Vessels || Dustin Bates

Gravity Of You

"No fucking way." Shaylee was blunt. "I am not sharing power with anyone. Especially not him."

We all knew the fit was inevitable. Aston had managed to bypass it via our extended stay on Runibor, however, it had to come eventually. Unfortunately, the day had arrived and Shaylee was pissed for multiple reasons.

The tests they had run on me came back inconclusive. I was clear of all tracking devices, poisons, and genetic tampering. They had no idea what was in the vile.

Then, Ron refused to talk to her still. He was ashamed of what he had done. He hadn't said it very loudly, but he had mumbled that he was ashamed of what he had done and how it pained him still to look at her.

Adam and I had started bickering over the dumbest little things. Today, it was over which caliber of bullet could fill subdue a Carnivore. Shaylee's glare shut us up halfway through breakfast.

Brock was being her angel, though. She stayed by him, all but ignore the rest of us due to our childish behaviors.

"It's either that or you surrender your role in any leadership position." Aston was not playing around or bending to her will today either.

"No way! Not happening! Just leave me and my team alone. We are an efficient machine. Too many parts makes us clunky."

"But a machine must have innovation or it will fall behind into obscurity or break." Shay sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"There has to be another way. I don't want to share power."

"Sucks to suck. I'm not letting a Carnivore run the team alone. I still don't fully trust you. And how convenient that your boyfriend had now been injected something by the FEC and we can't find out what it is!" Ben was in the room, too. And he wasn't helping.

"And how do we know you aren't an FEC spy? Where were you for ten years again?" Shay leaned up, resting her elbows on her knees.

"A small Messengers base on the other side of the next galaxy over. A practically deserted planet where the main population is refugees that were FEC slaves. The other half, that's where they put the sick Carnivores. It's a dumping ground." Ben leaned over Aaron's desk, his face moving closer to Shay's. "Maybe we should put you there."

The room went silent. Shaylee's eyes widened before she did something none of us saw coming.

Shaylee Marie Diaz spit in his face.

"Call me a sick Carnivore again. I fucking dare you." Ben stayed silent and unmoving, just as the rest of the room. Shay was the first to move, her chair scooting back loudly as she stood up. "Think about this and think of sharing power is possible now, Aston." The door slammed behind her. It was the only sound for another ten seconds before Ben moving back, grabbing a tissue to wipe off the spit with.

"Captain Burnley, I am so sorry." I felt as if it was my responsibility to apologize for her behavior. I didn't mind Burnley. I understood that he had been through a lot.

"You don't need to apologize, Bates. I took it too far. But I don't trust her." He threw the tissue in the garbage can, leaning back against the wall where he had previously been.

"How about you all build some trust?" Brock suggested from the corner. He looked around at all of us before looking down. "Sorry. Stupid idea." Aston shook his head.

"No, Brock. That is a good idea." Aston sat back, leaning into his chair. "A mission, all of you. Together. It's either that or I lock you all in your hallway together."

"Mission. One of us would come out with a sheet over us if Diaz and I are locked in a small space together." Ben moved around to stand behind the rest of us.