FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R F I F T Y-F I V E

Fern ripped her hand from his hold, fisting it against her chest. Her dark eyes widened in confounded shock as she stammered forcefully, "W-What are you doing!?"

Tech flinched, his face strickened with rejection. What else did he possibly expect? His body reacted on its own, pushing himself to his feet and removing himself from Fern's presence.

The woman scoffed in utter disbelief. "Tech." she snapped in her hoarse voice. He did not stop. Her brows furrowed in determination. Summoning what little strength had been restored, she rolled herself off the cot, teetering on her wobbly legs. "Tech!" she barked, followed by a cough. Her vision blurred, yet somehow she managed to drive forward to chase him down, extending her fingers until they cramped to grapple the back of his chestplate. She missed, tripping over her own feet. Fern squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for impact against the metal flooring; instead, her cheek collided with a sloped vertical surface and her forearms latched onto another pair. Once she recovered and steadied herself, she felt Tech pull away.

"No," she growled through her clenched teeth, clutching the pit of his elbows so he couldn't run away. Her face contorted as the hammer in her skull increased its pounding ten-fold. "you have some explaining to do right now. What is going on? Y-you—"

"My actions were ungoverned." Tech refused to meet her eyes. "I allowed my emotions to get the better of me. It was wrong."

"D-do..." The realization crushed Fern, tears welling up in her eyes. "Do you have f-feelings for me?"

His silence gave her the answer. Fern's breath shuddered through her parted lips.

"You should lay down."

"Not if you are going to leave." Her head hung weakly. Her body swayed with dizziness. "Tech, talk to me."

"I do not know what you want—"

"When, is a good start." she urged. "When did you realize?" She bit her lip. "Was it on Iego?"

"Much sooner. On Pantora."

"W-What?"

A lump lodged in Tech's throat. There was no turning back. "I do not know how I can atone for my actions. It is true, that I cannot deny this affection I have for you. It seemed to be something completely inevitable...something that I could not suppress after all we have endured." He paused only to inhale. "I am also well versed you and Hunter are together. I want you to understand I do not envy your companionship. I recognize you are happy with him, and vice versa. I do not seek to—"

"I know." Fern stopped him before he could fall into an unforgiving rambling session. Her fingers broke free from his arms, staggering at first to stand on her own, but the bacta spray had fulfilled its purpose—the throbbing had finally ceased and her vision cleared. Despite her strength returning, she was at a loss for words. It was then Tech gazed down upon her. Even after escaping death, she glowed like a solar flare.

"I have confessed my affection towards you, and yet you have not displayed any resentment towards me."

"I could never resent you, Wired-Brain." Fern shook her head. "We may not be blood-related, but you are my family and I consider you my best friend on this ship." She noticed a change in Tech. His shoulders relaxed. His light-brown eyes softened behind his specs. A small grin crept at his lips.

"The last thing I want to do," he sighed. "is damage that."

"I'm worried now, though." Fern's voice strained. "You know I can never reciprocate these feelings you have, and I know better than most that unrequited love is painful, no matter what you say. I-If Hunter didn't love me when I initiated our first kiss...it would have crushed me. I don't want you to feel like I've done that to you. I just—I want you to be okay."