"Have I mentioned that I'm a coward?" Ten called over his shoulder as Rey walked behind him, practically herding him toward the living room.

"Several times."

"No, seriously. I don't think you understand," Ten protested, digging his heels into the ground as soon as the kitchen was within sight. "There's a reason I spend most of my life in a climate-controlled lab. I'm scared of spiders and falling and the dark. I'm scared of things you wouldn't imagine a person could be scared of. How exactly do you think I'd fare against an impossibly fast, invisible creature that's capable of consuming my bodyweight in organic material in milliseconds?"

"Not well," Rey admitted with a shrug, letting go of Ten's shoulders. "But you said it yourself - it's impossibly fast and invisible. If it wanted to eat us, it would've."

"I... I guess you're right." Ten unslung the bag containing his sampling kit from his shoulder and held it protectively in front of him, taking a single tentative step forward. As soon as his foot passed through the doorway into the living room, he pulled it back. "I can't."

He meant it. His face was pale when he turned to Rey, his eyes pleading with her to reconsider.

"But you have to. You did the math - if the creature keeps eating at its current rate, we only have a week left in this Module." The word creature felt odd on Rey's tongue, but Ten had insisted they call it that. Her earlier suggestions of beast and monster were too negatively loaded, he argued. All it had done so far was something every animal did: eating. He was oddly sympathetic to the creature, for someone who was scared to death of it. "If we do nothing, we'd have to leave- "

"We can't," Tenzar shook his head vehemently. "As far as the outside world is concerned, the entire royal family of Argon is dead. I can't imagine what that's done to our governments, to the war. You can't go back until you're ready. And that's not even mentioning the potential consequences of releasing this creature into society."

Over time, Rey liked to think she had gained a better understanding of Tenzar Borin - recovering memories and filling in the gaps with what she knew of Xenon's warrior culture. His association with the enemy planet no longer concerned her; she knew he was just as alienated by them as she was. She knew what the Aranzars of Xenon would say about a boy who was too scared to fight. She knew how such words could seep through the cracks in your walls and poison your confidence. Pity wasn't the right word to describe what she felt when she looked at him. It was more like a kind of sad knowledge - that he'd know he could do so much if he would just look in the mirror and see.

Some parts of Rey felt like she'd known Ten for the couple of weeks since she woke up. Others didn't know a life without him. And yet, they all agreed on one thing. She needed to make him see.

"I can't do this," Ten repeated.

"Yes," Rey insisted, placing her hand on his arm. "Yes, you can."

"How can you know that?" Surprisingly, Ten didn't pull away. He was open to listening, at least.

"Because this was your idea." Rey glanced down at the sampling case. "Because you're a brilliant scientist and you're going to figure out what this thing is before it gets out of here and puts all of extrasolar civilization at risk."

"Well, when you put it like that." A small smile managed to cut through the terror on Ten's face. He hugged his sampling case to his chest and scurried into the kitchen as if trying to make himself as small of a target as possible. He flung one of the cabinets open and began lining it with sheets of translucent paper from his case.

"Now, we don't know much about the creature other than the fact that it's alive, and all living things are made of cells. We all shed skin cells all the time, on pretty much every surface we touch. Assuming the creature is the same way, next time it comes through here, it should leave some cells behind on the sampling paper. If I can analyze those, we should get a better idea of what we're working with."

Rey leaned against the counter behind Ten, listening carefully as he methodically deployed his sampling paper. His body language had opened up and his voice no longer sounded so anxious. It was like talking science made him a different person. A more confident person. She was beginning to understand why he spent so much time in his lab.

"Here - it'll go faster with both of us." Rey stepped forward and reached for the sampling case at the same time as Ten. When their hands touched, Ten froze, giving her a deer-in-the-headlights look.

"... what?" Rey rolled her eyes.

"It's just... I'm really glad you're alive. I don't know what I would - what the colonies would do if you weren't." And suddenly, Ten was back to being Ten, wide-eyed and choking on his words.

"Well. I'm glad I'm alive too, I guess," Rey shrugged, letting out an awkward chuckle at the inscrutable look on Ten's face. "Weirdo."

"Yeah," Ten looked down at the floor. "You know what? Would you mind papering the rest of the surfaces in here - I've got something I have to take care of in the lab."

"Sure thing."

Ten headed off in the direction of his lab, quickening his pace as soon as he was sure Rey's back was turned. Slamming the glass door behind him, he sat down at his computer workstation just as his screen's motion sensor brought it to life.

"Contact Circle Alpha," he commanded.

"'Circle Alpha' is currently occupied," a computerized female voice replied.

"I don't care. I'm a priority contact. Get him on the line, now." Ten wrung his hands nervously as his computer obeyed. Soon, the monitor flickered to life, displaying an annoyed-looking gray-haired man. He wore gaudy Xenonese royal regalia that was entirely in contrast with his bare surroundings.

"I hope you have progress to report," the man said sourly. In fact, the shape of his mouth suggested that he said most everything sourly. "Have you uncovered the target memory?"

"Not yet, but we - I am working towards it. Other memories are coming to light. It won't be long now."

"You have been saying that for days." The man did nothing to disguise his disappointment.

"The human brain is a complex organ. It's not a computer where you can just search for a file," Ten replied. "Anyway, that's not what I'm calling you about. There have been... occurrences down here. I wanted to ask, is there any possible chance that... this module could be contaminated with the organism?"

"What organism?" The man asked innocently, as if he didn't know exactly what Ten was talking about.

"You know the one," Ten hissed. "The weapon. The one you and your sick friends designed to wipe out Argon's food supply."

"You will not speak badly of the work I do for our planet!" The man slammed his fist down on the table in front of him, muttering madly to himself. "Everything I do, I do for Xenon, and yet no one understands... not my brother, not my nephew, and now not even my own son. I should be king! Should be king, but I'm here, rotting..."

Ten's face softened as sympathy took hold of his heart. "I'm sorry, Father. You're doing your best for our people, even after they've shunned you. I'll find the target memory, I promise."

"I would not dream of unleashing that thing on my own son," the elder Prince Tenzar said reassuringly. "Whatever you are dealing with down there, it is not the organism. I have full confidence that you will vanquish it."

"Thank you. That's all I needed to hear," Ten smiled. It was not often that people had confidence in him. He was a High Borin, a Prince of Xenon, and this was the first and only important mission he'd ever been tasked with. Yet, before he could end the call, his father held up his finger to ask one more question.

"Confirm for me... Princess Reynara is dead, is she not?"

"Well..."

His father seemed to sense the hesitation in his voice. "I have entrusted you with the most important project of my lifetime. That arrogant fool Aranzar wouldn't even give you a ship to command. Remember where your best interests lie... remember who your real king is. Now, you said you had to keep her in a state of suspended animation to access her memories. But for all intents and purposes, she is dead, yes? She will not be reclaiming her throne?"

"She is brain-dead, yes. She will never open her eyes again." Ten stared straight ahead, his face refusing to betray any emotion.

"... good," his father nodded. Ten couldn't tell whether or not he believed him. There wasn't much he could do if he didn't.

"I know what that girl meant to you. Xenon will not forget your sacrifice, son. Soon, you will take your rightful place as Crown Prince and this inane war will be over."

"Thank you, Father," Ten nodded emotionlessly. Yet, his father continued to look at him expectantly.

"My King," he corrected with a slight bow before disconnecting the call.