Liza watched him, trying to force herself into a state of calm, but inside, she was confused. The only people she’d ever felt sympathy for was her family. The only people she’d let inside past her outer walls was her family. But the sincerity in Dom’s eyes made her want to let him in, too. She squirmed, feeling uncomfortable about the thoughts and desires roaming around in her mind.
“Dom…” Liza sighed. He stepped towards her, until he was standing in front of her knees which were projecting from his desk. She shifted her legs to the side, allowing him to get closer to her, though the stubborn part of her mind screamed at her to stop. Dom picked up one of her hands, which was still wearing a glove. He slipped it off, revealing her bare skin. Liza could see the white glow and the dancing streaks, but Dom could not. As Dom closed his hands around hers, the orange and yellow streaks bounced up over his arm and up to his head, where they disappeared. Liza’s eyes widened.
Bend the will of others… Dr. D’s words echoed in her mind. Could she control Dom’s mind right now? Harsh guilty feelings welled up inside of her at the thought. She couldn’t do something like that… could she?
Let go of my hand, she thought, and Dom let go, and took a step back from her, catching her gaze. She was sure he didn’t know - no - she knew for a fact he didn’t know that she controlled him.
Touch me. The thought came unbidden, and before she could take it back, Dom touched her cheek with his fingers, then slid his fingers down to her neck. Liza panicked. She didn’t know how to stop it.
“Stop,” she commanded under her breath, hoping it would work.
“What?” Dom asked, looking like he’d just woken up from a dream. Liza saw the streaks retreat from him and crawl down his arms, only to nestle back into her hand. Liza quickly tugged her glove back on. Dom was still cupping her neck with his hand. “Are you okay?” he asked her. Liza nodded, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She needed to get out of his room before she tried to do something stupid. She hopped off the desk, and Dom’s hand dropped away.
“I should go,” Liza said, feeling her cheeks flush hot. Dom looked at her confused. Liza forced a smile and slipped out of the room.
18
Vely had no appetite, which was unfortunate, because as she quickly discovered, she was riding one of the ships that transported food vendors from place to place. The man in black introduced himself as Denny Morra, the captain and pilot of the ship. He and Cedrick had known each other for a long time, having been neighbors on the Sun Station. After running into him on the Moon, Cedrick had talked to him and secured passage on the ship for both he and Vely, though it came with the condition that Denny would stick to his route. Cedrick and Vely had to make do, which meant that their next stop was a smaller drift colony called New Zion. Vely didn’t want to go there because it wasn’t part of the plan, but after the Moon colony incident, she’d sunk into a depression and was reluctant to lift herself out of it.
The true blow came from a news feed that Denny had picked up. It was from one of the closer Sun Stations.
“Riots were incited several days ago on the Moon Colonies, led by a colonist by the name of Vely Strange. The colonists revolted against the peacekeepers and the leadership of the colonies by destroying homes and stealing food and other items.”
“Peacekeepers…” Cedrick had snorted.
“The peacekeepers and leadership were unable to bring the rioters under control, so drastic measures were taken to control the crowd, which included releasing a calming gas into the colonies, to be used until the leadership can take control of the colonies once again. The Solar System Authority has issued a warrant out for the arrest of Vely Strange and will reward any tips for the successful capture of this dangerous fugitive.”
The lies and the blame settled on Vely’s heart. Nothing had gone the way she thought. And now, her fellow colonists were dead, and she was alive, to live with the guilt and horror of what she’d done.
Cedrick entered the room where Vely had been given a bed, a room which she shared with the other female vendors. They were all out now; they’d arrived at New Zion and were already setting up their stands. Vely hadn’t felt up to leaving the ship.
“It kills me to see you like this,” Cedrick said after he’d shut the door and sat down on the bed beside her. Vely said nothing. “I have been wondering if I should have interpreted the vision I got from you differently. Perhaps I was seeing the attack on the colonists, instead of something else.” Vely shook her head from side to side.
“It couldn’t have been the same thing,” she said.
“I regret that I didn’t see this happening,” Cedrick said. Vely reached out to him and wrapped her fingers around his bare arm. She mustered up as much calm as she could and allowed it to trickle from her into him. He smiled gratefully. “Thank you,” he said, his shoulders and face relaxing. Cedrick turned and stretched out on the bed beside her, lying on his side. Vely allowed a smile as she gazed into his slate gray eyes. “I’m not going to give up on reuniting you with your sister,” he said. “We’ll just have to improvise.”
“How? The entire Solar System is out to get me,” Vely protested. “No one will ever listen to us long enough to hear that the Moon colonists were killed.”
“There are… a few obstacles in the way,” Cedrick agreed. Vely scoffed.
“How can you be so positive?” she asked. Cedrick reached to her and brushed away a lock of hair.
“I can see the future.”
Vely had spent most of her life hungry and was far more used to it than anyone should be. However, she was eventually drawn from her bed by food. The women who travelled with Denny Morra were friendly and motherly, and they seemed to fawn over Vely and her wellbeing. They cooked up a few dishes together and compelled Vely to come eat, allowing the smells to waft throughout the ship. Eventually, the skinny Moon Colonist rose from the bed, shuffled into the galley and sat down to an actual meal. She could only eat a small amount before she began to feel sick, but it was enough to slightly rejuvenate her mind and spirit, though she still carried the fate of the Moon Colonies in her heart.
Denny, who turned out to be a very kind, somewhat feminine man, encouraged Vely to remain on the ship. It was possible someone might recognize her and report her to the Solar System Authority. He took Cedrick with him onto the colony, both to try and gather information and to buy some new clothes.
With Denny’s help, Cedrick returned with several parcels of clothing for Vely that were quite fashionable. She changed into the new clothes, and though they were large on her, they were comfortable. Vely destroyed the tattered remains of her clothing from the colonies and placed the new clothes in her bag. Denny’s gift to her was a pair of lovely brown boots, which he affectionately referred to as ass-kicking boots. They were of good quality, comfortable, and tall, reaching to her knees, like Denny’s own black boots. These cheered Vely up more than she would have imagined.
Vely spent most of her time stuck on the ship scanning news feeds on the Sol Network for any information about Liza or the Gypsy Star. She’d found a few mentions of the ship, but the articles were old, before Liza disappeared. While she researched, Vely thought she was going crazy, because the crew of the Gypsy Star was consistently referred to as “pirates.” Pirates in outer space?
She found names. Captain Shad Warwick was the leader of the crew, and his right-hand man was someone named Dominik Rhyne. The others were merely mentioned by physical description, such as ‘the twins,’ and ‘the woman.’ Vely shared this information with Cedrick and Denny when they returned to the ship.
“Pirates?” Cedrick asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
“It’s an outdated term,” Denny mumbled. “They should just be called criminals. Those reporters are just romanticizing their attacks.”
“Have you heard of the Gypsy Star?” Vely asked eagerly. Denny nodded his head.
“Most people have, though they’ve been quiet for a while. Probably planning something big,”
Denny replied. “They did raid a merchant ship recently. Apparently one of the pirates blew apart a large section of the ship, but they have no idea how. There were no explosives.”
Cedrick and Vely glanced at each other, and both were wondering the same thing: Was it Liza?
Cedrick waited until Vely was alone in her room to join her, and he closed the door behind him.
“That could have been Liza using her Kathokinesis,” Cedrick said.
“I thought so, too,” Vely replied, then smiled. “I can see her joining a pirate crew. It’s something she would do.” She laughed. Cedrick took her hands in his, which were gloved.
“This is good,” he said. “We’ve got a little more information. Tomorrow, I’ll go asking around, to see if I can find out anything else.”
“I hope this all works, and that we can find her,” Vely said. Cedrick drew her against his chest and hugged her tightly, one hand resting on the back of her neck. Vely pressed her face to him and breathed in his smell that was becoming more and more familiar. Would Liza make fun of me if she knew I liked this boy, Vely wondered to herself. She probably would.
Cedrick froze, his body going rigid beneath Vely’s hands and arms. His hand on her neck tightened. “What’s wrong, Cedrick?” Vely asked. His breathing was irregular, his skin cold. “Cedrick!” Vely tried to move, but she was stuck in his arms. But the moment passed as quickly as it had come. Cedrick released her and stumbled backwards, gasping for breath.
“I saw her,” he said through gasps.
“Who? My sister?” Vely asked. She grabbed Cedrick’s arms to steady him.
“Yeah - Liza. She’s going to be in trouble. I don’t know when, but soon. She was someplace dark and suffocating, and I think she was in pain. And I could hear someone laughing.” Vely stared at him, her face crestfallen.
“We’ve got to find her.”
As anxious as Vely felt, there wasn’t much to be done other than wait. The food vendors were doing well on New Zion, so there was no need to hurry and leave the colony. Cedrick and Denny had plenty of time to try and get information from other travelers who stopped on the colony. Vely thought she might go insane being stuck on the ship day after day.
But for the first time since she could remember, she now had time and leisure to think about what she wanted to think about, which happened to include Cedrick. The last time she’d had a crush on a boy, it was a few years ago, and he ended up dying in the fields. And when she tried to gush about it to her family, they told her that was the last thing she should be concerning herself with.
It felt good to just be a girl for once. And for just a few minutes, she could push away the guilt racking at her heart for the hundreds of deaths she caused.
A few days after his vision, Cedrick returned to the ship with an actual lead. He, Denny, and Vely sat in Denny’s room and talked.
“Apparently the “pirates” have been summoned,” Cedrick reported. “I have no idea what that means, but I get the impression that they’ll all be going to the same place, including the Gypsy Star.” Denny nodded his head.
“The problem is that not many people know where they gather, and even if we did, they’d probably shoot us down in an instant,” Denny said. Vely sighed.
“So we’re still at a dead-end,” she mumbled. The three sat silently for a while, thinking.
“Let’s try to send them a message,” Denny said, turning in his chair towards a panel set into the wall. He pulled up a screen and began typing on the keyboard.
“To the Gypsy Star?” Cedrick asked, and Denny nodded.
“I’m sure they won’t tell us where they’re going, but maybe we can set up a meeting with them,” Denny said. Vely glanced excitedly at Cedrick, who patted her gloved hand. But Denny frowned.
“I found the lync to the ship, but it’s blocked. No one can send incoming messages,” he said. Vely’s excitement extinguished.
“Blocked?” she moaned.
“Blocked. It’s not really a surprise. They wouldn’t want anyone tracing them while traveling to their pirate meetup,” Denny said, saying the last two words sarcastically. Vely sighed and bent over, dropping her head between her knees.
“Of course,” she mumbled. Cedrick touched her shoulder.
“We’ll figure out something else.”
19
The Gypsy Star approached the Moon. Liza stood in the cockpit, looking out the window with a mixture of excitement and dread. Dom and Becce stood at her shoulders, while Captain piloted the ship into the spaceport. As they drew closer, Liza felt a twisting feeling in her stomach. There was something strange about the spaceport. It looked… abandoned.
“Something’s wrong,” Liza said, squinting her eyes.
“What do you mean?” Becce asked.
“She’s right,” Captain said. “There’s no contact with the landing officers. The line is silent.” Liza held her breath as the ship’s speed decreased upon their approach. They entered the docking bay without trouble, but found it was deserted when they entered. Liza left the cockpit and made her way to the door, Becce and Dom on her heels. After a few minutes, the ship jolted as it locked in place. Liza punched in the code to open the door and jumped from the ship to the walkway without waiting for the gangway to extend to the ship.
And the stench hit her. Her eyes and lungs burned.
Liza turned away and vomited her breakfast and lunch.
“What the hell?” Becce screeched. Liza heaved again as the smell assaulted her nose and mouth. Someone grabbed her and dragged her back onto the ship and shut the door.
“What was that?” Liza asked, wiping her mouth with her shirt sleeve. Dom was staring at her.
“You didn’t see?” he asked. “There were… bodies… everywhere.” Liza stared at him, her eyes wide.
“What?!” She turned back to the door to open it, but Becce stopped her.
“You can’t go out like that. You need a spacesuit on,” Becce said. Liza nodded and dressed quickly in the suit that Becce handed over to her. As they dressed, the Captain approached, Tsuto at his side.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“There are dead bodies, and a horrible smell,” Dom said, just before he pulled on a helmet. The Captain frowned.
“That’s not good.” Tsuto tapped Captain on the shoulder. “You should stay here Tsuto,” he said. “It might be dangerous. And it stinks.” Tsuto gave Captain a look, one that almost looked incredulous. The Captain sighed. “Fine. Tsuto is going with you.”
They finished changing, and with Tsuto, the four left the ship, after the Captain closed the door behind them. Now that Liza could manage without puking, she saw the bodies.
There were piles of them. Women, men, and children, their bodies bloated and rotting.
“What happened here?” Liza asked, more as a rhetorical question. Inside her helmet, her eyes were filling with tears as her heart and stomach sank. If everyone here was dead… “VELY!”
Liza took off running, dodging around bodies. Tsuto ran at her side, and behind her, Dom and Becce struggled to keep up. Liza led them through the death-filled streets of the Moon colonies, through the market square and alleys, until she stopped at her old home. By the time she got there, her lungs burned with effort, and tears soaked her face. Her stomach sank when she saw the X on the door. Without even thinking, she fumbled with the glove of her suit and ripped it off. She pushed her hand against the door and forced her power outward, knocking the door from its frame with a loud boom. She quickly pulled the glove back on, strapping it into place and stepped over the door and into the darkness of her old home.
She’d begun to believe she’d never actually see the place again.
It was deserted. With Dom, Becce, and Tsuto waiting at the door, Liza wandered through the rooms of the apartment. Her parents’ bedroom looked the same, but Liza and Vely’s shared room had been picked over. Liza didn’t believe that it had been desperate colonists. She knew it must have been Vely, packing to leave
the apartment. Where had she gone?
Liza walked back into the main room. She looked around, her gaze landing on the loose panel on the floor. Liza knelt beside it and pulled it up. Inside, there was a bundle wrapped in cloth. She lifted it from the hole and opened it, already knowing what would be inside. Sure enough, Vely’s books were stacked neatly in a pile. More tears fell from Liza’s eyes. She wrapped the bundle and held it to her chest, then motioned that it was time to leave.
Outside, Dom laid a hand on Liza’s shoulder. “It would take forever to search all these bodies for your sister,” he said, and though it was harsh, he said it kindly. Liza nodded.
“I don’t think she’s dead. I think she got off the colonies, somehow.” Liza couldn’t find the words to explain how sure she was of this fact. Becce and Dom exchanged a look. “Let’s go.” Liza led the way back towards the docking bay at a much slower pace. She took the time to look at the dead in the face, to try and remember if she’d known them. A few familiar faces stood out to her, but only in passing.
Captain and the others were waiting for their return. They removed their space suits, and Liza explained what they saw. As she spoke, she worked hard to keep more tears at bay. The collar of her shirt was already soaked with tears.
“Everyone was dead. I don’t know how, but they were clearly trying to escape,” Liza said. “My sister wasn’t at our old apartment, but I think she managed to get off the colonies.”
“Why do you think that?” Captain asked. Liza shrugged.
“Just a feeling.” Captain gave her a sympathetic look, then held up his tablet to her. Liza took it from him, her eyes glancing over the information.
“I ran an atmosphere analysis while I was waiting. There’s a large percentage of anhydrous ammonia in the air,” Captain explained. The report that Liza read confirmed the same thing.
Psychogen (Galactic Syndicate Cycle Book 1) Page 12
