Drew Karpyshyn - Ascension

"Go on in, Mr. Grayson," one of the guards told him in a sympathetic voice, not even bothering with a cursory search as he waived him through.

Grayson chose to take that as a good sign.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Kahlee whispered to Hendel as Grayson made his way through the security screening room. "You still look a little unsteady on your feet."

"I'm fine," he whispered back. "Besides, I want to see how he reacts when we tell him the news."

Kahlee wanted to say something back to him, like, You cant seriously think Grayson won't care about his daughter almost being killed! But Grayson was through security now, and he would have heard her. So she bit her tongue and prayed that Hendel would have the good sense to treat his arrival with the proper courtesy.

"Mr. Grayson," Hendel said with a curt nod.

"Where's Gillian?" he asked immediately. "I want to see my daughter."

Not surprisingly, he looked much worse than the last time they had seen him. He wasn't wearing a suit this time, but was dressed in a pair of denim pants and a simple short-sleeved shirt, revealing his thin, sinewy arms. He had what looked to be at least a few days worth of stubble growing on his chin. There was a desperate gleam in his eye and an air of nervous apprehension hung about him. . not surprising, given what had happened.

"Of course," Kahlee said quickly, before Hendel could offer any objections. She wasn't about to let Grayson wait around here in the hall. There would be time enough for discussion later, after he had seen Gillian.

Hendel cast her an annoyed glance, but all he said was "Follow me."

Nobody spoke as they made their way to the hospital room, though she could see the muscles along HendePs throat flexing as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

When they reached the hospital room Grayson stopped. One hand slowly came up to cover his mouth at the sight of the young girl lying in bed, hooked up to half a dozen machines.

"Oh, Gigi," he whispered, and the pain in his voice wrenched at Kahlee's heart.

"What are all those machines for?" he asked a moment later, his voice shaky.

"They're just monitors," Kahlee explained, trying to keep her voice professionally optimistic. "So we can keep an eye on her."

Grayson stepped into the room, moving slowly, as if he was suddenly underwater. He knelt down at the side of her bed and reached out with a hand, placing it not on her head but on the sheets just above her shoulder.

"Oh, Gigi. . what did they do to you?" he muttered.

At the sound of his voice Gillian's eyes fluttered open and she turned her head to face him.

"Daddy," she said, her voice weak but obviously happy to see him.

Hendel and Kahlee kept their distance, giving him time with his daughter.

"I heard what happened," he told her. "I was so scared."

"It's okay," she assured him, reaching over to pat him on the hand. "I'm okay now."

It was hard to say which of the adults was more stunned by the simple gesture. In all the years Gillian had been at the Grissom Academy, Kahlee had never seen her actually initiate physical contact with another person. Gillian herself seemed oblivious to their reaction, as she let her hand drop back down to her side and closed her eyes.

"I'm tired," she mumbled. "I need to sleep now."

A few seconds later she was snoring softly. Grayson stared at her for several long moments before standing up and turning to face them. An awkward silence hung in the air.

Kahlee broke it by saying, "The doctors say she's going to make a complete recovery. They just want to keep her here for a few days to monitor her. Because of her condition."

"You said Dr. Toshiwa did this to her?" Grayson's face had lit up when Gillian patted his hand. Now, however, his expression was one of dark, barely contained anger.

Kahlee nodded with her head toward the door, indicating they should step outside to continue the conversation so their words wouldn't disturb the sleeping girl. The two men took the meaning and the three of them went out into the hall, far enough that they were out of earshot. She did notice, however, that both Hendel and Grayson stopped just before they rounded the corner that would have taken them out of sight of the room.

"Jiro was conducting some kind of unauthorized experiment on her," Hendel explained, picking up where they had left off. "We have him in custody."

Grayson nodded slightly. "Good."

"He was working for a group called Cerberus," Hendel suddenly shot out, firing the words quickly. Kahlee could see he was looking to provoke some kind of reaction.

"Cerberus?" Grayson said quizzically after a moment, turning his head slightly to the side.

"A radical pro-human terrorist group," Hendel replied. "Well funded. Jiro was one of their agents. We think he infiltrated the Ascension Project to get close to Gillian."

"Never heard of them. Was he working alone?"

Hendel hesitated before answering, and Kahlee worried he might be trying to play some kind of game with Grayson. To her relief, when the security chief finally replied he did so honestly.

"We don't know yet. Interrogations take time. He's giving it up bit by bit. Probably figures he can negotiate a better deal on his prison time by holding something back."

"You should try torture instead of negotiation." Grayson's voice was flat and cold, but the anger was impossible to miss — the primal rage of a father defending his only child.

"That's not how the Alliance does things," Kahlee told him.

"We'll get the answers soon enough," Hendel added, though Kahlee wasn't sure if he meant it as comfort to a concerned parent, or a threat.

Grayson began to pace back and forth in the narrow confines of the hospital corridor, one hand reaching up to scratch at the stubble on his chin.

"So for all you know, there could still be more of these Cerberus agents working in the facility."

"That's not likely," Hendel assured him. "I had some run-ins with Cerberus during my years with the Alliance. I picked up a few things about their methods. Their undercover operatives tend to work alone."

"But you don't know for sure," Grayson pressed, stopping directly in front of him. "Dr. Toshiwa worked here for years, and you had no idea he was with them."

The security chief didn't reply, but shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"Anyone could be working for them. Another researcher. A teacher. One of the nurses. Even you!"

He punctuated his accusation by jabbing his finger in Hendel's muscular chest. The bigger man bristled, but held his tongue. Kahlee stepped forward and put a hand on Grayson's wrist, gently lowering his hand.

"Hendel saved Gillian's life," she reminded him.

The father dropped his head, chagrined. "I forgot. I'm sorry."

He looked up again and extended his hand. "Thank you, Chief Mitra." Hendel shook it without comment.

"I appreciate everything you two have done for Gillian," Grayson told them, his voice taking on a more businesslike tone. "Not just now, but in all her years here at the Academy. And I'm grateful she had the opportunity to be part of the Ascension Project.

"But after all this, I can't let her stay here. She needs to be with me. It's the only way I can be sure she's safe."

Kahlee nodded. "We're sorry to lose her, Mr. Grayson, but we understand. We'll find a place for you to stay here on the station until she's well enough to travel."

"I don't think you understand," Grayson said, shaking his head. "I'm leaving. Now. And I'm taking my daughter with me."

"I. . I'm sorry, sir," Kahlee replied, momentarily caught off-guard. "But that just isn't possible. She needs medical attention. Until we release—"

"You said there's nothing physically wrong with her," he protested, cutting her off.