“That seems unfair.”
“It’s not. Our society sacrificed time and funds to raise us, not our parents. It doesn’t matter if our parents chose to abandon us or died. Drathious came together and pooled what they could. Our payment back is to protect them, so there doesn’t have to be more orphans.”
“Sounds lonely.” Brynna knots her hands together as she walks beside me.
I try not to laugh. “It’s not. Not with Vryskas and Rykarn bickering like old Mothers.”
She snickers once. “They are a cute couple.”
“Does Rykarn bother you?” I ask.
“No. He’s overcompensating for an insecurity. I know that much.”
Seeing a group of males chatting in a corner as they look at a creature in a bigger cage, I draw Brynna close and place myself between her and them. “Insecurity is one way to put it.”
“So when do you want to do this mystery tour?”
At the other end of the zoo, I find a bench in the planetarium atrium that looks more comfortable. Sitting, I look up at a three-dimensional holographic representation of Earth’s solar system, then Nytheralians’. The planets shift again to the Vinym system.
Brynna joins me.
“We don’t need to do the planet tour on Thursday since we already know most of them.”
“You’re going to make me wait that long? That’s two days!” She swats at me in mock anger, a smile playing with the corners of her lips.
A mechanic carrying a tool bag walks in a side door and shakes his head as an ABR staff member with a tablet asks for the status of the pool.
“I’m sorry. I’ve fixed the broken line. Damn talon stuck in the pump system.” The human male sighs. “But it’s going to take a few days to heat it up again.”
“Ohni won’t like that, but I’ll let her know.”
I can help. I know I can.
“Brynna, stay with me?”
She gets up when I do. “Sure. What is it?”
I take her hand and draw her against me as I walk toward the ABR staff member. “Excuse me?”
When the human female turns around and sees me, she backs up. “Uh, yes?”
“I heard your pool needs a heater.”
“It’s going to take a few days but…”
“I bet I can do it in thirty minutes, as long as your pumps are running.”
She looks me over. “Any byproducts?”
“I don’t sweat when my Inferno has control. But I’ll have to temporarily remove my arrestor.”
She calls Ohni over her earbud. “Hey, so the pool mechanic says it will take days to heat up.”
The woman winces and holds her ear. “I know. I’m aware of the pool party tonight. But I have the Drathious here. He says he can probably heat it up in thirty minutes, but he’ll have to temporarily remove his spark arrestor.”
She nods. “Okay. Send them to me.”
Seconds later, two teams of ABR security, one human, one alien, march to our position in black tactical armor.
