Chapter 3 #3
If the woman had been using her talents, Taz might have realized sooner that she must be a multi-talent minder.
“You don’t have to answer, but are you a sifter?
I can use a neural pain block instead. Invasive because of the microneedles and takes a little longer, but no brain chems involved. You’ll lose sensation below the waist.”
“Yes, do it.” replied Nadryer. “Is it against GSAR rules to use your sifter talent on me? I feel like I’m on a neuro thrill ride. It’s making my pain worse, too.”
Taz blinked at the woman’s matter-of-fact request. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“Fucking CPS.” Nadryer gave a watery sigh. “Why even hire minders if they won’t let them work?”
Taz slipped her hand under Nadryer’s back to center the neuro block over her cervical spine.
Maybe because of the skin-to-skin contact, she thought she could sense the imbalanced neurotransmitters and the flailing receptors.
Sort of like a subtle version of the haze of impending violence, but chaotic, like misfiring electrical nodes in a tech circuit.
On impulse, Taz leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I can’t help because I don’t know how. Besides, I’m low-level at best.”
Nadryer’s eyes widened for a moment. “Whoever told you that was full of shit.” Her expression softened as she studied Taz’s face. “Want a quick lesson? We advertise meditation classes, but what we really do is train minders. The CPS’s methods don’t work for everyone.”
Taz had no idea there was such a thing as private minder tutoring. “Thank you, but not right now. You need all your energy for yourself.”
A weak smile played on Nadryer’s face. “I wouldn’t be spending the energy, you would. Healers can sometimes work on themselves, but sifters can’t. Like trying to tickle yourself.” A moment later, she sighed again. More tears flowed. “Ah, that’s better.”
The relief on Nadryer’s face told Taz the neuro block finally kicked in. She grounded and opened the capsule right next to Nadryer so it wouldn’t skitter away like a cat that wanted to be admired but not touched.
Nadryer’s forehead wrinkled. “Wonder what happened to my boots?”
“Instructor Vangelio has them.” Taz slid a fat safety strap from the capsule under the woman’s waist and hooked it around her. “I’m going to lift and slide you into the capsule, rather than roll you in. It’ll help if you cross your arms tight and keep your back strong instead of saggy.”
A corner of Nadryer’s mouth lifted in amusement. “Saggy?”
“Technical term. Used by rescuers everywhere.” Taz took a centering breath, then used her telekinetic talent to ease the woman into the capsule. It took concentration to keep her floppy legs in line with the rest of her body.
Nadryer lifted her hand to touch the top of the capsule.
Taz nudged the woman’s hips in to center them.
“Being in a capsule is like being in an autodoc that flies. I’ll tell it about the neuro block and that you’re, er, allergic to receptor-type painkillers.
When I seal the door, it’ll insert a billion microneedles, scan your injuries, and take you to the nearest accepting medic center. Any questions?”
“No.” Unexpectedly, the woman grabbed Taz’s hand. “Thank you. Get training for your sifter talent. It’s at least as strong as your teke talent.”
“I will,” Taz agreed reflexively, then remembered the woman was another sifter who could detect half-truths.
“I’ll consider it.” But not while she was still in the CPS, where a telepath could interrogate her anytime they wanted if they thought she was hiding something like that.
As it was, she was alarmed the woman had sensed her unactivated sifter talent without even trying.
Taz extracted her hand, entered data into the capsule’s controller, then sealed it up. Nadryer’s face, visible through the viewport, relaxed to unconsciousness after a few seconds.
Just as she was guiding the capsule out the storeroom door and into the main area, the lights flickered again. Nearly ten seconds this time. Not a good sign.
Rylando crossed to her. “New lifesign near the lifts.” His finger brushed his nose and chin, meaning the lifesign came via one of his animals, not tech. He started to speak, then appeared to think better of it. “Let’s get this group safe, then check out the lifts.”
“Apologies for interrupting, sirs,” said Instructor Vangelio, “but we know the way out, and you said it’s clear. Your skills are needed that way.” She pointed in the direction of the lifts. “Someone is growing very fearful.”
Rylando’s gaze drifted and lost focus for a long moment.
He turned toward the group with sudden energy.
“We accept your offer. Watch the glass in the front foyer. Your flitters, if that’s how you got here, are inaccessible right now.
Head for the park about a kilometer east. Emergency Response Command will get you sorted.
” He squeezed past Taz to enter the storeroom.
As Vangelio herded her students out just as effectively as Shen would have, Rylando came back with the medical pack slung over his shoulder.
“Orders?” she asked.
“Suit up and follow me. A young human female is dangling from something thin at the bottom of an open lift shaft.”