Was Portia's technique killing it? Or had the thing been pleading with me all along? I didn't know. But the tingly warmth continued up my arm as the smoke slowly shifted toward me.
Lin was screaming at that point for me to retreat, but I had lost all motor control of my body. When she attempted to grab my hips, her hands jerked back quickly. The way she held them together after that suggested that she too felt the ultra-chill with which my body was becoming accustomed.
"I order you to stop your program!" Nancy yelled at Portia. "You are hurting Joah!"
Abruptly the light pattern and sounds stopped. An eerie red illumination filled the room instead, like emergency lighting back in my time during a catastrophe or power outage. The only sound that continued was Alora's chanting which had diminished to a mumble as tears streamed down her furry face.
I felt incredibly strong again. And stronger with every part of me that came in contact with the shadow as it then advanced steadily toward me. Portia's technique had actually been working. The beast was weakened for a while, but then recovered. Just like me.
Strangely, I welcomed the thing. My body craved it as it continued to flow through the air in my direction, overlapping the area taken up by my muscular form. It wasn't absorbing me, nor did I absorb it. The sensation was more like a freaky reuniting. Like the return of the spirit of a dead twin brother to make me feel whole again. I resisted the urge to close my eyes, but there wasn’t much left to see. The smoke was thin.
Then it was gone. Just Portia to my right reading her monitor, not even bothering to turn in my direction. Then Alora in the far-left corner staring at me in horror.
"Joah, are you okay?" Lin asked, standing to my side but resisting the temptation to grab hold of me.
I somehow knew that touching me wouldn't cause her pain, so I reached for her hand. She flinched when we touched, but that was in anticipation. When nothing bad happened, she dove into an embrace, holding me tight.
Alora continued to gaze upon me like I was now the devil. I'd have to deal with that later. I assured both my wives and my android that was I now feeling fine.
"Is the entity no longer here?" I asked. I could still sense his presence, but there was no telltale shadow. But both of my wives seemed to have relaxed a great deal.
"I think he is gone," Nancy answered.
"No," Portia corrected her. "The sensor readings indicate that Freddy is still among us."
"Where?" Nancy asked, glancing around the bridge like the rest of us.
Portia calmly turned toward me and pointed at my chest. "The life form's location now matches Joah's exactly.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Alora's eyes rolled back into her head as her body shuddered. Was she also getting possessed by a demon? She sure as hell looked like it! A moment later she collapsed unconscious in her chair. Portia was at her side immediately.
"She is suffering from an unknown physical trauma," our android doctor explains. "There is no remedy provided in our database for her species. I recommend a sedative and rest."
"That's it?" I asked. "Did the shadow touch her?"
"I could not see the shadow," Portia reminded me. "There is no sensor record of it being in this corner of the room."
Lin promptly checked out our Peggy guest for herself, urging Portia to step aside. In the end, she came to the same conclusion. I easily carried the alien girl to the medical bay lounger so Portia could connect monitors to her. We would be alerted to any change in the girl's health. There was no need to hover over her as she slept.
The ship’s computer, as well as Portia, would be able to monitor an extensive array of details regarding the bodies of organic crew members without making physical contact. Just as long as we were close by. We did not have that option with Alora. Maybe we could get her fitted with a wrist communicator eventually to alleviate much of that problem.
The Terran Capsule was still in the other dimension. Jump space. There wasn't much to do except wait for our rip-time back into our universe. It was all under the control of our computer. There were no alarms so far to suggest that we encountered any technical problems with our interstellar journey. But it was best if we returned to the command room to diligently monitor our systems. I wasn’t ready to rely solely on our robot for that important role just yet.
"That thing went inside of you," Nancy said to me. "Are you sure that you’re okay?"
"I feel great," I replied, as I flexed the muscles in my chest and shoulders. And it was true. My body hadn’t suffered any negative circumstances from my encounter. Instead, I felt revitalized.
Portia took readings and confirmed that I was as healthy as ever. When she suggested that we redo the strength tests, I told her those would have to wait. If I had to guess, I would expect the results to be even higher than before. There was a bit of a chill still present in my veins, but now it felt like it found a home. No longer troubled, I was happy in my new body like I just successfully completed a thirty-day workout challenge.
"I don't want you to be alone for a while," Lin told me, staring into my eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"At least one of us should be with you at all times is what I mean."
"Even when I use the bathroom?"
"I don't see why not," Lin replied. "I'm worried about what effects that creature may have on you. We are going
