Rann opened the door to the house and entered, not expecting Adrian and Reya to be waiting for her at the kitchen table alongside Eimir and Kell. The four of them stared in anticipation, waiting for their new guest to arrive. They already knew the mission was successful, having been informed by Tassie once the team began flying back to base with their payload in tow.

  Reya calmly held Adrian’s hand, doing her best to soothe his frayed nerves. She didn’t mind that his palms grew sweaty now that the others had arrived and would see him through the newest hurdle life had thrown at them.

  “At least I don’t have to round you all up,” Rann said. She took off her helmet, relieved to finally remove part of her armour. Jyn hadn’t permitted them to relax during their transit back. Now, however, seeing the others safely inside and no obvious threat, she permitted herself the luxury. She had nothing against her protective gear but wearing it for so long was stifling. “Did anything happen while we were gone?”

  “No,” Kell said. “We mostly hung around the main floor and waited for you to show up. Only Eimir and I left the house to patrol the perimeter, like Jyn instructed.” Rann nodded. Using her comms, she called in that the house was safe and secured.

  It was time to transfer their cargo to the house.

  With each second that passed, Adrian’s anticipation grew. Emotions swirled in his chest as he struggled to maintain a solid grasp on them, his eyes glued to the still-open door. The sound of boots crunching on the grass alerted him that they were coming. Beor was the first to pass through the door. He stood to the side and readied his gun, bracing himself for what was to come.

  Time slowed for Adrian as a tan figure entered.

  The newcomer looked around in wonder at his new home, too busy comparing the architecture with what he was familiar with to take notice of the incongruity of the group. Belatedly, he saw the people at the table and shifted his attention to them, wary of what more soldiers might mean for him. His eyes were immediately drawn to the only other tan person in the room.

  Time froze for both of them as they locked gazes for the first time in years.

  Neither one of them blinked as everyone in the room tensed, waiting for something – anything – to occur between the two men. A flurry of emotions passed by on both of their faces, neither one of them able to hide what they were feeling when in the face of the other.

  “Adrian!?” Stanley gasped, shocked. His eyes flicked rapidly over Adrian’s sitting form, taking in the much more kempt appearance than he remembered. “Is that really you? How are you here?” While the others might not have understood him, they could relate to the sentiment of disbelief expressed plain as day in his voice. Frowning, he noticed the first oddity. “What happened to your eyes?”

  “Hello, Stanley,” Adrian said through clenched teeth. “Long time no see.” He didn’t grace Stanley’s questions with an answer. There was more he wanted to discuss before broaching those topics and he’d be damned if he didn’t get his answers. Resentment simmered beneath his gaze as he beheld the traitor that had cost him his only chance to escape his fate.

  Rann took note that the newcomer’s default language upon seeing Adrian was what Adrian claimed to be his native language. Without having been warned about Adrian’s presence, Stanley’s reaction to him was as candid as could be.

  The language was as alien as they were to her.

  Not for the first time, she wondered how much of Adrian’s story was true. It was easy to doubt but watching him interact with a fellow test subject that had been found at the same facility had her pondering the nature of their skin colour. Was it truly an experiment that had changed them? Without being able to speak to Stanley directly, she would have no way of knowing how accurate Adrian’s translations would be.

  She didn’t make any move to intervene, unsure of what she would be interrupting if she did. She made a furtive glance towards the others and signed for them not to interfere. Though Jyn said nothing and simply nodded, Rann noticed that his hand was already on his weapon, ready to react at a moment’s notice.

  “Like you, I was freed from the facility,” Adrian explained. “By the people gathered here, actually. No matter what they say, I will always owe them a debt for freeing me from that hell. They brought me here, where I’ve been living ever since.”

  Sensing that Jyn was quickly reaching his limit of being left out of the loop, Adrian quipped a short summary of what he and Stanley were talking about, if only to satisfy the unreasonable man before he blew a fuse.

  Stanley didn’t understand but recognized the language as the one the a’vaare spoke. Another person spoke up, interjecting after Jyn spoke. Seeing the ease with which Adrian interacted with the soldiers puzzled him. “How long have you been here?” he probed.

  Adrian shifted his focus back to Stanley. “Almost six months now,” he said after a quick mental tally, not minding surrendering the information.

  “And you learned their language in that time?” Stanley asked, dumbfounded. He failed to comprehend how such a feat was possible. There was no way Adrian could become fluent in a new language that quickly.

  “They weren’t the ones to teach me,” Adrian said darkly, puzzling Stanley further. “You really can’t understand them?” He changed the subject, not wanting to discuss his time at the facility if he could help it.

  “No,” Stanley shook his head. “It’s gibberish to me.”

  “That complicates things,” Adrian sighed. He shot Stanley a level stare. “What happened to you?”

  “Isn’t that my question? Your eyes are silver! And you look different. Good, but still different. Like a better version of what was there before.” Stanley faltered when Adrian didn’t answer.

  “Please don’t ever tell me how much I’ve changed again,” Adrian finally said in a hollow voice. “I asked first.” He motioned for Stanley to speak.

  “I remember us being put into our pods. The doors shut and I drowned in the blue stuff they flooded it with.” Stanley paused, a slight shudder running through him. “Next thing I knew I was waking up to a purple Ava – which still makes no sense to me, by the way. I was whisked away and put on ship without delay. Now I’m here.”

  “That’s it?” Adrian said in disbelief. “You mean to tell me not a single thing happened to you?” His voice, thick with emotion, was heard by everyone. They looked at each other, wondering what was being said.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Was something supposed to happen to me?”

  “You never met the gru’ul, did you?” Adrian asked suddenly. “After what you did, how are you the one that got a free pass?”

  Stanley jolted, making the already nervous soldiers ready themselves. Their last encounter was fresh in his mind, having only happened weeks ago for him. “All I know is that those bastards are the reason we were ever experimented on in the first place, if Ava’s to be trusted,” he said, failing to keep the guilt out of his voice.

  Adrian remained silent, still processing that his fellow test subject had never once undergone any of the horrors the gru’ul had subjected him to. “It was just me?” he said hoarsely, his voice failing him. “We were both sent to their facility and I’m the only one they directly experimented on?”

  “Of the two of us, yes. As a whole? You aren’t the only one they experimented on,” Stanley shook his head. “I woke up in a room full of pods, with others trapped inside. There were both humans and a’vaare. I saw what some of the failures looked like and they were horrifying.”

  “There were others?” Adrian felt the blood drain from his horrified face.

  “Dozens,” Stanley said grimly. “Mutated, mutilated – wrong. All of them.”

  Adrian’s stomach churned. “They performed experiments on me for years.” He shuddered. “The things they did to me,” he trailed off.

  “I’m assuming that’s why you’re different?”

  “Yes. I don’t want to talk about it.” Adrian shut down any further attempt from Stanley to learn more. A sick feeling welled in his chest at the injustice of it all. Giving Stanley a once over showed that there was very little change from the last time he’d seen him. His clothes were still rather white and had almost no blood on them. He was forced to admit to himself that Stanley was telling the truth. Adrian wanted to throw up.

  “Are you alright?” Reya asked in concern, giving his hand a squeeze. The action snapped Adrian out of his thoughts. He shot her grateful look.

  “I’ve been better,” he admitted. He filled her in on his discussion with Stanley, who remained silent throughout the exchange, watching the pair interact with great interest. The others listened in with rapt attention, hoping to glean insight into the conversation they weren’t privy to. Once finished, he turned his attention back to Stanley.

  “What was that about?” Stanley asked, sensing that their conversation was finished. He eyed Reya and Adrian’s clasped hands. Although he couldn’t see properly from the angle he had, he knew Reya was holding Adrian’s hand. He briefly wondered what their relationship was but figured he could ask the question later.

  “I was filling her – along with everyone else – in on the details of our conversation. Right now, nobody else here can understand us. These guys are going to want to know what this discussion is about. I don’t know what might happen if I keep it from them. On another note, it’s going to be very difficult for you interact with the others here, given that you can’t understand each other. It means I’m going to have to translate for you whenever you need something, which might be difficult if I’m not around when you have to speak with the others.”

  “That’s going to be a pain in the ass – for both of us. Is there any way you could teach me their language? That way, I can at least interact with them on a basic level.” Stanley was under no illusion that he would become a master of the a’vaarian language overnight, but was acutely aware that as he was now, he couldn’t understand what the people holding the weapons were saying to him. The thought of getting shot because he failed to comply with an order he couldn’t understand made him wary of the soldiers that were supposedly protecting him.

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  He couldn’t trust them, but knew he had no choice but to.

  Adrian considered the suggestion, having no desire to spend his time translating with no end in sight. Being forced to spend time with Stanley left a sour taste in his mouth and refusing the reasonable request would be petty of him given the situation. He weighed his options. “Fine,” he said after some consideration. “I’ll give you language lessons. I may not be a teacher or a linguist, but it’ll be better than nothing. At the end of the day, I also benefit from not having to translate every little thing for everybody.”

  The pair lapsed into silence, neither one of them sure what to say next.

  “You should probably go explore the house a bit,” Adrian said at last. “I’ll show you to your room in a moment. All the ones upstairs are taken, so please don’t enter them. I don’t think the occupants would take kindly to that.” His gaze flicked to Jyn, whose hand was still on his gun. “Some of the people in this room would love nothing more than to have an excuse to shoot us.”

  Stanley followed Adrian’s stare and he took note of Jyn’s aggressive stance. “Noted,” he nodded. Permitting himself another moment to look around, he was struck by how nice the house was. Everything he saw seemed to be of high quality. A passing comment on it elicited a small chuckle from Adrian.

  “It is a nice home. Much better than my previous accommodations.” Adrian let go of Reya’s hand and stood up. “I’m going to give Stanley a brief tour of the place and then show him his room,” he told the others. “You’re more than welcome to follow along.”

  “You’re done talking to him? I thought you’d have more to say,” Jyn said.

  “I’ll speak with him later. I have no doubt I’ll have the chance. Right now, this is as much as I can handle.” Reya got up as well, intending to follow Adrian as he showed his fellow test subject around his new home.

  “I’m coming with you. I’m not leaving either of you unsupervised.”

  Adrian waved him off. “I appreciate the concern, but nothing’s going to happen. You’re more than welcome to follow us around, if that’s what makes you happy.” Walking around the table, he motioned for Stanley to follow him.

  The others dispersed and took up position at various points around the house. They hadn’t been given the order to stand down yet and couldn’t afford to relax. Adrian took the lead and led his small group through the house, showing Stanley everything he needed to know about his new dwellings. He skipped the music room, choosing to come back to it later.

  Once outside, they ground to a halt. Stanley was stuck by the difference in flora and incessantly asked Adrian about it. Thankful that Reya and Jyn were around, Adrian made full use of them to supplement what he didn’t know. Reya grinned in amusement throughout their outdoor exploration, recalling when Adrian had first asked her similar questions.

  Stanley took his time inspecting the different flowers and trees, jumping in fright when a small animal darted from the grass and dove into a nearby bush to escape the approaching party. After a quick jaunt around the house and its immediate surroundings, Adrian steered the group back inside.

  There was still one last room left to show Stanley and Adrian wanted it to be made clear that the instruments within were his. “Is that a guitar?” Stanley asked in shock when Adrian opened the door to the mysterious room that he’d been denied access to earlier. “And drums? Did the a’vaare develop the same instruments that we have on Earth?” He didn’t understand how such a thing was possible. He took a step further into the room, drawn to the only familiar things he’d seen since waking up at the facility.

  “They did, thanks to me,” Adrian replied before Stanley could pick up the guitar from its stand. “I gave them the specifications they needed to reproduce them. Everything you see here is mine.”

  Stanley turned back to face Adrian. “That’s some oddly specific information you have. I don’t know anybody that would be able to build instruments.”

  “It was a family business,” Adrian explained. He joined Stanley next to the guitar and stared at it fondly. “The military here took great interest in replicating them when I offered the information.”

  “Don’t they have their own instruments here? Why would they care about ours?”

  “I’ve noticed that music isn’t as advanced here as it is on Earth. Apart from the rare occasion, I’ve heard no music being played since arriving here. I had to beg Reya to show me some of the music she keeps on her data slate and even that isn’t a very wide selection. They don’t even have a system for writing music.”

  Stanley was dumbfounded by the revelation. “But they have space ships! How do they not have music?”

  Adrian shrugged. “It’s not that they don’t have any, it’s just that it isn’t as accessible here. The others were shocked when they saw me playing multiple instruments. For some reason, music was never culturally important to them.”

  A coughing fit overcame Stanley before he had the chance to reply. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand to hide any blood that he may cough up. When he finally settled down, a discrete glance showed no traces of blood on his palm. Relief flooded him.

  “Are you alright?” Adrian asked. That hadn’t been a simple cough and he thought he heard something wet from deep within Stanley’s lungs. The sound had struck him as bizarre. Although he was loath to show concern for Stanley after what he’d done, Adrian couldn’t bring himself to ignore him. He eyed the bloodstains on Stanley’ clothes suspiciously, trying to recall if they were there when they’d both been put in stasis.

  “I’m fine,” Stanley said, waving off Adrian’s concern. “It’s something that happens every now and then. Probably has to do with being in stasis and all that. That blue stuff they kept us in might the cause.”

  “Strange,” Adrian hummed. “Apart from right after I woke up, I don’t recall coughing that much.”

  “Maybe it’s a side effect of having been in the pod longer than you. I think I’d like to lie down for a little bit, if that’s alright. It’s been a day.”

  Adrian didn’t look convinced but decided to let the matter drop. “That’s fine. I’ll be out on a walk, so if you want anything, it’ll have to wait until I get back.” He explained the situation to the others, who were patiently waiting outside the room. Stanley slipped into his room and shut the door silently.

  “Would you like to go out for a bit?” Reya proposed once Stanley was gone. “It’s a beautiful day outside and I think we could both use some fresh air.”

  “Took the words right out of my mouth,” Adrian said with a tired smile. This time, they told Jyn which path they intended to take as well as how long they were planning on staying out for. Although still unhappy that they were going to be unsupervised, he didn’t make much of a fuss. This wasn’t a battle he knew he was going to win and needed to be present to supervise Stanley. He begrudgingly bid the couple farewell and took a seat in the living room.

  Reya and Adrian exited the front door hand in hand and walked in silence until they arrived at the trail in the forest behind the house. Their many forays along the path had cleared some of the bramble that lay scattered on the forest floor, marking their way forward. It would take an hour and a half for them to complete the circuit and arrive back at the house.

  Neither one of them minded, as the time would be spent in good company and surrounded by nature. Reya was the first to break the amicable silence between them. “How are you holding up?” she asked softly. They were far enough away from the house that they wouldn’t accidentally run into the others who might be out patrolling the perimeter that Adrian would feel comfortable discussing heavier topics with her.

  Adrian ran his free hand through his hair. “I’ve been better,” he said morosely. He recounted the conversations between him and Stanley that he hadn’t yet translated for the others, giving her the unfiltered version of what had happened from his point of view. The rest of the group would get a more summarized version later, when he got around to speaking with them about what had happened.

  “Nothing happened to him?” Reya asked. “But you were both found at the gru’ul facility!”

  Adrian’s shoulders drooped. “I know. Somehow he was never taken out of stasis after entering his pod on Earth. He never went through the same hell I did.” His gaze turned despondent as he stared into the distance. “That’s not all. He said there were others. Humans and a’vaare, mutated and preserved in pods like him. Failures, he called them.”

  Reya paled. “No,” she whispered hoarsely. Her grip on Adrian’s hand tightened. “They experimented on other innocent people?” Adrian nodded mutely. “Those monsters – how could they?”

  “If they did even a fraction of what they did to me to those others, my soul weeps for them,” Adrian said in a heavy tone. “I didn’t get around to asking Stanley more specifics. I was too shocked to think to ask.”

  “Just how long have these experiments been going on for?”

  “I don’t know. If the others were failures, doesn’t that make me their only success?” his voice cracked. Tears welled in his eyes. “That makes me valuable. What if they do it again, if only to understand why?” His voiced was laced with fear. “When will it ever end?”

  Reya stopped walking forward and let go of Adrian. She moved in front of him and collected him in a hug. His arms wrapped around her as he clung to her small form. “They’re all dead now,” she whispered soothingly. “They won’t hurt you again.” Her words were for the both of them – a comfort they needed to be true.

  Adrian buried his face in the nape of her neck. “What if others come for me?”

  “They won’t. They don’t know where you are. We’re safe here.” She stroked his hair as she spoke and felt the tension loosen from his body. Adrian let go when he was ready and spent a long moment regarding her. He leaned in and gave a delicate, tender kiss. Chaste though it was, the message he sent Reya rung loud and clear to her.

  “Thank you,” he said. “For being you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He gently brushed several long strands of hair out of her face and stared deeply into her pale purple eyes, losing himself in them. They shimmered in the light, causing Adrian to frown. “Were your eyes always this pale?” he asked out loud.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It feels like your eyes are lighter than I remember them being.”

  “It’s probably just the lighting,” Reya said. She snaked her arms around Adrian’s neck. “Now then,” she said in a low, husky voice, “I believe you were in the middle of something rather important.” Her expectant stare made a smile break out on his face as he leaned back in for another kiss.

  They didn’t part for a long time.

  Once they did, Reya hummed in satisfaction. “Much better,” she playfully teased. She let go and reached for his hand once more. Continuing their walk, Adrian continued to fill her in on his discussions with Stanley, giving Reya further insight into the situation.

  “He’s asked me for language lessons so that he can communicate properly with the others,” Adrian said as he stepped over a fallen branch. Reya perked up at the mention. “I honestly don’t know how long it’s going to take for him to become fluent enough to hold basic conversations with the others, but it would be nice if I don’t have to translate forever.”

  “Would you be willing,” she broached delicately, “to give me language lessons as well?” She’d always loved languages and wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to finally learn a new one. Asking had been a difficult affair in the past, as she knew that it was Adrian’s only form of privacy among the others.

  Adrian blinked, surprised at the question. “You want to learn my language?” Reya nodded vigorously. “How long have you wanted to?”

  “Since we first met,” Reya admitted sheepishly. “I thought you didn’t want anybody else being able to know what you’re saying when you speak it, so I never asked. I didn’t want to encroach on your privacy.”

  “You’re not wrong there, I don’t want the others knowing what I say.” Reya’s shoulders sagged and her gaze fell to the floor, her hope dwindling with every word he said. Adrian noticed and smiled softly to himself. “But you’re not other people.” She perked up and looked at him with wide eyes. “If learning my language is something you want I’d love nothing more than to teach you.”

  “You mean it?” Elation filled her voice. At long last, she would be able to speak a different language. She would finally see how Adrian expressed himself naturally and understand his songs. Her sparkling eyes as she daydreamed about her future lessons brought joy to Adrian. This was something he could give her that nobody else that would make her happy. He felt special for a reason that finally didn’t involve any experiments. He lacked the words to express the feeling, so he kept it to himself.

  “Absolutely. If ever there’s anything you want from me in the future, please ask rather than hide it. The worst I can say is no.”

  Reya hesitated, doubt creeping up on her as she considered his words. “But what if my question would make you upset?”

  Adrian paused. “It would have to be quite the question from you for that to happen, but I don’t want you keeping silent on things you need or want from me. So even if you think I won’t like the question, I still want to hear it. I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding between us because one of us feels they can’t express themselves to the other.”

  Their grip on each other tightened as she spoke back as Reya’s heart skipped a beat. She wondered if there was truth to his words but had no way to be sure. “There’s something I want you to know,” she broached carefully. Adrian stared at her expectantly. She took the plunge, knowing it needed to be said. “You don’t need to tell me what happened to you. I’ll love you just the same.

  Adrian went quiet for a moment. “You know,” he said sadly, “sometimes I delude myself into thinking that if I don’t know what happened to me, I can still pass as normal. I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to tell you, because then that means understanding how I got to where I am now. I’m no longer human, I can feel it,” he whispered. “I’ve changed too much.”

  “That’s fine,” Reya said softly. “It’s alright to never be ready – I don’t need to know your secrets to love you. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not I know. You do. I’ll accept all of you, no matter what that may be.”

  Tears welled in Adrian’s eyes as he regarded her. “What happens once we know what I am?”

  Reya brought them to a halt and wrapped herself around Adrian. “I’ll love you all the same.” She lay her head upon his chest and held him tenderly. Several moments passed and she raised her head and met Adrian’s lips gently.