Missiles & Magic

Maddie took one more handful of the curry and then pushed her plate away.
"Am I putting you off your appetite?" her companion asked curiously.
She shot him a look - was that in her file too?
Her empathy took several forms before she knew what it was. One of them was affecting her sense of smell and taste.
She almost stopped eating for a month, and preferred eating on her own ever since.
But this time that wasn't the problem.
"You're fine, it's the curry itself. It's been a week and my mouth is so numb everything tastes the same..."

Everything about this internship was deceptively vacation-like.
Except she had to prove she is an agent worth her salt.
"I hate crowds!" she murmured entering the crowded bazaar.
Shamila headed towards a stall.
Joy. Excitement. Maddie picked out the emotions of the seller.
Displeasure she identified as her companion tried to bargain.
The Indian turned away, inclining her head.
Lust Maddie felt, focusing on the couple she indicated. Maybe fondness too. she amended.
Before they could switch to another target, she felt something behind her back...
"Get down!"
Shamila tore her to the ground, a sabre swishing above their heads.

"Ready?"
Maddie nodded slightly.
Vishal took her by the hand, door creaked and the blindfolded empath was lead through. She wrinkled her nose almost at once. Her hand made contact with something leathery.
Her shield cracked and she gasped.
"Hey, friend," she shushed automatically, fighting for control. "You're safe now. Whatever happened... we'll fix it."
The emotions were... different. Powerful and unchecked. Raw.
Which didn't make them any less unpleasant. Or overwhelming.
A hand removed her blindfold.
"No creature should be experiencing this," she said, shuddering.
Vishal shrugged.
"If we had money to buy out every working elephant in India..."

Shamila found Maddie pacing in her little room. The bob-length hair around the European's face stuck out at odd angles, the longer hair in the back laid slick, dripping fragrant oil onto her back.
"The scalp massage was supposed to relax you."
"Someone should have told that to the troubled masseuse..." Maddie sighed. "I did relax."
"You let down your shield."
"Isn't that what 'relax' means?"
Shamila squirted water out of a bottle on her head, causing the hair to smooth somewhat - and drip even more. "You're an empath. Your shield should be like oil on ducks' wings against water."

She half sat, half lied in the hammock, reading some reports.
"Those will still be there tomorrow, you know?" friendly eyes appeared over her screen. "They didn't send you here to keep you looking back."
That was true. She was supposed to be learning, broadening her horizons, training her powers.
But it was hard.
He closed the laptop and offered her a journal and a pencil.
The leather binding and the pages looked old. Not one she would have picked.
Memories and emotions tended to linger on these things.
"Read them... and then add your own. You can do it."

Maddie was still reeling from the paradigm shift of the last month. Or maybe the jet-lag. Or the...
"Ready for the tour?" Vishal flashed her smile number 275 since she got here last night.
She could feel his excitement and pride. A month ago she'd be feeling the same... Now she was aware that she feels something he doesn't - curiosity. Owning emotions was taking some getting used to.
A slight hint of impatience from him told her he's waiting for answer.
"Lead the way!"
And he did - through the banana plantation and ayurvedic garden housing the local branch of Moria.

"Unfortunately, there will be no more reports from Cheetah," Wolf stated, opening a file.
"Meteorologists and various other experts are still scratching their heads about where all the extra water came into the Eufrates from. The citizens of Haditha thank any and all deities their dam held up."
He continued, looking at the two other directors.
"Anah township is recovering. The fortress... well, noone's going to search it without snorkel anytime soon. And we have preventive measures in place..."
"No survivors?"
"Total surprise. No time to evacuate."

Zaria, teacup in hand, sat in al-jida's kitchen, surrounded by family telling stories.

Arne woke up and shook his head. The memories... were back. Almost everything.
“Who are you?” he asked... Samantha.
“Did you lose your memory again?” she yawned.
“On the contrary. I remember now. The first time we met... you showed me from the cliff.”
“Sorry,” she said.
The next thing he knew, he woke up on the floor.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing. You just collapsed.”
The blackness. He needs to get through.
One last barrier he needs to break.
He didn’t realize he said that out loud.
“I know someone who can help with that...”
Swan will be thrilled.