Free Geared Up by Viola Grace Page A

system was based on the coolant lines that she was just called in to fix. The main lines were underground, so she sprinted to the school feeds.
    She grimaced when she finally arrived at the panels. They hadn’t been properly maintained, and if they had called her one day earlier, this wouldn’t have been a thing.
    There wasn’t time for fine-tuning, so she slapped her hand to the panel and she moved everything to their proper places.
    It took precious seconds, but when she felt the final piece in place, she threw the switch and the compressor flared to life.
    “What are you doing?” The low voice challenged her from back down the tunnel.
    She kept her face toward the panel and increased the pressure to blow the sprinkler heads. “Fixing the suppression system. I was just called in this morning to do an overhaul of the coolant system this afternoon. This is the basic access.”
    A second voice came through a com unit. “Tauron, the fire is going out. We are getting them out; where are you?”
    “How can I get into the school?”
    She pointed down the hall as she kept her other hand on the panel. “Down the tunnel and to the right. Go up the stairs and take the ladder. You will come out in the machine room. The classes in danger will be a thousand feet to the left and up a second set of stairs.”
    He grunted, and there was the wave of the power that came with his burst of energy and speed. She heard the thudding of the doors as he made his way into the school and up the steps.
    Niad finished her work, keeping the system online as long as the heat level was above ambient temperature.
    She got herself together and walked back the way she had come, making her way up and out of the tunnels and sliding the grate back over her entryway.
    The students with tears on their faces were huddled together, others were being treated for burns, and the Guardians were standing in the light of the news crews, giving an interview about the survival of all of the students and teachers while the fire was still being crushed behind them.
    Tauron was standing at the edge of the Guardian gathering, his hands on his hips. He gave her the slightest nod, and she disappeared into the shadows.
    Mechanical talents were the lowest of the low. It was better to have no talent at all than to be a mechanical manipulator. Her parents had saved up and sent her to the Citadel for training. She had come home as a Citadel Specialist and Metal Manipulation Master. Now, she fixed vehicles because the Guardians didn’t want a mechanic on their books.
    Niad headed back to the shop and waved at her parents. “Sorry about that. The school was on fire. I couldn’t get near it.”
    Her dad extended his plate to her. “I am guessing you didn’t stop for food.”
    She chuckled. “I will scrub up. Back in a minute.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Mlina watched the news and the Guardians being interviewed about the fire. When Guardian Tauron was finally questioned, he gave a surprising answer.
    “ Guardian Tauron, what do you think helped you get everyone out safely? ” The reporter leaned in with the lens, and Tauron’s masked face filled the screen.
    The Guardian turned toward the vid recorder fully and said. “ Our skills were useless to help the children. Anything that we could do would have let air rush in to feed the fire. The children were saved by a mechanical talent who managed to get the fire-suppression system on in time to save lives. I don’t know who she is, but she saw the problem and stepped into action to save them. We are not the heroes today, she is. ”
    He stopped the interview, and the rest of the Guardians alternated between staring at him and waving at their fans.
    Mlina glanced at her husband, who was watching over her shoulder. “So, what do you think? Good or bad?”
    He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Niad can handle it, but we had better buckle in. This is a change in policy that can rock the world we live in.”
    “So, good but