by Minton, Toby
"Maybe if I knew anything at all about…" She trailed off, a smile blooming. She might not know anything about flying, but she knew someone who did. Why didn't she think of this sooner?
The suspicion behind Impact's eyes magnified tenfold.
"I have an idea," she said, trying to contain her excitement and failing. She backed away from him toward the trail, gesturing for him to stay put. She turned away and tapped her com. "Corso, can you hear me?" She waited what felt an appropriate amount of time before trying again, but he didn't respond. He was probably still in the water. That or she wasn't using the com properly.
"Nikki, is everything OK?" Elias asked over the com.
"Oh yeah. l'm with Impact. I'm helping."
"I…see," he replied.
"Gotta go," she cut in. "I'll be back for training."
"Hey," she half shouted at Impact even though he was only a few meters away. "Stay here. I'll be right back." She didn't even turn away before she realized how far she'd have to run to get down to the lake and back. She wasn't looking forward to that, especially the back part, what with the hill climbing.
"Better idea—come with me," she said, "and try to keep up."
He didn't have any trouble keeping up. In fact, he seemed to be struggling to not run her over as they ran down the trail. She, on the other hand, was slowing before they reached the last tree she'd climbed.
"Where are we going?," Impact asked as he ran, not breathing heavily in the least.
"The lake," she huffed back, sounding all kinds of breathy. Ace really had pushed her hard today.
After a few more strides he said, "I can get us there faster. I've been practicing expanding the envelope and getting up to speed with weights. I believe I can carry you."
She gave him a dirty look as she slowed. She stopped in a sunny spot on the trail and turned to face him. "I was wrong. Michael's not the worst in the world at talking to women."
Impact's look darkened. "What do you mean?"
"Practicing? With weights? You believe you can—" She almost rubbed her eyes but caught herself. "That whole thing you said, just wipe that out. Don't say any of it to a girl. Ever."
"I don't understand."
Nikki let out a long breath. "Yeah. I know." She looked at him for a few more breaths, then lifted her arms. "OK, smooth talker, let's give it a shot. Knock yourself out."
He lifted her without a grunt, luckily for him, and took a second to get her positioned the way he wanted before he started moving.
Sitting in his arms, hers wrapped around his neck, her face next to his, Nikki realized this was the most intimate position she'd been in for months. It felt anything but, like being held by a sculpture instead of a man. Then Impact started running, and every other thought burned away.
He accelerated slowly at first. Slowly for him. She'd seen him go from standing still to dizzying blur in no time. With Nikki in his arms, he accelerated more gradually, or so it seemed from the passenger seat. Maybe it was the tricky trail, or the added weight. Whatever was holding him back, he pushed past it by the time they rounded the third bend and hit a long, straight, downward slope. They shot down the trail like they'd been blasted out of a cannon, picking up speed with every step.
Nikki's breath caught as the trees started to blur on either side. She tightened her grip as her stomach leaped for her throat, but she had no control. No way to slow herself. She was completely at Impact's mercy.
They went faster than she could believe, flying down the trail like they were falling out of control. Her first skimmer ride with Sam had made her feel wild and free like never before. She'd felt like she was flying. That ride was nothing compared to this.
Adrenaline flooded through Nikki in wave after wave, giving her back her voice. She laughed into the wind, her voice as wild as her pounding heart, her body tingling all over. In her mind she could almost see the charge Impact was building, the power rippling around him the way it used to course through her. She could almost feel it. A pulse of pure envy thrummed through her underneath the waves of adrenaline.
Her vision clouded with tears as they banked around the curve at the bottom of the trail, tears that were stripped away into the rushing wind as quickly as they formed. She told herself it was the wind causing them, but she knew it was a lie. She screamed into the wind, her voice never reaching her own ears. She didn't care whether it sounded like a sob or a shout of joy. She just wanted the release. She wanted to pull Impact's pulsing charge inside and make it her own. She wanted this rush to last forever.
Impact stumbled and headed straight for a tree. Nikki recoiled by instinct, but Impact corrected at the last second with a grunt Nikki felt through his chest. He straightened out and slowed slightly, enough for Nikki to realize they were racing past the stretch of shore she'd seen from above. As much as she wanted Impact to run forever, she knew she had to speak up. She'd brought him down here for a reason.
"There," Nikki shouted into Impact's ear, not caring how wild and screechy her voice sounded. She pointed across his face toward the tall figure watching them streak past. "Go there!"
Impact slowed and turned, stumbling awkwardly. They dropped back to a less ridiculous pace as they approached Corso, who was pulling his shirt onto his arms as he watched them.
Nikki's heart was pounding so hard she thought it might crack a rib. Her smile was in danger of cracking her face. Her exhaustion from the workout was gone, washed away by the euphoria of the ride.
Impact stopped a dozen paces from Corso and set Nikki down. She expected her legs to be wobbly but she felt solid as a rock. She felt invincible. She felt—
"What was that?" Impact growled.
Nikki turned away from Corso, who was pulling his shirt on over his head. Impact was scowling at her like she'd done something wrong, again.
Nikki, what just happened? Michael's voice was so strong Nikki almost checked herself for wounds. But she felt great. Better than great—or she had until these two decided to make a thing out of her loss of control.
So she'd gotten a little caught up in the thrill. So she'd screamed like a kid. So she'd cried, a little. Who were they to make a big deal out of it? She was trying to be helpful, against her better judgment, and they responded by picking on her?
"This is what you get for trying to help," she mumbled. The confusion she felt from Michael in response was almost a perfect match for Impact's expression.
She was tempted to walk away, but she was too close to pissed off to give up now. She was going to be helpful no matter how little Impact deserved it at the moment. She'd cram help right down his throat if she had to, whether he liked it or not.
Impact looked like he was going to say something, but Nikki didn't give him a chance. She turned away and walked to Corso, who was already smiling slightly as he raked the damp curls back from his eyes with his fingers. That perked her mood back up. She felt her smile match his as she stopped in front of him.
"Want to do me a favor?"
"For you, love," he said, looking her up and down like she was wearing something far more flattering than exercise clothes, "I'll do anything."
She beamed at him. "Good to know."
"What dirty deed needs these skilled hands?"
She jerked her thumb back at Impact. "I want you to teach him how to fly."
Corso blinked and looked over her head at Impact. "Beg yours?"
"Teach him to fly," she said more slowly. She looked back to see Impact shaking his head and looking at her like she was insane. Well, like he was angry and she was insane. She turned back to see a similar "you've lost it" look that Corso quickly smoothed away.
"You've seen him trying," she said, more heat entering her voice than was good for her cause. "I saw you betting against him with Coop. You've made fun plenty. Now I want you to help."
He was actually speechless for a minute. Maybe she was better at persuading than she'd thought.
"Love, I fly in ships," he said carefully. "What he's tryin
g to do—He's bloody cracked. There's nothing I can do for him."
"Try."
His mouth worked for a second before he shook his head. "Sorry, love. For you, anything—free of charge. For him…" He shook his head.
"Name your price." She crossed her arms. She wasn't about to give up on this now that she'd set her mind to helping.
If Corso was unbalanced, he recovered quickly. His mouth quirked into a grin that practically undressed her. "A kiss should do."
She smiled. "Fine. Done." She stepped closer but Corso shook his head and pressed his finger to her lips to stop her.
"Not now. Not like this." His smooth voice held her as he pulled his finger away. "A real kiss. I collect when and where I choose."
"Fine," she repeated. She was getting what she wanted, but Corso looked like he was getting the better end of the deal, as usual.
She turned and headed back to Impact, Corso in tow. When she got them together, she looked back and forth between them then waved her hand. "OK, help."
Corso laughed and shook his head. A genuine laugh. Impact, on the other hand, looked disgusted to the point of walking away, which he started to do.
"Wait." Nikki grabbed his arm and jerked him back, which was easier than she'd thought it would be. Her strength surprised them both. Her workouts were really paying off.
"He can help," she said, making Impact face Corso again.
"I don't see how, love," Corso said, still smiling.
"Neither do I," Impact grated.
Nikki almost growled but she took a breath and calmed herself.
"He knows stuff," she said to Impact. "Flying stuff. Stuff you don't."
She glanced at Corso, but he looked more amused than helpful.
"He knows theories," she went on. "You know, like—"
Aerodynamics, Michael supplied. He was feeling defensive, no doubt feeding off what she was feeling but sending back more than a little of his own. Whether he thought this was a pointless exercise or not, he had her back. Like always.
"Like aerodynamics," she said.
Impact glanced at her, still dubious but not like he was going to try to bolt again. Corso looked impressed. He still looked amused, of course, but surprised amused. She raised an eyebrow at him and tipped her head toward Impact.
He laughed softly and shook his head again. "You know she's not letting this go until we play it out, mate. We might as well play. Tell me what it is you're doing."
Impact took a little more convincing, but Nikki's firm hand on his arm got the job done. He gave in and brusquely launched into a rough description of the charge he could build, the envelope he generated when he ran, and how he was trying to alter it to fly.
As Impact talked, Corso's amusement gradually gave way to interest. He kept a ghost of his grin in place, so Impact was probably none the wiser, but Nikki saw the change behind his eyes.
She suppressed a smile and nodded like she had some idea what Impact was saying.
When Impact described how he was trying to harden the bottom of the envelope, which Nikki pictured like some kind of air sled, Corso laughed. Until Nikki punched him, that is. He staggered a step sideways and came back with hands raised.
"OK, OK," he said. "Apologies for the rudeness, mate. It's just—that's not going to work."
Impact crossed his arms and hardened his expression.
After a look from Nikki, Corso held up his hands again and then squatted and grabbed a stick. He scraped clear a patch of ground and started to draw.
"Do you know how wings are shaped?"
"What kind of wings?" Impact asked, squatting to get a better look at the flat-sided teardrop shape Corso was drawing.
"Bird, non-VTOL aircraft, the assault shuttle I…commandeered—any wing," Corso said. "Same basic shape for all, for good reason."
He tapped the stick on the finished shape. "This is the fore, aft, bottom, top. What you're making—" He drew a single, slightly curved line. "—is this. You're only focusing on half the job—the air under you. The air going over the top is just as important to generate lift. With the shape you're using, you're fighting yourself. That's why you haven't been able to level off until you get low enough for ground effect to give you a hand.
"Complete the shape—" Corso drew another line off the first, turning Impact's sled into the twin of the teardrop. "And you get your lift."
Impact studied the drawings for a second like he was trying to see through them, then he shook his head, disappointment and doubt clear in his eyes. "The field won't continue to build if I reverse the whole thing. I won't have any thrust. I won't be able to push myself forward."
"You get the shape right," Corso responded with a slow shake of his head, "and extend it out as far as you can to either side, and you'll maintain that ground-effect flight longer than you think, with a lot less effort—no additional thrust needed—especially if you grow a pair and practice over solid land instead of water."
Nikki cleared her throat and gave him a look, which Corso acknowledged with a nod. Impact didn't seem to notice the dig though.
"I don't want to do more of the same," Impact said, his gaze fixed on the drawings. "I want to do more."
Corso's answering smile made his eyes practically dance. "Then learn to work the system. Aeronautics is give and take, just like anything else, mate."
"Be helpful," Nikki said.
"Nothing but," Corso replied without looking at her. "You master this shape and how to angle it," he said to Impact, "and you can make the system work for you. Dive to build speed and that charge of yours, then trade the speed you have for the tude you want."
"Did you just say 'tude'?" Nikki asked.
"Not your kind, love," Corso laughed. "Altitude."
He looked back at Impact. "Build speed when you dive, then burn it to climb. Repeat as needed. Add thermals to the mix and you could stay up as long as you want. In theory," he added with a wink for Nikki.
Impact nodded as Corso fell silent. He continued to stare at the drawings, his doubtful mask in place, but Nikki could tell a mask was all it was. She could see the spark in his eye and the slight turn to the corner of his mouth. For him that was practically an ear-to-ear grin.
"Can you do that?" Nikki asked, pointing at the shapes.
Impact nodded immediately. "Reversing the whole field is easy—much easier than what I've been practicing. Getting the shape right will take work," he went on, standing up. "But I can do it."
Corso and Nikki stood as well, and Impact must have realized he'd almost sounded positive for a minute. He frowned and shot a look at Corso. "It will work, if what he says is true."
It is, Michael said. Corso is trying to help. He didn't sound overly thrilled to be telling her as much, probably because of the bargain she and Corso had struck for his help.
She already knew Corso wasn't trying to lead Impact astray though. Corso had gotten too caught up in the theory to play a trick. He'd gotten too into it. Nikki had seen the interest in his eyes. She also knew he wanted to collect on their bargain too much to jeopardize his payoff.
"Thank you," Impact said, keeping his eyes firmly on the drawings.
Nikki was stunned, almost as much as Corso seemed to be. Corso didn't let it show for long though. When Impact raised his eyes, Corso nodded back to him solemnly. "Don't mention it, mate. Least I can do for the way you saved our girl."
Our girl? Nikki thought. "Excuse me?"
Corso laughed, but Impact seemed oblivious as to why.
"I'll lead you back, if you're ready," Impact said.
It was Nikki's turn to look at him like he was the crazy one.
"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "I know you're dying to practice this." She waved at the scratches in the dirt. "Go jump off some cliffs. Corso will lead me."
"Will I then?" Corso said with a grin.
Nikki punched him again, but this time he didn't budge. He did smirk and nod though. "Go on, mate. I'll get her back safely."
Impact did
n't waste any more time pretending he wasn't about to burst. He turned and raced for the trail without another word.
Chapter 33
Kate
I hear what I hear, Kate repeated in her mind. Nothing more.
She tilted her bowl and wielded her spoon with surgical precision to capture the last few pebbles of granola hiding under the milk. She noted the clink of the spoon against the bowl, the faint scrape of the bowl against the table. She noted the creak of her chair, the rasp of knife on plate from Mos at the next table. She noted every sound around her. Every real sound.
With conscious effort and deliberate focus, she kept her thoughts centered on everything going on around her instead of what was happening within.
I hear what I hear. I hear only what I hear.
This wasn't her usual breakfast mantra. She wasn't that crazy. Not anymore. Today was a special day though. Today she was being tested. Today her mind was under constant assault.
I hear only what I want to hear.
Her mantra was helping, but it wasn't entirely true. Kate could still hear the music. She was simply pushing it to the background, which wasn't as easy as it sounded.
One of the first things Max taught her was that she couldn't turn off the voices. Her brain had become an open receiver, essentially. She couldn't stop it from picking up signals unless she turned it off entirely, which seemed like a bad idea. She could, however, choose the channel she wanted to listen to. By focusing on one channel, one group of sounds, she could lower the volume on the others.
It was a simple matter of bandwidth. Her brain could only focus on so many signals at any one time. Picking and choosing what deserved the bulk of the bandwidth was the trick. Performing said trick required intense concentration, but that had never been a problem for Kate. For once her obsessive tendencies were paying off. In a matter of days she'd made remarkable progress.
She still had a long way to go though. Zeroing in on a single channel when she was sitting around doing nothing was one thing. Keeping up that same concentration while going about her everyday tasks was quite another.