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The Talk Simon opened the door and paused. Kaylee looked up, hand raised to stroke the younger girl’s hair. River was sprawled across her bed, her face buried in Kaylee’s lap. The mechanic and the doctor exchanged a look before she resumed her caressing.
“River, honey, your brother’s here,” Kaylee murmured. The dark-haired girl sat up. She glanced at her brother with red-rimmed eyes. “No sleeping, Simon.” “Okay,” he sighed, as he crouched down in front of her. “I won’t make you sleep.” “I’m better,” River continued. “No need for making me sleep.” “I’ve already promised you no drugs.” That seemed to calm the girl. She tilted her head as she studied her brother, frowning. “Where is she?” The look on Kaylee’s face showed that she had been wondering that, too. Simon briefly debated on how to answer before giving up. His sister was now a reader. What go would it do to hold the truth? “She’s locked in the passengers’ room,” he replied. “The captain’s going to decide what to do with her later.” “She didn’t realize what she was doing until it was too late.” Simon gaped at his sister. “How can you say that?” “Exhaled air is used to vibrate the larynx, producing vibrations detectable by the human ear.” “Of course,” he muttered, shaking his head. “Jingchang mei yong de.” But he didn’t know if the comment was directed towards himself or his sister’s explanations. “Well, hey, I could do with a snack,” Kaylee announced. “Anyone else hungry?” “Chocolate?” “Maybe,” Kaylee said, laughing at River’s hopeful expression. Simon rose to his feet and stepped back. He let the women pass him. Kaylee paused at the door, looking back at him. “Aren’t you coming, Simon?” “No, no, I have some things I need to do. You and River go on ahead.” Kaylee’s bright smile dimmed. “Okay. Well, you know where to find us if you change your mind.” “Yes, thanks,” Simon replied absently. ‘He’s going off to brood again,’ she thought with annoyance. Kaylee let River pull her towards the kitchen. The girl was babbling about what sweets would be available for them. * * * * * Simon found himself outside the door of a passenger room. He didn’t know how long he had been staring at it as he debated with himself. Part of him, the prideful part, wanted to stay away from her, to prevent any chance of her hurting him again. Yet the brother and the physician in him realized that she could provide answers to River’s situation that he desperately needed. ‘For River,’ he told himself as he unlocked and then opened the door. “Captain, I . . .” Mikiko said as she turned. She flinched when she saw who her visitor was. “Oh.” “Oh, indeed.” He shut the door behind him and locked it. “We need to talk.” “About what?” she asked as she sat down on the bed. Simon gave a snort of disbelief. “Guess.” “Your sister. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” she remarked. “You two have such a strong bond. It really took my superiors by surprise.” She noted his confused look. “The Alliance thought the reputation of the school and the prestige of your family would be enough to keep you all satisfied. But you know your sister well enough to look beyond the superficial and note that something was becoming wrong with her. “My superiors had planned for that eventuality. They believed that if enough pressure was applied to you—the disapproval of your family about your activities and the threat of permanent damage to your career—you would simply back off. But, you are different, Simon Tam. You always have been.” He pushed down a tendril of guilt. There had been times that he had almost given up, almost believed that he had been overreacting. Then he would reread River’s letter, noting the errors. He would remind himself of their coded message: ‘They’re hurting us.’ It would spur him to keep going on his quest. “Mikiko, I need to know what happened to her,” he said, changing the subject. At her obvious hesitation, he continued, “I know about the neural stripping. I need to know about everything else.” “This ship has a neural imager?” “Hardly. I managed to sneak River into a hospital and that’s all you need to know about that.” While she looked disappointed, she didn’t press the issue. “The subjects,” she began, catching Simon wincing slightly at her choice of words, “were put through various means of stimulation. At first it was benign neural stimulation before moving on to electrical and pain stimulation. “One subject,” again Simon flinched, “just a bit younger than River, hurled a researcher across the room in a fit of rage. There was so much force that the researcher was killed when he hit a wall. The superiors thought that unhinged emotion could be the stimulation needed for the emergence of the desired abilities. “Several sets of stimuli were administered from pain and temperature extremes to starvation and torture. Some were selected to undergo emotional trauma as well.” “What was done to River?” Mikiko shook her head. “I don’t know. I knew she was there. I had analyzed data on her, but she wasn’t in the group under my direct care. She could have experienced any or all of them before we stumbled upon our final solution. “When the emotional release seemed to be the needed trigger, surgery was used. It took them away to find a specific lesion that would stop emotional regulation while not turning the subject into a vegetable or a berserker. The Alliance was running out of subjects before stripping of the amygdale proved the most effective. “After that, the subjects had to be trained so they could be controlled. That was worse on some of the subject than the initial stages of the project. River, by what I have seen of her today, has fared far better than most. The Alliance will be most eager to get her back.” “Yes, they have been,” Simon commented, but his gaze was distant. They sat in silence for what seemed like hours. Simon tried to digest what had and what could have happened to his sister while in the government’s care, while Mikiko struggled with her guilt. They avoided the other’s eyes. It was Simon who finally broke the silence. “How did you leave? I don’t they let you leave through the front door.” “Actually I did,” she replied. “Leave through the front door, I mean. I had been slipping information about the Alliance’s activities out, including the group that helped you rescue your sister. I knew it would be too long until they traced something back to me. So, one day after work, Okada Mikiko disappeared.” “In a way, you helped me save my sister,” he murmured. “Perhaps, but I helped harm her, too. I will always carry that shame with me.” “Would you like to do more to help her?” Mikiko stared at him. “How?” “Your specialty is neurokinetics. You may be able to suggest some treatment that I haven’t thought of.” Her expression turned sad. “You may never to be able to get her back to what she was, Simon.” “I know,” he sighed. “But if I can’t heal her, I would like to alleviate her pain. At this point, I’m willing to try anything.” “I understand. So, what have you tried?” And for the first time in a long while, Simon Tam allowed himself to hope. * * * * * Kaylee bit back a smile as she watched him. Simon was reorganizing his perfectly organized medlab. Occasionally he would slam something down or mutter under his breath. He turned to head to a new cabinet. In his peripheral vision, he spotted her and dropped his armful of supplies. He gave her a smile before dropping to his knees to gather them up. “Here, let me help you.” Kaylee knelt down and began picking up the packages closest to her. Simon locked eyes with her. “You don’t have to.” “I know,” she said quietly, her fingers lingering over his as they reached for the same box. “But I want to.” She smiled as she watched as confusion took over Simon’s features. To be so smart, he could be infuriatingly dense. But as her daddy always said, nothing worth having was ever easy. She pulled the box and her hand away from Simon and rose to her feet. “So, where are you wantin’ these?” “Over here,” Simon replied, getting up as well. He walked over to the cabinet and placed his supplies inside. “Where’s River?” “She’s with the shepherd,” Kaylee replied, passing her boxes to him. “They were still in the kitchen when I left.” “Why did you leave?” “I went looking for you. silly. And now I’ve found you.” He stepped back from the cabinet, studying her. “Why?” “This has to be hard for you, Simon. This woman from your past suddenly shows up and apparently help do whatever they did to your sister. It’s enough to make anyone feng-le.” “I don’t know what I’m supposed to think.” His expression was so lost that it tore at her heart. She gave him a soft smile. “Why should you?” “I’m a doctor!” He slammed the cabinet closed and ignored the newly fallen supplies as he stomped away. He leaned against a counter and dropped his head. “I am supposed to have the answers. I’m supposed to be able to help.” Kaylee approached and placed a gentle hand on his back. “Niu-fen. You’re human, too.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “Why do you put up with me, Kaylee?” “There’s just something about you, Simon Tam,” she said quietly. “Just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me.” “Is that a good thing?” he asked as he turned around. She shrugged. “We’ll have to see.” Shaking his head, he surprised her, hugging her tightly to him. Kaylee clung to him, hoping to offer the comfort he needed. They stayed that way for a long time. * * * * * Chinese to English translations from http:// fireflychinese. home. att. ent Jingchang mei yong de—consistently useless Feng-le—loopy in the head Nui-fen—cow poop |
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