Chapter 534: Visiting the Injured
Xavier left Lyra resting in the shattered isolation bay. The feral energy had settled, her breathing steady as her new biology stabilized.
He pushed through the doors of the primary infirmary.
The blaring alarms from earlier were dead. The auto-docs had retracted into the ceiling. Kylus was sitting on the edge of his cot, rolling his shoulders. The mercenary pressed a hand against his ribs, finding solid bone where there had been fractures just an hour ago.
Rin was already on his feet, tossing a scalpel into the air and catching it to test his reflexes. Reva sat quietly in the corner, staring at her perfectly reformed wrist and the dark bruising was entirely gone.
"Your blood is a literal cheat code," Kylus muttered, looking up as Xavier entered. He wiped a smear of dried blood off his chin. "Drake shot that synthesized compound into my neck, and it felt like swallowing a fusion reactor. I should be in a body bag."
"You’ll live," Xavier said flatly. He stopped in the center of the ward. "The reptile wearing Klatos’s face was a member of the Anti-Intergalactic League. A Demonic Society."
The room went dead silent. Kylus stopped rolling his shoulders. Rin caught the scalpel and held it tight.
"Demons," Rin said, his voice dropping. "We just picked a fight with the shadows that run the galaxy."
"They picked the fight," Xavier corrected. He looked around the room, his red eyes locking onto each of them. "If the Demonic Society wants to hunt, let them come. We will butcher their Vanguard Fleet and sell their cores."
Kylus frowned. "He killed Vea. I am going to hunt them down and take my revenge."
Xavier turned his attention to the far corner of the room. Arlen sat perfectly still on her cot. She was wearing a spare gray jumpsuit, her ruined Warden uniform discarded on the floor. She stared at her hands.
The Axiom compound had completely healed her shattered wrist, but the near-death experience had broken something else. The rigid, Federation-drilled discipline was gone.
Xavier walked over and stopped right in front of her.
"Get up," Xavier said.
Arlen didn’t move immediately. She kept her eyes on her hands. "I lied to Director Hale."
Xavier crossed his arms. "I was aware that you were on a mission."\
"You don’t understand," Arlen said, finally looking up. Her eyes were hollow. "I submitted a false report to Headquarters. I told Hale the Iron Mandate was handled. I told him the AIL threat on the prison was neutralized and that you were cooperating under my strict supervision. I painted a picture of absolute control."
"And?"
"And Hale didn’t buy it," Arlen admitted, her voice tightening. "He issued a direct recall order yesterday. He wants me back at Headquarters immediately for a full debriefing. If I don’t show up, or if I refuse the order, he won’t just send a patrol. He will send the Federation Vanguard. They will flag this ship, and they will hunt us down."
She waited for the anger. She expected him to draw a weapon, or at least threaten her for keeping the recall a secret while the Demonic Society was actively infiltrating them.
Xavier simply stared at her. Then, the corner of his mouth twitched upward into a predatory smile.
"Good," Xavier said.
Arlen blinked, confused. "Good? Xavier, if the Federation gets involved now—"
"You’re going back," Xavier interrupted.
Arlen froze. "What?"
"You are going to pack your gear, take a shuttle, and report directly to Director Hale," Xavier instructed, stepping closer until he towered over her. "You are going to sit in his office, look him dead in the eye, and give him the exact debriefing he wants to hear. You will feed him whatever intel I decide he is allowed to have."
Arlen’s breath hitched. "You want me to act as a double agent inside Federation Headquarters? If Hale catches me lying, he will execute me for treason."
"Hale won’t catch you," Xavier said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You belong to me, Arlen. Not the Federation. You are going to walk into that Headquarters, secure your position, and keep their eyes completely off this sector while I handle the Demonic Society."
He reached down, grabbing her chin and tilting her head up to meet his violent red eyes.
"Do we have a deal, Warden?"
Arlen stared up into those violent red eyes. The rigid Federation discipline, the years of protocol, the desperate need to maintain order, it had all burned away in the violet fire of the Demonic Society’s domain. She was exhausted, terrified, and entirely ruined.
"Only if you fuck my brains out first," Arlen whispered.
The medical ward went dead silent again. Rin paused, his scalpel freezing in his hand. Kylus raised both his eyebrows, letting out a low, impressed whistle. Reva just shook her head from the corner.
Xavier’s expression didn’t change, but the red in his eyes darkened. He released her chin. He didn’t say a word. He just turned his head and looked directly at Kylus.
"Give me an access card. Now," Xavier demanded.
Kylus wanted to say something, but he chose not to. He reached into his tactical belt, pulled out a heavy magnetic keycard for one of the VIP officer quarters, and tossed it across the room. Xavier caught it effortlessly out of the air.
He turned back to Arlen.
He grabbed her by the collar of her jumpsuit and hauled her to her feet. She didn’t resist. She let him pull her forward, her boots stumbling slightly against the metal deck before she caught her balance.
Xavier dragged her past the auto-docs, past the silent medical personnel, and straight out the blast doors of the infirmary. He marched her down the dim, metal-grated corridor.
He found the officer’s quarters at the end of the hall, swiped the magnetic card, and the heavy metal doors hissed open. He shoved her inside the dark room and stepped in right behind her.
The doors slammed shut, locking automatically.
