Sandsa left the hovercar the moment the packed vehicle drew to a halt inside the garage of a building that the gang members called their ‘headquarters’, then waited for Callista to join him before continuing any further. Barely a second after her fingers brushed his, a dark-skinned woman appeared in the doorway, thumbs hooked onto her belt as she surveyed everyone with two eyes, one real and one mechanised. Then she barked, ‘How many of those Primus douchenozzles got away, huh?’
‘Several, but they will think twice before coming after us again,’ Sandsa answered, treading up the ramp towards her. ‘I made sure of that.’
A lasgun appeared in the woman’s hand quicker than the desert god could blink. A hush fell over the garage. Callista cleared her throat and stepped forward, drawing in line with Sandsa. ‘He’s with us, Ala.’
One dark eyebrow rose on Ala’s face. Callista lifted her chin in response.
‘Oh, sure, just bring anyone off the street into our headquarters — obviously you don’t need my permission,’ Ala said, her weapon unwavering. ‘What gives? Does he even know what we are?’
Sandsa shrugged. ‘I do not mind that you are a gang.’
‘Are there any other gangs you don’t mind?’ Ala demanded of him.
‘This is the first one I’ve come across,’ he said, glancing aside sharply when cold steel snapped over his wrists, binding them together. Callista had surprised him with the cuffs. She was probably the only mortal who could, he reflected. ‘And I don’t think your people are unhappy that I intervened.’
The teenager from the battle, his shielding device still clenched in his sweaty hand, chortled. ‘You can keep on intervenin’ if you want. Hey, I don’t see any lasgun on you. How’d ya do it?’
‘Bock,’ Ala warned then waited, as if she knew just how many seconds of silence would make him capitulate.
Bock jerked his head at Sandsa. ‘Subofficer, he saved our arses. You’ve brought in others for less. You shoulda seen Dancer too, she came on in and…’
‘Dancer, take him to a cell,’ Ala said and turned, storming back into the upper levels of the building.
‘So how’d ya do it?’ Bock asked Sandsa keenly.
Callista slapped Bock’s shoulder. ‘Idiot. His weapon fried so he had to drop it. You’d better go clean up — I need to get some answers out of our friend here.’
‘Fine,’ the teenager grumbled.
***
The moment she opened the door Callista kicked the backs of his knees, forcing Sandsa to stagger over to the solitary chair. It was frigid against his skin, just like the room itself. No windows, no lamps, just whatever light managed to sneak in through the slightly ajar door. The cuffs cut into his wrists, an annoyance, but not one that he would have to put up with for long if he used his powers.
‘What are you?’ she asked, her eyes dark with suspicion.
‘I am Sa — ’
‘No. No name. We both know what’ll happen. I’ll wake up and you’ll be gone.’
Sandsa let his gaze travel to her wounds. She shook her head. ‘And if you heal me I’ll wake up without any proof that you exist.’
‘Should I have let you die?’
‘Might have saved you some trouble,’ she said.
‘I don’t disagree.’
‘You haven’t answered the question. What are you?’
‘Human?’
‘Can humans command the sand where you’re from?’
Sandsa kept his head very still. ‘All who follow the Desine are given the Magic.’
‘I’ve heard that about the desert god,’ Callista said, frowning. ‘But Magic? It’s gotta be tech. I know Chippers get their abilities from the chips in their heads and, granted, I don’t see any chips on the desert folk who keep saying they have their own god and magical powers and whatever. But it might not be so obvious as a chip.’
Pursing his lips, Sandsa said, ‘Chippers. I know them, if not the word. You speak of GLEA, the ones with, ah, tech that enables them to access the powers my fat — the Creator God made available to them?’
Centuries ago, a human had somehow created a chip that, when inserted beneath one temple, gave them the ability to feel the energy of the universe around them — and the ability to manipulate it to some degree. Sandsa had once asked his father why he had allowed the mortals to achieve this; the Ine had then explained that his creation needed mortals as well as gods to look after them. Sandsa felt an old stirring of dislike for the Galactic Law Enforcement Agency. At least the mortals got to choose whether or not they wanted to become Chippers and run around looking after people they didn’t care about.
‘Yeah, who else would I mean?’ Callista asked with a roll of her eyes. ‘But enough. I have to know. What are you?’
‘Why do you ask that so fervently?’ Sandsa skirted his way towards her mind, not wanting to invade her thoughts but tempted to do so all the same. He was desperate to know more about her.
Callista’s eyes flicked over to the doorway. No shadow fell there. She turned back to him, her lips warring with each other. ‘Are you a dream made real? I’ve seen you every night, I’ve…’
She stopped speaking abruptly. Sandsa wondered why a pink tinge filled her cheeks and why her eyes darkened even further. Finally, he broke the silence. ‘You have invaded my own dreams. Tell me, how is this so? You are just human.’
‘Apparently so are you.’
Sandsa gave in and stabbed right through the outer layers of her mind. He blinked when he felt resistance against his probe, a clumsy attempt at deflection that could become so much more with training. After sifting through her memories and finding her most recent visions, he pulled back and gazed intently at her temple.
‘You don’t have a chip,’ Sandsa said, even though that would not have explained everything; she had abilities that clearly didn’t belong to GLEA.
Callista rubbed her forehead. ‘Neither do you.’ When she looked up, her face was full of hope. ‘I thought I was the only one.’
‘Only what?’ Sandsa asked, wondering if his father had started giving mortals this natural ability just in case GLEA’s chips stopped working.
‘Were you born with it too?’ she asked quietly. ‘Is that why I can’t read your thoughts?’
‘I have learned to guard my thoughts. You haven’t. I could clearly feel your fear during the battle. It’s what led me to you — well, that and my vision.’
Callista’s smile filled him with warmth quicker than any star’s light. ‘So you came for me. Finally.’
‘Yes. I felt you for so long but I could never find you, and then last night…I wasn’t just passing through, Callista.’
She shook her head. ‘You’ll need a better explanation than dreams and visions for interfering in our fight. If Ala believes you, she’ll probably have you shot. If she doesn’t…she’ll ask me to press the truth from you.’
‘Let me guess.’ Sandsa gave her a smile of his own. ‘You have never pressed. You find that sometimes you can simply read the information you need from the minds of your prisoners. Your superior doesn’t know you don’t use fists or threats to get what you want.’
‘She can’t know.’
‘Why?’
Callista gave him an impassive stare.
‘You are afraid she will think you’re a Chipper and kill you,’ Sandsa surmised.
‘Worse. I’d have to defend myself and gun down anyone in my way…and I really don’t want to do that. Not to my clan.’
Sandsa nodded. ‘I see. So how can you help me?’
‘I can give you a better story, one that Ala might just swallow. If you’re lucky.’
***
‘I interfered with the skirmish as a way of announcing my intentions to join the Maria clan,’ Callista’s dream man declared, staring up at Ala with as much dignity as the interrogation chair would allow.
Ala shone a lasgun sight directly into his eyes. He blinked.
‘And not just ’cause you saw this pretty face?’ Ala said.
‘That too,’ he said with a shrug.
Ala swung the sight onto Callista. ‘I knew I should’ve slapped you on a recruitment poster. Alright. But you’ll be the one to shoot him if he betrays us.’
Clamping down on her smile, Callista nodded.
Ala spun on her heel and was already in the corridor before she added, ‘Praise the gods you might finally lose that troublesome purity of yours.’
‘What does she mean?’ the newcomer asked Callista.
Her cheeks flamed and she started limping towards him to unlock the cuffs. ‘You’ll have to swear in blood tomorrow. Ala’ll put on a party for it and she’ll ask you if you’ve picked a gang nickname yet. You should probably come up with one now otherwise you’ll get stuck with something really — ’
She stopped talking when he knelt before her, hands held over her wounded ankle. The white light emanating from his touch hypnotised her and she froze in place, fearing that this was a dream that would end all too abruptly. But he stayed.
His face drifted past hers again. Callista’s lips tingled from the proximity of his mouth to hers, but she managed to remain still as he worked on the grazes on her face. When he was done, she snagged his hands in hers.
‘You’re not going to bolt, are you?’ she asked. ‘Because you owe me so many explanations. About what you are. About what I am.’
He smiled. ‘Bolt? I wouldn’t dare. Not when I’ve finally found you. Callista.’
‘Bolt,’ she echoed. ‘That’s it. I’m calling you Bolt.’
‘Don’t you want my real name? Haven’t I proved I’m staying?’
Callista looked away. ‘You’ve only proved that you’re real, Bolt. Don’t push it.’
Much to her relief, he nodded.