Chapter Twenty-One: Desmond

"Sir? It's time to go." A hand rests gently on my shoulder, forcing me into consciousness. As I come to, my back lets it be known it is not going to tolerate sleeping in this chair any longer. Reid looks just as exhausted as I feel. His long hair is in need of a brushing, and I don't think he's been back to his room in three days, so his shirt and pants are exceedingly rumpled. I turn and look at Asha.

"I don't want to leave her in here alone." My voice comes out thick and stupid
with drowsiness.

"Elene's in class."

"Get one of the nurses, then."

"Desmond, it's been two weeks. You know they're not going to waste their time."
I sigh and run my hands through my hair. It feels greasy. My face feels greasy. We're going to make an excellent impression in front of the Council today. Reid moves to stand by her bedside, running his hand over her face gently.

"Asha, I have to go. I'll be back later tonight." His voice makes me feel pained. Asha really has tamed the savage beast, and right now it is killing him. I've grown fond of Reid over the past eight days while watching him watch over Asha, but I feel terrible for him all the same. He's been uncharacteristically optimistic about her condition, and I have yet to decide if this stems from self-delusion or a genuine faith in her ability to get better.

Asha does not respond to the sound of his voice, though neither of us expected her to. She's been unresponsive ever since she fainted in the trade camp. Her heart rate and her breathing rate are steady, body limp. She hasn't so much as sighed or twitched. The doctors are running out of ideas to get her going again, and as a result the nurses have begun to think of her as a lost cause, and thus not worth their time. I stand with a sigh and say my own goodbyes to her in Native.

"You sound like you are not expecting her to wake up," says a new voice from the door. Reid and I turn and are surprised to find the head of the Salazar family in the doorway. He looks tired and unhappy.

"Sir?" Reid raises an eyebrow and moves away from Asha's side self-consciously.

"Elene messaged me," he says clumsily, moving to her side and staring down at her face. “She has done much for us, and I wish the favor returned.” I want to ask him if the doctors know he is here, but am afraid of the answer.

"Have you seen anything like this before?" I ask in Native, and he shakes his head.

"I have heard of it happening." Reid stares at us both awkwardly, but I don't want him hearing this. I'm worried what he'll do if he decides she's not coming to.

"The doctors say she is brain-dead. They say there's nothing left in there to wake up."

He shakes his head again. "She is not dead. She is not in there, either."

"What?"

"She is lost." He looks at me, sees that I do not understand, and then sighs. I feel very stupid.

"Desmond, we really need to go." Reid hovers in the doorway.

"I will stay," he tells Reid in Kiranese. He sits in the chair I have just vacated and
smiles up at me benignly.

"Maybe a new visitor will make her wake up. She told me last week she likes it when you sing." Reid's voice sounds almost pleasant.

"She is not asleep," he mutters, but Reid does not hear him. I thank him, and Reid and I leave for our meeting. His voice, soft and rich, trails us through the hall as he sings her a folk song I have not heart in almost two decades.

We walk in silence until the administration building comes into view. Reid clears his throat nervously. "Desmond?"

"Yes, Reid?"

"What should I be expecting?"

I sigh. "I wish I could tell you. I was told they just want information so they can finally put something conclusive out on the feeds."

"And if there's more to it than that?"

"Keep your temper."

He shakes his head. "I have a bad feeling about this."

I don't bother telling him he's not the only one. The feeders have been going crazy over Seamus, and it didn't take them long to realize the murder and the mass collapse at the refugee camp happened at the exact same time. Since then there has been rampant speculation, and though they don't yet realize Asha was the cause, they've recently taken an interest in the fact that she is the only empath who has yet to wake up. Sooner or later, someone on the campus is going to talk. The Council wants to make a move before this happens, and for good reason. If we wait any longer, it's going to smack of a cover-up.

Aki's receptionist isn't smiling smugly today. In fact, she looks as pale as I feel. As Reid and I walk in the door, she gives a significant glance to her left, and I notice a tall, thin man sitting patiently in a chair near a door to another meeting room.

Rayland. I'd forgotten I was supposed to meet with him today to discuss Seamus' proceedings. Apparently he has other business at the University, as well. That's not a good sign.

"What the ever-living fuck is he doing here?" Reid hisses, but stops when I make a slicing motion at my neck. We enter the meeting room silently, and the door closes behind us. I look up, and am surprised to find the room almost full. Half the Council has to be here. Seven people in total, only two of whom I recognize. Aki looks painfully tired. They must have been grilling her all morning.

"General Roth, I'm surprised to see you planetside," I say in greeting to the other familiar face.

"That's not funny, Doyle," snaps the white-haired man sitting nearest to the window. He seems to think I was trying to be funny. Reid twitches beside me, already put on edge by the man's demeanor. I motion him to sit down. Roth fixes his gaze on him and watches him appraisingly.

"You must be Reid Addison."

"Yes, sir." Reid nods, clearly trying to keep himself from looking overly defensive. Good boy.

"You're the Type One we've made an exceeding number of special concessions for," Roth continues.

"I suppose so, sir."

"I am glad I finally have the opportunity to find out why." At this Reid's shoulders tense noticeably, and I feel slightly panicked. Roth is a grating man on the best of days, and Reid has been more short-tempered than usual. Luckily, Aki has picked up on the tension and cuts in. It seems as though today she is on my side.

"Desmond, could you tell us all how Ms. Indrani is doing?"

"Shall I sit or stand, Admiral?"

"Sit, please," says a dark-haired woman to my left. "This is an informal meeting, and you are quite tired."

"Thank you. Hospital chairs don't make very comfortable beds." There is a ripple of agreeable nodding that breaks at Roth, who is still staring Reid down. I sit beside Reid and place my hands together on the table so I don't fidget. "Asha has yet to regain consciousness."

"Why is that?" The woman asks.

"The doctors are unsure, though they are beginning to suspect she may never wake up."

"Is that because of what happened at the camp?" asks a bald man to the left of Roth.

I nod. "They believe so. Whatever happened to her has left her unresponsive since then."

"Whatever happened to her, or whatever she did," Roth mutters darkly.

"General?"

"Doyle, it is true she is a natural seeder, correct?"

I choose my words carefully. "Some of her stronger emotions can be contagious, yes."

He is not amused. "Answer my question."

"Are you asking if the incident was the result of a conscious effort on her part?" Reid cuts in.

"Naturally," Roth replies curtly.

"Then no, she's not a seeder."

Aki buries her face in her hands. The dark-haired woman looks at Reid appraisingly. "You don't think she has ever seeded anyone intentionally?"

"No, I do not." His voice is firm.

"But you are her lover, are you not?" She says it gently.

"Yes, I am."

"How can we trust you to be honest?"

Reid chuckles. "Ma'm, I am the most cynical and paranoid person I know. If I thought for one moment Asha had any real sway over my emotions, I wouldn't be with her. And believe me, the thought has crossed my mind."

The dark-haired woman nods. She likes him. Roth frowns. "So what convinced you she wouldn't do it?"

"You're not an empath, sir?"

He shakes his head.

"Do you know how hard it is for an empath to seed another empath without seeding themselves in turn?"

He considers this for a moment. "But isn't that exactly what happened at the camp?"

Reid falters, and I step back in. "I don't think Asha seeded the empaths at the camp. I think Seamus did.”

Aki's head lifts back up. "What?"

"I think Seamus seeded Asha. Whether it was intentional or not I don't know, but the point is Asha herself did nothing wrong."

The Council ponders that for a moment. The dark-haired woman looks at Reid again. "Mr. Addison, my sources tell me you were the only empath that didn't collapse. Why is that?"

I can see where this is going. They're wondering if Asha was trying to keep him safe consciously, which could be incriminating to her.

"Well, Type One empaths are lucky, in a way. We can sense emotions, but we don't really feel them ourselves, you know, so it's very hard to seed us. Not only that, but I wasn't connected to Asha at the time. It spread through the other empaths, but missed me as a result. I mean, I felt it. I'll never be able to explain what it was like, though." His voice sounds strangely calm. I never thought he'd be one to perform well under pressure.

"Could you try for us anyway, Reid?" Aki asks.

He sighs and pushes his hair out of his eyes. "How many of you are empaths?"

Three hands go up. Aki, the dark-haired woman, and an elderly man who has so far been completely silent.

"Can I just show you? I can't put all of it into words."

Roth frowns. "That doesn't help the rest of us, Mr. Addison."

"I know, sir. I'm hoping they will be able to help me make sense of it." Connections have been made at this point, and their eyes slide shut. Aki gives a little gasp, and the dark-haired woman goes pale. Seconds slide by, and when their eyes re-open Reid is clutching his chair with white knuckles.

"They're right, General. Seamus seeded Asha." Aki's voice sounds slightly queasy. Reid and I sigh in relief, which garners a faint smile from the dark-haired woman.

"How do you know, Admiral?"

"The first part of Reid's memory. Gunshot wound to the stomach. That's how Seamus killed the victim, and that's not yet common knowledge."

"The rest of it is a jumble, though,” the old man continues. “Reid, you said you understood it?"

"Yes. The second part is a series of memories from everyone in the area. As near as I can tell, everyone was simultaneously remembering the worst things that had ever happened to them and just...short-circuited one another."

"That would explain why the Newearth Riots are in there," the old man mutters, staring at Reid knowingly. He starts in his seat and looks back appraisingly.

"I just wish we knew what was going on in Seamus' mind," Roth growls. “Did he use Asha intentionally, or was this just a terrible accident caused by him taking her over accidentally? Either way, this is going to be a stain on the University's reputation."

"Well, I have a meeting later today with Rayland,” I reply. “I'm hoping he'll let me talk to Seamus." I decline to add my opinion of the success of this request.

"That explains why he's lurking outside the door," Reid mutters.
Roth cracks his knuckles and glowers around the table. "So we're all saying that Asha was seeded by Seamus, and not that she seeded the crowd herself?"
A slow series of nods circles the table.

"At least that clears Asha," Aki sighs.
"Doesn't do a bit of good for Seamus, though," mutters the old man.
"In all honesty, I don't think much could hurt his situation at this point," Aki replies, and the dark-haired woman nods sadly.
"But this will keep one empath out of jail, should she ever wake up," the old man points out. "And that is a good thing."
"Yes, it would be a shame to lose them both over this," Roth adds, not noticing how the shoulders of all the empaths straighten reflexively at these words. Mine, too, now that I think about it. I force myself to relax.
"Well, I have to get back to the Capitol and plan a feed release," Roth says, rising to his feet. His entourage are quick to stand beside him. The General does not like to wait. "Thank you, everyone. Desmond, Reid? My best wishes for Ms. Indrani. Please let us know when she wakes up."
"Of course, sir." I move to stand, but Reid puts his hand on my knee with a frown. His eyes are unfocused. As surreptitiously as he can, he draws my attention to the dark-haired woman, who gives me a pointed smile. She and the old man are taking their time gathering their things. Soon, only the empaths and I are left in the room.
"Close the door, Desmond," Aki says softly. I rise and move to the threshold.
"Sir?" The receptionist asks, seeing my hand moving to shut the door again.
"Please hold the Admiral's next appointment. She wants an in-depth report on Ms. Indrani's health." My voice is light and pleasant, the lie spoken before I am even sure what I am saying. Aki knows I've had practice.
"Right." She nods and turns back to her desk panel trustingly. The door clicks shut, and I feel guiltier than I have in a very, very long time.
"What's going on?" Reid asks suspiciously, staring at the dark-haired woman. "Why did you make us wait?"
"Nice catch for a Type One," she says in return. "Who is your Teacher?"
"Answer my question." His tone is somewhat less than polite.
She sighs. "Reid, calm down. Let's all introduce ourselves." I nod, and we move to sit close to the window. Away from the door.
"I'm Adrian Moore," the old man says, smiling at Reid. "From Newearth, as you know. Call me Adri."
Reid nods. "And you?" His eyes have not left the dark-haired woman.
"Anne Fitzpatrick. Formerly of Midbar." She smiles sadly. This seems to deflate Reid somewhat. He leans back in his chair and looks at me uncertainly.
"Aki, what's going on?" My voice sounds surprisingly tired.
She sighs. "I want you and Reid to understand that we may have just lied to the General."
"What?" Reid's eyes widen uncharacteristically.
"Asha could have just as easily seeded the crowd herself after feeling Seamus commit the murder," Adri says softly. "We have no way of knowing which one of them actually did it."
"We are personally convinced that Asha did this unintentionally," Anne adds.
"But the problem is there is no way we can convince anyone of that. An accidental seeding is still legally a seeding simply because it can't be proven accidental," Aki finishes, and all three of them nod.
"Why did you do that?" Reid asks, staring aghast at them.
Adri sighs. "We couldn't. Reid, she'd go to jail, and it's wrong."
"So you lied to protect her."
"Yes."
"Damnit, Aki!" I cut in. "Why are you telling us this?"
"Because you two need to be careful!" she snaps. "We're doing everything we can to keep Asha safe. We have been since she got here. But there's only so far we're willing to go. And we can't do it without help any longer."

“If she comes to,” Anne cuts in, “Make sure you let us know before Roth. We'll need to have a straight story.”

Reid nods, and I run my hands through my hair, resisting the urge to pull it out in large chunks. “If anyone finds out we're doing this—”

“Rayland will likely try to have the University shut down, and with the political climate after this whole mess, he may just manage it,” Adri says levelly.

“Let us hope Asha is worth it,” Aki mutters, and my stomach clenches. Based on how Reid's hands have tightened into fists in his lap, I don't need to explain what will happen to Asha, him, and myself if these three members of the Council ever decide she isn't.

“Well, let's go. I've got another meeting to go to,” Anne says, moving to shake Reid's hand. Adri nods wordlessly and moves for the door, and soon we are left alone with Aki. She gives me a pleading stare as Reid and I rise to leave.

“Be careful, Desmond. Please.”
Reid is wisely silent until we are back out of the building. “I wasn't expecting to actually learn where we stand,” he says to me as we pause on split in the path between the hospital and the main campus complex.

“Neither was I,” I sigh, stretching out my back. “That never happens.”

“Desmond...”

“Yes Reid?”

His voice is nonchalant as ever. “What's the survival rate of a Type Three these days?”

I'm a Teacher. It's my business to know these things, but I wish I didn't. Because now I have to tell him. “It's about sixty percent.”

“And what was it before people like you?”

“Eighteen and a half percent.” He kicks a rock off the path, but the motion seems tired instead of violent.

“Do you think it would be higher if the Fleet weren't in control here?”

“Most definitely.”

My wristband chooses this moment to remind me Rayland and I are due for a meeting in my classroom. Reid smiles at me, which to my surprise appears to be genuine. “I'll head back and keep an eye on Asha. Desmond?”

“Yes?”

“If you come back and I find out you haven't had dinner with Caroline, I'm kicking you out of the room. I have no life outside of Asha. You do.” He spins on his heel and trudges off down the path to the hospital. After I'm done staring at him in surprise, I turn for the classrooms to find out what can be done about Seamus.

Rayland is waiting for me when I enter, staring out the window over the green. From the back he looks like a knife. When he turns and flashes me his smile, his cheekbones stand in relief against the light coming in from the window.

“Teacher Doyle, glad you could make it!” He holds out his hand, which I shake. It's disconcertingly cool and dry compared to my own after the walk.

“Rayland,” I nod. “Let's sit down.”

“Oh, certainly. You look like you need it.”

So that's how this meeting is going to go. He gestures sweepingly to the table of stained pine to our left, and we take a seat together.

“I've been touring the campus this morning,” he says musingly, still staring out the window, “And I can't help but be surprised at how much everyone seems to like Asha.”

I wait for him to continue. After a moment, he does. “After all, she made, how many was it—one hundred and sixteen empaths collapse? Seventeen were injured in the fall. And yet every single one of them I spoke to that knew Kiranese is hoping she gets better. Many of them have even gone to pay their respects!”

“They know it was an accident,” I say mildly.

“Was it?” He looks at me pleasantly.

“If it weren't, they'd be far less happy. They're all empaths, Rayland. They know what she went through. Many of them have had children and so understand how difficult it is for them to gain full control of their abilities.” This is a pointed jab at him. He has an empathic daughter named Anita, and has refused for years to allow her to be schooled. No one knows how powerful she is, but since neither he nor his wife exhibited empathic traits at all, the chances of her being anything other than genetically Type Three are quite slim.

I appear to have won this round—he suddenly switches his tactic. “Why is it that I'm dealing with you in regard to Seamus Walsh?” His fingers steeple together on the table.

“He has no living relatives. They died in a raft-town collapse when he was six. When he came here from Oceanus, he was assigned as my ward. It's typical University policy.”

“Is Asha your ward, as well?”

I nod, and he smiles widely. “I was under the impression her mother was alive, Teacher Doyle.”

I prevent my muscles from stiffening successfully, but his smile widens all the same. “Policy is different with the Natives, since their parents obviously cannot fund or support their studies.” I pretend we both don't know he's trying to make me worried about just how much he knows about Asha. I also pretend it's not working.

He leans back and prepares to shift his focus again. My palms feel sweaty, but I refuse to wipe them on my pant legs.

“I'm somewhat surprised they let you have two wards, you know. Everyone here acts like you are the University's golden boy. It's like you can do no wrong. But your personnel file? Tsk, tsk.” He shakes his head. “You've been in trouble almost constantly since you were recruited, haven't you?”

“I must have bad luck.”

“I'm inclined to agree.” His teeth flash again, and I have the sudden urge to hit him. He keeps talking, which doesn't help. “What fascinates me the most about your records is the fact that they seem to be incomplete.”

“Are they?” I stare out the window as if I am bored, and he chuckles.

“Your personal file has no documentation of you ever having been on Old Earth, but your unit's deployment records indicate you were there for three years.”

“Sounds like a problem you should take up with Records.” I pick at a loose cuticle and wince as it comes free, taking live skin with it.

“You're also fluent in Native.” He is no longer smiling.

“Maybe I was there in an unofficial capacity.”

“Maybe you're lying. Civilians aren't allowed on-planet.”

“Not anymore they're not, that's for sure.” Now I'm the one with the wide grin on my face.

“I'm not sure I appreciate your flippancy.” Rayland frowns. I have him on the defensive.

“I'm sure you appreciate it about as much as I appreciate your vague threats.”

“They're not threats. There's a conspiracy here, and I owe it to the planet to figure out what you people are hiding.”

I stare at him blandly. “And why is that?”

“You're aware that a planet that is thirty percent empathic is being guarded by a military that is seventy percent empathic? And that number seems to be going up. One-third of the incoming class are Midbaran refugees! Does this seem like an accurate representation of our world to you?”

“Doesn't matter.”

“Yes, it does. How can we be sure where loyalties lie? Kiran deserves a military that best represents its people.” He narrows his eyes at me.

“As interesting as I find your conspiracy theories, Rayland, they're not why we're here. Can we please get back to Seamus?”

He exhales and stretches his left shoulder, working hard to regain his composure. “What do you want, then?”

“I want to speak with Seamus.”

“I'm afraid that's impossible, Teacher. We have him under.”

I lean forward over the table. “You can't do that! You can't give opiates or tranquilizers to an empath!” My mind skips back to Asha's vacant face.

“Yes, we can. There are no laws against it, and he's too dangerous to keep conscious. What if he seeds the guards? The other prisoners?”

“He has to wake up at some point. He'll need to speak before the judges.”

Rayland shakes his head. “There's no law stating that, either. He's a seeder, Desmond.”

“He's still a human!”

He begins ticking points off on his bony fingers. “His fight with the victim almost started a riot. The cluster of people surrounding them were practically foaming at the mouth. We have five witnesses that saw him pull the trigger. It's on tape. He's a murderer, and nothing he says will have any effect on the verdict. There is nothing illegal about this.”

“Illegal, no. Amoral, however...”

His eyes narrow again. “Be careful.”

“If you don't wake him up, Asha may never regain consciousness.” I slump back into my chair. That argument is futile.

“So there's one less empath I have to deal with later. Hardly compelling.”

I've just resolved to go ahead and hit him anyway when he stands and moves out of my reach. “As amusing as this is, I have to go. I have one other appointment before I go back to the Capitol. As soon as I have the specifics of his trial and his judges I will let you know.”

And with that he is gone. I move to the window to keep myself from punching anything and work on getting my breathing back under control. I have never met Rayland personally, so had always assumed he was just another lawyer with an angle. It never occured to me that he could actually believe all the nonsense he spouted to the feeds. But now I am convinced that he does, and for the first time since he began harassing us I am genuinely concerned. We can handle a lawyer. I am somewhat less certain that we can handle a fanatic.