“Expired? But ... wasn’t it checked before we left?”
Tuttle shrugged. “Apparently somebody overlooked it.”
Victoria’s lips tightened. “Or they discovered it at the last minute and decided it wasn’t worth delaying launch. Shit! I don’t suppose you were issued any since we weren’t supposed to be here more than six months?”
Tuttle looked away. “No. But it wouldn’t do you any good anyway.”
A flash of heat washed over Victoria, followed almost instantly by a flash of cold that left dizziness in its wake. She swayed, looked for a place to sit down. It was the last thing she remembered. When she woke up, she was lying on the floor. Tuttle’s concerned face swam into view. “What happened?”
“You ... uh ... fainted.”
Victoria sat up with an effort, holding her head. It felt as if it might explode any moment. “Did you say what I thought you said?”
“You don’t have a permit, do you?” Tuttle responded.
Anger surged through Victoria. “Why would I have a damned permit?”
Tuttle sat back on her heels. “This is really bad.”
Victoria laughed a little hysterically, but there was no humor in it. “Just let them try to penalize me for this, damn them! I’ll sue them for incompetence!”
“What are you going to do?”
“Now? Is there anything I can do?”
Tuttle sighed. “Not that I know of. To be honest with you, I’ve never been around anyone who was ... uh ... gestating. It’s completely beyond my training.”
Victoria thought about their precarious situation on Kay. “You are not to mention this to anyone. We’ve got problems enough. I don’t want everyone panicking because they don’t know if they can rely on me. Do you understand?”
Tuttle nodded, her eyes wide now. “It’s that bad?”
Victoria calmed herself with an effort and smiled wryly. “Our situation isn’t great. I’ll feel better when they get the communications tower up and running.”
Tuttle helped her to her feet. “You think Kichen’s death was connected to what happened here before?”
Victoria shook her head. “At this point, it doesn’t seem likely, but it was a freak accident, there’s no getting around that. I imagine everyone’s feeling about the same way you are—worried that there might be a connection, anxious about what threats we might be facing. That’s why it’s important no one have the additional concern about my health.”
Tuttle nodded, but she grasped Victoria’s arm as she turned to leave. “I wouldn’t have told anyone anyway.”
Victoria smiled. “Thank you for that.”
Victoria strode toward the door, anxious to remove herself from the clinic, uncertain of whether she most needed to put the potentially catastrophic information out of her mind, or if she needed to mull it over and look for a solution to her latest problem.
“Victoria?”
She stopped and turned, trying to keep the impatience from her expression.
“This isn’t something you’ll be able to keep secret for very long.”
Victoria smiled with an effort. “No, but hopefully long enough to resolve some of the other problems we’re facing.”
* * * *
The moment Victoria had been dreading was upon her. She stared down at the water in the access pool, trying to calm her jumping nerves.
“You don’t have to come,” Raphael said quietly.
Keenly aware of Roach, who was making his first excursion into the sea, as well, Victoria set her jaw and leapt in. “I have to check the situation myself,” she said when she’d caught her breath from the abrupt immersion in the chilly water.
Raphael’s brows rose, but all he said was, “Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Victoria responded. Controlling her chattering teeth with an effort, she dragged in a deep breath, ducked beneath the waves and swam in the direction of the lights that indicated the mine area. Instinctively, she held her breath as long as she possibly could. When she began to feel the urge to breathe, she stopped
Tuttle shrugged. “Apparently somebody overlooked it.”
Victoria’s lips tightened. “Or they discovered it at the last minute and decided it wasn’t worth delaying launch. Shit! I don’t suppose you were issued any since we weren’t supposed to be here more than six months?”
Tuttle looked away. “No. But it wouldn’t do you any good anyway.”
A flash of heat washed over Victoria, followed almost instantly by a flash of cold that left dizziness in its wake. She swayed, looked for a place to sit down. It was the last thing she remembered. When she woke up, she was lying on the floor. Tuttle’s concerned face swam into view. “What happened?”
“You ... uh ... fainted.”
Victoria sat up with an effort, holding her head. It felt as if it might explode any moment. “Did you say what I thought you said?”
“You don’t have a permit, do you?” Tuttle responded.
Anger surged through Victoria. “Why would I have a damned permit?”
Tuttle sat back on her heels. “This is really bad.”
Victoria laughed a little hysterically, but there was no humor in it. “Just let them try to penalize me for this, damn them! I’ll sue them for incompetence!”
“What are you going to do?”
“Now? Is there anything I can do?”
Tuttle sighed. “Not that I know of. To be honest with you, I’ve never been around anyone who was ... uh ... gestating. It’s completely beyond my training.”
Victoria thought about their precarious situation on Kay. “You are not to mention this to anyone. We’ve got problems enough. I don’t want everyone panicking because they don’t know if they can rely on me. Do you understand?”
Tuttle nodded, her eyes wide now. “It’s that bad?”
Victoria calmed herself with an effort and smiled wryly. “Our situation isn’t great. I’ll feel better when they get the communications tower up and running.”
Tuttle helped her to her feet. “You think Kichen’s death was connected to what happened here before?”
Victoria shook her head. “At this point, it doesn’t seem likely, but it was a freak accident, there’s no getting around that. I imagine everyone’s feeling about the same way you are—worried that there might be a connection, anxious about what threats we might be facing. That’s why it’s important no one have the additional concern about my health.”
Tuttle nodded, but she grasped Victoria’s arm as she turned to leave. “I wouldn’t have told anyone anyway.”
Victoria smiled. “Thank you for that.”
Victoria strode toward the door, anxious to remove herself from the clinic, uncertain of whether she most needed to put the potentially catastrophic information out of her mind, or if she needed to mull it over and look for a solution to her latest problem.
“Victoria?”
She stopped and turned, trying to keep the impatience from her expression.
“This isn’t something you’ll be able to keep secret for very long.”
Victoria smiled with an effort. “No, but hopefully long enough to resolve some of the other problems we’re facing.”
* * * *
The moment Victoria had been dreading was upon her. She stared down at the water in the access pool, trying to calm her jumping nerves.
“You don’t have to come,” Raphael said quietly.
Keenly aware of Roach, who was making his first excursion into the sea, as well, Victoria set her jaw and leapt in. “I have to check the situation myself,” she said when she’d caught her breath from the abrupt immersion in the chilly water.
Raphael’s brows rose, but all he said was, “Ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Victoria responded. Controlling her chattering teeth with an effort, she dragged in a deep breath, ducked beneath the waves and swam in the direction of the lights that indicated the mine area. Instinctively, she held her breath as long as she possibly could. When she began to feel the urge to breathe, she stopped
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