Page 102 of It takes a Psychic

Matt raked his fingers through his hair and stared at the quicksilver gate. “What do you think?”

She answered the question silently in her head.I think there is no telling what we’re going to find on the other side of that gate. We don’t even know if the people who got trapped in there are still alive. I think you took a risk you should not have taken. I think you should have followed procedure.

The temptation to say it all aloud was nearly overwhelming. She exerted some serious willpower and managed to resist. This was not the time for revenge. It was time to think positive and apply the principles of chapter six inAchieving Inner Resonance, “Opportunity Is a Flower That Blossoms in the Shadows.” If she was successful, the university might become a future client.

She rezzed up what she hoped was a cool, confident consultant’s smile.

“I think it’s time to open the gate and free your colleagues,” she said.

She centered herself, went into her talent, and cautiously flattened one hand on the gate…

…and nearly choked on a hastily swallowed shriek. It was like touching a live wire.

Shit. That hurt.She managed to grit her teeth and keep her mouth shut.I’m a professional. Don’t try this at home.

On her shoulder, Roxy growled and tightened her grip.

The quicksilver energy dazzled and flared with wild currents and sparks of lightning that appeared chaotic. It was always this way, she reminded herself. Okay, this was an extreme version of an Alien lock, but nevertheless, the laws of para-physics applied—she hoped. There was an anchor current—there was always an anchor current.

She slipped into the storm, searching for the pattern and the vibe that would guide her to the center.

There it is.

Gently she sent out the flatlining currents.

And then she held her breath, because while the laws of para-physics were believed to be immutable and universal, there was a lot that humans did not know about those laws. They knew even less about how the Aliens had engineered them into their technology.

The quicksilver gate flashed, brilliant and fierce, in a recoil that threatened to dazzle her senses. Her hair lifted in a wild, spiky haloaround her head. Roxy’s fur stood on end. Matt and the others took several steps back.

For a beat there was no reaction from the gate. Then in the blink of an eye it dissolved. There was a moment of fraught silence during which she frantically tried to blink away the visual aftereffects of the sharp, hot recoil. She was vaguely aware of Roxy chortling, and then she heard a lot of cheering from inside the chamber.

When her vision cleared, she recognized her former colleagues who had been trapped. They were making an effort to project a just-another-day-at-the-office vibe, but they could not disguise their relief. They hustled out of the cavern and into the glowing green corridor.

“Leona,”Margery Bean exclaimed. “Don’t tell me Matt had to get you to rescue us. That must have pissed him off.”

“He’s right here,” Leona said. “Ask him.”

Matt looked at her. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

She gave him a very shiny smile. “Anytime. I’ll send you my bill first thing tomorrow.”

He winced.

Margery chuckled. “Thanks for the rescue. You’re the best when it comes to handling hot artifacts. I’m so glad you’re back on the team.”

“Oh, I’m not on the team,” Leona said. “I’ve gone private. I’m a consultant now. Which reminds me.” She turned to give Matt another bright smile. “In addition to my standard rate there will be an extra charge for emergency callout services.”

“Fair enough,” he said.

She took that as her cue to make her exit. “I’d better be on my way. I had to squeeze this job into my schedule, which means I’m now running late for my next client.”

There was no next client, but image was everything in business.

“Wait,” Matt said. “How long will this gate stay open?”

“There’s no way to know,” Leona said. “It’s an Alien gate. By definition,that means it’s unpredictable. There’s a lot of volatile energy in the artifacts stored inside that room. If I were you, I’d hire a professional gatekeeper to stand by while you’re cataloging those objects.”

Matt grunted. “Bullinger won’t like that. You know how he is when it comes to budgets.”

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