They stopped at a roadside fish and chip shop. There wasn't another building for miles so at first Bess wondered if they were lost and had stopped to ask directions. As she passed through the door, a bell jangled overhead and the smell of old fish assaulted Bess's nose. She looked around the restaurant, dimly lit with strings of diode lights. Could a place this fly-specked really serve fish? Between overfishing and pollution, real fish had become rare and expensive. Bess checked the blackboard menu on the wall. In spidery handwriting, it advertised fries, battered turnip fillets, and all kinds of cabbage dishes. The place smelled of rot and old grease, not fish.

The lady behind the counter was cutting potatoes so fast the motion of her rubber gloves blurred, as if her chopping arm were cyber. The three of them waited at the counter but if she heard them come in, she didn't react. Lance cleared his throat but she didn't look up. Bess was starting to wonder if the lady were deaf when finally, she stared Bess in the eye.

"You don't look hungry. What do you want?"

The woman stood waiting, as if she were expecting Bess to give a password.

This was it. This stranger had seen through Bess's disguise and knew she was a disgraced Academy cyber. "Uh, I..."

Without waiting for an answer, the lady started hacking up another potato.

Lance said, "We've come to see the doctor. Tell him we're here?"

The lady didn't look up from her cutting. "Sit."

Bess didn't see her summoning him, but she heard a click from under the counter. Had the woman pressed a hidden button?

Bess's legs wobbled as they walked to the nearest table. She sank into a seat, glad for the chance to rest. She was even gladder they didn't order food. The glasses lining the shelves behind the counter looked greasy, their tops grey with dust. She breathed through her mouth so as not to gag on the fishy smell. This place made her want to run outside to breathe but she couldn't. Lance and Kathy were there for her. She refused to show nervousness or ingratitude, especially after Lance overruled his sister's objections to bring them.

After the hospital, they had all been exhausted and Kathy had just wanted to find a motel and sleep. It was the middle of the night and Bess and Kathy were still dressed in their heels and party dresses. Bess couldn't even think anymore because of the extra pain the long car ride and trying to dance in heels had inflicted on her back. Bess didn't complain but Lance had noticed and, despite his own exhaustion, he was determined to get her help right away. It was a good thing, too.

No matter how filthy this place was she couldn't leave, because she wouldn't make it back to the Academy without treatment. And did she ever want to get back. Sitting in the auditorium with Cherry, laughing at the poor sucker in the training video. The good times seemed so far away. The whole class laughing at that foolish cyber who got himself left behind outside of signal range. He deserved to die.

Tonight, Bess was that foolish cyber. She had left the group and her future had been cut out of her body in one brutal operation. No matter what Lance's intentions had been, removing the signal rig had unmade her. She shivered with fever but suddenly felt certain this grimy place offered not a cure but death.

"Take me back to the Academy, now. I don't like this place. Any doctor who would meet me here can't be legit. Look." From the table, she lifted a knife, smeared with grease and dried-on food.

"Why don't we call the Academy and ask them to pick you up?" Kathy pulled out her cell phone.

"No. I promised Bess I'd take her," said Lance.

"That was before father. I'm sure she'll understand if you can't give her taxi service anymore." Kathy stared at Bess, daring her to disagree.

"It's okay," said Bess. "I'm grateful to you both for helping me. I do need a doctor but not here." She rose to get up but her legs collapsed under her, dropping her back into her seat. The others didn't say anything. Kathy sighed and Lance furrowed his brow like an old man. There was no choice.

They waited in silence until Lance said, "The doctor should be okay. I'm more worried about how to pay him."

Bess put her head in her hands and stared deep into the plastic table. She didn't move or say anything. She just wished she were already back at the Academy.

Bells jangled and the door slammed open. A tall, Asian-looking man walked in. He wore khakis, a wide-brimmed canvas hat, and a matching vest bulging with pockets. His pants pockets were lumpy too. Bess wondered what could be packed into them so tightly.

He slouched up to the table. "You wanted me?"

Up close, Bess could see white stubble on his chin and a wattle of flesh hanging beneath it. He looked like the after picture from a weight loss ad. Fortunately, his body had lost hundreds of pounds. Unfortunately, his sagging skin hadn't snapped back into place. It looked like stretched bubble gum.

"I'd rather talk outside," said Bess. "You never know who's listening."

He shook his head. "State your business."

"I'm a cyber, a search and rescue specialist. I've lost the signal."

Lance shot Bess a look of concern, as if she would ever give away his criminal involvement in the matter.

"Through no fault of my own," she said.

"Are those augments pit viper?" He put a hand on her cheek and stroked the back of her eye lid with his pudgy thumb. It was a soft touch, almost sensuous. Bess smelt decay on his breath. She recoiled.

"Stand still. If you want help I have to look at you."

"They say you're a doctor."

He nodded and pulled down her lower lid to examine her eye. Out of a vest pocket he took a gadget and stuck it in her ear, not removing it until it beeped.

"You're running quite a fever. Other symptoms?"

"The wound in my back won't heal. Fatigue. My balance isn't great, and I have a headache, but my back is the worst."

Lance said, "she keeps fading in and out of consciousness. She can be standing up and then she'll almost fall over. She has nausea and she can sleep ten hours in a row."

"I can give you back your liberty." He smiled at Bess, revealing blackened teeth.

"What's your price?" asked Lance.

The doctor shrugged his shoulders, sending a wave through his over-sized vest. "This one's free, but I'm banking a favour." He turned to Bess, his watery eyes sinking into the shrinking wreck of the body that housed them.

"I don't even know your name," said Bess. "What kind of favour?"

"Nev Hann." He extended a hand with filthy fingernails.

Bess tried not to flinch as they shook. Was that gunk under his nails blood?

"Don't worry. When payback time comes, I'll find you."

Without bothering to clean the injection site, he gave her one needle right away. By the time he had explained the little bag of medicine he was leaving with her, the lancing pain in her back had dulled.

"Take off your shirt and lie on that table," he ordered.

Bess did as she was told. The plastic felt cold on her fevered belly. She heard him scissor open the dressing. Behind her, Kathy gasped.

He pulled the dressing away with one fast rip.

Bess shouted in pain and tried to get away. He held her shoulder hard against the table until she stopped thrashing. Bess gritted her teeth as something wet and rough dredged her wound.

"It's a bit mucky, but we'll soon fix that," said Hann.

Bess tried to lie quietly as his cleaning efforts transformed white gauze into a growing pile of yellow and red rags on the floor nearby. She felt something wet spray over the area and the pain lessened. The only thing she could feel then was the pressure of the wound being held closed, and the pierce-drag-pierce of thread through her skin as he sewed her up. His motions were swift and confident.

If she survived the treatment, Bess wondered if it were possible to give up the Academy and start life over unaugmented. Without the signal, she would be free to set civilian goals. Could she be happy on a farm like the women at the cattlemen's ball? No, her life was the Academy. Why even think about escape?

She tried to lift her head but the Doctor pushed it down gently. "This won't heal overnight," he chuckled. "I've given you shots to keep your body happy for a while but they won't replace the boost. You would need more extensive operations to make the change permanent."

Above her head, Lance asked, "Can you restore her natural body?"

The doctor scoffed. "It would surprise me if that's what she wants. Let's just see how she heals first."

Bess tried again to get up from the table but the Doctor held her shoulders. "Rest until the last shot kicks in or the pain will knock you unconscious."

"Then I can get up?"

"You should sleep."

"But not here!" said the woman behind the counter. Bess had forgotten she was still there.

Despite the pain, Bess twisted her head around to look at Hann. She was feeling a bit stronger. "How long will the shots last?"

"Don't worry." He patted her on the head. "I'll give you more, in time." He gathered his tools into a freezer bag, not bothering to clean them, and slipped the bag into his vest.

"Don't try to contact me." Leaving the pile of bloody cloths on the floor, he dropped some cash on the counter and scurried out.

The woman counted the money and swore. "Leave, and take your filth with you!" she shouted at Bess. Neither Lance nor Kathy moved.

Bess had so many questions to ask but Hann was gone. She slid off the table and her legs felt solid beneath her. She flexed her muscles which responded instantly. She was getting better, for the price of a favour. If she didn't pay him back, her body would break down again. And if she did?

The thought of what Hann might require made her heart flutter. Bess took a deep breath to regain focus. "Let's get out of here."

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Thanks for reading. I really hoped you liked this chapter. If you did, don't forget to give it a vote! --Thanks -- Maaja