Free Heart of Annihilation by C.R. Asay Page B

in the direction of the base, my thumb absently circling the rifle’s forward assist. The plume of dust that was supposed to be the approaching vehicle turned before reaching me. The small convoy of Hummers unfurled onto a road to the south.
    Air guard base? That’s what they’d said. It could only be the base connected to the Salt Lake International Airport that we’d flown out of on our last annual training run to Alaska. It was the only place within a hundred miles that could fly out a C-130.
    Wheels up at twenty-three-hundred hours. And, unless I was very much mistaken, they were taking Thurmond and flying to Fort Huachuca in Arizona. Home of the “alien base” and information about Retha and Dad.
    I had a flight to catch.

CHAPTER 8
    Caz
Retha
10 years pre-RAGE
    Caz lay on her bed, subdued. She should have been sobbing her eyes out. Instead, she clutched the pillow tight under her chin and methodically pulled threads from its decorative, metallic tassels. One-twenty-one, One-twenty-two. One hundred and twenty-three threads. The same number as the members on the Dimensional Congressional Council. Caz rolled onto her back, taking the pillow with her, and stared at the black ceiling.
    The Dimensional Congressional Council. They, at least, were a large, cold entity she could blame everything on.
    Vin was gone for the rest of the year. A business trip of sorts arranged by his esteemed father, DC Commandant Paliyo himself, to teach Vin the ins and outs of what would one day be his honorable position. What wasn’t there to love about a trip to one of the lower dimensions? To engineer a peaceful overtaking before the Heart could destroy them? In fact, it was just the thing to break in your young, impressionable son. The one who’d been spending too much time with the wrong girl.
    It might not have been so bad if Vin had put up a bit more of a fight about it. But he’d talked in circles, trying to convince Caz of how important he was. This was why he’d been asked. This was why he needed to go. And of course the distance would be good for their relationship in the long run.
    It was fortunate they’d been nestled in their usual meeting place, a small natural cave in the middle of the Vislane envirophylum, when he’d broken the news. Caz had thrown a tantrum capable of blowing every conductor within twenty grids.
    The only consolation Caz had was the plain silver ring circling her finger. Vin had given it to her yesterday before he officially left. There was genuine sadness, even regret in his eyes as he’d placed it on her finger. Using her thumb she rotated it around her middle finger, taking pleasure in the feeling of ownership it gave her.
    Caz breathed out a sigh and curved her fingers around the tassel. She released the smallest amount of electricity from her fingers into the tassel. The metallic threads jumped and danced, sparking a vibrant light across her dark walls. Her door squeaked. A sliver of brightness cut across her face. She severed the current and dropped the pillow to her chest.
    “What do you want, Xan?” She didn’t have to look. Who else would it be? The door opened a bit wider.
    “Vin really left, huh?”
    “Yep.”
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    “Nope.”
    “Okay then.” The light on her face narrowed.
    “Wait.” Caz rolled onto her stomach. “Do you know anything about the LRM?”
    Xander paused in the doorway, one hand on the knob.
    “The what?” He stared blankly at a silver disk in his other hand.
    “The Liberated Rage Movement,” Caz said. “Some extremist faction that wants to take over Retha. Make us free or something.”
    “Yeah, sure. Heard of them.” Xander shrugged. “What about it?”
    “Vin was just . . .”
    “Just what?” Xander opened the door a little wider, a concerned twinge contorting his voice.
    Caz expelled a breath and sat up. “It’s just that he wouldn’t stop talking about it. Asked me to look into it while he was gone.” Bitterness