by Alana Serra
“If you are ready, I believe we can begin?” she asked Meg. “Ashley, bring the reporters back in, please.”
Meg looked up to her mate who’d moved to stand protectively by her side. The look in his eyes said he would barely tolerate Addison touching his son, let alone the other two scientists involved in the procedure, but he knew it must be done. After a long moment, he finally nodded his consent.
With everyone situated, Addison gave the go-ahead to Dr. Burke, the medical doctor in charge of making the incision. She readied the implant while he worked, removing it from the case with sterile gloves. It was such a tiny thing--barely larger than a processing unit in her terminal. But it was responsible for keeping Karuvar and humans alive. It would be responsible for helping little Vazik adapt to his world and any others he visited.
And one day, someone out there would be fitted with the exact same implant. He’d find that person, and she would be his mate, just like his parents before him.
That wasn’t even mentioning the fact that this one implant was going to create a ripple effect across the scientific community. The first human and Karuvar offspring to be fitted for an implant. And she, Addison Monroe, had been responsible for its design and installation.
If only her mother could see her now.
“Doctor,” Burke said, acknowledging that he was ready for her.
Vazik was surprisingly quiet, the numbing medicine evidently doing its job. Either that or he was already as brave and stubborn as his parents.
That would make it easier, at least. Grasping the implant with one of the surgical instruments, Addison smiled at Ash from behind a protective mask.
“Would you like to assist?”
Ashley’s eyes widened and she nodded vigorously.
“Remember the program I showed you? Once I give you the signal, execute it, please.”
A programmer had handled all of the code, but Addison still knew enough to double-check it and make sure there was nothing wrong. Once she fitted the implant into Vazik’s arm, Ash could run the program and the little device would be activated. From there, it should only take a few seconds before it began to integrate with his body.
Addison’s nerves flared as she gently slid the implant into the incision. She didn’t question her abilities, but she didn’t usually have this much of an audience.
“It’s in. Go ahead, Ashley,” she said.
One keystroke and a few seconds later, Ash confirmed, “Done. Program’s run.”
“How long will it be before it takes?” one of the reporters asked.
“Not long now. We should start to see markings even as Doctor Burke’s closing him up. No doubt the implant will finish the job, as well.”
The closure was just a precaution. The implant would ensure the wound was closed and that healthy skin sealed it, but Addison could appreciate following best practices.
So she stood back, allowing Dr. Burke the chance to close the tiny incision. Her gaze was fixed on the infant’s arm, and yet… she wasn’t seeing anything. No tiny tendrils spidering outward from the implant site. No tattooed lines that looked like ink spilled just beneath the skin.
“Sometimes it takes a moment,” she assured her audience, all of whom were also watching with bated breath.
But still nothing happened. Vazik finally began to wail, a harsh and piercing cry, yet his arm remained bare.
The first stirrings of panic rose in Addison, but she shoved them down, making her way to the terminal.
“Did I do something wrong?” Ash asked. “I did it exactly the way you showed me, I didn’t--”
“It’s not you,” Addison assured her, taking over the station. “You did what you were supposed to do.”
That was easy enough to see. The program had been executed. All of the code was transferred to Vazik’s implant.
But it wasn’t taking. Why wasn’t it taking?
“Dr. Monroe?” she heard Drol’gan ask.
“What have you done to my son?” Verkiir snarled.
Everyone spoke at once, the sound amplifying tenfold in Addison’s mind. She tried to block it out, tried to concentrate, but the numbers in front of her bled together.
“What does this mean for the Karuvar breeding effort?”
“How significant is this failure?”
“Should we halt the program entirely?”
So many words. So many voices. Her anxiety was reaching new heights, her nerves wrung out like wet rags.
By the time Verkiir opened his mouth again, she’d had enough.
“Out!” she all but shouted. “Everyone except Meg and Vazik, leave this room right now.”
Verkiir’s growl lashed across the too-small space. Vazik cried even louder. But Meg placed a hand on her mate’s arm and bounced her infant son on her hip, managing to soothe both.
For now.
“I just need time,” Addison amended. “I apologize, but the sooner you leave, the sooner I can fix this.”
Drol’gan gave her a weighty look, but in the end, he nodded. His acquiescence was enough to move the others, and after several agonizing moments, Addison was left with only Meg and the kit.
“You’ve got this,” Meg said, an encouraging smile on her face. “It’s probably just some weird bug.”
Addison fought for the smile she offered in return, all while praying to any deity who would listen.
Please, please let it just be a bug.
3
After nearly two hours of constant work, Addison still had not managed to fix the problem. Not only that, but she hadn't even isolated the actual cause of the problem to begin with, step one of debugging any scientific stumble.
She started with the code, going over what she had in the executable program, comparing it to the master code that served as a blueprint for all implants. Nothing seemed amiss, so she'd done a scan of Vazik's arm to ensure the implant was seated properly and nothing was aggravating it--or the other way around. She drew blood, ran tests, and genuinely made herself the kind of nuisance she hated being, especially when she could tell Meg's capacity for calm was waning with every new 'solution' Addison tried. Even more so when Verkiir threatened to break down the door if he wasn't allowed to see his mate and kit.
She'd permitted him inside--on Meg's apologetic urging--but as she'd suspected, he only made things worse. He was brutish and overbearing; the very definition of a fiercely protective father. And his worry only seemed to heighten Meg's, though hers manifested in a more productive way.
"Maybe you need an outside perspective?" she finally asked, holding a crying Vazik closer to her.
The poor kit had been poked and prodded relentlessly, and all because Addison had no idea what was wrong.
"Yes," Verkiir agreed, and she could tell by the tone of his voice she wasn't going to like the next words out of his mouth. "There is a Karuvar engineer aboard the Zavellan. He will--"
Meg shot him a look that made him stop immediately. Addison was all too familiar with Verkiir's preference for Karuvar. He'd come a long way after being forced to entrust his mate's care to human doctors, but such speciest attitudes were not cured overnight.
At this point, though, even Addison was not above asking for help.
"That might not be a terrible idea. Karuvar approach implants differently. It's possible a Karuvar scientist will see something I've missed."
Probable, even. And it would give her a chance to study Karuvar methods directly. As awful as this situation was, that could at least be counted a plus. So long as the fault was not hers.
"Drol'gan can probably put you in touch with someone," Meg volunteered.
In the end, Addison took that suggestion, scheduling an impromptu meeting with the Pathfinder. The elder Karuvar was already waiting in a conference room, much to Addison's surprise, with his son and a pair of guards joining him, as was the norm.
"You have had no luck in getting the kit to respond, Dr. Monroe?" he asked.
"I'm afraid not. I was hoping I could
compare notes with one of the scientists aboard the Zavellan. I'm certain we'll be able to find something we've missed, but it'll be quicker with two of us working on it."
Drol'gan was smiling, small lines creasing at the corners of his eyes. He had a familiar way about him, as if she were simply sitting around a dinner table with her grandfather, not discussing the combined future of two species with the Karuvar leader.
On some level, she knew that was deceptive. Drol'gan was charming, but he could be as fierce as any of his kind. His words betrayed a hint of that.
"This matter must be handled with all due haste, Addison." The use of her given name was both a comfort and a call-out. "I have already received word from the other Waystations. They will not wait overlong for answers."
How could they have known? Waystations were positioned all over the world, with hundreds of miles between Helios and the next closest facility. She'd not yet released a statement, and so--
Wait. The reporters. Addison felt her stomach drop straight down into her shoes. It was supposed to be a momentous occasion. She'd wanted the success reported immediately. Now her failure was being spread like wildfire.
Her mother would have been absolutely mortified.
"You're right," she agreed, swallowing down the doubts that were beginning to rise in her.
"None of the scientists on the Zavellan have your experience or knowledge," he said simply, as if commenting on the color of the sky.
Addison never thought of herself as having much of an ego, but she could admit that compliment soothed some of the bruises.
"Drann has searched the database and discovered a scientist working at Waystation Selene. An implant engineer, like yourself," Drol'gan continued.
"He's more familiar with the genetic code," Drann put in with a gentle smile. "Maybe he'll be able to see something you missed?"
They meant well, and Addison could acknowledge that it was a solid idea. A good scientist admitted her weaknesses. A great scientist was not threatened by people who could overcome those weaknesses.
Still, the fact that they'd already found someone meant they'd been looking. Perhaps they'd started looking the moment the implant failed. Maybe even before that. She couldn't blame Drol'gan. This matter was far too serious to leave to chance. But that ego she thought she didn't have just kept getting more and more bruised.
"I would have contacted him already, but I cannot make tops or bottoms of this device," Drol'gan said.
Addison blinked, a soft smile touching her lips as she realized he'd gotten the colloquialism wrong. Now was not the time to be pedantic with phrasing, though. Her gaze followed the Pathfinder's gesture to a terminal.
The day the archaeological engineers had managed to uncover the infrastructure necessary to rebuild the computing network had been absolutely game-changing for the scientific fields. Addison was only a girl when it happened, but she remembered her mother going on and on about how such discoveries opened up the world and all its knowledge.
The last twenty years had been spent ironing out the kinks, but now Waystations had the ability to share data directly, in an instant. She could scarcely believe it was something humans once took for granted.
"I can show you," she said with a smile.
It took a few minutes to locate the scientist Drol'gan was looking for. Kor'ven fer Zevar. He was working at Waystation Selene, and had evidently been the foremost expert in the internal structure of implants for over forty Earth years. His credentials were distinguished, and he'd been honored with several prestigious awards for his service to the Karuvar.
Despite the gravity of the situation, Addison found her heart racing as she pressed the button to call him. She'd long admired the Karuvar--especially their scientific advancements. This Kor'ven was at the forefront of many of those, and she could only imagine the things she could learn just from sitting down with him for ten solid minutes.
It was almost enough to make her giddy, though she managed to outwardly contain herself as she waited for Kor'ven to accept the call. The black screen flashed once, twice, three times before someone picked up.
Someone who looked to be barely older than Drann. That couldn't be Kor'ven, could it?
"Oh! Pathfinder!"
Definitely not. Kor'ven was probably closer to Drol'gan's age. Old and wise and knowledgeable in all things Karuvar. She imagined him as one of those kind wizards she'd seen in ancient storybooks.
"Hello, Teiv," Drol'gan said with a smile, as if he did not know his celebrity status. "Is Kor'ven available? I should like to speak with him."
"Yes, sir. He's--"
A deep baritone cut off Teiv's words. The sound was muffled, the words unintelligible to Addison's ears, but something in that rumbling made her toes curl.
"--told you, you are not to conference with your mate. This is a place of work, Teiv. I will not tolerate--"
Those words she did get, every one of them dripping with disdain. It soured the velvety notes somewhat, but not enough to keep her heart from thudding away in her chest.
"Kor'ven?" Drol'gan asked the screen before looking to Addison. "Can he hear me?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words became trapped there as the mysterious Karuvar finally took a seat in front of the terminal.
Addison just stared, not entirely sure she was going to be able to close her mouth with anything short of a soldering iron. This couldn't be Kor'ven. It couldn't.
For starters, he wasn't old at all. He looked to be in the prime of his life, his violet eyes bright and focused, his dark gold skin taking on a healthy glow. He was also too… large to be a scientist. Even under his lab coat, she could tell his muscles were well-defined, his chest broad, shoulders wide. A sudden urge crept up on Addison--an urge to slide her hands underneath that coat and feel the warm skin beneath.
She bit her lip and looked away, her eyes widening slightly as she realized how awful she was being. She'd always found something alluring about Karuvar males, but never had one been so… distracting before.
"I apologize for my assistant's incompetence, Pathfinder. I was not expecting your call this day."
God, that voice. It was like being bathed in smooth, warm caramel. If only it wasn't accompanied by such a bitter note, like someone had left the sugar too long over the fire.
"This is not a regular briefing," Drol'gan assured him. "We have encountered a bit of a crisis. I imagine you have heard."
"I know of no crisis beyond what I have discussed with you," he said in a flat, dry tone.
What on Earth did that mean?
Drol'gan seemed unconcerned, waving this off. "This has occurred at Waystation Helios. You should have received notice of Vazik's implant fitting this morning."
Something Addison could only describe as annoyance flickered across Kor'ven's features before it disappeared. "Yes, of course. Something has gone awry?"
"I am afraid so. I will allow Dr. Monroe to explain it further; she is far more adept at these things than I shall ever be," the Pathfinder admitted. "Addison is the chief engineer at this facility, and quite brilliant."
Was she supposed to speak with him now? One on one? It shouldn't be that hard. She'd spoken with other scientists, Karuvar and human alike. Some of far more importance than this Kor'ven.
But none of them had ever studied her with such a piercing, intense gaze before.
"Perhaps not so brilliant, if there is a crisis."
The remark was made in such an offhanded manner that Addison almost didn't hear it. But when his words sank in, she felt a flare of anger she hadn't felt in ages.
"Crises occur regardless of any one person's brilliance or lack thereof," she pointed out.
"I do not dispute this, Miss Monroe--"
"Doctor Monroe."
"Doctor Monroe. But would you not agree hubris is the enemy of scientific discovery?"
There was something about his tone. Something so infuriatingly pretentious that she just wanted to grind her teeth together. Go
d. Had she honestly been worried about speaking with him because of how he looked? She should know better. The hot ones were always assholes.
"Perhaps we can discuss this another time?" Drol'gan suggested gently.
"Yes," Addison bit out, surprised at her own tone. She took a breath and calmed herself before continuing. "I was attempting to fit an implant in Vazik this morning. The implant itself was successful, but I was never able to activate the device."
"You are certain the activation program was executed?"
Was she certain the…? Of all the arrogant questions…
"Yes," she said with a tight smile. "I am also certain it ran without any errors, and that it was an exact copy of the master code, but for the individual coding designed specifically for Vazik."
"You must have missed something," he said. "Implants do not simply fail. Not unless there is a biological complication."
Oh, she wanted to reach through the screen and wrap her arms around his neck. Then she wanted to squeeze the life out of him so he couldn't take that self-important tone with anyone ever again.
"I'm well aware of that, Doctor."
"Are you asking for my assistance, Pathfinder?"
He actually had the audacity to look past her, as if they weren't just conversing.
"I am. I have already sent a shuttle to Waystation Selene. It should arrive within the hour."
Did he truly not intend on discussing this matter with her? This so-called scientist was an absolute joke. A patronizing, contemptuous joke who would bring nothing but headaches to her investigation.
"With all due respect, Pathfinder, I don't--"
"If you would prepare your data and any other relevant materials, Dr. Monroe, I will review them when I arrive. If you'll excuse me, I must finish what I was working on."
The screen went blank, and Addison just sat there, staring at her own reflection in the inky blackness. She had suffered through some arrogant men at university, but never had she dealt with someone so thoroughly off-putting.
There was no way Drol'gan could intend for her to work with him.