“The Enzathi disagrees. It says you and Ren are the problem. It doesn’t blame you. None of this was your fault. But it says you have to let go. The fragments will never benefit you on their own.”
“What of the others?” Ren asked. “Many in our group were devoted. Why did their fragments leave?”
“The commitment wasn’t as strong.” He glanced at Mau, who nodded. “They heard the voice inside me and followed it. Or so I’ve been told.”
“Told?” Ren argued. “So, this could all be a ruse?”
“No. If there’s one thing I’m sure of, the Enzathi intends us no harm. I don’t think it could if it tried. The Void gas that was so dangerous? It left the station with Mau.”
Ren bolted from the couch and crossed his arms.
“How are we supposed to do this? I can’t simply turn off how I feel. You’re right, Trevor. I love it as if it was my own child. There! I said it.”
Cho broke into sobs.
“It’s not fair.”
Trevor searched for empathy but came up short. He had no intention of spending the rest of his life with a cudfrucking alien lifeform inside his mind. He neither loved nor hated this intelligence. He simply wanted it gone. To love the Enzathi?
Madness.
“The Enzathi have seen this before,” Mau said. “It was believed to be a human flaw. An indefinable pain. He fought our plan.”
“Who?”
“Mau. He did not want to let go. The Enzathi had to hurt him in order to survive.”
Trevor wondered whether he ought to take back that bit about the Enzathi not planning to harm anyone.
“You were talking to it just now?” Ren asked.
“Yes. And I’m sorry. We have to do this, or we will never have peace. Put your feelings aside. You have to see I’m right.”
Ren wrapped his arms around Cho and held her until the sobs died.
“Give us a moment, Trevor.”
“Sure. Take all the time you need. I’ll wait outside.”
Cho wiped her tears.
“Thank you.”
The plan made sense until he stepped outside and garnered his Chief of Staff’s immediate attention.
Andreas looked behind, and seeing no one else depart, asked:
“All done, Governor?”
“No.”
“Ah. Well. I just heard from Amity Maintenance. They’re running a touch behind this morning. They’ll be ready to go in about twenty-five minutes.”
Yeah. That. Great.
“Thank you.”
“I’ve been reviewing your introductory comments. I tidied up the grammar. It was a bit stilted. Too scholarly, for my taste. Care to examine the revision?”
He offered the tablet Trevor would use. Whatever Andreas edited would be fine. It always was. Still, Trevor needed a distraction.
“Sure.” He grabbed the tablet and pointed to a couch. “I’ll take it over there.”
“Of course. A quick café, Governor?”
“Already had my allotment for today, thanks.”
He sank onto the couch, sat the tablet in his lap, and didn’t read the first word. Trevor sank his face into his hands.
What in hell am I doing? I’m the Governor of Amity Station, and I’m negotiating with the alien inside my brain. The one that doesn’t show up on any scan and comes from another universe. I ask everyone to believe I’m normal, and I’m anything but.
Trevor’s last thought before he was interrupted:
This is not going to end well.
“Oh, there you are. Thought you might be in a meeting.”
Not this guy. Not now.
