by Mark Lingane
“Stop,” whispered Albert. “Now open your eyes.”
There, standing in mid-air, was a perfect outline of the screw, glowing purple in the strange light.
“You have transferred the particle field to the air.”
“What does that mean?”
“You have created a ghost. Some people might call it teleportation.”
Sebastian was rubbing his temples with his fingers. His eyes were closed.
“Does it pain you?” Albert asked.
“Yes. But it’s not too bad. Just like being stabbed with a pencil.”
Albert returned his amazed attention to the floating ghost screw. “You have matched the electromagnetic configuration of the screw to the elements in the air. So, even if you can’t see it, it exists as an electromagnetic form.” He prodded the image floating in the air. “And you can touch it.”
Albert delicately picked up the ghost screw and scratched it down his arm. He could feel the sharp point cutting into his skin. It felt hard, exactly like the real screw.
“Now stop concentrating.” A large spark flew from the ghost screw, followed by a loud zap. “So the electrons must earth. And the original screw is now just inert dust. Interesting.”
The last of the pain ebbed away from Sebastian’s head.
Albert was lost in thought. “It is very important you don’t tell anyone about this. I’m not even sure I understand the implications.”
Someone knocked at the door.
“Who knocks vitout?” Albert said.
The door squeaked open and an old lady entered. “Nikola would like to know if Sebastian has a moment,” she said.
“Thank you,” Albert said. “He vill be up shortly. Now, if you could clean from the back, and leave the blackboard as it is.”
He turned back to Sebastian. “Think about it. I think you should tell Nikola. See if he can find something in those dusty pages.”
“Sebastian, take a seat. I’m sorry, but I don’t have good news for you.” Nikola’s face was pale.
Sebastian sat in the big chair opposite Nikola’s desk, where the usual array of books and book-repair equipment lay scattered around. He was still a little dizzy from the teachings of the day.
“It’s regarding your mother. As I told you, she wasn’t at the hospital. I sent a scout to find the doctor. I won’t mince words with you on this.”
Sebastian felt sick waiting for the bad news. Nikola paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.
“The scout discovered the trail of a big talking doctor passing through various recreational facilities out on the western plains.”
—Colonel Parker burst in through the doors to the gambling saloon. His stare drifted over the old wooden building filled with cockroaches and social diseases. Dancers wiggled and swayed as a band played lazily. An older woman with a snake wrapped around her gave him a wink—
“It’s disturbing to see a supposedly trusted individual fall to such depths over insatiable greed and avarice.”
—He smiled as he dropped a roll of notes on the bar. The bartender smiled back at Parker, relating the story of a man who had not learned when to quit as excessive drink had clouded his judgment, and had been shown the door by several security staff—
“The scout found him staggering along the streets begging for change, where he helped the doctor face his demons.”
—The doctor was lifted into the air and came crashing down into a horse trough. Parker clutched around his throat and forced his head under the disgusting water—
Nikola sighed. “I wish I didn’t have to tell you the circumstances he shared.”
—Parker picked up the doctor and thrust him against the wall with his hand crushing his neck and a pistol pointing at his temple—
“The doctor took Isabelle from Talinga and, instead of heading to the hospital, took off to the west, searching for unsavory individuals and establishments. He left her by the side of the road before parading through the gambling houses, where he drank and gambled until he made little sense to anyone and was thrown out.” Sebastian noticed Nikola clenching his fists.”
“What happened to my mother?”
—From the back of the horse, Parker kicked the doctor in his back, forcing him along the dusty track. He staggered, step to uncertain step, with his hands tied in front until he arrived at the ditch—
“He led the scout back to where he supposedly abandoned her, but she was gone. No body. No skeleton. Nothing. Just a ditch. The doctor, suffering from severe injuries—and a mighty hangover—started to beg for forgiveness.”
—He frantically pointed at the ditch, then scoured the area with tears in his eyes. Parker kicked the back of the legs of the doctor and he fell into the dirt—
“But seeing the scout had a strong argument, inquired to see if helping to find her would persuade the scout to rethink.”
—The doctor scrambled on his elbows and knees away from the track and into the desert—
“And even though his initial efforts were helpful …”
—Parker shot the doctor in the leg, who screamed out in pain. As he closed in on the squirming body, Parker noticed something in the dirt—
“The scout decided he should stay there for awhile to think about his actions.”
—The heavy boot slammed into the side of the doctor’s head, forcing it against a rock and fracturing the skull. He stepped back as the man fought against unconsciousness, and fired into his head. Blood splattered—
“Sebastian, tracks were found! Desert walkers. I’m guessing they found her alive. They’re skillful people, brutal in battle, but caring to the sick, so she may be all right. We can’t know for certain, yet, until we establish contact, but I cannot tell you how this makes me feel. My God, it’s a slim chance, but it’s one where yesterday there was none.”
Sebastian didn’t know what to make of the information. He was overwhelmed by a tsunami of emotions. “Can the scout follow the tracks?”
“Desert walkers are like ghosts. You only find their tracks either by complete accident or if they want you to find them.”
“But there’s hope?”
“With my government official hat on, I can’t say one way or another, but in my heart it’s great news. However, it raises other questions—were they able to save her? Would they allow her to come here? We can only hope that they want to find us. At least they’ll know where we are.”
The town was quiet. The residents were enjoying the nationalist fervor of a first strike against the enemy. For hours, Sebastian walked the streets trying to calm down. His mother. Hope upon hope. His emotions were on fire and would not settle. And that’s when he first noticed it. The familiar pain crept up on him slowly, except that instead of being a single point of pain, it now felt like a wide band encompassing a vast area of geography. It was unlike anything he had felt before and it scared him.
He ran back to Nikola’s office, taking the stairs two or three at a time. He paused briefly to knock before charging in. “Nikola, I think there—”
To his distress, Nikola wasn’t there. Over by the window was his telescope. Sebastian swiveled it around and pointed it at the horizon. The blurred images swam in front of him as he desperately tried to focus on something. Then he caught a reflection. Then more. He finally pulled focus on a line of advancing cyborgs. There must have been hundreds of them. He needed to get word out.
He ran to the second level and pounded on Albert’s door. No answer. Where was everyone?
Sebastian ran down the stairs and out onto the quiet streets. He sprinted over to Melanie and Oliver’s quarters. Both were gone. He racked his brain, trying to think of where they could be. Melanie would be where Gavin was, so he ran back to the school dorm. Isaac was sitting on his bed, writing a letter. The other teslas were milling around, filling their time before lights went out.
“Isaac,” Sebastian shouted. “Is Gavin here?”
Isaac glanced over to the senior boy’s bed. He shook his hea
d.
“Do you know where he is?”
He shrugged. “Why?”
“Cyborgs. Dragons. They’re coming.”
All the teslas leaped to their feet.
“Everyone, get somewhere safe. And tell everyone.”
“Are you sure?” Isaac said, as he ran toward the exit, but Sebastian had already gone. In the alleyway by the school, Isaac looked up. A dark shape silently drifted overhead.
Sebastian ran to the town center, into the middle of the square. The statue of the city founder stood looking proudly toward the east. Sebastian sat underneath it, calming his thoughts. He had only sat here a few times while waiting for someone to turn up and he had never noted the name before. He wiped his hand over the plate, scraping off a layer of dirt, and read: JOSHUA RICHARDS, WHO SAW THE LIGHT. HE LISTENED.
Sebastian took a couple of deep breaths. In the quiet of the square he sat motionless, and on the wind drifted the voices. Melanie was shouting. Her voice was coming from the Potenza tower.
He ran over to the tower and tried to wrench open the door. It was locked. He concentrated and felt the lock mechanism. The pain in his mind was getting stronger. He played with the magnetic fields, rocking the large cogs back and forth until they rolled over. He heard the click as the lock aligned.
He pulled the door open, charged in, and ran up the stairs. The first two floors were empty offices. The third floor had a closed door. He could hear the voices. He kicked open the door and burst inside.
Nikola and Trade were sitting at a table, opposite Gavin. Melanie was sitting next to Gavin holding his hand. An old woman was pouring steaming liquid into various mugs. Several other people, military types Sebastian had not seen before, stood casually.
The military men were furious. Nikola jumped up in surprise.
“Nikola, you said this floor was secure,” one shouted.
“Sebastian! How did you get in?” he said.
In the corner, although he later came to question this, he swore he could see a cyborg. Or part of a cyborg. Beaten and bloodied. The pain in his head amplified. Above, he could sense a dragon soaring silently by.
“You need to leave instantly,” he spun the boy away.
“No! Cyborgs are coming,” he cried.
Nikola turned to Gavin, who closed his eyes. After what felt like a month, Gavin shook his head.
“Enough. We’re in the middle of something important. You’re in a lot of trouble, go back to the dorm.”
Sebastian struggled against Nikola’s powerful muscles, but it was futile. He was ushered out back into the stairwell. The door shut and he heard the lock fall into place.
He kicked the door. The pain increased, forcing him down. He had to warn them. Closing his eyes, he could see the outlines of the dragons swooping in toward the city, the distant line of cyborgs approaching. The old iron lock shone brightly. He focused on feeling the outline, rocking it back and forth. The lock sprung open and he pushed his way back in, breathless.
“Sebastian, how did you … this is not acceptable.”
Suddenly, Gavin sat upright. “Wait, wait. I think I’m sensing—”
“They’re here,” Sebastian said, as he collapsed to the floor. And the wall opposite him exploded.
25
THE GLOWING BRICKS flew into the room as a dragon crashed into the hole, its claws clutching at the wall. A brick smacked into Gavin’s head and he tumbled forward onto the table. The agony in Sebastian’s head felt eternal. Fire boiled the wall away, leaving an expanding molten gap into the darkness outside. With his head swimming, Sebastian staggered to his knees.
Nikola jumped over to Sebastian. The boy’s head lolled as he helped him up, barely able to keep his eyes open. The military men slowly scrambled, stunned by the brazen attack. The glowing rubble from the dragon’s attack scattered across the floor, smoldering.
Seeing Nikola was assisting Sebastian, Melanie grabbed Gavin under his arms, turned him as she bent and lifted him onto her shoulder, and sprinted toward the narrow doorway. The others followed, squeezing through after her. Sebastian wedged himself into a corner just as another fireball hit the opening and fire engulfed the room. As he was forced out into the thick-walled corridor, he saw the one of the military men wrestle whoever, or whatever, had been tied up over by the wall into a previously concealed passage. The beams ignited, cracked, and fell, blocking the exit.
Screams erupted from the houses. People streamed into the streets, full of panic and distress. Fire rained down from unseen enemies, searing into the buildings. Walls exploded and buildings tumbled.
The dragons crisscrossed the city, engulfing the main streets with fire and forcing the hysterical people into the alleyways. Where streets intersected, they crashed into each other, with the strong knocking over the less nimble and trampling them. Then they charged off in a new direction until another wall of fire steered them into yet another alley.
In the town center stood two unmovable figures. Around them, buildings were crumbling and toppling over as their foundations melted in the fierce inferno.
“Everyone’s down on the west side,” shouted Thrown above the roar of destruction.
“Everyone?” said Nikola.
“Yes. People are being herded that way by the GSFBs.”
“How many are there?”
“Five.” Thrown held up his hand with each finger extended. “But one’s putting out more than double the power of the others.”
“What are our options?”
“We can possibly take out two of them with the tesla towers, maybe we can be lucky with the cannons, but chances are slim. We miss, we end up destroying more of the city. Did you learn anything from your interrogation?”
“Water. Water is a weakness,” Nikola said.
“You plan on offering them a drink?”
“That is not helpful at this time.”
“What are your orders, Commander?”
“If we have the power, unleash the towers. Fire the cannons. Pray for rain. It’s all we can do.”
Thrown saluted and ran off to carry out the instructions while praying for rain.
Sebastian took refuge under the great statue in the center of the city square. It was solid graphite and he was sure it could survive a direct hit. If not, it would turn into the world’s biggest diamond and he would die the richest person in the world. The pain in his head had lessened considerably, although the dragons were still present.
Melanie had told him to wait while she disappeared with Gavin into a small, very low building, which had them stooping as they entered. Mounted on the building’s facing wall were a series of vertical, interconnected cogs, supposedly for decoration. The edges of the building were reinforced with double bricks, and the sturdy walls had no windows.
A few terrifying minutes later, Melanie reemerged on her own. She ran over to him. “Nikola says I have to get you out of here.”
“Where’s Gavin?”
“He’s under the city, recovering.”
“Under? What’s down there?”
“An underground river flows beneath the city. That’s where the hydroelectric turbines are that power the tesla coils.”
“What else is down there?”
“Nothing important. We’re heading east.” She reached out for him.
“Wait, I need to get something from the school dorm.”
“We don’t have time.”
She lunged after him, but he twisted out of her grip.
“No!” he shouted and took off down the street.
She swore and ran after him. She caught up and kept pace beside him. “There’d better be some important stuff in there or I’ll never speak to you again. Mainly because we’ll both be dead.”
“It’s important to me.”
Sebastian zoomed around the corner and down into the steps of the dormitory. The door was broken and most of the room was on fire. The roof creaked urgently.
He jumped over Isaac’s bed and grabbed his pack f
rom beneath his own. He opened it and pulled out the cuirass Merv had crafted what seemed like years ago now. It still glittered like the jewel of the desert. He slipped it on and fastened it in place. He threw on his pack and nodded to Melanie.
“Oh, shiny,” said Melanie. “Does it do anything special other than look very bright?”
“That’s all it needs to do.”
They ran back up the stairs just as the ceiling collapsed, then along a laneway toward the eastern gate and into an intersection, where they came to a shuddering halt.
A dragon was crouched in the alley, waiting. It released a fireball.
Sebastian screamed as Melanie picked him up and threw him through a shop window. She threw herself back against the stone wall, narrowly avoiding the ball of flame rolling past. The beast took several steps down the alley, its metal body scraping against the walls. Its angular head turned and looked in through the shattered window.
Deep red beams speared out of its eyes, cutting through the furniture in the shop. Then the beams hit something shiny and bounced back, hitting the dragon in the face. One of its dark, malevolent eyes blinked then went dead. The beast screeched and reared up on its hind legs. It brought its wings down and leaped into the air, lurching erratically as it fought to gain height.
Melanie and Sebastian clambered out of the rubble back into the street. The beast roared and stared with its one remaining eye, then flew away.
“I see your shiny top works,” Melanie said. “You should tell people about that.”
“I did. They didn’t want to listen to me.”
“They might now.” She looked over the devastation left by the dragon. “It’s scary that it was waiting to attack you. But not as scary as if it was looking for me.” She was about to lead him toward the east gate when a thought struck her. “You don’t seem to be in pain, like before.”
“It’s still bad, but I’m getting used to it. I was a bit dizzy from being thrown through the window.” He gave her a quick glance. “Maybe if my mind can’t concentrate it hurts less. I don’t know. It’s all new to me.”