From: rms@andria.miles.com (Rob Schultz)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo
Subject: recovery 2/2
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 92 23:22:45 EST
Distribution: world
Organization: Andria


Recovery
part 2/2


"When can I see Janet?"  Stevie was up and walking around on her own
now, after a few more days of rest.

"Well, she's getting stronger, but we'll have to ask Maureen.  I think
it will be a few more days yet before she'll let you in there.  There's
still a strong possibility of infection."  Doc and Stevie approached
a door down the hall from the room where Stevie had been recuperating.
Doc held the door for her as Stevie entered the room.

It was a spacious office, with an old wooden desk and a fairly modern
looking terminal.  Medical books were packed tightly into the bookshelves 
lining every wall and overflowing into stacks on the floor.  Two battered
swivel chairs were facing the desk.  Pick was talking into the terminal.

"Okay, then so we're all set on the delivery arrangements?"

"Yes," the terminal responded.  "We'll have the payment ready for you
when you bring the new supplies."

"Great, see you tonight, then."  Pick clicked off the connection and
turned to face Stevie.  

"Sit down, sit down," he said, waving at a chair.  "You're looking pretty
good, there, young lady."

"Well, Doc says the cast can come off my arm tomorrow, and the bruises 
are completely gone now.  I guess my back and legs are just about 
healed, too, although they still hurt a lot."  Stevie lowered herself
into one of the chairs as Doc took the other.

"Those skin grafts aren't going to leave any scars on her at all," Doc
said with a touch of wonder.  "Even the acid burns on her face won't
be noticeable, even to me."  Stevie winced at the mention of her face.

"I guess I have a lot to thank you for, Pick.  Doc tells me that you
found Janet and me in an alley and brought me here."

"Yeah, well I guess I kind of figured you'd turn out to be a pretty
girl, and I can't bear to leave a pretty girl lying in an alley.  You
had already been there for quite a while when I found you."

"I don't know how to thank you--for both of us.  How can we ever repay
you?"

"Well, you could start by telling me what happened to you.  People don't
get messed up like that without a very good reason, even these days."
Pick leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk.

"I--I guess I got mixed up with the wrong sort.  He thought I had double-
crossed him."  Stevie avoided Pick's eyes.

"'Him'?  Who is he?"

"My boyfriend.  Well, ex-boyfriend, now."

"And what did he think you did?"

"One of his shipments got picked up by the DEA.  He thought I had narc'ed."

"And did you?"

"No, I swear it!" Stevie protested.  "I didn't even know he was into that
stuff until he had his goons start in on me.  Then they brought in
Janet..."  Stevie's eyes filled as she remembered watching the goons
torturing her sister.  "I don't even know how they found her.  She was
in Australia."

"So you got all of this over one shipment?  Must have been some shipment,"
remarked Doc.

"Well, I guess a lot of shipments had been getting picked up.  Ever since
I took up with him.  He thinks I was spying or something.  But I swear I 
didn't know anything about it!"

"Shipments of what?"

"Coke, Methyl Red, guns, encryption software, slaves, you name it, I guess 
he was into it.  I just took up with him to get me through school.  He
hired me as a computer security consultant."

"How do you know all of this, if you didn't even know he was doing it?"

"The goons kept asking me about the shipments.  They'd say things like, 
who did you tell about the M-20's, or how did you find out about the
girls going to South Africa."

"Pick, she's getting tired.  I think she should go back to bed."  Doc
stood up to help Stevie out of her chair.

"I guess you're right.  Take her back to her room.  Stevie, rest up.  
You're coming along fine, but you still have a ways to go.  I have a 
feeling we'll continue this conversation later.  Maybe I can do something 
about the SOB who did all this to you and your sister."

*****

Stevie was in Janet's room, watching her as she slept.  There were still
bandages over her eyes, and her legs and the lower half of her torso were
completely bandaged.  Even so, her legs seemed smaller than normal.

The door opened and Doc came in.

"They're here."  He exclaimed excitedly.  "Pick brought them in this
morning."

Stevie looked up and smiled, his enthusiasm quickly lifting her spirits.
"Great!  Do you think it will work?"

"Well, it's a new procedure.  It's never been tried on Earth before.  Since
they outlawed the use of animals for medical research, all of this type
of work has been done in low gravity space stations.  Janet will be the 
first human to receive artificial eyes."

"Well, it's worth a try.  When can we do it?"  I'll have Maureen get ready
and we can do it this afternoon.  The procedure should take about six
hours.  But we won't know anything for sure until tomorrow at least."

*****

"Janet?  Janet?  Can you hear me Janet?  Janet, it's Stevie.  Wake up,
Janet."

"She's coming out of it, Doc.  Janet, wake up."

Janet's head turned toward Stevie.  "Stevie?  Where am I?  Why does 
everything look so funny?  Is that you, Stevie?"

"Yes, Janet, I'm so glad you're awake!  I'm so glad you're alive!"

"Janet, my name is Doc.  Everything looks strange to you because you are
seeing infra-red, not regular light.  Basically, you are seeing heat
instead of normal light."

"You mean like in 'Predator'?  I saw that when I was a kid, you know."

"Yes, like in 'Predator'.  You have been given artificial eyes.  We will 
teach you how to switch to regular light later.  You should be able to
see better than ever in a few days."

*****

"I think I'm getting it.  I really just have to *think* about switching 
modes and then it just happens!"

"That's great, Janet."  Doc was sitting on a the bed facing Janet in the 
chair.  Stevie was sitting next to him, practicing hand control just like
her old Thai martial arts master had taught her.

The door opened to reveal Maureen and Pick, and a tall black man behind
them.

"Stevie, I'd like you to meet Jackie Washington, with the DEA.  He wants
to ask you some questions about your old boyfriend.  Maybe he can help
us to get even with him for you."

"Okay, nice to meet you, Mr. Washington."  Stevie jumped lightly off the
bed and offered her hand.

The man took her hand as he spoke in a rich voice. "Jackie will do just
fine, ma'am.  Do you mind doing this now?"

"Wait!"  cried Janet.  "Wait!  That's him!  That's the man who grabbed me
in Brisbane!"

Pick pulled a laser pistol out of the back of his waistband and pointed
it at Janet.  "Shut up, bitch! Shut up!" he barked.

But Stevie wasted no time.  Still holding onto the newcomer, she flipped
him into Maureen, bowling her toward Pick.

Realizing what had happened, Doc started toward Pick.  "You bloody bastard,"
he snarled.  "This was all just a trap for them, wasn't it?"

Pick jumped out of the way of Maureen as she fell with Washington on top
of her.  He brought the pistol to bear on Doc as he moved toward Janet. 
"Yes, I work for Jaeger, Stevie's boyfriend.  He ordered me to play the
'good cop' role and find out what she knows about the shipments.  Sorry
I had to use you like that, Doc, but it's just business, you know?  After
all, it was Jaeger who paid for most of the stuff you got from the Rogues.
Besides, you got to experiment with the eye implants.  And before you ask, 
no Jackie isn't with the DEA, he's with Jaeger."

While Pick's concentration was divided between Doc and Janet, Stevie spun
around and landed a kick on his chest.  The laser fired into the wall of 
medical equipment, showering sparks and several different colored fluids
onto Maureen and Jackie.  Both of them screamed in pain.

Pick brought the weapon around again to bear on Stevie as she pressed the
attack.  She landed another kick to his knee as her hand jabbed for his
throat.  But Pick saw the hand in time to block it with the gun.  But as
he did, the force of Stevie's blow knocked it out of his hands into the 
hallway beyond the still-open door.

Doc was helping Janet out of the chair.  He called to Stevie, "Hurry.
There's acid in some of those lines.  I think it's spilling out."

Stevie landed another kick to Pick's groin, and then came down with her
arms on his neck.  Pick collapsed in a heap as Doc got Janet out of the 
chair.  Stevie rushed over to help him.

*****

"You really had me fooled, Stevie.  At the clinic, before that guy came in,
I thought you were still quite weak," Doc said later, once they were
settled into a hotel with Janet.

"Yeah, I know you did," she smiled grimly.  But I figured that Pick might
be with Jaeger, and it was better that he should think I was still weak."

"Well, you sure had me fooled.  But then, so did Maureen and Pick.  I
always thought of Pick as a nice guy."

"I'm sorry about Maureen,"  said Stevie.  "I know you loved her."

"Well, you did what you had to.  I didn't know she was mixed up in that
mess, either."

Later, Doc asked Stevie, "So, are you really with the DEA?"

Stevie shook her head.  "Not exactly.  I'm a private contracter."

"And Janet?"

"Just an innocent bystander.  I really thought she was safe in Brisbane."


---------------------------------------------------------------------

The above work is Copyright 1992 by Rob Schultz.  Stevie, Janet, Doc,
and Jaeger are my creations and may not be used without written 
permission from me.  Please send any comments on the above work to 
me at:
                        rms@andria.miles.com
                                 or
                {uunet|iuvax}!gator!miles!andria!rms