nothing could be done to stop the bastards.
“Is there a point to this?” Tom muttered without sparing more than a glance in Mel’s direction as she returned.
Anger washed over her. “Give me the damn laser!” she snapped. When he’d handed it to her, she glared at him. “Yes, there’s a point. Until and unless we find out otherwise, this is a human being and she needs care.”
Tom stepped back. “She was riddled with the things. You think they planted them on her without her knowledge? Even if she’s human, and not a clone, she’s on the wrong side if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you!” Mel snapped, uncertain of why she felt so protective of Lena but unwilling to examine it. “Look at the drug readouts and if you still haven’t figured out how they managed to get the implants into her without her knowledge, go take a fucking refresher course on medicine, ok?”
Tom glared back at her, but after a moment he merely moved out of her way, studying the read outs while Mel finished mending the multitude of tiny fractures she located.
The bastards had been using her for a punching bag, Mel thought angrily.
Whatever Dax thought about it, and she knew the clones were stronger and healed better than ‘real’ humans, she still didn’t think they would’ve gone so far to convince them Lena was authentic. The clones cost money, big money, and regardless of how miraculous their research was, it would have to take a lot of time to generate that much tissue--right down to every little hair follicle.
When she’d finished, every muscle in her body was aching, but she felt euphoric.
Lena’s face was going to look as good as new once the minor cuts healed. After running another scan to make certain she hadn’t missed anything, she moved away from the gurney, watching critically as Tom and her other assistant, Risa, cleaned the young woman up. When they’d finished, she moved up once more and examined each cut carefully, using the laser to seal the worst of them.
She wasn’t nearly as happy once she was done, though, and she remembered Dax had ordered that Lena be taken and secured in the brig. They were holding four guardsmen in the cell already. She wouldn’t have bet her next meal that they’d leave Lena in peace to heal.
48
Shrugging, she stalked to the com unit and summoned a couple of troopers. “Take her to the captain’s quarters.”
The two men exchanged a glance. “We were told we were supposed to take her to the brig,” one finally responded.
Mel waved that away. “I just talked to Captain Morris.”
Shrugging, the men moved to each end of the gurney and guided it out of the surgery.
Mel had mixed feelings as she watched them leave. She dismissed her qualms. If Dax wanted to send her down to the brig, he could tell them. She wasn’t about to, not when she’d just spent the last two hours patching her up.
Dax hadn’t returned. She wasn’t surprised. She’d known even when she suggested he let her check him out that nothing short of a gun to his back was going to get him into her infirmary.
Dismissing Tom and Risa, she removed her steriles as she moved to the com unit.
“Captain Morris?”
She leaned against the wall while she waited for a response. She was just wondering if he meant to ignore her when his voice broke the silence. “Yes?”
“I’m done. You want a report now? Or can it wait?”
“I’ll be right down.”
Shrugging, Mel found a stool and plopped down on it, her thoughts veering off abruptly to Lena’s brother. Nigel wasn’t going to take it well if he found out they’d rescued Lena’s clone instead of his sister, Lena.
49
Chapter Six
“What’s the verdict?”
Mel shrugged tiredly. “Which one?”
“How is she?” Dax asked irritably.
“Like I said, beat all to hell. I’ve mended everything, though. She isn’t going to feel wonderful for a while, but there won’t be any lasting damage--not physically, anyway. Otherwise,
“Is there a point to this?” Tom muttered without sparing more than a glance in Mel’s direction as she returned.
Anger washed over her. “Give me the damn laser!” she snapped. When he’d handed it to her, she glared at him. “Yes, there’s a point. Until and unless we find out otherwise, this is a human being and she needs care.”
Tom stepped back. “She was riddled with the things. You think they planted them on her without her knowledge? Even if she’s human, and not a clone, she’s on the wrong side if you ask me.”
“I didn’t ask you!” Mel snapped, uncertain of why she felt so protective of Lena but unwilling to examine it. “Look at the drug readouts and if you still haven’t figured out how they managed to get the implants into her without her knowledge, go take a fucking refresher course on medicine, ok?”
Tom glared back at her, but after a moment he merely moved out of her way, studying the read outs while Mel finished mending the multitude of tiny fractures she located.
The bastards had been using her for a punching bag, Mel thought angrily.
Whatever Dax thought about it, and she knew the clones were stronger and healed better than ‘real’ humans, she still didn’t think they would’ve gone so far to convince them Lena was authentic. The clones cost money, big money, and regardless of how miraculous their research was, it would have to take a lot of time to generate that much tissue--right down to every little hair follicle.
When she’d finished, every muscle in her body was aching, but she felt euphoric.
Lena’s face was going to look as good as new once the minor cuts healed. After running another scan to make certain she hadn’t missed anything, she moved away from the gurney, watching critically as Tom and her other assistant, Risa, cleaned the young woman up. When they’d finished, she moved up once more and examined each cut carefully, using the laser to seal the worst of them.
She wasn’t nearly as happy once she was done, though, and she remembered Dax had ordered that Lena be taken and secured in the brig. They were holding four guardsmen in the cell already. She wouldn’t have bet her next meal that they’d leave Lena in peace to heal.
48
Shrugging, she stalked to the com unit and summoned a couple of troopers. “Take her to the captain’s quarters.”
The two men exchanged a glance. “We were told we were supposed to take her to the brig,” one finally responded.
Mel waved that away. “I just talked to Captain Morris.”
Shrugging, the men moved to each end of the gurney and guided it out of the surgery.
Mel had mixed feelings as she watched them leave. She dismissed her qualms. If Dax wanted to send her down to the brig, he could tell them. She wasn’t about to, not when she’d just spent the last two hours patching her up.
Dax hadn’t returned. She wasn’t surprised. She’d known even when she suggested he let her check him out that nothing short of a gun to his back was going to get him into her infirmary.
Dismissing Tom and Risa, she removed her steriles as she moved to the com unit.
“Captain Morris?”
She leaned against the wall while she waited for a response. She was just wondering if he meant to ignore her when his voice broke the silence. “Yes?”
“I’m done. You want a report now? Or can it wait?”
“I’ll be right down.”
Shrugging, Mel found a stool and plopped down on it, her thoughts veering off abruptly to Lena’s brother. Nigel wasn’t going to take it well if he found out they’d rescued Lena’s clone instead of his sister, Lena.
49
Chapter Six
“What’s the verdict?”
Mel shrugged tiredly. “Which one?”
“How is she?” Dax asked irritably.
“Like I said, beat all to hell. I’ve mended everything, though. She isn’t going to feel wonderful for a while, but there won’t be any lasting damage--not physically, anyway. Otherwise,
Similar Books
