2
Ava came to in the familiar cargo bay of the
9Lives
. She was lying on the hard alumine grating that comprised the hold’s floor spaces. She was still in her suit, but there was a group of people huddled around her while others rushed around preparing to disembark the crew of the
Cat’s Paw
. Ava was dazed as she took in the surroundings. She looked from face to face, as if she were gradually remembering who these people were. Then one face took prominence. He was the first face she had ever known. Kane. Her father.
She tried to push away the hands that held her. She wanted to stand on her feet. She needed to be strong. The hands held firm, keeping her flat to the deck. Her father spoke, and she felt her suit’s grav locks activate, pinning her completely to the grating. Another face hovered in her vision as she continued to struggle. That face was Hailey, Ava thought, as she saw Hailey working to scan her suit and read out the results to Kane. Kane nodded and leaned in closer.
“Ava, you need to calm down,” Kane told her.
Ava heard him and wanted to do everything except calm down. She was getting angry. Angry at him for being there when he should be on the bridge, securing the artifact, or getting the ships to a safe distance from the explosion that still hadn’t happened. He should be anywhere other than here, seeing her weak and disoriented.
She forced all of that away and instead focused on slowing her breathing. She made her body still, relaxed her muscles, and stopped fighting the restraining suit and hands. After a few moments, she didn’t have to force her breathing anymore. A moment after that, the grav locks were released. The hands that held her stayed for a moment longer, but then she was free.
She stayed on the floor, counting out her breaths like she had learned in training for when someone got stuck under debris. Ava hated that training, but she had done it. She had taken every chance she could to learn every part of this job and to become better at leading her team.
“The good doctor says you are mostly unharmed and your equipment is in full working order. You may stand and make your way to the mess for observation. Dr. Hailey will accompany you,” Kane stated matter-of-factly before turning from her to inspect the excitement on the other end of the cargo hold. He was overcorrecting, Ava thought.
Ava started to sit up before a hand was offered. She thought about ignoring the proffered hand but instead took it. Dr. Hailey pulled Ava to her feet and started leading her toward the accessway that connected the ship like arteries and blood vessels in a body. Ava’s body ached, but she pushed herself to keep up with Hailey’s leisurely pace. Hailey slowed and helped guide Ava, placing a hand on her back to steady her. Ava stifled an outburst and tried to continue as though there were no hand touching her.
Ava and Hailey crossed the cargo bay and ascended the two flights of stairs. As they approached an accessway, the bulkhead door opened and revealed the main hallway, or the Main for short. It was wide enough for two people to comfortably walk side by side without brushing against each other or the bulkhead on either side, except for the ladders spaced along the path that allowed crew to ascend or descend to the lower main or upper main that mirrored this passage. The upper main led directly to the bridge and data core, with communications, sensor control, officers’ cabins, and the captain’s quarters along the way. The Main led from the cargo hold, past the shuttle bays, medical bay, equipment lockers, mess hall, galley, and crew quarters. The lower main connected engineering to waste and water processing, the backup data core, hydroponics, the armory, and the ship’s reactor core.
Ava was thankful that she didn’t need to navigate the ladders to reach the mess. As much as she wanted to be strong and rigid, she felt frail and exhausted. Whatever had happened on the outside of the relic ship with her suit had been very painful. She didn’t remember it hurting, but her body ached as if it had been slammed against the prow at speed. She resented the hand guiding her because it was attached to a person she resented.
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“Doctor” Hailey was not a doctor, but she was the closest thing to a medical professional the
9Lives
had. She did the job well enough and was, overall, a very caring person. A good person. Ava did not care for her presence, even if she knew she had to put up with her. Ava reminded herself that only a fool fights unarmed because they don’t like the make of the gun they are holding. Hailey was there to help, and she was competent enough. She did well by the crew. She allowed Ava’s team to operate at peak health.
Hailey being romantically involved with Kane did not make her any less useful as a tool.
The walk was long and quiet. Hailey was talking, but Ava had muted her helmet’s audio.
They passed the shuttle bays. Ava didn’t look to see if Peters, Juarez, or Ethan were there unloading equipment. They passed the med bay and lockers. Finally, they reached the mess hall. Hailey steered Ava inside and sat her down in a relatively comfortable booth.
Hailey crouched in front of Ava and motioned for her to remove her helmet.
Ava rolled her eyes, reached up, and released her helmet. She attempted to lift it off, but it required too much exertion from her sore muscles. Hailey calmly reached out and removed the helmet. She set it carefully on the table before turning to inspect Ava. Hailey was gentle, but the process was still invasive. Ava focused on her breathing and tried to block out everything except her own mind counting.
Four, three, two, one. Inhale.
Exhale. One, two, three, four.
She ignored Hailey’s faint perfumed scent. She ignored any questions asked as her face was turned this way or that. She hardly seemed to care when her eyes were spread wide open and a light shone into them.
After Hailey finished, she began making notes on the data slate she wore on her arm.
“Ava, you seem to be suffering from a sort of compression sickness. Not severe, or else you would be in even worse shape… or dead.” Hailey gave a small laugh and smiled as if waiting for Ava to politely chuckle, then thought better of it.
“The soreness, aches, and pains we can mask for now,” Hailey continued as she placed a small capsule on the table. “One every four hours for the next twelve hours, and after that we will switch to a lesser dose once every six hours. The right eye should heal in one to three weeks and require no treatment.”
Ava interrupted her. “What about my eye?”
“Nothing too serious. A subconjunctival hemorrhage is very common given the circumstances,” Hailey explained.
Ava rolled her eyes. “Subcennective hemothorax? Give it to me in galactic standard.”
Hailey smiled. “Oh, right. A burst blood vessel in your eye. It really looks worse than it is. Just a byproduct of rapid depressurization. Like I said, it could have been much worse.” Hailey stood, retrieved a cup of water, and brought it back to Ava. “Here. Best get started on pain management now.”
Ava accepted the cup, reached down with her other hand, found the somewhat large capsule, and threw it into her mouth before chasing it down with the water. She swallowed hard. It hurt, both because the pill was large and because her throat felt as if she had been screaming.
Ava sat with her pain for a moment before asking, “When is it supposed to start helping?”
Hailey smiled. “Any moment now. You will know when it starts working. You will think there is nothing wrong with you and that you can do anything, but then we will need to have you carried to your cabin.”
Ava’s anger flared again. “The hell you will!” she shouted as she rose to her feet and pushed herself out of the booth. Hailey carefully stepped out of her way. “I am not going to my cabin. I am going to check on my team. But if I did go to my cabin, I would carry myself,” she tried to say as she fell forward and landed heavily on the floor.
“Well, she got further than I thought she would. Ethan, be a dear and help me get her up to her cabin,” Hailey said.
Ethan, who had entered the mess a short time before, had been watching with some mixture of humor and worry. Seeing Ava attempt her escape, he had snorted heavily during a sip of his coffee.
“Of course,” Ethan responded as he hastily finished his cup and set it aside. He moved over to Ava, grabbed her by the arms, and lifted her to her feet. Ava rag-dolled in his hands, but he held her out as if he expected her to walk.
“Oh dear, I think you may have to carry her the whole way,” Hailey said.
“Not a problem. Just don’t tell her it was me who carried her,” Ethan begged.
“That will be our secret,” Hailey promised.