His Human Possession (Zandian Masters 8)

"Lamira said she can help." The old engineer gave a dismissive shrug.

"And the generators?" Zander snapped, clearly finished with worrying about her presence.

"We need to rewire the atmospheric pressurizing system, but the panel has been crushed. It's impossible to open up and get in there. I can’t see what I’m doing. I'm trying to do it by feel. I’ve sent Jax to get a pry bar, but I fear it will wreck everything inside if we force it."

Wiring. Feel.

Could it be?

No. That was silly. She didn't know anything about wiring electronics.

But the prince turned to her. "Why are you here?" he repeated the question as if Lium hadn't already answered it.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry—I know nothing about engineering, my lord. I wish I could help."

Zander gave a wave of impatience. "Why do you think you're here? What could you possibly offer?"

Ouch. Harsh.

But something forced her lips to move. "I'm good with wires." She coughed at the effort to speak.

He'd started to turn away already, but he jerked back. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, I know nothing about wiring, but I'm good at bending wires." Her face grew warm. "I used to shape animals and other little objects from the bits of wire in the factory where I worked as a child."

Zander grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly forward. "Move aside. Let the human reach in there. Her hands are smaller and she knows wires."

The old engineer cursed, but grudgingly pulled his arm out from around the panel. He looked at his hands as if they were new to him, then at hers. "True enough,” he muttered. “But she doesn’t have an inkling of the schematics behind that panel. How in the stars will show know what to do?”

“You’ll have to talk her through what needs to be done."

Lium grumbled and barked an order at a warrior nearby. Paal arrived with a flight helmet, which he dropped on her head and fastened under her chin. Breathing immediately became easier.

She reached her hand behind the bent panel. “All right, what am I feeling for?”

Lium cut off a length of wire. “We need to bypass the diode…”

And he immediately lost her in a stream of technical speak.

When she shook her head helplessly, he snapped, “Just get familiar with what’s in there. I have Jax fetching something I can write with.”

She let her fingertips slide over the topography of electronics inside. Little bumps and ridges. Tiny poles and lines.

When the warrior returned with a flat board and some kind of primitive writing device, she watched as Lium sketched exactly what she felt under her fingers. “Your job will be to wrap this wire from here,” he pointed to a tiny pole, “around this button here, and over to this one. You can’t touch the wire and this pole here without getting shocked, so you’ll have to bend a little hook like this, see?” He bent the wire into a crude hook. “And then loop it around without getting your finger in contact. Understand?”

She nodded and took the wire from his fingers, quickly fashioning a sturdy, thick hook that wouldn’t slip off.

The engineer’s eyes widened with interest. “You are quick with a piece of wire. All right, human, let’s see what you can do.”

She reached her fingers in. Without being able to use both hands, it took her awhile to wrap the wire, but she eventually fastened it to the first pole, around the second button. Now she just had to hook the third one without getting electrocuted. She waved the wire hook back and forth, trying to connect with the pole, but without the sense of touch or sight, it was impossible. Setting the wire down, she reached in to locate the pole by touch, then picked up the wire again. It was too flimsy for her to hook it on. She brought it back out and twisted several lengths of wire to reinforce it, ignoring the tense questions from the half dozen beings gathered around watching.

It was the first time she’d been the center of attention for anything besides her body, and it surprised her how much she wanted to succeed. Not just to save the pod and ensure the safety of everyone on it, but also to prove to herself that she had some value beyond sex.

There.

She hooked the end of the wires and immediately the lights flickered and came on. Generators hummed, the air system blew clean air into the room.

“She did it!” One of the warriors shouted.