Free Tales of the Citadel # 32 - Core Charge by Viola Grace

Chapter One

    Tears were not doing her any good. Gwiette Lonkastil was pinned to the wall by manacles, and the sporadic pull drew her excess charge from her body and sent it into the power plant.

    They had come for her two days before her appointment at the investigation centre. Gwiette jerked as the power surged out of her again. Two days would have gotten her to safety, and the resistance had promised to have a substitute in place to take her interview for her, leaving her family free and clear.

    That wasn’t what had happened. They had come for her in the night, rousted her family out of bed and hauled her into the street in her nightgown, their hands covered with rubber gloves. Her younger sister had stared at her in shock as she was pulled to her feet and forced to stumble barefoot down the road into the collection transport. The eeriest part was that not one of those who entered her home said a thing.

    She stiffened against the surge of power leaving her body again. This was going to be a short future. Her body wouldn’t last long at this rate.

    * * * *

    Lafeil Lonkastil entered the teashop and looked for the woman with the blue hair. She smiled nervously and ordered. “A Lemial Spice tea, please.”

    The woman with blue hair nodded. “I will have to bring it out to you. Take this number to booth six and wait. I will deliver your tea in five minutes.”

    Lafeil nodded and took the order number, placing it carefully on the edge of booth six’s table. Now, she had to wait to be contacted by the resistance.

    She waited for the five minutes, looking around at the government agents who entered and left the shop with regularity.

    When the woman brought the tea, she sat across from Lafeil. “What can I do for you?”

    “My sister was scheduled for an interview tomorrow. They took her last evening. I don’t know where she is or how to get in touch with her.”

    The clerk blinked and her features got a little blurry for a moment. “What do you mean, they took her?”

    “They came to our house, hauled us out into the street and took her away in her nightgown.” She looked around and was surprised that there was no guard coming to sweep her away.

    “Don’t worry. Our booths are lined to avoid psychic residue spill over. As long as you keep your voice conversational, you are fine.” The woman asked, “Did they say where they were taking her?”

    Lafeil shook her head. “They didn’t say anything; they just took her. I don’t know what to do or who to tell.”

    “Thank you for passing along this information. It will be acted on.” The server nodded and gave her a short smile, returning to the counter without another word.

    Lafeil blinked at the woman and quietly got out of the booth, leaving the teahouse without looking back. She needed to find some help for her sister, and if the resistance wouldn’t do it, she would.

    * * * *

    Gwiette felt her heart tripping in her chest, and she twisted against the binders that had replaced the cuffs. Her body was suspended in a netting of wires and tubes. She jerked and jolted every time her charge dispersed, but the cuffs no longer wore at her skin. Two weeks of twitching had worn on her nerves. She would sleep a few minutes at a time, but it wasn’t enough. It was never enough.

    Her body was powering a research station. The energy she produced was pulled out of her as soon as it reached a set level, discharging the power and leaving her exhausted. Gwiette thought she would have gone crazy by now, but she was wide awake and watching the news reports that they left on. It was the exposure to exterior information that was keeping her conscious.

    The news occasionally showed the pro-talent protests that were held near the capitol. Gwiette was sure that she could see her sister in the throng, holding a sign with scrolling printing. Where is Gwiette? were the words on the sign.

    Gwiette watched the vid for glimpses of her sister. No one came to see her; the