EchoInTime

by Viola Grace

  The doctor went from pale green to ash grey with a blue tinge. "How long do we have?"

  "The Guardsmen and the force of Udell base are on their way. I would start contacting your talents now."

  Chapter Seven

  Alara tried to keep her face straight as Brodin flicked the cuffs off his wrists and pried the collar from his neck. She stepped between him and the peacekeepers when he bent to remove the ankle cuffs. The moment he was free of the restrictive bands, he took a few steps toward the doctor.

  "We need to get to the surface to contact my people. If they don't hear from me within the next ten minutes, this is going to get a lot more violent than it needs to be." He wrapped his arm around Alara and pulled her through the crowd of confused peacekeepers.

  "What kind of signal are they waiting for?" The facility head followed closely.

  "A verbal confirmation. Oddly enough, I don't think they trust you."

  Alara wanted to laugh, but she was too busy viewing the future of the hallway she was in. Focussing on where she put her feet was an afterthought. The traffic of Guardsmen in their tight and colourful uniforms was very distracting.

  "What do you see?" Brodin's voice was low.

  "Guardsmen, everywhere. They are going to scour the facility after we are gone."

  "I thought you only saw your own future."

  "So did I. This is all new." She rubbed idly at her monitors. "I wish I could get rid of these things."

  "They will be removed as soon as we get to my shuttle. We have healers standing by."

  She whispered, "What about Isaro?"

  "You knew she was one of us?"

  "There are not a lot of aliens here. For a Selna and a Dheman to show up in the same week defies likelihood." She chuckled.

  "Isaro has already made her escape. She is around here somewhere." Brodin chuckled. "Alomar will find her."

  "Her partner?"

  "And her husband. He has an ability to find her no matter where she hides or what she looks like."

  She chuckled. "That is a handy skill, especially since she doesn't seem the type to stay in one place for very long."

  Brodin kept his arm around her as they entered a stairwell and made their way upward.

  The doctor behind them was gasping, "We have a lift system."

  "I would rather not be in a lift with you in case your folk decide that you are expendable."

  Alara peeked behind Brodin to watch the doctor pale again. She grinned brightly at him. "Walking is good for you. Great for you if the power goes out."

  He nodded and scurried up behind them.

  "Where did the peacekeepers go?"

  "I believe they are bracing for the attack. It won't do them any good. Fury and Beast will be in the first wave. Finder will be in the second wave with Frost. Pax and Guardian will sedate anyone in the vicinity after the first shock has settled."

  "You have this all worked out?"

  "We had it worked out before I floated in here on a crippled ship. Fixer will have my hide for what I did to that poor piece of metal, but it was all in pursuit of freedom for the talents of Dalpha."

  "Did you know about me?"

  He looked down and grinned. "Yes. My folk will be relieved. We have never considered Dalphaic genes before. Your folk are a surprisingly close match."

  "Dhema needs women?" She snickered. "I thought your folk didn't go for blending genes?"

  He was half-carrying her up the steps and the moment that she gasped and stumbled, he swung her into his arms. "We are a pragmatic people. There comes a time in every species life when it has to decide whether to stay as it is or take a step forward. My family is up for stepping forward."

  Being carried like an infant was a little distracting, but she had to ask. "I thought your folk didn't like talents either."

  "We don't, but we don't enslave them. When my talent developed, I was already a General. I informed my superiors and they placed me with the Sector Guard. Your people will be given the same options."

  "What if they don't want to leave?"

  "They will be monitored and checked on. If Dalpha refuses to allow them to be paid for their work, the planet will be sealed from all import and export as well as visitation."

  A cold chill ran through Alara, counteracting the heat of his arms. "You would lock the planet?"

  "It is not a permanent solution, but when Dalpha applied for entry to the Alliance, they agreed to abide by the regulations that are in place throughout. That means equal treatment for their citizens, no matter their talent or its lack."

  They were on the upper level, the natural light streaming in around them.

  "Director H'lworth, where is your communication centre? I need to send the message if you want this building to remain standing."

  The gasping doctor pointed down the hall to the left and Brodin set Alara down next to the door while he slammed his fist through the lock.

  The director stood with her as Brodin smashed his way through the room until he reached the communication station. Several staffers made a run for it when her Dheman snarled at them and she waited with the director while Brodin made his call.

  "You won't survive long in space, talent J'tak." The director whispered to her across the torn door of the com centre.

  "I won't be in space, Doctor." She refused to allow him his title when he would not use her given name.

  "You will be dead in no time, talent J'tak."

  Alara started to laugh. She couldn't help it. She collapsed under the weight of her amusement.

  The director was colouring with fury. "Why are you laughing?"

  "I have seen over two hundred futures from today onward. I may not always come home without damage, but I always come home."

  He hissed, "Your home is closed to you. This world will no longer welcome you after what you have brought to us."

  She wiped her eyes and sobered a little. "I have not been welcome since my power flared up. I grew up knowing that the people of my own planet, my friends in school and my employers despised me, they just didn't know it. Your little threat has no purchase in my heart. Get bent."

  The director spluttered and was going to lunge for her when she stood up and moved out of his way. He turned and kicked out at her, but she knew where he was going to be and he never made contact.

  It was a peculiar dance, but Alara managed to keep away from the director until he slumped in exhaustion on the floor.

  A slow rhythmic clapping came from the doorway. Brodin was grinning at her. "I was going to help, but you had it well in hand."

  "Thank you. What is the next step?"

  "We leave and remove to the orbital shuttle so that you can get fitted with a uniform and get medical care for any residual effects of the stunner. The Udell mechs are on their way down as I speak."

  He wasn't exaggerating. A shadow crowded over the door and a large metallic object nestled into the inner courtyard of the lab.

  Alara looked down at the director who was staring at the foot of the giant bot with a sick horror. She grinned. "I am really hoping that the space under the mechs can take the load. You don't want them dropping into crew quarters."

  He looked up at her with a completely blank expression in his eyes. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him until she remembered that he wanted to keep her as a pet for the future casts of Dalpha. "Get up, Doctor. You have guests."

  Chapter Eight

  Tech and Phase were charming women who helped guard Alara and Brodin as they boarded the small transport. The pilot grinned and gave them the command, "Buckle up, we are in a hurry."

  Brodin helped her into the shuttle and buckled her in before sealing the doors. He slammed into his seat and buckled into place, giving the pilot a thumbs up that sent them straight into the air in a vertical takeoff.

  Alara swallowed as the gravitational forces pressed her into the support of the chair. She was glad that she had missed lunch as the intensity of the climb caused black spots to swim i
n front of her vision.

  She fought to breathe as the pressure built until she was suddenly free and only the tether of the harness kept her in place. Alara gasped for air.

  "Breathe deeply, slowly. It can be hard for newcomers to get the hang of it." Brodin's voice was weary.

  "Yeah, we had to do it on the way to the moon. It doesn't make it easier." She stilled her pulse and relaxed. "I am very glad they didn't feed me though. The pilot almost got to experience Dalpha cuisine firsthand."

  Brodin chuckled and leaned back in his seat. "Thanks for the pickup, pilot."

  "Not a problem, sir. Udell base is glad to be of assistance. This is the kind of action we love." He glanced over his shoulder and grinned before returning to the view screen. They approached a huge ship surrounded by smaller defensive outriders.

  Alara listened to the pilot give the necessary clearances and she watched Brodin in concern as he listed in the harness. "Is there medical staff where we are going?"

  The pilot looked at her in surprise. "There is."

  "Alert them that Brodin isn't well. He seems to have blacked out." She reached out to take Brodin's hand and was only mildly comforted when his fingers closed around hers.

  The pilot spoke urgently into the com and increased their speed. Instead of the large hulking ship, he aimed for a smaller ship only half a kilometre in size.

  The lines of the ship they approached were more art than science, delicate grace with deadly function.

  "Fixer and Reset are onboard. This is the Sector Guard emergency medical shuttle, also known as Fixer's motor home. It is a reference that Pilot uses, but I still don't get it."

  "What race is Pilot from?" Nervous and worried, Alara grasped at anything she could to keep calm.

  "Terran. One of the new races. Stellar Storm, Finder and a few of the others are Terran as well. The Guard also has Azon, Dheman, an Enjel and Drai. Not to mention the experimental and cloned races that have found homes in the bases. You will be adding the first Dalphaic to that proud tradition."

  Alara smiled. "That sounds wonderful. Being at the start of a tradition gives a person the feeling of leaving a legacy behind."

  "It does. Each member of Udell base stands tall knowing that we walk between the innocent and those who would take advantage of them." The pilot shifted their trajectory and slowed the engines.

  She felt a lightening of spirit knowing that this was not a place that she was being dumped as a punishment, but she was joining a group that had pride in their work.

  She kept her grip on Brodin as they docked with the larger shuttle. The moment that the seals were confirmed, the door opened and a team of men and women swarmed them. Alara was unbuckled and lifted from her chair. Another swarm covered Brodin and heaved his muscled bulk out and into the larger shuttle.

  A woman with rainbow hair put her body under Alara's arm and supported her as the gravity of the ship kicked in.

  "Hello, Alara. I am Mala, or Fixer if you prefer. Come along and we will get those monitors off."

  "Where is Brodin?"

  "Reset is taking care of him. The Dalpha lab did not allow him sleep, so he has been suffering exhaustion for a few days. Reset will have him back on his feet and a good night's sleep will see him back on his feet." Mala was manoeuvring her easily through the ship.

  "You are really strong."

  "It is the bodysuit. It comes with extra reinforcement and minute motors to assist with lifting. I installed them when my twins were born. Lifting two at once was quite the effort."

  Alara smiled and then the meaning kicked in. "You have children?"

  "Of course."

  "Both with rainbow hair, one with black skin, one with pale?" Alara was making sense of some of her visions.

  "Yes. Isala and Mabi. Did Brodin tell you about them?"

  "No, I saw them."

  Mala stopped in her tracks. "Where did you see them?"

  Alara chuckled softly. "I saw them in my future. They are alive and whole ten years and more from now."

  "Oh. You are the seer."

  "Not really. Maybe. I have no idea." Alara laughed again. Pain seared through her mind and she gasped.

  "What is it?"

  "Pain. Lots of pain." Alara's knees buckled as a second wave of agony rippled across her senses.

  "We do it here then." Mala sat her down in the hall and pressed her fingers to the nodes on Alara's temples. As Mala worked to pry the nodes off, the pain spiked.

  "I need you to hold still, Alara. In medical, we would have strapped you down, but they anchored these to your nervous system and I have to unravel them."

  Alara hissed through the pain and held as still as she could. The moment that Mala succeeded, Alara felt it. The agony faded to nothing but the paralyzing spike at the back of her head.

  "Now the last one. Bend forward and put your head on your knees."

  Alara almost sobbed but moved into the crash position. "I think they are trying to kill me."

  "That is a good guess. Hold still again, I am going in." Mala's fingers parted the hair at the back of her scalp and she worked on the last of the monitors.

  Alara pressed her forehead into her knees and breathed in shallow pants as the pain began to build to the point where spots swam in her vision. It took three minutes of silent tears and holding motionless before the pain stopped.

  Alara sobbed violently as soon as the pain was over. Mala removed the last of the monitor wires and cast them aside.

  Alara felt the arms coming around her and let the memory of the pain recede. When her voice was under her control once again, she sat straight and told Mala, "They were trying to kill me."

  "I know. The energy coming off the nodes was far beyond a therapeutic dose. If the pilot had not come here instead of the Udell launcher, you would be dead by now."

  Alara leaned against the bulkhead. "It is something I am well aware of. I know that I survived, but I didn't know how. This does explain one thing to me though."

  Mala sat on her haunches. "What is that?"

  "How my children end up playing with yours." She grinned and let Fixer help her to her feet. She had a Dheman to check on.

  Chapter Nine

  Watching Brodin sleep was a habit that Alara wanted to take on as a full time hobby. His thick, dark lashes were surprisingly long, giving his blue-green eyes an intensity when he was awake and a boyish look while sleeping.

  His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm that she found soothing. The medics had placed him on a wide bed that had plenty of room for her to snuggle up to him. She was barely able to resist the temptation, but she managed to keep to one side of Brodin's bed.

  Reset came into the room and smiled at her, her long navy hair swaying in a thick braid down her back, the chalky pallor to her skin a lovely contrast to her vivid eyes. "How are you doing, Alara?"

  "Tired, but fine. How are things on Dalpha?"

  Reset sat next to her and took her hand. "Things are going well. We have evacuated three hundred talents so far."

  "Where will they go?"

  "There is a line of colonies waiting for them. Many of the Oefric colonies are pining for genetic diversity. They will be given the option of where to go and in what capacity they choose to serve."

  Reset's hand was warm on Alara's. As they talked quietly, Alara felt a wave of well-being wash over her. Energy coursed through her as her aches and pains disappeared.

  "Are you healing me?"

  "Just the little aches and pains so you can continue back to Dalpha once the dust is settled."

  That made her blink. "I have to go back?" She tried to tug her hand away from Reset, but the woman held fast.

  "Not to stay, just to make a statement to your government as the first Dalphaic member of the Sector Guard. We will have you kitted out completely before then, so as soon as you are ready to let sleeping beauty here continue his restorative nap, we can find Fixer and have her customize a suit for you. What are you looking for in a suit?"


  Alara blinked. "I get to choose?"

  "Well, if you have preferences, Fixer is the woman to talk to. She has made all of the Sector Guard suits and is one of the most senior female Guardsmen you will meet. She can put armoured panels into your suit, small weapons, hydraulics or anything else you can think of."

  She grimaced. "Does it have to be skin tight?"

  "It helps with thermal control, but you can ask for additional accoutrements. Are you feeling up to it?"

  Alara looked at the muscular bulk of her Dheman sleeping under the sheets of the medical bay. "Let's go."

  Mala was in a launch bay with a pile of equipment and the woman looked up with a smile. "Is it time for a uniform?"

  Alara had a grin on her face. "Apparently. What are my options in accessories? I do so love accessories."

  "And she wants a drape or something. Not a huge fan of the formfitting body suit." Reset smiled and popped herself onto a chair.

  "That happens. We have options. Now, get out of those hideous scrubs and we will try to get you into something that fits your status as a Guardsman." Mala held up a blank black suit and offered it to her.

  Against her better judgement, Alara went behind a pile of equipment and exchanged the lab scrubs for the bodysuit. It was a fair fit, but there were wrinkles that appeared whenever she moved that made her scowl. She may not have been a slave to fashion, but she did like to look tidy. Wrinkles vexed her.

  "Come on out, Alara. Let's see what we have to work with." There was eagerness in Mala's tone.

  Alara walked out and stepped on the podium that Mala pulled from the floor. "You really enjoy this part of the job, don't you?"

  "I really do. I loved playing dress up when I was little and now I get to do it with every new Guardsman. The requirements of each talent are very specific and I love matching the suit to the user." The woman with the rainbow hair rubbed her hands together and slowly moved around the podium.