Chapter 5: The Death of Delan
Once Gizmo hoad woken up enough to understand what Purple wanted, he'd ushered his Tallest inside and then bustled off to the kitchen with a promise to return shortly with tea. Left to his own devices, Purple wandered through the living room. It was cluttered, but comfortable - medical journals were stacked at intervals on the floor, while a bookshelf stood half-empty. Most probably the good doctor was in the midst of reorganizing the shelf.
The couch was an imitation of Vortian design. Purple, having made his way around the room once, settled himself upon the comfortable cushions. Almost immediately, Dr. Gizmo returned carryinng a pot of tea and a plate full of little cinnamon cakes. Despite the late hour, the doctor was the absolute soul of courtesy as he poured tea and offered snacks to Purple. At last, the doctor got on to business. "What may I do for you, my Tallest?"
Purple froze. What exactly did he want? He'd just come here because Gizmo was the only person Delan had mentioned other than Red. "You used to have a nurse named Delan working for you, correct?"
Dr. Gizmo stared into his mug before nodding slowly. "Bright young woman, that one. If she'd only had better sense... She'd have made a fine doctor. Let me get her files for you."
Nodding, Purple said, "Thank you. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd also like to see Red's medical file covering the thorough examinations that I'm sure were done upon his return."
Now it was Gizmo's turn to freeze. At last he shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't comply, my Tallest. Not without Tallest Red's permission at any rate." Purple had expected such an answer, but he'd figured it was worth a try anyway. Within moments, Gizmo had Delan's files up on a data screen which he handed to Purple.
Silently, Purple began to peruse the information. Suren enough, Delan was listed as deceased. Purple tapped that part of the screen and brought up Red's statement to the authorities. Then he slipped on a pair of antennae-phones so that he could listen as well as read the transcript. A bland, emotionless voice sounded in Purple's antennae. "Now tell us, Red, just for the official record, what happened."
Next came Red's voice, soft and subdued. "I discovered that Delan had stowed away on my ship two days after I left Irk. When I contacted my superior to ask what the procedure was for this sort of situation, he told me to let her stay, saying that someone with medical training may prove useful."
The cold voice chose this moment to interrupt. "Who is your commander and why would he not have ordered you to send Nurse Delan back to Irk?"
"Gen. Noob, sir. His opinions about Invaders are quite well know. He believes that teams of Invaders would be more successful than single Invaders, and I guess he thought of this as a chance to test that theory."
Purple nodded to himself. He remembered reading Gen. Noob's theories in Modern Irken Military class. Gen. Noob had been of the mind that sending out multiple Irkens with specialized skills would make for a more successful invasion. A soldier and a medical trainee thrown together like that would have indeed been the perfect chance tos ee if he was right.
"Yes," the dry voice murmured. "We are familiar with Gen. Noob's ideas. Now please continue. Tell us about what occurred between you and Nurse Delan during the trip to Earth." Purple decided that the interviewer had to be a Control Brain. No living Irken could have possibly maintained such an impersonal air. In that case, Delan had been taking a big chance, because if the Control Brain had hooked up to her ID Pak, she would've been exposed immediately. Purple guessed that she'd taken a gamble on the Control Brains' natural aversion to the chaotic organic mind and won.
"During the six month trip to Earth, I worked with Delan, trying to teach her to defend herself. And she taught me some basic first-aid stuff."
"And..." The Control Brain prompted.
"And we interfaced," Red confessed, carefully mimicking the Control Brain's lack of emotion.
"Duly noted and added to the record. Did interfacing affect the performance of your duties?"
"No," came the simple reply.
"Again, duly noted. And confirmed through review of your report on the planet. Subject Red is not to be recommended for data erasure at this time." Purple let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Just by mentioning data erasure, Purple knew that the Control Brains had at least been considering it. Had Delan known how close she'd come to losing her personality? Probably. "It is no longer relevant to hear of the journey. Skip ahead to the events which led to Nurse Delan's death."
Once more Red's voice took up the tale, more emotionless now than ever. "When we arrived and set up our base, we discovered that most of the inhabitants were embroiled in a war. We remained undiscovered for a couple of weeks. And then one day, soldiers arrived seeking refuge from a storm. The stuff which was falling from the sky seemed to cause only mild discomfort to the soldiers. For Irkens, it burns. Rather than allow the meat beasts intry into our base, we turned them away. The Earthenoids were angered. They called us names which we'd learned from their primitive radio broadcasts were associated with their enemies. Then they began forcing their way into the base. Delan was shot. I went to drag her to the voot so we could escape, but the Earth beasts finally broke in. Delan told me to go, to leave her. What choice did I have? I escaped to the voot and left her to the Earth monsters..."
Red's voice broke off, choked up with emotion. The Control Brain chose not to notice. "Go on."
A long moment stretched out where Purple presumed Delan was getting herself under control. "And then, when I reached the acceptable altitude, I blew up the base and returned to Irk."
The Control Brain seemed satisfied by Red's statement. "Subject Red's statement has been taken and is now being evaluated. Evaluating... Evaluating... Decision: Subject Red followed all appropriate procedures. Nurse Delan's demise is a result of her own decision to go into a situation for which she was not properly trained and a faulty command decision on the part of Gen. Noob. Furthermore, after reviewing the data taken on planet Earth, it has been determined that Earth is of no use to the Irken Empire, and therefore wil not be conquered. Thank you, and have a nice day."
The transmission ended, and Purple was left with a thunderous silence ringing in his antennae. Poor Delan... Having to blow up the base with Red still inside, and then having her chance for revenge taken away. No wonder she'd gotten so upset earlier. Well, Purple decided that he'd just have to find some way to make things up to her. Taking off the antennae-phones, Purple slid the data screen back towards Gizmo. "Thank you, Doctor."
"Did you find what you were seeking, my Tallest?"
Purple sighed. "I think so. At the very least, I understand things better than I did before."