by Eva Brandt
“Keep your distance,” our teacher warned us. “For now, you will just observe.”
We all complied and watched as he approached the dummies. “This will be good,” one of the other students whispered. “I heard from my brother that Professor Strange is an ace at tachyon manipulation.”
“Do we really need an introduction, though?” another teenager asked. “I mean, we’ve already learned some of it before. We’re here because we’re supposed to be. Unlike other people.”
That was obviously a dig at me, but I ignored it and chose to focus on Professor Strange instead. When he stood in front of the dummies, their eyes lit up with a bright crimson glow, similar to the one I’d seen in the Sphinx, although far less intense.
One of the dummies lifted its hand. I blinked and the next thing I knew, a blast of red fire struck Professor Strange. It dissipated harmlessly, as if there was a shield around him.
Did he have equipment helping him limit the damage he received? Maybe it was another function of the uniform. I’d have to ask my dorm mates later. No one else seemed shocked by the incident, so I assumed this was another of those things I was supposed to know, but didn’t.
“Because tachyons are very fast, you’re not likely to see a tachyon attack until it’s too close for you to dodge or put up last minute defenses,” Professor Strange said, unfazed. “That’s why when you’re fighting someone with tachyon-channeling abilities, you need to be prepared at all times.”
When he turned to look at us, his pupils were red-rimmed and his skin was glowing from within. A suspicion niggled at the back of my mind.
He hadn’t used equipment of any kind. He’d absorbed the tachyon blast in his own body. But why would he do that, if tachyons were as dangerous as he had said?
As if he could read my mind, Professor Strange continued his lecture. “Once you’ve absorbed the tachyon energy that hits you, you have to expel it. Do not under any circumstances attempt to contain it within yourself. The consequences could be devastating.”
Illustrating his words, Professor Strange retaliated to the dummy’s attack. I was prepared for this one, but I still only caught a brief glimpse of the moment he was channeling it. I might not have seen it at all if I hadn’t spotted the crimson particles underneath his skin and hadn’t been familiar with them after my time with the Sphinx.
I wasn’t surprised when two of the robots exploded at the same time. The third survived the blast and attacked Professor Strange again. He absorbed the blow once more and repeated the process, presumably to provide us with a second demonstration.
Once the third dummy was defeated, Professor Strange directed his attention toward us once again. “Naturally, you will not be required to absorb tachyons anytime soon, but I expect you to be able to control the power you emanate within the first month at the academy, enough at least, that you’d be able to hit a stationary target without leakage.” He swept his fierce gaze over the small gathering of students. “Does anyone here feel prepared to make an attempt now?”
The dummies reformed, seemingly waiting for us to target them. After the earlier boasting, I expected the other students to volunteer. Nobody did. The reasons for this became obvious when Professor Strange zeroed in on me. “Ms. Renard, you’re the oldest student here. Why don’t you give it a shot?”
Just by looking at him, I knew that my age had nothing to do with why he’d singled me out. Still, I couldn’t refuse. “I don’t have any experience with tachyon manipulation,” I told him, “but I can try if you deem it necessary, Sir.”
As I spoke, I cautiously stepped forward, my stomach in knots. “I should just… shoot at the robots?” I asked, and hated that my voice came out a little shaky and weak.
Professor Strange sneered, not bothering to hide his disdain for me. “Drones, Ms. Renard. They’re training drones. And yes. Just shoot them. Even you can manage that, right?”
I clenched my jaw to suppress my irritation. If I’d been able to do that, I wouldn’t have come to the academy to begin with. But I’d made a choice and I had to live with that now.
I thought about what I’d seen earlier, about the way Professor Strange had looked when he’d channeled the blast. It didn’t help me much. Instead, a feeling of crippling self-doubt assaulted me as I acknowledged how difficult this was.
As the seconds passed with me standing there, frozen, I heard the other students starting to whisper behind me. “What a joke.”
“A Terran woman as a Grand Chimera pilot. I knew it couldn’t be true.”
“I bet she’s fucking Prince Brendan and that’s why he brought her here.”
“I bet she’s fucking all of them. She shares their room, you know, and I’m sure they’re sharing her.”
The words rained on me like physical blows, making me even more aware of how dependant I was on the other members of the Grand Chimera Unit. But they weren’t here now and they couldn’t hold my hand through my training. Besides, Sphinx had already told me I needed to be cautious around them.
So where did that leave me? Right at the beginning? No.
I’d used the power of Tartarus before, in ways these idiots couldn’t hope to touch. I thought about the day I’d bonded with Sphinx. I remembered Knox’s advice from back on Earth, the instructions he’d given me when General Rhodes had asked me to summon my chimera.
The science behind the method was interesting, but at the end of the day, Knox’s suggestion had helped far more. And maybe this situation wasn’t the same, but it was close enough to count. Right?
Taking a deep breath, I reached for that part of me where I always found my new friend. Our connection vibrated with a deep warmth and awareness, but I didn’t pursue it. Instead, I absorbed the power it emanated, channeling it through my body.
When I focused on the drones again, Tartarus’s Gift burned through my veins. I was a weapon of destruction. Hitting a stationary target? Really? Such power was meant for far greater things, for eliminating my foes and teaching them a lesson they’d never forget.
How dare they look down on me for my gender? How dare they hurt all those poor women in the settlement? Did they have no shame, no heart, no compassion? When had everything gone so wrong?
A memory of the woman in Tartarus Base flashed through my mind, and in the eyes of the dummies, I saw her blood, her tears, and the collar around her neck. Snarling, I let go and an eruption of power rushed out of me.
The force of the blast was so intense it blew away not only the dummies, but also a large part of the wall. My fellow students were sent flying back. Professor Strange, who was closest to me, got the worst of it. He might have had experience absorbing tachyons, but he wasn’t prepared for this level of energy emissions.
Like the others, he was propelled into the air, but the intensity of the blow was such that he hit the wall with a nauseating crack. Tachyons flickered around him in crimson waves and his body twitched, once, twice, three times. Then, he slid to the floor and went still.
My breath caught as I realized what I’d done. Terrified, I stumbled to his side, praying I hadn’t killed a person on my first day at the academy.
His uniform was scorched on one side and I flinched at the sight of the ugly burns. He was out cold and I couldn’t tell if he was breathing.
What was I supposed to do?
“Touch him,” the Sphinx whispered in my mind. “Touch his skin. Extract Tartarus’s power from his body.”
I didn’t question her. Instead, I blindly followed her advice and brushed my fingers over his hand.
The world blurred around me as the energy I’d accidentally summoned returned into my body. I wasn’t prepared for it and I cried out as the tachyons threatened to overwhelm my brain.
I didn’t know how I managed to endure it. Maybe it was stubbornness. Maybe it was sheer good fortune. Or maybe Gaia helped me, even here, so far away from my home. In any case, after what seemed like forever, the power settled, returning to the dormant state it had been in before m
y attempt to attack the drones.
When I blinked back into awareness, I found myself surrounded by a group of very hostile young men. “What did you do, Terran whore?” one of them hissed.
He took a step forward, intent on grabbing me. “Please don’t touch me,” I warned him. “If you do, I can’t guarantee your well-being.”
He froze, perhaps realizing I was completely serious. Granted, I doubted I’d be able to do anything to him if he did touch me, since I felt so drained I could’ve slept for a year. But he didn’t know that and I had no intention of telling him.
Before any of the others could realize my position, Professor Strange cracked his eyes open and groaned. “What in Tartarus’s name…?”
He trailed off when he saw me and his breath caught. “Are you all right, Sir?” I asked him. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.”
“No, it’s not your fault,” he said. “You weren’t prepared for such a demonstration and that’s understandable. The responsibility lies solely on my shoulders.”
That was a huge change in tune and not something I’d expected him to say after his earlier behavior. But then again, what did I know about Titus Strange? Maybe he wasn’t a complete dick and I’d just rubbed him the wrong way.
My tentative optimism vanished when Professor Strange got up. “We should end the lesson here,” he said. “We will all go to the med bay and get a checkup. Yes, even you, Ms. Renard. You might have pushed yourself too far and I don’t want you to get hurt in my class.”
I didn’t bother pointing out he hadn’t been all that concerned earlier. When he led us out of the room, I followed.
Somehow, I suspected the worst part of my day hadn’t even started yet.
* * *
August
“Unlike The Grand Judiciary, which is organized and efficient, Terran governments remain scattered and chaotic. For this reason, the terra-forming process of the planet is slow and many people struggle with poverty and disease. Fortunately, The Grand Judiciary provides them with means to travel here and start over.”
I listened to Professor Trask drone on and wondered if it was possible to die out of sheer tedium and nausea. Sometimes, I wondered if these people actually believed the bullshit they spouted. Everybody knew The Grand Judiciary didn’t help Terrans out of the kindness of their hearts. And if Terrans had so much trouble, I doubted it was just because their governments were inefficient.
The school didn’t care about that and taught whatever The Grand Judiciary told them to. I wished they just stuck to showing us how to destroy aliens. I didn’t care for Terrans that much, but it still seemed counterproductive to focus on our differences instead of on what we had in common.
Tartarus help me, I was so bored. Why did we have to start this school year with Grand Judiciary Law?
By my side, Pollux stifled a yawn. He’d slept poorly these past couple of days, as this whole business with Selene Renard had brought back bad memories.
I understood him perfectly. I’d grown up an orphan, but Pollux and his sister had been the first to give me a glimpse of what it meant to have a family. We’d lost that when she’d died. We’d built something new with the Grand Chimera Unit, but now, our bond was in danger because of Selene Renard. Damn it.
In the background, Professor Trask continued to say something about the rebuilding of the new capitals of Terra. I more or less tuned him out since it was taking every bit of my focus to not fall asleep at my desk or drift into Selene-induced frustration.
I might be dealing with all this better than Pollux, but this lecture was so mind-numbing it could’ve made Charybdis fall into hibernation.
As if she’d heard my thoughts, my lovely chimera decided to contact me. “August, I need you to do something for me,” she whispered in my head.
“Do something for you?” I repeated. “That’s a surprise. What do you need?”
Charybdis had always been a greedy soul. That hadn’t changed since ancient times. As a naiad, she’d tried to flood more land to enlarge her father’s underwater kingdom. As a sea monster, she’d constantly consumed unfortunate sailors. As a mecha, she felt she never had enough power and always sought more.
Even so, she rarely asked for personal favors from me. It wasn’t her style, which was why it shocked me that she’d reach out to me like this.
“Your new… broodmate. Sphinx’s Tamer. I believe she’s in trouble. Could you go to the med bay and check up on her?”
The request froze my blood in my veins. Like all of us, Charybdis believed Selene didn’t belong at Chimera Academy. What could have determined her to change her mind all of a sudden?
“I haven’t changed my mind. I just fear that if things keep going in the current direction, young Selene might not get the chance to return to Terra.”
“It’s only the first day,” I protested weakly.
“You know very well that doesn’t matter.”
Yes, I did know. I’d seen how people had looked at Selene in the settlement. I’d hoped men would have more discipline and sense here at the academy and wouldn’t physically assault her, at least not from the very beginning. It looked like I’d been a little too optimistic.
Without further hesitation, I shot to my feet, already making plans on how to get to the med bay as soon as possible. “Sir, I’m afraid Pollux and I need to go,” I told Professor Trask. “Grand Chimera Unit business.”
Charybdis hadn’t asked me to take Pollux along, but she didn’t have to. Wherever I went, he went, and I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d want to get involved in this.
Professor Trask faltered and irritation flickered over his face. Like many members of the staff, he didn’t like the privileges we received. He thought we Grand Chimera tamers flaunted rules just because we could. That couldn’t have been further from the truth, but I didn’t care enough about his opinion to explain. “May we be excused?”
“Yes, of course. Report to me later for a catch up essay.”
Dick. As much as I valued my time at Chimera Academy, I looked forward to graduation, just so that I could kick the asses of some of the idiots here without risking expulsion.
In the meantime, I had more important things to worry about, namely Selene. Pollux and I left the classroom in a rush. Pollux followed me without asking any questions, at least until we left the busier wing of the academy. “Where are we going?” he whispered when we turned into a corridor that was empty of people.
“Med bay. Something’s up with Selene. Has Scylla not said anything?”
Pollux shook his head. “No. She’s been quiet all morning.”
It was unusual that Charybdis would know something and not share with Scylla, since they were as close as Pollux and me. Something was seriously wrong here. We had to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.
Fortunately, it didn’t take us much longer to reach our destination. It was a good thing, because when we burst into the med bay, we found our base medic, Hieronymus Bell, leaning over an almost naked Selene. She was out cold, in her underwear, and he was poking and prodding her body with a metallic rod.
I saw red. He had no business doing that. Drones and scanners made it unnecessary for medics to touch their patients, either with their hands or with regular instruments. This was rude, dangerous, and invasive.
“What’s going on here?” I snarled, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from her. “What are you doing?”
Dr. Bell paled when he saw us, but he recovered quickly. “There was an accident in Tachyon Manipulation class. I’m providing Ms. Renard with treatment.”
“That isn’t treatment for tachyon overload,” Pollux said, his eyes glowing with rage.
“Of course it is,” Dr. Bell replied without missing a beat. “This girl is emanating unhealthy amounts of tachyons. Her mere presence makes Chimera Warriors sick. She needs to be removed. I’m assessing the danger she represents.”
“If you were so concerned about the tachyon emissions
, why did you take her clothes off?” I asked, unimpressed by his logic. “You know very well the uniform regulates that for Grand Chimera Warriors.”
“That’s exactly why it needed to go. I had to check her over without the uniform interfering.”
He was full of shit, but I had no way to prove it. Selene had no friends here and no one would care that the medic had taken her clothes off and betrayed her trust.
The only good thing about the whole disgusting situation was that she was still wearing her underwear. The medic had had enough sense to realize that sexually abusing her would be going too far.
If we’d gotten here a little later, he might have changed his mind. Selene was incredibly attractive. I would’ve rather cut off my dick than force it inside her, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t acknowledge and recognize her appeal. Other men at the academy might not be so scrupulous.
I found her jumpsuit lying abandoned on a nearby cot and tried to put it back on without waking her. With Pollux helping, we managed, although it was a bit of a challenge.
Selene stirred just as we were zipping up the uniform. She cracked her eyes open and blinked owlishly, trying to clear her vision. “W-What?” she stammered, sounding dazed and drunk. “August? What’s happening?”
“You were in an accident in class,” I answered. “You came to the med bay for treatment.”
“I remember.” Selene furrowed her brow, visibly confused. “But… Professor Strange was the one injured, not me. I was fine.”
“See what I mean?” Dr. Bell asked with a sigh. “She’s delusional on top of everything else.”
Somehow, I doubted that very much. It wouldn’t be the first time an official of The Grand Judiciary used a woman for his own purposes. If Professor Strange had been hurt, it was entirely possible that they’d decided to use Selene as a vessel to absorb the leftover tachyons, to make sure he was safe.
After all, he was a noble, his family almost as old as Brendan’s. He’d never been a Grand Chimera pilot, but that hadn’t kept him from becoming a tutor for us, and that was no coincidence.