Chapter Twenty-Three

“Sit. We’re going to go over the remainder of your test results.” Zafir pointed at a chair the moment I entered his office. I closed the door behind me as he continued, “You are experiencing what I will call ‘cellular dissonance.’ Upon further investigation, I’ve found that your genetic makeup was introduced to foreign cells—in this case, that of Syldrari.

“The human and Syldrari genetic data are vibrating at separate, varying frequencies as they vie for dominance. This is likely the cause of the patch of skin on your back that has become blue. Several other survivors are showing this same dissonance phenomenon, but not to the same extent. It’s possible that exposure to Syldrari and their food hastened its progress. Furthermore—”

“Zafir,” I interrupted, placing my hands on his desk, and leaned over it. He glanced up from his papers, his eyes widening slightly. “Let me guess. You’re telling me a believable half-truth because telling me the truth is more likely to cause problems with your bosses. The actual —”

“Sit. Down.” Zafir reiterated, the corner of his eye twitching. When I didn’t budge, he made a subtle motion and I felt as if a set of weights made me sit. “As I was saying. The dissonance doesn’t appear to be harmful—yet—but I will be closely monitoring it among all subjects.

“We currently believe that the resonance weapon somehow…how should I put it… Ah. It has created a ‘wall’ between the human and Syldrari data. It will require further study, but we believe that the weapon’s purpose may be to turn humans into Syldrari hybrids.”

I massaged my forehead with one hand as Zafir shifted through his papers and to a new page. Okay. So, by the sound of it, our imperial bosses are now in on the ‘mutation’ that’s going on. In which case, Zafir is telling me information that is consistent with what the imperials think and therefore what I ‘need’ to know. It’s probably all a half or reversed lie to circumvent the risk of my skin turning blue. Okay, I can sort of get behind that…but how much is a lie? Should I operate under the assumption that the human genetic material is the actual foreign body? In which case…

“Elara, pay attention.” Zafir whacked the top of my head, lightly, with his stack of papers. I glared at him, strongly debating if I should try and give him the spanking of a lifetime for that. “We need to determine how the foreign cells were introduced. I’ll be needing to draw a few new samples of blood and take some other samples.

“I’m not convinced that the weapon itself is what introduced them. Likely, it was some time beforehand. Which…raises more questions, admittedly. It means someone would have had to know about the resonance weapon and that it was going to be fired.”

Well, that part seems truthful at least. I let out a small sigh as Zafir stood and began rummaging around for his kit. “Am I still required to hide it?”

“Yes. They’re concerned that it could destabilize the others if they were to see, and recognize, the change.” Zafir nodded without turning around. “Given the rather striking color, I’d say it can’t be passed off as a bruise. You would sooner be able to pass it off as a bad tattoo…were removing such things not such a simple matter.”

“Great,” I muttered, watching out of the corner of my eye as Zafir walked over, rolling a tiered tray behind him. He sat next to me and began pulling his gloves on as I watched. “You know, I didn’t agree to this.”

He hesitated briefly, then sighed and continued preparing. “And we both know that you don’t have much choice in this matter, and neither do I. All I can do is promise you that I will seek out a solution. I would prefer to solve the problem instead of discovering if it is fatal the difficult way, and its proximity to important organs is making me…anxious. Please, cooperate.”

With that, he held out a hand and gave me a gentle look. I reluctantly complied, choosing to stare at a wall while he collected what he needed. Blood, skin, nail clippings, even a bit of hair. I was a little surprised he left it at that, honestly.

“Now then, about your patrols for the week,” Zafir began, offering me a sheet of paper, “I want you to continue overseeing the Syldrari Sector, and especially its borders with other sectors. We’ve seen a spike in crime since Jysel’s address, and it’s a good opportunity for you to make more appearances as Lethe. The others will be on standby in case you need backup.”

“You owe me a massage after all that,” I complained, slumping back in my chair.

“I will consider it if you continue to both behave and perform well,” Zafir remarked in a tone that made me think that he thought I was joking. “Now then. We should review your schedule. Morning through afternoon, you will be patrolling the Syldrari Sector as yourself. You will return here after, have dinner, and a nap should you need it. Then, you will deploy as Lethe.

“Aisu and Maelor will both also be awake and prepared to come to your aid if you need it. You will also do the same for them if something goes amiss in their districts.

“I’ve decided to…ah, scramble your schedules. Our bosses have delayed my plan for the military to publicly accept your team’s actions. As such, you need to appear disorganized.”

“Now you also owe me a strong drink.” I propped my elbow on the armrest and gave Zafir an unamused look. “If you keep up these overly long explanations—”

“Behave.” Zafir bristled, before shutting his eyes briefly and taking a calming breath. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he continued like nothing happened, “You will be on duty tonight, tomorrow night, and the night two days after that. Your weekday schedule remains unchanged, for now. If tensions rise, you may have to patrol the rest of the weekend as well. For now, you have the daytime on weekends off. I’m hoping you can focus on training others on those days, since our bosses aren’t giving you time during the week to.”

“ Zafir .” I leaned forward.

“ What ?” He gave me an exasperated look.

“I have a question I’ve been wanting to ask since the ‘party,’” I informed him. He looked oddly relieved and motioned for me to continue. “This…overheating thing. Are any of the others experiencing it, do we know what causes it, or how to stop it?”

“Ah. I’m afraid…that depends,” he murmured, rubbing his chin. His eyes seemed to unfocus while he did so. “One possibility is that it’s caused by the cellular dissonance. Were the vibrations between cells to increase to higher levels, you could experience that as a form of overheating. The issue is that there’s no real way to predict what could trigger your cells to do that. Especially not in such a setting.

“The other options…come from the Syldrari side of your current genetic pool. However, most are unconfirmed theories. The only one that is a confirmed source of rising body temperature would be arousal, but it’s safe to say that the overheating you experienced was too extreme to be that, and I find it hard to imagine you were aroused in such a place to begin with.

“I’m afraid the rumor-related options aren’t something either of us could easily query. I am disinclined to foist it on our acquaintances either, due to the nature of those rumors. They are…a taboo.”

I sighed in disappointment. “Well, thanks for answering even if it boils down to ‘you don’t know, and even if you did, you can’t say.’”

“Elara, I—”

“Yes, yes, I know you’re playing mama…bear.” I frowned slightly. I’d wanted to go for another type of animal, but it refused to come to me. “Is that all? I should get ready for my patrols.”

“There’s one more thing we should address,” Zafir murmured, hesitating slightly before placing a sheet in front of me. At a glance, I could tell from an icon in the corner it had something to do with neurology, but none of the imagery on the rest of the sheet made any sense to me. “I finished analyzing the various scans I took of your brain and compared it to that of the other Resonance Incident survivors.

“Those of you who are showing signs of cellular dissonance…also have no memories from before the Incident. That is to say, the sections of your mind that should exist with that information just…don’t. There are only so many governments with the technology to remove sections of the mind. Fewer still that are willing to use it.”

“…which, given various other implications…” I motioned loosely, and Zafir nodded, his jaw clenched and his gaze fiery. “We’re keeping this bit quiet, I take it?”

“Yes.”

I sighed and slid my chair back, then rose to my feet. “Alright. Need anything before I get to work?”

“I would appreciate it if you would ask Sarah to bring me my lunch in a few hours, I have too much work to do…” Zafir sighed, then tilted his head faintly. A moment later, he pulled out his wallet and offered me some of the money out of it. “If you could pick up a few things for me from the Syldrari Sector while you’re there, I’d be quite grateful. I’ll jot them down for you.

I nodded to him. “Sure. Anything I need to be worried about?”

“No. They’re teas and medicinal herbs that I learned about during university. Syldra is home to flora with some incredible properties.”

“Uh huh.” I raised an eyebrow at him as he scribbled a list of things and handed that to me as well. “Try not to go too crazy all holed up in here, working. Take a walk later if you need a mental break.”

“I will try to remember that.” Zafir gave me a lopsided smile.

“Then I’ll have Sarah remember it for you,” I informed him as I left his office and made my way straight to the lobby. Sarah was behind the counter as usual, though her attention appeared to be focused on a book instead of potential visitors. Couldn’t blame her. “Yoo-hoo.”

“Oh, hi, Elara.” Sarah glanced up, then smiled sheepishly. “What’s up?”

“Zafir asked me to ask you to bring him his lunch in a few hours. He’s gonna forget, otherwise,” I answered dryly, and she rolled her eyes. I got the feeling it was a common occurrence. “He’s swamped with work. Think you can force him to go take a walk sometime this afternoon?”

“I can try.” She nodded. “I swear he’s gotten more stubborn this past week.”

“If he bitches, remind him he can’t take care of us if he doesn’t take care of him.” I grinned, placing a hand on my hip. “He’s given us plenty of ammo to use against him, but we can start there. Now! I’m gonna go get ready for work. If you need me to pick up anything on the way back, make me a list. I’ll check in with you before I leave.”

* * *

Even at such an atrociously early hour, the Syldrari Sector was abuzz with activity. The main topic of the day appeared to be Jysel’s address…which the locals were not happy about. From what I gathered, they felt that the ‘foolish boy’s’ demands were going to make their lives harder. They didn’t believe his claims regarding captured queens in the slightest. ‘Too improbable,’ they claimed.

And I can’t exactly go around telling them it’s true. I sighed faintly before returning to the stoic expression I was expected to keep during patrols. Granted, the Syldrari were in such an uproar I was starting to think I’d complete my first lap without a single greeting.

“Ah! Elara! Over here!” A neon green Syldrari waved to me, raising up on her tiptoes. It took me a moment to realize it was Xilen’s daughter…who I hadn’t been introduced to properly, yet.

“Hey. On patrol, so can’t linger long,” I informed her as I strode over.

She smiled brightly anyway. “I realized that I didn’t introduced myself yet! My name is Ceyoh, I’m Xilen’s…uh, let’s keep it simple. Daughter. I wanted to ask how you and the others are enjoying the ludrán.”

“Oh, that’s a little complicated, actually. Let’s see here…” I pulled out my communicator and swiped through a few menus, finally finding my notepad. Then, I glanced at her. “I can send you the notes, though I’d appreciate it if you kept certain details quiet.”

“Hmm?” Ceyoh peeked over my shoulder, so I showed her the two columns—one for Incident survivors, the other for the numerous guards at the facility that I’d been foisting pieces of candy on. “Oooh, I see. Understandable. Mother’s first rule of business—if your client wants you to keep quiet, then keep quiet!”

With that settled, I sent her the file, then checked the time. “I should get back to my rounds, I’m afraid. You still going to be open in a few hours?”

“Sure will!” Ceyoh answered with a smile. “Well, unless mother calls me for something. You want more ludrán?”

“Yeah, uh…” I pointed out six different flavors. “Can you save me a jar or two of each of those?”

“Of course! I’ll set them aside so you can swing by later.” Ceyoh gave me a brief wave before disappearing behind her stall to tuck things away.

With that done, I moved deeper into the district…and felt a twinge of concern when I came across Rel’s place. The cafe was closed, and all the curtains were drawn shut upstairs, with no hint of light peeking through. But…I couldn’t afford to linger. I needed to keep chugging forward.

On my third lap through the main section of the sector, I was stopped by a familiar, rifle-toting face. At least, I was pretty sure it was a rifle.

Casair was in full uniform, the tip of his weapon aimed toward the ground. He looked to be on patrol himself—yet surprised to see me. A second later, though, he looked relieved, and then all emotion left his face.

“Elara. Thank goodness—come with me, we need to speak in private.” Casair motioned for me to follow him, and I did so—despite how nervous it made the onlookers.

I couldn’t exactly blame them. The giant of a Syldrari leading a ‘human soldier’ into a back alley had to seem a little odd.

“What’s wrong?” I asked when Casair stopped and promptly conjured some sort of…floating energy seat things, one of which he sank into with a sigh. I sat across from him and crossed one leg over the other.

Casair gave me a serious look and leaned forward. “We’re running into issues due to the rogue clan that’s been going around looting military installations. Moreover…we think they may be targeting yours next. We can’t spare anyone to try and disrupt them yet, so you’re going to be on your own. I’m concerned. I think Jysel is too…not that he’d show it, and he’d just say it’s because Sal’aphel likes you, anyway.”

“Any idea when?” I murmured.

“Not a damn clue. But, here.” Casair offered me a small disc. “One of our scouts recorded that. Given how you helped us…thought we’d return the favor.”

“Mhm. No loose ends, right?” I asked dryly.

“There’s such a thing as understanding him too well.” Casair grimaced.

“Elara? You’ve stopped moving. Is everything alright?” Zafir askes over my earpiece. I rolled my eyes and put my head in my hand, while Casair snorted.

“Yes, mother, I’m quite fine. I’ll resume patrolling shortly,” I answered.

“You…don’t need extraction?” Zafir hesitated.

“I don’t. I followed a cute little birdy. I’ll get back to work soon.” I grinned when Casair turned blue and huffed. Zafir sighed in my ear, then there was a click as he hung up. “Okay. If there’s nothing else, I should—”

“Keep an eye on him, will ya?” Casair shook his head and stood up, then offered me a hand to my feet to. Then, he tilted his head and gave me a mildly concerned look. “You been eating alright? There’s a hunger in your eyes I haven’t seen before.”

“Yeah, I’ve been eating fine…it’s just my lunch plan is currently closed.” I half-shrugged, though Casair didn’t look convinced. “See you around maybe, and thanks for the heads up.”

I made my way out of the alley without waiting for a response and promptly resumed tracing my steps around the sector. All in all, it was uneventful as ever. The Syldrari appeared to be some of the politest, most well-behaved people in the city.

On my last loop, I lingered by Rel’s place for a moment…then started walking away. Still closed. Alas, as I turned away, I spotted Rel strolling down the street toward me with a veritable mountain of boxes in his arms, and a few bags hanging from them.

One of these days I’m gonna find out what’s under those leather pants. I eyed his legs, crotch, then the off-the-shoulder sweater he was wearing. Finally, I started walking toward him and called, “Afternoon, Rel. Need some help?”

“If you would…” Rel paused long enough for me to snatch the top four boxes, which I tucked under each arm. He sighed, his vision no longer obscured, and gave me a small smile. “Thank you, Elara. How goes your patrols?”

“Uneventful,” I answered, following him into the cafe after he unlocked it. “You should’ve had Aldiner and Ciheri help you carry stuff.”

“Ah, but then you wouldn’t have been able to swoop in and save the day,” Rel remarked dryly, shaking his head. “In all seriousness, they’re out tending to other errands for me. It’s ‘stock up’ day, as it were. These are my ingredients that are imported from off world. A few planets in this system are capable of supporting some of the more unique flora and fauna we like, so we have farms and facilities there.”

“Oh? What are the boys out getting, then?” I inquired.

“I have them scouring the markets in the other sectors for some spices I would like to try from non-Syldrari cultures. I want to see if I can come up with some interesting fusion dishes… Ah, but I’m probably boring you, aren’t I?” Rel hesitated, then glanced back at me.

“Not at all. Though I’d imagine I am in your way. Where would you like these?” I pointed awkwardly at the boxes I was still holding.

“Here,” Rel spoke up as he walked toward me, clearly wanting to take them. After a little work, he had all four boxes and stored them in the freezer under the bar. “Hmm? Where are you going, Elara?”

“Well, you’re closed, and I helped, so I figured I should—”

“Close the door and come sit down. I can hear your stomach growling from here,” Rel stated, shaking his head. “You should have time to join me for dinner, right?”

“If it’s not too much trouble,” I answered, linking my fingers behind my back as I walked over to the counter.

“It’s no trouble at all. Trust me—if I didn’t want you to join me, you would know already.” Rel placed two glasses on the counter, then hesitated, giving me an inquisitive look. “Are you fully off duty after this, or…”

“I’m afraid not.” I shook my head as I perched on a stool.

“Very well then. Alcohol for me, and for you…let’s see…” Rel opened a cabinet of colorful bottles and scanned them, his expression surprisingly intense. After a moment, he glanced back at me. “Any aches or pains lately? Or anything else ‘off?’”

Right. Medicinal ingredients and whatnot, right? I eyed the cabinet—more than half its contents glowed damn near brighter than my battle suit did. “Intermittent headaches. Have had some general all-over aches too, though I think that’s just the ‘standard issue’ bed being…awful.”

“Of course,” Rel muttered, shaking his head. He pulled down several jars and set about dosing them out. Finally, he began to brew what I had to assume was tea out of the custom blend. To my surprise, he then walked around the counter and over to me, motioning at my shoulders. “If I may? I’d like to double-check that ‘general aches’ is truly all it is.”

“You can do that?” I raised an eyebrow, though I had to stop watching him when he disappeared behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

“Quite easily…if you do not mind touch. I can see where some of the aches are, but I can identify them better if I use touch and sound to see how the muscles respond,” Rel answered, his voice taking on an ethereal, calming tone. “There are some illnesses that occur in those capable of wielding elements. I simply wish to make certain it isn’t one of those.”

“Sure.” I nodded once.

“Good. Now, stay quiet…if you can,” Rel murmured, the sudden shift to a suggestive tone throwing me off guard. He had a voice made for that kind of tone. Smooth, deep, commanding…goddamn.

Alright…quiet time. You too, brain. I listened for whatever Rel meant by ‘using sound,’ but whatever it was, it was beyond my range of hearing.

His fingers worked fluidly over my shoulders, then down my back and sides at a slow, careful pace. He paused in the few places I was feeling most tense, and before moving on to the next spot I heard a faint sigh of relief each time. Finally, he stopped at my lower back and then stepped away, back into view, looking rather contemplative.

“Well, my concerns were for nothing, at least, but thank you for letting me make certain. You should feel a little better for now…though I’m afraid, short of getting a real bed, the problem will persist.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “A ‘real’ bed, huh?”

I managed, just barely, to keep myself from reacting to my own tone. I sounded horny . I crossed my toes in my boots, hoping Rel didn’t catch it—or, if he did, which I had to assume, I hoped he wouldn’t comment. His hands are really nice though…

“Yes, a real bed. Though I can’t imagine your superiors would be happy if you suddenly brought in Syldrari furniture.” Rel shook his head faintly as he returned to looking through his cabinets. “That said, I think I have the perfect dish in mind for dinner. I was wanting something hearty anyway, and you could use the energy.”

Thankfully, I was able to shrug off any awkwardness I felt and instead focus on conversing with Rel while he cooked.

“So, what’s troubling you?” Rel inquired as he waited for a cut of meat to sear. “You’re not quite yourself today.”

“Oh…you know, a heavy amount of information from my boss, followed by receiving information I need to show my boss…” I smiled and shrugged. “There’s just a lot going on that I’m aware of but not actively involved in. It’s a lot to track.”

“Care to share?” Rel offered, leaning over the bar slightly. “Freely, of course.”

“Without any prying ears?” I mused, earning a mischievous smile and a faint nod in response. “Sure. You seemed rather displeased with the amount of info you got from Jysel and Zafir. I can regale you with what Zafir dumped on me this morning.”

With that, I explained my extended exchange with Zafir from the morning, and my suspicions that the information wasn’t quite as truthful as I wanted. Rel listened attentively, even when his back was turned to me and he was making our food.

By the time I was done, he’d plated our meals and taken a seat next to me at the bar.

“I see. That is concerning,” Rel remarked as he poured me a fresh drink, and topped off his glass of…beer? Wine? Booze. Glowing red booze. “If he is twisting the truth for your safety, I can’t fault him, and it would be best if you didn’t openly question it. That said…I’m more concerned about this neurology report. Few species are capable of that. Of course, the technology could have been stolen, but…”

“But it’s also a very deliberate thing to have done. Yeah.” I grimaced before picking up my fork and knife. “It doesn’t sit well with me. I’ve never been too bothered by my memory loss—I don’t see much point in worrying about memories of a place that was so thoroughly obliterated.”

“But any family you had—” Rel cut himself off and clenched a fist. “Though, perhaps I am the last person who should speak on the matter. Even if I left long ago, I’m still from—”

“I’m told the only biological data there that matched mine is mine, and none of the people who knew people there recognized me in the slightest.” I shook my head, then gave him a firm look. “And hey, I’m not going to blame you for any part of that shit. So, don’t start blaming yourself, either.”

“You’re right.” Rel sighed and gave me a small smile. “You need to come back on a night you don’t have work so we can share a proper drink.”

“I’ll consider it—but let’s not test if my alcohol resistance is human or Syldrari, alright?” I laughed, shaking my head. “That sounds like it’d be a recipe for alcohol poisoning—maybe for both of us.”

“Elara,” Rel spoke quietly.

“Hm?” I glanced to my left, finding he was leaning a little too close.

“There’s still something we really should discuss—”

“We’re back!” Aldiner called cheerfully as he threw open the front doors and walked in with Ciheri in tow.

Rel must’ve realized it looked like he was trying to kiss me, because he moved back into place so quickly that all I saw was a blur. His glow wavered briefly before settling into the lazy coils of cyan it usually was. I held back a laugh and turned further in my seat to look at Aldiner and Ciheri.

“Sheesh, you two have a lot of boxes,” I remarked, raising an eyebrow. they, at least, had something to roll the boxes in instead of having to carry them. Raising an eyebrow, I looked at Rel. “Maybe you should get a second trolly.”

“Perhaps.” Rel shrugged, though he flushed slightly. “Or you could just help me again.”

“Elara!” Ciheri called, looking quite surprised to see me. “Were you patrolling today?”

“Aww, how did we miss her?” Aldiner paused and tilted his head, looking me up and down. “Okay. Might have something to do with the blob you humans call a uniform.”

“Yes…quite the contrast to your ‘standard issue’ dress uniform,” Rel remarked, eyeing me as well. “Come to think of it, I don’t believe I’ve seen you wear much other than uniforms and training clothes.”

“Shopping is a little…overwhelming.” I shook my head. “It also gets old really fast when the people ask what styles you like, and you quite literally don’t know.”

“Xilen could—” Rel started to suggest, though he rethought it before I could even protest. “Actually, we’ve already seen how she would dress you, and I don’t think it would go over well with your superiors. Never mind.”

“I’ll get around to shopping for myself eventually. I just need a day where I actually have enough time to sit down and browse online.” I stretched my legs out briefly, then sighed. “For now though, I should go report before I see to my other work. I’ll have to pass on dessert this time.”

Rel caught me around the waist with one arm after I stood up, stopping me. He leaned a little closer, a tempting smile on his lips. His glow shifted to a rich fuchsia that gave off a blue halo of light. “You could always come back by for dessert later tonight.”

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