Chapter 33

Nessa giggled and clapped a beat as Jamison skipped away, singing, "I'm going home to Akron; I'm going home."

After stroking his implant, he was gone in a stream of light. Nessa was left alone with her implant. There was a notification. Kommer. Her fingers felt like lead as she expanded the holospace application.

"Alright, Kommer," she groaned. "What do you want?"

His holofeed appeared.

"What's your status?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She answered with another question.

"Have you established trade with Earth like you were commanded to do?"

Nessa's face became icy cold, and she panned the holofeed: the teleport, the entrance to the chamber, her sleeping pod, and the passcode pad.

"I'm imprisoned," she retorted.

Kommer made an almost muted growl, and he replied with a retort of his own: "Do you have the code for that pad?"

She studied the touch-pad.

"My new friend told me to stay put. Instinct will let me know when. Probably when he's put in an institution."

Kommer leaned into the holofeed and sneered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped. "I sent you there to do a job. You have access. Our people are going to starve. Stop playing around."

Nessa terminated the holofeed and mulled over Kommer's words. His message nagged her hearts, but a force restrained her. She shut her eyes, and her projection stretched into a smooth, metal reinforced bench. She looked through a square pane. The ground was at least half a measure beneath them. The scenery rushed into a distant rear view.

"Psychologist?" She whispered into Jamison's mind.

"Psychologist," his mind confirmed.

Nessa lingered in her holding unit. It was only a matter of time.