Betrayal

Chapter Six

Nero, Wesi Ka's office, on call with Council Prime Minister

The sitting Prime Minister appeared in holographic form, floating above Wesi Ka's hologram. Oleta stood next to Kari Tar.

"Greetings, Prime Minister. I have come to inform you that Council has requested that Soldier K-3876 should be brought in for examination."

"Bring him to my facilities. My staff are more professional."

"But they are expecting that Six be brought to neurological specialists."

"The Prime Minister is correct. The Grand Medical facilities are state of the art." Kari Tar said.

"We are in agreement, then?"

Oleta felt that something was wrong. She knew that it would be better if Six was examined by the people at the General Hospital, but she couldn't just disagree with the Prime Minister. "Yes, sir," she said reluctantly. She spun around in her heel and marched out of the room.

~~

Trickshot was sitting on the examination table, staring at the blacked out window.

General Oleta came in with Kari Tar, the door hissing behind them. He didn't want to make eye contact, but he forced himself to tear his gaze from the window.

"I'm sorry, Trickshot, but this a matter best left to the medical professionals. There is still so much we don't know." She raised her hand, the slide in her fingers.

"Listen. I was trying to save my friend."

"And yet, by removing this tumor, it was you who killed him." Trickshot strode right up to the Neroi. He hated her face on sight. "Why do you care? You were going to kill him anyway. He deserves better!"

"Trickshot. I'm sorry, but Six is to be sent to Polis." She put the slide in a case, with any other data and handed it to a medical droid. "I want all data to be prepared for transport to Sector 3, General Hospital."

"But the Prime Minister said that the tumor and all other information be sent to the Grand Medical Facility." Kari Tar argued.

"And it will get there. But not before the neurologists have run scans on it first."

"But the Prime Minister-"

"You can protest all you want. My word is final." Oleta said firmly.

She turned to Trickshot. "It will be good if you put this whole incident behind you."

"I agree." Kari Tar said simply.

He glared at the Neroi, then glanced at the case that the droid was holding. It placed it on the table, then picked up another one, an identical copy. He narrowed his eyes. The droid just switched the cases. It followed behind the Chief Scientist as she left the room.

Oleta nodded to him, then left. The two soldiers that were standing behind her came over to him, to escort him out of the room, to who knew where. He glanced out of the corner of his eye behind him, at the two soldiers when they were walking down the hall.

They both held IS-1s, and wore full armor. He glanced ahead of him again.

His eyes caught on a familiar droid, also being escorted. He stopped in front of it as it passed.

"TY-9."

"Hello. Is your memory going to be wiped too?"

"No. Going back to my brothers."

"That's not what I heard. I heard that you were memory was going to be wiped, and placed here on sanitation duty." TY-9 informed him.

"What?"

"We can still be friends," TY-9 said optimistically. "Assuming we both remember each other, after our memories have been erased." Trickshot sighed.

"Let's go." One of the soldiers prodded his IS-1's muzzle into his back.

"No." He launched himself at the soldier, tackling him to the ground. He punched the other, and stole his gun, knocking one of TY-9's guards over the head with it.

"Look what you did!" TY-9 said. "I cannot believe what you just did!"

"I am not getting my mind erased, and neither are you." He could see other soldiers and Neroi staring at them.

It seems that one of the soldiers was still conscious enough to crawl over to the alarm switch and flick it. The alarms blared through the halls, drawing more of a crowd. "Get out of here!" He grabbed TY-9's arm and pushed past spectators, running down the now red-lit hallway.

He ran back to his examination room, and nearly ran into the opposite wall because of his momentum.

"Why are we here?"

He didn't answer, instead opening the case, checking that the tumor was still inside. "I knew it." The droid had indeed switched the cases.

"So, we are going to continue our research?" TY-9 asked.

"Yeah. Research. That's it. Now, come on!" He grabbed the droid's arm again, dragging him outside, slide in hand.

~~

"What does he know?" He asked.

"Nothing, as of yet. He is just a soldier, after all. And-" Kari Tar said nervously.

"This behavior is unsettling. First the malfunctioning soldier, now a fugitive. Will this interfere with the First Command?"

Her eyes widened in fear. "No. I am certain of that."

"The true nature of the nanobots must be kept secret from the Council."

"Yes, my Lord." She bowed, and the cloaked figure flickered away.