Aberrant

Chapter 39

Kaplan herded Jinx into an IST pod, clamping his teeth down on a few choice words. The look she shot him over one shoulder could've drawn blood. If she'd had conflicted feelings about him before, they'd now clarified. One wrong move, she'd go for his gun. Zio Tarak had a lot to answer for.

He wasn't the only one.

Kaplan shook his head. The conversation he'd reviewed in Channing's memories; the doctor's non-disclosure programming had failed cataclysmically and made a bad situation worse. Someone had screwed up. They'd go down hard for that oversight.

And so would Jinx, if he couldn't salvage the situation. If he couldn't convince his superiors she wasn't a threat.

Meeting her gaze, feeling the antipathy behind her control, he wondered if he could convince himself.

He hit the IST pod's hold button. Using his headtech, he submitted an audio-only call request, but didn't set it for silent neuro-coms. It was too late to protect Rha Si secrets. Right now, the priority was regaining Jinx's cooperation, earning back her trust.

And to have even a chance at that, he needed her out of the crosshairs.

Atlas accepted the link almost immediately. "What's up, Kap?"

"I need ten minutes of the vid feeds in the med research centre, connecting wards, and accommodation area to get 'archived' for the next twelve hours."

"What you need, Kaplan, is authorisation for that request."

"Authorisation from the high councillor who ordered me to do whatever it takes to get intel from my aberrant witness? Or from the Director of Military Intelligence, who just psionically coerced a couple of med-techs to knock out my witness and administer psi-active drugs?"

A moment of silence on the other end of the com link. A widening of sienna eyes on the other side of the IST pod.

Atlas cleared his throat. "My tech goddess, Temple, has just asked if you'd like that ten-minute window to start before or after your witness tried to slug you in the face?"

Kaplan considered the pros and cons. "How much of the conversation was picked up?"

"Bad angle on your faces. No useable audio."

"Then after. We let all interested parties know Admiral Tarak's actions failed to get results and have turned our witness hostile. Officially, I'll be escorting Ms Koel to the wards and conducting a standard interview. She'll be locked down overnight and monitored for adverse effects."

"In other words, make it known further psionic follow-up is pointless." Atlas' tone reflected the blow that news was to those who knew Callan Tarak. "Your witness alright?"

Kaplan met Jinx's intent stare. "She will be." He released the hold on the IST pod and punched in the level for the wards. If anyone tracked Jinx's movements, the transport logs would show that destination. He and Jinx would move on foot from there to his temp quarters. Not somewhere his fellow Rha Si would expect him to take an aberrant, but a location he could control. "You get static on this, Atlas, let me know. Tell Temple I owe her."

"Just get what intel you can, Kap."

Kaplan ended the call.

Jinx planted herself in front of him, the fear and anger in her eyes resolving into something cooler. "Exactly how much trouble am I in?"

He vetoed reassurances. She needed to understand the stakes. "You know what we are and what we can do. And because of your aberrance, we can't take that knowledge from you. Bottom line, you talk or fail to cooperate, your family history of mental illness will be used to discredit and contain you."