INTERVENTION (7 page)

  
“You missed out the personal hygiene, two three.” 

  
They both shot their eyes over to the doorway, the grins frozen on their faces, to see Andretta standing at the entrance, smiling. “And we are only required to do that in training.” 

  
Hidson, too stunned to speak, was wishing that his seat would swallow him up and transport him to another section of the ship: Coles’s mind was racing,
How the
hell had the woman avoided the approach monitor?

   Before she could speak,
Andretta had walked across to them and sat at the desk; she glanced at Coles and then at Hidson, who had never taken his eyes from her the whole time, and said “Are they still using that one? I thought it had gone out of fashion years ago.” 

  
Regaining his composure Hidson stood. “I really must go; checks to be made.” And with that he beat a relieved retreat to the door: as he was leaving Andretta called out “Get you later Leading Officer.” 

  
The two women regarded each other for a few moments; Andretta, still wearing her smile, asked “Tell me, doctor, are you aware of Leading Officer Miles having any problems?” 

   “None
to my knowledge, why?” 

  
Andretta shook her head and looked down at the desk briefly, as though searching for the right words. “He just appears to be acting a little odd; I’ve observed him sitting alone in the galley and watching everyone without speaking and he seems to be spending most of his time in the main drive observation unit.” 

  
“Well, he is the Engineering Officer, but if there was anything medically wrong I am obliged only to inform the Commander; I must say, however, that I have not noticed anything as you describe it.” 

   Andretta stood to leave.
“Of course; perhaps it is my natural instinct working overtime: never mind.” 

  
Before the agent got to the door Coles asked “How did you avoid the approach monitor?” 

   The agent
stopped and turned, a confused look on her face. “I’m sorry?” 

   Coles held her gaze.
“The approach monitor didn’t announce your arrival in the outer med-section; I was just wondering why.” 

  
“I really don’t know; maybe the two of you were having such a good time you simply failed to hear it; perhaps you should get Leading Engineer Miles to check it out.” With that she turned and walked out.

  
Coles watched the doorway for a few seconds after the woman had gone and thought,
failed to hear it - faulty - like hell.
But she had to admit that she had noticed Miles becoming a little reclusive of late; time to get him in and find out if there was a problem. “MAC.”

  
The system responded immediately. “Leading Medical Officer Coles request please.” 

  
“Location of Leading Engineering Officer Miles?” 

  
“He is currently approaching the main drive observation unit, port side; do you require his presence in the medical section?” 

  
“Yes.”

  
Miles was sitting astride the hoverbug and deep in thought when the on-board communication link roused him. “Leading Engineering Officer Miles your presence is requested in the medical section.”

   Miles frowned;
now what did Coles want? He wasn’t due a medcheck for months yet; maybe it had something to do with this alien contact business of Andretta’s. The com-link broke into his thoughts again. “Do you have a response Leading Officer?”

   “Yes, destination medical centre.”

Hidson stepped
outside his accommodation and into the corridor: the door closing whisper-like behind him as he almost collided with Kamul. He was about to apologise, but stopped at the sight of the look of dread in the physics officer’s eyes.

   “Hey, you okay buddy? You look like you just saw a ghost?”

   Kamul directed his glance along the corridor. “You wouldn’t be wrong.”

  
Hidson looked in the direction indicated in time to see Andretta entering her accommodation. He was about to speak, to give reassurance that the agent was not here to arrest anyone, but Kamul was already walking away. The pilot watched him leave and the thought came to him,
if Andretta is here for someone, then it’s pretty obvious that Kamul believes it to be him.
At that moment a movement from the side caught his eye and he looked over to see Miles heading towards him astride one of the hoverbugs. 

  
The hoverbug stopped by his side and Miles said in a low voice,                                                                       “Biohiber units; one hour.” And then he carried on with his journey.

Arriving at the outer med-section Miles dismounted his vehicle and entered the walkway that would lead him directly into the med-section proper: he heard the soft tone of the monitor as it picked up his presence. “Welcome to the medical section Leading Engineer Miles.”

   Upon r
eaching the med centre he found Coles sitting at her desk as she read through her check list: she looked up as he entered. “Ah, Leading Engineer, could you check the approach monitor please, I think it failed to function earlier.”

  
The Engineer frowned, “It was working when I came through a moment ago.”

  
“Yes, I heard it, but someone came through earlier and it didn’t pick them up.”

  
Miles ran a cursory diagnostic over the monitor and found nothing amiss and then he instructed MAC to run a check over the equipment; again, everything was in order.  He turned to Coles who had been standing close by the whole time and said “Nothing wrong with the unit; are you sure it malfunctioned?” 

  
“Yes, I was working at my desk when someone came in and I wasn’t aware of them until they walked through the door.” 

  
Miles spoke again, “MAC, report of any malfunction of equipment in the Med-section within the last twenty-four hours.” 

  
The reply was instant, “No malfunctions in the med-section within the last twenty-four hours.” 

  
Coles frowned and shrugged her shoulders resignedly. “Guess I just mustn’t have heard it then; probably too engrossed in what I was doing.” 

  
Walking back to her desk, she asked “Anyway, now that you’re here is there anything I can do for you?” 

  
Miles had on his puzzled look again. “How do you mean? You sent for me, remember?”

  
Coles looked up at him and smiled. “Is there anything you would like to talk about? Any problems with work or family or colleagues? Sometimes, on these outward journeys, people can feel isolated, especially with such a small crew as ours.” 

  
Miles sat down opposite and held her gaze; after a few moments, he asked “Is there anything
you
would like to tell
me,
doctor?”

  
She smiled uncertainly: Miles cocked his head slightly to one side but did not return the smile. This had taken her by surprise and to regain her composure, she said “Well if there is anything, you know where to find me.” 

   Miles stood and
looked at her for a moment and then, nodding slowly, he replied “Yes, of course, if there is anything I know exactly where to find you.” With that he turned and left. Coles waited until he had gone before saying to herself, “I think the Leading engineer could be becoming a problem.”

  
The engineer had been waiting for twenty minutes in the Biohibernation section by the time Hidson arrived and was standing opposite the doorway, the better to see anyone approaching. He had made up his mind that the pilot was not Andretta’s target by virtue of his obvious total commitment to the service and a sheer gut feeling that he was an ordinary, regular guy.

   Stepping into the chamber, t
he pilot was about to speak when Miles said in a quiet tone, “Turn off your R.I.” 

  
Hidson was mystified by the request but, seeing the serious expression on the Engineers’ face, he ordered “Hidson; remote interface close down.” 

  
The response from the interface on his wrist came back immediately, “Complied.” 

   Returning his attention
to Miles, he said, jokingly, “Okay, so what’s with all the cloak and dagger stuff? You haven’t teamed up with the Infernal Administrator have you?” 

  
Miles shook his head slowly and answered “No, but I think we may need to; listen to this …”

Rachmel was running through the pre-hibernation checks from her desk; no-one had seen the inside of a wormhole and she wanted to make sure that everything was recorded, both inboard and outboard. 

   It was necessary for the crew
to be in their biohiber units four hours before MAC piloted the vessel into the mouth of the wormhole: once they had exited the other end MAC would reverse the hibernation procedure; the same process would, of course, apply for the return journey.  

   Rachmel’s mind wandered
back to Andretta; exactly what was her true mission? And how much did she know? She decided to question the woman further and was about to request MAC to locate her when the doorcom sounded “Entry is requested.”

  
Rachmel frowned her irritation at being disturbed, “Who is it this time?” 

  
“Leading Medical Officer Coles.” 

   The commander
took a deep breath and let out a sigh; more to compose herself than of annoyance. “Permission granted.” She turned in her seat to see the medical Officer enter.

 
“Please, take a seat,” she said, indicating the place opposite. “Now; what can I do for you?” 

  
“Commander, you know Engineering Officer Miles pretty well; you’ve served together on several occasions, yes?”

  
Rachmel leaned back in her seat and wondered where this was going. “Yes, I have known him for a number of years, why do you ask?” 

  
“Would you say that of late he has been acting slightly off-centre in any way? What I mean is, does he seem to be a little reclusive on this mission? Is he behaving in any way that you might consider out of character?” 

  
Rachmel considered for a moment before replying “I can’t really say I’ve noticed any change in him: as for being reclusive, he frequently spends his time in the main drive observation sections; when there are engines around he has little time for people; why do you ask?” 

  
“It was reported that he appeared to be acting a little strange of late, so I asked him to come into the med centre, just for an informal chat, to see if there was anything worrying him. His response was strange; he asked if there was anything I
wanted to tell
him.
Now, I don’t know him as well as you do but I feel it necessary to report to you that this Officer may have a problem; perhaps if you were to approach him we might find out what is on his mind and eradicate it before it becomes a problem to us all.” 

  
“Who instigated the initial report?” 

  
“Agent Andretta came in to see me earlier today.” 

  
Rachmel gave a thin smile. “Andretta: What do you know about our Agent Andretta, doctor?” 

  
Coles shook her head, “Nothing more than we were told at the briefing; why do you ask?”

   “Nothing really;
just a feeling. Do you have her medical records?” 

   Coles nodded her assent,
“Yes, I have everyone’s full records from the moment they enlisted, or in her case from the moment she joined the Agency; it’s a legal requirement of all personnel on board whether they are military or civilian.”

  
Rachmel knew this, of course, but just wanted to be sure. She thought for a moment and then said “I would like you to go through Andretta’s medical records with a fine-toothed comb and to keep an eye her; nothing secretive, just a professional interest as the medical Officer: in particular, I need to know who she is talking to, but mostly who she is watching...if anybody.”

   “Do you suspect
she is here to watch someone in particular?”

  
“I don’t know, perhaps it’s just a natural reaction to anyone who wears a black insignia and who only seems to appear when there is trouble afoot.”

   “Very well.
But what about the Leading engineer?” 

  
“I’ll get him in here for a chat and if I suspect anything I’ll let you know immediately: but don’t put any of this into your report just yet; let’s find out what’s going on first.”

  
Coles was confused. “But, Commander, it’s a Mission requirement to log anything and everything that may have potential to become serious.”