Chương 27: Ch 17b - Assessment

Joss arrives to escort her shortly after Gask has roused her from a restless sleep. Cara feels like she's barely slept. Her mind could not stop jumping from one memory to another. She had woken herself up crying multiple times. At some point during the night she had given up completely with trying to quiet her mind and decided to pace herself into exhaustion. Back and forth. Back and forth. Walking the perimeter, the centre, the diagonal of her room.

She had woken up with a stiff neck from where she had fallen asleep on the hard floor. It had felt like she had only then crawled back into bed when Gask arrived demanding she get up.

"Hi," she mumbles quietly to Joss as the pair pass through the main doorway. The woman gives her a sideways glance, her pinched lips pull steep slopes down her cheeks. It is a look that wordlessly ends any intentions Cara may have had to initiate small talk. The air in the corridor is noticeably cooler than in her room. After glancing down at her loose-fitting grey t-shirt she pivots back towards her room.

"I forgot my jumper."

"No," Joss snaps.

"I'll be quick," Cara says. She yelps as Joss closes an unforgiving hand around her elbow.

"No," Joss repeats, forcing Cara to continue walking with a further squeeze of her arm. Cara winces as her feet trip over themselves to keep pace with Joss.

"Ow. Ok, ok. You can let go of me." Joss's grip increases. Cara can feel the press of the woman's fingernails against her bone. She tries a sudden yank of her elbow to trigger a release. The movement doesn't seem to register with Joss whose strong strides haven't faltered. It isn't until they turn a corner and are faced with three men walking towards them that Joss releases her grip. As they approach Joss takes a graceful step to the side to allow the men to pass.

Expecting to share the corridor, Cara fails to anticipate the need to completely clear their path. She finds herself colliding with the third man's shoulder.

"Fucking Cadet, get out of the way," the man spits as her back bounces into the wall.

"Sorry," she splutters. The man extends an arm towards her. His cuff is thick with prominent ridges running the full length. Mistaking his reach for an apologetic gesture she isn't prepared for the harsh shove he delivers instead. Her knee and the heel of her hand graze the friction coating of the floor as she fights to prevent her face from meeting the same fate.

"I swear these fucking Cadets are getting scrawnier," the man complains, already striding to catch up with his companions further down the corridor. Joss's boot nudges hard at Cara's ribs, nearly toppling her sideways.

"Get up," Joss hisses.

"Do not make me late." Not waiting for a reply, she continues down the corridor. ………. Joss delivers her to the meeting room where she had first met with Argatta and Vheece. Vheece is already here, pacing back and forth, deep in conversation with himself. She hesitates in the doorway.

"Cara," Wyndeer's voice rings out. She startles, momentarily unsure if he is in the room or in her head. He is stood to the side of the door, stiff in his impeccable uniform. His call of her name appears to be acknowledgement of her presence. She is unsure how to respond. Does she say his name back? His colour? A simple hello? Indecision steals her voice. She looks at him blankly. He frowns. Behind Wyndeer, Draig stands by the wall, a look of boredom on his face.

In the far corner is a small huddle of people; Crathsun, Erro and Magse. Crathsun's bulk almost completely hides Magse from view, only her height makes the top of her black hair visible over the immense spread of his broad shoulders and thick neck. Cara searches Crathsun's body for signs of bandages or discomfort but finds none. He is giving Erro a friendly pat on the shoulder, Erro is grinning. She imagines they are reminiscing about a shared venture or regaling Magse with a story.

Their small group falls silent as across the room Vheece's frustrated tones grow louder. They are quiet not to listen in but to ensure they do not draw his attention. Their reaction to Vheece makes apprehension crawl up her spine like a long-legged spider. She squeezes and twists her hands together, wincing from a small jab of pain as she does so. The heel of her right hand is sprinkled with pinpricks of blood where she has aggravated her newly acquired graze.

At the sight of her palm, Draig takes a step away from the wall, frown lines forming on his forehead. Wyndeer raises a questioning eyebrow at Joss who shrugs, "She fell over." Wyndeer's questioning eyebrow redirects to Cara.

"I, uh, fell over," Cara agrees, wanting to avoid an interrogation from Wyndeer.

"Nothing to worry about." She waves her hand as nonchalantly as she can, moving to tuck it out of sight behind her back. Draig, having silently appeared by her side, catches her retreating arm and holds it out for inspection. Curling around her elbow, are the angry red marks from Joss's grip; below them, unmistakeable scratches bordering the top of her cuff. Draig throws a look of displeasure at Wyndeer who in turn scowls and gives Joss an accusatory glance.

Joss's face remains fixed in a haughty sneer aimed at Cara. Irritated by the way she is being examined as part of an unknown dispute between the three of them, Cara jerks her arm from Draig and cradles it to her chest.

"Just a little fall," she says, lifting her chin in defiance.

"I'm waiting," Vheece screeches rudely from across the room. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The hairs on the back of her neck rise as she watches him approach the table in the middle of the room where Argatta's head and shoulders already hover above a small cube. Wyndeer and the others silently reposition themselves into a line, leaving her awkwardly alone in this room of people.

"Cara," Vheece kicks at a chair before taking his own seat. Eight pairs of eyes watch her approach the table where Argatta greets her with a tight smile.

"How is your health, Cara?" Argatta purrs through the semi-transparent teeth of her hologram. Her shoulders seem more firmly attached this time. Is it because her vertigo is disappearing, Cara wonders, or is she just getting used to the hologram itself?

"I'm sure Gask has kept you updated," Cara quips back, surprising herself with the swift bitterness of her reply. She hears a shuffle behind her and tries to push away the image of her six captors watching over the proceedings from the far end of the room. Argatta's umbrage is not quite lost in the softened edges of her image, she tries a different opening.

"Cara, I've asked for this session to assure you that I do not condone the use of torture on our Visitors, especially without reason. Those on the Wixam responsible for your care have been reminded of the agreed approach of the Joint Visitor Programme." As Argatta talks, Cara cannot resist a glance at Vheece. A red flush heats the edges of his hairline. His solid black eyes study Cara in an unforgivingly candid way. She becomes suddenly aware of her proximity to him and her inability to move away.

Her brief spike in bravado melts in his presence, hastened by the sinking realisation that she is bumping from one warring set of strangers to another.

".. as I have advised in my proposals. My research has determined that Visitors are likely to respond better to reinforced persuasion…" Cara's heart is thumping, the increased flow of blood in her ears drowns out Argatta's voice. Vheece continues to stare at her, unblinking. She presses herself further into the back of her chair, trying to find reassurance in the additional millimetres between them. Vheece's hand, at first casually placed on the table, is curling into a fist.

There are others in the room, she reminds herself, she is not alone with an intimidating man and a virtual woman.

"…if Visitors are to feel comfortable sharing their understandings amongst a superior people…" Vheece's anger continues to rise. His fist is tight, knuckles straining against skin. His nostrils flare creating black holes that mirror the black irises of his unblinking eyes. In her lap Cara presses a shaking thumb into the graze on her hand, focusing on the building pain in her palm and not her fear of the man at the table.

"…when Cara comes to my facility…"

"Enough!" Vheece yells slamming his fist onto the table so hard that the black cube and Argatta's image jump over a foot into the air. The cube bounces twice before stopping precariously near the edge of the table. Cara yelps and pushes hard with her feet, skidding her chair backwards with a loud screech. Vheece's snarl pins her to the chair. She digs her thumb hard into the graze on her hand. Her nail rips into the scratches in her thin skin. The pain soaks up the flood of panic coursing through her.

"I have allowed your interruption," Vheece barks at Argatta.

"You have delivered your message. Now shut up."

"Green Vheece this message was endorsed by-""I have some announcements of my own." Vheece shouts her down with force. He looks across the room, reestablishing his command over everyone present.

"Now that a formal threat assessment has commenced, the shards are to be under Trisec control at all times. As per your proposal, Argatta, anything that arrives with a Visitor must remain with her. Therefore, Cara is now under primary Trisec supervision and may will remain so until the assessment is complete. Your representative may continue to observe and report on her welfare."

"We can discuss-""There is nothing to discuss. As commanding rank of the recovery team, I have assigned Wyndeer custody of the shards. He will oversee their assessment and therefore Cara will be under his guardianship. Given that you have already signed off on Wyndeer, there cannot be any objection to my selection of personnel." Someone behind Cara exhales deeply. Vheece flashes a warning look at the row of men and women. Cara finds herself holding her breath.

Argatta's eyes flicker quickly back and forth at something off screen before she replies in a bluster, "Well, I –. Perhaps we should revisit the parameters of the assessment and the requirement of-""You approved the Trisec team," he growls, "I approved your Trisec-cleared representative. The Joint Subcommittee accepted the validity of the threat assessment directive. I have accepted the presence of your representative during shard assessment to uphold the joint responsibilities commitment.

I will remind you that Trisec threat assessments cannot be terminated before completion and may use any means necessary to substantiate a risk to Feilan." A toothy grin blooms on his face, "If the assessment falters it may reach an unfortunate point where the Joint Visitor Programme approach must be abandoned." Cara's thumb drills deeper into the fibrous tissue under her skin. Blood spreads thickly between her palms, smeared by her shaking hands.

"Green Vheece, I think this is highly inappropriate and should have been discussed prior to this session," Argatta splutters.

"I don't care what you think," Vheece replies disparagingly, "I have an assessment to get on with. Despite your lack of Trisec clearance I will let you remain connected to observe. An indication of my commitment to the Joint Visitor Programme." He reaches over to the hologram of her face and flicks a finger. Argatta's mouth moves in speech, but no sound is emitted from the cube. Vheece beckons to the back of the room, "Wyndeer, bring one over."

While he waits, Vheece smooths down his jacket taking care to ensure the green stripe is straight as it runs down over his chest. Fixing a cold smile on her he says, "Now Cara, let's show Argatta how well you cooperate." Wyndeer arrives by her side. With one arm tucked smartly behind his back he presents a shard to her like a sommelier proffering a wine bottle. The shard looks smaller laying in his large, calloused hand. As before, she feels a sense of comfort and familiarity in its yellow hues.

Her urge to touch it is strong, perhaps more so given the tense atmosphere in the room. She risks a quick glance at Wyndeer and sees warning in his grey eyes. Swallowing hard she reaches for the shard. Her hand shakes violently. In her agitated state she fumbles her aim, instead colliding clumsily into his fingers. Blood smears his upturned hand. He pulls back, examining his hand then hers.

"What have you done?" Wyndeer asks in confusion. She stares down at her hands. Both palms are painted in bright red blood that glistens with the shakes that wrack her body.

"I- I-" Hot tears start to pour down her cheeks.

"For fuck's sake!" Vheece hisses. Argatta's hologram looms over the table as she seeks to understand the commotion. Her voice suddenly breaks out of its muted bubble and spills back into the room.

"…section 4. 3. 47 of the agreed…"

"Does this woman never shut up?" Vheece thunders, upending the table and flinging it across the room. The cube and Argatta's image smash into the wall. The table somersaults, halts awkwardly propped against the wall, then slides noisily down to the floor"Take her away," Vheece says over his shoulder as he stomps away in disgust.

"Why did you do that?" Draig murmurs, having appeared at her side. He gently takes hold of both her wrists, guiding her up from her chair.

"I'll get you back to Gask," he says calmly.

"I will take her," Wyndeer says coldly from behind her, "You're not required, Pink." Draig's hands linger at her wrists. With her head dropped down she stands in the tension between them, unable to curb her sobs. As Wyndeer draws in a deep breath Draig gives her wrists a light squeeze. He releases her and steps back.

"Of course, Orange."