“What happened to your mom and dad?”
“They died, Liss. I told you that.”
“No, I mean afterwards?”
“Oh. Uh, well, I was sent on to Hub and the, uh, the bodies had to stay because of the investigation.”
“Did you go to the funeral?”
“No. I was only seven. They couldn’t take me back. There wasn’t a funeral, as such. They went into a mass grave.”
“That’s terrible!”
“It’s just the way things were. Billions of people were dying, Liss. There wasn’t enough space on the planet for all the graves they would have had to dig.”
“Did you ever go back?”
“There’s nothing to go back to.”
“Huh.” She blew her nose.
“I don’t mind talking about myself, Liss, but this session is for you. So can I ask what happened after you stopped looking at the screen?”
“Oh… I just went out. I don’t know, I lost track of time. All the dust was blowing around. You’ve never seen that much dust in the air. It was horrible.”
“And all the things you spoke of before — calling the police and so on — did that happen?”
“Sure. I called the police. I called the PRG as well…”
“The PRG?”
“Oh, uh, Paranormal Response Group. The ones you call if something big happens, you know, like there’s all the services on the emergency line, Police, Ambulance, Fire, Paranormal Response, I tried them all, there was nothing, just voicemail.”
“Did you call your parents?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that when you decided to go there?
“…yeah. I walked. And then when I got there…”
“It’s okay, Liss. Go on.”
“They were in the kitchen. They were on the floor, in the kitchen. Just these two little piles and, and, a couple of cracked plates. They always used to argue over the dishes when I wasn’t there to do them…” Another tissue was required.
“And you buried them.”
“Yeah. I put them in a sandwich bag and dug up the garden and put them in there. I mixed them together. Is that okay?”
“I’m sure they would have appreciated it, Liss. Did you stay there after that?”
“No. I went home. And then I went back to work. You must think I’m so stupid…”
“No, Liss. I think you survived. I think that’s an achievement, no matter how you did it.”
She wiped her nose on one of the many tissues I’d given her. “I didn’t do anything. All I did was forget to die.”
“It’s still worth something. And sooner or later we’ll find out what happened on your world.”
“’s just a joke. That’s all it is.”
“We’ll find out, Liss.”
“Just a frigging joke. That’s my world. Just a big joke.”
She huddled up in her chair again, and I didn’t get any more out of her that day.
2. Elsbet
There was a chime in my ear, and a message before my eyes: EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE REQUIRED: INFIRMARY. I ran from my office, playing video on a separate stream, floating in apparent space before me.
Katie was awake, shouting at the medical staff and Veofol, who had been staying by her side as much as possible — but now he was backed up against a wall while Katie screamed at them.
“I’m not talking to fucking needle jockeys!”
She smashed a trolley into the wall. The two nurses and a doctor backed off a little more.
“I’ve called an officer!” said Veofol. “She’s on her way!”
I concentrated on where I was for a moment — into the gravity tube for a few seconds of freefall, a sudden stop on the ground floor, then out to the infirmary. Security were piling up outside, checking weapons. Lomeva Sisse stepped in my way, imposing in full power armour.
“You’re not going in there,” she said.
“Why?”
“She’s lost it. I’m not risking anyone going in.”
I checked the video: Katie had Veofol by his jacket lapels, dragging him down to her height and demanding: “Well? Where is this fucking officer?”
“She’s on her way! If you just give her a moment!” he replied. He knew I’d be watching, and had an idea for how to deal with the situation. It was a good idea.
I snapped back to reality. “Get out of the way,” I said. Lomeva refused to budge. “Do I have to transfer you out of here?” Grudgingly, she stepped aside.
There were more security guards stationed on the way to Katie’s room. They let me pass, raising weapons to make space. The door was locked when I got there, but I could hear shouting from inside. More demands as to the whereabouts of the promised officer.
“Lab coat,” I said to a doctor, who hurried to remove hers and pass it over. I slipped it on and buttoned it up — anything that looked even a little bit like a uniform would do. I tied my hair back as tight as it would go, assumed the most thunderous expression I could command, then keyed the code to enter.
Katie had really made a mess of the place — smashed equipment, fixtures ripped from the wall, the bed upended and mattress flung to one side. Two nurses and a doctor cowered in the corner, while Katie, still in her infirmary gown, hunched over the doubled up Veofol.
“What’s going on here?” I demanded.
Katie turned and saw me. And hopefully, saw I wasn’t intimidated.
“You an officer?”
I put on all the disdain I could muster. “I’m Major Singh. What are you doing out of bed?”
“You’re not in uniform.”
“I was in surgery. Or I was until I was called to deal with this disgraceful behaviour.” My tone of voice shook her confidence. Military training is always very useful when dealing with someone who isn’t listening to reason. “Stand to attention!” She jumped smartly to attention, dropping Veofol. “Now identify yourself, soldier!”
“Sergeant Designate Elsbet Carmon, sir!”
“What’s your unit?”
“Vesta 4 Holy Brigade, Attack Squadron Alpha Six!”
“What’s the last thing you remember, Sergeant?”
“Sir?”
“Answer the question!”
“Sir! I was piloting my missile towards enemy facilities on the homeworld when I encountered turbulence! I blacked out!”
“Stand easy.” She assumed the required stance. “Sergeant. This is a hospital.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re here for your own good. You will co-operate with the staff. Is that understood?”
“I understand, sir.”
“If I see any more of this kind of behaviour, there will be a court-martial. Is that understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now get back to bed, and get well. You’ll be debriefed shortly.”
“Sir!”
“Well get on with it, then!”
She dashed back to the bed and put it back where it was supposed to be. I gave the medical staff a look, and they peeled themselves off the walls to help.
I glanced at Veofol. “Corporal. Come with me.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, and followed me outside. Once the door was closed again and we were safely out of earshot in an office, I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed into a chair. Lomeva came in as a nurse brought us tea.
“You’re completely fucking insane,” she said, meaning it as a compliment.
I shrugged. “Soldiers usually respond to an authoritative voice. Anyway, Veofol had the idea.” He sighed as a nurse sprayed his bruised arms with analgesics.
“How do you want to deal with this?” asked Lomeva. “Given our other problem.”
“Complete lockdown on her, of course. She doesn’t leave the infirmary until we decide it’s safe.”
“Good. Anything else?”