Dark Metamorphosis by John Coon

Author:John Coon [Coon, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samak Press
Published: 2021-06-25T13:38:48+00:00

19

Calandra curled one finger after another on her artificial hand. A radiant smile spread across her lips and reflected in her eyes. To see the metal hand finally working like a real hand brought indescribable joy. So much pain and anguish washed away like an unanchored boat in a swollen current. The storm receded and sunlight finally pierced ashen clouds smothering her soul.

A functioning neural sensor made everything feel normal again. She felt the fingers and thumb pressing together when she closed the artificial hand. If she grasped an object with the hand, she experienced a similar sense of touch as with her natural hand.

Warmth. Cold. Roughness. Smoothness.

Her artificial hand experienced every sensation as though real nerves now sent signals to her brain.

No doubt Xttra would feel equally thrilled. They both prayed long and hard for this outcome. Calandra longed to share this life-changing moment with him. His absence created an emptiness within their apartment. A void that taunted her and refused to recede.

She picked up the small metal block Ominade imparted to her earlier from an end table near her bed. Calandra sat on the bed and studied the block, turning it over in her hand. The black colored symbol stood in stark contrast to the rest of the block’s metallic luster.

Hope.

The symbol meant hope.

What message did Ominade intend to share with her?

Calandra’s thumb hovered over the symbol. If she pressed down on it, Ominade or one of her fellow rebels would contact her again. Or so she promised.

She could not bring herself to follow through with that action. Calandra set the block back down in its former resting place. Ominade unveiled a startling number of unbelievable revelations to her and Bo’un. If what she said was indeed the truth, it shattered everything Calandra believed about their chief sovereign, her own grandfather, and the Order of Ahm itself.

I can’t reject her claims without question, Calandra thought. I need more information. If what she says is true, then evidence must exist somewhere to confirm what she said.

Her first instinct was to go grab her trique and do a basic search through the public archives. Calandra glanced over at the device sitting on a small shelf on the other side of the room. She did not rise from the bed to retrieve it. If their chief sovereign truly had something to hide, she would not find it in such an open place.

No. It became clear where Calandra needed to turn.

She needed to dig into the Central Archives. And she could not do it alone. Calandra sprang to her feet and grabbed her arca vox from the same table where Ominade’s block rested.

Alayna flashed a bright smile as soon as her image popped up on the holoscreen. It grew more pronounced when Calandra shared the news about her arm.

“Let me see it in action. Move those fingers.”

Calandra obliged and wiggled the fingers on her artificial hand. Alayna pressed her hand to her mouth. Tears trickled down her cheeks. She wiped her eyes with a cloth and the smile returned.

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