Can you hear them
All the voices in my head
They freak me out
Can you hear them
They won't be happy 'till I'm dead . . .

- "Can You Hear Them?" by Ozzy Osbourne

Chapter 9
Deafening Silence

"We're back with our little silent surprise!" Ratchet called out as the dropship opened, with Cypress Vox waiting in the hangar. She stood up as Ratchet pushed Dimitri in front of him, with Jigsaw at his side.

Dimitri looked exceedingly nervous, and cast an expectant glance at Jigsaw. I your prisoner?

No, no, we're here to help you, not the other way around. Jigsaw replied, before looking at Cypress. "We got the lab tech! that's what you wanted, right?"

Cypress nodded. "I'm glad you pulled that off, although one thing bothers me. You say he's deaf, right?" Jigsaw nodded vigorously, then slowed down as she picked up on Cypress's next question. "Then how was he talking in the surveillance video?"

Dimitri blinked. Vox seems upset . . . should I run?

Jigsaw cast an eyebrow at their new catch, while Ratchet took a step back, but a more direct approach. "Well . . . it was the sail attendant who said he was deaf. Maybe he was mistaken."

"Or maybe our friend here can talk more than he lets on . . ." Jigsaw retorted, then stopped herself. "No . . . no, that doesn't make sense. His mind isn't wired like that. And even if he could speak standard, he probably wouldn't have used it to talk to his brother the way he did on the video."

"Perhaps a quick scan of the audio channels would give us an answer?" Clank asked Cypress, who pulled a databoard out of a suit pocket.

"It's possible . . . I know I examined the frames themselves, but I'm shocked that I left the audio channels overlooked." Cypress pulled the board open, before showing the data to clank. "Then again, The audio channels are usually tweaked some by the editors in order to get the voices better captured."

Clank scanned the data. "There's something wrong with the third 'scene'. It appears to have a completely different audio signature from the other two."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ratchet looked to Al, who was just now leaving the dropship.

"Typically a recording will have some sort of 'crackle' to it: in other words, the natural static in the room. The audio signature can change thanks to the velocity of the recording, the weather, the room it's played in . . . anything can interfere with the signature." Al helpfully offered, glad that for once Ratchet seemed interested. "Most broadcasts that we usually hear try to minimize the signature to nearly nothing by-."

"-recording in a studio!" Cypress hissed. "I should have known the audio there was too crisp!"

"So the surveillance video was tainted?" One of Ratchet's eyes started to twitch.

"Worse than that. We could've been sent on a wild goose chase thanks to that thing!" Jigsaw growled, looking over at Dimitri again. I'm sorry to have to do this, but we may need to ask you a few questions soon.

Dimitri blinked, somewhat scared now as Cypress shook her head. "I'm not sure what to make of this. It's clear that someone altered the last audio of the footage. We know at least part of the audio is trustworthy, since we were able to find and address Dimitri here properly. What we don't know is if this stuff is actually sensitive to Veldin or not."

"What's it matter?" Ratchet asked. "We know that whoever this guy is, whatever he knows, and whatever he took is important enough that we got shot at over it and someone else died because of it. What difference does it make right now if it has anything to do with Veldin besides this guy being a Lombax?"

"My assistance has to do with it." Jigsaw raised a hand, and Ratchet glared at her. "Listen, Ratchet, you're the one who's played this whole 'galactic hero' schtick before, and I respect that. But unlike you, I'm actually supposed to respect my post. My job as Protectorate needs to pertain to the safety of planet Veldin and/or its inhabitants, or else I may as well dub myself a mercenary."

"Well, he's an inhabitant. 'Protect' him." Ratchet remarked.

Dimitri blinked. What happening? Why everyone pointing fingers at me?

Don't worry about it. Jigsaw tried to get Dimitri to relax. We're just talking about Veldin, since you're from there.

This news . . . I have no idea what Veldin looks like.

Jigsaw cast a sidelong glance at Dimitri, then sighed. "I should probably interrogate Dimitri here to see what information we can get out of him. Maybe if I can get him to open up a little, we can either get enough out of him to justify my continued jurisdiction on this case, or else I can find some other loophole to exploit."

Adari'a climbed out of the dropship. "Can we watch?"

"It's not going to look like much, honestly . . . and I'd rather keep it to one-on-one. He'll be more likely to talk that way." Jigsaw took hold of Dimitri's hand, leading him off.

Cypress turned her head to watch her go, before turning her attention back to the others. "So . . . aside from the obvious, how was the little excursion?"

Jigsaw reached the position she wanted — a secluded part of the hangar, distant enough for comfort but open enough to keep her witness calm. My apologies for the confusion, Dimitri . . . now, what did you mean when you said you had no clue what Veldin looked like?

Dimitri shrugged, seating himself on one of the crates. I have no memory being on planet's surface.

Jigsaw blinked, still not believing what she was hearing, or at least sensing to hear. But weren't you born there?

I born there, yes, with brother Newton. He replied. But mother and father gave us up immediately, when they found out we both deaf.

That's horrible! What happened?

Dimitri shrugged. Most Lombax depend heavily on ears working. They could not handle babies that couldn't hear. They gave us up, send us to Silent Night.

Jigsaw seemed floored, but after a few moments, she realized he was right — even in this age, a key defect like total deafness was tough for most species to handle, least of all a Lombax. Those big ears weren't just for show, after all. What is this 'Silent Night' place you speak of?

'Silent Night' galaxy-wide Deaf community on planet Caultero. All species welcome there. Teach us how to function without sound. Teach us how to sign with hands and tentacles. Everything designed for us! Theatre, nightshows, restaurants, all optimized to run without noise whatsoever! Dimitri's eyes lit up. I grew up there, been there almost all my life. Silent Night my home more than Veldin.

How did you end up on Quartu then? Jigsaw asked, curious. Her ear twitched just enough when she sensed a third presence in the area. Apparently one of the others had decided to eavesdrop . . . but she ignored it.

Newton and I left Silent Night for education. CosmoGear picked us up, and put commission for first client right away. Took much effort to design Harbinger, but-!

Hold it. Jigsaw raised an eyebrow. You must be mistaken. The Harbinger is a patented weapon of Vox Industries.

Of course. Vox bought patent for large sum. Ask him yourself. Dimitri pointed to Cypress, and Jigsaw turned around, dumbstruck.

Cypress glanced to Jigsaw, noting Dimitri's finger, confused. "Did I miss something?"

"Apparently our new friend here used to work on your father's payroll. Claims he designed the Harbinger."

"You're kidding!" Cypress ran over to the two, and Dimitri immediately cringed, nearly falling backwards from where he sat. "On second thought, you may be onto something . . ."

You can relax. This is not Gleeman Vox; just his daughter. She's much less violent. Jigsaw tried to reassure Dimitri, and at least momentarily, it worked, as Dimitri extended his hand out, and Cypress shook it. Did you do any other work for Vox Industries?

They biggest client of company! Dimitri exclaimed. My brother and I, we did last project for them. More for us, but they wanted it once finished.

What did they want?

Dimitri cast a quick glance to Cypress, as though nervous, then ran a hand through his short hair again. This time, however, he pulled out a silver skullcap from his hair, with the silver wires spanning the cap several times, causing it to resemble a three-dimensional dream catcher. He also pulled off his gauntlet, holding it up with the skullcap. This meant top-secret. My brother and I wear only two known prototypes. The idea, make it easier for others to talk to Deaf the way I sign to brother. But we left when we found out what else it do.

What did it do? Jigsaw stared at the devices, slightly confused. Cypress had much the same look on her face, fascinated.

When Newton and I wear them, we talk better than signing. Like you talk to me right now. We found CosmoGear computers splicing signal. We suspected they using signal for more. We tried to leave, test independently, away from surveillance. Dimitri slumped. Newton did not make it.

Could the surveillance cameras have picked up on this signal? Jigsaw leaned in, concerned.

Dimitri shrugged, now losing interest, putting the devices down. If upgraded in time, I suppose it possible . . . I noticed delay in speech when talking to Newton last. It may have been distance involved in relay.

"There's your answer." Jigsaw spoke, glancing to Cypress. "The audio in the last part's different because it wasn't audio in the first place. It was probably spliced into the surveillance tape to match whatever they were saying to themselves, only recorded so that we could hear it, since I doubt 'telepathy' transmits well over video in the first place."

"I'm still lost as to how this translates to Veldin's safety." Cypress noted. "Obviously for those two, it was important as it seems to indicate that it was recording their conversations . . . but what about the rest of the planet?"

Jigsaw nodded, going into deep thought for a moment, before opening one eye wide. "I bet it was more than just conversations going past them." Dimitri, were you and your brother able to transmit mental images of things? Like blueprints?

Dimitri nodded, and Jigsaw smirked. "That's what I thought. Whatever that little skullcap of his picked up, in order to just send mental messages, it would have had to filter only for those messages. But according to Dimitri, they were sending pure, unfiltered mental imagery."

Cypress shrugged. "So more than just messages were getting transmitted."

"A lot more. I'm talking on the neural level. These caps were transmitting how their user's minds worked. If Dimitri's right, about how all this data was getting spliced and somehow stored in CosmoGear's computers, then this is more than mere eavesdropping. This is all-out mental mapping." Did you figure out how much data the computers were actually picking up? That they were picking up on how your mind worked?

Dimitri nodded, suddenly looking very nervous. With information at their disposal about Lombax mind, even one with different idea of language than my own . . . too much to continue. We may not remember Veldin, but we knew more Lombax lived there. Their minds now at risk much as ours, with that much known.

Jigsaw returned the nod, not looking too good herself. "Glad to see I don't need to be a scientist to figure out just how bad this is. Cypress, go ahead and relay this to Ratchet and the others. They'll be interested in this." With that, Cypress nodded and ran off, leaving Jigsaw and Dimitri alone again. Now, one last question before we rejoin the others.

Dimitri glanced up at her, forlorn. Yes?

When we found you, you were sailing some sort of boat . . . but since you're deaf, I would presume that you wouldn't have normally been allowed onto the open seas by yourself, or at least haven't been sailing for very long since you forgot your lifejacket.

I did not forget. He replied, curling up into a ball, still looking at her. I miss my brother very much. I could not continue my research in village. I could not keep them at risk much longer. I was going to . . . solve all three problems before you arrived.

Jigsaw shook her head. Such a waste . . . I'm glad we found you. Dimitri buried his face in his arms, looking ashamed of himself, but Jigsaw walked over to him, sitting beside him and wrapping an arm around him. It's okay. You're with us now. CosmoGear won't be able to find you here, and you can continue your research either on my ship or on Veldin for as long as you need to.

Dimitri buried his face in further, not knowing what to think. My brother . . . what of my brother?

You'll manage. She tightened up her arm's grip around him. Your brother's sacrifice would have been in vain if you had died today. Now you have a chance to continue your research, and make sure that the workings of the Lombax mind stay safely in Lombax hands.

Dimitri looked over at her, then nodded slowly, sitting back up. I still not certain how you talk to me. You seem like my research not needed.

Jigsaw shook her head. This is a natural talent of mine that took time to control. I'm the only Lombax that can do this, as far as I know. Your research should allow you to do this with others beside me.

That not answer how. Dimitri smirked, a hand going for Jigsaw's hair. I must study you more, see how neural net-.

Easy, pal. Jigsaw backed off, frightened. This mind isn't going under anyone's microscopes anytime soon. We should walk back to the others now.

Dimitri nodded some, and Jigsaw took hold of him by the wrist again, bringing him back to the others. Cypress and Adari'a both turned around to the the two returning, and Ratchet was watching Dimitri with some interest.

"So . . . I've got this guy to thank for the Harbinger, eh?" Ratchet smirked. "Didn't realize he was so talented."

"Neither did I." Jigsaw replied. "I'm a little worried about his ties to Vox though . . ."

Al winced. "You don't think the attack on them at Quartu-?"

"I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past them. I think we all know firsthand what Gleeman's wrath was like." Jigsaw responded, shaking her head. "This being said, I suggest we lay low for at least a day or two; Let's find out just how much heat we've picked up from our new shipmate here, then react accordingly. After all, with Dimitri here, their research should be disrupted enough for us to take it easy for at least a couple of days, provided we're not tailed. "

Adari'a smirked. "Plenty of time for us to get through the Exterminator Tournament's chapters while we're keeping a low profile, then."

"I think we have more important details now . . . " Cypress reminded her.

"I'm only talking two hours to watch the stuff, tops. Plenty of time for the more mission-critical details." The lion retorted. "Besides . . . Unlike you two, I don't have a whole lot else I can do on the ship when there's no fighting involved."

"Aww, Addy, You know that's a lie . . . we just don't have anyone we can rightly call a prisoner for you to toy with now." Cypress smirked, tousling Adari'a's hair. "But in the meantime, go get our boys set up in the back for tonight. Jigsaw and I will set the ship on its course, and then we'll join you."

With a few nods of approval and a quick send-off, Adari'a led Ratchet and the other boys out of the hangar, while Jigsaw and Cypress made their way to the bridge. Jigsaw watched to see when they all went through the doorway leading to the main viewing room, then snapped her head back to Cypress's line of sight as soon as it closed. "Dimitri bothers me."

"Is this 'bothering you' in the way it bothers you that you can't read a robot's mind?" Cypress blinked.

Jigsaw shook her head. "No. We picked up Dimitri before he was about to kill himself. The boy has survivor's guilt, which I expected, but the suicidal behavior disturbs me."

Cypress nodded, a worried look on her face as they passed through another doorway. "So you think he's a risk."

"Worse, an ingrate." Jigsaw responded curtly. "I'm concerned that Dimitri might take our little rescue for granted. Might try again, in fact."

"What are you getting at, Jigs?" Cypress narrowed her eyes. "You want my permission? For one of your 'tests', I'm guessing."

Jigsaw smirked. "You know me well. And I'm glad you have that kind of memory on you."

"You're likely to half-scare the boy to death if you try it. It's one thing to do that sort of thing to a condemned man . . . It's another to try it on a deaf kid."

The Lombax shook her head. "I'm not going to hurt the boy . . . promise. I'll even make sure he doesn't need his ears for it."

Cypress sighed, then just looked down at Jigsaw as she walked on ahead to the captain's chair. "Times like this make me wonder why you even ask . . ."