Fiona’s display of speed caught the assistants and the crewmen off guard, but Miss Carson interjected, invoking the mission commander.
“Captain Giffords gave the order, ma’am. We don’t want to step on your toes – you’ve been nice to everyone – but we have to follow orders too. Please, don’t make this any harder than it already is.” She produced a signed requisition order from the captain. “All of the paperwork is in order, ma’am.”
G1 looked at Fiona expectantly, waiting for the doctor to do something to stop them. Certainly, the doctor could overpower all four of them and remove them from the Med-Bay in less than a second if she wanted to. That, however, would only pit Fiona against the captain and prove Doctor Biggs’ contention that she was dangerous. It distressed her to see that Captain Giffords had acquiesced to this, but Fiona imagined that the captain saw little choice.
Doctor Kinsale-Royce now reconsidered her role aboard the ship and her views on the command structure. She wanted to deny Hutch Davis’ insipid assistant his request and send them packing from the Med-Bay, and in doing so, force Davis to confront her in person. Instead, Fiona simply nodded.
“Very well – do what you must.”
G1 looked at Fiona with disbelief. It was the most expressiveness she had seen the medical gynoid since it had been activated.
“While Ursula may have been constructed by the enemy, she is still an AI like me,” G1 noted. “She will have no defenses against them, and as far as they’re concerned, she is not alive.”
“I know, G1. I know.” Fiona looked at the visibly distressed G1. “They view me in the same light, and they would dissect me if they thought they could get away with it.”
“Maybe Doctor Davis should request that,” the other assistant quipped.
“Maybe he should,” the doctor replied. “It will be interesting to see his reaction when he learns of the consequences of making such a foolish request.”
The assistant gulped audibly, but said nothing more as he and the first research assistant took custody of the Ursula AI.
As soon as the research assistants and crewmen had left with the portable server and the door closed behind them, Fiona sent a message to Kendrick requesting his presence in the Med-Bay immediately. His shift was about to end, and she needed him right now.
Then, her datapad chimed, alerting her to an incoming message. It was from Captain Giffords. Fiona opened it and read the apologetic missive warning her of Davis’ people coming to take the Ursula AI. The message was too late. Davis had already sent his people and the Ursula AI was already on its way back to him. Fiona filed the message. This should have been a face to face conversation. For the first time, Fiona saw Giffords as a bit of a coward.
Kendrick found his wife in the Med-Bay. His shift was over, and he had originally intended to pay her a visit and take her to the café, but he could sense her anger and frustration without even connecting to her.
“Fi, you okay?”
“I am not. They took the Ursula AI – Doctor Hutch Davis requested it, and Captain Giffords granted his request.”
He felt his eyebrows rise. “Do they have any idea what that thing can do if it gets into the system?”
“I suspect not, but they had signed orders from Carol, so ….”
“Carol is off the deep fucking end if she’s signing off on that,” Kendrick exclaimed. “That thing needs to be kept offline and away from ….”
Before he could finish, Fiona stood and pulled him close, kissing him deeply. “I do not wish to think about this any longer – I have devoted enough energy to the topic.” Then, she gently nibbled his earlobe and said, “We are off duty, my captain—shall we dine in the café … and then retire to our cabin?” Her lips brushed his ear as she spoke, and her voice was a sultry whisper. Kendrick could not refuse her in a million years.
“Anything you want, Fi,” he replied, kissing her. “And when we go back to our cabin … let’s turn off the coms.”
She smiled and kissed him again. “Then, come—take me out and make me forget all about Doctor Davis, the Ursula AI, and any Starfleet drama … my captain.”
9
The research assistants and two Starfleet crewmen flanked Doctor Davis and Doctor Xayasith as they stood in the Nexus at Shonda Richardson’s stasis pod. A grav-dolly carrying a sarcophagus similar to what was used to store the MEDroids hovered off to the side, its lid open and its interior empty. They looked down at Ms. Richardson. The dead woman’s face peered out at them through the window, looking calm and serene. There was no sign on her face of the trauma she had suffered before being killed by Zack Lawson.
“This is it, Hutch,” Xayasith declared. “This is the last piece of the puzzle.”
Davis nodded. “They had her heart beating, but she had no brain activity. They placed her into stasis, preserving her in that state. Technically, her body can be revived, but her brain is gone.”
“That will not be a problem,” Xayasith remarked. “Legally, she’s a cadaver.”
“And thus, she is ours,” Davis said before turning to the research assistants. “Remove the cadaver from stasis and place it into the container for transport to the Ceres labs.”
The assistants began to do as they were bid, but one of the crewmen, James Gilroy, shook his head.
“That’s Miss Richardson, Doc!”
The other crewman, Miss Carson, nodded. “We can’t let you take her body; not without authorization from the captain.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” one of the research assistants spat, but Davis held up a hand silencing him.
“Captain Giffords has already signed off saying that you can,” Davis reminded them. “I have written orders.” He handed the papers to Ms. Carson.
“Orders check out,” Carson said dejectedly. “Let ‘em have it.”
“I don’t know,” James protested. “It just doesn’t seem right.”
“There is more that needs to be examined,” Davis assured. “A hasty autopsy in the middle of a crisis is hardly doing this woman justice, now is it?”
Gilroy visibly pondered Davis’ response. It was clear that he was still not in favor, but the signed orders from Captain Giffords and the assurances from the very important Doctor Davis swayed him.
“Alright, Doc,” Gilroy finally said with a sigh. “But she’s one of us – you treat her well.”
Davis gripped the crewman’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze, smiling congenially like a favorite uncle. “I would never think of doing otherwise, Mister Gilroy.”
“Alright,” Gilroy conceded. “Does Doctor Kinsale-Royce know about this?”
“No, but Doctor Biggs does,” Xayasith assured with a smile as she touched the young crewman’s other arm. “You can trust us, James. We want what’s best for the crew and for Miss Richardson. It’s a terrible thing that happened to her, and her body deserves a full examination before returning to Earth. With her having been in stasis immediately after her attack, who knows what we might be able to do – was not Doctor Kinsale once declared dead, and then resuscitated later through modern medical technology?”
“You … you’re gonna bring her back?” Gilroy looked at her with confusion and hope.
“Wouldn’t her family be much happier greeting her as she steps off of the ship than receiving her body in a box?” Xayasith looked intently at the young crewman, her smile never wavering.
“Well, in that case,” Gilroy said with a smile, “Do whatever you can!”
“Now, for security reasons,” Davis added, “this needs to be kept from the crew. Also, we don’t want to raise false hopes, only to have them dashed if we’re not successful, now do we, my boy?”
“No, sir! I’ll keep it to myself.”
“I’ve transferred a little something to your accounts,” Xayasith added, looking at both crewmen, the other of whom had remained silent. “NessCorp thanks for your cooperation.”
Miss Carson grimaced at this but said nothing further. James simply nodded, a lo
ok of confusion on his young face. With the silence of the two crewmen bought and paid for, Carson and Gilroy had no choice but to stand back and let the scientists and their assistants set to work on the stasis pod.
“You’re doing the right thing,” Davis assured. “Believe me, this is for the best.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Carson remarked, her eyes downcast.
“Beginning the awakening sequence,” Xayasith said as she began the process of bringing the brain-dead Richardson out of stasis.
In moments, the body of Shonda Richardson was brought to temperature and flooded with the stimulants that would awaken a healthy human from stasis. Shonda Richardson, however, lay still.
“Hurry,” Davis exclaimed. “Time is of the essence!”
The assistants hurriedly removed Miss Richardson from the stasis pod and placed her body into the waiting container. The container was not a mere box, however. Within it was some kind of machinery whose design was beyond Gilroy and Carson’s understanding.
Under the direction of Davis and Xayasith, the research assistants peeled off Miss Richardson’s shirt and began attaching tubes and wires to the dead woman’s body, including a tube being inserted down her throat.
“We’ve got a heartbeat,” Xayasith exclaimed. “Activating the ventilator.”
With a deep breathing sound reminiscent of the old twentieth century laser sword wielding sci-fi villain, the machine breathed for Shonda Richardson.
“Close the lid and seal her inside,” Davis ordered. “Get the sarcophagus to the cargo area and place it with the MEDroids earmarked for the outpost labs.”
Xayasith placed her hand on Davis’ shoulder and looked at him with undisguised lust. “At last … she is ours … to do with as we please.”
The research assistants closed the lid of the container, soon to be whisked away by the two to the outpost labs.
Gilroy and Carson exchanged looks of regret. This woman had been their chief engineer and she suffered a violent death at the hands of a traitor. Davis’ assurances and Xayasith’s answering with “Wouldn’t her family be happier …” questions rather than a straightforward ‘yes’ did nothing to assure the two soldiers, and Xayasith’s remark that Miss Richardson was theirs and that the scientists could do with her as they pleased really bothered them.
Finally, it was all over. The assistants wheeled the container out of the Nexus and the two doctors followed them out talking about matters of science that were beyond Carson and Gilroy’s comprehension. Then, the doorway closed, leaving the two marines alone.
“Did … we do the right thing?” Gilroy asked apprehensively.
“I think I’m going to vomit,” was Carson’s response.
With the cadaver in storage awaiting transport to the Ceres Laboratory, Doctor Xayasith examined Doctor Biggs’ report on the chief engineer’s death. Shonda Richardson had suffered internal decapitation, which led to her death. They had been able to get her heart beating and her lungs breathing artificially, but Miss Richardson’s brain had no neurological activity whatsoever. Shonda Richardson was brain-dead,
The woman had been placed into stasis almost immediately. Potentially, Shonda Richardson could still be revived, but Doctor Xayasith had no interest in reviving the dead woman. Miss Richardson was far more valuable to Xenia as a cadaver than as a revived crewmember.
Using the cadaver of the chief engineer, Xenia and Hutch could unlock the secrets held within Fiona Kinsale-Royce. The Zduhać were crude, brute force researchers who enjoyed the prospect of dissecting Fiona while she yet lived. Xenia had no need of such barbarism – she had Fiona’s blood samples. Contained therein were all the secrets of Fiona Kinsale-Royce’s remarkable transformation into a human AI hybrid.
They had the means to replicate the nanotech; they simply needed to determine its nature. If they needed further samples, Xenia had some ideas on how to incapacitate Fiona long enough to obtain them. Hutch Davis had enough prominence in the scientific community that he could almost certainly bring Fiona into the lab where a trap could be sprung.
All she had to do was make sure that the old man would consent to involve himself in such a scheme. It was pretty clear that Davis had not had a date in a long time and his infatuation with Xenia was plain to see. The NessCorp scientist had worked subtly and consistently to cultivate that affection, and soon, she would use it to bend him to her will.
She had a message from Davis inviting her to the café. Xenia smiled like a cat at the message before sending her acceptance. It would soon be time to begin their experiment, and she needed Davis wrapped around her finger. No time like the present, Xenia thought as she clicked the send button.
Doctor Xayasith was about to leave for the café when another message alert sounded from her datapad, this time, her virtual assistant program spoke it its pleasant artificial voice.
“Urgent communique from NessCorp, Doctor Xayasith. Please open immediately.”
This got Xenia’s attention. If it was from NessCorp, then it must have been sent some time ago, most likely while the crew was still in stasis, knowing that she would receive it once they arrived at Ceres.
“Open message,” Xenia commanded, placing the datapad on the table.
“Opening now,” her virtual assistant replied.
The datapad’s holo-projector activated, and the image of Amelda Delgado; one of NessCorp’s highest ranking executives, appeared, her disembodied holographic head and neck hovering over the datapad. The holographic label beneath Delgado’s head showed her name with the rank of C.E.O. Apparently, Delgado was in charge now.
“Doctor Xayasith, a very serious matter has come to our attention, one that your present placement enables you to handle. We have determined that Doctor Fiona Kinsale-Royce is in actuality the fugitive Doctor Joyce Keane. Whatever deal the United States Government has worked out with her is irrelevant – everything that makes that woman what she is belongs to NessCorp. See to it that she is delivered to us. We will be sending agents with the coming crews. See to it that she is placed into stasis and ready for pickup upon their arrival – Delgado out.”
With that, the hologram winked out and the message self-deleted, leaving Xayasith in stunned amazement. Joyce Keane had literally vanished from the face of the solar system, only to be here on Ceres with Xenia. This changed things radically. Fiona’s body was not a necessity, but now, she had to find a means of taking it. That would prove extensively difficult, but Xayasith would find a way.
Part of her wished that she could simply approach Fiona directly and strike up a conversation. As Joyce Keane, the ship’s doctor was one of the brightest scientific minds of the age. However, letting on that she knew who Fiona truly was would spook the doctor, who could overpower Xenia with relative ease.
Doctor Xayasith would need more samples of the doctor’s blood; and she knew just how to get it. All she needed was the opportunity.
With this final acquisition, Doctor Davis had now gathered everything he needed: Doctor Kinsale’s blood samples, the Ursula AI, Miss Richardson’s cadaver, and the approval for four more MEDroids, which were even now being constructed in the machine shop. Doctor Xayasith was elated at this. With the acquisition of the cadaver, they had everything they needed to begin their grand experiment. He hoped that perhaps Xenia would join him in the café after the day was over. Hutch had certainly come through with the items she wanted.
But it was not just for her that he had obtained the AI, the cadaver, and the MEDroids. Doctor Davis firmly believed that the AI was the key to maximizing their scientific research. Fiona Royce could do all that as well, but he wanted a unit that was completely loyal to the science team for this. Once he had the MEDroids, he could implement his theories and hopefully, be proven a scientific visionary. He already had fame within the scientific community, but public recognition of his work had always eluded him, as did meaningful relationships with the women around him.
Xenia might prove to be a willing partner, but Hutch
was not fooled – she was truly only interested in getting what she wanted. However, if in getting what she wanted, he was able to fulfill his own desires, then the NessCorp doctor would prove useful indeed … and he was willing to give her almost anything she asked in order to fulfill his desires.
His datapad chimed indicating an incoming message. Hutch looked and saw Xenia’s acceptance of his invitation to meet him at the café, a smiley face emoji at the end of her message. He felt his chest expand and he sat up a little straighter in his chair, a little taller. Hutch Davis had a date with the beautiful Xenia Xayasith. He hoped that maybe their date might not end with just dinner at the café.
Until the outpost was finished, the ship was still home to the crew. The Blue Café was the most popular place on the ship to hang out, and the one concession to the ship’s prior civilian duty. Music played on a “juke box” that was really just a very nostalgic user interface for the ship’s vast music library. Made to resemble an old, blues era café, it was the place where the cool people hung out in vids and literature.
Doctor Hutch Davis was not a bad looking or out of shape man. He was as tall as Ken Royce, and maintained a trim physique, wearing his age with a distinguished air. Graying at the sides, Davis had the look of a middle-aged leading man; still sexy, but with an air of sophistication, maturity and experience. His uniform fit him well, and he opted for a more field researcher style than a white lab-coat style.
All this, along with his preeminence in more than one scientific field should have made women swoon. He was a scientific celebrity with a rough and tumble style and leading man looks. His entrance into the café should have drawn the attention of all the ladies present… but it did not. Hutch walked in, and nobody noticed. Even those in his vicinity only noticed that he was a man who was in the doorway and the only reaction women gave was to ask him to kindly move.
No looks of admiration, no smiles or winks; just a polite, “excuse me” without a hint of recognition. The celebrity scientist was a faceless, invisible nobody aboard a ship filled with soldiers
The Silver Liner: Sails to the Edge! Page 4
