Space Bunnies!

Chapter 37: Messages

When Kai returned to his quarters, he was met by a pleasant jingle from the overhead speakers. After the chime played, the crew was alerted to an imminent announcement from the esteemed captain. Yar's voice followed, "Good day, and please be aware that we are at condition two. Secure all sensitive areas, and department heads make your reports to the executive officer." Condition two was three trills over the same speaker that had given the announcement, and then the lighting strip lining the walls of Kai's quarters shifted from cool white to cautious yellow. This must be some pre-alert to general quarters. Kai thought; he sat on his bed, his posture straight as he fueled his eyebrows; any moment, his brother was expected to come through the door... Kai counted a few days since he'd seen Bodi; he wasn't used to being this long without him.

Bodi entered the room via an oozing air duct; it was easier for him to sneak around the ship that way— he— unlike his brother, had been outside, so he knew this vessel like the back of his hand just by looking at schematics and talking to the various crew members. A filthy, soot-covered Bodi was greeted by Kai, who shot up immediately at seeing his dirty brother. His condition was no doubt the result of being inside the ventilation system. Even from across the room, Bodi could see that Kai's under-eye bags had returned; they never really left, but they looked worse now, "Yar and his crew are fakers! We have to get off this ship! Do you know where my stuff is?" Bodi started; he frantically threw the pillows off the bed, looked around the closet, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found his backpack in the corner. It hadn't gotten so much use in the past few weeks, but it was back on his shoulders quickly; Kai just glared at first, and Bodi turned to face him.

"What?" Bodi asked impatiently. He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah! Go ahead, laugh at me." Bodi started, pressing his free hand against his cheek as if a toothache were the cause of his discomfort. Kai didn't hesitate. "I tried to warn you. But you didn't listen to me. That's what you get." Kai bragged without filter and pointed at his brother angrily. Bodi growled, "Screw you! I figured out some other things that you might actually be interested in. Provided you want to use your ears instead of running your mouth. "

"Yeah, dummy, I've got someone figuring out those same things," Kai said, and Bodi reached into his bag and pulled out a set of lock picks. He was still an adventurous spirit, and sometimes, there were things that even shapeshifters couldn't squeeze through. He moved toward the door, pulled the control panel off the wall, and used the tweezers from his kit to trip a breaker; the lock on the door was sealed, and Kai looked at his brother like he was a lunatic. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but hug his brother, squeezing him tightly. Once released, Bodi went back to work. Kai rubbed his wrists awkwardly. "What... what's going on?" Kai was almost afraid to ask.

"What did you learn?" Kai pressed again, and Bodi moved over to a display where he could access the ship's computer— Kai was impressed that Bode'd managed to weave his way into the crew's trust. Deviously clever. Bodi replied, "Weren't you listening?" Bodi growled furiously, "These people aren't members of the patrol! I don't know who they are, and they're trying to keep us prisoner!"

"Really? Well! It's almost like I said these people were bad." Kai snipped with sarcasm, to which Bodi replied with narrow, annoyed eyes. "Stop being an ass! They called me to the briefing room." Bodi paused to try to remember the small details. "The only important thing I remember is... he didn't want me to leave? It's almost like he needed us. I've been in the ventilation system for six hours trying to throw them off. But something is going on somewhere. I want to find out what it is."

Kai nodded, approached the console, and accessed the comm. Bodi was looking at the ship's schematics, attempting to locate clues; he stopped his work and stared in horror when he saw what his brother was doing. "Are you insane? They'll track the signal to this room!"

"Yeah..? It's not like they don't know where we are."

"Good point."

With the signal being local, the connection was instant, "Kai? Is something wrong?" The eclectus-shaped Dena'vi medical assistant inquired, her voice tinged with that same soft-spoken care she'd given him about an hour ago. She didn't even care that this was the late-night disturbance. "You remember my brother? I mentioned him during my session?" Bodi glanced at Kai, and the brother glanced back. The fear in his eyes was palpable, but Kai remained resolute. "My brother is experiencing severe anxiety, and I believe he needs a sedative to calm down."

The MA tilted her head to one end. The small screen on the wall didn't do her colors justice because she appeared with a teal tint, but even then, she was not pleased with the situation. "We don't dispense medication without a proper evaluation," she stated firmly.

Kai, growing desperate, interjected, "I understand, it's an emergency." Kai said confidently, firmly. His mouth said something, but his eyes were telling something else. "I wouldn't want him to... be a burden," Kai added. Bodi kept his mouth shut.

Bodi looked at Kai, somewhat disgusted, "See what I mean?" Kai added. Narr paused, she thought. "I understand," Narr said; it seemed like she'd gotten the idea.

"Cool!" Kai shouted, "I'll see you in a minute." He ended the communication. "Can you undo breaking the door?" Kai turned toward Bodi. And he made it so, still trying to understand this plan.

"Wanna shed some light?" Bodi edged. "Well, Narr is the medical assistant. She's been helping me. And she's the only person on the ship I can trust. She's the only one who's gathering information for me."

Bodi shook his hands in confusion, "Don't you think she would've mentioned finding something?"

"Well, I assume Yar is watching the comms channels like a hawk, and Narr knows that too. So I... improvised."

"And we can trust this person? What if she's a fake like the rest?"

"I... don't know... she seems trustworthy."

Minutes later, the baby doc arrived with her standard medical kit under her wing. She had to maintain appearances anyway, and the evaluation and 'treatment' process began. Bodi did not resist, as she gave him a fake medical exam and injected him with a placebo.

As Velmar Narr went through the motions of the faux medical examination, Bodi played his part, acting out symptoms of anxiety that he had carefully observed from others. Kai kept a watchful eye on his brother and the Dena'vi doctor, trying to gauge the sincerity of her actions.

After the placebo injection, Bodi played up the calming effects, giving Kai a surreptitious nod. Narr, satisfied with her supposed intervention, placed the medical kit back under her wing. "I'll check in on him later. Remember, if there are any unusual side effects or concerns, contact me immediately. Those bugs can often... appear without warning. There should be a solution in the cargobay, but I wouldn't recommend going down there. Anyway!"

As Narr made her way out, she looked at Bodi. " "Have you had a chance to try the new recipe I shared with you last week?"

Bodi looked at her with a head tilt, and then he understood. "No. I'll look at it now." Then she turned to leave. Kai looked at his brother, "Wait? I don't get it."

"Just come on," Bodi said simply. He pointed to the air vent above, and it was time to abandon their quarters.