The Confluence: A Space Opera Adventure Series (The New Dawn Book 6)

by Valerie J Mikles

  “Andrew,” Sky called, trotting over. The man looked frightened, then angry, but Sky didn’t have a chance to catch him up. With a loud crash, the Marble’s second floor wall crumbled around the window Danny had plowed through earlier. There was a loud cry from the onlookers and the Guard that had been casually keeping the Plaza clear jumped to high gear. The air filled with debris.

  “Wait,” Danny cried, running instinctively toward the crash. “Amanda.”

  Santos caught him around the chest and tackled him to the ground. Danny fought his hold, but less than twenty seconds later, the roof caved. The front face of the building detached and fell forward into the Plaza, crushing the Terranan flag that stood in the center. Large chunks of debris tumbled toward the crowd and the people scattered with screams of panic.

  “Where’s Janiya, bring her back. Sikorsky!” he heard Sky shout. Electricity sparked as the building came apart, and the brittle, dried grass caught fire.

  Danny watched in horror, his mind flashing back to the days of the Revolution, when everything was dark and dangerous. The Marble and that flag were the constant features of the landscape.

  “When I asked you to bring down the government, I didn’t mean the building,” Sikorsky smirked, putting his beefy hand on Danny’s shoulder. “I suppose the new leader deserves a new office.”

  His arrogance spoke to his desire to take that seat. Throwing his weight backward, Danny knocked Sikorsky to the ground and pressed a pulse rifle to his head, but Sikorsky teleported out of his grip and stood tall over him, pressing Danny’s face to the ground with his foot.

  “Get in there!” Sky demanded, pulling Sikorsky off of Danny. “Get in there and get them out.”

  “The building has collapsed. There’s no in,” Sikorsky said, steepling his fingers. “I have excavation crews for this, don’t I? I’ll set up a command post.”

  “We don’t let outsiders rule Terrana,” a burly Guard said, pushing Sikorsky aside with such force that the man fell to the ground. The others called him Colonel Vega. “I’m not sending my crews in there until we’re sure it’s safe.”

  He turned and gave orders to more of the Guard. Fire suppression teams showed up, many in coveralls like the farmers of the 3, using their precious water supply to supplement the chemical controls. They still couldn’t see through the dust cloud and smoke to what was left of the building.

  “Tray,” Danny vrang, his voice cracking. He wanted to do what Lt. Carr was doing—sit on the ground and give up.

  “Hey, brother. You’re still alive,” Tray greeted.

  “Might be the only one. The Marble collapsed. Saskia, Hawk, and Amanda are trapped inside,” Danny began. Dust filled his lungs and he brought up his jacket to cover his nose and mouth.

  “Amanda’s fine,” Tray assured. “Morrigan’s talking to her now. She’s not mentally fine. But she somehow teleported to Janiya and she’s at the hospital with the Coros.”

  The news brought tears to Danny’s eyes.

  “The others didn’t teleport with her?” Danny choked on the thought. Tray and Saskia had only begun their relationship, and now he was losing her. “How are you?”

  “Might need another round with that surgical knitter,” he said. “Nolwazi says the gravity on Terrana has returned to normal, and I’m not getting bloody noses anymore, but we’re still in space. Do you want me to come back for you?”

  “How are you on fuel?” Danny checked.

  “If I don’t pick you up in the next twelve hours, then we won’t have enough to land, pick you up, and get to Quin,” Tray said.

  “I’ll let you know,” Danny promised. His heart ached, and he didn’t even know if they’d won.

  Sky sat next to him and rubbed his back vigorously, shaking the tears from his eyes.

  “Amanda’s already at the hospital. I have to go to her,” he said. “They’ll lock her away if they hear her use Moonspeak.”

  “Ask her if they did it. Are we dealing with structural damage or is Parker lying in wait with an Elysian army?” Sky said.

  “We’ve had tunnels collapse before. This is something we can handle,” Santos promised.

  “Sir!” Colonel Vega called. “Report of two victims in the service crawlway near the power plant.”

  “Hawk?” Sky asked.

  “All the plant workers are accounted for. It might be your people,” Vega nodded.

  “There’s supposed to be four,” Santos said.

  Sky hopped up and took off running with Vega chasing after her. Danny grabbed Sikorsky and pushed him toward Santos.

  “He may be able to help you with number three,” Danny said. “I know where number four is.”

  35

  Terrana’s hospital was crowded with patients and triage workers, and Sky had been told multiple times to return to her ship. It wasn’t safe in the 1, and the only reason they used this hospital was because it was the biggest and had the most resources. Some people had been caught by the rubble or the fire, others were choking on smoke and dust. The majority of the population had evacuated to the 2 where the air was clean, but the 1 was the heart of the city. It was the central path that connected the other domes. They had to save it so they’d have a path to their food or their port.

  Sky leaned on the frame outside of the room where they kept Hawk. It was a larger room that had six beds and three more gurneys pushed in because they’d run out of rooms. Sky had Hawk’s jacket folded over her arm, because she didn’t trust his belongings to stay with him in the crowded situation. Hawk had one of the beds, and Benedict had volunteered to lie on the gurney next to him. They both wore oxygen masks, though Benedict had fewer burns and fewer bandages to contend with.

  Benedict’s brother and sister came down the hall. The girl had done nothing but cry at their first visit, but she seemed calmer now. She still leaned on her brother, and they stopped by the door next to Sky.

  “It’s more crowded than last time,” Alden commented. “Have you made it past the door since we left?”

  Sky shook her head. The last time she’d crossed a doorway with Hawk, an explosion nearly brought down the building. She wasn’t going in until he was conscious and able to tell her whether it was safe.

  “You can come in with us,” Alden offered.

  “Benedict said your parents are in the 5,” Sky said.

  The girl’s breath hitched, and Alden stammered.

  “I’ll talk to Santos about getting them out,” Sky said, walking away from the pair. With the turnover in leadership, Sky imagined a lot of people would be released. And a lot of people would be heartbroken at the return of their traumatized relatives.

  “Danny, are you still at the hospital?” she vrang.

  “On the roof with Amanda,” Danny said. “Don’t know where to take the ‘sled, but she couldn’t stay inside. Tell me there’s good news.”

  “No change. Hawk’s still unconscious,” Sky said.

  “And nothing on Saskia?” Danny asked. She could hear his tears.

  “They’re searching the rubble,” Sky said. “As far as the locals are concerned, both Cheoff and Parker could be alive down there as well. What’s the word on the Elysian army?”

  “Varying. Amanda keeps telling me she’s dead,” Danny replied.

  “She’s processing some disturbing information Galen gave her,” Sky explained. She caught Danny up on Galen’s confession that Amanda had died multiple times, and her memories weren’t there to be recaptured. “Just get her to port and bring Oriana back. There’s no sense keeping yourself in the bad air.”

  Cutting the channel, she passed across the hall to the private rooms. There was still a segment of the hospital being held secure for Cheoff, should the rescue workers find their governor. A few Guard were being treated there as well and Diana Solvere had a room to herself. She looked so small surrounded by body braces, with projections all around showing her vitals. The rescue team found her on the ground in the path between the Marble and the mansion, trapped by d
ebris. The nurses had already figured out that half the bone breaks came from torture, and prevailing gossip was that she got what she deserved.

  Sky ghosted her hand over Diana’s, and leaned over to leave a butterfly kiss on her cheek. “You’re better off without him,” she reassured. She hadn’t killed Parker to save them, but she did save them.

  Sky felt Diana’s fingers twitch against her skin. A slight squeak form Diana’s throat told Sky the other woman was awake. Sky rested her hand gently over Diana’s, careful not to put pressure on the splinted fingers, but Diana roughly flicked her off. Her eyes opened and she looked intensely at Sky then at something behind Sky, grunting more urgently. Turning in dread, Sky feared she’d see a portal to Galen’s realm and Parker waiting to reclaim is lover. Instead, she saw her satchel sitting on the table next to Diana’s folded clothes and the knife she’d used to kill Parker.

  “Thank you,” Sky whispered, smiling as she retrieved the bag.

  Diana smacked her hand against the bed, her motions becoming more urgent. Her broken jaw was wired shut, distorting the words she tried to make. Finally, she turned her fingers to the sheet and drew letters. R-O-D.

  “Rod,” Sky said, looking to Diana for confirmation. Nodding, Diana pointed to the satchel again. Sky reached in and pulled out the black rod that she knew was a healing device. “This thing.”

  Diana nodded. Sky held the rod over Diana’s chest and it activated, working its magic. She had no idea how the thing worked or how long its power source would last, and it worried her that Diana knew what it was enough to ask for it. Diana relaxed as the device eased the pain in her body, and took a deep sighing breath. She didn’t try to stay awake, and Sky didn’t stick around. She had her satchel back, and she felt whole again.

  Circling to the third floor, she went to the Coros’ room. They had a smaller room for the pair of them with Janiya’s gurney crowded next to Damien’s bed. Janiya looked ready for release, sitting up in a chair. She wore a clean, new cobalt blue blouse and slacks, and her long, silver hair fell neatly down her back, ending in four finger curls. Both of her hands were in splints, but her other injuries healed as fast as Sky’s.

  Damien lay on his side, considerably more immobilized by his injuries. His legs twitched uncontrollably, and he wore braces on his neck and spine. The puncture wounds to his torso had been knit hurriedly in a triage situation, but he was still awaiting surgery. As a foreigner, his priority was lower, despite his need. He touched Janiya’s throat and she closed her eyes, echoing the sound he made.

  “You’re teaching her to speak?” Sky smiled.

  “I speak for myself,” Janiya said, standing up from the chair and squaring her shoulders, looking every ounce the aristocrat she was before her imprisonment.

  Damien rolled onto his back, panting in exhaustion. His hand waved in Janiya’s direction in what would have been a proud pat on the leg if he could have judged the distance.

  “That’s a relief,” Sky said, taking the rod from her satchel and waving it over Damien’s abdomen until his trembling settled. “We could really use your help, Janiya. Saskia is buried in the Marble. If you can come to Oriana and help Amanda—”

  “No,” Janiya said, sitting down again.

  Sky looked up, wondering how limited her vocabulary might be. “You don’t have to stay. We just want Saskia to be safe.”

  “She said no,” Damien spoke up. “Amanda said they were already dead.”

  “Amanda doesn’t know that for certain. And Amanda only got out because of Janiya,” Sky said.

  “Amanda could get to me because of who she is. Not because of who I am,” Janiya said sagely. “It’s not how her gift works.”

  Sky no longer had doubts about her vocabulary. “How does your gift work, Janiya? Do we need the Confluence?”

  “No,” Janiya said, leaping from the chair. “No! Help!”

  “Janiya, calm down,” Damien urged. But Janiya backed into her gurney and fell backward, screaming again when her broken hands failed to catch her.

  Lieutenant Turner ran into the room and Sky put her hands up.

  “Out! Get her out!” Janiya screeched.

  “I’m leaving. I’m leaving the room,” Sky reassured, backing out. The Guard followed her into the hall, and Sky dropped her hands, pacing and fretting, worried she’d trigger a fresh disaster. It was Janiya’s power that brought Galen here after all.

  “It’s her hands,” Turner said, closing the door to muffle Janiya’s screams. “If you say the word gravity, or anything that sounds like it, or you ask her to pick something up, she gets triggered. If someone crushed my hands like that, I’d probably feel the same.”

  “Now I know,” Sky said. “She came here for asylum. Don’t let Damien take her back to Quin unless you’re sure she is expressing her own will.”

  “You were in the basement, weren’t you?” Turner said. “You blew a hole in the power plant. You could have taken down the entire Terranan power grid.”

  “I figured it was worth the risk to stop the gravitational implosion event,” Sky said.

  Turner pursed his lips. “Santos agrees with you. I don’t know who put him in charge.”

  Sky bit her tongue. Saskia had put Santos in charge. She’d wanted to save her world, and she’d sacrificed herself to do it.

  The nurse attached a cup holder to Janiya’s wrist so that she could hold her own drink. Sipping the bitter vegetable juice calmed her, as did the walk past the windows that the nurse had taken her on. The luminators were out over the center of the dome, and the remaining light turned red by the lingering debris in the air. A part of Janiya yearned to get back to Quin and see proper daylight. The rest yearned for the glimpse of golden light she’d seen during that brief connection to the Panoptica. Parker wasn’t here to sabotage the connection anymore. If she could remember how she did it—if she could recreate that room—she could get home.

  Damien whimpered in his sleep, shuddering as the effects of Sky’s healing device wore off. The device had a similar vibe to the Confluence and Janiya felt something strange when it was on, but the tingling sensation came with healing. Everyone seemed to think healing was a part of being a hybrid, but it wasn’t. She couldn’t heal Damien any more than she could heal her own hands. If she could before, then it was through her connection to something else.

  Sikorsky teleported into the room, bringing the smell of smoke and dust, and Janiya bristled. The air seemed to crackle with electricity, and she could tell immediately that he carried a Confluence. Dropping her drink, Janiya rolled off the side of her bed and screamed. He teleported again, landing beside her and clamping a hand over her mouth. Janiya struggled, but without her hands, her only option was to teleport. She tried, and only made it as far as Damien’s bed, waking him with a startled grunt.

  “I only came to talk. Do you understand?” Sikorsky said, hands raised, weapons visible under his coat.

  “Get that Confluence away from me,” Janiya demanded, falling again as Damien tried to hold onto her.

  Sikorsky pulled it from his pocket and set it on her pillow. Janiya looked in terror at the glowing gem.

  “I thought we might need it to talk. I didn’t think you spoke Lanvarian anymore. How are your hands?” he asked.

  “Why do you care?” Janiya said, finally stumbling off of Damien’s bed, backing toward the door.

  “I don’t,” he said, teleporting again, blocking her escape. “I care what you’ll say when we get back to Quin. I care what you will do with this new-found knowledge. The two of us together have the potential to shift the power—”

  “Don’t you have enough power?” she croaked, searching for an escape. She could feel the Confluence behind her now, and her mind clouded with his megalomanic thoughts.

  “We have the power to make it safe for our kind to exist openly without fear,” Sikorsky said.

  “Parker was human. He put me in a cage. It wasn’t hard for him at all to control me,” Janiya pointed out, feeling
sick and weak. “He had the Confluence and he controlled both me and Hawk. He controlled our powers. He brought Galen here against his will. The Confluence may resonate with us to enhance our abilities, but it resonated with him, too, and I became nothing. I couldn’t fight. I couldn’t speak. My new-found knowledge tells me it is less safe for me to exist openly than it was before.”

  Sikorsky reached for the stone on her pillow, but Janiya snatched it first. It hurt her broken hands and she screeched in pain, sinking to the floor.

  “Janiya,” Damien rasped. The Guard ran in again, but only caught a glimpse of Sikorsky before the other man teleported out.

  Pressing the Confluence between her palms, Janiya forced Sikorsky to teleport back into the room. He looked around in shock, but she was in control now. She shared his mind and his thoughts, fearing he’d overpower her. She wanted to make him forget, but having lived that, she knew it was too cruel. She wanted to order him to leave, but she didn’t know if he’d obey once he was out of range.

  “I have a grandson. Don’t take him from me,” he begged, feeling the assault on his mind.

  “Go back to Quin, Sikorsky.” She tried to fling him there, but she could only get him to the 4. The rest, she hoped he’d do on his own.

  “Are you all right?” Damien asked, reaching for her.

  Janiya looked at the stone burning in her hands. In the ambulance, when she’d connected to Amanda, she learned that Amanda had died, and Galen had brought her back. Amanda’s memories were gone because she’d died. Janiya wondered if her memories of living among the Panoptica were gone for the same reason. The more Parker tortured her, the more she felt her memories disappear, but most of those had come back the moment his control over her ended.

  Damien sat up and reached for her again. It took great effort on his part, and she empathetically shared that pain. Hooking her elbow, he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, then took the stone from her and set it aside. His thoughts toward Sikorsky were violent and vengeful, and she thought of all the crimes he’d committed back in Quin in the name of profit.