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"I don't know about any body," I told him honestly.
"A bullet fired from your pistol was found lodged in the deceased's heart."
My own heart thudded painfully in my chest. "Where's my gun?"
"It's been removed until we can ascertain exactly what has happened. It would be in your best interest not to obfuscate, Dr Wylde. Just tell me what happened and who this man is?"
"I know who he is," the medic told us.
"Did I ask you? Did you have permission to talk? I'm interviewing the suspect. Please, refrain from opening your mouth again."
The medic huffed and this time I definitely heard the word tosser. Anderson did too because his jaw clenched. He didn't turn on the medic, though, but kept his eyes on me instead.
"Well, Dr Wylde? Who is he?"
I closed my eyes and tried to remember that moment in the stairwell. We'd been heading up to the second floor where the sound of a gun being fired had come from. Time did something strange and then we had fallen down the stairs. A shadow had appeared overhead. I couldn't remember what Bryan had been doing; if he'd been doing anything at all. Maybe he'd already been knocked out. But how did I get him back to the Orion without falling unconscious myself?
None of it made any sense.
"Dr Wylde?" Anderson pressed.
"I'm thinking."
"I certainly hope you're not thinking up a lie. It would behove you to tell the truth here."
"Who says behove anymore," the medic muttered. We both ignored him.
"Something went wrong with Time," I finally said.
"Yes, we're aware of that. That's why you activated an Emergency Return."
"I didn't." At least, I didn't remember activating one, but then my memory was malfunctioning. "Maybe Bryan did?"
"Dr Fawkes has been unconscious for some time. I hardly think, with the injuries he's sustained, that he did more than lie at your side while you killed this man. Who is he and what time is he from? Is that why Time has reacted? You killed this man and brought him with you, out of his own time?"
"Let me get a look at him," I said, trying to sit up.
"Oh, no you don't," Anderson snapped, thrusting a hand out and preventing me from rising. For a moment, we teetered on the edge of sanity; me, curled up, half off the floor; him, pressing down on my chest, trying to get me to lie down again.
And then sanity left us, and Hyde showed up for some fun.
I flicked Anderson's hand away with a swipe of my arm, growling out, "Don't touch me!" as I did it. Once I'd reached the tipping point, I used both hands to push Anderson back, causing the Chief Overseer to land on his butt on the module's dimpled metal floor. Scampering up into a crouch, now higher up than Anderson was, I surveyed the module.
Bryan was indeed unconscious and sporting a big hematoma on the side of his head. He must have got that when we tumbled down the stairs. Maybe he cushioned my landing, and that's why I remained conscious and he didn't. Testing a bruise out with a press of my finger, I was thankful for his sacrifice. If I'd been knocked out straight away like he had, what would have happened?
I noted the medic, Jones, was his name, and two of Anderson's guards. Grumpy 3.0 and Sleazy. None of the traditional dwarf names had fit him, so Sally and I had come up with that one. And then my eyes landed on the body.
I knew who it was immediately and suddenly everything came rushing back to me in one massive info dump that actually hurt. I sucked in a breath of air and cupped my head with two hands, staring down at the body of Sergei Ivanov.
"Holy shit," I said, stunned. "I actually killed the fucker."
"That you did," the medic said, sounding impressed. "Clean shot. Centre mass. Perfect. Well done, Wylde."
"Are you done here?" Anderson demanded. "Yes? Well, take your patient and get the hell out. I've had enough of your interruptions."
"Just saying," the medic said. "One bullet." He whistled. "Gotta be impressed by that."
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
