But they had been attempting to bring everything back online while finding ways to work around the virus. Now, they had an antivirus program. If they could bring up the main computer long enough to get it loaded…
“We’ve got power to the hub here, sir.”
The engineer glanced at Ishii, who was also standing back and probably wishing he could bite his fingernails. He’d acquired a tablet and kept fiddling with it.
“Good work, Vestergaard. Here.” Ishii strode forward and knelt next to the woman. “They sent me a copy of the antivirus program. I assume the wireless network is still down, so you’ll have to load it manually.”
Vestergaard fished a cable out of a pile on the deck and plugged it into Ishii’s tablet. “How did they come up with an antivirus program they’re sure will work?”
“They had the android carrying the virus to test it on.” Ishii grimaced and tapped a few digital buttons.
Kim was glad she hadn’t mentioned that Tork had been assisting with the testing. It would only make Ishii nervous. Right now, he probably thought his programmer had hacked into the android and taken control of it.
Ishii finished typing in commands and leaned back. He drummed his fingers. Vestergaard shifted her weight. Twenty people watched intently.
“Thank you for taking care of those men in the shuttle bay, Asger, Scholar Sato.” Ishii glanced at them. “If you served under me, I would recommend you for promotions.”
“You can recommend it to my superiors if you like.” Asger sounded wistful. “Though I’m not sure punching a man in the face and taking his tunnel-boring machine counts as exemplary work above and beyond the call of duty for a knight.”
“Is that what’s required for a promotion?”
“More or less.”
Ishii looked at Kim and raised his eyebrows. She wasn’t sure what that meant. Was he wondering if she wanted him to put in a word with her superiors?
“Head butts and knees to the groin don’t get you promotions in the medical research field,” she said.
“No? But you did them with such finesse.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice.”
“Hopefully, that refers to regular martial-arts training, not a history of handsy roommates.”
Kim frowned. She thought it was a joke, but she didn’t like the implication that Casmir would be anything less than a gentleman. “The only things Casmir puts his hands on are his robots.”
Belatedly, she wondered if she’d implied some kind of fetish for the mechanical. She was horrible at jokes revolving around sex.
“I would expect no less,” was all Ishii said, though his eyes glinted with humor before he turned back to his engineer. “Anything happening?”
Vestergaard had taken out a monitoring device. “One of the auxiliary computers has managed to power up. It doesn’t seem to be bringing any processes online though.”
“Hm.”
“It could be working on eradicating the virus.”
A faint hum came from the wall of equipment. A couple of loud ker-thunks emanated from behind a bulkhead. The lights came on for the first time in hours, and Kim squinted against the abrupt brightness.
Relieved cheers went up from the engineers, and similar sounds echoed down the corridor from other departments in the ship. Ishii sagged forward, leaning his faceplate against the control panel.
I think you can come back to the ship now, Kim messaged Casmir. The lights came on.
Excellent. The Osprey’s current orbit is concerning.
This whole day is concerning. And I must apologize because it’s possible I’ve led Ishii to believe you like to have sex with robots.
Well, there are worse things. That’s not even particularly uncommon. I did an internship at a sex-robot factory the summer before I started at the university. I got in some trouble with my supervisor though. Apparently, you’re supposed to program the robots to be docile and acquiescing lovers.
And what did you program them to do?
Defend themselves and lecture people if they got rough.
How long did it take before you got fired?
Interns aren’t fired; they’re let go.
How long?
Less than a month. I decided to leave the experience off my résumé later in life.
Wise.
Yes. Grunburg is bringing us to the shuttle bay.
“The shuttle is coming back, Captain.” Kim pointed at the power cable, realizing they would have to unplug it and move it out of the shuttle-bay doorway so it could close and the bay could depressurize. “Are you done with that?”
“I’ll get it, sir,” a young engineer blurted, waving for a couple of men to help him.
By the time the shuttle docked and Kim and Asger walked to the bay, the ship seemed to be back to normal. The thrums of power reverberating through the deck as the thrusters pushed the Osprey away from the moon’s orbit were comforting. The silence earlier had been eerie. Silence in space was death.
As soon as Casmir climbed out of the shuttle, Kim trotted forward to pat him on the back, glad he and Grunburg had been able to come up with a solution—and glad they had returned without trouble.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, fine. Our power never went out.” Casmir squinted at her. “Are you all right?”
Did she appear disheveled after the assassins’ attack? Hunting for a hairbrush hadn’t been a priority since then. “Yes. Having the power go out was largely uneventful.”
Asger stood a few feet away, talking to an officer, but he looked over. “What do you consider eventful?”
“A loss of limbs,” she said. “Death.”
“You should have been a knight.”
Casmir lifted a finger, as if he wanted details, but he must have decided to wait for later. “I brought something back for you.”
Casmir rummaged in his tool satchel as his programmer acquaintance stepped gingerly out of the shuttle, a hand to his head. A waiting nurse came forward to help him out of the bay. They passed Captain Ishii as he strode in.
“Here you go.” Casmir held out a tube of the nutrient broth she’d prepared for his sample taking. There was tape stuck to it. And…
“Is that your hair?” Kim grimaced, squinting at the strand stuck to the tape—and the side of the vial. “Or the android’s?”
The android in question hopped out of the shuttle with Zee, both stopping behind Casmir.
“I’m not sure.” Casmir peered at it as he pulled out a card with black powder smudges taped to it. “I was trying to get fingerprints.” He peeled the tape off her tube. “It could be my hair, but it looks kind of gray, doesn’t it? I’ll have someone run a DNA test. If it belongs to the person who booby-trapped the android, that would be more conclusive than fingerprints. Though I suppose it depends on if the astroshamans of the systems are in the various law-enforcement databases. And if Fleet has access to them. Let’s see first if the Intelligence officers can pick up anything. On a ship this large, they ought to have a forensics lab, right?”
“Yes.” Kim almost volunteered to run the tests herself—the medical laboratories had everything needed—but she didn’t have access to any military or law-enforcement databases in the Kingdom, much less in the rest of the Twelve Systems. She merely accepted the tube, which was clearly for her.
“I also brought Tork back.” Casmir gestured to the silent android behind him, its short brown hair mussed, its utilitarian overalls torn and disheveled.
Since androids didn’t bruise, it wasn’t clear that it had been in a fight, but Kim did get that impression.
“In case you want to swab him personally,” Casmir added.
Kim eyed the android, wondering why he had activated it. He’d said Tork had helped with the antivirus program, but wasn’t it also the reason the Osprey had been knocked offline?
“Or Zee will happily swab Tork for bacteria samples if you don’t want to get close,” Casmir offered.
“Perhaps not hap
pily,” Zee murmured, head turning briefly toward Tork. Briefly and dismissively.
Kim raised her eyebrows. “Casmir, is it just me, or is your crusher developing more… personality?”
“Zee has the ability to adapt and learn new things.”
“Like personality?”
Casmir shrugged. “Sure. He has been my roommate of late. You got more personality after living with me for seven years. Remember how stoic and humorless you were when we first met?”
“I was neither of those things. I’ll accept that I may have been more reserved.”
“And I’ve cured you of that.” He winked. “I rub off and stick.”
“Yes, like honey from a leaky jar.”
“Sweet and delicious?”
“Requiring intensive washing and chemical sanitation after handling.”
Casmir’s forehead furrowed, and he looked like he might object, but Ishii strode over.
“What is that doing here, Dabrowski?” He pointed at the android.
“Helping us.”
Ishii sputtered. “What?”
“He located the virus he sent and ensured it wouldn’t be transmitted again to other Kingdom ships.” Casmir stepped back and patted Tork on the shoulder. “He’s our new ally.”
This time, when Ishii sputtered, no words came out. He did gesture in beseeching exasperation toward Asger.
Asger spread his arms. “You didn’t let me go, remember?”
“I want it destroyed,” Ishii said.
“He knows where the cargo ship went,” Casmir said.
“And I’m sure he can be trusted to tell us.” Ishii curled his fingers into a fist and glowered at him.
Kim frowned, feeling Ishii should be more grateful. She didn’t know yet all that Casmir and the programmer had done out there, but she did know they’d been responsible for fixing the damage the virus had caused. And she hadn’t heard any reports that the second warship had been attacked by the virus.
“I will share the destination of the cargo ship if Professor Dabrowski wishes me to do so,” Tork said. “I work for him now. He has agreed to get me a telescope so I may pursue my astronomy hobby in my off time.”
Casmir shrugged without any denial. Kim gripped her chin while she watched Ishii sputter some more. For someone with brown skin, his cheeks could get impressively pink.
“Where are you going to get a telescope?” Asger asked blandly.
Like Kim, he no longer seemed surprised by anything Casmir did, or caused to happen around him.
“If the ship doesn’t have one we can borrow, I’ll buy one at a space station,” Casmir said.
Kim was tempted to ask him if he’d talked someone into paying him for coming along on this mission yet, but Ishii spoke again.
“It’s not a stray dog. You can’t keep it.”
“As I told Tork,” Casmir said, “it would be illogical to destroy or abandon such a valuable asset.”
“Then wipe its memory. Wipe everything on it. Wasn’t it carrying a bomb inside some panel?” Ishii must have gotten a preliminary report from his officer earlier, because Kim hadn’t heard about that.
“Yes, because the astroshaman that found the cargo ship booby-trapped him. I did warn you that was a possibility, I believe, and that it would be dangerous to bring him aboard.”
“It was dangerous not to bring him aboard too. I want it wiped.” Ishii pointed a finger at Casmir’s nose. “And you’re not doing it. Take it to the programming lab. Grunburg can handle it.”
“Sora,” Casmir said gently. “If we wipe his memory, he can’t tell us where the cargo ship went.”
“So get that information and then wipe its memory. Its, Dabrowski. It’s not a person, not a him.”
“He may prove a useful ally when we reach the astroshamans and have to deal with them,” Casmir said without commenting on the rest.
“I don’t need any more useful and unwanted allies.” Ishii stomped toward the exit.
Casmir patted Tork’s shoulder before lowering his hand. “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure nobody wipes your memory.”
“Do you have command of this ship, Professor Dabrowski?” Tork asked.
“No, but that hasn’t stopped me yet from doing what I want.”
Asger snorted. “No kidding.”
“I believe you.” Tork nodded. “I have been programmed to discern when humans are being deceitful, and you are not. I believe the research that I found in this system is true.”
“Research?” Kim mouthed.
“Professor Dabrowski is a protector of robots,” Tork said.
Casmir smiled, though he appeared puzzled. “You never did mention what you were reading for your research. Or is it who you were contacting?”
“Not who. What. Other androids in this system. You have a good reputation. Protector of robots.”
“Just what you need,” Kim said. “Another nickname.”
Casmir still looked more puzzled than enlightened, but he patted Zee and Tork on the backs and nodded toward the exit. “Let’s go get some food. And oil for those in need of lubrication.”
“I am experiencing friction in my servo motors,” Tork said.
“I am self-lubricating,” Zee said.
“I’m sure that comes in handy with the lady crushers,” Asger said as they passed.
Kim, Casmir sent her a message as he walked out with his odd entourage. Tork already told me the cargo ship was heading to an underwater base on Xolas Moon in System Hydra. I’ll tell Ishii, ideally in exchange for a promise not to wipe Tork’s memory, but if you can verify that with your laboratory magic, that would be excellent. I think I won Tork over, but it is possible he’s deceiving me and is still under the control of his handler.
You mean he could be buttering your toast with that protector of robots bit?
It’s possible. What’s that old proverb? Trust but verify?
I shall attempt to do so. I hope this sample never came in contact with your tongue.
It didn’t. I had my helmet on, so I couldn’t have even breathed heavily on it.
Good. She decided not to complain about the hair. If it didn’t belong to Grunburg or Casmir, it might give them a clue even greater than bacteria could.
Casmir settled on the deck on a blanket he’d acquired his first night on board, the servers humming near his ear, the displays dimmed for the night. Zee was a dark shadow standing guard near the door. All was back to normal.
With the crisis past, his mind whirred like an automaton, imagining different scenarios that they might face when they found Tork’s original handlers. The android stood in the dark next to Zee, his eyes closed, his chin to his chest. Powered down, the stance said. Zee didn’t have eyes in the traditional sense, but Casmir was sure all of his optical sensors were pointed at Tork.
A knock sounded at the door, and Zee shifted to block it as it slid open. Casmir squinted at the light that slashed in from the corridor, wrapping around Zee and leaving his broad shadow on the deck.
“Get your bag, Dabrowski,” came Ishii’s gruff voice.
“My tool satchel?”
“No, your bag. With your pajamas and underwear and beard gel in it. Come on. You’re getting a bunk.”
Casmir hadn’t unpacked much—where would he have put anything?—so he was ready in a few seconds. “It’s not in the brig, is it?”
“No. You save the ship, you get an upgrade to your accommodations. That’s how it works.”
“Oh, that’s a nice perk.”
Casmir squinted again as he entered the corridor, the light obnoxiously bright. His left eye blinked. He paused with his hand on the wall, feeling a flush of heat and the sensation that his mind wasn’t fully connected to his body. Damn it, was he going to have a seizure now? After surviving all that crap earlier without collapsing?
“Dabrowski?”
Casmir shut his eyes against the light—why was the corridor so bright?—and fought off a wave of dizziness. He was aware of a hand grippin
g his shoulder, but it almost seemed like it was happening to someone else.
“I promise, Dabrowski—Casmir, I’m not taking you to the brig.”
Casmir struggled to concentrate on the words, and his dizziness passed. He drew in a shaky breath and tried to force muscles that had gone painfully rigid to relax. He opened his eyes partway, wary of the light now. A blurry brown face was staring at him. Ishii.
“Sorry.” Casmir blinked, and Ishii slowly came into focus. “I’m sorry.”
His tongue felt thick, and he sighed, wishing Ishii had left him to sleep on the deck in his dark computer cabin.
“Did you just have a seizure?”
“No.” Casmir tried to smile. Only half of his mouth wanted to work. “Maybe a partial one.” He focused on enunciating. He didn’t want Ishii to worry about him. Or drag him off to sickbay. “It’s no big deal.”
“Do you want to go to sickbay?”
“No.”
“Do you want me to get Lieutenant Adjei? The night nurse?”
That was the nurse with the curly hair that Casmir had admired, shortly before he’d gone into anaphylactic shock and passed out from a full seizure. At her feet. He didn’t want to see her again. In part because it would mean something was wrong with him, and in part because he now found himself thinking more of straight black hair and sandaled feet with pieces of grass stuck between the toes.
He smiled, wondering if Princess Oku had looked at any of his robot bee babble, or if she’d filed it away along with all the dead flowers and stale chocolates and whatever lame things would-be suitors had given her over the years. Asger, Casmir recalled, had offered her one of his calendars.
“Casmir?” Ishii squeezed his shoulder.
“Sorry, I don’t need a nurse. Just that bunk you teased me with would be fabulous. Thank you.”
Zee loomed behind them, perhaps not realizing there was anything wrong with Casmir. Because there wasn’t. He would be fine. He nodded his head firmly. His eye blinked and watered. Sighing again, he rubbed it. He was just tired, the light of the corridor too much after the day’s stresses.
Fortunately, Ishii set a slow pace as they walked, glancing back at Zee and Tork, who were trailing along behind them.
Crossfire (Star Kingdom Book 4) Page 13