Axira Episode One (21 page)

Did I owe it to Em to try?

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 towards 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 towards 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 towards 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 restrains.

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 find 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.

Chapter 17

Axira

I didn’t know what to expect. What would the Academy do with
me? A lot had slipped about my past during the altercation with
Hendra. They’d know I’d come from the Kore Empire, know I’d been
forced to serve one of the Sect Masters.

So what now?

I didn’t have to wait long for my answer. I was taken
straight to a briefing room. Both Admirals Forest and Singh were
there, as was Jason.

They sat me down in a chair.

Admiral Singh was seated behind a desk, her expression
looking a measure of calm. I knew it was forced though – her
daughter had almost died.

“
A lot just happened, Cadet,” Singh said as she nodded gravely
my way.