CHAPTER 15

"YOU LEAD, I'LL FOLLOW."

As soon as Jason drifted off to sleep, Mel returned to her chair, being more determined than ever to see that the energy tube stayed in his possession. He awoke several hours later, looking and sounding considerably stronger than before. Colonel Hildebrand had been at the nurse's station for nearly an hour and got to his feet when he saw Mel cross to the bedside. "We've got company," she said warningly. "Commanding officer. Keep up your alien act. He's a real stuffed shirt."

"Got it." Jason gave her a small smile. "How are you at stringing people along?"

Mel flashed a smile. "You lead, I'll follow. That's what I usually do with the Doctor."

"Don't we all," the Alterran moaned, going on to quickly outline a plan of action.

Had Hildebrand not hesitated before entering he would have caught the end of the quiet conspiratorial exchange. Instead, he entered cautiously and introduced himself, receiving a weak smile and nod of acknowledgment. "I wanted to make sure you were being looked after properly," he said conversationally.

"Thank you," the Alterran said softly. "I was…concerned."

"Concerned?" Hildebrand scowled, throwing a questioning look in Mel's direction.

"The Ambassador has heard unfavorable stories about the Earth's military," Mel informed. "He was worried about being…um, harmed, I think."

"Ambassador!" the Colonel gasped, giving her a startled look. Turning back to the recovering alien, his attitude changed dramatically, going from suspicious to appeasing. "No need to worry, Mr. Ambassador," he assured. "You're quite safe here."

Jason gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you, Colonel."

"Perhaps we can…um, talk a bit more. About your…um, being here. On Earth, I mean."

"I would like that…very much."

The astonished look this remark produced made Jason laugh despite himself. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, this was still very painful and he closed his eyes and groaned, holding his aching side with his left hand.

Before the suddenly panicked Hildebrand could say anything, Mel intervened. "I think you should rest, Excellency," she said firmly. "You still have a lot of mending to do."

Jason gave her a tired look and nodded. "Yes. You are…correct."

Taking the hint, the Colonel bid them both good-night. He was scarcely out of sight when Jason's eyes snapped open, and he laughed again, only to groan in pain once more. "Oh Lord, that hurts," he moaned. "You're going to kill me if you keep this up, Mel."

"He's so full of himself," she replied sharply. "I wish someone would take him down a peg."

"Well don't look at me, I'm supposed to be a diplomat. That's usually the Doctor's department," Jason said quietly. "That reference about the military was a touch of genius. For a minute there I thought you were going to bring up alien autopsies."

Mel laughed, taking his hand. "It did cross my mind, but I thought it might be a bit much."

Jason studied her a moment. "You look exhausted. Have you been here all day?"

"For the most part," she replied airily. "I wanted to make sure no one took that little miracle out of your cast before it finished doing its job. Especially now I know how dangerous it is."

"Thank you again," the Alterran said gratefully, kissing the back of her hand. "It's not really dangerous. So long as it stays sealed, that is. I have enough energy stored so I can shift its position now. Then if they do decide to x-ray my arm again, it'll be hidden in all the other metal in there."

"More magic?" Mel asked in a fascinated tone.

"You could say that. Now why don't you go get some sleep? I'm sure I can manage on my own until morning."

"Okay, now you win," Mel conceded. "I'll be back, so don't go anywhere."

Jason groaned, closing his eyes. "I was hoping you'd resist the temptation to say that the way you did in the ship."

"Jason, you said you couldn't remember that!" she admonished sharply.

The Alterran gave a self-conscious smile. "It's to do with my…strange gift of total recall."

"Really? You can tell me all about it along with the story of your life in the morning," she said with a devilish grin.

Mel bid Jason good-night and returned to her quarters to find a Jeep parked out front that the Doctor had "borrowed" from UNIT. He had then entrenched himself in her kitchen. Mel found him in his shirtsleeves, a stack of paperwork on the table in front of him. It was obvious he was going to be there all night and she bid him good-night, being determined to return to the Critical Care Unit as early in the morning as possible.

Because Jason's condition was a simple physical injury rather than severe energy depletion, he did not sleep continuously during the energy tube's non-stop output. He was thankful the sedatives had been halted, which allowed him to think more clearly each time he awoke. With no windows, clocks or other points of reference, he had no idea as to the time of day, and only knew it was presently night because of Mel's departure.

After several hours of fitful sleep, the Alterran awoke to see some activity outside his room. He watched in bewilderment as Dr. Miller and Colonel Hildebrand stood engaged in what looked like a conspiratorial conversation. Their voices were too low and the glass was too thick for him to hear what they were saying. After a few minutes, Miller noticed him watching and apparently informed Hildebrand, who turned to the door, an enormous grin on his face. He entered the room all smiles, and as far as Jason was concerned, all falsehoods.

"Mr. Ambassador," the Colonel oiled, "we didn't wake you, I hope?"

"No. I wake up…often, it seems," Jason replied softly, keeping up his pretense of infirmity. "Your…people here are…" He paused as if searching for the right words. "Good to me."

"I'm glad to hear it," the officer replied happily.

"My mission is to harvest—no, not harvest." Another pause. "Gather? Yes, gather information on your world." Giving the Colonel a small smile, Jason added, "I had not planned on… crashing in order to do that."

By now Hildebrand was unable to hide his excitement. An alien Ambassador whose mission was to collect information on the peoples of Earth, and he had him right there in front of him. "I would be honored if you'd allow me to assist you in your mission. Once you're recovered, of course. Take you to our government leaders…"

Jason put on his best surprised look. "You would do that, Colonel? I would not wish to…um, cause difficulty—no, no…" With an apologetic look, he said, "I sent Miss Bush to rest. Your words do not come easily for me."

"That's quite alright, sir. You just take your time."

The Alterran gave a small smile and tried again, sounding as if every word were a challenge. "I would not wish to inconvenience you. That is what I wished to say."

"No inconvenience at all. No, no, no, no, no. Don't give it another thought." The officer waved his hands in the air. "I'd be more than honored to assist you in any way possible."

"That pleases me. Miss Bush has told me…much of what I have heard of your world is a…" Pausing a moment, Jason gave the officer a look so piercing the man took a small step back. "What were her words? Oh, yes. Much of what I have heard is a distortion of the facts." He smiled as though proud to have retrieved the phrase.

"She's absolutely right there, sir."

Thinking he had strung the man along enough for one sitting, the Alterran leaned back on his pillows. "I will sleep now, please," he said softly. "We must talk more on this later…in small pieces."

The Colonel gave him a baffled look.

"Detail? Yes, we must talk more in detail. When I am stronger."

Hildebrand's face was positively glowing by this time. "Yes, of course, you get plenty of rest. We'll have all the time in the world to iron out the details." So saying, the delighted man turned and left, going straight to the waiting Dr. Miller. The two began an animated conversation, setting off the alarm in Jason's head once again. He closed his eyes, his eyelids shimmering a split second as they changed, allowing him to see what was going on while still appearing to be asleep. It was obvious the Colonel was excitedly relating the conversation he had just had as he waved a hand in Jason's direction several times. Miller nodded enthusiastically, going on to relate some other pertinent information.

"Now just what are you two plotting?" Jason wondered suspiciously when the men glanced in his direction. "And am I going to like it?"