Page 6 of Honor Code
The sun rose above the horizon, and the the peachy-orange sky burst outward. Ellie reveled in the warmth on her face, as she lowered her body to a prone position. Soaking in the energy, she closed her eyes, pushed through her hands, and curved her spine.
Damn, this felt great.
Slowly, she was coming alive.
As she straightened her arms and legs to form an inverted V, the tension of the last few hours finally dissipated. The fear she'd been harboring began to subside, and her natural confidence came back.
It had been a case of mistaken identity. He'd thought she was an intruder, prowling around on deck dressed in black.
Who could blame him?
But it wouldn't happen again, not now he knew who she was.
Ellie went through the remainder of the yoga sequence, feeling herself grow stronger with every asana. Finally, when she brought her arms down and came to rest in the prayer position, she felt like a new woman.
Today was a fresh start, an opportunity to advance her career by leading a project she was passionate about. The Explorer would unearth test samples and she would analyze them and determine their viability. She was a strong, capable, independent woman.
She was not a victim.
As the sun rose higher and workers started appearing on deck, she picked up her mat and headed to her cabin. There was still plenty of time for a shower and breakfast in the cafeteria before starting her shift. It was going to be a good day.
Ellie stared at the data on the computer screen in front of her. Okay, maybe her earlier optimism had been slightly premature. She’d just run a test on the samples from the first site through the X-ray fluorescence analyzer, which gave her an idea of the quality and composition of the various elements within the samples.
Except it didn’t contain what she was expecting.
Usually, in viable samples, she found light hydrocarbons, low contaminants, and a degree of rock permeability. All the geological surveys had pointed to that being true, but what she was seeing was the complete opposite.
Puzzled, she mulled over the results. It didn't add up. Was it possible they were drilling in the wrong place? Not likely. Had there been a mistake with the coordinates? That was possible, but it would be a very expensive error, if it was. And Suzi would have double-checked the survey reports before she input the coordinates into the system.
Ellie decided she’d check the geological report herself.
Getting up, she left her lab and headed to the control center. This was the hub of the rig from where the drilling operations were directed.
She rounded a corner and…
“Oomph!” The air wheezed out of her like a punctured balloon.
Reeling, she staggered backward, her legs flying out from under her. She put out an arm to steady herself, but instead of the cold wall encountered something almost as hard but much hotter.
His torso.
An arm shot out and hooked around her waist, preventing her from falling over. In one smooth movement, he lifted her up then deposited her back on her feet. It happened so fast, it made her head spin.
"Holy crap, it's you."
They were pinned together, her hands spread over his chest. She felt his muscles tense beneath her fingers, surprised by the heat it stirred.
A terse response. "It's me."
Those midnight blue slits glinted down at her, jolting her back to her senses. Unlike this morning, he wasn't dressed in combat gear but instead wore a pair of shorts and a casual T-shirt with a surfing logo on it. It made him look less severe, more carefree. She could almost picture him on a beach in Cali, a surfboard under his arm.
"We have to stop meeting like this,” he said, dryly.
"Sorry." She lifted her hands off his chest. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
The glint changed to a concerned frown, and he gently released her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you," she added, as an afterthought, her face burning.