Page 76 of The Alien's Private Redemption

"I mean that was a secure, top secret facility," Ae-cha replied. "Hidden from every map I'm aware of. If we were really about to be under attack because they knew Private McBride was there, then how did they find out? And findit?"

Dr. Phillips shot Angela a frown. "Can they track her? With whatever you're finding in her brain?"

"No," Zoric denied at the same time Ae-cha said "Maybe."

"You can't track someone without a Bond," Zoric said. "Creating a connection without a true Bond in place limits the distance and accuracy."

"But they could triangulate her position? If they were close enough when she started moving, they could move in that direction," Dr. Phillips said.

"Across the entire world?" Zoric responded shortly. He really didn't want to dwell on the possibility and tried to move it along quickly. "Possible but not feasible. Not really."

"But possible," Ae-cha said. "And we don't know who or what put the triggers in her brain. We don't know how dedicated they were to keeping her under control and what, exactly, they're trying to keep her from revealing. They may have a very real reason to keep her from being able to talk."

"If that's true, it's a serious security problem," Angela said. "Even if it's just being able to find my location."

"And if it's not just being able to find your location?" Dr. Phillips asked. "What are they able to find out from what you know? We already know you're willing to do what they tell you to do-"

"That's not fair," Ae-cha protested. "She wasn't given a choice."

"There's always a choice," Dr. Phillips spat back.

Ae-cha struck in a blur of speed, her scales rippling with barely contained rage. Her hand wrapped around the woman's neck and she propelled her bodily into the wall behind her. The doctor's eyes widened in fear and shock before her hands came up to pull at Ae-cha's wrist. The acrid scent of her fear filled the small room, making Zoric's scales bristle. Through their Bond, he felt Angela's mix of vindication and horror, her military training warring with her emotional response.

Slowly, Dr. Phillips' hands fell away and her face went slack. The artificial scent of her perfume took on a sour note that made Angela's enhanced senses recoil.

"Oh, there you are, little fishy," Ae-cha said, her voice low and satisfied. The predatory satisfaction in her tone made the hair on the back of Angela's neck stand up.

She let go and Dr. Phillips slumped forward. Ae-cha wrapped her arms around her to catch her and helped her back to the chair.

"What was that?" Zoric asked. Angela had gone still in his arms and he could feel her trying to be as small and quiet as possible.

"She was infected," Ae-cha said. "With the same snaky thoughts that were reported on the other base."

"Shit," Zoric said. "How bad were they?"

"Little ones, and they hadn't been there long," Ae-cha said. "But I'm starting to see a pattern in how they're made. And who's getting hit with them."

"How long is not long?" Zoric asked.

"Can you track them?" Dr. Torres interrupted. "Will they show up on any kind of imaging?"

He'd been so quiet, Zoric had nearly forgotten the man was in the room. His scent was so faint, it barely registered on his chemoreceptors, either.

From the startled look on Ae-cha's face, she'd forgotten the other doctor was there, as well. She shook her head at his question.

"They were so new, I almost didn't see them," she said. "They wouldn't have done enough damage to show up as anything but a little bit of static. Even the ones that have been there for years don't usually show up as anything more than the results of long-term depression, if you know how to look for it."

"I don't know that that's true," Dr. Torres said. "It's certainly not the case with some of the MRI's I've seen. And the one they took of Private McBride the other day doesn't look like any human brain I've seen."

Ae-cha paused. A few days ago, her first reaction would have been to scoff at Dr. Torres' assertion but now she looked willing to listen.

He's crazy, Angela sent.

There's certainly something odd about him, Zoric returned. He didn't agree, exactly, but the lack of scent or movement was hitting the alarm bells in Zoric's senses.

"I saw the images from Private McBride's MRI. Nothing looked out of the ordinary," Ae-cha said.

"You saw the finished images from Private McBride's MRI. The real ones are fascinating."

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