Garnet went first. If this was a first-time practice run for Alred, she’d rather she be the guinea pig. Goldie tried to argue, but Garnet insisted. She finally threatened to push her sister off the bed to get her to give in and let Garnet go first.
Alred blinked out of existence as she laid back. The rings moved down, three of them, covering her body with a gently pulsing, cream colored light.
Tanin came around then, once again holding the wire in his hand. Her eyes darted down to it briefly before she tilted her head back, letting him attach it. Watching him. Not quite with as much suspicion as before. If he wanted to hurt her, he’d had plenty of opportunities to do so. And he wouldn’t be trying to take her collar off if he was the one who put it there.
She supposed that this could all be some kind of huge, weird, elaborate lie. But the more convoluted the ‘lie’ became, the less sense it made for it to be a lie.
And there was something about the way he looked at her. Calm and direct. Even when he’d hit her with the bombshell about the collar, he’d been stoic. Stable. Reliable. The kind of guy who didn’t let himself be overwhelmed by a crazy situation.
There was strength in that steady, crimson gaze.
He attached the wire to the collar. And as he pulled back, she could swear he very deliberately stroked his longest finger over her shoulder.
Or maybe it had been an accidental brush. Maybe she was reading too much into it.
But she didn’t think she’d mind if that’s what happened. She didn’t know if she liked it. Her brain was too fried for that. But she didn’t mind either.
“I’m starting now,” Alred declared, his voice coming from all around them. “Garnet, do be sure to tell me if you start to feel strange or any pain at all.”
“Oh, I won’t be quiet about it,” she promised. Garnet wasn’t the type to keep her pains to herself, especially not in important moments like this.
Goldie was standing by her bedside. Hands wringing together nervously. Garnet sent her a smile that was far more confident than she actually felt.
Tanin moved to what she assumed was the control panel off to the side. He stared at a hologram recreation of herself in the air. She could read the alien language now, but she had no idea what the information displayed was actually saying.
The seconds stretched out uncomfortably as she waited. She clenched and unclenched her fingers as she tried to relax. Maybe being tense would make it worse.
Nothing was happening.
She shared a couple of looks with Goldie. Her sister gave her an uneasy smile, shifting her weight from foot to foot. She had kicked off her one remaining shoe. It was sitting over by one of the boxes. She hadn’t gotten the other one back from where she had kicked it at that guy. Which, if he really hadn’t meant to hurt them, they’d owe him an apology for.
“You okay?” Goldie asked after a couple minutes had passed.
“Think so,” Garnet mumbled. “Erm, Tanin?”
“Yes?” He responded immediately, catching her eyes over her 3D recreation.
“What’s, er, what’s that guy doing?”
“Alred? He’s inside the collar now. Trying to detach it from inside. There will be a way to do it the right way through the code, so hopefully he can activate it himself.”
“Right. So, Alred is a computer… person?” It was a stupid sounding question, but he didn’t even blink at her phrasing.
“Essentially. He’s the ship’s AI, but he is also his own person. His kind is accustomed to jumping from one form to another. So long as whatever he’s in is connected back to the ship, he can go between them at will.”
“Oh…” Garnet didn’t think she understood completely, but she didn’t want to press too hard right now either. Figuring that out could go on the list of other things she would try to do after she had a chance to get her head on straight.
Something clicked against her throat and Garnet froze.
Was it off? Was it tighter? Was it still attached to her spine?
“Captain,” Alred’s voice was back again. “A little assistance, if you don’t mind.”
“What do you need, Alred?” Tanin asked.
“An application of pressure. I’ve unlocked it, but it won’t pop open on its own.”
Tanin came back around to her side. Garnet followed him with her eyes, now afraid to move her neck. She didn’t feel any different, but she wasn’t risking it.
