“That’s right.” He chuckled, then stood. “How about I give you a tour of campus, then you can buy me lunch?”
She stood as well. “Sure, ask the unemployed person to spring for food, that’s fair,” she scoffed before pushing him.
“You got a generous signing bonus. I signed off on it myself. You can afford a sandwich.” He offered his arm. “Come on. I’ll show you the best places to hide, people watch, or whatever your poison. I’ll divulge all the Academy’s secrets.”
***
Julia opened her door to a surprisingly crowded hallway. She had time to identify Billy and Cera before they brushed by. Morgan slipped in after, quiet as always.
“Come in,” Julia deadpanned, then shut the door after her friends.
Billy seized her first, then went on to hug Cera and Morgan as if he hadn’t seen them in ages. He made a second round of hugs, then started a third before Cera smacked him and told him to behave.
“What are you guys doing here?” Julia asked, grabbing Billy for another hug anyway.
“You’re not busy, are you? We wanted to drop by,” Cera started.
“We were in the neighborhood,” Billy said.
Morgan gave Julia an innocent smile.
“You were in the neighborhood,” Julia repeated, raising her eyebrows. She believed that of Billy; if he was on leave, he lived two floors down from her, but Morgan lived in San Francisco, and Cera never stayed in the same place for long. They hadn’t been in the same place by accident since high school.
“Yep,” Billy said. “It’s a Hallmark miracle. I’d have brought that wine from Rigel-4, but we know you’re fasting for the surgery.”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have something,” Julia said. “Come on, don’t just stand around. I’ve got beer in the fridge, and it won’t drink itself.”
They settled around the kitchen table. Julia distributed bottles of beer and got a glass of ice water for herself. She sipped at it and watched Billy tease Cera about her failure to call. Cera gave back as good as she got, although Morgan was even quieter than Julia. Watching them gave Julia a warm feeling, the perfect antidote to the week she’d had, all paperwork and stress. It was lovely to see her friends.
Even if she didn’t believe for one minute they were there by coincidence.
She waited for a lull, then cleared her throat. All three of them focused on her.
“It’s really great to see you guys.” She squeezed Morgan’s and Cera’s hands, then allowed Billy to grab her hand and give it a sloppy kiss. “But I know you weren’t just in the neighborhood.”
“No, we weren’t,” Morgan admitted over Cera’s protests. “We wanted to talk to you.”
“We were building up to it,” Cera said, giving Morgan one of her looks.
“Building up to what?” Julia asked.
“We don’t want you to do this. It’s dangerous. It’s changing your brain, and for what reason? There are already enough Mystics. They don’t need one more. They don’t need you,” Cera said.
“Good, because I’m not doing it for them.” Julia folded her hands, willing herself not to snap at them. They were simply worried. She could hear them out. Maybe it would help them accept her decision.
“I’ve read articles. Surgery carries so many risks,” Morgan remarked. “You could lose your memory or wake up with a completely different personality. That’s beside the common side effects of forcing your body to accept synthetic parts.”
“Exactly what articles did you read?” Julia asked. “If there are any, I’d like to see them.”
“They weren’t about this exact procedure,” Morgan admitted. “They were about brain surgery and cybernetics in general.”
“We don’t like it,” Cera said. “We’re worried. You went through something crazy on your last mission. You don’t have to tell us a thing about it for us to know that. You came back early, and your mood is different. You decided to have this life-altering surgery out of nowhere. What is this really about, Julia?”
“I’m mostly worried about the surgery,” Morgan said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her.”
“Okay, but could we have a united front?” Cera asked. “For real, Morgan, she needs help.”
“I don’t need help,” Julia said. “Five out of five psych evaluations agree.”
“Billy.” Cera poked him. “Say something.”
Billy looked up from peeling the label off his beer bottle. “I thought you were doing fine,” he said.
“No, really. What’s your objection?” Julia asked.
He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. Julia smelled the beer he’d been drinking. After a minute, he dropped his hands and looked her in the eye. “Three months ago, you were captain of your own ship in the Earth Fleet. You got your commission six months before I did, and I’ve always envied that. I didn’t want to tell you.” He gave her a lopsided smile. She raised her eyebrows and gestured for him to continue. “You were so proud. You were a great captain. Everyone said so, and I mean everyone. You would have made admiral in another ten years, maybe less.”
He paused, and Julia thought he was finished. She wasn’t sure he was right about her making admiral, but she couldn’t argue with the rest of it.
“The thing is,” he said slowly, “I know you saw some things out there. Cera and Morgan don’t know, but I do. It’s okay that it shook you up, but it isn’t a reason to abandon your career. If you need time, I’m sure they’d give it to you. It isn’t too late to take your commission back.”
“Actually, it is. I signed the paperwork a week ago,” she said.
“If you really wanted back in, I’ve got it on good authority they’d take you. They’d be crazy not to,” he said.
She stared at him until he squirmed and went back to peeling his label. That sounded like calling on favors behind her back, and she didn’t like it. She knew he knew that, too.
“I see,” she said.
“Can’t you just cancel? This is a crazy decision. We all see it,” Cera said.
“Okay, it’s my turn to talk,” Julia said. “I love you guys. I know you’re worried, but I assure you, this was not a hasty decision. I didn’t do it because I’m scared, or traumatized, or whatever else you might think. This is a decision I made. I hear you, but it is what it is.”
“Are you really sure?” Morgan asked.
“I’m sure. I also know there are risks, so I’m glad I get tonight with my friends.” She looked at each of them in turn, seeing the worry and love in their eyes. She tried to take it for what it was, without getting completely choked up. “Now…who wants to see if Billy still sucks at euchre?”
***
Coraolis’s office was the opposite of what she’d expected. The foyer had plush carpeting, mahogany furniture, and a real live receptionist. All that must go with being in charge of an experimental program, though it hardly matched Coraolis’s style.
She sat with her hands folded in her lap, deeply aware of her new cybernetics. Most of them were inside her skull, aside from the plating molded around her new cybernetic eye and an access port behind her ear. Her skin was still puffy and bruised around the implants. Privately, she thought she looked like a pirate who’d lost a prize fight. She still thought she could pull off the persona.
She’d spent the night before calling her friends, proving to each in turn that she still had her memory and her own personality. She’d sent a video message to her parents for the same reason. She would have liked to see them in person, but they couldn’t leave their post, and there wasn’t time for a visit.
She didn’t have to wait long. As soon as Coraolis knew she was there, she was escorted to another office that looked more like him, if only because of the alien bobblehead on his desk.
He was standing in front of the desk when she came in. He hurried to close the door, then froze, peering at her eye. “I heard about that. Something went wrong with the optic nerve?”
�
��Hi, Cor. Nice to see you too.”
“Julia. I’m sorry.” He lifted his hands, then dropped them almost immediately. “It’s been a hell of a week. How do you feel?”
“All right, considering.”
“I understand. Can we talk?” he asked.
“I thought that was why I was here. You’re supposed to tell me how great I’ll do, what a good fit for the program I am. Ring any bells?” she teased.
He chuckled. “You’re going to be great. I can’t imagine anything less from you.”
He put a hand on her shoulder, lightly, like he thought she was a stove that might be too hot to touch. She let him guide her over to the sofa by the window.
“So, this is nice,” she said after they sat down. “It’s weird to see you in an office, I have to admit.”
“It feels odd, but I’m getting used to it.” He seemed to have trouble figuring out what to do with his hands. He finally settled on putting them in his pockets. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’ve had major surgery recently, but it went well. I’m a little nervous about tomorrow,” she admitted. Her first class was in the morning. “I thought I’d left school behind, but here I am.”
“I hate to add to that. I want to tell you something before you’re blindsided. Word is out about you and your implants. There are rumors…”
“I can deal with rumors,” she said.
“They’re pretty nasty, actually.” He grimaced. “I can’t guarantee you a great first day, is what I’m saying. If it gets bad, come see me.”
“Wouldn’t that make the rumors worse? If you step in, then I’m an administrator’s pet who can’t handle her own problems.”
“No. The rumors aren’t about that,” he said. “They’re about your getting Mystic abilities through technology. People are saying you’re here to replace them, that you’re a knock-off Mystic. And worse…” He took her hand and squeezed.
After a moment, she squeezed back. She understood the concern, but she was a grown woman. She had captained a spaceship for five years. She learned how to deal with rumors and feeling outcast by the time she was ten. She’d found friends of her own, and let the rumors roll off her back. “I’ll be okay.” She smiled. It was nice to have someone worry about her. “Thank you, but I’ve dealt with being an outsider before.”
“You know I’ll worry.” He clasped his hands once she pulled away. “You should stop by after classes. I’ll bring dinner. You can tell me about how wrong I was and put my mind at ease.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said. If there were going to be rumors, she might as well flaunt her friendship with Cor. “I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Julia’s first week at the Academy hurried by and, if there were rumors, no one bothered her over them. She had settled in to her new quarters. She’d expected something along the lines of the dorms in officer candidate school in the Earth Fleet. She got something a little more comfortable, almost posh, in comparison—a suite with a comfortable bed in one room.
The other room was a blank slate. She furnished it with a desk and sofa and livened up the walls with the pictures from her fridge. Everything else she owned had been put in storage. She didn’t know if she’d ever have use for those things again but couldn’t bring herself to get rid of them.
She excelled at her classes. She was grouped with other new students, making an even dozen. They were mostly young, and all of them were aloof. She made a few attempts to be friendly. After she was rebuffed the third time, she decided to wait for someone else to make overtures.
She dove into her studies, devoured her textbooks, and took extra books out of the library to learn more about her new world. After all that, she aced every test. At the end of the week, she and Coraolis celebrated over Mexican takeout and agreed to make it a weekly thing.
She woke up on Saturday with no obligations, no plans, and no return messages from her friends. She stared at her datapad as if it were lying to her, then let it go. She’d catch up with them when they had time.
She grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and headed outside for a run. She hadn’t done PT since before the surgery and needed to get back into it. Maybe it would help clear her head.
She chose one of the paths that wove through the forest and set out at an easy jog. Once she warmed up, she picked up the pace until she found her rhythm. The air had a pleasant bite.
Her tension eased as her muscles warmed up, and her mind went into an almost meditative state. She imagined this was what a trance felt like, minus the runner’s high. The people she passed stared and whispered to each other, but there wasn’t much she could do about that.
She circled back when she caught up to another runner. She didn’t slow. She expected hostility or indifference and wasn’t going to stop for either.
“On your left,” she called out.
“Hey there,” he said as she passed him, and sped up to match her speed. He sounded a little out of breath, but so was she. He was sweaty enough to plaster his heavy curls to his forehead. “I know you, don’t I?”
She gave him a wary look. Normally she didn’t take well to strangers forcing their company on her. That went double when she was running through an isolated patch of forest. She decided to give him a chance to be decent.
“Julia Ronasuli,” she said. “We were in class together all week. You’re Jack?”
“That’s me.” He sounded pleased. “Jack Gagnon. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before. I could have had a running buddy all week.”
She gave him a bemused smile. “I usually don’t run with strange men.”
“Strange? We must have met already. I’ll warn you, it just gets worse the more you get to know me,” he grinned. “Do you mind if I join you? It’s lonely to run alone.”
“We can give it a trial run,” she said.
“Ha! Alright, Julia Ronasuli. What do you need to know about me, to make me less of a stranger?” he asked. “I’m serious about wanting a partner. All the kids here are, well, kids.”
She looked at him again, this time really seeing his face. He wasn’t as fresh-faced as most of their classmates. If he wasn’t her age, he was only a few years younger.
“I don’t know. Why are you here?” she asked.
“Well, I was a runner since high school. Cross country put me through college, you know. Minnesota State. I like to run.” He chuckled when she scoffed. “As for why I’m at the Academy, I’m a journalist. I took the test for a story, and I guess I passed.”
“And now you’re here.”
“Now I’m here,” he agreed. After a moment, he cleared his throat. “That’s usually the cue to question my decision to abandon my career. I hear all the best people are doing it.”
“I’ve had enough of that myself. I’ve got no room to judge,” she said. They came to a branching of the path. She turned left, Jack sticking with her. “I was in Earth Fleet.”
“Wow. Now I have to exercise restraint or turn into a hypocrite. I’m not sure which would be more painful,” he said.
“I didn’t take a test. I got cybernetics.” She gestured in the general vicinity of her eye. “It’s all artificial.”
“Huh. I didn’t know you could do that. Care for an interview?”
He might be joking, but she still shook her head, just to be safe. She wasn’t going to drop any E.F. secrets now that she was out. She kept her security clearance for a reason. “No, thanks. But I might be your running partner if you can navigate this maze.” Their path ended in an empty clearing. Dead end. “I’m starting to want breakfast.”
“Done,” he agreed. “Follow me.”
***
Basic Astral Mechanics was taught in a low dome-shaped building across campus. The interior walls were opaque glass, and every room had a clear view of the sky. On cloudy days, wall sconces filled the room with a soft warm light. The only furniture was a table with a dozen reusable water bottles filled with a ruby-colored liqui
d.
Julia was the last to arrive. Jack hovered near the door with the other students. The class roster had stayed the same, but something had changed over the weekend. They stared at her a little harder, whispered a little louder. Maybe it bothered her more that Jack was in the middle of it.
“Good morning, class!” The instructor boomed from behind her. The doors slammed. “Pull up a mat, get comfortable. I’ll be right with you.”
The Mystic who’d joined them was a giant of a man with a barrel chest and an impressive beard. He had an accent she couldn’t identify. She thought he might be from one of the colony planets. Julia claimed a mat in the corner and got comfortable while the instructor carried an oblong canvas sack to the front of the room. He surveyed the room, his narrowed eyes belying his jolly smile, then circled around to where Julia was sitting.
“Welcome to Astral Mechanics. I am Holden. I will be your guide to the Astral Plane.” He unzipped his bag and dumped it out. A rolled-up gray mat hit the floor right in front of Julia. “This is not a class for memorizing facts or studying history. You cannot improve your powers by study or drugs or any artificial means. You have only hard work before you.”
Her stomach sank at the emphasis on ‘artificial.’ His meaning was loud and clear. He didn’t want her there any more than her classmates did. She only hoped he was honorable enough to be fair when he didn’t want to be.
“Ooh,” someone breathed behind Julia. “Sounds like you can’t fake your way through this one, cyborg.”
Julia looked over her shoulder. A young trainee named Carol had taken the mat behind her. She fixed Julia with a cold stare that might have affected Julia twenty years ago.
“If you have a problem with me, you can speak to me directly,” Julia said. “Until then—”
“Julia Ronasuli. Face front, if you please,” Holden interrupted. “Do you know how to achieve astral travel?”
He looked right at her. Suddenly she was back in her E.F. recruit uniform with the sinking feeling she’d gotten the drill instructor’s unwanted attention. The only question was if she’d get pushups, KP, or both. She lifted her chin and reminded herself that those days were long behind.
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