Ciaran braced his hands on the wall of the capsule as it slowed significantly in speed. “I can’t let us lose momentum. I can’t let you miss your officiation, Madeline.”
She said nothing but just embraced him. She had done that once during the Daimon Gate tests when she sensed that he was about to experience a life and death battle. With her psychic ability, she could sense danger, but she didn’t necessarily know how to handle it.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
He lifted her chin up and kissed her. A long, deep, and passionate kiss. He finished with her lips and wiped the tear on her face away. “Can you forgive me if I can’t help you in the last leg to your tower?”
“You will be with me all the way,” she said firmly.
He nodded. “I’m going to push the capsule. I did this before on Earth. I used my energy to send Bran all the way from Earth to Eudaiz. So a little push to this capsule shouldn’t be too bad.”
She nodded. “If you must,” she muttered and looked away.
Ciaran approached Gaia. “Gaia, when you heal my injuries, you must feel as if you’re drawing some kind of power and putting it in your hand. Is that right?”
Gaia nodded.
“So here is what I want you to do. Come here.” He brought her to the control panel. “This green button is to keep this capsule moving ahead. What I want you to do is to pull the power out of me and push it into that button. Do you understand?”
Gaia frowned.
“Do you understand what I said, Gaia? Don’t take the power from anywhere else or the capsule will stop. We have to push it forward, or everyone in here will die. So hold my hand, draw the power from my hand only, and push that green button.”
Gaia looked at Ciaran.
“Can you do that?” Ciaran asked.
Gaia looked at Madeline. “Madeline?” she called.
“Yes, Gaia.”
“If I do this, will it make you really sad? You look really sad right now.”
Madeline came to Gaia. She couldn’t stop her tears, but she could try to convince the girl that it was okay for her to help. “I’m sad, Gaia. I can’t help it. But you have to do what Ciaran asked. Everyone here needs you to do that.”
Gaia nodded. She held Ciaran’s hand and did what he instructed.
The capsule jerked, roared, and then zoomed ahead, exceeding its original speed.
Ciaran slumped to the floor. In his mind’s eye, he saw millions of black stars and lightning. The energy flowed out of him like a raging river pouring into the ocean. He braced himself against the wall and tried to stay conscious.
Madeline went to him. “Don’t touch me,” he said. Even speaking that short sentence taxed him. He closed his eyes and focused. Gaia wanted to withdraw her hand, but Ciaran held fast, and she couldn’t wiggle free. With her other hand, she continued to push the green button.
They zoomed into the Sciphil central platform. The capsule slowed down and stopped, and Ciaran finally let go of Gaia’s hand.
He was drowning.
He saw nothing but darkness. He was falling into a bottomless black hole. There was neither air nor gravity. He hovered and then dropped again. A spark of lightning cut through the darkness. One more. And another. Ciaran realized that it wasn’t lightning, but sparks of energy. He saw a blur of light coming from the terminal.
He felt the heat of the energy from Gaia’s body and realized she was holding him. The lights in the capsule flickered and went out.
He opened his eyes and felt Madeline’s tears raining down on his face. “There now! Welcome back, my warrior,” she said, brushing his hair out of his face.
“What happened?” he asked.
“When we arrived, Gaia drew the energy from the capsule and put it back into you.”
Ciaran could feel he was lying on the floor of the station. He tried to sit up. “Easy now. You still don’t have much energy at all.”
“Are we at Tower One?” Ciaran asked.
“Yes. Not at the gate, but we can make our way to it. We’ve made it, Ciaran.”
“Ayana and Pete aren’t here?”
She shook her head and helped Ciaran stand.
Sizx approached. “I’ve never been here before. But I think it’s a bit quiet to be the Tower One secured zone. If there are no people guards, there at least have to be some robotic guards.”
“I’m afraid the lady is right,” Kyle spoke from a corner.