Forsaken by Cyndi Friberg

the fresh bead of blood trailing across his palm. “I made damn sure I removed every shard. Why aren’t these lacerations closing?”
    “I only activate them when I head into battle.” He used an annoyed tone, hoping the doctor would drop the subject.
    Irron made a face as he pushed the magnification screen out of the way. “That’s irrational, especially now. Your commanding a crew of pissed-off Rodytes. Turn them back on and leave them on.”
    Keyran had frequently commented on the talkative doctor. Kotto should have known Irron would never back off that easily. “Fine.” He activated the nanites with a sharp mental command. Immediately, his hand tingled and the wounds began to close. “Satisfied?”
    Curiosity drew Irron’s brows together as he pulled off his gloves. “What made you hibernate them in the first place?”
    “They work too well.” Kotto shrugged, trying to minimize the issue. “They don’t just numb pain. They dull all my emotions. I started feeling like a zombie half the time.”
    “Then they’re malfunctioning.” He quickly washed his hands then motioned Kotto toward the sink. “Clean up while I go get my bot kit.”
    Some commanders would take exception to Irron’s bossy tone, but this was his domain after all. Kotto washed his hands and forearms, shocked at the amount of blood that covered his skin and smeared his clothes. Even without his medi-bots, he’d barely felt the pain.
    The doctor returned with an alloy case roughly the size of a small piece of luggage. He directed Kotto toward one of the other treatment areas, so the medical staff could clean up the mess.
    Kotto flexed his hand and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Clearly, they’re operational now.” He held out his restored hand as proof.
    “This will just take a minute. Stop whining.”
    Kotto looked at the clerical area in the middle of the circular room, but Irron’s staff didn’t react to his rude behavior. Apparently, the doctor mouthed off to all his patients.
    The top of the case was a screen and several wand-shaped scanners were arranged in the bottom. Irron selected one then approached Kotto. “When did you first notice the numbed emotions?”
    “Shortly after I was injected with the bots.”
    Irron made another face but didn’t look at him directly. “That had to have been decades ago. Why hasn’t this been corrected?”
    “My first placement was Fort Ja Harr. I spent twenty-seven years in that hellhole.”
    Irron shuddered. “Thank the gods they finally shut it down.” He glanced at Kotto as he asked, “Haven’t you been on the Undaunted for the past few years? General Nox’s staff is second to none. Well, except for us, of course.”
    He nodded, liking the doctor despite—or perhaps because of—his unconventional approach. “By the time I was transferred to the Undaunted , I’d used the workaround for so long, I’d basically forgotten about it.”
    Irron didn’t look convinced, but he let it slide. After scanning various parts of Kotto’s body, the doctor turned back to the kit and swept his hand across the open case. The holocontrols came to life and he quickly made several adjustments. “I didn’t see any glaring malfunctions, but I tweaked the sensitivity settings. If this doesn’t fix it, let me know and we’ll do a full extraction. Those bots are old as dirt.”
    Kotto laughed. “So am I.”
    The doctor responded with a semi-playful scoff. “You just turned fifty-three, that’s an infant compared to me, son. You haven’t earned the right to complain yet.” Then he waved Kotto toward the door. “Get out of here. I’m sure your prisoner was freaked out by your temper tantrum. Go calm her down.”
     

Chapter Four
     
    By the time Kotto reached his quarters, his hand had stopped throbbing and he felt like a complete ass. It had been years since he’d lost control like that, maybe decades since he’d allowed anyone or anything to outwardly upset him. The only thing a