The Meta Corps - Dream of the Youth

  Chapter 17

  Sarra’s spasms ended and she regained control of herself, not counting some smaller jitters here and there.

  “Sarra!”

  Sarra turned to see her sisters approach and sneered. She predicted that Lora would ask if she was all right, forgoing duty. Sarra looked past her sister and saw Tench fall to the earth, clearly injured and unable to fly properly. She saw that Jack was above him with a rocking arm.

  Sarra answered before Lora could ask.

  “I’m always going to be alright, you putz! Why worry about me when Tench is falling? Gaia’s Rose, Lora!”

  Sarra shot past her sister. Lora watched her leave and was surprised to see that Jack’s icy appendage was being sucked up into the eye with its owner not far behind. Below, she saw Tench plummet to the earth. Lora gasped and followed Sarra.

  Jack had dislodged Tench with his swing, but he found that the eye had caught his appendage in the process. Displeased at the thought of losing his arm to another dimension, Jack wrapped his free arm around the ice and flew in the other direction. The pillar of ice turned ninety degrees, and the eye got a better grip. Jack forced his panic away; he was losing. A chunk of concrete half the size of his body rushed at him.

  “Oh shit, no you don’t!” Jack looked around, afraid to move in any other direction. He was smacked before he could attempt anything, and was sucked up within moments.

  Sarra caught up with Tench, grabbed him, and held him in a fireman’s carry as she flew back to Lora. She saw Jack get sucked up and felt a pang of elation.

  “Serves you right, blow hole!”

  Sarra flew back to Lora, who inspected Tench without a word. Tench was immobile but conscious, and looking up at the eye.

  “Jack is gone.” Lora called. She held onto her arm.

  Sarra scoffed.

  “Good riddance. Make him suffer his own cosmic void.”

  Lora looked up at the eye.

  “Now what, Sarra? How do we stop it?”

  Sarra looked away; she didn’t have an answer.

  The wind suddenly picked up, and the three were caught. Lora shrieked and grabbed for her sister. Sarra was caught by surprise, both by the sudden gale and Lora’s lunge. She backed away from Lora and hit a current where the gust was stronger. Sarra’s liquid body enfolded Tench in awkward swirls as they tumbled out of control toward the eye.

  Lora watched them disappear into the vortex.

  “Sarra!” She held her bloodied arm up as if she herself could stretch. She saw red and yellow spots accompanying lightheadedness and gasped. She shook her head, grimaced, and wondered what to do. Save the city, or her sister. Lora bit her lip and decided to defy fate by choosing both. She mustered all her courage and dove upward, straight into the eye of the storm.

  On the ground, Morgan cowered behind a stationary piece of rubble, watching as Anne’s power grew. She had never witnessed psychic power of that magnitude, and both the scientific doctor, and former practitioner in her was deeply curious. She sat quietly and watched.

  Anne rose up to the eye and stopped at the event horizon. She tried to look around, but swirling flakes of dust got in her eyes. She cried and wished for nothing more but for her pain to go away.