AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
The hiss of the milk frother made her smile as she put the donut in the paper sleeve. Kyda got the pastry to the customer, smiled, and waved. The morning rush was nearly done, and by splitting the focuses, they got things moving rapidly. Also, folks were less uptight when holding a cupcake.
Ameran was excellent at making coffee. His extra two arms made watching things entertaining and very effective using the two machines.
She heated sandwiches, got pastries, and kept Ameran topped up while they worked. When the rush was over, they cleaned up and then left the counter to pick up after the customers.
She got rid of the garbage and was sweeping up when an active came through the doors. Kyda froze when she saw the red instead of the whites of his eyes. The tremors in his hands said it wasn’t part of his activation.
She blinked and took in the sweat, the blue tinge to his skin, and the shaking. He was probably on push.
“I want a latte, and I want it made by that little miss right there.” The guy pointed at Yeevani, and the young woman blinked and shook.
Ameran said, “She isn’t trained yet. She’s new.”
The guy huffed. “I don’t care. I want her little hands on the cup.”
Yeevani’s pale-green skin flushed purple, and there was an ugly laugh.
Kyda caught Ameran’s gaze and nodded. She dropped her broom, and the active whirled, seeing her for the first time. Ameran hit the silent alarm and resumed his pose next to the machines.
The active didn’t see him move. He had fixed on Kyda. She watched him approach, and he did what a guy on push would do. He grabbed her and threw her through the plate glass of the front of the shop.
Kyda went limp when she hit the window, letting the impact slow her down. She hoped for minimal traffic and was even grateful that the momentum carried her into the local park across the road, complete with hedges.
The pain of the hedge was minimal compared to all of the fractures caused by hitting the window.
She heard the sirens and the screaming of the active as the local detachment came to get him. It took a long time before anyone came looking for her, but when she heard, “Oh, dear god,” she knew they had found her.
They waited while an air active arrived, and a telekinetic helped to get her onto a gel suspension bed.
One of the medics asked, “Can we get her name?”
Ameran said, “Kyda. Kyda Lyt.”
“Great. Kyda, we have to get you to a facility that can deal with the extent of this.”
She tried to move her arm with the com, and they stopped her. She whispered, “Scan, please.”
They scanned her shattered unit and were shocked when they got a response on the RFID frequency. “Holy...”
They started calling around and got her into a transport, and instead of a hospital, they headed for an experimental facility. Z Corp was their destination, and a team was getting ready to receive her.
Pain radiated through her, and she wanted to scream, but her throat wasn’t working. She truly wished she was able to pass out, but she wasn’t that lucky.
Agents met them at the loading dock and quizzed anyone to see if they had been in contact with her blood. When the answer was no, the heavily suited agents took over, and one mindwiped the first responders and their equipment of any memory of her, and she was eased into a service elevator. She was really hoping that no one would call her brother. He was going to be pissed.
* * * *
Kynor arrived at the base and grinned at the thought of visiting his little sister. He was a little worried, but Kyda could take care of herself under average circumstances.
He changed from his uniform to his civvies and headed for the exit. He heard his name called out and looked to see the administrator coming toward him with hesitant steps.
“Kynor, there has been an incident. I need you to come to the office so that I can brief you.”
Kynor frowned. “What is it?”
The administrator gestured toward the office. Kynor walked with him into the room and sat heavily when he got the news. “She’s critical?”
