first I thought Captain Jackass Jay and his boatload of flunkies might not escape the swirling current around the vortex, but the small boat fought free.
"Those idiots are gonna get themselves killed," Reese said. He pulled a pair of binoculars from his eyes and shook his head. "Maybe they'd be doing the world a favor."
"Who knows?" I said. "There might be somebody in this world who'd miss them."
Reese chuckled. "Yeah, their psychiatrists." He lifted his head in an upward nod. "What's your story, man? I've been saving Q&A time for later, but I gotta admit, I'm curious about that transformation you pulled on the roof yesterday."
"Uhm…" I wasn't sure if I wanted to launch into the story I'd given Harley, or make up something on the spot. "It's complicated, and probably best kept secret unless you want people in black knocking on your door someday." I didn't really know if the Custodians made house calls on people they suspected had knowledge of the Overworld, or simply let them be until they started making waves.
"Ah." He nodded again. "Some kind of government thing."
I didn't challenge his supposition. "More or less. Let's just say that the fewer people who know, the better."
"I gotcha." Reese shrugged and put the binoculars to his eyes. "I've had to keep my share of secrets."
"Special forces?" Elyssa asked.
He nodded without lowering the binoculars. "That obvious, huh?"
"Let's just say you know how to handle a gun." She shuddered. To her and most Templars, guns were grody nom weapons.
"I can tell by the way you handled yourself on the roof, you might know a thing or two." He glanced away from the lens and winked.
By now, Jay and pals were a couple hundred yards from the whirpool. Someone was fiddling with the engine on the boat, and I wondered if they'd run out of gas. I hadn't thought to check the fuel situation on this rig and hoped we had enough.
A distant rumble told me the explosives must have gone off. A brilliant burst of light from the maelstrom confirmed the theory. A shockwave rippled through the ocean and blasted me in the face with mist. Then the real explosion happened. A massive sphere of crackling ultraviolet and white energy bubbled up from the depths of the ocean and spread at a terrifying rate.
Jay and the others with him threw up their arms. I could almost hear their screams over the deafening roar as what could only be malaether—corrupted, poisonous aether—burned them to ash.
"Holy mother!" Reese looked at the other spectators on the deck. "Get inside now! Go! Go! Go!" The look of panic in his eyes was enough to send everyone scuttling to shelter.
The giant wave preceding the malaether blast was enough to turn my insides to water.
If the tidal wave didn't kill us, the malaether blast would probably burn us all to ash.
Chapter 6
Elyssa and I raced to the control room where Alon, his arm in a makeshift sling, guided the boat.
"Are we at full speed?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I thought we should conserve fuel. What was that—"
I ran forward and jammed the throttle all the way to max. The ship lurched. "We've got to get out of here!"
During the war, both sides had used small malaether crucibles like mini-nukes. Those detonations had been relatively small. If that crystal meteor had been soaking up aether all this time, it meant the explosion would be exponentially greater.
I looked back and saw the leading wave racing toward us, the sphere of cascading death close behind. The water caught us, slammed into the stern, and the entire ship groaned as it tilted forward. Water bottles and other loose objects tumbled to the floor. Everyone grabbed onto seats or consoles to keep from crashing into the control panel or front windows.
The ship rushed down the wave, riding it like a giant surfboard, and cries of terror rose from everyone present. I looked back—rather up—since the ship was at such a precarious tilt, and saw the deadly energy wave not more than a hundred yards
"Those idiots are gonna get themselves killed," Reese said. He pulled a pair of binoculars from his eyes and shook his head. "Maybe they'd be doing the world a favor."
"Who knows?" I said. "There might be somebody in this world who'd miss them."
Reese chuckled. "Yeah, their psychiatrists." He lifted his head in an upward nod. "What's your story, man? I've been saving Q&A time for later, but I gotta admit, I'm curious about that transformation you pulled on the roof yesterday."
"Uhm…" I wasn't sure if I wanted to launch into the story I'd given Harley, or make up something on the spot. "It's complicated, and probably best kept secret unless you want people in black knocking on your door someday." I didn't really know if the Custodians made house calls on people they suspected had knowledge of the Overworld, or simply let them be until they started making waves.
"Ah." He nodded again. "Some kind of government thing."
I didn't challenge his supposition. "More or less. Let's just say that the fewer people who know, the better."
"I gotcha." Reese shrugged and put the binoculars to his eyes. "I've had to keep my share of secrets."
"Special forces?" Elyssa asked.
He nodded without lowering the binoculars. "That obvious, huh?"
"Let's just say you know how to handle a gun." She shuddered. To her and most Templars, guns were grody nom weapons.
"I can tell by the way you handled yourself on the roof, you might know a thing or two." He glanced away from the lens and winked.
By now, Jay and pals were a couple hundred yards from the whirpool. Someone was fiddling with the engine on the boat, and I wondered if they'd run out of gas. I hadn't thought to check the fuel situation on this rig and hoped we had enough.
A distant rumble told me the explosives must have gone off. A brilliant burst of light from the maelstrom confirmed the theory. A shockwave rippled through the ocean and blasted me in the face with mist. Then the real explosion happened. A massive sphere of crackling ultraviolet and white energy bubbled up from the depths of the ocean and spread at a terrifying rate.
Jay and the others with him threw up their arms. I could almost hear their screams over the deafening roar as what could only be malaether—corrupted, poisonous aether—burned them to ash.
"Holy mother!" Reese looked at the other spectators on the deck. "Get inside now! Go! Go! Go!" The look of panic in his eyes was enough to send everyone scuttling to shelter.
The giant wave preceding the malaether blast was enough to turn my insides to water.
If the tidal wave didn't kill us, the malaether blast would probably burn us all to ash.
Chapter 6
Elyssa and I raced to the control room where Alon, his arm in a makeshift sling, guided the boat.
"Are we at full speed?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I thought we should conserve fuel. What was that—"
I ran forward and jammed the throttle all the way to max. The ship lurched. "We've got to get out of here!"
During the war, both sides had used small malaether crucibles like mini-nukes. Those detonations had been relatively small. If that crystal meteor had been soaking up aether all this time, it meant the explosion would be exponentially greater.
I looked back and saw the leading wave racing toward us, the sphere of cascading death close behind. The water caught us, slammed into the stern, and the entire ship groaned as it tilted forward. Water bottles and other loose objects tumbled to the floor. Everyone grabbed onto seats or consoles to keep from crashing into the control panel or front windows.
The ship rushed down the wave, riding it like a giant surfboard, and cries of terror rose from everyone present. I looked back—rather up—since the ship was at such a precarious tilt, and saw the deadly energy wave not more than a hundred yards
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