Antagonist - Childe Cycle 11 (44 page)

She
was
struggling
with
her
memory
when
Antonia
Lu
came back
into
the
room,
smiling
and
carrying
a
light
paper-material
tray.

"Here's
a
little
breakfast,"
she
said,
placing
the
tray
gently
on Pallas'
hastily
lowered
knees
and
then
pulling
a
cloth
napkin
out from
where
it
had
been
tucked
into
the
self-belt
of
her
cherry-red blouse.
"Our
medician
suggested
you
eat
very
lightly
and
slowly
for the
moment,
so
we'll
see
how
this
poached
egg
and
toast
goes
down; I'll
get
you
some
more
when
you're
up
to
it."

"That
sounds
like
a
good
idea,"
Pallas
said.
"I
didn't
really
notice how
my
stomach
was
feeling
when
my
head
hurt
so
much,
but
now I
guess
I'm
a
little
queasy.
But
I'm
thirsty."

"That's
what
Kaj
expected—that's
our
medician,
Kaj
Menowsky," Toni
said.
"He
also
said
he
wants
to
check
you
over
after
you've eaten
and
rested
a
bit."

"Check
me?"
Pallas
asked.
"Is
there
something
wrong?"

"No,
no,"
Toni
raised
one
hand
a
little.
"He
ran
some
tests
on you
when
you
first
got
here,
and
didn't
find
anything
more
than
the effects
of
the
drug.
But
Kaj
was
Exotic-trained,
and
he
isn't
happy unless
he
can—well,
let's
say
he's
really
thorough
.
.
.
now
cat!
That container
holds
a
pint
of
a
sweetened
tea."

"It's
good,"
Pallas
said
in
a
few
minutes.
"And
I
think
it's
going to
stay
down."

"That's
good,"
Toni
said.
"Now
why
don't
I
leave
you
alone
to
get a
little
more
down,
and
get
some
rest?
You
can
call
me
anytime
you want,
using
the
control
pad
on
the
wall
there—I've
coded
my
number
into
it."

"I
think
I've
had
enough,
and
I
am
tired,"
Pallas
said.
"I
feel
as
if I've
been
wrung
out.
But
what
happened
to
me?
How
did
I
get here?"

"I
can't
tell
you
much,"
Toni
said,
"and
I
should
probably
let someone
who
knows
more
talk
to
you
about
that.
All
I
know
is
that our
security
people
stopped
a
group
of
people
who
were
apparently trying
to
kidnap
you."

"Kidnap
me!"
The
blond
woman's
eyes
opened
wide
and
she
sat up,
swinging
her
feet
off
the
bed
and
having
to
clutch
at
the
tray
to keep
it
from
sliding
to
the
floor.
"Who
would
do
that?"

"As
I
said,
we
don't
know
much.
Our
people
have
been
investigating,
but
I
haven't
heard
what,
if
anything,
they've
found." "Am
I
still
in
danger?"

"Absolutely
not,"
Toni
said.
"That's
why
we're
on
our
ship—no one
can
get
to
you
here." "But—"

"No
more
questions!"
Toni
said,
softening
the
imperative
words with
another
sympathetic
smile.
"Rest!
If
you
don't
call
me
before then,
I'll
wake
you
in
a
couple
of
hours.
Then,
if
you're
up
to
it, you'll
eat
a
little
more,
Kaj
will
look
you
over—and
maybe
by
that time
we'll
have
more
to
tell
you.
Now
just
relax.
You
know
where the
room
controls
are."

"All
right,"
Pallas
nodded.
Fatigue
was
winning
out
over
the
remains
of
her
fear
and
anger.

Somewhat
more
than
three
hours
later,
Pallas
Salvador,
now
dressed in
dark
blue
ship's
coveralls,
was
sitting
back
in
one
of
the
easy chairs
in
Favored of God
’
s
lounge,
the
remains
of
a
light
lunch
still resting
on
the
small
auxiliary
table
next
to
her.
She
had
not
eaten much
of
it.
She
was
trying
to
make
herself
relax.

For
the
entire
time
she
had
been
sitting
there,
she
had
played with
her
food,
unsuccessfully
trying
to
avoid
watching
Bleys
Ahrens, who
was
working
quietly
at
a
desk
on
the
other
side
of
a
long
clear space
that
bisected
the
large
room.
He
had
insisted,
when
Toni
led Pallas
into
the
room,
that
Pallas
eat
and
relax
before
they
talked;
and now
she
was
eager
to
talk
with
him,
but
also—what?
Afraid?

"Bleys,
are
you
free
to
talk
with
Pallas
Salvador?"
Toni
asked now.
Pallas
knew
Toni
had
been
keeping
an
attentive
eye
on
her, from
her
own
desk.
Bleys
looked
up
from
the
display
on
his
screen.

"Certainly,"
he
said,
his
voice,
low
and
calm,
soothing
her
anxiety
a
little.
"No,
don't
get
up,
please.
We'll
both
be
more
comfortable
if
I
come
over
there."