by Melinda Metz
"Of course," Trevor answered desperately. "But-"
And suddenly he was hurtling through the air. He slammed into the wall of the control room, cutting the back of his head on the corner. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and when he did, his heart started pounding with fear and fury. "You used the Stone on me," he whispered, staring at DuPris.
"At very low power," DuPris agreed cheerfully, leering at Trevor. "I thought you needed a little reminder of exactly how the chain of command works."
***
Max urged his molecules together faster. Faster, faster, faster. The instant his body had re-formed, he scanned the room, searching for DuPris. Max didn't see him, but he spotted Michael and Trevor in one corner, crouched on either side of Isabel. He sprinted toward them, hearing the others running behind him.
Trevor looked up as the small crowd approached. His eyes went wide with fear or wonder-Max couldn't tell.
"You shouldn't have come here," Trevor said.
"Now, Trevor. Mind your manners," a voice called. Max turned and saw DuPris step into the entryway of the ship. "You should make all your little friends feel welcome."
The beings of the consciousness exploded with fury and fear at the sight of DuPris. Max used all his will to keep the connection low. He needed to stay sharp, stay in control. If he let the consciousness start running the show, it could be deadly for everyone.
"Thank you for letting Michael bring my sister here," Max said, trying to keep his voice even.
He figured if DuPris was going to pretend that everything was fine, he would, too. Not that he believed DuPris's act for a second. Max knew that DuPris was like a cat-he liked to play with his victims a little while before he killed them. Which was more than fine with Max. It would give him some time, hopefully enough time to get Isabel safely through her akino and get them all out of there.
Max strode over to Trevor and roughly pushed him aside, then took his place kneeling next to Isabel.
"What the hell were you thinking, Michael?" he said, eyeing his friend. "Can't you see she's almost dead?"
He pulled the communication crystals out of his pocket and placed them in Isabel's fingers.
"Make the connection, Izzy," he urged.
"You've got to do it, Isabel," he heard Maria call from behind him. "We love you. It's the only way you can stay with us."
Michael grabbed for the crystals, but Max was too quick. He locked his hand around Michael's wrist, stopping him.
"You're wrong, Max." Trevor circled around Isabel and crouched next to Michael. "She's almost reached her crisis. In just a few moments she'll make the turn. She's going to be fine."
"You don't know that," Alex said, joining the little circle.
"You've given us no reason to trust you," Max said, daring Trevor to contradict him. He shot a glance at the ship. DuPris was still in the doorway, an amused smile on his lips.
Liz knelt next to Isabel and touched her forehead gently. "Isabel, please, make the connection," she urged.
"Don't do it, Izzy," Michael countered. "Stay strong."
Isabel opened her eyes. She slowly turned her head until she was looking right at Max. She opened her lips, and a croaking sound came out. Max's heart practically broke wide open.
"I can't understand you," Max said in a near whimper. Looking at his sister's ravaged face was almost unbearable, but Max would not turn his gaze away. He leaned closer. "Tell me, Isabel."
"No!" she screeched, piercing Max's eardrum as her voice cracked. She flung the crystals across the room with a strength he never would have believed she had. Her breath came in tortured gasps, but she managed to speak again. "No, Max."
At that moment Max's body was sliced with pain. He let out a howl as it ripped and seared through his body. He could feel his blood vessels bursting, pumping blood into his body cavity. A horrible, wet, swishing sound filled his ears, and he could feel liquid draining through his ear canal.
"What's happening?" Liz yelled. Max turned toward her, but all he could see was a dim shape. Blood from the veins in his eyes clouded his vision.
Images from the consciousness filled his brain. First an image of himself in agony. Then an image of Isabel holding the crystals, making the connection. Then an image of himself smiling, clearly no longer in pain.
As soon as the message ended, Max could feel his veins close back up. He rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, and his vision cleared a little.
"Max, you've got to tell us what's happening," Alex demanded, grasping his shoulder.
"The consciousness-" Max spat, tasting blood in his mouth. "The consciousness wants Isabel to make the connection. If she doesn't-"
Max felt dozens of holes open up in his stomach. Hot acid rushed out. He fell onto his side and curled his knees to his chest as if that could somehow protect him from the pain.
***
"I'll try to heal him," Adam told Liz, rushing over to Max's side.
"I wouldn't do that," DuPris advised calmly over Max's wails of agony. "If you connect to him, the consciousness will be able to use you for motivation, too." He slowly walked toward them, the usual smug smile on his lips.
"Adam, wait," Liz instructed, holding out a hand. "Motivation? What are you talking about? Do you know what's going on here?" she demanded.
DuPris turned his gaze on her, his cold green eyes sending a shiver down her spine. Liz forced herself to keep looking at him. She knew DuPris enjoyed getting a reaction, and she was determined not to give him one. Alex, Adam, and Maria moved into a tight knot around her, joining Liz in the face-off.
"Isn't it clear?" DuPris said. "Your friend over there is being tortured by the consciousness."
"But he's part of the consciousness," Maria protested.
"Oh, little bunny. So innocent," DuPris said. He reached out and tugged on one of Maria's curls. Maria didn't flinch.
Good for you, Liz thought. She found Maria's hand and gave it a squeeze.
"The consciousness cares nothing for the individuals who form it," DuPris continued with a quick shake of his head. "It benefits the consciousness if Isabel joins it. If it has to torture Max over there to get the result it wants, so be it."
"What are we supposed to do?" Maria cried, looking down at Max, who was choked with pain. Liz felt like she could feel everything he was going through in her own body. She needed to make his pain stop. Now.
"Listen to him," Trevor called from Isabel's side. "The consciousness is evil."
"Let me illustrate," DuPris said. "Say I'm the consciousness, and he is one of the unfortunate ones who have made the connection." DuPris nodded toward Adam. "If his death benefits me, I simply-"
DuPris whipped the Stone out of his pocket and aimed it at Adam, and before Liz could move, before she could scream, a laser of purple-green light speared out of the Stone and into Adam's chest.
He crumpled to the floor like a wet rag. Liz felt a cry well up in her throat, but it just stayed there, choking her, bringing tears to her eyes. She dropped down beside Adam and rolled him onto his back. A perfectly round hole went all the way through his body. Through his heart.
"You killed him!" Liz screamed. She wrapped Adam tightly in her arms and pulled him to her chest. "Oh, God, you killed him."
DuPris smiled and shrugged nonchalantly. "Just proving my point."
FOURTEEN
Trevor would not let himself look at Adam. If he did, he knew the revulsion, horror, and hatred churning through him would show on his face. And he didn't want DuPris to know what he was feeling.
"You see? The leader is right," he shouted. "The consciousness cares nothing for the individual."
"The leader is right?" Michael repeated, disgust coating his words. There were tears in Michaels eyes as he looked at Adam, but he never left Isabel's side. "I can't believe this is happening," he said.
Trevor leaned across Isabel, bringing his face as close to Michael's as he could. "Listen to me," he whispered. "I'm taking DuPris down. But I need
your help."
Michael's face was all skepticism until he looked into Trevor's eyes. He must have read the determination there because seconds later his expression shifted.
"You got it," Michael said.
"Good. Let's start by slamming him with the ship." Trevor grabbed Michael by the wrist. The connection was almost instantaneous-a brother thing.
Trevor kept one eye on DuPris as he and Michael began building a power ball between them. The leader was clearly enjoying the reactions he'd gotten from Liz, Alex, and Maria. He wasn't paying any attention to Trevor and Michael.
But Alex was. He shot a suspicious glance at Trevor. Michael saw the look. He nodded at the ship, then at DuPris.
Alex nodded back. He bent down and urged Liz to her feet, pulling her away from Adam's body, then he wrapped Maria and Liz in a three-way hug, backing them away from DuPris as if they were just in mourning.
"Let's do this thing," Michael whispered, feeling like they'd stored up enough power. Trevor nodded almost imperceptibly. "On three. One. Two. Three."
Trevor and Michael shot the power ball at the ship, picking it up and hurling it across the room. It knocked DuPris to the ground before he realized what was happening.
Instantly DuPris used his power to throw the ship away from him. But in that one instant Trevor and Michael were on him. Michael went for the gut, so Trevor took the head. He made a connection and started feeling around for an artery in DuPris's brain.
He instantly felt a pinching in his own brain-case and realized DuPris had already found a grip on him.
Trevor kept one hand on DuPris's forehead, keeping the connection, squeezing, squeezing. Brilliant dots exploded in front of his eyes, but he ignored them. With his free hand he began feeling around for the Stone. It had to have fallen out of DuPris's fingers when the ship hit him. If it hadn't, he and Michael would be corpses by now.
Where is it? Where is it? Trevor raced his fingers across the floor. Nausea swept through him. Another few seconds and the pressure in his brain was going to make him pass out. DuPris, on the other hand, was fine. Trevor didn't know what DuPris had done, but the artery Trevor was squeezing felt like it had somehow been encased in steel.
Trevor heard a thud behind him. He was pretty sure it was the sound of Michael being thrown off DuPris. He was on his own now. Trevor grabbed for a different artery, hoping DuPris hadn't been able to protect them all. But it was steel hard, too.
Patches of blackness narrowed Trevor's vision. He turned his power on his own brain, trying to heal the damage DuPris had done while still feeling for the Stone. If he didn't get the Stone, he was going to die. They were all going to die.
Then two things happened very quickly. A heavy work boot crunched down on DuPris's throat.
"I like to do things the old-fashioned way," Alex announced.
And then Trevor felt the Stone being pressed into his palm. "Is this what you're looking for?" Marias voice asked.
Some of DuPris's attention had to have shifted to repairing the damage in his neck because the pressure in Trevor's brain lessened. Focus, he ordered himself. Focus.
He pressed the Stone down on DuPris's chest and detonated its power.
The world went white and silent.
When Trevor regained consciousness, he was lying on the ground. He shoved himself into a sitting position.
"Where's DuPris?" he demanded groggily. "What happened?"
The realization that Liz, Maria, and Alex were flecked with blood and tissue and pieces of bone hit him. He staggered to his feet. "What happened? Are you all right? Did DuPris teleport?"
He took a step forward, and his foot slipped on something squishy. Trevor looked down and saw what appeared to be a section of intestine.
"Um, that would be DuPris," Maria said, her voice flat and emotionless.
"Necessary sacrifice," Trevor muttered. Unlike Adam. Adam, who had posed no threat to DuPris or the rebellion. Adam, who had been killed for… for sport.
Trevor raised his eyes and scanned the room. He saw Liz on the floor, cradling Adam in her arms again, her long, dark hair forming a veil over both their faces.
"Should I give the Stone to Isabel?" Alex asked, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Trevor quickly glanced at her. She was lying next to Max, their expressions nearly identical masks of agony. Michael lay in a heap a few feet away from them.
Fear crawled up Trevors spine. "Michael?"
"I'm fine," Michael answered with a cough. He pushed himself shakily to his feet. "Just got the wind knocked out of me for a minute."
"Thanks for backing me up," Trevor said, warm with relief. At least he hadn't lost his brother. That was something. He hurried over to Isabel, dropped to his knees, and placed the blood-spattered Stone of Midnight into her hand.
"Work," Trevor said. "Please, please work."
***
Michael stared down at Isabel. It was like watching one of those time-lapse photography videos-the ones that speed up time to show a seed going to full blossom in seconds.
Isabel's cracked lips smoothed out. Color flooded back into her face. Her breathing became steady and even again. Then she opened her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes, and she smiled at him.
"You made it," he said.
"Did you ever doubt it?" Isabel answered, the old 'tude already back in her voice.
Maria and Alex knelt next to Isabel and grabbed her in a group hug.
"Nice to have you back," Maria said.
"Very nice," Alex added, kissing Isabel's forehead.
"Where's Max?" Isabel asked, glancing around.
Everyone's eyes darted over to the body on the floor. He wasn't moving.
"Oh, my God, Max," Isabel said, tears in her voice. She tried to get up, but Michael reached out and held her back. He didn't want her to risk moving too fast.
"Is there anything you can do for him?" Michael asked Trevor.
But Max answered before Trevor could. "I'm okay."
Isabel started to cry with relief as Max pulled in a deep breath, his eyes going to Isabel, then moving from person to person. Making sure we're all fine, Michael thought. Leave it to Max to think of everyone else before himself.
"Does Adam need healing?" Max asked as he slowly climbed to his feet.
"He's dead, Max," Michael answered, his heart feeling heavier by the second. "DuPris killed him."
Even though he'd spoken the words, he couldn't quite believe them himself. He couldn't believe he and Adam were never going to make toast together again. Or watch late night cable. He couldn't believe Adam was never going to ask him another doofy question about kissing.
Tears stung Michael's eyes, and he felt one slither down his face. He didn't wipe it away. Adam deserved it.
Max scrubbed his face with his hands. "And DuPris?" he asked.
"You're soaking in it," Alex answered. He gestured at the floor, and Max's face went pale. His only response was a brief nod.
"Do you know what this means?" Maria asked, a tiny quiver in her voice. "We have no enemy. Valenti's dead. DuPris is dead. It's over."
"There's still the consciousness," Michael said, his eyes on Max. Did Max finally get it? Did he understand that Trevor was right?
Everyone's eyes were on Max, and he looked at each one of them in turn. Finally, slowly, he focused on his sister.
"Isabel got through her akino," he said blankly. "You guys were right all along. You don't die if you don't join." He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Everything I believed about the consciousness is a lie, and I almost forced Isabel to connect to it."
Michael noticed that Max didn't say anything about the way the consciousness had tortured him. Typical Saint Max. What mattered to him was what happened to other people.
"I want to help you shatter it," Michael told his brother. A few spikes of joy appeared in Trevor's chaotic aura as his eyes met Michael's.
"Me too," Maria and Alex said together.
"I'm definitely in," Isabel an
nounced, propping herself on her elbows.
Michael glanced at Liz, but he didn't think she was capable of speech. Or even of hearing. She was still holding Adam, her face buried against his neck.
"Max?" Michael asked.
"Of course I'm in. You don't put my sister through that and get away with it." He looked at Trevor, his eyes clear and determined. "Just tell me what you need me to-"
His mouth went slack. His eyes went blank. Then his knees bent, and he slowly dropped to the floor. Michael managed to get behind him and catch him by the shoulders before his head hit the cement.
"Max!" Michael cried. "Max!"
There was no response.
Michael slapped Max's cheeks-hard.
No response.
"I've seen this a few times before," Trevor said. "He's been completely absorbed by the consciousness. He's not going to be able to-"
Max tilted back his head and stared up at Michael. There was awareness in his bright blue eyes again. "Help… me," he managed to say. "Tra… apped."
[ front blurb]
THE LATEST VICTIM…
"Max! Help!" Isabel didn't have enough breath to scream. She was going to suffocate right there in her own kitchen.
No! Isabel would not let that happen. She jammed one of her fingers down her throat. If she could just get a little of the mold out, she'd be able to get some oxygen in.
And then her throat was clear. Her nose was clear. It was as if the mold had never been there. As if it had been a horrible… nightmare.
But she was awake. Wide awake. And she'd been awake the whole time. This is what happened to Max when he began to enter his akino, she realized. Heightened physical sensation. Physical sensation-like touch, like smell.
Isabel lowered her head into her hands. Max would tell her not to worry. He'd tell her that connecting to the collective consciousness and sharing your life with all the beings of the home planet-living and dead-was awesome.
To Isabel it sounded like prison. Always being watched. No privacy. No choice about who you let into your life.
