The Gathering Read online

The Gathering

  A Short Story

  Copyright © 2011 by Victorine E. Lieske

   

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

   

  This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Danielle smoothed her black uniform and strode along the endless, white hallway. How had she gotten turned around again? The outer ring followed the perimeter of the Holodome, just a huge circle. But for some reason she was always going left instead of right. And since the Holodome encompassed a large area, it took quite a while to circle the entire structure. She ended up having to double back a lot.

  A yell from ahead made her slow down. The resequencing rooms…unease swept over her and a lump formed in her throat. She never liked walking past them, but usually they were quieter than this. As she approached the door she heard another scream. Several soldiers marched past. A couple of them stared at the door but no one stopped.

  It wasn’t any of her business—she was supposed to be finding her partner—but the sound unnerved her. What was happening? She pressed her palm against the metal sensor and the door dematerialized.

  A dark-haired teenager was strapped to a resequencing table. His muscles bulged against the thick white bands. Purple veins stood out on his neck as he struggled to break free. He was naked from the waist up except for a silver nose ring. He jerked his head and let out another frustrated scream.

  The two Dyken soldiers on either side of him scrambled. “He’s not responding,” the tall one said.

  The guy twisted on the table, his eyes finding hers. His gaze bore into her. “Help me.”

  Danielle’s heart pounded in her chest. She wanted to tell him they were helping him, but he wouldn’t have understood. Instead, she turned away, unable to look any longer. What was wrong? Why couldn’t they subdue him? He should be out cold until the end of the procedure. She’d never seen anyone awake in the resequencing room.

  She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Someone swore, and she couldn’t stop from looking again. The table had risen a foot off the ground. The soldiers grabbed onto it, struggling to push it back to the floor.

  “How can he still have his powers?” the younger soldier asked.

  “I don’t know. Give him another dose of liquid trimeninite.”

  The young one paled. “We don’t know what that will do to him.”

  “Just do it!”

  Metal clinked as the soldier threw his neural inhibitor on the tray and grabbed the injector. Danielle’s gut twisted. She fingered the gadgets on her belt. Guilt pressed over her like a thick blanket.

  “Danielle.”

  She turned to see Benit, her partner, walking toward her down the long curved hallway. He waved the small handheld computer at her. “Our next assignment.”

  Danielle glanced back at the teen before allowing the door to materialize and shut out the scene. She took a breath and tried to clear the images from her head.

  “I’m glad you found me,” she said. “I get all mixed up in here for some reason.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Benit said. His eyes crinkled at the corners. He was in his late thirties, older than a lot of the Dykens who volunteered to come. Like most volunteers, Danielle turned eighteen just before they left their home world for this assignment.

  “I’m sure I will, if I don’t take a wrong turn and end up being resequenced first.”

  “Your mother wouldn’t appreciate that, would she? Having her daughter think she’s from 21st century Earth?”

  The thought made her smile. “Especially since she was so thrilled with my decision to leave Dyken and come to Maslonia. I swear her lectures lasted longer than the trip here.”

  Benit put his hand on her shoulder. “She was just concerned. I’m sure you’ll feel the same when you have children.”

  She hadn’t thought of it that way.

  He held up the computer and scrolled through the list on the screen. “Looks like they’re keeping us in Hailsburg. We’re on the opposite side of town this time, though. I think we can split up again, judging from the addresses they want us to hit.”

  “That’s fine. I know they prefer we stick together, but we get so many more done when we split up. And it hasn’t caused any problems so far.”

  Benit’s chuckle echoed off the bare walls. “Well, I always stick close to you just in case.”

  The implication that she would be the one to get into trouble gave her the urge to say something snippy, but she held her tongue. She took out a hair tie and pulled her shoulder-length brown hair into a loose knot at the base of her neck. They turned and headed to the exit. Benit put his hand on the metal sensor.

  The cool evening air hit her as they stepped through to the lush forest outside. They picked their way over to the clearing where the hovercrafts were parked. Small and sleek, they looked like jets without wings. Benit clicked his ignition button and their craft sprang to life, rising a few inches off the ground.

  Danielle slid into the passenger seat and fastened her restraint while Benit lowered the top. He tugged the lever and the craft rose several feet into the air and glided over the foliage, weaving through the trees. “Go ahead and turn on your cloaking device,” Benit said. “I’ll be cloaking the craft soon.”

  Crud. She’d forgotten to put in her contacts, but she didn’t want Benit to know. She pretended she’d done it on purpose. “Guess I’d better put the contacts in then.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t put yours in at the Holodome?”

  “I don’t like them.” At least that was the truth. They made her queasy. But she couldn’t see her partner without them, at least not while he was cloaked. “Don’t worry. I can put them in while you drive.”

  He smirked but didn’t say anything. Danielle opened a small container on her belt and slid out the contact case. Then she placed one lens on her index finger and held up her eyelid. In. That wasn’t so bad. The second contact slid off her finger and on to the floor of the hovercraft. She bent over to feel around for it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Nothing.”

  The corner of Benit’s mouth twitched.

  Embarrassment heated her face. “I dropped it.”

  “Next time don’t forget to put them in.”

  She turned away so he wouldn’t see her pink cheeks and continued to pat the carpet. “Found it.”

  She cleaned it off as best she could and then popped it in. Everything around her now had a pink tint. She turned on her cloaking device. The familiar tingling sensation vibrated over her skin. Benit followed suit, cloaking himself and then the vehicle. The trees thinned as they approached Hailsburg.

  Once they entered the city, other cloaked hovercraft passed by them. Quite a few of them.

  “They’re hitting Hailsburg hard this evening,” Danielle said.

  “We don’t have much time before we’re supposed to have the people resequenced and settled in the Holodome. I think they’re sending everyone out for The Gathering now.”

  Their craft slid silently down the street above Maslonian citizens walking in nervous clusters. The Maslonians knew the Dykens were here, even though they couldn’t see them. The thought forced guilt to rise again in Danielle’s chest.

  This is all for the best.

  Benit turned down a quiet street and slowed the craft, descending, until it stopped in between two houses. He pointed to the house sitting on top of a slight incline. “You take this one. Just a kid and his aunt live here. No one’s home right
now, so you’ll be able to sneak in and wait for the kid. His name’s Shayne. He should be here any minute. We’ll have to come back for the aunt. I’ll be across the street. An elderly couple there.”

  “All right.” Danielle raised the restraint and stepped onto the pavement. She started up the hill. It wasn’t hard to see in the dim light of dusk. White lacy curtains framed the windows. No lights were on. Everything appeared to be dormant inside. She circled around to the back of the house and stepped up the stairs. Taking her molecular reconstruction unit from her belt, she dissolved the door and slipped inside.

  The door materialized behind her. She stood still for a minute letting her eyes adjust. She was in a small mud room that opened up into a kitchen. The kid would be coming in any second now. It was a good bet he’d head for the kitchen to get something to eat. She crossed the room and waited by the arched doorway.

  It didn’t take long before she heard the front door unlock. Right on time. Lights flipped on in the living room. A few noises and some footsteps, and then the kitchen light flickered on.

  A guy about her age entered the room and Danielle’s head jerked. This was no little kid. He was tall and had dark blonde hair with highlights. But it was his ice blue eyes that stopped her heart.

  Dear heavens. He was gorgeous.

  He wore a dark purple uniform, and she couldn’t help but notice how nicely it fit. He walked over to the fridge and opened the door.

  Through the fog clouding her brain, she realized her partner would be coming to look for her in a second. She didn’t want to give Benit another excuse to look down on her.

  Her hand shook as she pointed her incapacitator at the back of Shayne’s head. The image of the teen strapped to the resequencing table struggling to get free flashed through her mind. She lowered the gun. What was she doing? Why was she questioning her duty? The Gathering was necessary…to save their lives.

  Yes. She must do this. She took a step closer. The floorboards creaked under her weight and her blood ran cold.

  Shayne didn’t move. Maybe he hadn’t heard. She raised her gun, determined to follow through with her mission.

  Shayne ducked and something flew at her, hitting her hard in the stomach. She let out a gasp and doubled over. Great. A telekinetic. Why didn’t Benit warn her? She staggered and Shayne turned and did some kind of martial arts roll, crashing into her shin and knocking her down. Pain shot across her back side.

  “Ouch.”

  Shayne bolted into the living room while mentally sending knick knacks flying at her head. She stuffed her incapacitator into her belt and raised her arms in front of her face, following after him. She couldn’t let him get away. They’d take her off field duty and stick her in a cubicle somewhere in the Holodome. She was determined not to let that happen.

  A heavy porcelain figurine smashed into the cloaking device clipped to her and she felt the tingle dissipate. She was visible.

  Shayne spun around and stared at her, his eyes wide. He looked terrified.

  She held out her hand, her fingers spread in what she hoped was a non-threatening way. “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you.”

  He studied her face, his eyes squinting. Those stunning blue eyes made her catch her breath. “You’re here to kidnap me.”

  True. But the alternative was worse. “It’s not what you think.”

  He stepped back and his mouth opened in shock. “You think what you’re doing is somehow…helping us. How can that be?”

  He was reading her mind. She knew the Maslonian people were supposed to be able to do that. She had thought it might make her feel somehow violated, but it didn’t. She took a step closer to him. “We are here to help. There’s no need to worry.”

  Shayne frowned. “If your friends and family were disappearing in droves, wouldn’t you worry? Wouldn’t you do everything in your power to stop it?”

  “Of course I would.” Danielle lowered her voice. “Unless…I understood the whole picture.” She inched closer. If she could keep him talking and distract him, she could grab her incapacitator.

  They stood for a moment, regarding each other. Something shattered in the kitchen behind her. Instinct made her turn and Shayne came at her, pushing her hard up against the wall and pinning her arms above her head.

  He pressed against her, and she could feel the muscles in his chest. He smelled clean and rugged like laundry detergent mixed with a woodsy smell. It was intoxicating.

  She gasped. I can’t believe he smells as good as he looks. She couldn’t stop the thought from popping into her head.

  Shayne broke out in a wide grin and chuckled.

  Heat flashed to her face. He’d heard her. She narrowed her eyes. “This isn’t funny. You’re only making this more difficult for yourself.”

  His smile faded. He cocked his head to the side as if trying to figure her out. “Why are you doing this?”

  Benit entered the room behind Shayne, still cloaked. A bit of relief flooded through Danielle, though she hated to admit she couldn’t handle this on her own.

  “Let me go,” she said, trying to look like she had some power over the situation.

  “Tell me what’s going on. Where are you taking my people? Where is my mother?”

  All natural questions, but they made her defensive. “We haven’t hurt anyone. They’re safe. We’re not the bad guys here.”

  “You think we’re the bad guys? Why? What have we ever done to you?”

  Benit raised his incapacitator and motioned for her approval. She signaled with a nod. Benit fired and Shayne crumpled to the floor. She made sure he didn’t hit his head.

  “What are you doing, Danielle? You weren’t supposed to decloak.”

  Here it comes. The lecture.

  “It was an accident.” She knelt over Shayne, took her injector and pressed it against the back of his neck. He stared at her, unable to move.

  Her stomach clenched. She was doing the right thing, wasn’t she? She pushed the button, injecting liquid trimeninite into his bloodstream.

  “Don’t worry,” she said, putting the neural inhibitor against his arm and activating it. “He’ll forget all about this once the resequencing is done.”

  Benit folded his arms. “I know. Lucky thing I came in when I did, right?” The corners of his mouth turned up into a cheeky smile. “Looks like you were having a little too much fun.”

  “Funny.” Danielle clipped a locator device to Shayne’s arm.

  The sound of the teenager screaming in the resequencing room echoed in her ears.

  “Sometimes resequencing doesn’t go so well, does it?” she asked.

  Silence. That couldn’t be good. Benit frowned while he studied her face. “What do you mean?”

  She shrugged and looked down at her hands. “I saw a guy. I guess he woke up before the resequencing was done. He still had his powers…”

  “Danielle,” Benit said, crouching down beside her, “I’m sure they can handle it.”

  “I know. It’s just…he looked like he was in pain. I was told there would be no pain.”

  The muscles in Benit’s jaw worked for a minute. When he spoke it seemed measured. “What we’re doing here…it can’t be avoided. You missed the first day of training, otherwise you wouldn’t be questioning this.”

  Yeah. The first day of training. The day her mother locked her in her room and wouldn’t let her out. She didn’t think she’d ever convince her mother to let her join the force. In fact, if it weren’t for her father, she probably would still be locked in her room.

  She shook her head. “I’m not questioning anything. Well, not exactly.”

  Benit’s face softened. “Listen, I understand. This is big. We can’t take it lightly. But each person we gather is another person saved.”

  She nodded and took one last look at Shayne before swallowing her doubts and pushing the locator. He vanished, transported to the outer ring of the Holodome.

  Benit stood and messed with his handheld. “I�
�d better let them know Shayne saw you.”

  “What will they do to me?” Her throat felt tight. She was hoping her superiors wouldn’t have to find out.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Nothing, probably. He didn’t get away. We fixed it. But they should know for when they resequence him.”

  That didn’t make her feel much better. “Oh, by the way, thanks for keeping Shayne’s power a secret.” She rubbed her sore back side. “He caught me off guard.”

  “Oh. Telekinetic. Sorry.” A smile cracked his face and he chuckled.

  She hit him on the arm with the back of her hand. “Yeah. You’re taking the next telekinetic.”