[22]
Captain Derek took off the white bodysuit as soon as he could. Sophie joined him in the bathroom without a word.
Both greeted Doc Liz babysitting Anouk, they didn’t speak much, but Liz comprehended the situation despite the few words the Captain spoke. He kissed the sleeping baby and marched to the bathroom, grabbing his old Gravedigger uniform on the way.
Derek and Sophie undressed and held each other close in a lengthy kiss. It felt like a protest, a giant middle finger to the perfectly emotionless world of the Rebels.
“What are we going to do?” Sophie whispered as quietly as she could. Both realized every sound and move they made was probably carefully observed. Derek looked around.
“I have to speak with the crew and Ake,” he whispered back.
Sophie nodded. Both changed back into the shabby Gravedigger uniforms.
“The damn android they sent to babysit kept coming back every five minutes, wouldn’t let the little one sleep,” Liz cussed quietly, rocking Anouk in her arms.
Derek summoned his crew. By the sour look on their faces, he knew they weren’t thrilled about the new job offer.
“That ain’t an offer Cap, that’s an order,” Jimmy spewed out. Derek looked around as if an invisible enemy was hovering above them. Jimmy got the idea and nodded. Luckily, Derek had an old-fashioned paper journal and a blunt pencil in his belongings. He wrote a tiny note, folded it, and handed to Jimmy. He read it and passed it on to the guys discreetly.
“I want to visit Ake, doc,” said Derek.
***
The apartment building had a hospital floor. Each building had one, therefore each of them was a little self-sufficient unit. The hospital floor was situated right above the “Decomposing centre”.
“I had a nice chat with the hospital androids while I was there with Ake earlier. They don’t make a big fuss about saving lives. In fact, the official policy of the Rebels is - donate your obsolete body for the greater good. Euthanasia is the most common way to end one’s life here. They are encouraged to apply it at the slightest health problems. I mean, I saw perfectly fit grey folks there, coming in to get euthanised, smiles and all,” Doc Liz explained quietly, while both stood in the white elevator.
“And later they end up one floor lower, in the rotting pile of meat,” Derek said.
Captain’s and Liz’s Gravedigger uniforms drew the attention of all the beautiful, young people around them, but since the two had access cards to enter the hospital floor, nobody objected. They heard a noise of glass smashing and people screaming as soon as the two entered the hospital floor.
“Hey, hey, hey! What’s going on here?!” Doc Liz yelled at the sight of six android security guards trying to strap Ake to the bed. The green giant fought back. The two human doctors there were pointing something like tranquilizer guns at him. Another gun was lying on the floor smashed.
“We have orders from our superiors to transport this specimen to the Central laboratory for further studies,” one of the doctors replied calmly with a cold smile.
“This is my patient!” Doc Liz yelled in his face.
“But it’s a Murblard!” The doctor replied obviously confused.
“This is our Murblard! We’re taking him with us!” Derek said sternly.
“But we have orders…”
“I just had dinner with the Supreme Leader Nolan, I’m his guest. Are you questioning my authority?” Captain Derek stepped closer to the doctor, who flinched from his aggressive tone.
“Of course not… but the orders…”
Captain Derek wasn’t listening. He turned his back on the doctors.
“Ake, can you walk on your own?”
“Yes, Captain,” Ake growled. Derek and Liz helped him up and the three slowly walked to the elevator…
Are the diggers of grave going to leave the blasphemers behind
As they through the stars and skies, do wind?
Will they return to visiting the dead and giving them dignified rest?
As the sun dances from east to west.