BDP 38
Ian took a page from Moira's book and jogged back toward the Motor Pool. No one expected to see anything but a soldier out doing PT, especially at this hour. In fact, there were several others already running, so no one remarked on one more.
He had to pass the Motor Pool because of one such early morning runner, but when he doubled back it was clear. Ian cut swiftly across the yard and into the bunker. He made his way down the stairs without incident, thankful that petty thieves were very like cockroaches. Neither one would risk moving during the light of day if they could possibly avoid it, so he need not fear being discovered here. Although it was unlikely they would wish to expose him, and so lose their secret exodus.
The bottom stairwell door open slightly, as Ian checked to see if the dumpster room was clear. Once he satisfied himself that he was alone, Ian moved cautiously across the open space. Another door opened into the hallway, which was also abandoned. He crossed it hurriedly.
If he were caught now, Ian wanted it to be as far away from his secret route as possible. Granted, the air vents would still be accessible, but it was a more difficult route. If he were badly wounded, it would be almost impossible to use, and even healthy he would be hard pressed to get anything beside himself out.
With that thought in mind, Ian made a detour at the next intersection. He wanted to come back into the camera's view from a totally different direction, even if it added time to his route. He made his way unchallenged back to the common area, but could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.
The door to the berths was just ahead. Ian should be hearing muffled conversation from the early risers, or at least the sound of the showers running, but everything was quiet. A strong sense of foreboding filled him as he reached for the handle. Whole body tense and alert, Ian pushed open the door.
Everyone was still asleep. Niccoli and Beck were snoring, like they always did when they were exhausted. It was a perfectly normal tableau, unless you counted the time. Ian reached out and touched Mobius. When he failed to respond, Ian shook him. Moby continued to slumber, reminding Ian uncomfortably of his own inability to rouse earlier.
A sudden suspicion made him yank the covers away and examine his unconscious brother. There were needle marks on the inside of Mobius' left arm and the lingering red marks of electrode patches on his chest and shaven head. Ian moved to the next bed, checking Taurins. He bore the same marks, as did Beck, Rook, and Niccoli. Ian was reaching for Lee's arm when the door opened behind him.
"So good of you to join us, Nottingham. I have been waiting ever so patiently for your return."
Ian spun, dropping into a defensive crouch. His hands itched for a weapon as he stared at a smugly smiling Casca, flanked by M.P.s. Knowing he could do nothing at the moment, he straightened and replied, "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk."
"I find it very interesting that you were so wakeful, when the rest of your unit has yet to stir." Casca gave Ian a disbelieving look.
"You drugged our meal last night, did you think I wouldn't notice? As soon as the lights went out I purged my stomach, and you know how rapidly I metabolize." Ian raised a brow, reminding Casca that he had been experimented on before this, with results that had pleased him at the time.
He owed Moira a great deal for pushing him out of his drugged stupor; otherwise he'd still be unconscious. The thought of how near a miss they had had would have made a weaker man pale, but Ian kept his face completely neutral as he waited for a response. He could only hope that his lie would go unchallenged, as he was sure the drug was still in his bloodstream if anyone thought to check.
"I do not know whether to be pleased with your conditioning or angered at the inconvenience of the absence of our best subject for comparison. I believe your earlier exposure to several of the chemicals has enhanced your body's response to the serum. I would like to have more complete data to work with, just to be sure. It may be exactly what I have said from the beginning, we need to start the injections before puberty for maximum efficiency. The drug therapy simply has not been as effective with the other subjects." Casca knew Irons' reaction would be very much like his own. They had needed the data to prove their theory, but Ian's avoidance of their attempt to gain the information was an admirable display of his training.
It also meant that Ian had not received the additional injections and therapy session the others had. That could be a problem, as Irons had changed his mind mid-stream and decided that he wanted Ian bred like the others. Part of the night's injections had been engineered for a timed release that would stimulate the male nervous system and increase sperm count. Irons wanted the women impregnated immediately, and he had even lined up the next batch of broodmares in anticipation of success.
"All this just to gather data that you could just as easily accumulate during a normal workday?" Ian gently shook his head, letting Casca know he was not fooled.
"Don't get too smart Nottingham, it isn't appreciated." Casca gave Ian a supercilious look and turned. He left, taking the silent M.P.s with him.
"Too late." Moby muttered as the door closed. He opened one eye and looked up at Ian with a small smile. It was clear that he had been awake for the last few minutes, at least. "So, what did I miss?"
"How much did you hear?" Ian asked, wondering where to begin.
"Enough to know that you skipped out on the night's activities, and that you've been through this, or something like it, when you were younger." He was so tired, his body just wanted to go back to sleep. Moby sat up slowly, struggling against the grip of the drugs. He knew that getting upright would help fight off the drowsiness.
"I have been part of experiments for most of my life. Last night, something seemed off. I don't know how to explain it. I just had to get out. I wandered the compound for hours. I did nap eventually under a table. I had just come back in and found I couldn't wake you when Casca arrived. I don't know what was done to you, but I doubt it was a simple testing." Ian hated to lie to Moby, but he could hardly tell him the truth in here. The bay was bugged.
Ian comforted himself with the thought that he could come clean later. This afternoon on the obstacle course he would have the opportunity to tell Mobius everything, including what Moira had said about Casca's plans for children. He hoped there would be time to tell everyone, as the much- anticipated prostitutes were to arrive tonight.
Ian took a page from Moira's book and jogged back toward the Motor Pool. No one expected to see anything but a soldier out doing PT, especially at this hour. In fact, there were several others already running, so no one remarked on one more.
He had to pass the Motor Pool because of one such early morning runner, but when he doubled back it was clear. Ian cut swiftly across the yard and into the bunker. He made his way down the stairs without incident, thankful that petty thieves were very like cockroaches. Neither one would risk moving during the light of day if they could possibly avoid it, so he need not fear being discovered here. Although it was unlikely they would wish to expose him, and so lose their secret exodus.
The bottom stairwell door open slightly, as Ian checked to see if the dumpster room was clear. Once he satisfied himself that he was alone, Ian moved cautiously across the open space. Another door opened into the hallway, which was also abandoned. He crossed it hurriedly.
If he were caught now, Ian wanted it to be as far away from his secret route as possible. Granted, the air vents would still be accessible, but it was a more difficult route. If he were badly wounded, it would be almost impossible to use, and even healthy he would be hard pressed to get anything beside himself out.
With that thought in mind, Ian made a detour at the next intersection. He wanted to come back into the camera's view from a totally different direction, even if it added time to his route. He made his way unchallenged back to the common area, but could not shake the feeling that he was being watched.
The door to the berths was just ahead. Ian should be hearing muffled conversation from the early risers, or at least the sound of the showers running, but everything was quiet. A strong sense of foreboding filled him as he reached for the handle. Whole body tense and alert, Ian pushed open the door.
Everyone was still asleep. Niccoli and Beck were snoring, like they always did when they were exhausted. It was a perfectly normal tableau, unless you counted the time. Ian reached out and touched Mobius. When he failed to respond, Ian shook him. Moby continued to slumber, reminding Ian uncomfortably of his own inability to rouse earlier.
A sudden suspicion made him yank the covers away and examine his unconscious brother. There were needle marks on the inside of Mobius' left arm and the lingering red marks of electrode patches on his chest and shaven head. Ian moved to the next bed, checking Taurins. He bore the same marks, as did Beck, Rook, and Niccoli. Ian was reaching for Lee's arm when the door opened behind him.
"So good of you to join us, Nottingham. I have been waiting ever so patiently for your return."
Ian spun, dropping into a defensive crouch. His hands itched for a weapon as he stared at a smugly smiling Casca, flanked by M.P.s. Knowing he could do nothing at the moment, he straightened and replied, "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk."
"I find it very interesting that you were so wakeful, when the rest of your unit has yet to stir." Casca gave Ian a disbelieving look.
"You drugged our meal last night, did you think I wouldn't notice? As soon as the lights went out I purged my stomach, and you know how rapidly I metabolize." Ian raised a brow, reminding Casca that he had been experimented on before this, with results that had pleased him at the time.
He owed Moira a great deal for pushing him out of his drugged stupor; otherwise he'd still be unconscious. The thought of how near a miss they had had would have made a weaker man pale, but Ian kept his face completely neutral as he waited for a response. He could only hope that his lie would go unchallenged, as he was sure the drug was still in his bloodstream if anyone thought to check.
"I do not know whether to be pleased with your conditioning or angered at the inconvenience of the absence of our best subject for comparison. I believe your earlier exposure to several of the chemicals has enhanced your body's response to the serum. I would like to have more complete data to work with, just to be sure. It may be exactly what I have said from the beginning, we need to start the injections before puberty for maximum efficiency. The drug therapy simply has not been as effective with the other subjects." Casca knew Irons' reaction would be very much like his own. They had needed the data to prove their theory, but Ian's avoidance of their attempt to gain the information was an admirable display of his training.
It also meant that Ian had not received the additional injections and therapy session the others had. That could be a problem, as Irons had changed his mind mid-stream and decided that he wanted Ian bred like the others. Part of the night's injections had been engineered for a timed release that would stimulate the male nervous system and increase sperm count. Irons wanted the women impregnated immediately, and he had even lined up the next batch of broodmares in anticipation of success.
"All this just to gather data that you could just as easily accumulate during a normal workday?" Ian gently shook his head, letting Casca know he was not fooled.
"Don't get too smart Nottingham, it isn't appreciated." Casca gave Ian a supercilious look and turned. He left, taking the silent M.P.s with him.
"Too late." Moby muttered as the door closed. He opened one eye and looked up at Ian with a small smile. It was clear that he had been awake for the last few minutes, at least. "So, what did I miss?"
"How much did you hear?" Ian asked, wondering where to begin.
"Enough to know that you skipped out on the night's activities, and that you've been through this, or something like it, when you were younger." He was so tired, his body just wanted to go back to sleep. Moby sat up slowly, struggling against the grip of the drugs. He knew that getting upright would help fight off the drowsiness.
"I have been part of experiments for most of my life. Last night, something seemed off. I don't know how to explain it. I just had to get out. I wandered the compound for hours. I did nap eventually under a table. I had just come back in and found I couldn't wake you when Casca arrived. I don't know what was done to you, but I doubt it was a simple testing." Ian hated to lie to Moby, but he could hardly tell him the truth in here. The bay was bugged.
Ian comforted himself with the thought that he could come clean later. This afternoon on the obstacle course he would have the opportunity to tell Mobius everything, including what Moira had said about Casca's plans for children. He hoped there would be time to tell everyone, as the much- anticipated prostitutes were to arrive tonight.