The Crystal Tower

by Liam Donnelly

  But already Max could feel Zatera exerting his immense power on the spherical shield in which Max had encased Daniel’s body. He was pushing his arms against the edges of the barrier, and waves of light shone there, rippling across its surface. Max concentrated harder and forced the shield to collapse on itself a little. Daniel’s eyes flared with light as Zatera reeled at the shock of Max’s psychic strength. For a moment, he withdrew his arms and glared at him through the light that poured from his eyes.

  Daniel. I need you to help me, Max continued.

  I can’t. I have no energy left. I can’t get out of here again.

  You can. You have to come back toward the window. I can help you.

  Max saw Daniel look down through the infinite depths of that realm, a defeated, forlorn expression on his face.

  Daniel, look at me. Look up and look through the window. Max saw Daniel turn slowly and glance at him again. Can you see me?

  After a moment, he heard Daniel’s weak, broken voice, Yes.

  OK. I need you to summon every last ounce of strength you have and move back toward the window. I can help pull you out of there, but you have to help yourself too; you have to move. You have to take control of your body again. Do you understand?

  STOP! Zatera screamed, and for a moment, the buildings in the square trembled. A crack appeared in the concrete underneath the sphere in which he was encased. It crossed the distance between him and Max.

  Max gritted his teeth and once again increased his hold on the shield that surrounded Daniel, containing Zatera for the moment. In his mind’s eye, he watched as Daniel’s essence moved away from the great distance into which he had already drifted and began its ascent back toward the window, from where, with Max’s help, he could re-enter this world and regain control of his body. A smile almost appeared on Max’s otherwise impassive features. A moment of elation ran through him as Daniel picked up speed.

  However, when Daniel was near the window, images of Trey flashed in Max’s mind. He was standing in front of hundreds of Ethereals, who were surrounded by the growing edges of the tower. Max flinched and tried to shake the images, but he couldn’t. He saw a smile spread across Trey’s lips, and then, as though he had touched an electrical cord, he felt a surge of incredible power flow from Trey into Daniel’s body.

  Daniel’s eyes blazed with light again, and though Max tried to hold him inside the containment shield, the distraction and the pressure of the momentary power surge proved overwhelming. The spherical barrier exploded, sending out a shockwave that rushed throughout the area. In its wake, trees tilted backward and were ripped from their holdings. Windows smashed and the sound of cracking concrete filled the square. Before he had a chance to react, Max himself was caught and thrown back through the air. He slammed into the building behind him, crashing into the corner of the concrete and smashing it to pieces. As he flew, Max saw the shockwave lift cars and throw them into the air. They smashed into each other as they turned end over end in Zatera’s awesome display of power.

  Max glanced at the concrete as it flew past him, crumbling in his wake. Finally, having managed to get his bearings and steady himself, he came to a stop against a large support wall. He dropped to the ground and, for the first time, the pain of new and serious injuries flared in his mind. He ignored this new agony and returned his attention to Daniel. Now Max’s eyes were wide and glaring, and his brow bore furrows of deep concern, for he had received his first inkling of just how much Zatera’s power had grown. In the second he had to think, Max allowed the overwhelming feeling of regret to wash over him as he realized his mistake. He should have gone for Trey first, and attempted to best Zatera on the psychic plane. Max finally allowed himself to admit to that egregious error.

  Immediately, his thoughts returned to Daniel. As he scanned for his essence again, Max saw that Daniel was tumbling backward, farther into that distant realm—a place from which he would soon find it very difficult to escape. The farther Daniel drifted, the more difficult it would be for him to return. That was, of course, Zatera’s plan; the longer Daniel remained there, the weaker his presence in this world would become, and the greater the chance that Zatera would retain control of Daniel’s body and mind. Max knew he couldn’t let that happen.

  Acting rapidly, Max felt for the injuries in his body. He repaired them as quickly as he could. A disc was out of place in his spine. Turning off the pain receptors in his mind, he pushed it back in until it was placed perfectly. His shoulder had come out of its socket, and Max pushed that back in, too. His body was bleeding in several places, but the large gash on the back of his neck was the most important injury to repair, so he did. Focusing on it, Max drew the blood back toward the wound, cleaning it as he did, and then sealed it.

  Wincing, he leaned forward and stood up on the broken debris—the remains of the second story of the building into which he had been thrown. He walked forward and stood in front of the gaping hole of the wall he had broken through. The wind caught his cloak and blew it around him as he stood on the precipice and looked out across the square.

  Daniel had not yet moved, and Max knew why. Zatera was focusing on locking him into that place as securely as possible. Summoning all his power (and, indeed, now fueled by rage), Max rushed at him, flying from where he stood and crossing the distance between them in less than a second. A new and powerful psychic shield went up rapidly around Daniel’s body, and Daniel turned in Max’s direction as he approached. However, Max paid no attention to this. With both hands in front of him, he intended to break through the shield, and he did. Another explosion ensued as Max crashed through the psychic barrier. Again, the buildings trembled as new waves of dangerously powerful energy spread out around them.

  Max wrapped his arms tightly around Daniel’s body. Locked together, they flew back down Geary Street. The concrete beneath them ripped up in a tide as they did. Max halted their momentum and set them on the ground. Gritting his teeth, he reached up both hands and placed them on either side of Daniel’s temples, and with this closer connection he was able to see further. He saw Zatera working through Trey at the base of the forming tower. Zatera was trying to regain control, but with the direct connection Max now had, Max was able to hold Zatera’s attempts at bay for the time being.

  Max peered through the closing window into that realm, where he saw Daniel drifting even farther away. Daniel! he yelled into the infinite void.

  Daniel barely responded.

  It was as though Max was trying to shout at someone standing a mile away on a beach, the wind carrying his voice across the ocean. He tried again, this time screaming. Slowly, Daniel turned his head and looked out at Max through the closing portal. He nodded lethargically, as though he were immersed in a thick liquid.

  I’m sorry…Max, Daniel said. I know what you’re trying to do. The words came slowly, as though he were falling asleep. Max knew what that meant, and he winced. But I can’t help you. I wish I could. I know you’re going to need it. Daniel paused and turned back to the endless bank of bubbling clouds, reflecting on his words. I can see what Zatera’s planning now. I can see into his terrible mind. Slowly, Daniel turned back to Max, giving him one last glance as the window closed. Jane is the only way Max. You cannot stop him!

  Max’s eyes widened as Daniel drifted out of the sight of his mind. Momentarily distracted, he didn’t notice Zatera resume full control over Daniel’s body—much more forcefully this time. Zatera was now in total command of Daniel’s mind and powerful psychic abilities—reaching out across the continent, and transferring even more power to him through the psychic link.

  Reacting on instinct, Max raised both hands at the exact same time Zatera did. An explosion of light erupted where their palms met, and they were both flung backwards. This time, Daniel’s body crashed into the wall at the corner of the same building Max had previously impacted and was thrown onto the road beyond the corner of the street. The remainder of the wall collapsed, and as the rock cra
shed onto the ground, a plume of dust rose and spread across the street, billowing outward into the junction.

  Max had been knocked from his feet and thrown across the square. This time, though, as he placed his palms behind him, he was able to steady himself and halt his dangerous, rapid ascent. He remained in the air, levitating, scanning…watching. He wasn’t sure what to do. He had failed. The link was broken, and Daniel’s essence was now beyond his reach, sealed in a different plane of existence.

  Do you feel no remorse for this? Max asked, his voice calm.

  At first, there was no response. Max watched calmly as Daniel’s frame slowly emerged from the plumes of dust, appearing at first like a shadow, then walking toward him at a casual pace. Max continued watching as the Zatera, now in full control of Daniel’s body, became visible through the drifting clouds of grime. Max glared at him as he raised his palms to his sides and levitated off the ground. When Daniel’s body had risen through the plume and come into full view, his hands fell back limply to his sides.

  As Zatera faced him, the light from his eyes disappeared completely, as though it had been sucked through a vacuum. Now Max looked directly into them and saw that behind them was the knowledge and experience of millennia—similar in depth and scope to the knowledge Max had gained through his many centuries of existence, but tainted by the dark path he had taken.

  No. I don’t, Zatera responded. You should know that by now. I’m beyond remorse. I’m beyond empathy. I believe the word this planet has for such a being as me is sociopath. He paused and, slowly, a lopsided grin spread across his face. Or perhaps, more to the point, psychopath.

  I’ll die to stop you, if that’s what it takes. That tower you’re building is already disturbing this planet’s social equilibrium—not to mention the disturbances that will occur on the psychic plane once it’s created. That is, if—

  If?

  Max’s eyes grew wide as an emotion he rarely experienced caused blood to pump through his veins: rage. The minor wounds he had purposely neglected to heal now throbbed with new pain. Once it’s fulfilled its purpose, what do you suppose will happen to Earth?

  I have no concern for this…little world, or for its small star. What happens when I’m finished is completely immaterial to me. Max watched as Zatera turned and sighed. We could talk on this subject in this primitive language for decades, but I really need this body. It’s capable of channeling vast amounts of psionic energy. Why don’t I create a distraction for you instead of all this…what’s the word? Mumbling?

  As soon as Zatera had finished speaking, he waved his left arm upward and to the side. The clouds of smoke and dust around him cleared, easily dispersed by his power as though blown by a freak gust of wind. Max watched with growing concern as Zatera raised his hands out to his sides, palms facing upward.

  What are you doing? Max asked, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. In the distance, he could feel a disturbance, but he had no idea what it was.

  Well, let’s just say some of the people in this city are about to get wet.

  Max narrowed his focus. Pushing harder than he ever had in his existence, he gazed into Zatera’s mind. He saw someone look up at him. It was a young teenager named Elliot, and he was making his way through the streets of New York City. As hard as Max tried, though, he couldn’t see the young man’s intent. As Zatera fought for control over his thoughts, this image was ripped away from Max. In a brief flash, Max once again saw Zatera—in control of Trey’s body—standing at the center of the rapidly growing tower, the circular perimeter of which had already reached a height of two hundred feet.

  Max pushed again, harder this time. Now he was looking down on a body of water. A torrent was erupting from the surface, where the liquid bubbled and churned from underneath. After a second, a tendril with a diameter of about fifteen feet took shape and rose. Squinting, Max focused and tried to see what else was in the vicinity. Just to the right of the rising water, he saw what he knew now was the Golden Gate Bridge. It was filled with vehicles, their automated systems desperately attempting to vacate civilians from the city. The first tendril rose quickly and reached its way across the top of the structure, curving down toward the bay at the other side. Max watched in growing horror as, all along the sides of the bridge, other pools of water began opening. From these, more columns of water rose like snakes.

  “Why are you doing this?” Max yelled.

  “I need to test their limits. This body, and one other. And to do that, I need you to get out of my way.” Zatera grinned at him mockingly. “You better get moving, Max. A whole lot of people are about to die.” Daniel’s palms now glowed with tremendous light, and his eyes flared, illuminating the square around them. You’re really going to have to hurry if you want to do something about this, Max.

  Max knew he had two choices: risk another fight with Zatera here and now, or try to stop the water from obliterating the cars and perhaps even destroying the bridge. Of course, he chose the latter. With one more fretful glance at Daniel, Max took to the air, quickly rising over the buildings and then dashing toward the bridge.

  ***

  Frank had not yet been able to hack the vehicle’s security systems, and Nathan was now halfway across the bridge, which was filled with cars. He looked from one window to another, but saw nothing other than the sides of the vehicles that surrounded his own. A new knot had formed in his stomach, for, on some level, he was sensing a new danger he couldn’t comprehend. Nathan tried the handle one more time, pulling at it desperately, but the door was sealed shut. He gritted his teeth, braced his right fist with his left palm, lifted his elbow, and slammed it into the window. A surge of pain shot up his arm as the frame merely bounced back. He yelped.

  “Frank,” Nathan yelled as he cradled his elbow, “why on Earth can’t I open these doors?”

  “Apparently, in certain states of emergency, ones that were seemingly added after we provided the programming, these cars can seal occupants inside until they are out of harm’s way. I’m reading the code now.”

  For a moment, Nathan had looked away from the holographic display and glanced all around him at the filled cars, where many other people had become resigned to their predicament and appeared to be mostly at ease. However, Nathan detected some curiosity in the tone of Frank’s reply, and it caused him to jerk back toward the holographic display in front of him. “What is it?” he asked.

  “There’s something about psionic activity in here,” Frank said as he leaned toward the monitors. “This has something to do with psionic events of…enormous magnitude. It looks like some government entity has been preparing for and expecting something like this to happen. But occupation in the vehicle is still always supposed to be optional; this was something that was supposed to be inviolable.”

  “Well, they obviously put something new in the code.” Nathan gritted his teeth in anger and astonishment. “Look, forget that for now. What this basically means is that all this is being caused by an Ethereal?”

  Nathan watched as Frank leaned to the right to check a separate monitor. “New reports are coming in now. There’s chatter about a psionic on the internet. Photos are showing up from Union Square. My God, Nate…the place looks like it’s been half destroyed.”

  “But that’s not possible. I felt the ground trembling. Ethereals can’t make the ground shake, Frank; they’re not powerful enough.”

  “I’m trying to pull video feed from the cameras at Union Square, but I’m being blocked. It’s like there’s an army of techs on the other end rerouting the footage. Most of the civilians ran, so only a few photos surfaced. It looks like someone’s trying to pull them from the Internet, too.”

  “What’s the subject of the chatter?”

  Frank turned back to his brother. “They’re saying two psionics were fighting at Union Square, tearing the place up.”

  Nathan leaned forward. “Frank, I told you! Carly’s on Bush Street.”

  Frank tu
rned back to his terminal. “I’ve almost got it, Nate,” he said. “Hold on just a few more seconds.”

  Nathan took a breath. On the right, just beyond the bridge, a shadow was growing. Initially, Nathan ignored it. He worked his phone, seeking the information to which Frank had referred, but nothing showed up in his news feed. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Nathan detected movement outside the window on his left. When the shadow became too obvious to ignore, he turned and looked out. He needed a moment to understand what he was seeing, but then he leaned over and pressed his hands against the glass. Nathan’s jaw gaped open in astonishment at what had appeared in the bay.

  A massive, snake-like tendril of water was rising into the air, fifty feet from the left side of the bridge. It swayed from one side to the other as some unknown power held it together. It was twenty feet wide at the height of the bridge, but as it rose upward, its diameter increased in size. Nathan watched as the tendril rose. Now, as it reached the height of the thick, main cables that ran across the bridge, it ascended above them and began tracing its way across the structure. After a few more moments, the end of the tendril had reached the top and begun to descend, leaving a dark, slithering shadow moving over a large section below.

  Nathan turned around to follow its trajectory through the back window. Now he glanced at the other vehicles and saw people reacting with alarm. All around him was movement. A woman in the car directly to his right pulled on the door handle, trying desperately to get out. Other people were shouting at the AI systems in their cars. One man was yelling so loud, flecks of spit flew from his mouth.

  Beyond fear now, Nathan turned back around to the holographic display of his brother. “You were right, Frank. It is a psionic—of some kind, anyway.”

  “OK,” Frank said. “The hack is complete. Systems should be back online…now.”

  Nathan glanced up as the light above the dashboard changed from red to green.