The Enemy You Kept Close by Shane Shepherd

Author:Shane Shepherd [Shepherd, Shane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

Win was not allowed to go searching for Mackintosh again.

He sat at the med bay while being seen to. His arm had cracked again, and this time they’d keep it in a cast for over a month, which he wasn’t happy about. Thankfully, the Shapeshifter hadn’t touched him skin-to-skin, though the fear of exposure meant they wanted Win isolated anyway. Aya and the soldiers who had fought the Shapeshifter were also there—their sight was still blurry, but would return to normal soon. The First Officer was there too, and he’d given his report to her already.

He knew he was about to be put in a corner and forgotten.

“I don’t need to sit in an isolated room or a cocoon,” Win argued with Dr. Nery. “I can go out in a mission suit and continue my search.”

Dr. Nery shook her head. “You should rest and isolate. Searching the ship is other people’s job, and you should leave it to them,” she said. “Your First Officer too.”

Win kept arguing, but it wasn’t like anyone here had the authority to let him go when orders from high up were that he sit still. He knew he and Shaniqua were being punished, being benched, and even that they deserved it, but he couldn’t accept it.

Aya wouldn’t help him argue, probably angry about the fact he broke his arm again. Shaniqua was quiet.

A few minutes later, though, when the med bay quieted down and they were mostly left alone, the two women turned to him.

“So, what’s your plan?” Aya asked.

“What will we do, sir?” the First Officer asked.

“What do you mean?” Win asked, not looking at them. “I’m not planning anything; I’m not allowed to get out of here…”

Aya gave him an unimpressed look.

“I don’t have a plan yet,” Win admitted. “I can’t figure out what’s going on.” He started talking about what happened, because maybe that would help. “Something’s different, something’s strange. Mackintosh wasn’t aggressive like Liu. She acted like she was giving up fighting against the Spiders. That means she doesn’t want to help them, like the Shapeshifter hadn’t wanted to.”

“The Shapeshifter was pretty violent just now,” Aya pointed out.

Win thought about Mackintosh’s words. It loved the Neighbors for living for song instead of fighting, but because they didn’t fight, they died. And it didn’t want me to die.

“She led me to Carlos and the Shapeshifter to get me infected,” Win realized. “She wants me to get sick. They were trying to protect me. If I went Liu, I wouldn’t die like the Neighbors did once a proper war started; I’d be on the winning side.”

“Protect you how? Idell died, and look at Carlos!” Aya exclaimed, angry. “The best way to help us would be by helping us fight the Spiders, not turning against us.”

“They don’t think we can win even with their help,” Win said.

“If Dr. Mackintosh’s goal is to infect you, why wouldn’t she do it herself?” Shaniqua asked. “Why take you to Carlos and then the Shapeshifter?”

“I don’t know,” Win said with a frown.

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