Phoenix13: Redemption (Phoenix13 Book 2)

Part #9: Love and War: Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"Can you hold this?" Kalligan held out a small rectangular piece of metal the size of his thumbnail. His eyes stayed glued to his work. "Bree?" he prompted when he didn't get a reply.

"Yes, I can. I think your question would be better phrased as will I hold it."

"Okay, will you hold this?"

He felt her fingers, rough with calluses, brush his. The metal chip was swept from his hand. "Of course, Kallie." There was a teasing note in her voice. He could tell without looking that she was smiling.

"I've almost got this finished." Kalligan stood back, holding up the small, unassuming device in his left hand. "It's a radio. I should be able to reach Desai with it."

Bree walk up beside him, looking at the device with curiosity. "Does it work on Lib frequency?"

"It should. If we're lucky, we might be able to get through to anyone patrolling at the edge of the city. As long as one of our people has a phone with them on patrol, we're golden."

Bree tutted, puffing out her cheeks. She let the air bleed out slowly, hissing between clenched teeth. "It's a far bet, Kalligan. Even if they did, the static might be too much."

"Yeah," said Kalligan. "I know."

"Right." She rolled her eyes. "Electro-smith's apprentice. I keep forgetting. Sometimes I legitimately think you're only on missions because of your cute face. I know it cheers me up every time I see it."

Kalligan turned to stare at her. He could feel his mouth hanging open slightly in shock and snapped it shut. "Bree," he said after a long, slightly awkward moment of silence. "You have a boyfriend, right?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't mean I can't find other people aesthetically pleasing. Not everything's about sex, kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"What, did Jason claim that patronizing nickname or something?" She chuckled. An even, beautiful sound. Like a lark chortling at a prowling fox.

Kalligan rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna kill him."

"For that? Seems like one of his lesser crimes."

Kalligan smiled. "Well, yeah. I guess I'll kill him for getting us thrown in the dungeons, then."

"Definitely fair." Bree's medium-length hair fell in thick, tightly curled strands across her face as she dipped her head to look at the ground. "Kallie, what's that?" She pointed at a small silver chip on the ground.

Kalligan heaved a dramatic sigh in response. Dropping down, he pressed his right forefinger against the tiny chip. When he lifted his hand, the chip stuck to his skin, dark green and grey against his light skin. "Good catch. This is the piece I need. Put this in here..." He bit his tongue as he carefully slid the tiny data chip in next to the radio's motherboard. The device made a tiny clicking sound as it accepted the addition to its hardware. "...and pray to whoever actually cares that the message goes through."

A minute passed, then two. Kalligan carefully adjusted the radio's dials, swiveling from one frequency to the next to no avail. "Hello?" he called into it every few seconds. "This is Kalligan Caelum. Do you read me?"

Just as he was about to give up, a reply came through, cloaked in static so thick he could hardly make out individual words: "Well done, Caelum; now everyone on every frequency in Nathandria knows you're sending out an SOS. Be more careful next time, would you?"

"Sterling!" Kalligan could hear the relief in his own voice. It prickled in his spine and chased away the nagging cold nipping at his skin. Taking a deep breath to calm the sudden racing of his heart, he asked, "Is Kevyn with you?"