by Regine Abel
I glared at him. “For fuck sake, Lhor, speak normal. I’m not a damn judge.”
He gave me a sheepish look and I felt like shit for snapping at him. Whenever you asked Lhor any law related question, he unconsciously went into lawyer mode, formal speech and all. Right now, I had neither the time nor the patience for legal lingo.
I squeezed Lhor’s shoulder in apology. “I’m sorry, brother.” Lhor smiled – he could never stay mad at me. “If Lurphin works for Gruuk or the nobles that want her gone,” I mused out loud, “he will accuse me of negligence to take her away. We need to stall Lurphin until Volghan arrives. Then I can request Amalia be discharged to his care.”
“That might be too late,” Lhor said. “You need to com him right now and get him to agree with halting medication. Lurphin only needs you to deny Amalia medical treatment, without the support of a medical expert, to lay charges against you. Legally, it’s his duty to protect vulnerable patients. Once charges are filed, Family Welfare will take Amalia until you’re cleared.”
I clenched my teeth and hailed Volghan on the com. When he failed to respond, I hailed him three more times, each with the same result.
“Volghan isn’t answering,” I grounded out, running a frustrated hand through my hair.
“He might be in transit,” Ghan said. “I’ll try hailing him on a different frequency.”
“Until we can get ahold of Volghan, we need to stall Lhurpin,” Lhor said.
I texted a message to Volghan, explaining the situation, leaving out Amalia’s ability and Gruuk’s possible involvement. Minh had delivered both my brother and me, as well as Lhor. He had been our family physician my whole life and was a trusted friend. Dr. Lurphin barged into the room as I hit the ‘send’ button.
“Sehr Praghan,” Dr. Lurphin said, with a stern tone, “Nurse Rosthan informs me you are refusing treatment for your mate?”
I pretended not to see Lhor’s concerned look. Lurphin was baiting me, and without Lhor’s prior warning, I might have fallen for it.
“No doctor, I am not,” I said, my voice neutral. “However, before further drugs are introduced into my mate’s system, I would like you to run further tests to confirm this is the right course of action. As you have stated yourself, her anatomy differs from ours.”
“Sehr Praghan,” Dr. Lurphin said, “I’ve told you the initial test was conclusive. You saw with your own eyes how the injection stabilized her breathing. I wouldn’t jeopardize the health of my patient with half-baked assumptions.”
“Nor is he implying that you are,” Lhor said, crossing his arms over his chest. “However, your last readings were over three hours ago. Amalia has had no visible improvement since. It is only reasonable for her mate to require further testing in light of her alien DNA.”
“We have been monitoring her vitals the whole time,” Lurphin replied, with barely repressed exasperation.
“Monitoring her vitals isn’t the same as running a toxicology test,” I replied. “I find your obvious reluctance at running such a simple test quite disturbing, Dr. Lurphin.”
Lurphin glared at me, his jaw tightening. He inhaled deeply and said, “I do not have the scanner and analyzer on hand.”
I smirked. “We’re in no hurry. I’m sure it will take you no time to retrieve them.”
To my chagrin, rather than leaving as I had hoped, he commed Nurse Rosthan and asked her to bring the equipment at once. While waiting for her to arrive, Lurphin examined Amalia. It took all my willpower not to order him to take his filthy paws off her. The nurse walked into the room, casting cautious glances at Lhor and me. Ghan had stepped into the hallway, trying to get a hold of Volghan.
Lurphin took the scanner from Nurse Rosthan and made to use it on Amalia. He stopped, half-hunched over her, a frown on his face. He fiddled with it for a moment, a look of frustration on his face.
“What in Gharah’s name is wrong with this thing?” he mumbled under his breath.
Lhor and I exchanged a look. His thin smile confirmed he shared my suspicions that Amalia was tampering with the device.
“What’s the problem, Doctor?” Nurse Rosthan asked. “I verified the device myself. It was working just fine before I walked in.”
Lurphin’s eyes narrowed and he cast a furtive glance at Amalia. My stomach dropped.
He knows of her ability.
Ghan walked into the room and handed me his com. His subtle nod told me all I needed to know.
“Dr. Volghan,” I said into the com. “Excellent timing.”
I listened to Minh confirming what he had discussed with Ghan, under the suspicious glare of Dr. Lurphin.
“Yes, Dr. Volghan,” I said, into the com, “that’s correct.” I looked at Lurphin with a smug smile. “Our family physician will take over the care of my mate when he arrives shortly. He would like to have a word with you regarding her treatment.”
Lurphin’s lips thinned as I put the com on speaker and Minh Volghan grilled him about what he considered unjustified overmedication. After properly chastising Lurphin and forbidding him from medicating Amalia further, Volghan demanded Lurphin send him her Bioscan and blood analysis. Lurphin offered to have the nurse prepare Amalia for transport. Volghan thankfully declined, saying he would handle it himself before hanging up. Lurphin stiffly stormed out of the room with a venomous glare.
CHAPTER 14
Amalia
Only a week since my escape and I was a prisoner again, trapped in the confines of my own body. My reaction to the toxin had been so sudden, so violent, I believed I was dying. I’d never felt such pain, such fear. Death by asphyxia always seemed like it would be horrible, but lying in Khel’s arms, gasping for breath, I couldn’t think of a worse death.
They were talking in my hospital room. I felt the warmth of Khel’s hand holding mine, the blanket on my skin, the wireless ring on my finger, the softness of the pillow beneath my head. All my senses worked but I had no control over my body.
Upon first regaining consciousness, I’d realized I was in Khel’s arms and en route to the hospital. I’d been relieved when the doctor figured out so quickly the cause of my ailment, only to be devastated that it meant Khel and I could never have offspring together. But then the nurse gave me those injections and the nightmare started all over again. My motor control was returning and I let her know by wiggling my fingers when she put the wireless ring on it. She immediately crushed them painfully, as if to silence me.
Moments later I felt the first injection. My breathing improved and my entire body relaxed. That was until I realized it had also paralyzed me. Then the second injection hit, sending excruciating waves of the blistering drug through my veins. I couldn’t even scream in agony. I lost consciousness again only to be brought back by Khel’s gentle voice, telling me about his youth, his family, and life in the military. It was during those anecdotes that a vision came to me.
“The patient’s cerebral activity is increasing. Give her another injection,” Dr. Lurphin said to a nurse.
“Yes, Doctor. But why not simply trigger another seizure and be done?”
“Because V wants her alive, if at all possible.”
“Ok. But why the neural shutdown? She’s already paralyzed.”
“I don’t have to give you justifications. Just do what you’re told,” the doctor snapped. “What’s the problem? It’s a simple injection!”
“Those three males make me nervous,” she confessed, chastised. “They watch my every move too closely. Especially the big one.”
“It won’t be long before V takes her off our hands. Now please, see it done.”
They were going to drug me again and I was trapped in my body. I needed to warn Khel so he could stop them. But I couldn’t open my eyes to see what I could use to connect to their network. Then it hit me – the ring! It was wirelessly connected to the network. If I could take control, I could display a message to Khel on the monitoring system in my room. But I abandoned that idea. The doctor could monitor my vital
s from anywhere in the hospital. The modified signal would be mirrored on every display. They couldn’t know I was aware of their treachery.
I hacked into the hospital’s com system until I found a way to send messages to Khel. With only five to twenty minutes to warn him, I kept the messages short and to the point. Thank the Goddess, my mate and protectors immediately caught on how to ask questions that required short answers. Weakened and frightened, sending those messages nearly drained me.
The boys, as Jhola and I affectionately called them, were amazing. Even paralyzed I felt safe. They would protect me no matter what came our way. I loved how they thought on their feet, hadn’t doubted I was truly talking to them, and didn’t question my call for help. They just acted.
Dr. Lurphin left the room after Dr. Volghan gave him a proper dressing down. I already loved Khel’s family physician. I couldn’t wait to get out of here but worried about what Lurphin had said regarding V coming to get me. I locked onto Lurphin, hoping a glimpse into his near future could yield some useful information. Surprisingly, using the sight was far less taxing than hacking. My curiosity was rewarded with a vision of a very nervous nurse and an agitated doctor.
“You can’t send him her results. He’ll know right away,” the nurse said.
“I’ve modified them to match my diagnosis. But that will only hold for so long,” Lurphin said. “The neural inhibitor is already wearing out. The paralytic should last at least until morning, assuming it remains undetected. But if he performs another blood test, we’re screwed.”
“What about V? You said he’d be taking her off our hands very soon. Can he get here before Volghan?”
“I’ve already apprised him of the situation. He said to stay away from them. Someone is already here to handle it. He better, because I’m not going down for this.”
“But how will he get to her with those males guarding her?” she asked.
“I don’t know and I don’t care. I just want this over with. He said she’ll either fly with him or crash and burn. Either suits me just fine.”
The vision faded and I was once again aware of my surroundings. Khel held my hand, saying everything would be alright. I sent a message to his com.
‘Falsified’
“Falsified?” Khel asked. “What’s falsified? The tests? Is Lurphin sending falsified tests to Dr. Volghan?”
‘Yes’
“Not surprising,” Lhor said. Then he gasped, hit by a stroke of genius. “Amalia, are you able to get a copy of the original test? If so, send one to our datapads, preferably indicating Lurphin as the sender.”
I wondered why at first, since Volghan would perform new tests of his own. Then I realized getting a copy of the original would provide evidence against Dr. Lurphin and Nurse Rosthan.
‘Trying’
Tapping into Lurphin’s computer for my report felt like running through quicksand to my sluggish brain. In my determination to nail the bastard, I was overtaxing myself. After a few moments, I saw he hadn’t modified the original yet and silently shouted in victory. Seconds after I finished sending a copy to Khel, Lurphin signed in on his computer. Exhausted, I discretely pulled out of the system.
“Got it,” Khel said, as his datapad chimed with an incoming mail.
“Good girl,” Lhor exclaimed.
I struggled to remain conscious. Khel needed to know someone was coming to take me. My mind refused to cooperate, though, and a dark veil fell over me.
* * *
I woke up with a start, disoriented. Still paralyzed, I could feel my body being moved, probably on some hover-stretcher. Panic almost overtook me until I heard Khel’s voice. I couldn’t quite relax, though. Something nagged at me. Something important I had to do. But what? Khel talked to a male whose voice I didn’t recognize. Minh Volghan maybe?
A soft feminine voice spoke in the intercom informing the hospital’s patrons to pay attention to the special instructions for all transports coming in and out of the hospital.
“What’s going on?” Lhor asked.
“A public transport ship was forced to perform an emergency landing right outside the city an hour ago,” Ghan said. “All traffic in the area has been backed up to allow medical teams to get to the injured. Getting our shuttle out of here might be problematic.”
That jogged my memory. Lurphin said someone would take me. I would either fly with him or crash and burn. To me, this could only mean a sabotaged shuttle. Khel needed to know. When I tapped into his com, a wave of dizziness and nausea hit me with brute force. A sharp pain lanced through my brain after I sent two little words.
‘Bad shuttle’
Something was terribly wrong with me. A comforting, familiar hand grabbed mine. Khel. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze as if in acknowledgment. I assumed he didn’t want whoever was nearby to know of my ability.
“Ghan,” Khel said, “when did our shuttle get its last check up?”
My mate! I could kiss him!
There was a short pause before Ghan answered.
“Too long. Maybe we should take alternative transport.”
“Actually, Khel, I was thinking we should use mine,” the unknown voice said. “Your mate has been unconscious too long. I want to perform my own tests. If the second report you’ve shown me has the true results, then we need to treat her urgently. My shuttle is classified as medical transport. We can get to my clinic faster thanks to privileged traffic rights.”
“Where’s your shuttle, Minh?” Khel asked, confirming my suspicions that this was Khel’s doctor.
“Right at the entrance, near security,” Dr. Volghan said. “My pilot is waiting at the ready.”
“I’ll go take care of our shuttle,” Ghan said.
In no time, we boarded Minh’s shuttle. I tried to lock onto Ghan to peep into his future and make sure no harm came to him. An acute, slicing pain shot through my brain and I blacked out.
CHAPTER 15
Khel
We arrived at Minh’s clinic and Amalia hadn’t communicated since that last message. I didn’t want to read too much into it, yet worry gnawed at me. Lhor helped me settle Amalia in her room. Volghan ran a battery of tests that he compared to the two reports. As expected, they matched the original report Amalia had forwarded to me.
I will nail Lurphin to the wall.
My eyes roamed the pallid face of my mate in the narrow medical bed. She didn’t belong in this cold, bare, lifeless room.
“The good news is she isn’t allergic to ryspak,” Minh said. “Once she’s back on her feet, she can eat it to her heart’s content and the two of you can have a swarm of offspring.”
My throat tightened at the vision of a miniature version of my mate wriggling in my arms. “And the bad news?”
Minh scratched his square jaw before leaning against a small cabinet. It creaked under his weight. At seventy years of age, Minh was fit, though he had put on a bit of weight in his later years. But it was his light purple eyes, framed by smile wrinkles, that caught your attention. Right now, they weren’t smiling.
“The bad news is something is blocking her neural pathways. Whatever substance has been introduced into her system is focusing its attack on her neocortex. With the number of neocortical neurons Amalia possesses, I believe she has some form of psi ability. The neural inhibitor they gave her prevents her from using it. It should have been purged from her system by now. Instead, it’s latching on. She’s currently unconscious but with your consent, I want to put her into an induced coma until I figure out how to fix this. If she regains consciousness and tries to use her ability, she could suffer massive brain damage.”
I swallowed hard. “Do what you must. I can’t lose her.”
“Do you have any clue what kind of toxin caused her seizure? I think it caused the mutation in the neural inhibitor. Any idea how she came in contact with it or who might have given it to her? Once I know the substance, I can potentially devise a cure.”
I cast a glance at Lhor. “We suspect Letha
Colbhen, a Family Welfare advisor who came to see Amalia yesterday.”
“Yes. I was trying to find out what she wanted when she saw Amalia. She rushed her and grabbed her bare arm here and here.” Lhor indicated on his own arm where Letha had touched her. “Amalia and I thought it was strange but since Letha had just given her a warrior’s greeting, we dismissed it. There was no sting or visible substance either. What could she have infected her with that would take nearly twenty-four hours to act?”
“Oh Goddess!” I whispered as dreadful realization dawned on me. “It could be some thallium derivative. Thallium is colorless, tasteless and odorless. It absorbs through the skin and can be fully triggered after a preset amount of time, or progress over time.”
“Thallium?” Minh inquired. “I’m not familiar with this substance.” He typed the name on his datapad.
“Thallium is a highly radioactive metal that’s banned throughout the galaxy. It can still be acquired on the black market. We discovered its existence eight years ago during the Frespian War.” I rubbed my forehead, recalling the incident. “The Frespians’ home world was overpopulated so they tried to take over Kigamot Sek. The war dragged on, so we flew in to stop the Frespians who were violating Galactic Law. We organized a peace talk between them but the Frespians covered themselves and their clothes with a thallium derivative before attending. Within a week nearly two-thirds of the Kigamot Sek population died. The Frespians hoped to kill us all, but turns out Xelixians are immune.”
“Yes,” Minh muttered, tapping his chin with a finger. “I seem to recall something about that. You might be right.”
Veredians were highly sensitive to radiation. It killed Amalia’s mother and baby sister. Fear ran down my spine at the thought of it taking her too.
“I will have Dr. Whil Murkhin send you a copy of the incident’s medical records. He was the field medic that devised the cure for the surviving inhabitants.”
“Please do so. In the meantime, I’ll rerun the tests looking specifically for this substance or one of its compounds,” Volghan said, stalking back to Amalia.
