Melissa Good - Xena Sci-Fi 1 Partners By Melissa Good

“No kind of idiot, sir.” Stephen responded, quietly.

Bricker handed the pad back. “We don’t have time for this crap. Agent wants out? Fine. Get someone else to be part of the project. I’m sure you can find someone.” He looked at Bock’s face. “What’s the problem? You need a visit to psych too?”

“Maybe.” Stephen said. “Maybe I just got Jess’s point.”

“What?”

“John, you reminded me how few our resources are. So now you tell me to throw one of them away?” Stephen said, slowly. “We’re not machines.”

Bricker looked exasperated. “We don’t have time for this.” He said. “Do you not get it? Do you not understand what that breakthrough means? That they’ve found a way to grow plants again, here, on the surface?”

“I get it.” Bock replied. “So now you want me to send people… People, John? Our people? Into enemy space to try and get that technology and bring it back. People who are here, who don’t trust us, who don’t trust the people that back them now.”

“Maybe we should go all bio alt.” Bricker said. “At least then they’d do what we told them to do, instead of wringing and crying and being pansy assed pieces of crap. I told you. I don’t have time for this. The Council wants a plan, by tonight, to get someone in there.”

“I’ll see if I can find anyone willing.” Bock turned and started to leave.

“If?”

Bock turned. “Unfortunately, sir, until you make good your plan to replace us with biddable robots, we still have a choice. We don’t force our people to go. We ask them.” He swiveled and left the comm. Center, heading for his office in the back section of the stronghold.

Word was already spreading. He could see ops agents loitering in the hall, watching his approach, gathered in groups. He remembered being one of them, wondering what ‘they’ were going to ask now, viewing ‘them’ as the Brickers of the world who never really cared about what the cost was, only saw results.

Well, he was a them now. Stephen grimaced uncomfortably. At least, that’s what his title said.

“Stephen.” Jason Anders cut in front of his path, with Elaine Cruz next to him. “Can we speak with you?” Both were experienced agents. Both veterans. Apparently they’d been elected spokespeople, and, he abruptly remembered, both were friends of Jess.

Bock regarded them, then sighed. “Sure.” He waved a hand towards his door. “C’mon.”

“He doesn’t get it.” Bricker said to the closed door, and then swiveled around to look at the rest of the people in the comms center.

They were all looking back at him, with closed, silent faces. He could sense the anger in the room. “I can replace all of you with them too.” He warned. ‘We have a mission here, people. That’s bigger than any of us.”

He turned back to the console and started keying in requests.

**

Dev was seated on a plastic bench, her elbows braced on her knees, sweat dripping off her as she tried to catch her breath. Her whole body was shaking with her just ended effort, and she blinked salty droplets out of her eyes that landed on the gym floor.

She had never been so tired. She flexed her hands, rough and sore from the climbing system and felt a blister forming just at the pad between her fingers and palms. She was dressed in the light singlet they used in the gym and there were bruises on her knees and arms from all the work.

“NM-Dev-1?”

Dev looked up, to find a phys proctor there. “Yes.”

“You have completed group A and group B tasks. Well done.” The proctor said. “You are complete for the day.” The woman gave her a sympathetic look.. “I know it’s been a long session.”

“Yes.” Dev responded, direly grateful for the news.

“The rest of the day is scheduled clear for you, to review previous classes. Okay?”

“Yes.” Dev said. “Thank you.”

“Your welcome.” The proctor gave her a smile, then she shut her pad down and walked away, leaving Dev alone in the preparation area.

She straightened up and ran her hands through her damp hair, knowing from the ache in her arms she would be experiencing this class for quite some time. At least she had some space to relax now, and a night meal to look forward to.

It was cycle end today. That usually meant the dining hall would give them something a little different, or two cakes, or maybe even some protein bars and she was glad of it since her body was craving replenishment from the past while.

Footsteps made her look up again, and she blinked as a familiar figure entered the gym and came over to where she was sitting. “Hello Doctor Dan.”

“Hello, Dev.” Daniel Kurok took a seat next to her. “How are you?”

“Tired, right now.” Dev answered honestly.

You could always answer Doctor Dan straight. He was the first doctor she remembered, and the one who always had the time to talk, and explain things. He was a man of middling height, with straight, blond hair the same shade as hers, and a calm, appealing personality

She had always liked him. All the sets did. Doctor Dan was one of the very few who would talk to you as if you were actually a person. Not talk at you.

“I can imagine.” The doctor’s gentle grayish blue eyes regarded her. “I know you’ve been very busy preparing for your new assignment. Are you excited about it?

Dev thought about that. “I am.” She said, eventually. “It’s hard, but knowing so much is good.”

Doctor Dan smiled at her. “I’m glad to hear that.” He said. “I came to find you, because something has happened, and they need you to go to your assignment sooner than we thought. I’d like to talk to you about it before you start getting ready.”

“How soon?” Dev asked. “I still have programming to get.”

“Tomorrow.” Doctor Dan put a hand on her shoulder as she stiffened. “But don’t be scared. You have what you need. The rest of the programming is just information, not skills and we’ll send it with you.” He reassured her. “Can you come with me? We can have dinner, and talk.”

It was like getting a buzz. Dev wasn’t sure what to say. She’d never been invited to go to a meal with anyone except one of her crèche mates. “Yes.” She finally answered. “I need to change first.”

“No problem.” The doctor patted her bare shoulder. “Go on, and I’ll wait for you outside in the lobby. “ He watched her walk off towards the changing space and sighed, glancing up as someone else walked up. “This makes me very unhappy, Randall.”

“I know.” Doss sat down on the bench just vacated. “I know you had plans for this one.”

“It’s not just that.” The chief geneticist sighed. “I know you think I’m probably against the assignment, but I’m not. I think it’s a damn good idea, matter of fact.”

“You do?” Doss seemed astonished.

“Yes, I do.”

Doss scratched his head. “So you think this might work?” He asked. “Do you really think one of our products can do this?”

Doctor Dan looked at him with an oddly wry expression. “Yes, I do.” He repeated. “I just wanted to be prepared for it. Send the right set, properly trained and programmed. “ He frowned. “Not something jury rigged like this is. I have suspicions about their success motives.”

Doss shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean??”

Kurok stood up. “Never mind. I could be wrong.” He said. “But I’ll be escorting Dev down there. I have our flight assignments already.”

“Oh, but Daniel!” Doss protested. “You have so much in work here!”

“I know. It will need to wait.” The geneticist replied. “I want to find out what this emergency is. My sources in Interforce have told me the situation downside is not good.” He frowned. “I don’t want us to end up a scapegoat.”