Revenant by Alex White

Author:Alex White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2021-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

13 HARD EXIT

Orderlies came to take him to the bathroom, and Joran finally had his chance. He told them all about Doctor Vess, and what she’d been up to. He gave them detailed timelines, and made sure they knew she was actually a dead woman being operated by an evil symbiont.

They’d have to look into it. They could see how important it was to him. Could he explain some things further?

Joran thought they were listening until they led him back to the pod. He tried to go for the door, but his balance was still shaky. Within seconds, he was back in the bed, trapped under the lid. They left him with nothing, save his clothes and his time.

He’d done some bad things in his life, but didn’t deserve this. What was the point in learning from his mistakes if they were terminal?

It was hard to know if hours or days passed. He lost consciousness at odd intervals, only able to tell the time from the changing color of the sky against the treatment room’s windows. He wished he could stand at those panes, banging for someone outside to hear him.

A Trill man peered down through the pod’s clear canopy. He was pale, midthirties, with an attractive though plain face. A few of his slicked-back chestnut hairs slipped loose, falling across glacial blue eyes.

“There’s a trick to these med pods,” he said, bemused.

Joran narrowed his eyes. “What?”

“To getting them open. It’s fiddly, but it can be done. I was a test pilot. Spent a lot of time in med pods.”

“Okay. Right, yes. How do I get out?”

“By accepting yourself.”

Joran screwed his eyes shut, chasing away his rage. In this powerless state, all anger melted into depression.

“This isn’t the time for jokes,” he said.

“I’m not joking. I’m trying to save your life.”

“Then tell me how to get out.”

“Why?” the man said. “Even if I freed you, you’d still die. Not enough neurotransmitters, remember?”

He wanted to punch this guy, but there was a canopy in the way. “You’re Torias Dax, aren’t you?”

“At your service.”

“What do you want with me?”

Torias walked around the bed. “You might not believe this, but we’ve got your best interests at heart.”

“You want to make me submit.”

Torias shook his head, chuckling. “How did you graduate the initiate program? No, Joran. We want to make you whole, and help you survive.”

“Doctor Vess was right about me. I am a liar. I hurt people…”

“You’ve barely lived. There’s time to write some wrongs along with those songs.” Torias frowned. “No? She really got into your head.”

“She also said I was incompatible.”

“I’m the one inside you, so I’m better equipped to make that call.” Torias hopped up and sat on the middle of the lid without a sound. “Joran, you can do this if you try.”

“Do what? Merge with Dax?”

“Yes! It’s literally your only way out!”

Joran thought about relaxing, opening his mind, truly allowing himself to dissolve with the symbiont—and a reflexive clutch of fear shut the thought off.

“No.” His breath came faster as he tried to hold in a rising panic.

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