I needed to stop being so suspicious.
The voice on the radio returned after an eternity or two, and it sounded less snarky than when addressing John. “I understand, Sir. You are welcome to have them, but you will need to collect them yourself.”
“That is not an acceptable solution. Do I need to report you?”
“No, Sir. It’s just that we’re having a riot, Sir.”
“Very well. Transfer their coordinates.”
He winked at me.
Decisive Adam was sexy.
John said, “Got it. C’mon, let’s take a shuttle. Alex, do you want to stay here or come with us?”
“Come with you, of course.”
He nodded and explained, clearly for my sake, “I’ll transfer control of the ship to the shuttle, just in case. I don’t think anyone else will stop by here, but you never know.”
Adam said, “I’ll go put on my uniform and meet you downstairs.”
He bent over to kiss my cheek, but seemed absentminded.
I wanted to object and say the uniform would aggravate people on the planet, but there would be guards and officials too, and looking the part would help deal with them.
Trotting after John I couldn’t hold my questions in. “Why do we have to go down there? Can’t we just teleport them aboard?”
“In theory, but we don’t know what shape they’re in. We don’t want them up here if they’ve changed. And, there’s a risk of grabbing the wrong people, or someone tagging along. It’s safer to go down.”
*****
When I peeked out the shuttle window, I saw sun, sand, and more sun. It might not be as hot and dusty as my imagination painted out, but the place did not look hospitable.
John let the shuttle hover over a small group of ragged houses.
As we approached, the cameras on the shuttle showed people running from our craft, but it didn’t take long before they looked out from their hiding places. I expected someone to throw something at us.
Adam said, “I suggest you two stay in the air and return to pick me up.”
It sounded like a great idea. I wanted to stay in the shuttle with John, I really did.
My mouth had other plans.
“I should go with you. Both Blake and Ima think you’re dead. It will be easier to persuade them you’re really you if I’m with you.”
John shook his head. “I don’t want you going down there, Hon.”
“I don’t want to go, but I probably should.”
I didn’t expect Adam to agree with me, but he said, “Alex has a point.” He shifted his gaze to me. “Just be careful down there, and stay close to me.”
“Son, are you sure that’s a decision based on logic?” John sounded both curious and amused.
Adam shook his head. “No. We’re still going.”
John sighed, grabbed one of his blasters, and pressed it into my hands. “Remember, there’s no point in having a gun if you let someone take it. I’ve set it to stun. If someone comes too close or does anything that feels threatening, shoot. Don’t hesitate, don’t think about it, just do it.”
He let the small ship hover a few feet over the ground. Adam jumped down and reached up to help me, and for a long moment I hung in his arms. Once I had my feet on the ground and his arms around me I thought he would kiss me, but his mind probably reported it wouldn’t be appropriate. He whispered, “Stay close.”
On my own I would have been blinded when John took off, sending up a small sandstorm, but Adam shaded my eyes with his hand. As soon as the ship was gone, he caught my gaze.
“John was correct, bringing you here is bad judgment on my part, I just don’t want to do this alone.”
“I know. We’re a team and we’re in this together. And, I have a gun the size of my arm.”
“Hold on to it.”
Someone yelled “Confederacy scum” and a brick came flying our way. Adam caught it with ease and sent it back with a flick of his wrist.
“On second thought, stay right here. This is supposed to be their house. I will be right back.”
He headed towards the small insurrection, leaving me much too alone.
I glanced over my shoulder at the building. If Ima and Blake lived here, the world was in sad shape. It wasn’t much of a house. It might have been in the past, but now it looked like a dilapidated hut.
Approaching it was probably a bad idea. Adam told me to stay put and he wouldn’t have left if he thought it put me in danger, but curiosity got the better of me. I was only a couple of steps away from the door, and going over there to knock should be pretty safe.
Especially since I held a giant gun.
The door swung open when I rapped my knuckles against it and I peeked into the dark interior.
“Hello?”
No one answered, but I heard a soft rattling as if something small fell over, and my feet took a couple of steps forward without involvement of my brain. A moment later a hissing fiend jumped down on my back and knocked me over. Sharp claws dug into my flesh.
“Ima, stop. It’s me! Alex, I mean, it’s Alex. Goddamn those things are sharp!”
It was probably my cursing more than anything that persuaded her I was real. The weight disappeared, making breathing easier.
“Alex?”
I rolled over on my back and didn’t hesitate when she offered a paw to pull me up.
“Yes. I don’t know what’s going on, but we came as soon as we heard.”
“We? You and John?”
“Yes. And we have someone else with us. You’ll see.”
The normally impeccable physician was a mess. Dirty, with torn clothes, and many pounds lighter. Surviving on this planet could not be easy.
Adam entered seconds later, immersed in his role as Confederacy Commander with his back straight as a pin. “The insurrection has been stifled, but I doubt it will last, so we should hurry.”
Ima stared. “You’re dead.”
“I was dead. I’m not dead anymore.”
I reached for her hand. “We can explain all that later. Do you know where Blake is?”
“Yes. He is in the mines.”
“Mines?” Knowing what the living area looked like, I didn’t even want to imagine a mine.
Adam held up a hand, motioning for me to be quiet. “Ask her something.”
What? Oh, he wanted to check that Ima was still Ima. I should have thought of that.
“Do you remember when I first woke up on the Bell and Adam took me to the guest quarters, and I called for him because I wanted to talk to you?”
Ima’s tail wagged, and not in a patient manner.
“Of course I remember that. He was driving me crazy.”
“Well, the first time he went to get you for me, what was I wearing?”
“A towel. Ridiculous behavior.”
I glanced over at my husband. “I think it sounds like her.”
A shadow of a smile tugged at his lips. “I think so too. Make sure. I will retrieve the captain.”
As soon as he left, Ima hissed, “Impossible man. Not even dying changes him.”
It did, but hopefully not all that much.
“I’m happy it didn’t. He just wanted to make sure you’re really you, and that you haven’t been… changed.”
She narrowed her eyes to slits. “How do you know about that?”
I told her about our misfortune in being spotted by the Bell.
“I saw them too. Someone had sprinkled them all over our bed and they were multiplying. I see different frequencies of light than humans do, both infrared and ultraviolet. When we didn’t change overnight I think they assumed Blake somehow fought off the nanites and that they didn’t work on me, and before we knew it, we were in restraints on the way here.”
I groaned and ran a hand over my face. “I don’t suppose you know how to exterminate them?”
“Cobalt-60 radiation.”
“And I’m guessing that’s bad for people?”
She gave a sl
ight shrug. “In the doses required, can be. It’s a moot point, I don’t see a feasible way to eradiate the entire ship.”
Chapter Twenty-One
It took forever for Adam to return.
The eternity might only have been an hour, but I felt like I’d never waited that long for anything or anyone.
Blake’s clothes were torn, he had dirt on his cheeks, and dust in his hair. Even Adam looked ruffled, but both pretended it wasn’t a big deal. Blake held out his hand.
“It’s good to see you again, Alex.”
More formal than I expected, but it was his style. I still hesitated.
Adam said, “He’s okay. But it’s getting pretty bad out there, we should go.”
“I’m surprised no one has tried to get in here.”
I expected to have to fight off intruders, but no one as much as knocked on the door.
He gave me a look that said I was adorable and silly. “That might be because John has the shuttle right above your head.”
I stepped closer to him and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Are we ready? Anything here you guys need?”
Ima opened a drawer and pulled out a thick glass vial. It looked perfectly empty to me, but Adam narrowed his eyes. “Where did you get that?”
“Our quarters on the Bell.”
I didn’t understand until she told him about discovering the nanites in their bed.
This was not happening.
“You’re not bringing those little monsters to the ship.”
The three of them stared at me. Adam said, “We need them to experiment on.”
“No.”
John’s voice came over the radio. “Alex is right. The nanites are not coming on my ship.”
Adam shook his head. “How do you propose we free the Bell if we can’t figure out how to get rid of the infection?”
I crossed my arms and held my head high.
“I don’t care.”
Ima hissed, “We can’t leave them here.”
At least John agreed with me. “Alex, I’m coming down to get you. The others can stay there for now. Give them some time to figure out their priorities.”
Blake had listened in silence, and when he spoke he sounded like he explained a complicated concept to a child. “If we leave them here and someone lets them out they will spread.”
John’s voice said, “Alex, come outside right now. We’re leaving.”
I shook Adam’s hand off my shoulders and stepped towards the door.
John was right.
They were crazy.
Adam said, “Dammit” and snatched the vial from Ima’s hands. He put it on a high shelf and I caught myself watching his hands to make sure he wasn’t trying to fool me. He was fast enough to make me think he put the thing away.
I said, “There will be no going back for it or teleporting it.”
He nodded to Blake and Ima to go through the door. “I wish you would trust me.”
“Likewise.”
He sighed, but put a hand on the small of my back and led me out the shack, leaving the wicked robots behind.
Good thing I went with him, or they would have brought the darned things without us knowing.
“I will bring equipment down here to study them. Ima mentioned a form of gamma radiation. I have an idea of how we can treat the Bell.”
It made sense, but my heart still said no. “This plan doesn’t seem safe, not even for you.”
“I know. But I’m pretty good at taking care of myself.”
“Last time you did something really dangerous and I said it was crazy, you died.”
My husband shrugged. The fact clearly didn’t matter to him.
John’s shuttle waited outside, hovering about two feet off the ground. Someone threw a rock at it, but the attack faded quickly as large guns folded out of the hull. Adam grabbed my waist and hoisted me up.
As we took off, I looked down at the shack below. People were already streaming in, probably in search for anything useful.
Ima said, “Yes, leaving the vial there was a great idea. Good job.”
John huffed. “Well, maybe you can experiment on the whole planet. I’m sure it won’t be the last time they conquer one.”
*****
No one spoke during our journey to the ship. I sat in the co-pilot’s chair next to John, pretending I was helpful. At least he wasn’t angry with me. If anything, he seemed proud.
Once we reached the docking bay, he powered down the small ship and turned to the others.
“You are welcome on my ship. I’m sure Adam will find you a room and some fresh clothes. Have a shower and take some time to settle in. We’ll have a meeting in the lounge in ninety minutes.”
Funny how quickly it had become one group with three Confederacy officers and one with two civilians.
John nodded to me. “Come.”
Adam lifted an eyebrow, but I was still angry with him, so I ignored him and followed John.
I assumed we were going to the bridge, but he headed in the other direction, away from the lifts, through the cargo hold, and into an area of the ship I rarely visited.
He pulled his fingers over a shelf and it slid to the side, revealing a hidden door.
“I had no idea this existed.”
“We haven’t needed a secret hideout, because with just you and me we haven’t had anyone to hide from.”
And now we did. Saddening thought.
The room was cozy with comfortable armchairs, shelves filled with real books and trinkets, and a thick rug.
I loved it, and it was very him.
He went over to an old-fashioned cooler and retuned with beer, handing me a bottle.
“What a goddamn mess.”
I clanged my bottle against his and he smiled.
“I’m proud of you. You made a decision, the right decision, and stood by it. Against all three of them. We’re in a minority now you and I, but remember it’s our ship and we call the shots.”
I liked that he called it “our.” It had become home, and I liked not just being a guest.
The chair was so soft and deep it felt like it hugged me. This would be a good place for a nap.
“I hope you have a plan, because I sure don’t.”
He smiled and answered in a manner so John I should have been able to anticipate it.
“Of course you do.”
A sip of beer later, he added, “Blake will try to take over without even thinking about it, and we will stand our ground. You know Adam will always come to our side, because he’s so afraid of losing you. Using that against him might not be fair, but it is for his own good.”
He was right. Adam fell back into his old Confederacy role within seconds of donning the uniform. He would obey his captain, and if Blake told him to jump he would do it out of old habit, even if it were off a cliff.
We sat in silence for a few minutes, until the computer turned on a hologram showing Adam entering the bridge. He looked around and frowned.
John sighed. “I think your husband is looking for you.”
I sighed too. “I guess I should go talk to him. I’m sure he wants to discuss the salvation of the world.”
John burst out laughing. “I’m sure he does. I’ll be there soon, I have a couple of things I want to do down here first, now when we have guests.”
I headed for the place where we entered, but John said, “Wait. There’s a shortcut here. Just make sure no one sees you open the door upstairs.”
*****
Adam stared when I entered the bridge.
“Where have you been? I looked all over the ship for you.”
All over the ship, but not in John’s secret room.
Good.
I didn't like keeping secrets from him, but every instinct screamed he must not know this one.
I shrugged and tried to act normal. “I had a beer with John. We figured you Confederacy people were busy plotting how to save the world.”
“No. As you can s
ee, I’m back to being a civilian.”
He had pulled on black pants and a cobalt blue shirt. It looked nice.
When I didn’t answer, he said, “We need to talk. Let’s go across the corridor.”
He was trying to be civil and pleasant so I should try too. I followed him to the lounge and curled up in my favorite spot.
Adam sank down next to me and rolled up his sleeves in a very human fashion.
“Do you think that sometime I could have one of those beers with you and John?”
Not what I expected.
My mouth wanted to remind him he didn’t drink, but this wasn’t about beer. He felt left out.
“Of course.”
He sighed and plunged in. “About what happened on the planet, I don’t think the two of you understand…”
I interrupted him. “We do.”
He opened his mouth and I said, “No, wait. I need to go first, and if you still want to say whatever it is afterwards, I will listen. Okay?”
He pinched his lips together, but nodded.
How could I say this so it made sense to him?
“This isn’t a battleship. It’s not equipped for big medical emergencies or experiments. We don’t have science labs, quarantines, or containment fields. It’s a place to live, travel, and transport things from A to B.”
Adam kept his eyes locked with mine. He was interested.
Good.
“If you were to bring the nanites here and something went wrong, you would lose both John and me. Not just that, you’d lose the last people who know what’s happening, and the only ones able to do something about it. You think you can deactivate the crawlies, but you don’t know for sure, and you don’t know what happens once they’re inside a person.”
He still didn’t speak, so I continued. “They might not be active anymore. For all we know they may change a person’s brain or chemistry or whatever to a point where they’re no longer needed. The change might be irreversible.”
Adam remained silent.
I nudged him. “You can talk now. Convince me I’m wrong.”
He shook his head. “You were right. I’m sorry. I should apologize to John too.”
Deadly Betrayal Page 13