Gravity's Eye by Ian C Douglas

Author:Ian C Douglas [Douglas, Ian C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781925148824
Publisher: IFWG Publishing Australia
Published: 2015-06-21T14:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Two

Back at the MUV

Trixie heaved them between worlds. Zeke tensed. What was that noise, that singing? It sounded like the crystalline pitch of a soprano. The emptiness between atoms ebbed. Dark shapes formed into boulders. Stars lit up and glittered overhead. Phobos was setting in the east. Trixie collapsed to her knees, exhausted.

“Phew! I’ve never gone so far, let alone hauling two rejects like you.”

Neither reject responded. Trixie looked up and the let out a cry. What was once the MUV was now a twisted, melted lump of black steel. Even their mountain bikes on the back were crushed into scrap.

“The Failsafe,” Zeke said simply.

Fitch cast an anxious eye over his shoulder.

“There it is!” he hollered.

Zeke spun on his heels. The Failsafe towered among the real boulders, identifiable by the dull pulses of light circulating its surface. All three students froze. But the ancient device remained still. Zeke took a deep breath and crept closer.

“Be careful!” Fitch hissed.

“It’s dormant,” Zeke hissed back.

“Like, asleep?” Trixie asked, standing up.

“Kind of, recharging its batteries, I’d guess.”

Fitch balled his hands into fists.

“Let’s get out of here, at the speed of light!”

“How?” Trixie said, gesturing towards the wreckage of the MUV.

Fitch thought for a moment.

“Well, our next port of call is this Beagle Research Station. Can you translocate us there?”

Trixie glared at him.

“After that last trip? I’m shattered.”

Fitch thought some more.

“And I’ve never translocated. We’d as likely end up inside the walls.”

Fitch and Trixie turned their attention to Zeke.

“Hey, no way. I’m just a beginner,” he protested.

“A useless beginner with no powers,” Trixie sneered.

Fitch walked up and clapped both hands on Zeke’s shoulders.

“That’s not true, Trixie, and you know it. Zeke has been having a teensy-weensy problem, but maybe it’s time to move on.”

“Wh-What do you mean?” Zeke stuttered.

Fitch locked his eyes on Zeke. Tiny sparks sizzled deep inside his retinas.

He’s hypnotising me, Zeke thought. That’s it! He’s been messing with my mind ever since he got here!

This abrupt jolt of clarity floated away as Fitch spoke softly.

“That’s all true, but only because you needed help. You see Zeke, when I read your thoughts and memories, important things loom out of your subconscious.

Things that you’ve buried deep. Things you want to forget.”

“What on Mars are you on about?” Zeke said.

“I see you in the Infinity Trap. The Star Dome, the seats, some sort of observatory. I see that arrogant man speaking to you. Slipping his nasty little words into your head.”

Zeke began to struggle in Fitch’s embrace. Fitch grasped him tighter.

“What was it he said to you, Zeke? That your father was quick enough to dump you?”

Zeke’s mouth dropped. Fitch was right. How he’d tried to forget Magma’s spiteful jibe.

“It was as if he injected you with a drop of venom, like my… well… Anyway, he undermined the faith you had in your father. The very thing that brought you to Mars in the first place. And that little doubt has been chipping away at your confidence for months.”

“That’s why I’ve lost my powers?” Zeke asked in a perplexed tone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.