Decker had to check his implant every few minutes, but he was able to successfully give the impression that he knew where he was going as he led the way back towards the security corridor.
As they went the woman's expression grew more and more concerned.
"Where is your supervisor's office anyway? We're not heading to the executive offices. This is, like, how you get to the exterior."
"No it isn't," said Decker, dismissively.
The woman stopped.
"Yes," she said, crossing her arms, "it is."
Decker stopped too.
"I suppose technically, sure, it is the route you would take the get to the exterior ring. It is also the route to my boss's office. It's just up here a little way."
The woman didn't say anything, but her arms remained crossed.
"Do you want to use the network terminal or not?" asked Decker. "I'm doing you a favor here. I'm just as happy to get back to my other work."
"No," said the woman. "No, I need access to that terminal."
"Then walk with me just a few more steps," said Decker, and he just started walking.
The woman hurried after him.
Decker was trying his best to stay cool. This woman was clearly suspicious. He wasn't going to be able to get her through the security corridor as easily as he hoped.
Decker found a door that looked like it led to a private office and willed it open. It did so without demanding any further security codes. Lucky.
"There," said Decker. "After you."
The woman walked inside. Decker hoped there was no one else in there as he followed. There wasn't. He tried not to look visibly relieved.
"There's no one here," said the woman, tersely, glaring at the empty desk. "Didn't you signal ahead? And this isn't a security office who are-"
Decker came up from behind before she could turn around and snapped the 'trodes to the sides of the woman's head. The door slid shut. Decker caught her in time to break her fall as she almost immediately lost her footing.
Decker gently laid her on the floor.
Sprell. This wasn't good. How was he supposed to get her through the security corridor unconscious? He didn't think the drunk excuse was going to fly over there.
Decker paced back and forth looking at the unconscious woman. This felt wrong on every level, but it was too late to start making evaluations of that kind now. The greater good probably, hopefully, demanded that he somehow get this poor woman out of this place, and basic human decency demanded that he do so without harming her...
...worse than he already had.
Decker continued to pace. The second the security drones saw him carrying someone they were going to start asking questions. He might have to just take his chances with them.
Decker heard the distinctive sound of a force-field knocking on a door. A drone. Sprell. That was all he needed.
Decker willed the door open halfway, stepped through, and then willed it shut. Two red-eyed security drones were waiting for him.
There was a beat of silence as both drones obviously subjected Decker to a silent DNA scan.
"Mr. Vega," said the drone on the right.
"Is one of you the drone that was giving me a hard time before? You all wear the same casing I can't tell you apart."
"We are not," said the left drone. "The reason you were being given a 'hard time' by security is because you were engaged in suspicious behavior. It has been reported that you were talking about secret security clearances."
"I know I'm not supposed to reveal their existence but the drone was asking me a million questions about stuff he wasn't authorized to know. You know how it is with the secret security clearances."
"There are no secret security clearances," said the drone on the right.
"Oh, oh no!" said Decker. "You're right. You're right. There is no such thing as a secret security clearance. Forget I said anything."
"There isn't!" insisted the right drone.
"Right!" replied Decker, with a knowing wink.
"What are you doing in the assistant to the assistant records manger's office?" asked the left drone.
"You're not authorized to know that," said Decker.
"I am an Alpha-class Security Drone!" yelled the left drone. "I have the highest possible clearance. There is nothing I am not authorized to know."
"Right, it's just hard to explain without telling you something I shouldn't," said Decker.
"There is no such thing as a secret security clearance!" said the right drone. It sounded a little like it was trying to convince itself rather than Decker.
"This is exactly why I had trouble with the first drone," said Decker. "Let's just agree that, for whatever reason, you're not authorized to know about my activities."
"We will not agree to that," said the right drone.
"We are responsible for protecting the station from suspicious individuals such as yourself," added the left.
Decker sighed.
"Did you even ask at the security office if there are secret security clearances?"
"No," said the left drone, "because there are none."
It sounded less confident.
"I have verified with HQ, there are no secret security clearances," announced the right drone.
"Over the open communications channel?" asked Decker.
"Yes," replied the drone.
Decker rolled his eyes.
"Listen, there are no secret security clearances. I agree with you two 100%. But if, hypothetically, we were to imagine a universe in which Saturn Starlifting had need for several different levels of top secret that were so secret the very existence of secrets of their magnitude was itself a secret, do you think it would be considered acceptable to discuss it over open communications channels? On a station where about half the habitable area is open to the public?"
The two drones looked at each other.
"So while, to reiterate, there are no secret security clearances, your method of asking about them is based on faulty logic."
"It is not my job to unravel the state of your security clearances. You have not acted outside of the scope of your existing, publicly known, clearance. I only need to verify your activities at this time. Step aside so I may look inside the office," said the left drone.
"I did warn you that you weren't authorized to know. I'm not a drone. You can't easily wipe my whole memory, in essence killing me as an individual, I'm not worried about that," replied Decker, "but if I were you I wouldn't go into that room until you've asked about it at the security office somewhere where it's not going to be intercepted. I can't stop you though."
Decker stepped out of the way of the door. The two drones stared at it, adjusting their lenses constantly.
"I will go back to the security office and verify what you have said,"said the left drone.
"I will accompany you," said the right drone.
"You will stay with the suspect," said the left drone.
"No," said the right drone. "I will go and you will stay with the suspect."
"Will with both go," said the left drone. "You will wait here," he added to Decker.
"Yeah I was going to be doing that anyway," said Decker.
As soon as the drones were out of sight Decker slunk back into the office and shut the door behind him.
It was all or nothing now. The drones would be back soon and way less gullible. There was no way Decker would be able to get her out of here in time while she was still unconscious. He'd have to wake her up and bluff.
He reviewed his memory of their entire interaction up until he knocked her out. Then it hit him. He quickly snatched the 'trodes and pocketed them.
He began to shake the woman as though trying to wake her.
"Are you okay? Hello?" Decker asked.
"Huh? Wha-?" the woman sputtered, slowly waking from the mind-blanking.
"I think you just had a hardware failure. Don't use your implant or you could trigger another."
"What's going on? What happened?" the woman asked.
"You just fell," said Decker. "Out of nowhere you were talking one second and the next you fainted."
"You think it was my implant?" asked the woman.
"That's what it looked like," said Decker. "Plus you missed that memo. I've already called in a request for a ship, we're going to get you to an off-station hospital."
"What? What about the in-house hospital?"
"They're not equipped for something like this. You don't have time to waste with medical drone diagnostics, we might not have enough time to get you to a proper cyberdoctor as it is."
"But there are cyberdoctors-"
"There's no time!" Decker interrupted. "We can discuss this on the way but you need to get going. If I had the facilities I would be displacing you onto a starship, that's how serious we are."
"Let me just tell my supervisor-"
"NO! Whatever you do, don't use your implant! You could trigger another episode like you just experienced. Do you want to get yourself killed? If you die from implant failure your mind-state will be irretrievable."
"You're really scaring me."
"You should be scared. That is the correct emotion. Now follow me."
"Right. Whatever you say."
Decker hurried her back to the security corridor before the drones returned. The door scanned them both, seemed to approve, and opened to let them through.