Axira Episode One

  Chapter 16

  Jason Singh

  “Elle, I don’t have time for this right now,” I protested as my sister all but dragged me along.

  I wasn’t lying. Hendra would begin interrogating Em soon. The Admiral had requested I should be there.

  “You owe it to her,” Elle repeated firmly.

  I found myself melting at that.

  I… did owe it to her, didn’t I?

  “Okay, but you can’t come into cold storage to look with me,” I said. “You don’t have clearance.”

  Elle turned as she continued to tug me along. “Good.” She nodded firmly.

  I pulled my arm free and kept pace with her on my own.

  We turned into a wide corridor that acted as a thoroughfare.

  I paled as I saw Hendra walking along with Admiral Forest.

  At first, Hendra’s expression warmed as she saw me. Then a strange thing happened – her eyes slid toward Elle.

  Was that suspicion briefly crumpling Hendra’s perfect blue face?

  “Lieutenant,” she said as she greeted me with a low bow.

  Was it forced? Was that strain tightening her neck muscles?

  “Lieutenant, we’re ready to begin.” The Admiral gestured down the corridor.

  Hendra’s gaze slid toward Elle again.

  Maybe it was paranoia, maybe I was crazy, but I didn’t like the quality of that gaze.

  “Admiral… something urgent has come up,” I found myself saying. Once the words were out, I couldn’t retract them. Nor could I get rid of the feeling that accompanied them.

  I owed it to Em to follow up on this.

  Hendra’s gaze darted to mine.

  I could no longer ignore it had an edge to it.

  I swallowed.

  “Don’t think you’re going to get away with this,” Elle snapped – despite the fact an admiral was standing barely two meters away.

  “Cadet,” the Admiral snapped.

  “You’ll have slipped up somewhere,” Elle continued unabated. “Did you remember to alter the Kore assassins in cold storage to remove evidence of telepathic abilities? Did you remember to cover your injuries with Em’s DNA? Did you remember Em’s DNA shows signs of subspace instability due to the scars on her wrists?”

  The admiral opened her mouth to shout at Elle.

  She stopped.

  Hendra’s demeanor changed completely. I watched as fear crossed through her eyes and her cheeks stiffened.

  It was one of the most visceral experiences of my life.

  “You didn’t remember, did you? Proving you’re guilty is going to be easier than I thought. You realize a simple DNA scan of your so-called injuries will show you faked her DNA, right?”

  Hendra moved.

  I wasn’t expecting it, neither was the admiral. She shoved hard into Forest’s chest, and she whirled toward Elle.

  Before I could do anything, she locked an arm around Elle’s throat and slammed a palm against her face. “If any of you move – or even think of moving – I will completely destroy her mind. I will ensure she’ll do nothing but drool for the rest of her life.”

  I froze.

  The admiral warily picked herself up.

  Everyone in the corridor stopped moving.

  “Don’t call security,” Hendra suddenly screamed, staring at an officer off to her left. “I know what you’re about to do, boy. I can read your mind,” she said viciously. “Now, I’m going to walk out of here. Prepare me a cruiser.”

  “… No,” the admiral said. “You’re not getting out of here.”

  I winced. The move so bitter I felt like throwing up.

  I knew Coalition policy…. But this was my sister.

  “I’d rethink that, Admiral. Once I’m done with the admiral’s daughter, I’m going to move onto everyone in this corridor. I have enough power to fry your minds without touching you.”

  A chill silence spread through the corridor.

  The silence was so complete it was easy to hear footfall echoing from further down the corridor.

  A group of four people rounded the corner.

  It was Em with her security team.

  She was detained, her wrists locked together with sophisticated magnetic restraints.

  At first, the three guards with her paused. They soon caught up to the situation. All you needed to look at was the stiffness in Admiral Forest’s expression as she stared warily at Hendra.

  The security team already had their guns drawn, and they lifted them at Hendra.

  “Don’t you even dare think of firing,” Hendra spat. “I will destroy her mind and take out everyone near me if you so much as put a finger near those triggers. Now drop your weapons and kick them away.”

  With one look at the admiral, they complied.

  There were three clangs as their weapons hit the floor.

  “Now,” Hendra tugged Elle around violently, as she moved to stare at Em, “Why don’t you join us? I’ve been looking for the chance to get in your head.” She pressed her hand harder against Elle’s head in a clear threat.

  Em walked forward.

  Her expression was… controlled.

  No, it was more than that. As her slow footfall echoed through the corridor – everyone’s eyes on her – she gave off the feeling that she could handle this. Everything from her stance to her expression seemed to suggest she wasn’t the one in trouble – Hendra was.

  “You shouldn’t have started meddling. I would have left you alone if you hadn’t gone and found my team. Actually, who am I kidding,” Hendra let out a bitter, echoing laugh, “I wanted to rip into your mind the second I saw you. Full of secrets. I can feel them. You know what else I can feel?”

  Em reached us. She stopped by Admiral Forest’s side. “What?” Em asked.

  “Those tracks.” Hendra brought a hand up and ran a stiff finger down her face. “Deep, deep telepathic tracks left in your mind. A lifetime of control. It makes it easy to read your mind.”

  “If it’s so easy, why haven’t you ripped into me yet?” Em asked, stance alert but expression blank and unreadable.

  Hendra’s lips kinked to the side. “I haven’t focused before. I haven’t had the chance. When I’m finished here, I will.”

  “Why wait? Do it now. Let Elle go – I’ll be your hostage. Then you can tear my mind to shreds,” Em offered.

  “No. No one moves. Things stay as they are now.”

  “How do you plan on getting out of here?” Em asked, making brief eye contact with Elle and shooting her a brave, comforting look. The only time she’d lost the hard, blank stare.

  “I am much more powerful—” Hendra’s voice rang out with bravado.

  “You’re a dead woman walking. The Hole Sect don’t like failure. They’ll strip you down, get rid of your personality, and use what’s left of your body.”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hendra hissed.

  “Are you sure?”

  Hendra stiffened, her nostrils flaring as she stared viciously at Em. “Why are we talking about me? You’re going to accompany me out of here. You can be my second hostage.”

  Em looked from Hendra’s feet to her face. “I’m not a very good hostage,” she warned in the most threatening tone I’d ever heard.

  “For the sake of this pathetic excuse for a cadet, you’re going to learn,” Hendra threatened as she tightened her grip around Elle’s throat and made her choke.

  Em didn’t reply.

  “Now, you’re going to do everything I say. I’m going to be your new master,” it was clear Hendra took sick pleasure in saying that word.

  Em stiffened.

  “Master,” Hendra taunted Em with that word, her palm still flat against Elle’s head. “I know a few masters from the Empire – and I know you’re from the Empire. I’ve seen it in the few glimpses I’ve caught of your memories. I wonder who it is? Which sect do you belong to, Cadet Em? Did you run away, child? Did you escape? As soon I’m done here, I’ll f
ind out where you belong, and I’ll make sure they come and take you back.” Her lips curled into a cruel smile. “And that is why I haven’t outlived my usefulness. I have a feeling someone back home is looking for you. When I deliver you, I’ll be rewarded.”

  Em’s energy changed. It darkened. No… that wasn’t right. It intensified. It looked and felt as if she was a star – ready to explode – but barely controlling itself.

  “The sects aren’t kind to those who escape. I shudder to think what they’ll do with you,” Hendra continued with a sing-song laugh.

  Elle started to shift. Up until this point, she’d been stock still, her eyes rammed open by fright. Now she fought against Hendra.

  “Stop struggling,” Hendra snapped.

  “Em, get out of here. Don’t go with her. Just let me die. Don’t let her get away. She knows all the Academy’s secrets. And she’s lying – she can’t attack anyone else. She’s not that strong.”

  Hendra hissed, tightening her grip so hard around my sister’s throat, she started to choke her.

  “You… she… telepath – she can be overcome with… strong memories,” Elle managed between wheezes.

  I watched as Em’s head ticked to the side, some realization fixing her gaze and tightening her jaw.

  “Don’t bother,” Hendra snapped her gaze back to Em. “I’m no ordinary telepathic. The emotional power of your pathetic memories won’t affect me.”

  Em stared at Hendra for one more second, her head still tilted to the side as she clearly calculated something.

  She came to her decision.

  If her energy had changed before – if it had intensified a few minutes ago – now it exploded.

  She was just standing there, but in that second everything about her changed.

  It was like she dropped a wall. The wall I’d always suspected held back the real Em.

  I wasn’t telepathic, but I swear I felt a rush of something as she half closed her eyes.

  Hendra gasped, her jaw becoming stiff and moving jerkily around her breath. She started to shake, too.

  Briefly, her gaze darted up to make eye contact with Em. A word shuddered on Hendra’s lips, stuttering out of her mouth in a whine, “Deus.”

  Em moved. In a blink, she rammed her shoulder into Hendra, broke her grip on Elle, then pivoted.

  Em brought her fist back and punched Hendra in the face.

  It was a powerful, decisive move, and it saw Hendra fall to the ground, her robes splaying around her unconscious body.

  For a single second, Em stood over Hendra’s form and stared.

  Though the moment was brief, I swear it dragged on.

  “Get a security team here now,” Admiral Forest snapped. “Stun Hendra again. I don’t want her coming around until we have her in a containment field that will block her abilities.”

  Em took a step back, closed her eyes for a brief moment, then turned to face me.

  Elle threw herself at Em and hugged her, before darting her head up and grinning. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me.”

  Em blinked in surprise. “Ah… you’re welcome.”

  “Get this place cleaned up now,” the Admiral continued snapping orders. “Cadet Singh, report to the med bay. You,” she stabbed a finger at a nearby officer, “Accompany her.”

  The officer snapped a salute.

  “Hold on,” Elle complained, “I want to see if Em is okay. She saved my life.”

  “We know that, Cadet – we were all here. Now, get to the med bay; you can say thank you later.”

  I watched Em turn and stare at the admiral.

  The admiral raised her head and returned the stare. “Come with me, Cadet. Lieutenant, you too.”

  I had a brief moment where I managed to make eye contact with Em. I softened my expression, as much as I could.

  I wanted her to know how sorry I was.