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Kai Randel cautiously approached the hallway corner, taking measured breaths and moving purposefully. His heart raced with adrenaline because he was again taking a daring gamble by sneaking around a secure facility, pushing the boundaries of legality to earn a few credits. He peered around the corner and noticed a hallway with two doors. The passage continued before turning left. The server room was nearby, but there was also an armed guard. When the soldier pivoted on the ball of his foot, Kai saw the company name ‘Neutronis’ on the soldier’s arm and the Ionian Inferno submachine gun he carried. Pulling a black Maelstrom Agonizer pistol from his hip, Kai held it close to his chest and sucked in a breath of courage, waiting for the guard to turn the corner out of view. Shortly after, he smelled honeysuckle and felt a presence creeping over his shoulder. He didn’t have to look to know it was Parri, his co-pilot. ​ “Is that the server room?” Parri whispered. Her breath tickled the peach fuzz of his ear like the legs of an insect. ​ The cringing sensation made Kai quickly jerk his head away, snap his eyes over, and vigorously rub his ear. “What the hell? Must you be so close?” ​ Parri frowned, sputtered, and rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, I do. You’re the one who said, ‘Stay on my ass, don’t get lost, and keep quiet,’ so stop acting surprised.” She thumped him on the shoulder and asked again, “Is that the server room or not?” ​ “Yes,” he groaned. ​ “Good, let’s get what we came here for and split. You have already had two close calls and a loitering fine.” ​ “Hold on a second; I didn’t get us a loitering fine. That was your fault for taking an absorbent amount of time docking the ship.” ​ “Technically, yes, but that’s because you let me fly to the wrong landing pad.” ​ “How is that my fault? The flight tower clearly said land at pad one four, but you headed to pad one instead.” ​ “You were supposed to be giving me instructions and monitoring my flight lesson, remember? I’m the rookie pilot and expected to make mistakes, so that was obviously a failure on your part.” ​ Kai squinted, sealed his lips into a thin line, and looked back at the empty hallway. With the guard out of sight, he slipped around the edge and tip-toed closer to the server room. Upon reaching the door, he checked the handle; it was locked. He glanced over at the biometric scanner on the wall, hoping to find a numerical keypad that he could break into, but this one was tamper-proof. His shoulders sagged with a sigh, and he glanced at Parri. Her lively amber-colored eyes looked at him, the scanner, then back with a pitched eyebrow. “Stay right here,” he said while pulling out a Chip Scanner from behind his back, “I’ll try to hijack the access we need from that guard.” ​ “Why?” ​ Kai rolled his eyes. Parri had a habit of asking questions she already knew the answer to. “Because I can’t pop the cover of this scanner and simply cross the wires.” ​ “Well, that sounds overly complicated, dangerous, and a major pain in the butt. Why don’t you let me take a crack at it?” ​ Kai stepped back, exaggerating a hand gesture at the door. “By all means, hotshot, be my guest.” ​ Parri slipped a tablet from her back and started fiddling with retractable cables on the side, looking for a matching connection plug to fit the tiny maintenance slot on the scanner. After a few seconds, she connected her tablet and began rummaging through lines of code. Curiously, Kai slowly leaned to one side and looked over her shoulder at the confusing waterfall of data pouring over her screen. He watched her tap the screen, quickly change a few lines of code, and resume scrolling. She was fast, focused, and frighteningly confident in whatever she was doing. “Where did you learn how to hack biometric scanners?” ​ “This is my first attempt.” ​ “Oh goody, you have no idea what you’re doing.” Kai placed his hand on her shoulder. “Stop before you set off the alarms.” ​ Parri sputtered her lips and yanked her shoulder away. “I won’t trip any alarms, so stop whining.” ​ “Well,” he said, grabbing her arm this time, “I’m not willing to take that chance.” ​ Parri spun to protest, “stop interrupting—” Her eyes widened, staring past him. In a state of panic, she quickly hid the tablet behind her back and swallowed her words. ​ “Freeze!” exclaimed the guard, “hands in the air.” ​ Kai slowly lifted his hands while simultaneously lowering his eyes. He had let his guard down, a recurring flaw that seemingly only happens when he is around Parri. Then he heard the all too familiar charging sound of an energy weapon, specifically the high pitch whorl of an Ionian-model submachine gun. His mind raced for an excuse before blurting out, “easy, buddy, don’t shoot. We’re maintenance. Our boss sent us here to update the software on this biometric scanner.” ​ The guard’s armor made a rustling sound followed by the distinctive click of a weapons safety switch. “Sure you are, buddy,” the guard said mockingly. “Do you always perform maintenance with a pistol in your hand?” ​ Kai glanced a the Maelstrom Agonizer he was still holding. He had forgotten he was holding it, another example of being distracted. Turning back to Parri, he watched her cautiously retrieve a Tumulus model K-45 from her hip. He understood the plan when her eyes rapidly shifted between the guard and her pistol. Kai gave a sly grin and subtly nodded in agreement, carefully adjusting his posture to conceal the weapon from the guard’s view. When Parri pointed the pistol at his chest, he was ready to spring the trap, but that’s when he noticed Parri had her eyes closed and head turned—she wasn’t even looking. She seemed more concerned with anticipating the weapon’s recoil than aiming it. He had never considered that his co-pilot might lack proficiency with firearms, and discovering this now was the worst possible timing. Kai smoothly pivoted to the side, out of the line of fire, and a split-second later, Parri pulled the trigger. The gun barked, and the powerful kinetic shot smashed into the guard’s armor, forcing him back a step. In the confusion, the soldier shot the ceiling, riddling it with energy bolts that sparked and hissed. Taking advantage of the distraction, Kai leveled his weapon to finish the job. The Maelstrom crackled with a purple glow and hurled a plasma bolt through the guard’s stomach, ending the confrontation. Eyes fuming, Kai looked back at Parri. “What the hell was that? You didn’t even have your eyes open. What were you thinking? You could have killed me.” ​ She peeked one eye open and saw the smoking hole in the guard. “Did you see that? I got him first try!” She grinned from ear to ear and turned the pistol in her hand like a toy. “I’m good at this.” ​ Kai cringed, moved, and flinched every time Parri swung the barrel in his direction. With a hint of timid uncertainty, he cautiously reached for the pistol and said, “Parri, turn on the safety and give me the gun.” ​ She pulled the weapon back like a prized gift. “But you let me borrow it for the mission. Clearly, I needed it; look what just happened.” ​ “I’m serious; hand over the weapon.” ​ “No.” ​ “Parri, give me the gun.” ​ “Why?” ​ “Because you’re a danger to everyone around you.” ​ “No, I’m not.” ​ Kai reached for the K-45, and again she dangerously wiggled the pistol out of reach. “Damn it, Parri, stop… stop pointing that thing at me!” ​ “Then stop trying to grab it.” ​ With a huff, he straightened his posture, narrowed his eyes to slits, and demanded with a stern militant voice, “I’m serious, Parri; give me the pistol right now.” ​ The corner of her mouth pinched to one side, and with a snort from her nose, she handed over the gun, deadly end first. “Fine.” ​ Kai gently pulled the weapon from her hand with two fingers, like handling a live grenade. Once the gun was in hand, he flipped the safety switch and secured the pistol to his hip using a magnetic seal to his nanosuit. With a noticeable relief in his posture, he looked back at Parri. She had her fist on her hips and was leaning heavily on one foot. Her cheeks were puffy like a chipmunk, holding her breath and awaiting an explanation. “Don’t give me that look; you’re not getting the weapon back until you learn how to use it properly.” ​ “Properly? I shot that guard, didn’t I?” ​ “There is more to handing a gun than pointing and shooting.” To change the subject, he nodded at the scanner. “Can we get back to the task at hand?” ​ Parri turned to her tablet and mumbled, “you’re welcome, by the way.”