Ghosting the Hero (3 page)

“Nishan. An animorph. He can take any form, but this is the one I prefer, so it is the one wears.” Her lips twitched in smile.

“Interesting dynamic.”

Reset grinned outright. “Oh, that is not the only form we use for intimacy, just the one I am most comfortable with.”

N’kad blushed, as Reset was matter of fact about her relationship.

“I see. How did I get a suit?”

“Fixer has blanks made up, and when someone arrives, she tailors it to their measurements and energy requirements. Once you are dressed, we will take you for some food and you can recharge a little.”

Reset cocked her head. “If you can stand, we can run some scans on you while we wait.”

He nodded and slowly got to his feet, stepping onto the glowing platform as a cylinder of light ran up and down his body.

“Blood pressure is good, temperature is good, you are weak but that is to be expected, and a little bit of the psychic contact is still left over from Simry’s visit.”

He blinked. “You know her? I thought I had imagined her.”

It was rare that he would imagine a woman whose attitude did not involve being at his beck and call, but he had still thought that Simry was part of his paralysis. Since he could not move, his mind had invented a woman who could move him. Apparently, he was mistaken.

“Oh, she is real. She works over at the Citadel doing security sweeps.”

“So, she is here?”

“Not in this building. No. She is over at the Citadel. She hasn’t had to come in since after she returned from finding you.”

“She had to come here?”

“Of course. If she does a job for the Sector Guard, she needs a medical clean slate before she can return to her normal work.”

Reset smiled brightly. “You are clear to leave isolation. Mist just arrived with your clothing.”

She tapped at the screens and quickly signed with her thumbprint.

“You are the chief medical officer?”

“Yes. I had to withdraw the blood samples because my talent reset you to the optimal specifications for you as determined by your genetics.”

“So it is as if I was never infected?”

Reset nodded. “Precisely. So, you have no resistance to the agent should they try and infect you again. They won’t know that, but you need to.”

“So, Emror is unprotected?”

“It is. Nothing has happened yet, but if it does, we are the nearest station to it. We don’t often go into the Imperium, but we can if invited.” Reset smiled tightly. “Come on and get some clothing on. As fun as this has been, I am guessing that I am enjoying myself more than you are.”

N’kad followed her out of the isolation cell and into the main medical area. Mist was indeed back with a block of fabric held on one palm.

The suit was nearly a perfect fit; there were only a few minor areas that tugged when he moved. It was definitely more comfortable than his previous uniform.

Reset finished her paperwork and grinned at him. “Now that you are dressed...lunch?”

Mist smiled. “Please join us for a meal. She gets cranky when she doesn’t eat on time, and she has been working on you for close to a day. Your body had begun shutting down, so she had to bring you back one organ at a time.”

N’kad looked at Reset again. “Thank you.”

She inclined her head. “It is all part of the service.”

Simry sat up and unplugged her monitors after working off her irritation for six hours.

Rinway came to her and eased her back to the bed. “You were in there for a while. Your readings are a little extreme.”

Simry snorted. “I feel more relaxed, so it was worth it. Seven stations cleared, and now, I am heading downstairs for something to eat.”

“Do you need a hand?”

“Just my cane.”

Rinway winced. “Right. Give me a minute.”

Simry tried not to use her cane unless she needed it. It was a reminder of her early years with a broken leg that hadn’t healed and a limp that came everywhere she did. During her first week on Teklan, Reset had healed her leg, but she still limped when she was tired, muscle memory took over so that she shifted her weight and staggered when she walked. Today was one of those days.

Rinway brought in the cane and handed it to her.

Simry smiled and got to her feet. The carvings were the same ones her father had etched into the wood when she was fourteen.

Talents were not given medical intervention for any illness in her society. If the gods willed them to survive, they would and thereby prove their blessing. It was only when a hidden recruiter for the Citadel came through that Simry learned she was not blessed or not the way she had thought.

Leaving old religion behind and escaping into a shuttle under cover of darkness had started her new life. Three years later, she had gone from Citadel Thoola to Teklan and was now fairly settled in her career.

She walked slowly out of her workroom and headed for the lift. Today was no day to take the stairs.

Simry made it to the main floor, and she walked over to the commissary. It would be awkward to get her meal with the cane holding her up, but she would manage. She always did.

* * * *

N’kad sat across from General Brodin, and he waited for the demand to come. It didn’t appear.

Instead of a demand, the general smiled. “I would like to offer you a position in the Sector Guard.”

N’kad leaned back in his seat and blinked. “What position?”

“That of Guardsman. You are already trained and have control of a tremendous talent. You could save lives and help those in need.”

N’kad rubbed a hand over his face. “I would rather take some time off.”

General Brodin nodded. “Of course. The Citadel offers classes in a variety of disciplines if you are interested. There are also some music, dance and sculpture classes available.”

The sudden shift made N’kad blink. “You are serious?”

“Of course. If you choose to take assignments with the Citadel, you can earn funds over and above what you make as a Guardsman.”

That surprised him. “I get paid?”

“The moment that you sign the contract. Equipment, uniforms and accommodations are included as well as training and weaponry. Citadel courses are offered free to Guardsman.”

“How long is the contract?” N’kad was smiling; they knew just where to tempt him.

“Two years if you are already trained, three if you are not.”

“Do I choose my assignments?”

“No. We choose and you go where you are sent, even if you are not fond of the world that we send you to. One assignment and then home again.”

N’kad sighed. “I don’t really have anything else to do, so where is the contract?”

Brodin smiled, flashing his sharp teeth with his horns gleaming in the light. “Here you go.”

The tablet slid between them, and N’kad looked over the contract, noting that the Sector Guard had the right to assign him a partner. The partnership was not permanent unless both parties agreed on it.

“What is this about a partner? I work alone.”

“We rarely send Guardsman out alone. It isn’t safe, and we want you back alive.” Brodin smiled.

N’kad blinked. “Interesting. Well, nothing here is objectionable.”

He signed the contract and slid the tablet back.

“Did Reset show you your quarters?”

N’kad nodded. “She did. Reset and Mist have been most helpful.”

“They are that. Have you met Fixer and Shade yet?”

“I was introduced to Fixer. I have never seen a woman eat that much.” He chuckled.

“Her talent is for molecular manipulation. She has to replace what she uses or she burns up her own body mass.”

N’kad was surprised that he was getting the details of someone’s talent.

Brodin witnessed the contract with the tap of his finger, and he smiled. “Welcome to the Sector Guard Base Teklan. You can have as much acclimation time as you need. Visit the Citadel when you wish, and the course list is on a flagged file on the terminal in your room. Food and drink is in the commissary with a small dispenser in your quarters, specifically equipped uniforms are available on appointment with Fixer.”

N’kad put his hands on his thighs. “Is that it?”

“Yes. There is a com system built into your suit. If there is anything urgent, we will contact you.”

Being free to wander on an alien world was a new experience. Emror had been his home for his entire life. He had never anticipated leaving, but then, he had never imagined that his people wouldn’t pay a modest ransom for him. He had been their hero. In their eyes, he should have saved himself.

He stood, inclined his head and left the office, heading for the door to the fresh air of Teklan and the path to the Citadel.

* * * *

Simry worked her way through her meal and settled in one of the comfortable chairs with a tea tray next to her.

A few friends came by to see how she was doing, and even Leodar settled into a chair nearby to apologize.

“I am sorry. What I said was...It was uncalled for.”

“What you want, I can’t give. I am not the one for you; our minds are on such different frequencies, it is sometimes painful to be near you. You know that. At least let me think about a life with someone I could partner up with, in any sense of the word, without giving me attitude.”

Leodar sighed and put his head in his hands. “I know. I am sorry.”

“I am not a damsel in distress, and you don’t need to rescue me. I am a bitchy cripple who just wants to do her work and occasionally have cake.”

“You are not a cripple, you know it is mental.”

Simry grinned that he didn’t refute the
bitchy
portion of her comment. “I know, but ten years of motion doesn’t just disappear when Reset does her thing. She can’t reset my muscle memory, so this is what happens when I get irritated and stressed. I didn’t have my cheering and massage squad today when I woke up, so I will have to sleep it off.”

“Don’t you have a class tomorrow?”

“I do. I can teach astral manipulation as well with my cane as without it.”

A deep voice sounded nearby. “You teach?”

She looked up, way up, and there was a face she thought had to be an egotist’s memory.

Simry smiled up at him. “You made it.”

N’kad inclined his head. “I did. Thank you.”

He reached for her hand and bowed until he brushed his lips across her skin.

Leodar got to his feet. “You have met?”

Simry felt the tingling on her skin from the light contact as she retrieved her hand. “Yes. Dozens of worlds ago. It is good to see you up and around. You are taller than I thought.”

He smiled. “And you are actually real.”

Leodar cleared his throat. “Pardon me. Who are you?”

N’kad turned to him and extended his hand. “I am N’kad, new Guardsman attached to Teklan Base.”

Simry made the rest of the introductions. “He is Leodar and I am Simry.” She winked.

Simry looked at the pleased expression on his face. She knew he was relieved to have found a place to belong and a duty to follow. “Congratulations.”

“As I am new here, I would be honoured if you would give me a tour.”

“I would be delighted.” She took her cane and levered herself upright.

Instead of commenting on her disability, he simply offered her his arm.

Leodar looked as if he would comment, but she glared at him and he backed away.

She curled her hand around N’kad’s bicep, and she gestured to the room around her. “This is the dining and common area. There are common areas on each floor, as well, for group vids and that sort of thing.”

“You seem to have a fair selection of food items here.” He walked slowly, and she kept her balance with his help.

“There are a wide variety of species here. Some can’t digest certain foods, others eat seasonal foods only. They have to make sure that all of us thrive and survive.” She smiled.

She showed him their medical center. The gym. The gardens that were just beginning to take shape and the lecture halls where the optional education was always offered to any who wished it. They walked slowly, but her limp was barely noticeable.

When they were in the gardens and sitting on one of the benches near the new fountain that was being constructed by the stone-manipulation class, he finally asked her. “Why do you use a cane?”

She sighed. “Sorry. Habit. When I use my talent too extensively and don’t take the proper precautions, my body remembers that it spent over a decade with a malformed leg. The damage isn’t there but the memory is, so I pick the cane up on those days.”

“So, when you overtire yourself?”

“Yes, or when I ghost while angry.”

“You did that today?”

“I did. I was irritated by a friend’s comment, so I threw myself into my work, which left my body and mind tenuously connected. That is what causes my body to go into old patterns.”

He took her hand. “Did it happen while you were with me?”

“No. I had friends giving me massages to get all the nerves and muscles to line up. They took good care of me while I was coming back to myself.” She smiled.

“I will be honest. I didn’t think you were real.”

She chuckled. “To be frank, I doubted that you were as handsome as I see now. Folk have funny views of themselves and the physical seldom matches the astral.”

“Thank you, I think.”

“You are welcome.” She winked at him.

“So, what do you do here?”

“I run security scans on unmanned vehicles, on satellites, anywhere that has no atmosphere but can be taken over by those who are unscrupulous or predatory. I have walked through more silent hallways than anyone I know.”

“Do you enjoy it?”

“It is all I have. I am not physically capable of being out in the field without special equipment and I haven’t saved enough money for it yet.”

He frowned. “You have to pay?”

“For my own equipment? Yes. If it isn’t a life-support matter, Citadel Specialists and Masters have to pick up the tab for all incidentals. Even rations are deducted from our pay.” She smiled.

“Oh, I thought that the Sector Guard and the Citadel were the same.”