Wendigo Read online

  “That will work out fine. You three will even be able to work out together on days you’re not working with me. I’ve got some more good news. Your eye arrived just before I came here. You can have it put in whenever you’re ready.”

  “I’m excited.” Troll said with a charming smile.

  “Good. Let’s use that energy to get in a great workout. You two watch while I work with Troll and once I have him going, I’ll get each of you started.”

  Risa got up close to Troll and showed him the muscles she wanted him to work first. They started with the stump that protruded from his right shoulder. She talked him through what needed to be done and he was a quick study. Moving to Hob, she worked with him and then Urisk was last.

  Her goal was to have them in top shape, like the other demons were, from head to toe. Once they worked out one body part, she moved them to the next. They worked through their whole body and Troll had a muscle cramp. She rubbed and massaged to get his muscles to relax. Someone growled so she looked around.

  Win stood there staring at her. “Are you jealous, Win?” Troll asked looking gleeful. It was good for his pride that someone would be jealous of him.

  “You’re getting a rubdown from an attractive woman. Who wouldn’t be?” Win asked. “How did your first day go?”

  “You’d have to ask the Doc.” Troll replied.

  “All three of them did well. This workout will prepare them for what’s coming.” Risa explained.

  “I’m going back to Doc’s office with her.” Troll added.

  Win raised his brow in question. “His eye came in a little while ago. We’re going to see if we can get it in today.”

  “That’s exciting. One step at a time and before you know it, everything will be done.” Win encouraged. “I’d better get back to work.” He turned and walked away.

  Risa stared after his retreating figure. She wondered why he’d come by here. Maybe he really was trying to encourage Troll, but if that were true, why’d he growl at him?

  “We’ll go get a shower and then we’ll be by your office.” Troll declared.

  “I’ll see you guys soon.” Risa said as she headed back to her office. Cirrus was in his office doing whatever it was he was supposed to be doing.

  She was his boss, but no one had enlightened her and she was so unhappy to see him she hadn’t asked. Now she was too embarrassed to ask. Opening her drawer, she got the package out and unpacked the eye. Disinfecting it, she set it on her desk to dry. Reading over the instruction that were sent with it, she was sure she could get it in and operational today.

  The three guys knocked on the door and she opened it, letting them in. They made their way to the patient room most often used the most. Troll hopped up on the bed while Hob and Urisk sat in the chairs nearby.

  “Here’s the eye. It looks like your other eye being the same blue. It can do what a human eye does, but it sees even better. You will eventually learn to control its additional abilities. It has night vision capabilities, heat sensors, and long distance viewing like a scope would.”

  “Holy shit, that’s cool.” Hob exclaimed.

  “It is, but it will take some time to learn to use it properly. For now, you’ll have to adjust to wearing it. You may find it gets very uncomfortable and you may need to remove it. That is why we’re not hooking it up right now. Once it’s settled and the other parts come, we’re giving you the nanonets.”

  “Nanonets? I thought the little things were called something else.” Troll said.

  “They are when they have different uses. It’s even possible they may mutate and do other things. That’s why I’m keeping a close eye on things. Right now nanonets are made to grow your flesh around your new parts and make them fully integrated as a part of your body. You’ll be able to direct your arm, leg, ear, or eye automatically just like any other body part. It will be amazing.”

  “I don’t know what to say Risa.” Troll whispered, his good eye shiny with liquid.

  “Say you’ll give this your all and live life to its fullest. Once you’re fully functional, we’ll start on Hob and Urisk. They’ll benefit from everything you go through. You’re helping others by doing this. We have seven other demons that can be helped with this. You three are volunteer test subjects, but all the information looks great. These nanonets may be adjustable to help heal scars and other damage. The possibilities are endless.”

  “It’s hard not to be excited when you talk about it.” Hob admitted.

  “I’ll do everything I can to make this a successful endeavor. You’ll be nearly like your old selves.” Risa claimed. She was excited. This was the kind of work she’d always been meant to do.

  She’d been working with the nanonets to perfect them. Brentwood robotics had sent them and told her to use them as they were. As if she wouldn’t go through them and make sure they were perfect. Ha! Risa had found some small inconsistencies and fixed them. These guys were too important to be out of commission due to any unnecessary problems. The repaired nanonets were multiplying as much as they could within the small area she was keeping them.

  Once she was ready to inject them, she would give some of them specific programming for the part she wanted them to work on. A few would be free so she could observe how they might mutate and what they might do. She also added a kill switch so no harm could be done. Risa didn’t want any little buggers going to the dark side and doing bad stuff inside her demons.

  “Okay, it’s in place.” Risa said. “How does that feel.”

  “Weird, but I’ll get used to it. So it won’t work until I get the nanonets?” Troll asked.

  “That’s right. They’ll grow nerves that will interact with the eye and take control of it. They’ll also move tissue around to where the eye will be fully connected. The nanonets will power your new parts so theoretically they should never need repair or added energy. We’ll keep them in place since they’ll be powering, constantly adjusting, and repairing your robotic parts.”

  “Theoretically?” Troll asked.

  “Shit happens. There are limits to what any of the parts can do and if the limits are exceeded, they can break. The standards for these parts are high, but any part can have issues. These are the first of their kind. I do have a kill switch in them just in case. I’ve tried to plan for every possibility.” Risa explained.

  Troll smiled. “I’m ready. I think I understand the possible problems and I’m ready.”

  “The other parts will be arriving soon, meanwhile, we will be working on getting you guys in the best possible condition.”

  “We’ll work on our own on the days we don’t see you.” Hob offered. “I just have to know, why nanonets?”

  “The name?” She asked and he nodded. “They form a net to cover the area that requires adjustment to the new part. There are so many other similar mini machines out there both real and fictional. They needed a name that was different.”

  “Makes sense. We’ll let you get back to work and we’ll see you in two days unless something else comes in.” Troll said.

  Risa watched them go before returning to her office where she sat back in her office chair thinking about things. It was hard to get used to the odd names the demons had. These three had monster names even though they were handsome guys. Troll, well that was a monster that often lived in a cave or under a bridge. They could be either good or evil, but they were usually considered ugly.

  Hob was usually considered an elf or hobgoblin. Urisk was a mythical household spirit. Neither truly what Risa would call a monster, but they had a lot of demons to name so they ran through a lot of names.

  There were other demons with colorful names she would help soon, but right now she needed to concentrate on the three she was working with. They would test these new body parts and learn their limits. Risa would help them adjust and keep careful records of everything that happened. To honor the agreement with Brentwood Robotics, she would give them copies of all her test results. This would further their program an
d help others get robotic prosthesis sooner.

  Risa felt damn good about everything happening in the program to help demons missing limbs or having other problems. She felt proud that she’d caught the mistakes in the programming of the nanonets even though it had been minor. It was something she’d not be sharing with Brentwood since adjustments weren’t authorized. The whole plan made her feel like she was empowering her demons and accomplishing great things for them.

  It was past her usual lunch time, but she was famished. She put all the information on her recovery program in her safe. Then she locked her office too. The information on this program was valuable and Brentwood Robotics wouldn’t be impressed if the information got out. Once everything was secure, she headed out to the cafeteria.

  The aroma of good food hit her in the hallway. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. The dining room was nearly empty so she got her tray and whatever she needed and sat near the door. This meal was all about eating quickly and getting back to her work. Once she was done, she dropped off her tray and headed back to her office.

  Cirrus was standing in front of her office door when she entered medical. Suspicion washed over her. She didn’t like him and she certainly didn’t trust him. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, Risa, sweetheart. I was looking for you. Would you like to eat supper together tonight?” Cirrus asked.

  “Did you hit your head? Or maybe you’re trying to distract me? I don’t like you. I have never liked you and I can’t imagine ever liking you.”

  “You wound me. Don’t you like me just a little bitty bit?”

  “Cirrus, you know the answer without asking. Unless you have an important question related to medical, don’t come to my door. As far as personal questions go, don’t ask them. There is nothing personal between us.”

  “Yes, Ma’am.” Cirrus answered, but he smirked showing his feelings really weren’t hurt and something else was going on. She wasn’t stupid enough to fall for his attempt to put her mind elsewhere.

  Risa knew she needed to watch Cirrus closely, because he was up to something. She made a note to tell Win or Lu what she’d seen and let them watch him. Cirrus just wasn’t someone she wanted to watch or be around. The man set her teeth on edge and made her skin crawl.

  Now that she was back in her office, she took a deep breath and released it. Calming down, she took a look around to see if anything was disturbed. Cirrus wasn’t a man it would be smart to trust. Nothing seemed out of place which was almost disappointing. If she’d found something to report, maybe she could get him sent away.

  Risa wrote in her journal about everything going on with those who would be testing out the robotics. Once she had everything written in her journal, she pulled out the paperwork and filled out the forms to get Troll started.

  Hob and Urisk were next. Once she actually had the parts in place, the paperwork would multiply. It was worth it because these parts couldn’t be bought at any price. She’d gotten them in on the testing because of contacts she’d made when she worked with Origin. There’d been no connection between Brentwood Robotics and Origin except Origin had given them some information on the nanonets in exchange for some new equipment.

  It was one hand washing the other, not the way dealings worked if companies were owned by the same parent company. That’s why she’d decided they were independent of each other. Origin had dealings with dozens of companies from food suppliers to utility companies.

  They had an aggressive vice president who made deals with other companies that benefitted them a great deal. Perhaps it was the man’s extreme good looks or confidence that made the deals so favorable, she wasn’t sure.

  Risa finished with her paperwork, Cirrus at her door earlier still on her mind. She would see someone at supper tonight to pass the information on to and then she could put it out of her mind. Filing all her work after she scanned it, she locked everything up. She sent the application for Troll to them using T. Hall as the name.

  They would get the medically needed information, but nothing personal. Tomorrow she would send in Hob’s information and then Urisk. She’d already created files on each of them and she had their exercises worked out to help them adjust to the robotics in the best way possible.

  Risa had asked for a physical therapist, but Lu had denied the request. “Anyone working that closely with a demon will know what we are.” Lu had insisted.

  She didn’t understand why professionals with good reputations couldn’t be trusted to keep quiet. It didn’t matter what she thought, Lu made the decisions and she had to do her best working around them. Risa was an adequate physical therapist so she would do what needed to be done.

  With everything dealt with to her satisfaction, she headed to the cafeteria. Lu hadn’t bugged her anymore about singing and while she was surprised, she was also relieved. It allowed her to do the job she was here for. Risa could admit it had surprised her, but that was okay.

  Maybe she should have been expecting the other shoe to drop, but she had put it all out of her mind. Once she got her tray and sat down, Stef and Lily joined her. “Hope you don’t mind? Lu has been busy and he asked me to join you for supper and let you know a few things.’

  “Don’t shoot the messenger? I’m more evolved than that.” Risa said.

  “Thank goodness. Some of these demons aren’t. You may change your mind when you hear what I have to say.” Stef giggled nervously.

  “When I have adhesive bandages that need to be pulled off, I want it removed fast.”

  “Okay, I get it. We’ve got a concert in two weeks. It’s in California near where you lived. Lu requires your presence, but he’s willing to reward you. You can stay at your home if you take a demon of his choice with you to guard you.”

  Risa couldn’t help, but think of her home. She felt a wave of homesickness roll over her. Damn! What did it matter since he was going to require her to go anyway? At least this way she got a reward. It had been six months since she’d been home. Her mind went home and she briefly enjoyed the thought that she’d soon have a chance to go back.

  It was obvious Stef was waiting for an answer. “He knew I had no choice. How can you stand that manipulative ass?” Risa wondered.

  “I’m in love with that ass. It’s true that he twists things sometimes to get what he needs, but it’s for his demons, not himself. Lu is selfless, even if he pretends not to be. His demon brothers are everything to him and they’ve been through so much. They deserve to have better lives and if he can get that for them, he’ll do anything.”

  “Excuse me if I prefer to resent him.”

  “I wouldn’t think of interfering.” Stef said with a laugh. “I guess I’ll tell him you reluctantly agree.” Stef picked up her baby and headed out waving over her shoulder.

  “Damn Lu!” Risa whispered, but she wanted to see her home and check on things badly enough she decided it was worth it.

  It was time to check out her wardrobe and see what she needed. Her busy schedule had just gotten busier. Now she needed to get the robotics done before the upcoming trip, provided they arrived before they left. As far as Risa could tell, nothing was ever easy for her. She finished her supper and dumped her tray before she went back to her room.

  Risa had a stereo and she had a television with some kind of cable. She just didn’t watch much TV and she preferred to get online for her entertainment. The problem was her internet was severely restricted and all her orders, emails, and requests went through security before they were sent on. It was that way for everyone except some of the demons like Lu.

  Once she was in her room with the door locked, she went to the bathtub and turned the water on hot. Adding just a cap of scented bubble bath, she was looking forward to soaking in it. Risa got out her nail care kit and her deep hair conditioner. She also had some stuff for her skin. It was time to pamper herself. Now she went and got some wine, she had almost forgotten it.

  The water was hot enough it burned a bit before she adjusted it to it. She
sank all the way under the water and started to feel her muscles relax. She wet her hair and massaged in her favorite deep moisturizer and put a shower cap on to keep the heat in.

  Pouring a glass of wine, she took a drink before she got a skin scrub and rubbed it in. She rinsed it off and washed her face with a good cleanser and then she put a moisturizer on her face and just left it on. Her nails were last. Working them over, she rubbed a moisturizer into her nails too. No nail polish, not while she had to work with patients. It was something she might do once she was working with the band.

  Risa soaked until the water turned cold then she got out and took off her shower cap. She stepped into the shower, turned the water on and set the temperature to comfortable. She washed her hair to get out the excess conditioner and washed her body too. Once she turned the water off, she dried and went to bed naked so her body could breathe.

  It had been a long time since she had done anything feminine and it made her feel good. She needed to order some clothes, but if she ordered it too soon, it would be on her porch for a week. Someone would probably steal it since it was obvious when she wasn’t home for long stretches of time. Risa wouldn’t worry if she’d only been gone a week or two, but six months was a long time. Neighbors might think she was dead or just not coming back.

  There was home security and most of her bills came out automatically so they would come if the alarm went off. Packages left on the porch could be taken without setting any alarms off. Perhaps she’d order things two days before they left. They would get there when she did or soon after.

  It surprised her that Lu wanted her to sing with the band, but he hadn’t had her practice with them. She didn’t even know what songs he wanted her to sing. Risa would out wait him and if necessary learn the songs on the plane ride home.

  Checking out the shows on TV, she didn’t see anything she liked. If she went to bed right now, she’d be up too soon. She found a simple card game and played for an hour. Now what? Her evenings were boring and while she had made some friends, none of them were the kind to hang out in the evening after work with.