The Archer's Star

Chapter 7

"They? Someone from your department?" Si whispers the question to me.

"Yes, I think so. I heard them talking, saying something about she's probably inside."

"Lark, I'm sure they just want to talk to you. You can tell them about the med-ibot. Let them know what happened and maybe you can find out exactly why that alarm went off."

I glance up at him. Nerves making my stomach flip. He's telling me I shouldn't be this nervous. I nearly always can trust him, but why does this feel wrong?

Si looks at me and says, "Just go out there. " He pats my shoulder reassuringly.

I'm trembling, but I give him a nod. I know I should not be that scared, but I can't help but imagine they will think I was the one that did that to the med-ibot. I slowly stand to my feet and Si rises with me.

"I hope you're right, Si." His fingers find mine and they intertwine. My heart is racing and I'm glad I have him next to me. He begins to walk dragging me with him out of the bedroom and towards the entry door.

Si looks at me before we exit, he turns me to face him and puts his hands on my shoulders. He stares at me looking into my eyes. I feel the pressure of his calm hands. I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest as he puts his arms over my shoulders. Holding me tight to him he whispers in my ear, " It's going to be all right. Let's just talk to them."

He presses the button on the interior of the door and it rises quickly. There are several people standing outside the door into the hallway, facing my own apartment door. There is a security officer in the standard gray uniform. I'm also shocked to see Dr. Nera standing with them. Next to her is another man I have never seen before with dark hair and small round eyes. He is dressed in a dark suit, that matches the mop of dark hair on his head.

"Oh, Lark! We thought that you were in your apartment." Dr. Nera's poised expression falls and her eyes are wide staring at us. Si is still holding my hand. It's an awkward moment and I am not sure exactly how to respond.

"I came to see my friend Si off before he went to work. As I'm sure you know, we had to leave early because of the alarm in the Med-Vet Suite." I am afraid to say too much about what I've seen or go any further with the other two men standing in front of us. The men are staring at me harshly.

"Ah, yes. Well, maybe we can go inside of your apartment and have a quick chat. Privately." She adds privately at the end in such a way that it is clear that Si is not invited.

I quickly turn to Si, my eyebrows arched to see if he agrees with this. He nods to go ahead, and he releases my hand. I walk across the hall as the group moves out-of-the-way so I can access my scan-lock. I turn my wrist over and scan the door quickly open. My apartment is empty and quiet. The light is bright and through the clear windows, the sun is glinting off of the ocean's waves. I feel more peaceful in my own space. I gesture for the three to enter behind me and try to collect my words and feelings. I would like to ask Dr. Nera to speak alone because I don't know what the other two men are here for.

"If you would like, you can sit down." I gesture to our small table with four seats pushed into the nook of our dining room eating area. The three of them pull out a chair and sit down. The men look toward each other awkwardly as if they didn't expect the hospitality. They wear grim-looking expressions on their faces. Dr. Nera looks poised and elegant, as usual. I take a seat.

I decide to begin. "I was surprised that you did not meet me this morning, Dr. Nera. I received your message. I did go to the rehab laboratory." I know they can't be here to discuss my absence, but I am not sure where else to start the conversation.

"Oh yes, I did get held up this morning." She says dismissively. "I apologize for that. We do know that you were in the rehab laboratory this morning. Actually, that is part of the reason why we are here right now. " A flicker of apprehension crosses her face. "The security officers found an unusual occurrence in the rehab laboratory this morning. They said there was quite a lot of activity in the room between 7:55 and 8:15 AM. We have some people that would like to speak to you about this down at the security lab. If you don't mind coming with us, we can walk you down there. There were truly a few strange occurrences this morning throughout the entire med vet suite..." She hesitates, and I can tell she wants to say more. "My dear, they are wondering if you may know any other information about those events."

I take a deep breath. I know I must look nervous and possibly guilty to them. I want to scream it out loud that I'm not guilty and that I've not done anything wrong, but I am afraid by not reporting it immediately that they are already going to think that I did.

"Well..." I pause, my jaw clenching involuntarily. "I did see something incredibly shocking in the lab. I... I heard ticking noises and it led me to a closet, and there was a med-ibot..." I stop, as they all look at one another swiftly and return their gaze to me. "Is this meeting something I should have my parents with me for?" It's a reasonable question that I immediately regret. It's a question that makes me look like maybe I am guilty of something or suspect that they think so.

"No, no. We can continue the conversation at the security lab. This shouldn't take long. We were hopeful because you were on site that you may have seen some things that were suspicious. Sounds like we may be correct." She stands up and the other two stand up with her. The men haven't said a word so far. I am still not sure why they have come along or who they are, as they never introduced themselves.

"Okay, well, I guess we should just go." I glance around at our apartment. I desperately want to speak up and ask if Si can come with me, but I also know he's heading into work at any moment. My instinct tells me I need to tell him I'm going with them.

"If you don't mind, I left something over in Si's apartment. I'm just going to run over there very quickly to grab it before we go." I see the men look at Dr. Nera warily.

She responds, "No problem. We will wait for you in the hall."

It feels as if they are escorting me under a security measure. I brush the thought out of my head. I wish my parents were here this morning instead of at work. I feel vulnerable and alone. The men have entered the corridor and Dr. Nera lingers inside the room. As I pass by her I ask, "Would you mind, if I spoke to you privately soon?"

Her chin raises up a little proudly and she purses her lips lightly, "If need be, I am sure that can be arranged."

I exit my apartment and the hallway is empty of anyone aside from our small group. I cross to Si's apartment. I use my access code, scanning and speaking it into my text-prompt. The door slides open and I leave the three of them in the hallway. I press the button on the inside quickly so that the door will close behind me. As soon as it is closed, I run into the apartment, directly to Si's bedroom. He is getting his bag and a few things ready when I rush into the room.

"Hey, how did the talk go?" I can see the concern on his face as he scans mine for answers.

The words tumble out quickly, "I have to go with them to the security office. I don't know who the men are- they didn't speak to me. The whole thing feels weird."

"Listen, go on with them and I'll check in with you in an hour or so. I'm sure it's fine."  He throws his backpack over his shoulder and crosses to me wrapping me into a quick embrace.

"Come on, Lark. Let's go. Sprinkle's later for ice cream, after my gravity ball game, okay?" He winks at me with a soft smile and I can tell he is trying to put me at ease.

I wish I could feel the same way, but my gut instinct was telling me something very different.

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