Myriad Universes 02_ Echoes and Refractions - Keith R. A. DeCandido [32]
He wasn’t sure how many minutes passed before his breathing began to steady and his fragile composure returned, but eventually he looked back up into her eyes. As he gazed into them, he suddenly became aware of a sensation-a tranquil warmth that seemed to emanate from her, the piercing gaze soothing his mind, and the caress of her hands calming his frayed nerves. “Saavik,” he repeated. “I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Just relax,” she instructed him. “Can you sit up?”
“I…I think so,” David said, and he turned his body, attempting to prop himself up with his left arm, forgetting that his limb now ended at a cauterized stump, hastily wrapped in dirty cloth. The pressure of the wound against the deck sent a searing jolt of pain throughout his body, and he cried out as he rolled over onto his back, cradling the limb over his stomach with his good hand. The agony of phantom fingers burned mercilessly at the end of his arm.
Saavik allowed a moment for the initial wave of pain to pass, then once again cradled his shoulders. “Your injuries are not life-threatening,” she said, unwrapping enough of the dressing to get a view of the amputation site. “They managed to stop the bleeding, despite the crudeness of the ligature. Allow me to help you up.”
With a forceful assist from Saavik, David managed to rise to a sitting position. For the first time, he looked down upon the mangled remains of his left wrist. The skin was charred and encrusted with dried blood. A whiff of seared flesh entered his nostrils, and he gagged, feeling the bitter sting of bile rising up through his throat. He closed his eyes and turned his head, desperately hoping for the spell to pass without soiling the floor of their cell.
When he finally managed to let his eyelids flutter open again, he saw that Saavik’s demeanor appeared more uneasy. She glanced out of the cell’s entryway, to ensure that the nearest guard was safely out of earshot. “David,” she said. “We may not have much time. Did they tell you what they plan to do next?”
“I didn’t tell them anything,” David mumbled, slowly shaking his head. “I didn’t tell them anything.”
“David!” she said with sudden firmness, gripping him by the shoulders. “Listen to me. Did they tell you what they plan to do next?”
He stared back at her. The memories of his recent interrogation remained fresh in his mind, but the thought of replaying them in search of clues was untenable. He began to shake. “I don’t…I don’t know…I think so, but I…”
“I can help you, David,” Saavik assured him. “But you must help us first. Did they say anything before they returned you to the brig?”
David closed his eyes. His breathing grew more rapid, and his pulse quickened. He remembered the pain, the flash of light…the sight of his own blood spraying forth…the voices. Kruge’s voice.
“Aaahh,” David wailed, trying to form some coherence out of the jumble of impulses shuffling through his memory. He licked his lips. “Um, he said, a…a mind…mind-sifter.”
“Indeed,” Saavik said with resignation. “As I had feared.”
David noticed the obvious change in her demeanor. “What?” he inquired. “I’m not going to tell them anything. I won’t let them have Genesis. So many people…”
“David, you can’t…”
“So many people have died!” he cried out. “And it’s my fault. They’re going to have to kill me, too.”
“You can’t resist the mind-sifter!” Saavik admonished him. “You don’t understand. I would have the mental discipline to resist it, but you cannot. They will empty your mind, David.”
He stared at her, horrified by her sense of certainty. “Oh, God,” he muttered, looking about the cell in desperation. “Then we can’t let them take me again. Oh, my God!” He struggled to his feet, agitated, and began pacing the length of his cell. Suddenly he turned, and pointed down at her with a trembling finger as she remained seated in the center of the floor, his sanity now pushed to the