot or an officer," Nova said, shaking her head.

Phoenix raised his chin, having suspected she might resist. "I'm an astronaut, you heard the Admiral."

Nova said to Sarah, "We should split up by rank. I'll take Callisto and Luna. We can secure the cases."

"Absolutely not." A lump of fire burned in Phoenix's chest. He couldn't lose her again. He had a mind to walk right up to her, take her in his arms, and kiss her. Would she remember anything then?

"She's right," Sarah replied. "Commander, you can lead our group. Dr. Fairhaven can go with us."

Luna raised her hand and cleared her throat. "What about weapons?"

"And what, blast a hole in the station and suck us all into the vacuum?"

Standing next to Luna, Callisto said, swallowing a visible knot of tension down his throat, "What about the Sergov... thing?"

Sarah remained quiet.

Nova picked up on the fact that Phoenix's gaze kept drifting toward her. "I'll be okay," she said. He was still thinking about laying a kiss on her, but knowing Nova, she would deck him. That wouldn't get him anywhere.

Sarah pursed her lips, drew in a wisp of air, and exhaled. "There may be something we can use in case we run into trouble." She tapped the eBoard. Rolled the wheel of the space station clockwise. Pinched the view to zoom in on a particular floor and section. "Right here."