She eyeballed him, her face onlycentimetres from his. “Not as far as this sort of behaviour goes, you aren’t,”she warned him.
It sounded like something hewould have said. In fact, somewhere in the back of his mind it was familiar,as was his own preceding statement.
Having got her point across, shereleased him. He gasped deeply, filling his lungs. She hadn’t completely cutoff his air supply, but what surprised him was the complete control she had hadover him. He hadn’t resisted her hold. It would have only taken a fractionmore pressure to choke him fully, and he had no intention of provoking herfurther.
Secretly, he was glad that shehad interrupted him. Maybe not at the time, but now that he was back to hissenses. Possibly because of the lack of respect he now held for himself, heallowed her her anger.
She sighed, shaking her headslowly. “Doctor Dunlop needs you.”
John nodded. He knew it would bea mistake to open his mouth.
McReidy led him to the nurserywhere Dunlop was deep in debate with Bela. Every time he tried to reason, sheblocked him. Her charms weren’t working. He had eyes only for the child, whowas subconsciously wielding a magic of her own.
Bela knelt down beside the bed. Shetook the child’s hand in one of hers, gently stroking it and speaking softly.
The child began convulsing.Dunlop’s held down her shoulders, fearing she would throw herself off the bed. Bela was horrified. She stood up and stepped back from the child, her handover her mouth.
After a few minutes of violentstruggling, the small body went limp, gasping for breath.
Bela froze, even after the childlay still. Green eyes lost their brilliance as confusion, doubt and fear tookover.
“The child is mine,” she toldDunlop. “Do whatever you must to save her.”
The doctor was fuming; eyesnarrow and breath short. As he lifted his gaze from the child to Bela all hesaw was a scared mother. He checked his voice, keeping it calm and quiet. “Then I need blood.”
Bela hesitated momentarily,apparently weighing up the escaping life force with the escaping life. Shenodded.
“And I’m taking her back to ourship.”
Bela nodded again.
“I also need complete biologicalinformation on your people.”
“It will be provided.”
“And no interference. Myinstructions are to be carried out to the letter.”
She nodded a third time.
He switched on his communicatorbefore she could change her mind. “Doctor Dunlop to Bismarck. Two totransport to sick bay immediately. Have a medical team ready.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Andrews answered.
He spoke briefly to his nurses. “Let me know if anyone else develops other symptoms.”
With the child gone, Bela foundshe had other business to attend to. A cold glare made John shiver as shewalked past him. How did she do that? She could turn him off as quickly asshe turned him on. He decided the safest place would be back on the ship. Hestill had a treaty to negotiate but that just wasn’t happening at the moment.
McReidy decided to stay and helpthe nurses.
John set about rounding upGillespie and Giacomo. He wondered what they had been up to but there was noway he was going to broach the subject. They probably didn’t want to discussit any more than he did.
McReidy walked slowly from bed tobed. Her heart went out to the children. Many of them were sleeping. Beadsof sweat covered their brows; some were covered in a rash. They tosseduneasily in their sleep; their hair and pillows soaked.
She wasn’t aware of someonebehind her speaking to her, and jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She spun around quickly. It was one of Bela’s aides. She recognised the womanwho had first shown her to the nursery. Twole, she had called herself.
“You do not approve of our ways.”
“No, I don’t,” McReidy confesseduneasily.
“Tell me,” the woman encouraged,her eyes lifting and maintaining contact.
“I don’t like the way you controlmen.”
“Men need to be controlled. Theycannot be trusted.”
McReidy must have lookedconfused, so Twole began to explain.
“Hundreds of years ago, ourplanet was dominated by men. There was continual warring, the victors takingwhatever they wanted. Never satisfied, they took more and more. Discoveringother worlds to take, they were off again. They were gone for months, years ata time. We learnt to do without them. Some returned with new women. Manynever returned at all.”
McReidy sympathised. It remindedher of the stories of ancient Earth. Of Vikings and barbarians.
“We learnt to control our ownlives and in turn, our men. They are happy. There is much work to keep thembusy.”
“I see only women.”
Twole smiled knowingly. “A manin a position of power is easily corrupted. Did you not just see foryourself?”
What McReidy had seen was anotherpower just as corruptible.
“What about love?” she asked.
“What is…” Twole frowned, “love?”
McReidy looked around forsomething she could relate to. The child beside her stirred, attracting herimmediate attention. “It’s what you get when you hold a child in your arms. It’s waking up every morning with the sun streaming through the windows, thescent of flowers in bloom and the birds chirping in the trees. It’s thefeeling that nothing could ever go wrong. When he smiles at you, your heartskips a beat. When he holds you in his arms, you know that nothing can hurtyou. And when he kisses you…”
McReidy stopped when she realisedthat Twole was staring at her in utter disbelief. So was every other Lushonwoman in the room. She knew she was getting carried away and better stop whileshe could.
“The best part,” she hurriedlyfinished, “is that he does this because he wants to. Because you are the mostimportant thing in his life.”
“You have man to give you thislove? You are most fortunate.”
“No, I haven’t. But I know he’sout there somewhere. And I’m going to keep looking for him.”
Twole walked slowly away, shakingher head. It seemed unbelievable that a man could behave like that of his ownfree will.
“I think I overdid it a bit,”McReidy apologised to her captive audience, blushing heavily.
“I think you did just right,”winked Kat.
Great, McReidy groaned toherself. Kat was incorrigible enough as it was.
* * *
Dunlop held the child in his armsas they transported directly to sick bay. He placed her gently on theexamining table and pulled on a pair of gloves.
“They’re going to send usbiological
