Touch of Danger (Three Worlds)

by Strickland, Carol A.

  “He's just finished his second round of treatment,” Wiley said as he produced that tricorder thing again. He ran it around Londo and checked its screen, then glanced at the various screens around Lon's table. “I'd say he's well along to full recovery. Knowing Londo, maybe two days back to full strength. Are there going to be any more treatments?” Wiley looked at Lina.

  She shook her head. “Rest is the only thing he needs now.” For once in her life she'd done a fantastic job, she thought proudly. She'd come through when she'd needed to.

  Stoan gave the stranger a measuring look that couldn’t conceal a flash of revulsion at her appalling condition and turned back to Wilder.

  “Oh yes,” Wiley said. “This is Lina O'Kelly of Earth. She's the teleporter and, ah, psychic healer I told you about last night.”

  It occurred to Lina that this was the commander of the Legion she had read about early that morning. The written word suddenly matched up with this conversation. He was Stoan something; she forgot his hero name. His mega power had to do with magnetism and polarities. She had put the name Stoan together with magnetism, and had pictured a magnetic stone, even though the name was drawled out: sto-wan. She figured it was Southern for “stone.”

  He had been commander for three terms now, indicating how well he was thought of in the organization, for the rank was an elected one from the membership. She nodded her head politely at him and saw him dismiss her as he concentrated on his friends, the famous heroes.

  Jae must have seen it, too, because he added, “If it weren't for Lina, Londo wouldn't be alive.”

  Stoan again considered Lina, and turned to Wiley. “Surely that's not—”

  “Oh, it is. I think that given enough time I could have stabilized him, but we didn't have that. He was dead within minutes of arrival. If he hadn't blown up Headquarters by imploding and causing a daet-hold reaction, he would have died permanently before I could even have started treatment.”

  Lon tugged at Lina's arm and she turned to him to see puzzlement in his eyes. She smiled and patted his hand. **They have tapes; you'll have to watch 'em,** she told him. **Look over there.**

  Londo looked across the room and saw the blasted floor, the visible net of energy holding in quarantine conditions from the fracture.

  **That's impervion.** “Impervion!”

  **You made quite a mess,** Lina said silently.

  “Londo?” Stoan was asking.

  “Oh, sorry.” Lon brought his attention back to the commander. “Lina was just telling me that I needed to look at the tapes to see what happened.”

  “Telling you—”

  “Lina's telepathic. Oh, and for the official Legion record, so am I as of about two days ago. It seems to be a permanent condition,” Lon told the commander.

  Stoan scratched his head in consternation. “Telepathy? I want to hear more about this. Wiley, when does your quarantine end? I'd rather communicate in person.” He pointedly looked at Lina. Obviously he didn't want to talk in front of unimportant strangers, non-Legionnaires. Lina could understand that.

  Wiley said, “It will be another two days as well.”

  “Two days?!”

  “They teleported directly from Earth. They didn't come through hyperspace, didn't have access to any kind of biocleaner—”

  “All right. Two days.” Stoan whipped around to face Lina, staring her down. “Have you ever practiced mind control?” he demanded.

  Chapter 12

  The question took Lina aback. She shook her head vigorously. “No, I can't do that. It wouldn't—”

  Stoan cut her off before she could say “be ethical” and went back to Wiley. “I want regular reports about Londo's condition. And any more powers that may appear.”

  “Right.”

  “Do you need anything in there?”

  “Being in quarantine,” Jae put in, “it's difficult to grant any requests.” He crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks at Stoan with a raised eyebrow for emphasis.

  “Ah, yes. Right. Well. Good luck; I'll see if maybe we can't reroute protocols later today just this once. Don't kill each other before quarantine ends. At least you get out of helping with repairs. Thirty stories of damage…” Stoan shook his head as Londo straightened, clutching Lina's shoulder.

  “Thirty stories? Of impervion?”

  **You were trying to die on us,** Lina said gently. **You did die. Just for a few minutes.**

  **I thought Wiley was kidding.** Lon's brows furrowed; his eyes moved as he struggled to remember.

  “Luckily it's along a route that's away from structural elements or important conduits,” Stoan said.

  Lina didn't like to be accused of mind control. “Luck like heck. I aimed it that way,” she said defiantly. She was tired of people trying to criticize her when she'd done a good job! She got that at work; darned if she was going to take it here. “They told me where it would do the least harm.”

  “They?”

  Jae took a guess. “Your guides? The same entities you channel with?”

  “That's right,” Lina said.

  “Where are they?” Lon whispered to her.

  “All around you.”

  In absolute seriousness he bowed to the empty air. “Thank you. Thank you all.”

  Lina could have melted with pride. He'd remembered to be polite.

  “Entities,” Stoan drawled. “Wiley?”

  “Skurned if anything registers. But then it took a few tries to get parts of the Kolaimni treatment to show up on sensors.”

  Londo squeezed Lina. “You're kidding; it actually records?”

  “I told you, you need to look at the tapes.” She smoothed his hair with an intimate gesture that Stoan caught.

  The Legion commander now noticed how Londo had the woman encircled in his arms, how she leaned against him, her hand on his shoulder. He glanced down and searched on his personal drive for one particular section of information. There it was. The betting boards had paid off—with bonus points. He frowned at Londo and Lina.

  “I'll review your records, Wiley,” Stoan said quickly. “Kinrol out.” His image rolled up vertically and then disappeared.

  Lina's jaw dropped as she caught what Stoan had been thinking. **Londo, is there an office pool on you?**

  “Oh marde,” he muttered. “I'd forgotten about that.”

  Lina hissed. “Isn't anything private around here?”

  “Not much. There are long stretches of monitor duty when nothing happens. People get bored. Don't take it personally, kitten.”

  She sighed. “It's difficult not to. Oh well. I need to dunk myself and detox. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

  “I'll come with you.” Londo slid off the bed to stand, catching himself on the edge. “Whoa.”

  “Londo!” Lina grabbed him before he could fall.

  “I'm okay,” he said.

  “You are not! You get back into bed right now.”

  “I'm fine.” Gingerly Lon shook off Lina's hand and then released his own hold from the bed. He straightened slowly. “See? Fine. Let's go. I need to shower.”

  Jae caught him when he tried to take his first step. “You've always been the subtle one,” Jae jibed.

  Lon steadied as Lina supported him on the other side. He took a hesitant step, and the one after that was steadier, the next steadier still.

  “No sex back there,” Wilder ordered nonchalantly as he returned to the main computer station.

  Lina thought she'd never stop blushing. “Is there somewhere I could go to die of embarrassment?” she asked. “Not that I want to inconvenience anyone, mind you.”

  Jae laughed at the both of them, his eyes almost dancing as he saw Londo up and about. “This is just one of the benefits of quarantine,” he said. “By the time all this is over, we'll know each other much too well.” He scratched his chin at Londo. “Lina gave me a pretty personal reading this morning, so I think it's time we came up with something for Wiley.”

  Londo gave an evil snort.
“I'll see what I can do.”

  “Good. If you need any more bodies back there, just tell me and I'll come running.”

  Londo laughed again and hit the air a millimeter above Jae's arm, an air-blow. “You'll be the first I call,” he said, and turned around when he felt Lina release him.

  She hurried to the back of the lab, her hands over her ears. “I'm not going to stand around and be embarrassed any more than I have to,” she declared. “I am going to learn how to bioclean so I can get out of this camp of crazies as soon as is humanly possible!”

  Lon patted Jae's shoulder and Jae stepped back. Lon took a few steps on his own, testing his balance. He tried a trot and stumbled, then managed a brisk walk. “Lina!”

  She turned in shock. “Lon, you shouldn't—” He was still sick! Her fault to push him like this!

  He caught up with her and took her in his arms. “I'm okay, all right?” He looked around to see that Jae was watching them. He cocked his head at him, and Jae turned away with a bow. Or was he offering his rear end as a comment? Lon took Lina's hand and walked with her to the back of the lab.

  It was private next to the ocean tank, close to the bathroom.

  Lon's arms around Lina were strong enough to make her feel safe. His lips on hers held the same heat as before. The body that pressed against hers was the only one she'd ever allow in this position, the only one she wanted. She stopped worrying and gloried in the physical presence of living Lon.

  His fingers pressed into her until she gave an involuntary cry. Blister, cut, burn or bruise; she didn't know which one he'd found.

  He jerked away and then fastened upon a new spot, holding her as if she were made of butterfly wings. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. The tears began to return.

  “I was afraid I'd lost you,” she whispered.

  “I'm better now,” he assured her. His mind sank into her skin, activating the double feedback loop. He kissed her a little harder now that he knew where not to touch. “As a matter of fact, I'm feeling fine.” He let his mouth wander down her neck to the shoulder that didn't have a bandage on it.

  “Mm, sticky sweet.” He smacked his lips on the medical goop that covered her.

  She giggled. The universe was once more the happiest of places. The weakness of her knees was a good thing, not a sickness. The sparks that his soft lips left on her skin were sweet ones and not painful in the least.

  She gave a lighthearted sigh and pushed away. “You are a walking hormone, honey, do you know that? Come to think of it, so am I lately. But you have doctor's orders. I don't think we should push it. I can tell that you aren't feeling well, even if you put on a good show. Now come on; I have to detox and get rid of energies.”

  He eased back reluctantly. “All right. But I'm going to find a way out of here for us before I go crazy and bust down a wall. And you—you don't port home without me. Promise. Promise me.”

  “I promise I'll tell you before I try it.” Lina tiptoed to kiss him on the nose. “I really have to detox now.”

  She dropped her robe, leaving just the lopsided leotard as she prepared to get into the tank.

  His fingers brushed the bandages over her arm. “Damn, Lie, what did they do to you? There's a hole.”

  “That was some kind of laser rifle. They burned through me to get a spot to stick a needle into you. I guess they didn't figure that they could have just done like we did last night with the shots. Or maybe they just wanted to be gruesome.”

  “Crisse. It was all my fault. I'm supposed to know better than to get people into these situations. Does it hurt much?”

  “I think I could stand another shot. Now that you're up and around, maybe I'll have Wiley anesthetize the hell out of it. He's been wanting to all along.”

  “Good.” Londo grasped her firmly around the waist and looked intently into her eyes. “I never wanted you to get hurt. That will never happen again. I swear I won't let it.”

  “I am not going to get hurt.” She smiled and tried to brush his hands away, but he was holding her too tight. He was much too serious.

  “Look,” she told him, “here we are on Star Trek and there's Doctor McCoy up front. He can cure a rainy day, you know.” When Londo frowned at her, she said softly, “He'll give me another shot. It won't hurt, darling. And it's so much better than it was. Wiley's a miracle-worker. Don't worry about me. You just worry about getting well yourself.”

  “I'll talk to Wiley about it.”

  “I can talk to him.” She poked her finger at his chest. “You'll be in the shower, right? They've got nice showers here.”

  Gradually his frown worked itself into one of those wonderful crooked smiles. “You can detox and then join me,” he suggested.

  “Might not be a good idea.”

  “Might be a very good idea, chérie. I bet you you'll like the shower I have in mind.”

  “I bet you Wiley won't like it one bit.”

  “So we won't invite Wiley.”

  “I think we need to keep on his good side.” Lina chuckled him under his chin. “At least for a couple more days.”

  He sighed acquiescence. “Maybe just one. Maybe less.”

  “But we aren't going to do anything to get him mad at us now.”

  The grunt he gave was unenthusiastic. “Non, not right now.”

  “Good, the brain is beginning to kick in. We have to set our goals.” She ticked them off on her fingers: “Detox. Shower.”

  “Shot for you.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Lunch. Way out of here.”

  “Right. I'm starving.” He grinned and kissed her thoroughly.

  She rearranged the pillow on her bed, tucking the sheets in hospital fashion, just to have something to do while she waited for Lon to return. Some vague aftereffect of their telepathic bond let her know his muscles were stiff and sore. He was enjoying the warmth the shower offered while he could still feel it as a norm. Lina hoped the lab had access to unlimited hot water.

  “We need to talk.”

  Lina caught her breath and whirled. It was that Stoan man, the commander, standing right next to her! Apparently he found her shock amusing, damn it. She tried to compose her features.

  A black bar hung over his head. It had writing on it. Some of it scrolled while other words remained stationary. It was all foreign, of course, so it didn't make a lick of sense. The only thing it told her for sure was that the commander hadn't violated quarantine.

  “You're a hologram,” Lina said.

  “And you are Terran,” he said.

  He'd said it like that was a bad thing. Lina didn't bother to concede the insult and instead remained silent.

  “You know what a hologram is,” Stoan went on. He paced two steps in front of her, keeping his eyes on her. The bar stayed above his head.

  “Sure.”

  “Earth has such technology.”

  “Of course.” She wasn't going to tell him such things were rare. “Londo has one on his uniform. It's a movie.”

  Lon had that pin that—whoops, didn't work any more. On the other hand, its new symbol was also a holo-movie, even more spectacular than the original. She smirked at Stoan. So there for Terran equality.

  “That pin is from us. It's official Legionnaire ID.”

  “Oh.” Damn. “Well, it looked like one of ours.” Fake it, baby. And whatever you do, don't tell him you broke it!

  His left eyebrow twitched at that anyway. Lina kept her face as calm as she could, even while recalling all those TV programs that showed how easily careful facial study could reveal lies.

  As a telepath she was rotten at reading faces. She relied too much on non-physical signals for communication. Still, part of her training had been in body-mind observation. That was good for general personality traits, not so great for specifics.

  She noted what she could. His posture was rigid and he kept pacing, two steps, turn and stop, two steps, turn and stop. Right shoulder ever so slightly low: daddy issues. Hips also slightly fo
rward under that puffed-out chest. He thought himself a very powerful man, dominating his competition by his very presence. Footsteps were solid.

  Maybe he'd been trained in body-mind too, only his class had been called “How to Make Your Enemies Cower Before You.” He stared at her like he was trying to peel her brain back with his eyes.

  “I am not a mind controller,” she blurted. Damn.

  He came to a full stop at that, his hands behind his back. He looked down at her. “Can you prove that?” he asked.

  “No. Can you prove I am?”

  His nose crinkled ever so slightly as he gave her a hard smile. “No.”

  “So we're at an impasse.”

  “The Legion is never at an impasse.”

  Again with the pacing. “Valiant is one of my top men.”

  “Not the top one? Valiant?”

  “If he weren't part-time, he might be. Tell me, where are you from?”

  “Earth, of course.”

  His tone was snide. “Of course. Not Soalok?”

  “Soalok?” She'd heard that word before. “Oh. That's the Empire, right?”

  “Right.” He drew the word out. “How about Tishan? You've heard of that?”

  “Uh…no, I think.”

  That garnered a laugh. “Just a Terran who doesn't know her galactography, eh?”

  “They don't teach that in our schools.”

  “It's all easy enough to check. I've begun looking into it already.”

  “Oh.” She didn't know what to say to that. She was innocent, so this should clear her, right? “Good. Thanks.”

  That seemed to throw him. He recovered quickly. “Until you're cleared, you are not to try to break into secured information.”

  She chewed on that. “What kind of information would be secured? I mean, I don't want to accidentally—”

  “There will be no accidents. We are the Legion. You try anything suspicious, and we'll slap you in a cell. A quarantined cell if we have to.”

  “Uh. Okay.”

  “We will investigate you so thoroughly your skin will peel. Worse than it already is.”

  What a jerk. “That's okay. I have real good skin lotion back home.”