Mustering her strength, she rose to her feet and gripped the lever. She braced herself, took a deep breath, and then pulled with everything in her.
The lever moaned and shifted slightly.
She pulled harder, vaguely aware of a wild scream pouring from her mouth as she threw the full weight of her body against the stubborn breaker.
Suddenly the lever shifted, and she fell backward, her right arm flailing into the steam pipes behind her.
She screamed and rolled to the floor, clutching her burned limb to her stomach, her brain still reeling from the shock. Her vision faltered, and she feared she would pass out. Then she remembered Mark and the others waiting for her return. She couldn’t let them down. It couldn’t end like this. She had to get out!
“Subject Luna! You have been injured!” Bishop said. “Stay where you are—I will summon help at once!”
She shook her head slowly, not daring to look down at her charred limb. “No … I can make it.”
Slowly she pushed herself up, trying in vain to keep from screaming as her arm scraped against the smoldering remains of her sleeve.
Breathing heavily, she asked, “Did … did it work? Can you open the vents?”
“Affirmative. The core temperature is dropping.”
She closed her eyes. “Good … start the shutdown procedures.”
“Understood. I will begin shut down procedures at once.”
All right … come on, Luna. Your job’s done. Now let’s get out of here. Just put one foot in front of the other …
She crawled back into the access tunnel and made her way back out into the maze of corridors, every motion sending a wave of pain coursing through her seared skin.
The comm in her ear crackled to life, and Mark’s voice called out to her, “Luna? Are you there?”
“I’m here.” she whispered.
“The AI is starting the kill sequence. Where are you?”
“I’m … on my way.”
There was a pause then Mark asked, “Luna, what’s wrong?”
“I … burned myself on some pipes.”
“What? How bad is it?”
“Don’t worry about me. Just be ready to leave when I get there. I don’t think we’ll have much time.”
“ … Acknowledged,” he said after a moment of silence. “We’ll keep the engines warm. Just hurry and get back here. The storm outside is getting worse by the minute.”
Gathering the last reserves of her willpower, she moved forward and staggered to the tram.
It only took thirty seconds for the high-speed transport to reach the hangar bays. A minute later she had disembarked and was nearly halfway to the Stratocruiser.
The main doors were open, filling the hangar with gale-force winds that tortured her wounded body and threatened to steal away her breath. Still she pressed on, battling the storm that was threatening to sweep her away with every labored step. She was too close to just give up.
“Mark!” she shouted over the wind, having reached the Stratocruiser at last, “I’m here! Open the hatch!”
She never heard his reply. But a second later the hatch popped open, and she felt strong arms pulling her inside. At last she succumbed to her pain.
Everything was a blur of confusion and activity.
People were shouting—moving about ...
And Mark was there, talking to her.
She couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he seemed to be telling her that everything would be all right. That she was safe.
Someone stuck a needle into her wound, and she screamed. Then very slowly the pain began to subside, and she found herself able to think again.
“ … Mark?” she gasped, tears streaming from her eyes.
“Yeah, Luna. It’s me.”
She screwed her eyes shut. “It hurts.”
“Yeah, I know. The bio-aid should be kicking in any minute now. Then you’ll hardly feel it.” He smiled reassuringly.
“I hate to break up the reunion,” Fox cut in over the comm, “but we have to go. Like, right now!”
“Got it,” Mark replied.
Mark beckoned to Toad, and the two of them helped her into one of the chairs.
Mark strapped himself in beside her and turned toward the cockpit. “We’re all set, Fox! Get us out of here!”
The Stratocruiser lurched forward, engines straining against the wind. For a brief moment Luna thought they would be blown up against Cathedral’s walls like a bug against a rain-barrier. Then they picked up speed and began to climb.
She turned her head and peered out the window. Behind them, the billowing clouds twisted and swirled, forming a funnel directly above the reactor’s main vent, as the excess moisture was drawn back into the earth from which it came.
She smiled. The kill codes had worked.
They continued to climb, winging their way out over the skeletal remains of Centennial City.
As they passed the outskirts, she thought she saw a Swamper vehicle struggling against the storm. But before she could be sure, they passed through the clouds and it vanished, hidden beneath the thick curtain of vapor.
The turbulence subsided a moment later, and they leveled off.
“We did it,” Mark said, beaming. “It’s over.”
She smiled, dipping her chin in a half nod. “Yeah. It’s over.”
Mark leaned back and laughed. “I never thought I’d be able to say that.”
Luna closed her eyes. The massive dose of bio-aid pulsing through her bloodstream seemed to be doing more than numbing her. It was making her drowsy, too.
“Lady and gentlemen, this is the captain,” Fox said. “Next stop, home. Please enjoy the rest of your flight. And thank you for flying Unitech Air.”
Luna chuckled and turned to look at Mark. “Wake me when we’re home. Okay?”
He nodded. The last thing she remembered before crossing the threshold into unconsciousness was Patterson bandaging her arm and Mark’s quiet voice saying, “Home … I think I like the sound of that.”
If only it were so easy, she thought wearily.
Despite all their accomplishments and triumphs, she knew it would be a long time before things returned to normal for any of them. If it ever did. There was so much work yet to be done. Cities to repair. Ecosystems to reseed. Lives to rebuild. Yes, it would take a very long time indeed.
Through the tiniest slit of one eye she glanced one last time at Mark and the other people around her and smiled. At least she wouldn’t be facing the new challenges alone.
Epilogue
Luna walked along the busy New Denver sidewalk, staring out over the hills at the brilliant red and gold sunset painting the evening sky.
It had been almost two years since she’d seen her first one. But after spending nearly her entire life in darkness, nothing—not even the passage of time—could dampen the joy she felt every time the sun went down. In fact, just being able to see the sky at all was almost too much for her rain-weary senses to handle.
She stopped and sighed. The world had changed much in the last few months. The swamp had all but vanished, thanks to the Cathedral’s shutdown procedures. And with Mark’s return and subsequent inheritance of Unitech, the majority of the Swamper population had been successfully reintegrated into society.
The re-emergence of the sun after its twenty-year absence meant an almost instantaneous end of the Blister Wart fungus—as well as the need for Luna’s cure. But she didn’t mind. The disease was gone forever. And that was all that really mattered.
Even so, there was still a lot of humanitarian need out there, and she had spent the greater part of the past two years travailing from one refugee camp to the next, helping in any way she could as the swamp gradually receded. In fact, she had only been back to New Denver once before: to attend Bridget and Keith’s wedding.
“You come here often?”
The sudden question cut through her thoughts and she turned.
“No more than you do, Mark,” she s
aid with a smile, wrapping her arms around him. “It’s good to see you in person again.”
He returned the embrace. “It’s good to see you, too.”
They parted and walked over to sit on a nearby bench. “So, Mark. How have things been up in the CEO’s office?”
“Busy. Carl Landers left some pretty big shoes to fill when he retired. It’ll be hard to find a man to replace him.”
“Have you thought any more about maybe giving Keith the job?”
“How can I forget with you reminding me all the time?”
She laughed.
“You’re right, though,” he continued, “he does have all the qualities of a good chief of security. Plus, Landers already listed him as his top candidate.”
“He’s a good man. I think he’d make a great chief,” she said. “How’s the reintroduction program going?”
“Slowly. All those years without sunlight really did a number on the environment. But thanks to the Ark project’s DNA library and the Unitech cloning facilities, we should be able to restore things to the way they were in about a decade or so.” He glanced down and indicated her hand with a quick nod. “How’s the arm?”
She pulled up her sleeve revealing the flawless skin beneath. “It’s good. The surgeons did a great job putting it all back together..”
“They sure did,” he said then added with a grin, “and it looks like you’ve been enjoying the sun these past few months. Am I right?”
She blushed, looking over her tanned complexion. “Yet another benefit of shutting down Cathedral.”
They both laughed then Mark asked, “So what are you planning on doing, now that the sun has cured everyone for you?”
“I’m not really sure. I mean, we already saved the world. Next to that, everything sort of pales in comparison.”
Mark chuckled. “I can’t argue there.”
“So what about you? Once you get things under control here, what are your plans?”
“I haven’t really thought about it. But I still want to do something where I can help people. Edgard destroyed a lot of lives all over the world. And I want to do something to help make that right.”
She nodded her approval. “That sounds like a noble thing to do.”
“I was hoping you’d feel that way.” He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and slowly slid his hand toward hers. In a softer tone he said, “I … would really like to have a partner. Are you interested?”
“That all depends on what you’re asking me,” she whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“Well? What do you think I’m asking?”
“I think … you’re trying to propose something.”
He smiled and took her hand in his. “I think you might be right, Miss Luna McKelly.”
Wordlessly, she inched her head toward him, and their lips met as he wrapped his arms around her. After all they’d been through together, there was no place else she would rather be.
The future beckoned like the first light of the new day. Her rain saga was over, but her life was just beginning.
Acknowledgments
It’s been a long road since 2009. Rain Saga has gone through many different shapes and forms—from alien abductions to fantasy worlds. But it has been a fun ride. It’s been long and sometimes annoying and frustrating—but overall it’s been a good experience. And I just wanted to thank all those who made it possible.
First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving me the inspiration and foundational framework for the story. I never would have started this adventure if it weren’t for Him.
Secondly, I want to thank the members of Tricia Goyer’s creative writing club—they were the first ones to see Rain Saga. Without their input and enthusiasm, I never would have made it this far.
I want to thank Heather Campbell for her insight and editing assistance. And I’d also like to thank my proofreaders and the other people who helped me with the editing process.
Thank you to Valerie Seelye of Valerie Seelye Design for her wonderful cover art.
And, of course, thank you to all my readers and friends for your continued support and interest in my works.
See you in the future!
~Riley Barton
About the Author
Riley Barton was born in Boise Idaho, and now lives in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. He began writing Rain Saga at age 19, and completed the novel a year later. He plans on pursuing a career in Young Adult Fiction.
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