Tales of the Citadel # 32 - Core Charge Read online

  Relay smiled. “We can help you with that. The suit will be removable. It is not a null suit or any form of confinement. If you find any part of it uncomfortable, tell Fixer and she will alter it to suit you.”

  “You are saying that like I am getting the suit now.”

  “You are. You will have temporary quarters here until you have full control over your talent, but after that, you will have rooms over at the Citadel where you can pursue your education.”

  “Is that my only choice?” Gwiette rubbed her hands together.

  “Of course not, but you have been born with this power in your body and you need to find a way to channel it or drain it. You can do nothing with your power, or you can do everything that matters.”

  “You have given that speech before.”

  Relay smiled and inclined her head. “I have, but it does not become less true with repetition. If you wish a quiet home, far away from others where you can do as you will and harm no one, it can be arranged. However, if you want to save lives and help to build something greater than was ever on a world you never imagined, we can offer you assistance in mastering what nature has given you and a place to practice what you have gained.”

  “I will take your instruction and decide on purpose afterward.”

  “A wise comment. I look forward to seeing you around the base, Gwiette. Keep me apprised of how you are doing.”

  Relay rose to her feet. “Stop is on the other side of my office door. He will show you to your quarters.”

  “May I ask how you know that, Relay?”

  “Oh, I am able to see the data stream and that includes the security feeds within the building. It is annoying, but I am used to it now.” She laughed. “It is more annoying for Effin. If he can’t keep my attention during sex, I surf the data stream. It makes him try extra hard.”

  Gwiette was startled into a laugh, but she stood up and nodded to the base commander. “I will keep you apprised.”

  She turned and opened the door, stepping out and almost colliding with the man who was sent to bring her out of her hell. “Oh. Hello. I am told you are the man who rescued me. Thank you. My name is Gwiette.”

  She extended her hand, and he blinked a moment before he reached out, and instead of shaking her hand, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. He licked her lightly before he put her hand down. She had the peculiar sense that he was tasting her through the glove on her hand.

  “I am Guardsman Stop, but I ask that you call me Nyral.”

  He was different from anyone she had met before. Folks on Resicor often had a wide spectrum of hair colours, but skin tone usually fell in the cream to rich brown pallet. Something in the red and blue range was outside her experience.

  She had to lick her lips before she spoke. Meeting his gaze had wrecked her focus. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “And I am glad to see you up and well. The last time I saw you conscious, you were not looking good.”

  She remembered the image displayed in Relay’s office. “You are correct. I was not.”

  “Would you care to accompany me so that you can be fitted for your control suit?”

  “This isn’t it?”

  “No.”

  “Thank goodness. This is a little flamboyant even for me.”

  A smile filled his eyes, and his robes flared and calmed as quickly as they shifted. “You will love the next suit then. It is understated until you turn it on.”

  “Turn it on?”

  “Activate it. The suit has two modes, passive and active.” He gestured down the hallway. “Fixer’s workshop is this way. If you would come with me?”

  Gwiette nodded and walked at his side down the corridor. She took in the clean halls, the smiling and purposeful faces of those she passed on the way, as well as the peculiar glances that Stop received as they paced along.

  The base might respect him, but he did not appear to be liked. No one had a comfortable or welcoming expression when they saw him.

  “No one trusts a man who can stop time.”

  He answered her before she could ask the question.

  A moment later, they were in Fixer’s workshop and she was meeting the woman who had designed a suit with her in mind.

  Chapter Three

  Gwiette sealed the suit behind the changing screen and smiled at the delightfully comfortable fit.

  Fixer called out, “For comfort I would normally suggest Masuo, but with your biological energy, it wouldn’t be safe for you or the suit. This was the best I could do.”

  Gwiette stretched her hands and twisted a little. “The fit is quite nice.”

  “Come out and I will try to get it perfect.”

  Gwiette stepped out from behind the screen and turned in front of Fixer’s calculating gaze.

  “Let me just put some final touches into the suit and you will be ready to try channeling your talent.” Fixer came toward her and stroked the black, dark red and deep purple exterior with care.

  “Did you design the suit?” It seemed the best plan of action to keep talking while the stranger touched her with delicate fingers from neck to toes.

  “I designed the inner mechanisms, but the exterior was designed by Kharial Designs. They have a contract with the Sector Guard for just this kind of event.” Fixer chuckled.

  With a few slight modifications, the woman stood back. “Right. Now, off to the testing zone. It has taken more time to prepare that than it has to set up your suit.”

  Stop chuckled on the other side of the room and shifted to join them as they walked toward the large open door.

  Fixer grinned. “Stop isn’t that chatty, but he means well. He is our standby in case your first few attempts defy control.”

  “Do you think that is likely?” Gwiette felt peculiar being outlined in snug fabric that fit like a second skin. Having her body outlined was a new experience. She favoured layers that numbed the effect of her touch.

  She flexed her fingers and touched forefinger to thumb. She could feel through it like the coating wasn’t there, but it was comforting in contrast to her skin tone. She could physically see the protection.

  The next hangar had been emptied and a series of towers had been set up. A cage had been created for the protection of her audience, and Gwiette looked to her hostess. “So, I stand on the large dot in the middle?”

  Fixer smiled. “Correct. You stand there, and when I have set up the measuring equipment, I will give you the all clear and you can begin to exude whatever you can with free rein. The hangar is shielded, and it is a secure hangar. No one will come in and we will be perfectly safe in the cage. This is to let your body know that it can do what it wants to, what your genes want.”

  “I can let loose and not worry about anything?”

  Fixer nodded and Stop glided into the cage. “Do as your instinct wills. Let the power flow, let it know it is welcome. It sounds silly, but it has been dormant for the most part. When you wake it, it will run free. That is what this exercise is for. You need to know what you can do.”

  Gwiette nodded and headed for the dot. Her skin was humming with excitement, but she still didn’t know how her body was going to give off the charge through the suit.

  When Fixer locked them in, Gwiette stepped onto the dot and watched the hangar doors close. Bands marked the outer walls, and she knew that they would take any spinning energy and ground it safely.

  Phosphorescent paint lit the room and the towers. The cage lit up, and Fixer gave her a thumbs up. “We are ready when you are.”

  Stop was watching her, his irises swirling slowly. He gave her a nod and a slight smile.

  Gwiette stood with her shoulders back and her arms at her sides. Her body quivered and the power built in her system.

  She had not been able to let her talent go if there wasn’t a thunderstorm. It had been the shield she had used to hide the fact that electricity was coming from her and not the ground and sky.

  She closed her eyes and replayed the roll of thunder in
her mind. Energy built on her skin, and there was a slight flick along her body. Gwiette held the thunder in her thoughts and opened her eyes.

  Her suit revealed a set of thin lines that ran along the colour blocks in chevrons resembling an armoured plate. She smiled and watched the lines glow as she relaxed into the rising power.

  When the first arc separated from her body and streaked toward the nearest tower with a crack, a grin split her features and she stretched her arms wide.

  She let the power roar through her and saw it tear through the air in bright streaks. As she let it run and ripple, the power lifted her off her feet.

  She felt her hair lift up and crackle outward as years of pent-up frustration blew out of her in a rippling blast of rioting static.

  As her talent ran its course, she settled back to her feet and resumed a standing posture with her arms at her sides. When the final crackle of power came from her skin, she smiled tiredly and swayed slightly. The suit closed the silver streaks on her arms and body, and she was once again covered in shadowed colours.

  Fixer and Stop were at her side in seconds. They helped her to a seat against the wall and a glass of water was pressed into her hand. Once she had gulped down the water, Stop handed her a wide cup with a heavy broth in it.

  “Drink.”

  She slugged down the rich broth and shuddered when she finished it. “That was not great.”

  Fixer chuckled. “Your Resicor food requirements mean they have to improvise many of the recipes. I will make a note that this was not a roaring success.”

  Gwiette leaned back and exhaled. “That felt really good.”

  Fixer smiled. “It is at your disposal until you have control over it, so you can call it when you need to and be safe otherwise.”

  “You think I will be able to be safe? To touch and be touched without injury?”

  Fixer nodded. “I believe that most talents merely need the time to get control over what rages within them. The stars and planets we are birthed on offer up the building blocks that make us what we are. We do not choose, we are chosen.”

  Stop stood straight. “It is true. None of us chose this, but here we are, doing what we can for those who cannot act for themselves.”

  Fixer nodded. “I did not ask for this, but it has saved my life and the lives of several Guardsmen as well as innocent bystanders. The suits, ships and machines that I create help, heal and protect those around them. Without the Sector Guard, I would still be repairing ships on Nodak Station and my babies would never have been born. Poor Shade would have been dead and gone without me.”

  Stop chuckled. “I am sure he would have been. He is helpless without you and the little ones to back him up.”

  Fixer grinned. “Probably. I have noticed that he is staying closer to home lately. I am guessing that he is trying to convince me that a fourth child is a good idea. He is extremely persuasive.”

  Stop snorted and Gwiette got the distinct idea that there was something she was missing.

  Fixer turned to her and grinned, “Shade is a Selna. We gave you Alliance Common and a few other languages while you were recovering, as well as a basic understanding of common species. If you think about it, you will find it. My husband’s species are famous for their amorous activities.”

  Gwiette pulled an image out of her mind of a species made of silky, matte-black skin, hair and seductive eyes. “How did I get this information?”

  Fixer sat next to her and sighed. “There is a good question. One of your kind posited that it would be possible to store data in light and transmit it via the optical nerve. It goes in and is transmitted to the brain, working on a visual-cue system. You have been reading bits of Alliance Common all around the building, and it has started the translation cascade so that you can understand and speak to those around you. Relay did most of that work.”

  “How did you get it in?”

  “Dr. Nywyn opened your eyes and we flashed you. He had to wait until you woke to give you the first few keys, but we have learned enough of the Resicor languages to get by for the first few hours until the download kicks in.”

  Gwiette shivered. “I am never going to sleep again.”

  Stop quirked his lips. “Why?”

  “It seems that every time I go to sleep, something bizarre or bad happens.” She scowled. Her body was making a liar out of her. She was exhausted.

  Fixer chuckled. “Now that you are alert, all tampering ceases. Everything done to you was meticulously recorded, and you can watch the vids at any time. No secrets with what was done to you in our care. We focus on keeping you alive, well and in good spirits. The rest is up to you.”

  Gwiette looked at both of them, and she nodded while she mulled over what was best for her. She really had no idea what was best, but she knew what would keep her in good spirits. “I need to contact my family.”

  Stop nodded. “Relay will do what she can, but Resicor is dangerous right now.”

  Gwiette twisted her lips again. “I believe that I am aware of it. I will accept the chance of telling my family that I am alive and well.”

  “Relay will try. Whatever she uses to get a message there, it may be days or weeks before they can return a missive. You must have patience.” Fixer nodded.

  “I understand.” Surprisingly, she really did. Getting arrangements to take her off world had been months in the planning. Getting a message in had to be worse.

  Stop put his hand out to her. “If you are up to it, we will go and have a proper meal in the dining hall, and then, I will show you to your quarters.”

  Fixer smiled. “First, I am going to record the fit of the suit for future manufacture. I will make a body blank and reinforce a battle suit for you with non-conducting armour plates. The suit you currently have on will be good for most situations where your safety is not a factor. Training is one of those situations.”

  “When can I do this again?” She rose to her feet.

  Fixer waved her arm to encompass the hangar. “It is at your disposal, day or night. You can access it from the tarmac side. It will open for you and authorized personnel only.”

  “How will it know?”

  “The locks are keyed to bio-signatures. We have plenty of yours to go by now. You can fire off lightning itself. I have never seen that before. The initial estimates were far beneath this power signature. The station was only running on a portion of your possible output. You are a powerful woman, Gwiette.”

  Gwiette chuckled and turned toward the door, walking slowly. “That is what got me into all this.”

  Chapter Four

  Eating from colour-coded selections was going to take some getting used to, but the food was nourishing and plentiful, so Gwiette settled in to eat while an entire trolley was brought for Fixer.

  “Why so much?” Gwiette forked up more salad.

  Stop settled next to her with a tray of his own.

  Fixer made a face. “The price I pay for using my talent. I work at transforming matter with energy, so I have to replenish. The more I use my talent, the hungrier I become. When I work off world, my husband wears a bandolier covered with food bars. It detracts from his dignity, but he doesn’t care.”

  The image made Gwiette smile. She was still smiling when a stampeded of children came in and made a direct line for their table.

  She ate while the children gathered around their mother, and when she was introduced, she met the small, serious gazes with her own. The girls nodded and shook her hand, the young boy was barely walking, but he put out his hands and giggled.

  Fixer grinned. “Watch him. He likes to push things into other things.”

  Gwiette shook the little hands carefully and smiled at the sparsely toothed grin that he sported.

  When she let him go, she sighed in relief that nothing peculiar had happened. She wasn’t thinking straight by that point. Fatigue was pushing her under.

  She finished her meal and Stop looked at her, his tray long gone. “Can I show you to your quarters?
”

  She smiled and nodded. “Please.”

  Fixer laughed. “We will all be here in the morning.”

  It seemed more of a threat than a promise, but Gwiette staggered to her feet and bumped into Stop a few times before he took her arm to stabilize her.

  “Why are you helping me?” She felt it was necessary to ask once they were alone in the hall.

  “Every now and then in life you recognise those whose paths will merge with yours. The moment I saw you, I knew that we would be linked together by situations and events. Together, we will be greater than we could ever be apart.”