“The fleet does that?”
“They’ll go on about how it’s for my own safety to monitor everything I do, but I’ve disabled listening and viewing devices from the beginning. I tell them the frequencies they give off interfere with my implant. It’s total bullshit, though. I just like my privacy, and they’ve given up on reestablishing their electronic spies. I tinkered with my eye sensors, as well, so I know when they screw with my privacy.”
Darla knew she was gaping but she was too surprised to speak.
“I’ve been with the fleet for a very long time.”
“You don’t look that old.”
“I feel it. Long story short, my parents were killed when I was eight. Can you please jump up here and let me look at your thigh? They did a patchwork job on you while we were being shuttled in. Aliens can carry some nasty viruses and diseases. I just want to take some swabs, scan them, and make sure you’re in the clear.”
Darla climbed onto the wide, padded bed, sitting upright. She glanced down as Dr. Brick removed a few bandages, exposing her torn skin. It had been sprayed with some type of clear substance. There were at least four small injuries with bruising forming around each one.
“Not bad. Tentacle hooks can do a lot of damage. There’s this species of an Earth octopus alien cousin on Nerner planet that jabs their hooks into skin, and spikes open like barbs, to keep hold of the flesh. They’re hell to remove. These are just cuts.”
“Please don’t tell me that kind of stuff.” It made Darla sick just thinking about it.
“Right.” Dr. Brick flashed a smile. “Sorry. My bedside manner is awful. I rarely deal with patients, and the ones I do get usually aren’t conscious by the time they reach me. Regular doctors think they can handle an alien infection or whatnot, try their best, and then turn to me when their patient is critical.” She walked away, opened a drawer, and got some swabs. Then she returned, taking samples. “I don’t see any sign of infection or allergic reaction so far. That’s good.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me too. I’m currently checking the history on the Elth about any humans who’ve suffered cuts from their hooks.”
Darla frowned, glancing at the computers.
“I have implants,” Dr. Brick reminded her. “I linked to the computer and I’m searching the medical database.” The doctor walked the samples to a machine across the room and kept her back to Darla. “I’m sure you’re going to be fine. Did the Elth give you any drugs? Do any procedures on you? I should run a full body scan.”
“They didn’t. Once I was taken from the same room you were in, I was led to the one next door, where Gnaw was being kept. They did make us eat what looked like grass in water.”
“Did you have any reactions to it? Vomiting? Fever? Hives? Anything along those lines?”
“No. It was just disgusting.”
Dr. Brick chuckled. “That’s good. I mean, not that it was bad tasting but that it didn’t make you sick in any way.”
“What I’d really like is a shower, some real food, and a good night’s sleep. The Elth kept waking Gnaw and I up every few hours.”
“They did that to us, too. I’m exhausted.” Dr. Brick was silent for a few minutes. “The scans of the swabs are completed. I’m not seeing any alien residue. They cleaned your wounds well and doused it with a super-antibiotic that kills about everything we’ve come across, before sealing them.” The doctor turned. “Now for that full body scan.”
“Do we have to do that? I’m fine. Just tired.”
“The fleet is going to want me to run full scans. Then again, it’ll prove you had sex with the Veslor if I do that. Some could twist that, believing what that idiot Barbara was saying.”
“The loudmouth?”
“Yes. God, sometimes I hate other women. She accused me of committing treason when I told the Elth their plan of making us all fuck the Veslor wouldn’t work. You know, rumor has it that she’s sleeping her way through some of the higher-ranking officers to get promotions. After spending time with her, I’m a believer. And I normally ignore rumors.”
“She was unpleasant. Especially to Gnaw.”
“I remember her outburst about him being on the shuttle, when he boarded. I wanted to deck her ignorant ass, but I don’t like to draw attention to myself unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
Darla frowned. “Why?”
“I’m the alien specialist for the vessel. Let’s just say, it’s not a job that makes me too many friends on the fleet. Even the other doctors give me shit. It’s not like I picked this field. I was just best suited for it, so fleet made the call.”
“Why is that?”
“I was orphaned after an explosion, along with my sister. I was born on one of the Mars colonies under fleet authority. They have facilities to raise injured kids who need massive medical care, which included me and Anabel, since no relatives came forward to take custody. They probably didn’t want to take on the financial burden.”
She waved at her bright blue eye. “My sister and I were hurt in the explosion. The fleet fed us, educated us, and made us whole again with fancy tech only rich people can afford. The price for that is, they own us until we’re thirty-five. Then the debt is considered worked off. Anyway, they tested us, figured out what we’d be best at, and placed us into careers. I wanted to be a doctor after my parents died. There wasn’t enough medical personnel near the scene of the accident. More people would have lived if there had been. During treatment, I
