Halcyon's Hero (Atramento Book 1)

by Nix Whittaker

  “I was curious, but I also have some pride. I didn’t need a man to stroke my ego and I’m sorry to dent your ego, but I am a complete person without you.”

  She wasn’t so sure of that anymore. Her heart picked up speed. She had told others this line of not needing them to be whole and every other time she had said it she had meant it wholeheartedly.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ve never found anyone worthy enough before.”

  He chuckled, clearly his ego had taken no hit at all.

  “Am I?”

  She let out a breath. “Yes. Besides, when I realised I wanted someone worthy of me, I knew I would have to love them and they would have to love me.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. Despite talking about having sex while in bed she wasn’t ready and Misha picked up her signals. No one else did that. “Does that mean you love me, sweetheart?” He asked without any hurry.

  “I would have thrown you out weeks ago if I didn’t.”

  Hal teased without even a slight twinge of worry he would take her seriously. People so often took her words the wrong way.

  Misha laughed and she could hear the amusement in his voice when he spoke next.

  “How sure are you that I love you?”

  She ran her hands over his collarbone and over his shoulders. His large hands held her gently. He didn’t move further, instead, he waited for her answer. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft.

  “I can see it, Misha. In your aura, I mean.”

  He brought one hand up to her face and cupped her head. Caressing her temple with his thumb, his fingers in her hair. His voice was serious now as he asked.

  “Do you want the words?”

  She huffed out a chuckle. “Yes, but I want them to be right, at the right time.”

  He kissed her and moved his hand to shift her body. They kissed for a long time. Misha didn’t seem to be rushed at all. It was that Zen calm again. She smiled against his lips and he pulled back. He smoothed her hair away from her face. She could tell his hands shook.

  She smiled as she figured out why he was shaking and it had nothing to do with what she had done. Her chest ached with emotion. Not a single thought of math or information marred the moment. She settled in against his chest and let sleep take her.

  ___

  Misha listened to the shower. He wondered if he should join Halcyon. Instead, he lay back for a while on the bed. She wasn’t ready for him to join him and he had to be honest with himself, neither was he.

  He thought back over the night before. He wasn’t sure why he had crawled into bed next to her after he had put her to bed. She was exhausted from putting dozens of tattoos onto people. He realised she wasn’t up for anything more and even though they had spent some time kissing and he was confident enough to call her his girlfriend in front of others; they had not discussed taking things any further. He wasn’t the kind of man who assumed because they regularly kissed that she was comfortable going further.

  He had been a very awkward teenager. His father had died when he was sixteen and his mother though he loved her wasn’t up to replace that hole in his life his father’s death had left with him. He had sought it with his girlfriend at the time, Sandra. She was young as well. Her father beat her and her sisters all the time. He would get drunk and forget his strength and feel sorry the next day, only confusing his kids’ emotions over the whole thing.

  Sandra had always been daring and alive and that had attracted him in his sorrow. The problem was they were both broken. Sandra had pushed him to do things he wasn’t ready for. He only realised that later. He chalked it up to the dumb things people did when grieving.

  When he had told Sandra, he wasn’t ready and he wanted to stop what they were doing in the bedroom; she had gotten angry with him.

  So, he hadn’t pushed Halcyon as they had danced the tension-filled and enjoyable dance of dating. She might be older and surer of herself, but she couldn’t know what it all entailed. Though, part of it was that he had enjoyed the friction the dance had provided.

  The shower stopped and Halcyon came into the room with only a towel and a cloud of steam. She ran a hand through her hair and shook it out. Leaving her now dark blue hair shaggy like a wet dog.

  She was humming to herself. He grinned. She didn’t hum. Not even when she was doing something she enjoyed. He turned on his side and rested his head on his hand. She was even dancing as she picked out a clean t-shirt from the drawer.

  Halcyon stopped when she turned and saw that he watched her. She went nervous then and even blushed. He laughed softly at the blush.

  “I take it you liked last night. I know we haven’t spoken about this—”

  She came to sit on the edge of the bed. He was tempted to tug off her towel, but he also wanted to talk. Halcyon tapped her head.

  “It never sleeps, you know. My head is always filled with something. An invention or an equation that I either have to solve or find an equation to solve a problem. But it is never quiet in my head. My parents thought I was a psychopath because they said I didn’t show any emotion. After the war, they took me to see doctors, they were so worried I wasn’t normal. I was five and the doctors said the only thing wrong with me was my brain wouldn’t shut up. It pushed all my emotions out. If you saw my aura it is pretty much yellow. My soul is filled with logic.”

  Misha wasn’t so sure of that.

  She placed a hand on his chest. “When I’m with you, I can turn this off,” she tapped her head again, “and I just feel. I told you last night I loved you and I mean it. It is so big and consuming it can even make me forget things and I never forget things. Well, names, but names of people really aren’t that important.”

  He chuckled and tugged her closer so he could kiss her.

  When they emerged from her bedroom Halcyon went shy. He put his arm around her shoulders and asked teasingly, “Are you worried what Natasha will think?”

  She snorted at the ridiculousness of it and said, “You know she’ll probably just tease me.”

  There was no probably about it.

  “No more than she will tease me.” He bent down and kissed her. “Head off to your workshop and I’ll have a chat with her. If she’s in the mood to tease, she can take it out on me.”

  Hal kissed him again, her fingers caressed his chest. She was a coward, so she ran and he only laughed.

  Misha found Natasha in the kitchen making pancakes. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. When Natasha turned, she said, “Morning,” Extremely cheerfully.

  There was a grin on her face. He motioned to the pancakes and she chuckled.

  “I thought we would celebrate.”

  “Do I want to know what we are celebrating?”

  She ignored that and asked, “So, when is the wedding?”

  “As soon as I can convince her.”

  Misha said in all seriousness.

  That blew the wind out of Natasha’s sails. She leaned back against the counter next to him. The flipper still in her hand, held limply by her side.

  “That serious, eh?”

  Natasha was really the only family he had. He could have moved out to the edge with his uncle, but he had stayed because he had felt a connection to the city and the neighbourhood. He had thought that had been enough, but with Natasha here he realised he was missing something.

  “Yeah? Does that bug you?”

  “No, I like her, grouchy witch that she is. She at least has a sense of humour. Misha, are you sure?”

  That was the one thing he was entirely sure of. He kissed her on the forehead in a familial gesture. “I know people, Natasha, and I know her.”

  It was also that Halcyon saw him. So, many stared at his brute muscles and thought he would be a good protector. Others saw his appearance and thought he was a prize. That was Lisa’s problem. Not Halcyon. Strangely, she brought him peace.

  ___

  Natasha knew she was dreaming as it had that dreamy quality wh
ere she jumped from place to place without knowing how she had moved there. She found herself in an alleyway. It was narrow and filled with refuse. The buildings on either side were old and made from brick instead of concrete and steel. There were very few of those kinds of buildings in the city and most of them were in the rough neighbourhoods.

  Natasha was at the end of the alleyway. There were suspicious liquids on the ground and she was glad she couldn’t smell anything in dreams. By her feet was a pile of boxes. They couldn’t have been there long as they collected boxes in neighbourhoods like this to use as fire starters.

  The city might have a Weather Shield, but winter was still pretty cold. Some rougher neighbourhoods had low power quotas and heating in winter would be difficult.

  The boxes moved and she realised there was someone there. The dream changed and the body was revealed. She pushed aside the boxes and she didn’t know how that had happened. The man lay on his front and she could see he was wearing vintage clothes of high quality.

  Then the dream changed once again and she turned him over. She gasped and put a hand over her mouth. The man had been stabbed. She saw the blood pump out as his heartbeat. She begged the dream to change, for something to be different.

  As she watched, the spurts of blood were further and further apart. Tears coursed down her cheeks. She woke and she sat up in bed. Real tears on her cheeks.

  Chapter Ten

  Whatinga: September 2086

  Misha turned when Lisa said softly next to him, “Misha, can I talk to you privately?”

  She appeared to be on the verge of tears so Misha looked around to see where they could go. The Centre was filled with the usual characters. Before he found a place, she turned and walked to the back exit of the Centre. He followed, concerned.

  He hadn’t seen Karl or his cousin, Anne, that day in the class. Those two hadn’t missed a class since the young girl had started. She had a real fire for martial arts.

  He followed Lisa out of the fire exit into the alley behind the Centre.

  “What was so important, Lisa, that we couldn’t speak inside?”

  She turned and stood; shivering in the alley. There were tears in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, I’m just so dang sorry. They have the kids. I couldn’t — I’m just sorry.”

  Before he could ask what she meant, someone hit him with a Taser. They were hidden behind a dumpster. He hadn’t heard them because they hadn’t moved at all until the last moment. Someone had talked about his abilities.

  Misha went down hard. The power jazzing everything in his system. Someone approached him and pressed something to his face and then all he knew was darkness.

  ___

  Natasha cleaned some gears of a large clock that was once hidden in the machines in the courtyard. It probably was looted during the wars and left here when they realised no one would buy an old clock. Especially sans building.

  Natasha was fascinated with the intricate gears and cogs. With whatever Hal had done to her sight she found she knew where things went as they seemed to remember where they were. Also, this kind of clock could be easily fixed with handmade manufactured pieces. Unlike larger commercial clocks that had mostly died in the extreme weather of climate change. They needed intricate computer parts which were almost impossible to get nowadays.

  Hal plopped down next to her on the couch and placed a sandwich in front of her and another in front of herself. She had carried her datapad in her mouth and wiped it off and started typing things in. She ate her sandwich with one hand while working with the other. Natasha stared at the sandwich Hal had made her. Hal wasn’t big on words, but she spoke of her care in volume when it came to actions.

  “Thank you.”

  Hal swallowed her mouthful and said, “He always makes me food, I thought it was what your family does.”

  Natasha had to smile at that. It was what her father did and she assumed Misha’s father was the same. She couldn’t remember. She was thirteen when he had died and she hadn’t spent any significant time in the city. Usually Misha came out to the water farm.

  “It is. Even when his mother was busy with some painting, she would always feed us. I think that was her way of showing love.”

  Especially after Misha’s father had died. She had tried so hard to fill the gap that was left by his death.

  Hal said, “Harrumph.”

  Natasha batted eyelashes at Hal and asked in a sugary voice, “Does that mean you love me, Hal? Oh, Hal, My darling, sweetie pie, Hal.”

  Hal just snorted.

  Natasha enjoyed making her a little nervous when it came to dealing with social situations. Back to her normal voice, she asked, only half-jokingly.

  “So are you dating Misha?”

  “Is that any of your business?”

  Man, she was prickly, but also honest.

  “Not really, I’m just being nosey.”

  Hal made a rude gesture to that answer. She went back to her work, then she must have realised something as she went still and looked up.

  “Are you asking because you think it is impossible?”

  Natasha said, “Not the way he has been looking at you. I think he is head over heels. So, are you going to marry him?”

  Hal started to choke on her sandwich and Natasha laughed.

  Hal glared at her. “You are an evil witch and after I brought you a sandwich.”

  Natasha tried to stop laughing. “Welcome to the family, Hal. You’re just perfect.”

  Hal wiped crumbs off her clothes. She looked up when warnings went on her sensors. Something flickered in her eyes and Natasha knew it was trouble. Someone leaned on the buzzer and someone said, “Let us in, Hal.”

  Hal frowned and asked softly of no one, “Waha?”

  “Let us in Hal or your boyfriend isn’t going to see the dawn.”

  Natasha’s blood went cold and when Hal went to buzz the gate open, she grabbed Hal’s arm and hissed out, “What are you doing? He’s working for Marcus.”

  Natasha motioned to the screens that showed he wasn’t alone outside and that the place was surrounded by Marcus’ goons. Hal pulled free and buzzed him in.

  “I’m not going to let them hurt Misha. Just go along with it all and everything is going to work out fine.”

  Natasha glared at her but remained still when Waha and the others came into the workshop. Waha caught her arm and pushed her into a chair. Marcus himself strolled in. He was dressed like an old-fashioned pimp. He motioned to his men who grabbed Hal and pulled her in front of Marcus.

  He patted her cheek gently and drawled, “Nice to see you, Tinker.”

  One of his goons behind Hal zapped her with one of her own devices. Similar to the one she had used on Marcus’ men when they had first come after her. She really did need to catalogue who had her machines.

  Once Hal recovered, she staggered to her feet. She spat at Marcus and he backhanded her. When she looked up, she had a split lip that bled sluggishly. She stuck out her tongue and licked away the blood. The split lip was already healed. It seemed electricity had an adverse effect on her atramentos. Something sparked in Marcus’ eye.

  He motioned to Waha and a couple of other men. “Keep her safe, we might need her later.”

  They then took Hal away.

  ___

  It was hours later as the small window showed darkness on the other side. Misha groaned as he moved to a sitting position. He looked around himself. He was in a metal cage in a basement.

  He wrinkled his nose. Could Marcus get more cliché? He understood why he had done this. There was no other way to keep Misha under normal circumstances. Why was he still alive though?

  The door rattled open. Halcyon was shoved in and she went to the cage on her knees and reached through. “You all right?”

  Misha clasped her hand as he said, “Why did you come?”

  “They have Natasha.”

  Fear went through his blood.

  “Is she all right?”

  Her
eyes sparked with emotion as she answered, “Your old friend is with her. The one that wanted the dragon.”

  Misha frowned as he realised she was talking about Waha. “He’s working for Marcus, is he?”

  She just nodded.

  That made him feel better. Waha would find some way to keep Natasha safe. He lightly touched her face. His eyes searched her out, but there was no blood so she hadn’t been hurt and healed already.

  “Are you all right?”

  Halcyon brought his hand up to her lips and kissed his fingers.

  “I’m fine.”

  He looked up when Marcus drawled, “Touching.”

  Marcus wore a white suit and appeared the epitome of a don boss from the movies.

  Halcyon glared at him though she didn’t let go of Misha’s hand.

  “What do you want, Marcus? I don’t have the plasma gun anymore. I destroyed it and I no longer have the equipment here to make another.”

  Marcus prowled the room like a tiger stalking its prey.

  “I don’t want the gun anymore. I hear you have something more valuable.”

  Marcus leaned against the bars of the cage casually. “I want to know how you defeated my men. They said they shot you and you still came at them.”

  Halcyon automatically put her hand at her side. She had two scars from the two times Marcus had sent men after her.

  “It was a graze.” She downplayed the injuries.

  “Not according to the Enforcers. They said you had no injury.”

  She shook her head and waved it off with a flick of her hand. “It is nothing. I just heal well.”

  “Not what I’ve heard. I met a young boy the other day that was cured of cancer.”

  “You don’t have cancer. You are a sick bastard, but nothing I can help you with.” Halcyon growled out.

  Marcus grinned, showing teeth, but no amusement.

  “Give me whatever secret you have and I won’t kill lover boy over there.” He motioned to Misha.

  “It won’t work on you.” Halcyon hissed. Her hand tightened on Misha’s and betrayed her nerves.

  In a flash of movement, Marcus pulled out a gun and he was no longer casual. “Have I changed your mind?”