jeriendhal | Returned to Life, Part Twenty-Four (Reply)

Rachael squinted her eyes. In the tanks she could see the little proto-Ferin, writhing in unconscious, terrible, pain. “Stop it!” she shouted. “Stop it, you're hurting them!”

“Be silent, child,” the Gene Mage ordered, as he leaned over the control console. “Their pain will lessen once I find an optimal power curve to supply the ship with the resources it requires.”

“Screw 'optimal'! I'm not going to let you destroy the Earth all over again!” She turned and ran, dashing up a gangway to the upper tiers of the power cell, where Terinu floated, imprisoned.

“What do you imagine you are doing, Rachael Namatjira?” the Gene Mage asked, looking up momentarily from his console.

“Stopping you!” she called back, as she reached the catwalk over Terinu's holding tank. Momentarily winded, she took in a breath...

...couldn't...

Rachael fell to her knees, clutching at her throat, trying to draw in a lifesaving breath as her lungs were suddenly paralyzed.

“Child,” the Gene Mage said mildly, as her lungs began screaming for air, “do you imagine me so foolish as to let loose an autonomous servitor, without inserting safeguards to insure they may not harm me? I have total control over the involuntary and semi-voluntary functions of the clone body your mind now occupies.” He touched a control at his wrist and suddenly Rachael could breathe again. She gasped for air, even as a horribly lassitude bore over her. “I have restored function to your lungs, but have slowed down your resting heart rate by twenty-five percent. That should be enough to allow you to safely come back, without encouraging any needless and possibly dangerous physical activity. You can not imagine what would happen, if you accidentally fell into one of the holding tanks.”

“Wouldn't be an... accident...” she gasped. “S' more like an... experiment...” She fell down to the deck and rolled, off the catwalk and into the waters of Terinu's tank.

TBC