Jack barely slept.
Again.
But this time, it wasn't because of fear.
It was because of the dreams.
The same dream, looping in fragments, clearer each time:
A cold metallic room.
Needles sliding into his skin.
A man's shadow looming over a crib.
An infant crying.
A woman screaming his name — his real name — not Jack.
Mercer whispering:
"Awaken, Alpha."
Jack shot awake in the dark, chest heaving,sweat chilling across his skin. His ribs hurt with every breath, but that pain was nothing compared to the pressure behind his eyes — like something inside him was pushing upward from beneath the surface, wanting to break through.
He gripped his hair, trying to steady himself.
He didn't scream.
He didn't cry out.
He had learned to stay silent with pain.
Years of life had taught him that.
But tonight… it was different.
Tonight he felt like he wasn't alone in his own mind.
Maya Arrives
The door slid open before he could catch his breath.
Maya stepped in without knocking, knife in hand, hair slightly messy from running. She scanned the room with her eyes first. Only when she confirmed he was alone did she relax — barely.
"Jack," she said.
He looked up at her.
The hallway lights behind her cast a halo around her silhouette, making her look like a guardian pulled straight out of a dream.
Or a nightmare, if you were her enemy.
"I heard you," she said quietly, walking toward him. "You were breathing like someone was choking you."
Jack rubbed his face. "I'm fine."
"You're not."
He exhaled shakily.
"No," he whispered. "I'm not."
Maya stepped closer.
Then she sat next to him on the edge of the bunk.
Not across.
Not near the door.
Next to him.
Close enough that he could feel her warmth.
Close enough that he could breathe again.
"What did you see?" she asked.
Jack shook his head. "It wasn't seeing. It was feeling."
"Explain."
He struggled.
Words felt too small.
Finally he whispered, "Something inside me is waking up."
Maya stiffened.
"Alpha instincts," she murmured. "Ward warned this could happen."
Jack looked at her, terrified. "Maya… what if I become him?"
Her eyes softened.
She shook her head.
"You won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"How?"
She paused.
Then said the closest thing to a confession she'd ever allowed:
"Because if you were truly like Mercer… you wouldn't be scared of becoming him."
Jack swallowed hard.
Maya's voice dropped even softer.
"Fear keeps you human. And you feel too much to become a monster."
Jack looked at her — really looked.
At the worry in her eyes.
At the tension in her shoulders.
At the exhaustion she tried to hide.
"You're tired," Jack said.
"So are you."
"No… I mean you look like you haven't slept in days."
Maya looked away.
Rafael said something earlier — a teasing remark about her being glued to Jack.
She thought about that.
She hated that it was true.
But she also didn't move away.
"I'm fine," she said.
"You're not."
She blinked — because no one ever said that to her.
Certainly not with care.
"Why are you always watching me?" Jack asked quietly.
He didn't say it accusingly.
He said it like someone who didn't understand why someone would stay.
Maya's lips parted.
"Because you're unpredictable," she answered.
He frowned. "Is that why you're afraid?"
Maya went very still.
Then shook her head.
"No," she whispered. "I'm afraid because you matter."
Jack's breath caught.
Her eyes widened slightly — like she hadn't meant to say that out loud.
Before either of them could speak—
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then fully stabilized.
Jack tensed. "Is that—"
"No," Maya said quickly. "Not Mantis. Surveillance shift error. Happens during system reboot."
Jack let out a shaky breath.
Maya stood.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
"Observation deck," she said. "You need air."
Jack hesitated. "Will Mantis—"
"I won't let her near you."
Maya's voice was cold. Deadly. Absolute.
And Jack believed her.
The Observation Deck
They walked through the silent corridors until they reached the massive glass overlook above the training center. City lights flickered beyond Astra's steel defenses. Somewhere out there, Helix was watching. Waiting. Planning.
Jack leaned against the railing, breathing deeply.
Maya stood beside him — not too close, not too far.
Close enough for him to feel safe.
He glanced at her. "Do you ever sleep?"
She didn't look at him. "When I have to."
"Maya…"
She finally met his eyes.
"You can't watch me every second."
"Yes," she said softly. "I can."
Jack swallowed. "Why?"
She exhaled slowly. "Because I've lost people before. And I can't—"
She stopped.
Couldn't finish.
Jack stepped closer.
"Maya… I'm not your past."
Her breath hitched.
He wasn't sure if he'd gone too far.
But she didn't step away.
She whispered, "Then stop acting like it."
Jack blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You keep thinking you're helpless," Maya said. "Weak. Not capable. But today… you fought an enhanced soldier and survived."
"I didn't win—"
"You didn't die," she said sharply. "And you saved my life."
Jack froze.
He remembered the moment — the soldier swinging at her, the split-second decision, the instinct that drove him forward.
"I didn't think."
"You didn't need to."
Her voice softened.
"It means part of you knows how to survive."
Jack slumped against the railing.
"I hate that part of me."
Maya turned toward him fully.
"Jack," she whispered, "I don't."
His breath caught in his throat.
She continued, voice trembling just enough for him to hear:
"I hate Helix. I hate what they did to you. But whatever they put inside you… it's not evil. It saved us. It saved you. It saved me."
Jack stared at her.
"Nobody ever looks at me like you do," he murmured.
"Good," she said. "Because nobody ever will."
Silence thickened between them.
Not awkward.
Not heavy.
Intimate.
Unspoken.
Charged.
Then—
Jack's breath hitched sharply.
He grabbed the railing.
Maya stepped forward instantly.
"What is it?"
Jack squeezed his eyes shut, panting.
"My head—it feels like—like pressure—"
Maya grabbed his wrists.
"Jack—look at me. Focus."
"I—can't—"
He stumbled.
Maya caught him before he fell.
He gasped as images flooded his mind.
Faster.
Clearer.
Like memories pushing through a cracked wall.
Cribs.
Needles.
White lights.
Mercer's hands.
Baby cries.
A lab door marked:
SUBJECT ALPHA — NEURAL SYNCHRONIZATION
Jack screamed.
A raw, broken sound.
Maya tightened her grip.
"Jack—stay with me—Jack!"
His eyes opened — glowing faintly.
Maya froze.
Oh god.
Alpha traits.
The surface of his irises shimmered like fractured metal.
Jack whispered, terrified:
"M-Maya… what's happening to me?"
She grabbed his face in both hands.
"You are still Jack. You are still you. Look at me!"
His breathing slowed.
The glow dimmed.
He sagged against her, shaking.
Maya held him.
Really held him.
Arms around him.
Chin tucked above his head.
Shielding him from the world, from Helix, from himself.
He whispered into her shoulder:
"I'm scared."
"I know," she murmured. "I am too."
"Why?"
"Because I can't lose you."
He slowly raised his head.
Their faces were inches apart.
Her breath brushed his lips.
"Maya…"
A thousand emotions flickered in her eyes:
Fear.
Fury.
Determination.
Tenderness.
And something else she wasn't ready to name.
She cupped his cheek.
"Rest," she said. "You've done enough for tonight."
Jack nodded weakly.
But he didn't pull away.
Neither did she.
Eventually, she guided him back to his room — staying close, steady, unshakeable.
He lay down reluctantly.
Maya sat in the chair beside the bed.
Jack frowned. "You're not leaving?"
"No," she said softly. "Not tonight."
His chest loosened.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Maya leaned back, watching him.
Observing him.
Protecting him.
And long after Jack finally drifted into sleep—
Maya remained awake.
Knife in hand.
Leg muscles coiled.
Eyes on the door.
Because Mantis was still out there.
Because Mercer was watching.
Because Jack was changing.
Because something inside him was… awakening.
And because Maya Rios—
for the first time in years—
was afraid of how much she cared.