Page 13 of Heart’s Prisoner

Lana pursed her lips. "It was probably one the most thrilling and terrifying experiences I've had so far," then she said quickly, "did you know before or after you sent me down to twelve that they were going to send me up here to be evaluated every other week?"

Nicole gave her a pitying look. "No. At least not so consistently, and I didn't think I would be assigned to do it. Unfortunately, they keep me in the dark about certain things just as they have you. The joys of military life I suppose."

"I guess I'm not used to it like I thought," Lana said. "My research might have been on a base, but we were separate in a way."

"Nothing is separate here, I'm afraid," said Nicole.

Lana eyed her wearily. 'And I didn't exactly have a boss watching my every move, either.' she thought. ' How I miss it already.'

Lana was thankful for Nicole's friendly, cheerful demeanor. Without it, she might not have cooperated so easily. Nicole asked her questions about how she was feeling and if anything were bothering her but Lana had little to say in such a short time so Nicole released her quickly from any more prodding, making short notes about their session.

"I will talk to my uncle and see about cutting back to once a month. I can see it will do little good to do more than that," Nicole said as she finished writing on her tablet.

"And I promise if I need to talk more for any reason, I'll come to you," Lana said as she rose from her seat.

Nicole opened the door for her. "You'll likely find me here most of the time. As I said before, I help in many departments and most on this level."

Lana stepped out of the room then paused and turned back to Nicole. "How much can I say about my work to you next time we meet?"

"As far as I'm concerned anything we speak of is confidential."

Lana eyed her seriously. "And if I have questions of my own?"

Nicole smiled. "If I can answer them I will."

"May I ask you one now?"

Nicole raised her eyebrows. "Of course."

"The other behaviorists working with...the asset. Do you know where they went?"

A flicker of something passed over Nicole's eyes, something Lana barely caught. "They left the base. We didn't keep track of their whereabouts after," she said.

"Yes, I understand, but do you know if they are both alive?"

Nicole looked at her confused. "Why do you ask?"

"Some of the old sessions I found in my work files seemed to hint that one was ill," Lana said. "Dr. Grimmer."

Nicole frowned. "I see."

"I was just curious if he recovered. Maybe I could even get in contact with them, get some personal insight about their work."

"I'm afraid I can't say," Nicole said stiffly. "Dr.Grimmer and Dr. Cronberg left very quickly. Any medical records we have on file are of course confidential."

Lana nodded. Of course they would be. Though she couldn't help wondering what happened to the doctor; If he really did have a sickness as Xerus had said or if the alien had only been trying to scare him.

Nicole didn't look comfortable giving out any information though Lana couldn't understand why. Surely she would at least be able to tell her if he had passed away. Unless she really knew nothing about it.

"My uncle might be able to get you their contact info, but I'm afraid I know nothing about one being sick. I'm sorry."

Lana forced a soft smile. "It's alright. Maybe I'll ask Cole at some point; when I'm not stressing over my work."

Nicole gave her another bright little smile. "And I suspect that feeling won't end. And we'll have much more to discuss."

Chapter Four

Before her next session with Xerus, Lana was taken through to the other units, giving her a glimpse at the other alien species Lazris had discovered and continued to study. She was surprised to find that, unlike Xerus` lone unit, there were many more containment rooms beyond each of the thick, metal doors, housing more extraterrestrial creatures than she had first thought. Some were not very threatening but Lana could still understand the need for caution. One pair was huge. At least twice the size of an elephant with sharp green shells on their backs and horns on their heads. The pair of 'Arothidons' she heard them called, were stuck in one large tank filled partially with water and moss. Others had likenesses to creatures back on earth, only larger or with more aggressive features. Asset C, for instance, looked like a huge dog with a sleek, near shiny coat as black as oil and a tail as long as its body that, when whipped around, could slice through thick wood like a knife. It seemed pretty timid but, when she and the others got near, it growled and snapped its tail in their direction, leaving a temporary mark on the nearby wall.

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