Chapter 4

Aria’s pov

I hate him.

I hated his stupid face, his stupid, sharp jawline.

His stupid broad shoulders.

And God…his voice. That deep, arrogant, British-tilted tone that slid under my skin like a splinter.

I hated the way his dirty brown hair fell messily but perfectly, as if the universe styled it out of spite just to annoy me.

It all infuriated me.

“Disrespectful prick.” I muttered under my breath as I walked into the evaluation chamber.

“Rude piece of shit….Wasn’t he taught manners as a child?”

“I mean, I’m five years older than him, yet he behaves like a fool!”

He stood at the far end of the room, tablet in hand, eyes dragging over me with the same infuriating cold assessment.

He didn’t even try to hide it.

“Bold of you to assume you’ll pass this evaluation test.” He said voice clipped. “And you’re also late.”

“I’m a minute early, for your information.”

“And it’s bold of you to assume you’re important enough to decide I won’t.” I shot back.

But that was a lie, because Adrian Vega was indeed important.

He got a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Studies(MIT) which he completed in three years instead of four.

He also got a masters in Astronautical Science at Stanford, which he completed in under one year, due to advanced standing.

To further prove his stupid self, he got his PhD in Aeronautics and human factors, at that age of twenty four.

NASA recruited him immediately after, fast tracking him through the astronaut candidate program and placing him in leadership roles no one his age had ever touched.

By twenty five he had become chief of astronaut operations, and a massive arrogant man baby.

“Well,” he said, tilting the tablet toward me, “this is an evaluation. If you can’t keep up with time, how do you expect to keep up on a real mission?”

“Try worrying about your own weaknesses.” I replied. “I’ll handle mine.”

“Oh, I’m perfectly aware of mine," he said, stepping closer. “Are you aware of yours?”

“Which one?” I folded my arms. “Being a woman?”

He didn’t deny it.

He actually shrugged.

I blinked at him. “You’re unbelievable, do you know that?”

“And you’re easily offended, too emotionally,” he countered. “Not ideal for a mission partner.”

“I’m five years older than you,” I snapped. “Show some….”

“Respect?” He laughed under his breath. “Respect is earned, Dr. Carter. Not distributed like NASA candy.”

My jaw clenched.

Just then Jonah’s voice crackled through the intercom.

“Dr. Carter, Dr. Vega. Please report to simulation Room B. We’re beginning the first phase.”

Perfect.

Just what I needed.

Two hours locked in a glass box with a disrespectful, arrogant, man-child.

Adrian walked ahead without waiting for me, hands behind his back, posture infuriatingly calm.

I fantasized about tripping him.

Just a little.

Just enough to wipe that composed walk off….

“Move faster, Dr. Carter,” he said without looking back.

“You’re holding us up.”

I inhaled sharply.

“You’re not my superior, so you can’t boss me around.”

“You’re on my team,” he replied. “Which unfortunately puts you under me operational jurisdiction.”

I wanted to throw a chair at his back, and damage his spinal cord.

Instead, I followed him into the simulation room: A curved steel chamber, interior domed with VR panel, oxygen masks hanging from the walls, multiple floating control screens.

The lights dimmed as we entered.

The system’s voice echoed around us:

*simulation: Rapid Cabin Decompression. 3…..2….”*

Adrian scowled at me.

“I doubt you’d remember any of this, and I’m pretty sure you’ll fall behind. Just don’t weigh me down.”

“I retired for personal reasons, not from amnesia.”

*”1”*

The world around me exploded into noise.

Strong wind tore through every corner of the chamber, alarms blared, pressure warnings flashed red.

The floor vibrated violently under our boots.

The simulation wasn’t this hard before, why’s it so difficult?

Are we going to fight a war?!

I staggered from the pressure..:just once.

He caught it.

“Tsk.”

He didn’t even look at me when he said it.

Bastard.

I grabbed the nearest harness, clipped in, and started stabilizing the valves on the left console.

The pressure was dropping faster than expected because he’d adjusted the rate.

“Why is the oxygen failing this early?” I yelled over the simulated wind.

He replied calmly, tapping commands on his screen.

“Because that’s how it works in reality.”

“Bullshit, you tweaked it.”

“And if you panic over a small adjustment,” he shouted back, “you shouldn’t be in the mission at all!

That did it.

I slammed the override switch harder than necessary, and sparks flickered across the console.

“Maybe,” I snapped, “if someone didn’t sabotage the parameters like a petty twelve year old, we could actually complete this evaluation like adults!”

He turned then.

“Oh? And here I thought adults didn’t throw hands in laboratories.”

“You provoked me.”

“Easily, apparently.”

“Why are you trying so hard to sabotage me! You not wanting a woman in your space is your problem, stop trying to prove nothing!”

Wind roared again, the chamber pressure hit critical.

A harness snapped loose near Adrian, swinging wildly.

Before I could think, I grabbed it and yanked him back, securing it around his chest.

His face was inches from mine.

His breath hitched when I caught him, but just slightly.

“You’re welcome,” I hissed.

He stared at me long enough that my skin prickled.

“Me not wanting you in this mission is for the betterment of everyone here, because all you women do is ruin everything and then put yourself in danger.”

“I literally just saved your life….”

“You distracted me, if you weren’t being so emotional, then none of this would have happened.”

I stared at him utterly dumbfounded.

“What?!”

But he’d already turned away, tapping angrily on his tablet screen.

“Why do men never take accountability for their actions?” I whispered, referring to Adrian and Sam.

The simulation shifted into phase two: manual equipment failure.

Perfect.

More chaos.