Brink: A Dystopian Sci-Fi Novel (Rogue Spark Book 2)

by Cameron Coral

  "We have to feed Alkina and let her rest, Lucy," the friendly woman says.

  "I know, Mom, but can we just stay a little longer? I really hope this time we'll wake Ida."

  "Lucy, please. Alkina has been working for hours without food or sleep. Come eat. You must be starving."

  The old woman says, "Clever women don't eat when cleansing a body. We…what is the word?" She pauses. "We speed."

  Her words hang in the air.

  "You mean fast," says Lucy. "Alkina, the word is fast. When you don't eat."

  Alkina mutters something in a language I don't recognize.

  Cleansing a body? Oh God, am I dead? With all my effort, I will myself to move. Desperate, I want to scream and rise up and push the old woman away. I rage inside against my useless limbs.

  Nothing. Whatever energy I had while running from Vance has disappeared.

  The kind woman's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Clever women. What does that mean?"

  "Clever woman is her position with her people—the aboriginals. She's a tribe elder and a healer. Among her people, clever men and women cleanse those who have bad spirits." After a time, Lucy continues softly, "A healer for a healer. This has to work."

  "Where on earth did you find this one?"

  "Mom, if you're not going to be helpful, then leave," Lucy says.

  "At least let me bring you both some food?"

  "No! Alkina and I are fine. Let her keep working on Ida. I'm not leaving until she wakes up.”

  Silence, followed by soft footsteps and the sound of a door closing. I'm left with Lucy and the elder aboriginal, Alkina.

  I'm not familiar with the term clever woman. A healer. Why has Lucy resorted to using her instead of modern medicine? Maybe I'm a lost cause. It wouldn't be the first time.

  Next to what I assume is my bedside, Alkina chants, her voice soft, melodic, deep.

  I drift off.

  When I come to, blackness surrounds me.

  And then it crushes me—the memory of Lucy.

  My neighbor. A teenager, seventeen. We met and became friends. Well, sort of. She forced her way into my life and asked me to teach her how to defend herself.

  The other voice was her mother, Vera, whom I saved when she overdosed on drugs.

  And Gatz. My friend, I guess you could call him. A genetic mutant—half-human, half-wolf—he was unlike anyone I'd ever met. I remember him most of all, but I didn't hear his voice. Maybe he's not around.

  A flood of memories rushes through me. As if transported, Vance appears in front of me. He’s hardly human—nearly all his body has been transformed into a cyborg. We're in his factory where he manufactures his robotic army. He murdered Nancy—the woman I’d been searching for after he abducted her.

  And he was going to kill me too. No, scratch that. He was dying and wanted me to use my healing ability to cure him of his disease.

  But he was a madman who had built a ruthless army of police androids. I had to stop him before he destroyed Spark City.

  He would have hurt my friends. I had to protect them.

  Lucy and Gatz came to rescue me. In the factory, they fought past Vance’s androids and tried to help.

  But I had to kill Vance.

  They’re not your real friends. I am. Vance's voice erupts inside my head. The sound chills me to my core. My pulse quickens.

  I blink through wet eyes. The darkness doesn't seem so complete anymore. I detect the dim outline of a ceiling and a light above.

  Lying in a bed, I try to wiggle my fingers for what feels like hours. One at a time, the feeling in my digits slowly returns. Progress.

  Next, I try my feet. Yes! I can curl my toes.

  What feels like an hour passes, and I lie in bed and twitch parts of my body one at a time. These tiny movements require all my concentration. My body drips with sweat by the end.

  Finally, daylight peeks through the curtain of the window in my room.

  I’m alive.

  Get Book Three Now: http://bit.ly/roguespark03

  Acknowledgments

  I owe a debt of gratitude to you, dear reader, for taking a chance and picking up this book. I hope these pages transported you to another world for a bit and that you enjoyed the ride.

  Ida Sarek is a character who’s been bouncing around in my head for many years. She’s an amalgamation of all the strong, ass-kicking sci-fi heroines I love: Ripley, Kara Thrace, Molly Millions, Katniss Everdeen, Leia, Jessica Jones, Sarah Connors, Trinity, Dana Scully, and many more I’m forgetting.

  I’m not sure where the idea to have a character who can heal came from exactly. I guess in some ways, it’s a superpower I’d like to have. While not as popular as flying or being invisible, being able to bring someone back to life would be incredible—and dangerous if the power fell into the wrong hands. Can you imagine certain dictators from the past or present having someone like Ida to keep reviving them?

  I imagine someone like Ida would make the ultimate bodyguard.

  Thank you to my ever-patient and supportive husband, Steve, for being my alpha-reader, idea bouncer-offer, and for making me breakfast most mornings. You + me.

  A special thanks goes out to my editor James Millington who helped shape this book and Book One in the series, ALTERED. Thanks to Matt Rott who copyedited.

  The amazing covers for the Rogue Spark Series are due to the fine work of Christian Bentulan at CoversbyChristian.com. You made Ida come to life and truly captured her badassery!

  Thanks to Mom for shuttling me to the library so much when I was a kid and not intervening when I started bringing home Dracula, Stephen King books, and other creepy stories when I was a kid. And also, for letting me watch V, Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Manimal, Monsters, and all the cool 80s sci-fi shows I wanted. Thanks for being a real-life ass-kicking heroine.

  Thanks to Dad and Sherry for encouraging me to write and pursue my creativity. You both taught me it’s okay to follow the beat of my own drum, be silly, and have more fun in life.

  Thank you to my amazing, supportive friends and extended family! Finally, I can share my books with you! I can’t possibly list everyone here because I am blessed to have a “framily” that is beyond compare.

  I dedicate this series to my stepdad, Mike Roberto, who passed away in 2014. One Christmas, he gave me a gift that changed everything—Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. Wow, did I love that book when I was eight. I didn’t understand everything I read, but the tiny spark of an idea flowered: I want to be a writer someday.

  If you enjoyed this book and would like to hear more from me, I extend a warm welcome to join my email newsletter. It takes a minute to sign up. Just visit CameronCoral.com and you’ll find a sign-up button. You’ll also get a free novel!

  I send emails every week or two about fun stuff—pictures, videos, and personal updates. Often, I share flash fiction, short stories, or rants about why robots are awesome. You’ll see cosplay pics from when I attend comic conventions.

  The cool thing is, I’ll never spam you. I take your email privacy very seriously, and I have a detailed privacy policy on my website. You can unsubscribe at any time.

  But I hope you stick around, because I have a lot to share in the years to come.

  Warmly,

  Cameron Coral

  P.S. When you join my newsletter list, you get a full-length novel that you can download to your computer, phone, or e-reader. Just head to my website: CameronCoral.com

  P.P.S. Have you ever left a review for a book you like? If you have, I promise that writer loved you for it. Reviews are how independent authors get the word out. We don't have publishers; we depend on people like you writing reviews to let other people know we're out here and you like what we do.

  Also, if you have questions about the book or Ida or just want to say “hi,” send me an email anytime at info@cameroncoral.com

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2018 Cameron Coral

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or repr
oduced in any manner without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, places and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by Matt Rott, James Millington

  Cover by Christian Bentulan

  For more information:

  CameronCoral.com

  info@cameroncoral.com