Zoë moved closer to the wall as quietly as she could. Right now, the last thing she wanted was to attract Helix’s attention. His little episode outside of the medical room was proof enough that the young man was unhinged and dangerous. Well, more dangerous than she previously assumed, if that was even possible.
Just when I thought I had him all figured out, she groaned inwardly as she leaned her head against the cold metallic surface of the wall. The sensation was quite pleasant and helped her clear her mind slightly. She tried her best to listen closely as Helix and Dr Saiko began to converse. However, her interest quickly evaporated. Their conversation, if one could call it that, consisted of hurling medical terms at one another and either agreeing or disagreeing with what the other person said. It was impossible to determine who had the upper hand or if the exchange was about to evolve into an argument, although it was clear that Hiroshi would back down if it came to that. Despite his outwardly cold and clearly inhuman demeanour, the good doctor cared deeply for his patients, and an altercation with Helix would put them in danger.
Having lost interest, Zoë shifted her attention to the two people who remained quiet – Professor Kruger and Dr Werner. It was obvious from their expressions that the pair of eggheads understood what was being said and weren’t too happy about it. Well, the Second Officer could understand why Virginia might be glaring daggers at Helix. On the other hand, the reasoning behind Anton’s reaction was somewhat of a mystery. There was worry written on the elderly man’s face, and he nervously pulled at the hairs of his trimmed beard. It could be that he was worried about his fellow scientist or friend – it was hard to tell with those two. They hated and respected each other in equal measure, from what Zoë could tell.
After one last heated exchange of words – she couldn’t understand without checking them using the feed – the conversation ended. Helix loaded the antidote in an auto-injector and gave it to Dr Saiko. There was a collective sigh of relief from the pair of eggheads, and the tension drained from the air inside the examination room.
“Now, honoured physician, it’s time for you to fulfil your end of our deal.” Helix’s voice was level, but Zoë could detect the threat of violence lingering beneath the surface of that statement.
Out of curiosity, she had taken a look at the list their tormentor sent to the doctor through the shared feed channel. The girl didn’t need to be a medical specialist or a tech to recognise that the drugs and chemicals Helix wanted were refills for combat implants. Although, that said, the ratios and quantities were off by a significant margin compared to what she had learned in the Academy. If she didn’t know any better, Zoë would’ve assumed that the youth, holding their lives in the palm of his hand, was planning quite the intricate suicide.
“I wanted to talk to you about that.” The lack of confidence in Hiroshi’s voice was worrying.
“I’m not going to like this, am I?” Helix sounded almost resigned as he focused those damned amber eyes of his on the doctor. Why did they have to be so captivating?
No! Now’s definitely not the time for you to be fantasising, girl! She chastised herself while adjusting her position so that she could lunge at the man at a moment’s notice. Zoë wasn’t clear on what she hoped to accomplish with this, but she had to protect Dr Saiko, of that much she was convinced.
“Most of the medicaments you requested are not available. At least, not in the quantities you desire.” Hiroshi jabbed the side of Virginia’s neck with a steady hand and, once the anti-toxin was delivered, placed the auto-injector in a UV decontamination chamber built into the armrest of the examination chair.
Turning to face Helix, he continued. “Most of what is missing I can synthesise in the lab. However, for the 3-MAT and DHT, it will still take three days to produce. As for the p-tyrin and s-QUA, this facility lacks the basic substances needed to begin the synthesis process.”
“I find this hard to believe, doctor. I’ve seen the specs of Miss Kurtz’s implants, and those are what I assume to be the standard outfit for personnel on the station.” Helix’s voice grew colder while the tips of the fingers on his right hand drummed on his thigh. “Your people will not be able to function without s-QUA or QUA-T substitute refill every three months to keep their spleen implant from overloading their immune system.”
Zoë blinked several times. This was news to her and potentially a very dangerous revelation, depending on Dr Saiko’s answer. If what Helix was saying was true, then every guard on Last Hope was screwed. Just like that, all the goodwill she held towards the doc was ready to evaporate.
“Medical records are confidential, and I am not at liberty to discuss them.” Hiroshi’s one organic eye shifted, looking at her for a moment before focusing on Helix. “Although, considering the current circumstances, an exception is to be made.”
Something about this didn’t sit well with the Second Officer; however, there was little she could do to stop the doctor from talking. Actually, she was quite curious to see what he had to say. As far as Zoë could tell, there wasn’t anything within her med file to be ashamed of or to try to hide.
“Academy Geno-techs have determined that Second Officer Kurtz would be equipped with an experimental set of implants, considering her exceptional physical stamina, endurance and strength. Only her cerebral, reproductive and adrenal implants are standard template ones. As a result, I have only three canisters of s-QUA marked for her exclusive use. At the end of the twelve-month evaluation period, a report is to be presented determining which implants would be replaced with standard ones and which might merit further study.”
“Second Officer Kurtz was not made aware of this experiment for fear that prior knowledge might skew the results.” Hiroshi lowered his head in what had to be a show of shame before adding in an apologetic voice. “I am sorry. Despite my protests, the Academy has… forbade me from speaking to you regarding this matter.”
Zoë felt as if she was punched in the gut. Her superiors were using her as a test subject. No, this had to be a lie. The brass at the Academy would never sanction an experiment like this. She could feel her knees buckle and leaned for support against the wall to prevent embarrassing herself. Hell! UR regulation clearly stated that participants in any military experiment involving human subjects would have to provide consent. What made it all worse was the way both Professor Kruger and Virginia were looking at her. It was with a strange mix of feeling sorry for her and pity, and the girl didn’t like it one bit. As for Dr Saiko, he avoided looking at her altogether. Actually, the one who appeared unimpressed by this world-shattering revelation was Helix.
Sure, the young man had drugged her and tortured her psychologically and emotionally, yet he was the only one to speak the truth to her. If there was any reason for Zoë to second-guess her choice to take his side, with this, it was all gone. For the first time, she was certain that abandoning the United Republics, turning her back on the Academy and betraying Last Hope’s Security staff was the right thing for her to do. She wanted to laugh. It was quite the irony that Helix was the only person she could undoubtedly trust right now. Perhaps trust was stretching it a bit, but now, Zoë could attempt to do it in earnest. And who knows, she might be able to convince him to trust her as well.
There was much she wished to say; however, Helix didn’t give her the opening to speak her mind, as he stretched his shoulders and back as he spoke in what was clearly frustration.
“Of course, they aren’t standard… I suppose Miss Kurtz and I would need to get to know each other a lot better in the near future. For now, a copy of her med files would suffice, Doctor Saiko. As for p-tyrin and s-QUA, a thirty percent dilution of VTAC in cerebrospinal fluid will work as an alternative.”
“Helix!” Dr Saiko shouted in outrage at the suggested solution. “Even if I am to drain every guard here on Last Hope, there will not be enough cerebrospinal fluid to reduce a potent psychedelic like VTAC to a thirty percent infusion in the quantity you have requested. For that, I will have to harvest every single person on the mining complex.”
“I see,” Helix rubbed his chin, lost in thought for a moment before returning his attention to the doctor. “How long would that take?”
“You can’t be serious!”
“That’s preposterous!”
Both Anton and Virginia screamed, their expressions frozen in shock, but quickly found the tiling of the floor to be quite interesting the moment the man’s amber eyes drifted in their direction. Zoë had to admit that she shared their feelings, but she also knew better than to open her mouth. After all, Dr Saiko would never do something like that and would do everything in his power to prevent it. As for Helix, well, she hoped that the madman wasn’t seriously suggesting harvesting Lost Hope’s populace just to get a fix. Actually, she was more worried that there was a stock of VTAC on the station to begin with. The drug was a class 4 psychedelic that came with a ten-year prison sentence for possession and a fifty-year-long stay in a penal work colony for distribution. As far as the girl knew, there was absolutely no medical use for the psychedelic; on the contrary, it was very addictive, burning the users’ brains into sludge within a year. There was no sane explanation as to why professional and underground cage fighters resorted to using VTAC. Sure, it boosted aggression and natural reflexes and significantly dulled pain, but to Zoë, such a trade-off wasn’t worth the death sentence the drug promised.
“Should you wish to resort to employing this method, it will take you weeks.” Dr Saiko answered the question as a matter of fact.
Despite herself, Zoë took a tentative step forward. If the doc wasn’t going to act, then she had to. After all, regardless of her current feelings about the UR, the miners and support staff on Lost Hope were civilians she had sworn to protect.
“I am certain that you are more than capable of harvesting the people living in this station complex. However, I would like to appeal to the Medical Oath you have taken and reconsider.”
“Very admirable of you, honoured physician,” Helix smiled grimly, like a rat that had stumbled on a Kroatal cat’s nest. “You’d be surprised what you can achieve when you strip med-practice from trivial things like ethics and morality.
“I understand,” Hiroshi spoke quietly, but what caught Zoë’s attention was his expression as he passed a data pad to Helix. It was the same one her father had when he informed her that she was the property of the Academy. “A possible alternative.”
The young man examined the device closely, his smile growing with each passing second. Finally, almost an entire minute later, he chuckled loudly. It was the first time the Second Officer had seen genuine happiness written on the man’s face. Somehow, it made him appear more human than ever before, and at the same time, it was very disturbing to look at.
Helix couldn’t stop shaking his head in disbelief as he read some of the information from the data pad out loud. “Purified somatotropin, progesterone, zeranol, alpha 4, TC-19, beta-oxide… Hell! KuDan and REPRON-5, too! This changes everything.”
“What the fuck, doc!” Zoë yelled as she heard the last items.
She could excuse the VTAC as confiscated contraband, but those two were a different matter altogether. Even black marketeers avoided them. Hell, KuDan was solely produced by the Third Empire for their Annihilator-fighter pilots. As for REPRON-5, it was called the Last Stand by Academy graduates for a reason and was the one stim no UR soldier wished to use.
“You are correct, Helix. A medical facility on a mining station does not need such chems. The majority of those are the personal property of Communications Operator King. As for the other items,” Dr Saiko turned to look at her with no hint of remorse or regret in his voice. “Only civilians come to mining complex Last Hope of their free will.”
“Storage?” Helix spoke before she could explode at the doctor’s vague excuse for what was technically treason.
“Third door on the left. I will have a drone gather what you need and-”
“Don’t get me wrong, honourable physician. You’re too smart for your own good, and there are some things you’re better off not knowing.” The man smiled as he flung the data pad in Hiroshi’s direction. “Consider this a final warning.”
With that, Helix turned around and left the examination room. However, before the door closed behind him, he added. “Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”
After waiting a few seconds to be sure that her tormentor was truly gone, Zoë finally moved and grabbed the doctor’s shoulder as he franticly typed on the console next to Virgina.
“Bloody hell, doc! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t crack your head open here and now!” She couldn’t contain her anger any longer, feeling the muscles in her right arm tighten as she prepared to deliver on her threat. She hadn’t expected this betrayal from a man she respected.
From the moment she stepped foot on this forsaken station, Zoë had done her best to remain positive. She tried her best to convince herself that her forced exile was going to be temporary while the Academy concluded the ongoing investigation against Commodore Instructor Proctor. Sure, she had broken his son’s spine after beating him to a pulp, but the bastard deserved it. Besides, she had gathered enough evidence to have both father and son thrown in jail for a very long time before doing what had to be done. This posting on Lost Hope was meant to break her; of course, Zoë knew this. She might be slow, but she wasn’t stupid. Still, in all that time, the only reason she was able to keep a positive attitude was because of the few good people like Hiroshi.
“I can list a few if you are willing to listen, Second Officer Kurtz.” Dr Saiko’s calm, impersonal voice made her feel as if she was the one in the wrong. “First, I had no choice. Second, I still need to replace your cardiac muscle with the spare in storage. Third, no one but me can maintain your implants. Fourth, you are not the only subject of secret Academy experimentation on this station. Fifth-”
With a little shove, she released Dr Saiko’s shoulder. “Fine. I get it. But there is always a choice. Too bad you’ve been making all the bad ones.”
“I disagree, Of… Zoë. What do you think would have happened if I refused to assist Helix? My suggestion to harvest the station’s populace was not a result of poor decision-making. It was a way to confirm how far our captor was willing to go to achieve his goals. He did not hesitate for a second at the prospect of committing mass murder. Nor did he protest that such a task would be beyond him.”
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“That’s… Well…” she felt the anger slowly being replaced by regret for acting on impulse. No, damn it. She hadn’t done anything wrong. “That’s no excuse for what you’ve done. I don’t think he’d go that far as killing everyone on Last Hope. Besides, that’s a moot point since his combat implants are running on fumes. Yeh, I know why he wants all these chems and drugs.”
“That might be irrelevant. Tell me, Officer Kurtz, how much do you know about Helix?”
That was a good question, and the answer was that she knew close to nothing. All Zoë had was speculations and theories which sounded outlandish even to her.
“Have a look. Your input is appreciated.” Dr Saiko directed her attention to the console’s screen. “Yours too, Professor Kruger, Dr Werner.”
As both scientists moved closer to get a better vantage point, Hiroshi continued in his usual monotone. “During our conversation, I had the equipment do a passive scan of Helix. According to the analysis, he has a minimal implant footprint consistent with what is considered to be the bare minimum for a soldier.”
“You can’t be serious.” Virginia removed her glasses and cleaned them with the end of her sleeve before putting them back on her face.
“Hiroshi, I don’t mean to question your expertise, but are you sure these results are correct?” Anton asked as he pushed Zoë away to get a better look at the data tables crammed on the screen.
The girl couldn’t understand what the big issue was. From what she could read, Helix had all the mandatory implants and an additional one inside his head. The machine couldn’t tell more than that without strapping him to the chair and doing a complete active scan. As far as she could tell, the only difference between his and other military implants was the quality, which was definitely in Helix’s favour. If the scan results could be trusted, the output of his augments was three times higher than what she or the other members of Security had in them.
“Yes. The information is correct, Professor Kruger. What you see are the combined results of five passive scans. Errors and deviations are within the acceptable five percent margin.”
“No. This has to be wrong.” Virginia moved away from the screen as if she would catch on fire if she remained close to it. “If it’s true, that would mean…”
“Genetic enhancement that surpasses our cybernetic technology.” Anton finished for her, his face going pale. “This alone is enough to rewrite the Geno-tech textbooks. Is there a way to tell to what extent?”
“Not without obtaining a deep tissue sample.”
“Well, that’s just great!” Zoë really felt like punching something. “Provide the unhinged genetically engineered killing machine with some of the most potent and dangerous combat stims known to man! Hell, I can’t see what could possibly go wrong!”
“I don’t understand you at all, girl. One minute, you’re defending that monster and the next, you want him dead. Which one is it?” Virginia snapped at her.
“I don’t know! Okay?!” The Second Officer blurted without thinking. Sadly, it was the honest truth. That didn’t change the fact that she had reached her breaking point.
“What, you think I’ve turned traitor because I like to play rebel? Do you have any idea what I’ve been through in the last couple of days? No, you bloody don’t. You weren’t there to help me. None of you were!” Zoë could feel her implants triggering, followed by the light-headedness of her system being flooded by adrenaline, but it was too late to stop. She was done being everyone’s doormat.
“As much as I hate him for using me and for pushing me down this path, Helix’s not the one who left me for dead or doing fucking illegal experiments on me! He’s the only one who’s been bloody honest with me. So, fuck you and fuck your superiority complex, Doctor Werner!”
“You little bitch! Who do you think you are to talk to me this way!?” At that, the archaeologist lunged at her, sucker-punching her in the face.
Admittedly, it was more of a slap, but that no longer mattered to Zoë. Acting on instinct and with a small amount of malice, she delivered a savage right hook to the side of Virginia’s head. A single blow was all it took to send the scientist to the ground, knocking the bitch out. However, the Second Officer didn’t have the time to celebrate as a sharp pain exploded inside her chest. She could feel her heart spasm while it struggled to cope with the strain placed on it from the fully active combat implants. A second later, the floor and ceiling shifted places as Dr Saiko tackled her and placed her in a submission hold. It took Zoë a moment to remember that the physician was a former soldier and that there was no point in struggling. She might have succeeded if she was in perfect health since the doc was obviously out of practice, but right now, it was out of the question.
“Are you insane! You could’ve killed her!” She heard Anton shout while he checked on Virginia.
“Professor Kruger, please be quiet. Dr Werner, please remain immobile for the moment and tell me exactly what you feel.” Hiroshi’s commanding voice was like thunder in her ear, and she felt a slight prick at the base of her neck. “Second Officer Kurtz, I am administrating a cocktail of inhibitors and steroids to get your vitals back in order. Dr Werner, can you hear me?”
“She will be fine,” Helix’s calm response started Zoë, and she could feel Hiroshi's hold loosen. “A minor concussion, bruising and one cracked molar. Nothing to worry about. Ord… Virginia will be back to normal in a few hours. Though I would suggest avoiding eating hard food until the tooth is replaced.”
A firm hand helped Zoë back to her feet, and with some help from Dr Saiko, she found herself in the examination chair. The dizziness and nausea cleared a few seconds later, and she could see Helix looming over her with that cursed smile of his. She wanted to do something to wipe it off his face, but it felt comforting to look at it right now. However, the same couldn’t be said about what the young man had to say.
“Honestly. I thought you would attack the honoured physician here. But you, Miss Kurtz, are full of surprises. Can I trust you to remain here for a few hours, or do I need to sedate you?”
She nodded, too afraid to speak. The girl didn’t want everyone to hear how weak her voice was, least of all Helix.
“Good. Use the time to clear your head, get some sleep, whichever you prefer. It doesn’t matter, really, as long as you allow your body to recover.” As suddenly as he had appeared, the young man left her field of view, but she could still hear him speak as he addressed Anton next.
“Professor Kruger, was it? Please help Virginia into the next room. A few hours of sleep will help her recover from the concussion. You can remain with her or return to Command. In the meantime, I and the honoured physician need to have a chat.”
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Lucas couldn’t believe his luck. The chems he originally requested from Dr Saiko were all reasonable substitutes for what he actually needed to replenish his implants’ stocks. But with this new information, he no longer had to make do; he could actually synthesise proper refills. The Demon made a mental note to thank Felix for this. He didn’t know, nor did he care, what mental disorder had driven the big man to increase his muscle mass well beyond natural limitations, but the fact remained that his growth supplements were the key to solving one of Lucas’ major problems.
With a light step, he entered the storage room and was immediately greeted by a lone drone. The machine hovered a meter from the ground, barring his entry. For a moment, Lucas was tempted to swat the thing away for not moving out of his way but restrained himself. The robot wasn’t at fault. Even if it could receive his authentication signature, the poor thing wouldn’t be able to recognise it. After all, this floating garbage box wasn’t anything like the drones the Empire used. If anything, it appeared to be a cheap knockoff, rectangular and boxy, whereas the ones he was used to were elliptic with smooth body lines and used an anti-grav cushion to maintain a constant distance from the floor. As for the drone in front of him, it had to constantly adjust its altitude every few seconds because of the magnetic repulsors attached at the bottom on both ends along the width of its chassis.
A few days ago, Lucas would’ve thought the thing to be the school project for one of the children of the ordained scientists on Station 37-H. The few that did have offspring often boasted about the accomplishments of their nestlings… He immediately caught the thought that had produced this comparison and crushed it.
“Children. Humans have children.” He spoke in a low voice, ashamed to have allowed this slip-up to have happened in the first place.
It wasn’t normal for the side effects of compound TZ-2 to appear this late after intake. Then again, none of the Demons had ever operated this long with malfunctioning implants. There was no telling what additional side effects might appear if he were to allow for this to continue. Unceremoniously, he shoved the drone away and moved past it. Finding what he was looking for proved a little more difficult since the climate-controlled fridges didn’t follow the proper stocking methodology he was used to. Opening container after container without finding the chems, his mood began to darken again.
< CHANNEL RL1Z-2: FEED_EXTENSION REX, D. ACTIVED >
< CHANNEL RL1Z-2: ADMIN_FILTER APPLIED >
< CHANNEL RL1Z-2: VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS ENGAGED >
Lucas groaned. The last time he used the cornea implant in his left eye to communicate with someone was five, maybe six years ago. Hell, the damned thing was removed entirely from Gen 6 and later. After all, the Demons always kept their helmets on during a mission, taking advantage of the far superior assistant AI built into them, and when they weren’t doing anything, waiting for their next deployment, all of them stayed relatively together. Damn it, even the support techs at Osiris had realised that only Preacher had any use for the bloody implant. But removing the thing after almost twenty years was out of the question because it would damage his eye, and unlike their internal organs, ocular transplants for the Demons were impossible. Lucas hated it, but still, he read the message that followed.
< REX, D.: CAPTURED BY COMMODORE’S AGENT >
< REX, D.: TRICKED HER SHE CAN WORK FOR YOU >
< REX, D.: WILLING TO BETRAY THE COMMODORE >
< REX, D.: WANTS A SAFE WAY OUT IN TURN >
< REX, D.: BRINGING HER ALONG TO TALK TO YOU >
< REX, D.: DEAL WITH HER AS YOU WISH >
< REX, D.: ETA: 1 HOUR >
The medic honestly didn’t care what was happening with the Chief of Security. Actually, it would be perfect for his plans if Donovan was captured or, even better, killed by Commodore Neverok and his lackeys. There was always the option of killing the Chief himself; however, Lucas didn’t have the time to do it in a way which would be of use. Synthesising the chems he needed and going through the procedure of refilling his implants would take too long, and by the time everything was ready, the Knight Protector would have arrived. No matter how he looked at it, the medic knew that he would need to cut corners for his plan to work. And dealing with Donovan and his requests or demands wasn’t something he could fit into his schedule.
Lucas tore the door of the locked climate-controlled fridge in front of him as he considered what to do. A soft smile formed on his face as he saw that the prize he was searching for was inside. He could have used more finesse and bypassed the lock altogether, but that would also mean wasting more time. In the end, it didn’t really matter since there would be nothing for the container to store – he would need every last drop. There was one small problem. The Demon couldn’t carry everything in one trip. There were too many hazard-material boxes and bottles to move around. Using the drone wouldn’t work because Lucas didn’t have a proper authorisation code, nor did he know what command input the damn machine required. He really shouldn’t have dismissed Dr Saiko’s offer to use the drone so hastily. This left him with only one possible option, which was to move the entire fridge. Relocating a hundred-kilogram, bulky, climate-controlled storage equipment with uneven weight distribution was less than desirable.
Thankfully, the Lab was close by, and the Predator suit would compensate for some of the weight, but there was still the issue of where to grab the damned thing. First, Lucas had to dislodge it from its spot along the wall, which proved annoying in itself. After a solid minute of pulling, dragging and breaking off cover panels, the fridge was finally disconnected from the row it belonged to and was lying on its back on the floor. Nonetheless, the medic wasn’t done. He moved towards the row of aluminium industrial shelve racks and, with some well-placed kicks, broke off a couple of the supports. Satisfied with his handiwork, Lucas pushed the warped metal bars through the side walls of the fridge, turning them into improvised handles.
>“Wasn’t that hard,” he smiled to himself as he lifted the bulky container. “Shit. If Virgil could see this, he would make me do laps around the station with it for being an idiot.”
A part of him was glad that he no longer felt the immense sadness of never being able to see his comrades. At the same time, another part of him felt regret that they were fading from his memory this quickly. Helix vowed to himself that when this was all done and the station was under his control, he would find a way to honour and immortalise his friends and only family.
At least, there was one positive thing from this little exercise of his. It helped him clear his head, and now Lucas had an idea of how to use the Chief of Security. Like it or not, he would need someone like Donovan Rex if his plan to fool the Knight Protector was to work. The more he examined it, his original idea to convince her that he was part of some clandestine unit outside of the standard chain of command relied too much on luck and wishful thinking. It was more than likely that the woman coming on the Neuronic wasn’t an idiot and would see right through him. But with the Chief and potentially a Commodore’s lackey vouching for him, the chances of success increased significantly. After that, all Lucas had to do was wait for the opportunity to dispose of them. Which, considering all that has happened so far, wouldn’t take too long. As for the Knight Protector, he would decide how to deal with her once they met face to face.
“Mr King,” Helix spoke through the only active feed channel in the entire station, “your personal training regime is cancelled.”
“Ahh… What?” There was a short pause before the comms operator’s deep baritone returned with an unmistakable cry of hopelessness. “No… Not my chems! Oh, come on man! I thought we were chill! Why… Why would you do something like that?”
“Reasons.” Lucas couldn’t help himself from tormenting the tech just a little. “Don’t worry, big guy, this is not punishment. Actually, I’m very grateful for them, and I’ll find a way to compensate you. Okay?”
“You better, or… Well, it’s not like I can do anything about it, but that’s a nasty thing to do to someone you want to be your friend.”
“Chief Rex is coming with a guest. The guards I asked you to post are to let them through, no questions asked. They are to avoid talking to him at all if possible.”
The medic gave his orders, ignoring Felix’s comment. His interest in socialising was limited, to begin with, and this little exchange with the comms operator was more a way for Lucas to express his gratitude than anything else.
With that done, he dropped the fridge next to the door marked with a sign reading LAB-02 and made his way back to the examination room. What awaited him inside was surprisingly entertaining. Virginia was sprawled on the floor with the other scientist, checking if she was alive despite the obvious signs that the scientist was merely knocked out for a few seconds. A few steps from them, Dr Saiko, was wrestling with Miss Kurtz’s limp body while she suffered through some minor convulsions. If anything, the Second Officer’s condition was exponentially more serious than that of Virginia.
It was easy for Lucas to piece together what had happened. In reality, this was well within his prediction of what would occur while he was gone. Though, he had expected that it would be the honoured physician who would be knocked out. Either way, it all ended with Zoë on the ground, paying the price for triggering her implants in her current state. Of course, Lucas was partially responsible for this development by cutting her off during the conversation with Dr Saiko. However, he had seen her reaction, and poor Zoë couldn’t hide her feelings from showing on her face if her life depended on it. And the physician did share some very interesting secrets.
Still, Lucas’ goal wasn’t to torment the girl. No, he wanted her incapacitated and in a way that would hammer into her head that her medical condition was quite serious so that she wouldn’t protest when he ordered her to get some rest. And after briefly examining Virginia’s injury, just to confirm his original diagnosis, he did precisely that. Thanks to this, the medic achieved two things. First and foremost, Zoë would offer him her loyalty, and he wouldn’t need to worry about her stabbing him in the back for the foreseeable future. And secondly, it gave him an opportunity to do a full examination. It was annoying to admit it, but the information that she was equipped with experimental implants piqued his interest.
“Professor Kruger, was it?” Lucas turned to the pair of civilians. “Please help Virginia into the next room. A few hours of sleep will help her recover from the concussion. You can remain with her or return to Command. In the meantime, I and the honoured physician need to have a chat.”
Without waiting for them, he motioned for Dr Saiko to follow him. Once outside of the examination room, the medic took a deep breath. It was time he secured an important pawn, and he doubted that he would get a better opportunity than this.
“Lab 02. You and I are going to prepare my favourite concoctions.” The Demon smiled at the confused doctor. “You wanted to learn more about me, didn’t you? Now is your chance.”
“I cannot imagine such knowledge would be cheap. It makes me wonder what it would cost me.”
Lucas’ smile grew wider.
“Your soul. Figuratively speaking. You, Dr Saiko, are a man of your word. So, let’s start with your loyalty and see where that takes us.”
----------------------------------------