Chapter 10 - Numb

The next afternoon... (Wednesday)

Adria decided she liked school. While some of the students tried her patience, others were generally friendly, and some had enough common sense that she didn't constantly feel the need to pity them. But the best part was the process of learning. It was refreshing to have someone actually teach her personally, rather than encode a massive body of knowledge into her DNA so it would unwind into her mind in a headache-inducing manner.

Other concepts she enjoyed were fun and friendship. As Orici, everything she did had a purpose. She always focussed on her mission. There were not opportunities to relax or be frivolous. Friendship was not a relationship that had been possible either. She'd had servants, masters, and enemies, but not friends. None could be completely trusted - she couldn't afford to trust.

She did not want to think about her mother. Such memories hurt most of all, as they were the most personal.

The strange thing about her new life was that it did not feel different. Making her own choices seemed no different to the subtle control of the Ori. While her will was now freer, it was not easy to distance her current decisions from all those which had been made for her. It felt like she was the same person who had either subjugated or slaughtered so many populations. Morgan had helped her learn to think differently, but it was not easy.

"Interesting carton of milk?"

"Hmm?" Adria looked up at Cal, who looked inordinately amused.

"You were staring at that carton as if it held the cure to cancer."

"Oh. I was lost in thought. About life. And the universe."

"And everything," Cal added, with an odd grin.

"I suppose."

"Hey, what did you and Ria do to Harriet yesterday? I heard she's been muttering random words to herself all day."

"Oh, we were 'simply' attempting to determine which Watt was what Witch."

"Huh?"

"Yes, like that."

"Oh. Say, I was wondering... that is, if you don't have anything else planned..."

"Just say it," Adria urged, resisting the temptation to end the suspense by reading his mind.

"Would you like to visit my place again, tonight? I kinda need your help."

"You want me to visit again? Will guns and knives be involved this time?"

Cal looked around furtively to see if anyone could have overheard that question. "No guns," he replied.

"Intriguing. I'll be there," Adria promised. It couldn't be worse than the last time.

-

"Sooooo... what are we doing with knives?" Adria asked as Cal let her inside. "What are you looking at?"

Cal had noticed that his visitor was wearing a rather tight long-sleeved white top with black slacks. "You might get blood on that," he worried, trying to un-distract himself.

"We shall be cutting up something alive?" she guessed.

"It's about my rapid healing ability. I have a bunch of Asgard nanites which keep me from dying. Loki's Xerox machine doesn't work too well."

"Zeerocks?"

"I'm a cheap clone."

"Oh. So, the nanites keep you from dying, and cause you to heal quickly. How does this lead to cutting?" Adria inquired.

"It would be a big problem if I was hurt in public. I need to learn to delay the healing until I can do it in private."

"By cutting yourself and focusing on slowing the nanites. I assume you know you can affect them?"

"Yeah, my Asgard buddy, Thor, rigged that up after last time you were here. I've had a little success, but I have a long way to go."

"I do not yet understand why I am needed," Adria stated.

"It's a rather painful process. It is hard to concentrate on the nanites while I'm in pain. Do you think you could numb my arm like you did to my foot when I dropped the knife the other night?"

"I believe I could."

"Good. Don't overdo it - I think I'll need some sensation so I can feel what's happening."

"How will doing this without pain help you when you are actually in pain?" Adria wondered.

"I hope that once I learn to control them properly, I'll be able to do in under... less favourable conditions."

"I believe it is worth a try," Adria encouraged. "Let's begin."

-

After an hour, Cal had become well practiced in disabling the healing nanites. It had reached the point that he hardly had to think to continue to suppress the rapid repair once it had been initially halted. Thanks to Adria, the learning process was almost pain-free.

"You're doing very well," she commented. "Shall we see if you can do it in a more realistic situation??"

"Yeah, we better see how good at this I really am." He held the knife above his arm, but Adria interrupted with another idea.

"When you do it, you know to expect it. Perhaps I should make the wound."

Cal quickly considered the idea. "Yeah, you do it," he agreed, passing her the knife.

Adria stared at the knife in her hand. "You trust me that much?" she asked, a little surprised.

Cal shrugged, not wanting to appear too serious. "You don't need a knife to kill me. It's not a big deal. And with or without a knife, the nanites will protect me."

"But you can defend yourself with a knife," she argued. "Giving it up can't be easy for you."

"Okay, so I do trust you a bit."

"Even though I'm responsible for..."

"That wasn't you and I can see that you don't want to be that person. I don't know if the other me would trust you, but I..." While Cal was distracted, Adria slashed his arm with the knife. Before either of them knew what was happening, he had reflexively disarmed her and driven the blade through her hand.

"Aaaahhh!" she squealed. "Why..."

"I – I didn't meant to... are you alright?" he stammered in concern.

"I will live."

"I'm really, really, sorry about this," he told her sincerely.

"It is my fault. I did not realise that you had such fast reflexes."

"Appearances can be deceiving. And hey, it hasn't healed yet, see?"

"Well done." She looked at the wound and pulled the knife out of her own, noticing the mixed trails of bright sticky blood they had produced. "I suppose we are now 'blood kin'," she suggested.

"Yeah, something like that. If Daniel was here, he'd be listing a bunch of tribes and rituals with funny sounding names. It doesn't mean much to me, apart from the mess. And now you've got blood on your white top," he noticed. "You'll need to wash that out... or clean it with your funky mind powers," he amended as she did just that.

"I did not wish to explain that to Morgan," she told him.

"Yeah, that would... whoa..." Suddenly Cal didn't feel so well.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"Kinda dizzy and... ouch, headache."

"Do you need anything? Should I..."

"Pretty lights," Cal muttered, before slumping forward.

"Calvin? Cal? Wake up! Hello?"

Cal didn't respond.