Helix by Viola Grace Read Free Book Online Page A

can tolerate my radiation. ”
    “What of Harmony?”
    “ She is perfect for me. I felt that she was perfect the moment that she drew near. She almost escaped, but I pulled her in, and now, here she is. ”
    Shock rippled through Harmony. She knew she had felt something pulling at her, but this explained the energy blasts that knocked her navigation out. Son-of-a-bitch.
    “ Oh dear. She is angry. I needed her. In time, she will come to accept it. ”
    The star faded back and Harmony came through. “Damn it!”
    “Welcome back, love. So, did you hear everything?”
    She wrinkled her nose. “More than everything. I could hear the emotion from the inside as well. She really did need me as a voice, though I can’t understand why.”
    He sighed. “I believe that is where I come in. I am the candidate for the voice of the dark star. I had finally believed that I was in a life path that would keep me away from it, and yet, now I need to confront it.”
    Harmony saw the resignation on his face and stepped toward him, blinking when he flinched back.
    “You are giving off a lot of heat, Harmony. If I ever want to be with you again, I will need to become your equal. That will mean a trip in the ship.”
    She sat back on the exam table. “Explain, but you can turn the recorder off.”
    He blinked and smiled. “Good to know that you can still see the world around you when they are tinkering around in there.”
    “You are stalling, Nero.”
    “I am.” He sat near her on the bed and took hold of one of her hands. She could feel the cool of his skin and hoped that she wasn’t causing him pain.
    “Well, as I told you, my species was young when it came to space faring.” He sighed and squeezed her hand. “We were not young when it came to Avatars and the planets who needed them. I woke here and felt a pressure in my mind. I rejected it. I was not going to be used.”
    He swallowed. “It continued to press on my thoughts. It was not hostile, but I did not want any part of it. I jumped from the tower and tried to end my life. Yes, my portrait hangs in that tower.”
    She didn’t make a sound, though her heart ached for the desperation in his voice.
    “I woke again in the tank and was assigned as catcher. On my first mission, I felt the pull toward the rift and instead of answering it, I jumped out of the ship high enough to kill me, or so I thought. I woke in the tank again.”
    “Over and over I killed myself and woke in the tank, restored and with a mind full of alien whispers. Finally, I became the restorer. It seemed content with that. Three hundred years as the restorer and I have enjoyed most of it.” He chuckled. “I have really enjoyed the last few weeks, and I believe that the dark star has been waiting for this moment.”
    “They knew we would suit?”
    “If they are an even match in power, mass and energy, then their Avatars would reflect those same characteristics. That would be us, I suppose. Now, I will need a trip to the rift so the dark star can touch me and I can once again touch you.”
    Harmony smiled. “It seems a lot of effort just to get laid.”
    “It is not that and you know it. Now, as there is no other restorer, I will need you to take my body here and drop me into a tank once I have been struck.”
    I have an answer for that. We can carry him. You can use my energy to fly to the rift and back. Take him to the rift, throw him free of your body and let him be struck by the dark star. Catch him and bring him back to the surface for treatment. He might not even need it.
    Harmony whispered internally, Don’t you know how this is going to work? I mean, you knew you would burn me, did you not?
    I did, and I regret it, but you are now ever so strong and capable of withstanding anything. You might even be able to fly free of the rift one day. I do so miss open space.
    Harmony shook her head to clear it. “I have to go outside and check something. Am I still classified as a catcher?”
    “I don’t