Chapter 31 #2
Like the others, he paused, then pressed a little harder. “Pulse is a little thready,” he said. “I’ll need to do a few tests. Any contusions on the back of the head?”
“I didn’t think to check,” the woman said, stricken.
“That’s fine,” the medic soothed. “I’ll look now.” He gently lifted her head and felt for bumps. “Nothing. That’s good.”
The door opened, and from the sudden stillness in the people around her, Velda guessed it was someone they feared.
“You found her.” Sylvester’s voice was neutral.
“She was collapsed behind a stack of crates,” the woman said.
“She didn’t give you any trouble?” Sylvester sounded surprised.
“No, we found her unconscious.” Grede said.
“Well done. Did you find the weapons she took?” Sylvester asked.
“Yes.” The woman played it cool, but Velda thought she heard just the tiniest trace of nerves in her voice.
“Yarmouth, let me know what’s wrong with her. And make sure she’s secured, the same as Ethan Hyt.” Sylvester left and Velda sensed a release of nerves as the door closed behind him.
“Grede, go back and get those weapons,” the woman said. “Kilber and Vine, you can return to normal duties.”
The door opened and closed again, and then it was just Yarmouth and the woman standing beside her bed.
“What do you think he plans to do with her?” Yarmouth asked.
“They were going to use her and Hyt in those experiments with some tech they found in the ancestral ship, but they lost that to the Caruso,” the woman said. “So maybe they don’t have any use for them now.”
Velda heard someone groan nearby, and Yarmouth moved away. “Linao. Welcome back.”
“Where—?” Linao’s voice was hoarse.
“Back on your father’s ship. The team fought their way off the Caruso ship and were able to bring you and Park here with them.” Yarmouth’s clothing rustled as he moved around.
“Ethan and Velda are here too?” Linao’s voice rose a little in surprise. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Hyt was shot while he was sneaking around this ship. Velda fell from a stack of boxes in the launch bay.” The woman stepped closer to Velda’s bed.
“How did they get here, I mean?” Linao’s bed squeaked as she moved. “They were over on the Caruso ship.”
“They snuck into our runner when we escaped.” The woman’s words were clipped.
“You don’t like explaining things to me, do you, Milton?” Linao sounded amused.
Milton ignored the jab and a soft chime sounded from her comms device. “I’m needed elsewhere. See you, Yarmouth.”
She strode out, and Velda suppressed a smile of glee at the fact that so far, she hadn’t been secured to her bed.
“What happened to you?” Yarmouth asked and Velda guessed he was talking to Linao.
“Park was shot when he covered the rest of the team trying to get to the launch bay, but you were recovered from a Caruso who was carrying you, unconscious, down a passageway. A few of the team shot him and rescued you, then went to find everyone who was still alive and get them onto the runner to escape.”
“I was shot by Nirro. Things took a turn all of a sudden.”
Velda was interested to hear that she didn’t confess that things took a turn because she’d revealed her father was still in touch with the Caruson government.
“I’ll let your father know you’re awake,” Yarmouth said.
“Rather let me go find him,” Linao said, and Velda heard her get out of the bed.
“I’d rather you stay under observation for at least another twelve hours,” Yarmouth said.
“I’m fine.” Linao came closer to her bed, and Velda had the sense she was looking down at her. “I’m going to go to my room, have a shower and some food, and then go find my father for a debrief.” She reached out and touched Velda’s face, and Velda had to steel herself not to react.
Linao seemed to go still, and kept her fingers there longer than was normal.
The door behind her opened, and she turned.
“Father.” She moved forward. “Walk with me to my room, will you?”
“What happened?” Sylvester asked as the door closed again, cutting off the conversation.
Yarmouth gave a sigh of relief to be rid of them, and began to move around her, running a diagnosis wand over her body and then turning away to check on a screen.
When he returned to her bedside, he lifted her wrist again and held it for a while, then placed it carefully down and walked out of the bay.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Velda sat up, then got off the bed.
Ethan lay, restrained and unconscious, next to Park, the man who’d been shot by the Caruso. There was also the man they’d shot in the runner, Jint and Falre, the two men she’d shot in the room she’d been hiding in, as well as a fourth man. Maybe Ethan was responsible for this one.
It was getting crowded in here.
She moved between the beds and made her way to Ethan, whose stretcher had been placed up against the far wall.
She reached out and rested her hand along his jawline.
He is still recovering, the silver balls told her. You will need to wait a little.
She was so relieved he was going to be fine, she closed her eyes to force back tears, then bent and kissed his forehead, lingering a moment.
When she lifted her head, she noticed the device that unlocked the restraints on the counter top, and took it to deal with Ethan’s.
She left them, open, on his wrists, though, so a quick look would hopefully reassure the crew that he was safely secured.
It was hard to go back to her bed and lie down, but she’d barely had time to climb onto it and close her eyes before the door reopened.
“Where’s Yarmouth and why aren’t you tied up?” The person speaking was not a voice Velda recognized.
Whoever they were, they took a few steps into the room, and then, before the door could close, someone else stepped in behind them.
“What are you doing here, Rist? Aren’t you supposed to be protecting Sylvester?” Yarmouth sounded taken aback.
“Sylvester wanted me to make sure the woman is shackled. When he was here earlier with Linao, he noticed it wasn’t done.” Rist’s voice was softly menacing.
“I’ve just done a scan. She’s completely unconscious. She literally hasn’t moved since she was brought in.” Yarmouth’s tone was just as soft.
“Lucky for you,” Rist said. “Where are the shackles?”
“I’ll get them.” Yarmouth moved past him and Velda heard him moving things around in a cupboard. “Can you help me grab these?” he asked.
Rist gave a grunt of annoyance and moved away, and then Velda heard a thump.
She couldn’t see what was happening, it was all going on behind her bed, but it sounded like Rist had just collapsed.
“I’m so tired of taking shit from these assholes,” Yarmouth said.
He moved past her bed, touching her hand lightly as he went by, and the door opened up again and he was gone.
Why do they keep touching me? she asked the voices.
They feel a shot of happiness when they do. They can’t help themselves, and it gives us more opportunities to make them protective of you. The voices sounded pleased.
Velda rose up on an elbow and twisted to look behind her.
Rist lay, collapsed, on the ground.
Velda thought he looked dead.