Chapter 24

[] 

The figure in the doorway peered closer at us, trying to decide who we were. Then she spoke angrily, "What are you doing here?" 

Thallin stepped closer to the light. "Lieutenant Tallon? This is Lieutenant Braywater. Could you please put the gun down?" 

<Tallon?> I thought, <Where have I heard that name before?>The figure paused for a moment, and then raised her other arm. As if on cue, all the spotlights in the club instantly flooded the room with light. Still standing in the doorway was a familiar looking blue- haired young lady, wearing jeans and a light tan jacket. She wasn't quite armed, not unless you count the glue gun and remote control she was holding. "Well, unless you're a piece of wood, you've got nothing to worry about." She tossed the tube to the side and came further into the club. "So, why have we got three Lieutenants skulking around in the dark, mmh?" She winked nastily. 

<Lieutenant Commander,> I almost interrupted, but was managed to calm down. <I can't believe I was almost held up with a bloody glue gun!> 

Tallon bent over Izabelle and lifted one of her eyelids. "And one of whom had seriously too much to drink." She turned to face Thallin. "You know, Lieutenant, I did not figure you out for a guy who'd get his dates drunk - know what I mean?" 

Thallin stammered a weak protest, "Now wait a second. Surely you don't think I... With... And..." He opened and closed his mouth a few more times before sitting down heavily. "Oh, I give up!" 

I had to cover for him, so I quickly concocted a good lie. "We were simply helping Lieutenant Fate back to her new home. We found her in one of the bars and thought it best if she slept it off on her own bed." 

Tallon looked back at me. "Do you need a hand?" 

I thought for a moment before answering, "If you wouldn't mind. Izi's kinda heavy." Tallon's eyebrow went up at Izabelle's nickname, but didn't comment otherwise. I gave her a sly grin before walking over to Thallin. "Hey, SDF to Thallin." I nudged him. "Where do we go from here?" 

He looked up at me vacantly for a moment. Then, his eyes finally focusing, he responded, "I have no idea. Sergeant Sam'di was doing all of the organising, so I don't know where she located our quarters." 

Tallon chimed in, only too happy to oblige, "Up the stairs, third door to the left for you, fourth for Lieutenant Fate. There's even a connecting door between the two sets of quarters." 

<I should have known.> I made gagging noises under my breath. 

Tallon turned her sickening grin back in my direction. "That's a nasty cough you have there. Well, shall we?" 

Once we had Izabelle safely in her room, Tallon turned to Thallin and pulled the remote control from the pocket of her jacket. "Before I forget... Tamara wanted me to give you this. It's the controls for the entire club." 

Thallin took the device and turned it in his hands. It looked more like a small computer once I got a better look at it. There was a small, flat screen and a keypad below it. Thallin poked at a few of the buttons and carefully read the text that scrolled across the screen in response. He was obviously fascinated by this new toy. Tallon grinned evilly and winked at me when I glanced at her. 

Thallin spoke without looking up from the remote. "Thanks, I think I'll be able to manage with this. Was there anything else?" 

"Apart from the fact that the cellar and the fridge are fully stocked and that the staff you requested is hired, no. Oh, about the staff. You'll find their files in your room, on your bed." 

<You're really pushing the limits here, lady.> "Shouldn't you have put them in his office?" I asked. 

She grinned at me again as she said, "I could have, but it wouldn't have been as much fun." She winked at Thallin this time. "Anyway, I've got to go and sign in for the day. 'A technician's work is never done' and all that jazz. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll just show myself out." She glanced surreptitiously in my direction as she gave Thallin a little wave and walked back to the stairs. Of course, she couldn't just walk to the stairs. She had to wag her ass as she did it. 

I almost spit, looking on after she left. "She couldn't be more obvious, could she?" 

Thallin was surprised. "Obvious? About what?" 

I turned and stared at him. "You really, truly don't know, do you?" His blank expression instantly answered my question. "I guess you'll find out soon enough." 

He made a face at that, but it passed. "Well, before you disappear as well, I'm going to need your help." 

"My help? Sure, what for?" 

Thallin pointed back at Izi's door. "I still have a core-dump to do on Izabelle's memory. I could do with an extra set of hands." 

I looked at the door over my shoulder, a feeling of dread coming over me. "This is gonna take a while, isn't it?" 

[] 

It took more than two solid days of work, with little more than nutri-snacks and cat-naps to keep us going, but we blocked the necessary parts of Izi's memory from easy access. We might have done a more thorough job, but Thallin and I had other things to do with our lives. 

When we were finally done, Thallin sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. "I managed to block off most of the memories, so she will not be able to access them without a voluntary search. The problem is, I don't have the time to do a proper purge - or to hunt down every memory we want to erase." 

"So, what did we do, then?" 

"I injected a worm into her brain." With images of grubs and maggots surfacing in my tired mind, I had to double-check what I'd heard. "A worm?" 

Thallin apologised and explained, "Sorry, old terminology. A seeker program. It'll hunt down every memory pattern which relates to her believing herself to be Christina Leeds and erase them. I also included this delusion she had about loving me." 

<That might be going too far.> "You're playing God again, Thallin." 

"Maybe," he smiled. "But it gets easier every time you do it." Thallin stood up and stretched loudly. "Anyway, you look worse than I feel. We're done here, so why don't you go back to your quarters and catch some sleep?" 

The mention of sleep reminded my body of how badly I needed it, and I had to fight my body's urge to collapse on the spot. "Good idea, Thallin. G'night." I forced my body to move towards the door and, when I finally reached it, turn the handle and open it. The bright light in the hallway hurt my eyes. I'd become quite accustomed to the dim lights in Izi's room. I blinked a few times til they adjusted again. I turned when I heard someone call my name. "What?" 

Thallin was still standing there. "Thanks for your help... I appreciate it." 

Realising I was too tired to speak, I waved a hand at him as I stepped into the hallway and closed the door. It took a few minutes and several tries to find my way out of the club, and even more to find my quarters. I was lucky there wasn't much crime in our little city in space, because I spent most of my time wandering through the warehouse district. 

I was also quite lucky I was too tired to really notice what was going on around me. 

Forward to Chapter 25.
Back to Chapter 23. 

Return to the Kay Landers contents page.