in comas, grow extra organs in labs. They follow macabre procedures to save lives. We don’t know what this is. All we know is that this girl represents a new form of technology and people have been killing over that since the beginning of time. Someone out there considers her as a threat.”
“Agreed,” Wyatt says, making it clear.
“Roger that.” Gojo casts his vote.
Logan says nothing.
“They’ll take care of her in Red Filter,” Voss tells him. “They take of their own, you’ll see. Citizens don’t suffer. This girl is important to them, and she would be dead right now if we hadn’t pulled her out of the sewer. And she’ll die if we fuck up now. Every member of this team, and every person on this ship, might die if we fuck up. So… for her protection, and ours, we keep to the mission.”
“Yes, sir,” the kid says, that sobering reality sinking in.
“Need you to assist Gojo for a few hours,” Voss adds. “He’s fixed some of the ship’s com software, but now we need a bug on the flight deck, and he may need help with that. Need to be able to observe the pilot and the control screens at all times. Is that understood?”
The medic hesitates.
“Wyatt and I will watch Niri,” Voss tells him.
“Yes, sir,” Logan replies.
Gojo grins, happy to be on task. “C’mon, boy. I’ll show you how to squeeze a sensitive device into a tight space without raising alarm.”
The kid says nothing, just nods and gravitates away from the girl, accustomed now to movement in zero G. It looks like acceptance. It could be something else, but Voss is unwilling to delve any deeper.
Wyatt slants him a look. “Well, wish I hadn’t heard all that shit.”
“Yeah.”
“New technology… ”
Voss nods, regarding the girl in silence. Niri floats before him, frail, vulnerable, flesh and blood, the same being who grabbed hold of his armor after he took her from her parents. To say that she’s only part human is a misstatement, in his mind. She’s a human with different blood, different attributes, different abilities… maybe. But a human all the same.
I hear terrible things.
He grimaces. What does that mean?
Wyatt sighs. “Bottom line… we don’t know what we’re dealing with here. You gotta convince the Captain to bypass Midstation.”
“It’s their routine. It’ll raise alarms if they deviate.”
“Opens up all kinds of risk.”
“So we plan for it.”
“Yes, sir,” Wyatt replies without enthusiasm, moving on. “And how, may I ask, are current relations with the Captain?”
“She’s avoiding me, I think.”
“Operation Deploy Charm is a failure?”
“Tries to slip away whenever I see her.”
“Not really a bad sign,” Wyatt says. “Women with authority don’t like to be around men who make them nervous. Captains aren’t supposed to be nervous.”
“Still doesn’t help much.”
“She’d rather be invulnerable.”
Voss winces. “Way off the mark.”
“Really?”
“Hot head, drinks too much, says exactly what’s on her mind.”
“Another problem child.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you do have your share,” Wyatt says. “At least we haven’t had to drug her, although with your charm being what it is these days… ”
Voss nods, thinking the same thing. “Might be just a matter of time.”
As magnitudes of mistakes go, it wasn’t so bad, only it feels bad because he’s always around somewhere… always there to look at. It wasn’t awkward at first, but now it is… because of that moment, because of her and the vodka, and the serious talk, and the spilling of a dozen truths what should not be said—particularly to Assaulters—like it was nothing.
Petra… he hasn’t said her name since, but no real need to, since she can still hear it, in exactly the way he said it, clear as crystal, in close remembering at any minute of the day… along with all the things which passed her lips. Might have gotten too close to what was criminal because all other doors were
“Agreed,” Wyatt says, making it clear.
“Roger that.” Gojo casts his vote.
Logan says nothing.
“They’ll take care of her in Red Filter,” Voss tells him. “They take of their own, you’ll see. Citizens don’t suffer. This girl is important to them, and she would be dead right now if we hadn’t pulled her out of the sewer. And she’ll die if we fuck up now. Every member of this team, and every person on this ship, might die if we fuck up. So… for her protection, and ours, we keep to the mission.”
“Yes, sir,” the kid says, that sobering reality sinking in.
“Need you to assist Gojo for a few hours,” Voss adds. “He’s fixed some of the ship’s com software, but now we need a bug on the flight deck, and he may need help with that. Need to be able to observe the pilot and the control screens at all times. Is that understood?”
The medic hesitates.
“Wyatt and I will watch Niri,” Voss tells him.
“Yes, sir,” Logan replies.
Gojo grins, happy to be on task. “C’mon, boy. I’ll show you how to squeeze a sensitive device into a tight space without raising alarm.”
The kid says nothing, just nods and gravitates away from the girl, accustomed now to movement in zero G. It looks like acceptance. It could be something else, but Voss is unwilling to delve any deeper.
Wyatt slants him a look. “Well, wish I hadn’t heard all that shit.”
“Yeah.”
“New technology… ”
Voss nods, regarding the girl in silence. Niri floats before him, frail, vulnerable, flesh and blood, the same being who grabbed hold of his armor after he took her from her parents. To say that she’s only part human is a misstatement, in his mind. She’s a human with different blood, different attributes, different abilities… maybe. But a human all the same.
I hear terrible things.
He grimaces. What does that mean?
Wyatt sighs. “Bottom line… we don’t know what we’re dealing with here. You gotta convince the Captain to bypass Midstation.”
“It’s their routine. It’ll raise alarms if they deviate.”
“Opens up all kinds of risk.”
“So we plan for it.”
“Yes, sir,” Wyatt replies without enthusiasm, moving on. “And how, may I ask, are current relations with the Captain?”
“She’s avoiding me, I think.”
“Operation Deploy Charm is a failure?”
“Tries to slip away whenever I see her.”
“Not really a bad sign,” Wyatt says. “Women with authority don’t like to be around men who make them nervous. Captains aren’t supposed to be nervous.”
“Still doesn’t help much.”
“She’d rather be invulnerable.”
Voss winces. “Way off the mark.”
“Really?”
“Hot head, drinks too much, says exactly what’s on her mind.”
“Another problem child.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you do have your share,” Wyatt says. “At least we haven’t had to drug her, although with your charm being what it is these days… ”
Voss nods, thinking the same thing. “Might be just a matter of time.”
As magnitudes of mistakes go, it wasn’t so bad, only it feels bad because he’s always around somewhere… always there to look at. It wasn’t awkward at first, but now it is… because of that moment, because of her and the vodka, and the serious talk, and the spilling of a dozen truths what should not be said—particularly to Assaulters—like it was nothing.
Petra… he hasn’t said her name since, but no real need to, since she can still hear it, in exactly the way he said it, clear as crystal, in close remembering at any minute of the day… along with all the things which passed her lips. Might have gotten too close to what was criminal because all other doors were
Similar Books
