Ivor Nash was the last vat to have served eight years. He had been a model soldier, up until he committed the mass murder of his brothers and his commanding officers during his sleep cycle. Nash’s mind had fractured from all the programming, and he’d moved like a one-man death machine, wading through a sea of bodies. They had been helpless. The only one to survive was the highest ranking nat officer, to whom Nash proudly reported his victory over the enemy. The officer promptly shot Nash in the face.
In his mind, Ty could still see the surveillance footage of the event he’d been forced to watch as part of his training, supposedly to show them what a vat was capable of. Ty had been just as shocked and saddened as his fellow officers, but he also knew there was a darker agenda at play; they’d been shown the video in order to sow fear and distrust of vats in the new officers, so that they would keep them on a short leash.
According to the upper brass, Nash had simply malfunctioned. It showed Ty exactly how they thought of the men and women they sent out to put down uprisings and fight pirates in the meat grinder of the Edge – equipment only.
With adjustments, and the cap on the years spent in service, the government promised that the problems with the vats were dealt with. Safe, effective, and ready to serve. Some of the officers stayed distrustful of the vats under their command, but Ty had never been that way. Especially not with Hal. After serving alongside each other in the ACAS, it had been natural that they stay together. Ty had gotten used to looking after Hal. Knowing the trouble vats could get into on their own, he felt responsible for his best friend. For a vat seeking the rush, the Spiral’s Edge had plenty of temptations to offer. While Ty didn’t follow Hal around every waking moment, he kept an eye on him where he could. Trouble tended to follow Hal wherever he went.
Hal’s voice broke in on his thoughts. “Ty. That girl’s face? It didn’t happen tonight. Those bruises are a few days old.”
“Yeah.” Ty nodded. “She say anything?”
“No,” Hal replied. “But… someone hurt her. Then those guys tonight…”
“Beryl noticed she’s a tecker from her node. Maybe she’s looking for work?” Ty said.
Hal read him right away. “We could ask her?”
“Yeah. Let’s see how she’s feeling in the morning.” Ty got up and headed toward the door. “Let me know if you need me for anything. Otherwise, I’ll be in my quarters. Runa can monitor our jump.”
“Ok, Cap.”
“Get some sleep, yeah?” Ty said.
“I’ll do my best.”
THREE
Vivi awoke to see her rescuer sitting by the medbed, absently tapping on his handheld. He didn’t notice she was awake until she pushed the blanket off and tried to sit up.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m OK. Just my head…” She looked around, finally sitting up and groaning. “Where am I?”
“The Loshad. Our ship. We brought you here to keep you safe,” he reminded her, adjusting the bed so she could sit up more comfortably.
“I’m not sure how to thank you,” she said hesitantly, as she sat back to take her first good look at him. He was dressed in military-type cargo pants and a green shirt that looked good with the golden blonde scruff on his chin.
“There’s no need for that.” Hal’s eyes were fixed on her bruises. She turned that side of her face away. He started to reach out toward her cheek, but she drew back so quickly he immediately dropped his hand and frowned. “Who’s after you?”
Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “Oh. The bruises… If I said I got them in my job as a cage fighter would you believe me?” On her trip out to the Edge, she’d been asked about them a couple of times, and it had been the first thing to pop into her head.
“How about you try again?” he said, with a soft laugh. She smiled but didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk about her past with this stranger. She didn’t want to even think about Noah and how her ex had turned abusive when she’d discovered he was hacking for Echo, one of the three galaxy-wide hacker groups. She’d ruined Echo’s attempted heist of BromCorp, and Noah had erupted in violence.
Apparently, Hal sensed her hesitation and backed off. “Look, whatever it was, it’s OK. You’re safe with us, Miss Valjean.”
Maybe, she thought. “It’s…Vivi. My name’s Vivi,” she said.
He nodded. “OK, Vivi.”
“We’re not on Jaleeth anymore, are we?” she asked. “I can hear the ship’s engines going.”
“We had a meeting on Omicron Station, so we – uh – brought you with us on our ship. But we’ll drop you back by Jaleeth when we’re done. Hope that’s OK… because it’s a bit too late now.”
She sighed softly, not feeling like she had the strength to do anything else. It wasn’t like there was anything she could do about being taken aboard their ship, even if it had been without her knowledge or consent. They seemed to have had the best intentions so far. There was something about this man that made her want to feel safe in his presence, but after Noah she was hesitant to trust her instincts, especially around men. “It’s OK, I guess. I have nowhere to be. Could I… get some water?”
He nodded, going to a cabinet and retrieving a bottle of Clear. The IV was doing its job, but the electrolyte enhanced water would also help. “Drink it slow,” he warned her, as an older woman with greying auburn hair entered the medbay.
“Glad to see you awake,” the woman said as she came over, checking her readouts. “I’m Beryl McCabe, medic around here. You were slipped a pretty strong tranquilizer by those men back on Jaleeth. It might take a while to wear off.”
Vivi felt more at ease, knowing another woman was on the ship. “I don’t – uh – I don’t know what to say. Thank you for helping me?”
“Hal’s been keeping a good eye on you,” she said. “But we’ve all been taking turns.”
“How long have I been asleep?” Vivi asked between sips of water.
“Seventeen hours,” Hal said.
“Wow,” Vivi replied, surprised.
“How are you feeling now?” Beryl asked.
Vivi shook her head uncertainly. “A headache and still… dizzy.”
Beryl nodded. “Hal, do me a favor. Go see if Ty’s up and let him know our guest is back with us.”
He left, and Beryl came to stand beside Vivi. The older woman swept the tecker with the medscanner, saying nothing as the tension between them built. Vivi could tell that Beryl wanted to ask her some questions but didn’t want to pry.
She sighed. At least it would be easier to talk to a woman about this. “Look. It was my ex. After he did this,” she gestured to her face, “it was over. I came out here to get away from him when I ran into those guys who spiked my drink.”
Beryl nodded. “Is your ex the type of guy who will be coming after you?”
Vivi shook her head. “I… I don’t think so. Noah’s too much of a narcissist for that.”
The medic smiled gently in understanding. “OK, then you just rest, kid.” She patted Vivi’s arm before turning to put away the medscanner. “Ty and Hal went to your room on Jaleeth and brought your things. They’re over there.” She gestured over to the other bed where Vivi’s larger bag lay.