Echo

by Valerie J Mikles

  “If you take me with you, I won’t tell a soul,” Lula promised.

  “We can’t risk it. We took Michael with his mother’s permission, and look how that turned out,” Saskia said.

  Lula rolled her eyes. “Michael doesn’t have a mother. He has a principal investigator and a caretaker. And he punched his caretaker in the face! You might see it as bad for everyone to know, but this is the kind of information that would keep him alive!”

  22

  Morrigan held Michael as they waited in the Bobsled outside the city. The gravel on the ground was familiar, but they’d been sitting almost an hour, and she was starting to think this was the wrong spot. Michael snuggled against her chest, his eyes half-closed. The painkillers made him tired, and she was reluctant to take him back to the place that had caused him so much injury. She wished she knew why they wanted him back, and why they’d cut communication with the crew to get him.

  Maybe it was Michael using his power to get himself home. He’d been calling for his family all morning, checking every room of the ship, like he expected them to be there.

  Danny sighed in frustration and tried calling the city again. Despite the cliff face and the clearing, it still didn’t look right, and something told him there was nothing there. But suddenly Hawk tumbled into view, landing on a gravel patch. Morrigan sat forward in her seat. Saskia hopped over Hawk, appearing in midair before landing gracefully beside him. Swearing, Danny pushed back the ‘sled’s cover and jogged over to help. Morrigan’s heart thundered, and she shifted Michael forward so she could reach her medical bag.

  “Are you sure you want to go back?” Morrigan asked Michael.

  “I want Mom,” he signed. He scooted forward but didn’t try to stand. His repaired tissue was still tight, and the skeletal damage preyed on his already fragile nervous system.

  “You can wait in here while I talk to Dr. Schon. Then we’ll find your mom,” Morrigan said. “Will you be okay?”

  Michael opened his mouth and pointed, signaling he was ready for a snack. Morrigan fished out a canteen and a sandwich, then reminded Michael of the proper sign language.

  “Use your words, Michael. I’m paying attention,” she said. Morrigan took a moment, steeling herself for the difficult conversation she was about to have. When she kissed Michael’s cheek, he made a delighted honk—his version of a laugh—and kissed her back, even though his mouth was full of tuna sandwich. He was a sweet man. He deserved better than the life he’d been given.

  “Need help down there?” Morrigan asked, coming down the ladder.

  “He’s still a little winded from playing antenna earlier,” Saskia said, pushing Hawk onto Danny. She spoke Lanvarian, which meant she was worried about eavesdroppers. “Everyone all right on your end?”

  “Fine. Michael’s excited to get back to his family,” Morrigan said.

  “How’s Amanda?” Danny asked.

  “She and Tommy are starting a book club,” Hawk panted. He whirled on one leg and face-planted into Danny’s chest.

  “Dr. Schon is waiting inside,” Saskia reported. “She seems annoyed at having to deal with this.”

  “When she hears Michael talking and sees him signing, she’ll realize that there’s progress we can make to help him fit in,” Morrigan said. “She’ll heal him then.”

  “He’s talking already?” Saskia asked, surprised.

  “He’s vocalizing,” Danny said, a bit more reservation in his assessment. “He’s made it clear he wants his mother.”

  “Sky’s working on that,” Hawk said, still heaving for breath between sentences. “According to Lula, they know he has power now, and cells from live hybrids are what powers their technology. The healing veins. The levitation rods.”

  “Do you think they’ll kill him if we give him back?” Morrigan asked.

  “I didn’t ask. But there are no hybrids on the streets, so let that say what it will,” Hawk said.

  “Dr. Schon is waiting inside the gate with a three-person security team. They’re going to come out if we aren’t in decon before the air cycle finishes,” Saskia said. “Ready?”

  “Actually, I… I want Danny in there,” Morrigan said, her voice catching in her throat. “If that’s okay.”

  Saskia brooded as she flew the Bobsled high over the mountain, going past the clouds and turbulent air until Cordova was no longer visible. Hawk slumped in the back seat, and she hoped all he needed was a good nap. They were going to need his antenna skills again. She didn’t like sending Morrigan and the Captain into the city, but she also hadn’t relished the idea of another decon.

  “The ‘sled’s comm is picking up the broadcast from Nola,” Saskia told Hawk. A low hum in response told her he hadn’t completely lost consciousness yet. The faint, crackling Nolan music barely had the power to reach across the thousand miles. “But we can’t see or track Oriana from up here. They’re being blocked.”

  “What are they afraid of?” Hawk asked. “That someone will detect us and come exploring?”

  “I wonder if local nomads have stories about this forest being haunted,” Saskia mused, dropping straight down so she could resume the course back to the ship. The pleasant Nolan music was immediately replaced by frantic calls from the ship.

  “Saskia, are you there? Where did you go? Saskia, can you hear me?” came Tray’s voice.

  “On our way,” Saskia replied. “We just wanted to see if we could leave the cloak.”

  “You can’t do that without warning us!” Tray exclaimed. “We thought they’d shot you down or made you disappear or sent you to another dimension! Can there be a cloak within a cloak?”

  “Calm down, babe,” Saskia chided. The wind gusted and a bolt of lightning encouraged her to stop dawdling. The cloak didn’t give them rain protection. Saskia landed inside the bay a few minutes later, and they were showered with drops of rain when the ‘sled’s hatch opened.

  “We’ve lost the city and the outside world,” Tray ranted, pacing back and forth on the mid-deck catwalk.

  “The ‘sled can get Nola’s signal if we go high enough,” Saskia said, offering Hawk a hand. “I’m sure we could get Terrana after it rises.”

  “As soon as it rises, we’re going up,” Tray said. “That’s… twenty minutes.”

  Saskia helped Hawk onto the ladder and Corin came underneath, guiding him down, then embracing him. Saskia slid down the ladder next and Tray met her with a soft towel to blot away the rain. Saskia hadn’t gotten wet, but she appreciated Tray’s little neurotic foibles. Bringing the towel over her head, she pulled him underneath and gave him a kiss.

  “We should also send a message to Nola,” Corin said, whipping the towel away. Tray broke the kiss almost immediately, and Saskia groaned in frustration. “If they’re trading DNA, they should know what it’s being used for.”

  “You have twenty minutes to record something,” Tray said. Then to Saskia’s surprise, he leaned forward and kissed her again before dropping his voice to a whisper. “Tell me my brother’s okay in there.”

  Saskia nodded. As much as she wanted to take him to bed, she tamped down the desire and updated him on everything they’d learned about the city, ascension, and Fisher’s arrest.

  Half an hour later, Saskia was in the air with Tray in the back seat. They sent Corin’s message first, and Saskia hoped they’d get a response before they went down. Unlike Terrana, there was no buffer to hold messages until they were ready to be received. Nola simply sent broadcasts, and they had to be intercepted.

  They stayed above the clouds and the weather, and Saskia flew a steady path parallel to the mountain range. Some of the peaks pierced through the clouds.

  “How does this compare to your last joy ride?” Saskia teased.

  “It’s nice to be above the rain,” Tray said. “But I hate flying. I just hate it.”

  Saskia’s console beeped. “Burst coming from Terrana. That was fast.”

  Tray redirected the incoming signal to his Virp and ran a decr
yption. He’d wanted to hear the messages from home and record his response. Saskia heard him scramble for a sick bag and vomit.

  “Are you all right back there?” she asked, cupping a hand over her mouth and nose to block the smell.

  “No.” Tray barely managed to get the word out. He played the message, and a frantic woman’s voice came over the speaker. It was Mikayla, his ex-wife.

  “Tray, he’s gone,” the woman said. “Hero’s gone. He found Sikorsky’s stupid Confluence ring and he teleported. We’re not tracking him anywhere in the city. Did he find you? Please tell me you have him!”

  Tray heaved again, and Saskia accelerated back to the ship.

  “We’ll find him, Tray. I promise you, we will find him,” she said.

  It only took twenty minutes to get through decon this round, because they’d been through it once before, and their immune records were on file. Michael shut down when they took his clothes. He lifted his eyes just enough to watch Morrigan’s lips for instructions and let himself be led through the chamber and out the other side. There they dressed and waited again.

  “Ohm,” Michael whispered. Based on his sign, he was asking for his mom. Then he mouthed something else and signed ‘T’ for Tommy.

  A moment later, there was a chime on the door, and Tommy stepped in. Morrigan and Danny exchanged a surprised look. Had Michael summoned his brother that quickly?

  “Michael,” Tommy greeted stiffly, his eyes locking on his brother.

  “Hello,” Michael said out loud, putting in effort to complete the whole word like they’d practiced. His voice was deep, like Tommy’s, but Michael had a strange tone—or a lack of tone—that wasn’t abnormal for a deaf man.

  Tommy’s eyes widened. “He talked.”

  “Isn’t it wonderful?” Morrigan asked, beaming with pride.

  “It sounds awful,” Tommy frowned, his lips curling in disgust. “He can’t talk like that.”

  “He’s still learning. With training, he will learn how to make the sounds more accurately.”

  “But that… that deep voice?” Tommy squeaked.

  “It’s nice, isn’t it?” Morrigan smiled, nuzzling Michael affectionately.

  “No. No, it’s not. He can’t talk like that!” Tommy cried, grabbing the front of Michael’s shirt, pulling him away from Morrigan. “You can’t. Do you know what they’ll do to you? You can’t make a sound. Not ever. Not like that!”

  “There’s nothing wrong with his voice, Tommy,” Danny said.

  Tommy shot him a look. Then he turned to Michael again, his hand creeping closer to Michael’s neck. “When Dr. Schon comes for you, don’t make a sound. Don’t.” He leaned in closer, continuing to mouth words so that Michael could read his lips but no one else could follow.

  Michael shook his head, tears building in his eyes, and he recoiled when Tommy smacked him across the face.

  “You evil, manipulative monster! I saw Mom’s notes. How could you do that to me?” Tommy exploded.

  “Tommy, stop!” Danny hollered, pulling the Tommy away from Michael. “Calm down.”

  “How could you do this to him?” Tommy cried, shoving Danny off, hovering both hands around his own neck. “If she hears him make sounds like this, do you know what she’ll do? I do!”

  Michael rushed forward and pulled Tommy into a hug. Tommy was surprised at first, tensing like he expected an attack, but then he wrestled to make the embrace more even.

  “Stop controlling me,” Tommy whimpered, burying his face on Michael’s shoulder. Michael tapped Tommy’s face so that Tommy would lift his head again and let them talk. Michael didn’t try to make any more sounds.

  The door opened again, and a disgruntled, gaunt blonde came in. Morrigan recognized the Schon template, but this woman had an ugly scowl.

  “What is this? The parade of misfits?” Schon scoffed, her lip curling as she eyed Morrigan and the men. “Rat, what did I tell you!”

  Tommy let go of Michael and took a step back. “Dr. Schon, this is Dr. Morrigan Zenzele and Captain Danny Matthews.”

  “Hello, Doctor,” Morrigan said confidently, but Schon ignored her, instead scrutinizing Michael.

  “The doctor reattached Michael’s ear. It was nearly off,” Tommy added. The brothers exchanged a look and Michael ducked submissively, hiding behind Tommy. “I told you.”

  “And I told you not to hug the test subjects,” Schon spat. Tommy shrank back, pushing away from Michael again.

  “Let’s go,” Schon said, using one finger to summon Michael to her.

  “Wait,” Morrigan said, stepping in Schon’s way. “He’s not going anywhere with you until we talk about his injuries.”

  “The ear, yes,” Schon said. “How fortunate that you were there to triage him.”

  “I don’t mean his ear,” Morrigan said, bracing herself. “He had two herniated disks. The injury was several weeks old.”

  She paused, but Schon didn’t react.

  “I treated him for a urinary tract infection and a kidney infection. I removed as many abscesses and cysts as I could with the tools I have,” Morrigan continued. She’d practiced reciting the list many times so she could look in the doctor’s face as she said the words. Schon was cold as ice. The next items were where injury became abuse. “He’s had four broken ribs in his life, probably from being kicked. They’ve had time to heal, but one of the bones did not heal properly, and it causes him chronic pain. There is so much scar tissue on his body, it’s impossible to believe your medical scans would not have revealed it.”

  She stopped again, and Schon still didn’t react. Her eyebrow lifted ever so slightly when the silence persisted. “What a luxury for you to treat him as a patient at your whim,” she intoned. “I do the best I can with the resources I have. He’s a test subject. He is tested to the limit of his tolerance and he’ll die young. That’s the way of it.”

  “He is a human being! How can you treat him like that?” Morrigan cried, losing her temper.

  “He doesn’t complain,” Schon said, not even flinching at the outburst.

  “Because he’s been beaten into silence!”

  Schon huffed in irritation. She’d already taken more time out of her day than she cared to deal with this. She looked at Michael and Tommy, trying to figure out which one was hers. “You’re the rat, so… you. Come along.”

  “Come on, Michael,” Tommy said, putting an arm around his brother’s shoulders, visibly hurt that Schon couldn’t tell them apart.

  Schon smacked Tommy’s face hard enough to send him stumbling across the room. Morrigan was stunned, but Danny jumped in and caught Tommy.

  “Hey! That is uncalled for. He’s trying to comfort his brother,” Danny said.

  “You don’t get it,” Schon growled. “You don’t understand what they are. Get out of my way.”

  She jerked Michael’s sleeve and the door slid open.

  “Michael!” Morrigan wailed. “Don’t kill him! You can’t kill him!”

  Michael reached out to Morrigan, but Tommy leapt between them, clamping a hand over Michael’s mouth. Their eyes met, but in that moment, the strong, confident Michael had resurfaced, and he pushed past Tommy and took Morrigan in his arms.

  Their lips met, and Morrigan instantly calmed. He didn’t make a sound, but he pressed his hand to hers, making signs that she couldn’t understand. Morrigan kept her eyes closed, praying that something would change, and that Dr. Schon would start seeing Michael as a person. But Michael broke the kiss and backed away, keeping his gaze locked on hers.

  The stars faded from her eyes, and she realized the room was now crowded with three new security guards, all with their weapons pointed at her and Danny. Her teeth chattered. She couldn’t speak.

  “The blond one is mine. Bring the woman, too,” Schon said.

  “No. She is not your test subject!” Danny cried.

  Morrigan barely heard him. She took Michael’s hand and, at the guard’s prompting, she followed Dr. Schon out of the room.
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br />   23

  Sky had never been to Building Thirty-seven before, and from the outside, it didn’t look like a prison. It had the same architecture as the rest of the buildings, using height to make up for lack of space, and had a lush, green garden on the roof. The first eight floors were dedicated to manufacturing, with space large enough to build a spaceship. That explained Lula’s familiarity with the place. The tenth through twelfth floors were set aside for holding rooms, with enough space for attending staff, inquiry meetings, a library, and no more than ten inmates. They didn’t even take Sky’s satchel when she signed in to visit Jack.

  The room Jack had been assigned was a little less cozy than her apartment, with a snack bar, a sink, and a private toilet. There was even a window to let in the light. It seemed to display incredible trust, save the impenetrable shield blocking her entry. Jack had pulled up a chair to her side so they could sit and talk, but there was no chair in the hall for Sky. The inquiry was a formality, and they’d either remap Jack to ‘overcome her deceitful nature’ or destroy her as defective.

  “Tommy reported me,” she said, picking at her fingernails, keeping her eyes down. “He’s threatened to before. I should have paid more attention to how much Michael was hurting him.”

  “You weren’t even there when it happened,” Sky said. Like a prison, the entire wall was open, and Sky suspected the wall to the bathroom could be made transparent as well if they suspected anything was off.

  “But I am responsible for Michael,” Jack said. “I petitioned to be his caretaker so that he wouldn’t be put in hibernation. I throw him at Tommy, in violation of that agreement. I see us as a family, and we’re not.”

  “They are your family, Jack,” Sky said firmly. “Your boys love you. We’re going to prove Michael’s personhood. We’re going to get you out of this.”

  Jack’s expression blanked. She’d shut down, already done with the fight. Sky knew they’d drugged her with something when they took her from the lab, and that Jack had confessed to more than she cared to repeat for Sky’s benefit. What Sky needed to know was if Jack had told them about Amanda’s echo power.