Elena's hand dropped to her side as the children disappeared into their rooms. "You know, I don't think they like me, Uncle Jin."
As usual, there was only silence from the lu-ong spawn that lay as still as death around Elena’s bicep. As quiet as the first day they'd arrived.
"No matter, though. I'm not here to make friends." Elena forced back the crushing sense of loneliness, wrapping her arms around her waist for comfort. "Still, I wish you'd wake up, Uncle Jin. It'd be nice to have someone to talk to."
Until then, she'd just have to keep going with the flow and hope things didn't get too dicey.
Eight
Kira – The Wanderer somewhere in space
Kira hooked a towel around her neck, using the ends to pat her face and hair dry as she stepped out of the communal bathroom located on the lower aft deck beneath the ship's pitiful excuse for crew quarters.
She felt good. Finally like herself again. The grime and sweat that had accumulated from her three day 'nap' washed away under the shower's enzyme spray.
Kira could kill Graydon. What had the man been thinking letting her sleep for that long?
Three days? That wasn't a nap. It was a coma.
She was tempted to suspect he or Wren had done something to ensure she got the rest they felt she needed, except she was pretty sure the party responsible was the oasis Harlow had built in the middle of her ship. Something about that place had lulled her to sleep and kept her that way until her mind and body were partially healed.
The only silver lining about her lost days was that she did feel better. Clearer. Less like she might lose control at any moment.
The barrier keeping her primus locked inside her skin was stronger. A few, tissue thin layers reinforcing it. As microscopic in width as they were, they were better than nothing. Nowhere near as strong as the chains she usually used to keep the primus from rising, but at least her alter self was no longer in danger of breaking loose the moment she sneezed wrong.
The wound Jin's absence had left in her psyche was still the same. Its raw, jagged edges a constant reminder. Like a sore tooth she couldn't help prodding. At least, her soul's essence was no longer actively leaking out of it.
Those three days of recovery meant death was no longer quite so imminent. It was the small wins that kept her afloat.
Kira reached the upper deck and headed to the bridge to check in. Finn had given her an overview when she first stepped out of the garden, but she wanted to hear the situation from Raider.
Not knowing what was happening on her own ship was disturbing. Now that she was awake, she'd have to see about correcting that oversight.
Spotting Blue sitting on the deck outside the bridge, Kira lifted her chin in greeting. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be in there?"
Or at least in her quarters. Not sitting on the floor with all this…stuff.
"What is all this anyway?" Kira asked, trying to make sense of the clutter.
"Raider is busy. I'm giving him space." Blue didn't look up from the computer boards she was bent over. The smell of something burning came as Blue soldered wires together. "And this is Jin."
Kira's gaze flew to the items scattered across the floor, taking a closer look and noticing what she'd missed before. For instance, the volley ball sized sphere laying on its side. The camera lens Jin used as his 'eye' pointing at them.
The bottom had been opened and his hardware pulled out. The J1N's wires were exposed, trailing out of the main body like guts that had been left to rot in the sun.
The calm Kira had achieved popped like a balloon. Hysteria and anger jeopardized her control over the primus as it rolled in her mind. Its presence expanded, pushing against the thin barriers she'd just re-established.
"Blue, I said get him mobile. Not take him apart," Kira barked.
Rationally, Kira knew this wasn't Jin. This wasn't her nightmare and he hadn't been broken and disassembled. That though this was his body, the real Jin was somewhere else. Somewhere safe. Or at least safe-ish.
Blue jerked up. Her work goggles still covered her face, the lenses magnifying her eyes to the point they seemed bug-like.
Catching Kira's expression, Blue yanked the goggles off her face, leaving her hair disheveled. "Wait, no. I can see how this looks bad, but I promise I'm not doing anything unnecessary or gratuitous."
She twisted back to the J1N, scrambling to reassemble a few parts before plugging a cord into her tablet.
"See—this is what I'm talking about." Blue pointed at a particular stream of code. "Jin made it so you can't remotely hack his body. I have to be hardwired in if I want to access the J1N's original programing."