FireDance (2 page)

Her companion sealed the shuttle and escorted her to the cockpit. “Strap in, Ms. Karuda. Our take off is going to be a little faster than I would normally attempt.”

She examined the clasps and figured out how they went together. As soon as they were connected, the straps pulled her tight against the seat without her doing anything else. “Why the rush?”

“There have been hints that the extrication of select talents is not desirable by certain members of the population of Resicor. We may come under fire if we wait too long.”

His grey hands flicked switches, and in a few minutes, Hahvi felt the peculiar sensation of lifting off the surface of the only world she had ever known. The press of their acceleration weighed down her limbs, but her skin felt peculiar as one of the constant feedbacks of her life was removed.

She bit her lip and kept quiet as they punched through layer after layer of atmosphere. If he was preparing for attack, she didn’t want to distract him.

With her questions stifled, she was free to admire the increasing clarity of the stars that the shuttle was approaching. A smile crept across her lips as she realized that this was how Kiiki saw the stars all the time. Bright spots of light glowed in the open expanse of space.

When her companion spoke, she jerked in reflex.

“We are heading to Sector Guard Base Morganti. They will help you with your suit, and you will then come with me to Bormaic where your talent will be of use.”

“Um, my suit is part of my body. It won’t come off.” Hahvi couldn’t imagine how to remove something that had been part of her for eight years.

“The Sector Guard has found a means to separate the Resicor talents from their suits. You will soon be free of it.” His voice was not unkind, but there was a tension behind his words.

She decided to change the topic. “What is your name?”

“Rackon, Sleep Master of the Citadel.”

“Sleep master?”

“My talent. I induce sleep in others.”

He seemed slightly uncomfortable with the description, and she realized that she might have stepped in something private. “Is it against etiquette to ask about someone’s talent?”

He shook his head. “No. Mine is just a simple talent, and I have wished with all my heart that I could have a power more useful to my people. We revere the talented, and civic duty is our greatest gift.”

She paused before she asked, “What do they need me for?”

He looked at her, and she saw a flicker of flame in his dark eyes. “Why, they need you to save them.”

Chapter Three

Stunned into silence, Hahvi suffered through the disorientation of the jumps. She smiled brightly as she took in the sight of Morganti growing larger in the view screen.

“When we land, we will go to medical. They will take baselines for you, and we will find out if Reset is at the facility yet.” Rackon contacted the base for clearance, and when everything was sorted, they began a controlled descent to the surface of Morganti.

“What is Reset?”

“One of the Sector Guard. She is a medic who will help you to transition into freedom.”

He seemed very careful to not mention something that she knew in her gut. The suit was not going to come off without taking part of her with it.

Nervous energy skimmed through her. While the thought of landing and walking on a new world was fascinating, what lay beyond it was far less so. There was no doubt about it—this was going to hurt.

She tried to stay calm, but a chill ran through her the entire time she was being introduced to the very pregnant Fixer and the charmingly cheerful Reset. Her mind went numb as they led her into the medical bay and put her under the scanner.

Fixer frowned and Reset came to Hahvi’s side, concerned. “Hahvi, are you all right?”

“A little nervous.”

“Why?”

“Because this is an original suit and not one of the fakes. If you get it off me, it is going to hurt.”

Reset frowned and looked to Rackon before turning back to her. “How do you know about the new suits?”

Hahvi smiled weakly. “My brother is the inside man in the processing centre. He told me in a thought exchange.”

“A what?” Reset was curious. It showed on her pale features.

“A thought exchange. He did some research into it. It is a swapping of thoughts that can only occur between folk with almost identical DNA. We had always been able to do it, so he kept me informed about life outside the dome, once a year.”

She was relaxing as she spoke about Haloor, and Reset smiled. “Tell me more about your family.”

Rackon was near her. He put a steadying hand on her shoulder when she swayed as she exited the scanner.

She smiled gratefully as she regained her balance. Her thoughts tripped with images of her family, and she told Reset everything she knew while the world blurred around her.

The snow was bright and young Amlie was running toward her. Hahvi laughed happily and held her niece for the first time since she was a baby.

Hakena stood watching with a smile on her face, her arm around her husband Prenaro. Haloor was with his new wife Rishka, and they were all watching her frolicking in the snow with Amlie.

“Join us.” Hahvi waved her family toward her.

Her siblings and spouses took a few steps before they burst into flame. Screams rang out as they burned.

Hahvi looked down at Amlie, and her niece crumbled into ash in her arms. The pain in her soul struck at her, and Hahvi screamed while the world around her turned into a pool of seething molten rock.

Her suit was on her body, but as she watched it, it caught fire, burning her skin when nothing burned her skin.

She heard voices in the distance, urging speed and care.

Hahvi took a deep breath of the scent of her scorched skin and extended her arms. She called the lava to her and let it wrap her from ankle to neck. The fire had taken her family from her, so now, she would let it cleanse her.

The lava shot upward, arcing out, and as it left her body, it hardened into a smooth stone wall protecting her from any further damage or the image of the family cottage slowly catching fire.

When she was surrounded, protected and her body had repaired itself, she let the tears fall.

Gasping and sitting up, Hahvi looked around her to see Reset leaning heavily against a strange male, Fixer doing the same with a man made of midnight, and Rackon sitting on the edge of the medical bed that she was perched on.

Her limbs were bare and free of the restrictor suit for the first time in eight years.

A light tunic was draped over her torso, and it was a relief that she didn’t have to look down at her own body.

Rackon was sweating, but he gave her a cheerful grin. “You have a powerful mind.”

“You put me in my dreams.” It was an accusation.

“More or less. I tried to shape something you would like, but the pain seeped through, and I lost control. You managed to pull it together though. Congratulations.”

She rubbed her forehead with one hand. Without the suit, her body felt the cold like it never had before. “I had to work a few things out. All those years with the power bottled up created issues that needed to be solved.”

He nodded. “So I saw.”

Fixer cleared her throat. “I will need to fit you with a suit that has protective properties. Knowing that you deal with molten rock is going to be a bit of a challenge. Plus, I have to make it match your old suit in case the Resicor newsreels see you.”

Hahvi frowned. “I have to get a new suit?”

“I am afraid so. Gant has been working on a more resistant Masuo, but if it doesn’t work, I have another fabric standing by.” Fixer smiled.

The man next to her sighed. “And as soon as we get a meal or three into her, she will be able to help you with the fitting.”

Reset laughed. “I am sure she will be fine, Shade. Stop with your worried face.”

The man holding Reset chuckled. “Never begrudge a man concern for his wife, dear heart. You know that Fixer tends to overdo.”

“Yes, and you know as well as I that her cargo will cease her exertion if it endangers it.” Reset batted her lashes at her partner.

He sighed and drew her back against him, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Hahvi watched all of this with amazement. She had heard little snippets about the Sector Guard from the new arrivals in the dome, but their reputation as fierce and determined warriors was being somewhat skewed with the tenderness that they were showing to their partners.

Rackon was rubbing at the back of his neck, and he grimaced. “I do hate to rush anyone, but whatever we are doing, can we speed things along. There is a planet at stake and slowly disappearing beneath molten lava.”

Fixer nodded, got to her feet with the help of Shade and tottered out of medical.

Rackon scowled. “Where is she going?”

Reset gave him a smirk. “Fixer has to refuel. She will be ready to go in an hour.”

Rackon frowned. “Where shall we go?”

Reset’s companion smiled. “If you want to keep an eye on Fixer, go to the commissary. She will be there for quite a while.”

A stranger walked into the room and waved Reset out. “Go and rest, you look exhausted.”

Reset’s companion lifted her off her feet and carried her down the hall without a word.

The new arrival smiled, “Hello, I am Dr. Nywyn. You can call me Effin. I apologize for my absence earlier, but the commander of the base required my attention.”

The man had a semi-feline face and a charming grin. His teeth were dramatically pointed, but his smile was still friendly.

Rackon was at her side and scowling at the new arrival. “And why are you here?”

“First off, I am the medical officer for Morganti. This is my facility. Second, I am here to run final checks on the young lady to make sure that she is fit for duty. Since her talent precludes us from running tests, we have to make sure that she is as well as she can be after her trauma.”

Rackon nodded tersely, but Hahvi could tell he was upset about something. What it could be was far beyond her.

Chapter Four

“How does it feel?” Fixer was sitting on a high stool and watching Hahvi.

Hahvi twisted and reached, liking the feel of the new suit. It felt similar to the restrictor suit, but it had none of the wiring that kept her talent subdued and interrupted. “It feels good. Do you think it can withstand the heat?”

Fixer shrugged, “Gant did what he could to make it as durable as he was able. If not, I have a fabric suit that will withstand anything you can throw at it. Literally. We lit it on fire, poured molten metal across it, and it withstood it all. It will be your backup in case the Masuo fails.”

Hahvi grinned at the pregnant woman. “At least this looks like my old suit. What will happen if this one burns? I mean, from a publicity standpoint.”

“Relay is standing by to watch the news reports, and she will alter the data stream to show you in your old-style suit even if you have to change into the synthetic.”

As Hahvi watched, Fixer’s belly rippled. She smiled, remembering Amlie. “Do you know if it is a boy or a girl?”

Fixer shook her head. “As long as it is single, I don’t care what it is. The twins run me ragged, though they did enjoy using the flame thrower on your new suit.”

“May I?” Hahvi extended her hand.

When Fixer nodded, she pressed her palm to the rippling abdomen. The small shockwaves running through the amniotic liquid told her all she needed to know. Smiling, she withdrew her hand.

Fixer narrowed her eyes. “How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Engage in a mild sonic pulse. I could feel it, and it appeared on the readouts.”

The readouts had been explained to her. Hahvi would be under observation by both the Citadel and the Sector Guard until she had proven her talent stable and under her control.

“I used to use that all the time. It is how I find pockets of magma under the surface and bring it up. I have to know where it is to use it.”

“That makes sense. I never thought about it before. We haven’t run into someone with your particular skills before.” She smiled. “Thank you for not telling me the gender either. I know it is difficult for some people, but I really don’t want to know.”

The door to the workshop opened and two small girls, who were obviously the aforementioned twins, came barrelling in.

“You let those two use a flame thrower?” The girls couldn’t have been more than five.

“
Let
is a very fluid word. I mentioned we had to fire test it and my little ones were torching away in five minutes.” Fixer sighed. “Their nanny never had a chance. They were in here with the fabric and torch without anyone seeing them.”

“How could the nanny not see them?” Hahvi didn’t understand.

She heard a giggle near her, but there was no one there. Another giggle from the other side finally had her cluing in. “They have invisibility.”

“One of them does, she figured out how to share it last week. Now, let’s get the next suit fit to you, and you will have a lovely backup in case you end up naked in a lava field.”

The little girls helped, one even assisting her mum with the fitting of the suit.

By the end of the afternoon, Hahvi had one suit that was living on her skin and a flameproof backup.

Rackon was impatient but polite when they finally said their goodbyes and climbed aboard the shuttle.

“Where to next, Rackon?” Her suit was familiar, at least in appearance, so she was far more ready than she would have thought for whatever was to come next.

“We are going to my home of Bormaic, but you can have some rest in the bunk. It will take sixteen hours and three jumps to get us there.”

She sighed and smiled. “Okay. As soon as we leave the atmosphere, I will take a nap. I want to be fresh and awake for whatever I have to deal with.”

He nodded, but there was tension around his mouth. He didn’t say anything else, merely kept their trajectory up and out of the bounds of the Sector Guard Base Morganti.

The moment that they were on their way through the system to the jump site, she unclasped her harness and walked to the area of the shuttle that had to contain the bunk.