BANN Explosive!

by Jessie Rose Case

  ***

  She’d slept for a couple of hours, then risen and gone in search of some food. Bann found her there. She guessed he hadn’t had to look far. The ship would have told him exactly where to find her.

  “It is good that you have eaten. We have found some information related to you on this world’s health records.”

  “Those are generally sealed.” Kate raised an eyebrow.

  “Not to a Cyborg. Our infiltration is the best there is.”

  Kate indicated the seat opposite her. She didn’t doubt it. “What did you find?”

  “We started in the Skirt. Pulled all the health records for Hudson, crossed referenced it with your DOB and the name of your grandmother.” She didn’t bother to ask how he knew her grandmothers name. It would have been on her application form to the Empire.

  “We found a number of references from different areas. You were right, your grandmother moved you around a lot.” Kate just nodded. “We have three references to health clinics for you under the age of five. If you cannot remember all the details of when you fell ill, it was likely before five years old. Then we searched for mysterious illnesses that affected people in those areas. There were more than we’d expected. You were definitely not the only one affected by these outbreaks. Thousand had to have been although there are no records regarding it in specific detail. They look like they have been removed or told not to report it.”

  Kate huffed. No surprise there. “So we have places to start.”

  “We do.”

  “Have you accessed those records?” He gave her a nod. “And?”

  “Other than you and sixty-three others came in with an infection, likely from a parasite, there is nothing more.”

  “There could be sixty-three others treated with the same as me?”

  Bann shook his head. “Possibly. It was a last ditched attempt to save you. There is no telling just how much it was needed.”

  “But it doesn’t say where the Puma came from?”

  “No.”

  “So we have to go there.”

  Bann stood. “There might be local records not on the system. The records show doctors or nurses that were there when you were. It’s going to take some investigating.”

  Kate sighed. It wasn’t going to be that easy. “Send a message to the authorities, saying I wish to visit a couple of medical centres in the Skirts this afternoon. Low key, no presentations, no welcome committee. Doing some good will. Do we have supplies we can donate?” Bann nodded. “Ok tell them I come with gifts from the Empire to help the people of this world.”

  Bann glazed over, then his eyes cleared, and he looked directly at her. It seemed hot and intense. Kate tried not to read too much into it. “Done.”

  Kate placed her items in the recycling. “Ok let’s do this.”

  ***

  The off-worlder came in close to the main target. It seemed the most logical point to start. It held the most rates of infected people and the sixty-three Bann had told her about. She’d been around three and a half when brought in by her grandmother. She’d tried to remember more about it, but the memories were not clear. Touching down and exiting the off-worlder nothing appeared to have changed much in the Skirt. You couldn’t tell they’d been any improvements. It saddened her but it wasn’t unexpected. They made their way towards the health centre. People stood and stared as they passed by. A group of Cyborgs with one female in the middle of them was hard to miss and not an everyday event.

  As they approached the centre, she could see a security guard making contact with someone inside. Right enough, an administrator came rushing out with some others. As they approached Kate moved forward next to Bann. She held out her hand to the person standing front and centre. “Good afternoon, I am Kate Hudson, the Liaison to the Cyborg Empire and our world. This is Captain Bann with the Empire. I was treated here a long time ago and I wanted to give something back. We are here for a visit and to bring a gift of medical supplies.” She handed over the data pad with the list on it. The administrator looked pleasantly surprised.

  Introductions were made. Everyone there was too young to have treated her. They welcomed them inside offering to give her a tour. Kate told them it would only be Bann and herself. The staff looked a bit relieved and ushered them in. It looked what it was, an over stretched medical facility in the Skirts with little resources. Kate kept up a running commentary about who used it and what conditions were the main problems, age ranges, size of the community, treatments. They stopped by a couple of ward’s and Kate took her time to talk to the people. Asked how they were doing, where they came from, if their families were managing. She made a note of those that had dependents and were alone and asked Bann to see what they could do. As they exited into the last corridor Kate told the administrator she’d like to see her own medical records and talk to the staff that might have been on duty at that time. The administrator was eager to help and showed them into her offices. Pulled up Kate’s records and asked a member of staff for an archived file.

  Offering refreshments, the records were delivered, the administrator gave instructions on how to access the file and she left them to look them over.

  The records were on old data files. Kate handed them over to Bann who accessed the equipment while she poured them both drinks.

  Taking hers, she sat while he worked. After a while, he sat back and looked at her. “They knew about the infections way before you. There’s information regarding efforts to irradiate it from the area, men sent in to clear it, they used a variety of materials to kill them off. Nothing much worked. They’d shut one area down and clear it then another would break open months or years later. They guessed the problem was underground. Nothing was found in the air or food sources. They did find a network of tunnels and thought the bugs carrying the parasites used them and would break the surface looking for food.”

  “And they found humans in their search for food.” Kate told him.

  Bann nodded. “Seems logical if it’s true.”

  “What about the treatment. The Puma?” she asked.

  “It makes reference to a desperate leap to save hundreds of people. It was ordered by the Central Committee and the Premier at that time. Bought in via Earth Corp.”

  Kate frowned. They’d found the link. Not so happy about the connection to Earth Corp. “Should have guessed. No one else would have had the resources.”

  A knock at the door interrupted them. “Come in,” Kate called out. An elder doctor coming to the end of his working career came in.

  Kate got up. “Hello, I was asked to come and talk to you. I’m Doctor Patrivoch, how can I help you?”

  Kate glanced at Bann and he gave her a nod. Walking over she offered her hand.

  “Hello, thank you for coming to see us. It’s so good to see you. I’m Kate Hudson. I’m the liaison with the Cyborg Empire. This is Captain Bann. I wanted to take this opportunity not only to bring some medical supplies but to thank you. I understand you worked on me as a child. I was very ill. Likely to die and you found a cure that saved me. I’m only here because you did that and most grateful. Please take a seat. Would you like a drink?”

  “No thank you. I worked on you?” he asked coming forward and taking the chair. Kate nodded. “How long ago?”

  “The liaison was four and a half years old.” Bann told him. The doctor looked at him. “She was infected with a parasite common to this world. Near death and she was given some experimental treatment that saved her and likely other’s lives.”

  The doctor nodded looking at both of them. “We don’t talk about those times much. The infections were very dangerous. We were desperate to find a cure. So many were dying time after time.”

  “So you talked to Earth Corp?” Kate asked.

  The doctor shrugged. “Not me, the government. Some say Earth Corp offered a solution. I’m not sure what way it happened. The government were worried this world would collapse if they didn’t find a cure. Every few years they’d be an outb
reak. We’d try to deal with it and fail. Everyone in those days had a lot to lose. It was one of the only times they all worked together. Self-interest I guess, not that I was bothered by that, my only interest was saving my patients.”

  “Did you save many?” Kate asked again.

  The doctor nodded. “Not at first. We lost a lot of people before the ‘cure’. I was sceptical when Earth Corp came up with the serum to be honest but they said it would work. I don’t know how they knew that. We’d done no research on it as far as I knew. But, not having anything else, I explained what I knew to the parents of each of the children and that it was a last chance and no guarantees. Of course, they took it. They loved their children who wouldn’t.”

  “All the infected were children? No adults in the same households?” Kate asked.

  The doctor took off his glasses and cleaned them. “That was the odd thing, all the families were living in the same buildings and yet it was the young ones that suffered and were dying. I couldn’t find a bite on one of them and the others, the older children, parents, grandparents even, had no infections, no bites, not in that outbreak anyway. It was the strangest thing.”

  “A targeted infection,” Bann told them.

  They both turned to look at him. “Is that possible?” Kate asked shocked.

  “Only too easily for Earth Corp.”

  Chapter Six

  Kate struggled to get her head around it. “Why would they do that?”

  “Logic gives us a number of reasons. To undermine a community, to be a last-minute hero, experimentation, looking for a specific result in the gene pool. Profit.”

  “That can’t be right…” Kate murmured. “How would they deliver it?”

  “A great many things can be tainted. Food, injections, water, milk. It is easy to do.” The doctor told them.

  Kate looked over at him. “You’ve thought about this too?”

  He nodded. “No proof.”

  Kate realised there probably wouldn’t be now, if he couldn’t find it then, they wouldn’t now. “I need the names of all those that were treated with this experimental treatment and survived.”

  “What are you going to do with the list?”

  “We have found that there are side effects to the experiment. I need to talk to the others and see if they are experiencing the same.”

  The doctor nodded. “Overly sexual? Several times a year? Heat? Attraction to strange people?”

  Kate smiled and nodded. “Our doctor has developed something that can help with that.”

  “Are you taking it?” Kate gave him a nod. “I’d like to check your blood.”

  Bann growled. The doctor looked on him curiously. Kate touched Bann’s arm. “I’d be happy to. Have you been looking for a cure?”

  “I have off books. People don’t want others to know and seeing as we don’t know how they became infected in the first place, keeping it quiet seemed the right thing to do.”

  “Then we’re happy to help. Can you get the word out. Anyone that wants a cure can come to the Empire.”

  “I will. How big is your ship?”

  “We can take a thousand easily.”

  “You might need a few more ships,” the doctor told them.

  “What? How many are infected?” Kate asked.

  The doctor stood, took out a data pad, did some searches then wrote something on it, passing it to Bann. “These are my files. We have a few support groups. I’ve put the information on there too. You should come.”

  He went to the door. “It was good to see you. I feel responsible you know. Hope you come.”

  Kate let him go and looked at Bann. “How bad is it?”

  “He was wrong. We will need more than three ships.” He turned the data pad so she could see it. The list of names scrolled on and on.

  “Shit.”

  “We will have to treat this here. I’ll let Mac know and the Admiral.”

  ***

  “If they are keeping this a secret, they are never going to let us treat it.” She told him making their way out.

  “Maybe we should tell them what we think happened.”

  Kate thanked the staff and administrator, promising the supplies by the end of day, then made their way back to the off-worlder.

  “They won’t believe it.”

  “Then we tell them what we know and offer a solution. They take it or not, but we go public with the treatment and see what happens.”

  Kate walked up the ramp. She wasn’t sure that was going to work either. “When is the first support group?”

  “Tonight 10pm universal time.”

  “Ok we go and see what we’re dealing with.”

  ***

  So consumed with the information they’d been given, she’d forgotten all about dinner until she opened the door absently and found Bann standing there with two trays. She must have looked surprised. “Dinner?” he told her.

  “O yeah, sorry. I’ve been reading all the information and my head feels like it’s about to explode. Come in.” She turned away and headed for the table. The data pad still in her hand. “It’s worse than I ever thought.” Kate sat down not sure where to begin. “I feel like an idiot. How did we not know about this?”

  Bann could scent her emotions. She was both upset and angry. He put her tray in front of her. “Eat. It will still be there after.” The female nodded putting the data pad to one side. Bann sat. She was distracted. He wasn’t surprised. She’d been in a form of shock since speaking with the doctor at the clinic.

  Leaning over he took the cover off her tray. Then his own. Going to the replicator he ordered two juice and put them down. Then sat again. “Eat female.” She nodded picking up her knife and fork.

  “How do we find out if Earth Corp are to blame?”

  Bann cut into his meat. “We’ll bring in a specialist to find out. I’ve already reported in to the Admiral.”

  Kate ate a little. Not really feeling it. She couldn’t shift the feeling of why someone would want to target children. She gave up and put her knife and fork down. “It’s sick. Going after kids.”

  “Agreed.” She’d stopped eating. Too consumed with what might have happened….. She was hurting, Bann realised. He pushed away from the table his food forgotten. “Come here.” Even if it was a problem for him, he couldn’t let her be consumed by it. He knew all about that. The female looked at him curiously. He waved her to him. “Come here female.”

  Kate didn’t think about it at all. She went to him and sat on his lap. Wrapping herself around him. Her head on his chest. She could feel he hesitantly he closed his arms around her. Holding her to him. Kate smiled. She was growing on him……

  Her scent had changed, it was lighter brighter. She felt better….

  “Are you trying to distract me Cyborg?” she mumbled.

  “Yes, is it working?”

  Kate chuckled as she rubbed her face into his chest breathing him in. Honest to a fault…. “Some. But I could do with more…..”

  “More?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

  The buttons on his shirt were slipping through her fingers. He felt the touch of her lips on his skin and hissed. He couldn’t ignore that. “Female you are playing with fire. You should stop.”

  Kate shook her head. Her fizz was back with a vengeance. “Nope not stopping.” She straddled him and pulled the shirt clear of his pants. “Need more than talk.”

  Bann knew if he went with this, he was likely lost. His logic displayed the data on his optic. Her connection to him was strong. It told him purging her was unlikely to have little effect now. He was in trouble…… He breathed her in unable to stop himself. All his systems were lit up, he’s pleasure receptors glowing. He’s emotions were still off and the bleed through significant. He knew what that meant. He was bonded to the female. Had he wanted that after all?....

  Kate made quick work of the shirt. The man was all muscle. No man had ever looked that good…. She looked her fill. Then reached up to touch h
is face bringing him to look at her. He hesitantly let her draw his face down towards her. “You’re a good man,” she told him brushing her lips across his.

  “Not a man female,” he told her quietly.

  Kate smiled. “My man,” she told him emphatically.

  To her surprise he gave her a slow nod. “Your man female.”

  “You agree with me?” she asked brushing her lips across his once more.

  “It is the only logical answer.”

  “Umm….. I’m liking that logic.” She kissed him and he returned the kiss, parting her lips and thrusting his tongue in deep.

  Kate moaned. The last and command of the male she was sitting on drove her crazy. He was all man. Cyborg. Whatever. It didn’t matter. He was real and that was all that did. The possession of his tongue left her in no doubt. Dwelling with her own, Bann pushed in deep sparking life in her body. Kissing him back, she met him stroke for stroke.

  His hands seemed to move on their own. No instruction registered in his optic. As he pulled her top free of her body, he pulled free of her lips and gazed at the banquet in front of him. It was better than any food. Bann picked her up, to a heady laugh from his female. His pleasure zones lit up once more. His female….