Kyda smiled weakly. The thought of going back into another lab terrified her, but she would have to stifle her fear and try. This might be her only chance.

  Chapter Three

  Kynor struck Ados the moment he rematerialized at the base. “Where is she?”

  The larger agent grunted and slid back a few feet.

  Ados grabbed the next fist and growled. “Hold it, Kynor.”

  “Where. Is. She?” With every word, he threw another punch, and Ados just kept catching the crushing punches.

  He finally acted and held Kynor’s arms against his body. “She’s fine. She’s alive and well, and with my grandmother.”

  Kynor slumped. “She’s safe?”

  “Absolutely. There are two people who can find her, and I am one of them. The other would have to know that she was there to begin with, which he does not.”

  Kynor surrendered, and Ados released him. “Damn, okay. Where is she? I need to see her.”

  “She’s on a lost island with my grandmother. When she is ready, she will be in contact. You needed her to be safe, so she is safe. Can we get back to work?” Ados smiled. “You know she’s safe, and I can’t really lie, so you know it’s the truth. I have clocked back in, so I am ready to return to active duty until my normal rest day.”

  Kynor nodded. “What about your dates at the BDC?”

  “Well, I am still waiting for fifty-three to return to active status, so until that happens, I am flying solo.”

  “You are going to be waiting a while.” Kynor snorted and headed for his room.

  “Why?”

  “You just dropped her on a fucking island with your grandmother.”

  Ados stared. “Her scent is wrong. Her jaw is wrong.”

  “That is because she worked in a coffee shop and hasn’t been there for nearly two weeks. She doesn’t smell like coffee anymore. And her face has been reset to its original structure.”

  Ados blinked. “Her scent was coffee, fruit, and whipped cream over female warmth.”

  Kynor winced. “Ados, really? She’s my sister.”

  Ados looked at him and nodded. “You wear lenses.”

  Kynor chuckled. “As you know.”

  “She wears lenses. Not that I have seen her eyes. The mask was enforced on all of our dates.”

  “Yes. She wears lenses normally. Right now, they aren’t on her.”

  Ados muttered, “You know where I want to go right now.”

  “Yeah, but you just clocked in, so suck it up. My sister is the deadliest woman in the world to any active dumb enough to touch her blood.”

  “Well, it explains why I was stuck with courtship to date her. It was fun, but she was gorgeous.” He sighed. “Come on. Let’s go remove folks in a violent manner. It will suit my mood.”

  Kynor nodded. “Right. You can take point.”

  Ados looked at him. “Is this going to be awkward for you?”

  “Not until you start having sex with her. Then it is going to be all kinds of awkward, especially if you rate her like you do the others.”

  Ados tried to imagine how he would feel if anyone discussed one of his siblings in those terms. “Right. I will keep our interactions to myself.”

  Kynor nodded. “Thanks.”

  “Why haven’t you registered at the BDC?”

  Kynor grinned. “I don’t meet the age requirement.”

  “What?”

  “Dude, I am only sixteen. I was designed to mature quickly, but birthdates are birthdates. My body is fully grown, but age is age.”

  Ados stared. “What?”

  “I started here when I was eleven, and now, I am nearly seventeen.”

  “How old is Kyda?”

  “She’s twenty-four.”

  “Oh, thank goodness.” Ados leaned over and gripped his knees. He shuddered in relief.

  Ados eventually straightened. He should have known. The BDC was strict about the legalities of interactions.

  He wondered how his grandmother was getting along with the woman in question. He was suddenly also curious to find out what she had thought of their picnics.

  * * * *

  Kyda followed Nandy down to her secret lab. It wasn’t a secret at the house, but Nandy had told her about all the protection and shrouding on the lab. If Nandy didn’t authorize things every three days, the lab would immolate.

  Nandy led her to a terminal and said, “I am going to give you complete access to my files.”

  “What?”

  “There is base programming in your genes. The experiment will come second nature to you.”

  “Experiment? You mean the one that made me?”

  “Precisely. So many more of you should have survived if they did it properly, but they didn’t, so we are down to two.”

  Kyda nodded. “I was the last propagated, but Kynor was the last grown. I grew at normal speed, but I don’t remember any of the other children before us. We know that there were seven of us in total, but the others were destroyed.”

  Nandy nodded. “That is unlikely, but I suppose it is possible.”

  “Why unlikely? The records at the lab were succinct. The experiments were terminated.”

  “There were rumours that Uradan tech was surging beyond their education level. That usually comes when making a deal with other countries.”

  “Oh.” Kyda absorbed that information.

  She was given a login and passcode to access whatever she wanted to.

  “I will have Ados bring me a second terminal so you can study.”

  “Uh. Okay. He’s coming back?”

  “He is.”

  Kyda blinked. “I see. Do you know when?”

  “No. He comes when he can.”

  Kyda nodded. “So, no warning.”

  “No. Why?”

  “Uh, he just makes me nervous. Do you know why he brought me here?”

  “Your brother was worried, so Ados moved you somewhere safe.”

  Kyda relaxed. “Oh. Kynor. Right. Yeah, he would want to calm his buddy.”

  Nandy smiled. “Which one of them would? Ados is normally very calm.”

  “Uh, Kynor is protective for a younger brother.”

  “Younger?”

  “Yes. He was the sixth gestation, but they froze him. I was the seventh, and when I was six or so, they had him brought to term, and from there on, he grew very quickly. He’s sixteen now with a twenty-five-year-old’s body.”

  Nandy frowned. “Is his aging stabilized?”

  “I think so. He has looked the same since he was eleven. Time just has to catch up with his body.”

  “That is fascinating. I wish I could meet him.” The older woman pouted, and then her expression cleared. “Ah, well, I can still examine you to see what my formulas created.”

  Kyda wrinkled her nose. “Right. Can I go make us some coffee or something? Maybe coffeecake or a muffin?”

  Nandy’s eyes lit with excitement. “You can cook?”

  “Sure. Food service is my thing. If you cut yourself, you have to wrap things up so I am not dangerous to those around me. I am very good with knives and not cutting myself.”

  “Let’s deactivate that field you have going and put down a blood drop on this slide. I can play while you bake.”

  Kyda was amused. “Yes, Nandy.”

  The researcher used a small device to pause the effect of the brace on Kyda’s left hand, and then the single crimson drop was procured. Nandy literally chortled as she put the blood on the slide, and the protective field was returned to full strength before Kyda was dismissed to go play in the kitchen.

  She headed up the stairs with her scrubs on and used a lock of her hair to wrap the rest in a ponytail. Kyda spent five minutes learning the kitchen and pulling out what she needed when she found it. Fifteen minutes later, the coffeecake was in the oven, and the coffee percolated.

  When the cake was cooling on a rack, she went downstairs to get Nandy.

  She went through the security check, and the door slid open to let her into the lab. She walked up to the researcher. “Nandy? If you are interested, I made coffee and coffeecake with blueberries.”

  Nandy looked up, and her nose twitched. “It smells good. Right. I will take a break.”

  She pushed away from her terminal, washed her hands, and smiled at Kyda. “I am looking forward to eating someone else’s cooking. I usually heat and eat and go.”

  As they walked to the kitchen, Nandy paused at the table, looking at the precise layout of the sliced cake and coffee cups.

  Kyda got a set of tart shells out of the oven and put them aside to cool.

  Nandy looked at them. “What are those?”

  “You wanted fruit tarts. I made the shells.”

  “Wow. You paid attention. Well, have a seat. I don’t like to eat alone.”

  “Yes, Nandy.” She washed her hands again and then sat down.

  They sat, sipped coffee, and ate cake in silence, and then Nandy smiled. “Serve me a second piece, and I will tell you what I have seen in your blood sample.”

  Kyda served up a second piece and sat back with her coffee. Nandy picked up her piece, took a bite, then sighed and leaned back. “That’s delightful.”

  Kyda smiled. “Thanks. Where do you get your supplies?”

  “Oh, there is a greenhouse and hydroponic centre down below.” She smiled. “I get all my fresh fruit and vegetables that way. Including some fish.”

  “Why down below?”

  “The idea is to keep me from being visible. The Sethir agreed to let me live, but not all of them were willing to let me get to old age.”

  Kyda paused. “Oh.”

  Nandy finished her cake and sipped her coffee. “Well, Kyda. You are more than you think you are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Your main talent isn’t nullification; it’s absorption.”

  Kyda frowned. “What?”

  “Absorption. Your body can take power from the blood and use the energy in the same manner as the original wielder.”

  Kyda slowly set her mug down. “What?”

  “You aren’t meant to destroy actives; you are meant to take in all their activities so you can use them.” She held up a finger to make her point. “And you can keep multiples in your bloodstream to access at any time.”

  Kyda blinked. “Are you serious?”

  “That was what my experiment was supposed to create. An active to duplicate an active by blood contact, yours or theirs.”

  She swallowed and got up to pour more coffee. Nandy poured cream and sugar into hers.

  “That’s... incredibly hard to test.”

  Nandy laughed. “It really isn’t. I have blood samples from a number of actives. Different traits and strengths. I believe the first test should be a healer.”

  “Uh, is blood type an issue?”

  “No. Not at the ratios we will be using. One drop will have the effect you need.”

  She was very nervous but nodded. “Right. When do you want to start?”

  Nandy smiled. “Let’s finish our coffee. Maybe one more slice of cake.”

  Kyda knew the cake was moist, but her mouth was dry, which coloured the flavour. She headed downstairs to the lab and watched the researcher get a syringe and go into a nitrogen containment to get a vial. She checked it three times before she took a straw out that began to thaw into a dark red.

  Nandy moved swiftly, crimped the tube into two sections, put the half-shot into the container it had come from, and then ran the tube under warm water.

  Kyda stood still, and when the blood was drawn into a syringe with a saline mix, she was ordered to sit, so she did. Nandy moved around the room, got a wipe to sterilize Kyda’s inner elbow, picked up the syringe, and went looking for a vein. Kyda hissed when the injection went in. The fluid was cool, but there wasn’t much of it.

  Nandy withdrew the needle and pressed down on Kyda’s arm. “Let’s give this a moment. How does it feel?”

  Kyda nodded as she closed her eyes. “A curl of silver is running through me, stopping at all of my major organs and making them bloom.”

  “Bloom?”

  “Stronger, cleaner. That sort of thing.” She paused. “Even my heartbeat is different.”

  Nandy chuckled. “Good. Now, we are going to take you upstairs, and you will have a shower and a nightgown, then sleep. Iratiani was nearly indestructible. His body healed itself before he could bleed. He has been your first to go.”

  Kyda got to her feet and walked slowly up the stairs, then up another set of stairs, and then she was in the attic room, and Nandy guided her to the shower. “I will be back with a nightgown. Go ahead and warm up.”

  Kyda nodded and pushed the scrubs off. She stepped into the shower, and the hot water did help to centre herself. Wrapping herself in a towel, she looked at the researcher standing there with an antique-style nightgown.

  “So, how did you know exactly what kind of tarts Ados was referring to?” Nandy had a twinkle in her eye.

  “Uh. I guessed?”

  There was chuckling.

  “Seriously. Do you have a relationship with my grandson?”

  Kyda paused. “Not one that he is aware of.”

  “That requires further explanation.”

  “Has he told you about the Blind Date Corporation?” She pulled her nightgown over her head.

  “Yes. That is his current sexual outlet.” Nandy frowned. “You?”

  “Oh, no. No. I am just a companion date. Sitting quietly, going to greenhouses and arboretums, picnicking in meadows. He brings dinner, and I bring dessert. Ever since I started bringing the tarts, they are all he wants for dessert.”

  Nandy was stunned. “He pays for this?”

  “Yeah. I take the money and send it to an Uraddan refugee fund.” She smiled slightly. “I actually have a day job.”

  She smiled. “I see. And you weren’t into the physical side of things because...”

  “Reasons. Physically unsuitable is the main one.”

  Nandy chuckled. “Ah. That. You are young.”

  “And half of the BDC clients can plow through a car if they aren’t careful.”

  “Oh, dear. Yes, I am guessing it is a concern.”

  Kyda walked to the bed, pulled the sheets back, and crawled in with a tremendous yawn. “That is what the BDC does. It physically matches actives so that no one gets hurt.”

  “That would be very interesting. It is also very sensible.”

  Kyda felt sleep coming on her very quickly. “There was something else in that syringe.”

  “A little bit. I need you out so I can remove the pretty cuffs that his blue self crafted.”

  Kyda fought the sedation. “What? It isn’t safe.”

  “I know what I just put in you, Kyda. It’s fine. Sleep. You need it.”

  Kyda felt a light hum of the same object that had deactivated them before, but then she lost interest as she fell asleep.

  * * * *

  Nandy removed the restraints. The woman looked just like her egg donor, Aluhara. Kyda was so pretty, and if Ados couldn’t see that, her grandson was an idiot.

  She got the vambraces and greaves from Kyda’s limbs, and Nandy smiled as she headed to the lab. The blood was working on her already. By the time she woke up, she would be able to heal her wounds before a drop could form.

  Nandy brought up her inventory on the computer. She sorted the files to make sure that all the candidates were deceased. What she hadn’t mentioned to Kyda was that if she had living blood contact, she would borrow the power. She would return it to the original active in an hour or so, but she could take power from a living active and use it. That was what the blood transfer was for. Nandy had designed it that way.

  She was curious to see Ados with Kyda again. This time, he would know the pretty miss in her territory was the same woman he courted. It had to be courtship. He could get sex from numerous sources. If he was seeking out a woman to be sweet with, it meant he was ready to settle down. If great-grandkids were possible, she would help get the two together. She wasn’t getting any younger; plus, with those two, the babies would gleam with beauty and energy.

  Chapter Four

  The wardrobe was open, and clothing was on hangers. Kyda got up and took the hint.

  She headed downstairs, made coffee, drank water, made the fruit tarts, wandered down to the lab, and passed through the security measures. Nandy looked up at her with a grin. “Kyda. You look well.”

  “Thank you. You took the cuffs?”

  “I did. They are in the lab if we need them again.” She gestured behind her.

  Kyda blinked. “Uh, is there a way I can test this?”

  “Certainly.” Nandy turned in her seat, grabbed a needle, and pivoted back. She poked Kyda’s finger, and... nothing happened.

  Kyda stared at her hand and the small pink mark. “I don’t bleed anymore?”

  “Not on accident. If you want to attack an active, I would recommend you find a way to get your blood onto their body. Now, we are going to run some scans, and then I have a few other active powers that we can get into you.”

  “What kinds?”

  “We will begin with physical manifestations and then psychic attacks. Everyone needs a little telekinesis and some empathy.”

  Nandy moved off and began to draw the needles. There were six. She put them in the chiller and opened a wall that contained diagnostic equipment that was made for someone much larger.

  Kyda got into position, and a scan was run. Nandy beamed when the readout was provided. “Excellent. You are adapted to yesterday’s alteration.”

  “Oh. Good. I was worried that I felt good.”

  Nandy chuckled and helped her out of the scanner and onto the med bed. “You might want to recline for this one. I am going to do it slowly. You may get dizzy. Did you eat?”

  “I had a tart. The rest are in the chiller.”

  “Close enough. I will make us sandwiches for lunch. You will need to get practice managing growing strength immediately.”

  “Oh. Can I work out outside? I remember how hard it was when Kynor was growing. He had to work out all the time to keep the pain at bay.”

 

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