Experiment S20-9C

Chapter 3

Secret Base, One Week Later

Cybertel leaned against the wall in one corner of the room, watching Dr. Murik pace around as she scanned for threats every once in a while. He'd been poring over blueprints of the flying fortress, changing things here, adding things there; it was a lengthy process that he insisted needed to be done, otherwise a situation like the one before would come up again. The Elites had all shaken their heads at their leader's stubbornness, but Cybertel was of the opinion that it was a good idea, if not predictable.

Over the last week, Dr. Murik had been more accepting of her and her abilities, learning to never doubt what she said. The Elites that hadn't seen the show on the bridge were running rumors about her, but she didn't really know (or care about) what they were saying. The crystal had stayed safely in her care, and she had proven several times that she was very capable and responsible for it. She suspected Dr. Murik was wary of her loyalties, but she'd also tended to those as well.

Everything was going well—so why was she so unsettled?

It had been irritating her all week. She hadn't been able to get the image of Vega out of her head, and it was starting to drive her up the wall. The other Elites had also noticed her foul mood, but no one had had the courage to confront her about it. None of them seemed to have the confidence to talk to her at all.

Well, Crucetti excluded.

The other Elite seemed just cozy with getting the cold shoulder. It confused Cybertel as it did intrigue her. Crucetti was definitely a unique individual; it made Cybertel randomly wonder how she'd come to be an Elite. But such thoughts were quick to die, and the dark scaled cyborg was content to let them do so.

Cybertel had been considering asking the Doctor about Vega and the other boy that had been with him. However, he was so absorbed in his little undertaking that the question would likely be brushed off immediately, so she'd have to do some digging herself.

Just then, Crucetti entered the room, watching Dr. Murik for a moment (not that he noticed her), and stepped over to Cybertel.

"Is he pulling his hair yet?" she asked jokingly.

Cybertel kept a straight face as she replied, "No, but I think he will soon. My creator did the same thing."

Crucetti cocked her head. "Your creator...you mean Dr. Murik's uncle?"

She nodded silently.

"Funny thing, really," Crucetti continued. "I stumbled on these personal accounts he'd written and given to the Doc, but Murik didn't pay attention to them until I'd said something about it."

Cybertel's interest piqued, and she twitched an ear. "Is that so? Somehow, I am not surprised by that."

The other Elite giggled, "Nothing fazes you, does it? Ah, I envy that sometimes. I guess we humans just can't compare to you."

Words slid past Cybertel's guard without thinking—until they resounded quietly in the still air and it was too late to take them back.

"I used to be human too, at one point."

A minute of stunned silence followed that, and the other Elite just stared blankly at her. Instead of facing the monster she had allowed Crucetti to glimpse, Cybertel moved away from the wall and closer to Dr. Murik.

"Doctor," she said, getting his attention, "you should eat and get some rest. You cannot work at your best if you are not in peak condition. The plans will be here when you return."

Glancing at the clock, Murik seemed to deflate somewhat. "Yes, I suppose you have a point. Very well, Cybertel, I'm off to the cafeteria. Standard alert system for the night."