Shocked (15 page)

It takes an entire day (with the team effort) before I’m forced to notice Mason’s presence again. The short moments before we set off for today’s destination impede with perfectly timed distractions keeping him from getting too close. Besides the team’s obvious feelings on the entire situation it seems to evolve into a new pastime among our group. A level playing field for techs and soldiers alike.

We arrive at the next power plant and the new game continues. The teeniest bit of my hurt flips over to amusement as I watch it all unfold.

The techs do their part and pile Mason’s arms full of tools and other important looking devices. The bulk of our soldiers surrounds them and forces their advance into the building. After a few minutes the doors bang shut and the air is silent.

Lucas unhinges the back gate of the truck. I sit facing him so we can keep watch in both directions. We pass the time with foolish games of I Spy until all of the possibilities are defunct. The sun’s getting warmer—a nice sign of impending spring even though it leaves me thirsty. I stand to go to our cooler. I stretch my limbs before I hop down to wake up the muscles that have fallen asleep against the hard metal of the truck. It’s when I hop down that I see it.

The proximity is what scares me the most. I’m no expert, but I imagine that things shouldn’t go boom by a nuclear power plant. Call me crazy.

“Go and get the others out, now!” My voice’s sharper than I mean for it to be, but it’s not time to worry about it.

I run full speed towards the metallic fog. Just this once I will my feet to be trustworthy and not trip over themselves. The most unnerving thing of all: we still don’t know the severity of the situation.
Is this the infection or Carch?

The difference may seem minor however the difference in outcome can be huge. The infection’s only a small problem in comparison to Carch’s men and their weapons. Add in the nuclear aspect and we’re all screwed.

The distinction is made a few feet before the fog embraces me and fear quickens my movements. The infection (the real one not made by Carch’s unethical weapons) fears me. It avoids my energy. This one does not. Just like the attack on our first camp.

My panic becomes overwhelming for a split second and I squelch it down. Warning the others may be impossible, but there’ve been some changes since I last met this fog. My power has more control and more of a punch. Plus this time I’m uber-pissed.

In the thick of the fog I let loose. My energy reaches a level of wanton release that I have yet to venture into. It feels good—and it melts the fog around me faster than it can dissipate. For the first time since the beginning of everything I want to see how far I can go. It’s consuming and I let the energy devour me.

It propels me off my feet so that the energy keeps me hovered just above the ground. The fog clears further and something else catches my eye. I push with all my might and blast the energy towards the group of men causing all the mayhem. Their black uniforms mark them like targets and the force of my energy obliterates them. Only it’s not before one of them launches something fiery at the large concrete cylinder behind me.

I move quickly and it’s no use. There’s no way I can win a race against something so fast. My legs give out when it makes contact and I stumble to my knees. The threat has been destroyed, but at what cost. My concern with destroying Carch’s men causes me to neglect to keep my own team safe.

It’s then I hear the frantic voice shouting my name. I see Lucas approaching in a solid run. He moves to pick me up but I hug him hard instead. “You got them out?” My voice is frantic.

“Yes, everyone’s out, but we have to move.” To confirm his words a large rumble comes from the structure next to us. “The techs say the worst is yet to come. The further away we can get away the better. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Instead of wasting time answering him I grab Lucas by the hand and together we run towards the army vehicles. The team already has the engines rumbling. Halfway there the ground quakes again. I don’t have to look back to know. The look on our tech Jase’s face tells me all that I ne
ed to know. With the next earth-cracking shudder I shove Lucas in front of me with a strength that surprises me.

There’s only one thing I can think to do. I’ve never tried it before so I hope like hell that it works. The look on everyone’s face before me is pure horror. It
has
to work. With that thought in the center of my mind I unleash my energy again: slowly this time until I’m certain of my control over it. Once it’s completely pliable I weave it quickly around the people in front of me, under their vehicles and over their heads—a bubble of electricity and hopefully a bubble of protection.

In my haste I forget to include myself in this bubble. I see the flash of light behind me. It’s brighter than my own energy and I feel it penetrate my back. It’s warm, sticky and gross. The energy behind me battles with the shield in front of me until it ultimately holds. The last bit of energy behind me drains and so does the rest of mine.

Consciousness looms near yet just out of reach. The sensations are there. My skin feels like it’s crawling, but no part of me will listen when I will it to move or work. Voices garble and drift in and out. There’s no denying something very bad is happening. The question is, how bad?

There’s that split second when I first wake up—that wonderful moment of ignorant bliss in which time I remember nothing of previous horrific events and heartbreaking regrets. It all comes rushing back with the force of massive wave and it jostles me from head to toe. My last memories sink into place and I shoot up, wary of the unfamiliar surroundings.

The room is dark besides the pathetic amount of light that leaks from a lamp on the bedside table to the left. Next to that table Lucas snores lightly in a chair next to the bed. The body in the chair to my right belongs to Mason. Good Lord. I think I prefer the nuclear explosion.

I give my arms and legs a wiggle. The same for my fingers and toes. I take stock. It doesn’t feel like anything’s out of place. Surely being exposed to something like that can’t be good. Although (if we’re being technical) neither is getting tens of thousands of volts of electricity pumped through you.
Hmm.

Regardless of any possible detrimental side effects the problem at hand still remains. My reprieve ends when Lucas stirs and opens his eyes.

“Kat!” He says this loudly (of course) and wakes Mason in the process. I slink back under the covers slightly. “You’re okay!” He grabs my left hand in his.

“Kat…” Mason’s voice is quiet before it trails off. He gives my right hand a squeeze but releases it when he catches the look on Lucas’ face.

“Um, yeah…at least I feel fine. Where are we? How long was I out?” My curiosity overpowers awkwardness every time.

“You were out for two days.” Lucas says and gauges my reaction. “We’re in the town next to the power plant—“

My head snaps towards him and I cut him off. “How is that safe? Shouldn’t we be as far away as possible?”

“We
should
be.” Mason quietly reminds me that he’s there.

“What happened?” I ask in confusion.

“You,” Lucas pauses and searches for the right words. He looks uncomfortable. “You threw out some kind of electric bubble. It protected all of us—everything inside of it. The rest…from what the techs can tell disappeared.”

“Disappeared? How does it just disappear? I thought that a nuclear explosion like that was supposed to be like the worst thing ever.” At this point I’m baffled.

“You sucked it up, Kat. You absorbed all of it. It was pretty amazing.” Lucas doesn’t look at me while he says it. We both look as Mason launches out of his chair and stalks out of the room instead.

I look at Lucas in astonishment. “Sorry,” he explains. “He doesn’t think we should mention that part. He doesn’t want to worry you. I think that you should know…I’d want to know.”

Okay, what happens when electricity meets radiation? It’s not a subject I’ve ever given any thought about before. Of course it seems that there’s never anything normal about the way anything reacts to me. Even if there is an answer it probably won’t do much good.

“Kat?” Lucas still patiently waits for a reply. I hold up a finger, still processing.

The words make sense. It’s certainly not for lack of understanding that they’re so unbelievable. It’s how good I feel—although that can be the two days of sleep talking. There’s no reason to freak out when I feel fine. Which has to mean I’m good…unless, “Am I dangerous for you and the others to be around now?” I ask the thought out loud.

Lucas shakes his head. “The techs are amazed. They’ve exhausted every battery in every piece of their equipment twice before they believe it. It’s a miracle.”

Relief washes over me. “Everyone else’s asleep?”

Lucas shakes his head. “Half the team and the techs are resting. The rest of them are out on patrol. With you unconscious…”

That makes sense. I stretch now and swing my feet to the floor. “We should go and tell them to come back so they’ll be rested for tomorrow.”

Lucas looks at me in shock. “Kat, tomorrow we’re going back. Captain Jennings and Dr. Ford have aborted the rest of the mission. They’ll send out another team or something. When they heard what happened they told us to bring you back as soon as it was safe.”

“That’s absurd!”
Whoops!
That came out a little too loudly
. I lower my voice to a tense whisper. “We’re already here. Why waste all that time? What if another one goes?”

“The only reason that one had problems is because of Carch’s men. The mission is important, but I think they made it seem slightly more ominous than it actually is.”

“It doesn’t matter.” I shove my feet into my boots and stand. “There’s no way they’re going to make it into the North without me.”

Lucas steps in front of me. “Kat, we thought…after what happened. Then you didn’t wake up.” For the first time I see the relief in his eyes.

“Lucas,” I soften and place my hand on his shoulder. “I’m alright, really.”

“I know.” He pulls me into a rather tight hug.

“How nice,” Mason’s voice comes from behind Lucas. The door slams as Lucas releases me.

“Sorry,” Lucas says.

“Not your fault.” I reassure him. “I need to speak with the Captain.”

Lucas nods. “Follow me.”

The satellite phone offers gritty sound quality, but it’s better than nothing. Captain Jennings is full of relief to hear that I’m okay. It takes twenty plus minutes of Q & A with Dr. Ford convince them both enough to agree to let us continue on (for now.) The stipulation is a recurring phone call every three days to the good doctor for a check in. It’s probably a good idea so I don’t argue.

Captain Jennings explains the new plan to Lucas while I toe at the dirt on the ground with my boot. I glance around and there’s no sign of any imminent threat. It’s almost disappointing considering all of the energy I’ve built up ‘sleeping’ these last couple of days.

Lucas returns to my side and notices how antsy I am. “You still want to go do the perimeter?” He asks.

“Let’s go.”