Smoldering Embers

Previously

…The exercise concluded, leaving them both breathless, not from exertion, but from the sheer, unadulterated tension that hung in the air. They gathered the equipment, their movements a little more hurried, a little more hesitant. As they stepped out of the storage room, back into the familiar bustle of the station, a knowing smirk played on Maria’s lips as she watched them. She’d seen this before, the electric touch, the charged silence, the undeniable spark that signaled a fire far more personal than any they’d faced out in the field. The embers were glowing, and the wind was picking up.