Chapter 23p2 – Think

Once he’d tied Lady Libden up, Tic returned his attention to getting Overard into the Revita Tube. The healing machine set to work, humming and blinking as it diagnosed the medical problems that it had been presented with and worked out the most efficient solutions.

Tic’s brain was performing a similar process, churning through the curator’s betrayal. In a short span, the Entulovians had gone from rescuers arriving in the nick of time to dangerous, deceitful enemies. It was a difficult turnaround to grasp. Could he have seen it coming? The only hint Tic could recall was Cogs’ warning, delivered as they were leaving the NCVD chamber, but that had come far too late. Now Cogs was dead…

Libden’s question kept circling through Tic’s thoughts: What now? Should he fight? The Entulovians had far greater numbers and superior weapons. Should he surrender the Adam Astrobot and wash his hands of the whole thing? They might not let him go, even if he did. Should he just get out of here while he still could? That would mean leaving Haglyn behind—assuming she’d made it out of the HQ before the NCVD went off. And there was a decent chance the Entulovians had already zeroed in on the Pelican‘s location. Escaping wouldn’t be easy.

No options seemed viable. Meanwhile the clock was ticking and Milly was still in pain. Tic carried her into the passenger cabin and began tending to her the old-fashioned way, cleaning and bandaging the wound in her side. She grimaced at every touch.

As Tic tied the bandage off, Pelly said, “We’re being hailed, dear.”

“Is it the curator?”

“I believe so.”

Tic sighed. Then he had a spark of inspiration. “Pelly… Think you could answer with Gal’s voice?”

About Tim Sevenhuysen

Tim Sevenhuysen writes sci-fi and other genre fiction. He is a microfiction expert, having written over 600 fifty-word stories. He is also a noncertifiable lunatic.

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