Page 121 of Cage of Starlight
“I’ll take care of it, then. You can go,” Helner says coldly.
“I’m afraid not. I’ve been asked to observe.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“We simply believe two sets of feedback will be best. Besides, I’ll be able to give my report in person. You may provide notes and offer suggestions, but I’ll be taking the lead.”
Helner’s hand twitches at her side, and Tory wonders what organ she’s daydreaming of removing. “Lieutenant—”
“Major,” the officer corrects her, smile strained. He looks back to the gathered Kineticists. “Gentleman, please continue. Ah, hmm . . . #1, please throw an attack at the target. #2, direct an attack at #3. This time, please use all your strength.”
The trainees must have gotten used to being referred to by numbers, because they obey. Their energy is a sizzling, electric thing. Tory can’t help his reflexive flinch, but both attacks naturally fizzle out before landing, the small metal balls they’re using as projectiles slowing and dropping before they hit their target.
The officer’s eyes dance, and he lifts a clipboard from his side and jots urgent notes. “Excellent. Oh,excellent, this is better than anticipated.” He smirks at Helner. “As you may have noticed, Doctor, the material used to create the target and the vest has . . . unique properties.”
“I noticed,” Helner bites out.
“In addition to the vests and targets, we’ve also sent some of what we’re calling N001, a nullifying agent. We have it in injectable syringe form, dart form, and gaseous form, to disable enemies. Naturally, we’ll need to test all varieties and record the effects. The Grand General is especially interested in how the gaseous form works in both enclosed spaces and open air and how long we can expect enemies’ abilities to be inaccessible after exposure.”
“Enemies,” Helner echoes, hollow. “Both Arlune and Westrice’s fighting forces are Seeds. These weapons will disable both sides.”
“Yes,” the man says, thoughtful. “But we need to think of the future.”
Helner says what Tory’s thinking, fiery as ever. “Lieutenant, what future could we possibly be preparing for with anti-Seed weaponry? Civil war?”
“Doctor!” The officer’s spine goes rigid. “I’m not at liberty to discuss that.”
“And he’s using his son to do it. That boy really is better off dead.”
Tory closes his eyes, but the feeling growing in him is closer to rage than sorrow. How dare these people? Howdarethe Grand General turn someone as gentle as Sena into a weapon?
The officer straightens a uniform that’s not in need of straightening. “A minor inconvenience, that, but nothing we can’t work past. Luckily, the compound in the Neutralizer’s blood is stable and powerful in very small doses. Our existing stock should serve us foryears.” He brightens. “Ah, forgive me. Is this the Channeler, then? The Grand General believes it would be wise to repeat the experiments but have the Channeler gather and combine the attacks before directing them at their targets. We’d be interested to see if the unique skills of the Channeler change the way the neutralizing component reacts to attacks.”
He pauses after he speaks, like he expects Tory to leap to attention and execute his orders.
“Channeler?” The officer says again. It’s weird to recognize how different it is from how Sena saidWorldseed. The officer says Channeler like a person might say hammer.
“I have a name.”
“And I would use it if it were relevant to our work here.”
Anger coils in Tory’s stomach, and he strides over to where the officer has indicated.
“Good. Kineticists, please accelerate attacks toward the Channeler as a group. Channeler, redirect those attacks toward the target.”
A long pause. The officer’s pen waits, poised over his clipboard.
“I’d appreciate verbal affirmation.”
“Fine,” Tory says.
When the three Seeds throw attacks at him, it’s child’s play to steal the energy. It takes a bit more focus to combine and direct them, but he already did it during his escape attempt, and he handled energy on a much larger scale on the battlefield.
As expected, the attacks die before reaching the target.
The officer jots a few more notes. “Very good. Keep going. Kineticists, give it everything you have. Don’t let up—once one attack is redirected, send another. It’s important that we discover whether the target’s effects are static or exhaustible.”
The sizzle of their energy approaching fast in the periphery says they’re obeying, and Tory steals and slings those attacks, as well. Sena’s energy neutralizes them.
