Chameleon (The Domino Project Book 1)

by K. T. Hanna

  Bastian raises an eyebrow at the subtle mention of Sai. “Really?”

  She waves her hands in mock-defeat. “Fine, fine. I’ll tell her to stay away.”

  He counts to five again and paces his words. “Deign, I don’t have time for this. Why are you really here?”

  “Why wouldn’t you have time for this?” Her haughty tone almost snaps his patience.

  “The school doesn’t run itself. There was a reason I ended up here. I recall you jokingly telling the directors it was due to my insomnia that I should be in this position. That, young as I was, I’d been working the ropes with my father for years already.” Bastian resists the urge to check the time, to fidget, to fling something against a wall. “Honestly, Deign. What’s wrong?”

  Her eyes crease, making the fine lines around them visible. It’s easy to forget she’s over ten years older than him. Considering her status, she’s never had any peers. Most people, like Zach, want to stab her in the back and take her inherited power.

  “Nothing’s really wrong. I just...” She pauses, and for a few moments she’s the vulnerable young woman he remembers over a decade ago at her parents’ funeral, when a freak accident placed her into her father’s seat.

  Deign looks at her nails and draws herself up with all the self-importance she can muster. “I just wanted to congratulate you on training your student well. She’s done GNW proud, despite initial plans for her. Make sure I meet her.”

  “Definitely.” Not if he has any way to prevent it. “Anything else?”

  Her eyes flicker toward the door to his bedroom and back. She shakes her head and laughs. “Why on earth would there be?”

  “Just let me know, Madam Director,” he mutters softly as she turns on her heel. She’s one of the stronger women he’s met in this world, even if that strength is misguided.

  Deign stops at the door and turns back to him. “There wouldn’t be anything you’d like to get off your chest now, would there?”

  Bastian forces a tight smile. “Not right now.”

  “Don’t let me find out from anyone else.” And with those enigmatic words, she’s gone.

  Bastian sighs and punches his desk softly. She knows something. Or knows that she should know something and is fishing for it.

  Sai throws herself on one of the couches as Dom lowers the hatch on the transport. “Last one. Finally.”

  He reaches over and hands her three readers. “Go over your reports while we head home.”

  Sai grits her teeth and stares at the assignments in front of her. Three, in ten days. There were no inns like in that first misleading mission, just this transport. It was almost too silent without the constant mantra ringing in her ears. She hadn’t realized she’d grown so used to it.

  “You know...” Sai pauses for a few seconds and watches the front window as they pass the steel mills. “...a lot of people out there hate us. Hate GNW. I always thought everyone knew we were all working toward a better future. They taught us everyone was happy. Maybe I’m just imagining things.”

  “I’d say you’re being perceptive.”

  “Great.” She heaves herself up off the couch and wanders to the passenger seat, plopping herself down. “Do you think we did okay, Dom?”

  He glances at her for a moment. “I think you did well. UC 19’s gangs shouldn’t flare up again anytime soon. The enforcer’s attitudes toward the people in UC 27 will never be as bad as they were again. And the traders in UC 13 obviously heard about your success in UC 21. It’s all been you, Sai. Remember that and have some well-deserved confidence in yourself, okay?”

  She’s glad it’s dark up front, so he can’t see her blush. “You never sound confident.”

  “No.” He corrects her. “I never sound proud. I am always confident. I know exactly what I’m capable of. Because I can do most everything, I have reason to be confident. The one thing I will never be is human. Regardless of my brain functions, my thought processes, and a large amount of my genes, people will always view me as something alien, and that is something I’m not confident about.”

  Sai purses her lips and looks at him. “Just because you’re part-adrium doesn’t make you an alien. You’re one of the most human people I know.”

  She can see him smile in the dim light and leans back, echoing the expression.

  Sai yawns as the sun starts to crest the horizon and melts the frost lingering on the ground. She leans forward when she spies Central in the distance.

  “Happy?” Dom asks her softly.

  “Right now?” Sai nods. “Content. They haven’t called another mission in. I’m heading back to the closest thing I have to a home to see the people who’re the closest to family I’ve ever had. Now if only I didn’t have homework galore to catch up on.”

  “It’s all part of it.”

  Sai glares at him for a moment and then sighs in resignation. “I know. It doesn’t mean I don’t wish they’d make an exception. Or give me a practical instead of all of the written.”

  Dom doesn’t answer, but she’s quite sure he laughs softly.

  She squirms in her seat to get a good look at him. He’s gripping the steering wheel far tighter than usual. “Do you think Bastian will want to see us?”

  “Definitely. Training and debriefing, not to mention I’m sure we’ll be sent out again soon.”

  Sai frowns. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing... I’m sure he’ll see us.”

  She reclines the chair and spends the rest of the journey studying the ceiling, wondering what it is Dom isn’t telling her.

  It’s a strange feeling to wake up in her own bed. For the last two weeks, she’s woken up on hard surfaces to Dom doing something or other in the cabin. Making rations for her, gently waking her. It’s odd not to have him around.

  She feels lonely, something she wouldn’t have noticed several months ago. As she rolls out of bed, she groans and reaches around for her clothes. The place is just as impersonal as it was before she left. It shocks her to realize the transport feels more like home than her quarters.

  Except for the shower. She missed feeling clean, and the transport’s steam version doesn’t have enough power to make it a long-term alternative.

  It takes her longer than usual to get dressed. She’s fully aware the four hours immediately after she grabs breakfast will be spent under Ms. Janni’s keen eyes while Sai proves that she learned her studies just as well on the road.

  The tirade running through her head is interrupted by Nimue standing directly in front of her on the way to the breakfast line. “Sai, do you have a moment?”

  If Nimue’s still in the cafeteria, then they’re not late for class. Nimue has never been late a day Sai has known her, and she looks worried, so Sai relents. “Sure. Let me grab breakfast first.”

  “Thanks. I was hoping you’d be here.” Nimue falls silent as they choose their food and skillfully weave in and out of the almost-full room to a table at the back. “It’s a little early for the boys,” she mutters, taking a seat.

  Sai drops down on the chair opposite and starts playing with the bagel on her plate. “What’s up?”

  “I rarely get to see Kabe and Deacon, and you’re always gone. They keep you busy.”

  “That’s the understatement of the decade.” Sai can’t help the sour pout to her lips. It’s a sore point.

  “I thought...” Nimue bites her lip, her eyes cast downward. “I wanted to apologize for making you feel uncomfortable before you left last time.”

  Sai’s shoulders tense, and though she feels hungry enough to wolf down the bagel, her stomach churns. “That’s perfectly fine. Never been fond of people touching me—of people in general, really.” She laughs. “I like people less in small spaces, too.”

  “I just...” Nimue’s eyes brim with tears, and for one horrible moment, Sai thinks the girl will cry. But Nimue squares her dainty jaw and sniffs it back. “Having Deign as my mentor is a lot of pressure.”

  Sai mulls the words over fo
r a few moments before responding. “That whole empathy-reception-through-touch thing?”

  If Nimue’s surprised, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she sighs deeply and nods, biting down on something so non-descript Sai’s never had the courage to eat it before.

  “You were my strength test. To see if I can break through shields like Deign can. I didn’t know how to go about it, so I just…” Nimue shrugs helplessly.

  “Shh,” Sai looks around, worried that Nimue might be treading dangerous department ground. Her anger at the incident leaks away replaced by concern for her friend. “Don’t worry about it. I get it, trust me. We all have to do things we never thought we would.”

  “So true.”

  For a few minutes they eat in companionable silence before Nimue breaks it again. “Thanks, Sai. I really didn’t want to lose the one friend I have.”

  Sai grins. “I’m still here. I just have proximity issues.”

  Nimue ducks her head, a smile on her lips. “I’ll respect that in the future.”

  “Excellent.” Sai swallows the last piece of the decidedly stale bagel and stands up. “But I don’t foresee a future if Ms. Janni has killed us both.”

  It turns out Sai didn’t need to worry. The tests are easier than expected or else her frantic studies paid off. Basic Disaster Era questions, right down to the meteor showers that delivered the adrium compound and its connections to the origins of the psionic gene. Even given the stark reminder of the meteor’s effect on the earth’s atmosphere, Sai manages to leave the room with a skip in her step.

  “It doesn’t get better,” she murmurs to herself as she reaches Bastian’s doors and knocks.

  Bastian and Dom are discussing something quietly as she comes in and look up briefly to acknowledge her. With a shrug, she heads over to the training area and warms up. Her whole body feels revitalized. Sleeping in a real bed did wonders.

  “Sai?” Dom calls her over.

  She laughs and heads into the main section of Bastian’s office. “Yes, sir!”

  Bastian continues to leaf through a few of the readers on his desk, pulling them to the fore and frowning while he speaks. “Steer clear of your year-mate, Nim...Nimel? Something like that? Don’t let her touch you.”

  “Nimue,” Sai answers automatically. “Why?”

  “She’s a crafty little empath and much like Deign. They require prolonged skin-to-skin contact to read through shields.”

  “I know.”

  Bastian finally looks up at her, and she allows herself to feel small victory at the eyebrow raised in surprise. “You know?”

  Sai shrugs. “We’ve talked about it. It’s all sorted. She won’t try it again.”

  This time Bastian’s eyes narrow. “Try it again?”

  “Don’t worry. She’s a friend, and she’s a bit lost here.” The moment the words are out of her mouth, Sai knows they’re true. It’s strange how she doesn’t feel lost. Her parents never thought she’d amount to more than them. Slowly but surely, Sai feels like she has a place. Just as she makes her self-realization, her stomach grumbles.

  “You’re hungry.” Bastian goes back to his readers, and Sai fights the warmth she feels creeping in her cheeks.

  “What have you eaten?” Dom asks her.

  “A bagel for breakfast.”

  Bastian laughs, still focused on his work. “You know, Sai, you’re a great protégé. I rarely need to think of things to punish you with.”

  “Because I’m a good student?” Sai asks.

  “Because you’re amazing at punishing yourself. There’s food in my quarters—go get something.”

  Sai heads toward the almost imperceptible opening on the wall and picks her way through Bastian’s quarters, seeking the kitchen. She lets out a low whistle.

  The kitchen has everything and more. She pulls open the fridge to find a few large packets of processed meat. She grabs one of them, eyes a loaf of bread, and pulls out some mustard. Piling them all on a plate, she heads back into the office, snagging a glass of water on the way.

  They both look up as she walks out.

  “Thanks,” Bastian says as she plops everything onto the table.

  “For?” she asks as she piles the sandwich high. The bread is dense, better for prolonged storage, which makes it easy to stack.

  “You brought all that out here for you, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Bastian sighs and watches her for a moment as she builds an impressive tower of bread, meat, and mustard. “You haven’t been feeding her enough, Dom.”

  “You have no idea.”

  By the end of the first sandwich, Sai decides it’s not much fun to have people watching her eat. “So,” she says, pushing back from the desk. “Need the debriefing?”

  “No.” Bastian gestures to the food and raises an eyebrow in query. “Dom filled me in. Both your reports cover everything I need.”

  Sai pushes a freshly made sandwich toward him and rolls her eyes. “Why am I here?”

  “That would be your next mission,” Bastian says around bites of food.

  She blinks her eyes. “You’re kidding. I only just got back. How am I supposed to finish my studies at this rate? Do you want an illiterate enforcer?”

  He watches her for a second, stops chewing, and wipes his mouth. “You’re hardly illiterate. You’re a Rare—automatically a special case whether or not you want to be. You just have to work harder than the others.”

  “Shouldn’t being a Rare mean I don’t have to work harder?” She sits back in her chair and glares at them both. “Tell me what I have to do this time, but I swear if I get stabbed, shot, or punched in the face again, I’m not going to be responsible for losing my cool and taking everyone with me.”

  The instant the words are out of her mouth, she regrets them. Flashes run through her head. Of her mother and the man who made her skin crawl; the botanica shattering and tearing at her flesh and clothes; the inferno she turned the apartment buildings into.

  “Sorry,” she murmurs, her throat husky with the tears she’s holding back. “I didn’t mean that.”

  “That’s the point, though, Sai.” Bastian pushes himself away from the desk and stands up. “Those are threats you can fulfill. Your control is so much better than it was. We’re going to have to move the next step of your training into overdrive.”

  “This is about training?” Sai asks, slightly confused, still trying to push the unwanted memories out of her head.

  “In a roundabout way. We need to speed up your learning curve. There are a few things we’re going to have to determine before you go on your next assignment.” Bastian won’t meet her eyes.

  “We know who, but not the when or where. Only that it’s soon,” Dom explains to her.

  Sai isn’t sure she likes the answer or the strange avoidance. “What’s the plan today?” she asks

  “Today,” Bastian says as he strides over to the training section, “I’m going to teach you how to use phasing in a covert way.”

  “Covert? As in sneaky?” she asks, stopping abruptly about five feet from her teacher. “Why?”

  “I need to teach you how to actively attack someone.” He still won’t look directly at her.

  “Why?” she whispers again, taking a few steps closer without realizing it. “Why on earth would I need to know that?”

  “For your next assignment,” Dom breaks in matter-of-factly.

  She shakes her head, not sure she understands them. “Someone’s going to attack me so I have to defend myself?”

  “You shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve been attacked once before.” Dom moves over to her right-hand side. “But your next mission is an elimination.”

  “Elimination?” The word tastes foreign on her tongue.

  “Someone GNW considers a threat. If they live, they could topple everything it’s taken decades to achieve.” Dom’s tone is logical. Calm.

  “But you said...” She turns to Bastian, hating the anxiety in her own voice. “You
said if I used what I have in a good way, that I can redeem my guilt. How is this a good way?”

  Bastian studies the ground. “You’re talented in many of the same ways as I am. Eliminating those who stand against your benefactors—isn’t that a good thing?” he asks, a distinct sadness in his tone. “You said if they escaped and were dangerous, you’d kill the razor rabbits.”

  “You’re sending me to kill razor rabbits?” She struggles to keep the vague hope from her voice.

  Bastian finally focuses on her. “No, it’s just an analogy. I didn’t think I needed to spell it out.”

  “Well, now you don’t have to!” Sai pushes the panic down, back, away from where it can get at her. “Dom’s already done that for you. Just like he always cleans up your mess.”

  Bastian flinches for the first time Sai’s ever seen. “I deserved that.”

  “You saved me so I could be used as a weapon? Fantastic. Let’s have at it then. Let me redeem myself, Bastian.” Her words cut, and she means them to. She’d like them to do so much more. Fear rises in her, and she locks it away.

  She throws herself into practice. Phasing requires extreme concentration and coordination, exact destinations, and a mind map of where you’re going. Covering short distances in a jump enhanced by psionic abilities, to the extent people think you blinked in and out of thin air, takes a lot of energy.

  Phasing into a wall is usually fatal and best avoided.

  It was a trick she discovered when she was in the training facility to get away from prying eyes and minds that wouldn’t leave her past alone. Now, she practices to use it as a weapon.

  Every time she phases, she realizes that her parents were right. Maybe if she’d let the visitor in, she’d never have killed so many people, or be expected to kill again. She ignores the looks on Bastian’s and Dom’s faces.

  Each jump drains her a little more and brings Bastian a fraction closer to being satisfied with her performance. There is no sadness. There are no friends. There is no self.