waving the bottle in front of the access panel so the door slid shut behind him. Setting the glasses down on the table, he set about using the corkscrew to open the wine.
'Any idea what happened?' he asked as the cork broke free with a soft but audible pop, his question a preview of the endless inquiries to come.
'I really don't want to talk about work right now,' she answered, getting up from her chair and crossing the room as he poured the wine.
'Whatever my lady desires,' he said with a wink, handing her a glass.
She took a small sip, letting the wine's flavorful bouquet fill her palette. She tasted fruit, though it was more earthy than sweet.
'That's nice,' she said, taking another, somewhat larger sip.
'I picked it up last time I was groundside on Elysium,' he replied with a mischievous smile. 'I thought it might be a good way to loosen up my boss.'
'This could get me pretty loose,' she confessed, downing the rest of the wine and holding out her glass for a refill. 'Now that the bottle's open, no sense letting it go to waste.'
Jiro obliged by refilling her glass. As he turned to set the bottle down, Kahlee leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. He responded by wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her in close, so their hips pressed tight against each other.
'I didn't know this stuff would work so fast.' He laughed.
'I can't help it if I'm a quick study,' she answered, deftly undoing the top button of his shirt with her free hand.
'They say you should let wine breathe before you drink it,' he whispered, nuzzling her earlobe.
'Works for me,' she answered, setting her glass down on the table then leaping up to wrap her legs around his waist as he carried her over to the bed.
Their lovemaking didn't last long. Kahlee set the pace, fast and fierce as she tried to work off the stress and tension of the day, and Jiro was happy to follow her lead. When it was over they simply lay intertwined atop the sheets, naked and sheened with sweat as they tried to catch their breath.
'You really know how to make a girl work up a thirst,' she panted.
Taking the hint, Jiro disentangled himself and rolled from the bed. He returned a few seconds later with the wine.
'Ready to talk about it now?' he asked as he handed over her glass and crawled back into bed beside her. 'It might make you feel better.'
'I wasn't actually there,' she reminded him, taking the wine and snuggling up close against his body. 'I only know what I've heard.'
'Did you talk to Hendel?'
As he spoke he ran his fingers along her shoulder and up the side of her neck. The soft caresses caused tiny goose bumps of pleasure to form on her flesh.
'He didn't have much time. I only spoke to him for a few minutes.'
'Then you know more than me. So what happened?'
'Gillian tore up the cafeteria,' she said simply. 'Hendel had to disable her with his stunner.'
'Any idea how it started? What set her off?'
'We think Nick was teasing her.'
Jiro shook his head. 'Always looking for trouble, isn't he?'
'Got more than he bargained for this time. Hendel figures Gillian threw him twenty feet.'
'Was he hurt?'
'Roughed up. Nothing too serious.'
'That's good,' he replied, but the words seemed hollow, an automatic response. 'Did you run Gillian's numbers?'
Kahlee nodded. 'Her alpha waves began to rise the day after Grayson came to see her. They're completely off the charts.'
'Do you know what caused the increase?'
Something about his tone made Kahlee uncomfortable. He seemed more excited than concerned.
'Not a clue,' she admitted. After a moment's hesitation she added, 'Hendel said she created a singularity.'
'Jesus,' he gasped in amazement. 'That's incredible!'
She sat up quickly, shaking his tender hand from her shoulder and glaring down at him as he lay on the bed.
'What's wrong with you?' she snapped. 'You sound like you're glad this happened!'
'It's pretty exciting,' he admitted, with no hint of shame or apology. 'A girl with no advanced training unleashes one of the most powerful biotic abilities? Damn. I knew she had potential. But nothing like this.'
'You realize what kind of a PR nightmare this is going to be for the Academy, right?'
'Let the board worry about that,' he told her. 'We have to look at this as an opportunity. We've always wondered what Gillian could do if she learned to tap into her power. This could be the kind of breakthrough we've been waiting for!'
Kahlee scowled at him, then realized he was just being honest. And he was only giving voice to the idea a small part of her was already thinking. She was worried about Gillian, of course, but the scientist inside her was already trying to figure out what this could mean for their research.
She let the scowl slip from her face, and took another drink from her glass before settling back down against Jiro's bare chest. She couldn't get mad at him just because he had been honest with her. He was passionate about his work; still young and impulsive. The people running the Grissom Academy, however, were older and wiser.
'Don't get too excited,' she cautioned him. 'After all this, the board will probably decide it's too dangerous to keep her in the program.'
'You're not going to let them kick her out, are you? Not when she's finally beginning to show progress!'
'Gillian's not the only student in the Ascension Project. We were lucky this time, but another outburst and someone could get seriously hurt. Or killed.'
'That's why we have to keep her here,' Jiro insisted. 'Where else can she go to get the kind of help she needs? Who else is going to teach her to control her power?'
'Her father can afford to hire private biotic tutors,' she countered.
'We both know it's not the same,' he answered, his voice getting louder. 'They won't have access to the kinds of staff and resources we have here.'
'You don't have to convince me,' she told him, her voice rising to match his. 'I don't get to make this decision. It's up to the board. And her father.'
'Grayson will want to keep her in the program,' he answered with absolute certainty. 'Maybe he could make another donation to convince the board to let her stay.'
'This comes down to more than money.'
'You can talk to the board,' he continued, still pressing the issue. 'Tell them the Ascension Project needs Gillian. Her numbers are so far ahead of every other kid here it's like she's a whole different species. We need to study her. If we can identify the source of her power we could advance the science of human bi-otics to places we can't even imagine!'
Kahlee didn't answer right away. On some level, everything he said was true. But Gillian was more than just a test subject; she had an identity beyond the numbers on their charts. She was a person; a young girl with a developmental disorder, and Kahlee wasn't convinced that keeping her in the program was the best thing for her in the long run.
'I'll talk to the board,' she finally promised, choosing her words carefully. 'But I can't guarantee what my recommendation will be. And they might not listen to me, anyway.'
'You could always get your father to talk to them,' he said with a wry smile. 'I think they'd listen to him. After all, they named the school after him.'
'I'm not bringing my father into this,' she said with cold finality.
For several minutes they sat there in silence, but then Jiro spoke again, not quite willing to let the topic of
