Rogue Powers (18 page)
Authors: Phil Stern
But his elation was short-lived. A second round of blistering light and thunder seared down onto the Karden band, devastating the mountainside track behind them. A fresh wave of heat swept across the narrow trail, blowing hot rain in Lydia’s eyes.
Once again, it took several seconds for Lydia’s vision to return. When it did, their stunning plight was laid out in chilling detail.
Anson, Lydia, and the three soggy cats were now completely trapped, both the pathway ahead and behind entirely gone. Precariously situated atop a tiny sanctuary of crumbling dirt and rock, slashing rain and howling wind threatened to rip them away.
But even this brief respite from active danger was to be short-lived. Before she could even think of what to do next, Lydia felt the remaining mountainside trail settle and slide, obviously crumbling away. Without question they had very little time before tumbling down to their deaths.
Desperately taking Anson in her arms, Lydia inspected his grievous wound. Obviously he’d lost a great deal of blood, and was now very weak.
“Anson! Stay with me!” Yet even as she watched her love’s eyes drifted closed, the empowered commoner youth falling unconscious.
“Anson! Come back!” she screamed, holding him close. “Damn it, we’ve come so far!”
But her only reply was the wind and rain, manically washing out their tiny refuge. Beneath them, she could feel the entire pathway continue to collapse. Clearly, they had very little time.
“I love you,” she breathed, mouth pressed to his ear. “At least we are together, Anson of Hylen.”
Bending her head to his chest, barely feeling the pulsating rain, Lydia waited for the end.
But just as the pathway began a final slide away into the gorge below, a new eruption of light and heat blazed down from the sky, engulfing them completely. The last thing Lydia remembered was a tremendous roar of energy, seemingly within her body itself, and then nothing.
EPILOGUE
S
LOWLY, LYDIA’S EYES DRIFTED OPEN. Laying flat on her back, a bright light shone down from above. Terrified, she cried out and rolled to one side, shielding her head from more lightening.
“Hey there! Relax, it’s okay.” A light hand touched her shoulder. “You’re safe now.”
Breathing heavily, Lydia forced herself to remain calm. The wind and rain were gone, the bed hard and still. “Where am I?” Her head throbbing, it was difficult to even think.
“A hospital,” replied the female voice. “I’m a doctor.”
Carefully propping herself up on an elbow, Lydia looked around. Everything appeared shiny and clean, with sharp, modern lines and softly glowing lights. Beeps and buzzing emanated from some of the devices. Odd wires snaked about. She had never seen anything like it. Deliberately, Lydia took several moments to acclimate herself.
Only then did she notice, to her right, another patient on an identical bed, still asleep.
“Anson!” she called out, trying to get up. “My love!”
“Relax.” the doctor commanded, firmly guiding her back down. “You’re in no condition to get up yet. But know your companion is safe. He’ll recover fully, though the wound was severe.”
Head still swirling, Lydia thought back over the final moments on the mountainside, before the last lightning strike. “And my cats?” she hesitantly asked, fearing the worst.
The doctor smiled. “They’re fine too.” A pleasant woman in her mid-30's, she pulled up a chair, sitting beside the bed. “Actually, I have them in my apartment, just waiting for you to get better.”
“But where are we?” Once more, Lydia glanced around. “What is this place? How did we get here?”
“This may be difficult to explain.” Gathering herself, the doctor continued. “You’re in a special facility constructed around the terminus of a cross-dimensional portal.”
Confused, Lydia laid back down. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“That’s all right,” the doctor laughed. “Neither do our scientists. Not completely, anyway.”
In short order, the doctor told her that she was on the planet Mander, settled long ago by colonists from Earth. Not even understanding what that meant, Lydia nodded mutely.
Some century before, a geneticist had made a wild breakthrough in manipulating the human genome. Rather than publicizing his findings, the scientist had simply used his position at a fertility clinic to implant several dozen altered embryos in unsuspecting women.
“These children,” the doctor continued, “grew up to have amazing powers, things no other people could dream of! Each ability seemed to be unique, or nearly so. Can you imagine?”
Lydia mutely nodded, glancing once more at Anson in the next bed.
In any event, things began to unravel once the children reached their late teens. Though secret up to that point, a series of incidents involving empowered youths blew the whole scandal wide open.
“One killed his girlfriend on a whim. Another knocked down an entire building. There was even one who used some kind of mind control to rob banks.” Sighing, the doctor shook her head. “Since they all could sense one another in some fashion, these rogues were pairing up as couples. When the public realized what was going on, it caused a panic. It was almost like a new breed of super-humans were developing, people the government might not be able to control at all.”
“What happened then?” Lydia quietly asked.
“Well, they were all rounded up and given a choice. Spend the rest of their lives in prison, or become the greatest pioneers of all time.” The doctor briefly inspected a readout. “After all, with the discovery of the inter-dimensional fissures somebody had to go exploring, and these people seemed ideally suited for whatever dangers they might encounter.”
“So they all went?” Grimacing, Lydia endured another surge of pain.
“Well, most of them, anyway.” Nervously, the young woman glanced about. “It’s always been rumored some simply melted into the population. To this day, all government and medical professionals are required to report unusual behaviors or abilities to the authorities. There’s even a special agency for investigating these things, the Bureau For Special Persons.”
“I see.” Lydia tried to smile. “So what does this have to do with Anson and me and how we got here?”
“You, Lydia, have possibly come to our world from one of these alternate universes. Maybe even hundreds of years from our relative past or future. Do you know what I mean?”
“No.”
The doctor smiled. “Well, do you at least have any idea how this happened?”
Again, Lydia thought of the searing lightning, followed by utter calm. “I’m not sure.”
“Lydia, this is very important.” Nervously, the doctor touched her arm. “All the inter-dimensional fissures became unstable long ago. Actually, this is the last one, and can only be used one way. To come here.”
“So...are we in trouble?”
“No.” Yet the young doctor sounded unsure. “But no one had come through in years. Our scientists think this last portal may be closing off for good very soon.”
“So what does that mean?”
“You can’t go back,” she gently informed Lydia, as if that would be a great disappointment. “So you’ll have to acclimate yourselves to being here, though that bag full of precious jewels we found in your pocket should make things much easier.”
“Oh.” Lydia had forgotten about the treasure taken from Xander’s saddle.
“Do you think that will be a problem?” Hesitantly, the doctor paused. “Never seeing home again?”
“Never see home again?” Frowning, Lydia tried to look suitably disturbed. “That’s hard to accept.”
“I’m sorry.” Briskly, the doctor continued. “You’ll have to answer questions from two BSP agents and undergo an exam. Just standard stuff. But officially the Bureau needs to make sure you aren’t any of those mental renegades I just told you about, or their descendants.”
“I see.” Nervously, she thought of the Karden warriors, also being swallowed up by lightning. “Have any non-humans ever come back through this portal?”
“Your house cats, which may be a first.” Once more, the doctor smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. There aren’t any monsters on the loose.”
Possibly the fissure only conveyed species back to this world that originally came from it, Lydia thought. Clearly, there was much even these people didn’t know about the process.
Delicately, the princess posed a final question. “Have they ever found any more...” Pausing, Lydia acted as if she were dealing with an unfamiliar concept. “...any more of these super people, in your world? The one’s who can do stuff with their minds?”
“Officially, no. But I’m sure they have. It’s all hush-hush,” the doctor said. “After all, why would the Bureau for Special Persons still even exist after all these years, if they weren’t still finding people? See what I mean?”
“Yeah.” Lydia tried to smile. “Of course.
***
A year later Anson stood on a street corner, in a modern-suit, reading a holo-paper. Aircars swooped down to street level from high above, carefully weaving among the sleek, soaring skyscrapers. People bustled about, talking on tiny devices, their bags and briefcases obediently drifting behind them.
A gentle tickle brushed the edge of his mental perception. Glancing up, he saw Lydia striding toward him in a short skirt, snug blouse, and high heels. Several men glanced appreciatively in her direction, but Lydia’s gaze was only for her young love.
“Hey, sexy.” Kissing him, Lydia then took Anson’s arm. “Good day at work?”
“Not bad.” Putting an arm around her slim waist, they walked together. “Want to see that new play tonight, or take a ride to the moon? I hear that new anti-grav park is great.”
“Why not just spend a quiet evening at home?” she replied. “Watch some holo-tube, maybe take a bubble bath? What do you say?”
“You’re on,” Anson laughed.
The young couple walked on, still masking themselves from this new world, yet finally reveling openly in their own private universe.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed
Rogue Powers
. This was a story I’ve had in mind for some time, and being able to publish and share my work with you is truly an amazing experience. I understand that leisure time is precious, and am very pleased, and humbled, that you’ve chosen to spend a portion of it with my writing.
As with all “indie” authors, I’m entirely dependent on word-of-mouth for reaching new readers. Thus, I would be honored if you could take a moment to leave a brief review on the
Rogue Powers
Amazon page, or on Goodreads. Any and all comments are most welcome.
You can drop by my website (
www.philstern.com
) for more information on my other works and the latest on my writing career. While there, I hope you click the Facebook link and visit the Phil Stern Author Page.
Also, feel free to say hi on Twitter (@philstern100), or drop me an email directly at
[email protected].
ALSO BY PHIL STERN
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The Witches Series
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Science Fiction/Fantasy
Rogue Powers
A Time For Ryda
The Reclaimed
Contemporary/Modern Edge Fiction
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The Phil Stern
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