She was careful not to rush Vari through her lunch, and careful to hide her relief when she finished. After thanking the Dracon-Bats, she placed one hand on the shoulder Pandora wasn’t using and let Vari guide her out of the cafeteria.
“I should have just taken you straight down to see Dr. Jula instead of making you wait through lunch,” Vari said as they walked toward the elevators. “I’m sorry, Ria.”
“Please don’t be,” Ria said. “I would’ve refused to go before you had a chance to eat anyway.”
“I still should have offered,” Vari insisted as she pressed the elevator call button.
“Have I told you how happy I am that you can do things like ride elevators without worry now?” Ria asked, changing the subject. “Because I am.”
“It makes me kind of happy too,” Vari said, smiling. The elevator doors opened and the two women stepped in. Vari reached out to press the button for the infirmary deck and saw the Katres leave the elevator directly across from them. She frowned before pressing the button, relieved when the doors closed right away.
The day after Ria woke from her coma, her men had told her the Katres were her sister’s destined Rami. That had been two weeks ago and she still hadn’t fully decided how she felt about it. She didn’t have a problem with the Katres personally. They were good men and she thought her sister could be happy with them. Her problem was with their decision to keep it secret.
Yes, Ria took suppressants, and no, she couldn’t argue with their claim that they’d chosen to stay silent in order to respect her wishes. She wasn’t sure she believed it, but she wasn’t sure she didn’t believe it, either.
Seeing the Katres just now made her angry, though. They’d made their choice not to tell Ria she was their berezi, so what were they doing coming here, to the Bihotza, unannounced, at lunch time? Didn’t they know that Ria could identify them if they got too close? Or did they just not care about her feelings at all?
She didn’t know what game they were playing, but if they weren’t careful, she’d tell Ria the truth. Her men’s repeated reminders not to interfere were unnecessary. She knew the law as well as they did. She also knew that when it came to protecting her sister, the law and anyone who wanted to make an issue of it could stuff themselves into a pod launcher and eject themselves. Without the pod.
***
Talon, Thorn, and Tee stepped off the elevator in time to catch a brief glimpse of Vari and Ria before the elevator doors closed. They stood there for a few moments, saying nothing. Then Tee sighed.
“Big mistake.”
“What?” Talon asked, confused.
“Coming here unannounced,” Tee replied. “From the expression on Vari’s face when she saw us, she probably thinks we’re here to watch Ria.”
“Why would we do that?” Thorn asked.
“All things considered, Thorn, it’s disturbing that you’d even ask that question,” Tee said.
Thorn glanced at Tee, then shrugged. This was neither the time nor the place to get into this discussion again. “Let’s go find the Commanders and get this unpleasant task over with.”
Talon looked at Thorn, then nodded, turned and led the way into the cafeteria. He spotted the Dracon-Bats in a far corner and headed in their direction, wondering if they needed privacy for the discussion they were about to have.
“Hello, Talon, Thorn, Tee,” Declan said, a slight frown on his face. He wondered briefly if they’d shown up unexpectedly in an attempt to get a glimpse of Ria, then dismissed the idea when he saw the expression in Talon’s eyes. “Would you like to join us, or should we go somewhere more private.
That was exactly what Talon had been trying to decide. He looked around, saw that the tables nearest them were empty, and also that the Dracon-Bats hadn’t finished their meals. “This is fine, Declan. If you prefer we can wait until you’ve finished eating.”
“No, we’re nearly finished anyway,” Declan said. “Please have a seat.” He glanced at Jay and Kai while the Katres sat, and saw the same confusion on their faces as he suspected was on his own.
“I apologize for just barging in on your meal,” Talon said. “We didn’t even take note of the time before we transported over.”
Declan waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s obvious that you’re shook up by something, Talon. That alone has us concerned.”
“I assume you’re aware that Captain Chou and Dr. Kannon were a bonded couple.”
“We didn’t until Ria mentioned it after the explosion,” Declan said. “One of the first things she asked Vari was how Captain Chou was handling the loss.”
A faint, barely heard huff caught Declan’s attention. He stared at Thorn for a long moment, wondering if he’d heard what he thought he’d heard.
“It seems that Captain Chou has not been dealing with the loss of her companion very well,” Talon said, interrupting Declan’s focus on Thorn. “They’ve been together for more than forty years, so that’s not surprising. She’s been seeing one of the psychologists on the Beacon in an effort to deal with her grief, but has not been progressing well, though nobody bothered to inform us of the situation as they should have.”
Declan wanted to tell Talon to come to the point, but held his tongue. They’d known each other nearly four hundred years, and Talon had always been straightforward. Knowing this, he braced himself for bad news.
“This morning Captain Chou attempted to commit suicide,” Talon said finally. He blew out a long breath once the words were out.
“Attempted?” Declan asked.
“She cut her wrists. Rather deeply in fact. They found her just in time, and managed to save her life. The wounds have been healed, the volume of lost blood replaced, and she’s expected to recover fully. She is currently in a deep, drug induced sleep pending our decision on what to do next.”
“How is this your decision?” Kai asked. “The Beacon is an ICARUS vessel.”
“Strictly speaking, she endangered the Beacon, and everyone aboard her,” Talon said wearily. “That’s a criminal act, which places the matter in our hands.”
“Criminal?” Jay asked sharply.
“If she’d stepped down as Captain first, that would have been different. But she didn’t.” Talon shook his head. “Honestly, Jay, we didn’t like having to make that point, but we did it for her sake and frankly, I’m glad we had that loophole to use.”
“Tell us,” Declan said quietly.
“Among the crew, officers, scientists, and doctors there are three factions with different ideas on how this situation should be handled. One faction, mostly doctors, wants her to be removed from her post and given psychological treatment. Another faction consisting mostly of scientists is insisting she be placed in hibernation until we return to the Thousand Worlds. The third faction, consisting of some scientists and doctors, but mostly disgruntled crew, wants her court-martialed on the spot, without even the courtesy of waiting until she’s conscious.”
Declan’s eyes narrowed and Talon nodded. “We’ve decided to have her placed in hibernation, and to have her tank sent to the Hilgaria, just in case. Pending your agreement. She’s currently being guarded by a Falcoran male-set from the Hilgaria.”
“This is your decision to make, Talon, but if it helps, we agree with your proposed solution. Let’s keep a close watch on those who want her court-martialed, though. One tiny step out of line and I went them placed in hibernation, and I don’t care if it’s the entire damn crew. We’ll pull men and women from the Bihotza and the Hilgaria to make up the difference if necessary. We don’t need any more complications out here and dealing with ICARUS malcontents is simply not on my to-do list.”
“Agreed,” Talon said. “We’ll be adding more vid screens to monitor all of the Beacon’s security feeds, most especially those in crew areas. We’ll also be marking the members of the third faction and watching them closely.”
Declan nodded his approval. “What’s your assessment of her XO? I know we approved her, but I thin
k you know her better than we do by now.”
“She’s good,” Thorn said. “She’s captained before and is strictly by the book, which is definitely in her favor. She’ll have no problem doing what she has to do, and no problem taking orders, either.”
“What faction did she belong to?” Jay asked.
“None,” Thorn replied. “From the moment Captain Chou was discovered, she became acting captain. She called all of the officers together and told them it was either the Admirals or the Commanders who would make the call. Therefore, if any one of them expressed a personal opinion, regardless of what it was, they had no place on her bridge and could go find a nice cozy hibernation tank for the remainder of the expedition.”
“Good for her,” Declan said. He glanced at Jay, then Kai, before turning back to Talon. “We’re in agreement and, for what it’s worth, you did a good job handling a tough situation.”
“Thanks, Declan,” Talon said. “Well, we’ll get out of here and let you finish your meal. Again, I apologize for interrupting.”
“Wait,” Tee said. “Declan, how’s Ria doing?”
“She’s been adapting well, working hard to learn how to get around with a cane. I haven’t heard a single word of complaint from her but then, I never have. Now, though, it seems something unexpected is occurring that none of us understands. Vari just took her to see Dr. Jula.”
“Unexpected in what way?” Talon asked.
“She’s seeing a tiny flash of something.”
“Maybe the wound is healing,” Tee said.
“Maybe,” Declan said without much confidence. “We’ll know soon enough.”
“We’d like to wait, if you don’t mind,” Talon said.
“We were just going up there ourselves,” Declan said. “You’re welcome to join us if you like.”
“There’s a chance Ria could walk through the waiting room while you’re there,” Kai said coolly, watching Thorn.
“We’ll take that chance,” Talon said.
***
Vari and Dr. Jula stared at the high resolution scan of Ria’s brain that was displayed on the vid screen. They glanced at each other, then back to the screen.
“What’s wrong?” Ria asked nervously. Both women turned toward Ria who now sat on the edge of the medi-cot with Pandora on her shoulder.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Vari said. “We’re still trying to determine what we’re seeing. Please try to relax for just a few more minutes.” Ria nodded and they both turned back to the vid screen.
Dr. Jula tapped at the keyboard and zoomed in on the damaged area of Ria’s brain. “More,” Vari said softly. Dr. Jula tapped the key again. After they had a chance to study the image for a few moments, Vari said, “Microscopic level.” Dr. Jula tapped the controls.
“Astounding,” Vari whispered.
“How is this possible?” Dr. Jula said, unable to take her eyes from the screen.
“You guys are killing me here,” Ria said.
“Sorry Txikreba,” Vari said, pulling her eyes from the vid screen. She glanced at Dr. Jula since she was the physician. Vari was a doctor too, but her degree was in the field of xeno-psychology, not medicine. Even so, Dr. Jula pointed to her, more than willing to let Vari tell her sister what little they knew so far.
“As you know, the liquid metal in that container was actually nano-bots from the Doftle ship’s mainframe. Which means, of course, that the liquid metal carried into your brain tissue by that sliver is also made up of nano-bots.”
Ria’s face paled. “Please don’t tell me they’re forming a Controller.”
“No, they’re not,” Dr. Jula said firmly, reaching over to squeeze Ria’s shoulder gently. “I’ve studied the data on the newest Controller nano-bots that the Jasani Clan Council released a few months ago. These nano-bots have a very different structure, and their behavior is not the same.”
“Behavior?” Ria asked, feeling as though she were about to throw up.
“It appears as though they’re forming a bridge of sorts,” Vari said. “We’ll have to watch them to be sure, but I think they’re attempting to reconnect the broken pathways in your brain.”
Ria stilled as she ran Vari’s words through her mind once, then again, making sure she’d heard correctly. “They’re trying to heal me?”
“I don’t think heal is the right word,” Vari said. “It appears that they’re attempting to find a fix for what’s broken, if that makes any sense.”
“It kind of does,” Ria said.
“I want to put neuro-cap on her,” Dr. Jula said to Vari, who nodded.
“A neuro-cap,” Ria said, thinking. “Sorry, I don’t know what that is.”
“It’s a device that sits on your head like a cap,” Vari explained while Dr. Jula left the room. “The underside of it is like one big sensor. Once it’s calibrated for you, it will send a wireless signal to the med panel, giving us images just like we get from the scanner.”
“Like a vid?”
“No, not exactly,” Vari replied. “It’ll scan your brain at regular intervals, but the images will be stills, not vid.”
Dr. Jula returned with the device and began tapping at the med panel. “I’m going to start it at once a minute,” she said. “I want to keep a close eye on what’s happening. We can slow it down at any time.”
Vari nodded her agreement. “I want to see how fast these things are moving.”
It didn’t take long for the cap to be fitted onto Ria’s head, calibrated, and connected with the med panel. Dr. Jula and Vari then stood in front of the vid screen eagerly awaiting the first scan. The tension in the room built until, finally, Vari gasped softly. “If I weren’t seeing this I’d have a hard time believing it.”
“Seeing what?” Ria asked nervously.
“Sorry,” Vari said, glancing behind her at Ria. “They’re forming tiny lines that mimic neuron pathways along the edges of the wound. Less than half an hour has passed since the first scan, and we can see the progress they’ve made.”
“They’re not only fast, but both sides appear to be working in tandem,” Dr. Jula added.
“If they’re so fast, then why did it take so long for them to start doing whatever it is they’re doing?” Ria asked.
“Good question,” Vari said.
“I don’t know much about computers,” Dr. Jula said, frowning as a new scan displayed on the vid screen. “But I suspect they spent the past couple of weeks learning how your brain works, and deciding what they have to do to fix it.”
“I believe you’re right,” Vari said, leaning closer to the screen. “You can actually see the progress between one minute ago and now. It’s small, but it’s there. That would seem to indicate a plan set in motion.”
“I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long to see if whatever they’re doing will work,” Dr. Jula said.
“Why do you say that?” Ria asked.
“Because they’re building bridges across the area of missing tissue,” Vari said, her voice so low it was almost a whisper.
“Ria,” Dr. Jula said, “I know you don’t like being in the infirmary. But I think it’s best if you stay here where we can keep a close watch on this.”
“Of course,” Ria agreed immediately, her face a little too pale.
Dr. Jula glanced at Vari, who nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Ria,” she said, then left the room.
Ria waited until her footsteps faded in the distance. “I’m scared, Vari,” she admitted, then deliberately rolled her eyes and smiled crookedly. “That’s an understatement. Terrified comes a little closer.”
“What scares you most?” Vari asked, sitting down on the bed beside her sister.
“Having millions of tiny little robots created by Doftles running around in my brain tops the list at the moment.”
“Yeah, I gotta give you that one,” Vari said, leaning over to gently bump her shoulder against Ria’s. “I wish I could tell you for certain that what we suspect is fact, but I can’t. A
ll we can do is keep a close eye on them.”
Ria nodded, understanding what Vari wasn’t telling her. “If whatever they’re doing is bad, there’s no way to stop them, is there?”
“I honestly don’t know. A little later I’m going to get some samples of the material collected after the explosion from the Beacon. Hopefully I’ll be able to determine what their purpose is.”
Ria knew that, since the liquid metal came from a mainframe, the odds that Vari would collect a sample containing nano-bots programmed with the same purpose as those in her head weren’t good. Even if she did manage to get that lucky, her nano-bots had a two-week head start. As fast as they seemed to be moving, Vari wouldn’t learn anything useful until it was too late to stop them. If stopping them was even possible.
Knowing that Vari would have already come to the same conclusion, Ria searched for the most important reason Vari wanted to study the nano-bots more closely. It didn’t take long for her to figure it out.
“If you can’t find a way to neutralize them, and if they try to take over my brain, please put me in a hibernation tank.”
“I will,” Vari said, squeezing Ria’s hand gently. They sat there together in silence for several minutes, Vari watching the new scans as they displayed on the screen. After a while there was a light knock at the door before it opened enough for Dr. Jula to poke her head in.
“Come on in, Niri,” Vari said, barely taking her eyes from the screen.
Dr. Jula entered, closing the door behind her. “Declan, Jay, and Kai are in the waiting room,” she said calmly, but with a deep frown on her face. “They’d like to speak with you if you have a few minutes.”
“Of course,” Vari said, seeing the unspoken message on Dr. Jula’s face.
“Pandora, please go see who’s out there,” she asked silently.
“Good idea,” Pandora said before vanishing.
Vari stood up and turned to face Ria. “I want you to lay down here and close your eyes for a while,” she said while putting gentle pressure on Ria’s shoulder. Ria didn’t resist, laying down with some relief, not even noticing when Vari covered her with a light blanket.
“Rest, Ria,” Vari said, patting her hand gently. “I won’t be gone long.”
Ria's Visions (Hearts of ICARUS Book 6) Page 17
