Free Terminal Point by K.M. Ruiz Page A

was reduced to medical jargon that only a tiny part of Jael’s mind bothered to translate. Jael felt Ciari’s mind dip sharply beneath hers, sliding away. She gripped the cold hand tighter, a physical anchor point for the one on the mental grid.
    No, Jael said, holding tight to the other woman’s frayed thoughts. You don’t get to leave us yet.
    They didn’t like each other; never really had. They were trained to handle different tasks, to reach different goals. Ciari led Strykers into harm’s way; Jael pulled them out. The only thing they had in common was that they actually gave a damn for their fellow Strykers. In this instance, Ciari was just another patient who needed Jael.
    With Marguerite handling the physical operation and Jael refusing to let Ciari’s mind die, they managed to keep her alive. This took several long hours and the results could be summed up in a single sentence.
    â€œShe’s breathing,” Jael informed Keiko and Aidan Turner, the Stryker Syndicate’s chief administrative officer (CAO), outside the recovery room. “On her own. Consider it a miracle. The neurotracker did a lot of damage.”
    â€œErik meant to kill her,” Keiko said, looking through the observation window at the still form surrounded by machines and nurses. “Travis Athe wanted her alive. He managed to get a majority vote to spare her life. They appointed me Acting OIC until Ciari recovers.”
    Jael’s mouth twisted. “Travis doesn’t have a compassionate bone in his body. Why would he spare Ciari?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    Possibly because the launch is so close, they can’t risk the upheaval appointing a new OIC would cause, Aidan said, the Class IV telepath drawing both women into a psi link.
    Keiko’s Acting OIC, Jael pointed out.
    They can risk me being in the public eye during Ciari’s absence, but they made it very clear it was to be temporary, Keiko said. They need her for the launch.
    Did they give you a time frame for when I’m supposed to have Ciari standing on her own two feet and not in a coma?
    Aidan winced at that announcement. Be honest, Jael. What are her odds?
    Jael crossed her arms, stepping out of the way of a nurse. The nurse, used to the silent, gesture-filled conversations that happened between ’path-oriented psions, ignored them. She’s in no pain, but only because I was able to get her to turn off part of her mind.
    What?
    Her system was in overload because of the neurotracker. She’s going to need a biotank and regeneration of most, if not all, of her central nervous system. We have her hooked up to an external monitor that’s sending impulses directly into her brain to ensure her major bodily functions still continue to work. Jael spread her hands in a helpless gesture, grimacing. I’ve got her telepathically anchored, but there’s no guarantee she’ll want to live. There may very well be damage to her body, to her brain, that we can’t treat.
    Erik had his finger on that kill switch for a full five minutes, Keiko said softly, the look in her brown eyes bleak and hateful.
    I still sensed coherency in her subconscious mind during the surgery, Jael said.
    What about her conscious mind?
    Jael was silent on that, and Keiko let out a harsh little laugh. “So it’s like that.”
    â€œIt’s not like anything.” Jael ran a hand through her dreads, pulling the mass away from her face. She sighed tiredly. “I’ll keep you apprised of her condition, Keiko. We’re setting up a biotank and will transfer her to it immediately once the swelling in her brain has gone down.”
    â€œEvery six hours. I mean it, Jael. We have to be able to tell the World Court how she’s progressing.”
    Jael didn’t argue.
    â€œKeep me updated as well,” Aidan said. “What about the Strykers that were in Buffalo?”
    Jael knew he wasn’t asking about