Psychogen (Galactic Syndicate Cycle Book 1)

by N. C. Madigan

  “The light! Turn the lights down!” the woman called over, and immediately, the lights in the room dimmed to the point where Liza could remove her arm and open her eyes. “Dom go get Doctor D,” she called over her shoulder, then leaned back down to Liza. She lifted Liza’s arm and placed two cool fingers against her inner wrist. Liza tried to keep her eyes open; she felt the twinges of fight or flight, but her body was so weak, she couldn’t act on any impulse that ran through her.

  “Your pulse is slow,” the woman said, setting Liza’s arm back down at her side. She pulled the sheet and blankets up over her and tucked her in. Behind her, the door opened once more and a giant, burly man stepped inside. His head was hairless, his eyes a cool blue. He donned a white coat and stepped up to the bed.

  “Who is this? Dominik comes running into dinner, yelling about some girl you two found….” he said, looking down at Liza.

  “No idea yet,” the woman said.

  “She seems familiar,” the younger man said from near the door. Liza shifted her eyes in his direction, and through her haze, she thought maybe she recognized him as well.

  “Dom prep an IV for me. Becce, bring my cart over here, will ya?” the big man, who must be ‘Doctor D,’ said. He leaned closer to her, peering into her eyes with a tiny flashlight. Liza flinched. Doctor D lifted his stethoscope from around his neck and placed it over his ears and pressed the chilled metal circle to Liza’s chest and listened for a few moments. When he was finished, he flipped it back around his neck, peering down at her.

  “Well, I can tell you one thing for sure, girl, you stink.” Liza scowled the best she could, under the circumstances. He grinned. “But you’re certainly dehydrated and starved. Not sure how long you were stuck down there, but we’ll get you fixed up, and then figure out what to do with you. Captain Warwick doesn’t much like stowaways.” Liza rolled her eyes.

  “Not… stowaway…” she rasped; her hand was pressed against her throat.

  “What?” he asked, leaning closer, turning his head so his ear was closer to her mouth.

  “Not...a... stowaway…” she repeated. Doctor D lifted himself up and looked down at her curiously. The younger, familiar looking man, Dominik, returned to the bedside with a clear plastic IV bag hanging from a metal hook. Doctor D took a few things off the cart that Becce had rolled to his side, and quickly, before Liza even noticed, he’d inserted a needle into her arm and set the bag of fluid to drip into her veins.

  “Dom get the girl some water,” Doctor D said, and Dom nodded and exited. Becce drew up a chair to Liza’s side and sat down.

  “If you’re not a stowaway, what are you?” Doctor D asked, an eyebrow lifting. Liza tried to speak, but her throat and mouth still felt like they were full of moon dust. Instead, she lifted both her arms, palms flat as if against a wall, then mimed pounding on a wall. Doctor D and Becce frowned at each other.

  “Trapped?” Doctor D asked.

  “Prisoner?” Becce offered. Liza nodded. “You were a prisoner?”

  “We haven’t taken any prisoners,” Dom said, re-entering the room carrying a mug of water. He handed it over to Doctor D, who assisted Liza in taking a drink. As the cool water passed over her dry, cracked lips and into her mouth, she felt almost like a whole new person. She swallowed as much as she could, until some of it dribbled down her chin and onto her clothes. Doctor D lifted the mug away and set it aside.

  “Who took you as a prisoner?” Becce asked.

  “Scary, spiky haired guy,” Liza said. The three gathered around her exchanged looks.

  “Does she mean Zimir?” Becce asked.

  “Tall, skinny guy? Sharp features?” Dom asked, and Liza nodded. “Zimir. Why would he take a prisoner?”

  “Where did he get you?” Becce asked. Liza took a deep breath. She was beginning to get exhausted.

  “Moon. Little boy stole S-chip. Chased him onto the ship. Ran into freaky guy,” she said.

  “Little boy? That was probably Tsuto. And Zimir must have caught her when she chased him onto the ship,” Doctor D said. Dom’s eyes narrowed.

  “That idiot,” he mumbled, and with a whirl of his jacket, left the room. Liza tried to keep her eyes open, but she was getting sleepier by the minute.

  “Let her sleep for a while, then we can get the rest of the story,” Doctor D said. Becce nodded and the two of them left the room, turning the lights out before shutting the door behind them. Liza’s head whirled, both in confusion and exhaustion. Her mother and sister’s faces flashed in her mind as her vision darkened. She couldn’t hold onto consciousness in order to ponder her situation. She allowed herself to slip off into dreamless sleep.

  5

  Opening her eyes, Liza saw that room she was in was dimly lit. Looking around, her eyes cleared, and she began to recognize the room, and the phrase “medical bay” chimed in her mind. There was still a needle in her arm, with a bag of clear solution dripping down into her body. She felt a little better, a little more alive. A mug was still on the table beside the bed, and Liza reached out carefully and grasped it to bring it to her mouth. The water was lukewarm now, but she didn’t care. She drank the rest of the mug, but hardly felt satiated.

  With a groan, Liza pushed herself up into a sitting position and hunched herself over. She realized that she had forgotten what it felt like to be warm, and she kicked off the blankets sometime during her sleep. Her stomach rumbled, and there was a horrible acidic taste in her throat.

  “Uhh ohh…” she moaned, looked around, and grabbed the mug, which was the first thing she could find. The water in her stomach wretched back up into the mug, splattering some on her clothes. Her throat and mouth burned with stomach acid. When everything she’d drank was expelled from her stomach, she set aside the mug and flopped back onto the pillows. For several moments, her head swam, and little flecks of lights swirled around her vision.

  The door to the room slid open, revealing the woman who’d brought her up from the cell. Liza looked at her through her hazy vision and noticed that her red hair was all twined up in braids. She wore tight fitting pants and boots, with a loose blouse. A holster was slung around her hips, where two gamma pistols rested on either side. She was removing her gloves as she stepped into the room and tucked them into the band of her pants.

  “You’re awake!” she said, smiling at Liza.

  “Yeah…” Liza replied, closing her eyes. Becce crossed the room and stood beside the bed. Becce frowned, noticing the vomit on Liza’s clothes.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “A bit better,” Liza said, rubbing her head with her hand.

  “Good!” She looked Liza over. “I’m going to find you some clothes to put on, and then we’ll stick you in the shower.” Becce whirled on her heel and swept from the room.

  She returned a few minutes later carrying a pile of clothes. “These should fit you, but will probably be a little too big,” Becce said, setting the pile down near a closed door. “Doctor D said I could help you get cleaned up.” Liza’s eyes darted around.

  “You don’t have to…” she began to say, but Becce cut her off.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Becce waved a hand at her, dismissing Liza’s refusal. She opened the door and from her vantage point, Liza could see that the room was a bathroom. Becce disappeared inside, and a moment later, Liza could hear running water. Liza pushed herself carefully from the bed, allowing her feet to touch the cold metal ground. She moved slowly, as to not disturb the tube leading into her arm, and delicately held onto the needle sticking in her arm so it would not fall out. Becce reappeared and lightly grasped Liza’s arm. With a swift tug, Becce removed the needle.

  “What’s your name?” Becce asked as she led Liza towards the bathroom.

  “Liza Strange,” she replied. Becce made a noise that sounded like “huh,” but said nothing else. Inside the bathroom, Becce helped her undress. Liza was uncomfortable, but she felt too weak to do much herself. After all the clothes had come off, Becce balled t
hem up and shoved the clothes down a metal hatch in the wall. Liza stood nervously in the bathroom, trying to cover herself with her arms. Now that she was in the light, and warm enough to take all her clothes off, she could see how emaciated her body looked. Her ribs stuck out, her belly sunk in, and her hip bones jutted from her sides.

  “Where does that go?” Liza asked, indicating the hole in the wall.

  “Laundry,” Becce explained, checking the water temperature of the shower. She glanced back at Liza, a sad look on her face. “You are wasting away,” she said, and Liza blushed, trying once more to hide herself from Becce’s gaze. “Come on.” Becce gestured towards the shower, and Liza stepped inside the small cubicle.

  The first wash of actual warm water on Liza’s body was almost enough to make her believe she’d died and gone to a much better place. She never had hot water in a shower before. It ran over her body for several minutes before she remembered that she was supposed to be washing. With soap she found in the stall, she swabbed her body with bubbles from head to toe. From the corner of her eye, she could see Becce sitting on the toilet beside the shower, the lid closed. She had a small tablet in her hands and was dragging and tapping her finger across the screen. Liza had never seen any of the newer, more advanced tablets. If she didn’t get thrown back in that cell, she’d have to ask Becce if she could check it out.

  Liza had a time of it washing her hair. She hadn’t really washed her dreads in a long time, and it took her forever to soap and squeeze out her hair. Finally, with her arms aching, she finished her hair and turned off the water with a twist of the handle. Becce looked up from her tablet and tossed Liza a towel.

  “That should help with the smell,” Becce said, laughing, and Liza threw her a nasty look. Becce grinned. Liza dried herself and stepped out the shower while Becce unfolded and held up garments for Liza to put on. With Becce’s help, Liza was dressed in trouser pants, light boots and a heavy, warm sweater, all of which hung loosely on her frame. Following Becce, Liza emerged from the cloud of steam back into the medical bay and screamed.

  Standing over her bed was a tall creature, long and gangly, that appeared to be standing on four hind legs and had two bent appendages that looked like arms. Liza stepped back, and bumped into Becce, who grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling. To Liza’s surprise, Becce was laughing.

  “What the hell….” Liza asked, watching, trying to wrap her head around this creature who was… putting new sheets onto the bed?

  “That’s Tsuto,” Becce said, giving Liza a gentle push towards the bed. The creature turned and looked towards the two women, a grotesque smile on its bulbous head.

  “What’s a Tsuto?” Liza asked, taking only small steps, to delay approaching the creature.

  “Not ‘a Tsuto.’” Becce said. “Tsuto is our cabin boy. He’s a shapeshifter,” she explained. Liza stared back at Becce.

  “A shape shifter?” Liza was skeptical. Becce smiled.

  “We found him in the 6254 Fang Xiu Solar System,” Becce explained, stepping towards the creature and shaking its strange appendage. “There were very few of his kind left on his planet, as most had been captured by humans. He took a liking to the captain and came along.”

  “That’s what he looks like?” Liza asked, pointing to the creature.

  “No one really knows Tsuto’s real form. As far as we know, he doesn’t have one. And he hasn’t learned our language well enough to tell us about himself. Right now, I’d say he’s a praying mantis,” Becce said, tapping her chin and tilting her head to the side.

  “A what?”

  “An insect, from Earth,” she said. Liza stared between the two, her heart hammering in her chest. Becce stepped around Liza and guided her back to the bed. Tsuto smoothed out the sheets he’d just placed on the bed, then stepped away, carrying the dirty sheets between his bent, hairy arms.

  Liza swayed, feeling blood rushing quickly through her head. Before blacking out, she heard Becce call out her name.

  “I’m not turning around to take her back, so she’ll have to stay.”

  “She’s a stowaway.”

  “From what she says, you caught her and stuck her in that storage unit. How many times has Captain told you not to trick Tsuto into doing that crap?”

  A grunt.

  “Just shut up. I’ll put her to work, once she can work, and it’ll be fine. If we happen to pass by the Moon, I’ll drop her off.”

  “I think this is a terrible idea.”

  “That’s why you’re not captain.”

  “Becce. Zimir. Shut it.”

  Silence.

  “Doctor Dirk, get her healthy so she can work off the time and resources we put into helping her.”

  “Aye, sir. Clear out, the rest of you!”

  The lights in the room were still dimmed, but Liza could make out a group of people standing near her bed. Doctor Dirk broke away from the group to pull his white coat on over his shirt and pants. Becce and Dom broke away as well, heading for the door. The scary, spiky-haired guy still stood beside an unfamiliar man wearing a strange hat, his arms crossed over his angular chest. He was staring at Liza with an impassive expression.

  “Shoo,” Doctor D said to the gathered people. Everyone except the man with the hat turned and stormed from the room, boots clomping loudly on the metal floor.

  Liza pushed herself up again, and her head swam. She noticed that an IV and needle had been placed back in her arm.

  “Awake again?” Doctor D said, stepping to the side of the bed. Liza nodded.

  “Dizzy.”

  “You passed out. You need to eat something. I’ve got Tsuto down in the galley fetching you some leftovers from dinner.” As if it could understand, Liza’s stomach rumbled.

  The other man approached the bed. He took his hat off his head and stuffed it under his arm and stuck out his hand.

  “I’m Captain Shad Warwick,” he said. Up close, Liza could see that he was probably middle aged, with gray hairs streaking through his black beard. He had wrinkles around his eyes. “You can call me Captain. And you are?”

  Liza took his hand and shook it. “Liza Strange.” Captain’s bushy eyebrow twitched slightly.

  “Strange, huh?” She nodded. “Well, Miss Strange, seeing as you are on my ship without my permission, I won’t be having you think this is some kind of pleasure cruise.”

  “I heard you talking. I’ll work.”

  Captain blinked once and shrugged his shoulders. “Perfect. Once Doctor Dirk gives you the all-clear, you’ll be our cabin girl. Best not linger or I’ll throw you off the back of the ship.” With that, Captain stuffed his hat back on his head and whirled out of the room, his long brown coat arcing behind him. Doctor D laughed.

  “He’s trying to intimidate you. Just pretend to be intimidated,” he said. Doctor D busied himself with switching out the IV bag and cleaning his workspace. Liza sat quietly in the bed, contemplating her situation.

  Now that she was mostly alert and hydrated, she remembered what she’d accidentally left behind. Her sick mother, her little sister, their awful financial situation… If only she could have brought both of them away from the Moon colony. But that wouldn’t have been possible. Liza was only on this ship because she was tricked.

  Liza pressed her hands over her eyes, trying to hold back tears. Her quickened breath did not go unnoticed by Doctor D, as he returned to her side, a concerned look on his face.

  “Are you alright?” he asked. Liza opened her mouth, but she wasn’t sure what to say. She wanted to cry and scream at the same time. Doctor D patted her shoulder lightly. “Your current situation becoming a little too real?” he asked. Liza nodded.

  “I can’t go back,” she said from behind her hands. Doctor D raised a brow.

  “Whaddya mean?”

  Liza gestured around, trying to indicate the entire ship. “He said he won’t turn back to take me home.”

  “Of course not, girl. We’re light years away from your Moon now. We lef
t there about seven Earth days back.”

  Hope drained out of Liza quickly and suddenly. Light years? Seven days? She lifted her face up to Doctor D. He gave her a sympathetic look.

  “Can I at least send a message to my sister?” Liza pleaded. Doctor D shrugged.

  “I’m sure that can be arranged.” Behind him, the door slid open to reveal what appeared to be a badly replicated doppelganger of Liza, carrying a tray of food. Doctor D laughed. “Looks like Tsuto took a liking to your form,” he said. Tsuto, looking like Liza, crossed the room and set the tray down on the real Liza’s lap, and smiled sweetly, an expression not often seen on her own face.

  “Thank you?” Tsuto bowed and skipped out of the room. “I don’t skip!” Liza called but the door closed behind him. Doctor D was still chuckling when he turned away.

  “Eat up, girl, and get your strength back. Then we’ll arrange you to send a message to your sister.”

  6

  Vely Strange peeked out from behind the shabby curtain that hung over the single window in the apartment. She knew the Enforcers would show up anytime now, wondering why her mother hadn’t reported to the fields in several days. Melina had finally given up trying to survive, and now Vely was hiding her body in her parents’ bedroom, buried under blankets and old clothes. It was only a matter of time before she would be taken away from her apartment and sent to live with some even poorer family. To be hated for being another mouth to feed was not an ideal situation. And since Liza never came back after leaving to get medicine for Melina, Vely was on her own. No other colonists had seen her, and the medicine woman refused to talk.

  Outside, two Enforcers walked by the apartment window, laughing with each other. Vely dropped to her knees, moving out of sight from the window. She turned and leaned against the wall, pulling her thin knees up to her chest. She needed to find a place to hide, and she had to do it under the cover of two weeks of darkness. Better yet, she needed to find a way off this damn Moon.

  Vely spent a few minutes packing the few belongings she had, along with the least shabby clothes in the apartment. When she had some extra time, she debated heavily over her prized collection of Earth books. She knew, realistically, she couldn’t bring all of them. With much sadness, she selected just one and tucked it away in her bag. The rest she hid under the loose metal panel on the floor.