by KT Belt
Kali nodded a few times as she turned away to think. The other handler nodded as well and then returned to arguing about what could be done.
“We can do the interviews a different day,” Carmen pointed out.
Her handler held very still. She heard her—she had to have—but the words didn’t seem to register. Then she looked directly at Edge, her mind clearly made up.
“Let’s fly,” she said simply.
Carmen shook her head slowly. “To the Crystal Palace Mall? That’s too far. It’s too tiring.”
“The interviews aren’t at the mall. I’m tired of going there. It’s actually a little farther than that.”
Carmen shook her head again. “You can’t be serious.”
Kali smirked. “Are you a one-percenter or not? Afraid you can’t keep up?”
She didn’t even wait for her charge’s response. The Clairvoyant shot into the sky like a missile and was a small dot in the distance in a matter of seconds. A sonic boom marked her ascent. Carmen couldn’t help a wry smile; obviously Kali was being serious. She streaked after her handler seconds later. Their example served as inspiration for the other gathered Clairvoyants. A few seconds later, everyone else flew off two by two, handler and charge.
Kali slowed her pace dramatically, as it was a difficult speed to maintain. She dropped her altitude as well, and Carmen could see her now. Her handler was flying backward, splayed out as if she were sitting on an invisible sofa with her arms crossed. The challenge was clear.
“Well, Edge, let’s see what you’re made of,” she spoke telepathically as she turned to face forward again.
Carmen made no reply other than to purse her lips. Kali flew at treetop level or sometimes lower. She also flew in anything but a straight line, always arcing or curving, darting here and there, making it trivially easy to cut her off. Yet when Carmen tried, her handler turned to face her to wave a finger and shake her head. Then she increased her speed to spurt ahead before returning to her normal pace. After the third such exchange, Carmen realized Kali did want her to catch her, she wanted to be chased.
And that was precisely what she did. Handler and charge streaked just over the heads of pedestrians on the sidewalks. Kali shot between and sometimes even under aerocars, daring Carmen to also try for the impossibly narrow and always changing gaps. They climbed over skyscrapers, seemingly like a vault, clearing the summits by mere inches just to free fall back to the street below. Kali would land roughly and run for a moment along the ground, jumping and flipping over obstacles and even people, before she took to the air again. Her charge was more graceful, touching the ground like a stone skipping over water and returning to the air almost in a dance.
In due course, Kali slid to a stop in front of a modest building. She kept her balance perfectly throughout, ending the maneuver with her hands on her hips, as if she just stepped off her stoop. Not to be outdone, Carmen landed high on the building itself and slid down its concrete frame to land next to her handler.
Her breath came in exhilarated pants. She’d never flown like that before. She had never even thought to do it. When she looked at her handler, though, Kali giggled lightly and did a terrible job of covering it with her hand.
“What?” Carmen asked, curious.
“Your hair,” Kali answered, giggling louder.
She had no mirror. She brought a hand to her head and was surprised to find that, not only had she lost the tie for her ponytail, but also her hair was a frizzed mess. She always wondered why several Clairvoyant women, including Kali, made it a point to keep their hair short.
“Come here,” her handler called softly.
Carmen stepped closer to her. Kali licked her hand and gently slicked down her charge’s hair. Carmen allowed herself to be comforted by Kali’s touch.
“This is the place,” she said. “A Space Force recruiting station to be more specific. It’s important you look your best.”
“I don’t want to join the military.”
“We’ve talked about this, Edge. At least hear them out. They have a lot to offer.” Carmen nodded glumly. Kali leaned back and looked her charge in the eye. “It’s amazing to think we only have a week left. Six years with me. Doesn’t feel like it.” Carmen hugged her, and they stood there for a moment, holding each other tightly. “You ready?”
“I don’t think so,” she muttered.
“Only one way to find out,” Kali remarked as she made for the entrance of the building.
Carmen swallowed hard and followed her in, though not immediately. She rested a hand on the doorframe while she took a breath. It was then that Carmen noticed Kali’s legs were wobbling.
“Not all of us are one-percenters,” she remarked.
Carmen smiled wryly. Kali did as well, though with a pained expression. Then she took another deep breath and walked inside. Her charge was right behind her.
The foyer of the building wasn’t very big and was dominated by a large recruitment poster. She recognized the Wiz Kids right away, especially the two most prominent, Garvin Brook and Renee Brown. They were front and center, with the other Wiz Kids at their flanks. The background of the poster was a starfield that was more an artist rendition than actual reality, but it was quite pretty to look at. There were also starships in the distance. Underneath was the tagline, “Space Force, Go Far.” Carmen studied it as they walked toward reception.
The receptionist was a short blonde woman wearing the black and silver of Space Force Fleet Command. She smiled warmly as they approached.
“Ms. Grey, I presume,” she said.
Carmen nodded. The woman, who looked about her own age, wasn’t a Clairvoyant. Nevertheless, she could sense no fear in her whatsoever. Carmen was so used to the normals being terrified by her presence that the lack of even apprehension caught her off guard. Also, it had been years since anyone referred to her by her non-Clairvoyant name. The last time she could remember was with Michael. She tried not to think of him, though. It was too painful.
“We’re pleased you can join us,” the receptionist continued. “Lieutenant Commander Santiago has been expecting you. You may enter when you’re ready.”
Carmen looked at her handler, who waved her forward. She sighed softly and then walked into the building proper. The next immediate room wasn’t very large, but it was very open. It was quite obvious that not all of the personnel who worked here were part of Space Force, as they didn’t wear the uniform. Moreover, their bearing was completely different. Whereas the civilian contractors were just normal people, every Space Force officer and enlisted walked, spoke, and even seemed to breathe with a quiet confidence that was more a part of their person than any sort of arrogance. Indeed, not one of them walked by her without giving some sort of pleasant greeting. She could sense no fear in any of them, much like with the receptionist.
A man, tall and well built, walked toward her. She knew he was here for her as she always knew such things. He stopped in front of them and nodded in Kali’s direction before he spoke.
“Ms. Kali, we thank you for allowing us to speak to your charge,” he said. She nodded in acknowledgement. “I am Lieutenant Commander Santiago. Ms. Grey, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to speak to you about your future.”
Carmen looked at her handler. The Space Force personnel may not be apprehensive, but she was. Kali gave a reassuring smile in response and waved her on. She followed Santiago with no more preamble. The Space Force officer moved quickly and directly, almost like a Clairvoyant. Before she realized it, they were in his office and he was gesturing for her to sit.
He said nothing and allowed her to look around the room. On the walls were pictures of starships, presumably where he had served before. There were also pictures of what Carmen guessed were friends. On his desk was a picture of his wife and two children. She studied it for a moment. They all seemed happy.
“Before I start, do you have any questions?” he asked.
Carmen looked at him. “Why do you call me Ms. Gre
y and not Edge?” she asked.
He smiled. “It’s your name, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but no one calls me by my name.”
“Do you prefer to be called Edge?”
“Not really,” she said without having to think about it. “But you refer to Kali by her Clairvoyant name,” she pointed out.
“Yes, that is true,” he said after a sharp nod. “Your handler, however, and other Clairvoyants of her generation don’t have names. The sortens never gave them that luxury. Space Force respects the tradition of Clairvoyants naming each other, if that’s what you choose. If you decide to join, though, you are not merely an asset to us. You would be an individual, but one that is part of a team. Do you know anything about Space Force?”
“Not really.”
“Have you spoken to New Earth SDF yet?”
“No.”
Santiago nodded slowly. “With respect to my counterparts in SDF, Space Force is a cut above. We accept volunteers and volunteers only. Only the best. Each planet’s SDF is responsible for that planet alone. We are responsible for everyone. No one planet or citizen is above the other. When we become part of Space Force, we are no longer citizens of New Earth, Earth, or Evonea, or what have you. Our allegiance is to the United Terran Empire and to it alone. We are part of nothing and everything at the same time.”
“Kind of sounds like being a Clairvoyant,” she said.
“Yes, you could say that,” he said, nodding again. “However, a Clairvoyant is one individual. We’re more than a million strong. On my desk, you saw a picture of my wife and children, but they are only a small part of my family. Out there,” he said, pointing to the door they entered through, “to starship crews defending us from the sortens and other threats, everyone in Space Force is also my family. Ms. Grey—Carmen—you can be part of that family too.”
She sat and thought about it. Nothing he said caught her out as wrong or bad. She even had to admit that some pieces of it were even appealing. Nonetheless, she felt as ready to jump for joy as if she were stuck in cement.
“What would I have to do?”
“Well, we are always looking for recruits of your talents,” he began.
Nice way to say Clairvoyants, she thought.
“You would receive a ninety-thousand-credit signing bonus. You wouldn’t have to go through the same basic training as new recruits. We train the best. However, nothing…nothing compares to the training you’ve already received,” he said. Carmen swallowed hard. “The basic you would go through is designed for Clairvoyants and meant to acclimate them to life in Space Force—”
“But what would I do?” she interrupted. “I don’t want to fight anymore,” she said softly.
Santiago opened his mouth to respond but closed it after a second or so. He leaned back in his chair as he considered her statement. She considered it as well. She didn’t know what she wanted—she never really did. But she had always known she didn’t want the constant battle that seemed to define her existence. She had no problem personally with Space Force. In another lifetime, maybe she would even be interested. But here and now, she doubted that this soldier, no matter how well-intentioned or capable, could give her what she wanted—she didn’t even know what she wanted—while not giving her exactly what she desperately sought to avoid.
He opened his mouth to answer her question when his phone beeped. “I’m with Ms. Grey. I said not to disturb me,” he said, annoyed.
“Sorry, sir. Her handler is quite insistent on speaking with her,” the person on the other end of the line said.
“Very well,” Santiago said after a groan. “Carmen, Kali wishes to talk to you.”
She nodded and went to the door. Her handler was waiting just outside of it.
“Edge, we have a situation. You’re needed.”
17
The Monster’s Lair
Kali walked quickly and with a startling lack of elegance through the Space Force recruitment office. She moved people out of the way roughly with no apology and telekinetically pushed aside a desk without putting it back into place. Carmen was right behind her, glad there were no walls between them and the exit, because Kali would have surely walked right through them.
Her handler said nothing to give credence to her haste. Carmen wondered what could possibly be going on but could think of no scenario dire enough to require all of this. Yet, when they exited the building, she stopped, frozen in place.
Soldiers lined either side of the walkway leading to the street. Several police and military aerocars were waiting for them. Bystanders curiously watched the scene behind nearly shut doors and out the corners of windows. Carmen looked into the faces of the soldiers, all heavily armed, and their eyes betrayed tense, grim fear. She slowly shook her head in disbelief.
“Kali? What’s going on?” she asked.
Her handler hadn’t stopped walking. She said nothing but briskly waved for her charge to join her in one of the aerocars. Carmen swallowed hard and did just that. The soldiers joined them in a rush. Orders were shouted, and the entire congregation moved as if a second wasted was a death sentence.
Kali took a deep breath and glanced at Carmen. “Artemis.”
Carmen looked at her handler sidelong. “What about Artemis?”
“She did something. Something terrible.”
“What do you mean?” Carmen asked, her eyes narrowing.
“I…I don’t really know. No one does,” Kali responded. “She killed her handler and is holding up in the Crystal Palace Mall. There are people trapped in there with her. We don’t know how many, but there are families—children.”
Carmen nodded solemnly. “Did she hurt anyone…other than her handler?”
Kali shook her head slowly. “We don’t know. We have no access to the building. Probably, though. It’s Artemis. I’m surprised her handler was confident enough to take her somewhere so public in the first place.”
“She’s never been to the mall before?” Carmen asked, curious.
She didn’t know much about Artemis’s day-to-day life. No asset really did. But everyone went to Crystal Palace.
“She has, but as we can see, it was tempting fate,” Kali replied.
Carmen nodded again. “Where are we going now?”
“To the mobile command center just outside of the mall. The police set up a perimeter, but they aren’t really equipped to deal with a situation like this. The local SDF has been activated, but it will take time to fully mobilize.” Her handler took a deep breath before she continued. “Space Force can’t legally handle security matters of this sort unless requested by the planetary government. Even so, it will take several hours—days maybe—for the closest starship to arrive. For now, the facility is lending our suppression teams to help.”
The convey of aerocars arrived outside the mall just as Kali finished speaking. The soldiers ran to join the police barricade, but no one spoke to or seemed to even care about them. Carmen watched the troopers for a moment and then looked at her handler. For nearly the first time, Kali didn’t return her gaze. She looked away sheepishly. It seemed like she wanted to say something but didn’t want to utter the words.
Carmen felt suddenly cold. She mouthed what she was going to say several times before she actually spoke.
“You want me to fight her,” she said quietly.
Kali took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t want you to fight her, but I…we…the people trapped inside need you to.” Carmen shook her head faster and faster with each word. “Edge, there’s no one else. You’re the only person powerful enough to challenge her.”
“If I fight her…” she said, swallowing hard. “Clairvoyants fight to the death—”
“Artemis does, always has,” Kali finished for her.
Carmen looked away and couldn’t stop her mind from wandering free. Ultimately, when finally faced with it, she didn’t care all too much about Artemis killing her. She didn’t want to die, but she wasn’t terribly afraid of the
prospect either. There were worse things than death. She rubbed her hands as she reflected on the fact that the last one she killed was Mikayla. Before that, it was scores and scores of Constructs. She’d never told anyone—she could hardly even admit it to herself—but there was a time, maybe once or maybe in every instance, that she felt a distinct emotion when she killed. It rarely entered her life, but she knew what it was: pleasure. After Mikayla, she never wanted to feel it again.
“It’s so simple, isn’t it?” she said more to herself than to her handler. “Kill Artemis and save everyone in the mall. She probably even deserves it.”
“She wouldn’t hesitate if the situation was reversed,” Kali pointed out. Carmen offered no argument and only nodded glumly. “I can’t force you, Edge. This is the one time—the one and only time—I’m asking you to do something that is not in your best interest. I don’t want this any more than you do.”
Carmen looked at her handler, and they sat in silence for a long second until, at last, with words failing her, her eyes fell and she got out of the aerocar. Kali got out a few seconds later, and the two of them walked toward the command center. Kali tried to grab her hand, but Carmen didn’t want it. She instead stared at the entrance to the command center, her mind in a fog. She eventually took a deep breath then walked inside.
“Our current scans show—” a man in the center of the room said, but he stopped for a moment when the two Clairvoyants entered.
Everyone turned to look at them, specifically her. There was utter silence as dozens of eyes studied the asset with the utmost scrutiny. They examined the clothes she wore, how she stood, and her every breath and glance. It didn’t take Carmen long to realize each and every member of the team had spent decades training on how to put her down if necessary. She felt like a little girl compared to their serious focus and even shied back toward the entrance. She stopped when she felt Kali’s reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“That the asset has not moved from her position on the seventh level,” the man in the center of the room continued. Everyone turned to watch his briefing, but she could feel their attention still fixed on her. “Scans also show that there is at least a half-dozen souls with her, all in close proximity.”