Terran Crescent, Earth
Terra City, Atlanta District
To keep Jawk near him in the rush of people on the street, Luc wrapped an arm around his waist. This older portion of the city, a district called Atlanta, might be hospitable, but it was overcrowded. Two of them side by side had a better chance of forging their way through the throng and into the building ahead. As they reached the entrance, the doors slid open.
Inside the monumental lobby, he gave Jawk a smile of reassurance. Marble columns towered around them to a domed roof. "Are you all right?" His voice echoed.
The Kin flicked his ears. "Yeah. This is a beautiful building."
"Thank you. Let's go. I have a meeting."
"Meeting, huh?" He tugged at the straps of his backpack. "Okay. What do you need me to do? Get lost?"
Luc chuckled. "You getting lost is what I'm afraid of. Terra City's bigger than Tarth City. Stay with me." They entered the elevator and he tapped the controls for the top floor. "I won't be long. Besides, I want your opinion on these guys."
"My opinion?" He touched his chest. "What do I know?"
He lifted one eyebrow. "You can tell if they're lying, for one thing. You could flick your ears. Signal me."
Jawk nodded. "I'm game. You better hope nothing tickles them, though, or you might end up thinking you're surrounded by pathological liars."
He rubbed his mouth.
"How about I flick them twice for lies, and bring them straight up for someone honest?"
"Works for me." Luc passed a hand over the controls, stopping the elevator. "I'm here two hours ahead of schedule. I like to see what people do when that happens, so expect a bit of chaos. I'll tell them you're my new assistant. Not that it's their business, but... Stay close to me."
The Kin's ears went out and down as he sniffed. "You're the boss."
Letting the elevator continue to its floor, the two stepped out into a black-and-white marble lobby rich with plants, leather seating, and low light.
A young man hurried around the desk to greet him. "Mr. Saint-Cyr! Welcome home, sir. We weren't expecting you yet."
He shook hands with him, gestured to Jawk. "I'd like you to meet my new assistant, Jawk Brighton. Jawk, this is Chad."
"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Brighton. You're a Kin, aren't you?" Chad held out a hand.
Jawk accepted it, ears up and forward. He bared his teeth.
Uh-oh. Luc bit back a smile. This ought to be interesting.
Chad turned back to Luc. "Early isn't a problem at all, Mr. Saint-Cyr. We've been ready for two days. Please, come in, and make yourself at home."
Well, good. A pleasant surprise. He noted Jawk's ears were still straight up. "Thank you, Chad. It's good to be back."
"May I get you some coffee, sir?"
"Thank you. Yes, hot, and plenty of it." He motioned Jawk to follow.
Across the wall a giant greeting rotated around a globe in holographic 3D chrome. He turned to Jawk, curious how he'd react.
The Kin paused to take it in and cast him an amused glance. It read, "Welcome to Shibboleth, Inc."
* * * *
Tarthian Empire space, Tarth orbit
Le Persequor - lurk mode (invisible)
Sickbay
Date unknown
Wulf rubbed his eyes, yawning. The timepiece embedded in the scanners over Alitus's head ran on a different system, but it had been 36:01 when he'd first noticed and it was now 54:04. Eighteen hours? The lights outside the sickbay had cycled through a light and dark period, as if a day had passed. His stomach growled.
He held Alitus's hand and stroked his cool skin. The nailbeds were a faint blue, veins still visible. "I'm here, love." Resting his forearm against the bed, he leaned down close, a hand in Alitus's hair. "I'm not leaving you, 'Litus. I'll be with you, no matter what."
The door whooshed open, and Uurah entered, his solid presence filling the room. "How is he?"
Wulf yawned as he stood. "Sorry." He covered his mouth with one hand. "He hasn't stirred. Hasn't moved."
"We've got him in a form of stasis. Until we isolate the poison, it's best if he sleeps." The android bent over, lifted one of Alitus's eyelids, and shone a light into his eye. "You should get some rest."
"Not leaving him."
The android straightened. "No need." He came around the bed and opened the drawer of a cabinet. "Step back."
Wulf moved aside.
A couple of adjustments, and a narrow bed unfolded, already made with sheets, pillow, and blanket. "This work for you?" Uurah smiled.
"Thank you." Wulf resisted the urge to toss himself onto it. "I'm worn out."
"Get some rest. Mr. Vivaldi will be out for at least two days."
"Two days!" He dragged his fingers back through his hair. "I can't--I--Lucsondis depends on me. Luc depends on me. I need to contact my people."
"Already taken care of. The other Chosen got in touch, let them know you'd had to leave on business."
Oh, God. They won't even look for me. I could disappear, and nobody'd know.
Uurah clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Think of it as a vacation." He headed for the door, paused to look back. "I'll have the cook send you up a sandwich. We're not used to company here. We sort of forgot about you."
How reassuring. Wulf put his head down, a hand over his eyes.
"Try not to worry, Mr. Gabriel. None of us will hurt you."
He nodded, unconvinced.
The android opened the door.
"Uurah?"
He halted, turned back. "Yes?"
Wulf didn't face him. "Why do Sempervians need a sickbay? They're never sick. They heal too fast to need--" He gestured around the equipped room. "--all this."
"This isn't a sickbay for Sempervians, Mr. Gabriel. Le Persequor means the Persecutor. This ship is where they serve Penance for losing a game of Peril." He lowered his voice. "This is one of the rooms where they're tortured."