{Earth}
Iona Medical Ecology. The slate sign suspended by cables in the glass foyer welcomed Pablo home. It usually filled him with pride and gratitude. After parting with his wife to see their family off on another important mission, he wanted a break from the facility. Lynn said the same of the Arsenal, where she stayed to work with Smith and Devis on memory and volition defenses. John and Caedes were on their way to join them below the ocean.
Pablo took a second to close his eyes and wish Andrew, Kyle, and Silence a safe flight to Cinder’s conduit in Egypt.
“They’ll be fine.” Beside him, Lucas sounded so confident. He joined them for the sendoff. When they were on the tarmac, Andrew hugged his partner far too briefly, in Pablo’s opinion. But duty called. He understood.
“That woman wanted Story Taker. She won’t destroy a plane with him on it.” Sure. Twenty-One meant that as comforting. However, the accuracy of his deduction chilled the doctor’s blood.
How was this their lives? Again?
As if to herald in more bad thoughts, Lucas asked, “Where do we think Sagan is? Tameka sounded more than a little concerned this wasn’t another flake-episode.”
“I don’t know.” Vacant. Pablo’s voice sounded vacant. Damn it. He was better than this. The optimist. The neighborhood physician. He straightened his labcoat and clapped his hands together with so much enthusiasm that the other men jumped. “I’m heading for a shower and a change of scrubs. You two are meeting me in twenty minutes. Med Lab 2. We have weapons to build for the Shadow. And Twenty-One, I’m making a chain for you. Any questions?”
Lucas and the former prisoner exchanged a look before grinning at the doctor. The golden-eyed Icarus rocking a teal designer pantsuit spoke first, “We’ll see you in twenty.” He placed his hand on the three-hundred and sixty pound P.O.W.’s back and led him down the suspended stairs. “Have you considered an actual name, soldier?”
“I think I like Twenty-One…”
Their voices drifted down to the second floor. The lobby open to below, Pablo watched them walk to the resident zone and eavesdropped on their conversation about amassing the gigantic Icarus some clothes. The Shadow took care of its family. And Twenty-One was on his way to joining it.
He and Silence.
Another Icarus with the potential for danger. Her mini coma gnawed at Pablo. He wished there was more time to run some tests for a concussion or a stroke. They couldn’t have her passing out before she made good on her offer to Kyle. That pair needed some consummation. STAT.
Lynn’s shampoo, conditioner, moisturizing rinse, comb, bodywash, loofah, and puff ejected Pablo’s modest shampoo and bar soap from the shower nook. Fortunately, nacres shed body hair from the eyelashes down. Otherwise shaving cream and a razor would likely evict his things from the shower altogether. It was a small mercy, except sometimes Lynn commented that she missed his five o’clock shadow.
In love with the mess as much as he loved her, Pablo finished his shower with a warm heart. Makeup strewn all over the double sink. More hair products and hot tools. Her wet towels on the floor. All of her clothes unpacked from her suitcase littered the bed, dresser, and nightstand.
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When they finished with this round of trials, he wanted them to move in together. Find some way to work it out between their jobs. Every morning he wanted to wake to this chaos, and every night he wanted to fall asleep in it. The smell of her lingered all over the room. This welcome mess transformed living quarters into a home.
Pablo slipped his chain back over his vows. His brown fingers traced the circular tattoo.
Never endanger this. Never risk yourself without me. Never leave without coming back.
After kissing his fingers and pressing them to the gold-laced ink, the young doctor slipped on black scrubs and headed out. He always appreciated the design of the residential zones. One of three conservatories for pollination hollowed out the donut of the apartments’ hallway. Butterflies and bees feasted on a rainbow of flowers that climbed to the glass ceiling above. Daylight normally streamed from the surface. But this morning, lightning struck and lit the circular corridor. The storm battered the glass like an ominous army of marching boots.
Rayne…
“They said it’s raining on Cinder, too.”
“X! I wasn’t aware you were here.” Pablo crossed the hall to shake hands with the Lukemore alien, a Luk. An interesting race with kelp for hair and jellyfish caps around their waists like kilts. They secreted a fascinating webbing that electrified their prey in traps. Once captured, they injected their victims with a toxin that reduced them to fluid for slurping. X was nice enough to provide the doctor with samples. And it proved beneficial. The toxin combated certain cancer cells and prevented viral mutations.
“R and I arrived about thirty minutes ago. Legir called us. He’s on his way with a breakthrough on that virus you made. I’ll let him tell you the good news. Hey, you got any of those crunchy cheesy snacks? Bones wouldn’t share them the last time we visited.”
R was X’s brother. Both Luks harbored vendettas against Imminent. They murdered R’s wife in a catastrophic tectonic disaster that almost took his children. But they were playing elsewhere, fortunately.
Legir ruled over the planet Yu. Wonderful people living in perfect harmony with their environment. He once led the planet with his thirteen sons, who each governed over their own respective continents. But, after some awful circumstances described in Nox’s Verse, the former King of Cinder consequently killed the Thirteen Brothers of Yu.
Pablo headed down the hall with X following. The doctor assured, “I’m glad for the backup. We’re working to give our front line some support against the technology Imminent wields.”
The Luk whispered. They always whispered. “Did Kyle offer any insights from his time… well…” Under Celindria’s control.
News traveled faster than Pablo expected. “How did you hear about that?”
X opened a door for him out of the residential zone. “Tumu briefed us.”
The Doc might take some time to discuss the chain of communication regarding events that occur within the Shadow. For that matter, he still needed to tell Tumu about the results on Pax’s tests. But that was for another time.
Pablo offered, “There wasn’t enough time to get the entire experience from Kyle. But Celindria was careful not to expose him to Imminent business. We only know for certain now that T.a.o. is also under her control.”
“That’s unfortunate. Anyone involved with Xelan’s Progeny knows she’s the most fragile and sweet among them.”
The Doc agreed with a nod. “With Kyle’s testimony, the Tribunal should clear the Progeny of those bombings. As you remember, we suspected something was wrong. The Progeny never set a single charge. She planted every bomb. Although, none of us could predict she’d assassinate an Eminent.”
Entering Med Lab 2, Pablo’s heart galvanized at the surprise he found inside. More unexpected and extremely welcome guests. Bones read aloud results from the Enki-tech terminal. Jack, King Regent, let R try on his leather jacket. Twenty-One and Lucas carried on a conversation at a bank of terminals.
Before they noticed the doctor, Lucas explained, “Where Lynn goes, Smith goes.” Once that golden gaze spotted Pablo, the Icarus gave him a friendly smile. “We’re all here to help, Dr. Suarez.”
Pablo wanted to smile. Instead, he frowned. What Lucas said… Smith said the exact same phrase the night of Twenty-One’s botched transfer. The night Inanis blinded Lynn and sent a double to attack her. Lucas wasn’t anywhere near Smith when he said it—
From behind came an awful voice. “Dr. Suarez, how exactly do you intend to counteract Imminent’s strategies?”
Shit. Abresson.
Showtime.