Fin stepped out of the shower and worked the muscles of her neck from side to side. She was exhausted. It was 0300 hours and she still couldn’t relax enough to sleep and this was the second night of wakefulness. Ghosts from the past were restless. The years of working for Intel paid well, but they also slowly ate at your soul if you took enough of the really difficult assignments. And she had. For the last two days Fin’s memory produced visions of the tough and sometimes questionable things she’d had to do on those occasions and it had worn her out. She’d tried to exercise and drink the demons away, but it hadn’t worked.

Standing naked in the bathroom, she brushed through her hair and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The face that looked back wasn’t the one she’d been born with, but it was a good one. That simple thought, that her face was good, gave her an idea.

With quick steps, the Cam’h”lan went to her closet and pulled on yoga pants and a slouchy shirt, slipped her feet into flats and left her quarters. A few moments later, she stood outside Jason’s. He would understand her situation and help her—right? He’d said he wanted to be friends… After a deep breath, Fin rang the chime.

—Fin