Lana grinned and jauntily swung their held hands between them, quickening her pace to catch up to the others. “Let's go have some fun.”
Chapter Five
Blending In
Insisting the gunner come with her to the station was expected, and shouldn't interfere with the Dormant's attempts to slip away and report in to her handlers. And with the security restrictions the captain and companion were implementing on the ship, it was all the more important she do so when the opportunity presented itself.
Now more than ever, the task force needed to know their quarry had moved to another galaxy; how long would they spend chasing their own tails otherwise?
While Lana fawned over her boyfriend and happily gawked at the station, as if it wasn't like thousands of others across the universe, the Dormant searched for an opportunity to get some privacy to report in. Or, failing that, planned to make an opportunity.
Although when they reached the checkpoint leading into the station concourse, she receded and let the Blank Slate come back to the fore; granted, with her skills she could probably play a less suspicious role getting through the security, but her main consciousness would provide a more convincing one, genuine to how the others saw her.
Lana couldn't help but stiffen as they rounded a corner and she saw the two combat androids hulking to either side of a junction up ahead. To her relief, she saw they were letting other visitors to the station pass without so much as stirring from their position, as if rooted to the spot. Even so, the sight of the large DM logos on their chest and backplates stirred unpleasant memories of the combat android who'd smashed into the engine room, nearly killing her and Belix.
She must've unconsciously tightened her grip on Dax's hand, because he casually draped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side and nuzzling her hair just above her ear. The display, out in public like this, was unexpected enough that she was momentarily distracted from the danger up ahead. She shied away slightly at the ticklish sensation, suppressing a giggle, and then leaned in against his side and draped an arm around his waist.
“You know the high end area has a zoo?” he asked her as they strolled up to the junction. He kept talking, encouraging her to keep her eyes on him, as they passed the Deek robots. “An actual zoo! With some pretty big animals, even.” He shook his head in disbelief, silvery hair whipping around and tickling her face. “All that food, life support resources, and the room they take up, out here in space where all three are at a premium. It's incredibly inefficient!”
“We'll have to go,” Lana agreed, then almost jumped out of her skin with a shriek she barely managed to suppress as the combat android to the right abruptly spoke up, just as Aiden, in the lead, started to pass.
“Remember, citizen,” it said in a dull, efficient voice exactly like Fix's, “by order of the Deconstructionist Movement, it is prohibited to speak of superstitions of the flawed past such as religion or mythology. It is prohibited to speak of past events before the advent of the Deconstructionist Movement. It is prohibited to speak seditious sentiments against the Deconstructionist Movement or its allies, the Ishivi, or any affiliated groups. It is prohibited to speak sentiments deemed immoral or offensive by the Deconstructionist Movement. A list of such may be provided if needed.”
It abruptly paused, and Aiden replied in a bored, slightly impatient tone. “It most certainly isn't needed.” Lana could only guess this was standard procedure for newly arriving guests, and the people up ahead who'd passed by without being stopped had already heard it.
The combat android continued relentlessly. “Please state your understanding of these terms.”
“Understood,” the captain said curtly, stepping past. Ali murmured the word as well as she followed. The twins spoke it in unison in a singsong voice as they passed the robots, and Dax said it in his usual monotone as he and Lana approached.
Which just left her. “U-understood,” she stammered, trying not to freeze in horror at how scared and surely suspicious she sounded. She expected the androids to both immediately swivel and reach for her, or maybe just raise their arms and fry her with their cauterizer attachments.
But they didn't. She and Dax continued on past the two robots, and in spite of herself she felt her shoulders slump in relief. Although she still had an uncomfortable itch between her shoulder blades, as if she could feel their eyes, or sensors or whatever they had, on her watching as she walked away.
Her boyfriend resumed his earlier lighthearted chatter about the zoo as they entered the concourse, which was similar to Midpoint's but far cleaner, less crowded, more organized, and in some way more . . . wholesome. Not to mention the people seemed a lot friendlier and less dangerous.
Finally, when they were well past the combat androids, he patted her shoulder. “Well done passing your first Deek checkpoint.”
Lana felt her cheeks flush at the praise. “It's your first too, isn't it?”
He floundered. “Well yeah, I guess. I suppose my DNA-encoded memories and conditioning just prepared me better for it.”
“I wish I had them, then.” She suppressed a shiver. “I was sure they were going to pick up how nervous I was and get suspicious.”
Belix, who'd hung back to listen in on their conversation, laughed easily at that and reached up to pat Lana's cheek reassuringly. “If combat androids went after anyone who got skittish at the sight of them, they'd be massacring every last person on this station.”
“Especially once they started killing people and everyone else freaked out,” Barix added cheerfully. “Sure, every now and then they'll
