this?” She wondered aloud.
A young cadet in the SSID traditional gray, jumpsuit uniform approached, smiled, and strapped onto her wrist a device that blinked green and blue.
“You do now,” Kieran Jai answered. His voice was nebulous…as if it came from the heavens.
Dana looked all around but did not see him. “Kieran?”
“Colonel Sierra, will you escort the Doctor to the conference room?”
Sierra led the way.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Forgive me for not rising,” Kieran apologized. He sat in the high-backed chair at the head of the mighty oak conference table. There were chairs enough for twenty. Two other men were at Kieran’s left and right. They were big and nasty…just the type for SSID security details.
“Doctor Dana Cartwright, meet Majors Perry and Roberto, my aides.”
The two men rose and bowed in her direction.
She gave them a perfunctory nod, but her eyes drilled Kieran’s, demanding, silently, Why am I here?
He didn’t respond to her thoughts, but he did smile in her direction.
He was more interested in the ‘evidence’ that Colonel Sierra presented and the details of what they’d found at her apartment.
Dana watched Kieran’s face. He was doing his damnedest to present a brave front before the three men. Clearly, he suffered severe back pain and should have been in bed resting.
She heard nothing of what he said to Colonel Sierra and the two majors, before they filed out, taking her padlet with them, presumably to retrieve fingerprints from the screen of the device. It was the last thing on her mind just now.
“You must rest, Kieran. Let me do a scan?”
“It can wait,” he countered, dismissing her concerns.
She moved closer and set her medical kit down before him. “It can’t wait! You’re undoing twelve hours of surgery.”
He relented. “At least let’s go somewhere private…”
“Nonsense…I’m not going to strip off your uniform or anything.” She retrieved her scanner and ordered him to lean forward. “The scan is registering massive amounts of inflammation. This is not good.” She reached in her medical kit for a DIA and programmed the dermal injector. “When did Garcia last give you anti-inflammatory meds?”
“He’s in the brig at One, facing a court martial,” Kieran told her.
“How long since he gave you meds?” She snapped.
“Nothing since you injected me,” Kieran answered, recognizing that scolding tone she’d used before when they were in the crawlspace under the wreckage.
She scowled. “Kieran, you need therapy — aquatic therapy would be good. The buoyancy of the water would be very beneficial. You can’t be putting this much stress on your spine.”
“Dana, something big is happening. I just can’t…”
“Let these men do the leg work. Delegate! Doctor’s orders.”
He reached for her hand. “I can’t…”
She sighed. The DIA-dermal injector hissed against his neck. Then she packed up. “In my professional opinion, as your doctor and as your surgeon, I recommend bed rest.” She locked stares with him. “If you do not follow doctor’s orders, I will not be held responsible.”
She took off the wrist device and set it on the table then started for the door. “Can I transfer out of here?” Starting to feel very, very angry, she didn’t wait for his answer, touched her voice-badge, and asked, “Computer? MAT transfer me back to Patriarchs.” The rest was a muttered, “Because I need another drink.”
Taylor welcomed her back. “That was quick.”
She held up her hand. “Don’t ask.” In all honesty, she couldn’t tell him — or anyone — what had just happened.
He did ask, however, “Is everything okay? You look flushed. How about my new, special wine cooler?”
She nodded to the drink then complained, “Someone broke into my place, but they took nothing. Why?”
Taylor’s face held a barely perceptible frown, “Because you weren’t there.”
“You think they were after me? Why not
A young cadet in the SSID traditional gray, jumpsuit uniform approached, smiled, and strapped onto her wrist a device that blinked green and blue.
“You do now,” Kieran Jai answered. His voice was nebulous…as if it came from the heavens.
Dana looked all around but did not see him. “Kieran?”
“Colonel Sierra, will you escort the Doctor to the conference room?”
Sierra led the way.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Forgive me for not rising,” Kieran apologized. He sat in the high-backed chair at the head of the mighty oak conference table. There were chairs enough for twenty. Two other men were at Kieran’s left and right. They were big and nasty…just the type for SSID security details.
“Doctor Dana Cartwright, meet Majors Perry and Roberto, my aides.”
The two men rose and bowed in her direction.
She gave them a perfunctory nod, but her eyes drilled Kieran’s, demanding, silently, Why am I here?
He didn’t respond to her thoughts, but he did smile in her direction.
He was more interested in the ‘evidence’ that Colonel Sierra presented and the details of what they’d found at her apartment.
Dana watched Kieran’s face. He was doing his damnedest to present a brave front before the three men. Clearly, he suffered severe back pain and should have been in bed resting.
She heard nothing of what he said to Colonel Sierra and the two majors, before they filed out, taking her padlet with them, presumably to retrieve fingerprints from the screen of the device. It was the last thing on her mind just now.
“You must rest, Kieran. Let me do a scan?”
“It can wait,” he countered, dismissing her concerns.
She moved closer and set her medical kit down before him. “It can’t wait! You’re undoing twelve hours of surgery.”
He relented. “At least let’s go somewhere private…”
“Nonsense…I’m not going to strip off your uniform or anything.” She retrieved her scanner and ordered him to lean forward. “The scan is registering massive amounts of inflammation. This is not good.” She reached in her medical kit for a DIA and programmed the dermal injector. “When did Garcia last give you anti-inflammatory meds?”
“He’s in the brig at One, facing a court martial,” Kieran told her.
“How long since he gave you meds?” She snapped.
“Nothing since you injected me,” Kieran answered, recognizing that scolding tone she’d used before when they were in the crawlspace under the wreckage.
She scowled. “Kieran, you need therapy — aquatic therapy would be good. The buoyancy of the water would be very beneficial. You can’t be putting this much stress on your spine.”
“Dana, something big is happening. I just can’t…”
“Let these men do the leg work. Delegate! Doctor’s orders.”
He reached for her hand. “I can’t…”
She sighed. The DIA-dermal injector hissed against his neck. Then she packed up. “In my professional opinion, as your doctor and as your surgeon, I recommend bed rest.” She locked stares with him. “If you do not follow doctor’s orders, I will not be held responsible.”
She took off the wrist device and set it on the table then started for the door. “Can I transfer out of here?” Starting to feel very, very angry, she didn’t wait for his answer, touched her voice-badge, and asked, “Computer? MAT transfer me back to Patriarchs.” The rest was a muttered, “Because I need another drink.”
Taylor welcomed her back. “That was quick.”
She held up her hand. “Don’t ask.” In all honesty, she couldn’t tell him — or anyone — what had just happened.
He did ask, however, “Is everything okay? You look flushed. How about my new, special wine cooler?”
She nodded to the drink then complained, “Someone broke into my place, but they took nothing. Why?”
Taylor’s face held a barely perceptible frown, “Because you weren’t there.”
“You think they were after me? Why not
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