Five days came and went like a street carnival. Olivia fell back into an old pattern from years ago where she had a hard time leaving the side of the man she cared about during the opening stages of the relationship. If this colony wasn't so messed up, maybe she'd have a shot at that after all. Pipe dream.

"Where are you going?" The sheets pulled over Edward's head muffled his voice. The man was not a morning person and made a spectacle of it.

"To work, as should you."

"Stay in bed with me. We'll play hooky and no one will suspect a thing."

If only he were right. The director would have both of their heads on a platter and Edward would finally understand spine gripping fear. She pulled her clean and ironed clothes off the hangers in his dresser. Every minute counted this morning. If she could get ready in his apartment, she'd be in much better shape to face the ruthless leader.

She came back after freshening up and pulled the covers away from his head. He groaned in response. "I'm leaving; you should get ready for work too."

She leaned in to give him a quick kiss on the lips, but he would have none of that. His hand found the base of her skull. To bring her closer, his fingers tangled themselves in her hair. It didn't bother her too much this time. An excuse to stay an extra minute. She couldn't even estimate how many similar kisses she had received all weekend, but each one was just as effective, if not more, as the last.

"Later," she said as she pulled herself away. She straightened out her hair in the mirror.

"Olivia," Edward called out as she reached his bedroom door. "You're amazing. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. Have a good day at work."

How had he known how much she'd need those words for her upcoming meeting?

She smiled and took her time with the doorknob. There was no telling when circumstances would change and moments like this would cease to become memories. "You too."

Each bar and step on the director's ridiculous obstacle course made her loathe the man with more passion. The anger brought her power instead of fear as her muscles strengthened with each movement. She had the information. It was over and she could go back to regular duties.

"Director," she called out as she entered his bright lair. Bold, but warranted.

He gave no immediate answer and she went to sit down. The art behind his large wooden desk had changed to the portrait of a boy in a red vest that appeared familiar. Her attention was so focused on determining its origins that the director's appearance in the room took her by surprise.

"Admiring my Cézanne? It seemed a shame to keep it locked away in storage with the others." He placed himself in front of the desk, directly in her field of vision. He was showing off as he usually did, although in her case it did little as her art knowledge was limited.

"I've seen this before."

"It has changed hands a number of times in its lifetime. I think it has found a most accommodating resting spot at the moment. I couldn't stand to leave such a piece in a museum destined to be wasted in the storms and tornadoes. Much like valuable people like yourself."

He was no humanitarian. She knew that quite well and chose not to respond. His smile vanished and his eyes locked in on her.

"I assume you dared to show your face with more valuable information this time."

Olivia stopped herself from gulping. The momentary facade of humanity was gone.

You have information. Use it.

"I have Mr. Hues' rationale behind his daughter's job transfer. She has been stressed out by the move and her work duties. They felt it would be best to change her environment as she was skipping her apprenticeship. She had a friend in the agricultural department to help-"

He studied his cuticles instead of looking at her.

"Names, Fendson."

"April, not sure of the last name. They attended the meetings for the reproductive team on the same day."

"Yes, yes. Any other allies the young woman may have?"

"That Quinton boy."

"We knew that already."

"She hasn't mentioned the birthing program to her father. He is unaware that she is a candidate."

His eyes finally lifted and his icy glare made her wish for his inattentive nature to return. "For future reference, Fendson, lead with your pertinent information. I don't need to hear things I already know. So there is a divide forming. This is good and bad for us. Now, I'd like you to focus on Mr. Hues and forget about Mr. Drest. Second hand information is never as accurate as first hand."

"But, why have me even try in the first place?"

A grin grew on his pale face. "I wanted to fuck with you, and now that I've accomplished that, we can move on. You should have no confusion as to who runs this establishment."

Her heart skipped a beat and her throat went dry, unable to formulate a response. The director met her gaze and continued.

"The Mischa situation is growing like bacteria in a cesspool. We need to contain it, and you'll find an angle into that household. When it was just the two runts running, it was fine. It's inspiring far too many allies."

"With all due respect, sir, Mr. Drest and Hues are close enough that switching tactics would be suspicious."

"I never asked you to fornicate with these men, officer. Be professional and do your job properly."

She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting her face flush. "Why don't I deal with the girl directly?"

"You haven't shown yourself competent enough for such a task. One person has already left the colony under your care; I doubt you could contain a similar situation. Williams is handling it."

Marcel's departure had as much to do with the director as it did her. They had both driven the man away with their choices. But Williams taking charge? She bit her tongue before she could berate the newer recruit's efficiency. She'd overheard a conversation or two in the women's meetings and he did little other than intimidate. Perhaps his incompetence wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to this colony.

"You have a week. That is all."

Nate and Edward sat in their quiet workspace, repairing a few cameras that had been damaged in a recent storm. The parts were harder to come by since this wasn't the first occurrence. They weren't the only department questioning the necessity of outdoor surveillance. The repair process was taking longer than it generally did.

"How's your daughter feeling lately?" Edward asked.

"Much better, complete change from last week. Maybe it was the vitamin D missing from her system or clean air. Either way, she's more social and content. I hardly see you in the evenings anymore."

"Oh, I've been busy with different... activities."

Olivia had him exhausted, in the most satisfying ways possible. Her personality had flipped completely as she initiated kisses, cuddles and their plans to spend the whole day in each other's arms. The slow road had paid off, because as much as their earlier sexual encounters had pleased him, they were empty gestures.

The door to the office clicked open but Edward paid it little attention. The parts delivery wasn't due for another few days when others were back from scavenging.

"Officer, how can we help you?" Nate asked.

"Just checking in on our cameras."

Edward forced himself to stay still as she approached, but it was much harder than usual. Especially after what she'd done to him last night. Their not-in-public agreement still stood as far as he knew and he really didn't want to jeopardize his sudden good fortune. Just be cool.

"That project is on hold until the glass and bulbs come in from outside. The recovery unit would be able to tell you that."

She sat down on the stool beside Edward and placed her hands on her lap. "Great, I'm sure you two will do good work once they're in."

"We generally do." Nate paused. "Right, Edward?"

Nate must have noticed his extremely stiff, uncomfortable shoulders and that he didn't dare make eye contact with either of them. "Right, only the best."

"Great, I should be going then." His body relaxed at those words and her footsteps. "Edward, are you free for lunch?" And like a cruise ship in the Bermuda Triangle, his ease vanished into thin air.

"I," he started and turned to the woman who wore an expression no different from the one she had when they were alone. Why did she turn him into a schoolboy with his first crush? Was this some sort of test? "If you want to, sure."

"I'll meet you on the second floor then around noon. Have a good day, gentlemen."

Just when he was convinced things couldn't stray anymore from the expected, Olivia came over and kissed him on the lips. His surprise kept him from kissing her back. She pulled away with a small smile.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Edward let out a trapped breath. "That actually happened, right? You saw her come in and..."

"Won't find much food on the second floor," Nate said.

No, just her apartment.

"Be careful, Edward. Women like that always have an agenda."

"I know, luckily she's fairly obvious about hers-"

"Not that kind of agenda. When a woman has looks on her side, she can easily make men overlook certain details."

Edward tried not to laugh. He'd be far from the ideal candidate for any kind of goal she had in mind. "She's not very good at manipulating people. I catch her most of the time."

Nate's eyes surveyed Edward's face.  "How long have you two been...?"

"We've been friendly probably just after my first week here."

Nate tapped his fingers on the table. "There were rumours about her fiancé's departure, that she played a role in it."

"She certainly blames herself and is far from over it." It broke his heart, holding her as she wept and shook. He had avoided telling her about the tears when she appeared to have forgotten the whole experience. "She needs more help than I can give her. Professional help."

"That, I would not have guessed."

"I think she works very hard to keep up that image."

"I'd still be cautious about the whole thing."

"Nothing but eggshells, Nate. There's not a whole lot she could use me for. She's higher ranking than I am, has more income, and influence."

Nate shook his head and went back to work. Edward's eyes shot to the clock as his body began the short countdown until lunch.

When he reached her door, it hardly took more than a couple knocks to be let inside. Her lips were on his in an instant, warm, soft, and sensual. The privacy kicked his instincts back in and he ran his tongue over her bottom lip. She let him in without hesitation, wrapping her arms tighter around his body. Her breasts pressed into his chest and his arousal became impossible to hide against her.

"Hold on," he said, not knowing where the words came from. "What happened earlier in the electronics department? You kissed me, in front of Nate. Does that make us public now?"

"I just-" Olivia's eyes darted from right to left and she sighed. "People are going to fuck with me no matter what I do or hide. I'm sick of it. You are the best part of my life right now, and I'm sick of hiding it." She rested her head against his chest and breathed deeply.

Edward looked down into her eyes. "You're being honest with me?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him and her lips curled. "Of course." The tone wasn't defensive; it was the hurt one she had week ago when she had showed up at his apartment beaten and broken. He would have thought she had so much more going for her in this colony. No matter what rank you were, things appeared to be sour.

"I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to this version of you. Am I really the best part of your life?"

"I work for a sadist bent on my failure. I've lost everyone and thing I used to care about, including myself. God, that feels good to get that off my chest." She pulled away from him and walked around the room with her arms outstretched.

"I guess I'm lucky to have Nate."

"Very." She paused for a moment and bit her bottom lip. "I lied to you Edward."

He waited for Nate's fears to be realized.

"When I told you I never wanted children, it was a lie. I hadn't wanted any until I discovered I was pregnant and it became a symbol of hope for my fiancé and me. I was torn with the option of staying or leaving. He had made it very clear he had no future here, but I was worried about the baby. The director found out and told me my odds, my options, not one of them good. I believed his ridiculous claims about the future, about the uncertainty and horror it would face."

"If he's so against children, why is there a breeding program?"

"Because he hates things he cannot control. These children will be planned symbols. A year of prosperity. Completely innocent children who have never known the world prior to the disasters, not even during conception or in foetal development: tabula rasa."

"And you're not pregnant now so..."

"My child," she whispered. "She was the one I killed. When I told Marcel, he... he looked at me with the same contempt he had for the director and he left. I deserved it."

He held her close before he lost her to another panic attack. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed tighter. "It's over now."

"I wish it was," she whispered.

"Let's go get some lunch. Be a nice distraction."

"Alright," she said, likely resigning her feelings back into that twisted mind of hers. He watched her frown fade, her eyes sharpen and her posture go erect. There was something not right about how easily she could pull off that feat.