“Damage report, Dolph,” said Alpha. Her voice gave no hint of defeat. “Rudy, see to the net. Everyone, we’ll take a break once the net’s in, then you can rest and eat.”
And only now did she turn and look at Coll – at the dead metal of his arm, and the circle around him where the others had moved away.
She sighed. “Coll … go and see the Tocks.”
They waited in the medical bay, Coll and Fillan. Fillan had followed Coll without asking, and now he sat on the bed next to him, staring. They said nothing. After a few minutes, Fillan tentatively reached out as if about to poke at Coll’s arm.
“Don’t,” snapped Coll.
Fillan pulled his hand back. He frowned. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked.
Coll closed his eyes. “I don’t know.”
“Does it hurt?”
It was agony. It was like someone had pulled his arm up behind his back hard enough to heave it out of its socket. His stump pulsed with hot pain like a scream.
“No,” he said.
The door opened. Intrick, the dour old Tock, entered, scratching his chin. Behind him was Rieka. Intrick looked up at Coll and scowled.
“Oh, it’s you,” he said in a disgruntled voice. He glanced at Coll’s arm. “During the fight?” he asked. Coll nodded, and Intrick turned to Rieka. “Inspect it.”
Rieka stepped forward and examined Coll’s arm. She unfolded a small set of screwdrivers and poked at it.
“Rupture at the second junction,” she muttered. “Fused across.”
“Is that bad?” asked Coll nervously.
The girl ignored him. “Three points down,” she said. As she moved the screwdriver inside the arm, he felt ripples of sensation against his stump; not painful, but strange and wrong. He twitched.
“Stay still,” she ordered. He clenched his jaw and said nothing.
“Restarting…” she muttered. “Booting sequence…”
The arm spasmed, and then Coll felt it reconnect. Suddenly he had two arms again, and he breathed out in relief. The sharp pain became a low ache as his shoulder relaxed.
The girl stepped back. “That’s it.”
Intrick nodded. “Good.” He turned to leave.
“What happened?” asked Coll.
Intrick turned back. He didn’t answer at first, and when he did speak, it was as if he was talking to the room.
“Wolf is our home,” he intoned. “Wolf is our world. We belong to her. We have faith in her. Where there is faith, there is health. Where there is faith, we are as one. But where our faith is weak…” He glanced at Coll and shrugged.
“I’m not weak!” protested Coll. “I have faith. I believe in Wolf. I do.”
“You argued with Alpha,” said the old man triumphantly. “You questioned her orders!”
Coll didn’t answer, and Intrick nodded. He gestured towards Coll’s metal arm and leg. “This flaw is your fault, Coll. Because your faith is weak. Alpha may choose to ignore it, for whatever reason…” He let that hang in the air. They both knew the reason. “But only Wolf matters. Think on that. Find your faith, and Wolf will make you whole.”
He smiled, and then glanced at Fillan. His lip curled. “Check the pig boy for disease,” he said, and turned and left.
Rieka picked up her scanner and pointed it at Fillan.
Fillan watched her for a few seconds. Then he said to Coll, “Is this why the others call you Faulty?”
“Who said that?” snarled Coll, and Fillan recoiled. Coll rubbed his hand over his face. “Sorry. Yes. Yes, Fillan. Of course that’s why.”
Rieka snapped her scanner closed. “You’re fine,” she said to Fillan. She turned to Coll. “Your arm will be fine too.”
Coll sighed. “Yes, I know, if I consider my faith.”
Rieka rolled her eyes. “Don’t be stupid,” she said. “There’s a weak point in the extensor tendon module. If you twist it during exertion it can trip the signal and short out. I’ve reset it.” She shook her head. “‘Faith’. Stupid.”
She left without looking back.
Coll and Fillan stared after her.
“What did that mean?” asked Fillan after a moment.
Coll felt his elbow. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. He shook his head. “Come on, we’d better go and help with repairs.”
