Now they all waited and watched intensely while Marcus and three other Healers worked. Maggie didn’t know any of the other Healers’ names, but she recognized them, so they obviously lived at Interchron. The man and two women combined couldn’t have equaled Marcus’s abilities. Marcus, still in the throes of exhaustion, could barely stand, much less Heal, so they worked with him in tandem, trying to save Nat.
Marcus stood over Nat, his hands hovering above Nat's head. The male healer stood beside Marcus, his hands above Nat's chest. The two female healers stood at at either side of Nat’s waist, their hands hovering over his abdomen. The buzz of energy filled the room as they used their neurochemical abilities to try and heal him.
Marcus shoulders slumped. Maggie's heart sank. Nat didn’t look good. A sickly pallor had seeped into his skin, and his breathing sounded erratic. He hadn't regained consciousness since B attacked him on the field.
"Talk to us, Marcus," Carl said. "What's happening?"
Marcus looked so exhausted, Maggie thought he might collapse. She walked around to the head of the bed and lifted his arm to put around her shoulders, so she could hold him up. He didn't protest.
Marcus twisted at the waist and reached around to where Doc stood a foot behind him. He took Doc's hand and pulled him gently toward Nat's bed, placing Doc's hand on Nat’s shoulder.
"He's dying, Doc. I don't think there's anything we can do." His voice caught and he took a deep breath. "His neural synapses aren't firing. Most aren't. I'm trying to force them but millions are dying every second and," Marcus's face crumbled. "I can't keep up."
"We should go get his wife and children," Joan said.
"I'll get them," Lila offered. She hurried from the room.
They'd already explained what happened on the field after Karl traveled Doc and David away. A brief explanation, but enough for understanding.
“Is he in pain?” David asked, stepping forward.
Marcus merely gazed at him.
“Yes,” the older Healer answered. “Quite a bit, actually.”
David nodded and stepped up to Nat’s bed. Raising his hands, Maggie felt a hum of energy, but of course she didn’t share David’s ability, so she couldn’t actually see what he did.
A moment later, his shoulders visibly slumped. He raised exhausted yes to Doc. “I’m sorry I can’t truly help, but he’s more comfortable now.”
Doc nodded numbly, and David returned to his spot by the wall.
They all stood in exhausted silence, unable to speak or move under the heaviness of the day.
Maggie kept unconsciously raising her hands to her head, as though touching it would stop the pain. She always got as far as her shoulder before pressing them down, not wanting to draw attention to herself.
She couldn’t keep her eyes off Doc’s burnt hand. Everything about it gave her déjà vu. Yet it wasn’t déjà vu at all, was it?
A hand with an ugly burn on the back.
One of the original flashes she’d had, back before her memories returned. In truth, Doc’s entire hand was burnt, but for some reason, the back looked far worse than the front, which only looked slightly warped.
That had been a flashback. A lost memory. It had been in her head for months. How could the event have only happened today? Maggie’s migraine pounded harder.
A short time later, Nat's wife and children arrived. Kamra’s eyes held tears, yet her face looked strong and resolute. Lenna and Snap, both still under ten years old, came with haunted eyes and tears streaking their faces. The three of them stood around Nat, taking his hand and speaking softly to him. The rest of the team stepped back as one, allowing them some space.
Karl jerked his head toward the adjacent room and headed toward it. Everyone except Doc followed. Marcus leaned heavily on Maggie as they moved. Once in the other room, she and Karl helped him to a low bed where he could sit. On the opposite side of the room, Clay lay still on his bed, Kara once again sitting beside him. Kara’s belly had swollen to the point of awkwardness. The baby would come any day now.
Maggie heard the soft murmur of voices from Nat's room. She pretended she couldn't. One glance at the others said they were all doing the same. She didn’t know if anyone could understand what was being said in there. Her pounding migraine kept her from any actual eavesdropping.
Maggie found herself gazing at Clay. What did she see today? What had it been? What had it meant? It seemed they stood like that for hours, yet only seconds. Probably a few minutes. Maggie felt so numb, she couldn’t gauge the passage of time.
Gasps came from the other room. The subdued voice of the male healer wafted to them. "I am so sorry, ma'am. He is gone." High-pitched wails reached Maggie’s ears, and she wanted to clap her hands over them. "Papa," Snap’s tiny voice cried. No answer followed.
Maggie winced, and tears bubbled up in her eyes. She hadn't known Nat long, but he'd been her teacher. She felt a kinship for him. Marcus squeezed her hand. His kept his gaze on the ground, though. Everyone did. The pain reared, too acute to meet one another's eyes. Then a different sound came from the other room. A deeper, familiar, masculine voice began to scream. "Nooooo!"
The sound came, so sudden and shocking that Maggie's heart stopped for a moment. Marcus jumped off his bed and ran to the doorway between the two rooms to look in. Pounding head forgotten, Maggie followed. Doc, still at the head of Nat's bed, had fallen to his knees. He rested his head against the bed’s leg. He stopped to suck air in before opening his mouth to scream again. "My brother!” He wailed. "I've killed my brother! I should have saved him! I murdered him instead!"
The searing pain in Maggie's chest released waterfalls of tears behind her eyes and they cascaded down. She couldn't have stopped them if she wanted to.
Joan ran to Doc.
Kneeling behind him, she wrapped her arms around his torso, resting her head against his back. Beside Maggie stood Marcus and David. Marcus’s eyes looked misty, though not wet. His jaw set in a stony line, watching Doc mourn for his brother. Maggie slipped her hand into his and he squeezed it so hard it hurt. She didn't mind. At least she felt it through the numbing pain in her chest. Behind her, Lila sobbed softly, Jonah looked on, and even Karl sniffled. On the other side of Marcus, tears slid down David’s cheeks.
He turned abruptly and strode from the room.
Chapter 26: The Roses are in Bloom
December 1, 2156
It's done. I finally did it. I found a way to bind Nat, Bart, and me together. From now on, when something happens physically to one, it happens to all three of us. It’s the only way I can think of to keep Bart from hurting us.
This is the first entry I’ve made in months, which is uncommon for me. After the public disaster, I spent days thinking about what Bart said to me in that cell. For the first week, I continued to convince myself he’d simply been angry. Illogical. He didn't mean what he said. Yet for some reason, the fear I felt when I thought of it wouldn't subside. Slowly, I realized I’d simply been hiding from the truth. My brother is no longer my brother. He is now an enemy.
When I finally accepted the realization, I cried for three days.
Adaiah, as always, acted with sweet kindness and concern. She kept asking what was wrong, but I didn't have the heart to explain. After those three days, I knew I couldn't sit around and feel sorry for myself anymore. I watched Adaiah play in the field with some children. It came to me powerfully that I needed to protect her, as well as Nat and myself, from those who would harm us.
If the public meeting proved anything, it's that these people have dangerous ideas. Even more, they’ll go to any lengths, including manipulation and violence, to force their ideas on others.
So, I stood up, brushed myself off, and went to work. It’s taken months, but I figured out how to link us. Generally, links such as these cannot be created unless all parties are present and actively participating. Obviously, Bart would never agree to this, as it will frustrate his plans to harm me. I found another way. We are bro
thers, after all, and have worked together for many years. I am very familiar with Bart’s brain chemistry and even have samples of his DNA here in the house. What I've done may not be entirely ethical, as I did it without Bart's permission, but then he’s trying to kill me, which is not ethical either. I think for now, it must be a trade-off.
In truth, the Binding is not in full force yet. I’ve placed most of it but there is one more pathway which must be activated, and cannot be until I see Bart again. But with everything else in place, I’ll be able to infuse him with the bond the instant I see him. I’ve no doubt he’ll show up sooner or later to try and hurt me.
I wanted to keep the entire thing secret from Adaiah. Didn't want her worrying. Unfortunately, something happened last night that broke everything out into the open. After putting the Binding into place, I decided to burn the record of it. It might be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands, as it could easily be used for ill.
I also don't want Bart to see it. He’s a genius in his own right, and I fear he’ll find a way to counter it. Right now, it's the only thing keeping us safe. I honestly don't know how much Bart understands or perceives. The link is not like a Coppola bond. It's not felt or sensed in the same way. Rather, it's something we’ll only feel if one of us is harmed. Still, I think Bart must've felt something, some change when I first put it in place.
So, I burnt parchment the other night. Scads of it, containing the chemical equations I used to create the Binding. All the research I've gathered during the past few months. I went to my study in the middle of the night, hoping to go unnoticed. Standing next to that octagonal window I like to read by, I burnt the parchment in the flame of a single candle.
Adaiah scared the starch out of me when she suddenly spoke at my shoulder. She asked what I was doing up in the middle of the night. I played coy, trying to keep the truth from her, but she persisted with her questions.
“I’m destroying some records to keep us safe,” I told her.
Adaiah looked genuinely alarmed. I understood why. I’m the last person in the world who would normally want to destroy scientific records.
“Records of what, Johann?” she asked shakily.
“Something I did,” I answered. I find I cannot lie to Adaiah. Not convincingly, anyway. “Something I did to keep Bartholemew from murdering Nat. Or me. What Binds us together will keep us alive.”
A deep sadness filled her face. “Surely you don’t think he’d actually kill either of you.” A forced, shaky confidence filled her voice. “Even Bart wouldn’t go that far.”
I couldn’t bring myself to answer, yet she read the truth in my face.
Tears filled her eyes. “This is all my fault,” she said. “This rift between you and Bart didn’t happen until I came into your life.”
I put down my parchment and crossed the room to comfort her. “True, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I assured her. “Someday, the roses will be in bloom again.”
Have I written about that little inside joke between us? Ever since that first day that we visited the colorful rose bush after I first kissed her, it’s become something of a symbol between us. A symbol of hope and the belief that better days will come.
After a few minutes, she felt better and headed back to bed at my insistence. She stopped again in the doorway and turned back to me.
Then she asked something strange. “Were you walking in the yard a few minutes ago, Johann?”
The question confused me, and I felt a vague sense of alarm I couldn't explain.
"Why do you ask that?" I asked.
She told me she'd been awakened by a noise beneath her window. Finding me gone, she came down both to look for me and see what it was. "You weren’t doing anything directly below our window?"
I told her firmly I wasn't.
Then I felt it. Neurochemical signatures out in the yard. There must've been twenty people out there, yet I hadn't sensed them until this moment. They must've found a way to Conceal their signatures. I’d heard talk of people experimenting with things of that nature, but hadn’t researched it in detail myself.
Among the signatures, I sensed Bart. My brother had returned with a small army, and something told me this would not be pleasant.
"He's here." I told Adaiah. “Quickly, you must hide!”
Chapter 27: Forbidden Tears
1 Day to Eclipse
“Come on, Jonah. Again,” Lila said.
He gave her his best narrow-eyed glare. “I don’t want to,” he muttered. They’d been at this for hours, and he felt utterly exhausted. The idea of finding some place to lie down and rest his eyes made him giddy.
A smile played around the corners of Lila’s mouth. It was good to see. Everyone was so sad about Nat, and understandably so, Jonah felt like he hadn’t seen Lila smile in days.
He tried not to let it distract him. “What?”
She raked her fingers through her damp hair and wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead, rubbing her hand dry on her shirtsleeve afterward. She wasn’t completely out of breath, like Jonah, but she breathed more deeply than usual. “Aren’t you a little old for that argument? I used to say it to my dad when he preached at me. I was twelve.”
Jonah grinned. The respite from the exercises felt good.
After what happened when they tried for the orb, Jonah had insisted on more training. He didn’t want to simply be an extra energy source for Lila. He didn’t mind doing that, but he also wanted to have some of his own skill with neurological shields and hurling neurological weapons. He had a better idea now of how dangerous things might get during the eclipse. He wanted to be prepared.
He rousted Lila from her bed first thing this morning to start.
As Jonah became better at maintaining the shields, Lila increased the energy she threw at him. As the forces battering at his shield increased, the pain in his chest and head also increased. He didn’t tell Lila about it, though. He had twelve hours to learn this and he wanted to be an asset to the team. He’d successfully fended off all of Lila’s attacks over the past hour. Now he breathed hard and stood covered in a layer of sweat.
“I’m sure you had him wrapped around your little finger. What didn’t you want to do?” He hoped to distract her so he could rest, even if only for a few minutes.
“This. He was helping me figure out my neurochemical gifts.” She took on a mock-deep voice. “Come now, Lila. You’ve got to hone your abilities. If you don’t know what they are, someone will use them against you.” She shook her head, yet her smile looked nostalgic and fond.
He rubbed his neck and glanced toward the floor. “Fathers do have a way of always knowing what’s best, don’t they?” he chuckled and glanced up at her.
Lila froze, the smile fading from her lips. A look of haunted hurt entered her eyes.
“Hey,” he stood and took a step toward her. “What did I say? Did I offend you?”
She shook her head, not looking him in the eye. “No. You didn’t.”
“Then what—?” he reached a hand out.
“It’s nothing, Jonah.” She turned her back to him.
Jonah stood there, frozen. He didn’t know what to do because he didn’t know what he’d done.
After what felt like an eternity, Lila took a deep breath and turned back toward him. Her eyes turned misty. “I’m sorry, Jonah. It just took me by surprise.”
“What did?”
“What you said. It’s the last thing my father ever said to me. I behaved horribly toward him that morning. He tried to teach me something and I threw a teenage-tantrum. I asked him how he knew what was best for me and he said, ‘fathers always know what’s best.’” She wiped a drop of water from the corner of her eye. “He left Interchron with some others to help an incoming group. They were attacked by Arachnimen. He died that day.” She took another deep breath, meeting his eyes with a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why it hit me so hard. I started thinking about my dad and then….”
“Lila, I’m
—”
“It’s okay, Jonah. It’s not your fault.”
Jonah gazed at her, not sure what else to do.
Lila cleared her throat. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get all intense.”
“You don’t need to be sorry,” Jonah said quietly. “Everyone’s emotions are at the surface right now.”
She nodded. “We should get back to work.”
When Jonah hesitated, Lila gave him a sympathetic look. “I’m sure this is nerve-wracking for you, Jonah,” Lila said, her eyes scrutinizing his face. “But you won’t be in major danger. We know you aren’t trained. You won’t be on the front lines or anything.”
“You think I’m worried about myself?” Jonah asked, incredulous. “I’ve protected Maggie in one way or another since she was born, Lila. I’m her big brother. You’re right. I don’t know what I’m doing. My worry is for her. And you. And everyone else.”
Lila nodded, a sad smile on her face. “I know. Come on. We need to keep practicing.”
“Can I ask one more thing first?”
She gave him a warning look. The kind a teacher gives an impatient student.
“Last one, I promise.”
She raised her eyebrows which he took as permission to ask. He took a deep breath. “What the hell is dark matter? People keep batting this phrase around like I should know what it means.
Lila gave him the barest of smiles. “It’s a physics concept. It didn’t get fully fleshed out in your time, before the world fell apart. Physicists had ways of coming up with the weight of, say, a solar system. When they combined the weights of all planets, moons, asteroids, and all other matter we can observe, it only made up a fraction of the weight that should have been there. Basically, the majority of our universe is made up of matter we can’t see. They called it dark matter.”
Jonah frowned. “Why can’t we see it?”
Lila frowned, paused, as though gathering her thoughts. “Some scientists hypothesized dark matter has weak electromagnetic interactions. Which may explain why they don’t reflect light, rendering them invisible to us. It’s only one theory. Dark matter may exist in an entirely different dimension, similar to black holes.”
Dark Matter (Interchron Book 3) Page 35
