CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28: CRAZY

Eva’s eyes stayed locked on the girl. "You’re serious?" she asked again, her voice sharp.

"I wouldn’t be standing here if I wasn’t," Jace replied.

She stepped closer. "Are you crazy? You saw what that monster did out there. How can you be so sure this, this, this thing won’t do the same?"

"She’s not the same," Jace said. "I was with her before everything went bad. She hasn’t tried to hurt me, not once."

"That’s not proof, Jace. That’s blind luck."

They stood facing each other, tension thick in the air.

"You’re just gonna trust her?" Eva pressed. "After all that? Do you even hear yourself?"

"I know what I’m doing," Jace shot back.

"No, you don’t. You’re acting like—"

"You know what?" he cut in, his patience thinning. "If you don’t believe me, then ask her yourself."

Eva didn’t hesitate. She turned toward the alien girl and blurted, "Would you ever... rip someone’s head off and eat their insides if you got hungry enough?"

The girl blinked, her expression blank, clearly not understanding a single word.

Eva turned back to Jace, her hands lifting in a see what I mean? gesture. But before she could say anything, Jace’s phone lit up in his pocket.

He pulled it out, the light catching the alien’s attention. She spoke quickly in her strange language.

Zin’s voice came through a moment later. "She says... no, she has never eaten someone’s toes."

Jace froze. "...Toes?" He dragged his hand down his face. "That wasn’t even the question."

Eva crossed her arms. "See? She’s insane. This is what you’re trusting?"

Jace groaned. "Alright, let’s keep it simple." He looked at the alien. "Will you hurt any human?"

Zin translated. The girl tilted her head and replied with a short question of her own.

Zin’s tone shifted. "She’s asking... what is a human?"

Eva’s eyes widened, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, great. She doesn’t even know what a human is—"

"Eva," Jace cut her off, pointing to himself. "I’m human." He gestured toward her. "She’s human."

Zin translated again. The girl’s posture eased slightly before she nodded and spoke.

"She says," Zin relayed, "she will not hurt a human... because a human saved her life."

The words lingered in the room, heavier than either of them expected.

Eva’s arms loosened just slightly, her brow knitting. "Wait... how is the AI you created even able to speak that?"

Jace had been expecting this. He glanced at the alien girl, then back at Eva. "Right... about that. I didn’t actually create it. It’s, uh... an alien advanced AI. That’s why it can talk to her. Because... well... she’s also an alien."

Eva just stared at him. Not blinking. Not moving.

Then she let out a single, sharp laugh — the kind that wasn’t amused at all. "You’re serious? You bring home a glowing, not-even-human girl, tell me she’s harmless, and now you’re saying your phone is run by some kind of alien supercomputer?"

"That’s... yeah. Pretty much."

She blinked twice, then threw her hands up. "Oh, sure. Makes perfect sense, Jace. Why didn’t I think of that? I mean, who doesn’t just have a space robot in their pocket and a random alien in their apartment? Totally normal Tuesday."

Jace sighed. "Eva—"

"No, no, this is great. I’m just wondering, do I need a helmet or a hazmat suit for whatever’s coming next?"

The alien girl tilted her head at Eva’s tone, clearly not understanding the words but picking up on the energy.

Jace kept his voice calm. "It’s not as crazy as it sounds."

Eva’s eyes went wide. "Not as crazy—? Jace, I just watched an actual monster tear people apart an hour ago, and now you’re telling me we’re doing intergalactic meet-and-greets in your living room. This is exactly as crazy as it sounds."

"That... does sound... yeah." Jace exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.

Eva’s gaze shifted to his phone, her voice sharpening. "How do you even know that AI isn’t manipulating you? Maybe this is all part of some plan, a bigger plan, in the grand scheme of whatever they’re doing. And now you’re hiding them."

Jace hesitated, holding her stare. "If he was using me, he wouldn’t have helped me kill that monster."

"You killed the—" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "Actually, that’s beside the point. That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe that was the plan. Gain your trust, help you once, and then use you for something worse later."

Jace frowned. "You’re really reaching here."

Eva crossed her arms. "Am I? Or am I just being the only sane person in the room?"

"You actually sound insane right now," Jace said without thinking.

Eva froze, blinking like she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. Her jaw tightened, her lips pressing into a thin line before she let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "Wow. Wow." Her voice was sharp now. "So that’s what you think of me? Got it."

She turned away before he could answer, storming toward the door with quick, deliberate steps. Her movements were stiff, not because she was afraid, but because she was holding herself back from saying something worse.

Zin’s voice broke the silence. [Maybe you should try to understand her side a bit, Jace.]

Jace shook his head, watching the door for a moment before turning back to the alien girl. "Let’s get her fitted in. I’m curious, Zin... since you can transfer knowledge to my head, can you do the same with her?"

[Well, the reason I can with you is because I’m connected to your neurological system. It’s easier to send you signals and knowledge. I don’t think it’s possible with her, since I’m not connected in the same way.]

"Well, this is going to be hard... having to speak to her through translation every time," Jace muttered.

[For you, I can make some adjustments. While I can’t teach her English, I can teach you her language.] Zin’s tone was matter-of-fact. [And besides that, I can set it so when you speak, I instantly translate it for her. Then, when she responds, I’ll translate it back in real time. I’ll even give her a separate voice in your head, so it will be like she’s speaking directly to you.]

Jace raised a brow. "So it’ll feel like a normal conversation?"

[Exactly. No awkward pauses waiting for me to relay everything.]