PROJECT: CAYRO

Cayro Bracton:

September 5, 2025

11:26 CST

Sky-Car-00

35,000 feet over Odell AR.

The sun beamed down on my face, warming my skin as wisps of clouds drifted past the cockpit windows. I had woken up about ten minutes ago, groggy and disoriented, to find myself in the co-pilot seat, wrapped in a blanket with an IV feeding blood into my arm. The steady drip was a strange comfort, reminding me that I was still alive, still here. I let my gaze wander around the cockpit, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. Star was curled up in a similar blanket, her back turned to me as she slept in the pilot seat. Her soft, rhythmic breathing was a soothing contrast to the wind rushing past the fuselage.

Keeping quiet, I lay still, trying to piece together what had happened. The last clear memory I had was of a sharp, searing pain ripping through my shoulder—being stabbed. After that, everything blurred into a haze. How did we get off the Death Reckoning? Did Star manage to get us out, or had someone helped us? Judging by the skycar’s unfamiliar interior, I was fairly certain we had escaped, but the details were frustratingly out of reach.

I reached over to touch Star’s back, wanting to feel the reassurance of her presence, but a sharp pain shot through my arm and down my spine. I hissed through clenched teeth as bright stars danced across my vision. Right, my arm—my injured arm. Being stabbed sucked, and the pain was a brutal reminder. I shifted my gaze to the ceiling of the skycar, trying to focus on anything other than the pain. This vehicle wasn’t Star’s usual ride. It smelled too new, too unused, almost sterile in its freshness. It was strange—another mystery in a string of events I couldn’t quite untangle.

The sound of Star stirring interrupted my thoughts. I turned to see her shifting in her seat, now facing me. Even in sleep, her features were soft, almost ethereal. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to wake up beside her every morning. Would she fit against me like a puzzle piece I never knew was missing? As I watched her, a realization settled over me—I was beginning to love her. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying. She made me feel whole, like I was finally where I was meant to be.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and our eyes met. A gentle smile spread across her face, and she freed a hand from the blanket to touch my cheek. The warmth of her touch sent a jolt through my chest, and her smile made my stomach twist in the best possible way. She was enchanting, and I was captivated.

“You’re awake,” she said softly, her voice like a balm to my frayed nerves.

“Yeah. Are you okay?” I asked, my tone more somber than I intended.

“I’m doing better now that you’re okay,” she replied, her expression softening even more.

“You were worried about me?” I asked, a hint of disbelief in my voice.

“Of course I was. I care about you,” she stated, furrowing her eyebrows as if the answer should have been obvious. The sincerity in her words caught me off guard—I hadn’t really expected that.

“Cayro? I want you in my life. You make me happy,” she continued, her voice steady but filled with emotion.

“Oh…” I managed to say, the weight of her words sinking in.

“You came for me and risked everything to save me,” she continued, her eyes searching mine.

I smiled, leaning my head into her hand, savoring the connection between us. “Speaking of which, how did we get off the ship?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“What do you mean, how?” she asked, tilting her head slightly. “You rescued me, and we flew off on your skyboard.”

“I don’t remember doing that,” I said, confusion creasing my brow.

“You don’t remember?” she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied me.

“No… The last thing I remember was being stabbed. After that, everything went fuzzy,” I explained, trying to grasp at the fragments of my memory.

She turned her head away, looking up at the roof of the skycar, a deep concern settling into her features.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, the worry in my voice mirroring the worry in her expression.

“Cayro, you weren’t yourself. You became extremely aggressive,” she said, her voice tinged with unease.

“I did?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

She looked back at me and nodded, her expression serious. “You grew claws and ripped apart two of the military personnel. You threw another one down a corridor like she was a ragdoll, and you tore open not one but two carbon-aluminum alloy reinforced doors. You know how strong that material is,” she explained, her voice steady even as I absorbed the weight of her words.

I could feel my expression change as the reality of what she was saying sank in. I had killed two people—ripped them apart with my bare hands. My stomach lurched violently at the thought, and I had to close my eyes, forcing myself to hold back the bile rising in my throat. I couldn’t afford to break down now. Not here, not in front of her. I needed to be strong—for both of us.

“Have you ever killed anyone?” The question slipped out before I could stop it. Why did I ask that? It felt like a stupid thing to say, given everything we’d been through.

“Yes… I’ve killed several people in combat, and I shot someone today—three times in the chest,” she replied, her features darkening with the memory.

“Oh… I…” I started to stammer, but she silenced me with her fingers pressed gently against my lips.

“I don’t regret it,” she stated coldly, her resolve as unyielding as steel.

Her strength bolstered mine. If she could carry that weight, then so could I. I wouldn’t let anyone harm her—not ever again. If that meant I had to kill to protect her, then so be it. She pushed the blanket aside and crawled over to me, her movements deliberate and measured. As she slid onto my lap, straddling me, I felt a rush of heat course through my body, setting my blood on fire. Her hands pressed against my abs before slowly sliding up my chest, each touch igniting sparks of pleasure that made my breath hitch. Using my good arm, I slid my hand under her shirt, feeling the warmth of her skin as she leaned in closer.

In most situations, I might have felt embarrassed by such a compromising position, but this felt right—like it was meant to be. She wrapped her arms carefully around my neck, pressing her forehead against mine as she looked deep into my eyes.

“I don’t know what this feeling is, Cayro. But whatever it is, I want it with you. You make me feel whole inside. So, if anyone ever tries to take you away from me, or me from you… I will kill again,” she said, her voice a husky whisper, deadly serious.

Something snapped in my mind at her words, and the dark presence that had been lurking in my thoughts vanished. In its place, foreign emotions and thoughts surged, overwhelming me. Words I didn’t recognize formed in my mind and boomed in a dark voice in a language I didn’t understand. “Is est mei. Nullus alius eum habere potest. Disperdam eos qui dividunt nos. Spiritus et magica arma mea sunt. Protegam eum et stabo cum illo. Ipse est mundus meus, et columna mea fortitudinis. Ante tonitru me commendo ei in vera unione.”

My eyes widened as I realized that not only had I heard those words in my head, but Star was saying them out loud, too, in perfect unison. The language was foreign, unknown, but it resonated deeply within me. Before I could question it, more words bubbled up from within, and I found myself responding, unable to stop my lips moving on their own as my voice echoed through the skycar. “Uxor mea est. Disperdam eos qui dividunt nos. Dentes et pellis arma mea sunt. Eam tuebor et stabo cum illa. Domus mea et sanctificatio mea; Commendo me huic foeminae in vera unione coram lupis.”

There was a deafening clap in my mind, and suddenly, her eyes flared bright amethyst, locking with mine as I felt her presence settle into the space where the darkness had been. It was like a torch flaring to life, filling my mind with a brilliant, unwavering light. I gasped in surprise, staring at her.

“What was that?” I asked, my breath coming in ragged gasps.

“I have no idea,” she replied, her voice still husky as she struggled to catch her breath. Her eyes were still glowing bright amethyst as she gazed down at me.

“Your eyes are glowing,” I whispered, awe mixing with confusion.

“So are yours,” she replied, a soft smile tugging at her lips. “I like seeing them green.”

Before I could respond, a familiar voice cut through the intimate moment. “All right, you two, no knocking boots in my skycar,” the voice said, dripping with sarcasm.

I stiffened, and Star jolted off me, both of us snapping our heads toward the console. There, on the screen, sat the cat from our dreams, casually inspecting his nails as if he hadn’t just interrupted a deeply personal moment.

“We weren’t knocking boots!” I exclaimed, irritation lacing my words.

“Uh huh, and that’s why both of your vital signs spiked, and your hormone levels indicate that you were both aroused. On top of that, you are in a compromising position,” Scuzball stated bluntly, his tone utterly unconcerned.

I glared at the cat, rolling my eyes in exasperation. Star, always quick to adapt, shifted gears. “Hi Scuzball, where are we?” she asked, her tone calm as she attempted to steer the conversation away from our embarrassment.

“We are over Arkansas, heading to Cedar Rapids, Iowa,” he replied with the patience of someone explaining the obvious.

I shot Star a confused look, my brow furrowing, before glancing back at Scuzball. She tried to crawl off my lap, but I gently tightened my good arm around her, holding her close. I didn’t want her to move—it felt too right having her there, like she belonged. She didn’t protest, instead repositioning herself so she could lay comfortably against me, her head nuzzling into the crook of my neck. The warmth of her breath against my skin was calming, grounding me in the moment despite the chaos that had been our lives recently.

“I thought we were going to Virginia?” Star asked, her voice soft yet tinged with curiosity.

“We will be, but first we need to stop in Cedar Rapids for a day or so,” Scuzball replied, his tone as matter-of-fact as ever.

“Why?” Star pressed, her fingers lightly tracing patterns on my chest as she waited for an answer.

“To complete your augmentation, of course,” Scuzball replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“But why Cedar Rapids?” I asked, echoing Star’s curiosity.

“Because it’s the only other location that has a lab capable of completing the augmentation outside of the Autumn,” he explained, his tone patient but with an edge that suggested there was more to this than he was letting on.

I frowned, processing this new information. Cedar Rapids? Of all places, why there? It didn’t make much sense, but then again, not much about our lives had made sense lately. Still, if this was what we needed to do to be fully prepared for whatever came next, then so be it. We had to trust Scuzball, as odd and infuriating as he could be.

Star shifted slightly, her breath warm against my neck. “And after that?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“After that, we head to Virginia and disappear for a while. You both need time to recover, and we need to keep you safe from those who would exploit your abilities,” Scuzball replied, his tone softening slightly as if he understood the gravity of what he was saying.

I held Star a little tighter, feeling the weight of our reality pressing down on us. We were being hunted, forced to hide, to adapt to a life on the run. But as long as I had her by my side, I felt like we could face anything.

“All right,” I said quietly, more to myself than to anyone else. “We’ll do what we have to do.”

Star’s hand found mine, and she squeezed gently, a silent confirmation that we were in this together, no matter what came next.