The base was still. Too still.
Kaila walked through the hallways like a ghost, nodding at people, pretending everything was normal. But the silence didn't feel like peace anymore. It felt like something holding its breath.
Andy had been… off.
He still kissed her forehead in the morning. Still brought her food. Still asked if she slept well.
But there was a tightness behind his smile. A weight in his words.
He didn't laugh the same.
And sometimes, when she touched him, she swore his skin felt colder than it should.
Scene: Missing Pieces
Harper dropped the report on Alaric's table.
"Third disappearance in four days."
Alaric didn't look up.
"Same pattern?"
"Gone from night watch. No signs of struggle. Weapons left behind. No blood. Just... gone."
"Security feed?"
"Glitched out during the time stamp. Every single one."
Alaric finally looked up.
"You think someone's covering it?"
"I think it's not someone."
Scene: Skate Retreats
Kaila stared at her reflection in the water tank near the west wing.
She didn't look different.
But she felt different.
Skate wasn't speaking to her much anymore.
It used to whisper all the time. Subtle thoughts. Soft nudges. Gentle warmth in her chest. Now it was quiet. Cold.
Sometimes it flickered inside her, like a flame running low.
She sat down near the tank, staring into the rippling surface.
"You still there?" she asked.
No answer.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Still nothing.
Only a flicker of static at the edge of her thoughts.
Scene: Andy's Shift
That night, Kaila found Andy sitting in the supply hall, alone, staring at the wall.
There was blood on his shirt. Not his.
"What happened?" she asked.
He looked up, eyes slow to focus.
"Animal attack outside. Scout didn't make it."
"You're bleeding."
"It's not mine."
She knelt beside him. Placed her hand on his.
He didn't flinch. But his fingers were colder than they should be.
"I miss you," he said.
"I'm right here."
"No. I miss... before."
"Before what?"
"Before you were more than me."
Kaila blinked.
"I'm not more than you, Andy."
He looked at her. Smiled. But it wasn't a happy smile.
"Yeah. You are."
Scene: The Stain
Later, Harper found something behind the mess hall.
A patch of the floor was bubbling. Organic. Like muscle had grown under the tile.
She knelt down and touched it with the end of her rifle.
It twitched.
Harper didn't sleep that night.
Neither did Alaric, after he tested it and found trace genetic markers from the bio-fragment that had been missing for days.
He didn't tell Kaila.
Not yet.
Scene: The Mirror Moment
Kaila sat with Andy in their room.
They were silent.
She watched him sleep, and for just a moment, his body shimmered.
Not visibly. Just in the way a nightmare shifts in the dark.
His shape didn't change. But something about it was... misaligned. Like a man trying to wear himself.
Then his hand twitched.
And his fingers tightened around hers in his sleep.
Tight. Almost painful.
She didn't move.
She just watched.
And for the first time since Skate bonded with her...
She felt afraid of the one lying next to her.