by 1
Col was amazed at the fuss that was being enacted on her behalf. Hands pulled her robes from her shoulders and she turned to smile at Ysyr. “Are you going to watch?”
He shook his head. “No. I will not watch. I will be in the facility if you need anything. Effin will call me if anything occurs.”
She saw the truth in his eyes. “You don’t want to hear me scream.”
He leaned down and gave her a sweet kiss.
Col tasted salt and when she opened her eyes, the tears tracking down his cheeks proved her point. She reached up and touched him. “It will be fine. I may be scarred but that can heal. If we can get this suit off, it will mean that you can do more than lie in your shifted form next to me.”
He laughed, kissed her nose and walked out of medical.
Wearing nothing but her bodysuit, she faced the team that was there to help. “Where do you want me?”
Chapter Ten
Two days of sobbing and screaming, forty-seven changes of the feed units on Fixer and Reset and finally, Col was awake and staring at her new skin. Her arms were pale and hairless, but they were hers and not covered by another living creature.
A peculiar sensation gripped her, one that she hadn’t felt in weeks. Laughter bubbled up and Ysyr jerked awake at her bedside. “What is it, what do you need?” His voice was hoarse but relief was in every inch of his body.
“Help me to the lav. My legs won’t hold me yet.”
He jumped to his feet and lifted her in his arms. “Does this hurt?”
She was draped in a sheet and as he walked, she felt the heat of his arm behind her back and under her knees. He carried her to the lav and the whole time she was marvelling at the sensitivity of her new skin.
He entered the lav with her in his arms and he moved to help her when she held up a hand. “I may be weak, but I am not paralyzed. You will wait outside the door until I call you no matter how long it takes. I have done this before, you know.”
Ysyr frowned but backed out of the room.
He closed the door and as she turned to face the mirror, she realized that the sheet only covered her front. The whole time she had been scowling at him, he had been staring at her backside.
She laughed, her hands releasing the sheet to expose her new skin. Col used the facility and washed up before she started to take a personal inventory. Her skin bore minute pale pink lines from having the suit carved off.
Effin had done the surgery after Fixer segmented and removed the tech for that spot. Her body rejected all sedatives and painkillers as they started the procedure and by the time they realized she would be awake and aware throughout, they had replaced the right half of her back.
The agonizing pain of being surgically flayed had taken a backseat to becoming free of the restriction. When they worked on her between her thighs, she had passed out.
Col heard a thunking at the door and she wrapped the sheet back around her before she opened it. “You knocked?”
Ysyr smiled, “Just checking on you.”
“Fine, bring me back to my bed.” She held up her arms and he obliged by bringing her back to the recovery area.
Effin appeared, carrying a steaming cup of something. “Colah! You are awake. How do you feel?”
She chuckled as he came at her with a scanner. “I feel like I am all in one piece now. Thank you. Where are Reset and Fixer?”
He smiled, “Fixer is with her family, sleeping it off while her daughters wake her to make sandwiches to keep her strength up. Relay has ordered Shade to keep on top of his family and to stay away from me. Fixer’s pregnancy is coming along well, but he popped his cork when he found out what she was doing for the last two days. It doesn’t matter that she was monitored, he is still pissed off.”
“She’s pregnant?”
Effin laughed. “Don’t worry if you don’t notice. She has been experimenting with suits that hide her condition from the average viewer. She is about seven months along and her family is worried that she will overtire herself. Fixer wanted to do this.”
Col smiled and looked at him as he checked his scans. “What does it say?”
He grinned. “The grafts are healing nicely. They are fully bonding to the raw edges left by the suit. In a few weeks, you won’t even see the marks.”
She sighed happily. “Fabulous, now, can I get something to wear?”
Ysyr stood again, “Fixer left you a suit and I have your robes.”
Effin nodded. “Shall I have a tech help you into it?”
With relief, Col said, “Please. I am not sure what my coordination is up for.”
“I can help you.” Ysyr seemed indignant.
“I would rather it be a woman, Ysyr. I don’t have any idea what the rest of my body really looks like right now and I don’t want you getting that knowledge before I do.” She was blunt but he laughed, laid the fabric across her legs and left the room.
Effin smiled. “Just in case you are wondering, Reset reset your body to its original specs, but she was losing power. Your body looks as it did before they restricted you.”
She winked as he turned to leave and a moment later, a tech was in, a smile on her face. “We are so glad to see you up and around, Novice Colah.”
“I am guessing that it wasn’t a pleasant time for anyone?”
“Some of the staff are going to be having nightmares for quite a while.” The tech moved to her side, lifted the suit and gestured for her to swing her legs over the side.
With the tech’s help and a judicious application of her talent, the suit was soon snugged up over her hips and she was hovering a few inches from the floor as they slid her arms into the sleeves.
“I am sorry about the pattern, Novice Colah, but Fixer has quite the sense of humour.”
Col merely smiled and sealed the suit that mimicked her original restrictor suit. A fabric that mimicked her colouration was playing the parts of her exposed skin. “I am guessing that Fixer is a believer in knowing where you have been so you can know where you are going.”
“She is. If it wasn’t for her hunger, we would think she was some sort of perfect being instead of something born and raised to live and love.”
Col raised a brow, “She gets hungry?”
“When she creates, she uses her own body mass for emergency repairs. She eats to replace what she lost.”
Col grinned. “I know just how to repay her for her help.” She slipped on her Novice robe and exited the medical bay.
Ysyr was standing and he straightened the moment she appeared. “Are you taller?”
“No, just walking with my mind and not my body. Which way are the kitchens? I want to give Fixer and Effin a thank you.”
Bemused, he offered her his arm and together, they proceeded to the area where Col would be able to repay those who had assisted her.
Convincing the cooks to let her into their domain involved some fast talking, but Col soon proved her competence and was whipping eggs, butter and sugar with a happy hum in her heart.
Four hours later, she was dusted with sugar and had an audience as she finished the towering confection. “Can you get Fixer and Effin as well as any of their loved ones into the commissary?”
The head chef was staring at the creation on the cart with astonishment. It was cake, pastry, icing, cream, berries, chocolate and every other good thing that Col had been able to think of or locate in the Morganti base kitchens.
She had it on a hover cart and the moment that she got the signal, she moved it into the main room.
Fixer sat with her husband and two charming little girls. All of the females watched the tower of confection coming toward them with a heightened anticipation.
Effin sat with a woman of his own, an elegant metal band surrounded her face and his companion smiled at Effin’s blush and Fixer’s hungry look.
“For all that you did for me, this little thing is for you. The staff has the recipe, I saw at least four of them writing down everything I did. I will leave you now,
but know that I am very thankful for you restoring me to myself, Fixer and Effin, and Reset wherever she is, you will always have a place in my heart.”
She wiped away the tear that formed in her eye. “Well, enough of this. Find a starting point and dig in. I have no idea where you will start, but if we meet again, I expect to be informed as to how it proceeded.”
Col was halfway to the door when Fixer came up and gave her a hug. “Thanks for this.”
Col’s eyes widened as she felt the kicking bump at close quarters. “You are more than welcome. When are you due?”
“Twelve weeks, fourteen, who knows? I am stuck here on Morganti until then, so if you find yourself wanting to fly over and order a new suit, feel free. I am in my workshop most afternoons and you need to practice flying every chance that you get.”
Fixer was grinning and Col smiled in return until Ysyr cleared his throat. “I think I have to get going now, but go on, I think they are waiting for you.”
As they cleared the door, Col saw a line up of people wanting a taste but allowing Fixer to attack it first.
Laughter ensued and it was a good note to leave on.
Ysyr insisted that she ride him back to the Citadel. The feeling was peculiar and a little overwhelming for her nerves.
She tried to speak, but a bug decided her mouth looked attractive and she ended up spending the rest of the rocking run trying to get the last of the bug out of her mouth.
When they entered the Citadel corridor, he kept moving, not allowing her to put her feet on the ground. She tried twice and he growled.
The door to his quarters opened at their approach, a handy feature for a creature that could change its shape.
The moment that they were inside, she lifted herself off him, hovering in the air as he shifted. When he extended his arms, she cut her talent and dropped into his embrace. “Is this what you had in mind?”
His kiss was gentle, sweet and slow. Everything that she had always wished for in a first kiss and never imagined would come to pass.
Ysyr sighed and pressed his forehead against hers, “You are recovering.”
“Yes, I am, so behave.” She sighed lightly. “Perhaps I should get those separate quarters after all.”
His hands clenched on her and he growled. “No, you will stay with me and I will control myself, no matter how much it hurts.”
She ached that his self-control was making him uncomfortable but rejoiced that he wasn’t going to rush her. Col had a whole new skin to get used to and a talent to master. Her dance card was full.
Chapter Eleven
“Lift it! Come on, lift!” Kalo had been assigned as her training coach, because Ysyr was needed as an instructor.
With a deep breath out, Col expanded her net and lifted, gathering as many of the objects in the courtyard as she could.
Turnari had been a little surprised when Kalo has asked to fill the interior yard with hard-to-lift objects, but no one could argue with the results.
Col could and did lift over two thousand pounds at a time.
Straining, she lifted and the objects left the ground.
“Keep lifting! Ten feet, twenty, thirty, fifty feet. Col, bring them back down now, nice and slow.”
She descended in a slow and controlled manner, her muscles quivering under the strain. The moment that her burden touched the ground, her muscles eased and she continued to follow them down.
Landing next to her net, she leaned over and braced her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. “That was a good one. I think I need a burden relay so I can practice moving stuff.”
Kalo came up next to her and handed her a bottle of water and a towel. “That was amazing. I have updated your stats and you are doing wonderfully well.”
“What else?”
“We are done for today. The relay can be setup tomorrow.” Kalo helped boost her upright. “Do you know how close you are to being added to the roster?”
She gulped down the water. “What roster?”
“The roster for active assignments. Going out on assignment helps you pay for your keep, clothing, food, accommodation, that sort of thing. Not to mention education and training.”
She shrugged. “Probably a fee for peeling me as well. Sure. The sooner I can get onto the roster, the better. I look forward to seeing another world.”
Haveera walked toward them, a smile on her face. “You don’t need to wait. It won’t take you off world, but the Guard base needs you for a few days. It will do wonders to expunging your debt.”
Col raised a brow. “What could they need me for?”
“Lifting and holding shuttles and skimmers while under coatings and weapons are mounted.”
Col paled. “I can’t do that.”
Haveera dismissed Kalo with a glance. “Walk with me, Colah.”
Col moved in step with Haveera.
The assessment officer moved them down the path to the botanical gardens. “You are not a simple flier. You know that, don’t you?”
Col shrugged. “I haven’t really looked into what I am.”
“You have a type of telekinesis that allows you to enfold any object and lift it. The only thing holding you back is your own mind. You alter your molecular stability when you fly and by creating an opposing charge to your surroundings, you fly. You can do the same to anything you lift.”
“Do you mind if I try something?”
“Please.”
Testing Haveera’s theory, Col kept walking but touched the woman’s arm lightly with a few fingers. They both continued their stroll, but they were slowly elevating to more than four feet off the ground.
Col felt no strain at all. “Why do I feel a strain when I lift?”
“You expect to. When you expect that something is heavy, you brace yourself. When you think something is light, it floats up easily.”
They were both walking calmly, but Col felt no strain, no tugging, no urge to hold Haveera up. “Why are you just telling me this now?”
Haveera laughed, “We just figured it out after what your suit has been feeding back to the Guard base.”
“My suit is rigged with monitors?” Col didn’t mind, she stripped it off before any of her evening experiments with Ysyr. Her skin was very sensitive, so they were going slowly. The last thing she needed was a record of her first experiments with sex.
“It is. Life and power monitors. Once you have fully recovered, your daily suits will no longer carry the monitors. However, your away suits still will. I came to tell you about the details of your talent, because we were afraid you were going to cause yourself an injury.”
Col laughed. “I was afraid of the very same thing.”
“Well, I am glad that you now have an understanding, but can you bring us back down? I am looking at the wrong end of a conifer here.”
Giggling, Col slowly brought them back down to solid ground. “When am I needed at the base?”
Haveera smiled, “As soon as you are able. They can give you any additional coaching that you require.”
“Will you let Ysyr know? He will miss me if I just disappear.”
Haveera inclined her head. “We will let him know.”
“Well then, off I go.” Without a second thought, Col lifted straight up and oriented herself before accelerating to the Guard base.
A voice came through her collar. “Col, I will expect you back in the evening. If you are going to be late, let me know.”
She chortled. “Fine, Ysyr, but from what Haveera said, this might be a few days’ worth of work. I don’t know what the situation is. I haven’t arrived yet.”
“Keep me posted, or I will come for a visit.”
She laughed out loud and flew into Fixer’s workshop settling in the doorway.
“Hello, Fixer. I hear you have a project for me.”
Fixer looked up from something she was looking at with magnifying lenses and she smiled. “Colah. I am glad to see you. Yes, I have some heavy lifting for you to do. How long can you
hold an airborne position?”
Col shrugged, “I have no idea. Shall we find out?”
Fixer removed her lenses and placed them aside. She put a hand on Col’s shoulder and pointed to a huge shuttle sitting on the tarmac. “Can you lift that and hold it for me while I do some repair work?”
Col whistled. “I am not sure. I think I can hold it, but can you get some support blocks so that if I do start to lose it, you will have time to get away? I am all about safety.”
Fixer touched the neck of her suit and spoke into it softly.
Col flew around the top of the shuttle and got a feel for it. When she was ready, instead of flying and trying to pull it upward, she sat on it and simply lifted herself and it into the air.
“How high do you want it, Fixer?”
“You are good. Just hold it there and I will let you know when I am done.”
Col sat on top of the shuttle and meditated on keeping the vehicle level and secure. The assistants that Fixer had called installed blocks that would keep the ship a minimum of four feet off the ground, so Col felt safe in concentrating on keeping the ship in the air.
Fixer was humming gently as she worked and when she was standing next to the shuttle once more, she lifted her hand and the assistants came to remove the blocks.
“Colah, anytime you are ready we can test out the gear.” Fixer was smiling and munching a ration pack.
Col lowered the ship carefully, but a slight noise on her left got her attention. With a jerk she pulled the ship into the air. “Fixer, is that your daughter?”
A little girl giggled and Fixer gasped. “Mabi, get over here. Is Isala with you?”
“No. She stayed with Daddy.”
The little girl moved toward her mother and stood next to her, but Col slowly turned the ship upside down to confirm that the tarmac was clear before she righted herself and it, slowly returning it to its landing gear.
Fixer was stunned. “How did you do that?”
Col left the shuttle and landed next to the head of development and repair for the Sector Guard. “I don’t know. It just seemed like the thing to do. If there is anything loose in the shuttle, I will clean it up. I just didn’t want to risk another little one under the ship if the gear wasn’t going to hold.”
