Endurance

by neetha Napew

  He prepared it for infusion. “Joseph Grey Veil left instructions to administer this test compound, and several others.”

  “You are not experimenting on me!”

  Malgat gave me a small, sympathetic smile.

  Lazy nurses had their uses. No one had bothered to check on me or my restraints. It had taken hours, but I’d managed to work my good hand free.

  As soon as Malgat leaned over me, I knocked the syrinpress away. It went flying across the ward, dropped, and slid beneath an exam table.

  “No more test compounds.” Twenty-seven years of that waste back on Terra had been more than enough for me.

  Malgat appeared confounded. I guess his other lab rats had never tried to bite his clammy little hand before. “Doctor!”

  “Forget it.” Before the primary recovered from his shock, I loosened the other three straps and yanked the monitors off my chest and head.

  “No!” The little creep tried to hold me down. “Nurse! Assist me!” To me, he said, “Remain where you are!”

  “In your dreams, pal.” I bashed the bonesetter around my wrist into his thick neck, sending him reeling, then I rolled off the berth. Infusers ripped from my flesh. Blood trickled down my limbs. “Back off.”

  “Return to your berth,” he said, holding a palm against his bruised flesh as he came after me. “You are not well.”

  I was just dandy. Sore, and naked, but not defenseless. I skirted the berth. Released the clamps on the bonesetter and shook it off. Picked up my chart and eyed his skull. Big, soft veins pulsed beneath his brown-spotted derma.

  “I bet your species has no cranial bone,” I said.

  He stopped. “What?”

  “I’d hate to rupture your brain tissue with this.” I held up the chart. “Keep coming and I will.”

  The nurse who’d threatened me the first day came up behind Dr. Malgat. She had a syrinpress in her hand and a lovely smirk puffing out her cheek pouches. This was just the opportunity she’d been looking for. I could hear her now, explaining the tragedy. I had been struggling, trying to escape. She hadn’t meant to administer an overdose, but what a shame, her finger had slipped on the calibrator.

  “This patient, Doctor, shall I sedate?” she asked Malgat.

  Meaning, I’d better get moving. A chart wouldn’t dent the thick skull under all that fur.

  I looked around. Grabbed a dermal probe off an instrument tray to my left. Held it out like a bladed weapon.

  “Try it, you shrew,” I said, “and I’ll carve out your heart.”

  The nurse’s broad tail slapped the deck, while she made a strange sputtering sound.

  “She will do what she says.”

  I went still at the sound of the cold, dispassionate voice. Malgat sighed with relief. The shrew bristled, furious. A tall, light-haired man stepped around both of them.

  He was a good-looking Terran male, if you overlooked the empty expression and bleak blue eyes. He moved with grace and economy for a man his size. The sinewy build and natural athletic strength helped. In fact, the only outer flaws he possessed were the thick webs of scars on the backs of both hands-for the time being. I planned to add more in other places.

  “Look who’s here. My husband.” I smiled. The brewing hostility inside me spewed out in a geyser of scalding rage. “Hello, Reever, you corrupt, evil, traitorous, lying ass-

  “Enough, Cherijo.” He took a step forward. Held out his hand. “Give me the probe.”

  “You mean this?” I turned the instrument in my hand so the sharp end jutted out from my fist. “Specify the artery.”

  He made a brief survey of my body. Not even a spark of interest glimmered in his chilly gaze. Ah, gee, didn’t he want me anymore? Apparently not. Guess I was supposed to be crushed.

  “If you attempt to harm me again, TssVar will sub-ject you to much more than solitary detainment,” he said.

  Treacherous, unfeeling, blunt as always. Same old Reever. “I’m going to do more than attempt, pal.” I jabbed the probe toward him. “I don’t care what happens to me.”

  “You forget that Alunthri can be made to suffer as well.”

  That did it. I lunged.

  A heartbeat later, he countered my attack easily, pushing me back and pinning me to the wall panel beside the berth.

  This was worse than his threats. “Get off me, damn it!”

  I fought, but he was bigger, stronger, and in much better condition. He pegged my wrists above my head with one of his strong, scarred hands and relieved me of the probe with the other. I jerked my knee up, but one long thigh blocked me just short of my mark. Too bad. I would have enjoyed the thought of him speaking with a squeak for a few days.

  “Stop.” He used his body weight to hold me in place. “Don’t fight me.”

  He was touching me, and I’d sworn I’d never let him do that again. “I’ll kill you!” I could feel his heart beating rapidly against my bare breast, and twisted. “Get off!”

  “When you give me your word you won’t attack anyone.”

  I’d tell him I’d mate with Malgat, just to get him away from me. “Fine.” I took a deep breath, let it out. “I promise not to attack anyone.”

  He took the precaution of stepping out of knee-jerk range before he let my wrists go. Like most males, he was protective of his genitals. Smart move. One of my immediate goals was to kick his up into his esophagus.

  He gave me the once-over again. “I will get you a tunic.”

  “Don’t bother.” I kept my eyes on him as I grabbed a berth sheet and quickly wound it around my body. He watched my hands knot the linen over my breasts. My body had never impressed him, so why was he suddenly so interested in covering it up?

  I pushed past him. Shoved the venomous nurse out of my way. Headed for the Medical entrance panel. One of the Hsktskt glared at me, then snarled something in Reever’s direction. My headgear was askew, so I didn’t pick that up.

  “Cherijo.”

  I paused, but didn’t turn around. “What?”

  “Report to my quarters.”

  “Right.” When I sprouted wings and could fly there.

  I kept going. Another Hsktskt guard stepped out to block my path. A huge male, almost as big as TssVar, but broader and with a noticeable slope to his brow. He wore the rank of a squad commander, or OverCenturon.

  “Slaves do not roam the ship unsupervised.”

  This was getting old. “Call off the guard dog, you jerk.”

  “Address the OverMaster with his proper title,” FlatHead said, baring rows of discolored incisors. He smelled as good as his teeth looked.

  “Sure.” Now the damn lizards were correcting me. “Call off the guard dog, OverMaster HalaVar, you jerk.”

  FlatHead activated his weapon and targeted my face.

  “She is part of the medical staff. Let her pass.”

  Hsktskt enamel crunched as he ground his teeth together, but the OverCenturon stepped aside.

  I stalked out. In the corridor, I automatically hitched up the sheet and realized absently that I was barefoot. Good thing the deck was insulated. Wouldn’t want to catch a chill before the Hsktskt scientists on Catopsa got a chance to dissect me. Might mess up their tests.

  After locating the nearest glidelift, I stepped in and keyed the console for my own quarters on level six. “At last.”

  Reever got in the lift before the doors closed. He reprogrammed the lift to go to level nine. “I will accompany you.”

  “Your funeral.” I didn’t look at him, either. The sight of him in a modified Hsktskt military uniform still made my blood boil. “You’ve given the med staffers free access to the ship?”

  “Within reason. OverLord TssVar is aware of your professional oath to do no harm.”

  That last part sounded like a warning. He didn’t realize it but he’d just given me a sizeable weapon. A moment of silence passed. I amused myself by thinking of creative amputations I could perform on Reever. Minus anesthetic.

  He ruined my fan
tasies by saying, “The Hsktskt guard you offended-stay away from him.”

  “I offended who? Mr. Manners?” I heaved a counterfeit sigh. “Here I thought I’d made a new friend.”

  “His name is GothVar.” He keyed something in on the wrist unit all the Hsktskt wore. Probably a note to have me clapped in manacles later. “He has long disliked slaves, particularly Terrans.”

  “Considering who he has to work with?” I lifted a hand to cover my mouth. Rage was fun, but tiring. “Can’t say I blame him.”

  “I want you to listen to me.”

  “Keep talking. I always yawn like this when I’m riveted.”

  It took a few seconds before the lift slowed and came to a halt at level nine. I walked out and down the corridor, with Reever trailing me.

  “Why am I here?” I said before I crossed the threshold of his quarters.

  Reever pushed me through, then closed the door panel, but didn’t secure it. Foolish man. “Continuation of prisoner orientation.”

  Forget that. “Send me back to my cell.” When he didn’t, I halted in the center of the mostly empty room. “Look, you’ve given me the speech. Seen me naked. Thrown me in the brig. What’s left?”

  “There is something I have to give you.” He pointed to a circular depression in the deck. “First I must complete your orientation. Stand on the scan pad.”

  Another scan. They’d already done a million of them. Might as well get it over with, I thought, and stepped into the circle.

  Reever crossed to the room console and keyed in a rapid sequence code. “Initiate identification scan.”

  A blinding white light scanned me from crown to soles while a drone voice began to recite the facts.

  “Life-form identification: Torin, Cherijo. Terran female. Physician. Thoracic Surgeon. Height: 4 feet, 11 inches. Weight: 82 pounds. Hair: Black with silver streak above right temple. Eyes: Blue. Derma: Terran Caucasian.”

  “You forgot the freckle behind my right ear,” I said.

  That confused the drone. “There is no indication of abnormal pigmentation in that area-“

  Reever made an impatient sound. “Disregard subject input. Results of most recent physical evaluation.”

  “P.E. performed by Malgat, Evo. Includes inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation of body and organs. General results reflect a well-developed female.”

  Evo had barely glanced at me, much less performed a full eval. “There was no P.E. performed. Your primary probably had to guess at my gender.”

  Reever didn’t react to that. “Proceed.”

  “Neurological Assessment: Awake, alert, oriented to environment-“

  “Don’t start talking neuroanatomy to him,” I said to the console. “He’ll get aroused.”

  The program ignored me, too. After finishing the neuro stats, it started on the cardiovascular. “BP and heart rate consistent with intense athletic conditioning-“

  “An athlete?” I chuckled. “Hardly. Wait, does whump-ball count?”

  It droned on and on. “Respiratory Assessment: Respiration quiet and regular-“

  “I only spit when I think of you, Reever,” I said.

  The automated program noted during the integumentary stats that my derma met genetic norms, but that I had no PIC.

  I frowned. “What’s this pee-eye-sea?”

  Reever didn’t answer me. During the recitation of my musculoskeletal stats, the drone stated there was little evidence of any former injuries.

  I flexed my stiff wrist. “I’m still thinking about suing.”

  A white spot beam abruptly switched on and focused on my wedding band. “Unidentified metallic ring encircling third finger of left hand, as indicated.”

  I’d forgotten about that. I pulled off the ring Reever had given me back on Joren, and tossed it at the console as hard as I could. It bounced off and rolled beneath the unit. “Not anymore.”

  The console recited the sensory stats, noting some evidence of hypersensitivity to light, consistent with my recent detainment.

  “Is it usually this obtuse?” I asked. “Or is today a special occasion?”

  The drone only offered my hematological stats. At length.

  I folded my arms. “Did you check between my toes, too?”

  “Microbiological assessment detected no dangerous microorganisms. Augmented antibodies detected.

  Unclassified genetic material detected. Origin of detected irregularities unknown.”

  What the hell had Joseph been pumping into me all those years? “I guess you did.”

  “Conclusion: this is a twenty-nine-year-old woman in excellent health.”

  “Bravo.” I clapped twice, slow and loud. “Took you long enough.”

  “Hematology analysis, categorical results: CBC- 6.45; RBC-5.0; Hemoglobin-15.95; Hematocrit- 45.7; MCV-“

  “Discontinue individual test results,” Reever said, and the drone shut up. “Prepare the laser application.”

  “Application of what?”

  He moved away from the console and toward me. “All prisoners must maintain a PIC-physical identification code.” I jumped off the pad. “Resume your position, Cherijo.”

  He wanted to brand me. Like some agri-pharm range animal. “Not in this lifetime, pal.”

  Reever halted. “Permanent individual identification sequences-“

  I’d almost made it to the door panel when he caught me. A hard arm snaked around my waist. The other blocked my hand just before I raked my fingernails into his face. Reever carried me back to the circle, but it took some effort. I fought him with every ounce of strength I had.

  “No!” I gasped as two metallic columns rose out of the deck. Reever positioned me between them, let go, then stepped away. Before I could move, two viselike extensions snaked cold metal clamps around my arms and pelvis. One clamp undulated outward, jerking my right arm up and away from my body.

  This wasn’t going to happen. “Don’t you dare brand me with some slaver code, you pig!”

  Reever returned to the console. “Stop struggling,” he said. “You will harm yourself.”

  “Oh, and you won’t?”

  Above me, a laser rig descended from a slot in the upper deck. I heard the power supply hum as the unit charged. My eyes went wide.

  He was actually going to burn me with that thing. “Reever!”

  Reever approached me, a syrinpress in his fist. I fought the steel embrace even harder. “This will prevent you from feeling any pain.”

  Pain. Good suggestion. I waited until he got close enough, then whipped my head forward and smashed it into his face as hard as I could. The instrument flew from his hand and clattered to the deck. The impact sent Reever staggering back a few steps.

  I’ll have a headache, too, once these spots stopped dancing in front of my eyes, I thought. A tight knot of pain began to swell just above my right brow. Well, I’d asked for it, might as well enjoy it.

  I did, for about ten seconds, until the laser activated.

  Searing heat rolled over my forearm. I swore at the top of my lungs and jerked at my arm, but the detainment device held. Thus immobilized, I had to watch as the laser carved a line of short, curving furrows from my wrist to my elbow. With each new mark, new pain flashed up my arm. The cauterized vapors collected in my nose, until I had to stop yelling and choke back my own bile.

  Smoke. Flames. Children crying. I couldn’t see where they were. Tonetka... the children... walls of fire between us... “Go back!”

  It didn’t take very long. Only forever. By the time the laser shut down, the only things keeping my shuddering body upright were the clamps.

  The memories of what had happened on the Sunlace danced inside my eyelids.

  “Why did you do that?” Reever had gotten to his feet, and now his hands were on my face, tilting it up.

  I jerked my head away and looked down. Third-degree burns, nearly six inches long and four inches wide, formed an intricate series of symbols in my flesh.

  “
Why, Cherijo?”

  I gazed up at him, saw the icy rage with something like relief. He still cared. I could use that. “Eat... waste... and... d-“

  I passed out before I could finish expressing my heartfelt wishes.

  CHAPTER TWO

  What Goes Around

  I groaned, lifted my head, and squinted through decidedly gritty eyes. Too dark to tell where I was. But I could smell a hint of cinnamon and rose hips, and felt the familiar texture of Jorenian linens.

  Herbal tea stores and my own bed. The old quarters I’d been assigned on level six. As close to heaven as I was going to get on the Perpetua.

  “Bad dream.” All that shrieking had brought back my sore throat. “Give me some lights.”

  The console didn’t respond to my hoarse command. I struggled off the sleeping platform and stumbled through the dark to manually activate the controls. I felt sluggish and weak-Reever must have drugged me.

  Reever did things like that.

  I reached for the panel and gasped. From my right hand up, everything hurt. When I got the lights on, I saw the burn dressing encasing my forearm.

  “It really happened.”

  I had no idea why that shocked me, but it did. He hurt me. He really, deliberately hurt me. Why? When would his treachery stop being a surprise and start being my reality?

  That pesky inner voice of mine piped up at once. Never.

  Suppuration had seeped through the antibacterial gel, making stains on the outer dressing. I’d unwrap it and have a look later, when I could find my med kit. A blue garment covered the rest of me. A basically transparent, voluminous robe, with only a few strategically placed opaque panels to preserve my modesty.

  Reever’s idea of sleepwear? Or visual titillation?

  “You’re feeling better.”

  I whipped around to find the corrupt creep sitting in one of my chairs. He looked composed and tidy, if you ignored the painful-looking bruise across his left cheekbone.

  “Why?” I held out my unmarked arm. “Want to burn the other one now, you sick bastard?”

  “All designated properties are given PICs.” He rose to his feet. “There are no exceptions.”