Halfway up the ramp, Iris turned back and gave him a tremulous smile. She then turned back resolutely and marched the rest of the way into the shuttle with her back straight.
Jolt didn’t want to watch her go, but he could not make himself turn and leave until she disappeared inside the shuttle. Then he finally gave himself a mental shake and went to find Axel and decide what they would do next.
Chapter Ten
As promised Danya Hill was waiting at the shuttle landing pad by the old milk house that contained the main elevators to the underground Enclave facility. She recognized Iris immediately from the picture that Jolt had sent. She was the same height as Iris with long brown hair in a single braid that hit the middle of her back. Iris had also seen a picture of Danya and approached her as soon as she had disembarked the shuttle.
Iris approached Danya, her short blond cropped hair fluttering a little in the light breeze as she carried her crate balanced on one hip. Danya extended her hand to Iris as soon as she was close enough.
“Hello, Iris Bloom.” She smiled as the other young woman took her hand and smiled back at her.
“Danya, I assume. It’s good to meet you.” She smiled back. “I think my mother had a sense of humor, to name me that.”
The other woman laughed.
“I am so glad Jolt found you. He was so disappointed when he was the only one of his brothers who hadn’t found his female,” Danya said and released her hand. “Jolt’s flat is in the underground facility as is Vyken’s and mine while our home is under construction.”
Iris frowned, “Underground?”
“You will be surprised how large our community has become. We have close to 1000 people living in the underground units and almost 2000 more in the encampment over there where the village is being constructed. It’s not as frightening as it sounds.”
Iris nodded and followed Danya into the building and into the elevator. As the elevator descended to underground Level 4, Iris felt suddenly light-headed. It had happened a few times before she’d been attacked, but this time it was accompanied by a cacophony of noise in her head. It felt like she was in a crowd of people all talking loudly at once.
It seemed to lessen as they reached the lower underground level but Iris swayed on her feet and put out her hand against the elevator doors as she stepped out of the elevator into the corridor.
“Are you all right, Iris?”
“I don’t know. My head feels funny, and there’s like a buzzing noise, and I don’t know what’s causing it.”
“Do you want me to call the medic?” Danya asked. “You have just been through a major trauma. Maybe they missed something.”
“It’s happened a few times before the attack. The buzzing is gone; now, I just have a headache.”
“Let’s just call the medic so they can give you a scan to see what’s going on,” Danya insisted. “Just a precaution. You’re not used to riding in a shuttle. Some of the others have had motion sickness afterward.”
Danya pulled her small com unit from her pocket and called the cyborg medic Teag Walker. He had been assisting with the intakes for a few months since his awakening. She wished for Kydel, but he was in orbit onStarfire.
Teag appeared at Jolt’s open door within a few minutes. Danya met him at the door and led him into the bedroom where Iris was lying down with a cold cloth on her forehead.
He was tall and brawny like most of the other cyborgs, and he wore the usual black cargo pants and khaki t-shirt as the others. His thick blond hair was tied at the nape of his neck in a ponytail that hung to the middle of his back. Although both women were mated, they couldn’t help noticing how attractive he was.
“Hello, Iris,” he said in a soothing tone. I am Medic Teag Walker. I got your medical history from Knox. in Farringay before I came down. There was nothing to explain her current symptoms, so I brought my scanner along to check you over.”
“Okay,” Iris agreed.
Teag got out his hand-held scanner. He held it above her body to do a full scan. A short bleep signaled the scan was complete. Momentarily, the results came onto the screen, and the medic frowned.
“What is it?” asked Danya.
Iris pulled the cloth off her forehead and sat up as she heard that. “What’s wrong with me?”
“It’s not exactly wrong. I just hadn’t seen this diagnosis before,” he said. “Do you want me to discuss your result in private?” He looked at Danya.
“No, it’s okay. She’s the Commander’s mate.”
“Your brain scan shows a high level of psionic activity in the part of your brain responsible for telepathic abilities.”
“What?” Iris frowned. “What’s telepathy?”
