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a net-like object strung across it. A gakkin’ big monster came up out of the lake and we escaped into more tunnels. There was a room off the tunnel where we found some natural sulfur baths. I was taking a bath when your rogue crew member attacked Dr. Sandow and me, then carried me through more tunnels. You came after me and you fought him.” She reached up and touched his chin. A fingertip traced the scab above his upper lip. Kelen stared at it, then into his eyes. The unspoken question was clear in her eyes.
    “His name is Isup,” he told her.
    “Isup. I didn’t dream it.”
    “It was no dream,” he confirmed. “We’ve been through much since we crashed here.”
    She checked the room again. “So how did we end up here again?”
    Instead of answering her, Kyber lifted her into a sitting position. Crawling over to where the food glyphs were located, he retrieved her a bowl of water and brought it back to her.
    “Drink.”
    Kelen obeyed. Once she drained the bowl, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Okay. Your turn.” Her eyes dropped to his exposed genitals. “And while you’re at it, explain to me why you’re naked but I’m not.”
    Kyber chuckled. “Do you remember the black cloud coming out of the apartment?”
    Her eyebrows came together. “Black cloud? God, I’m starving.”
    She started to crawl toward the food symbols, but he held out an arm. “Let me. Which do you prefer?”
    “Anything.”
    He got her some oatmeal and carried it to her. He watched as she scooped the food into her mouth, savoring each mouthful for a few seconds before taking another helping. She was trying not to eat too fast, although he knew she had to be as famished as he’d been. After she’d finished the oatmeal, she leaned back and sighed contentedly.
    “More?” he inquired.
    “Not yet. Give me a few minutes to digest this.” She gave him a perplexed look again. “You said something about a black cloud?”
    Kyber chose a different tactic. “What is the last thing you remember?”
    She lowered her face as she thought. “We came into the main room. We were going to spend the night here.” She tapped a finger to her lips. The action made him want to pull her hand away from her face and kiss her, but he held back.
    “I remember talking about there being three doors, then a corridor. And we wanted to get something to eat, so I went to go inside one of the apartments.” A shudder suddenly jolted her. Kelen gave him a wide-eyed look of shock. “Something hit me. Something cold and…” She winced, then shook her head. “I smelled something odd. It turned my stomach. But I don’t remember anything after that.”
    He reached over and laid a hand on her knee. “How do you feel?”
    “I’m tired.” She snorted and held up the empty bowl. “Still a little hungry, but not as much.”
    “Your physician will want to know if you are feeling any aftereffects.”
    She glanced around until she spotted the door. “Where is everyone?”
    “We split up and took separate apartments.”
    “Everyone?”
    He pointed to the wall behind her. “Your doctor is in the next one over. He has your ex-commander with him.”
    “What about your men?”
    “The three of them are bunking together across the atrium.”
    “So how did we end up together, alone?”
    “Your doctor ordered me to bring you here and stay with you.”
    “Why?” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you not telling me, Kyber?” she started. “Does it have something to do with that black cloud you were asking about? Kyber, what happened?”
    “You opened the door to the apartment and a large black cloud came out. It swallowed you. I tried to attack the cloud to save you, but there wasn’t any form to the cloud. It wasn’t solid, but I felt like I was breathing acid. I managed to find you and drag you away from the apartment, but by that time the cloud had dissipated. You were unconscious for a long time. Since the both of us had contact with