Sabin, A Seven Novel (23 page)

Suddenly his head snaps up and he eyes me for a second. Then he turns, and his back is toward me. “I didn’t tell you because it was complicated. It seems I can speak to you if I don’t look at you. This is an atypical phenomenon.”

“Complicated, huh? I’d like to know of the danger I will face when we go to your home. Edge said one of the reasons you claimed me was because of that.”

His muscles tense. Every single one of them. They stand out beneath the flesh of his back and shoulders, more pronounced than usual. “It is true. There will be many who will perhaps want you for their own. That was one reason why I thought it critical to claim you.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“The Council will not be pleased. They like for us to gain their permission first. I, however, do not follow anyone’s directives with respect to my personal life.”

“I see.” Not really, but what he says makes sense to a point. But maybe he is being foolhardy.

He reads my mind. “True, but I will not give up my rights to live my life freely, without their intrusions. And I apologize. About the mind reading, you can’t understand how loud your thoughts project. I’m not exactly reading it—you shout them sometimes and I can choose not to acknowledge them, if you wish, but that doesn’t stop me from hearing them.”

Instead of getting into a tit for tat conflict over this little revelation, I decide to move on and be open about my feelings. “Sabin, I’m terrified about leaving my home. While it’s not been what one could call a stellar life so far, it’s the only thing I know. This interplanetary travel thing—I’ve gotta say, I’m more than a little freaked about it. I’m about to hit the twelve-alarm point. I’m trying to be brave, but I don’t know if I can do this. And then when you leave and I’ll be there alone, there will be people who might very possibly want to hurt me. I don’t think I’m cut out for this. Edge said I was fragile and he’s right. I am. I think I need to stay put. Right here maybe. Or maybe I can move to California and change my name or something.”

Strong arms cage me into the wall of his chest and he murmurs gibberish to me. I have no idea what he says, but he’s clearly trying to comfort me. No smartass remarks, no sarcasm, this is Sabin being a sweet guy, and the worst part of this whole thing is I can’t fucking understand a word he says. It’s mishmash. He pulls back some, his eyes link with mine, and my mind floods with images of a place of beauty that I can’t describe. Jagged mountain peaks in the distance with the sun setting over them, a blue sky tinged in orange that’s so breathtaking I long to see it in person, flowers so pretty and colorful I want to put my face next to them and inhale, become a slideshow in my brain. Image after image and I find I am smiling with pleasure until they fade away.

“Was that it? Your home?”

He nods.

“Oh, Edge said it was magnificent, but I never …” Words leave me because I don’t have any that can aptly recount what I just witnessed.

He turns away and says, “I will make you happy there. If you’re not, I will return you here when it’s safe. You have my oath.”

Rafe knocks on the door and enters. “Do you mind?” He motions toward Sabin with his hand.

Sabin saunters off to get dressed. He pulls on a pair of pants and shirt. While he puts on his shoes, he says to Rafe, “Is everything set to go?”

“It’s gone. The sec center is cleared out, as is everything else. All that’s left is the manpower.”

“Good. Can you get Edge in here to suit up Serena? And can you take care of our stuff?”

“Got you covered, boss.”

Rafe looks at me and advises me to put shoes on. When I’m done, he asks if I could pack up my things in the bathroom. It only takes me a minute or two. By the time I’m done, Edge is in the room. But there is no suit.

When I check the closet, it’s empty. Rafe works fast.

Sabin stands by and watches Edge. Edge says, “This will feel odd, but this,” he holds up another darn device, “will weave a suit over your clothes and onto your skin. It will monitor all your bodily functions, breathe for you, and maintain all your life support. When it is complete, it’s going to completely cover you. You’ll be able to hear and speak, but don’t fight it. Just go with it. Relax, okay?”

“Panic is me right now.”

Sabin speaks a jumbled slur of words. Then he says to Edge, “Tell her to look in my eyes.”

“You heard him, Serena. Eyes on Sabin while this is happening.”

“Okay.”

Edge bends down and starts with my feet. It’s cool and almost feels like a spray and he passes that thing over and around my legs. He keeps moving upward. It’s kind of amazing to think this thing is an actual space suit. By the time he gets to my neck, I’m a bit calmer. Watching Sabin’s eyes helps. But when he hits my face and mouth, I freak. I have this image of me suffocating, and I start flailing. He’s finished with my hands so Sabin grabs both of them.

“Tell her it’s okay and that she’s almost finished.” I hear him so Edge doesn’t say a thing.

The stuff covers my mouth, but I can still breathe through my nose, which he leaves for last. When he covers my eyes, initially a film forms, but in one or two seconds, it’s gone and it’s like nothing is there.

Sabin tells Edge to stop a second. “Serena, you know how it was for your eyes? That’s exactly how it will be for your nose. One second. That’s it. You ready?” He acts like he’s talking to Edge.

“Do it.” I just want to get this over with. For a couple of seconds I can’t breathe. I struggle.

Sabin and Edge both say, “Relax. Let it do the breathing.”

Edge says, “You don’t even have to breathe if you don’t want to. You’re getting enough oxygen diffused through other parts of your body. But it’s such a natural thing, do what makes you feel the most comfortable.”

A few moments pass and I settle into it. I look at my hands and arms. Everything looks the same.

“Is this impervious to heat?”

“Yeah. Up to, if I remember correctly, ten thousand degrees.”

“Well? How do I look?”

Edge looks at Sabin and Sabin walks up to me and kisses me.

“I guess you have your answer,” Edge says. Then he turns to Sabin and suits him up before he suits himself up. What’s weird about this device is the thing knows where your body isn’t covered and it will find that area. Amazing.

Sabin asks, “Where are the others?”

“Sec center. Waiting on us.”

“Let’s go.”

We walk to the sec center where the others wait.

Rafe tells Edge to give me something.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“You’ve never transcended this distance before. It will make the process and aftermath more tolerable for you.”

“Oh. Is it that bad?”

“Think about it this way. Your atoms—well your hadrons or quarks, really—are being stretched, rearranged, stretched and put back together, while you are leaping through space, in an irregular manner. So yes, it can be bad. Like sea sickness.”

“Got it.”

They put something on my suit, but I don’t feel any different. “It’s absorbed into your body.”

“Ah, makes sense.” I’m only saying that; the truth is I don’t know what’s up or down anymore.

Sabin stands next to me and takes my hand, squeezing it tightly. Edge is on my other side and says, “Sabin wants you to know everything will be fine.” I reach for Edge’s hand, which startles him, but at this point I don’t care. It’s either that or pee myself. He tightens his hold.

Sabin calls out, “Who did a final run through on this place?”

Rafe says, “Verus, Helios, and Drey doubled back behind us.”

“All clear?” Sabin asks.

Rafe responds, “All clear.”

Then Sabin says, “Stand by to transcend. Verus, ETA?”

Verus taps on one of his ever present devices and answers, “Three point two Earth hours.”

Sabin squeezes my hand again. Then he announces, “Let’s make that happen, Verus.”

Verus does something and my body starts to feel squishy, then smashed. I see streaks of light and hear Sabin’s voice. I’m not sure if I hear it or if it’s only in my head. He explains things to me, but I don’t understand any of it because it’s all physics, and I hated physics. He talks about atoms, hadrons, and quarks. Then he’s onto quantum leaps through wormholes and light speed, relativity and how Einstein was right, but a tad off kilter. His voice sounds elongated, and he laughs when I tell him that. The other men chat up a storm like they’re on an airplane, having a grand time. This funky feeling on my body persists, almost making me feel like Gumby. I am weirdly weightless, yet I feel Sabin’s and Edge’s hands grasping both of mine. They both encourage me, telling me I’m doing great for a first-timer. Jeez, how often do they do this?

Sabin answers that they do it all the time. About as much as humans fly. Transcending through space is more taxing on the body than going from place to place on a single planet. It’s their preferred method of travel. But for me, because I’m fragile (I hate that word), I’ll have more difficulty getting used to it. Great news for me.

It seems like hours pass as we move through space. How does this even work? My head starts to swim, and I get dizzy. Is this normal?

Both men answer that it is. Now I’m glad they can hear my thoughts, because I’m feeling worse by the minute—sweaty, kind of nauseous, and the dizziness is increasing. Fuck!

Sabin’s voice comes to me, telling me it’s okay. But I’m worried I’ll faint. He reminds me that if I do, my suit will take care of me. My body is programmed to go where they’re going. They also have my hands. It’s fine, he swears to me. Then he tells Edge to let go and he pulls me in front of him and wraps his arms around me.

“I won’t let you go, I promise.” His words are clear and loud in my ear, so I know I heard them and didn’t imagine them. It becomes too much for me to hold up my head, and he says, “It’s okay, Serena, let your suit do the work. That’s what they’re designed for.”

“I’m scared.”

“Don’t be. I have you here with me. You’ll be fine.”

My head bobbles but when I relax, I feel better, like Sabin said I would. I relax in his arms and I’m so lethargic, I feel sleepy.

“Sleep, Serena.” My lids drop and the last thing I remember before the darkness claims me is that there are no stars in space.

My arms and back are stiff when I stretch. I roll over and look over to see if Sabin’s still sleeping. He’s not in bed, but then I notice the bed is different. It’s downright decadent. Massive, wood-framed, and so comfortable I could stay here for days. Yards of silk hang over the wooden canopy and all around the bed, making me imagine I’m lying in a cocoon. The sheets are also made of the finest silk and they feel like satin gliding against my skin. The bed is covered in expensive linens and I’ve never experienced anything like this. It’s all so beautiful; it’s surreal.

When I sit up, a dizzy spell hits me and then I remember the way I felt coming here. Did I really fall asleep in Sabin’s arms on the way? I wonder where he is. The urge to pee crashes into me, so I jump up and hunt the bathroom. Dizziness be damned. I sure don’t want to pee in the bed! The first door I open is a closet the size of the state of South Carolina. Jeez, it’s humongous! The next door I open leads out into a corridor. The third door opens into an office, the fourth a sitting room and finally, thank god, the bathroom. But this is no ordinary bathroom. Holy shit! This is like the best spa you can imagine. Whirlpool tub. Check. Super shower. Check. Private bathroom. Check. Huge vanity. Check. This place is big enough to house an entire family. What the hell does Sabin do that he can afford this kind of place?

I hurry up and use the facilities and then notice all my things are in here. Maybe it’s time to shower. Only there’s a problem. The shower controls are weird and in that funky language. Why can’t they have knobs like we did back on Earth?

As I stand here, staring at the panel, a long muscular arm reaches over my shoulder and taps a series of symbols. “That is for a regular shower. If you want anything extra, you have to tap these.” And Sabin proceeds to press his finger to several more symbols as the shower turns on. Water shoots out from everywhere.

“You’ll have to show me again. I’ll never remember that.” I turn to look at him and notice his clothing is a bit different. Thin black leather straps attach to the base of his thumbs and crisscross over his wrists up to the middle of his forearms. Black leather covers him from head to toe and he looks good enough to lick.