Page 101 of Homebound
“I feel truly blessed,” Gemma said dryly.
“Especially when that Rix is Simon. He’s not exactly pro-human, if you know what I mean. But since you cared for him in prison he might feel an obligation to pay you back.” He smiled and shook a finger at her. “Oh, yes. As soon as I suspected it was him, I headed to the prison and talked to some people. Shame on me for not having done it sooner. But of course, I’d believed him dead… Anyhow, I know all about your extra duties cleaning his cell, washing him, and taking him on outings in a wheelchair like a handicapped. Very clever.”
“Washing an alien?” Aunt Herise sounded strained. “You’ve been touching them creatures?”
Gemma felt a perverse desire to shock the McKinleys out of their narrow minds. “Many times and all over. With my bare hands.”
Herise shrunk back as if Gemma carried a deadly airborne virus.
Dr. Delano paid Aunt Herise no attention. “Was Simon the one who dismembered four Perali earlier this week?”
Gemma chose not to respond, which was answer enough for Dr. Delano. He laughed quietly.
“You don’t have to tell me. But who else?”
The word “Perali” roused Uncle Drexel. “Aliens are the plague upon this soil. They need to be eradicated for the evil they bring to us. And you, Gemma, cared for an alien criminal? Youwantedto? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t expect you to, uncle.” She rose from the chair she’d taken earlier. “It’s getting late and we’re all tired. I am sure Dr. Delano is anxious to go home.”
“In a minute,” Dr. Delano rose as well and the orderlies followed his suit. “I came here looking for Simon, Gemma. Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” she said wearily. She wished she knew. She ached to know. But she didn’t.
Dr. Delano smiled thinly. “Of course not. But forgive me for doubting your words. Fool me once, and all that.” His tone was no longer kind or even polite. The words came out sharp and short; playtime was over.
Gemma shrugged. “He escaped. He hasn't informed me where he is headed.”
“There must be a way for you to reach him.”
“There isn’t.”
“He favors you. That is the only reason he left you alive. Tell me where to find him. It’s important for science that I do.”
“You don’t need him.”
“That’s not for you to decide. Research needs him, to benefit patients like your uncle.”
“Experiments on subjects without their consent are not research. They’re torture.”
He seemed genuinely surprised. “If we start asking every guinea pig if it consents to participate in clinical trials, we wouldn't get very far, would we?”
“Does Simon look like a guinea pig to you, doctor?”
“He looks like an alien,” he stated flatly. “He has useful properties that I’d like to study in more depth.”
“He’s a rational, sentient being. Your treatment of him is unethical, not to mention cruel!” She was working herself up despite knowing that there was nothing she could say to Dr. Delano to change his convictions. A smart man like him knew right from wrong and understood the immoral nature of his research. He chose not to care. He was so cold she could feel the chill emanating from his dark soul.
He laughed and shook his head at her vehemence. “While I can appreciate your softer nature, Gemma, I’m afraid it’s wasted on the Rix. He has to be captured and contained. Apart from his usefulness to me, Simon is dangerous and unpredictable. It will do you good to remember the dismembered Perali and the prison guards whose small intestines had to be cleaned off the light fixtures. How’s that for a guinea pig?”
“Go to hell.” It felt good to say the words out loud, even though privately Gemma had to agree that Simon did possess a violent streak.
Seeing the futility of his methods, Dr. Delano hung his head in pretend despair. “I see you’ve decided to be obstinate. You’re giving me no choice.”
“I repeat, I don’t know where Simon is.”
“Well, Gemma. I wish I could continue treating your uncle, but under the circumstances, it’s no longer an option.”
Gemma’s heart skipped a beat.
