by 1
It was a torture that she had never imagined in her life and when it was over, she opened one eye at a time before looking into the mirror across the room.
“Oh, my.”
The fabric had twisted into arcs and twists connected by diamonds wrapping her skin. Her belly was exposed but it didn’t feel cool. The suit was generating an energy that kept her body heat right where it belonged.
One of the dressers asked, “Can I take a picture?”
Col frowned, “I thought this whole thing was on camera.”
“It is, but this is for my private records. For some reason, this substance takes different patterns and shapes on everyone’s bodies. This is one of the most elaborate I have ever seen.”
“Certainly. Take your pictures. This is what I look like now.”
With her hands on her hips, her bare feet no longer feeling the cool of the floor, she posed for the photo.
As they took turns posing with her, she laughed, “Who would have thought that being thrown off a building in the morning would end up like this in the afternoon?”
Chapter Three
The dome was visible from within the transport. It was a huge arc across the sky that covered the ancient city of Dathim and Colah had only seen it on filmstrips before.
“How do I get in? They never show that on the filmstrips.” She asked it of the men next to her, but her guard contingent was not forthcoming.
Sighing, she returned to staring out the window and watching the dome get closer. Night was falling and she had the prosaic thought that it was going to be the first night away from her home in her life.
Eventually, she saw the tiny building under heavy guard at the base of the dome. It was their intended destination and her guard went on alert as they approached.
“Remain in the vehicle.”
It wasn’t a question and the captain of her guard exited to speak to the guards on duty around the small building.
Colah hummed idly and braided her hair into a column, fastening it with a few loose strands of hair before flipping it over her shoulder again.
When the captain finished speaking to the guard, he returned to the vehicle. “They are ready for her. Come along, Ms. Geering.”
She shrugged and moved past the guards who she knew were trying not to stare at her rather alluringly dressed body. Col had to admit it, she looked hot in this outfit. Too bad that none of the men in the transport appealed to her.
Col didn’t need to be told, the guards at the small building stood in two columns and she walked between them to her destiny.
The guards didn’t matter. All that mattered was what was within that small building.
Colah walked toward the single official in the small building. He got to his feet and inclined his head. “Colah Geering. You are hereby sentenced to life in the dome. Please press your hand to this plate and may the rest of your life be long and free from strife.”
She did as he asked and pressed her hand to the plate. It scanned her palm and a door to her left slid open.
“Please proceed. They are expecting you.”
The doorway crackled as she stepped through it and on the other side the dome, energy embraced her. It closed up behind her and her feet were now walking through the oldest city on her world.
Buildings were in amazingly good repair for stone and plexi that was thousands of years old.
“Welcome to the dome. I am Wahli.”
“Colah. Call me Col. Thank you for the welcome.” Col walked toward the woman and extended her hand.
Wahli paused for a moment before extending her own hand. “It has been a while since someone was willing to shake my hand, Col.”
“It has been since this morning for me. I am holding on to anything familiar until it is taken from me.”
Wahli blinked and grinned. “Good. Far too many newcomers come here and slump into depression. It is nice to see a perky face for a change. Come on, let’s get you settled.”
The streets were lit with glowing orbs that bobbed gently and showed Col a small café and a minute tavern.
“How many people are here?”
“Five hundred or so. We don’t breed, so it is a fairly stable number.” Wahli shrugged.
“How long does it take to get used to the suit?”
Wahli laughed at that. “About a week. It is self cleaning so you don’t have to worry about bathing, though your hair will still get dirty.”
Wahli’s suit was black and had a very sharp and tribal pattern that scored across her golden skin.
“How long have you been here?”
Wahli made an almost imperceptible pause in her gait. “Five years. It isn’t too bad and it takes away the necessity of keeping your talent from those around you, so while boring, it isn’t the end of the world.”
“That is quite the pep talk.”
Wahli shrugged. “Sorry. I try and look on the bright side, but it has been a very long day. I will tell you this, a council rules us and tomorrow morning, you will be introduced to them. What is your talent?”
“Flying.”
Wahli winced. “Ouch, you will probably be on egg collecting or checking the orbs. It’s not a bad job but not exactly stimulating. What were you before?”
“Before today, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“I was owner and chef at one of the hottest restaurants on Resicor, recently retired.”
“You can cook?” There was a certain amount of hope in her voice.
Col got offended. “Yes, I can.”
Wahli rubbed her hands together. “That is the best news I have heard this year. This is your building.”
The structure that they stood in front of had a flat front and wide entrance way.
“What is this place?”
“An old dormitory. Someone refurbished it decades or more ago and we keep it up for new arrivals. It does not allow for much security, but it is snug and we are able to find you without trying too hard.”
Colah shrugged and yawned. “Sounds fine. Just point me to my room.”
Wahli shrugged. “Pick your room. You are the only new arrival in the last four months. Once you are integrated into the dome society, you will be placed in a more affluent area. Right now, you are an unknown quantity with no value to the council and so, you will remain here until you prove yourself.”
“Whatever. Where do I find food?” She yawned again.
“There are terminals located throughout all the buildings. All access to rationed food is equal. It is only the fresh food that is reserved for the council and those who can trade exceptional skills for perks.”
Colah had the unkind thought that it was a good thing that sex was out of the question, or this would be a society of super powered whores of both genders.
The building was empty and Col couldn’t resist a quick exploration of the main floor.
Wahli waved at her. “I will come and collect you in the morning.”
“See you. This place is great!” Col walked through the hall and into the atrium and with a sense of relief, she lifted herself in the air and up to the fourth floor.
Her power was weak and her rise was slow, but it was definitely there and under her control. She wished she had gotten the name of the tech that had let her keep a little bit of herself, but if she ran into Hahvi, she would thank her for having such a wonderful brother.
Hovering, she moved down the halls, opening and closing each door until she found a bedroom that she liked. She sealed the door and floated to the bed, lying down and tucking the blankets around her.
Wrapped in warmth and surrounded by the restraint suit in a dome designed to keep in freaks like her, Col did what she had rejected all day, she bawled like an infant.
* * * *
Wahli stood before the council. “She is definitely a flier, she has some of her talent left behind by the tech that processed her and a very good heart.”
Cerran leaned forward and asked, “Anything else?”
Wahli kept her head down. The council hated eye contact with her. “She is a chef, apparently one of the best on Resicor. That might be useful for the council.”
Urik waved that off. “If she is a competent flier, she will be far more useful in that capacity.”
Voopil cocked her head. “If she can reach some of the heights, we may get some of the probes placed at long last.”
Hahvi smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think we just got one step closer to becoming our own nation.”
Wahli kept her head down and waited for a dismissal. Declaring the physical talents as an independent nation was a fine idea, but getting the rest of Resicor to agree to it was a dream that she didn’t keep much stock in.
Having a working flier was a useful thing. Wahli only hoped that Col was able to keep up her chipper attitude. More talents were lost to depression than anything else.
Chapter Four
Dear Sector Guard,
My name is Makki and I am writing this letter as a class project. My teacher said that I could write to anyone, anywhere, so I chose you.
This is the second letter I have written, because my teacher destroyed the first. The sister of the superintendent of schools is sending this one, because she lost someone too.
My world is Resicor and in the past, physical talents engaged in all sorts of bad deeds and had to be wiped out or contained. That isn’t still the case and this brings me to the point of my letter.
My Auntie Col has been taken and is now being kept in the dome, all because she can fly. Mom says we can visit soon, but my Auntie is stuck in there now and no one is talking about her anymore. They are trying to make us forget that she exists, but she does. She is in my heart and I miss her.
I have heard that the Sector Guard and the Citadel take talents and train them to help other people. My Auntie Col is a good person and she would help others if she could. Can you come and get her?
I would be really happy if you did. I worry about her. She has never been alone before.
Sincerely,
Makki Ebranik
Turnari stopped reading and looked up at his audience. “What do you think, Ysyr?”
Master Instructor Ysyr cocked his head, “Do you believe it?”
Sitting and having a hot beverage in the Dhemon’s office would have been strange if Ysyr had not gotten used to the ways of the Alliance when he left the Kalorda enclave.
Turnari tapped his clawed finger against the monitor displaying the letter. “I think it is real. It was passed to a transport and from there, it was launched to a transmission satellite. There is a definite need for Citadel intervention on Resicor and I believe that now is the time.”
“I will request this one woman and they will give her to us?” Ysyr raised a brow. His name had come up on the duty roster, so it was his turn to leave the Citadel for recruitment.
“We have been in communication with the Resicor government and they have agreed to release this one woman into our custody, but only this one woman. She will be a test case and we will see how it goes.”
“What will we do with a flier?”
Turnari grinned, “She can be a messenger on a low-tech world, receive training for airships, take atmospheric readings without additional propulsion, who knows?”
Ysyr shrugged. He was one of only three Kalordans in service to the Citadel and his peculiar ability to phase through solid and energy surfaces made him a wide-spectrum instructor, able to work with all physical shifters of any sort.
“When do I leave?”
“You are cleared for launch whenever you are sorted. Wear your robes so that they don’t confuse you with the Sector Guard. They seem to respond to the idea of the Citadel as a pseudo-religious order.”
“I understand. I will go in as subtly as I can, but if needed, I will find our target and withdraw her.”
Turnari grinned, “They have technically agreed to it, so feel free to do as you will to get Makki Ebranik’s Auntie Col out of the dome. Learn what you can, because if they are willing, we will take on several more of their physical talents.”
“I understand. I will take care to learn what I can.” Ysyr finished his tea and set it down with some finality. “Will you transfer the data to my ship?”
“Already done. The Egrin Bor is ready to fly and waiting at the Guard base. You have the full support of the Citadel in any action you choose to take.”
“Thank you. I will bring back the Resicor as quickly as I can.” Ysyr got to his feet and inclined his head. “Good day, Turnari.”
“Good luck, Ysyr.”
Ysyr’s path took him back to his rooms where he packed extra suits as well as robes. If he had to play the religious politician, he would do so, but as soon as he got back to Morganti, he was going for a run.
* * * *
Col held her basket and started her rounds. She was carrying food to the cliff dwellers above the city. It was the least involved of the tasks they had tried her out on and the only one she enjoyed.
She walked to the edge of a curb and stepped off, the tiny fall was now enough to propel her into the air and she rose slowly to the height of her first delivery.
With huge batwings and clawed feet, Useff was unable to walk among the other talents.
“Morning, Useff.”
He stuck his head out of his cave entrance and grinned at her. “You are the most punctual delivery person I have ever had.”
She enjoyed flying. It was the only thing offered to her that had appealed. It made her feel freer than she had felt on the outside of the dome.
“Thank you. I do try. Any excuse to get into the sky, am I right?” She grinned at him as she handed over his food rations.
“You are right. I was on my way to flick through the cliff falls. There is nothing like the feeling of the air surrounding you.” He smiled and hummed happily. “I miss the open air, but the circulation in the dome is enough for me, for now.”
Col’s smile beamed at him. “It was more than I had at home and I am willing to work with this until I am ready for the next step. Have a good day, Useff.”
He waved farewell with one huge wing. “See you in the sky, Col.”
She moved on to deliver rations to the rock crawlers, the ten folk living in the huge lake on the far side of the dome and finally, the light bringer who kept the balls charged at any given time.
“Kiiki, how are you today?”
The summoner of light smiled. “Good. I am on shift for the next ten days before Ashani takes her shift. What do you have for me today?”
Col looked from side to side as if someone could see them on the two-hundred-foot spire and reached under the rations to the bottom of her basket. “Here. Cookies. It isn’t fair that you only get one day off out of every eleven. I will bring you as many calorific snacks as I can.”
With the wind tugging at them, Col handed over the precious cookie as well as a few days worth of rations to the woman who glowed with energy. Col took a seat next to her on the observation platform and kicked her feet idly.
“I was your last delivery for the day, wasn’t I?” Kiiki broke off a piece of the cookie and nibbled, closing her eyes. “This is heaven.”
“Thanks. My true passion was always desserts, but when I started to make money in the restaurant business, there seemed no option but to stay a chef and work my ass off. I had no life, no fun and no time off. Retiring was great, but I planned to go back into business with a small dessert shop.”
“Think you still will? You could start one in here. I, for one, would be lining up at the doors, day or night.” Kiiki broke off another piece of cookie and chewed slowly.
“It took all of my considerable charm to get the ingredients that I needed out from under the cook for the council.” Col loved the panorama of the dome around her. This vantage point was well worth the price of a cookie.
On Col’s first day, she had wobbled her way up to the top of the spire, much to the astonishment of Wahli. She had rested and she a
nd Kiiki had spoken at length about the height and what it would take for Col to descend.
After an hour of conversation, a short, sharp push from Kiiki had confirmed one thing for Colah. If she fell, she could fly.
She had spent hours flying and swirling around the interior of the dome, her suit providing her with warmth as she moved around objects and worked on increasing her speed.
Col had almost broken the sound barrier, but the idea of a sonic boom within the confines of the dome had made her nervous.
She asked the council about it and they suggested that it was not the proper time to let the military know that there was a fully powered talent in the dome.
Col watched the pennants on the buildings snap and twist in the wind as she sat for a quiet moment with Kiiki.
They both jumped when a message came through Col’s suit.
“Colah Geering, please report to the gateway of the dome. You have a visitor.”
Colah blinked and asked Kiiki, “Do people often have visitors after a few weeks?”
Kiiki shook her head. “No, so whatever it is, get down there. You don’t want to miss whatever contact with the outside you can get.”
Before Col could say anything else, Kiiki shoved her off the observation platform and she kicked into a full glide that took her in a trajectory leading directly to the gateway to the outer world.
Kiiki was right, if there was someone out there who wanted to talk, Col was all ears.
Chapter Five
Col walked the last five hundred yards to the gateway, staying out of the way of the cameras until the last minute. Flying was not supposed to be possible and so the cameras would not catch her in flight.
As she stood on the dome side of the gateway, she waited for a moment before she spoke. “Colah Geering, reporting as requested.”
The gateway shivered and a voice said, “Come through, Ms. Geering. Your sentence has been revised.”
Curious, she stepped through the energy field and back into the office she thought she would only see during family visits.