Universe of the Soul (31 page)

A
dri arrived back on her home planet of Halieth in the midst of an electrical storm. The sky was a riot of blue and golden streaks, and the rumble of thunder drowned most of the usual city noises. The static in the air was heavy enough to disrupt anything using outdated radio-wave technology. Yet the capital city of Corinthe was still teeming. Most of the humans passing through the streets were huddled in their all-weather gear, atmospheric adjusters cranked. Some kievians even had full body climate suites, since their skin couldn't tolerate the static. Only the egiroi, an avian-amphibian species, enjoyed such weather, since it mirrored the extremes of their home planet. Adri watched as a cluster of them passed by the cabriolet she rode in, chattering to each other in their native dialect.

“Weather's not too different from back home,” Hildana remarked.

Adri turned to glance in the back seat in some surprise. Ever since the incident on the transport nearly a week ago, neither Kobane sister had had much to say. Their one escape attempt two nights after was acted out in total silence. Even when Adri had somehow managed to fling them both against the far wall with one had, they had said nothing. The rest of the trip had been full of long silences. Blair, not the greatest conversationalist, gave up attempts to talk with them after several heroic tries.

“Where are you from?” Blair asked.

“Iqaidi. Not too far from the Divide. You?”

“Junus.”

Hildana cocked her head. “I didn't know there was a human settlement on that planet.”

“There isn't. I lived with the junusarians in one of their monasteries.”

“Ah,” Hildana's tone hinted at
‘I-should've-known.
'

In a gesture of good will Adri said, “You'd have never guessed that he was raised in a quiet, monastic setting, would you?”

Hildana smirked, and sat back in her seat. Adri turned back around to stare out the window.

“So, where exactly are we going?” Hildana asked after the cabriolet left the interstellar transport and general downtown areas of the city behind.

“Do you really care?” Adri wanted to know.

“I asked, didn't I?”

Adri turned back. “We're heading to a friend's house. I don't own civilian accommodations in the city and we can hardly waltz up to the AFHQ without some explanation about…things. You two, for example.”

“What are you going to say?”

Adri hunched down in her seat, feeling moody. Under her breath she muttered, “I'm claiming insanity.”

Overhearing, Hildana smirked again. “Whatever you say, your Adeptness.”

Adri cringed inwardly at the comment, and self-consciously tugged on her jacket sleeves once again. The violet markings still hadn't faded, causing her some sweat as they passed through customs. She wasn't sure what the Commonwealth would do if they discovered her new abilities. All the scenarios that had come to mind had not been pleasant. They had passed through inspection without incident, but Adri was unsure how long her empowered status could remain a secret.

There was more to worry about than supernatural tattoos that wouldn't go away. She still had to come up with what she was going to present to the Military Council about her absence. That wouldn't prove too difficult, most of the truth would do. She was pretty sure, however, that her absence had scrapped her chance at captaincy. Which meant she would be shuffled back as a lieutenant commander, probably on the
Oreallus
.

That burned. To have to go back to that cowardly, inept….
jellyworm
who was responsible for her absence in the first place! How was she supposed to do that and not mutiny?
This whole mess was Heedman's fault
, she thought righteously, although she glared in the RearView at the Kobanes for good measure.

This line of thought wasn't productive, Adri reminded herself. As she watched the neighborhoods grow steadily more upscale, she tried to fill her mind with more immediate concerns. Once they were settled, she'd have to see when the
Oreallus
was due back, if it hadn't arrived already. She needed to get her things, and she had to see Gray.

It was like an addiction, she thought, her mind switching gears once again. She had a taste, found she liked it, and then was cut off. The longer she didn't see Gray, the more she thought about him. The more she thought about him, the less the emotional risks seemed. The less the emotional risks seemed, the more she wanted to just…what? Weld him to her side, maybe.

The thought made her smile a little as the cabriolet stopped in front of a mansion that was possibly twice the size of Arkow's light freighter. She signaled her companions out, paid the taxicom with the last of Blair's cash, and turned towards the gate.

“Danwe, this is…some house,” Giselle murmured, eyes round.

“Some friend you've got,” Hildana rolled her eyes and hunched her shoulders.

Adri shrugged. “It's his family home.”

She led the way up to the viewscreen that stood in a discreet alcove next to the antique gate. The screen flashed on, displaying a securicom with a trim uniform and an impressive ATF repeating rifle. “Hello. This is the Carter residence. Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but I'm here to see Royce Carter. I'm a friend of his,”

“Are you on the guest register?”

“Yes,” she huffed her breath. Adri was used to dealing with humacoms, and had always found useful but uninteresting. This one was worse than usual; its voice was bland, and its processing was less personalized and more…computerized.

“Your name, please?”

“Adrienne Rael, and three guests.”

There was a pause as the securicom searched its database and matched Adri's name and face with the guest register. Once confirmed, it took a second, quicker scan of her retina for verification before the gate slid open. “Identity confirmed. Welcome, Lieutenant Commander Rael. New identities imputed, Hildana Kobane, Giselle Kobane, and Dr. Eliot Blair. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thanks,” she waved the others through the gate before following suit.

“What was that?” Blair asked quietly as they strode up the elegant drive to the front door.

“What was what?”

“The creature that answered the viewscreen. What sort of android was that?”

“A humacom. Danwe, Blair, haven't you seen one before?”

“Yes, of course,” Blair waved his hand in a negative motion. “But this one was different. It was more like a machine than the ones I've seen.”

Adri made a sound that was part agreement and part incomprehensible. Putting it out of her mind, she jogged up the front steps and pressed the alert on the front door.

“So, how are you going to introduce us?” Hildana wanted to know as they waited for someone to answer the door. “Hey pal, I'm back, with a doctor and two mortal enemies-turned pet gigos in tow?”

Adri glared at the smirking Belligerent. Her thoughts had already worried that exact question to bare strings. She had no appreciation for Hildana's tone. It was like she enjoyed watching Adri fumble around. No, Adri was sure she liked it. “You know, I've been pretty lenient when it comes to you. I could just - ”

The soft hiss of the door retracting had Adri turning around, still fuming.

She found herself staring into the ashen face of Thaddeus Grayson.

Oh Danwe…

His heart stopped. His lungs seized. His vision tunneled.

Had he died? Had he gone mad? Was he seeing some sort of vision?

He was paralyzed.
Oh Danwe! Adri Adri Adri Adri
“Adri!”

Her dark eyes lit, erasing the irritation that had been flashing there when he had opened the door eons ago. “Gray,” she murmured, looking so happy and surprised and alive.

Something snapped inside him. Gray shot his hand out, yanked Adri over the threshold, and crushed her to him. She rapped against his chest with a short gasp. Real. Flesh, blood and bone.

In his shock, Gray broke down. “God. My God. Adri,”

“Hey,” Adri replied shakily, gripping him hard. “Watch your mouth.”

He laughed, and pressed his mouth to hers. As the kiss took on the same edgy, giddy, wild gamut his emotions were running, he decided that, dead or mad, it was good.

It was not until Blair had cleared his throat for the fifth or sixth time that either Adri or Gray recalled the presence of the others. Annoyed at the disturbance, her head still spinning a lovely few feet above her shoulders, Adri turned. “You're still here?”

“You're blocking the door,” Blair pointed out.

“Who are you?” Gray asked. He turned to include the two women standing behind the sober young man in monastic garb. Recognition was swift. “What in DANWE'S NAME are you doing here?!”

“I can't believe this,” Giselle cried. “You, of all people!”

“It figures that you two are pals,” Hildana snarled.

Adri frowned, still clutching Gray's civilian t-shirt like a fairy tale damsel who'd recently been rescued. “You know him?”

“Know him,” Hildana scoffed. “He's the one who captured us and took over our ship!”

When Adri turned back to him, perplexed, Gray muttered, “There goes the moment.” He gestured everyone inside, then tugged Adri towards the stairs. “C'mon. I want explaining. Let's talk in private.”

“What about the others?” Adri asked. She was trying to be annoyed at his take-charge attitude, but her hand gripped his tightly.

“Let them stage a government
coup
in the living room, for all I care. If the supreme chancellor of the Belligerent Coalition arrived next to borrow some organic salt, I wouldn't be surprised.”

For some perverse reason, the angry tone of Gray's voice made her want to laugh. “Sorry we ruined your day.”

Gray whirled around suddenly, caging Adri in against the wall of the hallway. Her breath caught at the raw emotion displayed on his face. “Danwe, Adri! You're alive. You're
alive
!” And crushed his mouth to hers again.

It took a long time to explain all that had happened. Kissing took up the bulk of the beginning, but the need to tell Gray pressed on her until Adri nudged him into the nearest bedroom, sat him down, and began. Gray was a good audience, following her concise, and occasionally pithy recitation of events with the focused attention of a soldier. Even when Adri tried to explain her new ‘empowered Adept' status, his attention didn't waver into open disregard. When she had finished her tale, he asked her to repeat certain parts with more details.

“Don't tell me you're accepting this out of hand,” Adri said when Gray only nodded after she retold him about her trip to the Spirit Realm. “Where's your skepticism?”

“Actually, it makes sense, if you think about it,” he replied thoughtfully. At Adri's disbelieving smirk, he continued. “Just
think
for a moment. You've always managed excellent health, recovering quickly from any sort of injury. It explains why that blaster beam evaporated before hitting you during our escape on Rema. I bet other flukes you've shrugged off over the years can be connected to this.”

The sensible tone in Gray's voice made Adri hunch uncomfortably. “But why me, Gray? Of all the people in all the galaxy, why am I stuck being some genetic magic child?”

“Why not you?” Gray countered. “You are intelligent, strong, and courageous. You persevere. You get the job done.”

“I'm a soldier Gray. That's it. What kind of - ”

Gray shook his head vehemently, cutting off her protest. “Can you imagine the power you have now belonging to some civilian out there? Someone who hasn't had the discipline, the morals, or the experience that you've had on campaign? Someone who hasn't had the knowledge of loss and disappointment to temper their actions with prudence?”

“There are better people than me.”

“Maybe. But would they stand up to the challenge of being something more? Or would they hide their gift away, afraid of what
might
happen if they let it loose. It's not as though anyone is asking you to be God. Get a grip Adri, you've been blest. Deal.”

His slightly frustrated tone made her laugh. “You're just saying that because it allowed me to survive face planting on a planet,”

“True.” he kissed her palm, and then pushed her sleeve back to inspect the violet tattoos that were barely visible on her pale skin. “But I believe that everything has a purpose. Who knows? Maybe I was meant to fall in love with you so that I could help you deal with your new super powers.”

“Now you're starting to sound like Blair. And do not mention the phrase ‘super powers' to me ever again. It makes me feel like I should have a rainbow colored jumpsuit and fly around the galaxy, saving children and small animals.”

Gray chuckled, tracing one of the markings with his finger. “Heaven forbid.”

Adri followed his moving finger with her eyes. “They've faded a lot since earlier today.”

“Hmm. That's interesting.”

“Blair isn't sure what makes them appear or disappear, but he thinks it's connected to my emotions. The more I get my emotions under control and blah blah,”

“This Blair certainly has a lot to say,” Gray frowned, looking up at her.

Was that…a hint of jealousy? Not having had that particular emotion aimed at her in this capacity before, Adri hesitated to call him on it. G
ray, jealous of Blair? What in the universe for? Oh wait
, she corrected herself,
he's a guy
. “Blair has taken it upon himself to become my mentor. He really knows all the magic, spiritual stuff, but when it comes to real life, he's a babe on a desert planet.”

“Ah,” Gray continued to frown.

With a soft huff at the insecurities of men (hadn't she dashed like some helpless female into his arms?) she tapped his shoulder with her fist. “Enough about me. What are you doing in Carter's house? And what's this about you capturing the Kobanes?”

Gray lay back against the headboard of the bed, tugging Adri with him so her head lay on his shoulder. “Well, I'm here getting my humacom repaired…”