Mik took his hands off the keyboard, being careful to keep them within Eralis’ sight. “What’s going on?”

Eralis took a step back, keeping his gun trained on Mik. “I only need the data for Project Alpha.” 

“What’s that?” Though the name piqued his interest, Mik’s attention was fully on the barrel aimed in his direction. He didn’t like this turn of events. Having guns aimed at you was a job for the rest of the crew, not him. 

“That’s not important right now.” Mik heard the ominous click as Eralis thumbed back the hammer. “What is important, is that you find those files before the guards realize their signals have been jammed. I estimate you have five minutes before they get here.”

Mik nodded and carefully placed his hands back on the keyboard. “They’ll find you here, too, you know,” he pointed out as his fingers began to fly. 

Eralis stood to one side so the gun was still within Mik’s view. A constant reminder of the position he was in.  “I’m a special agent, working undercover. They’ll let me go. You on the other hand…”

“Alright, I get your point.” Mik’s eyes scanned the screen as he typed like never before. “That won’t stop Jax from killing you when he gets back.” 

“Don’t worry. Once you find the files, I’ll return communications to normal and we’ll all leave as planned.”

Mik finished scanning the database. “There’s no record of a Project Alpha.” 

“Go deeper. Look for encryptions, hidden firewalls. The data you’re looking for doesn’t officially exist.”

“Great.” Mik started again. “The kind of data that will get us hunted across the stars. I can see why you lied.”

“I’m glad we understand each other.” Eralis gestured with the gun. “Project Alpha. Now.”

Mik sighed and concentrated on his work.”I don’t…..wait.” He’d almost missed it. The tiniest blip of data hidden behind one of the routine functions. “I think I’ve got it. It needs a password.”

“Alpha469.”

Mik input the code and inhaled sharply. “Starfire, Eralis, The Enhanced Project?”

“That is the one.” Eralis leveled his gun. “Download it.”

“Are you insane? This record shouldn’t even exist. The Federation won’t let anyone get away with copying this! They’ll wipe us out like so many space slugs.”

“That is unfortunate for you.” Eralis’ tone was as cold as the words. “Do it. Now.” 

Mik sighed and shook his head. “Starfire.” He pressed enter.

Jaxon took his time, keeping to a pace that was barely faster than the one the guard was using. He followed him down several corridors, creeping closer and closer, knife in hand.

He concentrated on the guard’s heartbeat instead of his footsteps, allowing the sound to wash over him. So often he had to filter out all the unnecessary noises in order to concentrate. In situations like this, he could afford to focus on them. The heartbeat remained steady, signaling he hadn’t been heard. The guard was relaxed, walking his nightly route. There was nothing to fear here. Or so he thought. 

Jax grinned, relishing in the feeling of the hunt. In the background he could feel his own heart beating faster, adrenaline pumping through his veins. His muscles quivered in anticipation, but the knife remained steady in his hand.

Finally, the guard stopped and appeared to be talking to someone on his communicator, offering an opening. Jax crept forward until he was standing a few feet behind the guard, waiting for him to finish talking. The heartbeat was increasing now, something had the guard worried. In the back of his mind, Jaxon realized there was no sound coming from the man’s communicator. There was no need to wait. 

The guard turned right as Jaxon lunged forward, knife in hand. He cried out in surprise and stumbled back and to the side, barely avoiding Jaxon’s knife. He fumbled with the gun at his belt, tripping over his own feet as he tried to stay out of range. 

Jaxon whipped around with superhuman speed, rushing into the guard’s space right as the man managed to get his gun loose. Too late. 

There was a spurt of blood as Jaxon plunged the knife into the man’s chest, bringing the thundering heartbeat to a swift halt. He struck once more for good measure, then stood panting in the silence of the blood spattered hallway. It dimly occurred to him how striking the contrast between the colors was.

Then the whole hallway turned red as an alarm began sounding throughout the station.