The Glitch Saga- The Complete Collection

by Stephanie Flint

  “You would do well to hide your thoughts. You wouldn’t want a rogue telepath catching note of the Legion Spore.”

  They probably already know the Legion Spore exists if they’ve been following the attacks on Tokyo. I drag my hands through my hair. Besides, none of this leader training matters. I’m not cut out for hiding my thoughts and looking handsome. I have a living airship to reprogram and time stones to research, and once that’s done, my job is to improve efficiency in the Community, not look attractive. I don’t even have the same “good looks” as most leaders.

  She scoots a tablet in front of me. “Incorrect.”

  “Err—what?” There is no way she considers me attractive.

  She rolls her eyes. “The job. Your job is not to make the Community more efficient, it’s to convince the Community you already have. You have a special team who does the work for you. You claim you did everything, you look like you know what you’re talking about, and your team does the rest.”

  I gape at her. “Wait—I’m not supposed to actually do anything?”

  The agent crosses her arms over her chest.”You make Community citizens feel secure in their homes and convince them their government and technology is truly efficient,” she mocks.

  Indignant rage builds in my chest and I clench the edge of the tablet. “You’re kidding me.”

  “Face it, Master Zaytsev. You are a figurehead.” She purses her lips and motions for me to scroll down the tablet.

  I jerk it away from her. Figurehead? No. Even Lady Winters wasn’t a figurehead, for all that her work drove efficiency the wrong direction.”For the love of the Community, what’s the point of being a leader if I can’t do anything good with the position? If I’m the head of efficiency, I’m going to do the work myself!”

  When I chance a glare in Ashby’s direction, she’s smirking, one hand tapping the table. She shakes her head, the smirk turning into a full-fledged smile before she clicks the desired file. “Cursing is an inefficient means of conveying your thoughts, and may lead to frustration that threatens the security of the Community,” she recites casually. “But you know that, don’t you?”

  I clench my fists at my side, keeping my hands from shaking. “At least I wasn’t using any of the rebels’ curses,” I mutter. But that doesn’t change the fact that I let down my guard around Special Forces. What kind of leader am I?

  “An efficient one.” She passes the tablet back. “Now, you’ll want to review your team’s accomplishments before tomorrow. They’ve prepared your speech. I’ll help you add the proper inflections and tell you at what points you should add your own input.”

  I scroll through the predetermined words, and then look through the glass window on the other side of the helicopter. Maybe Jenna was right. Maybe leaders are figureheads. I push the tablet away.

  Agent Ashby raises an eyebrow. “Master Zaytsev?”

  I shake my head. “Is there anything I can do that is, well, me?”

  She holds my gaze. “You are an international leader of the Community. The Head of Efficiency—proudly making the Community more efficient. In reality, your team does that while you take care of work no one else can—managing that Legion Spore creature you were thinking about earlier. You are no longer Tim Zaytsev, the hacker who helped rebels escape. You are Master Zaytsev. You wear that pendant, and you wear it because you earned it.”

  “I killed Lady Winters. Nothing particularly glorious about that.”

  She shrugs. “I don’t have to know how you earned it. I just know Commander Rick believes you are a proper fit for the position, and my job is to protect what he believes in.”

  I twist the locket between my fingers and pull the tablet back in front of me. “Fine. How exactly am I supposed to read this?”

  She snorts. “From the beginning.”

  I pause. “There’s going to be a lot of people there.”

  She grabs the back of my neck and twists my head toward the tablet. “Read.”

  My efficiency team sits around a small table in one of the ambassadorial suites, chatting amongst themselves. When I open the door, they freeze.

  Well, go on, Ashby thinks to me.

  I follow Agent Ashby’s advice and sit myself opposite them. “Hello… I’m T—Master Zaytsev.” I can almost feel the agent roll her eyes, though I know she has enough training not to. The team breaks out in an uneven chorus of “Greetings, Master Zaytsev,” and “pleased to meet you.” They exchange glances, bite their lips, and tap their toes. The brunette keeps her head ducked, not looking at me directly, while the darker-skinned man next to her is sweating bullets. The long-haired man beside him is staring at me, terrified.

  I glance at Agent Ashby, confused. I know she can read my mind. Why do they act like they’re on trial?

  Their last Head of Efficiency was Lady Winters.

  That explains a lot.

  “I’m not going to hurt you,” I say, but that doesn’t seem to calm their nerves any. I looked over their names earlier, but other than Maire, I’m not sure who’s who. I glance at the woman. “All right… you must be Maire—” She ducks her head and murmurs so softly I don’t hear what she says. “Erm, could you say that again?”

  Her eyes widen. “Nothing! I’m sorry Master Zaytsev, I—”

  Ashby sighs. Her name is pronounced My-ra. She’s not a horse.

  Heat settles in my cheeks. “Sorry, Maire,” I say, careful to say the correct pronunciation this time. “And you two are…” They list out their names so quickly I don’t catch them. Thankfully, Agent Ashby tells me telepathically.

  Don’t rely on me too much. I’m supposed to be watching for threats, not keeping you from looking like a fool.

  I grimace, and then quickly smile in an attempt to quell the alarmed looks of my team. “So… I read through the speech you wrote—”

  “Is it all right?” Maire gnaws at her cheek. “I wanted to give you maximum credit, of course, while making it sensible, since you haven’t officially had this position that long. Of course, we did include your achievement regarding EYEnet—”

  I hold up my hand and she stops short. “It’s fine. I just wanted to say I’ve read it.”

  “Of course. I apologize, Master Zaytsev.” She swallows hard.

  Are they all this flighty?

  Again… Lady Winters.

  Right. “What’s on the agenda?”

  “Sir?” Maire frowns.

  I pinch my thumb between my fingers, trying not to fidget. “What do you plan to improve next? You seem to have a good handle on the political aspect of the system.”

  The dark-skinned guy, Denver, raises his hand. “That would be me. There’s a lot of digital paperwork from the Health Scans, so I’ve been working to systematically reduce the forms. That way Health Scans will take less time for Special Forces to administer, giving them more time to deal with inner rebellions. Unless you prefer that I work on something else, of course.” His foot taps rapidly underneath the table, though his deep voice is considerably calmer than Maire’s high one.

  “Sounds good. What else?”

  The long-haired guy, Dale, smiles sheepishly. “To be honest, that’s all we have slated.”

  I frown. “How come?”

  He’s taken aback. “We weren’t sure what you would want us to focus on. Lady Winters was determined that we should put our focus on making the Health Scans efficient so she could more effectively root out those with powers for the armies and her personal projects.”

  Right. Probably looking for specific powers for the Legion Spore. “Let’s see what needs to be done tomorrow when we visit St. Petersburg.”

  Maire blinks. “Sir?”

  “Yes?” I turn to her.

  “I apologize if I’m speaking out of turn, but—”

  “Just say it already! I’m not Lady Winters. I’m not going to torture you if you say the wrong thing.” They stare at me, mouths wide. “I have techno sight and enhanced intelligence. Unless I short out your tablets” —w
hich they hastily push away from their hands— “I can’t hurt you. There’s a reason I have a bodyguard.” I bury my head in my hands. “Just—speak. You’re here because you’re efficient. I want to hear what you think, not what you think I want you to think. Keep it efficient, please.”

  Silence fills the room.

  You know, you typically don’t tell your inferiors you’re vulnerable.

  One—it’s obvious, I think. Two—they aren’t inferior.

  Fine. Don’t listen to the one with experience.

  I glare at her. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do! They have way more experience than me.

  She shrugs.

  “Now, does everyone understand me?” I ask. They nod in unison, which isn’t much better. “I want you there when I give the speech. If someone needs clarification, I’m not the one to ask.”

  “But, sir—”

  “You’re coming with me—all of you.” I grab my tablet and storm out the door, leaving everyone in silence. If they want me to be a leader, fine. I’m doing things my way. I’m not going to be a figurehead.

  Agent Ashby sits across from me and Val, who holds my hand as we wait for preparations to be complete. At the moment we’re in the commander’s personal airship, but in less than an hour we’ll be taking a shuttle to St. Petersburg, along with my efficiency team and the commander’s personal Special Forces team. The commander’s ship will hover outside the city until morning, that way he can strategically fly in when the most people will see the airship.

  The agent polishes her rifle. She’s in full gear, her eyes hidden beneath the dark visor. “That was quite the performance,” she notes. “Demanding your team be present for your induction ceremony. Storming out. Comparing yourself to a former leader.”

  Val raises both eyebrows. “You compared yourself to Brainmaster?”

  “I specifically said I wasn’t Brain—Lady Winters. They were nervous as rabbits. I don’t think you could have made Jenna twitch that much.”

  Val rolls her eyes. “Please—I wasn’t even trying. She did that on her own.”

  Smooth, reminding her of your ex.

  I glare at the agent. Jenna was not my girlfriend.

  That’s not how Lady Salazar sees it. Why would you be so protective of a rebel unless you have feelings for them?

  I blink, confused. Jenna was a friend… that’s all. But Val looks annoyed, with little zaps of energy trickling around her fingers. I nudge her shoulder. “You know I love you, right? No one else?”

  And then there’s your feelings for Lady Black…

  “Get out of my head! You’re as bad as the Legion Spore.”

  Denver peaks up from the other table. “Legion Spore?”

  “Lady Winters never told you?”

  Agent Ashby snorts. “That information is classified.”

  For the love of the Community… no wonder Jenna got so frustrated with security. Too many secrets—not efficient in the slightest.

  There you go again about Miss Nickleson. Besides, secrets provide security. We must maintain a fine balance between the two in order to create the best society possible.

  I rub my forehead. Given that the reason I respect Jenna is because she cares about the Community’s efficiency, it’s hard not to relate the two. “It would help if my team was in on the details. They’d be more efficient.”

  They might compromise our secrets. Only one of them actually has powers. The others are lucky to know as much as they do.

  “Then they should be taught how to protect their mind, same as I was,” I snap. They give me a funny look, since they’re only hearing half of the conversation.

  You aren’t that good at hiding your own secrets, Master Zaytsev. Should I give you an example?

  “No.”

  An image of the Legion Spore pops in my head, and me talking to Val about her newly discovered pregnancy. My chest constricts, and I automatically focus on solitaire. The lights flicker.

  “Tim—” Val bites her lip. “Can we talk privately?”

  I take a deep breath. Can I think of anything without someone reading my mind?

  Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me… and the life-spirit elementals who check your health each day… and the telepaths who attend to your needs. A smile twitches at the edge of her lips. On a more serious note, Val really should have a doctor look her over soon, especially with the unusual details of her situation.

  I grab Val’s hand, glare at the agent’s blank visor, and then we slip through the door into the hallway. Fine. Maybe everyone already knows. But I still need space… a breath of fresh air from this constant intrusion into my thoughts. I unlock the keypad with my powers and we head into the open deck above. My breath lets out ghosts of fog, but the cold air clears my mind.

  At least the agent didn’t follow me; the security cameras reveal a clear corridor. Unless she has invisibility as a secondary power. I just have to hope she’s not still in my mind. How far does her telepathy reach?

  “Tim—I want to talk to you about your bodyguard.” Val twists her hips, her hands reaching my shoulders.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s just… I don’t like her being in your head.”

  I snort. “Neither do I, but it’s part of her job. Don’t you have a bodyguard, too?”

  She shakes her head.

  “But…” I stare at her. “You also know Camaraderie secrets. How come no one is keeping an eye on your thoughts?”

  Does the council not trust me?

  Val holds up her hand, electricity jumping between her fingers. “I can zap people, so I don’t need a bodyguard hovering around me. As for secrets, I know how to keep a telepath out.”

  I wince. That’s why I have a bodyguard. It’s not that they don’t trust me… it’s that I’m not strong enough to keep telepaths from seeing what they aren’t meant to see.

  Val presses her head against my chest, sending another image of Lady Black into my thoughts. I cringe. Not fair… not my fault… I clench my jaw, trying to expel the image.

  “Agent Ashby is… pretty,” she says, “and if someone’s in your head—well—it’s easy to become attached.” She takes my hands in hers, and I fight the image of Lady Black from returning.

  “The Legion Spore is in my head plenty of times, and we’re certainly not attached,” I point out.

  “That’s not the same thing. I just… I have this feeling that you’re going to be closer to Ashby than I’d like.”

  “A feeling… insight?” I blink. How in the Community could I get close to Ashby? I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m an incompetent fool.

  “Yes, insight,” Val says.

  I shake my head. If one premonition can be taken out of context, so can another. “I don’t think there’s any chance of Ashby becoming attached to me. She doesn’t approve of me, let alone—”

  “You don’t think? Why don’t you…” Val’s voice trails off, and she takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to the powers being this strong. But if my insight is correct, the two of you will grow close. She’ll want to do anything she can to protect you.”

  “She’s a bodyguard. She has to protect me.”

  “It’s more than that, Tim.”

  My heart sinks. “I’m… I’ll do everything I can to remain faithful to you, Val. But we have to be realistic. I’m living in a world of telepaths and seduction beasts—and I’m doing everything I can to not to let my mind get swallowed whole by an organic vessel.” The cold bites through my suit. It’s got to be even colder for Val, though her skintight suit is trimmed with fur. “I can’t promise I’m strong enough to stand against these other powers.”

  Her lips form a thin line. “You have to try, Tim. Okay? What do you think I go through?”

  “I try not to think about it. I don’t want to know what enticing information out of rebels means. I don’t want to know if there are other leaders who are entitled to one night flings. If you still have lovers you want to visit someday.”<
br />
  I lower my eyes, but a small smile tugs her cheeks. “Tim—I was talking about these ridiculous premonitions. But if you’re worried about what I do on the field, don’t be. Lady Black does all the enticing. And ever since I met you, it’s just been you. Yes, it can be difficult. Try dealing with a persuasive rebel. Pain in the rear.” She licks her fangs. “What about you? Have you been with anyone before me?”

  “No. You’re the first.” But that feels wrong. I feel Lady Black’s arms caressing my back… and she’s done other things in the dreams. I’ve tried not to focus on the further details, but I know she and I—Martinez—have fully enjoyed each other’s company on multiple nights. “There is something you should know, though.”

  Val positions herself on the inside of the stairwell leading to the deck, and I slide down beside her, blocking the cutting wind. She crosses her arms, pouting.”What? You failed Lady Black’s training?”

  “Well—yes. But she never let me do anything, I promise. I’m sorry, Val. I know I’m vulnerable, and I don’t want to be.” She stares at me for longer than comfortable, but I hold her gaze as best I can. I want her to know I’m being truthful.

  She sighs. “What, then?”

  “Remember those glitches I was telling you about? The ones affecting my dreams?” She nods. “It wasn’t some random person. The lover in the dreams was Lady Black. The man’s name was Hernando Martinez, but in the dreams, I always took his place. The dreams were his memories. I can’t look at Lady Black without remembering those feelings and wanting… wanting to protect her.”

  Like Ashby might someday want to protect me. My chest constricts. Val flinches, and I know I’ve hurt her. I keep my distance, waiting to see if she invites me back. “At first I thought it was my insecurity,” I continue. “I had a celebrity crush on her when I was in the Community. I never thought I’d be working directly with her. So I didn’t even realize it was a glitch. When I realized it was, I let it stay—”