And the guards did come. In under five minutes the dent in the door reversed but the metal failed to slide open. Rinn didn't take that well. She picked her head up from Ian's shoulder and waited.

Finally, she asked, though still eyeing the door, "Who is it that you talk to? Who is this Norman?"

Ian swallowed down his panic. Who was Norman? What was Norman? He settled on the one information he knew to be true.

"He's a friend."

"These protocols go beyond me, Tellman. I can't bypass them."

And he was hard at work.

Rinn met Ian's gaze, disappointed. "What are you doing, Bassy? What are you trying to do?"

Ian shook his head at a loss. "I'm just trying to hang on to you—if you'd just let me."

"Have him open the door," she demanded.

He wouldn't. After five years, this brief moment of theirs amounted to five minutes after so long.

The metal of the door sang and a life-size vid screen encompassed the entire door.

Val's unpleasant scowl came into view—along with a small army at her back. The black armor meant ELETEs.

"Hosh," she warned, "I'm a pacifist but a tech-head like me can appreciate the complexity in literally dismantling an ancient prison cell designed to trap my kind."

Silence.

Her red hair framed her face when she hung her head. That was a common habit of hers to hide her intent.

"Get him down here," Val demanded. "And make sure you keep him away from me."

One enforcer bowed his head and hurried away.

Another one stepped forward. "Ma'am, should we get a battering ram?"

Val scoffed, "For what? Look at the shape of this hallway."

The vid screen faded, the sound fading with it.

As trapped as they were, Ian took some comfort in it, but Rinn trembled in his hold.

"Bassy...."

Ian kissed her brow. Being granted affection like this was zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye but Ian wrestled with the prospect of losing that. He'd craved it. And until this very second, he never knew how much.

"We just need to hang on. Norman's got us."

Refusing to meet his gaze, Rinn shook her head. "You're doing it again—doing the impossible again."

But despite her words, she didn't break the hold. Eventually she would. If those enforcers came in, she would.

"Norman, can you give us a portal out?"

Rather than the System, the response came from the door. Val's image returned. At her side stood a stout man with muscles abound. He and Val stood a good distance from one another. They were two people in contrast—Val's tall slender frame, and her companion's short, chiseled body. Apart, not many people would take notice. Apart, they were a menacing force. But together...together they could more than drag this room up from the tunnel, literally.

Ian gasped. "Harris."

"I see him," the System said. "He cannot enter, but he has the means to get you out and he is the last person you want by your bride."

Ian staggered to his feet, dragging Rinn up with him.

Rinn glanced at the door then back to Ian again, forlorn. "Open the door, Bassy. End this. You end it, or I will."

Harris picked his head up and stared ahead. His hazel eyes and dirty blond hair caught the tunnel lights.

"Friend," Harris said, "when we get you, I'm charging you for the effort."

Ian swallowed hard, desperate to rethink this.

"Norm...."

"Standby for a mass portal. It will fill the entire room. I'll drag you both into stasis then retrieve you at a later date. Understood?"

Ian took Rinn by the hand and nodded. "Right."

"Protocol zero, zero, zero, zero...." She met Ian's gaze as she continued, "zero, zero, zero, one."

The vid on the door faded, all lights dimmed, and a deafening siren erupted.

"Purge engaged."

Ian could make nothing out. "Rinnie."

"You say you don't want to keep me against my will," Rinn muttered despite the siren. "Then don't."

But what the hell was she doing? The ground softened. Ian tapped the floor. A portal was forming.

Rather than them sink in, a bright light fell from the ceiling and crashed into the ground. It expanded, then retracted and faded with the sound of the siren.

The room illuminated and Val greeted them from the now open door. "Hallo, hosh."

"Protocol—protocol—protocol engaged—engaged-engaged...."

The System's voice petered down into nothing.

"Let me explain how this goes," Val said. "Anyone who steps foot into your home gets crushed." She extended her arms and rose up, floating. "But what happens when there's no foot touching that floor?" She folded her legs under her and leaned forward. "And what happens when I reach you?"

Harris turned to her. "We agreed you would not enter."

Val ignored him, still with her eyes on Ian. "You stop now, we can all look each other in the eye tomorrow."

Ian considered calling her bluff.

"You can't stay in here forever, hosh, you've gotta eat sometime," Val reminded him.

Scoffing, Ian held his ground.

Val's expression changed as she focused on Rinn and cocked her head. "What does that mean, hosh? What does that mean Rinn doesn't gotta?"

Ian opened his mouth to lie but there was no use, Val'd already taken the thought.

"She doesn't, does she?" Val asked. "She doesn't eat."

"That's enough," Harris told her. "You can't fault a man for protecting his wife."

"She's not his wife." "I'm not his wife."

Those few words crushed Ian but they changed Harris's expression.

"Ma'am," he asked, "are you being held against your will?"

Rinn looked down at Ian's hand holding hers then met Ian's gaze. "Am I?"

Ian bit back his upset. "Rinnie," he begged, but her woeful expression cut through him; this was hurting her. Him causing all this commotion like he always managed, it was hurting her.

"Ready the projectiles," Harris ordered.

"No." Ian finally met their gaze. "System, shut down security field, passcode: ...when are you coming back, one word."

It didn't matter if everyone heard it—he had a feeling he no longer had need for it. The lights flashed; the security field disengaged.

Within seconds, people rushed in, checking the little room over. Ian stood watching as wall panel after panel cascaded to the ground. The enforcers disassembled the room.

"No triggers that we can see, ma'am," one enforcer said to Val.

Helpless, Ian gave no resistance when the sleek body in his embrace pulled away.

Rinn lumbered to the medics when guided. The blank expression on her face worried Ian far more than his own situation.

She turned to the first guard to arrive and said five painful words, "I don't know this man. I'm requesting permission to leave."

There was nothing left in Ian; he couldn't even protest.

"Leaving isn't likely," Val began.

"Don't." Harris cut her off. He nodded back to Ian. "Not right now. If you're sure she's wearing an image, then let's see about it later. Look at her—she looks rattled. And he's not better off."

Still fixed on Rinn, Val said, "I outrank you, Harris—"

"Freckle face, you fight me on this one and you will not like what everyone sees their head engineer's authority amount to."

Val's head turned so slowly she appeared possessed. Her evil gaze locked with Harris's placid one. It was posturing because she didn't bar the medics who hurried to Rinn.

A stretcher came in for Rinn because each attempt she made to take a step resulted in her losing power.

When her legs gave out and she crashed to the floor, Val warned, "Nobody touch her. We don't know what she is."

Brokenhearted, Ian rushed to gather Rinn up. When he held her like a bride, she afforded him only one glance before looking away.

Ian put her to rest on the stretcher. He struggled with something to say but lost his chance when the medics hurried around her to check her condition.

"Medic," Val called.

A young man ran to her side, bowing.

"See that she doesn't get far. ELETEs remain with her at all times."

"Yes, ma'am."

The medics. Ian had no reason to doubt medics—the Colony was strict with all officials.

"Oh, and medic," Val said before the man could hurry away. "If she disappears, you wouldn't want that much trouble on your hands. Is that clear?"

"Of course." The medic took a coin from his pocket and handed it over. "Here are my credentials. Feel free to assign them to this case."

Val picked the coin up and squinted at it. "O'Hare. Got it."

"O'Hare?" Ian's blood ran cold. "Wait."

The medic paused in his turn and faced him. "Yes, sir."

Ian trembled. Considering the trouble he caused, he couldn't afford any more problems. But he had to be sure.

"What in the hell's with all these names with O's?"

The medic blinked at him. "Sir?" He waited then answered, "I'm O'Hare. He's O'Malley. The ones to just arrive are O'Sien and O'Connel—"

"What in the hell? Stop." Ian seethed.

All eyes rested on him as if he was the crazy one.

"What's with these names? What is there, a pack of you?"

Val sighed. "Medic, you may go."

"Yes, ma'am."

"No. No he fucking don't. None of these bastards are leaving till someone explains to me why they're all named like that."

The medic paused in his turn and told him, "Oh, you mean our names. They're our family names."

Ian gave him nothing but a cold stare.

"So every medic in the Colony has a name with an O?"

The medic scoffed. "Course not." His pleasant expression faded and he wore a serious glare when he said, "Just the ones that happened to arrive today."

He didn't move, not even a muscle and Ian forced a smile and nodded.

"Understood," Ian said because what else could he say? "But she'd better be in one piece."

That pleasant smile returned. "On that you can rely."

Helpless. Ian felt helpless.

"I'll go, too," Harris offered. Though he spoke to the medic, he kept his gaze firmly on Ian. "To—to ensure no mishaps."

"Sir, that's not necessary," the medic said.

Harris met the man's gaze. "I insist."

They gathered to leave and Harris started to tell Val goodbye but she folded her arms and took great interest in the wall.

At first about to pat her shoulder, Harris took his hand back and said, "I'll—I'll send some more new uniforms. I told you the long skirts had character."

He waited for a response but eventually gave up. After taking his hovering hand back, he nodded to Ian then met the medics at the door.

Harris was with them—that meant they might actually make it to the medical center.

All that remained was Val and a handful of enforcers.

"Ma'am, should we run a scan?" one asked. "We've already entered the structure."

Val set her sights on Ian.

Ian expected some hostility, but she surprised him by muttering, "No. We adhere to the original request. It was for medics with an enforcer's escort. If it's all the same, I'd rather get the hell out of this room."

Her departure had Ian with his back pressed against the wall.

Sitting on the other side of the room where instructed, Ian watched on. The moment Rinn was carried out, was the moment he died inside.

It was so brief. Their encounter, the one he'd longed, prayed, bled for, was so brief. Five years just for nothing.

A enforcer said, "Take her to the medical section in this area. The System's suggested one close by." He gestured to Ian, asking, "What'do we do about this one?"

"Nothing," his colleague answered. "Like the boss said, it was only a medical request with guard escort. Not sure why."

It was so Ian wouldn't fight. There was no other explanation. Even the so-called debt collectors cleaned up before escaping.

"And the dent in the door? A door this thick?"

The reluctant guard shrugged. "This is the Clusters. A lotta strange shit happens. For now, we're keeping with the medical request. Put in a memo."

And they walked out.

Walked. Five years straight without moving a muscle...and Rinn stood. And she left.