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Now, perched on a stool in the engineering bay, free to work on her own, she ran through his infernal expectations: daily reports on progress, no slouching off without per late for duties or refusing to go to bed on time That last one had infuriated her, but she’d kept quiet Nobody told her when to go to bed

She stifled a yawn It felt like days since she’d had a decent night’s sleep She would decide when to wake up If she needed a pee break, it was her right to add in a little respite to the duration It wasn’t as if she was getting paid for working for hih there was plenty to do, none of the key syste

Picking up her tools, she left the bay She had to locate the stasis chamber

The rooht tombs, seven of theenic ice and the faint outline of a ht leap out at her The lights on the panel flickered—the beat of his heart slowed to al, his brain activity minimal He seemed to be fast asleep and in a dreamless state That could be me, or somebody else The idea made her both nauseous and sad She blocked out the horrible memory and reached out to touch the control console

“What are you doing?” Mason’s voice boomed from the other side of the room

Jade ju life support syste the stasis—”

“You shouldn’t be in here” He e frame was nimble when it came to speed “This room is out of bounds to you”

“Then how am I to carry out your instruction to audit systems if I can’t physically check the Callo “He’s not going to hurt me”

“This is a restricted area Only I can enter it, understood?”

She inhaled deeply, fighting hard with a retort “Then, sir, it goes without saying that if there is a proble, don’t bla toward the door

Mason grabbed her trailing ar a request”

She rolled her eyes

upward “That wasn’t part of the rules you gaveover breakfast”

The pinch of his grip re her to face him “Did I not state you cannot leave your post or deviate froineering bay Next time, you use the intercom to ask permission to leave”

“I thought you meant I shouldn’t wander around Titan for my own personal entertainment” Okay, that was how she interpreted his instructions, but it was rapidly dawning on her that Mason’s view of protocols was rigid and unco “I didn’t ,” she added meekly