Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

  *

  “Barsch!”

  There was no response. Barsch hung supported in the pod, frost still coating his arms and legs. On a monitor below the pod, his heart-rate and brainwave activity was shown to be off the charts. He was not dead, but would soon succumb to shock if he could not wake up. The pods had been designed with a failsafe, in case a human ever woke up prematurely, which would open the sealed pod doors and deposit them in a safe area. For some reason, the pod had refused to follow protocol, and now lay shut tight even as Barsch's brainwaves continued to rise.

  “Barsch, can you hear me!” It had been three minutes since Guardian had initiated the lock-down. Three minutes since a frantic Maloch had raced back to the pod and found Kingston and Alza hammering on the glass. Guardian had gone through with his threat of terminating Barsch, and had done so by prematurely waking the injured teen, while simultaneously locking the pod. The shock of waking up immersed in ice had immediately stopped Barsch's heart, but luckily the healing agents in his blood had still been active, leaving him in a half-dead state.

  “I'm sorry Kingston. This is my fault. If I hadn't gone to the Core, Guardian would never have awoken... and Barsch wouldn't have to suffer like this. But do not worry... I will fix my mistake. Alza, Kingston, please stand back.”

  They both turned to look at the repentant re-mech, and then, without questioning, did as he said. Perhaps it had been something in his voice, or maybe they had just seen the honesty in his eyes. The moment they were clear, Maloch raised his new right hand. His fingers were already reconfiguring themselves, as the devastating sonic cannon was revealed to the world once more. It hummed with power, but, instead of the quickening murmur they had come to expect, the weapon gave off a feeble whine.

  “R. Hand weapon activated. Sonic Cannon: Concussive Pitch mode selected. Decibel level climbing... 25... 75... 150... 200. Upper limit reached. Concussive waveform stabilized at highest frequency. Warning, approaching blow-back effect threshold. Supersonic wave collapse may be dangerous to humans and buildings. Please use auditory protective equipment. Beginning firing sequence in three, two, one!”

  Having been blessed with the dual virtues of foresight and experience, Kingston was able to anticipate what would happen next, and was able to pull an unaware Alza to the ground. She struggled against his sudden hold, but quickly caught on. A split-second later, she erected a barrier around them, just in time to see the Sonic Cannon fire. At first, it appeared to have done nothing at all, until Kingston felt his ears pop, and braced for the pressure wave.

  For a brief moment after the Sonic Cannon fired, there was a time of absolute silence, and then the peace exploded in a rush of high-pressured air. Originating from the still-vibrating barrel, the blast blew everything away. Alza and Kingston flew back in surprise, both having underestimated the strength of the shock-wave. Alza, ever a quick-thinker, allowed the barrier to reform around their air-borne bodies, like a cocoon made of liquid-gel. Even Maloch was blown back, his sturdy frame no match for the sudden change in pressure. However, the target of his attack, the glass of Barsch's pod, remained undamaged, with only a minuscule crack appearing at the mid-line.

  A few more seconds passed, with sound gradually -almost tentatively- creeping back into the air. Alza dismissed the barrier and, together with Kingston, went to view the results of Maloch's efforts. Barsch appeared to be unharmed, which Kingston attributed to the glass having absorbed most of the sound-wave, but he was still trapped.

  “I'm sorry Maloch, it was a good idea, but I guess-

  “I am not finished.”

  Standing up, the re-mech strode towards the cracked pod. When he reached the impenetrable glass, he held up his left hand, before placing his palm on the only barrier between him and Barsch. With a tiny click he tapped the glass with his fingers, before standing back and spreading his arms. Where he had tapped the glass, more cracks had appeared, and then quickly spread outwards with an unrivalled frenzy. They connected to the fracture made by the concussive wave, before forming a lattice across the entirety of the surface. After a dramatic pause, Maloch slowly brought his hands together. They connected with a soft clink, a sound which echoed around the room before reverberating back towards the glass. All at once, as if choreographed, the glass in the pod shattered outwards in a hail of minuscule fragments.

  Finally free from his prison of ice and glass, Barsch fell forward into Maloch's waiting embrace. The embrace itself was not a gesture of acceptance, but was rather a way for Maloch to expose Barsch to his Core temperature. In three heart-beats, Barsch was warm and alive, though his eyes still refused to open.

  Taking Barsch's limp body from Maloch, Kingston lowered him to the floor. Leaning in close to the boy, he gently whispered, “Barsch, I know that you can hear me. I want you to remember the words of your father. Remember: Through fire, through ice, through deepest despair-

  “Never lose your stride...” Blinking against the sudden brightness, Barsch opened his eyes. His body was weak, but there was an iron core in him that could never be broken. “Kingston? I'm so glad you're safe...”

  “Ha, you really are like Him. Your first words after coming out of a coma and you're asking about the well-being of someone else. Thank you for your compassion, but I think we should be worrying more about you at the moment. How do you feel? Is there any pain?”

  Barsch tried to sit up, but Kingston kept a firm hand on his chest. Seeing the concern in the old hermit's eyes, Barsch gave up on trying to get up and answered, “I'm fine... actually, I'm better than fine, I'm feeling great! My back still feels a bit weird, but it doesn't hurt. How bad is the scarring?”

  This time, Kingston let the boy sit up, but still kept his arms ready to catch him. Zipping down the back of Barsch's podsuit, Kingston couldn't help but let out a gasp. When Maloch and Alza came round to see, they too gave signs of surprise. Six hours earlier, Barsch's back had been a mess of burns, welts and scar tissue. Now, apart from the six wing-shaped scars he received from the cóyotl, his back was clean. Not even so much as a blister remained of the horrifying burns.

  “Well? How bad is it?” came Barsch's impatient question.

  Finally, Kingston remembered he could speak, and he said, “I said that your healing was above-average, but I'm afraid I underestimated you greatly. Even with the salve and the healing agents, I never thought that there would be no scarring at all. I don't know if it's your body, or if someone up there is looking out for you, but you are blessed, Barsch La Tergan.”

  “I am impressed as well, Kingston, but there will be time to examine him later. I do not think I need to remind you about the lock-down. We have overstayed out welcome, and it is time we leave this place.”

  “Believe me Maloch, there's nothing I would like more than to get out of here, but the station is, as you said, in lock-down.”

  With Kingston's assistance, Barsch was finally allowed to stand. Together, the duo turned and faced the re-mech, who wore a look that can only be described as 'determined'.

  “I said that I would fix my mistake, and I meant what I said. Guardian may think that he's got us trapped, but I will show him that he is wrong.”