by TIME, S. O.
“Since when can you do that?” Hana asks as I slide into my seat.
“I promise I’ll tell you about it when this is all over.”
Aldrea restarts the pod. “Alright, there are a couple more portals we can get to boost your energy. Let—”
A large explosion roars through the air, rattling the pod as we turn toward the sound. A column of auburn dust and smoke rises up from a section of the city below.
“Kou what’s happening?” Hana shouts into her holo. Seconds go by with no response from him. Another loud explosion causes everyone to flinch. Hana’s knuckles are white where she grips the hologlass. The uncertain darkness rushing toward me from Hana’s energy forces me to grit my teeth as I will myself not to succumb to her growing fear for Kou.
“We have to get to the other portals as fast as possible,” Hana says firmly, though her energy roils with disagreement at her own words.
I focus on my hands for a moment and take a deep breath. “No. We’re already twenty minutes away from the mansion. If we rush back, we can make it in less.”
Hana’s energy spikes, and I can even sense hints of Aldrea’s energy from all the way back in the mansion. If I can feel everyone, including her, I know I have enough energy to open that Tear. I have to fight the fear that says I’m going to fail. I have to push away the terror that comes from the memory of Naomi opening that Tear and releasing the very first nymian I saw on this planet. I have to do this. There’s no more hiding behind my fears. It has to happen now.
“But I thought you said that—”
“I’m ready, I’m telling you that I’m ready,” I cut Hana off. We’re running out of time very quickly and there’s no telling if I’ll be able to open the Tears after absorbing more. I’m a mortal now. And the fact of the matter is that a mortal shouldn’t have the powers of Death. If this is happening, it’s happening now.
“Are you absolutely certain?” Hana asks, her tone concrete and barren.
“I’m sure. It’ll work.”
Though Hana seems hesitant to accept my words, I can feel the hints of relief in her energy. The sooner we can get back and open that Tear, the sooner she can go through it and get what she needs for Aldrea and the evacuation.
Hana finally nods to Aldrea, and the pod turns toward the mansion. I look back at the city and see the plumes of smoke disperse with the wind. I look at the faint, lonely trembling of my hands as we race away from the rest of the Tears.
I cannot afford to fail again.
I pulse out again and sense the nymians that were following us veering away—toward the city. I can only hope that wherever they head off to has been evacuated. The ride back to the mansion is filled with silence. Whatever that blast was, it seems to have disrupted the towers through which Aldrea was watching and monitoring Kou. She’s frantically looking through the video feeds we still have up, but they provide no sign of Kou. According to what I can see on my holo, Kou’s holo lost signal somewhere near Cerros Towers. On the monitors I can better see the destruction—nymians running rampant in the city as they rush through Tear openings, leaving twisted scars on the buildings and ground as their infection destroys all it touches. What looked to be Isao’s troops fighting ours has quickly turned to everyone scrambling to fight off the hoard of nymians.
“This is worse than what happened last time,” Hana says, looking down at her hands.
“That’s why we’re getting that portal open,” I say reassuringly. Hana turns to me, as if just now realizing I’m in the same pod, and she smiles faintly after a brief pause.
“You’ll get everyone out safely. I know you will,” I add.
Hana’s holo lights up and she touches it. One of the screens changes to show a still image of Councilor Pele, though no video comes through.
“Councilor, are you away from Isao?” Hana asks in surprise.
“Not exactly,” Pele’s voice comes through, barely louder than a whisper. “Isao is still pretending we’re being kept here for our safety, so I was able to insist on a private room. We likely don’t have much time.”
“Is this line secure?” Hana asks with a frown.
“For a short time. The installation of the barrier has been completed as you’ve requested. But are you sure this is the best way?” Pele asks.
“I’m afraid so. With how many nymians are appearing in and out of the city, we have to seal it off now. If we don’t act quickly their numbers will annihilate us.”
We hear faint chatter through the line as the Council members talk amongst themselves in hurried whispers. Pele’s voice returns. “But what about the civilians and troops returning from the Fall, won’t they be stuck outside? We’d be ensuring their death.”
Hana shakes her head. “There’s an underground bunker north of Ferusian square. They can seek refuge from the nymians there while we finish things inside the barrier. Isao wants control, not a mass slaughter—they’ll be safe from him at least.”
After more whispering between themselves, Councilor Pele speaks up.
“We’ve considered your proposal and have agreed to the activation of the barrier. You are authorized to initiate the sequence.”
“Understood.” Hana responds, and after a rushed exchange of goodbyes, the call ends. Immediately Hana turns to me and purses her lips. I feel the unease in her energy. She exhales deeply and composes herself.
“Between the violence in the city and the continued arrival of new nymians, it’s been concluded that a barrier to seal the city is the best way to control the situation.”
“A barrier?”
“Like your shield, but much stronger and much bigger. Big enough to cover the entire city. It was specifically designed to protect against nymians. I can activate it from the lab.”
I turn to Aldrea but she doesn’t look back. She focuses forward on where we’re traveling despite the fact that she doesn’t actually need to look where we’re going. She stays quiet and says nothing.
“How will we get back into the city from the outside?”
“We have tunnels leading to entry points in the city. They’re only accessible through our home. You’ll use it to enter the city, and then we’ll use them to evacuate the civilians when the portal is up and running,” Hana responds.
She crosses her legs and interlocks her fingers, placing them on her knee. I can see them shake slightly. Hana smiles faintly again and looks out to the city. We’re nearing the base of the mountain. I also turn to look out of the window, back toward the city and into the chaos that awaits me.
In silence we ride the rest of the way, while everyone’s energies continue to roar with fear and anguish in my head.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
W ith the constant drone of anxious energy, the smell of burning growing by the hour, and the destruction behind me, never have I been so desperate to find some kind of control. To find some kind of peace amidst the madness.
The forest opens up to the Kurosawa manor, the helo Hitori and I arrived in still sitting near the front gates. As we park beside it, half a dozen people in lab coats hurry up to us. Aldrea’s hologram dissolves as Hana opens the pod doors. She immediately begins issuing orders and asking questions of the scientists as they hurry into the front garden. I stay back, and once they are far enough away, Aldrea reappears.
We follow a few meters behind, quiet at first as their technical chatter fills the air.
“Everyone’s scared,” Aldrea finally says. “It’s crazy to think that all of this is really happening again.”
“Do you remember anything from the first invasion?” I ask.
“Bits and pieces. I was so sick, and I didn’t have the garden that I do now. I was too concerned with just trying to survive my own disease. But I do remember the screaming.” She’s quiet for a few more paces. “Eiji, we have to put an end to this.”
“That’s why we’re here. That’s why we’re getting everyone off this planet.” A sudden thought occurs to me. “Has Hana been able to confirm that
the new planet is safe?”
Aldrea sighs and looks to Hana before slowing her pace down so Hana and the scientists pull farther ahead of us.
“Based on our findings, the planet we’ll visit was once inhabited by a different Branch of Humanity. The planet has liquid water and is similar enough to this one in atmosphere and gravity, but it lacks vegetation; we have DNA banks and seed caches ready to go through with us, but we don’t have a guarantee that they’ll take to the soil. If the other Branch left anything behind, we could finally start to reunite with the other Branches. Depending on what we find we might even be able to use their tech to prolong our stay.”
“Those sound like a lot of ‘ifs’ to me,” I reply bluntly. Aldrea nods disappointedly.
“I know. It’s sad to think that this uncertainty is our last hope. But we have to try.”
“It’s time.” Hana says, facing us at the entrance to the manor building. All but one of the scientists have disappeared inside to carry out whatever instructions Hana has given them. “It’s time to activate the barrier.”
The mansion continues to feel empty and void of the life it once had. The smiling faces and peaceful scenes in the framed images and videos feel jarring in this atmosphere of abandonment and fear. I scan a few of the faces, but quickly turn away from them when I find myself wondering how many of them are still alive.
We head straight to the elevator and descend to the lab. As soon as the doors open we see people in lab coats racing back and forth. Many of the clear walls that once divided the room into separate labs are gone, allowing everyone to work in a single large space. Several monitors are lined against the outermost wall and they display different points in the city with percentages on the sides. They all appear to be about seventy percent charged.
Hana’s portal is nowhere to be seen.
As soon as the percentages reach eighty five percent, the lights in the room shift to a darker blue and everyone scrambles to get into different makeshift stations set up around the room. Hana walks up to the center of the lab and stands at a podium-like station of her own.
“Alright everyone, monitor generator integrity and make sure the capacitors are holding charge.”
Everyone remains silent as the air around us grows thinner. Everyone’s energy is bursting despite the silence that fills the room. The incessant thrum of their emotions drowns out the thumping of my own heart as the barrier reaches ninety percent. I look around and everyone’s eyes are glued to their monitors. When the barrier reaches the ninety-seven percent mark, a thirty-second countdown begins on the screens. Instantly the tension in the room ratchets up even further, and I can feel my skin trying to jump from my body.
When the countdown comes to an end everyone turns to Hana. She takes a deep breath before finalizing the initiation process. The camera feeds shake and turn white for a brief moment as the barrier breaches the ground around the city. Even the mansion shivers, and the air crackles with ozone, causing everyone’s hair to stand on end for a few seconds. The glaring white on the screens fades to a brilliant blue, allowing us to see that the massive dome has successfully encased the city.
The silence is abruptly broken by cheering and hugging. The relief that washes through the room feels like the cool of a welcome storm breaking through muggy heat. Hana smiles, briefly closing her eyes as the cheering quiets before addressing the group.
“Well done. Now, let’s make sure every generator is closely monitored at all times. We don’t know how long the barrier will have to stand.” She walks toward me and Aldrea as everyone hurries back to their screens and stations. “Eiji, the rest is up to you.”
I nod, and Hana leads us down to Aldrea’s room on the level below. We pass through the garden and go into the hidden corridor. This time Hana takes us through a different door, into a large room where the portal apparatus stands tall and against the wall. There’s nothing else in the room. Hana and Aldrea move to the far right of the entrance, and I notice what appear to be hinges on the ends of the wall. I look around to the rest of the room and I notice similar hinges on the corners and ends of the other walls as well.
“Whenever you’re ready, Eiji,” Hana says as she clasps her hands together.
“We’re right here with you, Eiji,” Aldrea says, giving me a thumbs up. The time has really come. I have no choice but to go through with this. I have to open this Tear.
“Let me know when you’re starting so that I can run the machine,” Hana adds.
I take a few deep breaths before getting into position. I can feel the sweat accumulate on my forehead and the room feels ten times hotter now than when we walked in. I close my eyes and relax my muscles as best as I can. I feel the energy flowing through me in a way I haven’t felt since I was still Death. I can do this. I open my eyes and steadily release my energy through the palms of my hands. The stress I’d felt before when trying to open the Tear is gone—I don’t encounter nearly as much resistance as I did back then. The energy gathers in the center of the room and it swirls as the light starts to warp around it. I turn to Hana and nod. She enters commands into her holo and the lights dim slightly as the machine before me whirls to life.
I see the familiar droplet shape take form as my vision blurs and flashes of different locations cross my eyes. One second I’m in this room, the next I’m in a field surrounded by tall grass, the next I’m kilometers above the ground in a storm. I see places and routes of the city I’ve never been to before. Different locations and faces then flash through my eyes as short clips or thoughts. In one I see Naomi standing in front of me. She’s smiling with an ease I’ve never seen before, her face flush with life and free of the inky lines that mar her skin. The next we’re in the sky at night and she’s crying inconsolably. Then we’re overlooking the city and she’s absent-mindedly looking down at a memorial. With each passing scene she looks older and more distraught. More miserable and hopeless. The very last thing I see is myself standing in front of a badly beaten Isao as he writhes in pain on the floor. I stand before him with an energy blast ready to fire. That’s when the high-pitched buzzing makes its way back into my head, and I wince at the piercing sound. It’s not until it stops that I’m able to open my eyes again. Once I do, I’m back in the lab—with a fully functioning Tear.
“You…you did it,” Aldrea says, just loud enough that I can hear her over the faint hum of the machine as it runs steadily.
I don’t feel the nastiness that I did from the sickly Tear that was created by the explosion. I did it. But I can’t help but wonder about everything I just saw. Regardless, I don’t have the time to think about that now. Hana runs up to me and hugs me. Aldrea runs up to us as well, though she stands beside us since she can’t actually touch me. When I turn to her, tears form in her eyes. I take a better look at Hana, and I realize her eyes are damp as well.
“Everything is reading normal. It worked!” Hana finally smiles in a way I haven’t seen in a long time.
Her energy lightens and I can feel it from Aldrea’s as well. The emotions flowing through them both are akin to a dam breaking, releasing a vast torrent of hopes and fears in a single burst.
“It works!” Hana shouts as she and Aldrea jump up and down.
Aldrea runs up to Hana and for a moment it looks like they’ll attempt to hug each other, but they stop. Aldrea raises her hand and so does Hana. They move them close to each other, and Aldrea’s flickers as it passes through Hana’s. Amidst all of the emotions running through them, at that moment I notice a dip in both of their energies. But they both smile at each other.
“Soon,” Hana laughs.
Aldrea smiles and nods.
I feel significantly less energy flowing through me, but I’ve managed to keep some of it. I no longer feel the power I did outside, but I still feel like I could open a Tear or two.
“Eiji,” Hana calls to me, wiping tears away, “Thank you. You’ve saved us.” She turns to the doors and immediately opens them. “Doorway Alpha is open. Let’s beg
in,” she speaks into her holo.
Within moments Hana’s staff fills the room with equipment, and several of them are wearing vacuum-sealed suits and helmets. The hinges I noticed on the walls swing open, revealing small, single-passenger pods. A few of the vac-suited individuals climb in.
“You’ve done your part,” Aldrea says beside me. “It’s time for us to do ours.” She smiles.
“I know this is unfair of me to ask you,” Hana says to me after she’s done instructing her staff. “But Kou could really use your help out there.”
“Doctor, I—”
“Please, call me Hana,” she says as she gives me a circular device. It’s hollow and thin. “Attach this to your condenser. It’ll allow us to better track your whereabouts.”
I look at her and nod. “I’ll do my very best to find him.”
“I am forever in your debt,” she says as she bows to me. A few of her staff watch us in awe before quickly resuming work once Hana returns to her upright position.
“Nonsense, it’s you who I’m indebted to. You offered your home to me when I had nowhere to go. Kou’s also been a huge help to me. This is the least that I can do.”
Hana’s energy blooms with warmth and she turns over to the side where the pods are.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about, but that must wait. This one is yours,” she says as she enters commands into her holo. One of the smaller but sleeker looking pods activates and hovers to us. “A helocycle,” she says triumphantly. “It’s designed after my late grandfather’s favorite motorcycles. Made in his honor.”
“I’ll take good care of it,” I say as I admire the elegant styling of the cycle. I get on it. “How am I supposed to get out?” I say as I glance around for an exit.
“Once ready, this whole room will open up to allow all of the evacuation tunnels to funnel people in. For now, I’ll open access to one so you can use it to get inside the city.” Hana enters more commands into her holo and the helocycle hums to life as it rolls me to the edge of the room. The side of the wall opens up, revealing a tunnel lit by bright white lights.