Dealers' Choice - Susan Hayes Page 0,49

eventually stopped outside a door marked with her name in a sharp white print that seemed similar to her office back on Astek station. She looked again and realized it was exactly the same. Same size. Same font. Same spacing. A chill crept down her spine. “How long were you spying on me?”

“Since the moment you were brought in to treat the subjects of our Reaper project.”

Which meant that all her patients, their friends and family, had been under surveillance far longer than any of them had guessed.

“If you would place your hand on the scanner, please?” Vivian pointed to the access pad beside the door.

She did so. There was a low hum, a beep, and the door slid open.

“Your biometrics are now verified and loaded into the ship’s system. If a door opens when you stand in front of it, you are permitted to enter. If a door remains closed, you do not. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” She got the message loud and clear.

“Good. Then our tour is complete. Welcome home, Dr. Virness. These quarters are yours until we reach our final destination.”

“Do I get to know where that is?” She didn’t expect to be granted that information, but she felt the need to ask, anyway.

Then she stepped inside her new rooms. It was a standard shipboard layout, though somewhat larger than she was used to. There was a small sitting area, a food dispenser so basic it likely only produced beverages, a workspace, and a small bed. What furniture she saw was simple but comfortable looking. There was a single viewport in one wall, or maybe it was just a monitor made to look like a viewport. She was so turned around after her tour she had no idea how close they were to the hull at the moment.

Vivian glided in behind her. “Where? No. But I can tell you what it is. This ship is one of many. They are small-scale laboratories and means of transportation. We also have a main research station. That is our destination, once I have determined we are not being followed.”

Xori felt a spark of hope. Followed? Did Vivian think there was a chance her males were coming to rescue her? She kept her expression neutral and continued to explore the area. There was a small sanitation cubby through a door near the bed, but otherwise, there wasn’t much else to see. The furniture was all too heavy to move, and she noted with mild amusement that there was nothing she could use as even the most rudimentary of weapons. She looked closer, running her hand over the corner of the desk. No corners. No edges.

The display above the desk was an interactive hologram with no monitor or means of connecting to the system directly. It was likely a dummy terminal. She glanced at the data on the digital screen, froze, and leaned in to take a closer look. “These are my work files. My private, encrypted files about my patients.”

“Yes, they are. Though as you can see, they are no longer encrypted. I told you, Dr. Virness. We have been watching you for quite some time. Your assessments of our previous projects have already proven helpful. As I am sure you have heard, we have lost a number of personnel and test subjects lately. Your recruitment will help us refill our ranks.”

“You used my notes to improve your process?” Bile curdled in her stomach. She had been working to undo the damage this group had done, and they were using her insights to inflict more harm on others.

“We did. We always intended to recruit you eventually, but when we discovered your other abilities, we advanced our timetable.”

“Other abilities?” Veth. They knew.

“You are a powerful empath, Dr. Virness. I have viewed the footage. I saw what you did to the Reaper you call Ward. That is the reason you are here, now.”

“You want me to read the emotions of the clones and cyborgs you’ve created, and assess if any of them are breaking their conditioning.”

“Yes. And much more. You are an invaluable tool, Dr. Virness, and we intend to use you to your full potential.” The hologram gestured to the males standing by the door. “Before we get to that, though. There’s one other thing we need to accomplish. Two, Five, please secure the doctor for the procedure.”

“What procedure?” Xori’s voice was tight with fear and she backed away from the clones.

“Please, don’t resist. It won’t do you any good.”

She looked around in