“It’s a little difficult to withdraw when you’re attacking me,” he gasped.
The assault stopped abruptly and he caught his breath. The darkness had been stripped away and he could see the vibrant lines of thought and energy linking them. Kayla’s thoughts were clear and well-defined. For a moment, he was captivated by the brilliant rainbow of color.
“Kayla, I had no idea you could do this. It’s beautiful. How did you learn to do that?”
“Do what?” Her mental voice was cautious.
“The intricate weaving and the colors. I’ve never known anyone who could craft something like this without years of training.”
He could sense her anxiety, confusion, and fear. She was probably weaving these complex energy fields intuitively.
“I’m not trying to frighten you.”
“Get out of my mind!” With a great force of energy, she pushed him out of her thoughts.
* * * *
The connection to Alec vanished and her eyes flew open. She scrambled off the table and backed away from him. Her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. “Where did you take me?”
“Kayla, it’s going to be all right. I didn’t bring you here. My father did.”
“Why?”
Alec didn’t reply immediately. Her eyes narrowed at his hesitation.
“Don’t you dare lie to me, Alec.”
He sighed and clasped his hands behind his back. “My father and some of his scientists developed these bracelets several months ago. He wants you to wear one.”
“What are these things? Seara was upset when I asked her about it.”
“They call them security access bracelets, but that’s not exactly an accurate representation. Kayla, those of us in the Inner Circle have special talents. The bracelets harmonize with your DNA and actually connect to the energy you’re able to channel. It siphons off your energy into a pool that can be tapped into when someone needs it to do things that wouldn’t normally be possible.”
What the hell kind of freak show had she fallen into?
“What are you saying, Alec?”
“My father has created an energy pool he can use to enhance his own abilities or divert it to other areas. He’s been doing this to try to discover untapped natural resources throughout the planet. Our towers are no longer fully self-sustaining. We were only supposed to live here until the world was viable again. We need to supplement our resources with whatever we can find.”
Well, that's interesting. Looks like the Omnis aren't much better off than the ruin rats. “Why was my mother upset about the bracelet then? And why don’t you have one?”
Alec frowned. “My talent is unique and it’s more beneficial for me not to wear one. The bracelets siphon off your energy. You don’t have any control over how much is taken or how it’s used. Seara and several others originally agreed to wear the bracelet to help OmniLab. They felt it was their duty. But they didn’t realize what that meant. None of us did.”
“Your father isn’t trying to help the towers, is he?” she guessed.
“Yes, he’s trying to find resources to help the towers.”
Silently, he added, “He’s also using the bracelets to control the Inner Circle and High Council into doing his bidding. He’s become power hungry. Be careful what you say, Kayla. He’s probably watching right now.”
“I see.” She still didn't like that he could pick thoughts out of her head, but she supposed it could come in handy. She just wished she could read him as easily so she could figure out his angle. “Why not take them off then?”
Alec sighed and thought back, “It’s not that simple. It’s linked to your DNA. If you forcibly remove them, it destroys your ability to properly channel your energy. It’s essentially a death sentence.”
Kayla shook her head and declared aloud, “I won’t be a puppet.”
“As long as you’re here, you don’t have a choice in wearing the bracelet. But I need to train you properly. If too much power is channeled through you and you’re not prepared, it could hurt or even kill you.”
She laughed. “You think I’m going to let you near me? Go ahead and try it. I can’t remember the last time I wanted to break somebody’s fingers so badly.”
Alec looked at her for a long time and then shook his head. “I’m not your enemy, Kayla.”
The door slid open and Kayla’s eyes narrowed as she studied the newcomer. He was a short and thin older man. His dark hair was cropped close to his head and he seemed overly nervous.
“Who are you?” she demanded.
He bowed to her. “I am Cessel Witlanger, Mistress Rath’Varein. I’m a scientist here.”
Alec turned and asked, “What is it, Cessel?”
“Master Veritan has been advised of the situation. He has insisted Mistress Rath’Varein remain here until she’s stable.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Kayla demanded.
Alec explained, “You were given a metabolic booster when you were injured the other day. Cessel won’t be able to fit you for a bracelet until your system stabilizes. My father intends to keep you here until then.”
“Right.” Kayla snorted. She had no intention of sticking around long enough to receive a new piece of jewelry.
Alec looked regretful as he said, “I’ll let you get some rest. There’s a private bath through that door. If you get bored, there’s a computer on the wall for you to view. Access is restricted though. If you need anything else, ask Cessel to call me. I’ll check back with you tomorrow.”
“Gee, I can’t wait.”
“Goodnight, Kayla,” he said quietly, and left the room with Cessel trailing behind him.
As soon as they left, she studied her surroundings. Her eyes were drawn to an air vent high on one of the walls. The bed, a small counter, and the computer were the only furnishings in the sparse room. There were two cameras installed in the ceiling which provided complete surveillance coverage of the entire room.
Kayla crouched down to examine the bed. As she suspected, it was affixed to the floor and couldn’t be moved.
She headed for the private bathroom where she quickly determined surveillance didn’t extend to this room. There was a sink, a shower station, and a toilet, along with some basic toiletry items. Another vent was situated up high on the wall. She picked up the comb and wondered if she could use the edge to pry off the vent cover.
She held the comb between her teeth and hiked up her dress. She'd known this formal gown wouldn't be conducive to life as a ruin rat. Next time she was invited to an Omni party, she'd wear her own clothes.
She carefully climbed on top of the toilet and stepped over to stand on the sink. She reached up toward the vent and swore as she realized she was a few inches too short.
She climbed back down and headed out to the main room, tapping the comb thoughtfully on her hand. Out of curiosity, she pressed the small panel next to the exterior door. Nothing happened.
Of course they wouldn't make it that easy. She studied the cover plate carefully. If she had some tools, she could probably override it. Unfortunately, the cover was securely affixed to the wall.
Annoyed, she walked over to the computer and turned on the screen. She entered a few keystrokes and realized Alec wasn’t exaggerating when he mentioned the limited access. She figured she could probably hack the computer, but the room was being monitored. A plan formed in her mind and she dimmed the monitor before shutting it off.
She yawned and made an elaborate show of grabbing some additional blankets off the counter and putting them on the bed before turning off the lights. Once the room was flooded in darkness, she yanked the blanket off the bed and threw it over the top of the monitor, making sure it reached the floor. She crawled under the blanket and turned the monitor back on.
Satisfied the thick blanket was keeping the light from showing, she used the edge of the comb to pry off the bottom front panel of the screen. As she suspected, they had simply disconnected the communications line
. Using her nails and the edge of the comb to pull apart the wiring, she twisted the wires together and connected them to the computer.
She grinned when the computer linked to the communications system. She typed in a few commands and was able to pull up the entire database of residents within OmniLab. She located the name Carl Grayson and pulled up his information. This next part was a bit tricky. She worked her way through the system until she was able to access his communications account.
Kayla tapped her finger quietly against the screen and typed in a quick message. She saved it as a draft and marked it urgent. She worried that trying to send it as an outgoing message would raise a flag in the system. She just hoped Carl would notice the message.
Now to figure out how these bracelets work. She cleared the screen and pulled up a new command prompt, determined to learn as much as she could about what Edwin Veritan was planning.
Chapter Fourteen
Carl looked through the report Jinx had given to him. Her numbers were usually right on target and this report didn’t appear any different.
“Yeah, it looks sound. I’ll request this inventory from OmniLab in the morning. Is there anything else you needed?”
Jinx leaned across the desk. “Actually, yeah. You look like crap, Carl. What’s going on?”
He chuckled at her frankness and leaned back in his chair. “It’s nothing. I’ve just got quite a bit on my mind.”
“Would that something have dark hair and green eyes?”
When he didn’t reply, she said, “I’m not trying to pry. Well, maybe a little. But ever since she left, you’ve been pretty cranky. I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it.”
He sighed and pushed the tablet away. “Not particularly. She’s gone and that’s all there is to it.”
“Aha, I was right.” Jinx grinned. “But I think you’re wrong about that. I saw the way you two looked at each other. Hell, everyone in this camp did. Why do you think Arlisia got pissed off? Sparks were flying every time you two set foot in the same room. She’ll come back.”
He hoped so, but he wouldn't count on it. Even though he'd made some headway with her, he hadn't been able to alleviate all her reservations about working in a trader camp. In fact, with the latest OmniLab development, it had just complicated issues. “We’ll see.”
Jinx rolled her eyes. “Can you honestly picture her living up in those towers permanently? I mean, hell, she wasn’t here for long, but she didn’t strike me as the type to enjoy complacency.”
He smiled at her words. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll see her in a few days when I head to the towers. She seemed convinced she would want to come back by then.”
Jinx nodded encouragingly. “I wouldn’t doubt it.”
The door to Carl’s office beeped. He pressed a button on his desk to admit Xantham. The dark-skinned man entered the room and announced, “Boss, we’re picking up Veridian’s bike on the radar. He’s got two other OmniLab vehicles with him too.”
Carl frowned, uneasy at the news. “That soon? Something must be wrong. Was Kayla with him?”
Xantham shook his head. “Not unless she’s on an OmniLab speeder.”
“All right, thanks.” Carl left his office and headed toward the entrance to meet Veridian. Veridian barely glanced at Carl when he entered and hung up his helmet and jacket. Carl noticed he seemed exhausted. There were circles under his eyes and he was visibly upset.
“Veridian? Is everything okay? I wasn’t expecting you back so soon. Where’s Kayla?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. At least, I think its fine. I don’t know.”
“Come on in and have a seat,” Carl suggested, and motioned for them to follow him to the common room. Veridian followed him and slumped down in a chair. Jinx handed him a hydrating pack and he threw her a grateful look as he drank it.
“I don’t know what happened. We got there and she met her mother. That seemed to go well, although Kayla was a little freaked out. Then we went to dinner. I don’t know what the hell happened after that.” Veridian crushed the hydrating pack in frustration and tossed it on the table.
“Did something happen at dinner?” Jinx asked.
Veridian shook his head. “I don’t know. I got caught up talking to one of the potential traders. Kayla and Alec disappeared after dinner. Seara, that’s Kayla’s mother, came over to me and asked me to accompany her back to her family’s quarters. We sat around for awhile talking and waiting for Kayla to come back. Suddenly, Seara got this strange look on her face, jumped up in a panic, and ran out of the room.”
Veridian scratched his head and continued, “Seara came back a little later with Alec. She was quiet and it looked like she'd been crying. Alec said Kayla started remembering things. He told me Kayla wanted to be alone for awhile and asked me to come back here.”
Carl frowned, his unease growing. “You didn’t talk to Kayla?”
Veridian threw up his hands in frustration. “No. Alec said she didn’t want to talk to anyone. Next thing I knew, I was on my speeder heading back here.”
Carl shook his head. “This doesn’t make sense. There’s no way Kayla would have told you to leave. She’s always been adamant about not being separated from you.”
“I thought so too. But maybe remembering her past changed things? I don’t know. It seemed to make sense at the time.”
Carl drummed his fingers on the table. Jinx rested her hand on Veridian’s arm and suggested, “Veridian, why don’t you call her and find out if she’s okay?”
Veridian pulled out his comlink and was immediately redirected to her messaging center. He left a message asking her to contact him and closed his comlink.
“I’ll try again in the morning. Maybe she’s sleeping.”
Jinx offered him a reassuring smile. “You should get some rest too. You look exhausted. We’ll find out what’s going on. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah.” Looking lost, he headed out of the room. When he was gone, Xantham said, “Anyone else think this reeks?”
Carl nodded. If there was one thing beyond reproach, it was Kayla's loyalty to Veridian. “Kayla wouldn’t have sent him away. I don’t care what she remembered.”
“Maybe you should go to the towers a day early,” Jinx suggested. “Go check on her and find out what’s going on.”
“That’s not a bad idea. We’re low on inventory anyway. I could use that as an excuse,” Carl mused. “In the meantime, we should get some rest. Maybe Kayla will call Veridian in the morning and straighten this out.”
Carl said goodnight to the group and headed back to his office. Pushing aside the inventory list Jinx had given him earlier, he pulled up a copy of Kayla’s OmniLab contract. He stared at her picture for a long moment and then shut it off in annoyance. He was acting like a lovesick teenager.
You were the one that encouraged her to go. Mentally kicking himself, he headed to his bedroom. He pulled off his shirt and threw it on the floor in frustration. Resting his head in his hands, he sighed. Sleep would be a long time coming.
* * * *
Several hours later, Carl woke to the sound of his comlink. He grabbed it and flipped it open. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and read the message from OmniLab.
So they narrowed down the selection of potential traders. The message requested his presence at the towers in two days for the final decision. He studied the qualifications of the proposed trader candidates and chuckled when he saw Rand’s name on the list.
He scrolled through the rest of his messages and was about to close his comlink when he noticed a draft message marked urgent. He couldn’t remember creating an urgent draft. Curious, he opened it up and stared in shock at the short message.
Carl,
Hope you’re doing well. If you happen to stop by OmniLab, I’d love it if you could break me out of here. Seems like these zap-happy circle freaks are into some weird shit and have decided they want me to join their little club. Apparently, they don’t like to take ‘no’ for an answer either.
/>
Oh, you might not want to tell Veridian about this little mix-up. I don’t want him to worry—not to mention I’ll never be able to live this down once he finds out.
K.
His fingers tightened reflexively on the comlink. Jumping to his feet, he headed out into the common room. Cruncher and Zane were sitting at the table having breakfast and talking.
“Morning, Boss,” Cruncher said. “I heard Veridian came back last night.”
Carl tossed Cruncher his comlink. “Read the draft message.”
Cruncher opened the comlink and read through it quickly. When he finished, he looked up at Carl, his eyes filled with worry. “Shit, Boss, is this for real?”
Carl nodded grimly. Given Kayla's penchant for getting into trouble, he shouldn't be surprised. “Get Xantham and Veridian. We’re going to the towers early. I want to find out what the hell is going on.”
Zane looked confused and asked, “What happened?”
“I don’t know. Kayla hacked into my comlink somehow and sent me a message. She indicated she’s being held against her will.”
“But I thought her family was one of the higher-ups in those towers.”
“They are,” Carl informed him. “That’s why this doesn’t make any sense.”
Jinx walked into the room and saw the tense faces. She frowned and asked, “Did something happen?”
“We got a message from Kayla. I think she’s in trouble,” Carl explained. “Cruncher, I want Xantham and Veridian ready to leave in thirty minutes. It’ll take us a couple of hours to get to the towers.”
Cruncher nodded and headed out of the room. Jinx walked over to Carl and put her hand on him reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Kayla’s proven to be pretty resourceful. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
He hoped she was right, but the incident with Ramiro was too fresh in his mind. If he managed to get her out of this mess, he was going to have to find a way to keep her permanently out of trouble.
* * * *
Less than thirty minutes later, Carl, Cruncher, Xantham, and Veridian were on their speeders heading toward the OmniLab towers.