Chapter 11: Chapter 7: Family

Alpha 824 floated into view. We were fast approaching the little planet in the ship we borrowed from The Lancet. It was half the size of earth and had three moons which made the coastal regions uninhabitable due to the tides. I was glad for the break in my training and thought about the last few days as we orbited the planet. It was amazing how many moves security used to incapacitate enemies without threat of death.

Brandy sat beside me at the console of the ship we took for this mission. The captain had signed off on our plan to get Brandy's brother on the condition that we sold some of the goods from The Lancet. We had ship parts that could sell for a good price in the unregulated market. Brandy would handle the selling and then we would track down her brother. Brandy and I landed at the market. We paid the fee and set up a stall to sell the ship parts. Crowds of curious shoppers looked over our wares. I wore a mask as if I were sick to hide my face. We made back more than the fee it cost to set up a stall, so our venture wasn’t wasted. After the couple of hours, we spent selling parts we were ready to go to New Hamburg to pick up Brandon. 

Brandon would likely be at home which meant we would have to find a way inside. Hopefully his parents were out.  We made it to the neighborhood pretty easily. I made sure to cover my face with a face mask so the scanners wouldn't pick me out as a criminal. Brandy and I turned down Edwards Street and made it to number 154. The house was a domed circle on a small lot. There was a fence which made me hope there were no pets outside. I walked up to the steel door and rang the doorbell.

"Who is it?" An electronic voice came from the other side of the door.

Brandy leaned against the door, “It’s Brandy, I’ve come to see you, Brandon.”

“I’m not supposed to let you in if you come.” Brandon’s response was unexpected on my end. Brandy’s face didn’t register shock. She knew about the ban.

“Come on Brandon, I’m your sister and I’m here for your own good. Will you at least open the door?” The sound of locks clicking revealed that Brandon was willing to disobey his parents. The door opened. Brandon was in a wheelchair with a pad propped on his lap. He wore glasses and had brown hair instead of the blonde Brandy sported. Brandon had a hooked nose and thin lips. He was rather plain compared to his beautiful sister.

“What do you want, Brandy?” Brandon typed his question on the pad which emitted the robotic voice we heard on the other side of the door.

Brandy put her hand on the doorway, “I found a geneticist who can cure your Angelman syndrome.”

Brandon was quiet for a few moments, “Let me guess this is illegal?”

“Only for the federation,” Brandy said, “but you will have the opportunity to become more able bodied. Perhaps you could walk or learn to talk.”

Brandon sighed, “How am I supposed to go with you when you’re running from the law? What will happen to me? Will I become a fugitive?”

Brandy leaned against the door frame, “You will likely become a rebel, but you’d have the use of your legs in the best-case scenario. What do you say? Do you want to come with me?”

Brandon was silent for a while as he pondered her question. His silence was broken by the sound of a car flying into the bay next to the house. Brandy’s parents were home. Both of them got out of the car quickly.

“What are you doing here?” Brandy’s father said as he charged up the walkway. Her mother ran up the stairs, “Get out of here you’re not welcome.” Their parents tried to get in the door, but Brandon was blocking the entrance.

“Move aside,” Brandon said to his parents. They moved over standing close to me. Brandon wheeled himself onto the porch. Their parents entered the doorway and began to reach for the handles on Brandon’s wheelchair. He failed to get away before they could grab him.

“You know you’re a wanted criminal. What are you doing here?” Brandy’s father said to Brandy.

“I came here to help Brandon, which is more than you have ever dared to do.”

Brandy’s mother put her hands on her hips, “Oh really? I didn’t realize you were housing him and feeding him this entire time.”

Brandy frowned, “You guys let him be born with a deficiency because you didn’t want to genetically modify him in the womb.”

Brandy’s father spat on the porch, “It was and is illegal to genetically modify a fetus. We did the right thing, which I know you have trouble understanding.” Her parents began dragging Brandon inside the house. Brandy pulled out her gun and aimed it at her father’s head, “You’re not taking him away.”

Brandy’s father glared at her, “You wouldn’t dare.”

Her mother exclaimed, “Oh my god, Brandy this isn’t the way to solve this.”

Brandy looked at her father, “You have no idea what I’m capable of, especially when it comes to my brother.”

Brandon grabbed hold of the wheels on the wheelchair and moved himself forward onto the porch.

“Well come on Brandy let’s go.” Brandon headed for the ship as his parents chased after him. Brandy got behind Brandon’s wheelchair and ran with him to the dock. I got to the ship first and opened the door. Brandy and Brandon made it in, and I immediately shut the door. Their parents pounded on the side of the ship.

I almost felt bad for taking Brandon until I remembered they had the power to help him in the womb and didn't. Brandon shouldn't have to use a pad to talk or a wheelchair to get around.

Brandon used his pad to say,” I missed you, Brandy."

"I missed you too. Sorry it took me so long to come home." Brandy sat down in the cockpit and began the process for liftoff.

"You plan to cure me?" Brandon leaned forward in his wheelchair. Brandy turned to look at him. "I found a doctor who will try. I won't lie, they said the process will be painful."

"I'm okay with that," Brandon said. 

Brandy nodded and faced forward. She put a course in for the facility where Brandon was going to be admitted. I asked about why their parents chased us.

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"I'm not surprised. They don't let Brandon out with people they don't know and trust."

Brandon sighed, "I'm lucky to be allowed to go anywhere at all. My parents are overprotective."

"Sounds like a hard life." I could not imagine living with parents that closely monitored my activities. Vampires were independent as soon as they reached maturity.

"No, not really." Brandon moved his wheelchair forward, so he was between Brandy and I. Silence grew between us, leaving us as just bodies in the stars. The ship's display was full of stars, and I found myself remembering my imprisonment. Suddenly the cockpit felt claustrophobic. I took a deep breath and focused on the controls in front of me. I was not going to break down in front of Brandy. We made an FTL jump to make it to the planet where the doctor was. Our destination was wreathed in darkness. It was nighttime on Verda. Brandy flew us to a space station hovering over Verda. She docked the ship.

"Dr. Faust should be on the station for the moment. He travels between the station and Verda regularly." We went to the dock to get on the station. An AI waited at the airlock.

"Please state your business."

"The Sands family has an appointment with Dr. Faust for surgery."

The AI shimmered as it looked up Dr. Faust's calendar. "Okay entry permitted. Proceed to floor three."

We took an elevator to the third floor. The elevator was made of glass so we could see into space. I swallowed and closed my eyes. I nearly panicked when the elevator stopped as there was a brief weightless feeling. We got off the elevator and walked until we found an office with a receptionist.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

Brandy came forward, "We have an appointment under Brandon Sands for 16:00."

The holo receptionist checked the list then smiled at them, "You're a bit early for your appointment."

"We can wait," Brandon said through his pad.

The receptionist let Dr. Faust know we arrived early then encouraged us to take a seat in the waiting room.

There was a large holo display in the waiting room. The news was on.

"The empire has yet to find captain Sansona. If you see her kidnapper-" they showed a large image of my face "-please let local authorities know." I looked to see if the holo receptionist was watching. She was clearly processing information; her eyes had a glazed look. Granted that didn't mean she hadn't already seen my face on the news.

We waited a few hours before Dr. Faust finally called us back. Brandy asked if Brandon wanted her to push him. He said no so we both walked behind him. We entered the exam room where a large holo display and reclining seat were in view. Dr. Faust had Brandon get out of his wheelchair and helped him onto the chair. Dr. Faust turned to Brandy, "The procedure will replace his missing gene using CRISPR technology. It will be excruciating for him. After the procedure is done you can start rehabilitation to get him started on learning to walk and talk. There's no guarantee he will do either after all these years." He looked at Brandon. "Do you still want to go through with this?"

Brandon typed his response, "Yes please." 

Dr. Faust kicked us out of the room. About five minutes later the screaming started. We could hear Brandon's wails all the way in the waiting room. Brandy clenched her fists. I tried to look away from Brandy's pained face. I reached out my hand to cover Brandy’s fist to reassure her. Brandy looked down at our hands and let my hand rest on hers. Ultimately Brandon would be screaming for hours. I focused on the news. Apparently, there was no news worth watching. They were droning on about new tax laws that were being introduced which meant the poor would get taxed more while the rich could escape taxes. This kind of news made my blood boil. Brandon screamed with more fervor than before, and I found my left hand clenched at the thought of his pain. Brandy looked at me and said,” I hope it's not too late to fix his deficiency."

"Well, it's worth trying. We know at least that his DNA will be correct."

"That doesn't matter if he stays wheelchair bound and unable to speak."

Brandon's wails died off and a nurse came to get us.

"The procedure is done. You can come back now." We both got up and went to the room where Brandon lay on a chair. His skin was pale. Brandy brought his wheelchair next to the exam chair.

"Please help." Brandon typed on his pad. Brandy and I lifted him into the chair. The doctor came into the room,” Your credits posted Brandy. You're a good sister."

"I'm just trying to help my brother live a better life." Brandy began to push Brandon away from the office I walked alongside them. Brandon was breathing raggedly. I wondered why they didn't knock him out for the procedure.

We made our way back to the ship. Brandy pushed Brandon's wheelchair into place where it could be locked down up front in the cockpit. Brandon was lying back in his wheelchair. He still looked pale. 

"Do you want something to drink?" I asked. Brandon shook his head no. Brandy asked, "Do you want medicine for the pain?" Brandon nodded his head yes. Brandy motioned to me for me to get it. I went to the medicine cabinet and pulled out the pain medication. I also got a glass of water and brought them to Brandon. He ate his medicine quickly. 

"Thank you," Brandon typed on his pad.

"You're welcome." I said. Brandy was maneuvering the ship around an asteroid field. Once we cleared the field Brandy turned to Brandon.

"I can't bring you back home because you need therapy. In fact, if you go back at all it will be obvious you had a genetic modification if you do improve. You may end up needing to stay with the rebels."

Brandon nodded his head in understanding. 

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