”—she jabbed a finger at the guard—“Have someone escort Ms Sha’nim to the infirmary for a physical, and then to my office by oh-eight-hundred.”
“Wait!” Edie cried as Natesa turned to leave. “Finn’s the one who needs to be in the infirmary.”
Natesa cast a glance at the motionless man on the deck as though he were an irritating complication. As she brushed past the guard on her way out, she said, “Fine, take him. Keep him under guard.”
CHAPTER 6
One bay in the infirmary was the subject of a good deal of activity. Edie couldn’t see the bunk or its occupant, but medics wandered in and out giving each other terse orders and reports. It must be the cypherteck behind those screens. She wanted to ask how the woman was, but pride held her tongue. She refused to feel guilty—she’d only done what she had to, to protect Finn. Still, she’d intended only to stop the cypherteck, not put her in a coma.
After a long wait, Finn was brought up to the infirmary on a stretcher and sequestered in another bay, also out of Edie’s sight. Soon after that, a middle-aged doctor finally arrived to do her physical. Dr Sternhagen had just come on duty and knew nothing about the condition of the other patients. Edie complied with the questions and examinations to get the ordeal over with as quickly as possible.
“I’m finding no residual effects from the cryosleep,” Dr Sternhagen said as she slipped her hand into the dataglove at her console to make notes. “The team on the Peregrine did an excellent job in resuscitating you. I’ve seen the results of rushed awakenings from cryo and it’s not pretty. Unbalanced salts, clogged lungs, permanent cell damage…”
She stopped babbling to concentrate on what she waswriting. As Edie looked around the infirmary, wondering if they’d let her see Finn, something familiar caught her eye. She slipped off the bunk and went to the cabinet across the room. Half a dozen identical boxes were stacked behind a clear plaz door. They were the same size and color as the box of implants Beagle had stolen for her.
All these neuroxin implants just for her? Or were there other Talasi on board? It was hard to see why there would be. As far as Edie knew, she was the only Talasi ever taken from the camps. The Talasi had no formal education system so it was unlikely any of them were qualified for this mission. So why all these implants?
Edie put that puzzle aside for now. What this really meant was a renewed hope for escape. If she could steal a supply, she could survive without the Crib’s help for a few years at least, until the drug degraded.
She returned to her seat as the doctor returned.
“Overall, you’re in excellent health,” Dr Sternhagen announced with a professional smile. “Get some rest today, and I’ll declare you fit for duty tomorrow.”
“What about Finn?”
“I haven’t examined him myself. I’ll consult with the medic on his condition. Administrator Natesa has asked me to investigate the link between your interface and his boundary chip.”
“The leash—don’t try to disable it. You’ll kill him.”
“Rest assured, his health is my primary concern.”
“And I don’t want everyone here knowing about it. People have tried to use it against us.” She was thinking of the Hoi ’s XO and the way he’d manipulated them.
“I understand. There’s no need to worry about that.”
They were back in Crib hands on a heavily guarded ship. That was reason enough to worry.
Two silent milits escorted Edie to Natesa’s office on Deck A, the admin suite. Unlike the bland, uniform Crib décor on the other decks, the admin rooms were plushly appointed andaccessorized. Edie recognized Natesa’s touches everywhere, from the custom-framed portholes lining the corridors to the large stone water feature in the main annex. This deck was designed to impress. Why Natesa needed to impress anyone with décor was something Edie could only guess
“Wait!” Edie cried as Natesa turned to leave. “Finn’s the one who needs to be in the infirmary.”
Natesa cast a glance at the motionless man on the deck as though he were an irritating complication. As she brushed past the guard on her way out, she said, “Fine, take him. Keep him under guard.”
CHAPTER 6
One bay in the infirmary was the subject of a good deal of activity. Edie couldn’t see the bunk or its occupant, but medics wandered in and out giving each other terse orders and reports. It must be the cypherteck behind those screens. She wanted to ask how the woman was, but pride held her tongue. She refused to feel guilty—she’d only done what she had to, to protect Finn. Still, she’d intended only to stop the cypherteck, not put her in a coma.
After a long wait, Finn was brought up to the infirmary on a stretcher and sequestered in another bay, also out of Edie’s sight. Soon after that, a middle-aged doctor finally arrived to do her physical. Dr Sternhagen had just come on duty and knew nothing about the condition of the other patients. Edie complied with the questions and examinations to get the ordeal over with as quickly as possible.
“I’m finding no residual effects from the cryosleep,” Dr Sternhagen said as she slipped her hand into the dataglove at her console to make notes. “The team on the Peregrine did an excellent job in resuscitating you. I’ve seen the results of rushed awakenings from cryo and it’s not pretty. Unbalanced salts, clogged lungs, permanent cell damage…”
She stopped babbling to concentrate on what she waswriting. As Edie looked around the infirmary, wondering if they’d let her see Finn, something familiar caught her eye. She slipped off the bunk and went to the cabinet across the room. Half a dozen identical boxes were stacked behind a clear plaz door. They were the same size and color as the box of implants Beagle had stolen for her.
All these neuroxin implants just for her? Or were there other Talasi on board? It was hard to see why there would be. As far as Edie knew, she was the only Talasi ever taken from the camps. The Talasi had no formal education system so it was unlikely any of them were qualified for this mission. So why all these implants?
Edie put that puzzle aside for now. What this really meant was a renewed hope for escape. If she could steal a supply, she could survive without the Crib’s help for a few years at least, until the drug degraded.
She returned to her seat as the doctor returned.
“Overall, you’re in excellent health,” Dr Sternhagen announced with a professional smile. “Get some rest today, and I’ll declare you fit for duty tomorrow.”
“What about Finn?”
“I haven’t examined him myself. I’ll consult with the medic on his condition. Administrator Natesa has asked me to investigate the link between your interface and his boundary chip.”
“The leash—don’t try to disable it. You’ll kill him.”
“Rest assured, his health is my primary concern.”
“And I don’t want everyone here knowing about it. People have tried to use it against us.” She was thinking of the Hoi ’s XO and the way he’d manipulated them.
“I understand. There’s no need to worry about that.”
They were back in Crib hands on a heavily guarded ship. That was reason enough to worry.
Two silent milits escorted Edie to Natesa’s office on Deck A, the admin suite. Unlike the bland, uniform Crib décor on the other decks, the admin rooms were plushly appointed andaccessorized. Edie recognized Natesa’s touches everywhere, from the custom-framed portholes lining the corridors to the large stone water feature in the main annex. This deck was designed to impress. Why Natesa needed to impress anyone with décor was something Edie could only guess
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