Awake 6

"That is a dog." The Captain was relaying Diana's words to the Healer. "They are our companion animals. They are not delicate, but be careful not to pull its legs around too much."

"Can you take care of it?"

"I should be able to."

"Then I leave it to you. Now for the boy." She moved over to the bed that Donovan lay on. He was ALMOST nude, the bare minimum of an armband, choker, and underwear remain attached to his body.

His body looked absolutely horrendous. Webs of black and purple sprawled all across his body, with portions of his skin seeming to peel off and letting out a small amount of blood and lymph. His breathing, weak, sounded wet. There were likely fluid buildup in his lungs.

The worst was a black splotch to the left of his face. It was swelling, evidence that he had hit his head fairly hard against something.

In spite of how dead he looked, he was undoubtedly alive.

In fact, if it weren't for the gravity of the situation and the rather grotesque state Donovan was in, Diana would be tempted to ogle her involuntary boyfriend-someday-husband's body.

That left the question of the poison the Healer claimed was circulating his body. Diana wasn't stupid. She also knew that Donovan wasn't stupid. It was impossible for ARC to be stupid. So how did 'poison' get into his system and when did it happen?

"If you don't mind my asking, when did you notice that there was a poison in his body?"

She waited for the Captain to relay her question.

"Immediately after he came out of the vessel. I looked at his blood and noticed there was something unnatural and not a result of split decay. Did he poison himself to try and fight it?"

So he wasn't poisoned after exiting the ship. "Is this poison in the dog?"

Another relay period.

"No, only him."

Then it wasn't something in the ship's internal environment. An injection? She pulled out her tablet and typed a question to ARC.

'What did you inject into Donovan's bloodstream, and how should I get it out?'

The response was immediate, and quite detailed. It was an injection log a few hours long with timestamps and records of what was injected. The methods of extraction were listed alongside each compound, but none of them had equipment that were on hand. A note at the bottom stated that it would take time for them to get out of his system, around 50 hours at most according to a metabolic projection.

'Is there any way that these could have combined in a way that results in something toxic or poisonous? The doctor down here is showing concern about a potential poison.'

Another immediate response.

'The substances themselves are toxic to the human body, the majority of them either dull pain receptors or stimulate motor function. There were some coagulants as well, but not very many. In bulk they may prove life-threatening, but I was careful to not approach that amount.'

'Isn't mixing stimulants and depressants dangerous?'

'If not done carefully, yes. I hope you understand that there was no other choice in this matter, if I had not done so then it is exceedingly likely that Donovan would not have been able to fly to the Oberlux. Would you like an abbreviated list of injuries and potential medical concerns?'

'Yes.'

A 'short' list appeared on the screen. Broken bones, a few hairline fractures, a concussion, internal bleeding in more than a few areas, sparse bruising, and inflammation were just the less complicated words she felt like reading. Apparently ARC thought this counted as an 'abbreviated' list.

"It looks like he will be fine. He just needs rest. The poisons in his blood are medicines we made to kill pain and keep us awake."

She couldn't exactly use complex medical terminology.

"You can kill pain?"

"Kind of. Think of it like something to help numb the body. You can't feel pain if you can't feel anything."

The Healer stared in awe for a moment. "What would drive you to such lengths to deprive yourself of a vital sense? Even if it was only temporary?"

"When someone is in pain, they find it hard to focus. He is very heavily injured, so I believe he did this to himself so that he would be more likely to survive. How long will it take for him to wake up?"

The Healer drooped her head a bit. "I've not a clue. He should make a recovery at some point, but I do not know how fast your kind heals. I am not comfortable making an estimate."

This put Diana in a tough spot. She could try to communicate and organize with the people onboard the ship, but communication was problematic. Any plans she made would also have to go through Donovan, who was not conscious at the moment. These early days and first impressions would be pivotal to how they were treated, and more importantly protected.

She and the people who were in charge of her training were not so naïve as to think that she would be able to make friends who could be trusted unconditionally. There was a large fear that they would be taken advantage of, so they needed to gain some degree of independence.

But they had no clue what the political and economic situation was, or even what level of technology they had!

The alternative was to wait with Donovan and nurse him back to health so that they could get a handle on the situation together, two minds were better than one.

"I will ask for someone to get a chair for you. Rest here with him. I realize you are likely very stressed at the moment, and that you will need time to get your thoughts in order. I will call the Scholar here. If you have any requests, feel free to ask him."