Chapter Five
By SilvyrWing"Hey! Miss Davenport!!"
The voice sounded shallow and distant, but Miss Davenport looked up anyway. It was definitely Rosie on the com. Offering a matronly smile to Suzee, whom she now knew was actually Radu, she excused herself in order to press the button on the com. It stuck, thanks to the earlier incident with the wrench, but eventually, she managed to get it down.
"Rosie?" she responded.
The voice answered, "Bova and I are in the Galley. Can you come up here for a minute? It's important."
T.J.'s hand hovered over the button as she looked back at Radu. He smiled, cheeks flushing slightly red as she stared at him. "Go on. I'm gonna try to find Suzee."
"Just… Take care, Radu," she offered as she headed for the door.
---
Rosie was just about at the Command Post when the com next to her buzzed to life. "Rosie? Are you there?"
Confused at the bitmapped quality of the sound, Rosie hesitated, before pressing the link down. "Miss Davenport? I was just heading toward the ComPost. I shouldn't be too much longer."
"Forget that. Bova and I are in the Galley. We need you here now, please."
The voice was almost too flat. There wasn't enough of Miss Davenport's normal panicked mannerism to it. Maybe they were hurt!
"I'll be right there!" Rosie exclaimed, turning from her previous course toward the direction of the mess hall.
---
Thelma idly stood at the Helm, pondering the inner workings of the Christa and whatnot with one circuit, while she pondered the infinite mystery of cheese with another. If an android could come anywhere close to being bored, Thelma was definitely there. She knew what was going on, at least as much as the Christa told her, but there wasn't anyone around to listen! Besides. Christa had asked her to keep a secret, and Thelma could at least do that.
Suddenly the door opened, and a person similar in appearance to Suzee entered.
"Hello, Radu," Thelma said pleasantly. The Yensidian paused.
"You know? He asked.
"Of course I do, Radu," Thelma answered cheerfully. "I am quite knowledgeable of all that goes on with the Christa. At least, that which she chooses to tell me. There are some things she is withholding, but she does seem amused."
"Oh, yeah. This is really funny. Well, I'm glad you know, in any case. It… makes things easier. I guess. Christa will let me access nav, won't she?" Radu asked as he headed over to his console.
"Yes," Thelma said. "As part of the crew, you can access any of the terminals on board."
Radu stepped up, looking at the readouts on Navigation. "After what she put us through, I'm not exactly sure," he responded.
"Christa does what she needs to do. That is… how it's always been."
Radu watched Thelma carefully. Somewhere behind that rather vapid expression was an extremely intelligent mind… It had been one of the first times he heard her refer to the Christa's past.
"She has a sense of humor," Radu added, matter-of-factly.
Thelma buzzed a bit. "I suppose that would be the best way to put it."
Setting the most recent coordinates to print, Radu stepped off his console station to wait by the Helm. As the microfilm printed, he retrieved it.
"…You know, it's funny. It's hard to made sense of these numbers now that I can't feel them."
Thelma simply stood there, staring.
"I know we were here when I headed down to the engine room." He traced a fingernail across the sector of space in which they were located. "And now we're here. Which is almost the exact opposite direction we wanted to go. But why would Suzee…"
His eyes widened. Smiling, he took another glance at the coordinate printout. "Thelma, where's Suzee? I know what she did. It's so simple…"
"Suzee is currently unconscious," Thelma relayed, smiling as if it didn't concern her in the least.
Radu stared. "Unconscious? Where?"
"Her current location is in the cargo hold with Harlan and Commander Goddard."
Normally, Radu wouldn't utter too many expletives. But considering the fact that some of his inhibitions were muted by the Yensidian mind, he thought of a couple interesting ones before heading off at sprint toward the Jumptube.
---
"You think we hit him too hard?" Harlan asked.
"He'll come to," Commander Goddard responded, boredly. "You seem concerned."
Harlan paused for a moment, watching the barely-moving Andromedan on the floor in front of him. They'd tied Radu's wrists and ankles together, though it was only with rope. They were relying on him waking up and actually listening, because if he decided he wasn't in a listening mood, they were, to put it bluntly, screwed. "I am, a little. I mean, I was starting to trust him. I keep having this feeling that something else happened, you know? Like… I don't know. It doesn't add up."
Goddard regarded him with a nod. "He's become your friend."
"I wouldn't say…" Harlan looked up at the Commander. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"Sometimes when you're in space for a while, you get a little bit of… Well, it's a dementia. I've seen men on my crew, some of the best, mind you, just lose it after seeing the stars one too many times. Radu's a little sick. He'll be fine… What I'm really concerned about is the plot he set out for us. That doesn't sit right with me."
"Maybe he's been communicating with…"
"I checked the outgoing logs. Radu's no engineer. There's no way he could have figured out how to secure a transmission I wouldn't have access to."
Harlan snorted a bit. "Well, at least you know your students."
Goddard said nothing.
"I just want to know what's going on," Harlan finally added.
Radu started to stir, drawing both of the other mens' attention toward him. "Hopefully we'll find out now," the commander stated, softly.
---
Miss Davenport entered the Galley, only to find Bova blissfully chowing down on a sandwich. "Hey, Miss D.," he said as he noticed her. "Come to join me for pre-dinner? Actually, it's more like pre-dinner and post-pre-dinner right now, since I missed both lunches. Not used to you observing Uranusian meals, though. Glad you're getting some culture into your life."
"You seem awfully happy," T.J. offered, sitting down across from him.
He held up the sandwich.
"I see," she drawled. "But where's Rosie? I got a call from her… She seemed upset about something."
"Last I knew, she was headed for the ComPost, where Thelma was waiting," Bova answered between bites. "She hasn't been here at all."
It wasn't exactly like Rosie to lie… Perhaps she was hurt? Delusional? Maybe she didn't have any idea of where she was!
Suddenly, the Jumptube whirred, and Rosie fell out of it. Landing unsteadily, she quick-stepped the rest of the way over to Bova and Miss Davenport, nearly out of breath. "What's wrong?" she asked.
They looked at her.
"The com… You were… In the galley. Something happen?" Doubling over to attempt to slow her breathing, she rested one hand on the table… Which started to glow slightly red.
"I didn't call you," T.J. said, backing away from the rapidly heating tabletop. "I thought you called me."
Rosie shook her head. "Someone's playin' games…"
"It's not Suzee or Radu," Miss Davenport said, brushing her hair back out of her eyes with both hands. "I have a feeling they have enough to worry about at the moment. I was talking to Radu in the engine room when I though I heard you on the com."
"Talking to… So you know?"
Miss Davenport nodded.
"Know what?" Bova asked.
"I caught Suzee after class, right after she bullied Bova and Harlan," Rosie added.
"That was—" Bova began.
"And I realized what had happened after talking to Radu about…"
Somewhat ruffled that he had very little idea as to that the two girls were talking about, Bova started in on his post-pre-pre-post-dinner. After all, there was so little time left in the day, and he still had another meal to take care of before he reported for ComPost duty.
"So if you didn't send a message, and I didn't send a message, who did?" Davenport asked.
"I suppose Thelma can emulate our voices," Rosie pondered. "But why would she?"
"Someone didn't want us somewhere," T.J. guessed, glancing at Bova as his last sandwich disappeared. "Let's head up to the Command Post. We can put a call in from there… Hopefully find out what's going on. Or at least talk to Thelma. You said she was up there, didn't you, Bova?"
"Yeah, when I left," he agreed, brushing some breadcrumbs off his shirt.
---
"Uhnn…" Suzee muttered. She could hear Catalina's frantic voice, but couldn't seem to work up the energy to respond to it. There was something about being hit on the face with a crate full of rations. Something about blood… Blood. She could feel warm blood dripping from her nose. The realization brought pain to the forefront of her mind, and she realized that her nose was broken.
No, not hers. Radu's. That much weight, and she'd escaped with only a broken nose.
Her head sure hurt, though.
"Quiet," she muttered to Cat. The Saturnian's voice stopped, though Catalina's translucent face appeared in front of her eyes.
"The Commander's here with Harlan. Don't say anything yet. Just take it easy. They knocked you out, Suz."
The situation returned to her thoughts. They thought she'd deliberately set the Christa up on a course for destruction. Maybe she should fake sleeping again.
"Radu?"
It was Goddard's voice. She winced… He'd spoken in a normal tone, but it sounded as if he was shouting.
"Sorry, I'll speak more quietly. Is this better?"
After a brief hesitation, she nodded.
"We have you tied up for now. You realize we can't trust you, after what you did. But I'm going to give you a chance to explain."
"…Didn't…" she managed, opening her eyes. The intensity of the light forced them closed again, though. Reflexively, she inhaled deeply, only to choke on blood. Gagging, she forced it back up. It wasn't pleasant.
"Give yourself some time to wake up."
His voice was too calm. Tugging on the ropes, she felt them begin to snap… But she forced herself to relax, not having any desire to find herself unconscious again… Or worse.
"…Suzee," she muttered.
"In the engine room, last we checked," Goddard replied. "Look, I know you're probably a little lost right now, but we're going to help you, okay? You've become a bit of a worry to the crew."
They didn't understand. Suzee shook her head.
"Radu, I know this isn't easy. But we need you to tell us what you did on nav, and why."
"I entered the coordinates right."
Harlan stared at the Andromedan. He was a friend… Almost a confidant. Harlan felt betrayed. "Then explain why we're heading for enemy territory."
Goddard put a hand out, pushing Harlan back. He didn't need the conflict right now.
Suzee pushed herself up on one elbow, opening her eyes a bit. The light was still too bright. "No… I need Suzee here."
"Why? Does she know something, too?" Harlan snapped before Goddard cuffed him across the ear.
"Actually, I do…"
They turned toward the sliding portal. Just inside stood Suzee. Uncharacteristically nervous, she stepped forward, holding a microfilm in front of her. Glancing at Radu, she winced.
"I'm fine," Radu's voice came, somewhat rusty.
Goddard reached out, taking the film from her. She gave it up easily. "What's this?" he asked, looking over the printout. He could see it was a navigation readout, and while he knew a little bit about navigation, he didn't know where in the galaxy they were, or in what sector. The numbers were unfamiliar to him.
"This is all right," Suzee noted. "Except for the fact that the x-axis and the y-axis were switched. It's exactly opposite of what we wanted."
"So he was trying to cover it up. Hoping no one would notice." Harlan turned toward Radu's reclined form, pointing accusingly at him.
"Show him," Radu said, looking past Harlan. Harlan turned back toward Suzee, looking into her eyes for an answer.
"Just relax, Radu continued. "Your mind'll know what to do."
Drawing on the bit of knowledge he'd received from the time Suzee had actually entered his mind, Radu allowed his thoughts to quiet, and nearly panicked when he felt an uncomfortable detachment. He could see Suzee's eyes in Harlan's… They were glowing bright violet. Harlan, mesmerized by them, was unable to move. Though he almost pulled back, Radu allowed the process to continue, ultimately feeling an almost painful chill as his spirit separated from him. Suddenly, he was inside Harlan's mind.
Scared, he opened up his memories, pouring just about everything he could about what had happened in the engine room into Harlan's mind. He continued, showing both his fear, and Suzee's fear as he saw it through his own eyes. Everything he knew about the incident, he transferred, and it was far too much in too little time. The Earther's brain couldn't interpret it so easily, and with a final jolt, he threw Radu's spirit back into Suzee's body – unintentionally – and they both fell backwards onto the floor.
"What the hell was that about?!" Goddard snapped, lifting whom he thought was Suzee up by her collar. Radu stood there weakly, unable to support his weight.
"That's not Suzee!" Harlan shouted, backing away to sit next to the Andromedan who was still on the floor. Unsteadily, he started loosening the ropes. Finally free, Suzee was able to push herself up into a sitting position. Thoroughly embarrassed, she avoided Harlan's eyes.
Seth Goddard, thrown for a loop, dropped the Yensidian, who fell to the floor with an unceremonious thud.
"She—He—He—She…" Harlan stuttered, pointing between Radu and Suzee. Radu looked up at him, starting to laugh. "I thought you'd have been a bit more trusting by now," he said with Suzee's voice. He rubbed his wrists, somewhat pained by his fall.
"Suzee's Radu… And Radu's Suzee," Harlan finally managed, looking toward the person whom he could now identify as Suzee. "The surge in the engine room… It switched them. Radu showed me. It was like I was there."
Goddard looked toward the print from Navigation again. Christa had taken the painstaking liberty of printing Suzee's name up in the corner of the log under the 'user' field. "Well," the commander said to himself. "…I'll be damned."
"I don't know how to switch us back," Suzee mumbled. The haziness in her head was starting to clear a little, and she was able to keep her eyes open without too much pain. Uneasily, Harlan placed his hand on her shoulder.
Radu crawled over, sitting cross-legged in front of Suzee. "We should get your face looked at…" he said, noting the growing bruise across the bridge of her nose.
"This is surreal," Harlan muttered.
"What did you do?" Radu asked, looking up at the commander.
Folding his arms behind his back, he met Radu's eyes. "You realize that we thought you… Or, rather, Suzee, was a danger to the crew… And you also know how much pressure it takes to knock an Andromedan out." He gestured to the broken crate and the dried rations all over the floor.
"Don't worry about it," Suzee said, looking up and managing a small smile. She could feel the ease in her mind. The willingness to accept the situation. It was an almost blissful feeling, and with her head being in so much pain, she didn't have any desire to deny that Andromedan instinct. "You did what you had to do."
Radu, likewise, allowed his newfound confidence to affect his response. "You hit her with a crate?" he snapped, incredulous. Noticing as Suzee clasped her hands over her ears, he thought better of continuing the conversation. Maybe later. Maybe.
"Harlan, see if you can contact the others." Seth held his hand out to Suzee, who accepted it. He pulled her to her feet before continuing. "I'm going to get these two to MedLab."
---
Unlike most medical labs, this one wasn't the pristine, spotless white that most of the crew was used to back at Starcademy. This one was much more homey… Instead of being hospital-like, it was much closer to the rest of the rooms in the Christa. Catalina figured out years back that somehow the ship's recyclers kept the room sterile.
Suzee was stretched out on the chair in the middle of the room, head resting back while puffy Andromedan hair acted as a pillow of sorts. Radu sat next to her on a stool, legs crossed, as he attempted to figure out a way to switch them back. "What if I pitched into you?" he finally asked.
"Wouldn't work. I wouldn't be able to remove my spirit." She turned her head a little, but Rosie gently guided it back.
"I can't fix your nose," the Mercurian stated, "If you keep moving."
"It's not as if it didn't look broken before," Suzee muttered.
"Nice," Radu returned. "Real nice."
Miss Davenport looked between the two. It was obvious that tensions were mounting. Sooner or later, they were going to get sick of the fact that they had no discernable way to switch themselves back. "I know it's hard, but it would be easier if you'd both remain in good temperament. It's likely that we'd be able to solve this if we all kept our heads."
Radu practically stared her down. "This coming from the one who panics. All the time."
It was almost hard for everyone to believe that the girl perched up on the stool actually had Radu's mind. The comment was so unlike him. For a moment, there was silence, until he whispered an apology.
"Radu and I seem to have acquired a few of each others' mannerisms," Suzee explained. Brain-wave patterns and the like… Andromedans are more reserved while Yensidians are-"
"Bitchy," Radu supplied.
"I was going to say 'More confident.'" She winced as Rosie shifted the cartilage in her nose. It hurt, even though she'd been given a local anesthetic. She hated to think of how it would feel when the pain-killer wore off. When Rosie backed away, Suzee sat up, wiping the last of the dried blood from her upper lip. Turning toward Radu, she stared at him for a while… It was so weird, seeing herself sitting there. Granted, she was used to it from pitching consciousness, but this was different. He sat there with a cold compress pressed against his head, blue and violet hair sticking up in ten different directions… He looked absolutely miserable. It was so ridiculous, that Suzee couldn't help but chuckle.
Radu narrowed his eyes, then joined in. "There's absolutely no way this is happening," he remarked.
"I wish that were the truth," she replied, swinging her legs over the side of the chair.
The lapse in tension seemed to put the other crew more at ease. They were all crammed into the MedLab… Miss Davenport and Rosie were by Radu and Suzee, while Goddard and Thelma stood just off to one side. Bova wasn't too far away from them, but Harlan was off in the corner, leaning against the wall. With the exception of Harlan, they were all considerably relaxed, all things considered. Suzee was surprised he wasn't taking the opportunity to make hers and Radu's lives miserable… Not that she wasn't grateful for that, but it wasn't like him. She'd have to remember to ask later.
"I'm curious as to what caused the surge," Bova said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "I mean, it was something I actually felt, as if it were tied to the Christa herself… Not just the electrical systems."
"Radu and I were talking…" She looked pointedly at Commander Goddard, who met her eyes without turning away. "About how… I didn't feel wanted, and how everyone thought I was just... Anyway, we were also discussing how he didn't feel as if the crew trusted him. I guess I know how he feels."
"You understand the danger, though," Goddard asked, looking at both of them. They nodded. "We can't trust you if you don't tell us what's going on. And neither of you did."
Suzee noticed out of the corner of her eye as Harlan turned and left the infirmary.
"What happened then?" Rosie asked.
"A wire came loose in the engine room, and we were gonna try to fix it," Radu supplied.
"It was one I hadn't noticed before," Suzee added.
"Oh, if I may…" Thelma stepped up, cheerily waving at them. "That is because the Christa put it there for you to find. And if I may also add… Complete annihilation of the ship will occur in approximately twenty-eight minutes and eleven seconds."