New Dawn

Mare

I short circuit the machine. I do not mean to, but when I see Eve fall, a trail of silver blood running from her left nostril, and hear her head crack against the stone floor, I can do nothing but let the electricity in my fingers strengthen. A little too hard. Sparks fly and the machine smokes. Worthless.

I keep frying, watching the machine spark and smoke in my hands. I cannot stop. I feel the metal melting, scalding hot, burning my hands. But I cannot stop.

"Help her!" I scream at Sara, as I look at Eve's slumped body, head gashed over, pooling blood on the floor. 

But Sara does not move from Julians side. After a moment I realize she is choosing to keep him alive while Davidson figures out a way to get the final piece out without the machine.

The door bangs open, Cal and Elane entering with Farley and the other engineers hot on their heels. I watch in a haze as Elane and Farley haul Evangeline into the corridor, screaming for a healer. The metal in my hands grows hotter, I can feel my hands burning, but I cannot pull away. I channel my anger into the sparks, popping wires, engulfing the circuits in flames. My vision blurs, Evangeline is limp in Elane's arms, Farley dashes down the hall to find a healer, Cal and Davidson lean over Julians body. They are whispering. My hands burn. I hear them mention Samos, I can only assume they mean Ptolemus. Davidson sprints down the hallway, Cal leaves my frame of vision. 

Farley all but drags a healer down the hallway. Two healers. I wonder who else could be hurt. I can no longer feel my hands. 

What I do feel are Cal's hands on my shoulders, pulling me away from the machine. 

Suddenly I feel faint, overwhelmed by the searing pain coming from my hands. I try to look down, to see what I've does, but he catches my face in his hands.

"Don't look" he says. 

I feel hands in mine, but his are on my face. I assume they are the healers. I feel the familiar sensation of being healed. The pain fades and I squeeze my hands into fists, attempting to keep the sparks in check. I try to look away from Cal but he holds my head firmly in his hands. 

"Hey." he says "focus here, ok?" 

I look into his soft bronze eyes, feeling the electricity recede from my fingers. I remember times before when he would calm my anxiety on the jets. When he would hold my hands and make sure I didn't bring the plane down. I smile, forgetting myself and my surroundings for just a moment. lean up to him before I realize where I am, and what is going on. 

Then suddenly I remember where we are. I look around, and see Eve is gone, as are Elane, Farley, and the healers. And Ptolemus is here, he is attempting to help Davidson with Julian. some of the other engineers try without success to fix the completely charred remains of the machines core operating system. 

I slump in Cal's hands, resting my hands on his wrists. I squeeze, then I move from his grip. I approach Davidson and Ptolemus.

"What can I do?"

We work for hours, Ptolemus, Davidson, Cal and I. The engineers helping us to figure out a way to remove the silent stone. 

Finally, when I think that all hope is lost we manage to remove the stone. 

It sits like an omen on the table, small as a jack, but exuding tremendous silence and power. I cannot be too close to it. It reminds me of him. 

But now Julian is breathing more steadily, the color is returning to his cheeks. Cal, Davidson and I all wait by his bedside as Sara and two younger healers work. 

"He will be alright" her voice pierces the veil of silence that has settled upon us. 

Suddenly I feel all the emotions of the last hour at once. I cannot hold it in as hot tears slide down my cheeks. I take Julians hand and squeeze, continuing to cry, shoulders shaking as sobs expressing a hundred emotions take hold of me. 

"He needs some time. It will take at least a day for him to wake up. But he will be alright."

I feel happiness now more than anything. I continue to sob, my shoulders shaking harder as I squeeze Julians hand. 

Davidson's voice snaps me out of my daze.

"What about Evangeline?"