Riptide: Book Three of the Atlas Link Series

by Jessica Gunn

  She crossed the room to grab a bandage from the first aid kit hanging near the door. “Here,” she said, “wrap your hand in that for the trip.”

  “Okay, thanks,” I said. She helped me wrap the rag around my palm. “Sorry, Christa. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  She shrugged, her blonde locks falling from her shoulder. She’d worn it down tonight, something I’d never seen her do before. Maybe the late nights were taking their toll on all of us. “Normal part of the SeaSat5 experience, right?”

  I smirked. “Pretty much.”

  Trevor remained silent, in words and in thoughts. I flashed him a look on my way out the door to assure him I’d be fine, even if he hadn’t voiced his concern. I knew he was worried—or anxious and mad—but I’d be fine.

  I always was.

  6

  Trevor

  My eyes drooped shut during the entire Lift ride back to my quarters. I wanted to radio Chelsea and ask how her hand was, or even go visit, but I didn’t want to wake her up. It was also my fault. If I’d handed her the damn screwdriver, this wouldn’t have happened. I’d forgotten about her telekinesis and that her emotions drove her abilities until she gained control.

  Stupid. I had first-hand experience with helping Chelsea learn her powers. I’d known better, had to do better.

  I’d only slept for four hours after shuffling into my quarters when I was woken by heat searing the inside of my room. Sweat drenched my body as I shot up from the bed. A bright flash of red zipped across the room, heralding a shower of fiery lights—a Lemurian teleport—before all of it went black, no light in the room save for my alarm clock and computer screen. The blue light bounced off a small form on the far side of my room, smoke tendrils rising around them. The scent of burning sifted through the space between us.

  “Hello?” said a voice from the darkness, definitely female and clearly familiar. Abby, my older cousin. But she should be in a psych home right now, not on SeaSat5.

  “Abby?” I asked the blackness of my room. “What are you doing here?”

  “Trevor?” Her voice trembled with fear.

  How was she here? She’s never had powers; she couldn’t teleport. How’d she even get through the shield? Wait. I tapped the tablet on my bedside table, which currently showed a constant feed that monitored the integrity of my shield system. A yellow square flashed on the screen, a glitch. I double-tapped on the square and shot off a quick email to the engineering night staff so they could fix it.

  I rolled out of bed and fumbled for a light switch. The tips of my fingers stumbled over it and light illuminated the room. Abby stood in the middle wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Her eyes were wide with confused terror, but something black smudged her cheeks, like charcoal from a grill. I looked her up and down, searching for any remaining source of the fire, and found nothing.

  She made a noise high in her throat and rushed to my side. I was too confused to do anything other than wrap her in my arms.

  “Trevor, what’s happening? Where are we?” Her body shook, her skin warm. Incredibly warm.

  I let go of her and moved to the temperature control panel on my wall, turning down the heat. “We’re on SeaSatellite5. It’s a U.S. Navy vessel. I work here.”

  “I-I don’t understand…” she stammered. “One day everything’s fine, then the next there’s fires and I’m crushing things I don’t mean to, and now—how did I get here? I thought about you—painting more firefly pictures—and t-then—” A hiccup cut her off.

  I walked back to her and held her shoulders. Despite shivering from cold or shock, her skin was still so unnaturally warm. “Were you in a fire?” It sounded crazy, but that was all I could think of happening. In all the times I’d teleported with Valerie over the past few months, she’d never been warm. Ever. But what did I really know about Lemurian powers? I’d never had any.

  Abby shook her head. “No. Yes. I don’t know. I got frustrated with the fireflies. They weren’t moving like they should have, and then…” She paused, her eyebrows scrunching before she pointed with her finger, her eyes wide. “Like that! Oh god, Trevor!”

  The smell of burning fabric wafted through the air, scratching at my nose. I followed her gaze to my bed, which had suddenly erupted in flames. Black smoke rose from the pillows and blankets, billowing toward the ceiling and air vent.

  “Holy shit!” I stepped in front of Abby and pushed her back toward the door to my quarters. “Get out, Abby. Out the door, now!”

  She wailed and swayed sideways. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

  I reached behind her and pushed open the door, guiding her into the hallway before racing to the end of the corridor to a fire extinguisher. Smashing the glass case surrounding it, I knocked the rest of it clear, tore the red cylinder off the wall, and sprinted back to my quarters. I pulled the pin and aimed as foam gushed forward. The flames grew and spiraled upward in glorious defiance.

  The extinguisher couldn’t compete with the fire.

  Chelsea. Chelsea wake up!

  Sophia was only a phone call away, but Chelsea was closer, and this fire was not going out. I needed water—stat. Way more than the sprinkler system would give with Abby’s confused, terrified emotions driving them.

  Chelsea, help! Teleport to me, dammit!

  The fire alarms finally shrieked like they couldn’t discern until right now when my room was as good as Hell that a fire was brewing. Sprinklers came to life, but they were barely enough to make steam rise, let alone douse Lemurian power-fueled flames.

  How had I never noticed Valerie’s powers like this when we were kids? Or had she always had full control of them?

  Wave after wave of foam gushed from the extinguisher and still the flames swelled, overwhelming my quarters, nearing my computer. Panic spiked an adrenaline rush that bolstered my courage. I could run in and grab my computer if I was quick. I didn’t have many valuables other than civilian clothes, but my computer sure as hell was one of them. Even though I had a backup of everything down in Engineering, this was my computer. The one I’d made both Mega Rush games on. The one I’d first watched Chelsea board SeaSat5 from.

  The flames danced on despite my attachment to inanimate objects.

  Screw this.

  I moved toward the entrance to the room, but a waterfall of blue lights stopped me dead in my tracks. Chelsea emerged from the cascade in nothing but a tight tank top, super short shorts, and a bandage around her injured hand. She didn’t even have socks on.

  “Jesus, Trevor,” she exclaimed, “where’s the damn—fire!”

  “Right there, actually,” I hissed.

  “How?” she asked, grabbing the extinguisher from my hands and quickly assessing what I already knew about its effectiveness. Her gaze hopped from the fire to me, then landed on Abby, and though she’d never met her, didn’t even know who she was, her eyes narrowed with the truth. Abby was not only Lemurian, she had powers. Something even I hadn’t known until two minutes ago.

  “Who—” Chelsea started to ask.

  I shook my head. “Later. Water now please.”

  Chelsea walked into the flames. “Be right back.”

  I followed her into my room. Heavy footfalls echoed down the metal-coated hall—people either coming to extinguish the fire or simply watch as it burned. Chelsea drew water out of the air, winding it up into a wave big enough to douse the flames, but it wasn’t enough. Some of the blaze fizzled out while more flames slipped away, spreading.

  “I need more water,” Chelsea shouted. “Or for her to calm down. Whatever’s quicker. The fire system can’t handle her Lemurian rage.”

  “What’s going on?” Freddy asked as he joined the commotion. “Shit!”

  I spun on Abby and placed my hand on her shoulder. “You need to calm down. Please.”

  Her wild eyes focused on the flames. “Trevor, I—”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “You’re safe. I know this is crazy and these powers are scary, but I swear you’re going to
be all right. Please put out the fire.”

  She hesitated, a whimper escaping her. “I don’t know how.” Hearing the feeble phrase from my older cousin sent a chill of uneasiness through me. She was supposed to protect me from this insane time-travel world, not the other way around.

  Chelsea ran out of my room and took Freddy by the arm. “Come with me.”

  Freddy didn’t have any time to argue before they disappeared in a wave of cobalt. Long moments later they returned, each with two containers of water in-hand. Chelsea pulled up hydra-tendrils of water from the buckets and threw them on the flames. With more liquid available, and Freddy’s work with the extinguisher, we finally stomped out the fire. Abby had calmed down—or at least she’d stopped shaking and no more fires had started—but she’d backed up against the wall.

  Chelsea looked her over, then turned to me. “That was some ridiculous shit, Trevor. What’s going on?”

  “I think that’s my question to ask,” Captain Marks said as he jogged onto the scene. Someone must have called him when the fire alarms didn’t go off right away. Freddy stood at attention beside him. “Is the fire out?”

  “Yes sir,” I said with a nod. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t—”

  His gaze found Abby behind me. “Who’s this?”

  That’s what I’d like to know, Chelsea thought. Not that we’re pissed with them anymore, but why did you have a Lemurian in your room?

  “This is Abby,” I said, ignoring Chelsea. “She’s my cousin.”

  Understanding flashed across Chelsea’s eyes. I’d told her about Abby years ago, after Valerie had let it slip that maybe Chelsea might turn into Abby one day. That she’d be so overwhelmed by the war that she’d go crazy.

  “And why is she here?” asked Captain Marks.

  “More like why didn’t you tell us she had powers,” Chelsea interrupted. “Is that why Valerie has been visiting her? Was she coaching her?”

  Abby shook her head in quick movements. “Valerie doesn’t know. No one knows. I didn’t know.”

  “She didn’t have abilities before,” I cut in. “Not every Lemurian does.” Obviously. I didn’t have any, and so far, I’d shown no signs of ever getting them. Why, then, did Abby suddenly have the power to wield fire?

  “Call Dr. Gordon,” Captain Marks ordered Freddy. “We’ll bring her there.”

  Chelsea said something that Captain Marks responded to, and everyone started talking over one another. I zoned it out as Abby’s eyes took on a panicked shade of fear, wide and wild.

  She shook her head again, mumbling, “No, no, no,” under her breath, her eyes trained on Chelsea.

  “Abby, what’s wrong?” I asked her as the others continued, not noticing the change.

  Abby lifted a pale, shaky finger in Chelsea’s direction. “She’s one of them.”

  “One of who?” I asked although I feared I already knew the answer. Valerie had been right all along.

  “Them,” Abby hissed. “She wasn’t there, but she’s—she’s the same as the people who made the demons come.”

  “Chelsea is Atlantean, yes, but she’s not evil. She didn’t do those things to you.”

  Abby gulped, her fists balling. Her chest rose and fell in quick, heavy breaths. I prayed to any gods out there that she’d calm down before she started more fires.

  “Come on,” I said as I grabbed her arm. “Let’s go to the Infirmary and get you checked out. Everything’s going to be okay.” I led her away. As I passed by Chelsea and the captain, I said, “I didn’t know about her powers—they could have developed recently, I’m not sure. But she’s not a threat.”

  Captain Marks stepped in behind me. “I’ll accompany you.”

  I nodded. “I’ll clean up my quarters, too, don’t worry.”

  “You mean what’s left of it,” Chelsea muttered, eyes on the charred remains. I’d lost a lot in there, but it didn’t matter as long as Abby was safe. Why’d she come to me? Why not go to Valerie, someone who had powers and who’d better help her?

  Because Valerie was missing, again. Or she’d fallen so deep in it that there was no way out.

  “Yeah,” I said, voice low. “I’ll clean up what’s left.”

  7

  Chelsea

  Talk about a long morning. I’d only gotten four hours of sleep when Trevor’s alarm-clock-thoughts had woken me up. Good thing he did, too, or the whole deck might have burned down.

  I knew he had a cousin, and that she was in a mental facility because of something involving Atlantean super soldiers, but Trevor had never mentioned anything about powers. Guess he really hadn’t known.

  When I’d first discovered my powers, I’d been a mess. Hell, I was still a mess with this whole telekinesis thing. But water was less destructive—at least initially—than fire. Water didn’t burn, didn’t destroy, and didn’t char. It flowed and eroded and that was basically it.

  Fire was so much more explosive.

  Abby was in good hands with Dr. Gordon, and I wanted to help her too, but I got the feeling it’d be better if I steered clear. Even if Dr. Gordon was also Atlantean, she wasn’t a super soldier. She wasn’t of the same breed that had captured and tortured Abby for information she didn’t have. I couldn’t blame her for hating me, even if the hate was misplaced.

  So instead, I went back to my quarters and showered before heading to an early breakfast. My new archaeology team—Dr. Aaron Michaels and Dr. Patricia Newton—tended to arrive way before I did, which had been both embarrassing and inconvenient. By the time I’d get into work and situated they’d have already started on the artifact list for the day. I’d cataloged everything on board SeaSat5 with Dr. Connor Hill—TAO’s archaeologist—two years ago, but the artifacts and artworks hadn’t been given more than a cursory glance. We simply hadn’t had the time.

  Now, we’ve spent weeks going over artifacts and art pieces one at a time, identifying and logging them to determine whether or not we had any more Link Pieces. SeaSat5 was also due to dock near the Atlantean outpost again, although there’d been some debate about the safety of doing so. Now that we knew Atlantis was the bad guy, and now that we’d taken SeaSat5 back from them, going to their outpost with the station seemed like a pretty bad idea.

  Maybe I could take my team over there without the station, just to show them. They’d seen the pictures and videos taken at the site. But nothing beat actually being there.

  I swiped my keycard at the door outside the newly created Archaeology Department, coffee in-hand, and found myself here alone and early for once. What would the doctors think? Probably that they were immeasurably late. I grinned. Could be funny.

  I grabbed gloves and the next artifact from the master list—an impressionist painting Link Piece—and examined it. A hazy blue encased the artwork, shimmering in a mirage. The telltale sign of a Link Piece. The painting somehow connected to the United States in the 1960s. The longer I held the painting, the looser the connection got. As the seconds ticked by, the blue haze weakened and almost dropped.

  Weird. I set the painting down on my desk. I’d investigate that later and noted so on the piece’s file.

  Only a half hour had passed by when the doctors showed up. Patricia and Aaron seemed to always travel in a pair. Not in a romantic way, but like they were scared they’d get lost in the halls or amongst the waves of the other scientists aboard SeaSat5. I remembered feeling that way for the first few weeks and made a mental note to ease their anxiety as the day went on.

  “Good morning,” they said in unison.

  Okay, definitely need to get these guys some friends outside of each other.

  “Morning,” I said, smiling. “Hope you guys are ready for a full day of early-Roman-era artifacts.” The impressionist painting had been the only exception to that.

  I wanted so badly to get these Link Pieces out of SeaSat5’s storage and into TAO’s possession as soon as possible. They were much safer there, as far away from this Link Piece—SeaSat5 itself—as possible. The s
tation was one giant pawn waiting to be taken.

  Patricia’s face lit up. Roman-era anything was her specialty. “Sounds good to me. I’ve been waiting to dive in on those since day one.”

  Aaron chuckled and took a seat at his desk, setting down his coffee. “It’s been fun trying to keep her away from them. Kid in a candy store is, I believe, the right phrase.”

  I grinned. Man, these were so my people. “Let’s get to work then. I have something special planned for you two later on today. I just have to get permission.”

  Their eyes narrowed. Patricia asked, “Permission for what?”

  I shrugged, a grin sliding across my face. “To see the Sargasso Sea outpost.”

  It was late afternoon when I finally received permission from the Captain to take my team to the outpost. While it wasn’t necessarily the safest place on the planet, given the cache that used to exist there and SeaSat5’s ties to it, Valerie had lived there for months without incident. And the Navy vessels outside and above it hadn’t reported suspicious activity in a good long while. For a short trip, we should be okay.

  Despite the danger, I thought it important for the doctors to not only see the context of the find, the way the artifacts had been found years ago, but also that it might help them understand the weight of what we were doing. Some of the artifacts still rested here, so they’d get to examine those as well. Only a handful were Link Pieces, left because of their relative uselessness to the search for SeaSat5.

  Cataloging the Sargasso Sea cache wasn’t like running the same project out of Rome or Greece. Over a quarter of the artifacts in this cache had been identified as Link Pieces and the rest were utterly invaluable to our understanding of not only the ancient world but of human history. The artifacts stored in the outpost were as old as the Stone Age and as new as the 1800s, to our surprise. Turns out the Atlanteans got around the timeline a bit more than we ever assumed.