“You must work weird hours, since you’re here and it’s not close to one of the normal shift changes. Take a seat. Do you want to hang with me until I can leave? I have to do a little more research and then send that information to the people waiting for it. Just swear not to tell anyone if you see something you shouldn’t.”
Darla licked her lips. “Um, my sister made leave my shift early. I’ve had a headache for a few days and she wanted me to see a doctor. I told her it’s from stress and being rundown. But she’s a worry wart, since it’s just her and I until our family can get jobs to be with us.”
Jessa stepped closer and her blue eye began to glow. Then she frowned. “You’re running a fever.”
“You can tell that just by looking at me?”
“Yes.” Her gaze lowered. “Let me see your thigh. Go jump up on my med bed.”
“It’s fine. It’s healing nicely.”
“Med bed—now. No bitching about it. I’m going to give you an exam.”
Darla sighed and walked around the counter to the med bed, climbing on it to sit on the side.
“Lay down. I might as well do a full body scan on you this time around. I’m not frazzled anymore after our ordeal with the Elth, or pissed off at Doctor Jenson for being a prick.” She chewed on her lower lip. “Fuck. I hope I didn’t miss something. What other symptoms do you have?”
“Just the headache.”
“Fever, too. What else?” Jessa grabbed a handheld device and tapped at it.
“I’m sleeping a lot. I didn’t get much while we were in captivity, and I’ve been stressed. New job. Thinking about Gnaw. I tend to sleep more when I’ve got a lot going on in my life. I’ve always been that way.”
“Have you talked to him?”
“No.”
“Damn. I was hoping the two of you would become a couple.”
Darla turned her head, staring in surprise at her friend.
Jessa looked slightly sheepish. “I’ve been trying to learn more about Veslors since they came onboard. They refuse to come into my lab for some tests or answer my questions. I was going to totally pump you for info.” She winked.
“Now I know why you want to be my friend,” Darla teased.
“It was an added bonus. Okay, hold still. You can breathe but don’t move around or wiggle. I want clear scans. Ready?”
Darla turned her head, staring up at the ceiling. “Go for it. This isn’t going to hurt, is it?”
“I’ll warn you before the bed stabs you in the ass to take a blood sample.”
Darla laughed.
“Not kidding. I’m so going to do that. Hold still. Starting scan.”
“The things I do for my baby sister,” she muttered.
Chapter Thirteen
Darla held still as the bed under her lit up and a robotic arm came out of the side with a mini camera for a hand. She had to close her eyes when a blue laser-like light began to flash over her, but it didn’t hurt.
“The scan’s done. Now comes the quick sting. Don’t tighten your butt cheeks. It hurts less that way.”
Darla gasped when something jabbed her. “Shat!”
Jess laughed. “It was fast, right? Now I’ve got your blood and it’s being evaluated. Stay lying down, but you can turn your head now if you want to look at me. I need to view the scan to make sure none of it glitched. It happens sometimes. So…why haven’t you contacted Gnaw? Do you not want to see him?”
“I’m not sure if he wants anything to do with me.” She peered at Jessa, who was holding a larger handheld device and tapping away. “I was hoping he’d contact me.”
Jessa lifted her chin, meeting her gaze. “Um, I sent you a message. Maybe he did, too. We really need to get you up to speed on how to use shit. Did you buy a mobile com device to carry with you?”
“No. Why would I need one?”
“You know, so you can keep in constant contact with your friends no matter where you are. Does Radison not have them?”
“No. We had an intercom system inside the greenhouse, and had to use the main computer in the office to make contact with the cities and other places.”
“I am never retiring to some back-ass planet when I leave the fleet. You poor thing. Mobile devices are great. You can walk all over the ship and talk to me while I’m stuck at work. Or vice versa.”
The device in Jessa’s hand beeped, and she glanced at it.
Darla swore her friend paled as she suddenly took a step back, bumping into the counter behind her.
“Did it glitch? Do you need to scan me again?”
Jessa didn’t answer. She spun around, slammed the device on the counter, and then bent, yanking open a drawer. “Oh, fuck. Area 51, we have a problem.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s a saying.” Jessa straightened, holding scary-looking gloves. They seemed to be made of metal, with some wires running along the exterior of the fingers. “You know, Houston, we have a problem. Only the alien version. Never mind. You weren’t raised on Earth. Just stay still.” Jessa put on the gloves, used her shoe to kick the drawer closed, and rushed toward the med bed. She started to tap on a control panel along the side.
“What’s wrong?” Panic started to set in. “Did the Elth expose me to some deadly virus on their ship? I was in contact with some of their white blood.”
“Hang on. Don’t freak, okay? Just let me take a better look. I’m seeing something that
