Empire Reborn (Taran Empire Saga Book 1): A Cadicle Space Opera A.K. DuBoff (guided reading books TXT) 📖

height of using her abilities, she had never done so many intensive feats in such a short span of time.

She kept at it, beating with telekinetic blows as the door slowly pulled away from its bolts. Almost there…

At last, Lexi broke through the final section. She stumbled out into the well-lit night street amidst a cloud of dust and rust. The sound of the door giving way reverberated on the hard surfaces, sending a clanging echo down the alley. She coughed as the grit hit her lungs and waved her hand in front of her face to clear the particulates while she jogged away, wishing she’d kept her shirt raised.

She sagged against the concrete wall where the air was clear, finding the cool surface refreshing after the intense physical activity. Her head pounded from exertion and her limbs tingled, trembling, and throbbing slightly like she’d just run a marathon.

After resting for a couple of minutes, the dizziness had subsided enough to move. She brushed herself off with a telekinetic breeze to remove any evidence of dust from the incident. Figuring that the racket must have called attention, she should get as far from the site as possible—if not to avoid anyone on the outside, then to steer clear of those underground who were no doubt already investigating the odd cave-in and might spot her escape path.

She went out to the main street, realizing she was across from the transit station closest to the Alliance’s building.

Leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the street was a woman with short red hair, staring at her; from that vantage, she would have had a view of the door Lexi had busted out of during her escape. Based on her interested expression, the act had not gone unnoticed.

Shite, was it obvious I was using telekinesis? Probably, if she was being honest with herself. There was no chemical explosion, and a door had been flung from its hinges. The only reasonable explanations were telekinesis or advanced augmentations.

The woman had been leaning against a wall with one foot up, and she now was tracking Lexi from a distance as she walked toward the office. After another two blocks, she was still shadowing Lexi.

Fok, this is all I need. Lexi picked up her pace while looking for a good side street to duck down. However, she was close to the office now and didn’t have a lot of options without going out of her way. She broke into a jog, causing her sprained elbow to throb with each stride.

The red-haired woman matched her pace and then started to overtake her. Finally, she crossed the street. She was pretty in a tough sort of way and looked to be around thirty. “Hey,” she called out as she approached, “you look like someone who could use some help.”

Lexi cradled her injured arm. “I’m fine.”

The woman followed her. “You really did a number back there. Don’t see skills like that too often.”

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but you’re mistaken.”

“You should be proud of Gifts like that.”

“No!” Lexi wheeled around to face her. She dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. “Don’t say anything, please.”

“Why? It’s legal now.”

“The people around here make people like me disappear.” Lexi pivoted on her heel and resumed walking back toward the office.

“I’d really like to help you. Sometimes, when you have nowhere to turn, someone answers your call.”

Hold on, that’s not something a normal bystander would say. Lexi stopped and turned back slowly. “Wait, are you…?”

The red-haired woman smiled and shrugged. “Oh, me? I’m here to get involved in a cause. I heard the message loud and clear and want to be a part of it.”

Lexi couldn’t be certain, but it seemed like this woman was speaking in code. Is she working undercover? She didn’t detect any abilities, so she couldn’t be an Agent. But the TSS also had the Militia division. If that was the case, this might be the answer to her desperate plea. “You’re late.”

The woman looked her over. “Sorry, just got here. But I take it you’ve had a bad day?”

“Let’s just say I did a big thing, but no one can know I had any part in it.”

“I’ve had plenty of those kinds of days myself.”

That certainly seemed like the kind of response someone with a military background might give. Lexi looked her over, not sure whether to laugh or cry; she really could have used someone like her about half an hour earlier. “Well, the Alliance is looking for committed people with skills.”

“I like to think I can handle myself in combat. And my fiancé happens to be a geneticist. I heard that might be one of the skillsets you’re looking for?” She tilted her head questioningly.

Lexi’s heart leaped. For the first time in months, she felt a glimmer of hope. “Uh, yeah. Yes. You sound like exactly the kind of people the Alliance is looking for.”

“Great! How do we join up?”

CHAPTER 21

Wil awoke to the chime and vibration of his handheld, a tone reserved for urgent communications. He sleepily grabbed the device to check the caller. Immediately, he snapped to full alertness.

“Dahl, what can I do for you?” In all the years they’d known each other, the Oracle had never messaged Wil in the middle of the night.

Saera sat up next to him, listening intently.

“We have sensed something coming,” Dahl stated. “It is close.”

“What do you mean?”

“These beings beyond the Rift. We believe they intend to use one of the rifts near the galactic core as a doorway.”

Wil’s heart pounded in his ears. I should have thought of that possibility.

The largest known rift, and the one that demanded a good deal of his attention, wasn’t the only spatial tear in the galaxy.