Renegade on Kara The Great Basin Chapter 2 Back to the University

Going on the run from spell casting AIs, dragons and a nearly all powerful state isn't easy, even on a world with an infinite surface.

Two pelicans landed in front of them and flowed from the shape of birds into boxes once more.

Roger told Lynn as he picked his e-reader out of the box, “Get us a private tram car with a bed and a shower,” Again, his touch so delicate she remained unaware of it, he slipped through the crack in her shield. She had one vivid imagination. He saw the kinky things she thought he would have her do once they had privacy in the tram as she picked up her own e-reader and made the purchase.

Not a chance. As the top mage student at the University, he always had dozens of extremely talented women and men vying for a chance to be in his bed. He’d never resorted to using magic to get what he wanted from girls before, and wouldn’t now.

But he didn’t tell her that. He let her stew about what things he might do to her and the commands he might give her.

Having never used a compact private long-haul express tram car, it surprised him. Its nanotech shape-changing nature made it much roomier than its 2.5 meter on a side volume.

“Shower.”

“The Shower and eating nooks are not available until the car reaches cruising speed. That will be twelve minutes after departure. Departure is in seven minutes,” the room AI informed him in a pleasant feminine voice.

As this was a private, not public car, Roger hung everything he wore in the tiny closet. After some hesitation, Lynn stripped and hung up her own clothes. Like every other University student he knew, she was no fonder of wearing clothes than he. Hate filling the gap between them, they sat there waiting for the car to move in silence.

He didn’t feel the car start and only noticed it because the scenery outside the faux window started changing. There’d been no announcement.

“I’ll shower first, then you can have it,” he said into that silence.

She started in surprise. “You don’t want me washing your back?”

Roger shivered. “I don’t want to be touched by the likes of you, ever. That is a contamination I would never be able to wash off.” There, she knew Roger had no plans to force her into kinky sex. Yet he could see that that the idea pissed her off more than if he had degraded and ravished her as soon as he got her alone and helpless.

They sat in silence, their mutual hate filling the gap between them.

“Cruising speed. Shall I extend the shower?” the pleasant-voiced AI asked.

“Yes,” Roger said in relief.

The wall extended out, taking up every bit of the compartment not occupied by the seats. Then a door in it slid open next to him, not Lynn.

“Your shower is ready.”

***

The shower door opening near Lynn’s seat triggered Roger into setting his glass of spider juice on the table that now stood between the two seats.

Dripping wet, Lynn stepped out. Her rage had not cooled, though coming out wet instead of letting the shower dry her and plopping down across from him was about all the spell on her would allow.

Roger had had enough of her glaring. “Sleep Lynn.”

She slumped as if he threw a switch.

To satisfy his curiosity about how she won duels with mages better than she, Roger slipped into her mind through the crack. Her sleeping mind was even more muddled than her conscious mind. Roger sighed. It was going to take work finding the right memories.

An hour and a half later, he had his answer. The ones she didn’t win by trickery, she won because those she was dueling held back for fear of hurting her and she didn’t. She always entered into duels with a win-or-die attitude. They, unwilling to risk killing her, and not good enough to subdue her without risking her life, lost.

She assumed Roger possessed that same attitude the moment she found out he designed his battlecloak to kill. She’d known all along he was more powerful and expected to die then. Winning without killing her, she would not forgive. But this didn’t answer the question; what to do now? “Computer, wake only me in ten hours.”

He would take two hours of meditation, then sleep. Then, mind cleared, he would consider this again.

**

A buzzing in his ear woke him. Opening an eye stopped the AI from doing that, unlike the one at home, which didn’t stop until he sat up.

Having slept on it, Roger only saw two options if he wanted to keep his magic. Arrange Lynn’s death in a believable accident before someone scanned her; or make a run for it, and get well outside a technology zone before someone lifted the spell. He knew that he didn’t know how to arrange a believable accident before someone found his spell on her. Besides, premeditated murder just wasn’t his thing.

That left going on the run. His disappearance wouldn’t raise an immediate alarm. Students buckled every midterm, packed up, and left, often without a word. It would be weeks before the computers investigated if he just left. But there would be an investigation some time. His dad would trigger such if no one else did. The question was only a matter of when, not if. A month of not responding to messages wouldn’t trigger it, but two would, he decided. He must be far enough away that finding him became too difficult before then. But how to do that?

**

Hours later, and approaching their station, he had the bare bones of a plan.

“Wake up bitch, we are almost to the University.”

Her eyes opened, filled with rage. Thankfully, after today, chances are they would never see each other again.

“Hand me my clothes while you are getting yours.”

He slid back into her mind through the crack. She desperately wanted to shove his sword through his chest instead of handing it to him. If the spell didn’t restrain her, she would have.

He pulled back out. Any second thought about what he was about to do to her vanished.

Pulling on the coveralls she handed him, he told her, “We are going to your dorm and room. Don’t do anything to attract attention or act out of the ordinary.” After zipping it, putting on his boot, buckling on his sword and cloak, he addressed her again. “Unlock your e-reader and hand it to me. Then get dressed.”

She seemed more menacing than ever as she passed him the e-reader. Roger didn’t bother going through her personal letters as she assumed, but looked up what he wanted. Using her e-reader in this mode left a record of her doing it, not him. It only took a moment to narrow his search to the 4L perishable goods shipping container. He handed it back to her with that on the screen. “You are taking a trip. Order three 4L containers delivered to your room.”

For the first time, fear and doubt entered her voice. “Where are we going?”

Peering into her mind, he saw her thinking of him taking her far from the law and keeping her as his slave. He had considered just that and reconsidered it once more. It would be impossible for her to break free of this spell herself. That required an outside mage to do it. Very few mages that could free her we’re in the out beyond. With the right commands, she would be a very useful slave there.

But he could not. Together, they were a hundred times easier to trace with magic.

“Not we, you. You couldn’t take it anymore. You are leaving both the University and technology behind. Consider how to make everyone believe that.”

The AI interrupted, “We have arrived, and we hope you enjoyed your ride on Solan Express. Please come again.”

The door opened.

“Let’s go.”

**