His Lab

When Geo's and my eyes met I could feel my heart quicken and my chest tighten with anticipation. Was he still mad at me? Will we ever get passed it, or have I lost him as an ally forever? I tried to find some warmth in his gaze that would ease my worries, but I couldn't find any.

"What is the meaning of this?" Albin shouted angrily. His sudden, uncharacteristic outburst startled me as I looked between the two men. Albin was seething with anger while Geo looked calm, like he was expecting this to happen.

Geo tilted his head to the side, "meaning of what, Councilman?"

"Don't be foolish, you know damn well what I am referring to!" Albin snapped. He paused and waited for Geo to admit to what he had done, and Geo seemed more than willing to make him wait.

The tension continued to build with each passing second as Geo pretended to think. "Oh, you must be referring to the door code. After moving all my equipment over from Nova I decided to change the code for security. Many people had to help me move back in here and I thought it might have been compromised."

Albin scowled but the explanation seemed to calm him down. "Very well. Give me the new code," he ordered.

"No." Geo's response was quick and blunt, and I could tell it startled both Albin and me.

Albin's eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth. "Your sentence includes surveillance and council approval, so you will give me the code to this lab, and you will do it now," he growled.

Geo seemed to be amused by the councilman's anger and smirked. "The council will watch what I order, where I go, and who I talk to. Only new projects have to go through the new council approvals process. You have no authority to go into my lab," he said matter-of-factly.

"I'm going to give you ten seconds to correct you behavior before I report you to Councilwoman Thana. I suggest you let me in," Albin said threateningly.

"I changed the code so that the lab isn't compromised, so why would I give it to you?" Geo asked, the smirk never leaving his face.

Albin's eyes widened as he gasped in shock. "Just what are you implying?" he asked angrily. Before Geo could even respond Albin shouted, "I am going to Councilwoman Thana right this moment! Flora, let's go!"

Albin stormed off to the car and I turned to follow before feeling a tug on my wrist. Albin must have realized I wasn't behind him because he turned round to find Geo holding my wrist and pulling me closer to him.

"Let go of her!" he commanded as he rushed back to me.

"Councilwoman Thana ordered me to examine Flora every day this week. Are you wanting to disobey her orders, Councilman?" Geo teased. That stopped Albin in his tracks. He said nothing for a while, but his glare spoke volumes. I nervously looked between the two of them and hoped this mere pawn would survive their game.

Albin looked at me and his eyes softened. "I'll be back to get you after your exam," he said calmly and he gave me a reassuring smile. It quickly vanished and his eyes hardened again when he looked at Geo. "And I'll be making sure Councilwoman Thana hears of this before then," he said icily.

He calmly turned around and walked to his car, but the sound of the door slam gave away just how angry he was. Geo continued to stand in the doorway and watched Albin leave until his car was no longer in sight. He let out a quiet, dark chuckle before turning to face me. When I looked up at his face all the humor was gone. "Let's get this exam over with," he said flatly and walked into the lab.

His words stung and for a moment I felt frozen. I didn't want face him and see how distant we were becoming. While I know we were never that close to begin with, he was my rescuer. He was the first person I saw in this new life and I am even seeing him in my dreams. It didn't seem right to have our relationship end so soon, but life is unpredictable. I thought that by distancing myself from him it would absolve me of my guilt of having to rely on him. Instead the guilt is just different, and I am left feeling more alone than I ever have before.

"Are you coming?" Geo asked from the doorway making me come back to reality. "Or will we have to settle on another yelling match to see how well you're doing?"

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh, and I noticed a smile tug at Geo's lips. The tension between us eased and the tightness in my chest lightened. "I'm coming," I said with a smile and followed Geo into his lab.

We wandered down a narrow, sterile hallway. The metal walls and floors were painted a bright white, the only thing breaking the monotony being the doors and glass windows on the lefthand side. There were three rooms on our left. One looked like it was Geo's office with piles of books and documents littering the desk inside. The other two rooms were small labs filled with glass tubes and beakers neatly ordered across the white tables. The third room had an exam table tucked away in the corner, and Geo gestured for me to enter and take a seat.

I took off my mask and was about to walk in when the door at the end of the hallway caught my eye. "What is in there?" I inquired, and Geo smiled.

"Always curious and getting into other people's business, aren't we?" he teased.

"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion.

"Last time we talked you decided to get into Thana's and my business. Now you want to know all about my actual business," he said flatly, but could see the amusement in his eyes.

I could feel my ears turning red and cleared my throat. "You don't think she will be mad, do you?" I asked, hoping to change the subject.

"About you digging into her and my's relationship? I can't say she would be pleased, but I doubt she would be mad," he said while still thinking.

"Not about that!" I said, flustered. "I meant what happened between you and Albin just now. If he reports back to her, do you think she and the council will be mad?"

He shrugged, "I didn't violate any of their rulings. They can try and fight it, but they cannot punish me for what I've done. But, yes, they will be mad. Thana most of all at this point," he said matter-of-factly with no trace of remorse.

"Does anyone in this pod get along?" I asked with an exasperated sigh.

Geo just laughed, and I couldn't help but smile when I looked at him. "A lot of Arcans and transfers do, but the council always seems to take away any joy when you work with them. Too many agendas, differing opinions, and limited access to power. It makes people overprotective of what little they have as others try to grab what little they can," he said sadly. "But that is why we do not work in politics, right?" he asked with a smile. I returned his smile and nodded.

"And as a fellow scientist, I suppose it is reasonable to show you the rest of the lab. Follow me," he said and opened the mysterious door. The room was large and filled with all sorts of machinery. Metal parts were strewn across the room, and I could smell the lingering scent of the soldering iron at the workbench. At first glance the lab appeared messy, but I soon noticed the order within the chaos. Each pile was organized according to type and size and the pathways were clear. Geo was clearly a tinkerer.

I turned to look at him with wonder. "Just what kind of scientist are you exactly?" I asked. "You clearly like to build machinery, you were able to wake me up, and have given me medical care. It sounds like you regularly visit the infirmary, so I can't be the only one receiving your care. What is it that you do? Or better yet, what don't you do?"

Geo gave me a soft smile. "I do a little bit of everything I guess, but I mostly build machines and try to invent new ones to help us terraform. Sometimes I create parts for amputees, but you are really my only patient. Since I figured out how to wake you, Thana thinks I am the best one to monitor your progress."

I nodded and was satisfied to have that part of the puzzle solved when suddenly Geo eyed me up and down. "So, shall we get on with the exam then?"

I could feel my heart flutter.