Marisa POV

I let out a hiss, finally receiving Chi's ding to let go of the finger I was over extending on my post surgery hand. I had my hand extended out in a stop motion pointed towards the door and was tasked with bending each finger back one at a time and holding for five seconds. But by my calculations five seconds in physiotherapy time is actually about ten earth hours. I exhaled and grabbed hold of my next finger with my good hand and pulled back. I let out a little grunt, no way this should be so hard.

The door swished open and I listened to the footsteps, using them as a momentary distraction from the discomfort in my forearm. I smiled at the familiar sound of York's footsteps, wondering who the two people he was escorting into my room in the medbay were. One set was ludicrously quiet which narrowed it down to two people. Given that they lacked the heavy, metallic scraping against the floors, no matter how quiet, ruled out Carolina. The last set I didn't really recognise. I might have heard them before, but no one jumped out at me. I raised an eyebrow. The Director didn't often make social calls. And he never brought a guest.

''Dr Holtz, how are you feeling?'' I heard the monotonic voice at my side and tried to fight off a shiver.

''Church, Price, to what do I owe the pleasure?'' I asked, ignoring the Counsellor.

''I hear your recovery is running smoothly,'' the Director said. ''Shall I attribute this to another brilliant advance in medicine at your hands?''

''I wouldn't call this brilliance, but yes, the medical staff are comfortable with the rate at which I'm regaining control of my motor functions,'' I told him. I was honestly just looking forward to getting out of the medbay. I hadn't spent long on this vessel but significantly more than half of it was spent in here with some kind of ailment or injury.

''I shall expect you back in the labs very soon then,'' he replied. He moved a bit around the room, paused and spun on his heels. I'm assuming he was pacing and had now turned back to face me. ''However, not too soon should you consider the Counsellor's proposal.''

''Oh?'' I asked, raising a brow out into the ether.

''I believe we've spoken before, however briefly, about the impressive rate at which you have bonded with your AI fragment. The speed alone is unfathomable, but when you consider the strength of the bond, especially now after what's happened…'' the Counsellor trailed off at the sound of Chi beeping on the tray table before me.

''We're not talking about that right now,'' Chi chimed in.

''Your AI exhibits behavior like no other fragment we have seen thus far,'' the Counsellor told me.

''And so your proposal?'' I asked, trying to figure out if they were going to take Chi away from me again and leave me all the more vulnerable. I'd realised now, just how much I depended on him.

''We schedule you for implantation as soon as your Doctors clear you for another surgery,'' Price said. I scoffed.

''You want to do what?'' I asked, completely dumbfounded.

''That's a great idea,'' Chi cheered. ''Think of how much faster we could get our work done if I could read your thoughts! I could anticipate your every need. You could direct me without even saying anything. I could navigate you even better than the bracelet you designed. With my help, you could almost see.''

''Feels a little too good to be true, Chi,'' I told him. ''What's the catch?''

''Why do you think there would be a catch?'' Price asked.

''Since my arrival, has there been anything I've done which hasn't benefited you in some way?'' I asked. ''You want to study Chi while he's implanted, that's a given. And what else?''

''Data of your interactions would be collected and uploaded..''

''No,'' I cut him off. ''I'm not having my own head uploaded to the ship's system. Not my thoughts, ideas, not my feelings and not my memories. You can forget it. No deal.''

''If you would just consider,'' the Counsellor said and I shook my head.

''You're not listening to me, no,'' I said. ''I said no.''

''But..''

''That's enough, Price,'' the Director scolded. ''Dr Holtz I do hope you reconsider, I think you'll find the benefits to your implantation are mutual. I'm sure we can come to some kind of palatable arrangement.''

''I'll get the implant, but you're not getting what's inside my head until I take it out of there myself and make it a reality. No deal,'' I said. ''You want to see how Chi and I's relationship develops? Send me an email. I'll reply with a report. Anything else and you're done.''

''Perhaps we should discuss this when you're feeling more...agreeable,'' the Director said and I heard him turn and walk quietly toward the door. ''Come along, Counsellor, let's let Dr holtz rest.''

''How come you're so worried?'' Chi asked immediately after the Counsellor walked out my room door.

I was disappointed to hear York follow, without even getting a brief hello and goodbye, but this relationship was on the down low and he had his job to do. Ordinarily, the Director and the Counsellor would be able to walk the ship freely, rarely needing an escort but as we were still recovering from the attempted invasion, security had taken some more, aggressive measures.

Namely, I hadn't seen or heard from any of my friends since Wash came for a report and York had held me close. He'd wanted to be, I know as he used Delta to relay messages through Chi every night, but he didn't have any other option right now. No personnel under any circumstances were allowed anywhere other than their workstations, the mess or their quarters and they had very strict schedules as to when each of those would be. Their time in the corridor was even monitored.

York mentioned briefly there was a suspicion of a mole a few weeks before all this happened, which only made me feel more rage towards the attack. If that were true and there was a mole responsible for the enemy getting ahold of our location and storming the ship, then that meant that someone onboard assisted in my own attack. They were the reason I had to crawl through vents for just under an hour, they were the reason I climbed into a massive heavy duty generator and snapped my bones to pieces. They were the reason I ran blind through the ship with no idea where I was. And they were responsible for the reason I'm actually glad I can't see.

''M?'' Chi asked again and I shook my head, laying back against the stack of pillows, knees pulled up to my chest. It had better not have been someone I knew. It had better not have been one of the people I'd come to regard as friends.

''It's not unreasonable to want my privacy, and it's also not inconceivable that once you're implanted all the data collected could be used against us or even simply in a way we would not approve of,'' I replied. ''Thoughts are ours to think, not theirs to take.''

''So it's not because you don't want to be with me,'' he said, sounding a little unsure. Almost, shy and needing reassurance.

''Chi, you have been the most helpful assistant I've ever had. I'd even consider us friends,'' I told him. ''I know it'll be strange, having another consciousness in my head but I'm sure we'll get used to it. Delta and York seem to be doing just fine. As are Theta and North.''

''Friends?'' Chi asked nervously. His electronic voice was full of emotion.

''Of course we are,'' I assured him. My face, whether or not it was facing in the right direction, held a sympathetic look. ''Chi, you aren't my problem with this, you aren't a problem. I just want to be sure that by connecting us, we don't lose our freedom.''

''I just needed to be sure you still wanted me,'' he said. ''That I didn't lose you.''

''Chi, why would I ever want to get rid of you?'' I asked him. He was like a scared child. There was something almost innocent in his optimism. The hope he held was almost naive, like he was a teenager still waiting to experience the world. He was grossly intelligent but his smarts lacked wisdom.

''I thought you might be angry with me, after what happened..'' he said. ''I wished I could come with you, even if I couldn't do anything to save you, to protect you. I'm so sorry.''

''Chi, none of that is your fault baby,'' I told him. ''I could never be angry with you over someone else's actions. They made the choices they did, I made the ones I did. You did so well, and I hide you away, I left you behind so I didn't lose you later. And I'm so proud of everything you were able to help me with up until then.''

''Really?'' he asked, perking up a little bit.

''Really,'' I confirmed.

Things settled down after that, the two of us finished my physio exercises and I took a nap, still tired from the trauma, the recovery and the heavy medication. I wondered how I could negotiate a better deal with the Director, I really did want the implant but the idea that anyone at any moment could get into my own head, see my every thought, my every plan. Not only could my ideas be taken from me, to have no ownership of my intellectual property, who was to say a passing thought I had couldn't be misconstrued in some way and get the two of us killed. No, I had to be responsible here, protect the both of us. Plus, should things progress as they were with York, I didn't want a second consciousness in my mind when I was having my dirty thoughts. Or worse, when I was acting on them.

I spent a lot of time staring blankly at the ceiling, which, I imagine must have been rather unsettling to anyone who could actually see. But as I'd had no rel visitors, I didn't see that as being much of a problem. Hah, see. I'd mostly gotten used to the fact I'd probably never be able to see again. That I'd never know what York's eyes looked like in the sunlight, how his hair looked in the wind. I could feel the details of his face, but I'd never know what he looked like when he smiled, when he frowned, when he looked at me when I didn't know he was there. But I wished there was something I could do.

''Hey,'' I heard and jerked up from my thoughts. ''Sorry, you usually hear me coming.''

''Sorry York, I was lost in thought,'' I told him and he chuckled.

''About me I hope,'' he said, sounding closer. He hopped up on the bed beside me and I felt him shifting, his legs were crossed in front of him, meditation style, and he leaned forward. I closed the gap and wrapped my lips around his. I'd missed this. I'd missed him.

''I was actually,'' I told him when we pulled apart for breath. ''Now, what brings you to see me, darling, I thought you couldn't see me for anything other than official reasons.'' he plopped something heavy and fabric in my lap.

''Business,'' he told me, shrug sounding in his voice. ''Director thinks you're well enough to be finishing up the rest of your recovery in your own room. Says you can go to your work station if you like, you just need an escort.''

''Which is you?'' I asked.

''Most of the time,'' he agreed. ''It'll either be me or Wash, the others have other assignments so the two of us will be rotating shifts.''

''Bet he loves that,'' I chuckled.

''It's not so bad,'' York told me. ''He seems to like you, he just wishes the Director trusted him enough to handle the big stuff.''

''Why doesn't he?'' I asked. ''And doesn't that mean he doesn't trust you?''

''No, he trusts me, that's why I'm with you during your waking hours,'' York supplied. ''Wash gets the graveyard shifts because he's the guy everyone remembers as the one who got a grappling hook stuck to his balls.''

''You know, I don't think I need any further explanation,'' I said, holding in a snigger. ''Now, how's about one more kiss before I get changed?''

''One question first,'' York halted me. His large hands trailed up the exposed skin of my arms, leaving goosebumps in their wake. ''Seeing as I'm your boyfriend and you love me, do I get to stay while you change?''

''You can help if you like,'' I chuckled and he dove forward into a deep kiss. ''Oh I'd love to help you get that hospital gown off, but I'm not sure I'd be too fond of covering you back up.''

''Even if it meant you couldn't escort me back to my room to take them back off again?'' I asked rather suavely if I do say so myself.

''Really? You don't think it's too soon since..''

''No,'' I supplied. ''I can separate this from what happened. I think…but there's one way to find out, and I can't stop thinking about you.''

''Well I'm happy to make those thoughts a reality for you,'' he replied and I felt the hands he had at my shoulders slip behind me and start tugging at the ties of the gown. I could feel my nipple peaking with excitement before the cold air even had a chance to touch them. I bit my lip in anticipation and felt the fabric drop, pooling at my waist. His hot breath fanned my face, and I heard my heartrate pick up on the machine.

''Hang on a sec,'' I heard him say before I felt him shifting off the bed. There was the sound of wires being pulled out and switches being flicked before I could no longer hear the sound of my own heart beating. I smiled to myself, good, the last thing I needed was the medical staff barrelling down the hallway at the sound of my erratic heart hammering at the thought of York touching me, thinking it was failing.

''Better?'' I asked.

''Better,'' he agreed, hopping back up beside me and pulling me into a searing kiss. A heavy hand trailed across my chest, starting from my shoulder blade and moving under my arm to stop at my breast. He cupped the heavy globe and pinched at the nipple, making me moan into the kiss. He pulled back with a chuckle.

''Better get you dressed, Doctor, or else we'll get into trouble,'' he told me, pulling back a little. I let out a sigh, half in a state of relaxation after his gentle touches, half irritated at being worked up with no reward. I shook my head, I had a feeling things would keep on like this for a while, but he was at least here, in front of me right now.

York took my hands gingerly, and helped me into the bra that had been sitting in my lap all this time. Yeah, this was probably for the best. There was no way I wanted the nice Scottish doctor I'd still not learned the name of, to bust in the door and find me half naked and whining over my freelancer boyfriend.

''So how come you turned down the implant?'' York asked as he escorted me towards my quarters. I chuckled. Seemed Chi wasn't the only one who was curious.

''To protect our intellectual property and make sure our civil rights aren't being infringed upon,'' Chi chimed in confidently.

''That and if I daydream about you railing me up against my bedroom door, it stays right up here,'' I said tapping my temple with my index finger. ''And doesn't end up all over the ship's computers.''

''Think about that a lot do you?'' York snorted.

''I wouldn't say a lot,'' I dismissed with a humorous flick of my wrist.

''Clearly enough times to be worried about people knowing about it,'' he returned and I chuckled.

''What can I say? I know what I like,'' I said with a shrug and we rounded the familiar corner to the corridore my quarters were located in. I felt the well worn ridges in the floor through my socks, still missing shoes thanks to a halt being put in the plans to stop at a nearby space base for resupply. If we could just find my other one, I could just wear those, but I had a sneaking suspicion they were lost to Venizia.