Read Online The Burn Zone by James K. Decker - Free Book Online

swaying as I waited.
     
    “ I ’ m fine, by the way, ” I said. “ Thanks for asking. ”
     
    He just stood there, unmoving, even when the air next to him began to crackle and the wall shimmered and warped. A moment later, a pinprick of light dilated out until it formed a hexagon that stretched from floor to ceiling, and through it, I could see a second haan.
     
    This one was female, and it struck me as weird to see two haan females in one day. She was smaller and lither than the males, with slender limbs and a pair of translucent breasts that rested to either side of her pulsing heart. I wondered if they dispensed the same speckled goo found in the surrogate rations.
     
    She made a low, fast clicking sound as she leaned closer to me. Her neck was long and thin, and her glassy face was delicate and pretty. Her eyes were the color of fire, surrounded by a cornea of hot blue. When she entered the room, I felt a surge of excitement from the male.
     
    “ Um, hello? ” I said. She stared at me, then gestured for me to approach, to step through the gate. I looked to the guard, then back to her. She gestured again, her thin fingers beckoning me.
     
    I stepped through. When my foot came down on the other side, I found myself in another small chamber, this one round, with some kind of console to my right.
     
    “ The guards signaled that you were coming, ” she said, voice box flickering as her deep, sultry voice issued out of it. “ I ’ m sorry to have made you wait, but I wanted to meet with you personally. ”
     
    I stepped toward her, really unsteady now. The events of the night had begun to catch up with me.
     
    “ Sam Shao, ” she said without consulting any sort of computer or tablet.
     
    “ That ’ s me. ”
     
    The silence stretched out, and the warm glow of her eyes seemed to bob and drift in front of me as her brains fluttered behind her forehead like swimming krill.
     
    “ I... ” The room seemed to spin a little. The tank of adrenaline that had fueled me so far was running dry. “ I need to return the child. ”
     
    “ I know. ”
     
    “ Something happened, ” I said. “ The place where I ’ m staying... some people broke in. They grabbed Dragan— ”
     
    I stopped short as she moved closer, seeming to grow in size as her eyes turned more focused and intense. The dark pinpricks of her pupils were like sunspots in the flame of her eyes.
     
    “ I will take the child. ”
     
    “ He wasn ’ t hurt, ” I said.
     
    “ I know. ”
     
    “ I kept his feeding schedule, ” I told her. “ He ’ ll be okay for another four hours or so. ”

 
    “ I know. ”
     
    “ It ’ s just... my guardian is missing and our apartment is wrecked. Someone stole the ration kit from me ... I don ’ t have any money or any place to stay. He ’ ll have to go to someone else. ”
     
    “ I will take the child. ”
     
    She reached out, opening her hands. I adjusted the blankets around Tānchi and carefully handed him to her. As I did, I felt a pang from him that made my breath catch. Fear and a sudden shocked hurt poured through as if to say, of all things, he would never have expected this.
     
    You ’ re sending me away? his eyes seemed to say. He reached out for me with his little hands. Why? What did I do?
     
    “ Sorry, kiddo, ” I said. I felt a lump in my throat I didn ’ t expect.
     
    “ Do you want to say good-bye? ” the female asked softly.
     
    I nodded. “ Yes ... thank you. ”
     
    She waited, holding Tānchi out while I leaned in close.
     
    “ I ’ m sorry, ” I whispered in his ear. “ I really am, but you ’ ll be better off with someone else now. ”
     
    I always got a little sad when I gave them up. The mite links made for a deep bond that happened fast, and moving on always hurt a little, but this time was worse. Our time had been cut short. On top of everything else, I realized I really didn ’ t want to lose him too.
     
    Maybe I can take him back. Get more