The Crystal Tower

by Liam Donnelly

  Like the stealing?

  Well, yeah.

  You did it to survive. Forget it.

  Morris pursed his lips. Done!

  Max turned back to Ciara. So, Ciara, you have demonstrated extreme telepathic senses. You’re the one who’s most likely to be able reach that energy source when you need it. What I need you to do is find it when the time comes and draw from it—access it—just a little. Envelop your friends with it. Max reached out and gently took hold of both her arms, looking into her eyes. Then he spoke to her calmly and clearly. When I leave… He glanced around at the others, then turned back to face her. You’re going to have to protect them.

  Ciara’s eyes widened. Me? What are you talking about?

  Look. I know you can do it. Zatera is going to want Jane. I’m shielding our location from him now, but once I’m gone I won’t be able to do that for long. You’ll have to take up the slack. This isn’t something monumental I’m asking, trust me. You might find it a struggle, but you can do it. I’m sure of it.

  Ciara’s brow furrowed. She seemed unsure of herself as she glanced over his shoulder at her friends. Without giving it much further thought, she looked back at him and nodded.

  You’ve always been the strongest telepath in the group, haven’t you?

  After a moment, she nodded again, apparently not wanting to admit to the strength. I think that’s the main reason why they left me alone so much back at the facility; it wasn’t a telepathic signature that the Machine responded to so much, was it? It required a strong surge of psychokinetic energy…right?

  That’s right, and yes, that’s why they left you alone more so than the others. What they saw as a weakness then will become your strength now. Can you do it?

  Yes, I think I can, Max. I’ll try.

  Good. Shield your—their—location from Zatera as much as you can. He turned toward the others. I’d instruct you all to do this for yourselves, but Ciara is the only one in the group who has had direct access to this field of energy. There’s no time to teach you. She can protect you from his telepathic influence when I’m gone, or if I’m engaged.

  They looked at each other and nodded their agreement. Max’s eyes grew distant again as he stared out across the water. As I mentioned before, there’s another whom I believe he’s already chosen. Max paused. His face remained perfectly still, his eyes a million miles away. A teenage male—somewhere on the Asian continent. He’s working quickly.

  Max’s brow creased. As he concentrated with this level of intensity, his eyes luminesced with white light. Jane focused hard on seeing his thoughts, and immediately her mind was filled with the sensation of floating. She then found herself deep underwater, far away from the surface and staring up at the small amount of light that barely penetrated those depths. Below her, something approached rapidly and flew past. She had only a second to look at it. As she did, she saw that it was some kind of enormous, jagged crystal structure, growing rapidly and pushing upward from beneath the depths of the ocean.

  She swallowed a deep breath of air and took a step back as she pulled her thoughts away from Max’s. Slowly, the image, and the feeling of being underneath the water, faded.

  Breathe, Jane, just breathe, Max said.

  What was that? she asked as she regained her bearings.

  The edifice. Max turned directly toward her now and stared into her eyes with great intensity. Our thoughts are mirroring with greater frequency, he said, focusing the telepathic channel so that their conversation became momentarily private.

  Somehow she knew exactly what to say. It’s because of the Rose, isn’t it? What did it do to me?

  Your proximity to it has changed you; it’s changed your mind.

  Proving his point, as Jane continued looking into his eyes, she had another vision. This time, her view of the beach on which they stood disappeared, and an image of some colossal otherworldly structure filled her mind. It was nighttime, and on her left and right were fighter jets. In the distance, telepathically, she could hear their chatter, though these impressions lasted only seconds—the hurried, troubled sound of their voices, which rose and fell as she listened. She felt the tense moment build up around them as the fighter jets began firing some kind of energy weapons. Jane focused on the vision more intently and followed the thick, flaring beams that came from the jets. As she traced the path of the firing line, she saw that they were aimed at some kind of gigantic tower. The weapons were bright red lasers, and they came close to impacting the crystalline surface of the object. However, something seemed to stop them, and the lasers bounced off it instead. The refractions scattered incredible patterns of light into the night. However, Jane was transfixed by the image of the tower itself, which was massive in proportions. She frowned as she watched it flicker in and out of existence, as though, once again, the world couldn’t decide whether it had taken physical form.

  Then the image was gone and her vision resumed on the beach. Jane took another deep breath as the feelings of the fighter pilots—their fear and their worry—washed away like the water from the nearby shoreline.

  That one, Max said, is a more likely outcome.

  Jane took a few more breaths, ran her hands through her unkempt hair, and then nodded. She looked out across the ocean. I see. When she had gathered her emotional bearings, she blinked wearily a few times and then looked back at him. You’re leaving now, aren’t you?

  Yes.

  For the West Coast?

  Yes. I have to stop what he’s doing. If it’s Daniel he’s after, it’s imperative that I stop him; he is the most powerful of the Ethereals I’ve detected there. If Zatera recruits him, I’m afraid our chances of stopping him will be greatly diminished.

  Can’t you stop him now? Before any of this starts?

  This is the choice that has been weighing on my mind. If Daniel is indeed the target, I can’t take the risk of allowing Zatera to gain control of his mind. If I don’t take this chance to protect your friend, Ciara, my—our—chances of stopping him will be greatly reduced. I can fight Zatera and defeat him if he is alone. I even have a chance against him and the one he’s chosen on the Asian continent. But if he empowers Daniel as well, the chances that I would survive a fight like that diminish greatly.

  Jane nodded, as did Mike. Morris’s face remained stoic and his brow furrowed slightly. Jane noticed Ciara’s forlorn expression, but she ignored it against her better judgement. One more thing, she said, and though once again her and Max shared a private telepathic communication, Mike, Ciara and Morris continued to watch their every move.

  She hesitated as she raised her palm toward him. The Rose; it gave me something. You know that, don’t you? Max met her eyes, and Jane got the feeling it was not without reluctance.

  Yes. It did.

  What is it? she asked flatly.

  For a moment, Max only stared at her hand, his jaw held back at a slight angle. Then, finally, he reached out and took hold of her palm with his right hand. Using his other hand, he traced a finger across the surface of her skin. At first, it seemed as though nothing would come of it; there was nothing but the continued silence on this isolated spot on the beach, punctuated by the lapping waves. However, suddenly there was a pulse of blue light where their hands met and he recoiled in shock, pulling his hand away from hers. He shook it, as though trying to relieve some new pain there.

  Ciara and Mike took a stepped backward at the sight, but Morris remained stationary, watching the exchange carefully with a blank expression on his face.

  Max stopped and stared at Jane, his eyes wide with concern. Yes, it certainly did give you something, Jane.

  She took a step toward him. What, then? What is it?

  He paused for a long moment, his gait and facial expression now weary. Jane thought she could detect a trace of fear. I think it gave you more power.

  Jane regarded him questioningly, then withdrew her right hand and looked at it. She ran the fingers of her left han
d over the surface of her palm, but nothing happened; it still seemed as though nothing was there. She had felt very little when the flash of light erupted from it and connected with Max.

  It’s given you more than I thought, Max continued. His gaze now was one of protection—his eyes had narrowed and held deep concern. It was as though Jane held the sequence to the very code that would unravel the mysteries of the universe.

  How do I use it? she asked. She had glanced up at him as she spoke, and now she looked back at her hand.

  I’m not sure if you can, exactly. I think…I think it’s a failsafe. It would be released only during a time of immense stress or peril, for yourself…or another. Max looked down at himself as he said this. Only the greatest depth of emotion will release this power—not some basic fear. It would have to be elemental, primordial. Hate…or rage. He paused, then looked up and out at the sea. As he did, a series of high waves came in, as if from nowhere, and crashed against the shore. The others stepped back to avoid them. Or extreme depths of grief.

  Jane frowned. Are you suggesting the Rose knew something I didn’t?

  I’m not suggesting anything. That’s my cold analysis of what it gave you—nothing more. His eyes were now regarding her with a gentle but cold stillness. I’m sure its purpose will be revealed in time, Jane. Don’t think about it for now.

  Jane stared into his eyes, testing them for further knowledge, but his mind was now blocked to her by what felt like a solid brick wall; she could not glean even a single image from his thoughts, and she squirmed because of this. She knew he was holding something back from her. In the distance, as though in a recalled memory from a fragment of a forgotten dream, she heard herself screaming with the grief of a thousand worlds, and she winced.

  Slowly, Max turned away from her.

  Ciara took a step toward him. You’ve made your decision, haven’t you?

  He glanced down for a second and then met her gaze. Yes. The West Coast is definitely in more immediate danger than the East, or the rest of the world.

  Ciara nodded. If it is him he has chosen, if it is Daniel, remind him of me. It might help.

  I will, he said with a trace of a smile. Then he took a breath and turned back toward the dunes, taking his first steps away from the water.

  Jane looked at her friends, and then all four of them followed Max. For a moment, as Max relaxed the barriers he had placed on his thoughts, Jane once again saw the beginnings of the strange object growing in the depths of the ocean—some kind of immense, jagged construction rushing toward the surface with tremendous speed. She dared not let him see her reaction, and so when he glanced over his shoulder to look at her, she held his gaze firmly. Jane pushed aside the images, knowing it was more important to focus on the present moment. As the slope of the dune began ascending, her eyes fixed on the back of Max’s cloak as it swirled in the breeze. Then, as he continued ascending the dune, he spoke again.

  New York City and the rest of the East Coast will survive without my protection, at least for now, though there may be disturbances there. That’s why I need the four of you to return to New York. Together, you are powerful. Do what you can to protect the people in the city. He paused near the top of the dune and turned to face them, glancing between them. Zatera will draw to him any Ethereals who have a good degree of psionic power. The vast majority of them won’t be like you—in fact, most of them won’t. However, using them will give him enormous new leverage. Their numbers will be in the hundreds, and his telepathic influence will be strong, so you probably won’t be able to stop them. It’s difficult to predict what will happen in the city once events are set in motion. Max turned to his right, frowning. I mean, now that events have been set in motion. He paused, and the color drained from his face. I should have acted sooner. He took a deep breath before continuing. Just use your psychic abilities and influence to protect the innocent as best you can. But Jane, I know what your moral compass is like. Do not, under any circumstances, put yourself in danger, do you understand? That applies to all of you.

  Jane looked at her friends, then glanced back at Max and nodded.

  And remember, Max continued, Ciara, shield your friends from Zatera’s mind as best you can. That’s your primary concern, as it will tax your abilities greatly. His eyes quickly darted to Jane and then back to Ciara.

  Jane was going to react to this, already beginning to frown, when Max’s eyes grew dark and serious. His attention was drawn once again to the horizon. There was a flash of light, and they all turned to find the source.

  There it is, he said quietly in their minds.

  Jane took a few shallow breaths. What is it? Her eyes were wide as she stared at the haze of white light that had suddenly appeared in the far distance, coming from the left around a large bluff, beyond which, they couldn’t see. After a few moments, the light was far less visible.

  It’s the edifice, Max said with a tone of finality. He’s started. For a moment, the five of them merely watched the horizon, as though waiting for something else to happen. However, nothing further came, and then the light disappeared.

  Jane turned to face Max as his head jerked to the left.

  I have to leave, he said. He turned his palms upward and rose straight up from the surface as he finished speaking. We’ll be able to contact each other if need be—that is, if he doesn’t disrupt our telepathic communication.

  Max, Ciara shouted as he rose. He was already fifty feet away and accelerating rapidly. Don’t hurt Daniel.

  In the distance, Jane saw Max glance at her. She thought she detected a nod of understanding, but she couldn’t tell. Then, as he rose over the high dunes, he took on an elongated position and flew into the distance, his form quickly receding. A few seconds later, several sonic booms echoed across the land.

  CHAPTER 2

  FLASHES OF LIGHT

  Jane watched as Max rose upward. The sand swirled beneath him in a vortex, rose to a height of fifteen feet, and scattered in the wind. Then he was flying over the tips of the dunes where the tangerine light from the rising sun glistened off the sand. When he was gone, she heard his voice echo back to her telepathically.

  Contact me if you need to, Jane, he said to her privately. Jane had hardly noticed the depth of the closeness and communication to which the five of them had become accustomed, and it had happened very quickly; their telepathic contact was shared completely among each of them. It was only now that Max once again spoke to her privately that Jane took note of it, and her brow creased a little at how alien it felt. It reminded her of the cold wind back in Wexford, Ireland, where she had been running from Lucas with bare branches slashing at her cheeks. Though it felt unusual, she welcomed it. Every time Max spoke directly to her, Jane’s nervous system lit up with energy, and she knew their bond grew with each word. Any feelings of jealousy she had detected from Morris had long since passed; he was fully accepting of the strong bond she shared with Max. In fact, he now seemed to recognize its importance.

  After Max’s departure, they turned to look at each other on the quiet, slanted dune. Jane watched as Ciara’s gaze slowly drifted to the mechanical craft in which they had escaped. Then she turned back around and raised an eyebrow. “Guess we’re not going anywhere in that.”

  “No,” Mike said.

  Morris was scanning the area. First, he glanced down the beach. Then he examined the dunes where they slanted up toward an exit of some kind. “Come on,” he said. “There’s a car park up here, I think.”

  “You looked ahead?” Ciara asked as they began walking the steep slope. Their progress was slow as their heels dug deep into the sand.

  “You didn’t?” Morris grinned at her.

  She gave him a quick glance and the flicker of a smile.

  After a few moments, they reached the crest of the hill and passed over some rocky terrain, which gave way to a flat tarmac car park fifty feet away. Several cars were still parked there, and Jane looked around at them. “I
don’t get it. Why are there still cars here?”

  “They probably use the car park for something else nearby,” Mike said.

  Ciara was glancing toward the right, where a patch of reeds rose up and blocked their view. Just beyond, she could see the dim lights of a garden party. “The neighbors have guests,” she said as her eyes gazed over the tips of the long grass. “They’re using the car park here for the moment.”

  “Perfect,” Jane said.

  The four walked through the central road of the parking area, eyeing the cars.

  “Are any of these hackable?” Jane asked.

  “Or manual?” Ciara added.

  Morris’s gaze shifted to each of the vehicles as he looked for the best opportunity. “We won’t have much luck finding a manual car these days.”

  “So, then, the question is, what kind of automated car can we hack?” Jane asked.

  “We’d have to use our power,” Mike added.

  “Yes,” Morris said. “We have to disable any tracking and internal video software and hardware.”

  “But we’ll still need GPS.” Mike glanced around. “I’m not exactly sure where Max landed us, but from what I can tell, we’re still a few hours’ drive from the city.”

  Morris nodded. “Yes we are,” he said as he glanced around the area. “We can disable anything that can identify us, but keep the GPS systems intact. I’ve done it before.” Turning, he glanced around the parking lot. “So, which one do we go for?”

  Jane looked at Mike, who seemed to have homed in on a car and was staring intently at it. He pointed. “There,” he said. “That system is just between generations. A twenty twenty-four model.”

  Morris nodded. “Yes, you’re right. It’s capable of fully autonomous driving, but has standard controls built into it. The anti-theft and identification features are easy to disable.”

  The four of them walked to the car. It was dark gray in color, approaching black, and Jane thought it looked sleek. The front slanted downward, and although the inside didn’t look overly large, it did look very comfortable—certainly much more comfortable than the car her mother drove. Jane had been leaning toward the front passenger window, but at this thought, she stood up straight and turned back toward the ocean. Ireland was, of course, in that direction—across the Atlantic, and her mother was no doubt worrying about her. Jane would have to find some way to get a message to her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she began to work on that.