Tomorrows - Chapter 3
BSB- No Pairing - Tomorrows - Chapter 3
And still more.
Ruach leaned back and wiped sweat from her face with her forearm. This was getting her nowhere. She’d been over the outside of the pod with a fine-toothed comb and found diddly-squat. Bending down, she pried up the last panel on wall behind console four. If the problem wasn’t here, she was shit out of luck. Lying down on her back, Ruach wiggled her head and shoulders into the wall. Wedging her hand up into the opening, she flashed the light around. Hello!
Looky looky. She stuck the end of the light in her mouth and crammed her other arm through the opening as well. Careful not to touch any live currents, she pushed some soft piping back. There it was. Whistling silently around the light, Ruach ran a finger down the cracked pipe.
It was, or rather it used to be, soft rubber. Age and time had hardened and cracked it. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be part of the hydraulics. So quite simply, pressure hadn’t been able to build up enough to open the lid of the pod. Damn. Such a little hole. Might as well fix that bad boy. Squirming one hand out, she groped for the tool box and found a piece of tubing by feel. She dragged it back through the opening.
Crap. She hissed as her elbow slammed into the edge of the opening. That hurt. Swiftly now, she replaced the broken tube and wriggled out of the wall. Closing the hatch, she looked at the next pod. She’d have to check it before she could try to reanimate BSB3. Rolling her neck to work out a kink or two, she tugged the hatch on number three free. Sticking her head and one hand inside, she inspected the tubes and wires.
Hallelujah. Nothing broken. And everything else checked out. So this would hopefully go smooth as silk. Gathering the tools together and closing the hatch, Ruach hefted the toolbox and headed for the elevator. She’d clean up and grab a pair of pants for AJM and then come back. She was going to sit right damn in front of the tube until she got this one out.
***
Ten minutes later, Ruach was sitting crossed legged on a hovering stretcher in front of pod three. She had another pair of soft white pants in her hand and a medical kit next to her. She wasn’t taking any chances with the counterpart. Reaching back, she snugged the portable a little closer to her head.
Initiate reanimation sequence alpha one - BSB3-AJM unit, she told the computer. Almost immediately, the little window in the pod cleared and she got a glimpse of AJM. He was pinking up nicely. Ten minutes later, the door whooshed open on the pod. AJM was breathing clearly and all of his vitals were stable. Perfect. He would regain consciousness within fifteen minutes.
Ruach grinned like an idiot. She hopped of the gurney and carefully transferred AJM to it. Quickly, she slid the pants up his legs. Take care of that little issue right now. She moved to the end of the stretcher and pushed it into the elevator. She was a little nervous and wanted to get this guy on a table as fast as possible. She almost bolted through the doors when the opened to reveal the med bay. She scurried over to a table next to KSR’s.
As gently as she could, she slid AJM onto it and detached the portable from her skull. Replacing it with the interface for the table, she scanned AJM.
Mild dehydration. That was it and absolutely to be expected. Ruach sighed deeply, relieved.
She turned away from the table to retrieve the IV line. Humming softly, she plugged it into his arm and stepped back to really look at him. Well, damn.
Were they all this gorgeous? AJM had body art, subcutaneous ink drawings from the look of it, swirling over his arms, stomach, neck, and it looked like they ran down his back too. His face was young, almost innocent in its repose, but the stubbled chin gave him a rather scruffy look. She wondered idly what color his eyes were. She’d just have to wait and see.
Shaking her head slightly at herself, you need to get groundside more Lokhet, she switched her attention to KSR. He was back to normal and she could remove the IV now. Competently, she switched off the IV and twisted it free of the socket in his arm. She turned to adjust the tubing in his mouth. She’d wait until he was awake to remove that one. A strong hand grabbed her wrist. Ruach jumped and looked down. Green eyes glared up at her. She tried to pull back. KSR clamped down harder on her arm. Damn, he was stronger than he looked. Now what?
***
Kevin swam slowly back to reality. He was sore. His throat ached and his head was pounding. What the hell had happened? That had been one weird-ass dream. He felt someone tug at his arm and opened his eyes.
There was a tall woman with silver and red hair bending over him. She reached out and rearranged a tube in his mouth. Warm air pumped gently into his lungs. Oh, that’s why his throat hurt. Who was she? He flicked his eyes around. Where was he? This looked like something out of Aliens.
Snapping back to the woman, Kevin grabbed her arm. He had no idea who she was or what she was doing. She tried to pull away. He refused to let go. The woman paused and looked right into his face. She said something. Well, now. That certainly wasn’t English. He just stared at her.
She sighed and looked pointedly at his hand, then back into his face. He got the message. She wanted him to let go. Kevin considered. Well, if she’d had any evil intentions, she could have done something while he was out cold. He vaguely remembered cold and pain. And gray eyes. He assessed the woman’s face. Gray eyes. She had gray eyes. Okay, so maybe she wanted to help. He released her wrist. She nodded and said something else he didn’t understand.
Kevin tried to sit up, but she planted a hand on his chest and pushed him back. She shook her head. He laid back, slowly. The woman moved away from him towards a little desk across the room. What was she doing?
***
Ruach moved away from KSR. It looked like she was going to have to upload a language program without telling him what it was. He quite obviously had no clue what she was saying. She slipped a remote link into one of her arm jacks and called Layla.
Copy and dump Babel translation program Lokhet one-A, she instructed. Layla transferred the program and Ruach broke the connection. She moved back towards KSR. Now, if he would just trust her long enough to let her do this.
***
Kevin watched the woman at the desk. He couldn’t tell what she was doing, but now she was coming back. Kevin’s eyes went wide when the woman plugged a wire into her ARM. What the HELL was that?! She lifted Kevin’s arm. He glanced down. HOLY SHIT! There was one of those little socket things in his arm! He jerked his arms away and scrabbled at it. She caught his hands and shook her head vigorously. Kevin stared at her, unable to sit up, unable to speak. Oh god what had happened to him?
***
Ruach stared down at the panicked man. He was acting like he’d never seen an interface before. Or didn’t know he had them or something. Hmmm. Okay, so he was delusional. Maybe. Slowly, she raised his hand to the back of her head. Let him run his fingers over her primary interface.
“See, it’s okay,” she soothed, knowing he couldn’t understand. Eyes wide in a pale face, KSR slid a shaking hand behind his head. He jerked it away as his hand touched his own primary. God, he looked terrified. Breathing hard, KSR grabbed her arms and compared her secondaries to his own. Finally, he leaned back on the table and closed his eyes.
***
Jesus, Lord God in Heaven. What was this place? What were these things in his head and arms and, oh Holy Mother, legs? Kevin opened his eyes again.
The woman had plugged the wire back into her arm and was reaching for his. Kevin let her have it. This couldn’t get any worse. She carefully slid the plug into his arm with a click. Kevin flinched. Suddenly, there was a tingling, rushing feeling behind Kevin’s eyes. He gasped. What the hell? It went on for a few minutes. When it stopped, the woman unplugged the wire.
“How are you feeling?” she asked. Kevin stared. She’d spoken English. But her lips hadn’t moved right. She’d said something and he’d HEARD English. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe normally. She grimaced sympathetically.
“Okay, I’m going to take that tube out of your throat. Okay?” she informed him, moving around behind his head. She unhooked the tube from the machine over his head.
“I need you to breathe out really hard when I tell you and I am going to yank this out really fast. It’s gonna feel nasty and disgusting, but you just keep breathing out. Got it?” she asked. Kevin nodded slightly.
“Okay then. On three. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3!” she recited. Kevin exhaled and the woman pulled. Kevin gagged as he felt something hard and slimy hit the back of his throat. She kept pulling. Finally, the end of the tube cleared his mouth. Kevin doubled over, gagging and retching. Oh, that was gross!
“Nasty,” he gasped. The woman nodded.
“I know. Always is. What’s your name?” she asked, helping him to sit up. Kevin’s brain was still whirling, trying to take in everything.
“Kevin,” he replied, clutching her arm for support. She nodded.
“Is that all?” she prodded. He shot her a look. Why was that important?
“Kevin Scott Richardson,” he filled in. Her eyes flashed and she nodded.
“Who are you?” he demanded. The woman hesitated.
***
Ruach wasn’t sure about telling this man her name. He looked at her calmly, but did not ask again. Finally, she decided.
“Lokhet. Ruach Lokhet,” she told him. Kevin held out a hand. Ruach just looked at it. Kevin let it hang there. Hesitant, Ruach held her hand out in similar fashion. Kevin grasped it firmly, shook it once and released her.
Kevin looked around the room. It really did look like something out of Star Trek or something. Twisting in place, he glanced behind him. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of a familiar face. Ruach jumped back as he leapt to his feet and scrambled around the bed. Stumbling on legs that weren’t quite sure they wanted to support his body, Kevin slammed into the next bed.
“AJ!!” he gasped. Steadying himself with one hand, he patted at AJ’s face.
AJ moaned softly. Kevin flicked a glance over his friend. His stomach jumped as he realized that AJ had little ports similar to his own. Though AJ had more. There was one in his chest and he had two in each arm instead of just one. AJ’s eyes flickered open.
“C’mon Boner, wake up,” Kevin demanded. AJ focussed on him.
“Kev?” he asked weakly. Kevin nodded.
“Hey Bone. I want you to stay real calm because things are about to get real fuckin’ weird,” said. AJ nodded wary now. Kevin flinched as an arm slid around his waist.
“You shouldn’t jump around like that,” Ruach scolded, taking some of his weight. He leaned on her, grateful. AJ’s gaze latched onto her. He couldn’t understand a word she was saying.
“Who’s that?” he inquired, sounding stronger. Kevin let Ruach settle him onto the edge of AJ’s bed.
“Ror. . . Rur . . .” he stumbled over the name.
“Ruach,” she supplied, holding out her hand like Kevin had to her. AJ took it automatically.
“AJ McLean,” he introduced himself as he struggled upright. His eyes rounded as he took in his surroundings. Kevin caught his face in his hands before he could look down.
“AJ,” he said, demanding AJ’s attention. AJ looked straight into Kevin’s face. That tone usually meant trouble.
“What?” he asked, swallowing hard. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
“I don’t want you to freak man, but you have these socket things in your arms and chest and probably in your head and legs too,” Kevin informed him.
“They don’t come out. Do NOT freak.” AJ nodded as best he could. Kevin released his head.
Pale-faced, AJ looked down at himself. A strangled noise escaped as he stared at the ports on his arms and chest. Holy hell, what was this? He ran disbelieving fingers over them, raised a hand to the back of his neck. Shit. He looked up at Kevin.
“What the hell’s happened to us, Train?” he choked, fighting panic. Kevin shook his head. They both turned to look at Ruach.
“What is all this?” AJ growled, forcing the fear back to be replaced by anger. She shrugged. Spinning away from him, she grabbed up a wire, jammed it in her arm. Why couldn’t any of these guys have a translator program? She reached for AJ. He pulled back. Kevin put a hand on his arm.
“It’ll be okay Boner,” he offered. AJ stared at Kevin. OKAY? This weird woman wanted to stick a WIRE in his ARM and it was gonna be OKAY?! Kevin nodded. AJ rolled his eyes heavenward and let Ruach take his arm. In no time flat, Ruach had downloaded the language program into AJ’s implant. AJ’s eyes had closed.
“Whoa. Funky-ass,” he breathed. Kevin nodded.
“It gets weirder. Ask her something,” he ordered. AJ shot him a look, but did as he was told.
“What the hell’s going on here?” he demanded. Ruach sighed.
“I have no idea,” she said, rubbing at her temples. This was getting painful and confusing. She really needed to grab a sleep cycle before she did anything else. AJ’s eyes narrowed.
“You speak English?” he asked. She shook her head.
“Nope. You hear English,” she replied. AJ shook his head violently. This was too much.
“Ya know, Train. Tomorrow, I’m gonna wake up and think this was a kick-ass dream, but right now, this blows,” he grumbled. Kevin patted his shoulder.
“Bad news Boner. We’re already awake,” he sighed, watching Ruach walk over to the desk again. Ruach looked over her shoulder.
***
The two men sat on the diagnostic table conversing quietly in English. They were so damn young. Far too young to be the crew to the monster. So who were they? And what was going on? She had no clue, but the first thing she was going to do was settle them into some of those living quarters and then sleep before she fuzzed out. Last thing she wanted was to try to bumble her way through waking the other three while exhausted.
“Come on guys,” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
“You get to pick your rooms first.” Kevin and AJ exchanged a glance. AJ shrugged. What did they have to lose?
Together, the slid off the table and follow Ruach out the door into God-only-knew-what.
***
Kevin followed Ruach down a long, blue hall. This place was actually kind of cool if you ignored the fact that he was scared out of his ever-lovin’ mind. She stopped at a row of doors.
“Pick one,” she ordered. Kevin shot her a look. AJ was already moving towards the first door. It slid open as he approached. Kevin hesitated at the threshold.
“Hey, Kev,” AJ called from deeper in the room. Kevin allowed Ruach to nudge him through the door.
“Yeah?” he replied, looking around the room. AJ popped his head through an internal door.
“I think this one’s yours. There’s a piano,” he announced. Kevin moved slowly across the room. He stepped into the back room. AJ was sitting on the piano bench, lightly running his fingers over the keys. Kevin ignored that for a moment in favor of walking the perimeter, examining the books. Suddenly, he stopped dead.
“Oh yeah, Bone. This one’s mine,” he whispered hoarsely. AJ looked up. Kevin’s face was white as a sheet. AJ moved cautiously up behind the older man.
“What’s up Train?” he asked, peeking over Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin was staring at a little picture in a silver frame. It was ancient and faded. But it was unmistakably Kevin and Kristen at their wedding. AJ stepped back, shaken.
“Wow,” he murmured. Kevin’s temper flared. He spun to stomp back into the main room.
“Ruach!” he growled. She looked up at him from her position by the view port. AJ was distracted by the view. Lord in heaven. There were in space. Kevin didn’t notice.
“Where the hell is my wife?!” he demanded. Ruach’s face creased into lines of confusion.
“Who?” she asked. Kevin slammed his hand into the wall.
“KRISTEN! My wife. Where is she?” he snarled. AJ hooked a hand in the waistband of Kevin’s pants and jerked him away from Ruach.
“She doesn’t know, Kev. Leave her alone,” he snapped. Kevin seemed to fold in on himself. Ruach rubbed her eyes.
“I don’t know. You five were the only ones I found. And I don’t have access to the records, so I can’t check,” she sighed. She raised her tired gaze to AJ.
“He can, though,” she finished. AJ ignored the last part of the statement. He grabbed her arm.
“Five?!” he gasped. The others? Kevin was thinking the same thing. Ruach jerked her arm away, nodding.
“Yeah. BSB1-BTL, BSB2-HDD and BSB5-NGC. You two are 4-KSR and 3-AJM,” she yawned. Kevin and AJ stared at each other. It had to be the other guys.
“Where are they?” Kevin asked, crowding Ruach back toward the wall. Ruach didn’t budge.
“Frozen, duh. Just like you two,” she informed them, moving past Kevin to drop heavily into chair. Kevin opened his mouth. AJ jumped in first.
“Why did you thaw us instead of them?” he asked. Everything else could wait. Ruach looked at them, comprehension finally dawning.
“You really have no idea what you are do you?” she asked. AJ folded his arms across his bare chest.
“Alexander James McLean. Musician and general good guy. Backstreet Boy extraordinaire. What of it?” he shot back. Ruach leaned back in her chair.
“Alexander James McLean. Organic counterpart to this behemoth and only one with unlimited access to all ships systems,” she corrected. For good measure, she jabbed a finger at Kevin, who was standing in the same place, mouth open.
“Kevin Scott Richardson. Security and tactical. Looks like command and combat too. Only one who can access weapons systems and command protocols,” she continued. “I was looking for the counterpart so he could help me figure this boat out. Thought it was him. He’s older. Turned out to be you. I thawed him first, had a minor disaster and then thawed you. Is that what you wanted to know?”
“Disaster?” Kevin inquired, moving over to sit down. Ruach let her head drop onto the back of the chair.
“Yes. Your pod didn’t open because the hydraulics were busted. I had to pry it open. Your lungs froze. Keeping you breathing was a bitch,” she sighed. Kevin rubbed his throat.
“So that’s what hurt so damn much. And why I was breathing through a tube,” he muttered, almost to himself. Ruach nodded, still looking toward the ceiling.
“Yup. I finally damn near took your pod apart to find the problem. Then I checked his and thawed him out. Went much better,” Ruach was yawning every few seconds now. AJ cleared his throat.
“So how do we find out how the other guys are? And if Kristen’s here?” he put in, drawing the conversation back to its original point. Ruach pointed towards the desk chair.
“You sit and I jack you in and you ask,” she replied. AJ sat. Ruach moved around him, plugging wires into both jacks on his arms and legs. She looked up at him as she snapped one into the port in his chest.
“Since you’ve never done this, you’re getting a crash course. Once your online, sit tight until you hear me talking in your head. Got it?” she demanded. AJ nodded. In his head? What the hell? Ruach picked up a larger, wicked-looking plug.
“Brace yourself,” she warned. With that, she slid it into the jack on the back on AJ’s head with a soft snick. AJ gasped, arching up off the seat. Kevin leapt toward him. Ruach held up a hand.
“Give him a minute. He’ll adjust,” she murmured, watching AJ closely. Suddenly, AJ’s body relaxed and his eyes glazed. He went completely limp, his breathing slow and steady. Ruach nodded in satisfaction.
“He’s in,” she declared. Kevin stared.
“Is he . . . okay?” he asked, fingering the port on AJ’s chest. AJ didn’t react. Ruach nodded.
“He’s fine. This is what he was designed for. Now you,” she replied, pointing at another chair. Reluctantly, Kevin sat. Ruach went through the same process as she had with AJ. Arms, legs. Kevin didn’t have a port on his chest.
“Get ready,” Ruach said, plugging into Kevin’s primary. Kevin gasped and slammed back in the chair. Much more quickly than AJ had, he relaxed. Ruach snapped her fingers in front of his face. Kevin opened his eyes.
He was seeing weirdly double. Information was swarming at him from every direction, but he could still see Ruach standing in front of him.
“What’s happening?” he slurred. Ruach patted his face.
“Close your eyes or you’ll get nauseous,” she recommended. “I’m coming in.”
Ruach sat on the floor, as there were no more immediately convenient chairs. She jacked in her primary only. She didn’t need full immersion for this. She closed her eyes as the familiar sliding sensation grabbed her and sucked her in.
AJ. Kevin, she thought. Immediately, she located them. AJ was prowling through the old data files. Kevin was hesitantly nosing around security. Kevin’s signal came through to her.
What do I do? he asked, pausing in his search. AJ replied.
Just think it, Train. And it happens just that fast, he told them. Don’t even have to work at it. It’s just all there.
I can’t do it, Kevin thought. I try, but nothing happens. Ruach jumped into the conversation again.
AJ is the counterpart. This entire system was designed around his thought patterns and brain chemistry. It’s supposed to be easy for him. Though you’re gonna have to be careful, AJ. Everything you think, unless you’re really on your toes, will be interpreted as a command by the ship. No telling anyone to drop dead. They will, she warned. AJ gave her a wordless acknowledgement.
Kevin, you need to order your thoughts into command form, she advised.
Formalize what you want and it should come right along. Kevin tried it.
Records search. Subject Kristen Richardson, he tried. Suddenly, he was bombarded with information. It poured into his brain. Statistics, facts, pictures. But no indication that she was aboard. Kevin’s heart fell. Ruach noticed.
That’s enough. Jack out now, she ordered. Again, AJ turned his attention to her. He was really getting a major rush out of this.
How? he inquired. Ruach gave the mental equivalent of a sigh.
Just think it. When you open your eyes, reach up and unplug your head first, she replied. Then, much to Kevin and AJ’s shock, she was just gone. AJ was left alone as Kevin vanished too. Mentally shrugging, AJ turned his attention inward.
Logoff, he thought. AJ slammed back in the chair again. Opened his eyes. Ruach was already up and moving around the room. Kevin was fiddling with the wires on his arms, fumbling them free.
AJ lifted an arm made of lead to clumsily tug the connector from the back of his skull. Slowly, he weaseled the other wires from his legs, arms and chest. He scrubbed a hand across his face.
“Man, I am wiped,” he sighed. Ruach snapped up to look at him.
“Something wrong with your programming?” she asked, looking worried. AJ shook his head, laughing a little.
“No, I meant I’m tired,” he replied. Ruach nodded. Oh.
“That’s gonna happen the first few times. It’ll wear you out. The more tired you get, the harder it is to logoff. I shouldn’t have go online this time. Almost needed help out again,” she yawned hugely. AJ heard her jaws crack. He looked over at Kevin. Kevin dropped the last wire on the floor.
“Kristin’s not here,” he said, quietly. AJ pushed himself up and moved over to pat Kevin’s shoulder.
“Then we’ll just have to find her, bro,” he offered, knowing it was a lie. Kevin nodded. He knew it was a lie too. Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply and stood up. Opening his eyes just long enough to stumble to the bed, Kevin stretched across it and tugged a blanket over himself. Ruach headed for the door.
AJ followed her back out into the hall. She was shuffling towards the infirmary.
“So where do I sleep?” he asked. Ruach yawned again. Waved an arm at the row of doors.
“Wherever you want,” she replied. AJ yawned as well, reaching long arms toward the ceiling.
“Okay,” he groaned, twisting his back slightly. He started toward the first door. Ruach suddenly shot out a hand, snagged his elbow.
“AJ?” she said firmly. AJ looked at her. She pointed to a solitary door at the far end of the hall.
“See that door?” she continued. AJ nodded, wondering where this was headed. She tightened her grip.
“Don’t open it. No matter what,” she stated, voice brooking no contradiction.
“Okay. No opening that door,” AJ confirmed. Ruach let his elbow drop and nodded.
“Good,” she said flatly, turning to stumble down the hall again. AJ opened the first room and peeked inside. Nope. This looked more like a B-Rok kind of place. He wandered into the third room. Weight machines. Oh yeah. Mine, he thought, flinging himself bodily across the bed. He was sound asleep before his head hit the pillow.
And still more.
Ruach leaned back and wiped sweat from her face with her forearm. This was getting her nowhere. She’d been over the outside of the pod with a fine-toothed comb and found diddly-squat. Bending down, she pried up the last panel on wall behind console four. If the problem wasn’t here, she was shit out of luck. Lying down on her back, Ruach wiggled her head and shoulders into the wall. Wedging her hand up into the opening, she flashed the light around. Hello!
Looky looky. She stuck the end of the light in her mouth and crammed her other arm through the opening as well. Careful not to touch any live currents, she pushed some soft piping back. There it was. Whistling silently around the light, Ruach ran a finger down the cracked pipe.
It was, or rather it used to be, soft rubber. Age and time had hardened and cracked it. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be part of the hydraulics. So quite simply, pressure hadn’t been able to build up enough to open the lid of the pod. Damn. Such a little hole. Might as well fix that bad boy. Squirming one hand out, she groped for the tool box and found a piece of tubing by feel. She dragged it back through the opening.
Crap. She hissed as her elbow slammed into the edge of the opening. That hurt. Swiftly now, she replaced the broken tube and wriggled out of the wall. Closing the hatch, she looked at the next pod. She’d have to check it before she could try to reanimate BSB3. Rolling her neck to work out a kink or two, she tugged the hatch on number three free. Sticking her head and one hand inside, she inspected the tubes and wires.
Hallelujah. Nothing broken. And everything else checked out. So this would hopefully go smooth as silk. Gathering the tools together and closing the hatch, Ruach hefted the toolbox and headed for the elevator. She’d clean up and grab a pair of pants for AJM and then come back. She was going to sit right damn in front of the tube until she got this one out.
***
Ten minutes later, Ruach was sitting crossed legged on a hovering stretcher in front of pod three. She had another pair of soft white pants in her hand and a medical kit next to her. She wasn’t taking any chances with the counterpart. Reaching back, she snugged the portable a little closer to her head.
Initiate reanimation sequence alpha one - BSB3-AJM unit, she told the computer. Almost immediately, the little window in the pod cleared and she got a glimpse of AJM. He was pinking up nicely. Ten minutes later, the door whooshed open on the pod. AJM was breathing clearly and all of his vitals were stable. Perfect. He would regain consciousness within fifteen minutes.
Ruach grinned like an idiot. She hopped of the gurney and carefully transferred AJM to it. Quickly, she slid the pants up his legs. Take care of that little issue right now. She moved to the end of the stretcher and pushed it into the elevator. She was a little nervous and wanted to get this guy on a table as fast as possible. She almost bolted through the doors when the opened to reveal the med bay. She scurried over to a table next to KSR’s.
As gently as she could, she slid AJM onto it and detached the portable from her skull. Replacing it with the interface for the table, she scanned AJM.
Mild dehydration. That was it and absolutely to be expected. Ruach sighed deeply, relieved.
She turned away from the table to retrieve the IV line. Humming softly, she plugged it into his arm and stepped back to really look at him. Well, damn.
Were they all this gorgeous? AJM had body art, subcutaneous ink drawings from the look of it, swirling over his arms, stomach, neck, and it looked like they ran down his back too. His face was young, almost innocent in its repose, but the stubbled chin gave him a rather scruffy look. She wondered idly what color his eyes were. She’d just have to wait and see.
Shaking her head slightly at herself, you need to get groundside more Lokhet, she switched her attention to KSR. He was back to normal and she could remove the IV now. Competently, she switched off the IV and twisted it free of the socket in his arm. She turned to adjust the tubing in his mouth. She’d wait until he was awake to remove that one. A strong hand grabbed her wrist. Ruach jumped and looked down. Green eyes glared up at her. She tried to pull back. KSR clamped down harder on her arm. Damn, he was stronger than he looked. Now what?
***
Kevin swam slowly back to reality. He was sore. His throat ached and his head was pounding. What the hell had happened? That had been one weird-ass dream. He felt someone tug at his arm and opened his eyes.
There was a tall woman with silver and red hair bending over him. She reached out and rearranged a tube in his mouth. Warm air pumped gently into his lungs. Oh, that’s why his throat hurt. Who was she? He flicked his eyes around. Where was he? This looked like something out of Aliens.
Snapping back to the woman, Kevin grabbed her arm. He had no idea who she was or what she was doing. She tried to pull away. He refused to let go. The woman paused and looked right into his face. She said something. Well, now. That certainly wasn’t English. He just stared at her.
She sighed and looked pointedly at his hand, then back into his face. He got the message. She wanted him to let go. Kevin considered. Well, if she’d had any evil intentions, she could have done something while he was out cold. He vaguely remembered cold and pain. And gray eyes. He assessed the woman’s face. Gray eyes. She had gray eyes. Okay, so maybe she wanted to help. He released her wrist. She nodded and said something else he didn’t understand.
Kevin tried to sit up, but she planted a hand on his chest and pushed him back. She shook her head. He laid back, slowly. The woman moved away from him towards a little desk across the room. What was she doing?
***
Ruach moved away from KSR. It looked like she was going to have to upload a language program without telling him what it was. He quite obviously had no clue what she was saying. She slipped a remote link into one of her arm jacks and called Layla.
Copy and dump Babel translation program Lokhet one-A, she instructed. Layla transferred the program and Ruach broke the connection. She moved back towards KSR. Now, if he would just trust her long enough to let her do this.
***
Kevin watched the woman at the desk. He couldn’t tell what she was doing, but now she was coming back. Kevin’s eyes went wide when the woman plugged a wire into her ARM. What the HELL was that?! She lifted Kevin’s arm. He glanced down. HOLY SHIT! There was one of those little socket things in his arm! He jerked his arms away and scrabbled at it. She caught his hands and shook her head vigorously. Kevin stared at her, unable to sit up, unable to speak. Oh god what had happened to him?
***
Ruach stared down at the panicked man. He was acting like he’d never seen an interface before. Or didn’t know he had them or something. Hmmm. Okay, so he was delusional. Maybe. Slowly, she raised his hand to the back of her head. Let him run his fingers over her primary interface.
“See, it’s okay,” she soothed, knowing he couldn’t understand. Eyes wide in a pale face, KSR slid a shaking hand behind his head. He jerked it away as his hand touched his own primary. God, he looked terrified. Breathing hard, KSR grabbed her arms and compared her secondaries to his own. Finally, he leaned back on the table and closed his eyes.
***
Jesus, Lord God in Heaven. What was this place? What were these things in his head and arms and, oh Holy Mother, legs? Kevin opened his eyes again.
The woman had plugged the wire back into her arm and was reaching for his. Kevin let her have it. This couldn’t get any worse. She carefully slid the plug into his arm with a click. Kevin flinched. Suddenly, there was a tingling, rushing feeling behind Kevin’s eyes. He gasped. What the hell? It went on for a few minutes. When it stopped, the woman unplugged the wire.
“How are you feeling?” she asked. Kevin stared. She’d spoken English. But her lips hadn’t moved right. She’d said something and he’d HEARD English. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe normally. She grimaced sympathetically.
“Okay, I’m going to take that tube out of your throat. Okay?” she informed him, moving around behind his head. She unhooked the tube from the machine over his head.
“I need you to breathe out really hard when I tell you and I am going to yank this out really fast. It’s gonna feel nasty and disgusting, but you just keep breathing out. Got it?” she asked. Kevin nodded slightly.
“Okay then. On three. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3!” she recited. Kevin exhaled and the woman pulled. Kevin gagged as he felt something hard and slimy hit the back of his throat. She kept pulling. Finally, the end of the tube cleared his mouth. Kevin doubled over, gagging and retching. Oh, that was gross!
“Nasty,” he gasped. The woman nodded.
“I know. Always is. What’s your name?” she asked, helping him to sit up. Kevin’s brain was still whirling, trying to take in everything.
“Kevin,” he replied, clutching her arm for support. She nodded.
“Is that all?” she prodded. He shot her a look. Why was that important?
“Kevin Scott Richardson,” he filled in. Her eyes flashed and she nodded.
“Who are you?” he demanded. The woman hesitated.
***
Ruach wasn’t sure about telling this man her name. He looked at her calmly, but did not ask again. Finally, she decided.
“Lokhet. Ruach Lokhet,” she told him. Kevin held out a hand. Ruach just looked at it. Kevin let it hang there. Hesitant, Ruach held her hand out in similar fashion. Kevin grasped it firmly, shook it once and released her.
Kevin looked around the room. It really did look like something out of Star Trek or something. Twisting in place, he glanced behind him. His heart leapt into his throat at the sight of a familiar face. Ruach jumped back as he leapt to his feet and scrambled around the bed. Stumbling on legs that weren’t quite sure they wanted to support his body, Kevin slammed into the next bed.
“AJ!!” he gasped. Steadying himself with one hand, he patted at AJ’s face.
AJ moaned softly. Kevin flicked a glance over his friend. His stomach jumped as he realized that AJ had little ports similar to his own. Though AJ had more. There was one in his chest and he had two in each arm instead of just one. AJ’s eyes flickered open.
“C’mon Boner, wake up,” Kevin demanded. AJ focussed on him.
“Kev?” he asked weakly. Kevin nodded.
“Hey Bone. I want you to stay real calm because things are about to get real fuckin’ weird,” said. AJ nodded wary now. Kevin flinched as an arm slid around his waist.
“You shouldn’t jump around like that,” Ruach scolded, taking some of his weight. He leaned on her, grateful. AJ’s gaze latched onto her. He couldn’t understand a word she was saying.
“Who’s that?” he inquired, sounding stronger. Kevin let Ruach settle him onto the edge of AJ’s bed.
“Ror. . . Rur . . .” he stumbled over the name.
“Ruach,” she supplied, holding out her hand like Kevin had to her. AJ took it automatically.
“AJ McLean,” he introduced himself as he struggled upright. His eyes rounded as he took in his surroundings. Kevin caught his face in his hands before he could look down.
“AJ,” he said, demanding AJ’s attention. AJ looked straight into Kevin’s face. That tone usually meant trouble.
“What?” he asked, swallowing hard. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be good.
“I don’t want you to freak man, but you have these socket things in your arms and chest and probably in your head and legs too,” Kevin informed him.
“They don’t come out. Do NOT freak.” AJ nodded as best he could. Kevin released his head.
Pale-faced, AJ looked down at himself. A strangled noise escaped as he stared at the ports on his arms and chest. Holy hell, what was this? He ran disbelieving fingers over them, raised a hand to the back of his neck. Shit. He looked up at Kevin.
“What the hell’s happened to us, Train?” he choked, fighting panic. Kevin shook his head. They both turned to look at Ruach.
“What is all this?” AJ growled, forcing the fear back to be replaced by anger. She shrugged. Spinning away from him, she grabbed up a wire, jammed it in her arm. Why couldn’t any of these guys have a translator program? She reached for AJ. He pulled back. Kevin put a hand on his arm.
“It’ll be okay Boner,” he offered. AJ stared at Kevin. OKAY? This weird woman wanted to stick a WIRE in his ARM and it was gonna be OKAY?! Kevin nodded. AJ rolled his eyes heavenward and let Ruach take his arm. In no time flat, Ruach had downloaded the language program into AJ’s implant. AJ’s eyes had closed.
“Whoa. Funky-ass,” he breathed. Kevin nodded.
“It gets weirder. Ask her something,” he ordered. AJ shot him a look, but did as he was told.
“What the hell’s going on here?” he demanded. Ruach sighed.
“I have no idea,” she said, rubbing at her temples. This was getting painful and confusing. She really needed to grab a sleep cycle before she did anything else. AJ’s eyes narrowed.
“You speak English?” he asked. She shook her head.
“Nope. You hear English,” she replied. AJ shook his head violently. This was too much.
“Ya know, Train. Tomorrow, I’m gonna wake up and think this was a kick-ass dream, but right now, this blows,” he grumbled. Kevin patted his shoulder.
“Bad news Boner. We’re already awake,” he sighed, watching Ruach walk over to the desk again. Ruach looked over her shoulder.
***
The two men sat on the diagnostic table conversing quietly in English. They were so damn young. Far too young to be the crew to the monster. So who were they? And what was going on? She had no clue, but the first thing she was going to do was settle them into some of those living quarters and then sleep before she fuzzed out. Last thing she wanted was to try to bumble her way through waking the other three while exhausted.
“Come on guys,” she called over her shoulder as she headed for the door.
“You get to pick your rooms first.” Kevin and AJ exchanged a glance. AJ shrugged. What did they have to lose?
Together, the slid off the table and follow Ruach out the door into God-only-knew-what.
***
Kevin followed Ruach down a long, blue hall. This place was actually kind of cool if you ignored the fact that he was scared out of his ever-lovin’ mind. She stopped at a row of doors.
“Pick one,” she ordered. Kevin shot her a look. AJ was already moving towards the first door. It slid open as he approached. Kevin hesitated at the threshold.
“Hey, Kev,” AJ called from deeper in the room. Kevin allowed Ruach to nudge him through the door.
“Yeah?” he replied, looking around the room. AJ popped his head through an internal door.
“I think this one’s yours. There’s a piano,” he announced. Kevin moved slowly across the room. He stepped into the back room. AJ was sitting on the piano bench, lightly running his fingers over the keys. Kevin ignored that for a moment in favor of walking the perimeter, examining the books. Suddenly, he stopped dead.
“Oh yeah, Bone. This one’s mine,” he whispered hoarsely. AJ looked up. Kevin’s face was white as a sheet. AJ moved cautiously up behind the older man.
“What’s up Train?” he asked, peeking over Kevin’s shoulder. Kevin was staring at a little picture in a silver frame. It was ancient and faded. But it was unmistakably Kevin and Kristen at their wedding. AJ stepped back, shaken.
“Wow,” he murmured. Kevin’s temper flared. He spun to stomp back into the main room.
“Ruach!” he growled. She looked up at him from her position by the view port. AJ was distracted by the view. Lord in heaven. There were in space. Kevin didn’t notice.
“Where the hell is my wife?!” he demanded. Ruach’s face creased into lines of confusion.
“Who?” she asked. Kevin slammed his hand into the wall.
“KRISTEN! My wife. Where is she?” he snarled. AJ hooked a hand in the waistband of Kevin’s pants and jerked him away from Ruach.
“She doesn’t know, Kev. Leave her alone,” he snapped. Kevin seemed to fold in on himself. Ruach rubbed her eyes.
“I don’t know. You five were the only ones I found. And I don’t have access to the records, so I can’t check,” she sighed. She raised her tired gaze to AJ.
“He can, though,” she finished. AJ ignored the last part of the statement. He grabbed her arm.
“Five?!” he gasped. The others? Kevin was thinking the same thing. Ruach jerked her arm away, nodding.
“Yeah. BSB1-BTL, BSB2-HDD and BSB5-NGC. You two are 4-KSR and 3-AJM,” she yawned. Kevin and AJ stared at each other. It had to be the other guys.
“Where are they?” Kevin asked, crowding Ruach back toward the wall. Ruach didn’t budge.
“Frozen, duh. Just like you two,” she informed them, moving past Kevin to drop heavily into chair. Kevin opened his mouth. AJ jumped in first.
“Why did you thaw us instead of them?” he asked. Everything else could wait. Ruach looked at them, comprehension finally dawning.
“You really have no idea what you are do you?” she asked. AJ folded his arms across his bare chest.
“Alexander James McLean. Musician and general good guy. Backstreet Boy extraordinaire. What of it?” he shot back. Ruach leaned back in her chair.
“Alexander James McLean. Organic counterpart to this behemoth and only one with unlimited access to all ships systems,” she corrected. For good measure, she jabbed a finger at Kevin, who was standing in the same place, mouth open.
“Kevin Scott Richardson. Security and tactical. Looks like command and combat too. Only one who can access weapons systems and command protocols,” she continued. “I was looking for the counterpart so he could help me figure this boat out. Thought it was him. He’s older. Turned out to be you. I thawed him first, had a minor disaster and then thawed you. Is that what you wanted to know?”
“Disaster?” Kevin inquired, moving over to sit down. Ruach let her head drop onto the back of the chair.
“Yes. Your pod didn’t open because the hydraulics were busted. I had to pry it open. Your lungs froze. Keeping you breathing was a bitch,” she sighed. Kevin rubbed his throat.
“So that’s what hurt so damn much. And why I was breathing through a tube,” he muttered, almost to himself. Ruach nodded, still looking toward the ceiling.
“Yup. I finally damn near took your pod apart to find the problem. Then I checked his and thawed him out. Went much better,” Ruach was yawning every few seconds now. AJ cleared his throat.
“So how do we find out how the other guys are? And if Kristen’s here?” he put in, drawing the conversation back to its original point. Ruach pointed towards the desk chair.
“You sit and I jack you in and you ask,” she replied. AJ sat. Ruach moved around him, plugging wires into both jacks on his arms and legs. She looked up at him as she snapped one into the port in his chest.
“Since you’ve never done this, you’re getting a crash course. Once your online, sit tight until you hear me talking in your head. Got it?” she demanded. AJ nodded. In his head? What the hell? Ruach picked up a larger, wicked-looking plug.
“Brace yourself,” she warned. With that, she slid it into the jack on the back on AJ’s head with a soft snick. AJ gasped, arching up off the seat. Kevin leapt toward him. Ruach held up a hand.
“Give him a minute. He’ll adjust,” she murmured, watching AJ closely. Suddenly, AJ’s body relaxed and his eyes glazed. He went completely limp, his breathing slow and steady. Ruach nodded in satisfaction.
“He’s in,” she declared. Kevin stared.
“Is he . . . okay?” he asked, fingering the port on AJ’s chest. AJ didn’t react. Ruach nodded.
“He’s fine. This is what he was designed for. Now you,” she replied, pointing at another chair. Reluctantly, Kevin sat. Ruach went through the same process as she had with AJ. Arms, legs. Kevin didn’t have a port on his chest.
“Get ready,” Ruach said, plugging into Kevin’s primary. Kevin gasped and slammed back in the chair. Much more quickly than AJ had, he relaxed. Ruach snapped her fingers in front of his face. Kevin opened his eyes.
He was seeing weirdly double. Information was swarming at him from every direction, but he could still see Ruach standing in front of him.
“What’s happening?” he slurred. Ruach patted his face.
“Close your eyes or you’ll get nauseous,” she recommended. “I’m coming in.”
Ruach sat on the floor, as there were no more immediately convenient chairs. She jacked in her primary only. She didn’t need full immersion for this. She closed her eyes as the familiar sliding sensation grabbed her and sucked her in.
AJ. Kevin, she thought. Immediately, she located them. AJ was prowling through the old data files. Kevin was hesitantly nosing around security. Kevin’s signal came through to her.
What do I do? he asked, pausing in his search. AJ replied.
Just think it, Train. And it happens just that fast, he told them. Don’t even have to work at it. It’s just all there.
I can’t do it, Kevin thought. I try, but nothing happens. Ruach jumped into the conversation again.
AJ is the counterpart. This entire system was designed around his thought patterns and brain chemistry. It’s supposed to be easy for him. Though you’re gonna have to be careful, AJ. Everything you think, unless you’re really on your toes, will be interpreted as a command by the ship. No telling anyone to drop dead. They will, she warned. AJ gave her a wordless acknowledgement.
Kevin, you need to order your thoughts into command form, she advised.
Formalize what you want and it should come right along. Kevin tried it.
Records search. Subject Kristen Richardson, he tried. Suddenly, he was bombarded with information. It poured into his brain. Statistics, facts, pictures. But no indication that she was aboard. Kevin’s heart fell. Ruach noticed.
That’s enough. Jack out now, she ordered. Again, AJ turned his attention to her. He was really getting a major rush out of this.
How? he inquired. Ruach gave the mental equivalent of a sigh.
Just think it. When you open your eyes, reach up and unplug your head first, she replied. Then, much to Kevin and AJ’s shock, she was just gone. AJ was left alone as Kevin vanished too. Mentally shrugging, AJ turned his attention inward.
Logoff, he thought. AJ slammed back in the chair again. Opened his eyes. Ruach was already up and moving around the room. Kevin was fiddling with the wires on his arms, fumbling them free.
AJ lifted an arm made of lead to clumsily tug the connector from the back of his skull. Slowly, he weaseled the other wires from his legs, arms and chest. He scrubbed a hand across his face.
“Man, I am wiped,” he sighed. Ruach snapped up to look at him.
“Something wrong with your programming?” she asked, looking worried. AJ shook his head, laughing a little.
“No, I meant I’m tired,” he replied. Ruach nodded. Oh.
“That’s gonna happen the first few times. It’ll wear you out. The more tired you get, the harder it is to logoff. I shouldn’t have go online this time. Almost needed help out again,” she yawned hugely. AJ heard her jaws crack. He looked over at Kevin. Kevin dropped the last wire on the floor.
“Kristin’s not here,” he said, quietly. AJ pushed himself up and moved over to pat Kevin’s shoulder.
“Then we’ll just have to find her, bro,” he offered, knowing it was a lie. Kevin nodded. He knew it was a lie too. Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply and stood up. Opening his eyes just long enough to stumble to the bed, Kevin stretched across it and tugged a blanket over himself. Ruach headed for the door.
AJ followed her back out into the hall. She was shuffling towards the infirmary.
“So where do I sleep?” he asked. Ruach yawned again. Waved an arm at the row of doors.
“Wherever you want,” she replied. AJ yawned as well, reaching long arms toward the ceiling.
“Okay,” he groaned, twisting his back slightly. He started toward the first door. Ruach suddenly shot out a hand, snagged his elbow.
“AJ?” she said firmly. AJ looked at her. She pointed to a solitary door at the far end of the hall.
“See that door?” she continued. AJ nodded, wondering where this was headed. She tightened her grip.
“Don’t open it. No matter what,” she stated, voice brooking no contradiction.
“Okay. No opening that door,” AJ confirmed. Ruach let his elbow drop and nodded.
“Good,” she said flatly, turning to stumble down the hall again. AJ opened the first room and peeked inside. Nope. This looked more like a B-Rok kind of place. He wandered into the third room. Weight machines. Oh yeah. Mine, he thought, flinging himself bodily across the bed. He was sound asleep before his head hit the pillow.