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She stands and looks up at me and tears stream down her lovely face.
That’s when I see that her cat is lying prone. I immediately race down the terrain and meet them at the base.
“My baby kitty, my Demon from the depths of hell, my closest friend, is having trouble breathing.” Posey takes short breaths. Her eyes connect with mine and then she closes them. “Demon,” she chokes. “She…she broke her leg.”
I kneel next to her dying cat.
“We have to…we have to get her to an emergency vet. We need to use your hovercraft to get there because it will be the fastest way. Hurry, let’s—”
“We will indeed use my hovercraft, but only so we can take her to my med lab.”
“Wait…It’s ready?”
“Yes. Just this morning I received a diagnostic on my tablet letting me know the update had been completed. The med lab is ready for use on humans as well as a variety of Earth pets.” And then I scoop the frail, bleeding cat into my arms and gently carry her up a side trail and back to the main trail that leads to the front of the house. Posey follows behind, quietly sniffing and wiping at her tears.
I pull out my remote again and the ramp lowers. In minutes we’re all inside the hovercraft and we enter the med lab. Posey looks around in surprise, taking it all in. I’ve never had reason to bring her here until today.
I place the cat on a med bed. It’s chest continuing to rise and fall, confirming we’ve arrived on time. “This bed is large for a Voltare, or even a human but it will still work for the cat. I am going to have the med bed first run a simple diagnostic so we can learn what is wrong with her and then it will devise a treatment plan for us to agree or reject. Do you agree to this?”
“No pain?”
“None.”
“Then yes, please help Demon.”
I tap start and a lighted wand runs over the cat’s body. Her tiny chest rises and falls with light pants and her eyes are closed in pain. I reach out and grab onto Posey’s hand. “Demon is training the AI how to care for future cats. It has a basic database on healing this type of animal, but the more animals it heals the greater it’s knowledge, and that knowledge can be transferred. I have linked this med lab to the one my cousin uses here on Earth. Updating it to humans took no time at all, because Taygar has been using his for his own mate and her family, as well as testing it for wider use on more humans. But we are the first to try and use it for an Earth animal. The database had to be created and that took longer. But as I said, it is ready.”
The diagnostic beeps. I show Posey the treatment plan. Her eyes widen at the amount of disease and injury her animal suffers from. I am indeed amazed this creature is still alive. “Do you agree to this treatment plan? If you place your ID in the system as agreement it will then raise a surgery shield and begin the treatment. The treatment will take exactly the amount of time posted right here. At the end your animal will be cured of these ailments. Would you like to start?”
“Yes,” she quickly answers. “Wait, you said there will be no pain? And she’ll be completely healed?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s do it.”
She gives her agreement and I hold her in my arms as the translucent surgery shield covers her bleeding cat and we both stand by, waiting for the results.
Two hourslater we sit together in our favorite location—the cozy seating area next to the kitchen in front of the crackling fireplace. A fully healed Demon continues to prance around, playing with a cleaning bot and a few toys. The cat is fuller, with thicker fur and a bounce in its step. It has already eaten a huge amount of “shredded salmon in gravy” and received enough hugs and kisses to last a lifetime.
Posey can’t stop watching her cat and has a permanent smile affixed to her face. She takes my hand and squeezes it. “I have something important to tell you. You need to know the real reason why I went to that auction house. Why I really needed that money.”
“Yes,” I agree as I reach down and pet the cat again. “It is time for you to tell me the truth.”
“Wait, you knew I was keeping something from you?”
“Yes, but I didn’t work to find out the solution. My senses are heightened and attuned to my mate. I know that you have been working on your screens to not only write your story but also to devise some sort of scheme. Normally I would hack into your network or simply insist on answers, but because we are bonding, I instead chose to wait for you to tell me in your own time.”
She blows out a breath and then proceeds to tell a long, convoluted story of her stepfather’s treachery, her mother’s remarriage and the way that she supports a whole group of students in need of currency.
I latch onto the most salient issue. “Do you have hard evidence of his treachery to give to law enforcement?”
“Yes…but.”
I wait for the answer.
“I’ve kept this evidence from the FBI because they will be slow. I want justice to be swift and harsh.”
I try to remain calm. “You want to exact vengeance on your own?”
