My eyes fly open. Tense and sweating, I'm reeling from the vision Alkina conferred.
"Running out of time, you see," she says.
“Is that the future?”
Her eyes narrow. “It’s one possible future. I will pull out masalai tonight—come here at midnight."
A chill runs from my arms to my shoulders and down my spine.
"Must be tonight," she says. "I can't help you after that."
Nine
As I sprint home, the waning sun warms my body. I can't face Lucy and Vera just yet. Instead, I follow a familiar path into the forest, inhaling the wooded breeze. Leaves and pine needles crunch under my feet. The air feels different today. A quiet stillness you only find among trees. The foliage blocks out the rest of the world.
I need silence.
Winding my way along the path, I spy a little overgrown trail that looks recently trampled. On a whim, I take it about fifty feet down to the edge of North Pond. A small boulder serves as a good bench.
I take a few deep breaths, letting air flow into my lungs. "Breathing helps calm you," Tyren used to say. Returning to military life appealed to me more and more. Routine. Predictable. Little time for overthinking, and no risk of hurting my friends.
You get rid of me, you lose everything. You’re a coldhearted bitch now, just think what you’ll be without emotion. No friends. No joy.
I bend over and hang my head between my knees, hoping the rush of blood will silence him. "If I can't get rid of you, maybe I'll have no other choice." I straighten. "Do you hear me, Vance?" I pace in a small clearing next to the pond. "If I'm going down, at least I’ll take you with me.”
I wait for his reaction. "Come on, Vance? What do you have to say about that?"
Silence answers me. “What the hell do you want from me anyway?”
It's not what I want. I’m stuck just as much as you are. Like it or not, when you killed me, I entered your mind. I'm a part of you now.
“Stop it. Shut up. I'm sick of you in my head.”
The feeling is mutual, trust me.
I dig my fingers into my scalp, wishing I could eradicate him.
Can I scare him somehow? “Vance, I’m getting rid of you tonight.”
Good luck. Just remember what you’ll sacrifice…your precious Gatz and Lucy. And another thing, don’t you have questions about your healing power? I can help you discover how they made you.
“What are you talking about? Who’s ‘they’?”
You didn’t ask your dear Tyren enough questions.
“You’re just stalling, trying to save yourself.”
Hmm. Suit yourself. You’ll be rid of me but lose those you hold dear. Honestly, I’ve no idea why you care so much about a mutant wolf and a teenage brat. It won’t matter anyway because they’ll all be dead when Section H gets wiped out.
“That’s not going to happen. Alkina said that was one possible future. Tell me what you know.”
You can't possibly expect me to give up my secrets do you? After all, you already murdered me once and you’re threatening me again. Don’t you see my conundrum?
“I’m getting rid of you. You’re destructive.”
I’ll leave you for now, but some parting advice. Colonel Will Hunter and your beloved Tyren. Careful those two. Have they told you the truth about their plans for you? Tsk. Tsk. You didn’t ask enough questions.
His devious laughter fades, and I’m left in silence.
I’m facing a huge decision. On the one hand, Alkina can exorcise Vance, but I’ll lose my healing power and become hollow—a shell of my former self. A massive price to pay, but I’d have a chance to live without him. But I’ll never find out the truth about where my abilities came from. The truth will die with him.
At the water's edge I kneel, peering down at my reflection, and then graze the water with my fingertips. The water ripples, distorting my face. Fish swim below. Hardy little creatures to survive frigid Spark City winters.
In New York, I hung out at a spot under a bridge when I was fourteen. To pass the time, I fed fish in the river, sparing crumbs from whatever food I'd scavenged from back alleys of restaurants or stolen from food pods.
Like Lucy, I worked odd jobs in warehouses and factories, trying to scrape by. My family was a group of teen misfits, our home an old, abandoned post office. The place was crumbing around us, but we made it our safe haven. Two years passed and I survived, more or less, until I was arrested for lifting meds from a pharmacy.
The system sent me first to a juvenile home/orphanage where I fought with anyone and everyone. Those in charge hated me so much, they made a deal with criminals to take me away.
Blindfolded on the journey, I wasn't sure where I was taken, and I ended up in a lab. On my only outdoor excursion, I learned we were in a desert with no sign of other human life. Nowhere to escape. No hope. I barely remember my time there. It’s like they somehow erased my memories.
The pond reminds me of my long-ago bridge spot and my fish. Solitude. A time when I had control over my life.
Those years—my childhood on the streets, the lab, then the military—hardened me. But underneath it all, I craved peace and normalcy.
Lucy reminds me of my younger self—having to care for her junkie mother, fighting to scrape by. No wonder she wanted me to teach her how to fight.
I wish I hadn't pushed her away so much when I first met her. But it's too late. So much has changed.
How can I get close to anyone now that Vance can commandeer my body? Lucy, Gatz, and Vera will be better off without me. I’ll wander away like the boy in Alkina’s story.
Then again, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m better off staying. Fighting by their side, even if it means I’m stuck with Vance forever.
Can I save them from the explosion I saw in my dreams?
As I follow the path home, I stop midway and tread over to the edge of the pond one more time, taking in the view. As I circle back, I run into Lucy coming from the same direction I’d been walking. Head down, her gait is deliberate, and she seems lost in thought.
“Hey.”
“Hi.” She sounds deflated, like something’s zapped her usual peppiness. Not only that, her gaze darts about as if she’s nervous.
“Where are you going?”
“Just taking a walk,” she says. “Stuff on my mind.”
“I’m heading back home. Want to join me?”
She nods, and we start off side by side in silence, keeping the pond to our right as we travel south. After a minute, curiosity gets the best of me. “What’s eating at you?”
“Huh?
“Something’s wrong. What gives?”
She stops on the path, and I backtrack.
“I’m worried about you. When we sparred, and you attacked me. It wasn’t like you to come after me that viciously.”
I stare at her in silence, realizing I owe her an explanation.
“I’ve been searching my mind,” she continues, “trying to think whether I said something or did something to piss you off. To make you come after me like that.”
Crap. She thinks I was mad at her. I could tell her the truth about Vance…No, still a lousy idea. “Lucy, I’m sorry I attacked you like that. It was my fault, not yours. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
Her shoulders relax a bit, but she bites her lip. “Also, I saw you at the little clearing next to the pond.”
“Just a few minutes ago?”
“Yeah. I started walking over to say hello, but I heard you talking, and I thought you were with someone. So I held back, but there wasn’t anyone there. You were talking to yourself.”
My stomach drops. I’m irritated she spied on me, but my bigger concern is that she witnessed me dealing with Vance.
She blushes. “Sorry, I should have called out. I didn’t mean to intrude. But can you see why I might be worried?”
I prop my hands on my hips. “Yeah. You must think I’m crazy.”
Her lips curl up in a half-smi
le.
How much can I reveal without making her worry even more? “Lucy, something happened when I was in the coma.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, eyes narrowing. “Did something happen to your healing power?”
“Not exactly.” I struggle for the right words. “Vance Drem was a powerful man.” Too bad I can’t reveal just how forceful he really is. “The thing is, I’ve been having nightmares about him.”
She looks at me with raised eyebrows.
“The nightmares happen sometimes when I’m awake.”
Her jaw drops. “Really?”
God, it feels good to confide the truth, and I can’t stop myself. “I see and hear Vance often, actually. So what you heard by the pond was me talking to him. Telling him to go screw himself.”
“Wow. What are you going to do? How will you get the dreams to stop?”
“I visited Alkina, and she thinks she can help me. But there’s a catch.” I pause. “I won’t be the same anymore. I’ll probably lose my power. I might even have to leave Spark City for good.” I omit the fact that I might be a shadow of who I once was—not the Ida she remembers.
“No!” She grips my arm. “There has to be another way, right? You won’t be the same without your power. I won’t be the same without you here.”
“I know the situation sucks. But if I keep seeing Vance, I’m afraid I’ll hurt someone.”
“Like you almost hurt me?”
“Exactly.” I sigh. “I’d give up my power if it meant not hurting people.”
Ten
"Alkina? It's Ida." I push her apartment door open. "You should lock your doors, you know."
No response. Inside, my eyes adjust to the darkness. Curtains drawn, the only light comes from six small candles.
She meditates in the same spot as before.
"I'm here for the ceremony," I say softly, scanning the apartment. Piles of dirty dishes clutter the sink. A box of unopened candles rests on the kitchen counter. I recognize one of the dishes from my house. Vera must be bringing Alkina food.
She ignores me. Is she all there? I wonder if she's in her eighties or even her nineties.
"Ninety-six." Her voice startles me. "I have ninety-six years."
"How did you...? Never mind. You really should lock your door. It's not that safe around here. At least, it didn't used to be."
"What have I to fear? I'm old. I have nothing."
"Right.” She could probably kick someone's ass if they tried to steal from her. Put a curse on them.
Alkina wastes no time. She beckons to the floor in front of her, and I sit cross-legged.
She wears a dark yellow robe that covers her from neck to toe, her tribal makeup washed away. Her hands glide over the candles and stones in smooth, elegant gestures; she doesn't appear nervous about the ceremony.
As I settle on the floor, she studies my face with brown, unblinking eyes. Restless, I transfer my hands from my knees to my lap, not sure where to place them. "So, what now?" I check my biocuff: 2355 hours.
Still time to change your mind. Remember, my secrets die with me.
I wince, my back muscles tightening.
"Metal Man, he talks to you now?"
I rub my temples. “Yes.”
"I see something.” She leans back. “Trouble in your heart." She takes my gloved hands and inspects them.
"He's in my head, and I feel like I'm going crazy. I can't…" I feel like a weight is lifted from my chest as I confide the truth. "I can't control him, and he made me hurt Lucy. I could have really injured her."
Alkina nods and the flicker of a candle is reflected by her pupils.
"But…" My stomach feels like it's full of lead. "I can't do the ritual. Vance knows information about my past. I—I can't do it."
Lowering her gaze and releasing my hands, Alkina says, "I knew. When you came in. I saw it in your eyes." Her mouth forms a thin line. "No ritual. Masalai stays.”
"He knows something important. I feel it in my gut. He could have answers that help me stop the bombing and save many people. For me to purge him…it's too much of a risk."
"You understand he stays in you?" She grabs my hands again, squeezing them tightly. "I can't help after this." She waves at the window. "Full moon almost over, and my time is coming." She lets go and pulls a blanket around her shoulders.
"Your time?"
"I die soon."
"But, how…?"
She shakes her head. "My people always know. Do not fuss."
I lower my head. Tonight is my only chance. How can I go on with Vance living inside me? What kind of life is that? His presence is a constant reminder of his death at my hands, and I know he’ll try to cause harm and chaos. It’s his nature. But I can't risk losing his secrets—if he's telling the truth.
Alkina drifts off in thought. "Ah," she says, her eyes shining. “Gift for you." She touches my forehead. "You train this. As I do...train your mind."
"What do you mean? Like when you go into your trance?"
"Yes, that. You train mind. You have control. Go into the dream state to face the dream walker."
I lean forward.
"Train you. I show you now. Close eyes." A low hum emerges from her small body.
I squeeze my eyes shut, having no idea what's about to happen. She's gone into her meditative dream-state again. But how am I supposed to?
Then suddenly blackness surrounds me. I try to walk, but it's like I'm underwater. My legs and arms are heavy pieces of lead. Slowly, the darkness transforms to gray, then deep blue.
I blink rapidly until shapes begin to form around me. Then I'm standing on concrete. Cool air rushes around me bringing smells of the city—food stalls frying noodles, the lake breeze, and factory fumes.
In the distance, the tops of tall spiraling towers appear. I’m on a rooftop. I recognize it as Vance's penthouse deck.
I feel a tug on my arm. Alkina lingers by my side in her long yellow dress. I think of the little boy at the carnival and the yellow rose he dropped. Was it Alkina back then sending me a sign?
I hear her answer in my mind. Ida, when you want to enter the dream trance, think of the yellow flower.
"Okay."
Try it now.
I close my eyes and picture a flower. A few seconds pass. "Am I doing it right?"
Nothing.
This time, I concentrate on the yellow rose that the little boy dropped, rotating it in my mind, remembering the smooth petals. A white light flashes, and I'm transported to another place.
Before my eyes, an incredible landscape looms. Above me, an endless red-orange sky stretches. On the horizon, a large mountain rises up from the Earth. The light bouncing off the atmosphere bathes the rock formation in an unearthly glow.
“Home. Uluru,” says Alkina. Somehow, we've been transported to the Australian desert. “I leave you now. Come here when you need me.” She starts to trek across the desert toward the giant red rock.
"But, wait. How do I find Vance? How do I control him?”
“Go to him,” she says over her shoulder. “The Metal Man.”
"But, how?"
“Go to the rooftop. Get the answers you seek there. You must take control of him. You will learn how…in time.” She plods slowly away before halting. “Something else you must know. Come.” She motions for me to join her.
I jog over. “What is it, Alkina?”
“Metal Man will test you. Will try to trick you. He want to control you—your body more than anything.”
“Control me, but how?”
“No time to explain.” She gazes at the setting sun bathing Uluru in sheets of golden orange shadow. “If you give him control, you will be trapped inside. Trapped like he is now.” Her dark eyes penetrate the eerie stillness of this ethereal dream world. “You would be trapped forever, understand?”
“Yes.”
Then she journeys away and fades into the distance. I'm left by myself, shivering and uncertain.
The rooftop. How
do I return there? Did she mean physically go or travel in my mind? Confused, I shut my eyes, willing myself to snap out of this dream state.
A white flash, and I'm on Vance's rooftop again. Police sirens and beeping car horns fill my ears.
"Miss me?" Vance says from behind me.
I spin and brace myself, afraid he’ll hurt me.
He leans against a waist-high glass railing, inches from the roof's edge and a sixty-five-story drop.
"You made the right choice." He grins. "I knew you would."
I straighten, hands on hips. Alkina's right. I need to take control of the situation. No more running. "We made a fair deal, Vance. I didn't purge you. Tell me what you know about my past.”
He shrugs. "That's the funny thing. I don't know anything for certain.”
I fold my arms across my chest, raise my chin.
"Simple deduction, really." He paces in front of the rail. "You were part of a rogue medical experiment for what, now? What did they do to you again? They changed your body surgically, subjected you to experiments, torture. It's a crime what they did to you." He halts, staring. "I know they tried to make you kill people. I saw it in your dreams."
My mind races. How could he know? I've never told anyone about my years in the medical lab, not that I can remember much because my memories of that time are in bits and pieces. My legs tremble as his tirade continues.
“The scientists in charge used you for an end goal. You ended up with extreme healing powers. A handy tool for a military arsenal."
"What are you getting at, Vance?”
"Patience, I'm getting there!" He waves his hand, the human side of his face reddening. "Arsenal. I keep getting stuck on that word. What's the military in the business of doing? Killing things and blowing up shit."
"Are you stalling?" I clench my fists.
He rushes toward me, fast on his feet, and the tendons on his neck jut out. "The military creates weapons against threats. That's what they do."
I step back, unable to hold his gaze.
The Rogue Spark series Box Set Page 30
