RIFT Anthology: Book 4: ZoiTech

ZoiTech

An hour later inside a facility. A man in a lab coat is with Reincarnate, patching her up. He prys off the node from her arm.

"What's this? Oh no. This isn't good."

Reincarnate looks at him and uses sign language. 'What is it, father?'

"This particular piece of technology is used by Dusk."

'Who is that?'

"A very powerful government operative that works for the Crime Assault Corp."

'But we work for the government.'

"True, but it's different for us. We are a secret. Those kinds of corporations don't know about us. Though, unfortunately for us, Commander Dusk does."

'Why is that a problem?'

"Because they don't understand what we do here. They'll try to stop our operations. Destroy our assets and take away our technology."

'I don't want to be destroyed, father, nor taken away.'

"You won't, my creation. I will make sure of that."

#

Another hour later, back at Rift's hideout, he walks in on Kerys meditating, bathing in the UV light.

"Are you meditating?" he asks with a spoonful of cereal in his mouth.

"Are you eating cereal?"

"I'm hungry?"

"It's the evening."

"And I was hungry."

"Well, get me a bowl too. Food will be good for my soul."

"Do you always do this to heal?"

"Not always, but I've started to do it more recently. After my near death experience in that river, I've realised how beneficial meditation has been."

"You have changed," he says in an unnerved tone.

"Oh, and sorry for breaking your back before. Before-before, I mean."

"I mean, you did cause me excruciating pain and I have to wear this spinal reinforcement for the rest of my life but yeah, sure, no worries. Water under the broken bridge."

"You don't sound forgiving."

"Really? Jee, that's strange. I wonder why it doesn't sound like I am."

"C'mon, get that bowl of cereal," she says.

Rift walks out of the room and mutters, "Jackass."

#

Another hour later, Kerys and Rift are gearing up to kill Reincarnate. Kerys is a lot better with most of her wounds healed. Rift hands her an armoured vest.

"Put this on."

"Why?"

"So you don't get an energy blast through your chest. I promised to bring you back alive."

Kerys takes it and puts it on.

"I look stupid."

"You look protected."

He opens the portal to the coordinates and they step through. They enter an office space and look around. Rift walks onward to find anything of interest while Kerys hangs back. He goes up to one of the cubicles and lifts a piece of paper.

"So much paperwork. What kind of place is this? ZoiTech?" she reads from the top of the page.

Rift stops in his tracks and turns to her.