“No, we found her unconscious.” Grede said.
“Well done. Did you find the weapons she took?” Sylvester asked.
“Yes.” The woman played it cool, but Velda thought she heard just the tiniest trace of nerves in her voice.
“Yarmouth, let me know what’s wrong with her. And make sure she’s secured, the same as Ethan Hyt.” Sylvester left and Velda sensed a release of nerves as the door closed behind him.
“Grede, go back and get those weapons,” the woman said. “Kilber and Vine, you can return to normal duties.”
The door opened and closed again, and then it was just Yarmouth and the woman standing beside her bed.
“What do you think he plans to do with her?” Yarmouth asked.
“They were going to use her and Hyt in those experiments with some tech they found in the ancestral ship, but they lost that to the Caruso,” the woman said. “So maybe they don’t have any use for them now.”
Velda heard someone groan nearby, and Yarmouth moved away. “Linao. Welcome back.”
“Where—?” Linao’s voice was hoarse.
“Back on your father’s ship. The team fought their way off the Caruso ship and were able to bring you and Park here with them.” Yarmouth’s clothing rustled as he moved around.
“Ethan and Velda are here too?” Linao’s voice rose a little in surprise. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Hyt was shot while he was sneaking around this ship. Velda fell from a stack of boxes in the launch bay.” The woman stepped closer to Velda’s bed.
“How did they get here, I mean?” Linao’s bed squeaked as she moved. “They were over on the Caruso ship.”
“They snuck into our runner when we escaped.” The woman’s words were clipped.
“You don’t like explaining things to me, do you, Milton?” Linao sounded amused.
Milton ignored the jab and a soft chime sounded from her comms device. “I’m needed elsewhere. See you, Yarmouth.”
She strode out, and Velda suppressed a smile of glee at the fact that so far, she hadn’t been secured to her bed.
“What happened to you?” Yarmouth asked and Velda guessed he was talking to Linao. “Park was shot when he covered the rest of the team trying to get to the launch bay, but you were recovered from a Caruso who was carrying you, unconscious, down a passageway. A few of the team shot him and rescued you, then went to find everyone who was still alive and get them onto the runner to escape.”
“I was shot by Nirro. Things took a turn all of a sudden.”
Velda was interested to hear that she didn’t confess that things took a turn because she’d revealed her father was still in touch with the Caruson government.
“I’ll let your father know you’re awake,” Yarmouth said.
“Rather let me go find him,” Linao said, and Velda heard her get out of the bed.
“I’d rather you stay under observation for at least another twelve hours,” Yarmouth said.
“I’m fine.” Linao came closer to her bed, and Velda had the sense she was looking down at her. “I’m going to go to my room, have a shower and some food, and then go find my father for a debrief.” She reached out and touched Velda’s face, and Velda had to steel herself not to react.
Linao seemed to go still, and kept her fingers there longer than was normal.
The door behind her opened, and she turned.
“Father.” She moved forward. “Walk with me to my room, will you?”
“What happened?” Sylvester asked as the door closed again, cutting off the conversation.
Yarmouth gave a sigh of relief to be rid of them, and began to move around her, running a diagnosis wand over her body and then turning away to check on a screen.
