Echo

by Valerie J Mikles

  “We offered medical care, and we believed having his mother’s permission was sufficient. That was a misunderstanding,” Danny said. “It won’t happen again.”

  “I will discuss with the Prime Minister in the morning and let you know our decision,” Ryndam said, sliding a bracelet on Danny’s wrist. “This will track you and alert us if you fail to keep your word.”

  She studied him a moment longer, but eventually she and her guard left.

  “Do you have a way to find out what happened to Morrigan?” Danny asked as soon as she was gone. “Can you call Dr. Schon?”

  “She doesn’t let me call her,” Tommy said. “I can call Aunt Sky.”

  Danny nodded, and Tommy cocked his head, turning his palm up, initiating the sub-vocal communication. For Oriana’s crew, the bracelets could transmit privately, but they still spoke out loud. The Cordovans didn’t face that limitation. Tommy’s face went white as he listened, and Danny squeezed his hand in support.

  “What is it?” he whispered, his heart sinking.

  “They’re… home,” Tommy said. “Aunt Sky says they’re at Mom’s place. They’re letting Mom, Michael, and Morrigan stay there while they’re waiting for the formal inquiry. I don’t understand.”

  “They’re alive and they’re safe, right?” Danny asked. “Is Dr. Schon also staying there?”

  Tommy shook his head. “She didn’t do it. She didn’t terminate him. She didn’t remap him. Dr. Schon saw him with Morrigan… and she didn’t care that he hit me. Didn’t care that he cut himself.”

  “Amanda gave you a book?” Danny asked, changing the subject before Tommy went off the rails.

  Tommy looked down at the Virp. “A fiction book about a woman born in the wrong body.”

  Danny was familiar with the story. Amanda had read the mystery series many times before she disappeared and again after she came back. She believed it connected her to her lost childhood, but she’d never offered to talk to Danny about it. It was sweet that she wanted to share it with Tommy.

  A door opened and Ian stepped into the hall. Her smile disappeared when she saw Danny and Tommy standing there. Without a word, she opened the second door that led to the lab. Amanda sat on the exam table, clutching the sides of her head.

  “Ian?” Amanda whispered.

  Danny followed Ian into the room.

  “Are you all right? What’s wrong?” Danny asked, touching her arm. He spoke Lanvarian out of habit, but she gave him a look like she’d forgotten the language. He asked again in Terranan.

  “Give her space, Danny,” Ian said, pulling Danny back. “Where is Saskia? She’s supposed to be the one lurking in the hall.”

  “We traded places,” Danny said. “Amanda, do you need to lie down?”

  Amanda stared at Danny, then at Ian. “What did you do to me?” she asked in Trade. Her hand flew to her throat, and she cleared it.

  “We took a major step in the remapping today,” Ian answered. “You might feel disoriented.”

  “That’s an understatement,” she said, running her hands over her body, thumping her fingers against her chest as if she were a doctor palpating for clues. “What am I being treated for?”

  “Schizophrenia,” Danny answered, taking her elbow as she slid off the table. Her knees didn’t give when her feet hit the floor, and her body bounced off balance.

  “What did you do, Ian?” Amanda gasped, looking down at her legs, lifting her feet one at a time.

  “Cured you. Nearly,” Ian said, barely holding back a smile as she studied her patient.

  “It’s all right, Amanda,” Danny said, putting an arm around her waist. “Take your time.”

  Amanda’s eyes widened, and she looked at him, then herself. Her body had changed so much in the last six months, and Danny hoped Ian hadn’t inadvertently erased what few memories she had.

  “Do you need to clear your head? We could take a walk,” Danny offered. He assumed Ryndam would forgive them a detour through the park if it was in the patient’s best interest.

  Amanda shook her head, but Ian nodded vigorously.

  “I think we should stop for today. Get a better sense of where we’ve landed,” Ian said. “Let’s try the evening without medication.”

  “Really?” Danny asked, cracking a smile. That was the best news he’d heard all day.

  Amanda’s eyes widened again and she looked in horror at Ian. “Where is my body? What happened to me?”

  “You’re still you, I promise you,” Danny assured her.

  “You don’t even know who I am!” Amanda screamed. She brought her hands up and smacked her own face.

  “I know who you are,” Ian said, taking Amanda’s hand and placing it on her cheek. “It’ll get better, I promise. This is what you asked me to do.”

  “I did not,” Amanda said.

  “We did,” Danny said. “Amanda, we talked about this for a long time before committing. You asked to do this.”

  “Yes. Amanda asked?” She looked from Danny to Ian. “Amanda… is me?”

  “Why doesn’t she know her name?” Danny asked, frustration clouding the hope he’d felt a moment ago. She was supposed to be getting better, but she seemed more disoriented than ever.

  “I will review the brain scans to see if I cut a connection prematurely,” Ian said. She took Amanda’s hands, and their eyes met. “I don’t think you need medication, but if your anxiety flares, you have the dissolvable strip. I’m curious to know if you can sleep without it now. Say goodbye to your old self. There’s a brand new you coming.”

  Amanda nodded and reached back for Danny, stumbling into the step.

  “Do you need Lula’s motor chair?” Danny asked.

  “I forgot how long my legs are,” Amanda said, lifting her feet carefully, then placing them on the floor.

  “Well, then, no run tonight,” Danny said. “Do you have your Occ?”

  “It’s here,” Ian said, handing Danny a small case. Danny put the device on Amanda’s brow, and she flinched and scratched it off again.

  “Not ready for that yet?” Danny asked. It was normally the first thing she wanted. He put it back into the case and tucked it into her pocket so she’d have it when she was ready. They stepped into the hall where Tommy was waiting, and Amanda stopped short.

  “Tommy Fisher?” she asked, her shoulders shaking as a laugh surfaced.

  “Hello,” Tommy said. “I read the book you gave me.”

  Amanda gaped. She touched his smooth-shaved cheek and whistled softly. Tommy seemed unsure how to handle the attention. But then his eyes went dead, and he slipped into his submissive test subject mode.

  “Ask permission before touching,” Danny said, pulling her hand away from Tommy.

  “You didn’t ask before touching me,” she retorted.

  He let go and she lost balance, grabbing him for support and shooting him a look. Tommy caught her other elbow.

  “Amanda, do I need to call Dr. Chelsea?” Danny asked.

  “Yes,” Amanda whispered.

  “No,” Ian said from where she’d been eavesdropping by the door. “She’s fine. I removed a major trigger. She won’t have any more flashbacks. She just needs to sit down some place comfortable.”

  Ian cradled Amanda’s face. “I promise. We will talk before I do any more treatments. You will have all the information you need.”

  “Thank you,” Amanda said. Then she looked back at Tommy, and Danny could see the wheels in her head turning. “Want to see my brain scans?”

  Danny chortled, covering his face with his forearm to stifle the snorting sound. Amanda was horrible at flirting.

  Tray sat on a stool in the infirmary, hands clasped around a bowl of chowder. Some of the food made it into his mouth, but most fell back into the bowl. Hero lay on the bed, his chest rising and falling, his breath clouding the mask over his face. They’d cut off his wet clothes, knit what wounds they could, splinted his broken shin, and bundled him with thermal blankets. The time stamp on Mikay
la’s frantic message was from early yesterday. Hero had been lying alone in the cold rain for over a day, unable to move.

  “We’ve done everything we can with Quin tech,” Saskia said, rubbing Tray’s shoulder. “Time to try that device Fisher left us.”

  Tray shrugged, feeling helpless. He didn’t know how the Cordovan devices worked, and he could only pray that it would help his kid walk again. Just moving him out of the Bobsled, Tray was terrified that he’d make the paralysis permanent. Saskia turned the cylinder in her hands, finding the activation trigger that Fisher had shown her. She unfolded three small legs and set it over Hero’s chest. Then she detached a button-sized device and pressed it to Hero’s head.

  “How will we know it’s working?” Tray asked.

  Hero’s eyes shot open, and he broke out of his blanket bundle, swatting at the device on his head.

  “That’s how,” Saskia said.

  “Don’t move, Hero,” Tray said, catching Hero’s bruised hand. “We’re helping you get better.”

  Hero twisted, knocking the other device from his chest. He screamed into his mask and broke into a coughing fit. Saskia turned him on his side, then waved a black rod up and down his back until he stopped fighting. He tried to roll off the bed, his hands reaching for Tray. Tray sat on the bed and tried to keep Hero still without tangling the oxygen tube on the mask. Favoring his broken leg, Hero crawled into Tray’s lap and hugged him around the neck.

  “Try to stay still,” Tray whispered, holding Hero steady. Saskia handed him the blanket, and he tucked it around Hero’s cold skin. They didn’t have anything kid-sized for him to wear, but Tray imagined Corin was up to the task of making something.

  “I told you he wouldn’t like it,” Hawk said, peering through the door. “I didn’t like it either. Makes the spirit limbs twinge.”

  “I’m just glad it got the rest of the limbs moving,” Saskia said, stroking Hero’s hair. “There’s less swelling on his spine, but there’s still damage. We should try again.”

  Hero moaned, and Tray nuzzled his cheek, trying to keep him calm and still.

  “Did you hear anything back from Nola?” Tray asked, redirecting the conversation so Hero could steal a few more moments to recover.

  “Corin and I are about to fly up and see. Corin gave them a window to respond in, so we’ll know if they got the first message,” Hawk replied.

  “I thought you could punch through the cloak,” Tray said, disheartened at the news.

  “It’s easier to fly,” Hawk said. “Did you want to send a message to Mikayla?”

  “No,” Hero spoke up, trying to lift his head. “No. Don’t call Mom. She’ll send Grandpa to come get me.”

  “Be still,” Tray reminded him, supporting his head.

  They’d found the Confluence ring in Hero’s wet clothes, and if Sikorsky had another one, they’d be able to connect. The last thing he needed was a narcissistic crime boss stealing technology from the Hidden City of Hope.

  “He won’t find you,” Hawk assured. Then his brow quirked. “How did you find us? Were you aiming for us?”

  “I tried to find Daddy,” Hero said, tapping his finger to the oxygen mask. “I hit something really hard. I hit it… in the in-between place. I never really felt the place between where I started and ended before.”

  He coughed again, inciting another fit. He’d gotten dehydrated from exposure, but the constant rain meant he also had water in his lungs. This time, when Saskia put the cylinder device on his back, he didn’t resist.

  “Let me feel,” Hawk said, holding out a finger. Saskia touched the device to his skin, and he pulled back like he’d been shocked.

  “Does it sting?” Saskia asked.

  “It’s more like a soul-sucking feel,” Hawk replied, rubbing his hand. “I kind of wonder what the long-term effects might be. If Michael and Tommy were born hybrid, would this suck the power right out of them?”

  “Sky has used that rod on you a dozen times,” Tray said. “You never complained before.”

  “Maybe it’s not as strong,” Hawk guessed, picking up the rod and tapping it to his hand. “I’m not saying it doesn’t help. I guess when you’re injured, the trade-off isn’t so bad.”

  “Use sparingly. Got it,” Tray said, rocking slightly on the bed. He absolutely needed to tell Mikayla their kid was okay.

  25

  Sky had had doubts about coming to Cordova, but as she nestled in Danny’s arms and they watched Amanda make small talk with Tommy about brain scans, she felt peace. The last time she’d been here, Tommy and Michael were little boys, and they’d seemed sheltered, but whole. She’d never imagined their lives would get so bad, but back then, all she could do was run away. Oriana could help them. She just had to convince Calla to let them go.

  A little after midnight, Amanda crawled into bed with Danny, then Tommy laid on the other side, sandwiching Danny in the middle. It was sweet, but it also reminded Sky of all the little moments Spirit denied her. She couldn’t close her eyes, even for a minute. Even with the Hyproxin medicine, she needed someone else to stay awake.

  Loneliness settled in when she left the Eastwind. It never got dark in Cordova, but she was surprised to see a small crowd gathering around one of the condo complexes. A yellow laser beam circled the main entrance creating a barrier, and an ambulance was parked inside. The ambulance was a simple, self-driving vehicle with wheels that could change texture depending on the terrain. The crowd grew from a half dozen to more than twenty by the time the medics emerged from the building ten minutes later. The team wore bio-containment suits, and they led a levitating gurney that also had a containment shield around it.

  “Do you know what happened?” Sky asked no one in particular.

  One of the Clarke templates next to her glanced, then did a double take. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “For a moment, I thought you were Deputy Ryndam.”

  “I get that a lot,” Sky said. “Sky Ryndam.”

  The woman frowned, her eyes scanning over Sky’s decidedly non-Ryndam features. “It started in the botany lab. They think some of the specimens Kyan Granger’s team brought in might be poisonous.”

  “They think it’s airborne?” Sky asked, lifting her shirt just enough to cover her nose and mouth.

  “I guess they do now.” The woman walked away from the barrier, heading to the building’s side entrance, which was not blocked. It didn’t seem too secure. The ambulance took off, speeding away from the main hospital. Either there was a better road there, or the patient was being moved to an isolated facility.

  Sky crossed to the neighboring building where Avery lived. It was a far more inviting complex, with only three levels, and every unit’s door led out to a grassy courtyard with a playground. She knocked on Avery’s door and after a few moments, Avery answered wearing a mask.

  “Sky, I know you never sleep, but this is ridiculous,” Avery said, leaning against the doorframe, stifling a yawn.

  “Doesn’t look like I woke you. Are you sick, too?” Sky asked, bringing her shirt up again to cover her face, she didn’t have a mask.

  Avery shook her head, and motioned Sky inside. “Lula and I are fine. Kyan is sick, and so far, only others in her lab are showing symptoms. I switched to Jack’s lab to help your people, which is probably why I’m okay.”

  “So, you’re pretty sure it’s some plant you collected and not something my people brought?” Sky asked, stepping inside just enough to close the door. The house was messier than she expected, and there were several pairs of shoes, boots, and slippers by the door.

  “It has only been a day since Kyan first showed symptoms. I wouldn’t be surprised if your movement became more restricted,” Avery said, circling a table, but not sitting. There were two teacups on the table, one empty, one full. The table had three chairs, and there was a shadow on the wall where something had been hanging but had been taken down.

  “Do you know the symptoms?” Sky asked.

  “Fever, rash, exhaustion… sa
me as with most viruses in the early stage,” Avery said, pulling her chair out, then pushing it in again. “It’s not a contact rash, though. It started on her chest and spread from there. Sound familiar?”

  “Sounds generic enough to be anything,” Sky agreed.

  Avery sighed and circled into her kitchen, then back to the dining table. She was tense and exhausted. “Do you want to stay for breakfast? Or juice?”

  “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

  Avery nodded. “My bed is empty. It’s hard to sleep in these days.”

  Sky nodded. When they’d been in the healing room, Avery had confessed to losing someone to an ascension-related drug overdose. Sky hadn’t realized she’d lost a wife and Lula had lost a mother. Opening her arms, Sky sat with Avery on the couch, imparting what comfort she could. Within minutes, Avery was asleep. Sky removed her mask and tucked a blanket around her, then circled the house, pilfering anything she didn’t think Avery would miss.

  “Sky, what are you doing?” Lula asked, peering out of the bedroom.

  “Visiting,” Sky said, pushing her satchel around the back of her hip.

  “That personal cloak won’t work in Building Thirty-seven. It’s got special interference,” Lula said, and went back into her room. She came back out a moment later with a few bangles and held them out for Sky.

  “What’s this?”

  “I heard Deputy Ryndam took your comms away when you kidnapped Michael,” Lula said.

  “We didn’t kidnap him,” Sky said. “Did you make these?”

  “Of course. How else am I supposed to talk to my friends when my mom takes away my privileges?” she grinned, holding up her palm. “They think we do everything by implant.”

  Sky chuckled. Like any dome, the teens of Cordova had found ways to get around their parents’ surveillance. She gave the girl a hug, thanked her profusely, then left to find Morrigan. If there was a new disease in the city, whether Oriana had brought it or not, her people needed to be aware.

  Jack’s apartment was dark compared to Avery’s. There was a swing set around the side of the building where a cluster of early risers played. Sky tapped the door to Jack’s place and nudged it with her toe, but there was no force shield keeping the family inside.