Alien Attachments by Sabine Priestley

Author:Sabine Priestley [Priestley, Sabine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Space, Alien, 978-1-61650-566-0, romance, Futuristic
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2014-08-18T02:30:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Dani walked with Ria out into the bright sunny day. Marveling at the clear green sky, she nearly knocked over an elderly lady. Catching the woman’s arm before she toppled over, she apologized profusely while Ria watched and tried not to laugh.

“Thanks for the help,” Dani said, once free of the older woman.

“What? I wasn’t gonna let her fall. Good catch, by the way.”

Back at the arena, Ria set up a corner of the massive space for their practice. Like she’d seen the day before, large and small shapes surrounded them. Some sat stationary on the ground and others hovered in mid-air. Unlike the previous day, one- and two-story obstacles dotted the landscape. The tops of the structures were connected together with various types of bridges. Some appeared solid, but others were nothing more than ropes. Zip-lining, without the zip. Red spheres the size of basketballs floated steadily around the arena as well.

“Okay.” Ria punched the side of a tall rectangle positioned beside her. Its cushy surface gave way. “This is a good way to start. These obstacles will block an opponent’s psi, but they’re soft if you crash into them. These guys”—she pointed to the multi-storied structures—“we get to climb on. They’re all connected, but some are easier to get across than others. We’ll get a great workout here while you hone your skills.”

“Ria, I don’t know if I’m ready for this. I have to concentrate on what I’m doing. I could hurt us both.”

“Don’t worry. This is a protective sim-mode. You can’t get hurt in here. Watch.” Ria took off and climbed up the small one-story structure. She walked over to the edge and belted out a horrid rendition of Mick Jagger’s “Dancing in the Street.” She pranced about, flailing her arms up and down.

Dani laughed until Ria misstepped and went sideways over the edge. A piercing buzz sounded and Ria’s body stopped falling, righted itself and lowered to the ground. “See? This’ll be good for you. Don’t worry about control, just let it flow and have some fun. Oh, and don’t let the red spheres touch you.”

“What happens if they touch you?”

“It hurts. Now move.” Ria flicked her hand and sent the nearest ball smashing into Dani’s shoulder. An electric shock zapped her arm.

“Ow,” Dani laughed. “Game on.” She took off after Ria, who was already halfway up the smallest structure. Without the need to concentrate and make precise movements, Dani let go. A sense of joy and power flowed through her as she recklessly blasted objects. She couldn’t help but laugh when her imprecise attempts at control had unexpected results. The arena’s safety functions were working overtime today. Twice, Ria was laid horizontal in the air and sent spinning like a frisbee. The second time, Dani laughed so hard she cried. The tears blurred her vision and she tripped over an orange square, tumbling head first over the edge of a two-story building.

“Stop,” she cried as she came to a gentle landing on the floor. “I have to stop laughing.

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