Alone in the Crowd (The Chronicles of Anna Foster Book 3) (22 page)

“Damn that Bryce!” she cursed under her breath as she touched the communicator switch on her wristcomp and opened the hatch. Stepping into the infirmary, her view of Anderson told her that the white rays had moved down to his thighs and were slowly working their way toward his feet. The central console did not appear to be active, since the holographic displays were gone. Anna moved to stand in front of the black, reflective panel and waved her hand over it. It was a similar gesture to how she activated the pilot control panel on her ship.

A deep voice spoke similar to the one she had heard from the computer earlier. “Taliv tik.”

Anna creased her brow, wondering why it did not recognize her. She held her hand over the middle of the central panel, only to receive the same result.

“Why aren’t you working?” she mused in a low voice while she contemplated other methods to activate the console. She thought of taking the panel apart, but reasoned that its inner workings were beyond her abilities as a technician. She rested her hands on her hips as she wracked her brain, when a low groan shattered the silence. It came from the medical beds.

Anna’s head snapped toward the source of the sound, her eyes wide and alert. Her ears perked up as she strained to hear it again, and her mind raced to determine what could possibly make the sound. The obvious possibility was Anderson, but she could not believe it would be him. After all, he was still going through the procedure. Surgery or resurrection? She was not quite sure which.

The groan came again a few seconds later, a little louder than before. As she watched, Anderson started to move.

“Wait!” Anna yelled as she dodged around the console and sped toward him. “Don’t move!”

Reaching his side, she swiftly looked over his body. His skin was healthier. The beams, now six on each leg, worked their way down his thighs much faster than before.

“Okay,” she breathed while attempting to collect her thoughts. She looked back to his face. He was trying to sit up, so she gently nudged him back down. “Stay put. Don’t move.” She thought for a second. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be awake right now.”

Anderson regarded her as she spoke, his bland expression revealing nothing of his current state. He remained silent. Only the sounds of his breathing and the low hum of the healing energy rays broke the stillness in the room. Yet, he kept staring at her as if some strange creature was tangled in her hair and fighting to free itself.

Anna looked back at him, curious as to why his eyes were locked on her. “What?” Her hand instinctively went to her hair, feeling the strands between her fingers and combing through it.

He raised his hand and gently took a lock of her hair between his thumb and fingers, rubbing the blond tresses as though they were made of silk. An innocent smile grew on his face.

Anna, feeling a little awkward, smiled nervously and carefully slid her hair from his grasp. His smile disappeared, and he reached for her hair again.

“No,” she smiled at him as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. He extended his reach, drawing closer to another lock. She frowned at his insistent attempts and slapped his hand away. He drew his hand back, cradling it in his other hand. His lips pouted, and his eyes grew wide and wet with tears.

Watching his mood shift suddenly, Anna was confused by his reaction. Between the nurturing of his hand and the change of expression, she realized that his reactions mirrored that of…

Anderson sucked in a deep breath and screamed like a baby, his howls practically deafening her. Anna winced under the sudden wall of sound and backed away, a look of utter shock on her face. She shook her head in disbelief as his crying continued.

“Oh, shit!” she commented under her breath, barely hearing her own words over Anderson’s childish bellowing. Pointing at him, she ordered, “Stay there! Don’t move!”

Turning toward the door, Anna yelled, “Bryce!”

* * * * *

“
You filthy maggot!
” screamed Cooper at the top of his lungs. “
You ain’t worth the air you’re breathing!
”

Jason cringed and leaned away from the sergeant, who stood toe-to-toe with him, while trying to stand at attention according to the instructions thrown at him a moment before. He was beginning to regret wanting to know what new recruits experienced when they went to boot camp.

“
What’s the matter? Do I scare you? Do you want to run back to your mama?
”

“No…”

“
What’s that? I can’t hear you!
”

“No.”

“
No, what?
”

“No, sir?”

“
Are you asking me a question? Do I look like a fucking encyclopedia?
”

“No, sir!”

“
I must be going deaf! I still can’t hear you!
”

“No, sir!”

“
What?
”

“
No, sir!
”

Cooper stepped back with a wide grin on his face. “Welcome to Recruit Training.”

Stealing a glance at Cary and Tomomi who sat with their eyes glued on him, Jason exhaled. “And, new troops put up with that for thirteen weeks?”

“That’s right, followed by a period of one to two months of specialty training.”

“Wow! I’m not sure I could handle that.”

“Pardon the interruption,” Bryce said calmly from the table where he had finished cleaning. “But, Anna is calling for help from the infirmary.”

Cooper bolted for the door, leaving Cary, Tomomi, and Jason staring at each other in bewilderment. He skidded to a halt before slamming into the wall. “Bryce, open the goddamn door!”

Everyone arrived in the infirmary in a rush to find Anna lying across a wailing Anderson, desperately trying to keep him still with both arms and a leg.

“What the fuck is going on?” Cooper rushed past the console and grabbed the arm and leg opposite Anna.

Raising her head to look at him while straining to keep the grunt restrained and avoid the healing energies still firing at his legs, Anna replied, “Somehow, he woke up while still being treated. I’m not sure why, but his mind appears to have reverted back to that of an infant.”

“I can see that.”

Cary tapped Bryce’s shoulder as the teen moved to the console and activated it. “Why did this happen?”

“I am unsure at this time. Let me check, please.” Bryce’s typical calm demeanor struck Jason as out-of-place for the situation.

Seeing that Anderson was still not fully restrained, Jason broke away from the group at the console and, upon reaching the bed, seized his ankles. Dropping to his knees, he tightened his grip and prayed that he didn’t let go.

Cary moved toward the bed but stopped behind Jason. The space around the bed was occupied. He could not see how to help the situation further.

Tomomi, on the other hand, moved next to Bryce and stood watching the displays over his shoulder, pitting her limited medical knowledge against what she was seeing. While Bryce sent an initial scan over the entire body, she pointed to Anderson’s head. “Focus your scan at the head. You’ll probably find your answer there.” With a nod and some adjustments, Bryce heeded her advice.

“Cary,” Anna cried over Anderson’s howling. “Get on the other side and grab his arms.”

At that second, Anderson slipped an arm out of Anna’s grip and swung it down, catching Cooper across the jaw. The impact jerked his head back, but he recovered instantly.

Cary clambered over the bed behind the sergeant and took over for Anna. Underestimating the trooper’s strength, Cary shifted with the arm pinned against his chest and nearly lost his footing.

“Come on, you wuss!” Cooper barked. “Get it under control.”

Regaining his feet, Cary grunted as he shoved Anderson’s arm down onto the bed above the soldier’s head. “Got it!”

Anna leaned over Anderson and gingerly stroked his face while cooing softly. The two men next to her watched with curiosity, and Jason leaned forward, trying to see what was happening.

“Hey, hey,” she said in a soothing tone. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine. It’s all right.”

Seconds after Anna began, Anderson visibly calmed down, and his thrashing ceased. Cary eased Anderson’s arms down to rest on his chest.

Anna continued her comforting words. “It’s okay. No need to be upset. We’re just going to make you go to sleep for a while, and then everything’s going to be fine.”

Understanding the hint, Cooper and Cary turned toward Bryce and Tomomi to see if they picked up on it. Tomomi nodded, but Bryce did not respond, apparently still engrossed with the readouts on the display.

“Bryce.” The brunette nudged him. “Can you administer a sedative to him?”

“A sedative? Yes. Hold on.”

Bryce’s fingers flicked a few icons, and a small tower, similar to the one that had applied the blue treatment to Anna, materialized next to Anderson’s shoulder. In a split second, the arm at the top extended to and pressed against his neck. A quick burst of air blasted against his skin, and Anderson flinched from the unexpected sound. His face contorted again. Anna continued to speak to him tenderly, like a mother to her child. Focused on her voice, he calmed again. Seconds passed, and his eyelids grew heavy and drooped until he finally fell asleep.

Once she confirmed that he was out, Anna stood up and walked toward Bryce and Tomomi. The three men helping her followed her lead.

“Okay, Bryce. What happened to him?” Anna demanded once she reached the opposite side of the console from him.

“I am not too familiar with human physiology. But if I am interpreting this correctly, it appears that his neural pathways were erased.”

Anna glanced at Tomomi, who nodded her agreement. “How did this happen?”

“Your friend’s cells were breaking down, when you brought him in. Fortunately for you, his cells had not degraded past the point of recovery. But, the neural patterns within his brain appeared to have scrambled during the degradation process. The system must have cleared them while it regenerated the organ.”

Cooper stepped next to Anna, a stern look on his face. “You mean to tell me that my soldier is mentally a baby now?”

“His knowledge and memories have been erased, and his brain has been reset.”

“All of his memories are gone: his childhood, his friends, family, his wife and kids? All gone?”

“Apparently so.”

Cooper’s face twisted with anger. “You asshole!” He lunged across the console and wrapped his hands around Bryce’s neck. Anna quickly wrapped her arms around the sergeant’s torso and tried to pull him back. Jason joined her a moment later. Tomomi grabbed his hands and tugged futilely at his muscular fingers. Cooper squeezed with all his strength, but Bryce’s steadfast expression unsettled him. The soldier squeezed again, but nothing changed. Cary moved behind Bryce and pressed his thumbs against the squad leader’s fingertips, making little progress.

“I do not understand why you attack me,” Bryce said in his usual placid tone. “But I assure you it will not be tolerated.”

As soon as his words reached everyone’s ears, Bryce’s body dissolved away to reveal the dark sphere floating in front of Cary’s chest. Cooper’s grip caved in, and Cary and Tomomi inadvertently followed through and threw his hands apart as he fell down onto the console. Anna and Jason, pulling him back from the workstation, lost their balance with the sudden change, and all three tumbled onto the floor.

The sphere floated over the panel and paused about three meters above the floor directly above the tangle of bodies. In the blink of an eye, a wire frame formed on its outer shell and filled in to form a weapon pointed directly at Cooper. They could see the telltale glow from within the weapon as it prepared to fire.

Jason scrambled away from the others. Cooper instinctively reached for his ever-present pistol, which was no longer on his hip. Anna thrust her hands toward the orb and yelled, “Wait!”

The inside of the weapon continued to glow but did not fire. “Yes, Anna?” Bryce’s voice spoke as clear as if his body was present above them.

“Cooper was acting in Anderson’s defense, a soldier under his command. He is merely doing everything in his power to protect his man. Can you fault him for that?”

“His reaction was misdirected. He should direct his anger at the ones who caused his death, not the ones trying to fix him.”

The sergeant shifted his stare at Anna as she continued to barter for his life.

“Maybe so, but it is human nature to react against the one bearing bad news, even if that person is not the one who caused it. He merely acted on instinct. I am sure that he will not do so again.”

Turning her head to gaze at him, she added, “Right, sergeant?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah! I will be better.”

A few seconds passed in silence. Anna cast a quick glance at Jason, who glanced at the sphere, then at her, and then back at the sphere again.

Anna’s arms relaxed a bit, and she stared at the orb with a mixture of fear and curiosity. The suspense was killing her.

The sphere hovered menacingly over Cooper but did not act. The room was silent save for the energy discharge from Anderson’s bed. Everyone felt the tension in the air as if it was tangible, a cloudy veil that covered everything in sight. Tomomi brought a trembling hand to rest on her belly.

Suddenly, the glow from with the sphere’s weapon faded, and the cannon digitized out of existence.

Everyone exhaled audibly.

“Thank you,” Anna said, elation coloring her voice. Cooper chuckled to himself, while Jason clambered to his feet and offered a helping hand to the two still sitting on the floor. Cary and Tomomi surged toward them. While Tomomi hugged Anna, Cary clapped the two men on their backs with a laugh.

Bryce reformed behind Cary with a grim expression on his face. As the others turned to face him, he said, “Know that I will not permit any further attacks against me or any part of this facility. This is your last warning.”

“Understood,” Cooper replied with a firm nod.

“Good.” Bryce’s face returned to its normal appearance, stripped of all emotion. “Since your companion is stable, shall we return to the recreation room?”