Page 37 of Spark Transform

“Jet or patch? Adult or child? And how many and when?”

Renner hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Three of each type for adults. Before breakfast.”

Lunesti named a price. It was cheap enough that Renner just handed over the disposable anonymous cashflow chip he kept in his pocket for muggers and told him to keep the balance. They agreed on pickup arrangements just as they arrived at the used goods store’s entrance.

The crowded back room already held eleven people, none of whom seemed to be chemmed yet. Renner hung his cloak on one of the holdfasts as Lunesti did the same. No solardry, but the floor grate beneath captured dripping water.

Shukra pointed them toward chairs in the corner. “You’re the last.” She seemed bright, almost giddy. “Let’s get to it. Be’un, tell us your idea.”

Renner frowned as he half sat on a small table instead of taking the chair. Did these people have no sense at all? He snaked a tiny thread of his talent through the room and beyond, looking for monitoring tech, or anything out of the ordinary. Fortunately, he found nothing.

“No.” Be’un’s reply cracked like a whip.

Shukra blinked, clearly startled.

Be’un’s lip curled. “Fuckin’ CPS telepaths can rip any of you apart.” She pointed to her temple. “I’m a shielder, so they can’t touch me. I’m drawing up a battle plan. Each of us will have a role to play, but only I will know the whole.”

“What’s the objective?” asked Helios.

Be’un shook her head. “I already told you. We’ll be the shattered chain on their bloody anchor. We’ll hurt the CPS where it fucking hurts the most.” Fanaticism gleamed in her eyes. “They’re specialists in death and destruction, so we’ll speak their language.”

“What roles?” The questioner, code-named Hathor, was a chronically ill woman on permanent disability from the Minder Corps.

Now that Renner thought about it, she looked as frail as the irritating polymath professor from Arazak. No news yet on whether she’d been killed in the raids, but it was a good bet. The whole building had been slagged, supposedly by a completely unrelated fusion furnace malfunction rather than the CPS’s mythical terrorists.

“...make arrangements for my pets if I have to be somewhere,” Hathor was saying.

Be’un waved off the objection. “Your role will be nothing you can’t handle.”

Hathor winced at Be’un’s barely concealed disdain.

Anger stirred in Renner. The CPS deserved any and all damage, especially after today’s planet-wide raids. Be’un was obviously energized, but she might not know her ass from an asteroid as far as tactics and targets.

Shukra turned to Be’un with a frown. “Chaos, Bee, why don’t you try using a little tact? You’ve wounded or pissed off everyone in the room, even No-Worries Wairua. Helios is a heartbeat away from violence.”

Renner made a mental note that Shukra was both an empath and a sifter.

Be’un launched to her feet. “Tact is for tea parties. This is the opportunity we’ve been talking about for the last year.” She caught Helios’s eye. “The CPS killed your career. Their fucking drugs killed Hathor’s health.” She looked to Lunesti. “How many more Jumpers have to die of waster’s?” She swept the room with her gaze. “How much more can any of you stand to lose to the CPS?”

She strode to the center of the room. “I’ll tell you the objective when you need to know. It’s exploiting an upcoming security gap that the governments think they have covered. I know they don’t. I promise the CPS will bleed rivers of salt and glass.” She turned to make eye contact with each person in the room, then put her fists on her hips. “Are you in or out?”

Silence fell over the group.

To Renner, Be’un’s fiery hatred felt like coming home. The thirst for vengeance got him through the agonizing months of rebuilding his body and retraining his brain to use it. The months of terrifying nightmares for events he couldn’t fucking remember. The nineteen bloody years the CPS had left him with a monster.

“I’m in.” Shakti stood. “I’m tired of talk.”

Helios stood and crossed his arms, making his tattooed biceps bulge. “In.”

A short male with a multi-hued triple mohawk and multiple glow-chains hanging from his ears stood and walked toward the holdfasts near the door. “Out.” His expression was unreadable as he grabbed his coat and left the room.

With the next two who stood and declared for the cause, pressure built in Renner. Why wasn’t he already standing?

Hathor pushed to her feet. “I’m in.” She clasped her trembling hands together. “I have nothing more to lose.”

After a long moment, Lunesti stood. “Sorry, but I’m out. I see too much blood.” He made his way to the door, pulled on his cloak, and left without looking at anyone.

Make your death worth dying for, Neirra’s voice whispered. He’d never believed he’d have the chance.