by A. K. DuBoff
She chuckled to herself. Wow, I’m a terrible patient.
Kira was willing to give herself some leeway, though, considering that Doctor Elric’s tests had all come back inconclusive. She wouldn’t know the extent of her modifications until Leon had a chance to complete his analysis of the new nanites. That could take days.
The thought of waiting in limbo for that long upset Kira all over again, so she closed her eyes with the hope that sleep would pass the time.
She was just beginning to doze off when a knock sounded on the window.
Kira cracked one eye open. “Colonel Kaen?”
“Good, you’re awake. It’s time we chat.” He kept his gaze fixed on her as he passed through the containment tunnel into the room.
When the door hissed open, Kira tilted her head questioningly. “Sir, I thought you’d be in bed by now. It’s late.”
“Just wanted to check on you.” Kaen stopped at the foot of her bed. “Since it’s just the two of us, no need for all the formality.”
Maybe Doctor Elric is onto something. This doesn’t sound like the colonel at all. “I appreciate you stopping by.” Not really, but Kira figured that’s what people in her circumstances should say.
“When I sent you on that mission, I didn’t expect events to unfold this way.”
“Well, a lot of things didn’t go according to plan.”
“I have to say, though, when things don’t work out like you envision, that’s when you learn a lot about yourself as a leader. I’ve learned more about myself in the last few days than I ever knew I could.”
Kira grunted. “Aside from what happened to me, things didn’t go that badly. We still took down the lab and got the woman behind it all.”
Kaen frowned. “Yes, though that was quite unfortunate she met such an untimely end.”
“I’m sorry, sir, I hadn’t intended to take it that far—she wouldn’t submit.” Kira looked down. “Not that sparing her life would have changed present circumstances, since she’d already dosed me with the nanites.”
“Speaking of which,” Kaen walked slowly along the side of the bed, “have you experienced any other transformations?”
“Nope, just been relaxing here.”
“Perhaps you should try? There’s no way to master new skills without practice.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s really advisable in this case.”
Kaen stopped midway along the bed near her knees. “Have you ever talked with other Gifted people?”
“Not really, no. Why?”
“Hmm, that’s surprising.”
Kira shrugged as much as she could in the restraints. “Valtan telepathy isn’t held in very high regard among the telekinetically Gifted throughout the rest of the Taran worlds. I’ve never had the opportunity to interact with anyone, since the TSS turned me away.”
“Well,” the colonel continued, “I’ve heard secondhand there’s a moment when someone first uses their abilities where it’s so new and scary that the power is terrifying, overwhelming. Except, using those abilities is a fundamental part of their identity. It’s only by pushing through the fear that they are able to come into their full selves.”
“Except I wasn’t born this way—I didn’t choose to be a Robus. What happened to me is the product of illegal nanotech experimentation, end of story.”
“Many advancements are an accident. History shows that those who seize opportunity hold the power.”
Kira studied Kaen. She took a slow breath, trying to seem like she was considering his words. “Maybe this nanotech will turn out to be a helpful upgrade, but it’s going to take time for me to adjust to the idea. I hope you’ll be patient with me.”
Kaen looked like he was going to say something else, his face tensing around his eyes and lips. After five seconds, he nodded. “Of course. Sleep well.” He stiffly exited the room.
What in the stars is going on with him? Kira sunk into her pillows. And what does he want from me?
— — —
Something was most definitely off. Sandren watched Kaen storm out from the infirmary after his brief chat with Kira. The man I’ve served under for the past decade wouldn’t stop by just to check in on someone, no matter their condition. He’s always been strictly business. Unless…
Sandren would never get answers watching from a distance. He walked through the darkened infirmary to the quarantine area at the back. Kira’s eyes were closed, but she was restless on the bed.
“Kira?” he asked softly through the comm at the window.
Her eyes flew open. “Who— Oh, Major. What are you…?”
“I saw Kaen was here. May we speak?”
“Yes, please!” She sat up in the bed as much as she could.
Sandren went through the tunnel and approached her. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine, sir. No other random transformations.”
“And what did Kaen want?”
Kira bit her lower lip. “It’s strange. Multiple times today, he’s talked about me embracing this change. He wants me to learn to control it.”
“What you told me before is looking more likely,” Sandren admitted.
Kira looked him in the eyes. “If he’s listening to this…”
Sandren submitted to her telepathic link. “Clearly we’re on the same page here.”
“Do you have a plan?”
Sandren shook his head. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Do you think he’s reporting to the same boss as Monica was? If they were working together, it would explain how she got away.”
“A connection is likely. But what that connection is, I’m not sure yet.”
Kira frowned. “I really don’t know what to do about these modifications.”
Sandren wasn’t sure if the statement was genuine or if it was for the good of Kaen potentially listening in on their conversation. “The decision is yours, Kira, assuming they are able to come up with a countermeasure. If you want to keep the nanites, we’ll adapt—provided they don’t pose a security or health risk. If you want to go back to the way things were, no one will question it.”
“I’d be lying if I denied there being some appeal to being physically powerful like the others on my team.”
“Brute strength isn’t the only kind of power.”
She shrugged. “I know. But I am out in the field. It’d come in handy.”
“You’re actually considering this?”
“Something Kaen just told me rang true. Any change is scary, but I don’t know what I can do or how this will affect me unless I give it a try.”
Sandren nodded. “As long as you’re under my command, I’ll support whatever decision you make. We can seal off one of the sparring rooms and you can test out your new form, if you’d like.”
Kira cracked a smile. “Thank you, sir.”
CHAPTER 6
The MTech lab looked untouched since Leon had last seen it three days prior, with the exception of the Mysaran landing craft no longer occupying the employee parking lot. The Guard landing shuttle set down at the end of the lot closest to the lab.
“It’s so weird. I feel like I was just here,” Ari jested.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Leon hopped out of the landing shuttle and stretched.
It’d been a long day of travel on the Raven and it felt great to be on solid land again. Only three days and I’m already missing being planetside. Not a great start for his new Guard career in space.
The soldiers opened up the back of the shuttle to prep it for their mission. Though the craft wasn’t a cargo vessel, the equipment Leon was after should fit in the rear cargo area that was typically reserved for mission-specific tech and armaments. Each team member wore standard body armor and carried a multi-handgun, but with any luck, even those wouldn’t come into play.
Wearing armor felt strange to Leon after spending his whole career in either business clothes or a lab coat. He had no interest in being in the middle of combat, but he’d certain
ly rather spend time in awkward attire than have a gaping hole through his chest.
“You don’t think anyone from MTech has come back here, do you?” Leon asked the group.
“No signs I can see from here,” Ari replied. “If you’re wondering about why we’re wearing armor, it’s because we never go anywhere unprotected. We’d be in powered armor if we thought we were going to face opposition.”
“I do have to say, it’s much nicer here on Valta when I’m not being shot at,” Nia said with a grin.
Kyle rolled his eyes. “You’re not kidding anyone, Nia. You love a good firefight.”
She placed a hand on her hip. “A good firefight, yes, which is one I’ve already won. If the enemy is still shooting, or hasn’t even started yet, there’s nothing good about that!”
Ari rolled a hovercart out of the shuttle. “I think most people would say they’re in it for the win.”
“Except maybe the Mysarans,” Kyle replied. “Or it seems that way since they never do.”
Leon frowned at the man. “Let’s just focus on the mission.”
The soldier straightened. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.”
“Look, I know Elusia is in the Empire now and Mysar is still on the outside, but Valta has equal ties to both worlds. I went to grad school on Mysar. I have nothing against the people themselves,” Leon explained.
Nia patted Kyle on his shoulder. “In other words, we should all try to get along and be civil. Come on.”
The four of them traversed the path from the parking area to the ruined entryway of the lab. Plastic sheeting was affixed to the building frame to seal the openings where windows had been shot out during the firefight. Stone fragments and glass shards littered the walkway and flowerbeds around the entrance.
“Glad I wasn’t in the middle of this,” Leon murmured.
Ari shrugged. “It wasn’t as bad as it seems from this aftermath.”
“Still, I’m looking forward to getting back to our roots with covert entry,” Nia said.
“With you there!” Kyle agreed. “Darting through the shadows, hacking into computer networks.”
She smiled. “That’s the life.”
When they reached the plastic sheeting, Ari produced a utility knife from a belt pouch and sliced a slit down and along the bottom edge to create a diagonal flap. He slipped through the opening with the hover cart and activated a light mounted to the front of his tactical vest.
“Yeah, doesn’t look like anyone’s been in here,” he announced. “Come on in.”
The rest of the team followed him.
Kyle crouched at the entrance and set a small electronic device on the floor.
“What’s that?” Leon asked.
“Sensor,” the soldier replied. “If anyone comes inside, we’ll get an alert.”
“That’s rather handy.” Leon led the way toward A Wing on the right side of the lobby.
The A Wing security arch had fared better than the one to B Wing, but with the power disconnected from the building, it was just lifeless ornamentation.
Leon clicked on his own chest light as they approached the double-doors leading into the wing, which were still propped open from the prior infiltration.
The stark white corridor was downright creepy in the dark stillness. Leon listened for anything moving in the shadows, but the place was empty. He tried to shake the feeling that they were being watched—well aware of how many security cameras had been watching him every day at work before—but he knew that was silly.
They reached the lab where Leon had conducted the bulk of his research before the Guard raid. With a pang in his chest, he saw the family pictures still on his coworkers’ desks.
“When do you think people will be allowed to gather their things?” he asked.
“Tough call,” Nia replied. “The Guard has been talking with MTech about what went on here, but I don’t know the details. I imagine whenever they reach an accord, MTech will get the facility back, and it’ll be up to them who they let in, if anyone.”
“Tribeca was counting on this lab being part of the local economy.” Leon shook his head. “Shame it had to be mothballed.”
“It could still re-open,” Kyle pointed out. “If the Guard determines that MTech isn’t corrupted at its core, then the honest workers like you will be able to get right back to what they were doing—the good parts.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Leon set aside the thoughts about his former coworkers and started running through his mental inventory of the items they needed to retrieve. “It’ll be a tight fit on that cart, but I think we can grab everything in one trip.”
“Good, because I can’t say I’m fond of this place.” Nia poked at the arm of a task light mounted to the island workstation at the center of the room.
“All right, we need to grab this bioconverter,” Leon said as he walked across the room with a freestanding piece of equipment a meter and a half tall and a meter wide and deep. “It’s heavy.”
Ari leaned against the device and it barely rocked up on its back edge. “Yeah, no shite.”
“We’ll get it together.” Kyle got situated on one side with Ari on the other.
With a grunt, the two men scooted the device forward a centimeter.
“Okay, so it’s not exactly mobile,” Ari wheezed.
“Sorry. I can help,” Leon offered.
“No, no, we’ve got it,” Kyle said as he and Ari muscled the equipment forward again. They tipped it on its back edge to get the front over the lip of the hovercart. “1… 2… 3!”
They heaved it up, the cart dipping momentarily while the hover controls adjusted to the weight change. The two soldiers slid the bioconverter to the back of the cart to make room for more.
“Good job. What else?” Nia asked.
“You’re not going to like this, either.” Leon directed the three soldiers through the lab, grabbing two more oversized items and a number of smaller tools he figured would be easier to take rather than procuring elsewhere. Frankly, he didn’t care if MTech ever got the equipment back, even if it was legally their property.
When the hovercart was loaded down, Leon made a final circuit of the room to make sure they had everything he’d need.
His gaze rested on his office. “Mind if I grab one more thing?”
“If it’s small and you can carry it yourself, go for it,” Ari said.
Leon jogged over to his desk. Placed on the corner was the statue he’d received as a graduation gift from his parents. The metal planet sat atop a square pedestal. While it had no commercial value, the gift had come at a time when Leon wasn’t sure where life would lead him, and his parents had said the whole universe was his for the taking. He’d attached those words to the statue and had vowed to find himself the life he’d dreamed about. Even though that life was now in space, he’d still have this planet to remind him of home.
“That it?” Ari asked.
“Yep, ready to go.” Leon nodded.
“Okay, let’s—” Kyle cut off. “Well, that just figures.”
“What?” questioned Nia.
Kyle consulted a screen mounted to the underside of his wrist. “We have company.”
CHAPTER 7
Leon swore under his breath. The last thing they needed were trespassers giving them a hard time while the Guard team tried to leave the lab with a cart full of irreplaceable equipment. “Who’s here?”
Kyle reviewed the details on his wrist read-out. “Looks like vibration signatures for two individuals on the sensor I left by the front door.”
“Not an army, at least,” Nia muttered.
“No, but that doesn’t mean they can’t hurt us,” Ari replied, readying his handgun on the sonic stun setting. “Let’s move the cart closer to the entry and find a secure location to leave it. Then we can see who’s out there.”
Nia nodded, drawing her own handgun. She led the way down the hall with Kyle while Ari pushed the hovercart.
When they neared t
he door to the lobby, they turned off the lights on their armor.
“Let me get the cart,” Leon suggested. “I haven’t practiced much with guns.”
Ari nodded and stepped aside for Leon to take over. The soldier drew his weapon and shimmied around the cart to join his teammates.
“Any guesses on who they might be?” Nia whispered.
“Could be anyone from MTech officials to curious locals,” Kyle replied. “MTech is more likely, but I really hope it’s the latter.”
They ran their hands along the wall for guidance in the near-blackness. Half a dozen meters from the exit, they directed Leon to park the cart.
Nia, Kyle, and Ari crept forward down the hall. They gestured for Leon to stay back, but he was curious to see who’d come to the lab. He followed them forward with his handgun at the ready, hoping he wouldn’t have to use it.
Ari passed by the others and pressed his back against the side wall. “All right, I can make out two figures, as expected,” he whispered to the team. “Doesn’t look like they have on armor—or, at least not powered armor.”
“We can easily take on two, if we have to,” Nia whispered.
“They’re just standing in the middle of the lobby talking,” Ari relayed. “I can’t hear them from here.”
“Can you listen in using the sensor?” Leon asked.
Nia shook her head. “We could in our powered armor, but we don’t have the right comm setup here.”
“They’re still talking,” Ari reported.
Kyle looked back over his shoulder to Leon and Nia. “Do we wait it out or announce ourselves?”
“This place is under a Guard-instituted lockdown, so we have every right to be here. I say we step forward but leave the cart for now,” Nia replied.
“Sounds good to me.” Kyle stood up. “Wait here until we give the all clear, Leon.”
Leon nodded, pressing his back against the side wall. He inched forward with the soldiers until he had a view of the lobby and then stopped to observe.
“Hello!” Kyle called as he turned on his suit’s light. His weapon was drawn, but he had it pointed down. “What can we do for you?”
