Page 27 of Fever

“And?”

“A. Copy. Of. Your. Map.”

Heissuicidal. “I know what my map looks like.”

Dreikx narrows his eyes. “Do you?”

“I have three human seconds of patience left. Speak what you mean.”

“One two three.”

I grit my teeth, breathe deep in and out. “Get out of my office. Come back when you’re ready to work.”

“The latest gate mapping system was updated by you and on this date. Is that right?”

“That’s right. I drew it on a piece of paper. I think better when I write and read on paper.”

“Yes, take the least efficient route of execution and draw by hand. Don’t use the more accurate computer modeling.” He pushes one computer-generated map toward me. “Your drawings are wrong. Have a look.”

“You sound like you’ve discovered another planet. The controls are altered. That’s why we can’t come and go as we did before. This is not a revelation. When Terror messed with the gate, the control system altered itself to accommodate the energy fluctuation.”

“The four anchors wouldn’t have shifted. As a result of this alteration, the emergency routing we mapped last night has also shifted.”

I examine the computer-generated map and compare mine with it by overlapping the two papers. The north anchor shows a difference. A slight difference, but a difference nonetheless. I point at the anchor. “The computer model is wrong.”

“Ah yes, the tech is wrong. Dreikx is wrong. Not your scribbles. And you draw without a ruler!”

“My handwriting is excellent, as is my precision drawing.”

Dreikx takes out his gate control and hands it to me. The smooth crystal drops into my palm. It lights up, and my hand tingles. The map is identical to the one on the computer model and not the handwritten one. From beneath my kilt, I get my control. Dreikx snatches it from my hand and examines it, comparing the crystals. He looks up, stunned. “We are completely out of sync.”

“Your control matches the model? Better fix that fast and pray I don’t tell anyone you fucked this up.”

Dreikx pulls back his shoulders. “Which one of us is wrong is yet to be determined. I will start testing immediately.” He takes the papers with him.

I glance at Leah, who’s watching me, a strange expression on her face. I inhale. Fear. What the fuck is she scared of? I have to do something about this. “Come here.”

Leah approaches me, reluctant, wary, eyes drifting to the gate control on the desk. When she stands near me, I take her hand and pull her closer, tapping my lap. “I smell everything, including fear, and I want to know what I did to make you fear me. Speak plainly and openly so that I don’t have to weed through the bullshit.”

She wrings her hands, eyes darting to the control. “How does that thing work?”

Evading. She’s fucking evading. This close to her, her body pressed against mine, I hear her heart pounding. I never took Leah for a skittish girl, but perhaps I’m not a great judge of character, and perhaps I came on to her too strong. I definitely failed her when I collected her.

I pick up the control and place it in her palm. Her hands shake. What the hell?

I close my palm over hers and hold the crystal lest she drop it. It wouldn’t shatter, but it would have to be reset ,which takes time I don’t have right now. “This is one of two gate controls. We split it up so that no one male has full control of the passage.”

“And those yellow lines?”

“A map. Coordinates. Before the mapping system, humans who fell into the gate from Earth were delivered randomly on Regha. The yellow lines deliver them into the Horde stronghold.”

“What do you mean fell into the gate? How can they fall?”

“This here used to be a frat house, and the gate was located inside the bushes. People simply fell into it unknowing. That’s how my mom got delivered to the Nessetra region protected by the Guardians.” I tap my belt. “My dad was there on a mission. He fought a pair of nessers to defend her.” I swell with pride, and point to my belt. “This is a nesser. An animal symbol of the Guardians. It’s like a… What’s the word I’m looking for?”

“A mascot?”

“Yes. The Horde has the hounds. We have the nesser.” I move my hand from holding her palm to her thigh. Her shirt falls down a bit and reveals her shoulder. I make sure I kiss it lightly, then inhale. Fear. I take the crystal and put it back on the desk. “What’s it gonna take for you to stop fearing me?”

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