Page 66 of Sky Song
“A Rix alien.”
“She has a thing against Rix?”
“Actually, I have a thing against Rix.”
“That’s right, you did tell me once I looked nothing like a Rix defender,” he murmured, as watchful as ever.
“Mama used to work at a prison, years ago, and there she came across a Rix who used to be a defender.”
Lyle sat back at the table and propped his head on his hand. “Fascinating. A Rix defender was in a human prison on Earth? What a tale.”
She laughed a little. “Sounds far-fetched, doesn't it? But it’s true.”
“You met him?”
“No, not personally. Mama did. He took a human woman as a mate. Her name is Gemma and she used to work with mama at the prison. When he escaped - with mass casualties, I must add - Simon took Gemma with him. I know they live on Enzomora because Gemma sometimes messages mama.”
“Do you know what the Rix was in prison for?”
“Simon? Probably for killing people. He did that a lot. He nearly killed mama, and that is the beginning and the end for me. She meant nothing to him, Lyle. Like a bug. I can’t get over it.”
“He must have had a reason to commit his crimes. Rix defenders can kill, yes, but never without a reason.”
“The reason being that Simon is psychotic. No, listen, seriously, he probably is crazy, after all the experiments they conducted on him at the lab. So there’s that.”
“Interesting.” Lyle cocked his head. Hipper, having left the perceived safety of the table, cocked his head, mirroring Lyle. It was all slightly surreal. “There is only one member of the Rix defender force who spent time among humans as their prisoner.”
“Simon?” Cricket cautiously asked. Was it a game?
“The male I know doesn’t go by that name.”
“Then I’m sure it’s not the same man. There must be thousands of Rix defenders.” Really, what were the odds?
“And you said he has a human mate?”
“Simon does.”
Throwing his weight against the back of the chair, Lyle said, “That explains so much.”
“It explains zilch to me.”
Lyle sat up. “Back to the hospital. Before we do anything with the supply room door, I want to see the records your hospital keeps on patients.”
“I can’t help you, I only work at the lab.”
“Especially the lab.”
“Why, Lyle? What’s going on?”
“Aeshac, the Rix defender who sent me, thinks the experiments done on him on Earth did not stop after the doctor who performed them died.”
“What?”
“He has a reason to believe that some of the genetic material they had harvested from him was never destroyed after the death of that doctor, and got moved to Meeus.”
Cricket couldn’t believe her ears. “When you say Meeus, do you mean… Shadush?”
“I mean your hospital.”
