Tag Archives: Cassie

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 10

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Daniel had taught me how to telepathically get his attention so long ago I didn’t even remember when.

As we walked down the stairway, I gave him a mental poke. Hey, what did you learn from Courtney? How’s she handling it?

I felt a mental pause, and concentrated on the next step as Daniel answered my question. Chances are he was checking what was behind it.

Our footsteps tapped on the brown linoleum, and a few steps later, he replied. She’s scared. She’s wondering what she’s gotten into, and she’s wondering how we’re so calm about it.

I took a few more steps, thinking about that.

Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 10 →

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 9

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Part of me wanted to argue with him, but I couldn’t persuade myself that it would be worth it. He could go look up information on the Xiniti if he wanted. There wasn’t much information, but you could find out that they were around.

You could even find out information about the hyperspace jumpgate if you wanted to.

There weren’t many details, but it was in Wikipedia.

Of course, it wasn’t as if we were allowed to use it. The Xiniti were there to stop us from trying, and to prevent hostile groups from coming through.

Someday we’d be allowed to use it, and then maybe familiarity would kill all the stupid conspiracy theories.

It wouldn’t happen today. Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 9 →

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 7

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Images of Rook’s base, the glow of the jet’s dashboard during our flights, and the earlier fight with Rook’s people blurred inside my head.

Daniel gave me a mental poke. Nick, talk.

“Just kind of out. Uh… This is Daniel, a friend of mine for years. You’ve met Haley, and probably Cassie…”

He nodded, which was good, because I wasn’t sure I had introduced him to Cassie.

I indicated Izzy with my hand. “This is Izzy. She’s visiting from California. Uh…”

I’d looked at her, realizing that she was wearing the same black and blue exercise clothes she’d worn during the fight. The only difference was that instead of wearing a mask, she was wearing glasses. Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 7 →

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 6

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I felt a flash of uncertainty that turned into an uncomfortable feeling.

Daniel’s words floated into my head. I don’t like our options. We can either trust her, or I can blur her memories a little.

I think you’d have to do more than blur her memories a little. She was in the van when Rook attacked, and she changed into a spare League suit. Plus she went with Vaughn and Travis to Haley’s cousin. You remember the doctor? You’d have to edit her whole night.

My memories of the night—starting with when Courtney and I went to the house—flashed through my head. I knew I wasn’t doing it.

That’s worse than I thought. His frustration washed over me. I’d have to wipe the whole night after you started walking away from the house. Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 6 →

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 3

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Text appeared below the screen that showed our position and that of the other planes.

[You’re making yourself completely vulnerable. I’m not suggesting you attack, but landing and turning off your shields represents an unacceptable risk.]

I shut off the comm, and quietly asked, “What would you suggest?”

[If you have to appear vulnerable, lower the jet, but don’t land, and give me permission to turn on the shields whenever I think it’s necessary.]

“You need my permission?”

[Yes. My makers wanted artificial intelligences limited to minimize their risk.]

Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 3 →

Arc 5.4: Picking Up Pieces

Picking Up Pieces: Part 2

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As much as I might want to assume Sean was wrong on the grounds that he was talking, I wished we could fly away.

Whatever I might think, Haley’s console had the flight controls for the moment, and unless I felt I should say something, she could make the decision without me.

My console only showed the weapons and shields at the moment.

Haley began to turn her head around. It was obvious she was going to ask someone for advice.

Keeping her voice low, Flick said, “I’ve got to make some calls. Cooperate, but stall.” Continue reading Picking Up Pieces: Part 2 →

Arc 5.3: Breaking & Entering

Breaking & Entering: Part 12

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Flick threw a ball into the main group of heavy bird bots as they began to run across the floor toward us.

The ball punctured the bird bot’s chest, coming out the other side, and continuing through each bot behind it.

I’d never known for sure what her power was, but it had something to do with controlling mass and momentum. I’d heard that there were very specific rules about how it worked, but I’d never seen her in action, so I didn’t know what they were. Continue reading Breaking & Entering: Part 12 →

Arc 5.3: Breaking & Entering

Breaking & Entering: Part 11

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Much like in the control room, the second floor mostly stayed together. Spots of concrete fell and the nearest section of floor simply bent downward toward us, giving us a view of storage rooms.

A file cabinet slid sideways, and fell into the room, landing on the melted remains of the cloning tanks.

It would have been great if that had been the end of it.

It wasn’t, but it looked like it for a second.

Cassie lowered the gun. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Yeah.” Continue reading Breaking & Entering: Part 11 →

Arc 5.3: Breaking & Entering

Breaking & Entering: Part 10

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The fan increased its power by the second.

The whirring noise came from deeper in the building—possibly pulling it directly outside. That meant instead of being something that Rook’s people had done, it might be ours.

Instead of drifting away, the smoke streamed toward the smashed door, pulled by the fan, but behind it came cold air from outside.

A glance upward showed that the section of the room’s ceiling that had reached up to the roof now opened to the sky. Izzy had taken it completely off.

If she hadn’t taken it off, the part she did remove included the middle.

Anyway, it was pretty impressive. I wouldn’t have been able to do it in the Rocket armor.

Beyond a brief sense of awe, I didn’t think about it much then. I had other things to worry about.

An alarm went off. Continue reading Breaking & Entering: Part 10 →

Arc 5.3: Breaking & Entering

Breaking & Entering: Part 9

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Casting a last look at the dead people on the floor, I ran.

Only a few steps of the Rocket suit took me away from the scene, and that was good. I didn’t want to look at them.

They’d probably died when I broke the barrier between the core and the rest of the base.

Still, even if out of sight wasn’t really out of mind, they were at least out of sight.

Unfortunately, the next room was worse. Continue reading Breaking & Entering: Part 9 →