Binary Love (18+)

A Scanner Darkly

Wolfish eyes stared hard at the still Beta, laying within the bio chamber. Although alive, Rosa broke the news that the prognosis was not good, and that even with significant intervention the Beta would most likely die. He stood firmly with his legs apart, his arms crossed over his firm chest.

"So, you're telling me that Blue isn't even really a drug - it's blood." He growled. Rosa and Nova both nodded, also gazing in disbelief at the Beta inside the tank.

"I'm going to run some tests to see if I can gather more information about the DNA structure. I might even find something to help heal him." Rosalind theorised. She moved closer to Harou, raising a hand to stroke along one of his arms. With a soft rumble, he turned to nuzzle against her cheek briefly, before turning back to watch the Lupus.

"I would offer to help, but DNA isn't my expertise." Looking at the pair's display of affection made her heart hurt a little, prompting Nova to blurt out an indication of her feelings of inadequacy. She didn't have a new task to distract her from her emotions, and she was quickly starting to remember why she wanted to stay busy.

"That's OK, I can ask Lucy to help look after the patients." Rosalind gave a small smile to Nova, "She's been wanting to do more hours on the ward as part of her residency, so that should free me up to further study it."

"I'll look into where he got his Blue. From what you're telling me, he shouldn't have been able to afford it. I might strike lucky if he's racked up any debts, or has been dealing on the side to some friends." Harou bent down to kiss Rosalind goodbye, "Don't over work yourself."

With a quick nod to Nova, he briskly walked out of the ward to get back to the investigation.

"If anyone is overworking themselves, it's him." Rosalind sighed, while fidgeting with the sleeves of her lab coat. "Since what happened to you and Mark at the workshop, he's been doing a few double shifts."

"I'm not surprised; he's pretty tenacious when he wants to be. Just keep an eye on him and tell him to slow down if he goes too far. He'll listen to you." Stuffing her hands into her pockets, Nova looked towards the door leading to where Mark was currently. 

Noticing, Rosalind gestured towards the lab. 

"Go, I know you're desperate to check in on him."

Relieved that she didn't have to explain, Nova made her way to the back lab. Once the door closed behind her, she rested her body against it in exhaustion. It had only been a few days since the incident, and despite managing to stay occupied, she had trouble sleeping from all the thoughts racing through her head.

She thought that she was alright being alone - she had gotten used to it over the years, with the exception of Rosa and Harou - but since Mark had been hurt, Nova had been struggling with an overwhelming sense of loneliness. She missed him terribly.

Taking in a deep breath, she righted herself and made her way over to the covered bio chamber. Since placing him inside, neither herself or Rosa had been able to do much but check the data streams and replace the bio cylinders. After programming in a request to do a complete scan, as well as several other tests, she made her way to the spare bedroom. It would take most of the night for the results to come back. Just enough time for her to try, and fail, at getting some sleep.

The spare bedroom was dark and small; there was barely enough room for a bed and ensuite bathroom, but it was more than enough for now. It sleek white walls matched the rest of the clinical setting, making in to impersonal for Nova to ever feel completely comfortable. She had been offered a larger room, in the quarters on the ship, but Nova preferred being close to the bio chamber... and to Mark.

While changing into a fresh pair of night clothes, she noticed that her personal comms unit was flashing at her. As she finger combed her hair, Nova scrolled through her missed calls, noticing that all of them were from Madame Berkley. She hastily set up up the screen for the comms and sent out a call request.

Within moments, a woman dressed head to toe in leather appeared on her screen. Her face expressed worry; dusted with dark eyeshadow, her eyes narrowed as thin brows drew downwards. Full burgundy lips were pursed, displaying a mixture of disapproval and concern in equal measure.

"Darling! I've been trying to call-" With a sudden pause, hazel eyes examined Nova closely. Despite only being illuminated by the light from the screen, Berkley could see the healing scratches and mottled skin caused by slight bruising. Nova's eyes were dull and rimmed with bags that spoke of extreme tiredness. Although Nova had never been one to care about her appearance, it was still a shock to see her so blatantly dishevelled. "What's happened? You look miserable."

Nova couldn't contain a small scoff at her words; she could see how a submissive person would whither under such scrutiny. 

"A few days ago my workshop got broken into - it was a Lupus high on Blue and he completely destroyed the place. Mark... Mark got seriously damaged." Nova tried her best to not choke on the last part, turning her head away in an attempt to hide her discomfort. Having not talked much to Berkley recently, as Mark had taken a lot of her calls, Nova hadn't had a chance to explain Mark's sentience. Likely, she was a little confused with how upset Nova was. 

She quickly moved on from the subject of Mark, and instead explained more about the Beta and the investigation they were doing into Blue. However, she was careful to not share what they had discovered about the drug, as she was worried the information might put her friend at risk. Her paranoia also urged her to not share too much over comms, even though she had personally made sure all her equipment was secure.

"Nova, I'm so sorry..." Despite the voice occasionally crackling with static, her empathy could still clearly be heard. "Will Mark be ok? He was rather special."

"We've been fixing him up, but I'm not sure he'll be the same." This was the first time she voiced her fear; it had been lurking in the corners of her mind, keeping her awake and on the edge.

"I'm sure if you're working on him he'll be good as new in no time. You shouldn't doubt yourself; we both know that your a genius in these things."

With a feeble shrug, Nova brushed off the compliment. She knew what her skills were - she had no need to be humble about them - but even she wasn't good enough to figure out what had changed in Mark. Perhaps if she had had more time... 

"I'm bringing The Mayflower to dock at Faolan Station, so I'll be able to see you soon. Has Dr. Asena been making sure you're alright?"

"Yes, she's letting me use the spare bedroom until my workshop can be fixed up." 

"Good, I'm glad you have someone near you." She replied, with a small sigh of relief. "Nova, I know I can't do much from here, but if you need anything just say the word."

At first, Nova was going to just thank her and decline the offer of help, but an idea came to her.

"Actually, there might be something you could help with." Nova tentatively broached.

"Of course, whatever you need." 

"We could only find one small sample of Blue to test. It's incredibly expensive and illegal to get a hold of, so there's not a lot of information out there for me to draw from to help with the investigation." Nova tried to run her fingers through her hair, but quickly got caught in the mess of it. With a grunt of exasperation, she just pulled her hand free, not bothering to untangle the knots. "I know you never share information about your clientele, but if you hear anything about it, I would be grateful if you could share it with me."

Although The Mayflower did technically cater to every depth of pocket, it was mostly frequented by some of the wealthiest people in the galaxy. Exactly the type that could afford, and gossip, about the drug.

"I promise to share anything I can, with the exception of who frequents The Mayflower." Madame Berkely's response was earnest, accompanied with a firm nod of agreement. 

"Thank you, that means a lot to me."

The two said their goodbyes, before Nova closed down the screen, removing it's soft light from the room. In the pitch black, she crawled her way into the bed. Her body aching with the need for sleep. 

Nova slept fitfully that night; dreaming of blue eyes staring vacantly at her in the dark.