by Viola Grace
“What?”
“Finding your mate. You two vibrate in sync like an old married couple. I have no idea how that happens.”
Keezik gave him a considering look. “First, you have to find out what she needs, then you have to find a way to give it to her. She will respond in kind.”
“I would have to get to her first.”
“If she is meant for you, it doesn’t matter when you meet. You will both know it is right. Ask Commander if he can pin down when you will meet your match. It worked wonders for me. I knew where I had to be and what I had to do.”
Turnari gathered the remains of his meal, and he grimaced. “I don’t know if I am ready to do that.”
“Then don’t feel jealous when we find our mates. We put a lot of work into being where we need to be. I was almost captured a dozen times when they spotted me by my psychic imprint. I managed to keep out of trouble and be there for Amly when she needed an escape. I earned my chance at love.”
“You are confident she will turn to you eventually?”
“Confident, no. Hopeful, yes. I know that I have a chance, the best chance I could have.” Keezik shrugged. “I will keep myself in her thoughts and hope that she reciprocates when the time comes.”
Turnari headed back to his office and Keezik hit the gym. He had a lot of tension to work off before he could sleep. Knowing that he was in the same building as the woman who would be his best chance at love was enough to send him to the weights and the fight simulator. In the morning, he would have to hold back his tension and work on self-control all over again.
* * * *
Amly brushed her hair and changed the Masuo into a day dress, just for fun. She skipped down the stairway and got herself some breakfast while humming happily in her mind. It was relaxing to have this moment where nothing had to be done. Where she could simply exist happily and pretend that she was normal.
When Walking Shadow came to her side and sat down, normal went out the window.
“Good morning, Walking Shadow.”
“We are not on duty, Amly. Call me Keezik.”
“Keezik then.” She watched as he closed his eyes and shuddered.
She finished her meal and thanked the woman who came to get her tray.
“Do you know what is on my agenda today?”
“Equilar is your first appointment of the day, but we have a few hours before that appointment. I would like to offer you a tour so that you know which facilities you can access with impunity.”
“That sounds like fun.” She smiled brightly, recharged for the day.
“Ready when you are.”
She got to her feet and took the arm he offered her. They walked out slowly, and she enjoyed the strange sandal arrangement that the Masuo had worked out.
“So, you are wearing a dress today?”
“I rarely get the chance to wear something feminine. If I have to hide from tracking, I need to be able to shift and wear a different jacket or shirt. I am just lucky they never track me by the shoes or I would be doomed before I found one of my stashes.”
“Stashes?”
“Sure. I kept a series of clothing in different places around the city’s underground. I would go into a different men’s or ladies’ room in the tunnels and change clothing, emerging wearing the features of one of the other inhabitants of the lav.”
“How long can you hold a sight-only shift?”
“An hour, possibly longer if it is necessary.”
“Impressive.”
“I hope so. It sounds like Equilar is going to be quite the hard woman to impress.”
“She is stringent in her standards. She has no talent herself, but she has manipulated an entire government into poisoning their own people. The nobles of the Moreski are all confined to their world while they slowly die out.”
“That sounds horrible.”
“Well, the Moreski nobles are not very nice people. The dark rainbow hair is the indicator of nobility. For years, they thought it could not be transmitted to half-breed children, or that is what they put about. Mala is one of the only surviving half-breeds on record, though I have heard of a few others, I have never met them.”
They were walking past a gym, and he pointed out the mechanisms by which she could work out. They continued on their path, and she asked, “Are you truly cousins with Fixer?”
“I am. Our grandmother was a slave, and she was bred to various partners. My mother was one of the children, Mala’s mother was another.”
“That explains why I can’t pinpoint your species.”
He grinned. “I am flattered that you have been trying.”
“It makes it easier to copy you if I know what I am aiming at. Now that I can access records, if I can find the standard movements and descriptions of your people I can mimic the more subtle nuances of someone.”
“Does it make that much difference?”
“To put it in farm terms, if you raise a bird with beasts, flying will not be natural to it. If you put it with other birds, it will move all wrong and the birds will avoid it.”
He nodded and it flattered her to think that he was actually absorbing that bit of information.
He showed her the classrooms where folk in robes were working studiously to absorb information.
The illumination class was amusing. She looked through the door panel into the darkness and flickers of light sparked around the room. Some were light, some were combustion and all were very visible in the darkness.
“That is very interesting. The idea of folk being allowed and encouraged to master their talents is a little beyond my scope of experience.”
Keezik nodded. “I am aware of it. I was skulking around your world for a while before I got the extraction assignment.”
“Does it exhaust you to use your talent?”
“Not really, it just wears on me like any physical activity. My talent is usually limited to my skin unless I am passing through matter. That is wearing on my senses, I can tell you.”
She blinked. “Right. I can see where it would be.”
“Come on, I will show you the gardens. The horticulture talents are really working overtime to get a high-yield plant that doesn’t destroy the soil.”
Amly didn’t know much about plants, but she did recognize the woman who was coaxing a tendril around a runner post in elegant loops.
The woman must have sensed her gaze, because she turned around, squealed and ran forward for a hug. Amly caught her and hugged her third rescue. Wekiat had been scheduled for invasive interrogation, but Amly had stepped in and taken over the interview. The agents had been forced to let her go, as the Wekiat Dorsai they had in custody had no idea how to grow any sort of plant whatsoever, let alone have a horticultural talent.
“I never got a chance to thank you. I never even knew your name.” Wekiat mumbled it into her shoulder.
“Amly. Amly Hyde.” She hugged the woman back. “How are you enjoying time off world?”
“It is wonderful. I am normally based on Balen, but with this project in action, they loaned me out to Morganti.”
“Loaned you out? Like a possession?” Amly was getting irritated.
Wekiat calmed her. “No, no. Like a specialist. My expertise was needed here. I also have attended a number of ornamental gardens on worlds I had not dreamed of. The soil of Morganti isn’t suited for the original plants, so we are having to alter the structure of the plant without changing the taste of the fruit. It is quite the challenge.”
Amly absorbed the delight and pride that Wekiat was taking in being able to use her talent. She was fulfilled. It was obvious.
Keezik touched her arm. “It is time for your appointment. We cannot be late.”
She nodded and asked Wekiat, “Would you explain it all to me later?”
Wekiat nodded. “I would be delighted to. Dinner in the common room?”
Amly nodded. “I will see you there.”
With her heart a little lighter, she followed Keezik up and into the Citadel for her appointment with the spymaster.
Chapter Five
Keezik led her to the door and nodded. “I leave you here. Whether you do or do not impress Equilar will be entirely up to you.”
Amly nodded and knocked on the door. When a voice called for her to enter, she opened the door and stepped into the only interview that could have an effect on her life. All the other interviews had been taken to save others. This was the first one for her alone.
She kept her hands at her sides as she approached the woman, and she paused a few feet away from the straight back until a hand lifted and the fingers snapped, pointing at the seat across from her.
The dark rainbow hair was teased with grey, but it was still ornately drawn up in a hairstyle that gave the wearer dignity and presence.
“I generally do not answer to snaps, Lady Deeha.” Amly sat primly with her hands folded loosely in her lap.
“I no longer answer to that name. Equilar is all that I wear as my title, that and Grandma.”
“As I do not qualify to call you the second, I shall address you as the first.”
Equilar pointed at the tablet she was scrolling through. “You have an impressive record, Miss Hyde.”
That comment did not call for an answer. It was an observation, not a compliment.
The older woman slowly smiled. “You are the first candidate I have met recently who didn’t try to fill the silences.”
“Danger lies in loose tongues.”
Equilar’s smile widened. “It does indeed. Now, show me what you can do.”
“What would you like to see?”
“Dazzle me.”
Shrugging, Amly turned into Fixer.
Equilar had been lifting her tea to her lips. She put it down with a clatter. “Stand up.”
Amly stood while the older woman circled her, examining her bodysuit and the fall of her hair.
“That is incredible. You even have the same twist to her lips.” Equilar blinked. “Do me.”
“May I touch your skin?”
“Is it necessary?”
“It helps. I can match your physical appearance without it, but I will be lacking your mannerisms and the mental shield of your surface thoughts.”
Curious, Equilar extended her hand for her relative to take. Fixer gripped Equilar’s hand and seconds later, two women were facing each other staring into the matching eyes and copied features.
“Please have a seat and pour tea.” Equilar was fighting her astonishment, and she sat carefully while watching Amly intently.
Amly drew on Equilar’s reflexes, and she settled the cups just so before adding the whitener and then checking the pot temperature with a subtle touch of her hand. She poured two thirds of the cup full, and then, she sat back, putting sweetening into her tea with a deft twist of her wrist.
Three precise twists of the spoon and she set it down on the edge of her saucer, gesturing with her fingers for the true Equilar to do the same.
Equilar was stunned and she smiled slightly. “I have to say, I am very impressed and I now realize that I have many more mannerisms than I would gladly admit to myself.”
“May I resume my original form? I can see that this one is upsetting you.”
Equilar nodded. “Of course. Is it difficult to hold a shape?”
“I would revert after four hours in that form. That is when the contact would wear off. I could still wear your form with effort, but it would only be the physical shell, not the psychic imprint.”
“Is the imprint so important?”
“When you are walking through a room full of psychics, yes.”
“Tell me about what you did and how you did it. I need to know what you require to become a truly effective specialist, though for my opinion, you could do it right now and probably do amazing work.”
Amly resumed her normal features. “I want to do outstanding work. I want to be the best that I can be, and for that, I need training. Will you help me to find ways to obtain the information I need to be the best I can be?”
Equilar raised her teacup in a salute. “I can help you there. Be here tomorrow morning at ten and the species etiquette will commence. I will arrange the tech training.”
Amly perked up, “Really?”
“Really. I even have a few tests in mind to work on your precision and adaptation skills.” Equilar inclined her head. “Tomorrow morning, Miss Hyde.”
“Thank you, Equilar. Tomorrow morning it is.”
Amly got to her feet and left the room with her heart tripping with excitement. She walked down to the common room and got herself a cup of tea. She sat and looked out at the gardens, letting the joy she felt leak out of her soul and into the world around her.
It was a very solid start to her new life with the Citadel.
When Keezik came to retrieve her, she had finished her tea and was eager for action. He caught on to her mood and took her to the gym.
“Come on, you need to learn to burn off your extra energy. If you are not going into battle, you are going to need an outlet. The combat trainer is the best bet for a partner. It will increase difficulty as you increase your capabilities.”
Amly watched dutifully as he showed her how to set up the program, and then, she shifted her clothing into a booted bodysuit and stepped into the ring.
A woman appeared across from her, and she blinked as she recognized herself, blue hair and all. The other woman came toward her, and to her surprise, she struck her in the jaw.
Amly staggered back and blinked. “Right. Well, at least this is a fair fight.”
She struck out at her opponent and the fight was on.
The flailing punches tired her out, but she wasn’t done. She continued until she had beaten the projection to the ground.
When she knelt on her own chest and slammed her fist into her own face one final time, the projection disappeared.
A group of watchers had gathered around the fighting platform, and she inclined her head toward them with her eye swollen and her knuckles covered with blood.
The expression on Keezik’s face could only be described as appalled. “Are you all right?”
“I think I need to fix a few things, but otherwise, I am fine.” She inhaled, fixed the damage to her body and exhaled slowly as she resumed her normal appearance.
She smiled brightly. “There, all fixed. Is it dinner time yet?”
He nodded weakly. “It is.”
“Good. Wekiat will be waiting for me. I look forward to hearing about her adventures.”
“Yes, and I am looking forward to asking you a few questions.”
There was an undercurrent of tension in his voice that concerned her, but she was unable to ask him what he wanted to know until they were on the main floor and in the common room with trays of food.
Wekiat waved them over and she grinned at them as they settled in.
“I was afraid you weren’t coming.”
Amly smiled, “I got sidetracked with a fight simulation.”
Keezik blinked. “You could say that. You fought for three hours, and in the end, your punching force was close to two tons of pressure, as was that of the simulator.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
Wekiat blinked and filled her in. “It means you can punch at stone and eventually make it through. If you could repair your body with every strike, there would be no end to the strength you could pile into your limbs.”
Amly blushed. “Ah. Yes, that would be bizarre.” She bent her head and prodded at her dinner.
Keezik rubbed her shoulder, and she took the consolation for what it was. A friend trying to let her know she wasn’t a freak.
“So, Wekiat, what plant are you working on?”
“I am working on something called coffee. It is a plant that many of the incoming Terrans are mildly addicted to. Apparently, it
helps them wake up in the mornings. They must be an odd species to only rise for a sharp dose of a strong stimulant.”
Amly narrowed her eyes and went through the Terrans on the Sector Guard roster. There were quite a few, and they didn’t seem to be lacking performance due to an unfulfilled addiction.
“Maybe they just like the taste? Star Breaker is a Terran, as is Pilot, and even Relay. None of them seem to be having a problem with the lack of a substitute.”
Wekiat blinked. “They are?”
“Yes. It is in the Sector Guard Morganti roster. There are also more at the other Citadels and Guard bases, not to mention those who are in the Guardian program in the Nyal Imperium.” Amly couldn’t stop herself. The endorphin rush that was hitting after the fight was running her mouth.
Wekiat looked at her with wide eyes. “How do you know all that? How long have you been off Resicor?”
She bit her lip. “Less than a week. I got a full update for my estimated work areas.”
Wekiat chuckled. “I suppose that makes sense. I can get by with just a trowel and seeds. I don’t really need to know anything else.”
Amly sighed, as it seemed that Wekiat wasn’t going to pursue the difference in their programs. They settled in to talk about home and the tension that was increasing with every passing day. The grip that the psychics had on the population of Resicor was tightening, but more and more talents were slipping free.
It was so nice to see one of those who had escaped that time got away from them, and Keezik finally tapped her shoulder. “You will have to rise early for your appointment with Dr. Effin.”
She looked at the darkness outside the window and the relatively unoccupied common room. “Oops. We will have to continue this chat later, Wekiat.”
Wekiat grinned. “I look forward to it. I am here for a week and then I am off to parts unknown.”
Amly got up and came around for a hug. “It was good to talk with you. It means a lot.”
“For me, too. I know that others have escaped, but I haven’t run into any of them yet.”
Keezik escorted her to her quarters. “You have to make sure you don’t blow your status as part of the espionage corps.”