by Jacinta Jade
Zale turned back to them and smiled apologetically. ‘Sorry about that. I think he’d had a little too much batra juice.’
Siray shrugged, uneasy. ‘It’s okay. I’m slowly getting used to the fact that the males here don’t have much else to think about when they’re not training, working, or fighting.’
Zale smiled sadly. ‘Sad but true. Some of us have been here a while and, as you’ve seen, the population isn’t very diverse.’
‘My healer said this place has been operational for a while,’ said Siray. ‘But I thought this was a secondary base.’
Zale nodded. ‘The healer’s right. It was primarily a base for gathering intelligence on the activities of the enemy, but since the recent attacks, we’ve had to step up our operations and become more active. Some members of other camps who have been scattered are slowly relocating here too.’
‘But you’ve been here a while?’ asked Genlie.
‘Yes. Just over one cycle,’ Zale answered.
‘And what do you do?’ Genlie pressed.
Zale held up his hands, smiling. ‘Sorry—can’t tell you, unless you get briefed by those in charge.’
Suddenly Zale’s face dropped to look at something strapped to his forearm. He frowned.
‘What is it?’ Siray asked curiously.
Zale was still frowning down at the device. ‘Those in charge,’ he said. ‘I have to report in. With you.’ He glanced up at Siray, confused.
Genlie was also frowning as she looked between them. ‘With Siray? Why?’
Zale shrugged, but an instant later, his face cleared, and he turned to Siray. ‘Have you been through questioning yet?’
Now Siray was the one frowning. ‘Questioning?’ She turned to Genlie, suspicious, but Genlie was nodding at Zale.
‘That makes sense. She’s just come back from the healing level.’
‘What’s questioning?’ Siray asked again.
Genlie shook her head. ‘Zale will tell you on the way. Nothing to worry about. I’ll be around here somewhere when you get back.’
Siray nodded at her, ‘Okay …’ She twisted to look at Zale, hoping for answers, but he was already turning towards the room’s door.
‘Let’s go.’
Siray followed as Zale led the way out into the hallway, fervently hoping that, maybe, after this questioning session thing, or whatever it was, was done, she could get clearance to move about by herself, or at least learn enough about this place so that she wouldn’t have to keep following everyone else around.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
AS THEY ENTERED the hallway, they almost wandered directly into a group of people coming towards them.
‘Siray!’ a voice called in surprise.
Focusing on the faces before her, Siray saw it was Tamot, Loce, Baindan, and Kovi.
‘Where are you going?’ Tamot asked as they approached.
‘Apparently to be questioned,’ she replied, shrugging.
‘Oh. Well, when you’re done there, come find us,’ he said, moving towards the recreation room.
Siray nodded and gestured towards the doorway she had just come through. ‘Genlie’s still in there.’
Kovi dipped his head in thanks and hurried past, and the others moved on with him, all but Baindan, who hesitated for a moment, looking at Zale, before he smiled at Siray and finally followed after the others.
Zale and Siray started walking towards the bank of risers again, and Zale mused, ‘Why do I get the feeling that I may not be liked by some of your … friends?’
They reached the risers then, so Siray didn’t have to respond while Zale flashed his pass at the guards and informed them where they were going. The guards took a moment to clear them as they fiddled with devices on their arms that were similar to the one on Zale’s. Finally, the guards nodded and Zale guided Siray onto a free riser.
When the doors had closed, she peeked sideways at him. ‘Why do you want to be liked by my friends?’
Zale looked at her and shrugged. ‘I don’t particularly care about being liked by them.’ He smiled. ‘But you I find interesting.’
‘As does your command, apparently,’ Siray countered, focusing the discussion back on the matter at hand.
Zale nodded. ‘You’re the first group to come in through the desert. I guess they’re interested in any intelligence you might have on the Faction.’
‘So it’s more of a friendly chat, then?’ Siray asked.
Zale shook his head. ‘No, it’s more like another security check. All of your group, bar you and the male that were in the healing level, were questioned straightaway.’
Siray’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. ‘They didn’t tell me that.’
Again, Zale shook his head. ‘No, they wouldn’t have been allowed.’
‘How come Baindan and I weren’t questioned when we were recovering?’
‘Procedure—the healers have strict rules on anyone under their care being subjected to any additional stress. So command have had to wait until you were released today.’
The riser’s hum died away, and Zale looked at her. ‘Just answer their questions and you’ll be able to return to your friends shortly.’
The doors opened and they both stepped out of the riser. On this floor, which Siray hadn’t yet been to, four guards rather than two were in position by the bank of risers.
As they emerged onto the level, two of the guards approached and asked to see Zale’s pass and to confirm what his business was.
Siray stood silently by as Zale went through the process. On the wall in front of her was one of the familiar signs, containing just one letter: ‘C’. Then one of the guards turned to her.
‘You’ll follow me. Your escort can wait here for your return.’
Siray turned to nervously look at Zale, and he nodded. Exhaling, she turned obediently to follow the guard, taking in the differences in detail she could observe on this level.
Around a corner and through a door that activated automatically on their approach, Siray was greeted by even more guards, and her stomach tightened at all the security. One of the guards, the first female guard Siray had seen, approached the one she was following, and they had a quick conversation between them.
The new guard turned to Siray and gestured for her to follow with a wave of her hand.
The female didn’t lead her too much farther, taking Siray through another hallway and then directly into a small room. Simply furnished with a table and two chairs, the female silently indicated Siray should sit in the seat at the far side of the table. As she did so, the guard left the room and activated the door’s pad.
Leaving Siray staring at four blank walls and a closed door.
***
Siray was alone for some time, and she passed it by thinking about what she had seen so far in this mysterious facility. Which wasn’t really much. But it bothered her that she still didn’t have a good sense of how the place functioned, and what it was that she and her friends would do here.
The sudden opening of the door made her jump.
‘Apologies for keeping you waiting, Siray,’ said a male as he walked into the room.
Siray looked at him and had a vague recollection of having seen him before.
He saw her look as he crossed the room to the table. ‘Do you remember me?’
She nodded slowly. ‘I think I saw you just after we came down in the riser from the desert.’
The male gave a curt nod. ‘That’s right. You arrived in a particularly unpleasant condition, which meant we had to put off this little chat.’ Pulling out the chair on the other side of the table from her, he smoothly sat down, clasping his hands together in front of him. ‘I am Captain Huroy, and I’m in charge of this base. I’d like to ask you a series of questions now, and would appreciate your honest answers to them, even if you don’t quite understand the purpose of the question being asked.’ The captain’s tone was clipped and short, although he kept a pleasant expression on his face.
Siray n
odded, not really having anything to say. Under the table, she squeezed her hands so that she could feel the sting of her nails biting into her palms.
‘Good.’ He leaned forwards. ‘Tell me where you’re from, Siray.’
‘Lalinta.’
‘And why did you leave?’
Siray hesitated, looking down at the table. Should she tell him about her captivity? Only Baindan and the commander of the whole Resistance knew about that. She looked back up at the captain and saw he was watching her carefully.
‘I didn’t leave. I was captured by the Faction and then rescued by a small group of the Resistance who were scouting nearby.’ That wasn’t a lie, just glossing over unnecessary details.
The captain nodded. ‘And then they took you to the training camp?’
She shook her head. ‘No. First we stopped at the commander’s camp to see to an injury I had received, and then I went on to do my training.’
The captain’s hands moved slightly as he leaned forwards. ‘You were at the commander’s camp?’
Siray nodded.
‘And did you speak with the commander?’
‘Yes. The commander thought I might have potential as a fighter for the cause.’
Captain Huroy nodded, his eyes thoughtful. ‘How long were you at the training camp before it was attacked?’
Siray thought for a moment. ‘I arrived early in the golden time, so …’ She took her best guess. ‘Around eight turns?’
‘And how did you learn of this facility?’
‘Baindan, the male who was recovering in the healing level with me, knew about the locations of three secondary sites. Yet even he didn’t know the exact location of this one.’
‘But,’ the captain pressed, ‘how did he find out about these locations?’
Siray stared at him, frowning at the tone of the question. ‘Did you ask Baindan these questions? Because I’m sure he could tell you more.’
The captain nodded. ‘I did. But I’d like to hear your thoughts too.’
Siray exhaled slightly. ‘Well, he told us that he was given special access to that information. I don’t know any more than that.’
The captain looked at her for a long moment. Then he asked, ‘And what forms can you take?’
Siray stared at him, frowning a little at the blunt way he had asked the question. It also seemed an odd question for someone running a Resistance stronghold to ask. ‘Why do you want to know about that?’
‘I like to know what resources I have at my disposal,’ he said smoothly. ‘And its useful to me to know where your time is best allocated.’
That sounded reasonable enough. But the ghost of Honvil’s voice floated through her mind. He had always been concerned about her revealing her sevonix form. Had Deson told the captain about their ability? She thought he would have told her if he had.
‘My form is the red yeibon,’ she said, carefully controlling her face. ‘We had only just touched on how to begin learning a second animal form when the training camp was attacked.’
‘Your friends said something similar when I asked them,’ confirmed the captain. ‘And it seems like you and the others are a talented group … two yeibons, an udun, a hopul, a cripwof, and a bullide—a good offensive team. And we even have uses for the smaller forms like the oxy and quison.’ The captain rubbed a thumb over the top of his clasped hands as he spoke. ‘But your friend Baindan is an interesting case. How many animal forms can he take?’
Siray noted how the captain’s hands were a little white in some places as he clenched them. He was apparently very interested in her answer. So she pretended to think for a moment, feeling more grateful with each breath that she had kept her own secret. ‘Let me see,’ she mused, stalling for time.
What made Huroy ask this? And what would Baindan have said? He had told her that his ability to Change into many forms was rare—so it didn’t seem like something that he would have willingly told Huroy. And her friends had only seen Baindan Change into his cripwof form … No, wait—he had also Changed into a kitespray once. Had he Changed into anything else?
What would Wexner have said?
Knowing that she needed to respond or risk making the captain suspicious, Siray said, ‘I think I saw him Change into two forms … a cripwof and a kitespray.’ As she gave her answer, she thought she saw the captain’s eyes narrow slightly, so she added a lie. ‘He did say, though, that he was in the top three of his training unit, so he could have a third one, but I’m not sure.’ She snorted, pretending disbelief. ‘I’ve never seen it, so I put that down to simple male bragging.’
Captain Huroy appeared to buy it. ‘Thank you for your honesty.’ He leaned back in his chair, tapping the fingers of one hand on the table. ‘I’ve heard from the others details about the fight you had with the patrol out there,’ he said, nodding his chin towards the ceiling.
Siray’s heart beat a little faster. She had forgotten that she had Changed during the battle into her sevonix form. Had the others mentioned it?
‘And I don’t think I need to hear any more about that.’
She carefully exhaled, trying not to let the captain notice her relief. They hadn’t mentioned it, then. She said guardedly, ‘I guess your scouts saw most of it?’
The captain shook his head. ‘Unfortunately, no, they didn’t see any of the fight but arrived on the scene just as you left it, so they could only confirm the results. But,’ the captain continued, raising a finger from the table, ‘it is obvious to me from those very results that I can potentially put your group to some use. If you’re happy to continue fighting for us, that is.’
Siray felt her eyebrows shoot upwards in surprise. ‘You want to send us on a mission?’
He nodded. ‘But, you will need to go through some advanced training first and qualify on all the tests with our instructors.’
She nodded, excited at the thought about getting to do some real good for their cause.
‘Excellent.’ The captain pushed back his chair as he stood. ‘I’ll have training gear and the usual gadgets and schedules all sent down today. Train hard.’ He smiled once more at her, then left the room.
The female guard came into the room following the captain’s departure and stood by the door. ‘I’m to escort you to the risers,’ she said in a flat voice.
As the female looked at her expectantly, Siray stood and walked round the table and out into the hallway. Once there, her guard took the lead again and navigated Siray through the halls and to the risers. As they rounded the last corner, Siray saw Zale push himself away from the wall he had been leaning against to watch her approach. He nodded to her as the guards cleared them for a riser, and once they had stepped onto one of the platforms, he turned to her.
‘How did it go?’
‘Well, I think,’ she answered, ‘Captain Huroy seems pleased to have us as a resource. He even suggested that we might be able to go out on a mission soon.’
Zale seemed surprised. ‘You and your friends must have impressed him, then. I’ve never heard of a new group being accepted that quickly before.’
‘He did say we have to do some training and tests beforehand, though,’ she clarified.
Zale nodded. ‘Sounds about right. No more than any unit would have to do to get qualified for active duty.’ The riser reached the living and recreation floor then, and Zale exited first to show the waiting guards his pass. Once cleared, they both moved into the central corridor, heading once more towards the recreation room.
As they did, Siray was surprised to see Deson, Jorgi, and Wexner coming towards them.
‘Siray!’ Deson called from halfway down the hallway.
‘Great,’ Zale muttered. ‘Do your friends always stalk hallways searching for you?’
Siray shushed him. ‘They’re probably just on their way to the rec room,’ she said defensively.
Zale didn’t have a chance to say anything further, as the three males had come within hearing distance.
‘We’ve been loo
king for you,’ said Deson, glancing curiously at Zale, whose mouth was tugging upwards in amusement. Deson’s eyes showing some recognition of the male from their earlier meal. Who’s that?
Siray groaned silently, both at Deson’s poor choice of opening words and at the subtlety possessive behaviour he was displaying. ‘I was being questioned by Captain Huroy,’ she explained. He’s a friend, she returned.
Deson nodded distractedly at her before turning to look at Zale. ‘I’m Deson,’ he volunteered.
His voice came out neutral, but to Siray, the neutrality spoke volumes.
Zale sobered, and nodded. ‘Good to know.’ He turned to Siray, stepping partially in front of Deson, a cheeky smile spreading across his face. ‘I’ll leave you to your … friends. But maybe I’ll see you at the evening meal?’
His eyes were entirely focused on her, and Siray couldn’t help but appreciate the unique colour she could see in them. She nodded. ‘Maybe. I usually get hungry about the same time as everyone else, after all.’
Zale grinned and, tipping his chin to her, turned, stepped around Deson, and strode off the same way the males had come from a moment earlier.
Siray glanced at her friends.
Jorgi looked confused.
Wexner appeared amused.
And Deson was annoyed. ‘Who was that and what is his problem?’ he asked in a low voice.
Siray smiled inwardly but kept her face blank in case she made the situation worse. ‘That, Deson, was Zale. And as far as I can see, he doesn’t have a problem.’
‘Right,’ Deson said shortly. ‘What was he doing with you?’
A flicker of annoyance went through Siray, and she stopped to look at Deson, raising an eyebrow imperiously. Really? she thought at him.
‘What?’ responded Deson out loud, clearly not understanding the issue at hand.
Somewhere behind him, Wexner chuckled softly. Although he lacked some social graces, Wexner was obviously more experienced in these matters then Deson.
Siray sighed. ‘Not that it is any of your business, Deson, but Zale was escorting me back from questioning. He was also kind enough to show me some of the entertainment in the recreation room earlier, before I was summoned upstairs.’