Fuller shook his head. “It’s out of thequestion. What if you vomit like you did the last time? Then youreally would asphyxiate.”
“I didn’t vomit last time. I only fainted,remember? And in this case, fainting would be a goodthing.”
The doctor sighed. “If you’re really thisworried, I can ask the Malarans if there’s something you can take.Something safe. But I know what they’ll say—that the mixture inyour IV will relax you—”
“I don’t want the Malarans to know. That’sthe whole point! And I don’t want to rely on their mixture. Justgive me the half dose again. Please? There were no side effects,other than fainting, and who cares about that now?” She bit herlip, trying not to think of Jenni’s horror story—the gasping, thebursting lungs, the silent screaming—
“Zia, you’re worried over nothing.”
“It’s not nothing!” She threw herselfagainst his chest, suddenly terrified. “They all think I’m brave.But I’m so scared. And you’re my doctor. You’ve taken care of mesince I was born. Plus you took some kind of an oath, right? Soplease help me now.”
He hugged her close. “Of course, of course. Ahalf dose should be safe enough. Unnecessary but safe. Don’t tellanyone though.”
“Are you kidding?” She smiled up at him.“I’m the one who doesn’t want them to find out. Especiallynot Humber. And most especially not Rem Stone.”
Fuller scowled. “What he did during thatpress conference was unforgivable. No wonder you’re upset.” He dugin a side pocket of his black briefcase until he found a smallwhite envelope. Opening it, he spilled one tablet into the palm ofhis hand. “Here you go. One pill. Half for this trip, half for thereturn.”
“The return trip! I almost forgot. Thanks.”She sighed. “Let’s hope I get a chance to use the second dose.”
“You’re Quito’s granddaughter. It’s theAlluvans who should be worried.” Fuller smiled. “Take the firstdose right away. Hide the other in your gear. And be sure tolubricate your skin carefully when you change your clothes. Theonly real danger from the water vapor is that you’ll getchapped.”
“Pardon?”
“They haven’t explained that yet?” Fullerexhaled in evident disgust. “Malarans have oil glands in their furto protect them. But human skin needs a little help. When youchange into your tunic, use the apparatus on the wall over there tospray lubricant on your skin. Take the time to be thorough.”
“My tunic?” She glanced down at her starcheduniform. “Can’t I wear this? I don’t want the Malarans to see anymore skin than necessary. You know how they feel about that.”
Fuller laughed. “Yes, as provocative as yourhonor guard will find it, the Malarans will think you look bald andunnatural. But it can’t be helped. Once you’re floating in thechamber, your tunic will float too, so that nothing chafes againstyour skin.” He lifted a lightweight gauze garment from a nearbyhook and handed it to her. “You can’t wear the flight suit. Hang itup here, and they’ll let you change back when you wake up onMalara.” His eyes visibly misted. “I still can’t believe we’reallowing you to go there—”
“I’ll be fine, thanks to you.” She broke thepill in half and popped a piece in her mouth, swallowing withoutwaiting for water. Then she gave Fuller a grateful smile. “You’dbetter go so I can change. Wish me luck. And take good care of myuncle while I’m gone, okay?”
* * * *
When she finally exited the changing room shehad to force herself to walk normally, when she wanted to cringe inshame over the skimpiness of her tunic. She had tried to arrangeher hair so that it covered as much of her back, shoulders, andchest as possible, but knew that her “bald” arms and legs wouldrepulse the Malarans. And as for maintaining her authority anddignity in front of Rem and the other military men—well, her barefeet alone were enough to undermine that.
She quickly discovered that they were in thesame vulnerable position, looking like oiled-up gladiators insleeveless garments that barely hung to their knees. Ordinarilythat would have pleased her, since all four were in great shape,but she was too self-conscious, and too aware of the Malarans, whoweren’t wearing a stitch of clothing at all, a fact that startledher as much as she assumed her appearance startledthem.
But it could have been worse. Dr. Fuller’spill was taking effect, so she wasn’t worried about theclaustrophobia anymore. She just wanted to get past the prying eyesof all these males, so she walked right up to the closest sleepchamber—a transparent bubble eight feet in length, three feet wide,and two feet deep—and said in a cheery voice, “I’ll take this one.Last one asleep, don’t forget to turn out the lights.”
Humber hurried over to her. “Yours is on theother end, Zia. It is the escort chamber, as you will see. It isreserved for dignitaries such as yourself.”
She walked beside him along the row, thensmiled in embarrassed relief. This container was almost twice aswide as the others, and while she ordinarily wouldn’t want to pullrank, she was more than happy to take the best accommodations inthis situation. “It’s still shallow, but so nice and wide. It’llhelp with my claustrophobia to have extra room. Thanks,Humber.”
He coughed lightly. “It is the escortchamber. Your bodyguard will be in it also, you understand. It isjust a formality, I assure you, but we cannot take the chance thatbandits might attack while we are in suspension.”
She shook her head, totally confused.“Bandits?”
“Or more likely, Vekzori,” Rem explained,stepping closer. “We’ll all be sound asleep, Zee. It takes hours tocome out of stasis completely. But this chamber is rigged so thatthe escort—the bodyguard—gets an instant jolt of adrenaline if thechamber is tampered with or opened.”
“He will be armed,” Humber added. “Do yousee, Zia? The rest of my crew will be
