She glanced around his office. Apart from his desk, there were only two other seats. Everything was organised in neat piles, each document apparently having its place. His nano was set in the middle, emitting a pale blue light.

If it was like the one in Houston’s room it would project multiple touch screens—much more advanced than anything on the orbitos.

“Because I said so,” he replied. Atlas was now tapping on his device with a long pen, brow furrowed as he looked over something Romy couldn’t see.

“Let’s get this straight. Elara gets to tag after one of your mechanics.” Romy raised her brow until he nodded.

“And Phobos is with the agriculturists.”

No response.

Romy didn’t mention Thrym’s allocation to the washhouse. In her opinion his placement was just as bad as hers. It was infuriating that Atlas assigned Thrym there when her knot mate had such a good understanding of medicine. And it would have given them ideal access to materials needed to escape. Romy had no idea what to get.

He put down the pen with a sigh. Romy thought his face even softened. Atlas looked at her for a long beat before standing with a scrape of the chair.

He leaned forwards over the desk.

“You will stay here,” he said firmly. “Every person has a role in this settlement. You are needed here. Everyone has to do jobs they don’t like—that includes you.”

Romy studied her feet, hands clasped behind her. He made her feel like she was twelve years old again.

“And,” Atlas said, “if another position comes up, I will consider moving you. For now you will assist Houston with medical.”

His grave expression never changed as he sat down and returned to his nano.

She had no idea what he was doing, and this, on top of his refusal to switch her and Thrym, only made her angrier. “What are you doing?” she asked.

He didn’t spare her a glance. “You know I can’t tell you that. . . . I have work to do.”

With bitter surprise, Romy realised she was dismissed.

Burning with anger, she turned for the door. As she did there was a nearly imperceptible sigh. But when she glanced over at the mysterious man behind the tidy desk, Atlas had the same stone expression she remembered from when they first met.

Slamming the door made her feel better.

Romy pulled up sharply as Tina and an unknown soldier strode out of her office for the entranceway.

Romy smiled uncertainly at the woman who gave her a withering look in return, eyeing Atlas’s door behind her. It gave Romy a certain degree of pleasure to know her presence in his room annoyed the put together woman.

“Don’t you have work to do?” Tina asked. Her tone was assertive, but fell shy of rudeness.

Romy shrugged. “Not really.”