Chapter Seven
Kes woke suddenly. His head was resting on his folded arms and he was hunched over, supported by leaning on a table. For a moment, he couldn’t remember where he was. He could hear voices and a faint chemical smell was seeping into his nostrils. Despite his nap, he felt immensely tired and wanted nothing more than to fall asleep again. But his memory of recent events was returning. Disquiet and the burden of the task that faced him forced him to a greater wakefulness. He sat up.
He was in the lab. He’d fallen asleep while reading results on an interface set into the table surface. The other scientists were getting on with their work or talking, speculating on their findings. His co-workers had either not noticed he’d fallen asleep or they’d left him alone, taking pity on him
