by Jacob Whaler
The bottom drops out, and she goes into freefall.
CHAPTER 45
Matt tries to remember.
A name, a face, anything. Was there ever a time when he did not float in the semi-liquid sea? Probably. But he can’t be sure. His gut tells him the answer is yes. There must be more to his existence than what he can see and feel.
He searches for a change or variation, some clue to who or what or where he is. But all he sees is a general pinkish glow. No smells. No taste. No sound.
Almost complete sensory deprivation.
A wave of sleep gently rolls over him, and his eyes close.
It explodes his reality.
The pinkish glow is gone, replaced by darkness. The shock wakes him up, and he opens his eyes.
The world lights up. The pink glow rushes in, causing him to make a discovery. His eyes blink open and shut, and the world goes from dark to light. He plays with it, relishing the control it gives him.
Another new sensation comes like a bolt out of the blue. Something touches him, drawing his eyes to it. He sees it.
Five fingers.
They float down and brushes against a leg.
His hand. His leg.
All of this comes as a new revelation. Soon, both his hands are moving over his own body, exploring, cataloging.
Remembering.
He has a body. Hair. A nose. Teeth.
Reaching his fingers to the back of his mouth, his stomach muscles tighten. Warm fluid bubbles up his throat and pours out over his tongue, its bitter taste a sharp contrast to the tasteless world engulfing him.
He spits the watery green liquid out of his mouth. It pools in front of him. Stirring it with his hand, he watches it float away.
The motion gives him an idea.
Moving his own arms and legs, he discovers that he can glide through the liquid. It flows past his face and body. The movement triggers a fragment of a memory.
He’s falling into a churning, white surface and gets pulled under, into darkness. With the memory in mind, his arms and legs flail until they hit a hard surface. He stops and explores it with the palm of his hand, following it in a circle.
It gives him pleasure to move through the liquid, running his hands along the smooth surface. But then it raises a question in his mind.
What is on the other side of the surface?
Leaning in close, he presses his forehead against it and squints his eyes, trying to see into it or through it. Vague shapes appear off in the distance, some blue and others green. He wants to get closer to the shapes, to explore them with his hands, to understand what they are.
But the smooth inner surface holds him back.
Without understanding why, both hands bend into fists and start to bang against the glass. Over and over he hits the side until the sound of his fists registers like a drum in his ears. Bringing his head close to the glass once again, he bumps it gently, and then with more and more force, exulting in the vibrations it sends through his body and the adrenaline rush that comes with it.
His senses now awakened, he swims through the tank, looking for a way out.
CHAPTER 46
After the initial rush of falling into darkness, Jessica tries to remember what Eva told her.
Don’t let your arms separate from your body. Arch your back.
Don’t look down.
That last instruction was meaningless. Jessica has no idea which way is down.
She stops counting after five long seconds of freefall through the black void and closes her eyes.
Impact with the water, when it finally comes, is a surprise. She goes in deep. The strap of the pulse rifle pulls hard against her chest, squeezing out the air left in her lungs. When her body slows its descent, she lifts her arms up and claws her way to the surface. But the water works against her, sweeping her to the side and pulling her deeper into the darkness.
Take a big gulp of air on the way down.
That hadn’t been part of Eva’s instructions, but Jessica wishes it had. Without a light, it’s impossible to judge how deep she might be. But without air, nothing else matters.
She makes an attempt at swimming against the current, and then, sensing the resistance, gives up, turns her body and swims in the opposite direction, with the current. Her arms and legs shoot out like a frog’s and pull back in, close to her body.
Her mind screams for air, and she is soon spent, utterly exhausted. Her body goes limp, but her mind races.
Where is Eva?
Saturated in darkness and cold, she no longer has the strength to keep her eyes open.
Just As they drop shut, a light appears. And then another. Strong arms grab her body on each side and pull her through the water. A soft cup goes over her face, sealing against her skin from her forehead to her chin. Something warm blows against her lips. She opens her mouth, taking the air in by gulps until she is light-headed.
A garbled voice plays against her ears. “Slow down. Breathe easy. Don’t hyperventilate.”
Her eyes open, and two beams of light sweep past a dark shadow that looks like a massive manta ray. She scans from side to side and identifies two men, one on each side, pulling her toward the dark form.
Twenty meters ahead, two other men guide Eva up into the belly of the shadow.
Pulling the warm air into her lungs, Jessica swims with the men until they come to the underside of what now appears to be a waiting submersible. A large hole opens up, and the men push her through it. She enters and ascends up a short tube. At last, her face breaks through the surface. Hands pull her out, laying her on the floor next to Eva.
Someone pulls the mask off her face.
The smell of human sweat is overpowering.
Eva turns to her with a weak smile. “Glad you made it. I had my worries about whether you would.” Her face turns up to the men standing. “As soon as Kane and Dallas are out, let’s go.”
The first of the two men that helped Jessica comes out of the water.
“Saw some lights back in the cave,” he says. “They’re coming this way. Fast.”
“Where’s Kane?” Eva says.
One of the men that pulled Jessica from the water points down the diving tube. “Should be right behind me.”
An explosion rocks the ship from below. All of them crowd the edge of the diving lock and look into the water. A man’s face stares up at them. The lower half of his body is gone except for hanging shreds of skin, tendons and muscle. He reaches a hand up in desperation, but another explosion and a flash of light catches him in the chest. Blood and water burst up through the tube and out of the opening.
A man next to Jessica jumps up and slams the palm of his hand against a large red button on the wall. The diving lock seals shut like an articulated camera eye, and the ship lurches forward.
“Poor Kane,” one of the men says.
Two more explosions rock the ship, one overhead and one squarely in the side.
Jessica freezes.
“Don’t worry.” Eva reaches out to steady Jessica, grabs the lowest rung of a ladder welded to the wall and pulls herself to her feet. “Carbonite armor is stronger than shoulder cannons.” She climbs up the ladder through an open hatch overhead, her voice trailing behind. “Go deep. Before they can lock on our position from the air.”
Air bleeds from a nearby valve. Pain presses on Jessica’s ears, and she swallows a couple of times to equalize the pressure.
Eva’s voice drops through the hatch. “Come with me.”
Jessica grabs the ladder, pulls herself to her feet and crawls up.
CHAPTER 47
“What do you think?” Jhata points at the interior of the blue dome.
Leo stares in amazement at the countless specks of light suspended in the darkness like diamonds. As his eyes grow accustomed to the view, he begins to notice the variation in size and color. Some of the stars burn white hot. Others are larger and red. Others blue.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautif
ul.” Yarah flies past him, running through the interior of the dome with her arms outstretched, making noises like an air transport. As she runs, she opens her mouth like a shark and pretends to swallow stars and planets, squealing with joy.
The beauty of the scene pulls him forward. He moves among the stars, walking between them and through them. Focusing on a white dot hanging not far from his face, he brings his hand up close to it and tries to nudge it. But it remains motionless, burning brightly, passing right through the flesh of his palm. Leaning in close, he studies it.
Tiny flecks of brown and blue drift in the dark a centimeter away from it.
“Planets.” Jhata looks over his shoulder. “That’s the Oxzelian System. The core of the brown planet is solid platinum. I have an active mining operation going on there to decorate my palaces.” She stretches out her finger and touches the brown dot. It immediately expands out so the planet is the size of a bowling ball. “Of course, distances between stars and planets inside the dome are not to scale. But it’s a convenient way to keep track of my kingdom.”
“Your kingdom?”
“That’s right.” Jhata sweeps her gaze through the interior of the dome. “All of this is mine.” As she turns, she throws her head back and curls her upper lip.
Sparks of fear shoot up Leo’s spine.
“What about Earth?”
“Your home planet. What about it?”
Leo takes a step back. “Is it part of your kingdom too?”
“Not yet.” Jhata speaks without hesitation. “What a silly question.” Her hand reaches out to touch Leo on the cheek.
He tries to hold still, but his body instinctively moves back against his will, away from Jhata. Another cold chill tingles his spine. His gaze returns to the brown planet floating in the darkness a few feet away.
“Will it be?” He speaks without looking up. “Someday?”
“Why do you ask?” Jhata says.
“There’s someone else I know that’s trying to keep it for himself.”
“Ryzaard?”
Leo’s glance shoots up to Jhata’s face. “He wants to make everyone his slave, after he collects all the Stones.”
She smiles. “A very cunning man. I met him, briefly.”
He backs away, eyes narrowing. “Then you have seen Earth. You know where it is. What it’s like.” His glance drops to the Stones lining her waist. “You’re not just a fairy godmother, are you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Jhata presses her palms together in the center of her chest. “But I can see that you’re scared. There’s no reason to fear me. In fact, I’d like to help you. Give you what you want. What you really want.” She turns and starts to walk through the interior of the dome, past innumerable stars.
A glance over her shoulder tells Leo that he is to follow. He stays a few paces behind.
“That’s why I brought you here,” Jhata says. “To show you what I have done. What you could do, if you want it.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said you wanted your own planet, like Yarah and Matt.”
“Yes, but—”
“As you can see, planets are a dime a dozen. Planets are nothing. How would you like your own star system? Your own galaxy? Thousands of worlds. Or more.”
Leo says nothing. Fear gathers in his chest, causing the muscles to tighten. He remembers what Matt taught him and tries to relax by focusing on a star hanging in front of his eyes and breathing in slowly, sensing the air flow into his lungs, imagining it moving out through his body.
Jhata walks on in silence, her voice trailing back into Leo’s ears.
“That’s good,” she says. “Let the fear drain away.”
“I’m not afraid.” Leo looks up from the star he’d been watching and walks closer to Jhata.
“And you’re not a good liar, either,” she says. “I sense your fear as clearly as I see you standing there. Let me tell you what you’re afraid of.” Jhata’s delicate hand moves out and cups a binary star system that hangs a few inches from her eyes.
Leo stares as Jhata speaks to him, afraid of betraying his true thoughts.
“You’ve helped people all your life. You have a gift for empathy. That’s why you’re such a good healer.” Jhata bends close to the two stars floating above her palm. “You believe in a fundamental right and wrong in the universe.”
“Don’t you?” Leo slowly lifts his head.
“Your belief is a flaw. It leads to fear, fear of doing wrong, fear of hurting people, fear of making a mistake. Fear leads to weakness. And weakness is one step away from death.”
“You’re saying that there’s no right and wrong? But how—”
Jhata lifts her hand to stop Leo. “Right and wrong exist. Most definitely. I’ll show it to you. Then you will understand. Come closer.”
Leo walks to Jhata. Fear floods his chest. He sees Yarah moving among the stars at the far end of the dome.
“Take a look at this binary star system. I acquired it many years ago from another Stone Holder, but I’ve never had time for a personal visit.”
Leo bends in close. Two stars hover above Jhata’s palm. Tiny flecks of purple, blue and red float nearby.
“I have absolute power over this system and the billions of intelligent life forms that inhabit these planets.” She bends close to the dual stars and extends two fingers to touch them. “I have decided that, for personal reasons, it is right to cause these stars to go super-nova. You might say it suits my fancy at the moment.”
Leo’s eyes open wide. “But you’ll kill all life on the planets within the system.”
“Like I said, I have decided that it is right to do so.”
“You can’t be serious.” He moves forward. “Why murder billions of people on a whim?”
“Because it is the right thing to do.” Jhata drops the tips of two fingers.
“No!” Leo lunges and grabs Jhata’s arm, trying to raise it up and away. “Don’t do it.” But it’s impossible to budge her hand, as hard as a rock. Dropping to his knees, Leo looks into Jhata’s eyes. “I beg you. Billions of innocent people. Men and women. Little children.”
Jhata looks on Leo, pity in her eyes. “I’m sorry you don’t understand.” Her fingers drop to the stars, brushing their surface.
On making contact with Jhata’s fingers, the bright dots start to change color, turning deep red and slowly collapsing on themselves until the stars disappear from view.
Leo stares, unable to move.
Minutes pass. Two tiny flashes of light form a ring and expand outward.
“Let’s have a better view.” Jhata waves her hand near Leo’s face. The entire system expands in size before Leo’s eyes until he can see it clearly.
Reaching out with both hands, Leo cups one of the planets that resembles a blue marble in his palms. It’s got white at the top and bottom, showing polar icecaps. Brown continents span the northern and southern hemispheres with splotches of equatorial green in the middle. Wisps of clouds swirl over vast oceans. On the night side of the marble facing away from the dual suns, dots of intense yellow mark cities where land and water meet.
It’s incredibly alive.
So much like Earth.
“Please.” Lines of tears stretch from the corners of Leo’s eyes to his chin, and he shakes his head from side to side. “You can stop it. You have the power. There’s so much life, so much to live for. You don’t have to do this. I understand what you’re trying to say. You don’t have to show me. Just stop it.”
“I don’t think you do understand, Leo. I don’t think anyone understands. That’s why I have to do this.” Jhata steps away, her face devoid of emotion, and turns her back. “If you had the power, you could stop me. You could decide what is right. But you don’t. That’s what I want you to understand. Power is everything.”
As Leo stares, the minutes tick by and the small ring of fire flattens out and nears the planet whose inhabitants will have no warning. He tries in vain to sh
ield it with his hands, to hold back the impending destruction. Closing his eyes, he goes into his Stone to unlock its power, but finds it cold and dead. The fire of the expanding ring passes through his fingers without slowing.
“No!” Leo yells.
The edge of the ring gently kisses the outer rim of the planet. Its light blue atmosphere ignites, turning deep purple, then red, then pink. The oceans flash white. Billions of cubic miles of water instantly turn to steam.
As the leading edge of the supernova engulfs and consumes the planet, Leo notices another inner ring of grey.
The shockwave.
It slams into the planet, opening deep cracks of red in its outer crust, like the surface of a fragile broken egg. For an instant, the planet holds together against the force of the wave, like an armadillo withdrawing into the protection of its own armor. Within seconds, the laws of physics exert their ultimate authority. The planet’s mantle peels away and disintegrates, leaving a bright red core that persists for a few more seconds before fracturing into pieces and vaporizing.
In the darkness, Leo’s eyes reflect the blooming display of horrors taking place between the palms of his hands. He stares until the intense colors fade into nothing more than an expanding pool of gas.
“Beautiful, in its own way. Don’t you think?” Jhata stares over Leo’s shoulder.
“Billions of lives snuffed out. Destruction of civilizations.” Leo stands up and takes a step backward.
“But it was the right thing to do. That’s all that matters.”
“I don’t understand.” Leo’s eyes scan quickly for a door, but there aren’t any. “How can the murder of billions be right?”
Jhata folds her arms. “That’s the whole point. It’s right because I say it’s right.”
“But only God can say such things.”
“Precisely.” Jhata smiles and nods her head. “I’m glad you finally understand.”
“So.” Leo does finally understand what Jhata is saying. “Whatever you do is right because you are . . .” He hesitates before saying the last word.