[scifan] plantation 05 - rise of the saviors Read online

  My hands search for his. When they intertwine, I pull him down to the bed. Little by little we loosen up, we learn to trust each other again, to believe in the possibility of a future.

  His heart beats against mine while his fingers travel down my ribcage to my hips. I loop my fingers in his hair. The world turns timeless and spaceless.

  I push away from his arms so I can look at him. I want to read his feelings. There are messages in his eyes, his hands, his lips. I search for that gesture, that imperceptible quiver of his soul that will make sense out of everything.

  He’s confused and breathless but allows my scrutiny to continue for a while. “Did I pass your test?” he says in the end.

  “I’m not sure there’s any test you would fail.”

  He reaches out and trails one finger over my ear. “Come closer,” he says pressing his chest against mine.

  His fingers unfasten the holster belt around my hips.

  I push him down on his back and roll onto him placing my lips on every bit of exposed skin I can find. “Is this close enough?” I ask.

  His answer comes in a gasping whisper. “You have no idea,” he says, “no idea how close I need you. It would scare you.”

  “Silly man. I invaded a plantation to get you back. I don’t scare easy.”

  I kiss him to taste his need for me. My fingers slip under his shirt to touch his scars, and then it’s impossible to think anymore. My heart expands and retracts with the wonder of existence.

  *

  ON THE EXODUS SPACE POD that comes to collect us in the afternoon, I steal glances at Damian while he studies blueprints of the plantation network sitting right beside me.

  He is peaceful and lost in thoughts I do not wish to invade.

  He catches me watching him. “What are you thinking?” he says.

  “Just wondering why I love you.”

  “And?”

  I open my mouth but only a breath comes out. All of a sudden the answer becomes clear. It’s so simple it frightens me.

  I love Damian because I’m not supposed to.

  3

  Coming home has never felt so good. Surprising as it might be, Exodus L21 feels like home more than any other place before it. Damian and I walk down corridors and through meeting points to reach the Main Command Deck in Sector Three. The station is quiet as it tries to get back to some form of normalcy before the whole world goes up in flames.

  Commander Eldritch welcomes us with a warm smile. I go over to him to give him a quick hug. He takes my hands in his and holds on to them for a long while. His eyes are fatigued and emotional. He can’t walk anymore. He wouldn’t be able to move about without his wheelchair. I don’t want to get his hopes up but I will try to learn to use my new energy field in healing ways. After all, Ava was able to do it for me.

  Eldritch appears older than I remember him with deep creases cutting across his forehead and around his mouth. Were they there before? Did they get deeper during my absence? I cannot say for sure.

  Lainey’s hand rests lovingly on his shoulder and at this moment I can’t even remember why we’ve spent so much time being hostile and suspicious of each other. We are on the same side.

  “Your tricks never end,” the commander says winking at me.

  “No, but they just about ended me.”

  “We heard about the burns on your hands,” Lainey says. “I hope you’re all right now.”

  “Freya’s fine,” Damian says.

  Commander Eldritch studies Damian’s face. “And you, young man? How are you handling all the fire of the battle?”

  “You needn’t worry about Damian,” I say. “He’s regained full focus.”

  A smile forms on the commander’s lips. “I see you now answer for each other.”

  Busted. I don’t have a witty comeback. He’s right, it is kind of silly and maybe even weird how we jump to each other’s defense.

  “Where are things on Exodus?” I say after an awkward moment.

  “We’re almost done with repairing damages,” Eldritch says.

  “With you back, we will be able to strengthen our shields perhaps?” Lainey says, looking at me hopefully.

  “It will take some time for me to become competent with this new skill,” I say lowering my eyes.

  “But you did it for Spring Town?” Lainey insists.

  “Spring Town is easier to take care of than Exodus,” Damian steps in. “But Freya will get stronger every day.”

  “I have no doubt,” Eldritch says with a grin. I get his insinuation. Damian just answered on my behalf again. I hope it won’t turn into an annoying habit.

  “I’m sure Theo will help,” I say, not sure if I offer this as some piece of valuable information or as proof that I can speak for myself. “So will our new prisoner.”

  The door to the Main Command Deck opens and Lead Medical Officer Armand slips into the room. The concerned look on his face evaporates the moment he sees me. Before I have a chance to greet him, he takes me into his arms.

  “I was so worried about you, my girl,” he says. “Whatever is going on with you, we’ll figure it out. You will learn to control it.”

  I am shocked at this unexpected display of affection. I pat him on the back reassuringly as I pull away. “I’ve had worse,” I say with a wink.

  “Indeed, you have,” he says. “You also like to underplay the dangers and risks you’re facing. It’s not a wise habit.”

  “I confess, wisdom is not one my strong points.”

  “We will have to do something about that, too,” Armand says.

  “We need to do a lot of things about a whole lot of things,” Lainey says in a low voice, almost as if speaking to herself.

  Suddenly, I feel impatient. Maybe because I realize that an awful lot of planning and talking and organizing are just around the corner. The things I dislike the most.

  “Well, if you’ll excuse us, we haven’t seen our friends yet,” I say. “I haven’t even spoken to my sister.”

  “Yes, yes, of course. Go talk to your team, get some rest, whatever you need,” Eldritch says.

  I take a step toward the door but Damian takes my hand to stop me.

  “I have one question,” he says. “What is the plan as far as using your gun power?”

  Eldritch narrows his eyebrows. “What do you mean?

  “I’m talking about the missile equipment on Exodus. It’s powerful enough to blow up most of the alien facilities in the district. You know the system should be tested and green-lighted. You do plan to use it, don’t you?”

  Damian’s words hang in the air for a while. I realize he has caused some frustration for our hosts, maybe even embarrassment, and the reasons for that escape me.

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Lainey offers. “We’ll discuss all these matters during an official meeting.”

  Damian isn’t satisfied with the response. That much is obvious to me. He stares at Lainey in a way that means he intends to push the matter further. All I can do is take his hand and remind him we need to go. He resists at first but when I tell him that the Saviors need to have a meeting of our own, he finally follows me out of Command Deck.

  “You have to be more in control of yourself,” I scold him.

  “Don’t you see what’s going on?” he says losing his patience. “The cloud huggers don’t even want to consider the possibility of a direct hit. They want us to risk everything in this war, but they won’t raise a finger against the enemy.”

  “That’s unfair, Damian. They’ve lost a lot since they met us. Need I remind you that you wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t helped us take over Plantation-15? Joshua died that night along with so many others.”

  “That might be so, but it also might be another reason why they will not do anything unless their hand is forced.”

  I bite my lip because I don’t want to tell him that he’s in no position to judge and that they have done for him far more than he has ever done for them.

 
; “Look,” he says, “all I’m saying is that there’s going to be a war soon, the final war that will end this conflict one way or another. It’s either going to be us or the aliens. And we cannot afford to wait for them to make the first move. That has not worked yet. We need to convince Eldritch to use his nukes.”

  I stop walking to engage him. “Even knowing it could jeopardize Exodus and get the children in the plantations killed?”

  Damian’s face darkens. “Yes, even knowing that.”

  It’s a lot to take in and I can’t pretend that his words don’t bother me. I try to pick my own words as carefully as possible when I hear Pip’s voice. It’s been less than two weeks since Damian and I left Exodus but at the sight of Pip I feel like I’ve been gone for years.

  My sister’s face is sweet and considerate making me feel like I’m the child. But then, she’s not a child anymore. How could anyone remain a child for long in this world?

  Pip hugs me. “I missed you so much, Freya. Everyone’s been super nice but nothing felt right without you and Tobi around.”

  “I missed you, too, Pip,” I say kissing her cheek.

  Damian coughs. Pip turns to him with a smile. “You were missed, too, Damian. No one knew how to start a good argument. So boring.”

  The little girl who couldn’t speak and couldn’t explain is not here anymore. She’s been replaced by a thirteen-year-old know-it-all with a quick sense of humor.

  “C’mon,” she says, “everybody’s waiting for you.”

  We follow Pip to the Saviors’ meeting hall. She scurries along the way, almost hopping. Damian and I have to hurry to follow. When we get to the hall, I stop at the doorway to take a deep breath.

  As it turns out, I needn’t worry about being emotionally overwhelmed. My friends are cheerful, probably hopeful for the first time in a long while. On the long table there is a carrot cake – there are raw carrots sticking out at the top instead of candy – and a big bowl of a red liquid concoction that could only be Biscuit’s invention.

  I smile when our friends turn to us. My good mood remains unchanged even when I notice that Ella has somehow sneaked in at a Saviors’ reunion.

  *

  THEO ORGANIZES THE GADGETS in his lab set while we wait for the mapping of the security field to finish loading on the screen. The shield systems that protect Exodus L21 from the perils of the infinite space and the wrath of our enemies are far too complicated for me to fully comprehend or control, but Theo seems to have mastered the entire process to perfection.

  It should be no surprise as he actually helped create some of the code that went into the upgraded software. “The shields are fully functional right now,” he tells me. “What I need from you is to help me backup the system.”

  “Is it going to be any different than what I did for the first update with the receptor?”

  “No, but it should be easier,” he says. “In theory.”

  Zoe joins us bringing in fruit juices and bagels. “Are we ready to proceed?” she says.

  “Almost,” Theo says punching in some more code.

  Zoe sets the refreshments on her desk and gets busy. Her fingers work their magic to speed up the loading process. “That should do it,” she says as the shield graphs start to populate the glass screen with their harmonic patterns.

  “Are you sure you’re human?” I tease her.

  “You’re the one to talk,” Zoe says with a smile.

  It’s good to see her smile. She hasn’t done much of that lately.

  “Zoe, get the goodies,” Theo says.

  Zoe walks to a cabinet and takes out a metal box. She carries it to the desk and turns the security lock twice, first left, then right, before keying a number into the panel on top of the box.

  I lean over to see what the big deal is but Zoe looks at me sternly and asks me to give her some room. I obey although I’m a bit offended by her obvious attempt to heighten my curiosity to the point of madness.

  “I know this will look bad but it’s for your own protection,” she says.

  “Oh, cut the crap and tell me what this is all about,” I protest.

  She reaches inside the box and brings out a brown cloth with adhesive microchips attached to it.

  “The chips will monitor your vitals,” Zoe says as she attaches the chips to my wrists and temples.

  “I feel like a lab rat,” I joke unconvincingly.

  Theo points to a small touch screen and asks me to place my palms on it. The screen is connected to the computer that controls the shields. He repositions my hands where he wants them to be.

  “Okay,” he says. “Now form your energy field and then quickly put your palms back on the touch screen, fingers as far apart as you can.”

  Here we go. The moment of truth. “I’m not sure it works that way,” I say.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Zoe says. “That way we’ll be done before you know it.”

  I bring my hands together and almost fall backwards from the sudden jolt of blue energy shooting through my body. I quickly place my hands on the touch screen according to Theo’s instructions.

  The system absorbs the energy faster than I can produce it. Theo readjusts the flow to slow it down. Zoe monitors my vitals silently and conscientiously.

  It’s barely a minute before my temples start to throb. I feel dizzy.

  “Theo, we need to stop,” I hear Zoe’s voice. “Her blood pressure is through the roof.”

  “One second,” Theo says.

  But it’s more than one second. I start counting: one, two, three, four… Theo pulls the plug as I’m about to reach sixteen.

  Zoe puts her arms around me. “It’s done, Freya,” she says. “The system is backed up.”

  “Even if the shield is compromised in the future, it will quickly be restored,” Theo adds.

  It’s a good thing that we’ve done this and it makes me feel useful again. I have a purpose beyond my own selfish desires. This is one action I won’t have to question. I think all this but I’m not feeling it. All I feel is cold sweat down my forehead and spine and an urge to throw up.

  I hold on to Zoe’s supporting hand as the world starts spinning.

  “Here, have a seat,” Theo says pushing a chair towards me.

  “You should have told us how hard this was on you,” Zoe says.

  I see her concerned face and I smile as I realize how dear she is to my heart. “It wasn’t that hard last time I tried it,” I say.

  They help me get back to my room and put me in bed. When the chills start, it becomes clear to me that this new power could very easily kill me. I keep shaking and trembling for an hour but by the time Damian slips into the room, I am able to act as if nothing has happened.

  4

  Finn slides the roof back on over the crystal dome in the Observatory after he’s done collecting information on external conditions.

  “That’s it. Done,” he says jotting notes into a small notebook.

  I’ve been leafing through data on a touch screen and waiting patiently for Finn to finish his job. “How are things out there?” I ask him.

  “All quiet.”

  “Yikes,” I say mocking him. “That’s how bad stuff always begins.”

  “Aren’t you in a strange mood today?” Finn says with a raised eyebrow.

  It’s true, I’m in a mood so rotten I’m annoying. Something bugs me deeply and I cannot figure out what it is. “I had a dream last night,” I say.

  “Was I involved?”

  “In the dream? Is that the first thing that came to your mind?”

  “Well, you did show up at the crack of dawn.”

  “It was about Rabbit,” I say.

  Finn isn’t smiling anymore. We took Rabbit under our wings a few years back when he was nothing more than a small child with a big heart. We failed to keep him or Scout safe and as much as we try to focus on the present, that feeling of failure is rooted deep within us.

  “I miss him, too,” Finn says. “If only we knew w
here they are kept.”

  “What? We’d really go on a new mission without telling anyone?”

  “You bet we would.”

  I look up at the sealed roof with an ill feeling in my chest. “Do you think the shields would hold against a nuclear attack?” I say.

  “Where did that come from?”

  “I don’t know, it’s just a question.”

  “I’m not an expert on the subject,” Finn says, “but I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  “What would you bet exactly?” I say. “You’ve never even seen money.”

  “True. And I’ve never seen or heard any stories about the aliens working with nuclear power.”

  “Maybe not our aliens. But I’m sure someone else out there…”

  “Quit trying to freak me out,” Finn says. “Can you imagine if we kicked those bastards’ asses only to be faced with some new evil breed?”

  “With nuclear weapons.”

  “You’re not funny.”

  Ella steps in just in time to stop me from saying something even more stupid. She’s dressed casually and she’s had time to curl her hair and put her makeup on. I probably wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but sometimes I wish I could have her determination to always be presentable.

  “I was just at the hospital wing and they brought Ava in,” she says. “They’re running scans on her like you asked, Freya.”

  I will need the medical team to do a little more than that. I need them to figure out why she can do this energy thing so effortlessly while I am being destroyed. But who knows, maybe it’s just a matter of practice.

  “I still can’t believe she’s the traitor,” Ella goes on. “She was so helpful when I was down at Spring Town, so attentive and eager to learn.”

  “It wouldn’t have worked so well if she had been suspicious,” I say.

  “To think that this whole time she was feeding information back to the Empress,” Finn says. “Who knows how much she’s given away.”

  “Luckily, she was never privy to any of our higher level discussions and decisions,” I say, feeling worn down all of a sudden.

  “What do you think the plan was? Why would they put someone so powerful among us and not have her cause more damage?” Finn says.