by Stephanie
As for me, I’m worn out. I didn’t even bother changing my outfit. I finished work on the Legion Spore after diverting most of its sensory pain into an attack program. The vessel should now recognize problems as they arise, and any enemy trying to telepathically or technologically connect will find themselves in a severe amount of pain.
I just hope I never get on its bad side.
Commander Rick raises his glass of red wine. “To Master Zaytsev, the new Head of Efficiency.” Lady Black and Val follow his lead, and warmth flushes my cheeks. “With two new leaders in our midst, arrangements for a formal ball are in order. We shall host the event in a few days time, and this will give you both a chance to meet the leaders of the world. Cheers.”
I sit straighter, prouder, and raise my glass to the toast.
“Cheers.”
Val grabs my neck. The tips of her nails prick my skin as she pulls me down for another kiss. I collapse on top of her, laughing, and tease her with the covers. This time we’re in my room. My amazing new room with silky sheets and upgraded computers. Thanks to my control of technology, I’ve got the lighting exactly where I want it—just low enough to cast soft, fuzzy shadows without putting us to sleep.
Val lunges for me, her fingers crackling with electricity.
I shriek and tumble off the bed, and then immediately regret my mistake. I land on the hardwood floor, not the rug, and Val grins mischievously.
I gulp.
She cocks her head and puts one hand on her bare hip. The brief distraction serves her well—electricity arcs from her fingers and hits my foot. The air pops. I yelp and leap from the floor, smash my thigh against the side of the bed, and then collapse in a heap on the mussed sheets. Val winces, then traces my throbbing muscle lightly with the tips of her fingers. “You all right?”
“Yeah.” I rub my side, but my pride’s been wounded more than anything else.
She waggles her finger in front of my nose. “How do you feel?”
I glare at her. “Sore.”
Her smile widens. “Were we that wild?”
Warmth creeps through my face. Is it really possible that she loves me? I mean, if she only wanted to use me, she could’ve handed me to Lady Winters after we snuck away from the rebels. I’d been rash. I’d put all my trust in someone who recently joined the team. The night I found out she was a double agent, I’d woken to an empty bed.
Val had been leaning in the door of the bathroom, wearing a silver outfit that hugged her hips and dropped in a low “V” across her shoulders. She flipped something between her fingers, some kind of transmitter.
“Val?” I’d asked, sitting upright. I couldn’t follow the transmitter to its source—the distance was too great—but the signature was clear—Camaraderie.
She sat beside me. “Tim, I’m not who you think I am.”
“You’re a spy,” I whispered.
A lock of frizzy hair fell across her eyes. “Yes.”
“Then…” My voice choked in my throat. I was supposed to be smart, not fall for someone so quickly. “You don’t really love me.”
She turned her head abruptly. Her lips parted, as if to say something, and she swallowed hard. “That’s not it. I do love you—or like you, anyway. You’re different.” Her shoulders slouched, showing her collarbone through the silvery fabric.
My fingers twined through the covers. She was beautiful, funny, and she knew more about the world than I ever would. I was just the guy from the Community. Ignorant, and more than my fair share of girl crazy.
I’d been too easy to con. She had the transmitter and the Camaraderie knew exactly where we were.
“You can guess why I’m here, can’t you?” she asked.
I glanced at the desk and the open briefcase she had never let me see inside. An antique emerald pendant sat atop a discarded black skirt and veil. “You were sent to retrieve Lady Winters’ pendant,” I say, numb. Jenna stole the pendant when she found Lady Winters torturing one of our team members. She wounded the telepath, stole the necklace, and ran, no idea of its true value. All she knew was that each of the four international leaders wore one. The rebels knew the Camaraderie would come looking, but I should have realized Val was part of a larger plan.
“Whoever brings the pendant back has a chance of replacing Great White,” Val explained. Great White—Master Matoska—had recently died, leaving an opening in the Camaraderie’s main council. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t turn it down. It’ll mean so much to my family. They’ll have a better house, a secure life. The territories aren’t like the Community. I meant it when I said the Community wouldn’t be so bad. No beasties, no fear…”
“Then why aren’t you gone?” I asked. Val had dressed without my noticing, prepared the tracker, and stolen the pendant. With her enhanced insight, she probably even knew how to pilot the flying car.
Val licked her lips and glanced at me with her beautiful, deep brown eyes. My heart fluttered, despite my guilt. “I wanted to ask—” She took a deep breath. “I wanted to ask if you’d come with me. Only if you want to, of course. But once the other mercenaries find this ship, I don’t know how lenient they’ll be.” She lowered her chin, rotating the small transmitter between her fingers.
My chest constricted. The rebels wanted to destroy the Community. I didn’t. But I didn’t want to abandon them. There were too few of them to be a real threat, and they were my friends.
“I could stop you,” I said, jutting my chest in the cold air.
Val gave me a look that said she didn’t believe me. Tiny arcs of electricity crackled between her pinky and thumb, enforcing her point. Even if I locked out the car and shut down the transmitter, that tiny little ping had already alerted the Camaraderie to our location. If I stopped her, Val wouldn’t get the position she wanted.
But if I helped her…
Maybe the Camaraderie would forgive me. I wrung the sheets between my hands. If I proved I could be useful, maybe I could improve their tech systems and make the Community better. That’s all I ever really wanted. Joining the rebellion… that was just an unplanned detour. The Community was all that mattered, and the worse the Camaraderie could do was turn me into a beast.
According to Val, beasties don’t have memories.
I pushed myself from the bed and scoured the floor for my clothes. A trail of grime streaked across the floor and under the bed. I paused. Why—
“We had an eavesdropper,” Val explained as she stood. I gave her a puzzled look, and she shrugged. “Guess who?”
“Jenna.” Made sense; Jenna never trusted Val.
I should have believed her. I would have still loved Val, but maybe… maybe I wouldn’t have let her get so close. Maybe I would have realized why she was there.
But who am I kidding?
I love her. I could never have stood in her way.
“Get your things,” Val said, “and meet me in your room.”
I left Val as she hastily scribbled a note. Once at my room, I grabbed my tablet and what little belongings I had from my quarters. I tugged at the efficiency charm hanging from my neck and gave everything a silent once-over. The bed was made. Door was shut. With luck, I’d still be human in the morning.
“Tim?”
I blink, brought back to the present.
Val strokes my arm and I try to smile, but the excitement of the moment has dimmed.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
Her insight power is coming out to play. I lean against the pillows. They cushion me in their fluffy embrace as Val wraps her arms around my shoulders.
“Is it the Legion Spore?”
“Sort of.” I twist the chain of my efficiency charm around my fingers. It’s the only thing I’m wearing at the moment. I didn’t want the pendant. Just me and Val. I crane my head over the pillow. “Do you love me?”
I think she does. Why else would she stand up for me when she first brought me to the Camarad
erie?
Val wraps her fingers around my jawbone, pulling me in for a peck on the cheek. “Of course.”
“Why me?”
Val’s nose wrinkles as if she’s not sure what to say. I don’t blame her. She’s the one with the cool powers. The one who knew what she was doing while I was still trying to find my place among the rebels. There’s nothing particularly special about me, though now that I’ve got the pendant—
“Tim…” She holds my jaw tight, forcing me to look at her. Nails—I’m reminded again that her nails are almost claws. “You’re intelligent and kind. And you care. I feel that you care for me, and I see how much you care about making the Community better—how much better you’ve made it already.” She strokes her hand through my short hair, her own dark frizzes framing her face in soft waves.
I start to smile and she gasps, bounding off the bed in a single leap. I grasp the edge of the mattress to keep from falling off. “Val?”
“I almost forgot—” She fumbles through her dress—which is halfway across the room—and removes a small paper package from a hidden pocket. “Here,” she says. “This is for you.”
I take it and pull apart the twine. Crackly brown paper falls away. I catch my breath. Inside is a small, heart-shaped locket engraved with intricate designs. I hook my fingernail under the latch and pry it open. Inside is a small photo of us laughing when we were at the beach in Japan. I’d taken the picture with my tablet while we built sand castles together for the first time. Took forever to clean the sand out afterward.
I grin and grab Val in a tight embrace. “Thank you,” I whisper. “I love you.” I slip the locket onto my necklace chain. It’ll go right next to the light bulb charm as a part of me. Part of who I am. I’ll take it with me tomorrow to remind me of Val during my first training session with the Legion Spore in India.
A pleasant breeze flitters through the thick jungle leaves overhead, staving off the heat of the day. Birds cheep, their brown and white wings flashing against the sun as they flock from one tree to another. Last time I was in India, I only had the vantage point from the rebels’ flying car as we flew through Oriental Alliance territory. There had been a battle below us. Pointy-eared beasts racing across decimated fields, launching themselves at towering, man-driven machines. Large carriers and bi-pedal mechs with missiles and powers. But the Camaraderie defeated the OA troops in this section. The only things that remain are beasties.
I walk through the outer perimeter of the campsite I’m supposed to visit. A barbed wire fence has been erected across a dense patch of jungle, meant to keep out intruders—both the Oriental Alliance and various animals that might see beasties as a tasty snack. Tall cages line both sides of the path. Various beasts pace at the leafy edges, their feline eyes watching me intently.
Don’t worry, m’boy. Stand firm and proud. Remember, you are a leader now. The beastmasters will respect you for that. Commander Rick’s words reverberate in my mind, but they don’t calm my nerves. Sweat trickles down my back. My uniform’s fabric itches and clings to my armpits. At least the electrical circuits are insulated.
I clench my hands at my side to keep from stashing them in my pockets. Commander Rick wants me to get a feel for the military units that will be dealing with the Legion Spore, that way I know how to make the Legion Spore more efficient.
That means it’s my first time as a Camaraderie leader dealing with people who aren’t Special Forces and aren’t the council members.
Chin high. Chest out.
“Master Zaytsev?”
I jump at the voice behind me, stare at the officer blankly, and then nod. “That’s me.”
He’s not much older than I am. Maybe twenty-three or twenty-four, but closer in age to Val than me. He clasps his hands behind his back, gives me a detesting once-over, and then glowers at the emerald pendant on my chest. “I presume you are here to evaluate the efficiency of this troop?”
Close enough. Technically, the commander and I are here to see how well the Legion Spore gives beasts commands during combat, but first he wants me to take a look around and see how things work.
Then we’ll introduce the Legion Spore.
I smile and extend my hand. “Yes. Where would you like to begin?”
The officer eyes my hand suspiciously. After a moment, he takes it, does one firm squeeze of his fist, and then briskly walks onward. “This way.”
My hopes of impressing him sink. He leads me past three other workers, two beastmasters and a medic, all of whom are dressed in pale green attire. Even near the jungle trees, they stand out. These people need a darker green uniform, mottled, like what the OA soldiers use. Otherwise they’ll make easy targets for the mechs. I make a mental note on my tablet as I follow.
A corrugated metal shelter appears to be their workstation. Several fans hum, whirring on the highest setting to keep the sun-warmed room from getting too hot. Inside is a mess of plastic tables hastily set up with a compilation of laptops and screens among various other wartime devices. The tech jumbles in my mind, streams of data colliding as it tries to make its way to its respective device. This is a programming accident waiting to happen. I pause, expecting the officer will wait. Without organization, the beastmasters could easily confuse which army they’re giving orders to, but I can fix the problem in a few minutes.
I open my mind to the soft chime of circuits. I sort out the code, piece by piece, until the streams flow freely. The wires still feel like a sloppy mess, but without going wireless, they aren’t going to have much success fixing the problem. At least they thought to label everything. In the Camaraderie’s main facilities, this mess would be unforgivable. But out here, where they might have to pack quickly and move again, they haven’t bothered. I frown. Perhaps they could smooth out the process. I make another note to arrange for them to receive one of the improved wireless systems.
The officer taps his foot, impatient. But I’m a higher rank. He has to know that.
Problem is, he has more experience.
“Your computers should work faster now,” I say. “Should be better for you if you need to make quick decisions.”
He leans over the workstation, blinks, and then checks the processor again. A genuine smile grows on his face. “Impressive. We’ve had techno sight workers in and out for months, and they haven’t done half the work you did in five minutes.”
A weight lifts from my chest. I did something right. “Glad I could help.”
He chuckles. “Can’t say I mind having a decent Head of Efficiency.”
Pride flows through me. This is something I can do, something Lady Winters couldn’t beat.
The officer leads me through the opposite door into a wide, open enclosure. “This is where we keep the beasts,” he explains.
Each section of the enclosure is based on the beasts’ powers and sex. Nearest are a cluster of gangly ice beasties. Ice spreads along the trees, dripping off leaves and keeping them cool. Farthest out are the fire beasts… tall and imposing, with burnt skin where fire crackles at their fingertips. Their enclosure is burnt in patches, and the fence is warped where they evidently attacked a monkey that now lays roasted just outside the enclosure.
“There are three kinds of beasts,” the officer explains. “Fair, lithe, and grand.”
“Right,” I say quickly. This I know. Fair beasts look the most human. The ice and fire beasties are fair. The lithe beasts are more slender and graceful. They move quickly when attacking. “Agile” beasts are the main ones I’ve seen like this, and beasts with claws and fangs. Grand beasts are the opposite. Larger and more heavily muscled than humans, their powers primarily include toughness and strength. “How do you use them against the OA?” I ask. Beasts are relatively ineffective against mechs, which are much larger and often come with missiles.
“We have two tactics,” the officer says. “The beasts with more experience stay hidden in the woods, and act without being seen. The novice beasts act as a d
istraction. It’s a loss, but we protect the better trained assets. Take the plant beasts, for example.” He stops in front of an enclosure and points to the slender creatures inside.
One of the beasties turns, her golden eyes burrowing past me. She stands on her hind legs, her skin a faint, pale green. Mossy clumps hang from her prominent skull and drape around her body. She turns, willowy. Grass weaves around her feet, creeping to her knees and thighs. Then she dashes away, the grass forgotten in lieu of trees.
Blood rushes from my cheeks, though I hope I’ve kept my expression blank.
Jenna is a plant elemental. If the Camaraderie ever catches her and she refuses to work for them, this could be her fate.
But that would be a waste of a resource. They’re more likely to use her as ransom against the Coalition. Her grandfather is the leader for that particular group of rebels, and he’s evaded capture since before I was born.
I let out my breath. I don’t think they’ll turn her into a beast.
“Plant beasts are one of our more effective tools against mechs,” the officer continues, oblivious to my thoughts. “We hide them in the jungle, where they can ambush OA forces. Mechs can’t move when they’re being restrained by vines. In other cases, our lithe beasts provide a distraction while electric beasts fry the mech’s computer systems.” He points to an acrylic glass enclosure where several beasties lounge under the thick shade of trees.
I slip my hands in my pocket. At least Val won’t have to worry about that outcome. Her position in the Camaraderie definitely makes her too valuable. “Why don’t we continue?” I suggest. There’s an unconvincing lump in my throat. “I’m short on time.” The officer moves ahead, and I’m thankful he can’t know how inexplicably cold I feel, shivering despite the burning sun above us. He continues explaining the different beasts and tactics, but as we get to the edge of the enclosure, I pause.
