Mary showed Terra to her bedroom, one of four small rooms upstairs. While not lavish, it looked comfortable enough. After pointing out the common bathroom and handing Terra fresh towels, Mary left with a smile, closing the door behind her.
Terra walked over to a mirror that hung over a small table and stared at her image with a blank face.
Leave it to me to make things so awkward.
Years ago, before becoming an agent, she had a steady boyfriend, but none since then. Having any kind of long-term romantic relationship as an agent was not a good idea. There were a few flings and hook-ups just to scratch a sexual itch, but they were ultimately unsatisfying. Long ago, Terra gave up the fantasy of a husband, family, and comfortable cottage.
After a warm soak in the bathtub, Terra returned to her room and slid into bed. It was indeed comfortable. Remembering the early breakfast appointment, she set the alarm app on her viewer. Nestling her head into the pillow, she mentally went over the questions she hoped to ask Will tomorrow. Part of her looked forward to the journey together.
*****
The alarm went off much too early for Terra's liking. She groaned, swiping blindly for the viewer, but only knocked off the side table. Tumbling out of bed, she fell to hands and knees, eyes blurred, searching for the device as it chirped an irritating tone. Once found, she silenced the alarm and collapsed to the floor on her back.
Why does it have to be so early in the morning?
After a few moments to regain her resolve, she prepared for the day. Bag repacked, she staggered down the stairs. Will motioned her to his table, cheerfully wide awake as he sipped tea. Another cup sat across from him, presumably for her. Mary sang to herself while cooking in the nearby kitchen.
Disgustingly perky so early.
Will said, "How did you sleep?"
She tried to stifle a yawn, failing that, put a hand over her gaping mouth. "The sleep was good, while it lasted. But I have to warn you, I am not a morning person and I might be cranky."
He grinned. "I gathered that from our conversations last evening. The tea should help wake you up."
Mary brought out two plates of eggs, sausage, bread, and fruit. The food was excellent and Terra's brain-fog lifted.
As they ate, Mary came out again with two brown paper bags. "I packed lunches for you. Once past the city, there is not much 'til Freehold." Leaving the bags, she hummed a merry tune while returning to the kitchen.
While Will excused himself to wash up, Mary came out to collect the empty plates. Terra caught her attention, saying, "Mary, thank you very much for your hospitality."
"You are quite welcome, Terra."
"How much do I owe you for the room?"
Mary waved her hand, dismissing the offer. "Oh, as Will's friend, there is no charge."
Confused, Terra lifted her eyebrows.
Mary continued. "Will is my second cousin. Sometime ago, he saved our business and possibly our lives from some nasty Dynasty thugs. So, we never let him pay, even though he sometimes tries."
He did that?
Will's truck featured numerous scratches and dents, and likely some good stories to go with them, but it also had an appealing ruggedness to it. Together, they wheeled Terra's motorcycle up a ramp onto the flat bed and secured it with web straps. Terra briefly considered using her Talent to telekinetically lift it, but her instinct as an agent was not to reveal that much about herself. After they slid on to the worn bench seat, Will drove northward, and soon they reached the city edge as the sunrise painted the eastern sky in reds and oranges.
Will remarked as he drove on. "I am a bit surprised you agreed to come along with me by yourself."
"You seem like a good man. Aren't you?" she teased.
He grinned. "Absolutely."
"Besides, I can defend myself if I had to. Remember, you are still my prisoner."
"Of course."
"So, are you ready to answer some questions?"
"Fire away," Will replied with a nod.
"Tell me about yourself. What made you the good man you are?"
Will put a hand to his chin. "Hmm. Well, I was born at a very young age, although I do not remember it very well--"
Terra rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Just the later highlights would be fine."
"Okay. Let's see. I grew up in Freehold, that's where we are going now. My parents died when I was fifteen. They got caught in the middle of a battle between the Dynasty and the Uprising, part of this damned never-ending conflict. Collateral damage, they called it." He pressed his lips firmly together and his body tensed.
Terra turned her eyes down. "I'm sorry."
Will kept his gaze straight ahead and continued. "I moved in with my aunt until I went to university and studied civil engineering. Did my apprenticeship here in Stronghold. Now, I design and maintain the water supply and treating systems around Freehold."
"Who was that younger man you were with when I first came into the tavern?"
"That was Jay Brown, my apprentice and a good friend. He is probably now up near one of our water supply reservoirs replacing some pipe fittings. We should see him again later."
"You mentioned a wife?" Terra bit her lower lip, at once regretting the question.
"Ell." Will took a deep breath, and it seemed a shadow crossed his expression. "She was murdered two years ago by Dynasty Enforcers." He turned moist eyes to Terra. "I really don't want to talk about that."
A shadow crossed her heart. "I... I'm sorry. I should not have asked that."
Will turned his eyes forward. "It's okay."
They drove on in silence, save the wind and whir of the electric engine. Terra looked to her right out the window, watching as they passed a grove of juniper trees, using her hand to shade her eyes from the flickering sunlight through the trees. She felt compelled to share her own grief. "I lost my best friend about the same time. Her name was Anna Fell. The emperor's Chief Enforcer himself, Necros, killed her."
Will gritted his teeth and steeled his jaw. "We have that much in common. The Dynasty has taken someone we loved from both of us."
After a moment, Will said, "Your turn. Tell me about you."
Something about Will made Terra feel comfortable in revealing parts of her past that she usually kept within. "I never knew my father and my mom raised me. I asked about my dad, but my mom told me very little about him. That said plenty. She used to say that if you can't say something nice about someone, you should not say anything at all."
"Wise woman," he said.
"I tested as a strong Talent, but I had a knack for working on a micro-scale. I qualified for medical school and began an internship as a psi-surgeon. I had a good life."
"But then--"
Flashing police vehicles and barriers blocking the road ahead interrupted their conversation. Terra stiffened, gripping the door armrest. "It's a Dynasty checkpoint!"
Several officials huddled under a bright orange canopy, including two armed patrolmen in gray uniforms and two Enforcers. One enforcer wore the traditional headgear and mesh mask reserved for those of powerful Talent. The other wore the white garb of a Finder.
Terra gasped and her heart pounded. A Dynasty Finder somehow tagged Anna's unique aura signature years ago and set in motion a series of events that ultimately resulted in her death.
A Finder's remote search for one particular aura out of countless others had to be drudgery, but they were truly relentless. Locating Blue Uprising agents was always a priority. They would pass the aura signature to other Finders who would join the hunt from the relative safety of their headquarters in Capital City. Once so, only one or two months typically would pass, six at most, before a team of Dynasty Enforcers descended on the unfortunate agent. Terra never understand how Anna lasted a year and a half, which was unprecedented.
Terra grasped Will's arm. "We have to get out of here! There are Enforcers up there, and one is a Finder."
"Don't worry," he replied in a steady voice. "I have been through these before. We can get by."
She raised her voice. "You do not understand! I am a T3 Talent. I can suppress my aura to some extent, but it will still be bright enough to draw their suspicions if we get close. If I fight, the Finder would tag me and then I will be as good as dead."
Will made a downward motion with his right hand. "If we turn around now, they will pursue us. I can get us past this. Trust me."