by T. R. Harris
I agree. In the past, Panur built a device to nullify the interphase field. Do you think he could do it again?
Unlikely. We are being held in the bubbles constantly. We are able to move, yet we cannot interact physically with anything outside the field. As the name suggests, we are out of phase with your existence. It is a slight departure, yet significant.
Okay, Adam said. Once we get settled someplace, we’ll start working on a plan. Keep me informed what they do with Sherri and the others.
I will, and mother.
Yes, Lila, Arieel replied.
Do not worry about me. There is time, and both Panur and I have abilities this Aris may not realize. Hope is not lost.
Thank you for that. I will try not to worry.
Good. Now help your friends.
104
Adam and Arieel were put in a room down a corridor from the main hall where Kracion’s crypt was held. They figured they were deep below the government building since they hadn’t noticed any structures large enough to house the chamber on the ride in.
Two Klin stationed themselves on the other side of the door, armed with flash rifles, as well as compact handguns.
Adam, Sherri and the others are in their original room in the upper levels of the building, Lila reported.
And where are you?
We are being loaded aboard a starship. It appears to be a shuttle to take us to something larger in space. Please remove the concern for us from your mind. Kracion has been in communication with the Olypon and the Klin. A large fleet is massing. There was also mention of Sherri and her people. They may not have much time.
Okay, thanks, Lila, Adam thought. Any suggestions as to what we could do?
Your natural strength will come in handy once you are free. Getting free is the problem. To do that, you must rely on your other advantage, that being your Gift.
Even though he was communicating telepathically with his daughter, he still shook his head. We can’t affect any of the local controllers, he said, knowing full well that Lila knew this.
Then use them for what they can do, outside the realm of circuit control.
I’m sorry, I can’t think—
“Static electricity!” Arieel blurted aloud. Although she could hear Lila’s thoughts, she couldn’t link directly to Adam’s mind without using the ATD.
Correct, said Lila.
Static electricity balls? Adam asked, holding Arieel’s hand to calm her. The room was undoubtedly bugged.
Yes.
Adam began to think feverishly. He did have the ability to bundle quantities of random electricity, compressing them into tight balls that could give off substantial heat, he didn’t see how that would help. At one time, when he had Panur’s brain cells in his head, he could use the electricity to control masses of air, actually riding on dense sheets, appearing to float above the ground. But he couldn’t do that anymore. All he could do was make really hot balls of sparkling light….
He smiled and leaned in close to Arieel. “Do you know what happens to energy packs when they overheat?” he whispered into her ear.
Arieel frowned, lost in his seemingly random segue. She shook her head.
“They explode.”
I have an idea, Adam said to Lila.
I know; we are still connected.
Tell Riyad and the others to do the same. Give us a rendezvous point.
Lila knew the locations of all the parties. She used her incredible memory to call up a plan of the building, filling in the blanks with flawless deductive reasoning. Riyad and his team would be moving down in the building, while Adam and Arieel would be headed up. They would meet on the third floor.
Riyad is asking for time to practice. It’s been a while since any of them have had to use their Gifts for this, Lila relayed.
Ten minutes, Adam said. As you said, they don’t have much time. And if you and Panur are on the way to the spaceport, Kracion may also call for us pretty soon.
Adam was always amazed at how proficient Arieel was with her ATD—the so-called Gift from the Gods. Even though Adam had elevated skill based on his recent mental upgrade, the gorgeous Formilian still ran circles around him. She would conjure up balls of blue and white crackling electricity and immediately compress them into pinpoints of radiant heat before letting them dissolve.
Now the pair scanned the area outside the room, locating the electronics within the flash weapons of the Klin guards. Although they couldn’t influence any of the control circuits, they could still trace them, and soon they’d located the power packs for the weapons. The balls of electricity would be contained within the units, so the guards would have no idea what was happening until the battery packs exploded. Adam had already tested the door. There was no lock on it. This deep in the bowels of the government building, there was no need for them.
The pair steeled their resolved, while silently drawing out a route to the nearest bank of elevators. And then Adam nodded, and the pair began to concentrate.
They had no idea how long they would have to maintain the intensity before the power packs would overheat. There was also a possibility that the units may be hardened against such an event. They kept up their spirits and concentration.
After a moment, they heard rustling outside the door, followed by panicked voices. The guards had noticed the heating of their rifles. What if they dropped them and backed away?
Fortunately, they didn’t get the chance.
The double explosions were much more powerful than anticipated. Adam was prepared to open the door and charge out. Yet when the smoke and blast concussion subsided, there was no door left, and not much of the guards, either.
Adam and Arieel were thrown across the room, crashing into a far wall, stunned momentarily. Adam recovered first and lifted Arieel off the floor. He helped her through the shattered doorway.
He’d been hoping to recover a handgun from the Klin, but that wasn’t going to happen. He had Arieel by the hand a moment later and was sprinting for the elevator door.
How have the others done? he asked Lila.
Similar. They, too are free and heading for the nearest elevator.
Piece of cake, Adam thought, this time to himself. All they have to do now is escape a heavily guarded building, make it to an alien spaceport, board their closely watched starship and then make it back to their home universe. At least they were out of the room….
Adam and Arieel slid up to the closed elevator door. There were no controls for activation on the wall and the dull metal panel remained closed, staring at them with silent defiance.
“Well, dammit! Open up,” Adam shouted.
And it did, apparently voice-activated to respond to a presence outside the car.
They stepped inside. Again, no controls.
“Up!”
No response. And the door remained open
“Move!”
Again nothing.
Arieel ran her hand over the wall next to the door. A section turned a light blue, seemingly from within the metal. The door slid shut.
Adam was frustrated with the smooth operation of the elevator. He couldn’t be sure it was moving, or if the door had simply closed and they were still in the chamber. Then the door slid open. Outside were several Klin. At first they paid no attention to the occupants of the car, but then a few took notice, frowns coming to their light silver-skin foreheads. Arieel swiped the bare wall again before any of the Klin could react.
This process was repeated three more times, with each revealing disinterested Klin going about their daily chores, and with no idea where they were within the building.
Where are we? Adam asked Lila.
I’m afraid I can’t help you. I can maintain communications for a while longer, yet I have lost the ability to scan the building. I am apparently too far away; however, I can say the others are having the same issue as you.
The door slid open, and this time, there were no Klin outside.
Okay, Lila, Adam thoug
ht. We’ve reached a floor without any Klin.
So has Sherri.
Adam stepped outside, holding Arieel back with his arm as he surveyed the hallway. There was movement farther down, and the four other members of the team poured from a sister elevator. They ran to each other, Sherri throwing her arms around Adam’s shoulders while Coop embraced Arieel. The reunion only lasted a moment.
“What now?” Sherri asked.
Adam was looking around. There was a heavy metal door at the end of the hallway. He took off for it. A moment later they were on the roof of the building.
“Not sure if this helps,” Sherri said in her usual sarcastic tone.
“At least we have a nice view of the city,” Riyad said, flashing his brilliant trademark smile.
Adam led the team to a low wall at the edge of the roof. Looking over, they could see no stairway or fire escape to the ground, approximately twenty stories below. But Adam got an idea.
“How far do you think that other roof is?” he asked referring to the adjacent building across a wide alley and about thirty feet below the level of the government building.
“I don’t know,” Riyad said, “about thirty, forty feet.”
“I think I can make it.”
Sherri slapped him on the back of his head. “That’s just stupid,” she said. “And even if you did, what about the rest of us?”
Adam pointed at a tall flagpole jutting up from the roof of the other building. “If I could bend that over, it would reach here. And then at that angle, you could slide down it to the other roof.” He glanced behind them at the closed door leading into the building. “We don’t have much time. They’re going to trace us here any minute.”
“Can you bend it?” Tidus asked, looking up at the tip of the flagpole. There was a small pendent waving in a soft breeze. They could see the pole moving slightly, indicating a flexible material, rather than something more rigid.
“I’m pretty sure. Just get it swaying enough and it will bend itself. Now….”
He looked at the low wall at the edge of the roof and then behind him to get an idea of how much running room he’d get. It was adequate. He’d run sprints for a couple of years in high school while on the track team. One of his events had been the long jump. He knew that the key would be launching off the proper foot.
He stood at the wall, and then ran off, taking long strides until he’d gone as far as he could on the roof. He stopped and turned. All he had to do was repeat the process in the other direction.
“You sure you want to do this?” Sherri asked.
“Trust me,” he said with a smile. “I got this.”
His body had learned how to enhance muscles, reaction time and healing power from Panur’s mutant brain cells. Even after they were removed, the memory remained, if not all the efficiency of the actual cells. He figured he was about twenty percent stronger than he’d been before, and he would need every bit of it for the jump. A forty-foot long leap would be impressive on just about any planet. Yet with his enhanced strength, combined with the light gravity of this Klin world, he sincerely believed he had this handled. And besides, the roof of the other building was below this one, which would give him a little more airtime. It would be a piece of cake.
He took off at a sprint, rushing headlong toward the edge of the twenty-story building. As he ran, it dawned on him. This was a one-way street. There would be no turning back—
About thirty feet from the edge, he realized his footing was off. He would launch from his left foot, not his right. At the last minute he aborted the jump, sliding on the gravel surface before dropping on his side and crashing into the low concrete wall lining the roof. He hit hard, knocking the breath from his lungs and cracking the masonry in several places. He hoped the wall was the only thing broken. At the moment, he couldn’t be sure.
“I knew it was a terrible idea,” Sherri said as she helped him to his feet. He was stunned and wobbly, but the disorientation passed quickly.
“I was just off on my footing,” he moaned. “I’ll get it right the next time.”
He returned to the starting point but shifted his stance. This should work. He looked at Sherri. She didn’t seem worried, just disgusted.
He took off a second time. His footing was off again, but he was committed this time. He wouldn’t have the energy to try a third time. He lengthened his stride, which only served to slow him down while realigning his footing. The last step was to the top of the low wall, providing a little extra boost to his momentum.
Adam was airborne a moment later, soaring high in the air over the gap between the buildings. He looked down. And down it was, a long way down. Again, it struck him that there was no bailing out this time. It was all or nothing at this point.
He knew of other long jumpers who seemed to walk in the air during their jumps. He had never mastered the technique, not back in high school, and certainly not now. Instead he extended his legs and arms out in front of him, forming a sideways ‘U’ with his body.
The other roof was rushing at him. There was a chance—a slim chance—that he would actually make it. Then he gained the realization of his speed. He was dropping like a rock, and toward a concrete and metal surface. This wasn’t like landing in a pit of sand.
His outstretched legs hit the short wall lining the roof and slipped off. His butt hit hard before his back scraped along the sharp edge of the wall. He felt his shirt tear off, along with a healthy amount of skin. Then he hit hard on the gravel surface. He tried to maintain his balance, but the momentum forced his upper body to tumble over his feet. He tried to tuck a shoulder down so he could roll over; however, all he managed to do at this speed was a faceplant on the hard surface. He didn’t see stars, but whole galaxies. His body tumbled, rolled and cartwheeled, crashing through a metal exhaust vent before careening into another. The second unit stopped his movement, confirming the old adage that it’s not the fall that kills you, but the sudden stop.
Adam Cain crumbled to the roof, unconscious and barely breathing.
The pain revived him, which was a shitty way to wake up. He heard a high-pitched voice in the background, calling his name. He opened a bloody eye and followed the sound. It was Sherri on the other roof. The rest of the team was lined up along the wall, staring at him but saying nothing. Sherri was the designated yeller. She had more training than the others.
Adam rolled over on his back. His senses were returning, and along with them the incredible sensation of a body on fire. He began the routine, moving limbs and twisting his back and shoulders to see if anything was broken. It would be a miracle if he survived this one intact.
Every inch of his body was battered, bruised or covered in blood. There was also a pretty good chance he’d suffered a concussion, yet nothing seemed to be broken. He staggered to his feet, falling hard against the dented and deformed exhaust vent before regaining his balance. He hobbled forward, heading for the flagpole.
“Are you okay?” Sherri’s voice called out from the other roof.
“I’m fine,” he lied. He looked at the pole; it appeared much more intimidating than it had from a distance. He rapped the metal with his bloodied knuckles, grimacing at the pain. It was hollow and made of something similar to aluminum, if not aluminum itself.
He set about pushing on the pole in the direction of the team, shoving it and then letting it recoil back toward him before adding another push in the opposite direction. The pole began to sway, making wide swings at the top, adding to the momentum and torque. After a few exhausting minutes, Adam had the pole crossing a forty-degree arc at the higher elevations.
And then it bent.
The pole didn’t break completely, but rather a deep crease formed, sending the sixty-foot-long staff toward where the team waited.
But it didn’t make it. The fall ended with the pole dangling a teasing thirty feet above the other roof. Adam pushed on it again from his end, but it wasn’t budging, and he didn’t have the leverage he had before. On the
opposite roof, the team was making valiant, yet futile, attempts at jumping to reach the dangling pole.
There was only one thing left to do.
Adam mounted the shaft and began to caterpillar along its length.
“You’re insane!” Sherri cried out. “You’re going to fall.”
“I’m hoping not,” Adam managed to say with unconvincing conviction.
He scooted farther out, riding far above the street below. He’d never been afraid of heights before but was quickly acquiring the phobia. About halfway out, the pole began to drop closer to the roof, forced down by his weight.
At a point, the seven-foot tall Juirean leapt and caught the end of the pole, drawing it down for the others to hold. And that’s when the base of the staff bent the rest of the way, allowing the flexible material to slam down on the roof of the government building. What this also did was create a wild oscillation in the shaft, first dropping the center before rapidly recoiling upward a moment later.
Adam was flung off the pole. He twirled in the air, primarily facing upward, with occasional glimpses of the ground far below. And then he was falling.
He landed on something soft, which was the last thing he expected. There was moaning under him. Strong hands grabbed his body, forcing moans of his own as every place they touched hurt like hell.
He was lifted off Tidus. The Juirean had been a convenient landing spot for Adam, although he hadn’t done it voluntarily. Now the others helped Tidus to his feet.
“Are you okay,” Adam asked. For an answer, Tidus stared at him with blank eyes.
“He’s okay,” Riyad said. “Now, let’s get going. That episode took entirely too long.”
Adam was helped to the staff which now connected the two roofs, and which dropped away at about a thirty-degree angle. “Coop and Riyad, you go first. You have to catch Arieel and Sherri and help them over the wall.”
“I can take care of myself,” Sherri protested.