Skidding to a stop, he saw the security doors to the room spastically slamming together like chomping teeth.
“We need to get in there!” he yelled, his aura flaring. A blast rippled down the corridor and blew the doors off the frame. They ran inside. The reactor glowed an angry orange, and shuddered.
“Toriko!” Allia shrieked.
Ujaku, voice strained, called out, “Please, help them!” He sat tied to a chair, facing the reactor. He’d been beaten. Maro’s body hung motionless, head unnaturally forward, strapped to a metal structure housing the power core. Beside her, the tattered remains of a uniform lay strewn across the ground.
He gasped when he saw Toriko tethered to the control console, entire pieces of her tech suit cleaved off. Her body shook in horror and her voice was hoarse as she cried out, “It’s reaching critical!”
“What do we do?” Allia cried.
Speru ran to Toriko, drawing his firelight blades, and sliced through the cabling confining her. She extended her arms forward, tiny cables connecting directly into slots along the console. “Minea! Bob! Jack in through me. I need your help—please!”
The two appeared beside her. “We need to get control,” Toriko yelled.
Mencari moved to free Maro, but saw Naijen already there, coddling her limp body while Allia freed Ujaku.
The rock around them began to vibrate. Heat poured off the reactor. The supporting structures around the power core groaned and began to fracture.
“Come on, Tor,” Ujaku cried. “You can do it!”
“Critical threshold reached, explosion imminent!” Minea yelled.
Could their abilities even protect them if the reactor core blew? At the thought, a burning panic engulfed Mencari. His golden aura exploded then shifted red. Pushing his power, licks of red energy leaped from him and wound around the others, wrapping them in protective cocoons of light.
The smell of burnt wires and static filled the air.
“Warning, containment breach in progress,” Bob chirped.
Mencari’s consciousness seemed to lift from his bodily constraints. The physical forms of the others and the asteroid itself dissolved away. In their places, radiant light of various colors shone. A short distance from him, he saw a scattering of light. Others yet survived somewhere inside the base. He couldn’t feel whom, only that they were alive. But first he needed to do something about the churning orange and yellow radiance before him—the reactor core itself.
Perhaps he could control it, as he did the energies inside the others? He focused on it. With spectral fingers of energy, he embraced the hot light. A ripping jolt surged through him, but he didn’t retract. His spectral hands gripped then pierced into the core’s energies. A high-pitched squeal resonated all around him.
What was he doing? He could cause the entire thing to explode! But it was nearly about to anyway. He had to protect those he loved. He wanted to tear apart the core, strip it of its energies. The spectral hands pushed deeper inside until it met something cool toward the center. Even if it killed him, the reactor had to be contained.
Just like before, he needed to draw the energy into him, pull it out of the source. Bearing down on the core, the orange and yellow light flared, and then coiled around the spectral arms toward him. The universe became a strobe of yellow and orange as the core’s power filled him.
Toriko’s voice drifted to him as if on a demonic wind. “Something’s happening—I think I nearly have it!”
Encouraged, he held on, willing more of the core’s power into him. One last push! Spurts of light erupted from the orb as it shrank. The swirling of the orange and yellow slowed until it became an orb of half yellow and half orange.
“Yata!” Toriko cried.
His spectral hands released the orb. Everything around him seemed to vibrate. Did he contain the power? It seemed that way. Would he be okay? Did he need to expel it, like on Aeun? Nothing within him had the need to expunge the energies.
He found himself gazing through his own eyes, no longer through the cosmic perspective. The aura about him faded, and with it the light around the others.
“You did it!” he heard Allia say and saw her hugging Toriko. “Toriko,” Allia said. “Where’s Spark?”
The geek looked about, her necklace flashing manically. Her face grew forlorn and she shook her head.
“Everything happened so fast when we were attacked,” she said sadly. “I know he tried to save us. But now I’m not getting anything from him.”
“Is he …” Allia stopped, shocked.
A large blur of light passed Mencari. “I’m takin’ Maro to the doctor place.”
The group gathered, and headed toward to the medical bay. “What happened to you guys?” Mencari asked Toriko.
In an apologetic tone, she said, “Jask.”
With bitterness, Ujaku said, “He ambushed us—nearly killed Maro. Then tied them to the reactor and set it on overload.”
Mencari felt ill. What type of sadistic soul did Jask have? But wait, how did that even happen? “I thought he was sedated, being watched by Katen and Siana.”
“Something happened up there. He was anything but sedated when he got to us,” Ujaku said.
Osuto’s weary voice filled his mind. Help us, Rhysus.
“Osuto!” he yelled, stopping the others. “He just spoke to me.”
We’re trapped in the spinning asteroid. Can’t keep the rock from crushing us much longer.
Mencari spoke quickly. “They’re in that spinning asteroid outside. They need our help. Cogeni, Cerna, Speru, Decreta, come with me. The rest of you head to the medical bay. Make sure Naijen and Maro have cover.”
We’re coming, Osuto. What’s happening?
Nothing returned to him as he led the group into the bay, then out into space. He recognized the spinning asteroid as the one Naijen frequently trained in. Though, it never rotated before, much less at the number of revolutions per minute happening now.
Minea appeared next to Mencari and said, “I don’t know how it’s possible, but the asteroid’s rate of spin continues to increase.”
His frustration grew. “Osuto said they were inside, and something about the walls closing in.”
Minea warned, “We’re not getting anywhere near that asteroid until it stops turning. It’s too dangerous.”
“I have an idea,” Cerna said. “Focus your energies into me—”
“We don’t want to blow it up,” Mencari interrupted.
“Not blow it up. If I can blast the surface in the opposite direction it’s spinning, perhaps I can slow the rotation?”
Maybe that would work? “It’s worth a try,” Mencari said, allowing his golden aura to spread outward. He focused his energies and shot them directly at Cerna. With a pleasured gasp, the beam burst into ribbons of sparking energy around her. Decreta and Cogeni followed. Finally, Speru focused his boosting energies and pulsed them toward her.
Tiny spheres of light gathered around her, vibrating with the energies of the ribbons. Cracks began to form in her skin as light engulfed her. She reached out, allowing the power to pool in her hands, before unleashing it against the asteroid’s surface. Chunks of rock flew, and dust unsettled. Her beam cut deep groves in the asteroid.
“Keep going!” Minea cried.
As the asteroid’s spin slowed, great fissures opened across its surface. It was taking too long. He felt a powerful presence streaking toward them from the asteroid base.
“Outta my way!” Naijen bellowed, grabbing Speru and diving toward the planet. “Hit me boy!”
Shining like a star, the pair radiated with a blinding light moments before a massive blast streaked from Naijen and burrowed into the rock.
“What are you doing?” Mencari yelled.
“What you can’t!” Naijen called back, melting a tunnel into the asteroid. The pair continued their descent, disappearing inside.
“I’m following!” Mencari yelled, diving into the tunnel, avoiding the white-hot wall
s. Entering, he could see the blazing energy forging a path deeper into the asteroid. The light sputtered for an instant, then erupted into a radiant silver flash. He found himself floating at the center of the asteroid. D’abar and Osuto remained back-to-back, their energies focused on the sphere, holding off chunks of the asteroid threatening to pierce through and crush them. At their feet, Siana held a motionless Jeyla, beaten and unconscious. D’abar looked to Mencari and yelled, “Link with Speru, use the ability you did to win the Coliseum games.”
Mencari reached out to Speru. A jolt ran through his body as his abilities supercharged. His golden aura turned blood-red. Power coursed in visible surges off his body. A red ball of light spread outward, overtaking the one created by D’abar and Osuto. He contracted the energies inward one last time, compacting the power into a thin sphere. His body shook as his mastery of the cosmic forces took root. He gripped his fists, held it, then spread his arms wide.
The sound of a thousand lightning strikes combined with the crumbling of a mountain rang around them as the red light erupted outward. The entire asteroid fractured and blew into mammoth fragments that flew away from them.
Speru reached out and touched D’abar and Osuto, restoring their energies. Cogeni, Cerna, and Decreta flew through the spreading debris and joined the others.
“Well done,” D’abar said. “Now help Jeyla, she’s badly hurt.”
Cogeni pulled out the talisman around his neck and began to pray over her. White light poured down and enshrouded Jeyla. In moments her eyes fluttered open.
“What happened?” Mencari asked.
“That demon child,” D’abar snapped. “He captured Jeyla and led us here.”
“We realized too late what he was doing,” Osuto said. “The fractured asteroid was a trap. Once it was rotating, the chunks of rock came in on us. It took all our power to hold off the rock from crushing us.” He crumpled in a coughing fit.
Cogeni tried to heal Osuto, but the coughing continued.
“Rhysus!” Minea cried. The shrieks of a hysterical woman echoed in the background. “Get to the medical bay fast!”
They gathered D’abar, Osuto, and Jeyla and flew through the debris back to the asteroid base.
“How did you know to burrow through to them?” Mencari asked Naijen.
“Simple—D’abar told me to.”
That seemed odd. D’abar never telepathically communicated to him, and they were just at the surface, slowing down the asteroid.
They dodged their way through the docking bay, and dashed the corridors to the medical bay. They could hear the woman’s hysterical screams louder now. He couldn’t believe he didn’t recognize the voice before.
“Anaka!” He burst in, ready to attack whatever made her scream that way. His eyes skittered, taking in the scene. Jask was gone, people were dead, but no one was attacking now. His wife rocked back and forth in the far corner, shrieking like a madwoman.
“Anaka!” he yelled, dashing to her side. “Honey?” He crouched beside her. She recoiled at his touch, and shrilled louder.
“Put Jeyla next to Maro,” D’abar said, entering with the others. “And Osuto beside her.”
“Raitr!” Siana screamed. Mencari looked over and saw Allia treating a gushing wound where Raitr’s arm used to be.
“Where is Master Katen?” Decreta said, looking about wide-eyed. A nightmarish bellow ripped through the room as Decreta dove toward a shadow of Katen burned into the wall. The mighty beast crumpled to the ground, grasping what looked like charred legs on the floor.
Please let this be just another nightmare. “What happened here?” Mencari said looking about.
“I tried to stop Jask, but his blasts—they blew right through my nullification abilities.” Raitr’s body shook uncontrollably. “I wasn’t fast enough to dodge all of it.… It vaporized my arm. It could’ve been all of me.”
“But Jask was under chemical sedation, and Katen kept his mind disabled!”
“She knows,” D’abar said, looking at Anaka. “Siana, mindwalk. Find out what happened.”
Siana’s deep blue eyes illuminated with a soft light as she gazed at Anaka. In an instant his wife grew still and quiet. Tension across his body relaxed, something he didn’t realize was there until Anaka stopped screaming. Even the air felt cooler, like he could breathe. Siana had a special gift, and mindwalks were powerful things. Whatever happened to Anaka, he knew Siana would be able to help.
The young girl’s brow furrowed, and a gasp escaped her. The light dimmed from her eyes and she looked to D’abar with disbelief and shock. As the two exchanged glances, Mencari cringed. More telepathic discussions? What happened? What were they saying? Why couldn’t she include him? A part of him abhorred that ability. Couldn’t they just speak aloud?
“So, show him then,” D’abar said, as if hearing his aggravation. “He needs to see and understand.”
Mencari hesitated looking at the charred remains, then at his eerily calm wife. Would this mess continue to get worse? At least before, he had his wife and son back. Both were sedated, but this? Now she was more of a wreck, and Jask was gone again. How much more could he take? How much longer was this going to go on? What type of hell did he earn, and how could he atone for it? Anything. He’d do anything to stop this—this madness. To end this constant, growing misery.
He lurched forward, heart pounding, mind spinning. The air grew thin in the room. His lungs burned and vertigo overtook him. Air. He needed air. The whole room began to shift, then spin. He reached out, bracing himself against the wall and floor.
“Show him,” D’abar said.
“But …” Siana said, hesitating.
“Show him now!”
Osuto rasped out, “No.”
A tingling moved across Mencari’s scalp as she touched his mind. The sensation exploded into a montage of memories, screams, and explosions. He could see it all—taken from her mindwalking the others. He relived every moment, every sensation, thought, and emotion, over and over, until they imprinted in his mind.
Please. No more. No more!
She released the mindwalk, yet his body continued to tremble. It all made sense. Every horrific moment seemed part of a carefully architected plot.
The med-techs had just stepped out of the medical bay, leaving Katen alone with Anaka. A mental suggestion planted by the Nukari activated within her, compelling Anaka to attack Katen and help Jask. The blow broke his concentration from constraining Jask. In that instant, his son awoke with full fury. Even with his hands bound, he unleashed a blast that vaporized Katen and freed himself. Siana, Jeyla, and Raitr tried to stop Jask. But when Raitr tried to nullify Jask’s abilities, a powerful blast broke through and vaporized Raitr’s arm. Jask then savagely beat Jeyla and dragged her into space. He blasted the communications array, then lured Osuto, D’abar, and Siana into his asteroid trap. Then he went back for Maro, Toriko, and Ujaku.
Mencari gasped in agony. What did the Nukari do to turn his son into such a monster? And was Anaka’s rescue all part of an elaborate trap? Was Jask’s capture allowed to happen so this outcome would take place?
He looked at the charred legs, and then to the imprint of his friend on the wall. Katen was dead, and all because he tried to help Mencari and his family. They had just talked about how to undo the damage done to his wife and son’s minds. Everything was going to get set right. Neither one of them knew it was already too late, that a monster had already taken root inside his son, a creation honed by Kajlit’ga.
What else was his son capable of doing? Who else would be hurt? Where would the Nukari’s harbinger of death strike next? New Eden? The Nomads? The Coalition?
He clutched his chest. It felt like his body was being torn in half. His son, his innocent little man, wasn’t capable of these things. The boy Anaka bore and raised wouldn’t have done what his own eyes paid witness to. Rhyiel was a loving, tender, thoughtful child. No, the creature that lived today was a mere husk of his son, a demon without a sou
l, imbued with all the powers and dark energies of his father.
Anguish filled him as he accepted the painful truth. Rhyiel, his son, was gone—dead. What lived on was a tormenting, sadistic tool of their enemy, and his name was Jask.
The vengeful seed of hatred took root within him. Rage bloomed like hellfire, burning the smiling images of his son from his mind. His hopes and dreams withered like worms in the sun. That spark of his humanity, the one rekindled with the return of his wife and son, flickered and died. A poisonous vitriol infected his heart, a darkness that devoured his soul.
A rabid red aura formed around him. The very embodiment of rage, he wore it like a cloak. His destiny was clear. No one else needed to suffer. The buzz of the reactor’s energy churned within him. Yes, he had the power. And if that didn’t do it, there were a million other ways to destroy his enemy. In a manic rush he allowed his mind to unhinge.
“He will pay for what he’s done.…”
And now, he would kill Jask.
He saw fear in the panicked glances of the others. After everything that had happened, would they ever trust him again? It no longer matter. It changed nothing. He had one job left to do.
He gazed at his wife. Anaka’s chances of recovering were slim; perhaps it was the only mercy his family would receive. “Take care of her.”
Minea’s voice echoed in the room. “The ship’s sensors are detecting a new space rift off the station’s starboard side. Jask is still here—but running!”
He waited to see … the spectacle? To watch his handiwork unfold?
“No more!” he shrilled. “Where … Where are you going, you little imp?”
He felt a surge in power, and noticed the licks of energy flicking off him. The others backed away. Even the mighty Naijen.
“Where?” he bellowed.
A wrenching churned within him. His D’mok abilities called out to be unleashed. They sought to reach out and touch the universe, to scour the fabric of space and time to find where the coward, Jask, had fled. The darkness within him assured that Jask would never be beyond his reach. He’d find him, and when he did, Jask would die. He’d do it for his son. He’d do it for his wife. He’d do it for himself.
D'mok Revival 4: New Eden Page 33
