by Ramy Vance
Roy gave her a devil’s grin in answer.
“Good.” Abby turned to leave, but before blasting off, she said, “Come on, we need to help her.” Then she bolted into the air toward the helkates.
Anabelle was already in the air, pulling water from the ocean and freezing it while riding it upward in an insane dance. Abby soared to the elf’s side, curious to know what her new body was going to do next.
Martin hadn’t included an owner’s manual.
Abby and the elf approached the helkates. “You packing?” Anabelle shouted.
Abby held her hands in front of her, her palms opening up, the nanobots working together to form a plasma cannon in each hand. “Looks like it,” she answered.
“Beautiful. I’ll take the left, and you take right.”
Anabelle waved her hand to the left, the water beneath her surging forward as she flew at the helkates. She banked hard, looking like an insane surfer as she flanked the fighters, her hands charged with manna. Raising her arms, she guided the water into spouts, solidifying them into icicles that she fired at the helkates.
The icicles pierced five of the fighters, breaking up the formation.
The water Anabelle had been using was gone and she fell toward the ocean, arms outstretched, hoping the helkates took the bait.
A few of the fighters pulled out of the main formation and went after Anabelle. Perfect, she thought.
As the squadron zeroed in on the elf, she turned to face the ocean, drew her manna into her arms, and dove into the water. The fighters stopped, frozen with indecision.
Above, Abby was heading toward the righthand section of the formation. She aimed and fired, plasma ripping from her body, draining her of the cool feeling that had permeated her since she had transformed.
The plasma blast ripped through the remaining formation, taking out half the helkates. The remaining fighters broke away, doubling back and heading straight for Abby.
She blasted away, flying faster than she knew she was capable of. The squadron couldn’t keep up with her. She looked over her shoulder, gauging the distance between them, and went higher. She looped back over them, firing shot after shot, picking off helkate after helkate.
Anabelle sat beneath the surface of the water, waiting. She could see the fighters just above the surface. She was pooling her manna into one movement, imagining it over and over in her head, almost dreaming it up as she lulled herself into light meditation.
Now.
Anabelle burst out of the water, weaving her hands together into symbols she only remembered on a primal level. The water around her rose, taking the form of a massive whale. With its jaws wide open, it swallowed the helkates.
Once the fighters were inside the mouth of the whale, Anabelle screamed, letting manna rip from her body, changing the water into ice. Then she called down a bolt of lightning and burned the helkates to ash.
Abby was still flying, chased by a handful of fighters. She stopped suddenly. The squadron raced past her and she surged after them, grabbing one of the helkates, her hands heating up, electricity flying as she tore the craft to pieces before slinging a large section at one of the other machines.
There was an explosion, shrapnel flying everywhere. Abby wove in and out of the smoke, firing at the remaining helkates. When the smoke dissipated, she was the only one left.
She glided down to Anabelle, who was sitting on a floating sheet of ice. “Not bad for your first time out on the town,” the elf said.
“Thanks,” Abby said, excitement filling her voice. “I didn’t know. Oh, my God, that was awesome, right? That felt awesome.”
Anabelle gave Abby a high five and laughed as Abby landed next to her. “Yeah, that was pretty awesome. We might have to get you out of the lab more often.”
“GUYS!”
Abby and Anabelle looked over their shoulders to see Roy still floating on the surface of the water. “Could you give me a hand?” he shouted. “The mech is running, but I can’t say the same thing about me. Got wounded in the pre-party before you showed up.”
Anabelle’s face went white as she called up a wave of water to push them over to Roy. “Shit! Are you okay?”
Roy propped himself up in the mech and forced a smile. “I’ll live and keep looking pretty, but I’m not gonna be able to fly this thing.”
Abby was already calling Creon. “Hey, can we get…uh, is it called an extraction? Yeah…okay…great…thanks.” She turned to Roy. “Someone’s coming right now. We’ll stay with you until they get here, right, Anabelle?”
The elf looked at Roy. Abby couldn’t help noticing the way their eyes met. She ignored it. Tried to, at least. “Yeah, we’ll stay with the big ‘ol baby. Don’t want the idiot getting himself killed.”
Roy laughed and leaned back in his cockpit, grabbing a flask hanging from its side. “Good,” he said as he took a sip. “Wouldn’t want to celebrate our victory alone.”
Chapter Nineteen
After Anabelle, Abby, and Roy returned to HQ, he was taken to the infirmary. He put up a fight, arguing the entire time, but Anabelle had remained firm. Once Roy finally agreed to sit in a wheelchair and be taken away, the elf motioned for Abby to follow her.
The two walked to the cafeteria. Abby’s body had returned to normal, although the girl still looked a little flushed. “Grab something to eat,” Anabelle said as she sat at one of the tables.
Abby looked around the empty cafeteria and shook her head. “Not hungry.”
The elf pointed at the magical food-burners, which could conjure up the meal of your choice. “You were just in a fight. A real fight. You’re going to need to eat after that. Your body’s probably still high on adrenaline. And grab me some coffee, will you?”
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Nah, coffee will be good.”
Anabelle watched Abby as she went to make herself a plate. She looked as normal as any human girl. Other than being a little out of breath, she appeared healthy enough. Anabelle was still worried. She had no idea what Abby had done to herself.
Any transformation that drastic wasn’t going to come without a price, though Abby might not have thought that far ahead. Anabelle had seen how the science departments in HQ worked. Sure, everyone had a good intention. Didn’t mean that everything that came out of the R&D was safe. Anabelle had seen countless projects green-lit before they were properly tested.
Abby returned, carrying a plate of salad with a light vinaigrette dressing, and a cup of black coffee for Anabelle. She sat and picked at her greens.
Anabelle blew on her coffee, cooling it a little before she sipped the dark brew. “So, have you made any friends since you’ve been here?”
Abby’s eyes narrowed and she stiffened, forgetting her salad for a moment. “Why?”
“Just asking. You have been here for a bit, but I’ve only ever seen you in the lab. Working. I don’t think I’ve seen you talk to anyone since you’ve been here.”
Abby seemed bothered by Anabelle’s questions and returned to picking at her salad. After a few moments, she said, “There’s not anyone my age around. You know, hard to talk to folks twenty years older than you. Except Creon.”
“You know you can talk to me, right?”
Abby’s expression softened, and Anabelle hoped it was because the girl was getting more comfortable. During the ride back to HQ, Anabelle realized she’d hardly spoken to Abby about anything other than work. It was easy for her to forget to be social. She had never thought of herself as sociable.
But the transformation Abby had put herself through unnerved Anabelle. She wondered if it would have happened if she’d been more attentive to the girl’s transition. Abby was just a high-schooler, after all.
“How did you do that?” Anabelle asked. “You can tell me. You’re not going to get in trouble.”
“Uh, nanobots,” she murmured. “I injected myself with nanobots.”
Anabelle had no idea what that entailed, which made this conversation
a lot easier to have. There wasn’t a way she could judge Abby’s decision. She didn’t know if it was a mistake or not. All she could do was go off Abby’s opinion on the matter until she found out more. “So, what does that mean?”
“They’re like little computers. Millions of computers. I sorta put them in my bloodstream, and now I guess I’m just waiting to see what happens.”
“Not to sound like a mother or anything, but that sounds dangerous. Real fucking dangerous.”
It wasn’t hard to tell that Abby was embarrassed. She probably wasn’t the kind of kid who was used to screwing up. The girl’s reaction told Anabelle everything she needed to know. “You don’t know what’s going to happen, do you?”
Abby shook her head as she looked down at the table, her jaw set. “Martin said it’ll be okay. He’s monitoring me. Says if I get sick, it’s straight to the infirmary.”
“Whose idea was it to stick yourself with those nanobots?”
“Martin’s.”
“Hm.”
Abby sighed, still staring at her plate. “You’re not…mad at me, are you?”
Anabelle took a gulp of coffee then coughed as she choked. “Of course, I’m not mad at you. Just a little worried, you know…about adjusting to everything here. I know this is a lot of new for you. I’d be…” Anabelle trailed off as the girl’s body started trembling, her shoulders heaving up and down.
Abby sniffled and wiped her nose, her eyes trained on the table. Then she hunched over and started crying. Anabelle sat there, not knowing what to do. Comfort had never been one of her talents, but she did care about how the kid was doing. And now that kid was crying her eyes out, and Anabelle had no idea why. She tried to think of what someone would do in a movie.
Abby was muttering something between her tears as Anabelle crossed the table and sat beside her. She rubbed Abby’s back and hoped that would help. Abby did stop crying for a second and looked up to meet Anabelle’s eyes. “I have no idea what I’m doing,” Abby stammered. “There’s just…so much…and I’m afraid I’m going to screw up, and you’ll be disappointed with me, and Myrddin will send me back home, and my pa…and my pa…”
Abby was holding back more tears, and Anabelle knew it. “Hey, don’t worry about it,” she said. “You definitely shouldn’t be worried about me being disappointed in you. You’re doing great.”
“I am?”
Anabelle brushed Abby’s hair away from her face. “Of course, you are. And honestly, I’m like one of the biggest fuckups here. If anything, I should be worried about disappointing you. And Myrddin’s not gonna send you back. He’s put up with more shit from me than I think you’re ever going to cause.”
Abby drew herself up. “Yeah?”
“What was he like?”
Abby was still trying to blink back her tears. “Who?”
“Your father.”
Abby sighed and drew in a ragged breath. When she spoke, it was slowly, as if each word had been measured out years ago. “He was the best…best person in the world.”
Anabelle took Abby’s hand and squeezed it gently. “He’d have to be to raise such a great daughter.”
Anabelle found Roy in the medical wing. He was lying in a bed, hooked up to a variety of different machines. Other than the frown on his face, the man looked to be in perfect health.
The rest of the medbay was empty. Anabelle had never liked hospitals. Elves had no use for them. This was a uniquely human creation, and it never failed to scandalize her. Why would you gather all the sick and weak and shove them all in the same place? Humans were interesting, to say the least.
Roy glanced up when Anabelle entered the room. He waved weakly, forcing a cough that she could easily tell was fake. “How much longer do you have to live?” she asked as she sat beside him.
He groaned and held his stomach, grimacing as if the slightest movement were causing him pain. “Doctor says I’ll never make it. For all I know, I might already be dead. I’m definitely seeing an angel.”
Anabelle had heard the gamut of human flirting, from politicians who masked their cruelty with a veneer of professionalism to the crudest of civil servants who spoke as they wanted because they didn’t think of you as a person.
Luckily for Roy, he didn’t fall into those categories. There was something sweet about him being laid up in bed. It wasn’t quite vulnerability, but it was refreshing to see the human on anything other than his best game.
“Dead already?” Anabelle asked. “The great Roy already throwing in the towel?”
“I don’t know who told you that I’m going by ‘great’ nowadays, but you are very mistaken. Old-banged-up-piece-of-shit Roy might be more like it.”
Beneath his covers, one of Roy’s legs was in a cast. “Wait, were you actually hurt? I thought all of this was just for show.”
“Nothing too bad. Just a couple of fractures here and there. Man, a jolt in hyperspace is hell on the body. The healers said it could be fixed with a spell or two, and doctors said they could reframe the bone in a couple of minutes, but I opted for the old-fashioned way.”
Anabelle raised an eyebrow at the idea of not using magic or tech to heal quickly. “Why would you do that?”
“As a reminder. Let myself feel my mistakes. Helps me remember. If you’re getting healed from every gut-tearing wound, you eventually stop caring about them, and you get sloppy. After that, it only takes one bad day without a healer.”
Roy had a point. A similar lesson had been given to Anabelle during her training as a Traveler. The specifics of who gave it to her were still muddy, as were the rest of her memories. But she remembered the sentiment well enough. “So, you planning on staying up in here? A little vacation?” she asked.
“Hardly. I’m getting out tomorrow morning, but I don’t mind having to stay the night. I can catch up on some television.”
Anabelle couldn’t imagine Roy sitting in front of a television. Somehow it seemed like something he wouldn’t do. What kind of TV did a person like Roy watch? “You don’t really seem like a TV kind of person,” Anabelle pointed out.
Roy pulled a remote from under his sheets and clicked a button. A holoprojector appeared behind Anabelle and turned on. “It’s our secret. Most everyone thinks I spend all day reading military tactics or some shit like that. Which I do. But only to keep up appearances.”
Roy laughed, and Anabelle allowed herself to join him. It felt good to be around him. She didn’t often permit herself to admit that. She could have stayed with him long into the night. It had been a while since she had vegged out in front of the tube. But she had other things to take care of.
Anabelle stood and kissed Roy on the forehead. “See you around.”
“Wait. You should come back later tonight. This thing gets inter-realm cable. Also, there’s my company.”
Anabelle thought it over for a second. “If you’re still awake, we’ll see. Catch you later.”
Anabelle met with Myrddin in his office. Once more, the room had changed. It seemed that Myrddin rearranged at least once every few days. One of the perks of having such a grand control of magic.
The room was now empty of any furniture other than two comfy looking seats and an ornate coffee table between the two chairs. Two cups of tea sat on the table, and Myrddin was already sitting in one of the chairs when Anabelle walked into the room.
She sat across from Myrddin and scooped up the cup of tea. Myrddin took his tea as well, conjuring a porcelain milk pitcher onto the table before reaching out and liberally adding some to his cup. “Good evening, Ms. Chase,” Myrddin said politely.
“Evening to you too, guvnor,” Anabelle said as she sipped her tea.
“What was the reason you wanted to speak with me tonight?”
Anabelle drew in a deep breath as she prepared to speak. Playing by the rules had always been her specialty. When you played by the rules, you were able to find more loopholes than when you were outright breaking them. And it was the easiest way to get what you w
anted.
Being the maverick had been enjoyable, though. Luckily, she’d been able to walk the tightrope between the two. “I want to call your agent. We got the satellite up and running,” Anabelle explained. “The signal should be strong enough. But I don’t want it to be behind your back. I want you to be part of the conversation, just to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Myrddin stroked his beard as he waved the milk pitcher into nonexistence. “I appreciate your straightforwardness,” he admitted. “It is unnecessary since I trust you, but your gesture puts me at ease. I’d like to feel less like an antagonist in your life.”
Anabelle kept her tongue in check. Myrddin had been much more than an antagonist over the last few years. But he did seem like he was trying to cut her some slack. There was no reason to go off on him. Yet. Flipping out on Myrddin was one of Anabelle’s favorite things to do.
With another wave of his hand, Myrddin brought up a holoscreen. He searched through it for a few moments before finally selecting an option. The screen changed, displaying Sarah’s Middang3ard ID.
The room filled with the sound of a phone ringing. Myrddin must have had something like a speakerphone but better. After a few seconds, the comm clicked on. “Hello? Who the hell is this? This is an encrypted channel,” Sarah said, the room swelling with her voice.
Anabelle looked at Myrddin to see if he was going to speak, but the wizard only smiled politely and nodded. “Uh, Sarah,” Anabelle said. “My name is Anabelle Chase. We saw each other through the Dark Gate a few days ago.”
There was a long pause before Sarah spoke again. “How did you get this number?”
“Myrddin rang you up. He’s here too. You’re on speakerphone, I guess.”
When Sarah spoke again, her voice was acidic. “So, now you want to talk to me, Myrddin?”
Myrddin took his time answering. “Sarah, you disobeyed a direct order that put a lot of people’s lives in danger,” he said, his words slow and measured. “But you are still one of my agents, and your life is important. Anabelle’s worked hard to get us to speak.”
