She paused and looked at Ival.She held up her hand and tapped the ring finger.
“Oh, Zukker.He was a wonderful man.His family was very attached to the idea of position and wealth, and I brought neither.No family, no money.I was leaning on the system at that point.His family hated me.They only softened when they saw how happy their son was with me.I was young, twenty, when we married.They thought that was too young.He would go off on missions, and I would make the finances stretch so I could eat and keep our home.He forgot to set me as his financial recipient.His parents got paid when he went on missions and just told him that I wasn’t a good cook and they were providing for me.We would eat normally when he was there, and when he left again, it was back to rationing.But when he was there, I was happy.Then, one day, he didn’t come home.I was paraded out at the memorial, and when we got home, there was an offer from Uradda.So, once again, I was sent away.This time, I wasn’t a new active running; I was a captured active that was going to be experimented on.It wasn’t an ideal situation.”
Hemma made a sign over her heart.
“Yes, I loved him.He brightened the air around him.We were friends before we were lovers, and it made everything more fun.When dealing with bodily fluids, a sense of humour is important.”
Hemma blinked slowly.
Ival chuckled.“Think about it.”
Hemma paused, made a puppet hand, and then she made a bite action on her shoulder.
“Ah, he was gold, a shifter, and he wrapped around me and started to crush me, and then his eyes lit up, and he bit.The crushing kept me from fighting, and I felt his teeth as I died.”
Hemma made a gesture.
“Oh, yeah.I died.A revival talent was with me in the morgue when I woke up.She was immune to me but still used only her fingertips to get me back.I was too useful for them to leave me dead.Each time I came back, I was more toxic.”
Hemma made a face.
“Yeah, and I don’t heal well, so the scars just pile up.”
Hemma made a sad face.
They sat in silence for the evening as the nanites did their work with Hemma.There was a scanner that was updating every thirty minutes on the wall behind Hemma, and the lit-up portions were slowly winking out as the nanites went dormant.The reproductive organs were the last bit to be reconstructed, but things were moving up and looking like the diagrams in every medical book Ival had ever seen.
By dawn Wednesday, Hemma should be back in showroom condition.Based on the design, there was a strange length to the channel being built, but if she had to accommodate someone with unknown physiology, better err on the side of caution.
Ival sat and worked through the night.She licked her finger now and then to stay alert.That was one of the compounds she could do for herself.
It was two in the morning when someone walked in who didn’t identify themselves and walked straight to the tank with a glass cutter in their hand.Ival turned her head and spit.The man dropped to the floor, twitching.She made a call.“This is Ival in the lab suite.I need a med team and security to room eight-nine-zero.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“The sneaky bastard is having a seizure on the floor right now.Next person who comes in without announcing and the password dies.And I am notifying the lab staff and Zera.Now.”
She smiled as her frequency was blocked.She hummed, switched the line, and sent notices to Zera, Kritz, and Arcady, as well as Keska and Zephyr.
She started getting replies, and the medics arrived, going straight for Hemma and not the man on the ground.Two more spitballs and they were down.The pile of the unconscious and shorted-out people was growing.
By the time someone came in with the codeword, there were five people piled up, each wearing her saliva.
Torun came in and said, “Hamburger.”
Ival smiled.“Hey, Torun.How are you keeping?”
“Ival?Oh wow.I heard what happened to Zukker.I am so sorry.Uh, the eye looks good.”
“Keska made it.It does tricks.”
“Of course it does.I would hug you, but I hear you are not just a stunner, you are toxic.”
“That is true.Uraddan training system.Takes something benign and makes it kill.”
Torun sighed.“I am sorry.I didn’t know.I would have brought you to the capitol or Aksalla if I had suspected his family would have thrown you out.”
“Meh.I am used to it.”She waved her hand.“Thanks for using the password.My toxin has gotten stronger, but I am happy I didn’t have to test it on you.”
