Payal clung and clung and he didn’t shove her away, didn’t tell her it was uncomfortable or unwanted. Not even when her jittering self pulled at the bond in jagged bursts, desperation making her rough. He just held her to his heartbeat until her breathing evened and she found her footing.

No longer too confused to think, she did what she should’ve done from the start and began to build the framework Jaya had begun to teach her. It was less solid than her shields, and it allowed her to be herself while corralling the part of her mind that was damaged and broken.

“You’re not broken,” the E had said in her gentle voice. “You have trauma that’s calcified and exacerbated a chemical imbalance in your brain. We work with one element at a time, step-by-step, to bring you to a place where you feel good. No one else gets to make that call. Just you.”

Shaky in the aftermath of the build, she whispered, “I lost control.” Shame was a wildfire in her veins.

“Baby, I threw full-on tantrums when I was initially in the hospital.” He kissed her hair in that way that had already become so familiar, so affectionate that it made her feel precious. “Cut yourself some slack—you’ve held it together for three decades on your own. It’s okay if you lose it now and then. Jaya didn’t promise overnight success, remember? You have to build those muscles as I build my leg muscles.”

Again, the analogy worked for the way she thought, giving her a physical analogue that offered her something to grip. She’d been falling back on thinking of the new framework as ropes around her mind, handcuffs to keep the madness at bay. She had to consider it a tool, as Canto considered his robotic exercise machinery.

“I’m not broken.” It was the first time in her life she’d ever verbalized such a thing. “I just function differently than other people.”

“Got it in one.” Another one of those nuzzles that made her feel so warm and … There was another word she couldn’t say, couldn’t think, because it was too big, too huge a promise.

So she just lay against him and used the tools she’d been given.

MESSAGE STREAM BETWEEN YAKOV AND PAVEL STEPYREV

Pasha, the weirdest thing just happened.

What? A woman looked at your ugly face and didn’t turn to stone in fright?

I’m going to tell on you to Mama.

Tattletale. Also, if you tell, I’ll tell her who stole that entire chocolate cake when we were thirteen. What happened anyway?

I’m just walking through the forest, minding my own business, when this big old tree starts creaking and groaning …

???? I’m growing old here.

It fell over. Right in front of me!

You okay?

Yeah, yeah, it was making so much noise before it fell that no one could’ve missed it. And even when it began to fall, it was in slow motion. The thing came down with a boom that I swear caused a quake.

A tree falls in the forest. And thanks to the great explorer Yasha, we know it made a noise.

You suck. But it fell down for no reason! Like it was pushed over by a giant hand. But that’s not the weirdest part.

You have my interest, young man. Proceed.

It AVOIDED all the other trees in its path, and managed to lie down right in this fine gap. Like the giant finger couldn’t stop from pushing it over, but they controlled it.

Huh.

Yeah.

Log it.

You think?

Yeah, just in case. I mean, I don’t think rogue telekinetics are out there pushing over our trees, but you never know.

PSYNET BEACON: INTERVIEW WITH PAYAL RAO

 

COCO RAMIREZ

No one expected Payal Rao.

That statement is no hyperbole. We’re all used to hearing of Ms. Rao’s business dealings, but even those mentions are never anything but restrained references in financial newspapers. She has a reputation for keeping her head down and getting on with the work of running a major family empire.

Certainly, none of the political pundits predicted this move, and yet to have a hub-anchor as part of the Ruling Coalition makes sense in every possible way, especially given the PsyNet’s current instability.

Today, I sit down with Payal Rao and attempt to uncover the anchor behind the enigma.

Beacon: Were you surprised when the Ruling Coalition approached you?

Rao: They didn’t. I approached them as the chosen representative of Designation A. There is every reason to have an anchor at the highest level of power, and no reason to keep us out.

Beacon: Do I have this right? You demanded a seat at the table?

Rao: Yes.

Beacon: Not many would dare such against the most powerful people in the PsyNet.

Rao: Do you know what happens to the PsyNet if the anchors go on strike? The PsyNet disappears and we all die. The end.

Beacon: Are you saying Designation A is the most important designation of them all?

Rao: Anchors would be drowning in a sea of insanity without the empaths, would’ve fallen to Pure Psy and others with warlike ambitions without the strength of the telekinetics and telepaths and more who protected us. Foreseers have saved us from countless disasters, while psychometrics and Justice-Psy and many others solve problem after problem.

We are the foundation. The foundation holds, but it can’t actively do battle.

To state the skillset of one designation does not negate those of every other—the hierarchy is a continuous flux based on need, and right now, A is the critical designation.

Beacon: You don’t pull your punches.

Rao: I know my own value—and I know the value of the designation I represent. We were once content to be the silent party to the health of the PsyNet. But since the powers that be made such a mess of that over the past century, a passive presence is no longer a viable option.

Beacon: Do you blame the current Ruling Coalition, too?

Rao: Your comprehension skills need work. I made it clear that my problem is with past leaders. That includes past anchors. Our ancestors in the designation are not blameless.

Beacon: What will your new responsibilities mean for your duties as the Rao CEO?

Rao: Why don’t you ask Kaleb Krychek what his responsibilities mean for his status as the head of Krychek Industries?

Beacon: A good point, but the question had to be asked.

Rao: No, it didn’t—it was nonsensical and I have little time to waste.

Beacon: Then let us ask a very important question—as an A, what do you see in our future? Can the PsyNet be saved? Or are we fighting a losing battle, death a whisper on the horizon?