Chapter Text
Comfort Zone or Safe Zone?
Both seem to have the same meaning, but if one studies them carefully, they will notice that they are the opposite of each other.
What is the place where you are most comfortable?
It's probably the moment when you find yourself under the covers, that precise period of time when you know you can hide from something or from the rest of the world itself, where you are finally at peace and nothing can disturb you.
You can hide yourself from a problem, not think about it again for a while. Escape from reality without really disappearing.
But then, it happens that the ringing of a doorbell, the notification of a message, or an important phone call arrives.
Yet, you may decide to ignore these signs, continue to hide, because for some strange reason you feel anxious and afraid.
You don't want to get out of that feeling of comfort you've finally descended into.
So you decide to stay in bed and sleep, you feel comfortable. But are you sure you're safe?
How can you ensure that not paying attention to those signals that tried to get your attention will not result in worse outcomes, just because they were ignored once? Maybe the ringing of the doorbell was from a courier, maybe the phone call you just received was from your boss who needed you at work or maybe the message you just received was the notification for an appointment of a certain importance.
Maybe, probabilistically speaking, maybe that phone call was from a person who was impatiently waiting for your response, maybe that person also tried to send you a message, but not receiving any notification, they then tried to come and look for you in person.
Yet you never got out of that bed.
How can you ensure that ignoring those “problems” and thoughts is safe enough not to create new ones for the future to come?
You get the comfort, but you are not safe.
As human beings, during our personal growth, we convince ourselves that the safest path is also the most comfortable.
When we are in that period of our lives where we still have to go to school, we are still uncertain about where we would like to end up in life. What kind of university to attend, what courses to take, what kind of work we intend to do in the future.
Nobody tells us for sure what we have to do, but everyone tells us to continue pursuing our studies to obtain our position in the world, in the society.
Why have we never asked ourselves how we made a certain decision? Because it was the most comfortable decision we had to make, why continue torturing ourselves over and over again?
This is why we don't question any of the comfortable choices that are made for us in our lives. May they be choices proposed by parents, teachers, mentors, figures we admire and who influence us.
A person may think that life follows a specific path, you study to go to college, graduate, find a job and then you are good for the rest of your life and you no longer have to think about anything else. But Zayne knew well that this wasn't the case and he probably wasn't the only one either.
The reality is different. While the comfort zone is a mental state of familiarity and low stress where one feels comfortable, it can lead to stagnation.
A place or psychic state of comfortable stillness.
You go to college, but you don't look for a job because you know you can count on your parents who will pay for your studies, you broaden yourself mentally, but you have no experience of any kind in the world of work.
You have the theory, but not the practice. Maybe you also do an internship and an apprenticeship during your studies, but it is still a path already decided by something that does not entirely depend on you.
Is it a comfortable road? Yes, it is. But is it the safest route? No, because no one will wait until you are finally ready to make your decisions.
So why take risks and stay hidden in that crystal bubble that is the comfort zone?
You go to college, maybe you need a job to continue your studies, so you try to go both directions. To study you have to earn and to earn, it all depends on your willpower and how satisfied your boss is with your performance.
You may not be perfect, but at least you have started a journey, through ups and downs you are starting to take control of the reins of your life thanks to the changes you have brought about yourself.
Zayne Li wasn't sure he had a safe zone. Perhaps the very intricacies of his head were one for him. He was the type of person dedicated to always following logic and rationality to evaluate every significant event in his life. He rarely went outside the box, preferring to stick to what he could study, evaluate, control and predict rather than dive blindly into unknown territory.
Despite the demanding work and constantly full of ups and downs that came with the profession of a cardiac surgeon, at the end of a long shift in the hospital, he knew that sooner or later he would return home, take a relaxing shower and give himself some much-deserved rest. Perhaps the four warm and welcoming walls of his home were the true definition of a safe zone for him. The very place where he recharged and with a cool head he could make decisions on how to progress with his life.
Probably instead, his comfort zone lay in the very monotony of his days, because while he was determined to want to do something different every now and then, he always ended up being sucked back into work in most cases.
Yet he was fine with that, because his very goal in life was to be able to save as many people as possible.
He wasn't so sure, he felt like he was a walking contradiction when he thought about it.
If you are comfortable for too long, it means that nothing is really changing in your life. And if nothing changes, you are not evolving. Maybe everything will be the same even in a couple of years and the only thing that will change is just your age. This is not always something negative, but the surprise effect that life loves to create in the existence of every living being will always know when to attack you and how to make you collapse when you least expect it.
"Hiding from problems won't solve those problems, but the only way to fix them in any way is to face them. It's okay if you don't succeed on the first try, but every time you try again and again it means you're getting closer and closer to the solution."
He still clearly remembered those words that a certain person incredibly dear to him said to him, the kind and encouraging voice of a young girl who was no longer the childish little girl he had grown up with in his first years of life, when nothing was yet certain.
Yet, for him, a man now so accustomed to following a precise course of his life, with few changes and unexpected events already experienced, probably nothing would have ever prepared him to be contacted directly by the senior officers of the Farspace Fleet for a special assignment that would have completely upset his life.
We need to at least try to make a decision that scares us and causes us anxiety more often instead of pushing it away and ignoring it. A well-known scholar once said that our “Lizard Brain” is our compass. If you panic about the uncertainties caused by a possible choice, then you are going in the right direction despite a thousand doubts and fears. When the most insecure part of you is screaming at you to stop, you know that that's the time to give it your all.
The safe zone is a physical or psychological space that promotes safety, support and inclusion, allowing you to face new challenges and grow. While the comfort zone is about the absence of anxiety, the safe zone provides protection and a secure base from which to explore and grow.
What he had received was a request for temporary assignment among the organization's military medical division to treat a special case, a man they were no longer certain they could control for long.
They would pay him handsomely, giving him the prestige of a high-ranking officer with a place to live with everything he needed, with the promise of giving him a title of recognition and a thousand other benefits if he managed to obtain the result they hoped for.
Reading the conditions and specifications of that request, at first Zayne thought it best to refuse, determined to no longer get involved in the gloomy and tense environment that normally surrounded military forces.
Especially if we were talking about the élite secret force of Sky Heaven, one of the most important and powerful organizations in existence, to the point of having rules and institutions completely independent of the government of Linkon City itself.
Yet, in the end he couldn't refuse.
The reason? Zayne would love to know too. Maybe he had finally decided to leave his comfort zone after a long time.
Or maybe, it was because of a name.
— · ✧ · —
He walked slowly along the long corridor of that silent yet gloomy building, observing his surroundings from time to time to memorize as many details as possible. By now three days had already passed since he had been officially transferred to the Farspace Fleet air base, enough time to allow the doctor to settle into his new home and read the files that had been delivered to him.
He had to admit that the hospitality shown had remained true to their words when he found himself in his luxurious apartment on Sky Heaven; spacious, bright, already set up with all the comforts you could need and minimalist decorations that seemed to have come from the furnishings of a five star hotel.
As for the case to which he had been assigned, he had decided not to think about it too much right away in order to at least be able to create a minimum of comfort in that new temporary home.
After all, something already told Zayne that this would be a more than challenging case, so he hoped he could create a small space for his personal comfort zone in which to relax.
At least he tried as much as possible. Now, dressed in his usual doctor's clothes, he was slowly making his way towards the room where he was supposed to meet his new patient for an initial medical evaluation. The only thing that changed about his usual uniform was probably the badge he wore around his neck which marked him as a high-level medical personnel at the Farspace Fleet.
Just the night before he had made sure to study and analyze the medical records of his new patient, the only one he would have to take care of until he found a solution, try his best before he has to definitively give up.
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SPECIALIST REPORT
Secondary Pheromonal Medicine and Gender Dynamics Unit
Patient: Caleb Xia
Age: 25
Secondary gender: Alpha (classification: dominant)
Reason for evaluation: instability of the rut cycle and associated behavioral alterations.
General Clinical Picture
The patient appears alert and cooperative, with a marked discrepancy between the declared Alpha structure and the physiological and behavioral manifestations observed during the monitoring period. The picture is complex and cannot be traced back to a single etiology.
Specialist Psychiatric Evaluation
The patient reports persistent insomnia with recurrent nightmares, characterized by sudden awakenings and a state of residual hyperactivation.
• Sleep duration: 2–3 consecutive hours, rarely longer.
• Absence of prolonged deep sleep phases.
• Progressive impairment of recovery capacity.
Side Note: These symptoms are likely to be aggravating compared to the ongoing pheromonal dysregulation, creating a circle of psychophysical instability.
Physical and Pheromonal Evaluation
The analyzes indicate a sudden and fluctuating irregularity in the pheromonal profile, with direct effects on the rut cycle.
• Non-linear rut cycle, without stable periodicity.
• Episodes of incomplete or aborted activation.
• Physiological responses inconsistent with dominant Alpha state.
Side Note: During the phases of more marked alteration, the patient shows a transient loss of the typical characteristics of a dominant Alpha, followed by a rapid and non-gradual re-emergence of the Alpha state, without signs of progressive adaptation.
Behavioral Observations
During the phases of temporary loss of the dominant state, the following are observed:
• reduction of instinctive control.
• difficulty in regulating pheromonal responses.
• increased emotional vulnerability.
Side Note: The recovery of the Alpha state appears sudden and often disorientating for the patient himself.
Final Specialist Evaluation
The overall picture suggests an intermittent pheromonal dysregulation with an unpredictable pattern, with a direct impact on the functional identity of the Alpha and on his psychological balance.
Side Note: The nonprogressive nature of the fluctuations raises questions about the long-term stability of the patient's dominant role and the risk of further episodes of rut cycle fragmentation.
Recommendations
It is recommended:
• continuous specialist monitoring.
• investigation of the primary causes of pheromonal discontinuity.
• integrated psychiatric and pheromonal assessment.
Prognosis currently reserved.
Note:
The soldier is considered fit for limited duty, under strict medical supervision.
Signature:
███████████
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There were apparently two alternatives, but Zayne wondered how much the organization's top officials were willing to let go of a doctor with too much knowledge about an internal problem in their division. The presence of a file structured in that way already suggested that there had been at least one other doctor before him who had dealt with that case, or who had tried.
No one had told him this detail, so Zayne could imagine that this was a silent warning directed at him. He would have to do his best to succeed, because the consequences were still unknown, although easy to assume.
When he arrived in front of the assigned room, the doctor immediately noticed how the door was left ajar, close enough to the doorframe to make one believe it was, without actually closing it completely.
Instead of entering without wasting too much time, Zayne slowly brought his free hand to the surface of the door, knocking gently at least twice. Then a beat of anticipation and only after did he decide to open it wide, ready to cross it. He immediately noticed the back of a head of soft brown hair, belonging to a young man who didn't seem to want to bother him with a look, stiff and presumably staring straight ahead.
Yet, his intuition told Zayne that that soldier was taking into account every single step and sound he could perceive with his surely trained hearing.
"We can still keep it ajar if you prefer."
Seizing on an unspoken request that had never been asked of him, the young doctor guided the door to the position it was in before, ajar and never really closed since the man named Caleb Xia found himself inside it.
A simple sentence, but still a choice given back to someone from whom many others had been taken away.
Watching him carefully a little longer, Caleb perhaps let out a quiet sigh, particularly noticeable by the way his shoulders seemed to relax, albeit almost imperceptibly.
In the air, he could smell a light pungent, heavy scent. It vaguely reminded Zayne of the scent of white musk mixed with what he thought was something wood-like.
At that point, Zayne began to walk across the room with slow and calm steps, avoiding continuing to keep his gaze fixed on the figure sitting in front of the desk where he would soon take a seat on the other side.
Only then did his green eyes encounter two deep purple irises, so penetrating that they seemed ready to pierce the soul of anyone in front of them. As if they were going to dig, dig up and use any visible information to their advantage. A situation that Zayne had already foreseen and that he was ready to counter with different ways other than the usual aversion and suppression that the soldier had probably already encountered with a doctor different than him.
By reading Caleb's medical records further, Zayne was able to easily deduce how previous medical treatments had been conducted. Before his eyes he did not have a simple soldier who had just become a patient, but a soldier who had remained a soldier even when he was no longer on the battlefield. He could deduce it from his bearing, the apparently relaxed posture, but the tense muscles, ready to react to the slightest dangerous impact he could perceive. The expression on his face didn't appear tense or worried, but from the moment Zayne fell under his gaze, he continued to feel his eyes fixed on him. Studying, waiting; careful in their allusion of friendly empathy.
A soldier whose exploits, roles and merits were not mentioned in the file assigned to him. Yet, important enough to receive so much attention from the senior officers of the Farspace Fleet.
"I'm Zayne Li. I'll handle your case from now on." A heartbeat. Time to set up a new page to add to the file. “But that doesn't mean that's a problem.”
Looking up briefly at the other man, he didn't seem to want any emotion to show on his face yet other than a slight note of curiosity in his eyes, still silent and in the process of calculating how to handle the situation that had been presented before him.
The expression friendly, but distant.
The doctor was starting to wonder if the boy himself was like that or if it was a farce he was pulling off all too well.
“And we won't talk about your nightmares until you want us to, Mr. Xia.”
That sentence alone seemed to awaken the soldier from some possible mental state that was floating in his mind, as if someone had just burst a soap bubble right in front of his eyes.
Yet, Zayne noticed a small fracture. That seemingly approachable facade that slowly transformed into something different.
A smile slowly began to appear on the man's face, as if he had finally just heard something different from the usual questions. As if he had managed to find a different way from the repetitive vicious circle.
If Zayne's guesses were correct, Caleb had probably already realized that the doctor knew about his insomnia, but he wasn't about to try to break the cycle so quickly.
At least not in a direct and traumatic way.
"Nice to meet you Dr Li. I'm Caleb Xia, although I think you already know that." His gaze fell for a brief moment on the file Zayne held under his hands. “I will entrust myself to your expert hands, dear doctor.”
First, they started with a small physical evaluation from which the doctor was able to note several factors that proved to be true and consistent with what was reported in his medical record. Yet, many others didn't seem to appear at all. Inviting the patient to undress as necessary, he already began to make a mental list of what information he wanted to obtain.
Now left with only his trousers on, due to their new level of closeness, that scent that he had started to smell since he entered the room seemed to have become more intense. He could detect a slight sweet note that he wasn't yet able to recognize.
In itself, the man was willing to cooperate, putting up almost no resistance and allowing Zayne to carry out whatever tests he needed while continuing to observe his every reaction. The heavy dark circles marking his face and the apparent tiredness in his eyes were clear evidence that his reported difficulty in sleeping had not yet improved. The body, although still well trained and muscular, remained incredibly tense, with the nerves constantly on alert.
For a doctor, this is strange:
even disciplined subjects give in at times. Caleb on the other hand seems to be in constant compensation.
He doesn't seem well.
He seems committed to not feeling bad.
Caleb admits to insomnia, but doesn't yawn, doesn't lose his train of thought, or visibly slows down. If he had been dealing with a normal person unable to rest properly, Zayne would certainly have expected at least micro-errors in speech, lapses in attention or irritability.
Contrary to what one would expect, Caleb proves to be hyper-vigilant, always ready to give immediate answers and capable of maintaining a surprisingly clear memory.
He was too calm and cooperative.
Because of all those factors, Zayne was starting to believe that what ailed the patient wasn't simple insomnia, but sleep that was intentionally avoided or trained to function without sleep.
'Why should one train not to sleep?'
A good doctor had to be able to pick up even these small signals and if the patient he was dealing with was as 'sensitive' as he believed, Zayne would certainly have to move with caution.
"We'll start with some checks on the arterial system. We'll measure the pressure."
“Now I'll have to listen to your breathing rate.”
“We will proceed with a chest and abdomen inspection.”
“Now instead I need to measure your body temperature.”
"We will move on to checking the mobility and stability of your limbs. We will check the spine, shoulders, arms, wrists, knees and ankles. Also you head and neck, if you allow."
From time to time he asked him some regular standard mandatory questions, such as whether he had any particular allergies, ongoing treatments, serious injuries or even whether he drank alcohol and smoked.
With each test, Zayne moved calmly and precisely, showing no rush or desire to finish the visit as quickly as possible. If he wanted to give the patient peace of mind, he had to be the first to set an example. Beyond this, working with an unstable and constantly vigilant organism and as his new attending physician, Zayne had decided to try to establish a relationship of trust that normally went beyond standard procedures.
He would explain every test and give voice to every action he intended to take, answering his every question and never attempting to touch the patient without warning, also trying to have as little physical contact as possible despite the latex gloves he wore. He noted less than he observed, trying to give the impression less that Caleb had become some case to be studied, but more of a patient to be treated, as he should be.
To each of his questions, the patient gave more than satisfactory answers; he wasn't the type to drink a lot except on special occasions with his mates, he didn't smoke, he exercised regularly and all in all he always stayed in shape.
He could clearly feel Caleb's eyes following him in his every little action and movement, but one thing was certain. The more he went on with that visit, the more certain he was that his method was working, because now the young soldier's hands no longer seemed so ready to defend and attack. His own posture seemed to be more relaxed, on the contrary, a certain note of amusement as well as curiosity seemed to dance on his face.
At a certain point Zayne stops, looks at the data, then at Caleb.
"You are very careful about your health. It compensates. Not everyone succeeds in doing so."
It's not a compliment. It's a respectful observation. His vital parameters were essentially normal, if it were not for some anomalies regarding the problems reported in the file. And not.
Of course, with the meticulous attention with which he was examining him, he had obviously found the symptoms transcribed on his chart. Yet, there were some results that didn't add up.
For starters, he had suffered numerous scars on his skin, from the deepest to the lightest. If he were a simple soldier who had recently started training, it was highly unlikely that he would have obtained all those already closed marks in such a short time. Furthermore, although the functioning of his right arm was impeccable, when Zayne tried to detect his heartbeat from his wrist, he was completely unsuccessful. Indeed, when he said he had to take a sample, the soldier immediately offered his left arm, saying it would be easier.
Lastly, one of the strangest details of all is that Caleb had numerous red dots on his left arm and on the back of his neck. If treatment or drug therapy had been started, Zayne would certainly have known about it. It should be written on the file.
Yet nothing in those papers said a word about it.
When he began to calculate the parameters of his pheromones, he found the same result recorded in the file, of how they were irregular and unusually low at that time. In his file it was reported how they had sudden peaks where they were incredibly high and others where they were so low and mild that they seemed non-existent, almost like a beta.
At that time, the levels were high enough, but not enough to be dangerous for the patient. Although it probably would have been a completely different story if there had been an omega present, definitely too much for such a person.
It was as if his own organism was fighting his nature as an Alpha or was suppressing it in the most incorrect way possible. In addition to this, his heartbeat was strangely accelerated even though the man apparently showed no reaction to his condition.
His body tells a story that his discipline tries to silence.
Caleb himself seemed to be fighting an invisible monster. Tiredness itself.
Caleb continues to use highly impersonal and technical language, as if he were a soldier still active, rather than on temporary hiatus due to physical and mental impairment.
Every time Zayne asked him questions, he kept giving almost impersonal answers, as if he wasn't even talking about himself anymore.
He kept saying things like, “The pain is manageable” instead of “I feel pain.”
“The night passes” instead of “I can't sleep”.
“The body reacts” instead of “I feel”.
It was from these little responses and the way he acted that Zayne begins to understand that Caleb is functionally dissociating.
Not to avoid trauma… but to keep functioning.
At a certain point, the young doctor decides to do a little experiment.
Pretending to move to check the monitor next to the bed again, he inadvertently dropped the pen he was holding. Accidentally, happened by chance.
At that precise moment, he saw the disturbing way in which Caleb's eyes quickly moved away from his face to follow the fall of the pen before it even hit the ground, staring at it only for a few seconds after it hit the ground with a deafening noise.
“Does your hand hurt, Dr Li?” The young man tilted his head to the side slightly, now looking at Zayne curiously.
“Oh, it slipped out of my hand.”
“Let me help you.”
Before Zayne could reach down to pick up the pen again, he noticed Caleb make a simple motion of his hand and the object had risen from the floor on its own. Looking at it better, he could notice a slight halo in shades of red and blue.
This changed everything. Caleb was not only a dominant Alpha, but also an evol bearer.
The soldier guided the pen to the proper height for Zayne to take it back again, an innocent smirk adorning his face. At this, the doctor thanked him, and resumed writing.
Zayne realized a new piece of information: "I'm not treating a tired man. I'm watching someone who's been instructed not to give in."
Personal Side Note: Hides more than he says and proves more than what is reported in the files.
While he was writing his last notes that he would later add in the personal file abandoned on the desk, from the corner of his eye he could notice the other man making himself more comfortable, sitting on the cot.
With a new almost amused and intrigued smile framing his face, the soldier was now intent on observing him with a tranquility that had finally taken place in his chest.
“You really are a strange person, Doctor.” Now his friendly tone seemed to be truly sincere, much kinder and warmer than the cold distance he had initially placed. “I had never met someone like you, sir.”
At that sentence, Zayne raised his gaze to meet his.
“What do you mean by that, Mr. Xia?”
The young man nodded promptly, his smile slowly growing wider, impossibly softening the otherwise sharp and well-defined features of his face.
“You're kind.”
Zayne's hand slowly stopped from writing, looking up only to find Caleb already getting closer to him, approaching with his torso. For a moment, he felt almost intimidated by that sudden closeness, but despite this he didn't take any step back. He held his gaze calmly, using rationality to stay in his position.
Even though Caleb was an unstable patient from what was established in his file, the more rational part of his mind told him that this was not really the case. And even if he was, if Zayne had given him the impression of being feared, then he might have had an unwanted reaction, perhaps leading to a relapse.
If at the beginning of the visit the soldier may have been so distrustful and distant, now it seemed that they had finally reached a point of "openness" in which Zayne could have established at least a fragile and slight trust that could allow the patient to be more sincere and expansive in his answers.
Suddenly, he felt two fingers gently tapping the center of his eyebrows, leading him to cast a confused glance in the other man's direction. He would certainly have scolded him if he hadn't been interrupted by Caleb.
"You think too much. But you don't do it maliciously."
Before he could react, Caleb had already started moving, getting away from the close proximity of his face so he could finally go and get dressed. And Zayne? He remained observing him for a few more long moments before moving again, deciding to go slowly towards the desk to be able to draw conclusions and have one last confrontation with the patient before finally letting him go for the day.
"You think too highly of me. My job is to try to find a way to help you Mr. Xia." He finally decided to respond with this, determined not to create any ephemeral illusions and at the same time make him aware that his well-being was at the top of his priorities. “I wouldn't do the job I do if I didn't want the best for each of my patients.”
And perhaps, Caleb could have calmly countered, perhaps he had met all kinds of people working in the military forces and could have told him that not everyone would have bothered to carry out such patient and understanding behavior towards a person who needed to be put back together.
And perhaps, that was a truth that even Zayne was aware he knew, but wasn't ready to admit.
Perhaps because he wanted to continue believing in the goodness and common sense of his own comrades.
No longer hearing any response from the other man, the young doctor waited for Caleb to take his place at the desk in front of him again, so that he could communicate the outcome of the examination to the soldier as per protocol.
“Are you an alpha, doctor?”
He had an expression of pure curiosity painted on his face, even though he could already read in his eyes how he was already certain of the outcome, but was only waiting for a direct answer to confirm his hypotheses.
"Exactly. I don't react because I'm not here to measure you. I'm here to understand what happened to you."
He could imagine that the soldier's biggest and most pressing question was why Zayne wasn't reacting to his pheromones. Probably another alpha would have at least tried to intimidate him after getting defensive, he imagined it was especially common in military life.
In the end, however, even if Zayne can smell his scent, he doesn't suffer it. He responds like a doctor who was treating a fundamentally fragile patient, not like an Alpha to another Alpha.
“That's not what I meant.” He saw the other man as he brought his hand to massage the back of his neck, as if it were an unconscious gesture that was meant to express that brief moment of hesitation.
"I like your scent. It's sweet, it relaxes me."
"Sweet?" Now, it was Zayne's turn to be curious. “How long ago did you start smelling my scent, Mr. Xia?”
Caleb nodded immediately after, giving him a small smile, as if to tell him that he was sure of what he was saying and wasn't just sprouting nonsense for the sake of saying it.
"Yes it's sweet. I've been smelling it since you were standing outside the door."
At those words Zayne simply nodded, thanking him for the compliment without actually looking him in the eyes, intent on keeping his gaze on the papers in front of him.
"For the next visit, we will try a more psychoanalytic approach, but you can be sure that we won't talk about anything that you don't want to face and explore. I'm not a psychologist, but talking often helps to reach a solution even for the well-being of one's body."
The patient simply nodded, picking up the paper on which Zayne had just written the day and time for his next appointment, then thanking the doctor one last time before heading towards the door.
The doctor's emerald eyes continued to follow his figure with their gaze, until he saw Caleb stop from opening the door wide, remaining with his hand still on the knob for a few moments.
“I am delighted that you are my new personal doctor, Dr Li.” Pronouncing those words in a tone that was difficult to decipher and without turning to look at him one last time, Caleb Xia finally left the room.
Zayne stared at the spot where the strange man had been standing just a few moments ago. Leaving him alone. Alone with his thoughts.
How had the patient sensed his pheromones when Zayne had his body covered in suppressing patches? It was a precaution that he had been told to take in just before doing the visit, because in a corner of his medical record he had read how extremely sensitive Caleb had become to the scents of other people, whether omega or alpha, causing enormous complications and discomfort for the patient.
He was certain that his body did not carry any scents on him, whether it was on the clothes he was wearing or the possibility of contamination from a second individual, because Zayne had not met anyone before Caleb, specifically to ensure that he could not have pheromones on his body that could destabilize him.
Yet, Caleb said he began to catch his scent before he even crossed the frame of the door. Could it be that he had developed an extremely more acute and attentive sense of smell than any other individual? It sounded unlikely, but it also seemed to be the only explanation, surreal as it was. Perhaps this would also explain why he was so sensitive to other scents other than his own.
'He said it was sweet… He had plenty of time to analyze my scent to come to this conclusion.'
His medical records said he had a complete aversion to any pheromones reaching him, yet at the time he said he found Zayne's scent pleasant.
Personal Side Note: Better analyze the patient's olfactory and cognitive abilities.
Writing that final personal note on his medical record, Zayne decided to permanently close the file for that day.
Just to take enough time needed to reorganize his own thoughts and understand which direction to go.
He was starting to miss his comfort zone.
— · ✧ · —
Zayne was intent on doing some research to better study Caleb's case, yet, the more he looked at the sheets with the report that he himself had compiled, the more he felt he was completely off track. Many factors he found during the visit did not match the tests he had read on the file.
If he compared the file on Caleb that he had been provided with the new folder that he had compiled with his observations and judgments, he could clearly see that many pieces were missing from the first document.
Was it a situation that had only recently arisen? Could it be that the doctor before him didn't notice? So how could he explain the lack of information that clearly said Caleb was an evol bearer?
There were too many missing pieces.
He found it ridiculous that they hoped Zayne could cure a man like him if he didn't have the full picture of the situation.
At one point, he heard someone knock on the door, distracting him from his thoughts. Gathering all the documents scattered across his desk, he quickly closed Caleb's medical record, putting it away to maintain his patient's privacy. Only then did he answer the person who was still waiting outside.
"Come in."
The one who showed up at the door was a man he had never seen before. He didn't seem to be that advanced in years, despite the uniform and the badges on his bib that were telling a different story. He was definitely no ordinary soldier.
Entering the room with calm steps after taking his hat off his head, he approached the desk, taking a seat in the same chair Caleb had been in the day before.
"I am the Colonel's Adjutant in the Farspace Fleet. My name is Lin Liam." The man gave him a friendly smile, one that certainly didn't reach his eyes.
Zayne reciprocated, introducing himself as well. “The pleasure is mine, Sir. I'm Dr Li Zayne”
Slowly, the young doctor pulled his reading glasses off the bridge of his nose, imparting professionalism and giving all the attention a man of his caliber could demand.
“I guess you're not here to have a simple chat.” Jumping straight to the point, the doctor's tone of voice still remained professional and appropriate.
To be visited directly by such an important figure as the colonel's aide, it certainly had to be something serious. Until that moment Zayne had never had the opportunity to personally meet the aforementioned colonel, but he imagined he was an extremely cautious and reserved person.
He had heard rumors and rumors among the recruits and members of the organization, but nothing concrete or certain.
He knew he had hit the mark when he saw the other man nod slowly.
"I want to hear directly from you about the status of your patient, Xia Caleb. You haven't sent a report to your superiors yet, so I came in person to hear what you had to say about it."
Zayne didn't acknowledge immediately the request, but he was starting to suspect something. How was it possible that a simple soldier had all this attention on him? The only explanation he could have was that they knew much more.
They knew, but they decided to keep it a secret from the new doctor they had contacted.
Was it some sort of challenge to test him and see how capable he was? Or were they trying to see if he was too good at digging up informations he wasn't supposed to find out? There was always the possibility that they would decide to eliminate him if they felt that Zayne might know too much and thus build a new threat to their secret.
He had to play his cards well if he wanted to find out more and make it out alive.
Zayne was now almost completely certain that the file he had been given was fake, or compromised at most. But he had no proof. At worst, he would have to protect his patient from an as yet unknown enemy.
"Unfortunately, I was unable to discover anything too different from what we already knew. The patient's insomnia continues to worsen the effects of clear fatigue, including stiff muscles, irregular heartbeat, and abnormal levels of his scent." In the end, Zayne decided not to risk it and play it safe, lying to protect both Caleb and himself. If he was the only one who knew the truth, he certainly wouldn't be able to help his patient by disappearing from the face of the earth at any moment.
“I fear that I will have to continue to observe him for a period of at least another five days before arriving at a possible treatment to follow.”
He believed this was enough to convince him. He hadn't said more than was necessary, but not too little to be suspicious either.
”Caleb told me about you after the visit.” Now, Liam's gaze had become more serious, intent on observing Zayne with an expression that he wasn't yet sure he could decipher.
"I ask you not to pretend nothing happened."
The table was now open. Liam knows the truth and he also knows that Zayne has picked up on inconsistencies that he shouldn't have noticed.
"I will only stop if you can assure me that this will not endanger my safety."
The man in uniform did not respond immediately. He was rearranging his thoughts while Zayne was studying him too. If it was a battle he was going to fight, he wasn't going to go down without doing everything he could.
“Some symptoms are not consistent with the diagnosis I was given.” The young doctor's tone of voice was now accusatory, determined to strike where he hoped to find an opening to obtain more information.
“The progression of his symptoms is not linear.” Even just obtaining the man's compassion would have been enough, as long as he did not remain indifferent.
“There are reactions that I don't expect from a standard trauma.” He didn't know how many opportunities he had where he could actually win against a soldier trained not to give in even under the most torturous pressure, but at least he would try.
"Caleb's injuries don't come from training. They come from someone who wanted to see how long he could resist."
And Liam? He reacts too quickly. He doesn't deny it. Does not confirm it either.
But he asks targeted questions.
“How reliable is the past data?” This was the first question Liam asked instead of answering Zayne's.
The doctor frowned, waiting patiently for the man to continue, curious as to what he meant. Liam knew he had his full attention.
“If some information was missing… would you change your approach, Dr Li?”
Apparently, Zayne had just hit the jackpot.
"Not everything that happened to Caleb went through official medical channels. The file you have is incomplete." The seriousness and gravity of his tone already foreshadowed something that perhaps he wasn't ready to hear.
He then saw the man approaching with his torso, lowering the tone of his voice more and more. As if he didn't want to risk being heard by anyone other than Zayne. “There are other files.”
At that point, it was now Zayne's turn to approach him, staring straight into his eyes with a determination he usually had when he was determined to face a difficult case in a operation room. “What exactly do you want from me?”
In that moment, he could swear he could read a darker and more macabre light in Liam's irises, as if he were carrying on his shoulders the weight of a secret so enormous that it would tear his very soul apart.
"Can you keep him stable?"
”Without complete information… no.”
Zayne's words were firm. Of course, he could also have pretended, said that he would try, that he would do his best and continue that antics of the good doctor, but incompetent enough to pretend not to see that his patient was already collapsing. He could have done it, but he would no longer be able to live at peace with himself.
Liam remained silent, continuing to look at Zayne with a desperation that the doctor would have expected and hoped to see in Caleb's eyes at the time of the visit.
"If you read them... you will no longer be able to pretend not to know." A sigh. A breath too deep to relieve the tension. “If you take them, you become part of the problem.”
The atmosphere in the room had become heavy, almost suffocating. Probably, for a normal person it would have been the last straw, but Zayne was used to fighting between life and death in front of simple white beds.
"That's where you're wrong, Sir. I've been part of the problem from the moment that man became my patient."
The more that conversation continued, the more Zayne knew he was sinking to a point of no return. He couldn't hold back anymore, he couldn't even if he wanted to with all his being.
Why abandon his comfort zone like this? Because he knew he would no longer be able to live with the knowledge that he didn't act when he could. And that comfort zone would soon turn into a suffocating prison that would no longer welcome him.
"If you want to keep pretending that Caleb is still intact, I'm not the right doctor."
Liam let out a long, deep breath, briefly looking down at his hands for a few moments. He was making a decision, whether Zayne was trustworthy or not.
“I'm trusting the Colonel's judgment.”
Getting up from the chair he was in, ready to take his leave. For a moment, Zayne was almost on the verge of believing that Liam wasn't going to trust him and would leave him without answers to his questions. Had he just lost that battle? Would he be silenced for good?
His heart had begun to beat faster and faster in his ribcage, waiting with ever more anxiety to see the man's next moves.
“I'll make sure you get those reports.” Finally the silence was broken by Liam, now intent on putting his hat back on. "I will have sent to you a laptop that is outside the Farspace Fleet systems and untraceable for now. I advise you to be extremely cautious."
“Will I have your cooperation in solving this case?”
Liam smiled at that point, nodding immediately afterwards to give him confirmation.
“Please bring him back… my friend.”
Zayne stood up from his desk, locking eyes with Liam. They seemed sorry, terribly guilty for an ailment that the doctor didn't yet know about. Maybe he had come to seek his help to redeem himself, maybe he hoped that this way he would be able to help his friend or maybe he was just working on behalf of the colonel.
He didn't yet know which of these was the case, but at that moment he knew that before his eyes he had a human being hoping for the salvation of another person.
— · ✧ · —
A few days later, Zayne was back in the medical wing of the Sky Heaven hospital. He was supposed to meet with Caleb soon, but he still didn't have any material to work with or enough information to come up with a shred of therapy to start with.
When he was about to enter his office, he was surprised to see that someone was already inside. It was a soldier.
It was then that he got the answers he was looking for.
The soldier had come on behalf of Lieutenant Liam, pretending to need a visit to be prescribed medicine to combat muscle pain. When Zayne went to take a piece of paper on which to write the recommended medicines complete with recommendations, he found a small laptop right inside the top drawer, immediately understanding that the soldier was currently on a mission.
Before leaving, the soldier left Zayne a flash drive, having waited until the last moment before giving it to him, to make sure that no one else managed to compromise the conclusion of his task.
He left with the prescribed paper, thus leaving the doctor with those new objects that he would only use once he returned to his personal apartment. For now, he would hide such items in his bag.
Yet when Zayne returned home, nothing could prepare him for what he would discover.
╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼╾╼
ADDENDUM RESERVED FOR SPECIALIST REPORT
Farspace Fleet Archive — Anomalous Events Section
Access Level: ███████
Linked to the file: Xia Caleb
Relevant Operational History
The patient has just returned from a serious accident that occurred in the Deepspace Tunnel during a standard crossing mission of the Farspace Fleet.
According to official records, the fleet was hit by a sudden flow of high-intensity electromagnetic radiation, causing:
• loss of buoyancy
• disruption of the planned route
• collapse of communications
Over a period of several days, the fleet was officially reported missing and subsequently presumed dead inside the Tunnel.
Extract 1 — Accident report (partial)
Mission: Deepspace Tunnel – Route K-91
Fleet status: MISSING
…
By day ███ there were no more vital signs.
The fleet was officially declared dead.
…
Anomalous event:
High intensity electromagnetic flux.
Non-categorizable effects on instruments and crews.
…
Sole survivor:
Xia Caleb
Reentry Mode: ██████████████████
Side Note: “He wasn't supposed to come back.”
Survivor return log – archived version
Farspace Fleet – Critical Events Archive
Protocol: FF-DS-TUN/███
Subject: Single unit return – Xia Caleb case
Estimated return date: ██ / ██ / ████
The subject reappeared in the controlled space without a lock signal,
with no exit path from the Deepspace Tunnel and no functioning onboard recordings.
The physical conditions are incompatible with a human stay of more than ██ hours.
Estimated duration of absence: ██ days
Note:
The subject is unable to describe the transition phase from the Tunnel to real space.
It only brings back “light,” “pressure,” and a feeling of being called.
Responsible Signature:
█████████
[𝚂𝚈𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙼 𝙱𝚁𝙴𝙰𝙺…]