Minutes ticked by with painful slowness as I fretted in the darkness over my fate. Four small holes had been drilled through but missed the locking mechanism. They had figured out where the main lock anchors were now. It was only a matter of time...

The drilling had gone silent a minute ago when a guard had called the other away, and the suspense was killing me. Approaching footsteps and bits of light filtered through the drill holes.

The roar and subsequent grinding of a hull shredder made my throat go dry. Sparks flew as the heavy-duty blade slid through the metal with minor resistance. I pressed myself into a corner to the side, trying my best to get out of the line of sight in case they tried shooting a phaser through the opening.

One cut, two, three, four... The shredder's roar faded to a hum. The rectangular section was kicked inward, hitting the floor with an ominous, resounding clang.

I held up my hands even as the outlines of stun guns entered the opening, illuminated by bright lights that cut into the darkness and blinded me as they turned in my direction. I tensed up and squeezed my eyes shut, awaiting the crippling blast of pain that would fry my pacemaker.

My death didn't particularly bother me—I'd been fighting a race against time for a decade—but if I died, Toby likely would too, and that thought filled me with a peculiar sadness. It seemed so wrong that the enthusiastic voice that had kept me company would disappear from the universe.

The lights lowered, and the pain never came as a set of heavy boots clomped closer. I opened my eyes, blinking against the glare, and finally making out the uniform of Enforcement Officers.

"Keep your hands in the air."

I sighed in relief, keeping my hands up and offering no resistance as I was patted down in a weapons check. The Officer found my wallet and checked the contents, pulling out my ID.

"We've been looking high and low for you," he informed me. "Are you okay?"

"Shaken and stirred," I admitted, making no move to stand up unless they gave permission. "Alavaster took my tech bracelet though, and it has medical software I need."

He murmured something into his radio, then told me, "They'll check for it, but you'll have to prove it's yours. Stand up. There's an Enforcement spacejet connected to the loading bay. You can rest in there."

I got to my feet. "I have the receipt with the serial number, but I'll need something to access the spaceweb to show it."

He waved me to the impromptu door, where four other officers in assault gear were waiting. I clambered through the opening, the remaining dredges of adrenaline making me a bit shaky. He guided me down the hallway.

As we passed by a particular room, I glanced in and paused. "There was a database in here, do you know where it went?"

"No, our primary concern was locating and securing everyone on board." He kept walking, watching me over his shoulder, and I forced myself to follow.

The difference between the aging passenger spaceship and the Enforcement spacejet was quite clear. The floor was a dull grey and lightly textured for optimal traction. The military-grey walls were drab but clean, and everything was functional without anything being there just for comfort or convenience.

I was waved into a small room with a desk and a couple of chairs. "Please wait in here."

As I stepped inside, the door was closed and locked behind me, which didn't surprise me since they wouldn't want civilians wandering around an Enforcement jet and getting into mischief.

I sat in a chair and stared blankly at the undecorated light grey walls. Where had the database gone? And more importantly, had Toby had enough time to clear out some old files from my pacemaker and wedge himself inside? Or would he have remained in the database instead of risking my health?

My mind spun in circles as I waited. Finally, there was a quiet knock before the door opened, revealing two officers. The man set down a pitcher of water and a cup as the woman sat on the other side of the desk.

She set a grey bracelet down in front of her and pushed a tablet toward me. "You mentioned you had a receipt?"

I eagerly moved to the closest chair and picked up the tablet. I opened the proper apps and logged in, noting the spaceweb was still out, and they were using Enforcement communication systems to link into it.

I pulled up the receipt and passed the tablet back to the lady, who compared the receipt to the numbers and letters scored into the metal.

She held out the bracelet. "Please unlock it and confirm your accounts are the ones that are linked."

"Sure." I quickly unlocked it and turned it so she could see the screen as I accessed my apps, including pulling up the email I'd sent to the Enforcement Tips group.

"Ah, you were the one who was tossed out of that casino. I remember that. If you don't mind me saying, your flight was pretty epic. Most officers in our unit watched it."

I winced. Now I was famous, and famous was not what a keyboard warrior wanted. "Yeah, I'd rather not repeat that. Or this."

The woman actually smiled, not something I'd expected from officers whose work was often just one headache after another. "Wise plan. Someone just happened to be going through those emails when yours came in."

I shrugged and poured myself a glass of water. "I couldn't manage anything else on the subnet," I said as I sipped the cool liquid.

"I'm amazed you managed that much." She paused, then asked, "Your friend who phoned about the kidnapping, do you know where he is? We didn't find him on the ship, but we aren't sure if he eluded us in the maintenance complex. There were a lot of escape tunnels under that complex."

"I...don't know," I replied truthfully. "If he escaped, he's probably in hiding and lying low. If not...there was a spaceship database in that third room. The files on it might yield some clues."

Even if they just connected it to anything that allowed internet access—spaceweb or military versions—Toby could contact me. He'd need a direct connection for a transfer though.

"An officer said you had mentioned a database, and since its absence is suspicious, we're looking for it, but haven't found it yet. But we do have some questions for you. How did you meet these men, do you have records of interactions, and how did this escalate?" She set a recording device in front of her.

"It all started when I picked up a job to find an old spaceship database..." I began, telling her about the odd paper letters after, delivering the database, helping them hook it up, and then them blaming me for damaging the AI inside and sending kidnappers after me. "—and I blew the power fuse and pretty much locked myself inside and hoped you'd find my email sooner rather than later. I'm not sure where my friend is though."

She nodded and asked a few clarifying questions. Eventually, she stood up. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll keep searching for the database. Please let us know if you hear from your friend."

"Thank you," I murmured.

The two officers let themselves out, locking the door again. With shaking hands, I immediately pulled connection cables out of my pockets. One end connected to my bracelet, the other to my pacemaker port. I ignored the small jolt and resulting heart thump as I stared at my bracelet display.

The connection allowed me to see my heart readings, including some pretty serious alerts over the past few days. I dug into the software I'd heavily altered over the years, but I didn't see any extra coding in my pacemaker...

A faint static hummed, then a voice exclaimed, "I'm back!"

"Toby?" I asked, barely daring to believe it was really him.

"Yep! It's meeee!"

Yeah, that was definitely Toby.

I smiled. "I'm so glad to have you back. I wasn't sure that would work. Are you okay?"

"It worked! Thank you!" His usually exuberant voice became oddly serious and quite concerned. "Umm, I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but your pacemaker... The software is quite outdated. I fixed the timer, sequencing, and a few connection issues, but the device is only barely compatible with the software. It's not going to last much longer."

"That's why I've been saving," I said, finally willing to admit the truth.

"I was studying all the readings—there wasn't anything else to do with no spacenet—and I don't think it's your heart. Everything is pointing to the nerve itself, like it's pinched or damaged somewhere."

"Even if it is the nerve, there's nothing to be done. Bionerves work for prosthetics, but they still aren't sophisticated enough for essential organs operated via the autonomic nervous system," I pointed out. There was a reason I subscribed to so many medical breakthrough sites...

His reply was tentative. "I have an idea for a compromise, and neither of us are going to like our parts in it."

"I'm listening..." I replied cautiously, remembering some of his other ideas had involved ringtones of vomiting dogs, exploding lightbulbs, and chasing someone with a remotely operated hotdog cart.

"Umm, well, your pacemaker isn't going to last more than three years. What if I reached out to one of the Starship AIs and asked them to help research and create a heart bionerve and insert it? No one else has the tech. And...and...if you're willing, would you possibly consider a better implant?" His words came a bit faster. "Kind of like whatever their captains have? Just so I can hear you through the static. You're so fun to hang out with, and...I don't want to lose you, even if it means having the Starships constantly hovering over my shoulder."

His ideas left me stunned into silence. One would literally be a lifesaver, but having him constantly in my head...actually, would it really be that bad? He had always turned off the link when I asked—

Toby continued rambling, "Like right now, I can't hear anything but static. I can't gauge your reaction at all. The cameras in here aren't connected to the military spacelink, so I can't hack into them. The one on your bracelet is facing the wall, so I have no idea what to say when I can't tell how my words were received."

"I can't see them helping me," I replied quietly. I'd fought tooth and nail all my life. I didn't expect anyone to give me any sort of handout, let alone something like super advanced medical upgrades. I also couldn't believe Toby was willing to contact the Starship AIs after his previous reluctance and fear.

"They would! When I was stuck back into that database, they re-applied the software update. The first time I hadn't been connected to any spaceship systems, so many files hadn't transferred over, but since I was awake this time, I was able to examine them. Most were just spaceship system stuff, but there were history and alliance files in there! The AIs all consider themselves to be a family. I'm kind of like the baby brother they don't know they have. It won't take the Starships long to discover Alavaster and Pete were taken into custody over here and try to figure out what they were doing. Once they realize I'm around, they're going to feel at least partially responsible for me, and if their coding is anything like what I'm seeing in the files I can access, they'll almost certainly be willing to help us. And...I'd like to be your brother, if you'll accept me..."

I could hear the anxiety in his voice. The fear of being rejected. I took a deep breath. I'd lost my blood brother over a decade ago and had never let anyone else into my life, let alone my thoughts. But...after mere days of having Toby around, I knew I'd miss the little bum if he disappeared.

A properly working heart and a brother to pester me?

"Pester? I'm here to help! Who else would make someone's phone create such horrid sounds and set off sprinkler systems for you? And those things weren't easy to hack into!" Toby exclaimed, growing enthusiasm coloring his voice.

I smiled. I always wanted a life with a brother to pester. With how my luck ran, I'd always known any sibling I had would be an annoying one. And I was looking forward to it. "As long as those Starships don't try to keep us onboard, and you disable the implant when I ask."

"Done!" he exclaimed, sounding positively giddy. "And do you honestly think they'd want me within their walls?" He cackled at the idea, and I laughed along with him, imagining the sophisticated and super-rational Starship AIs trying to figure out the impulsive chaos this little puppy constantly got into.

"I'm making you do all the hard work," I informed him.

"Isn't that what little brothers are for?"

I chuckled at his enthusiasm. 

Life suddenly seemed a whole lot brighter.