He planted his hands on the ground to keep from sliding away.
“What happened, Caroline?” Robert asked.
“I'm so sorry,” she cried. “You told me how your powers worked. You told me what it was like to control them in your mind. That you just had to know that it was possible, and you could make energy. And if you knew that and believed it then you could make your mind do it. I kept thinking about it. All the time. I couldn't stop thinking…” Caroline broke down into an uncontrollable sob. “We were all on the plane, mom, dad... And it made sense. You just had to know, like learning to swim. I killed them, Robert. I killed them.”
Robert struggled to get closer to his sister. He just wanted to hold her, but he could barely get within arm’s length.
“It's not your fault,” Robert said. “It was an accident, a terrible accident, but it wasn't your fault.”
Caroline looked at him slowly and said, “Did you know mom was pregnant? It was there, alive, and then it turned to ash like the rest.”
“Caroline, listen to me,” Robert shouted. “We have to get you to stop before any more people get hurt.”
“I don't think we should be allowed to live,” Caroline said more to herself. “Our human side changed our powers to something beyond even mom's. It's why it killed her, and maybe it'll kill us and everyone else we love. We should die.”
Porter came through the storm crawling on his hands and knees. The wind had carried Caroline's words, and he knew that she had become suicidal. Which meant bad things.
“Robert,” he called out from behind. “We have to stop this now; before it gets worse.”
“Caroline,” Robert tried to get his sister’s attention.
“There are other people's lives on the line here,” Porter yelled. “If you can't get through to her we'll have to act.”
Robert didn't turn around or acknowledge Porter. Instead, he continued to struggle to reach his sister.
“Colonel Porter,” the voice of a telepath came into his head. “Captain Darren here has a message, uh, direct verbiage. First, taking a radio into a plasma storm was a stupid idea. Second, be on your toes, something is about to happen.”
With that, Porter pulled from his reserves of strength and stood, forcing himself forward. He had to reach the girl and stop her. His weapon had melted along with the radio so it would have to be with his own hands. His feet slipped and skidded back, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other. As he came up on Robert, he thought to push the boy away, but didn't have the energy. Porter was surprised that Robert had lasted this long as he fought to grab his sister. Robert's fingers reached out and strained. The tips brushed Caroline's arm, and she looked at him.
“I forgive you,” Robert said to his sister.
Chuck watched the storm growing and thrashing. It was obvious to everyone in the safe zone that things were not going to end well. It was clearer to Chuck, whose head was ringing like a fire alarm. Someone was about to do something very bad. His survival instinct hoped it was Porter, but he didn't like the idea of the girl dying.
Suddenly, the ground shook and the dust cloud lit up with bolts of energy. A sound, like something sizzling, filled the air to an almost painful level. The wind hit them with enough force to throw Chuck to the ground. As he recovered, he saw a flash of light at ground zero. Air rushed back in to fill the space created by a vacuum, sucking everything towards it. Chuck groped to hold onto anything and then the implosion collapsed the plasma storm on itself.
Porter had been thrown over a mile from the blast. When he woke he immediately headed back to where Robert and his sister had been. He found Robert and Caroline still alive. Robert was holding his sister tight, smothering her energy output with his own. Her powers had been
“What happened, Caroline?” Robert asked.
“I'm so sorry,” she cried. “You told me how your powers worked. You told me what it was like to control them in your mind. That you just had to know that it was possible, and you could make energy. And if you knew that and believed it then you could make your mind do it. I kept thinking about it. All the time. I couldn't stop thinking…” Caroline broke down into an uncontrollable sob. “We were all on the plane, mom, dad... And it made sense. You just had to know, like learning to swim. I killed them, Robert. I killed them.”
Robert struggled to get closer to his sister. He just wanted to hold her, but he could barely get within arm’s length.
“It's not your fault,” Robert said. “It was an accident, a terrible accident, but it wasn't your fault.”
Caroline looked at him slowly and said, “Did you know mom was pregnant? It was there, alive, and then it turned to ash like the rest.”
“Caroline, listen to me,” Robert shouted. “We have to get you to stop before any more people get hurt.”
“I don't think we should be allowed to live,” Caroline said more to herself. “Our human side changed our powers to something beyond even mom's. It's why it killed her, and maybe it'll kill us and everyone else we love. We should die.”
Porter came through the storm crawling on his hands and knees. The wind had carried Caroline's words, and he knew that she had become suicidal. Which meant bad things.
“Robert,” he called out from behind. “We have to stop this now; before it gets worse.”
“Caroline,” Robert tried to get his sister’s attention.
“There are other people's lives on the line here,” Porter yelled. “If you can't get through to her we'll have to act.”
Robert didn't turn around or acknowledge Porter. Instead, he continued to struggle to reach his sister.
“Colonel Porter,” the voice of a telepath came into his head. “Captain Darren here has a message, uh, direct verbiage. First, taking a radio into a plasma storm was a stupid idea. Second, be on your toes, something is about to happen.”
With that, Porter pulled from his reserves of strength and stood, forcing himself forward. He had to reach the girl and stop her. His weapon had melted along with the radio so it would have to be with his own hands. His feet slipped and skidded back, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other. As he came up on Robert, he thought to push the boy away, but didn't have the energy. Porter was surprised that Robert had lasted this long as he fought to grab his sister. Robert's fingers reached out and strained. The tips brushed Caroline's arm, and she looked at him.
“I forgive you,” Robert said to his sister.
Chuck watched the storm growing and thrashing. It was obvious to everyone in the safe zone that things were not going to end well. It was clearer to Chuck, whose head was ringing like a fire alarm. Someone was about to do something very bad. His survival instinct hoped it was Porter, but he didn't like the idea of the girl dying.
Suddenly, the ground shook and the dust cloud lit up with bolts of energy. A sound, like something sizzling, filled the air to an almost painful level. The wind hit them with enough force to throw Chuck to the ground. As he recovered, he saw a flash of light at ground zero. Air rushed back in to fill the space created by a vacuum, sucking everything towards it. Chuck groped to hold onto anything and then the implosion collapsed the plasma storm on itself.
Porter had been thrown over a mile from the blast. When he woke he immediately headed back to where Robert and his sister had been. He found Robert and Caroline still alive. Robert was holding his sister tight, smothering her energy output with his own. Her powers had been
Similar Books
