by D. N. Leo
Niw approached the group and said something in Eudaizian. They simply stared at Niw.
Ciaran and Madeline approached. “Close enough, Madeline? Can you confirm?”
“Yes. They are Black Rock creatures,” Madeline said.
Ciaran charged toward the group of men. He grabbed Niw and spun him toward where Madeline and Sizx stood. He pulled his daggers out, and before the six men could process and react, Ciaran had swung and slashed at them. The creatures’ body parts flew through the air. Black liquid gushed from their open wounds and ran onto the ground. Their bodies quickly evaporated.
Sizx and Niw stood shocked, jaws agape. Madeline smiled—she had seen this before. She knew what her warrior husband was capable of. From their hiding place, Liam still covered Gaia’s eyes, but he was amazed by the scene that had unfolded before him.
Ciaran holstered his daggers and returned to the group. “We have to go now. Is it still okay to head to gate One, Sizx?”
“No. I’ve redirected the capsule to gate Two. It’ll take a full unit to go through the town,” Sizx said.
“Full unit. That’s several slots. Meaning several hours in Earth time. We won’t make it back to Tower One in time for Madeline’s officiation,” Ciaran said.
“We have no choice. I’ll try to go as fast as possible once we get to the capsule. But to save time, we take the public rail across town,” Sizx said as she strode ahead. Everyone followed.
They entered the center of the town. In front of them were endless rows of tall buildings and roads. A sea of people strolled on the street, all beautiful and very friendly. People talked, laughed, made calls on their wrist units. Large public billboards and screens flashed the news in Eudaizian.
If Madeline wasn’t mistaken, the news discussed preparations for the coronation.
Several people on the street stopped to hear the news, watching the flashing images of Tower Three where the coronation would be held.
Then an image of Bran during a speech he must have given a long time ago flashed. More people stopped to watch. They cheered when then saw Bran’s image. Some had tears in their eyes. As the late king of Eudaiz, Bran seemed to have the respect and love of his people. Bran’s speech was in English, and Eudaizian subtitles ran across the bottom of the screen.
“Hurry, it will be your picture up there next.” Sizx pulled at Ciaran.
She was right. An image of Ciaran walking out of the tower flashed onto the screen. He looked like a magnificent warrior, a great king. The crowd roared with excitement and joy. Niw, Liam, and Gaia gawked at the screen. Ciaran scurried away from the crowd with Madeline and Sizx.
“Bloody hell,” Madeline muttered when she realized Ciaran stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of Eudaizian civilians. Eudaizians had blonde, blue, or green hair, a milky complexion, and an eye color that matched the hair. None of them had raven black hair like Ciaran. The fact that he was exceptionally tall didn’t help his invisibility, either.
Madeline spoke to Sizx, “If you mean we have to get on one of those railed flying capsules over there, how the hell will Ciaran get in without being recognized? I bet they have screens in those, too.” Madeline pointed to an array of hanging rails with public capsules traveling efficiently underneath. The capsules stopped at a raised platform where people could get on and off.
Sizx looked at the crowd and said, “We’ll take the express. It’s quieter. But the computer might ask for verification. I’ll see what we can do.”
Sizx led the way around a corner. She was right. It was much quieter at the express platform. A capsule the size of a minibus zoomed toward them and stopped as soon as they arrived.
“Very efficient,” Madeline commented.
“It operates on sensor distribution,” Ciaran said.
They entered the capsule after a group of trendy young people exited. The door closed, and the capsule moved ahead without a sound. There was, indeed, a screen in the capsule that people were watching intently.
Ciaran chose a corner to stand in and faced the wall, pretending to read a notice on the board hanging there.
A man at the far end stopped watching the news. He turned and looked at Gaia. His fair complexion turned dark, and it appeared to have blue current running beneath the skin. His eyes rolled up and turned a glaring red.
Everyone else was busy watching the screen and paid him no attention, but Gaia saw the strange man approaching. She pulled Liam’s hand. Liam registered the danger and pushed Gaia behind him.
Ciaran heard Gaia’s distress above the noise in the capsule and turned around.
The strange man was a few feet away from Liam. He pulled out something that looked like a handgun. But before he could pull the trigger, Ciaran’s dagger lopped off his gun arm. The gun and arm dropped to the floor. Madeline picked up the gun. Wire and cords splayed from the open wound of the broken arm.
“It’s a robot,” Ciaran muttered.
The other ten civilians in the capsule had noticed the commotion. They swarmed to one end of the capsule to get away from the damaged robot. It pulled out another gun with its other hand.
Ciaran grabbed the gun hand and stabbed at the robot’s head, sneaking the skull box open. The robot reached for him with its broken arm. Sizx and Madeline pointed their guns at the robot but didn’t have a clear shot. Ciaran stabbed one more time at the motherboard, and the robot stopped moving. He then yanked the board out. The robot dropped to the floor, smoke billowing from its head and eye sockets.
The capsule stopped at the next station. Someone had punched the emergency button, triggering the alarms. People recognized Ciaran. Sirens rang from everywhere in the capsule and the station.
The reek of Kyle filled the air and engulfed Madeline’s senses. She peered outside the capsule and saw a small group of creatures charging in their direction from a far corner of the station. Kyle was one of them.
Chapter 16
“Kyle is here. Far left corner,” Madeline said briskly.
Ciaran scanned the capsule. There was no control panel. “Who’s controlling this capsule, Sizx?”
“Central robot,” Sizx responded.
“All right. I can’t drive it. We’ve got to get out of here.” Ciaran said and dashed quickly out of the capsule. He took his beam-proof vest off and gave it to Liam. “Cover Gaia,” he said.
They raced out of the station and ran along a quiet street.
“Now what?” Ciaran asked Sizx.
“They called central. Everyone already knows you’re here,” Sizx said.
“We’ll see Sciphil Seven then. If he’s a mole, I’ll take care of him. How can we contact him?” Ciaran said.
“Not directly—we’ll have to go through the Guard Central. Sciphil Seven would have gotten the alert by now, so he should make himself accessible to you. This way.” Sizx pointed toward the far corner. “It will be half a unit on foot.”
“That should do. Try to avoid public places. Too many civilians around,” Ciaran said.
They moved as fast as they could for another block using back streets. They could see a group of five guards approaching in the distance.
“Are they real guards, Madeline?” Ciaran asked.
“Too far away to tell.”
The guards had seen them. Ciaran pushed everyone behind the wall of the station. He walked toward them, with Madeline trailing right behind him. As they got closer, she whispered, “Black Rock creatures.”
The creatures pulled guns and shot waves of black laser beams at Ciaran and Madeline. The beams missed and punched deep holes into the walls. Ciaran pushed Madeline behind the wall. With two quick steps, he was on top of it and running toward the creatures from behind.
He leaped from the wall, landing behind them, and pulled out his daggers. Before they had a chance to beam anymore, Ciaran made quick work of them. Soon their body parts lay on the ground, oozing black liquid everywhere before they vanished. Ciaran grabbed the scattered weapons.
Sizx brought Liam, who
was holding Gaia in his arms, and Niw out of hiding. They ran toward Ciaran and Madeline.
“We’ve got to get to the central on a capsule. I don’t know who’s who on the street anymore,” Sizx said.
Ciaran handed Sizx a gun. From behind them, a group of twelve guards appeared.
“Get behind the wall!” Ciaran yelled in warning.
Black beams sprayed the wall just as they ducked behind it. Ciaran rolled out on the ground and shot down three attackers before taking cover back behind the wall.
Madeline spied a blood trail on the ground. “You’re shot. Let me see.” She turned him around, seeing a gash on his arm.
“Not too bad,” Ciaran said and shrugged.
A beam flew from behind them, hitting the wall next to Liam and causing him to stumble and drop Gaia. Ciaran picked the little girl up. “Run,” Ciaran said and strode quickly along the wall. Sizx ran along with Liam, and Madeline ran side by side with Niw.
Beams bulleted at them. Madeline and Niw were hit from the back. Madeline had her vest on, but the impact of the beams still dazed her. Ciaran turned and fired at the shooters, taking all four of them down.
Madeline stopped. On the ground, Niw was dead.
“Madeline!” Ciaran called out.
“I’m fine. He’s gone.”
Madeline saw the sorrow in Liam’s eyes. Tears rolled down Gaia’s face, but she bit her lips and didn’t make a sound.
“Keep going,” Ciaran said. Madeline stood and raced alongside him.
“There are five of them left. Can you take two from the ground?” Ciaran asked Madeline.
Having been in similar situations with her husband, Madeline knew it was a rhetorical question, but she answered anyway. “Yes.”
Ciaran shoved Gaia to Sizx. “Stay right here,” he said then turned around, talking to Madeline. “With me now, Madeline.”
They charged toward the other side of the wall. Madeline rolled on the ground, and Ciaran stood tall. Together and at the same time, they sprayed the last five creatures.
Ciaran helped Madeline up. “Are you hit?” Ciaran asked.
Madeline shook her head. “You?”
“No,” Ciaran said.
They walked to the other side of the wall. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ciaran saw a creature he’d shot before stand up and point a gun at Madeline.
He pushed Madeline aside, shot the creature, and copped a beam to his chest in return.
Madeline pulled the trigger of her gun. It jammed.
She pulled her sword and charged at the creature. Before she cut its head off, Kyle’s voice erupted from its mouth, “I told you, ennead will kill you all.”
Madeline roared and swung her sword, detaching the head from the body of the creature.
She scrambled back to Ciaran. He had dropped to the ground, lying in a pool of his own blood.
Chapter 17
Madeline sat Ciaran up, leaning him against the wall. He didn’t speak. When Ciaran said nothing, she knew it was bad.
“Liam, can you do something?”
Liam looked at the hole the beam had created in Ciaran’s chest and said, “We have to go to the medical center, or he’ll bleed to death.”
The faint sound of a capsule approaching the station echoed in the air. Madeline stood and strode out to the platform so that the sensor got her. The capsule stopped, and the door opened. As soon as it did, she jammed her body against it, holding it open. She pointed the gun into the capsule. “Get out of here. Out now, or I’ll shoot.”
The Eudaizian passengers didn’t understand a word she said, so she swung the gun, gesturing for them to get out of the capsule. They stormed out and ran.
“Get in everyone!” she shouted toward the wall. Liam took Gaia, and Sizx helped Ciaran, and they raced toward the capsule. The door closed behind them. An automatic voice made an announcement in Eudaizian.
Sizx punched the wall of the capsule and cursed in Eudaizian. It was rare to see Sizx lose her composure. She looked at Madeline and Ciaran and translated. “It said we have just committed an act of vandalism, and this capsule will take us straight to jail.”
Ciaran sat on the floor, slouched against the wall. He tried to save his strength by not talking. Blood continued to pour from him. Soon there would be nothing left in him. Madeline held her jacket against the wound, applying pressure to stop the blood flow, but nothing seemed to help. Ciaran was as white as a sheet.
“Can they verify us by visual, Sizx?” Ciaran asked.
“No. As far as they know, we could be Black Rock creatures in disguise.”
Ciaran was tired. He closed his eyes.
Madeline bit her lip. She couldn’t control her tears, but she could control her thinking. There had to be a way out of this. “Is there a control panel in here?” Madeline asked Sizx.
“Data from the rail captured the inside activities—that’s why this capsule is sending us to jail. So that means there has to be a control panel and camera in here somewhere.”
“Check underneath the alarm button,” Ciaran said weakly.
Madeline hurried to the button. There was some kind of screw holding the cover on. She pulled out her dagger and stabbed and scratched at the panel until it opened, revealing a verificator inside. She pressed her palm against it and was verified.
Another announcement. Sizx translated. “It’s now sending us to central in District Seven where Sciphil Seven will see us.”
“Why the hell do we want to see him now? We’ve got to get to the medical center!” Madeline exclaimed.
Ciaran closed his eyes and said nothing. Madeline knew he was drifting away.
Gaia shrugged out of Ciaran’s long vest. She approached Ciaran, tucked away the errant strands of hair covering his face, and wiped the blood smears from his face. Ciaran opened his eyes and looked at her. He smiled at the little girl.
“Don’t fall asleep,” Gaia said.
“I can’t help it, Gaia,” Ciaran said. He closed his eyes again.
Gaia reached up and embraced him. A wave of tingling sensation and energy washed over Ciaran. He opened his eyes.
Madeline could see the surge of energy in Ciaran’s eyes. She remembered feeling that sensation when Gaia had hugged her at the meadow. Madeline approached the two of them and sat down next to Gaia.
“Gaia, Ciaran is hurt badly. Here.” She lifted a layer of Ciaran’s jacket, revealing the bleeding wound. “Could you make his pain go away? Make it stop bleeding?” Madeline asked gently.
Ciaran closed his eyes again.
Gaia looked at Madeline, confused. Then the girl looked at Ciaran, who was fading away. Liam and Sizx realized what Madeline was trying to do and came closer. Gaia looked at Madeline again. “You can do this, Gaia. You can help him,” Madeline said.
Gaia placed her hand on Ciaran’s wound. She said something in Eudaizian.
“She asks the pain to go away,” Sizx translated for them.
Before everyone’s astonished eyes, Gaia’s hand heated up, and the skin glowed a bright red. Energy sparked somewhere in the capsule, and it jerked a couple of times and then stopped as if its energy had been sucked out. The lights went out, and the engine stopped. The sliding door opened in the middle of the rail, leaving the capsule dangling in the air in between stations.
Gaia looked scared, but she didn’t seem to be able to stop the process. So she continued. Underneath her hand, the broken flesh, tissues, skin, and bone regenerated and joined back together. The bleeding stopped, and the wound vanished without leaving a scar.
Ciaran opened his eyes to see Gaia looking at him. She had the smile of an angel, he thought. Then he frowned. On Gaia’s left cheek, close to the corner of her eye, a tiny image of a sunflower had appeared. It looked like a glowing tattoo. Gaia saw the change on Ciaran’s face, and she rubbed at the sunflower spot.
“Liam,” Ciaran called and glanced at Gaia’s face. Liam darted over and immediately saw the change to his daughter’s face. Gaia withdrew, using her
palm to cover the sunflower. Her eyes filled with tears. Ciaran grabbed her hand and gently pulled it from her face.
“Do you know you now have a beautiful flower on your face? Does it hurt?” Ciaran asked.
Gaia shook her head.
“So why are you crying? You’re beautiful—even more so with the flower. I’ve never seen anything like this before.” He wiped a tear that had fallen onto Gaia’s face. He glanced at Madeline and signaled her to come over.
“Come here, darling. You’re beautiful.” She took Gaia into her arms, carrying her to a corner and snuggling with her on a bench. Gaia settled into Madeline’s chest, sobbed a bit, and fell asleep.
“Do you know what that flower is?” Liam asked Ciaran.
Ciaran shook his head.
“Is it bad?” Liam asked.
“I don’t think so. I think it’s some kind of mark that represents her ability to transfer energy. I don’t know what it is yet, but I’m sure it didn’t hurt her,” Ciaran said.
Liam nodded. He withdrew to a corner and ruffled his hair in thought.
“Can you think of anything unusual that might have happened to Gaia?” Madeline asked.
Liam shook his head. “We’re ordinary Eudaizians, and we’ve had a very normal life.” Liam rested his head in his hands. “I don’t know what’s happening with her!”
“She said it didn’t hurt, and I don’t think it’s causing her any harm,” Sizx said.
“How can you be sure?” Liam exclaimed.
“Shhh!” Madeline asked for silence, but Gaia woke. She turned around, looked at everyone, and smiled. The sunflower on her face had disappeared—she didn’t even seem to remember it.
Chapter 18
Ciaran, Madeline, Sizx, Liam, and Gaia exited the capsule and walked straight into a long hallway within the District Seven central office. It had taken half a unit to get here, and the time had helped Ciaran gain enough strength to walk by himself. Although Gaia had healed the wound, she could not do anything to replace the blood and energy he had lost.
