Raven by Ava Lock

Author:Ava Lock [Lock, Ava]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sci-Fi & Fantasy
ISBN: 9781946948243
Publisher: Semiscope
Published: 2018-08-30T23:00:00+00:00

9

The LEGEND

Inside the bypass things were—different. Things ceased to be things at all, but it was sound that vanished first. Like being underwater, then like being inside the Bank, then like being deaf. Raven watched Everstar dematerialize next to her. Impah faded away and she no longer felt his weight on her shoulder. Everything went before her. Everything went. Every thing went. Every. Thing.

All the tiny hairs on Raven’s tattooed arm stood on end.

—Electrified? Energized? Excited?

Drifting into the abstract, Raven gazed at her disappearing arm. Her hairs faded away with her goosebumps. Her goosebumps away with her skin. Her skin away with her ink. The ink away with her fat. Her fat away with her muscle. Her muscle away… Then, stripped down to the bone. Then no bone.

With no eyes, Raven saw herself. She saw right through herself. She wasn’t there, but she was still aware—like a ghost. Almost.

Flashing particles buzzed along at dizzying velocities. Spanning distance. Spinning. Energy. Light. Space. Speed. Time.

Black.

Raven experienced total blackness. Total nothingness. All at once—she heard nothing. She saw nothing. She felt nothing. She thought nothing. She was nothing. Nothing. No. Thing.

Nanoseconds passed.

White.

Light, gravity, then sound, hit.

First, light reflected off molecules. Rays refracted off Raven’s rematerialized irises. Electrons stimulated her regenerated retinas. Brilliance. Radiance. Blinding whiteness—all at once. Then electrons orbited around nuclei. Heavy atmosphere pushed against Raven’s rematerialized skin. Pressure pumped her blood. Gravity pulled the soles of her rematerialized feet toward the ground. Crushing weightfulness—all at once. Chemical compounds vibrated. Ambient sounds flowed through the air. Gusts rushed through Raven’s rematerialized eardrums. Wind. Noise. Deafening sound—all at once. She saw everything. She felt everything. She heard everything. She was everything. Every. Thing. Everything.

Raven was back. Again.

In the city of Easton Kurr, on the planet of Walkenwood almost sixteen light years away from Third Moon, the red four-wheeler appeared from the right side of another infinity sign and rolled down a ramp. Everstar drove, looking exactly the same as he did back in the strongroom. Raven sat in the passenger seat, with Impah on her shoulder and Hummer in the back. The camouflaged ATV appeared behind them. The major drove with Hilda still hunkered down under the dash, peeking into the backseat. Vincent crouched in the back, ducking for cover. A stray milishock blast flew past them and whizzed by Raven’s head. The laser hit a fallen building nearby, crumbling the remains of an already broken brick wall.

“That stray shot just struck an unintended target halfway across the galaxy.” The major pointed as he drove down the ramp. “Now that’s something.”

Hilda checked on her droid.

(Nothing hit EOG. He’s okay.)

Behind the rescue party, the yellow infinity symbol extinguished, leaving them in total darkness.

“Light. Dark. Light. Dark. It’s a bit much,” Hilda said.

“Yuh ain’t kidding, sweetheart,” Vincent said.

The major switched off the engine, jumped out of the all-train vehicle, and dug around in the cargo area. He released EOG from his restraining net, sat him on the ground, and switched him on.

“Thanks, Major.” Hilda joined him to check on her goatbot.

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