The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

most having to do with bioengineering. Tomelin delivered lectures on the purposes of each lab, the products in development, and which experiments violated Chancellory bylaws. She referenced working here until six years earlier. Admiral Perrone followed alongside, a cube open with others listening in. Rayna ignored the names of his accomplices when he rattled them off, followed by their long titles – an imperial element Rayna despised.

She wanted to be anywhere else. She searched her mind for a link to James, but she felt only an itch. When she called out, he did not respond. Instead, she felt a quiet breeze where his words should have bounced back. The breeze turned into a murmur then a heartbeat. She could touch him, and yet …

“Is he in danger?” She asked Mentor.

The tall man in white carried his pocket watch as he walked alongside her, admiring the technology.

“Fear not,” Mentor said. “It is only a matter of distance. You will both learn your range soon enough. Still dreaming of the first kiss?”

“You are disgusting. We will decide our future today. I should be with James now, not in this place where these assholes create their monsters.”

“Dare I remind you, Rayna? We are one of those monsters. They assimilated us into each other in this very facility.”

Mentor’s eyes twinkled, which infuriated Rayna. He seemed fascinated by the tubes, conduits, and holograms.

“I have no wish to know about my origin. Only what is ahead. Can you tell me what these people will do to creatures like me?”

“Depends, my dearest. They have the original mission objectives, but time changes hearts and minds. Speak to Admiral Perrone or Dr. Tomelin. They are here. If you need comfort, turn to Misha. He was invaluable to you from an early age.”

“A different world,” she told Mentor. “So now Misha is home and he wishes to show all he knows.” Misha looked her way as they walked, asking from time to time if she needed clarification on what she was hearing. Rayna shook her head each time, dismissing his concern. “I already learn much from you, Mentor. They can put object in my head and teach me the rest. Da?”

“True, dearest. But Misha loves you as a father.”

“I had one of those. I do not need another.” She nodded toward Perrone. “The admiral is much like Father. Very arrogant, most in love with himself, but also a fool. Just as Father, this man will not see the truth until it is too late.”

“Agree. He seems to possess a blind spot.” He checked the pocket watch. “Are you planning to destroy me when this is resolved?”

He caught Rayna by surprise, but she loved how Mentor always anticipated her moves.

“You will make your case when the time comes, Mentor, just as we have negotiated before. But you know the truth. You are as obsolete as Misha. When James and I are together and we have cleared our path, we will need no counsel from voices in our heads.”

“Fair point. What does one say to a Berserker? ‘Don’t go berserk?’”

“We will do as we want. It is the fate of all the Jewels.”

“Is it?” Mentor pointed to Perrone. “Have you heard what the admiral is telling his allies instream? He does not sound like a man who will give you total autonomy. I can’t imagine any sane Chancellor would give the ten of you absolute free will. Seems a very dicey proposition.”

“Will not be up to him. He will be gone soon.”

“I see. And who will oversee our lot?”

“Unsure.” Rayna pointed to Ophelia. “This one is a shapeshifter. She was very gentle, like a mother, when she met me on the island. Later, she spoke to the admiral as a different woman. She is harder than they know.” Rayna turned to Mentor. “Do you remember Nyura Yurkovich? She was a kind and loyal wife to Alexei. Gave him six children, all boys. She was most respected, but she fooled them all. The boys did not belong to Alexei. When he uncovered the truth, it was he who left the village in shame, not Nyura. He died weeks later, and she married the father of her children. Shapeshifters are very dangerous. They are also patient.”

“Which is why they are difficult to spot,” Mentor said. “You have never hidden behind a false face, my dearest. Take care that your honesty not betray you. You must practice the craft of nuance, especially if I am to be destroyed. You are a load to contain, even when you have a bug in your ear.”

Rayna shooed Mentor away, but a part of her ached at the thought of a permanent removal. In ten years, she spoke to him more than any human. He guided her through the darkest episodes, advised her even as she murdered her enemies--perceived or otherwise. He made sure she did not melt under the shock of this new world and its technological wonders. For years, he offered boundless literary descriptions of the Chancellors’ Earth, repeating the stories so nothing would be a great surprise. He never elevated the Chancellors above their flaws, never promised her a paradise. She owed him. Still, Rayna saw one path.

I have been here long enough. I only need James, and he only needs me. This is the way forward.

She sped up the process. Rayna pushed past Misha, Col. Onyx, and Ophelia to interrupt Perrone’s back-and-forth with his allies instream.

“Who are these people you speak to far away? They cannot be important if they are not here.”

Perrone scowled for an instant then shifted to a more receptive tone. “Ah,” he said, “so you are listening after all?”

“No, but I think you speak too long. We should go now.”

Perrone waved back Ophelia and Misha, who moved to pull in Rayna. He pushed at the cube and tossed out a large