Public speaking and nudity. Two of Nell's biggest fears scheduled to happen on the same day. Even knowing she had a purpose couldn't still the butterflies in her stomach nor could the relative covering of the emergency blanket. She glanced at her hand clasped firmly in the admiral's large right one. The feel of his rough skin against hers caused a prickling sensation to travel up her arm, and desire beat the chill off her bare skin. That's the nakedness talking.
Or her brain trying to distract her from the upcoming speech to his men. All of whom had seen her in her birthday suit. Maybe if she'd talked to them before? Ah, who was she kidding? Nell tightened her grip on the admiral's hand as he dragged her out of the cargo bay and into the hall. Dying would be preferable.
Heck, she'd done that today, too.
Spaghetti thin cables bristled from missing ceiling and wall panels. Exposed bulbs flickered as they wobbled against their ballasts, bathing the hall with strobe lights. Whatever the ship had endured had been a doozey. At least Nell prayed the craft had encountered something and it wasn't just being held together by duct tape, garbage ties and bubblegum. That was all well and good for the movies, but not in real life. Especially when her life depended upon it.
"I just can't believe I'm here." Forcing a smile, Nell nodded as Bei towed her closer to a soldier in the six-foot-wide corridor of the spaceship. "Hello."
The crewwoman with a pale face and short blonde hair, jerked to the side. She pressed her back flat against the gray metal wall to study the one opposite her.
"Do you think you should be somewhere else?" The admiral's voice remained even, almost disinterested. And yet?
And yet, Nell couldn't shake the feeling that every word she uttered was measured and weighed on his mental scale. Well, she'd show him. She'd prove her usefulness so they didn't lock her away. Not that he'd threatened to, but she knew how the world worked. A person was only as good as what they could do. While she may be out of her time, she was here for a purpose. She just had to remember it.
"I just never thought I'd end up in the future," Nell muttered. Despite scissoring her legs in a walking motion, her toes never touched the floor. Her cheeks burned in shame from being tugged behind him like a damaged blimp. A growl rumbled low in her throat. And speaking of bloated, that recording of him killing her had been none too flattering either.
When the corridor branched, the admiral took the left passage. "I think you timed your arrival perfectly. Our need is great."
Nell turned her smile on two soldiers repairing a mishmash of cables hanging from the hole in the ceiling. "Hi. How you doing?"
Both men straightened to attention and stared straight ahead.
Nell's smile felt frozen to her face. As much as she wanted to scowl, she couldn't. Good God, these people had seen her naked and now they were reluctant to look her in the eye. She pulled her silver emergency blanket sarong tighter around her and nodded at the ponytailed woman removing large metal panels from the hallway wall. Nell blinked in surprise. The soldier had only one leg. Neatly pleated fabric folded over the joint where the other should be.
Nell forced herself not to gawk as they approached the one legged crewwoman. "Is she all right?"
"Ensign Oslo undoubtedly donated a leg to her CO," the admiral answered as if loping off a leg happened all the time.
The ensign looked up, caught sight of Nell, came to attention and saluted. Too bad the cyber woman had no hand to salute with. Instead her wrist glowed a soft white, an oval light at the end of the point of amputation.
Nell shuddered. Maybe swapping body parts was a common occurrence here. She had to remember this was a different era and the Syn-En were cyborgs, part man, part machine. Her gaze dropped to the admiral's behind. Nice and firm under his black uniform. Was it real or a machine part, like an engine block in a car?
For a Syn-En, human dermis has been replaced by Neodynamic Armor. The plating is layered similar to scales and can be a hundred thousand times more sensitive than regular skin.
Encyclopedia Mom returned. But if Mom really were part of Nell's subconscious, where had the information come from? Could she have been modified somehow? How would she know? The Syn-En didn't look any different than her. At least not when they were whole and hadn't been dismantled like some Lego Bionicle. Yet, the doctor had said she was one hundred percent organic. Maybe while she slept, that stasis thing had fed her information through subliminal messages or brainwashing.
And the near constant sex thoughts?
Time had swallowed her family, friends and everything she knew, but she'd survived. And now her biological clock ticked so loudly it was deafening. A hundred thirty-five years of celibacy had heightened her awareness. So, how come she couldn't shake the feeling something fishy was going on? She'd never been a bed bunny, hopping from one affair to another.
Knock it off. For all she knew the Syn-En were celibate. With a spurt of possessiveness shooting through her, Nell focused on the flexing of the Admiral's gluteus maximus as he towed her down the twists and turns of the damaged corridors. Maybe he couldn't have sex. Maybe his equipment had been replaced by an adjustable screwdriver. She winced at her poor choice of words.
As if hearing her thoughts, Bei glanced over his shoulder at her. His left brow cocked above one gray eye. "You have a question?"
"No!" Embarrassment burned her cheeks. Last thing she needed was for him to learn she'd contemplated him and his parts.
His eyes narrowed slightly before he turned around.
Mom, the encyclopedia, used the silence to complete her entry. Syn-Ens are capable of reproduction once the gamete blocker has been lifted. As for their secondary sexual characteristics, the appearance and function are preserved, but thanks to recent upgrades, individuals can adjust the size at will.
Nell squeezed her eyes closed. Good God, was there enough brain bleach to rid Nell of the memory of her mother talking about made-to-order erections? An odd whimpering sound slipped past Nell's lips. Was the information real or just wishful thinking?
"My quarters are close." The admiral tucked his arm against his body, reeling Nell closer to him.
Raising her free hand to his shoulder, she stopped herself from slamming into his hard frame. As if it weren't enough to have erotic thoughts plaguing her, now everyone knew she didn't touch the ground, couldn't walk like a normal person. "I feel like such a freak."
"Freak?" The admiral stopped before a set of closed double doors. A muscle ticked in his jaw.
"What are you getting so upset about? I'm the one who mooned everyone on your ship with my cellulite dimpled butt." Anxiety grabbed her vocal cords and started throwing off words. "And to top it off, I can't even walk. Walk, for crying out loud. I've been doing that since before I was a year old."
"You haven't enough metal in your body to attract you to the deck and provide your muscles with the resistance of artificial gravity. Clothing will help." Bei tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. His fingers skimmed the curve of her jaw. "As for your ass flash, I do not think anyone has complained."
Ass flash? For some reason the words struck her as funny. Humor helped her relax into his touch. At least they'd reached his room before she embarrassed herself further, like drooling on him.
He can detect your attraction to him.
You can shut up any time now, Mother. Nell's cheeks ached from maintaining her brave face. She adjusted the sarong over her breasts. Fortunately, she could blame the cold for their puckered state. "You said clothes. Will I get them before or after my speech?"
"Before." Bei's hand dropped to his side. "I do not think there will be time to rehearse your speech, so you will need to read it off the LCD prompt."
"No problem." Just get me to your room before the rest of your crew comes on board. The double doors slid open and she gasped. Good God, he lived in a box. A six by three foot box. Prisoners lived in more spacious quarters. And there was no bed, just walls and a bar across the ceiling. Did these people sleep like bats, hanging from the bar overhead? Pan
ic choked her. She shook her head, trying to dispel the anxiety before it drowned her. "I am so not suited for this assignment."
The admiral tugged her into his room and the door closed behind them. He set his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her down so her feet were flat on the floor. "Would they have sent you otherwise?"
Nell curled her toes against the cold metal deck. "I?"
Releasing him, Nell gestured to the enclosed space. Her hands touched both sides easily. She folded her arms across her chest. How was she to sleep in this place? Maybe she'd just strap herself to the admiral like a leech. Excitement coursed through her. Was she going to sleep with the admiral? Her elbows brushed the smooth walls and claustrophobia caused her belly to dance. Great. That's all she needed, to vomit. With her luck, it would probably rise up and smack her in the face.
Bei pulled her against him. From thigh to chest, she felt his strength seep into her even as her mind registered the softness of her body settling into the hard planes of his.
Calloused hands cupped her bare shoulder blades and for a moment compassion softened his expression. "You are the right person for this job, Nell. You survived the darkest era in human history and traveled millions of miles from Earth to save us, a people most of your kind don't care about."
"How can I save anyone with a speech?" Nell laid her cheek against his chest, felt the rise and fall with each breath and the slow drum of his heart. For a moment, the heat of his body warmed her, but slowly a fire ignited low inside her that had nothing to do with comfort and everything to do with a raw sexual need.
"The words are not as important as you being here to utter them." He tucked her head under his chin.
"I wish I had your faith." And his strength. With it, she could get through this speech without throwing up. Behave, she urged her rumbling stomach. The speech gave her a purpose, and afterwards?
He scooped her legs up in one arm and cradled her against his broad chest. "It is not faith but practicality."
Wiggling in his hold, she tucked the edges of her toga between her legs and felt to make sure it covered her private parts. "Thanks. I think."
"You're welcome." He rocked her slightly, then the doors opened.
Nell bit her lip to keep the hysteria from spilling out. She definitely qualified for the idiot of the year. They'd been in an elevator, not his quarters. She might have figured it out earlier if she'd been able to touch the floor and feel the motion. She was getting sick of floating, of not knowing what was going on. "Did that box Ms. Shang'hai found contain any instructions for me?"
"It is a flight log, unlikely to have other information on it, but I will have her check." Bei carried Nell down another long gray hall. This one had suffered less damage. Aside from a few buckled sheets at regular intervals along the walkway, none of the panels had popped off and no wires waved from pitted walls.
The crew quarters must be better protected against whatever had happened to the other areas. At least she wouldn't have to worry about being sucked out a hole while she slept. Better yet, no crewman was around to stand at attention so they wouldn't have to look at her. Nell looped her arms around the admiral's neck. "You have interesting names. Shang'hai. Rome. Isn't anyone called John or Jack or Jane anymore?"
"The Syn-En are named in accordance with our genetic ancestry." The admiral marched down the hall. The motion was smooth as gliding with only the chink of his heels punctuating his steps.
"So Chief Rome is Italian?"
The admiral's brow furrowed for a moment before he looked down at her. "He is descended from a member of the European Nation. Chief Engineer Commander Sydney Shang'hai's parents are believed to be from both the Asian Consortium and the PanAus Island Federation."
"Believed to be? She doesn't know?"
"The Syn-En are wards of the state and have been since infancy or close to it."
"I think I knew that." How Nell knew was another matter, but that could wait. Maybe after she gave her speech, she'd look at the stasis chamber a little closer. Something told her the answer lay there. "So your name?"
He remained quiet as they reached the end of the empty hall. A single door opened at his approach and he walked across the threshold.
Nell didn't take her eyes off him. "You're not going to tell me your name."
"Beijing York. Although most of your kind address me as Admiral." His full lips thinned as he looked down at her.
"I can see why. I mean you are an admiral. Which is the highest rank, right? And therefore deserving of respect." Nell flinched at the anger vibrating through his body.
"It also helps for citizens not to see us as individuals." Pain darkened his pale blue eyes, exotic in their slanted sockets.
"I'm sure that's not the case." She kept her hands locked behind his neck to stop from smoothing his ache away. Somehow she knew he wouldn't interpret anything she did as a sign of comfort.
"It is. We do the same. Prisoners are given numbers and are addressed as such."
A sliver of fear worked its way under her skin. "Am I your prisoner?"
She watched his face, looking for any sign of truth or lies.
After a heartbeat, the corners of his lips twitched. "No. You are here to save us, remember?"
"I remember, but I'm sure I'm supposed to do something more than give a speech." For a moment, she played with the soft black hair at his nape, then her fingers explored the rough skin. Was it her imagination or was it just a bit squishy under her touch?
Beijing York winced, quickly released her legs and grasped her hands. "The communication will do for now."
"Just keep it short. Last time I gave a speech, I threw up on stage." Doubts whispered across Nell's brain. She shook them off. If Beijing thought she could do the task she would try. After all, she'd joined the Save Our World Foundation to help, and he had said more than once that her talking to his crew would help. She straightened and saluted while hovering in front of him. "What are your orders, Sir?"
Beijing shook his head.
Dropping her hand, Nell shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't mean any insult by that."
His mouth opened as if to speak but all that she heard was a loud chirp.
Nell slapped her hand over her mouth to trap a rising giggle. Now might be a good time to check out her new quarters. The queen sized bed took up a third of the rectangular room. Pinholes of white light illuminated the crisp corners of the tucked, silver blanket. Catty-corner to the bed, two green barrel chairs crowded a built-in metal desk and two flat computer monitors with a variety of ports hung above it. To the left of the bed, a set of sliding closet doors, with one tucked neatly behind the other, exposed three navy uniform shirts and folded pants on hangers.
Without taking his attention from Nell, Beijing responded to the chirping doorbell. "Enter."
The door to the hall swished open and Shang'hai stepped inside. She tossed a bundle from one hand to another like a cook would pizza dough. "Sorry to interrupt, Bei, but I thought the citizen would want these."
Shang'hai's brown slanted eyes narrowed to slits as her gaze flicked from Nell to Bei. After a moment, she held out the wadded fabric to the admiral. A muscle ticked in her round jaw as her attention settled on Nell's hand on Bei's shoulder.
Nell jerked her hand away as if scalded. She hadn't meant to poach on the other woman's property.
Yes, you did. Her ever helpful mother reminded Nell. And you and he are chosen to be together.
Chosen? What the heck does that mean?
Beijing took the offering in his large hands before he pressed it against Nell's stomach. "Is the com set up?"
Nell clutched at the wad of slinky fabric. It was heavy. Looking down, she noticed the soles of her feet actually skimmed the floor. Guess the clothes must have metal in them so they would be attracted to the deck. Balancing one half of the pile on her shoulder, she unfurled the other fabric. Pants. Holding them against her belly, she checked the size. They just might fit. Looking up, Nell offered the other woman
a genuine smile. "Thank you, Chief Engineer Commander Shang'hai."
Without responding, Shang'hai smoothed her pink hair flat against her oval head. The short locks sprang back up while she addressed Beijing. "We're routing feed to here. Red Dwarf's com is damaged and should be operational in five, but the rest of the fleet is standing by."
Fleet? Nell wrapped her legs around each other as she stood on tippy-toes. Tension dotted her shoulders before she took a calming breath. The admiral would have to address all his men, she needed only talk to those who saw that film clip. "I should go and, um, let you talk military."
Turning, she scanned the room. Great! So much for making a graceful exit, there wasn't a door in sight. When she pushed off the deck, she shot toward the ceiling. She reached for Beijing but turned and grasped the chair instead. Nell wouldn't put it past Shang'hai to rip her apart for touching her man. For some reason, tears sprang to Nell's eyes.
"Nell?" Beijing cupped her elbow and turned her slowly to face him.
"Hmm." She sniffed, wiping her nose on her forearm. "I just don't know where to go t-to provide you with privacy."
"We don't need privacy." He offered her a smile. It softened the angles and planes of his face and lit his eyes. "Why don't you get dressed then we'll go over what you're to say to the fleet."
Nell stiffened. That was not the agreement. "The fleet? Why do I have to address the fleet? I thought I was only to speak to the ones that saw?"
Her breath came in small burst of cold air. Oh Lord! The entire fleet saw her posterior?
"Because they saw you die." The admiral's lips twitched before he got them under control.
"The fleet saw?" Lightning bolts appeared in Nell's peripheral vision. Her stomach danced a jig. Darkness crowded out the light and an odd buzzing sounded in her ears. She heard the flutter of fabric as oblivion beckoned.
"Doc Cabo. Medical emergency in admiral's quarters. Doc Cabo to the admiral's quarters." Strong arms closed around her. Beijing's heat warmed her numb limbs. "Breathe, Nell. You have to breathe. In and out."
Safe. She was safe. Nell sucked in the metallic tasting air. Her eyes fluttered open. The admiral's face swam in and out of focus. Good grief. She was having a panic attack. Shouldn't there be a limit on the number of times she could embarrass herself in a day? "I?"
Pressure on her belly caused Nell to look down.
Shang'hai tugged at the hem of Nell's sarong then clamped onto Nell's arm, and dragged her backward into a corner, away from the admiral. "Let's get you dressed."
Reaching around Nell, Shang'hai jerked on the knot holding the silver sarong closed.
Nell smacked the pale hands aside and caught the emergency blanket before it slipped down, exposing her chest. "I can't get dressed here."
Beijing and his lover looked at her as if she'd grown another head.
Of course the way her day had been, maybe she had. "I've already given your men- no, your entire fleet a peep show, I don't plan to do an encore performance."
Shang'hai rolled her brown eyes. "We have already seen-"
"I don't care! I don't." Nell winced at her petulance but honestly?
The admiral rubbed his chin and focused his gaze on her hands holding the emergency blanket against her. "Do you wish for me to turn away?"
Before she could answer, the door slid open again and the Doc and Chief Rome stepped inside.
Suddenly the room wasn't as spacious as it had seemed before.
"I brought these." The chief held up a pair of black boots. Nell could see her distorted reflection in the glossy blunt tips. Untied metallic laces flopped against the ankle high sides. "And I even checked them to make sure no one left a foot or toe behind."
Ew! Did he think that was funny?
He tossed them at Nell.
Grasping the edge of the blanket between her teeth, Nell caught the boots. The impact propelled her backwards into the wall next to the desk. A hollow thud resounded as her head slammed against the metal. She winced at the pain prickling her scalp and raked up her blanket. "Thank you, for the shoes and for, for verifying the vacancy."
The chief winked at her.
Beijing shifted his weight to the right, blocking the chief's view.
Doc raised his tan hand. Green light shot out of his palm toward her. Nell tried not to flinch as the beam skimmed down her body. "Her anxiety has increased dramatically."
The admiral nodded. "Give her a shot of serotonin."
Shaking his head, Doc strode forward. "Can't. Her blood is a cocktail of exotic chemicals, no doubt to preserve her during prolonged stasis."
Pushing away from the wall, Nell straightened to her full height. Anxiety wasn't her only feeling. Thanks to their attitude, she also had a healthy dose of irritation going. "I'm right here, you know. You don't have to talk about me like I'm a slab of meat."
"I don't know, you look pretty appetitizing to me." The chief winked at her.
"Take Nell to the head to dress," the admiral growled at his lover.
Shang'hai nodded and picked up the clothes under Nell's hovering form. "Aye, sir."
Latching onto Nell's arm, the engineer towed her toward the closet.
Juggling the shoes, Nell scissored her legs, toes skimming the floor, trying to catch up. "Oh, hey. I'm not a kite."
Nell checked over her shoulder to see if any of the men moved to help her. Doc concentrated on opening and closing his fingertips, checking the syringes, scalpels and clamps inside the narrow tubes. The admiral and the chief faced each other, no doubt engaged in a telepathic shouting match on the WA. When Shang'hai winced, Nell knew they were arguing over her, her purpose and her being here.
Nell turned back. Shang'hai had opened an inset door in the wall to reveal a rectangular room. This was the bathroom? An oblong white box covered in soft plastic was embedded in the wall under an oval mirror. A curtainless shower with eight nozzles took up the left end of the room. As for the toilet? It had been replaced by a large suction cup. Nell's bowels tightened. Good thing she didn't have to go. But? Maybe she should ask, so she knew how to use it when needed. Then again, Beijing's lover might find a way to flush Nell down it.
Shang'hai reached again for the ends of Nell's sarong. This time she let the other woman remove the emergency blanket and dropped the boots. They clattered to the floor with a reassuring sense of gravity. "You don't have to help me. I can dress myself."
Shang'hai shrugged. "Time is short."
Nell stepped into the pants and pulled them over her hips. The fabric draped her bare bottom like cold silk. The feeling was sensual and a little naughty. Smiling, Nell ducked into the tunic Shang'hai held and pushed her arms through the long sleeves. The pads of Nell's feet skimmed the floor. "Will the shoes be enough so I can walk?"
Shang'hai opened a drawer in the dresser built into the wall opposite the shower and tugged out a wad of fabric. "Socks should help."
Nell glanced into the mirror. The shirt had counterbalanced the zero gravity at least where her breasts were concerned. Too bad she didn't have a push up bra. And then there was the matter of her hair. It floated around her face, like she'd stuck her finger in a socket.
While Shang'hai knelt to slide the socks on Nell's bare feet, Nell opened the drawers looking for a brush. Her first try yielded success and she yanked the bristles through her tangled blonde hair. "Maybe I should cut it off like yours."
"Bei wouldn't like that." Shang'hai tugged a band from her pocket. Metal curlicues jingled from it. "This is what the civilians use."
"Thanks." Nell took it but couldn't get the metal scrunchy open.
"Here." Shang'hai took it back, inserted her thumb and forefinger inside and opened the band. "I'll fix your hair while you put on your shoes."
Nell toed into the boots then worked her heel down against the stiff back. "Why are you helping me? I mean, I kinda made moves on your man."
"Bei and I no longer share a bed. In fact, he does not have a lover among the crew." Shang'hai smiled.
"And even I would hate to see this hair go. Human hair is quite soft."
"But you?" Nell looked at the other woman's pink hair.
"It is synthetic, which is nice because I can change styles easily but it does not feel the same." Shang'hai glanced at Nell's reflection. "You may touch it."
Nell swept her hand over the spiky locks. The texture was a bit rough, but nothing a little conditioner wouldn't fix.. "I can't tell the difference."
"For those of us with NDA, it is the difference between sandpaper and a cloud." Shang'hai slid her hand down Nell's ponytail. "It is the same with human skin."
"I don't know how to explain my attraction to Bei. I-"
"You are neither the first citizen who became infatuated with him nor the first one he's been involved with."
But you will be the last. Was Mom issuing a warning or a prediction? Excitement trilled through Nell at the prospect, disbelief tromped hard on its heels. Was she nuts? She just met the man and now she wanted to claim him as her property.
"I'm ready." Nell walked out of the bathroom. Instead of a smooth stride, her movements were awkward. The magnetic attraction between the floor and her made it feel as if she were walking on flypaper. Her anxiety increased when she noted that the men were still arguing.
"You honestly think she's going to save us. Earth sent us here to die!" Tension corded Chief Rome's neck.
"I was sent to save you." Nell cleared the lump from her throat and strode further into the room. "And I don't intend to fail anymore than you do, Chief Rome."
"And how do you plan to do that? The only reason you touch the ground is because of those magnets in your shoes, Citizen."
"Enough, Chief." Bei growled.
Nell glared back at the security officer. "I don't know how, but I do know the answer to your questions and doubts is locked in that box Commander Shang'hai has. We just have to find it."
The monitors mounted over the desk flared to life. Shang'hai pulled the chair from under the desk and pushed it toward the bed. The castors slid silently across the deck before stopping at the foot of the bed. Shang'hai unraveled a white cord visible under her hair at her pale nape. "Two more ships are reporting restlessness among the civies. You better address them soon, Admiral."
Beijing rested his hand on the small of Nell's back and ushered her to the corner of the room placing her in front of the TV. "Nell. Stand here. I'll be right behind you."
Nell's stomach heaved. Fear lodged in her throat and she wheezed in lungfuls of air. Why had she agreed to this? To help? Who was going to help her? Holding her breath, she waited for the heartbeat drumming in her ears to slow.
The admiral's hand remained on her. Too bad she couldn't absorb his strength. He smiled down at her. "Just read the monitor."
"Don't worry. I have it on transmit, not receive. They'll be able to see you but you can pretend you're talking to the wall."
"Better than picturing the audience naked." Nell squeezed her eyes closed. Why did she have to think of that? They wouldn't need to picture her naked. She had been last time they'd seen her. Opening her eyes, she focused on the wide screen.
"Ready?" Shang'hai nodded to Nell and words appeared on the screen.
"Okay." Nell couldn't focus. Good heavens, what was that language? The letters merged into white blobs then separated but didn't form words. They should make sense, shouldn't they? Had that brainwashing wiped out her ability to read?
Bei's fingers wiggled along her spine. "Anytime you're ready, Citizen Stafford."
Chief Rome crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the doorjamb and stared at the ceiling.
The doctor frowned as he continued to scan her from his place next to the chief.
Nell started. She'd have to wing it. As long as she could keep the sarcasm at bay, she could reassure Beijing's crew and get through this without embarrassing herself. "Hello, everyone. I guess you've all seen the rather unpleasant video of me and thought I was dead. Well, as you can see rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."
Nell forced her stiff lips into a smile. Great, instead of sarcasm, she was plagiarizing literary works.
Shang'hai pointed to the screen and the word flashing at the top.
Nell looked at it. Nope. Still couldn't read it. "It is my understanding that a woman named Burkina Faso sent a video to undermine Admiral Beijing York's command. You should know that Ms. Faso is guilty of murdering many honorable soldiers. Rest assured, she will be brought to justice for her crimes."
Rome pushed away from the doorjamb and ran his hands through his blond crew cut. His attention shifted from her to Beijing before returning to her again.
Nell straightened under his perusal. He obviously didn't like her. How much would he interfere with her relationship with Beijing? She barely managed not to snort. She had no relationship with the admiral. "I know that your mission has suffered a few setbacks, but I ask that all of you give the admiral your unconditional support so he can bring us back on track as quickly as possible."
The doctor's green beam blinked off. He cocked his head to the left and stared at her.
Shang'hai stopped pointing to the teleprompt and focused on Nell.
"We, the people, have embarked upon this journey not because it is easy but because it is hard." Nell coughed into her hand. Her stomach was still acting up. Probably because she started with the Declaration of Independence and ended with John F Kennedy's address at Rice Stadium. Inwardly cringing, she prayed the speech made sense and continued on. "It will test our endurance, our spirit and our humanity. I know that together, we can achieve those dreams of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Nell swallowed the lump in her throat. How many US doctrines had she butchered now?
Expectation hung in the air.
With their mouths hanging open, Doc, the chief and Shang'hai stared at her.
"We cannot allow people like Faso and her followers to divert us from our course. Beginning today, we are no longer civilian, citizen, and Syn-En. We are one race, human. Equals endowed with inalienable rights. For united we stand and divided we fall." Nell coughed again. Just a little longer, she begged her turbulent stomach. Her speech would have to end soon, she didn't remember that many more famous speeches and she doubted, four score and seven years would work. "I came here to remind you that if we remain one n-" she cleared the nation from her throat, "one people, indivisible then we will have liberty and justice for all."
Nell glanced around her. They just stood there, still as statues. Good Lord, she'd ended with the Pledge of Allegiance, and they acted as if they hadn't heard it. Maybe they hadn't. Still. She was done. Her gag reflex confirmed it. Nell set her hand on her stomach. She was going to vomit.
"Please join me in supporting Admiral Beijing." Nell clamped a hand over her lips as her stomach tossed its contents into her mouth. Turning, she sprinted toward the bathroom.
Bei tried to grab her but she eluded his grasp. His soft words followed her into the bathroom. "Thank you, Citizen? Ah, well, it will take time for us to get used to our new roles on Terra Dos."
Ignoring the funky toilet, Nell collapsed next to the shower and bent over the drain. A cascade of warm air and water rained down on her head as she hurled her stomach contents at the grated drain. Tears burned her eyes but she finally managed to stop throwing up. A swirl of electric blue traveled toward the drain. "Oh, God, it's blue. What have I even eaten that's blue?"
Footsteps sounded behind her. She noted Shang'hai and the doctor before starting round two of the retching.
A hand touched her back as Doc spoke. "Just don't fight it. I think it's fluid from your lungs."
Fear plugged up round three long enough for Nell to shout, "I'm barfing up my lungs!"
Over the splashing of water against the metal walls, Nell heard the admiral still reassuring his crew through the video message. "In the meantime, we have much work to do. Each of us is no less important than the other."
Doc laughed. Hi
s tan hand moved her dripping bangs out of her face. "Not your lungs. The blue composite inside them. It prevented you from dying in the event your stasis chamber decompressed."
Nell rocked back on her heels and blinked back the tears. Water snaked down her spine as more warm air blew on her. Her new clothes were damp. She'd have to go back to being naked while they dried. Her stomach burbled and jumped inside her belly. Nell stuck her head back in the shower and threw up again. How much fluid could her lungs hold?
The admiral continued his speech. Didn't he even care that she was dying here? "As I'm sure you've noticed that our journey seems to have ended, but Ms. Stafford has brought with her updated information on how we might yet reach our new home."
As this round of retching ended, she turned her head, filled her mouth with water, swished it around then spit. Dirty socks would probably taste better than that crap. "And I suppose the orange stuff is my spleen or that peach I ate before I was sent here?"
Doc chuckled and offered her a green folded towel. "Your spleen isn't orange. No one's is."
Nell reached for the hand cloth just as her stomach clenched. Bitter bile burned her throat. "Oh, just kill me now."
Doc yanked the towel out of her hand. "What!"
Nell finished rinsing her mouth again then backed out of the shower. The water shut off but the air continued to push the rivulets toward the drain. Exhaustion crashed over her and she collapsed against the toilet watching the moisture boiling off her body. "It's just an expression. Mostly. When can I expect to stop trying to turn myself inside out?"
"Soon." Doc dried her face before setting the towel around her shoulders. He lifted her hair, rubbed the lock between his fingers before settling it gently against the towel.
"Your COs will brief you on your duties. Admiral out." From the other room, Beijing ended the fleetwide communiqu?.
Nell closed her eyes. Funny how just a moment ago, she was grateful for the clothes keeping her down, now she felt their crushing weight. At least her stomach had settled.
More footsteps sounded.
"Is she all right?" Beijing's concern washed over her like a balm.
"Tired." The word was thick on her tongue. She'd slept for over a hundred years and could sleep for another century.
Beijing scooped her up in his arms.
"Civilians are returning to duties, Admiral." The chief's voice came from a great distance.
"Assemble our top scientists. I want them on that recorder and figuring out how to get us on the other side of that wormhole."
Tell them, Nell's mother urged. Tell them the formula to open an event horizon is inscribed on the stasis unit.
"Stasis unit." Nell forced her eyelids apart as she felt the mattress give under her body.
"It doesn't work anymore, Nell." Beijing tugged the tunic off her. Cold air brushed over her before he covered her with a blanket. Gently, he tucked in the sides and wrapped her damp hair in the towel. "Don't worry, you just stay in bed."
She shook her head. "Math formulas. Power for event? On stasis. E equals M?"
Once again, Nell closed her eyes. This time she surrendered to oblivion.
As Syn-En are sworn to protect human life, liberty and property, we, the citizens, will ensure the rights of the Syn-En are protected through all available means, rights and responsibilities
Syn-En Vade Mecum
Chapter Eight