‘I don't think so, unless she uses pink perfumed, gas on her guests afterwards,' Yana said, coughing again.
‘Merde alors! Is that what it was? Where are we?’
‘I don't know. (Hack) It's dark.’
Then suddenly it wasn't and a chirpy voice said, 'Oh, good, our guests are awake. Tell me, none of you have any food allergies do you? Anyone a vegetarian?’
Yana blinked fast and focused on the small port where a pert face dimpled in at them. Yana had seen hundreds of faces like that pushing everything from shampoo to specific space craft for flights to anywhere you cared to mention.
‘What's it to ya?' Bunny asked, surprisingly pugnacious on such short notice.
‘Now, honey, that's no way to be. Just because you have to be our guests for a while doesn't mean the experience has to be unpleasant. Sorry to crowd you all in like that but we thought you'd feel reassured to find each other near by when you woke up. I'm afraid the boys were a little careless how you landed. So, let's try again, shall we? Any food allergies?’
The tangle on the floor sorted themselves out. 'I demand to know where we are and why we've been detained in this fashion,' Marmion said.
Til be glad to explain but really, the crew is going to be cross if they don't get their dinners on time so could you please answer my question first?' the person at the port said with a trace of irritation.
‘I would dislike causing your crew any inconvenience,' Yana said in a trenchant tone. 'None of us is a vegetarian but I,' and she paused for a coughing fit, 'am sensitive to any sort of gas!’
‘Fine, good. Wonderful. Back in a jiff,' the person said, and left.
‘Marmion,' Yana said sotto voce, and when she had Marmion's attention in the dimly lit room, she gestured to where she had hidden her alarm. It was gone now: she'd've been surprised if it'd still been there, a gross oversight on their captors' part.
Marmion gave the most imperceptible of nods and a sly smile. So, thought Yana, both of them had had a chance to send signals. Help ought to be on its way. Wherever they were.
‘Macci's not here,' Marmion said suddenly. 'What have they done with him, do you suppose? There's just us four.’
‘Oh!’
Then Pert-face, as good as her word, was back. When she opened the hatch, she had two armed guards with her and the three of them stayed outside the room. The guards wore orange coveralls with no identifying patches. Pert-face wore a bodytight in green with an aqua tunic of what appeared to be crocheted lace. Her hair was light brown, with lynxlike grey tufts at the ears and in a diamond pattern at the crown, extending into the fringe of hair accenting earnest brown eyes.
‘I'm Dinah O'Neill,' she introduced herself. 'I represent Louchard Enterprises’
‘As what?' Yana asked.
‘Oh, Public Relations, Legal, Administrative, what-have-you. I'm the representative. And you, I take it, must be Colonel Yanaba Maddock?’
Yana nodded but declined to shake her hand.
‘And the famous Marmion de Revers Algemeine!' Dinah O'Neill said, the stars practically dancing in her eyes as she addressed Marmie. 'I'm thrilled to meet you.’
‘I wish I could say the same,' Marmion said.
‘Now, now, Madame Algemeine, I'm sure you've been unavoidably detained for business reasons before. Think of this little interlude as another minor delay. And these lovely youngsters must be… let's see, Diego Metaxos? Right? Right! And Buneka or Bunny - my, that really suits you - Rourke. I can't tell you how delighted I am to have you here.’
‘I'll bet,' Yana said, coughing again.
‘And where is Macci Sendal?' Marmion asked. 'He was with us when we were gassed.’
‘Ah, yes, that glamorous one. As far as I know he's all right but really, I felt the four of you would be crowded enough in here despite misery loving company so much.’
‘There's a reason for all of this nonsense?' Marmion asked, totally unamused.
‘The reasons are rather complicated and really nothing you need to worry about now. You're all safe and well and that's the important thing, isn't it? Except that poor Colonel Maddock seems to be catching cold.' Yana had launched into another paroxysm.
‘It's not a cold,' Bunny said, wrapping her arm protectively across Yana's hunched shoulders while she coughed. 'She's only just over a gas poisoning at Bremport and you - you can't just go around indiscriminately gassing people…’
‘I'm so sorry,' Dinah O'Neill said. 'The boss fancied a disabling laser bolt through the knees but I suggested that gas provides less wear and tear on the cargo - I mean, the guests. I do apologize.' She snapped her fingers at one of the guards who had a tray in one hand and a four-litre bottle in the other. 'Here's your dinner. Quite nourishing, I assure you. And just what the captain ordered. Enjoy!’
The guard laid these supplies on the floor and backed away.
‘I have a dog named Dinah,' Diego said softly to no-one in particular. 'She's a nice bitch!’
‘Flattery will get you nowhere, youngster,' and there was an edge on the bubbly tone Pert-face used. The door clanged shut.
Marmion lifted up the tray and peered at its contents. 'Nutritional bars and some vitamin cubes.’
‘What was all that crap about allergies and vegetarianism, then?' Diego wanted to know.
‘Here, Yana,' Marmion said, passing the water bottle. 'See if it'll soothe your throat.’
Yana gratefully swigged a big mouthful which she trickled down her dry throat.
‘What are you doing?' she asked Bunny who was now audibly sniffing, turning her head to smell each corner of the small room.
‘Wherever we are, we're still on the Space Station,' Bunny said.
‘However can you arrive at that conclusion?' Marmion asked, surprised and sceptical.
‘Air,' Bunny said and grinned. 'I'm a good sniffer and this is the same air that we were breathing on Gal-Three. Your launch had different-smelling air. But this…' and she sniffed again, '… is the same as Gal-Three.’
‘You know, she might be right,' Marmion said.
‘I devoutly hope she is,' Yana said with an unobtrusive gesture to where the alarm pad had been.
Marmion considered this. 'I wonder… You could be right, Bunny.’
‘D'you think they do have Macci next door or someplace?' Diego asked.
‘You mean, could he be in this with our dear Dinah?' Marmion asked. 'Really, Diego. Macci's Rothschild's, not a pirate.’
‘Is that who's kidnapped us? Pirates?' Bunny was torn between astonishment and dismay. Then her expression changed into a disgusted grimace. 'Water! I chewed that cube and it's one you've got to swallow. Urgh.’
They finished their repast and each took a long swig of water to wash down the last of the dry bars and cubes and then arranged themselves about the small room. They sat two on a side, facing each other, their legs meeting in the centre of the small space.
‘Now what?' Bunny asked in a very brave voice that had only a slight tremor in it.
Yana scratched at her shoulder, unobtrusively fingering where the alarm pad had been. She was desperately hoping that her initial use of the now missing device had got through to the security folk. Surely there'd been enough time to trace their whereabouts - that is, if they were on the station as Bunny felt they should be. And where was the 'unseen' eye that Marmion had mentioned in her launch that would be watching out for their safety?
She started coughing again. Bunny handed over the water but Yana couldn't stop coughing long enough to take a sip.
‘Dinah? Dinah O'Neill?' cried Bunny, rising and pounding on the hatch with both fists. 'The Colonel needs a doctor. She's coughing blood! Damn it! Answer me…’
The hatch was hauled open so abruptly that Bunny lost her balance and then lurched back away from the angry faces that looked in at them: the two men who had brought the 'food'.