The Bright Image: Clean Book 3 Page 11

  "Jeth," she said, "my parents are there too."

  "I know," I said, "but I'm not much use in a fight anyway. Please, be careful."

  "You too." She pulled me by the collar into a swift kiss. "We can protect them and each other."

  "We will," I said.

  Martin nodded to me.

  “I’ll go with you. These are my constituents now.”

  Jeanine frowned but said nothing. Samantha turned to continue without a word. The energy farm glimmered just a few blocks away.

  Martin and I started toward the train station.

  Unregistered Memory, Thomas Fenstein, Candlegrove Heights

  Thomas and Celsa took one of Onogottos' new weapons with them when they met with Balancar. He concealed the sealed metal vial, labeled as "Shaper" in his coat pocket, beside his ichor flask. Ono had told him to drink it as late as he could if there was a fight.

  "Then think hard about what tools you need," the aeon scientist added. "Do that as quickly as you can. We haven't tested it enough to be sure how long it'll last."

  Thomas took a deep breath and shook his head as the elevator arrived at the level of Candlegrove's highest atrium. Balancar waited between two trees on a circular patch of grass carved from the surroundings by two streams of water.

  The sky was brightening, but still cloudy. A few streaks of rain still speckled the window panes above them. Celsa led the way toward the black-clad governor. She had left the mask safely hidden in Thomas' van.

  Balancar looked up as they approached.

  "So," he said. "You two, as well. It seems the walls of my secrets are still crumbling."

  Celsa's eyes met Balancar's, her expression intense.

  "You're at least partially to blame for what's happening down there."

  "I know. I already told my story to your friends, Detective Carter and his partners."

  "And he told us," said Celsa.

  Thomas nodded.

  "We're not here for answers, governor. We're here to make sure you don't try anything funny."

  "Where would I run?" Balancar sighed. "I may not look it, but I'm far older than both of you. I'll be seventy years old, soon. Keeping secrets didn't age my body, but it hurt me in other ways."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Fiusontha was not really my daughter, but I'm the only thing close to family she'll ever know. I expect she won't be pleased to see me when she returns."

  "We can protect you," Thomas said.

  "No." Balancar shook his head. "She's stronger than all of us put together. Even Kamuek's ship weapons at full power couldn't kill her."

  "Damn it, don't give up." Thomas scowled. "We have some tricks up our sleeve yet."

  "I fear you are wrong, but I will go with you to see," said Balancar. "I wasn't waiting here for you, you see. I waited here for her." He motioned to the willow trees on either side of his little island. "I thought I'd be at peace here, but I was wrong."

  "Then come with us," said Celsa. "We're headed to meet up with Carter's team. We can keep you safe."

  "I won't ask you to give your lives for mine."

  "You don't have to," said Thomas. "We need to find her."

  He thought of Elizabeth. She could nag, and be too serious, but she didn't deserve to end as a clean. Thomas scowled.

  "What's it gonna be, governor?"

  Balancar walked toward them.

  "Take me to the light ship."

  A harsh yet feminine laugh echoed through the atrium, it's source unseen.

  "Shit," said Thomas. "Celsa!"

  She seized Balancar by the shoulders and dragged him with her toward the elevator. Motion flurried along the wall, a form difficult to decipher moving to intercept them.

  Thomas broke the seal on the shaper. He swallowed the dose. His vision blurred, then an interface flickered into being in his mind. He focused on a shield as he sprinted forward to get between the aeons and the enemy racing toward the elevator.

  Fiusontha bellowed a roar. She charged forward, camouflage that had concealed her by the wall failing as she barreled toward Celsa and Balancar. Thomas interposed, arms raised. He kept focused on the shield.

  A fist capable of crushing Thomas' skull rushed down. His mind remained focused. Shield. Now. His sleeve melted, the metallic plating on the floor by the elevator disintegrated as if digested by invisible acid.

  His forearm intercepted Fiusontha's blow now clad not in a jacket sleeve, but in a steely disk of a metal shield. He staggered under the force of the blow, and knew where she hit would bruise, regardless of his last-second protection. Fiusontha sprang back, eyes narrowed, dark hair haloing her head.

  "We need another way out," said Thomas.

  "This way," Balancar said in his mind, accompanied by directions to a passage on the other side of the atrium. The three of them retreated, following his guidance.

  Thomas kept his shield raised, backing away. Fiusontha smirked.

  "In time, daddy," she said. "In time."

  The rain intensified for a few minutes as Martin and I made our way onto the platform. While he sent out a locally targeted broadcast, announcing his presence and position, I pressed through the crowd of refugees toward where my parents stood with Rebecca's family. My parents looked far older than the intervening years should have left them, and very worn.

  Rebecca's mother saw me first. Her eyes flashed. Evidently, I was still recognizable and her attitude hadn't changed much. She never liked me hanging around in the past.

  I stepped into a gap in the press. People turned toward where Martin stood by the exit, my parents among them. In the process, they saw me.

  "Jethro." Mom closed the distance with me and then hugged me tightly. "Son, I didn't think you'd be here to meet us."

  I patted her back.

  "I didn't want you to feel lost, especially with everything happening lately."

  Tears filled mom's eyes.

  "What do you mean, everything happening?"

  Dad walked over to us, stern, tugging both his mom's suitcases. He nodded in my direction. He almost seemed approving. Mom turned toward him, relaxing her grip on me, but not letting go.

  I leaned closed to her.

  "There are rogue stars in the district," I said. "Stay calm. I'm trying to handle things."

  Mom's eyes narrowed. She wiped her tears with one hand.

  "They're here already," she said sounding numb.

  Dad's eyebrows arched.

  "Jethro, what are you going to do?"

  I turned to him.

  "I need to go. There's an energy farm not far from here. We think it'll be the next place they attack. If we keep it active, they might hesitate."

  I said what I hoped. I didn't know if I believed it would work. Dad nodded. I looked back at mom.

  "I'll take care of myself, then I'll come back and find you."

  "Be safe, son," she said.

  "I'll do my best."

  Who was I kidding? I doubted the situation would improve before it got worse. Fiusontha, Bayaluggia, the wild stars, all put together made for too many threats.

  I turned to leave, a scowl forming on my face. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I glanced at its owner. To my shock, Rebecca's father met my eyes.

  "I heard what you said. Don't let us down."

  I pulled away from his hand.

  "I won't."

  He stepped toward me.

  "Do you know where my daughter is?"

  I shook my head.

  "No."

  "Liar."

  He shoved me back a step with both hands. I'm a big guy, but so was Rebecca's dad. He glared at me.

  "Don't lie again."

  "I don't have time for you," I said.

  His lips drew back in a snarl. One thick hand bunched into a fist. I waited for the blow, but he hesitated.

  His son, Rebecca's brother, now a young man I barely recognized with tawny skin and stubble on his chin, held his father back.

  "Let him go, father. You said it
." He turned to me. "We're counting on you, Gall."

  I nodded to them, then backed away a few paces, before turning. I marched past Martin as he started speaking to the crowd. His voice echoed behind me as I continued onto the street.

  "Stay calm. This part of the city is in a state of emergency. I'm here to help."

  Good job, Martin, I thought as I turned a corner and continued toward the energy farm.

  Unregistered Memory, Rebecca Waters, Energy Farm

  Rebecca and the others approached the farm, cast in the glow of the energy hearts drifting like enormous soap bubbles before them. Each heart was tethered to a power station by a power vein that shifted in mid-air. There were dozens of them, powering the whole district, and probably the neighboring one as well.

  They could have been miniature stars, burning clouds of hot gas, but small enough to be controlled by aeons. The hearts burned hungry reds and infernal blues, but all were carefully controlled by aeon tenders on the ground below. A tiny galaxy, visible to the naked eye hovered in the air over the farm's ground facilities.

  Rebecca would have marveled at finally seeing one of these places in person, but the situation brought her right back to Earth.

  Samantha went straight to the aeon in charge to explain the situation. Rebecca hung back with Natalie, Harvey, and the refugee girl, Jeanine. While the four of them kept watch, Rebecca wondered if the girl from Fort Wayne knew more than the rest of them. After all, she had seen the results of the recent fighting west of the city. Rebecca turned to her.

  "What's the story on the attack back at Fort Wayne?"

  "It was kinda like what happened last night," said Jeanine. "Sabotage first, then they attacked in numbers. They had to have massive weapons, war machines, but I never saw one, just the smoke and dust they kicked up when used."

  "Damn," said Rebecca. "Ever heard the name Fiusontha, before?"

  Jeanine scowled for a second, then bit her lip.

  "Actually, I did. She lived near Fort Wayne. She was a spook story, a legend when I was a teenager. My aunt told me not to go near her territory in the southern ruins. She always scared me, but that didn't stop me going."

  "So you know more than I do," said Rebecca. "But Fiusontha is here. Do you know any way to fight her?"

  Jeanine shook her head.

  "I wish."

  Rebecca frowned at the half-drowned street, the way they had come to get to the farm. An itch at the back of her mind told her someone was trying to communicate with her.

  She retreated into the mental world. As soon as her mind resolved the grassy plain of the virtual world before her, a voice spoke from behind the sheer white wall. Her own.

  "You're going to need my help."

  "Who are you?" Rebecca asked.

  "I could say I'm you, but that's not quite it. Call me Rain."

  "Hurry up. If you're me, or part of me, what can you do I can't?"

  "I'm the part of you that killed Tohamaya. I worked for Yashelia even when she kept you in her tree. I can't explain from here how you can stop Yashelia's daughter, but I can impart it once you set me free."

  A chill ran through Rebecca, a ghostly cold in the middle of her mind.

  "Alright. How do I release you?"

  "It's not hard. Just takes time. Make a hole in this wall."

  Alone, I approached the bright spheres of the energy farm. Where the farm began, the urban sprawl ended. It wasn't a garden, Small patches of grass and weeds grew among stretches of dirt between energy relays.

  The relays themselves were either one or two stories high and linked by naked light veins hanging overhead. My eyes followed larger conduits that connected to the floating energy hearts. With an aeon's ability to manipulate energy this location would be a dangerous place to fight, even if with the aeon tenders to help us.

  I drew near the open gate. Rebecca and Jeanine stood near each other. Jeanine spotted me right away. Rebecca's eyes were clouded with a deep dive into the network. I waved to them as I closed the distance and joined them.

  "Jeanine," I said. "What's Rebecca doing?"

  "I don't know. We were talking, then I think someone contacted her. That was a few minutes ago, and she hasn't said anything."

  I frowned, nervous that one of the wild stars might have attacked mentally, despite the calm expression on her face.

  "Give me a second," I said.

  I reached out to Rebecca. She pulled me through her outer defenses. my mental world resolved itself into a plain of waving grass, like the one outside the Green Valley. Rebecca stood before a white wall that stretched from horizon to horizon.

  "What is this place?" I asked.

  She turned toward me, brow furrowed.

  "It's a projection, but the wall is real. It seals the part of my mind Yashelia hid from me."

  I frowned.

  "You're going to tear it down."

  "Yeah," she said. "I have to."

  "What's on the other side?"

  "The rest of me. The side of me that served Yashelia. Rain."

  "You sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

  "She says she can help us defeat Fiusontha. Jeth, I want to help Elizabeth too."

  My mouth went dry.

  "Rebecca."

  "Don't stop me, Jeth. I want to be whole again."

  "What if it changes you?"

  She stood at my side in an instant.

  "It won't change how I feel about you."

  She drifted off the ground, floated with her legs folded beneath her. Her kiss sent me back to the real world, flushed and nervous.

  I turned to Jeanine.

  "She's alright. But she has some inner work to do."

  "She could have picked a better time." Jeanine pointed down the street. Three women and one man walked toward us. They were all wild in countenance except for the Arab woman in black. Bayaluggia and the wild stars had arrived.

  "Damn it," I said. "Warn the others."

  Jeanine pulled a pistol from her raincoat's deep pocket.

  "You warn them," she said, looking down the sight. "And then take cover."

  I nodded, surprised at the iron in her tone. Then, I dove into the network. I quickly alerted Natalie and Harvey, then stretched my reach to tell Angela Watts to bring everyone she could to the farm. One way or another, this was where the fight for the district began.

  Unregistered Memory, Thomas Fenstein, Candlegrove Heights

  Thomas followed Celsa and Balancar down another corridor, his sides aching. He glanced over his shoulder to check Fiusontha's distance. Then, he reached out to one of Ono's techs, telling him to meet them in the sky dock on the level below Thomas' current one.

  Balancar's personal vessel was there. They needed to get Balancar as far from Fiusontha as they could.

  He skidded to a stop at the service elevator doors at the end of the passage. Water ran in rivulets down the supports on either side. A high-pitched scream of fury came from behind them. Thomas looked back at Fiusontha as Celsa hit the controls.

  The rogue star's fists now ran with black fluid. Thomas hefted the shield he had shaped from the floor. Knowing what the stuff on her hands could do, he doubted it would much use against Fiusontha now.

  His mind raced for options as the service elevator climbed to meet them from ten floors down. Fiusontha slowed her pace, prowling closer, a predatory snarl on her face. She edged closer to Thomas, fists raised and moving like a boxer.

  She swung. He ducked and retreated a step. Black fluid dripped on the floor at his feet, melting through the metal with a sizzling sound. He held the shield before him, shaping more matter to make it broader, thicker, and pushed toward the monster. Her hands caught the shield, melting through the metal, but not before new layers of metal ripped from the floor and walls fed in to reinforce it. He held her at bay.

  The elevator arrived with a whoosh of sliding doors. Thomas gritted his teeth.

  "Go!"

  Balancar obeyed at once. He raced into the elevator. Celsa grab
bed Thomas by the shoulder. She dragged him backwards through the closing doors. Fiusontha's fist gouged a path through the door from middle to top as they descended, even ripping through the ceiling as it passed. They slid down the shaft, putting distance between themselves and the rogue star. Thomas shook with adrenaline. He turned to Celsa.

  "What was with that save?"

  "I would accept a thank you," she said. "For saving you from your own stupidity."

  He took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The elevator arrived at the sky dock. They rushed out and got on board the tiny light ship, even smaller than Kamuek's Astra III, which waited there.

  Onogottos’ tech was in a pile by the control station.

  "Coward wouldn't come with us," muttered Celsa.

  Balancar took the controls and began to power up the vessel. The ceiling near the elevator shuddered, visible on the viewers from the light ship. Thomas watched, horrified as Fiusontha dropped through a tunnel between levels and dented the floor plates. She turned toward their ship.

  Balancar reversed them off the moorings before the docking arms fully withdrew. Metal tore, but they made it into the air. Thomas sighed with relief. A thumping impact shook the tiny vessel.

  Celsa turned toward the boarding ramp. Her eyes widened. Fiusontha clung to the side of the light ship, her fingers melting through the hull to form handholds.

  Thomas received Jeth's warning about the energy farm.

  "We have to go north to the farm," he said, grabbing Celsa's forearm. "Some people could use our new gear."

  He sent directions to the energy farm to Celsa, who relayed them to Balancar. The governing aeon listened well.

  They sped north, Fiusontha tearing into the hull.

  Unregistered Memory, Rebecca Waters, The Energy Farm

  Rain's directions were simple. Rebecca tore through the wall with all her mental energy, pulling away from the freezing cold blocks that formed the structure;'s interior. Pain, fear, and hatred, remembered feelings, coursed through her. She hated Yashelia, feared what had been done to her, and every part of remembering hurt. She tore away another layer, exposing more misery beneath.