Grace and Shadow Read online

  She nodded, and he helped her to the changing area, handing her the clothing when she reached for it.

  The suit was snug but forgiving. It supported her breasts, nipped in at the waist and let the fullness of her hips be apparent. It felt wonderful.

  The boots had grip that made walking easy on the slick floors, and the robe that she was given was a medium grey with no ornamentation.

  Her hair was loose, and she felt surprisingly right in the comfortable clothing.

  “First, we will get a few more suits for you then check you in to your room, and after that, we start your training.” Nekron chuckled.

  “Will you tell me what they found?”

  “I will, when you have completed your first training session.”

  It seemed an odd caveat, but she was here to learn, so she walked with him as he gave her a tour and explained the dietary coding in the dining hall.

  The quartermaster had four arms and a bright smile. He eyed her up and down, brought several patterns to the display, and when she pointed to one, he nodded and gestured for her to select another.

  Five suits were selected, and Nekron said they would be delivered to her quarters before the end of the day. Since Imgrace didn’t know where she was staying, she merely nodded and smiled slightly.

  The next stop was her temporary home away from the base on Jremat. There was a bed, a research desk and a small table as well as a beverage dispenser for late-night tea.

  “Now that you know where you are staying, we will go to the sparring floor and you will have your first lesson.”

  “Why so quickly?”

  “We only have you until you are trained, and there is no reason to hesitate with the training. There is no reason to delay and every reason to hurry. Your people need you.”

  She suddenly wanted to be headed home. “Then, why am I here?”

  He chuckled. They left her quarters, and she memorised the landmarks so she could find her way back to her apartment.

  The sparring floor was precisely what it sounded like; around the room, men and women in a variety of combinations were engaged in combat or martial meditation.

  Nekron led her to a space against one wall, helped her remove her robe and hang it on a nearby peg, and then, he faced off against her.

  “Now, we begin with posture. Among my people, posture is assisted by corsets and military training. Your posture is pretty good on its own, but physical confidence will go a long way to improving it.”

  He showed her how to stand, and they were off.

  Two hours later, she was bruised from falling but felt exhilarated. She had performed as well as other talents she could see in the sparring floor and better than many of the men. Growing up on a world that wouldn’t give her a chance, she had never guessed that she was just as physically capable as someone who could read minds. It was a fun moment.

  They were sitting on a bench, and Nekron explained to her, “Now, as for your test results...”

  “Yes?”

  “You know that everyone on your world has a power of some kind.”

  “I do.”

  “You are no exception.”

  Imgrace was shocked. “But, they did tests.”

  “They did. They were testing for talents, for measurable talents. You are not a talent and never will be, but you are power.”

  She sipped at her water bottle. “I don’t understand.”

  “What gives a talent shape?”

  She shrugged. “Genetics, I suppose. They shape the talent.”

  “What if nothing shapes it? Does the power behind the talent cease to exist or is it just lying there, waiting?”

  Imgrace blinked. “I suppose if all the other genes are in play and the only one lacking is the one that gives it focus, the power would still be there.”

  “And your species can’t use their powers off world because the thing that their talent attaches to is the world itself. They need a focus, a lens to work through. They need their own world and the power it produces. You contain the same electromagnetic energy as Jremat.”

  She hoped that she looked as shocked as she felt. “So, all the talents on Jremat are useless when they are away from a certain frequency?”

  “Frequency, intensity. What normally happens to one of your type on your world?”

  “We die as children. We are killed by our peers as their talents become active.”

  Combat Master Nekron sat with his horns gleaming in the light. “Let me posit a thought that there is no malice in it when it is a child. The void pushes their power into overdrive, like sunlight through a lens. You are trying to contact the energy around you that matches the energy inside you, and it runs through one of your peers. They go crazy and the rest is obvious.”

  “I am going to need to mull that over. It makes sense but it is horrifying.” She closed her eyes. “You have obviously studied my world.”

  “It is a fascinating conundrum. An entire world of powered people, and yet, they cannot be removed from their world to spread their power through the universe. It has been a puzzle. You have made things much clearer.”

  She nodded. “What is my training schedule?”

  “I will meet you, and we will exercise before dawn tomorrow. We will have breakfast, and you will have another combat round. In the afternoon, we will work on finding a way to project your energy.”

  “Right. I suppose I should get to bed then.”

  “Eat first. Come on, let’s see what you remembered.”

  She got up, and her muscles protested. She put on her robe, settled it and led the way to the dining hall.

  Chapter Six

  “Hold it. Hold it. Focus on it.” Nekron’s even voice coached her through her focus class.

  There were other instructors frantically making notes and calling out suggestions, but she was his student and he was concentrating on her.

  She held a wall of energy taller than she was and watched the counter in the corner. She was up to ninety minutes of broadcasting power. When it flickered and stopped, she closed her hands. “I am done for the day.”

  He smiled at her. “You have come far in three weeks. Five-second bursts is all you used to be able to manage, enough to power a talent for an hour.”

  “Now, it looks like I can manage to keep one going for a full day.” She grinned.

  “If you choose to. No one can force you to do this. It is your choice alone.”

  There was finality in his tone. After three weeks with him, she knew when he was getting ready to end something.

  “Right. I am going home. When?”

  He chuckled. “As soon as you shower and pack. You are going back to the Guardian base with everything I could get authorized.”

  She grinned and hugged him quickly. He stiffened for an instant before he patted her shoulder. Laughing, Imgrace bowed to her audience and turned to sprint to her room. She was going home!

  The twins insisted that she arrive in a battle suit with weaponry on either thigh. The tabard was a special design of the seamstresses of the Citadel for her alone. From neck to ankle, it hung down the centre of her body and was cinched with a snug belt at the waist.

  She had left confused and vulnerable, and she was coming back prepared for anything.

  If her people wanted to revile her, they were going to have a much sturdier target to pick on this time. She now knew what she was, and it was astonishing to think that there was a piece of the puzzle that she hadn’t known existed.

  “You look great, Imgrace.” Trysk grinned when she emerged from the back of the ship with her battle uniform in place.

  “Thank you. I feel quite a bit better than I did when I left home.” She settled down for the landing pattern.

  Trask grinned. “Thank goodness you got rid of that red suit. It was embarrassing.”

  She shrugged. “It was the first thing I got. New wardrobe.”

  “The Citadel knows its stuff.
Are you ready to return home?”

  She looked at the expanse of Jremat looming ahead of them. “As ready as I can be. At least I am armed.”

  There was a little more to it than just the weapons. She had been given implants to prevent incursion into her mind. It was a rotating frequency that was controlled by her mood. An invader would have to know her mood and her initial frequency to get inside, and even then, they would have to get past her warning system. With that biggest concern taken care of, she was much more confident about simply defending herself against physical obstacles.

  Her weapons were shock sticks. They had projectiles built into the blunt ends and could knock most talents off their feet. There were other features, but they were all powered by her energy. If they were out of her hands, they were useless.

  Her implanted com came online.

  Link’s familiar voice said, “Hello, stranger.”

  “Hello, Link.”

  “Glad to be coming home?”

  “Yes. Are Shadow and Shatter there?”

  He chuckled. “They are off on assignment. Do you want to go out and meet them when you arrive?”

  “I can do that?”

  “We ordered a cycle just for you.”

  She grinned. “Please tell me it isn’t pink.”

  She heard his laughter through the com, and the sound eased her nerves.

  “It isn’t pink. It is molten red. We felt that if you were going to stand out, you may as well do it in style.”

  She looked down at her outfit. “Apparently, style is my new moniker.”

  “I look forward to seeing it. How was your training?”

  Imgrace chatted with him during the long flight, and she knew that he was trying to distract her from returning to a world that didn’t want her.

  The twins set the shuttle down and hugged her goodbye. They didn’t have authorization to run around on the surface, so dropping her off where they found her had to be enough.

  “Good luck and remember what you are. You are Jrematan and you have all the rights and freedoms of your people.”

  The twins hugged her and hugged her again. They nodded and waved at her as she headed down the steps with her bag of clothing and weapons over her shoulder.

  When she was clear of the tarmac, the twins sealed their craft and lifted it off the soil, using their telekinesis to propel it away from her until they were clear of buildings and occupied areas, then the thrusters kicked on and they were on their way.

  She watched them go until a voice behind her brought her around.

  “Holy hells. That was quite the makeover.”

  She turned and grinned as Link stood staring at her. She ran forward and hugged him. “Argus. It is good to see you again.”

  He held onto her for a moment. “How did you gain that much muscle in less than a month?”

  “I had a very diligent instructor. He worked hard to make me as strong and capable as he could, for my own sake. I had never even imagined a Dhemon before, but he was a great teacher.”

  She let him go and smiled. “Where is my cycle?”

  He laughed. “This way. I thought we could meet up with them. They are at a public appearance.”

  Imgrace dragged in a deep breath. “Sooner is better than later, right?”

  “I would say so. In your current outfit, no one will imagine that you are the void. Do you want a code name or would Guardian Four do?”

  “I wish to either be Void or Grace. I have learned a little about what I am.”

  “Well, as either of those names are a little close to the truth, I am going with Grace. Where is your com unit?”

  She took in her new cycle and ran her hand over the seat with admiration. “Implant. I also have an implant in my head that repels incursion.”

  “They offered you all this?”

  “And more but this is where I drew the line. So, where are we going?”

  “Follow me. Can you ride one of these things?”

  Imgrace grinned. “Take off and see if I will follow. You will know soon enough.”

  Simulators had been week two. She had checked out on all of them, and the cycles were easy.

  Link lifted off, and she was on his tail, following with her face shield down. It was another gadget that appeared when she needed it and stored in the small implants when she didn’t. She may have had a few more additions than she let them know about, but she had had one day off per week. That day had become modification day.

  Imgrace followed Link across a body of water, up a coastline and over a town. When he dropped near a huge park, a space was made for him, and she took advantage of it to settle her own cycle into the VIP parking.

  She got to her feet with her face shield still in place as she walked to the stage where Shatter was expounding upon the difficulty of working with local peacekeepers who did not keep up on their training.

  Link was announced as he came upon the dais, and he took the microphone from the announcer as Grace took to the stage for the first time.

  “I would like to introduce the fourth Guardian, Grace.”

  The crowd went silent before it went wild. Grace stepped onto the dais with the others, and Shadow turned and stared, his eyes taking in her new look with some surprise.

  Shatter grinned and applauded. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Grace.”

  She walked up to Shadow and clasped his forearm. Shatter got the same greeting.

  This moment was for the public, but she really wanted to hug them both.

  Hands rose in the crowd, and it was young women who were asking the questions. Link smiled and he nodded, pointing to one of the ladies.

  The audience looked like students who were just gearing up to leave school and set off on their own.

  “What is her talent?”

  Link nodded, “She can allow one of our people to use their talent in space. With Grace added to the team, we now have a way to reach the stars at full power.”

  The crowd murmured in shock. Grace was a little surprised herself. She thought her talent was a secret.

  Link fielded a few questions about the opening in the Guardians not being posted. He answered quietly. “We add folk to the Guardians when they have displayed unending loyalty to Jremat, and Grace qualifies.”

  One of the young men at the back of the gathering stood up and raised his hand. With her nerves already jangled, Grace watched the hand burst into flame. The young man’s gaze was focused on her, and his face was blank.

  She kept her aspect calm and didn’t alert anyone until the fireball was hurtling toward her.

  She stepped past Shadow’s protective wave of darkness, stood at the edge of the stage and lifted her batons swiftly, charging them up for impact.

  The fireball struck them, and she swiftly pulled the energy out of it. It disappeared, and she holstered her batons.

  Peacekeepers were surging to grip the shocked pyro, but Grace moved over to the mic and she nodded. “You might have better success with the woman to his left who was controlling him. He was completely unaware of his actions. You can run the scans, and I am sure that the little pusher will admit to her culpability.”

  The girl didn’t react with fear when she was grabbed; she reacted with anger.

  A peacekeeper clipped her into a headset, and she stopped fighting.

  Grace kept the mic, and she asked. “Any other questions?”

  A young man with huge blue eyes asked her, “When did you know you were a powerful talent?”

  She looked around the room at all the happy faces who had bright futures ahead of them.

  “Frankly, it was when everything I could have had was taken from me and everything I was, was gone. I would not recommend it.”

  The gathering chuckled, coming back to their normal senses of being entertained and informed by the speakers in front of them.

  “Who made your suit?”

  She grinned. It was a young woman who
was looking at her wistfully. “A designer and a seamstress worked to see what would work for my duties and this environment. This is the result.”

  “Is it comfortable?” Another young woman asked.

  “Very.”

  The rest of the questions were about her uniform and her batons. The guys got to sit back while she performed for the crowd with her lens across her eyes.

  Two hours later, she smiled all the way back to the base.

  Chapter Seven

  The moment they were off their cycles, Shadow pulled her to him for a hug, and he didn’t seem inclined to let her go.

  Shatter and Link were snickering.

  She gave into the impulse and held him just as tightly.

  Finally, he lifted his head and smiled. “Where did you end up?”

  “Citadel Lerat.” She smirked. “I am sure you did just fine without me.”

  “It was a little unsettling when you left.”

  She linked her arm through his. “I am sure it was. Fortunately, Link got me up and out before I could wake up. I slept through most of the trip.”

  Shatter settled on her the other side, and he linked his arm through hers as they headed into the base.

  Link was grinning from ear to ear. “It seems your time away did you good.”

  “It did. I know what I am, and I know what I can do. I have also learned a few things that are extrapolated from our own history, but put in a new light, they are completely understandable.”

  The bots had dinner waiting for them, and they had set the table for four.

  “Did they bring my bags in?”

  Link held her chair, and he nodded. “They are in your new quarters. The bots had their orders.”

  Out of habit, she pulled her batons out and put them across her knees.

  Shadow asked, “So what is it with the batons?”

  “They are the least threatening of the weapons I brought with me, but I will not be in public without them or the others. I can’t represent myself with a physical talent, so I need an icon of power that they can focus on.”