FICTION: Cyborg Sleeps Part 22

In which Director Gattell and Dr McDonald reveal more of their control-freakishess.

Part 22

When Doctor McDonald removed Asira's girdle and dressing back art the medical centre, she was relieved to see that the stitches had not, after all, been torn. The wound had seeped considerably, however, and the dressing was soaked through with Asira's blood.

“You're very lucky you didn't do worse,” Orla chided the cyborg agent, “As it is, you are going to have to spend a few more days with limited movement. You said you'd be 'just about permitted to shuffle to the toilet and back', well thanks to your irresponsible behaviour that just about sums up the restrictions I'm putting on you now. I am going to recommend that you be considered restricted to quarters, where 'quarters' means this med bay. If you make sufficient progress in your recovery then I will consider lifting that restriction in a few days' time. Is that understood?” The doctor's anger was a surprise to Asira, who had never seen her in that mood before. It may have been simple professional pride that caused it, or a deeper concern for her patient, but either way, it showed a steel to Orla's temperament that was new to Asira's understanding of the doctor. From her memory, she dredged up the fact that Orla had in fact earned the rank of Captain in military service, and it was now apparent that she had the spirit still of a field commander.

***

The atmosphere in the Director's office was tense. Doctor McDonald had placed a call to Gattell as soon as she had made sure that Asira was adequately restrained. She had not been joking when she said that Asira needed restricted movement to be allowed to heal, but right now there was no doubt she was also being prevented from rebelling further, at least until the decisions had been made here.

The Director was frustrated and showing the signs of stress, Orla noted, and knew she was in for it.

"So the Agent was allowed to run off despite being seriously wounded and under your care? How?"

"She is a professional, sir, as is everyone on this base. I expected her to wander a little because it would be good for a soldier like her not to be too heavily confined. I did not expect her to head off into the wilderness. As you see, I am now requesting an armed guard placed on her until I declare that she is fit enough for light training to begin. I will not allow this to happen again."

"Yes, I agree. Agent Asira has been less stable since her injury than normal and we must take that into account. I have another concern, however. You say she met another of the Agents?"

Orla made a mental note that the "we" probably referred to herself at least for the short-term.

"Yes, sir. Charles V, it seems, was doing his pre-mission practice in the firing range when Asira Y went to try to obtain a weapon there. You can get a more detailed description of the encounter from those present, or wait to interrogate Asira Y in person when I am satisfied that her medical condition is suitable. Right now, I think she needs to stew for a bit in as solitary as we can manage while still treating her injuries properly."

Gattell was the second person that day to be caught out by the doctor's mean streak.

"You mean to use this to punish her for escaping from you?"

"Yes, sir. I think this may just bring home to her again that her actions have inevitable consequences, and in this case there are serious medical consequences that require treatment and, unfortunately, those will require her to stay where she is and see as few people as possible until I say otherwise."

"I see. I will arrange to have soldiers posted outside the medical centre to stop her from leaving. Contact me when you have decided to declare her fit to leave. That is all."

"Yes, sir."

Orla turned and left without a word.

***

After the doctor had departed, Director Gattell sat at his desk for a moment. He did not know what to make of the development that Agents might start to form relationships with each other. It was not an issue that had ever arisen before, with Agents spending so little time awake on base under normal circumstances. There had, of course, been Agents requiring medical treatment before, but they had generally been healed quickly or else requiring such serious treatment that rehab took place entirely within the medical centre and gym. There just wasn't much opportunity for meetings to happen. He sighed. "I should probably have realised that they would get together sooner rather than later," he muttered to himself. It was just typical that a potentially unstable Agent would be the first one to contact another Agent outside of the initialisation process.

The cyborg Agents were supposed to be the ultimate professional special forces/espionage soldiers but Gattell now wondered what ideas about their status and role they might form if they got together. However much he needed them to believe that they were accepted, he knew that their experiences and lives were so different from what a normal person could have, even from a normal soldier could have. Both Asira Y's mental state and this new spectre of cyborgs interacting with each other added new unpredictable elements to his job. There was nothing he could do about it right now, but he would make sure he monitored the situation and hopefully he would be able to head off any trouble that might ensue before it did any damage to himself, the project or the base itself.

He picked up the phone and made the call to set up the guard on Asira.