Tekgrrl

  “Man-dei.” The teacher spoke my name in her odd accent that turned it so foreign. “Do you know the answer?” Once again, she spoke in Kalybrian, but my mind translated the words into my native tongue as easily as Spanish or French, the two other languages I’d been fluent in since I was ten.

  “That was in stardate twenty-three, one-hundred-eighty-nine, madam,” I responded.

  She nodded. “Thank you, Man-dei.”

  Satisfied that I wasn’t going to be called on again for a while—generally everyone in the class got called once per topic—I sneaked a glance to the outdoors. What I saw made me gasp.

  The bright light of the warm day was gradually disappearing, as if a giant shadow was covering all. Like the sun was being taken away. A harsh wind replaced the previous delicate one, whipping the trees into a violent frenzy. A distant rumble could be heard, like thunder, but the sound was almost metallic. A rotten smell of death and decay blew in through the open window, causing me to gag. I rose to my feet with a cry.

  The rest of the class continued as if nothing was happening: The teacher called on students and they recited back to her random dates. Outside of the window, wrenching screams of torment and agony could be heard, like they were gushing up from the bowels of hell, and yet no one in the class paid them any mind.

  Shaking, I started to move to the door, to look for escape, when my arms were seized from behind and I was forced back into my seat. I looked up to see my teacher standing over me, clamping my arms down into shackles that hadn’t been there before.

  “It’s time for your treatment, Man-dei,” she said in her heavily accented English, and held up a large drill.

  I screamed, thrashing against the restraints, feeling them bite into my hands even as the drill came closer and closer to my temple, and then there was the blinding white pain as it entered my flesh and skull—

  I sat up in bed, gasping for air and holding my head with both hands, feeling the ghost of the bit at my temple. I shuddered. A dream, it was just a dream.

  I heard a knock on my door. “Gamji,” I responded automatically, feeling a metallic taste in my mouth. Had I bitten my tongue and drawn blood?

  Luke peered in from the hall as the door slid open. “Pardon me?”

  “I said come in!” I responded, touching my tongue to my fingertips. Sure enough, I found blood.

  “I don’t know what you said, but it wasn’t ‘come in’ in any language I know,” Luke said, a teasing lilt to his voice.

  “Yes, I did. I said…” I trailed off, realizing that what I had in fact said was gamji, which was “come in” in Kalybrian. I was speaking Kalybrian again, a language I hadn’t given a thought in so many years. But I was dreaming in it again.

  “Were you asleep?”

  “Yeah. Bad dream.” I was still shell-shocked. Why was Kalybri haunting me now? I had put it behind me, out of my mind, the minute my foot returned to Earth’s soil.

  “Must have been. You said you wanted to go on patrol with me tonight. It’s about time to get out there.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, numb. “Give me a minute to get dressed.”

  “All right.” He looked me over again. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. Just having migraines today. And nightmares.”

  “You sure you’re up to patrol?”

  “I’m fine!” I snapped. Seeing him visibly recoil, I softened my tone. “I’m fine. Just give me a few minutes to get ready and I’ll meet you outside.”

  “Okay.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll see you out there.” Turning, he walked out of the room.

  I lay a hand on my shoulder, where his had been, seeking comfort from that simple touch to remind me that I was in the present, not the past. I was safe here with my friends. I was not back in the grip of the people who had run experiments on me like I was a lab rat. Or the people who had given me over to them in the first place.

  CHAPTER SIX

  It was dark by the time Luke and I were ready to go on patrol. Standing on the rooftop of our building, looking out into the city, I found the night had a surreal quality, like a monster: The buzz of traffic and people below were almost like its snores, the lights of cars and buildings like its many half-lidded eyes, the smells of exhaust, smoke and cooking food like its breath.

  Or maybe it was dream residue giving me a healthy dose of creep factor.

  I shivered, some from the cold and some from the memory of a drill bit in the temple, and rearranged the small weapons and random technology I kept attached to my belt. Lainey had made a joke earlier about how many female superheroes dressed like they were wearing lingerie, and my uniform was hardly an exception—though I knew I didn’t pull it off as well as some. Created by a noted fashion designer right when I joined the team, my suit seemed to serve hardly any function except showing off as much of my body as possible. Made of a midnight blue fabric that was supposed to keep you warm or cold depending on environment, the one-piece outfit clung like a second skin on my slim frame and almost nonexistent curves. The suit rose out from my waist in a literal X, crossing my breasts and finally turning into long sleeves. A large portion of my midriff was exposed, and my neckline too. I always had the vague feeling that, whenever I bent over, people looking got a show.

  Luke got one just then if that was the case, as he glanced over and said, “Maybe you should see a doctor.”

  “Excuse me?” I was lost in thought about why I hated my uniform, especially in comparison to his fully concealing, samurai-looking black shirt and pants.

  “You said you were having migraines again. Maybe you should go see a neurologist, make sure it isn’t anything serious.”

  I frowned. “I’ve had enough doctors in one lifetime, thanks.”

  “At least talk to Paul about it.”

  “No more doctors!” I snapped. “I’ve had practically every MD and PhD in this country ready to slice and dice me—and that was after I came back from having the exact same thing done to me off-planet. My parents let them run test after test to make sure I was safe for other people to be around. But no more. Just. No. More.” I turned away, feeling again how real the experimentations had been. The further I got away from those times, the less I’d thought about it.

  Until today.

  Luke was studying me, looking strained. “I’m sorry, Mindy. I didn’t mean to bring all of that up.”

  “It’s not you, it’s these dreams I’ve been having,” I said. “Of Kalybri.”

  “Is that what language you spoke tonight?”

  I nodded. “I thought I’d forgot all about it. Now it seems I remember. More than I want.” I gave a halfhearted and inappropriate laugh. “Forget about it. I know I want to. Let’s concentrate on patrol.”

  Luke looked like he wanted to say more but instead changed his mind. “We’re supposed to cover Sector Nine.”

  We’d lucked out. Instead of getting the drug alleys and the crack houses, we had pulled the cushy straw: the theater and nightclub district, where the posh went to party, to see and be seen.

  I held up my left wrist, which contained a small teleportation device that I had designed for each of our team members. Dialing coordinates, I motioned for Luke to do the same. “Let’s try to keep our teleportations at a minimum. The area isn’t that big, and it’s taxing to both the machines and us.” Having my atoms scattered and put back together after I already felt like hell did not sound like fun.

  Luke nodded. “I prefer the on-foot approach myself.”

  A cool, tingly feeling washed over me as the teleport took effect, with only the mildest uncomfortable sensation, almost like a rug burn, and then we were standing atop the roof of a building clear across town. I flexed my hands to make sure everything was still in its proper place, as I’d seen the results of a faulty teleport once. That’s why the government still doesn’t use them.

  Luke motioned to a ladder. “We can get down here and then follow the backstreets and the alleys. If there’s going to be any action t
o be had, it will likely be back there.”

  I followed him, skimming down the ladder easily and dropping to the dirty ground. Yuck. The pungent odor of trash filled my nostrils. Letting him take the lead, I next followed him down several side streets. Our footsteps echoed softly around us.

  Wanting to break that silence and yet not tip off any criminal element, I spoke softly. “So, what do you think of the new girl?” Why I chose that topic, I don’t know; I must be a glutton for punishment.

  “Selena?”

  “Unless there’s another new girl that I’m not aware of.”

  “She seems like she’ll be an asset to the team. We can always use another heavy hitter.”

  “Uh-huh.” I skirted a puddle, not wanting to walk in soggy boots for the rest of the night.

  Luke smiled. “You don’t like her.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Only to those who know you well,” he said. “You should really give her a chance. You weren’t like this with Lainey.”

  I shrugged. “Lainey’s different.”

  “Why is Lainey different?”

  Lainey never had her sights on you, I thought. Though I was all right with letting Luke go, I wasn’t all right with letting him go to a Glamazon. At least, not yet.

  “She just is.”

  “Is it because Selena’s Lainey’s friend and you’re Lainey’s friend?”

  “No, it’s nothing like friend-envy,” I growled. Frankly, Lainey was too busy being a newly married mom and hero to spend any time hanging out. Sad, it was still a fact of life. And, to be honest, I hadn’t known Lainey long enough to miss her. Our friendship roles could still adapt.

  “Let’s just drop it.” I continued down a side road.

  “Is it because you think she’s prettier than you?”

  I whirled. “Oh, and now she’s prettier than me, too? Thanks. Any other insults you want to hurl in my direction, Luke? Does this outfit make my ass look big? Do I look like I’ve gained weight? Do I have a zit you want to point out? What’s next?”

  A movement caught my eye, and I turned to see two shadowy forms disappear down the alley ahead of us. Luke put a hand upon my arm in warning, and I could tell he had seen them too. A finger to his lips, he motioned for me to move forward. He’d go down another side street to catch and hem them in.

  I crept toward the alley. One of the figures attempted to break away, heading back toward me, but I still couldn’t see either clearly for the darkness. The other figure followed, grabbing the first by the arm and shoving her roughly against a brick wall, eliciting a shallow feminine cry. “Please,” I heard, and then the unmistakable sound of cloth tearing.

  That sent me into motion. I wasn’t going to stand there and witness a rape and do nothing. I charged forward, paying no mind to my loud footsteps. The two figures didn’t pay them any heed either, and as I neared I heard feminine whimpers mixed with male grunting.

  I pulled a small Shocker out of my pocket, enough to temporarily stun an adult male, and put it to the back of the rapist’s neck. Just at that moment the man said, “You like that, don’t you?” Ew.

  “I like this,” I replied. “Let go of her. Now.”

  The rapist paused. “What the hell?”

  I jammed the Shocker farther into his neck. “Move away from her, right now.”

  He moved back from the woman, not bothering to hitch up his pants, which were around his ankles. “Listen, bitch…” He started to turn to face me, but that’s when Luke came out of the shadows and grabbed him, locking up the arm he’d swung in a punch I hadn’t seen coming, driving the guy to the ground in pain.

  The woman screamed. “Stop it! Leave him alone!”

  I turned to face her. “Listen, I know you’re in shock, but it’s going to be okay. You’re safe now.”

  “Safe? What are you talking about, safe? I’ll give you whatever you want, just leave my boyfriend alone!”

  Boyfriend? I felt a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. “You mean, he’s not attacking you?”

  “Attacking me? Of course he’s not attacking me! The only people attacking us are you two. Just take some money and go.”

  “We’re not trying to rob you, we’re heroes,” Luke said. “We’re trying to help!”

  The woman snorted and pointed at me with a manicured finger. “So you people get off by dressing up in crazy outfits and ‘helping’ people. Others like to have sex in public places. That’s not a crime, is it?”

  “N-no,” I stuttered.

  “Indecent exposure maybe,” Luke suggested, still holding the boyfriend.

  “In a dark alley where only freaks like you hang out?” The woman clutched her ripped blouse shut. “Let go of my boyfriend right now, before I sue your ass.”

  Luke let go of the guy, who quickly went for his pants. He rebuttoned them, pink-cheeked, and turned to his girlfriend. “Let’s just go, Lucy.”

  Lucy took her boyfriend’s arm. “Are you okay, Barry? Maybe I should take you to a hospital.”

  “I’m fine!”

  “You said the same thing when you fell off the bed and hit your head on the nightstand table. That time you ended up having a concussion.”

  “I said I’m fine!” He’d turned bright red. “Let’s go!” He tugged her along, away from us.

  “You two need to get laid once in a while!” Lucy called back at us as he dragged her away.

  Luke and I stood a moment in awkward silence, eyeing each other. Then I saw the corners of his mouth twitch. I gave him a small smile. We both burst out laughing.

  “For what it’s worth, I thought we made a good team there. If not an entirely bright one,” Luke remarked.

  “You can add ‘stupid’ to your list of insults, I suppose,” I joked after a moment. “Possibly lonely.”

  “I’m no better, I thought he was attacking her too,” Luke said, still laughing.

  “So, I guess you’ve never done anything adventurous like that, either?” I said—then realized too late what I had just said. And to whom.

  “I guess my adventurous nature is more suited to saving people and not the bedroom. Or outside of the bedroom.” He smiled wryly. “Or maybe I just haven’t met the right woman yet.”

  I ignored the tingle of attraction that surged through me. “Well, I think you’d have to be pretty desperate to decide to move things out here in order to spice things up in the bedroom.” I gestured around. “It’s, well…unhygienic. And cold.”

  “I suppose I should be grateful,” Luke said, sobering. “If that whole thing wasn’t an icebreaker, I don’t know what is.”

  “Sorry I yelled at you like that,” I said. “And maybe it is frivolous female jealousy that’s getting to me. She is gorgeous.”

  “See, that’s one of the things I don’t understand about women. So she’s pretty, so what? You’re pretty. You never see men not be friendly with someone because he’s more attractive.”

  “We are mysterious creatures,” I agreed, taking delight that I’d gotten a compliment out of him. I’d only had to be insulted and embarrassed beforehand, but hey, a compliment is a compliment. “But I will try to rise above petty insecurities and be nice and friendly from now on.”

  “Insecurities? You can rewire shuttles to take people into space, and you’re insecure…” He shook his head, as if amazed. I fought back even more pride. “We’re still going to work out together tomorrow, right?”

  “Right,” I said. Oh, no. What was I doing? I’d implied I was going to start training more with him, but that had been the champagne talking. I avoided working out like the plague. Luke acted like it was a form of religion.

  “I’ll invite her to join us. It’ll give you two a chance to get to know each other.”

  “Well,” I decided, “no one is glamorous while sweating.”

  “Exactly.” He gave me a wink.

  I knew I had to play nice. “All right, it sounds like a plan,” I agreed.

  He started off down the alle
y, back toward the main street. “Let’s wrap this patrol up. I have a feeling there isn’t much villainous activity happening in our quarter tonight, and it’s best we don’t mess up any more…intimate encounters.” He laughed. “Tomorrow I think we’ll start off with a nice long jog, bright and early. Good way to get the blood pumping.”

  “I thought that’s why God invented caffeine,” I replied, joking weakly.

  A jog at the butt-crack of dawn with the Glamazon? What had I gotten myself into?

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I groaned and sat up in bed, fumbling for my alarm. It was still dark out, so why had it gone off?

  Everything came back to me: Luke and I on patrol. The kinky couple in the alleyway. My promise to go jogging with Luke and Selena, so we could all be one big happy dysfunctional hero team. It was too early for this without coffee.

  Throwing on an EHJ T-shirt and a pair of yoga pants that I’d bought when Toby and I optimistically promised each other we’d do yoga every morning (we actually only did it once), I found my sneakers in the back of my closet and tied my newly dyed hair back in a ponytail. Then I headed downstairs in the early morning darkness.

  Stepping out of the elevator and into the quiet and empty lobby was a bit disconcerting. While we owned the building and our personal accommodations were on the top floor, the downstairs held a gift shop, a coffee house, and a crime-fighting museum focused mainly on the history of the EHJ. The floors between were offices for our corporation—we were a brand, after all, with lawyers and publicists. Paul and I both had full-floor laboratories for our work, though I liked to do a lot in my room. What can I say? I constantly tinker.

  My tennis shoes squeaked on the newly waxed floors, and as I walked through the double-glass doors I could see Luke and Selena standing right outside in the cool, foggy morning air. Selena was laughing about something he’d said, and she touched his arm in a flirty and intimate gesture.