Shiver and Bright Read online

  Inside the station, Nat waited until Worvin nodded to her before she got up and grabbed her bags out of the storage lockers.

  The light panel above the exterior hatch went from soft grey to bright blue. Worvin hit the keypad on one side of the exit and the lock whirled.

  Worvin explained. “This is a science vessel used to transport experiments. No one can get in or out without a code.”

  “The shuttle or the station?”

  He smiled. “Yes.”

  She snorted and took that to mean that he was referring to both. The door swung open, and she took steps on the first space station she had ever seen.

  The air tasted funny, but there was an earthy undercurrent to it that was familiar. “Saffra flowers?”

  He inclined his head. “You have keen senses.”

  She snorted and followed him down the metal walkways into the station. “Not particularly. They grow by my house. I would be an idiot not to recognize the similarity.”

  “We have an oxygen farm on the station. The green space uses the most benign and oxygen-producing plants we can find. Horticultural talents work to splice breeds together, but it is very rare that they can improve on nature.” Worvin was matter of fact as he took her deep into the station.

  A woman with a pale body and long hair was waiting for her in an office. “Welcome, Nathaly Welling. My name is Kaylee Morgan Lacoss, and I am in control of this station.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Kaylee. Thank you for sending a rescue.”

  The woman waved her to the available chair. “It was no trouble. Worvin was happy to get out. Worvin, thank you for the retrieval. You can resume your normal schedule.”

  Worvin paused. “I...Yes. Of course.”

  He turned and left the office.

  Kaylee smiled. “Congratulations. I haven’t seen Worvin that close to confrontation in a while.”

  “Why congratulate me? His emotions are his own.” Nat took a seat and eyed the woman with the delicate features and the occasional flicker of transparency.

  “Indeed. What a sensible way to look at it. Now, we have taken you in on a contingency basis. What can I help you achieve?”

  Nat scowled. “I want to go home and free my parents. What do I need to do that?”

  “Well, Miss Welling, you need to become more than you are.” Kaylee sat back. “It is as simple as that.”

  With the cryptic statement between them, the director of Station 13 slid a contract over to her and smiled.

  Reading over the form, Nat raised her eyebrows a moment before she put her signature and thumbprint down. Challenge accepted.

  Chapter Three

  With slow control of her breathing, Nat folded her clothing from home and slipped on the new outfit that Worvin had delivered. It was definitely different from anything that she would wear at home, but it did suit her talent.

  The laces of the top would not be rattled loose or affected by the fields that her talent generated. The rings that held the skirt in place would eventually need to be reinforced, but they were solid enough for now.

  Friction closures didn’t work on her, but the drawstring trousers and the lace-up tunics she normally wore wouldn’t make a good impression or prove that she was a woman in control of herself and the destinies of those around her. Becoming a Citadel Master was her only option, and she was going to do it as quickly as possible.

  The boots were also laced up, and when she looked at herself in the mirror, she knew that this would make the impression that she wanted. Worvin had picked it out perfectly. The fit was amazing as well. It was like the dress was made for her.

  She ran her hands down the front of the black fabric and nodded at the mirror. It was time to start the testing and then complete the training.

  Dirven Lacoss was Kaylee’s mate, and he was handling the actual application of the monitors.

  “The lab is suspended, so nothing you do here will affect the station in any way. You are able to use you talent without fear.” His handsome feline features shifted in a smile.

  “Good to know. What do you want me to do first?”

  He held up a beaker with blue and clear liquid in it. “Mix this.”

  She cupped the beaker in her hands and used her talent to vibrate the contents wildly.

  The beaker was hot pink in seconds.

  “Can you ignite the contents?”

  He was watching his readouts.

  Nat vibrated the contents until a flame shot out the top.

  “Stop the heat.”

  She cooled the beaker and jumped when the glass split and the block of ice was sitting on shards in her palms.

  “Oh, dear. Let me just get that for you.” Dirven put on gloves and quickly removed the block, setting it aside in a container before he worked on the broken glass in her palms.

  She only had two small cuts that were easily sealed with a spray.

  Nat looked up and smiled. “What is next?”

  “Next, we put you in that harness and see how much you can shiver and shake.” Kaylee answered her, drifting in through the wall.

  “You...”

  “Molecular alignment is my speciality, and by extension, Dirven’s.” Kaylee grinned.

  Dirven smiled. “Kaylee ran afoul of her own experiments and now drifts through walls at will. She is confined to the station, so I stay here with her. In Alliance parlance, she is known as Haunt of the Sector Guard.”

  Kaylee took charge of the session, but Dirven had to do the physical organization.

  Nat just had to provide the actual power.

  She stood on the plate in the center of the room and shook it as hard as she could. The suspension creaked as she rocked it while standing still. The effect increased dramatically when she gripped a connection to the plate in the floor. The rod transferred the power efficiently, and the violence was apparent.

  Kaylee called a halt and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Do you require contact with the object to shake it?”

  “Usually. I have only worked at a distance twice in my life. Neither time was particularly successful.”

  “Then, that is what you will work on.” Kaylee grinned and bossed her husband into arranging an elastic ball filled with gel. The ball had sensors on it and was placed off the grid that Nat was standing on.

  Dirven explained it to her. “She wants you to vibrate the gel while not moving your platform or body.”

  “I will try.”

  Three tries later, Nat was sweating as she tried to still herself while shaking the gel. When the small quiver was detected in the gel, she got excited.

  Worvin came in and inclined his head. “Apologies, but she has not eaten in eleven hours. You are not getting the proper readouts and desired results because she isn’t able to focus.”

  Nat blinked at him through sweaty bangs. “You are keeping track of what I eat?”

  “The food stores are part of my domain, and you have made no requests. You need a meal, rest and a change of clothing.” Worvin stood in his dark uniform and crossed his arms.

  Dirven looked surprise; Kaylee was amused. “Fine. Take her and feed her. Show her the gardens while you are at it. I think she will enjoy the feel of something akin to a world around her.”

  Nat staggered off the platform and inclined her head. “Can I return here and practice when I have rested?”

  Dirven nodded. “Of course. I will leave a number of gel sacks staged around the lab. Would you take the monitors off?”

  He had put them on himself, but she nodded and peeled the monitor tabs off. “Can you leave a set here for when I return?”

  He smiled. “And a schematic of where they go. Go and eat. You have gone from golden to chalky. It is no wonder that your control suffered.”

  Nat smiled and peeled off the final tab. “Well, Worvin, I am all yours.”

  He paused and nodded curtly. “Please come this way.”

  “A charming invitation. Thank you.” Her skirt swayed as she walked across the deck
ing of the suspension platform.

  To his surprise, she took his arm. The station didn’t feel right under her feet, but she didn’t tell him that. He simply shut up and led her to the commissary where a number of other beings were getting meals and others were simply sitting around and talking.

  “I have put the food compatibilities into the system, so scan your wrist here and the foods you can eat will have a purple glow to them. Well, the trays will.”

  It seemed non-invasive, so she scanned her wrist, and it happened as he said, right down to the beverages. Purple lit them up, and she went through and made her selections. The food wouldn’t taste right, but as long as she could digest it, she was ahead of the game.

  Worvin sat across from her with his own meal and cup of caf.

  “Your clothing looks like it fits.” He smiled.

  “Yes, thank you. The fit is perfect. Is it your doing?”

  “My eyes have a special orientation assessment skill that I don’t understand, but I can look at anything and know what fits.”

  Nat nodded and tried not to laugh at the thoughts that ran through her mind with that comment.

  She slowly made her way through her meal and was surprised at the appeal of several of the items. She mentally made notes of which foods she preferred and which her mother would rather see her eating.

  “For example, I can tell that you will not be able to eat all that.” He quirked his lips and sipped at his caf.

  She blinked and eyed her plate. “Is that a challenge?”

  “No. It is an observation. Unless you have an exceptionally fast metabolism, you will not be able to clear all that food. You need to accept your limits.”

  Nat smiled at him, it was a slow, dangerous smile. “I know my limits. I am here to push them.”

  He stared at her plate ten minutes later, and she smirked, wiping her lips on a napkin.

  “I know my limits. I do, in fact, have a fast metabolism. My peristaltic contractions are at three times the normal rate. My father guessed that it linked to my talent.”

  She suddenly yawned and tried to keep her eyes open.

  Worvin got to his feet and helped her to hers. “Come on. You need rest. Back to your quarters.”

  “Don’t I get to see the flowers?”

  He grimaced. “Fine. A detour through the oxygen farm. Then back to your rooms.”

  She smiled brightly and hung onto his arm as he led her through the station and to the scent of dirt and greenery.

  “I thought there would be humidity.”

  “It is a garden, not a jungle. We keep the humidity to the minimum that the plants require to function. The rest of the humidity is collected and recycled in our water systems.” He smiled.

  “Where are the flowers I smelled earlier?”

  He led her through a variety of plants, and she finally saw the blossoms that were so familiar. The bank of blooms was three feet thick and fifteen feet long. Their scent swelled and cascaded, refreshing all the musty odours that came with the large amount of soil and loam.

  Nathaly stroked her hand along the blossoms and inhaled their scent past her lungs and into her soul. “Okay. I am ready to rest now.”

  Worvin looked at her curiously. “Why now?”

  “For every day of my life I have passed those blossoms on my way home. Today was the first time I have tried to relax and rest away from home. If I am to function here on the station, I need to find things to help me de-stress. This was one of those things.”

  They returned to their slow walk back to her quarters.

  “I understand that you are trying to make yourself at home, but remember, this is not your home and you have a job to do.”

  “I won’t forget it. My family depends on it, but I need to be able to function at full capacity to make it through the testing phase. For that, I need peace of mind and an ability to fool my ingrained habits into thinking I am still somewhere safe. Do you understand that?”

  He tensed at the tightness of her tone. “I do. Apologies. I am used to working with Guardsmen who are eager to get into battle.”

  “I just want to get my life back and my parents to safety, whatever it takes.”

  “Right. Well, you have made excellent progress today. Get some rest, and tomorrow, you will be able to manage that last test.”

  Nat swayed a little. “I hope so. It was trickier than it seemed.”

  She staggered a moment before she struck the door of her quarters. “I think sleep is next on the agenda.”

  He frowned. “When was the last time you slept?”

  He helped her through the door and into the small but well-appointed room.

  “I woke up the day I had to run. I don’t think I have slept since.” She quirked her lips and crashed on the bed.

  “Do you want me to help you remove your clothing?”

  She flapped one hand and sighed when her door closed, leaving her in silence.

  She was going to do this. She was going to do here what she couldn’t do at home, and then, she was going to go home and rattle the capitol until the building crumbled and all that was left was her parents.

  She felt the smile on her lips as she drifted away.

  Chapter Four

  Nathaly got up, showered and blinked at the boxes of clothing that hadn’t been there the day before.

  The clean clothing matched the outfit from the day before, and she did a quick twirl before heading for the door. A quick breakfast and then back to the lab.

  When she opened the door, she paused at the sight of Worvin waiting across the hall.

  He straightened. “Good morning, Nathaly.”

  “Good morning, Worvin. Breakfast?”

  He smiled brightly and offered his arm.

  She took it, and he walked with her through the quiet halls and into the commissary.

  “Were you waiting long?”

  “An hour, but there is nothing else going on at this time for me to attend to, so I used the time for personal meditation.”

  She smiled and parted from him, scanning her wrist and waiting for her food options to be illuminated. When she had her set glowing bright, she took a tray and worked her way through what appeared as breakfast items and others that looked like pot roast. Little bits of everything went onto her tray, including a cup of caf and another of mint tea.

  She settled across from Worvin who had been able to make his way through with much greater speed.

  Aside from some maintenance personnel, there was no one but them and the cooks in the commissary.

  “How early is this?”

  “The equivalent of four in the morning. I don’t sleep much. The light behind my eyes keeps me awake many nights.” He smiled.

  “So, the light is part of you?”

  “It comes out through my eyes, and it is definitely a particle wave when it does. Not everyone has dealt with me calmly and directly when they learn I can see through their clothing.”

  “And by that extension, their skin can be seen through as well.”

  He smiled and his pale skin shifted to a darker shade. “You caught on to that?”

  “Yes. It was how sure you were that I wasn’t carrying any concealed weapons that tipped me off. You had to have been able to assess it or you wouldn’t have just tucked me into the seat next to you.” She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I may be young but I am not stupid.”

  Worvin inclined his head. “I never thought that you were stupid. How young are you?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Twenty-three and still living at home.”

  “Ah. So, fairly young.”

  She finished her meal and gave him an assessing glare. “How old are you?”

  “Thirty-six. I have been working with the Sector Guard in one capacity or another for the last five years.”

  “You haven’t been on active duty in all that time?”

  “Guardsmen go out in pairs. I have never had a partner, and my talent is best used alongside someone else.”
He shrugged and sipped at his caf.

  “Ah. So, do you want to have a post on another world?” She swallowed her tea and grimaced at the heat.

  “I want to use my talent when it is necessary and protect those who need it. To do that, I need to be part of a team or at least a partnership. That does not seem likely, so I will remain as the quartermaster of this station as long as they will have me.” He shrugged and put his empty cup on his tray.

  “So, why are you spending time with me?” Nat raised her brows.

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I wish I knew. I just can’t stay away.”

  She stared at him and cocked her head. “I think I know what you mean.”

  He had featured heavily in her dreams, always at her side. It had felt comfortable to have him there, to have someone with her that she could trust. Of course, that was just in her imagination. It wasn’t real.

  Sighing, she got to her feet and picked up her tray. “Off to the lab to continue my work.”

  “They won’t be there yet. Are you sure you want to go alone?”

  When they had turned in their trays, she took his arm. “I am not alone. Do you have to go on shift just yet?”

  He blinked and smiled. “I suppose I don’t. I am not on duty for another two hours.”

  They walked through the halls and entered the lab.

  “Are you sure you want to do this without Dirven or Kaylee here?”

  “The faster I can get through this training, the sooner I can return home. I need to get my parents out of their arrest and back to their homes.”

  “What do you mean, their homes? Don’t they live together?”

  “Of course not. My mother is my father’s mistress. She has been since before I was born.” Nat put the monitors on her skin where they had been the day before. “I suppose that is how I was born.”

  She chuckled and applied all the small pads before turning on the computer to watch her performance.

  With care, she stepped onto the platform that quivered with every step. Her focus was precise and she centered herself, looking toward the gel in the beaker.

  “So, they are not mated?”