Deadly Betrayal (20 page)

John radioed ahead so our friends would know who was coming, and Ima and Blake met us in the tunnel to the shuttle bay.

After initial greetings, Blake said, “It’s good to see you. Come, see who we stumbled over.”

He led the way to an office-like room filled with computer monitors and a one-way window into a treatment area.

“That’s Jia’Lyn. How did you manage that?”

Blake leaned against the wall. “Luck, mostly. We had a plan to snatch someone when they docked at GA11, but we spotted her in a store. Debana was following her to see what she was doing, and between the three of us, tricking her to the docking bay wasn’t hard.”

He drew a deep sigh. “It was almost too easy. She used to be much smarter.”

Ima said, “We could see the nanites on a scan and radiation killed them just like we hoped. Unfortunately, she hasn’t woken up since. Her brain is much more complicated than most species. Right now there is some activity in the areas I believe control her snakes, but very little otherwise. The nanites created new paths of communication, but I can’t say whether her brain will recover or not.”

Our beautiful, funny, and clever Jia’Lyn might be gone forever.

Adam crossed his arms. “So if we were to eradiate the Bell, we might end up with thousands of technically brain-dead people.”

Ima’s tail wagged. That was never a good sign.

“
Technically
, they already are. The nanites have taken over. It might be possible to treat the crew and get them back, but brain chemistry is not my specialty.”

The twins had listened in silence. Samuel asked, “Whose specialty is it?”

Both Blake and Ima looked uncomfortable and John answered in their place. “On Blake’s ship, the Bell, the specialist is a hologram called Anya. I’m guessing she’s dead.”

“This saddens you.”

“It does.”

We hadn’t talked about her since we fled the Bell. I
hoped
she made it, but John was probably right. They must have known she helped us, and the punishment would be severe.

This wasn’t a good time or place for further explanations, I could imagine all the questions that would ensue. Especially from Eli.

Blake huffed. “We don’t actually
know
that she’s dead. Debana says Anya hasn’t been seen or heard from since your great escape, but that doesn’t mean they found her. There are many hiding places for a sentient program in the ship’s systems.”

I wanted Adam to rub my shoulders, just for the comfort of feeling him close. He probably couldn’t read
that
from my body language. “So what you’re saying is, you want to make a large scale experiment on the Bell.”

Ima’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know how that would even be possible. The amount of radiation required to reach the center would damage everyone and everything closer to the hull.

No one expected Eli to speak. “At home we have a cleaning system with a UV setting to kill bacteria. Once activated it sweeps everything. If something like that is available on your ship, it could be converted.”

We did? I had noticed the place remained spotless, but I hadn’t given much thought to how it happened.

He met my eyes. “Mother utilized me for a wide range of domestic chores.”

I thought we were the only ones on the old base and I was unprepared for a door sliding open. The surprise turned to joy when Debana entered. She looked at our group and blinked a couple of times before hurrying over to me. I met her half way and she took my hands.

“Wait. The first time we met, when you came to my lab with the…” her eyes darted over to Adam and the twins. She couldn’t possibly know they were androids, but somehow she knew. “…thing, what did we use to destroy it?”

“Boiling acid. What incredibly brave thing did you do when Adam blew up the Grendl?”

“I hijacked the experimental reactor, teleported him out, and hid him in a cleaning closet.”

Both of us grinned.

“You’re still you.”

“And you are you.”

Next, she headed for John. “What did you and I make in the basement?”

He chuckled. “Moonshine, of course. I’m me.”

She didn’t ask Adam anything, just gave him a quick hug, and he nodded to the twins. “These are my brothers, Eli and Samuel.”

“I didn’t know you had brothers.”

“I didn’t know that either.”

I expected Eli to comment on her fantastic colors, but he kept it in. Samuel on the other hand surprised everyone. “It’s so nice to meet you. May I say, you have remarkable eyes. They remind me of miracles I’ve only imagined until now.”

Debana held on to his hand and her pale skin took on a slight blue hue. Was she blushing?

He smiled and stared into her eyes. “What is your line of work, if I may ask?”

“I’m a chemist.” She sounded breathless.

“Fascinating. I too hold a keen interest in chemistry.”

I glanced up at Adam and he gave a slight shrug. John’s mouth twitched and he pretended a
keen interest
in his fingernails.

Debana said, “I have been working on a chemical detection system for the nanites, to change their light frequency to a spectrum humans can detect. Would you like to see what I have this far?”

“I would love to.”

She headed for the door and Samuel followed, looking quite pleased with himself.

As soon as the door closed, I said, “A keen interest in chemistry.”

Adam’s voice mirrored the suppressed laughter in mine. “He probably knows enough about it.”

“And he’s such a smoothie. I bet he learned that from you.”

John chuckled, “My boys are all grown up.”

Eli wandered over to the window that separated us from Jia’Lyn. “Can we go in there?”

Ima narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“I just…” He made a helpless gesture.

I couldn’t help but smile. “You want to see her snakes, don’t you?”

He nodded. “I want to draw her, and when she wakes up, she can see how beautiful she is.” He glanced over at Ima. “I’d like to draw you too if you don’t mind. Your colors are fantastic.”

She opened her mouth and I hurried to explain, “Eli is our family’s artist. He is really good.”

She exhaled and relaxed. “Okay, I guess. But only one of you.”

*****

The others soon disappeared further into the complex, but I stayed with Ima, following her to the treatment area. It was a relief to talk to another woman, even if she sometimes reminded me more of a cat than a human.

She gave Jia’Lyn an injection and explained, “I’m trying different substances to stimulate her brain.”

Eli remained by Jia’Lyn’s side and Ima nodded towards him.

“Three androids. You didn’t think one was enough? You got quite the family all of a sudden.”

“It’s pretty awesome.”

She looked at her hand, made her claws appear, and retracted them again. “You know, when you took off with John I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

There was no time to answer. Eli shouted, “Sister Alex, Doctor, I need help.”

Ima was much faster than I and she had time to assess the situation and decide on a course of action before I even reached Eli. Whatever she gave Jia’Lyn hadn’t woken our friend, but her snakes were active, attacking each other. I’d never seen them do anything like it before.

Eli caught as many of them between his fingers as he could hold, protecting them from each other. When that wasn’t enough he held out his arms so the others could sink their fangs into his clothes and android skin. It made me shudder, and despite his sacrifice, there were still too many to control.

Ima returned with a syringe and injected Jia’Lyn’s neck. It was a matter of seconds before the snakes fell limp. Some of them were tore up.

Eli looked mortified. “I don’t know what happened, I couldn’t…”

“It wasn’t your fault. It’s a good thing you were here, or this could have ended much worse.”

He met my eyes. “You’re not angry with me?”

“No, but I am worried about you. Look at your poor hands.”

He tried to hide them from me but I caught one. The skin held several small holes from the snakes’ fangs.

“Does it hurt?”

“I am able to register pain as a protective mechanism, but it doesn’t hurt now.”

Ima looked up from the snakes. “These will heal and you will not, but I can probably repair the damage.”

She added in a less annoyed voice, “Thank you for preventing her from hurting herself.”

*****

I was bad at sleeping in new places, and this was one more unknown room with a strange bed.

If it were up to me we would have gone back to the ship, but everyone else seemed happy to stay on the station, and it was more than big enough to house all of us. John had said they used to have employees. It must have been a pretty big operation.

Strange how much I didn’t know about him.

I wished I could go curl up with him, but it wasn’t appropriate.
He
wouldn’t care, he was probably as uncomfortable with staying here as I was, but seeking him out would still feel like a betrayal.

The door slid open, making me hold my breath. There probably weren’t any space monsters around, but one could never be too sure. I was relieved to see Adam peek in.

He leaned against the wall. “I didn’t think I’d find you. Want company?”

“Yes. Of course I do. I thought you’d work all night.”

“There’s honestly not that much for me to do. I’m good at strategies, combat, technology… My brothers know just as much as I do about anything that can be useful here.”

He even undressed before stretching out on the bed. Maybe he’d stay for a while, and that would definitely make sleeping easier.

I claimed my usual spot with my head on his shoulder and draped an arm and a leg over him, hoping it would at least keep him with me until I fell asleep.

He rubbed my arm. “You seem concerned. Is everything okay?”

How did he always know?

“Do you think your brothers understand… You know, boy-girl stuff?”

“Boy-girl stuff?” He sounded on the verge of laughter.

“Relations, sex, the whole nine yards.”

He fell serious. “I was programmed with it. Sam has good social skills and seems set on flirting with Debana, so probably. Eli, I doubt it. And why are you asking?”

“I think Eli is infatuated with Jia’Lyn.”

“She’s not even conscious. Might never be again.”

“I know. I said infatuated, not in love with.”

I could feel him sigh.

“Mind telling me how you reached that conclusion?”

“You know how he is with visual stimuli. Have you ever really looked at her colors, her skin, the surface of her snakes, and their eyes? He has stayed by her side since he saw her the first time.”

“When you put it like that, I guess I should have seen it coming.”

Eli didn’t have a lot of experience with persons outside the family. Probably none until this very day.

I snuggled closer. “I wouldn’t be worried if she were herself, but we don’t know who she will be if she ever wakes up.”

He ran a hand over my arm. “I’ll go down there tomorrow and check in on him. I’m guessing you don’t want me to do it right now.”

“I certainly don’t. I’m trying to figure out a way to make you stay longer.”

“How do you know I’m leaving?”

“I deduced it based on historical data.”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “You could just ask.”

“Please stay.”

“I might have forgotten to tell you, but I will never leave you again. At least not to go far. Not unless you tell me to, and maybe not even then. The Grendl, everything that happened to us, I don’t want to be separated from you like that again.”

That had to be the single sexiest thing anyone ever said. I rolled on top of him. “Such fantastic loyalty must be rewarded.”

He looked quite happy with himself. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

The next morning, I woke from Adam stroking my arm and saying my name. Apart from that, I was only aware of a blazing headache.

“Are you okay? It’s in the middle of the day.”

“I don’t know. My head is killing me.”

His frown deepened. “Can I get you anything?”

I closed my eyes again. “I doubt it.”

“Want me to get Ima?”

“No.”

He ran a hand over my hair and even that gentle touch made me want to weep. I reached out my hand instead and he took it.

The next time I opened my eyes I couldn’t recognize the ceiling. My head still hurt, but it no longer threatened to explode. Probably had something to do with a silvery disk on the back of my hand.

I glanced over to the left and saw John on a stretcher. To my right, Blake sat up on the edge of a bed, rubbing his temples. He too had a silvery disk on his hand

“What happened?”

Blake shook his head and grimaced at the extra pain.

“I have no idea. I remember having early breakfast with Ima when I got a headache from hell.”

We were three humans on the base, and right now all three of us were down and out. Seemed like too big a coincidence.

John groaned and muttered a colorful curse that ended with, “And I haven’t even been drinking.”

I said, “You know what else is weird? There aren’t any androids in here.”

I expected at least one or two of them to hover around us, making sure their pet humans would live.

My brain said I should get up and investigate.

My body said, “Right. Sure. Maybe after a nap. Or never.”

A door opened and Adam stepped in, followed by Samuel, Eli, and Ima.

Eli said, “What’s wrong with them?”

Ima’s tail whipped from side to side. “I don’t know. Something is affecting them but not the rest of us, and I have no idea what it is.”

“This might be my fault.”

Adam crossed his arms and stared at his brother. “What did you do?”

Eli looked at his feet. “She told me not to tell you.”

“Who did?”

“The snake.”

I clearly just
thought
I had the headache of a lifetime. I must have had a stroke or something, because now I thought Eli claimed to talk to snakes.

“What snake?” From the sound of it, Adam’s patience was running out. Not good.

Eli still wouldn’t lift his head, but he pointed towards Jia’Lyn’s room. Her snakes never talked to
me
, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t.

Ima said, “One specific snake or all of them?”

John had attempted to sit up, but he fell back on the pillows. “Does it matter?”

Samuel sighed. “He won’t tell you anything.”

He grabbed a chair, took Eli’s hand, and pulled the unwilling android over to me. “Sit here and tell her all about it.”

Eli shook his head. “I can’t.”

I understood Samuel’s plan, but it was so hard to think.

“Eli, I don’t feel so good. Would you please sit down and keep me company? You can do that for me, right?”

I could see Blake move at the corner of my eye. He probably wanted a swifter resolution, and I did too, but this was the best course of action. Adam motioned to him to be still.

Eli sat down.

I reached out my hand and he took it, holding it gently. Good thing the snakes didn’t cause much damage to his skin, I had no idea where it came from or how to replace it.

“You like Jia’Lyn, don’t you?”

He nodded. “She is so pretty.”

“She is. She was one of my best friends before all this happened. Now I’m afraid I’ll never get her back.”

“Because of the robots in her head.”

“Yes.”

“The snake told me about that. It tried to fight them, but the nanites were too strong.”

I had been curious about Jia’Lyn’s snakes for years, but something happened every time I asked her about them. “How do you talk to them?”

“In my head. There’s really just one and it’s a part of her, but still separated.”

“So all those heads share one consciousness.”

“Kind of.”

“You talk in your head? Are you telepathic?”

He nodded. Over by the door, Adam lifted an eyebrow. I bet he hadn’t seen
that
coming.

Eli said, “I can sense brain waves.”

“And you’re saying the snake is free to think for itself now.”

He nodded again.

“Honey, whatever you did is making us really ill. I feel like my head is about to explode. Why would the snake want that?”

“She doesn’t. It wasn’t supposed to affect you. I didn’t mean to make you sick.”

“I know you didn’t.”

I struggled to keep up the patient façade. Just following the conversation seemed a superhuman feat.

“Eli, I need you to tell your brother what you did and how it could help her. He can figure out a way to make it happen without us getting sick. Would you please do that for me?”

“I was afraid no one would believe me.” His voice was so quiet I could barely make out the words, but Adam probably heard him fine. “It’s a low frequency infrasound generator. The sound waves will help her.”

Adam stepped closer. “Where is it? What is its range?”

Eli looked up. “You’ll help me?”

“Of course I will, but I need to know if it’s easier to move the humans, or your sound generator and Jia’Lyn.”

“The generator isn’t big. Should I get it?”

“Yes, but don’t bring it here, bring it to the shuttle bay. I will meet you there.”

Ima had listened with admirable patience, but now she interrupted. “I’m coming with you. We’ll take shuttle twelve, I have prepared it for medical emergencies.”

Samuel stepped closer. “What do you want me to do?”

“Stay here and man the radio.” Adam came closer and kissed my forehead. “I’ll be right back. You should feel better as soon as that thing is out of here.”

“Be careful.” Thinking and talking were nearly impossible.

He winked at me and disappeared into the next room. Ima followed, hissing something derogatory about androids.

Minutes later, I felt better and John grumbled, “I guess Eli’s devil device has left the building.”

“I’m hungry.”

*****

We eventually persuaded Samuel that we were fine. I said, “Can we eat? Please? Pretty please?”

He looked like he suspected a trap.

John said, “Honey, we don’t need his permission to leave. C’mon.”

I was still a little wobbly, but able to stand. John slammed an arm around me and with his support I could walk.

On the way to the kitchen, I heard Adam’s voice on the radio. “Is it working?”

Samuel said, “I believe so. They claim to feel better already. We’re on our way to make food. How are things on your end?”

“Ima says it’s working and Eli says the snake told him to turn the generator off. We’re heading back.”

I never thought I’d hear a sentence from Adam’s mouth that included both snake and generator. Bizarre.

“But she’s still unconscious?”

“Correct.”

I wanted to interrupt and ask when he’d be back, but that seemed childish.

When Adam entered the kitchen, I took his hand and tugged towards the corridor. He smiled to the others, “Evidently, I’ll be right back.”

When the door closed behind us, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he put his hands on my hips. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Someone cared enough for me to even dress me in a robe, and odds were it was him.

“Any time. You scared me.” He brushed his lips over mine. “Grilled cheese?”

“Yes. Debana and Samuel have worked out a system for speedy cooking.”

“Should I taste some?”

“I think so, but you can probably make a more informed decision if you taste more from me first.”

“I see what you’re saying. Research is important.”

He tugged me closer and kissed me, hungrily this time. Footsteps approached. It sounded like Ima, so we ignored it. Her tail whacked my butt. “Get a room you two.”

I pulled free. “Ima, is she doing better?”

“Much better. I didn’t believe your metal friend at first, but it made a big difference.”

*****

I stayed with Ima the rest of the day. There was nothing for me to do, and I’d rather talk to her than watch the others make experiments I didn’t understand.

We kept an eye on Jia’Lyn through the window, but I don’t think either of us expected anything to happen. That is, until Jia’Lyn opened her eyes and looked at my android brother.

“Who are you?”

“I am Eli.”

“You are, aren’t you. Where are we, Eli?”

“We’re on a science station.”

Ima narrowed her eyes. “Keep an eye on them.” She reached for the communications’ system.

Eli frowned and blinked several times. “Sister, don’t come in here.”

Jia’Lyn said, “Who is your sister? Why don’t you want her to come in here?”

Eli said, “It doesn’t matter. What’s the last thing you remember?”

Ima whispered, “I think the snake warned him about something.”

“I agree. He’s handling it so well.”

On the other side of the one-way window, Jia’Lyn said, “I was on the ship. I had dinner with my captain and his wife.”

Both Adam and Blake came hurrying into the room and Ima gave them a quick recap. Adam frowned. “He warned you not to go in there?”

“Yes. I’m guessing he meant everyone, not just me.”

In the room, Jia’Lyn said, “Would you help me sit up?”

“Of course. You are so pretty, and your snakes are so pretty.”

“Do your really think that? I don’t feel pretty.”

“Every part of you, except the device at the base of your neck.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe I was mistaken.”

Ima pulled up images on the computer, leafing through them. “What device?”

Adam stopped her. “Go back. One more. There.”

I didn’t know what imaging of Jia’Lyn’s neck was supposed to look like, but it looked fine to me. Clearly to Ima too, until Adam pointed out some little detail a normal person couldn’t have spotted.

Blake clenched his jaw. “Someone planned this for a long time.”

I said, “What are we going to do?”

Ima showed her fangs. “Get it out of there.”

Adam stepped closer to the glass. “Can you sedate her in there?”

I expected Ima to answer, but Eli said, “Yes.”

“Yes what?” Jia’Lyn sounded confused. Was this really her, or was she still under someone’s control?

Adam said, “Go ahead, brother. It’s for her own good.”

I always thought of Adam’s hearing as supernatural, but I hadn’t realized
how
exceptional it must be.

Eli sighed and nodded. “I’m so sorry.” He touched her neck with his thumb and a moment later she slumped in his arms. “Do you want me to take her somewhere?”

Adam nodded to Ima. “He can hear you.”

She seemed as stunned as I was. There was microphones and speakers ensuring we could hear what went on in the treatment room, but no sound should come through the other way around.

“Yes. Yes, we’re going to surgery. I need to prepare, but Blake is coming to show you the way.”

“Yes, ma’am. If you require assistance, I have extensive knowledge in anatomy.”

“I can see that.”

She and Blake disappeared and I waited until Eli carried Jia’Lyn out of the room.

Adam said, “He is much tougher than I thought. Didn’t think he had it in him.”

I nodded. “He handled that really well. Do all of you know how to do stuff like that?”

The matter was clearly of little interest to him. “I need to talk to you. We’ve been working on a plan to clean out the Bell. Naturally, Blake wants us to help.”

“Naturally.”

He pulled out a chair for me and crouched by my side. “What do you want to do?”

I didn’t expect my input to matter. “I think we should have a family meeting.”

“It won’t matter. They will go along with whatever we decide.”

I sighed and rested my hand on his shoulder.

“That’s not right.”

“That doesn’t matter. John will follow you no matter what. The twins love you too, but hopefully in a different way. I don't think I can handle sharing you four ways.”

I laughed. “I’m pretty sure in a different way. You’ve seen them.”