The Persistence of Memories - A Novel of the Mendaihu Universe by Jon Chaisson Page B

It was a Pullock Street Heights
residence that he recognized immediately, and let the call
through.
    Akaina Shalei lifted her head at the vidmat
cam and smiled at him. The kind of warm, appreciative smile she
gave whenever they connected. Her glossy black hair, nearly always
tied up in a tight ponytail, now hung loose about her shoulders and
tucked behind her ears, framing her slightly tanned face, the glow
of a desk lamp turned to its lowest brightness creating soft lines
of shadow. She knew he'd be up this time of night, having his last
cigarette of the day and ruminating over the day's events. She'd
accepted his odd habits, even his smoking habit, accepting them
instead as personal quirks that made him who he was.
    “Hey,” she said, her voice barely above a
whisper.
    “Hey yourself,” he said. “Good to hear from
you.”
    “I haven't interrupted, have I?” she asked
quietly. “Sorry I'm whispering, but Ashan's in the next room
sleeping. Just thought I'd check in. I was worried about you
today.”
    “Doing better,” he said.
    “Anything I can help you with?”
    For a moment he was tempted to ask her about
Saisshalé, but again decided against it. He was afraid she would
have the answer for him, and he wouldn't be ready for it. He pushed
the question away — far away — and instead relayed the day’s
events. She'd read the report, though she still reacted with
surprise when he spoke of Caren's attempt to bring the man down. In
all the years he'd known her, only once did Caren display anger of
that magnitude, and that was a few weeks ago.
    “I’m fine,” he said. “Thanks for asking
anyway. How's business on your end? I hear Anando’s already started
classes at the warehouse. Pretty impressive, given the short amount
of time.”
    Kai nodded proudly. After Denni's failed
Ascension, Kai and Ashan had devoted much of her time giving to the
new community, offering help and guidance for anyone who asked.
They whatever they could to help these people through a
particularly tense and confusing time. It wasn’t just a sense of
responsibility for them; it was in their nature.
    “I've started a self-defense course down
there,” she said. “Simple physical skills, things like that.
Ashan's teaching an advanced course in soulsensing.”
    “I'm glad you're doing this, Kai,” he
said.
    “I'm glad to be doing it,” she replied.
    An uncomfortable silence followed. Kai looked
away, delaying the moment just a bit more. He really didn’t mind
talking about it, but he was tired and it was late, so perhaps it
was best that he didn’t bring it up. He'd get all worked up, which
would cause his cho-nyhndah moodiness to kick in, there'd be an
argument, and he'd feel like an idiot for the rest of the night.
But she understood his situation, probably more so than he did, and
always forgave him for all the petty arguments they'd had.
    Still, he hated ignoring what needed to be
said.
    “The nuhm’ndah attack,” he said.
    Kai slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.
Without a word he could tell that if she were there, she'd be
speaking from within, soothing him already. He showed a brief, weak
smile before continuing.
    “Well, I guess...” he said, and faltered. He
could already feel that cold itching, that prodding deep within
that was just out of his reach. He took a deep breath and started
again. “I guess I'm just concerned about what happened, is all. I
mean, it's not that we were the agents there at the time. Maybe I'm
just being paranoid, but it's been relatively peaceful since Denni
returned. But let’s be honest — it was only a matter of time before
another idiot made a move.”
    “Alec, it was coincidence that it happened at
that time, in that place,” she said. “Many smaller assaults aren’t
even getting properly reported. Most Mendaihu would rather settle
the score themselves rather than involve the police or the
ARU.”
    “I know that,” he said. “But this one...this
one didn't seem like an ordinary