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TALYN BLINKED HIS EYES open and looked around blearily. He checked the coordinates to see they were ten minutes from the expunge clinic on Balsic.

He struggled up in his seat, every bone feeling bruised. His head throbbed, and his eyes were watery. His mom had almost shattered his mind. He couldn’t go through that ever again.

“How are you feeling?” Booby asked quietly.

“Half alive,” Talyn said.

“I hate to say I told you so,” Booby said, “but it was not a wise decision to visit your mom.”

“I know that now,” Talyn said.

“Laya has been in contact whilst you were unconscious,” Booby said.

Talyn’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t tell her what happened, did you? She’s got enough to worry about.”

“I didn’t, but the clinic did. They contacted her after you collapsed. They thought you might not recover. I calmed her and told her you had survived.”

“Did you tell her where we’re going?”

“No, but I should have. She would have talked you out of it.”

“Booby, I don’t want Laya to know I’m doing this.”

“She deserves to say goodbye if you’re going through with it,” Booby said. “She’ll lose her brother.”

“I might remember her,” Talyn said. “Sometimes, old memories are retained.”

“The chance of that is five percent. You won’t remember your family. You’ll remember nothing of this life. Everything you care about will be gone from your memories. If you meet Laya on a transport ship, you’ll have no recollection of her.”

“My mind is made up.” Talyn rubbed his aching forehead. “I need this gone.” His movements were sluggish due to the huge amounts of sedative pumped into him at the hospital. But as the drug’s effectiveness faded, a gut churning sickness crept over him, and along with it, the turmoil in his mind grew.

“Can you go any faster?” He closed his eyes and drew in a long breath.

“I don’t want to lose you,” Booby said.

“We’ll still be together. You’ll still be my ship.”

“But you won’t be my Talyn.”

He groaned and leaned forward in his seat. His mom was still in his head. There was so much terror that lived in her mind, so much sadness and fear. She wasn’t living a life. Was it right to keep her in the hospital? He’d seen flashes of his old mom when he’d been there, and when she was lucid, she’d seen how deeply he cared for Sinead.

Could Sinead help his mom have a calmer mind, just like he did when she was around? Talyn shook his head slowly. She wasn’t around. She couldn’t help him, and she couldn’t help his mom.

Talyn lurched back in his seat as a sharp pain slid through his head. “Booby, we need to hurry.”

“I’m sensing your distress. We’re almost at the clinic.”

“Thanks, Booby. I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” Talyn gritted his teeth as more pain fastened around his head. As much as he tried to fight it, he was losing. Dark, tumultuous emotions slammed into him. He bucked in his seat, his hands gripping the arms and his spine arching as agony slid through every nerve.

He was grateful when the blackness took him again.

***

TALYN LURCHED IN HIS seat. Wherever he was, it was totally black. Not a flicker of light was in the room. He grimaced as he tasted his own blood in his mouth. He must have bitten his tongue before he’d blacked out.

“Where am I?” he whispered.

“I’m still here,” Booby said softly. “You’re safe on board. You needed time to rest.”