Blink: 3003 (Book 1)

03

"You really think she'll come?"

"I do."

"You're dreaming."

"And you're an idiot."

"She's a rich-git. Why would she ditch all the fancy digs and the golden education to go slumming it with us?"

"Because she's not stupid. At the end of the day she knows she's got the gift, and she knows she has to use it. Call it intuition."

"I call it wishful thinking."

Darien sighed heavily and swivelled in his seat to face his companion. Idas could be stubborn at the best of times; mostly he was downright obtuse, with all the empathic capability of a lump of rock. Fortunately what he lacked in personality he made up for with his skills as a Blink operative. Just as well he had the gift, Darien thought, otherwise he'd probably be little more than a dead-end delinquent.

"I get it," Darien said. "You don't like her because she's happy with what she has. Not everyone is like you and me. We didn't have anything better. Amber's got a family, friends, a school, a career, and she's smart. She'll make a better operative than you or me."

"You've got a lot of faith in her," Idas muttered.

He shrugged and turned back to face the screen, slinging his feet up onto the table. Their shuttle was parked in the city space-dock, given a private bay away from prying eyes. Behind them, tucked away in the rear compartment stood the navigation rod. A solid spike of metal two metres long, ringed with bands of electric, pulsing blue, it served to guide the Blink operatives when they transported themselves. Depending on the individual Blink travel could vary widely in its accuracy. Although he was considered to be one of the most precise operatives, Darien still liked the comfort of the nav-rod, its reassuring presence in his mind. It was like an anchor for him to hold on to. Without it he was at the mercy of his own capacity for concentration and human error.

The two operatives had been stationed in the city for the better part of two weeks, surveying a handful of potential Blink candidates. Amber was the only one who'd ticked every box, and then some. Absently, Darien found himself scanning over the records of her life, the cumulative data that pointed to one inescapable fact. He made tiny flicking motions with his index finger and the images on the screen changed with his movements.

Amber LeVare Garret: a child of unparalleled ability that had somehow slipped through the usual screening processes. At five years old she could read, write and count at the level of someone twice her age. At eight she swept her school sports day medal count in every event she entered. At twelve she undertook advanced classes in meta-mathematics and amateur navigation. By the time he and Idas found her four years after that she was probably more capable of flying a space ship than the most skilled navy pilot. She excelled at everything, in every way.

Darien bit his lip. After all the painstaking work that had gone into finding her, there was still a better than even chance that this exceptional individual might slip through his fingers. The thought made his stomach knot. Blink desperately needed new recruits. Even throughout the web of dozens of human-inhabited worlds finding someone that fitted their requirements so perfectly was next to impossible.

"We can't wait here forever," Idas pointed out.

"I'm well aware," he answered. "But you know as well as I do that we need her."

"Only if she's willing. No point dragging someone kicking and screaming into our little club. Remember how that worked out?"

Darien glared at his companion. "I'm not likely to forget."