Halt (6 page)

Flick was staring in amazement. “So, you were both blown up.”

Tazzy laughed, “Yes, apparently, the first exposure acted as a primer for the second. The chemical burns I received initially altered the cells they touched. It allowed me to survive the second explosion. We were after a similar substance, though this one had the effect of allowing control over an entire population. Fortunately, it was the premier batch. The explosion took out the entire research facility and their records. They had to begin from scratch, but I have not heard anything of their experiments continuing.”

Quell shook his head. “There have been no traces of it.”

Tazzy nodded. “Good. Anyway, now that you have clearance for it, the vids are available. We went in completely wired for prosecution.”

Silver sipped at the cup of wine he had been given. “There is a video record of you being blown up?”

She shrugged. “From my perspective and from that of Lieutenant Yankoon. It is similar to the vids that you use when you go on assignment.”

Flick looked up from his plate. “When
we
go on assignment.”

Tazzy blinked. “Right. We. Sorry, I forget.”

Silver lifted her hand to his lips before resuming his meal. She could see the idea of seeing the video simmering in his mind as clearly as she could see him sitting beside her.

“Don’t watch it, Silver. You won’t like it. I think I did a little bit of whining and sobbing.” She was trying to warn him as subtly as she could.

Quell nodded, “I have seen it; it is not for the faint of heart.”

Silver got up and headed for his quarters.

Tazzy kicked her commanding officer under the table. “Damn it. He is going to freak out. I will be lucky to get out to have five minutes alone in a marketplace if he watches that.”

Quell winced. “He needs to know that you were betrayed.”

“I would have told him.”

“He will see it for himself. I did wonder why your account did not match the blast pattern. Now, I know.”

Flick looked curious, but he was more intent on his meal than the conversation.

Tazzy ate the next two courses and winced when the shouts in High Decolian started to spew out of the hallway that led to the private quarters.

She heard a thud, and she focused her attention on the cup of fruit salad that she had been provided.

Silver surged out of his quarters and stood at her side, his hands opening and closing in frustration. When she merely kept nibbling at her fruit, he stalked out and headed for the gym.

She shrugged. “He handled that better than I thought.”

Flick snorted and kept his head down. “Wait for it.”

A solid silver form appeared at her side, scooped her up and whisked her off to the gym. She didn’t even have a chance to put her spoon down.

Silver was working on the boxing simulator. “Why didn’t you mention that you were betrayed by your own partner?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore. The past is the past. I didn’t even need Minder therapy for that one.” She shrugged and looked at the structure that was holding her tight. “This is new.”

“He is my hands when I cannot enter a building or environment. Those are the nanites that keep me intact. Gentlemen, this is Rikkat.”

The creature made of silver inclined his head with an amused smile.

“Pleased to meet you.”

He grinned and set her down on one of the workout machines before he collapsed into a mercury stream and returned to Silver.

Silver solidified, and his punches took on extra weight as he fought the simulator. “If he wasn’t dead, I would kill him myself.”

She smiled slightly and reached into her mind to dig through the fog that the Minder had put over her emotions. Passion was just out of her reach, but the affection for him came easily to her. Admiration was always there. The Minder had left that untouched.

“You don’t have to kill him. I did.” She got to her feet and walked up behind him, sliding her hands over the muscles of his shoulders and down his arms. Tazzy pressed her forehead to his back and let the memory of that day wash through her.

The rest of their group was dead, and Lieutenant Yankoon ordered her to stand against the tank. His blaster pointed at her chest, and his companions were standing around, taunting her.

She pulled the knife from her thigh sheath and sliced through the tube next to her. Yankoon yelled at her to stop, but she lunged forward while his companions screamed. The blaster went off, and the world caught fire.

“I am fine, you are fine. We are back together.”

“Your memories are not what they were.” He paused and looked at her over his shoulder.

“Yes, they are, they just no longer hurt.” She smiled at him. “We can wake them if we really try.”

He grinned and took her in his arms, the cuts on his hands silvered and shut. “I would like that.”

“You want to start now?”

He laughed. “Perhaps a night under the stars to start. I always enjoyed your expression when you looked up at alien constellations.”

“It sounds like a good start.” She closed her eyes and leaned against him, a memory of being on a stakeout flared up and became solid again. Her memories were going to refresh themselves, and she had no complaints on the matter.

A night of stargazing in the arms of her best friend was just what the doctor ordered.

The alarm sounded at three am. The bots brought them their uniforms, and she took advantage of his help getting into her form-fitting suit.

She set the com link in her ear as they walked to the transport.

Quell and Flick were loading on some riders, and a thrill of adventure ran up Tazzy’s spine. She loved flying on riders.

Spending the night curled up in Silver’s arms had done wonders for their attachment. The fog was lifting and her mind was clearing. Her fascination with him was coming back in full force.

She settled into her seat and got the briefing. They were looking for three children lost on a school trip. The issue was that they had become lost within a mine and the tracking animals could not use scent to follow them. Call in the Guardians.

Flick was going in first then Silver and finally Halt. Quell would stay outside and direct them from there. His species was not that fond of caves.

The riders were the fastest way into the tunnels, but they would only be useful for the first kilometre or two, after that, they were on foot.

Quell made sure that the volunteers had cleared the mine, and with Flick running, Silver and Halt were right behind him.

The tunnels pressed in, but Halt used her breathing practice to keep herself calm as they went deeper. Oxygen became a little scarce, and when the readouts lit up that it was becoming dangerous, she grabbed the tank attached to the rider and strapped it to her thigh.

“Don’t you need that?” Silver was at her side.

“No. I don’t need to breathe nearly as much as I used to. One of my fun changes. Now, let’s get a move on. They were last seen here.” She pointed to the point on her map, and they headed into the darkness.

Her boots crunched on the stone, and she could see the pathway that thousands of students had taken over the years.

“Do you taste that?” She stuck out her tongue and tasted the tang of metal.

Flick appeared at their side. “Where next?”

She pointed down the side tunnel, and Flick took off. They followed him, and a double ping indicated that he had found something.

Silver moved forward and saw the tumbled rocks that blocked the passageway. Flick stood to one side, and the silver crept out of his body, moving the blockage aside and holding up the opening.

A light coughing got her attention, and Halt wanted to grab the children, but she had to wait as the opening grew larger and larger until Flick could make it in and pull the children through.

Teenagers on Decolian 12 were nearly the size of adults. Halt supported the boy who was the least conscious and slipped the oxygen mask on him. “Breathe slow, calm and come with us.”

Flick was giving the status reports while Silver cradled the boy with the broken arm and the third stumbled at his side.

It was a long, slow walk, and they traded use of the oxygen tanks, but they returned to the riders and each zipped carefully through the tunnels and reentered the light.

Quell interviewed the boys were interviewed while the broken arm was being set. They had dared each other to use the side tunnel, seeking some of the valuable mineral that their ancestors had once mined. There was the chance that they could have found a precious stone, and all they need was light and luck. They had run out of both.

Halt reached out and cleaned a smudge off Silver’s cheek.

Flick snorted.

They were all grimy, but for some reason, that smudge was bugging her.

The teacher approached them and cleared her throat. “Guardians, we are having a party this evening for the end of the school year. Would you have time to attend?”

Quell blinked for a moment and inclined his head. “That would be fine. Do you have facilities where we could clean up?”

“Of course. Our market is also one of the largest on Decolian 12, so if you were interested in purchasing anything that was less…cold…you would be welcome to it.” The teacher was staring at Halt while she spoke.

Silver laughed and put his arm around Halt. “I think she means you.”

Halt elbowed him and looked past him to the crowd of teenage girls who were sighing over him. “I think they mean you.”

He grinned and pressed his lips to her ear. “I only have you in my sights.”

Flick was off signing autographs, and soon, they were all bundled up into their transport and off to Geeringtown City.

Before they left the transport, Quell opened a hidden hatch and pulled out bags of local currency. “Here you go. We obviously can’t use our data slips here.”

Halt nodded. “Right. Now, I get to shop?”

Silver nodded. “I will help. I used to be able to order what I needed. I find it much more entertaining to hunt it out on my own.”

“Well then, master hunter, show me how it’s done.”

There was plenty of daylight and the school party was being held on the grounds at the edge of the city. The market beckoned and Silver led the way.

Decolian clothing for men and women consisted of a heavy silk skirt that concealed the legs completely. The top was left up to personal taste. Some women did not wear anything above the waist, some wore only jewels. Halt was going for something a little more middle of the road that could go over her uniform.

While she was trying on a cowled top that was flattering but left a lot to the imagination, Silver looked her over. “I think I will have to contact my family. You need something more suited to your station.”

“My station is answered by my uniform. I don’t need anything else.” She gave him a look, “I have my workout gear. What more is needed?”

He sighed and shook his head. “It seems that I am going to have to step in here. You have the grasp of the skirts, but you have no idea how to showcase your assets.”

“Well, it is my ass causing the fuss with the teacher, so as long as that is covered, I should be fine.”

He took charge of the clothing selections, and by the time he was finished, she had a stack of clothes that she was sure she would never need and jewellery that she wouldn’t wear.

They bought a snack at a food stall and slowly made their way to the school, signing autographs and taking vids with people as they walked. It made them precisely on time for the beginning of the festivities, and soon, they were sitting while the events unfolded around them.

Pageants, music, chants and awards filled the evening. Quell was given the dubious distinction of handing out the scholastic prizes, and he carried it out with aplomb.

Silver kept Halt close to his side, and he answered questions about her origin with tact.

They remained until they had met and mingled with all of the students and their families, and finally, they made their way back to their transport to head home. Public relations would eventually fall under Halt’s purview, but for now, she was only too happy to leave it to Quell.

Tazzy leaned against Silver in the transport, nodding off en route. She woke in his arms as he carried her to her quarters. “That was a fun evening.”

He smiled. “It was. I look forward to seeing you properly dressed for the first time ever.”

“Sure. It has always been about clothing for you, hasn’t it?” She laughed and snuggled in his embrace.

“Well, since you have no compunction about stripping, I enjoy seeing you properly dressed. It will make a refreshing change to have me remove your clothing.” He winked at her, his gaze brilliant.

In her quarters, a lineup of bots brought in her parcels and Silver set her on the edge of her bed.

He removed his own clothing, including the skirt he wore over his uniform. She reached for her top, and he held up his hand. “No. I want to remove your clothing. You always whisk it off so quickly, I want to enjoy it.”

She laughed nervously. “We had our modesty removed when we were in basic training. As you know, you can’t always count on privacy when you want it.”

His naked skin gleamed, and his erection beckoned. He stopped her from touching him and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I am going to do this my way. You have been pulling me along the whole way. It is time for me to take charge.”

He stroked a hand down her cheek, and she blinked up as he parted her suit at the neckline and slowly opened it. Moving at this speed, she was still going to be dressed by dawn.

It was going to be a very long night.

Tazzy’s skin was tingling wildly. She could feel the pressure of arousal under every inch of her body. It was no wonder; he had spent his time working the fabric from her, fibre by fibre.

Arkenor’s eyes had turned to vivid violet as he watched her writhe under his touch. She was wearing nothing but the chemical cloud that was emerging from her skin. At first, it was embarrassing, but when he didn’t flinch or hesitate, she pushed it out of her mind.