Earth Flight - Janet Edwards

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on my hands and face. ‘You’ll notice some discolouration of your skin where the skunk juice has bonded. That will return to normal within a few days.’

      Fian watched with a frown. ‘Is this the best treatment you’ve got?’

      ‘The only other treatment is to surgically remove the skin layer and put the patient in a regrowth tank,’ said the doctor. ‘We prefer to avoid unnecessary major surgery.’

      My mind conjured up hideous images of being skinned alive. ‘I’ll stick with the gel.’

      The doctor finished work on my face and hands, and moved on to my scalp and hair. ‘We’ll give you some gel to take with you. Apply it three times daily, covering hair and affected skin areas but avoiding the eyes, until the discolouration has completely vanished. Be careful not to wash or shower during that time, because water may re-activate the skunk juice.’

      My hair felt like cold, slimy strands of seaweed now. I fought the urge to shudder. ‘Why did the prisoner need medical treatment, Fian? Did he accidentally skunk himself?’

      ‘No. Lolmack realized the man wasn’t just attacking you, but his daughter’s future as well, and hit him harder than a runaway transport sled. He broke his nose, arm, and three ribs. Lolmack says being a member of a low status clan involved in the sex vid industry means you have to be able to take care of yourself in a fight.’

      ‘I’d noticed that …’ I broke off as the doctor applied gel to my nose and mouth. The stench of skunk juice was replaced by an overpowering odour of flowers.

      ‘The gel is scented with Osiris lilies, to mask the remaining aroma of skunk juice,’ said the doctor.

      Fian took off his mask and sniffed. ‘That’s a lot better. Very, very flowery though. I see what you mean about the skin discolouration.’

      ‘That’s absolutely nothing to worry about.’ The doctor started updating my medical records.

      I looked down at my hands and saw blotches of green and dark purple. Nothing to worry about? What the chaos did my face look like? I was ugly and I stank. I was like something out of the worst jokes the norms made about the Handicapped. ‘I can’t go back to the dome.’

      ‘It’s perfectly safe now, Jarra,’ said Fian. ‘Military Security are there.’

      ‘It isn’t fair to make everyone suffer this smell.’

      Playdon took off his mask. ‘It’s not that bad now, Jarra. You can hardly smell the skunk juice for the Osiris lilies. That’s a very overpowering odour, but not unpleasant.’

      ‘But …’

      Playdon held up a hand to stop my protest. ‘You’re coming back to the dome, Jarra. It’s bad enough having one of my students attacked while under my care. I absolutely refuse to exclude you from my course because of your injuries.’

       5

      We stepped through the portal into the dome at London Main, and I saw the hazy figures of four Military Security officers saluting me.

      ‘I must find my hover bags and change into dry clothes,’ said Playdon.

      Fian nodded. ‘We’ll find a room so Jarra can lie down and rest.’

      I wanted to hide away in a room, but … ‘If the class have to see me looking like this, I’d rather get it over with right away.’

      Fian sighed. ‘We’ll go to the hall then.’

      The four Military Security officers stayed guarding the portal, but we passed several more in the corridor. This was insane. Someone had thrown skunk juice at me, and Military Security was reacting as if they’d tried to assassinate a head of sector.

      Fian took my arm and guided me round a couple of white humming shapes that must be air-purifying units. I hoped the Military would let us keep those for a few days to make life more bearable for everyone.

      Yet more Military Security officers stood on guard inside the hall, while our classmates sat huddled around tables. When we walked in, the Military saluted, and there was a scraping of chairs as people turned towards us.

      ‘Jarra,’ said Dalmora in a shocked voice. ‘You look … You look dreadful.’

      I felt that said everything. Even Dalmora, with her deeply ingrained tact and diplomacy, couldn’t think of a kinder word than dreadful to describe my appearance.

      An officer came up and saluted me. ‘I’m Major Sand, sir. We’ve just completed full scans, both inside and outside the dome, and found no further threats.’

      I stared at him blankly for a moment, before working out I was the senior officer present. Major Sand had given me a situation report and was awaiting orders. I wasn’t in uniform, I’d never met this man, but he knew who I was. The whole of humanity did. Even a random doctor in a Hospital Earth casualty unit recognized me and addressed me as Commander.

      I ran my fingers through the greasy lank ribbons of my hair. I couldn’t cope with this now. I looked like a monster, I stank, and I was groping my way through a frighteningly hazy world. Was the regen fluid helping my eyes or making them worse?

      ‘Please, keep …’ I tried to think of the right Military words to use and completely failed. ‘Keep dealing with it.’

      Another officer hurried into the room. ‘Sirs, Zulu base warns the General is incoming.’

      The Major gave a single heartfelt groan, turned, and headed for the door. I suddenly felt shaky and dreadfully tired, so I sat down on a chair by the wall and let my head sag forward into my hands. I was vaguely aware of Fian positioning a couple of the air purifiers nearby, and then tugging another chair over to sit next to me. I couldn’t tell if the air purifiers were having any effect, because the cloying scent of Osiris lilies had overwhelmed my nose. I’d probably never be able to smell anything else ever again.

      There were a couple of minutes of silence before Playdon came into the hall and said something to the class. I heard the words but couldn’t make sense of them. I really was like an ape in an off-world joke. I was ugly, I stank, and I was stupid as well.

      More people arrived, a figure in a white jacket in the lead, followed by two others in standard Military uniforms. It took my sluggish brain a moment to work out the white jacket must be Riak Torrek in his new General’s uniform. I blinked my eyes, got them to focus long enough to recognize his face and those of Colonel Leveque and Major Sand behind him, struggled to my feet and saluted.

      ‘I shouldn’t need to say this is unacceptable,’ said General Torrek in an angry voice.

      Riak Torrek had been a close friend of my grandmother. I was the first child born into the family after her death in action, so in Military tradition I was her Honour child and carried her name. I’d known Colonel Torrek took a special interest in me because of it, and felt pretty relaxed around him, but General Torrek seemed far more intimidating, a grimly disapproving stranger.

      I realized I was still wearing the wreckage of my civilian clothes. I hadn’t thought to ask Dalmora where my hover bags were and change into uniform. I was a dumb, dumb ape. ‘I apologize for the state of my clothes, sir.’

      The General’s voice lost the harsh note. ‘I should be the one apologizing to you, Jarra. The Military failed in our duty to protect you. Please sit down before you fall over.’

      He turned to Major Sand and now his voice was icily cold. ‘Major, please explain how an intruder gained entry to this dome.’

      I thought I heard a faint gulp from Major Sand, before he answered in an impressively steady voice. ‘Portal access was secure, sir, and we were monitoring all aerial traffic. Unfortunately, London Main Dig Site is in far less hostile terrain than Eden. The intruder gained entry to the nearby London Fringe Dig Site and walked here.’

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