Sisters of the Sands

by Villinger, James

  The Nomads looked to their various leaders. The chieftain at the front nodded, and they all complied.

  I looked back to the men around me. “The other option is that you keep your collars on, and you are free to go. If that is your choice, leave now.”

  I stood patiently, waiting for any of the Acolytes to break away from us, but none did.

  “She’s lying,” Noor said, stepping forward and pointing between himself and Tetsu. “She’s the one who put me and him in prison in the first place.”

  “Me, too,” the weed-like Colony said, stepping out of the crowd. Somehow he was even paler than last time. “I recognise them both.”

  I rolled my eyes at the three of them. “That doesn’t matter now.”

  “It’s one of Mira’s illusions,” Noor continued, wandering closer to me. “It’s a trick.” He waved his arms about, as if searching for what was real.

  “They probably want to get rid of us,” another brawnier-looking man said. “They wanna’ make it fun, so instead of execution they’re using us as target practice.”

  “That is ridiculous,” I said. “What point would there be? I’m standing here in front of you, flesh and blood, ready to give you the power to fight back, and you won’t even consider it?” I strode up the steps in front of Noor. “Have they already broken you?”

  He locked eyes with me and sneered. “I’ll fight.”

  I looked over to Maya, who ran over to us. She hesitantly reached out and held his collar.

  “Nice hand,” he said, referring to her replacement.

  Maya smirked back. “Nice legs.” She liquified the collar and took a step back.

  “Anyone else?” I asked, and Tetsu raised his hand.

  As Maya approached Tetsu, Noor threw his hands at me. “Let’s find out if you’re an illusion.”

  He fired his laser, but I was ready. I turned to him and opened a portal to receive it, with the exit pointed at the Prison Quadrant’s entrance. The laser redirected and sliced through the building, causing an explosion. Noor stopped and I closed my portal.

  I exhaled, shook my head and opened a portal underneath his feet. He exited above us, yelling as he fell. He landed on the grass to the side of the steps. I strode over to him, pulled him up by his hair and slapped him in the face.

  “Can an illusion do that?” I turned back to the others. “Now are we going to overthrow this Queen or not?”

  “I’ll help,” one of the men said from the back.

  “Me, too,” another added.

  Maya went to each man who raised his hand and liquified his collar. Each man reawakened his unique power and smiled with glee. The scene lit up with a bright, varied spectrum of powers. The Nomads relaxed their stances and smiled.

  As the other men gladly had their collars removed and joined the army of Nomads, Colony sat slumped on the steps. He looked up me and gestured at Maya. “How do you expect me to fight without an army? You two took them away from me!”

  “Then I’ll give you a new army, right now,” I said. I thought back to Teersau, where I first met Tau, the place where the Necrolisks ambushed us. Because it was not fresh in my memory, it took a short while to conjure the portal, but it opened all the same. “Get in there and summon as many as you can. When I’m ready for you, I’ll open another portal in the same place and you will bring them through, got it?”

  A look of bliss came over Colony’s face as he stood up and peered into the nest, and then looked back at me with a look of revulsion. “I will do this, but never tell me what to do again.” He stepped through and I closed the portal behind him.

  I looked back at the chieftains. “I want you to take everyone, including these Acolytes, and march towards the Capitol.”

  “March towards? Can’t you just teleport us there?” one of them asked.

  Hati hobbled out of the crowd. “Stick to the plan. The main force will be a diversion. Head to the Capitol through the streets.”

  “I’m going to destroy the power grid, which will bring down the city defences.” I nodded at him.

  Hati laughed. “All by yourself?”

  “It’s personal,” I replied, thinking of the assimilation sessions I had to endure. “Good luck.”

  He nodded back. “And you. Your grandfather would be proud.” He turned back to the chieftains. “It’s time, rally the tribes.”

  “Everyone, listen up!” one of the leaders yelled to the massive crowd. He climbed on top of a nearby station shelter and held his arms up to get their attention. “Everyone, listen! We’re going to attack the Citadel.”

  As the Chieftain gave out of his commands, Maya had approached me.

  She finished removing the collars and was eyeing me angrily. “This better not result in innocent people dying.”

  I looked back at her. “Remember what Tau said? ‘It’s unrealistic to expect a war without casualties’. Still, I don’t want the civilians harmed either.”

  Tetsu was helping Noor up from the grass. Maya and I walked over to them.

  “Are you going to help us now?” I asked.

  Bruised and defeated, Noor nodded. “I … uh, I’m sorry. Thank-you for rescuing us.”

  I smiled. “You can thank us by attacking the Citadel.”

  Tetsu smiled and Noor slowly nodded. I turned back to Maya.

  “And you, too.”

  Maya shook her head. “Please, Sacet. I can’t attack my own people.”

  Farther down the steps, the chieftain let out a roar. “Come on! I’m not going to sit here and wait for them to come to us,” he bellowed. He ran through the station towards the city. “Attack!”

  The entire station suddenly erupted with roars. They all turned to the Capitol building and started running down the station stairs and into the streets of the Residential Rim.

  I reached out to Maya. “Just go. Guide them to the Citadel. I’m sure you’ll do the right thing.”

  Maya nodded with tears in her eyes, before heading down the steps with Noor and Tetsu. I was the last one left at the station.

  I thought back to the Science Quad. I remembered an enormous, ring-shaped device. It was easily the largest facility in the entire Quad. In moments, a portal opened in front of me and I stepped through.

  I was met with a large group of stunned scientists. The giant generator was to our side, taking up most of the vast room. It hummed loudly.

  “Hey, you can’t be in here!” one of the women shouted. She had a white protective suit on, and her streaks were white, too, like all the scientists. Thankfully, none of them were armed.

  But I ignored her. My focus was inside the massive, humming tube. It was hollow, and filled with flames. The air itself was ridiculously bright. Whatever was inside, it was extremely hot.

  The scientist strode closer. “Hey! Are you listening to me? I outrank you, Trooper. Now answer me, what are you doing in here?”

  It’s true; she did outrank me with her yellow-tipped, white streaks. I was long past caring about that.

  I pointed at the tube. “What is it?”

  The colonel screwed up her expression, completely bewildered. “It’s the city’s fusion reactor, and you have no business here.” She glanced back at her staff. “Call in guards.”

  “So, if we were to lose this …?”

  The main entrance parted behind me and three armed guards stomped in. They raised their weapons.

  “Trooper, this is a restricted area. Come with us, now!”

  I opened a portal inside the ridiculously hot tube, it’s destination to the soldiers’ side, pointed towards them. A blistering firestorm erupted out, instantly disintegrating the soldiers. It was so powerful, that it blew the rest of us off our feet, too. I closed the portal as I landed back on the steel floor.

  The chamber was now filled with smoke. It seemed as though everyone else was unharmed. Many coughed, waving the smoke away. The scientists and I all got to our feet and peered at the aftermath. They all gasped.

  The soldiers were go
ne, nothing but ashen stains on the melted, steel floor. Even the entrance itself had melted, completely caved in from the heat.

  I turned to the scientists and gave an intimidating stare. One screamed and hid behind a desk. The others all shot their hands up in surrender.

  All except the colonel, who clenched her fists. “What … do you want?”

  I gestured at the reactor. “Shut down that thing down. Bring down the power.”

  One of the other scientists stepped forward and raised her hands. “Um … we can’t shut it down, the reaction has already …”

  The colonel shot a look back at her and she silenced. She then focused back on me. “And what if we refuse, terrorist? Are you going to murder us, too?”

  I shook my head and turned to the tube. “No, I’ll just destroy this whole facility instead.”

  I opened another portal inside the ring, with the destination on the far side of the chamber, pointing down on the ring. The super-heated fuel fired down onto the outer shell of the tube, melting and disintegrating the delicate instruments instantly. The sound was deafening, an unnatural, distorted thunder.

  “What are you doing?” one of the women yelled.

  Another screamed. “It wasn’t designed to absorb heat on the outside, stop!”

  The colonel approached me. “Are you crazy? You’ll kill us all!”

  Before she came close, I opened another portal underneath her feet and teleported her safely outside the facility. I quickly sped the portal underneath all the other women, too, until it was only me left.

  I focused back on the reactor, now opening additional blazing portals above it. The flames came down on the tube like waterfalls of destruction. The tube began to warp and turn orange. The chamber’s smoke grew thick. All the nearby control panels flickered, as did all the facility lights.

  All the lights went out and my perception sensed the blackout had spread across the entire Science Quad, and hopefully farther. Every device died, leaving the multitude of workers to flounder in the dark. The city had lost its power. The only light was the blinding, destructive power in front of me.

  It was time for me to go. I pictured the Teersau nest in my mind, the same spot I had sent Colony. The portal opened and I stepped through just as a hole split upon the reactor’s surface.

  34. Justice

  Tau

  The Residential Rim

  Hana, Kowi and I stopped at the entrance to their apartment complex. The building was still thankfully open at this time of night, but no one was around but us. The streets were empty, aside from an occasional guard patrol.

  Kowi hadn’t stopped crying since we left the stadium, and Hana was equally as distraught, but hiding it better than her daughter.

  Hana let go of Kowi’s hand for a moment and hugged me. She was sniffling and her tears leaked onto my shoulder. “Thank-you for taking us home. It’s … good to see that some … someone still cares.”

  I embraced her back. “It was nothing, really. We’ve all been put on high alert since …” I stopped mid-sentence. I knew she hated the military, so this probably wasn’t helping. I shook my head and let go. “If there’s anything I can do … anything at all …”

  Kowi’s tears constantly flowed. She sobbed and buried her face into her mother’s side.

  Hana pulled her closer. “Thank-you, Tau, but … nothing can heal this.” With that, Hana turned with Kowi and went inside, leaving me in the cold, empty street alone.

  I left, too, heading to the nearest travel station. My corporal would no doubt have more orders for me back at the Quad. I had a feeling this was far from over.

  I quickened my strides. My footsteps were the only noise in the street. The Prison Quad station wasn’t far, around another couple of bends.

  Poor Sacet. I completely understood her actions. I’ve wanted to say the same things that she did in that stadium, but I’ve never been brave enough. With her strong-willed attitude, it was surprising she hadn’t escaped sooner.

  I felt guilty for not telling her about her brother, that he was to be executed. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. But then she rescued the men anyway, even without me telling her. Did she know her brother was down there? She’s probably on the run with Eno right now, and he’d be telling her about my visit. I bet she hated me.

  And Maya, what was she thinking? Why did she do that, of all things? Kill her own father? Her mother hates her now, and I couldn’t blame her for feeling that way.

  A distant scream carried on the night air, giving me pause. I glanced up and down the deserted street. It wasn’t just screaming, it was yelling, a crowd of people, and they were getting louder.

  There was an explosion up around the next bend. The flames expanded into the sky above the buildings, momentarily painting the night world bright and orange. Laser fire followed, up and down the next street. I saw the projectiles zooming into nearby windows and homes.

  I sprinted forward. What was happening? Who was attacking? I didn’t have a weapon with me, I hadn’t carried one ever since I discovered my powers, but I really needed it now.

  The street lights vanished, as did the lights in the buildings. The power must have gone out. The only thing illuminating my path was the flashes of chaos ahead, so I ignited my healing power. My skin turned white, and an extremely luminescent, light-blue aura of harmless flames surrounded me. The path was visible again.

  I rounded the corner and gasped as I laid my eyes upon the grisly scene. A patrol of soldiers lay dead in the streets. Beyond them, an enormous, angry crowd of people, both men and women, were approaching.

  “An Acolyte!” one of them shouted, her words echoing down the residential apartments lining the street.

  There must have been hundreds of them. Some wore Nomadic robes and carried weapons, while others were in prison uniforms. A prison break?

  One of the bodies in the street twitched, she was still alive! I could still heal her. Maybe get her out of there? I sped up again, unafraid of what the horde would do to me. I would just heal and undo any punishment they could dish out, even death.

  “Take her down!” a man’s voice bellowed, and the line of marching warriors raised their guns and fired.

  The projectiles, a mix of lasers and bullets, fizzed and whistled past me as I ran, but soon many struck my chest. I didn’t feel any pain so I kept running. I reached the dying soldier, knelt beside her and grabbed her arm with both of my hands.

  “Live … heal. Live!”

  The incoming fire continued striking all over my body, but I looked down and saw my own wounds heal almost instantly. I felt nothing but the familiar tingling sensation of my aura.

  The prisoners were getting closer. A stray bullet pierced into the head of the girl I was holding, and any progress I had made was instantly lost. She went limp again, dead. Blood poured out of her punctured skull.

  A teardrop jostled from my eye. “No …”

  “Wait, stop!” a woman’s voice said from the crowd.

  The confused rabble parted, revealing Maya amongst them.

  She strode through the group with all eyes upon her. “She’s of no danger to us, move on to the Citadel.” Maya paused, getting her bearings, and then pointed to a nearby street corner. “That way, everyone head that way.”

  The crowd begrudgingly complied. I still held the dead soldier in my arms as they all passed by me, heading to where Maya had directed.

  “Wha … what is … Maya?”

  Maya came closer and stood over the body. Hundreds of people continued to pass as she and I stared into one another’s eyes.

  “It’s Sacet’s plan,” she began, gesturing at the horde. “And she needs our help.”

  “What plan?” I shrieked, wildly shaking my head. “To attack the city? Why are you a part of this, Maya? You’ve come here to kill us all?”

  The passing Nomads eyed me with contempt, but continued on.

  “No,” Maya shouted over the sound of the marching army, “to free us.”

/>   I scoffed. “I don’t even know you anymore. The Maya I knew would never kill her own people.”

  She shrugged it off. “I haven’t killed any of my people.”

  “Your family would disagree.”

  The crowd had finally marched by and around the bend. More explosions resonated from the army’s path up ahead. They must have found more soldiers like me to kill. Maya and I were alone together.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m trying to do the right thing by him, by my mistakes.” She pointed at me. “And out of all people, I would have thought you would jump at the chance to end this war. I know how much you hate to fight, how you’ve avoided killing for as long as possible.”

  I gritted my teeth. “The answer is not more killing.”

  “Tau?” a weak voice said below me.

  I looked down and saw that the soldier I was still holding had opened her eyes. The bullet wound through her head had healed. She groaned, slowly taking in her surroundings.

  I gasped, and my eyes widened. “You’re … alive? But you were dead?”

  Maya knelt down as well and we both helped the girl sit up.

  “I was?” she said groggily.

  Maya wrenched the girl to her feet. “Are you sure she was dead?”

  “Positive,” I replied, examining the girl up and down, much to her dismay. “This changes everything …”

  The soldier looked down at her fallen comrades, and her face contorted. She picked up her rifle. “Where are they? The intruders, which way did they go?”

  As the soldier chose a random direction and began to run, Maya turned back to me. “So, what are you going to do? Are you with me?”

  “Come on!” the soldier called out, pointing down the next street. “They went this way!” She charged off into the darkness alone.

  “Even if someone dies,” I began, “whether they’re guilty or innocent, I can bring them back now. Death … is irrelevant.”

  The pools of blood still spreading around us on the ground quavered and splashed oddly. The liquid rose into the air, spiralling around both of us.