Amish Vampires in Space (40 page)

Greels yelled. The second guard fired once in Foley’s direction, sending a blue pulse that impacted the grey hallway wall. It crackled and diffused harmlessly. A clear miss.

The first guard wasn’t struggling with the young woman Candle at all. He should be yelling, fighting. Not standing there while the woman bit him. Greels stepped closer and attempted to pry the gun from his hands, but the woman looked up and hissed, showing blood-covered teeth. Long and pointed teeth.

“Shoot her!” Greels said.

The other guard hesitated, eyes flitting between the girl and the escaping Foley. The girl released the first guard and climbed to the floor. Moved toward Greels—

Another burst of light caught her in the side. She shook violently for a moment, then seemed to shrug it off. She smiled and took another step toward Greels. Raised her arms imploringly. “Darling…come here.”

The first guard mumbled and slumped to the floor. The second guard watched him, clearly confused.

“Fire again, idiot!” Greels said. “Again and again.”

The guard looked up, frowned indecisively, but managed to fire from the hip. Once, and when it appeared Candle might shrug that off too, fired a second time. Candle looked to the sky, attempted to step, but then slumped to the floor.

The remaining guard looked at his colleague, then at the girl, and finally at Greels. “Your intern got away.”

Greels spit on the floor. Shook his head. “He did? Gee, I didn’t notice.”

The guard bristled. “Are you insulting a man with a gun?”

Greels waved, looked at the girl on the floor. “If the Amish are right, there are plenty more like Foley running around. And I think I know where it all started.” He looked at the storage room. Mostly just food in there. Little that could be of use here. “Anyway, we only need one, and here she is. But we need to restrain her somehow.” His eyes traveled to the fallen guard. “And him too, maybe.”

The standing guard fiddled with something at his right hip, finally bringing out a fine translucent cable. “Binding cord.” He went to work on Candle, binding arms and legs. He then moved to stand over the other guard, checking for a pulse at his chin. “I think he’s alive,” he said. “He might be all right.” A glance at the still-bleeding shoulder. “Nasty bite wound.”

Greels shook his head. “Bind him.”

“But he’s with us.”

“I wouldn’t assume anything at this point.” He indicated the girl. “I thought she was dead. Once.”

• • •

Darly leaned against a counter in one of the medical office’s two examination rooms. Her current patient, Singer, stood fully clothed within what would appear to a casual observer to be a rectangular band of white cloth. This band was supported by a seemingly delicate frame that attached to the wall. The band and frame was all that was visible of the med scanner, the rest being integrated within that same wall.

The scanner started its diagnostic procedures at the floor and slowly moved up the entire length of the young woman’s body. It paused awhile at Singer’s midsection, and again at her head, then with a small click it began to descend again. When it reached the floor it folded into its surface, leaving little trace that the scanner even existed.

What was left was a nearly spotless white room. The only decoration was the coiled snake medical pattern that had been pressed into the walls. The floor was blue, of course. As were the cabinets over the counter. But the counter was white, which Darly preferred. White and clean and controlled.

That was medicine.

Singer smiled at her. “So what did you see?”

In her arms, Darly held her square medical pad. The results of the test were already available on it, designated by a single green X in one corner. She pressed it, and it swirled and grew until the test ledger filled the screen. It listed rows of conditions followed by percentages and textual details. Nearly everything here was green. A cause for smiling. Some percentages were more toward the red spectrum, but these were the ordinary genetic predispositions and the effects of aging. Both were less prevalent than they were centuries ago, but not altogether wiped out. Not yet. Man was still mortal.

Wars had been fought to keep it that way, in fact.

“You are fine,” Darly said. “Above average for your age and body type.”

Singer nodded. “You have the baseline you wanted, then?”

Darly nodded. “It is good to check the scanner from time to time. Against someone typical.”

She heard voices from the waiting room outside. A small commotion. She exchanged looks with Singer. Frowned. Bobbed her head.

“You think that’s them?” Singer said.

Darly clutched her med pad closer. “I’m certain it is. I can almost smell Mr. Greels from here.”

Singer didn’t respond, only smiled and put out a hand indicating that Darly should lead. Together they walked to the reception area.

The receptionist was standing, eyes wide with a hand at her hip. With her were four men—Greels, a security guard, and two other men who looked like they’d been volunteered somewhere along the way. Possibly from the loading group, as they wore faded t-shirts and dirty pants. Together they were carrying two incapacitated people—a man and a woman. Both late twenties to early thirties. Both with visible signs of wounds. Thankfully, the blood appeared to be coagulated. They weren’t making a mess.

The scent of Greels was messing the air, though. Plus he’d outdone himself. “I thought you were bringing me only one patient,” Darly said.

Greels grunted. “Where do you want them?” He held the feet of the woman, while another man held her arms at the wrist.

Not the kindest way of carrying her. “Are you trying to pull her arms out of socket?” Darly asked.

Greels looked at his companion. Shook his head. “Neither of us are getting close to her mouth,” he said. “She’s a biter.”

Darly noticed the restraints that were around her wrists and ankles. Decided not to ask. She looked at the other patient, the man. He was clearly from security. Large man. Appeared to be strong. “What happened to him?”

Greels summarized the encounter with Foley and the woman.

All Darly could do was raise her eyebrows. Greels had a knack for disruption. Chaos. She hated chaos.

She ruminated about which patient to look at first. Bite wounds were always dangerous, especially from other humans. Yet, in the unlikely event they were dealing with a new contagion…

She looked at the receptionist. “Call two nurses. We’ll take the man to room three and the woman to room one. I want everyone to be extra careful. Everyone should wear gloves, robes, and headgear.”

“Headgear?” the receptionist asked.

Darly nodded. “They’ll find them in the hall closet. Next to the bandages.” She waved a hand over her face and head. “It is a combination mask and hairnet. They’re antiseptic. Made to keep microbes out.”

She looked at the men carrying the guard. “She’ll show you where to go.” She looked at Greels. “You two will follow me.” She turned to Singer, who was standing just to her left. “I want you to stay out here with the men. No one leaves until I say so, all right?”

Greels looked at the other men. Scowled. “No one leaves? We’ve got things to do, Darly. Quotas of our own to meet.”

“I’m sure your quota of quickfood can wait. At least until I have an idea about what’s going on.”

One of the other men started to complain, but Darly just fixed him with an icy stare and a raised finger. That ended it.

Four minutes later she had the woman patient in the same room that Singer had used. She was reclined on a slanted examination table, one specifically designed to fit within the med scanner. The woman’s wrists and ankles were no longer restrained, but she was strapped firmly to the table. For her own safety.

Greels had been especially anxious about the restraints. Only when she’d assured him that the straps were more than capable of containing Candle had he seemed to relax. He still remained in the room though. Refused to leave until after the scan took place. “I have to know,” he said. “I’ve seen enough strange stuff. You can’t make me leave now.”

Darly allowed it, against her better judgment. He wore a blue robe and headgear now, after all, and those muted him. Made him a little less
Greels
. He helped her push the table into position.

Darly brought her med pad up to start the scanning process. The young woman began to mumble and her head wagged slowly. As if she were having a bad dream. Then her eyes opened.

“Miss Candle?” Darly said.

“Yes,” Candle’s eyes scanned the room. “Where am I? Is this a med room? Why? I don’t feel sick.”

Greels coughed. “Don’t start with the fresh and nice now, missy. I’ve seen enough of that.”

Darly shot him a look. Turned to the patient. “We’re just trying to check you out. See how you look on the inside.”

“I don’t know why you’d need that. I’m fine, really.”

Darly noticed that the bite mark on Candle’s neck appeared to have fully scabbed over. A quick healer? Strange, but not uncommon in a galaxy of gene tweakers. She raised her med pad again. Engaged the scanner.

“Really,” the young woman said. “You won’t see anything. I’m sure of it.”

The scanner went through its up and down sweeping motion, then folded back into the floor. Greels watched the whole process intently. Like a dog waiting for a treat. He was even breathing hard. That only made his presence more apparent. Darly resisted scowling.

She waited for the results indicator. After many moments, nothing had arrived. She frowned and checked to see that the scanner was completely disengaged and stowed away.

“What happened?” Greels asked. “Do you have anything?”

“Not yet—” A green X appeared on her screen, and she smiled. “Ah, here it is.” She poked at the indicator. It swirled, grew to fill the screen.

The ledger was completely empty. All the percentages zeroed out. She scrolled through the entire ledger again just to be sure. Every line the same. Nothing. “We just tested this scanner…”

“What’s that?” Greels leaned her way. “What does it say?”

Darly shrugged. “That’s the problem: It doesn’t say anything.” She looked at Candle, who was smiling innocently. “Let’s try again.”

“I really want to go,” Candle said. “I have responsibilities. The scraddle is—”

Darly raised a hand. “It won’t take a moment. I’m sorry.” She started the scanning operation again. Again the scanning band ascended around the inclined table and patient. Made its sweep, stopping in all the same places, and then returned into the floor.

The results came quicker this time: still nothing. Darly shook her head and began to drill down into the individual elements of the report. Typically, these would contain renderings of the patients internal systems and organs. But in this case, there were only outlines. An outline of a heart, a spleen, a liver, but inside—all black.

Greels moved closer. Attempted to look over her shoulder.

Darly turned away. “That’s privileged information, Mr. Greels.”

“I’m very uncomfortable with him being in here,” Candle said. “He’s treated me so poorly. After all we’ve meant to—”

Greels pointed a finger. “Stop it, you, whatever you are. You know I don’t know you. And I only tried to save you. From Foley!”

Candle smiled without showing teeth. “Maybe I didn’t need saving. Maybe I’m saved now.”

“I need to talk to the captain,” Darly said. “Clarify some things.” She looked at Greels. “You’ll need to go too.” Then to Candle. “We’ll have to leave you here for a bit. I’m sorry.”

“But I really need to leave now, Darly. I’m getting hungry.”

“We’ll have someone bring you food.”

“I’d rather get it on my own.”

“I’ll bet you would,” Greels said.

“Come with me, Greels,” Darly said. “Now.”

• • •

Darly’s face stared up at him, and for a woman whose features were partially obscured by a blue mask, she looked very disturbed. “Nothing, sir. I can’t see anything.”

Seal rested both arms on his desk, paralleling the edges of Darly’s image. “Did you try another scanner?” Seal asked. “You have more than one, correct?”

Darly shook her head. “You don’t understand. I just tested that scanner,
minutes
ago. It was working perfectly. And I’ve never seen one malfunction like that. Come back with nothing? Not a single reading?”

Seal frowned. “What else could it be, though? It has to be a technical issue, doesn’t it?”

She shook her head again. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. The patient seemed to know I wouldn’t see anything. She seemed to revel in it, actually.”

Seal frowned. “That’s very strange. Impossible, of course.”

“Yes, sir, I agree. It is about as impossible as me standing in front of a mirror and not seeing my own reflection. But that’s what happened: The machine saw nothing.”

Seal shook his head. “It seems to be a day for unexpected circumstances.”

“Why do you say that?”

He reached up to scratch his head. Frowned. “Oh, I’ve been trying to reach the bubble for some time now. Nothing. Probably I should get out of my office and go up there. Have a look around. Make sure they’re awake.”

“That’s against Guild rules, is it not? Both of them out of touch?”

“Yes. I try to give those two some freedom. I know it is a thankless job, a lonely job, but—”

“Well, I wouldn’t go anywhere until we know what this is, I—” Darly glanced behind her. Her move made it easier for Seal to see where she was. He guessed it was the hallway outside the examination rooms. “I’m sorry, but I’ve left a patient strapped to a table.”

Seal worked the side of his face with a hand. Fought off a yawn. “You have other ways of looking inside, don’t you?”

“You mean another machine? Because I told you I—”

Seal held up a hand. “No, I mean…if we’re really in some kind of epidemic here, we need some answers soon. We need to know what is going wrong so we can address it.”

“Yes, but—“

“But that might mean that unusual procedures are in order. You had some surgical training, correct? Aside from all your technical skills?”