Then, five years ago, she had been offered a lucrative position on the Ascension Project by the Gris-som Academy board of directors.
'I figured you were a soldier,' Nick said a little smugly. 'You look all tough, like you're ready for a fight all the time. Just like Hendel.'
Kahlee was momentarily taken aback. She had basic combat training; it was mandatory for all Alliance personnel. But she didn't imagine herself bearing any resemblance to a battle-hardened veteran like Hendel. The majority of her service had been spent in research labs surrounded by computers and other scientists, not out on the battlefield.
'Miss Sanders? I think I'm done.'
Nick's voice snapped her thoughts back to the present. The transmitter in his neck was beeping faintly.
'Sorry, Nick,' she muttered, withdrawing the needle. Nick sat up straight, rubbing the back of his neck.
She pocketed the needle, then checked the readout on her omnitool again, verifying she had the data she needed. This was the core of her work on the Ascension Project. The newest biotic implants, collectively called the L4 configuration, were equipped with a network of virtual intelligence chips. The VI chips monitored the brain wave activity of a biotic, learning the complex thought patterns of their host and adapting their own performance to maximize biotic potential.
By analyzing the data collected in the chips, Kahlee and her team could also make subtle, customized adjustments to the VI program coordinating an individual's amps, resulting in even greater gains. So far tests showed a 10 to 15 percent increase in biotic ability over the older L3 configurations in 90 percent of the subjects, with no apparent side effects. But, like most research into the field of biotics, they were only beginning to scratch the surface of what was possible.
Nick lay back on his bed again, drained by the ordeal of having his spine tapped. 'I'm getting stronger, right?' he said softly, smiling ever so slightly.
'I can't tell just by looking at the readout,' Kahlee replied, evading the question. 'I need to get back to the lab and run the numbers.'
'I think I'm getting stronger,' the boy said confidently, closing his eyes.
A little alarmed, she patted him gently on the leg and stood up from the bed. 'Get some rest, Nick,' she said, leaving him alone in his room.
Three
As the door to Nick's room closed behind her, Kahlee noticed Hendel coming down the hall, wearing his customary attire of tan pants and a black, snug fitting, long-sleeved shirt. He was a tall man, a few inches over six feet, and thick through the neck, chest, and arms, with a closely cropped beard and mustache that covered his chin and upper lip but left his cheeks bare. His rusty-brown hair and first name were clear evidence of his Scandinavian ancestry. However, the darker tone of his skin and his last name, Mitra, hinted at his mixed heritage, and he had actually been born in the suburbs just outside of New Calcutta, one of Earth's wealthiest regions.
Kahlee assumed his parents still lived there, though they were no longer a part of his life. Her dysfunctional relationship with Grissom was nothing compared to Hendel and his family. He hadn't spoken to them in over twenty years; not since they'd abandoned him to the Biotic Acclimation and Training program when he was a teenager. The BAaT program, in contrast to the openness the Ascension Project enjoyed at the Grissom Academy, had taken place in a top-secret military facility before it was shutdown as a dismal failure. The minds behind the program had wanted the BAaT instructors to act without interference from the families, so they had made every effort to convince the parents that biotics were dangerous. They tried to make them feel ashamed and even afraid of their own children, hoping to drive a wedge between the students and their families. In HendePs case they had done a wonderful job.
He was approaching with both speed and purpose, propelled by his long, quick strides. He ignored the children peering curiously out at him from their rooms as he went by, a frown etched on his face as he stared intently at the floor.
'Hey!' Kahlee called out in surprise as he blew past her, seemingly oblivious to her presence. 'Watch where you're going!'
'Huh?' he said, pulling up short and glancing back over his shoulder. Only then did he seem to notice her. 'Sorry. In a hurry.'
'I'll walk with you,' she offered.
Hendel resumed his pace, and Kahlee fell into stride beside him. Every few steps she had to break into a quick jog to keep up.
'You were just with Nick?' he asked.
'He's sulking,' Kahlee replied. 'Thinks you're being unfair.'
'He's lucky,' Hendel grumbled. 'Back in my day he would've gotten a smack upside the head hard enough to make his ears bleed. Now all we have are lockdowns and lectures. No wonder half these kids leave here as arrogant, snot-nosed punks.'
'I think that has more to do with being a teenager than being a biotic,' Kahlee noted with a small smile. Hendel talked tough, but she knew he'd never allow any harm to come to the children he worked with.
'Somebody needs to straighten that kid out,' Hendel warned. 'Or he'll end up as one of those guys who goes into a bar, hits on another man's date. . then uses biotics to knock the other guy on his ass when he takes a swing.
'He'll think it's all just a big joke… until someone in the bar freaks out and bashes him over the head with a bottle when he's not looking.'
Kahlee liked Hendel, but this was an example of his pessimistic, often bleak view of life. Of course there was some truth to what he said — there were biotics who acted as if they were indestructible, blessed with super powers. But there were limits to their talents. It took time to generate a mass effect field, as well as intense mental concentration and focus. Fatigue set in quickly. After one or two impressive displays a biotic was drained, leaving them as vulnerable as anyone else.
There were several documented cases of biotics flaunting their power: cheating at dice or roulette in a casino; altering the trajectory of the ball in the middle of a basketball game; even playing practical jokes on people by yanking their chairs out from under them. And the consequences for these actions were often severe. Enraged mobs had been known to assault or even kill biotics in retaliation for such minor offenses; driven to extreme overreaction by their ignorance and fear.
'That's not going to happen to Nick,' she assured him. 'He'll learn. We'll get through to him eventually.'
'Maybe one of the teachers needs to hit him with a stunner,' he deadpanned.
'Don't look at me,' Kahlee objected with a laugh, taking two quick hop-steps to keep from falling behind. 'I never carry mine.'
The stunners — small electroshock weapons manufactured by Aldrin Labs and capable of rendering a student unconscious — were standard issue to all personnel on the Ascension Project; a precaution in case any of the students ever unleashed a serious biotic attack against a staff member or classmate. For legal reasons, all nonbiotic personnel were supposed to carry a stunner while on duty, but Kahlee openly defied the rule. She hated the stunners. They seemed to hearken back to the mistrust and fear prevalent during the days of the BAaT program. Besides, in all the years of the Ascension Project, no staff member had ever needed to use one.
