Aliomenti Saga 6: Stark Cataclysm (36 page)

Adam climbed back into the machine and leaned over the seat, picking up Will’s hand. He closed his eyes. Angel remembered now. Adam had his own unique talent, the ability to sense specific bodily injuries. He’d once told her how he’d helped Katherine Baker, a woman who’d been attacked after her husband, Michael, had been named Trustee of the Stark family estate, a position that put him in control of the disbursement of billions of dollars. When they’d gotten to the hospital, Adam held her hand and sensed her injuries, realizing that what kept the woman unconscious weren’t the physical injuries sustained in the attack, but an as-yet undiscovered brain tumor. He’d sent a burst of Energy to the tumor and destroyed it. With the pressure on her brain relieved, she made a full recovery with the techniques of conventional medicine.

Adam’s face clenched. “Angel’s right. We can’t wait. Get the healing nanos in him now.”

They didn’t argue. The Mechanic went to one of the two kegs he kept in his laboratory. One created batches of “general” nanos that formed the personal swarms controlled by each member of the Alliance. The other created “specialty” nanos that were modified with unique coding and features. He went to the latter keg, and Angel watched as he tapped buttons at a furious pace.

Angel unlocked her Shield and willed her Energy into her father’s body. The Energy smothered him inside and out. She could feel as the Energy soothed inflammation inside, helping his body fight against the myriad injuries.

Five minutes later, a soft beep sounded. The Mechanic collected the new batch of healing nanos into a syringe. Fil and Adam moved aside as the man moved into the time machine, leaned over the seat, and injected the mixture into Will’s burned arm.

“How long will it take?” Angel asked. It was a rhetorical question; she knew it would take as long as it took.

“Keep doing what you’re doing, Angel,” Adam said. “He needs it.”

She nodded, focusing on keeping the positive Energy flowing into her father, listening as the men discussed the other steps.

“I don’t think we can work on the memory alterations right now,” Fil said. He kept his voice low, as though concerned Will would overhear.

“I agree,” Adam replied. “His brain needs to be fully focused on the healing that’s happening. We can’t be helping that process by tinkering with his memories right now.”

“We do know what memories to block?” The Mechanic’s voice had an edge to it that Angel couldn’t place.

“Familiar faces from Pleasanton that he’ll see here, and later faces he’ll see here that he’ll also see in the past. Other than Adam, Arthur, and the Hunters, everyone must be a new face when he gets to the North Village.” Adam gave a faint smile. “Of course, he’ll remember
me
when he sees my father, but that can’t really be helped.”

She realized they were forgetting something. “Don’t forget conversations we’ve had while he’s been asleep.”

Fil looked intrigued. “Good point. We’ll need to get rid of the conversations we held in the time machine from the time Angel gave him the sleeping potion until we finish the process.” He nodded. “That’s a good point to consider going forward as well. We’ll need time to have our own discussions out of earshot from him, where he can’t overhear even when his clairvoyance starts to develop.”

The Mechanic looked around the room. “We should set this room up for that purpose. There’s no sense making anyone leave the camp area when we can meet here.” He smiled and held up his hand. The golden Alliance tattoo glistened. “I’ll just tell the nanos that if you don’t have the tattoo, you don’t get in.”

“Should we get him to his own room, then?” Adam asked.

Fil nodded. “Everyone here understands the situation. Nobody will disturb him as he sleeps. It will also help with the private communication issue.” He shrugged. “And his memories showed him waking up in his own room, not in here. Let’s do it.”

The Mechanic nodded and moved to the nano keg. “I’ll start building nanos for Will.”

Wait. That wouldn’t work. “He can’t own nanos yet because he doesn’t have the communication nanos installed. He needs to understand what’s happening before he wakes up with a panoramic video screen in his mind.”

The Mechanic snapped his fingers. “That’s a great point.” He scrunched up his face in thought. “I’ll code them to Adam. During the Aliomenti raid that’s coming up, it was Adam who turned Will’s room into… what did he call it? A flying bobsled?”

They all laughed.

The keg took twelve hours to produce the nanos required to form a full-sized dwelling. After the Mechanic activated the production process, he, Fil, and Adam left to get some sleep.

Angel stayed. She used her own nanos to form a reclining chair near her father’s bed and reached out to take his hand. She left her Shield down; the direct contact would continue the flow of Energy into him. She felt the smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

“You stayed here all night?”

She startled awake, blinking. “I guess I did.”

The Mechanic nodded. “You should go get some fresh air, Angel. I’ll be here with him while you’re gone.”

She realized the air seemed stale and wondered if she was comparing the local air to what she’d breathed on the island paradise the day before. “I will. Thanks.”

He nodded at her as she disassembled her chair and walked through the wall.

The outside air was crisp and clean, and she breathed deeply. She had to compose herself. The emotional reaction was understandable, but she had a job to do as well. That job demanded that she avoid an excessive emotional attachment. She could and would be friendly, help her father learn his future heritage and history, and help prepare him mentally for the immense journey he’d face. The more emotionally attached she became, the greater the odds she’d slip up.

“He’s Mr. Stark, a nice man caught up in something he doesn’t understand. I’ve never met him before.”

“Anything I can help with? Or do you often talk to yourself?”

Charlie was there, arms folded, smiling.

Angel rushed to him, let him wrap his arms around her. “Sorry. It’s… it’s been more difficult to manage than I’d expected.”

“You’ll be fine, Angel. Your motivational speech is exactly right. You don’t need to forget your compassionate nature. Just… tone it down to normal levels.”

She nodded. He was exactly right. “Thanks. I needed that.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I have to get to work.”

“I know you do. And you’ll be fine. There’s nobody in the history of the world who could do a better job at what you’ve been asked to do.” He gave her a smile. “Now go get it done.”

She offered a salute. “Yes, sir.”

She visited the shower facility—a room that sprayed a fragrant effervescent mist that left skin and hair deeply cleaned—and headed back to the Mechanic’s quarters. She took another breath of the fragrant outside air and a final kiss of sunlight upon her skin before she moved through the wall.

Adam and Fil had joined the Mechanic in her absence, and all three looked up as she entered. “Good night sleep?” Fil asked, a faint smile upon his face.

She smacked him on the shoulder as she moved to sit at the table. “Delightful.”

“We have several key activities to complete over the next six hours or so,” the Mechanic said, reviewing a checklist. “We’ll need to create the memory blocks. Fil, that’s you. We’ve got the list of memories to locate and block here.” Fil nodded, looking decidedly uninterested in the prospect as the Mechanic pushed a small tablet computer across the table. “Adam, you have the new allotment of nanos. You’ll be in charge of building Will’s room. Don’t forget the bed in the middle.” Adam nodded once. “Angel, you and I will handle bathing Will and getting him into fresh clothing before Fil finishes the memory blocks.”

She nodded. It seemed an odd thing, especially since his skin was still tender from the extensive burns. But they needed to clean the blood and debris and dead skin before the healing nanos graduated from the internal injuries to the exterior.

Adam headed out moments later to the site of Will’s home in the camp. Fil tapped the screen on the tablet and began scrolling through the list.

Angel surrounded Will’s unconscious form in Energy and lifted him off the table. She levitated him toward the wall… and his feet bounced.

The Mechanic snapped his fingers. “My fault. I already set up the security with the tattoos. The room won’t let him out.” He glanced back at Fil. “Shield your eyes, it’s going to get bright for just a moment.”

Fil turned around and glanced up at him from behind the mirrored sunglasses, an ironic smile on his face.

The Mechanic snorted. “Right.”

The room vanished as the Mechanic disassembled the structure. Angel floated Will outside the space and, once she’d breached the old perimeter, the building reformed behind her. They moved to the shower facility. Angel felt awkward peeling the clothes from her father, and cringed as they forced strips of clothing away from his body through the dried blood plastering them in place. The Mechanic floated Will into the shower facility to remove the last few articles of clothing and complete the washing cycle.

Angel waited outside. She removed her shoes and flexed her toes in the grass. She’d have to do an introductory talk with her fa—with Mr. Stark. He’d still be in pain. She’d give him the next vial of fluid. She frowned. They’d already given him the nanos. The new vial would probably be another sleeping formula, then. She’d prepare that once they got him situated in his room. She knew they’d need to do the Purge in the next three or four days and her nose wrinkled. They’d eliminated the painful attributes of morange by easing people into it with increased dosages of zirple first. Mr. Stark didn’t have the luxury of time. She was happy that they’d already put the healing nanos in him. She wondered if the Purge would flush the healing nanos out. She’d need to make the observation to the others and see if the idea had merit.

The Mechanic moved out of the shower facility with a clean—and clothed—Will Stark floating behind him. He looked far better. The burns and bruises were still evident, but the lack of blood and dirt made him look far more human and alive. She smiled at the Mechanic. “Nice job.”

“All credit or blame goes to the shower itself. Shall we see if Will’s new home is ready?”

They moved through the camp, floating Will along in his repose. The other residents watched and chatted with them. Most sensed her internal struggle and offered encouragement as she worked in the coming days and weeks with Mr. Stark. They found the completed dwelling at the designated spot and moved through the wall. Adam was there, concentrating, and she watched as the narrow bed formed in the middle of the space. The room was pure white on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Other residents, with more control over their nanos, added rooms and color to the interior. Adam kept things simple. They didn’t want Will worrying about furnishings and decoration during his time with them.

The Mechanic set Will down upon the bed. The trio exchanged glances and then left the room.

“How long until he wakes up?” She needed to be there when he did.

“Probably two more hours,” Adam said. “You’ve got time to get a bit of rest.”

Angel didn’t need to be told twice. She headed back to the dwelling she shared with Charlie before stopping just outside the walls. She needed to perform her role properly. That meant she had to live in the correct building. With a sense of deep regret, she headed to the building where Fil lived.

He wasn’t there, of course. He was altering their father’s memories to forget he’d ever met important people in his life. He’d partitioned the interior into three rooms: one central living space and two small bedrooms. She could sense lingering Energy in the room to the right and moved to the one on the left. The room was empty. She formed a bed of nanos and settled down for a short nap.

“Sis, you need to wake up.”

She sat up, startled. She’d always been a deep sleeper, but she’d fallen asleep instantly the last two times she’d settled down to rest. The mental fatigue and stress took a toll. She needed to get through the next two days and then let her body and mind recover.

She knew why he’d woken her. “Thanks, bro.”

He tapped her on her shoulder as she tried to walk by. “Don’t forget these.” He handed her the pair of glasses he’d snagged from the kitchen counter during the trip back in time and the vial of sleeping potion.

She nodded and moved through the wall and to Will’s chamber. He was awake.

The conversation felt awkward. She gave him the glasses so he could see. She stayed positive, giving him a simple overview of their group and the fact that he needed to heal his body. His focus was single-minded. He wanted to get back home and use all of his immense resources to launch a search for those who’d attacked his home and killed his family.

She’d seen that same attitude in Fil.

She calmed him down with her Energy and gave him the sleeping potion, telling him it was a potion to complete the healing of his remaining injuries. It would keep him asleep for at least thirty-six hours.

She took advantage of the respite and slept as well.

She woke, famished, and headed to the dining hall. They’d reproduced the automated machinery of the Cavern here. Robots collected local fruits and vegetables. Eva, Charlie, and others in the camp went fishing and hunted local game. She smirked. That was what they
called
it. In reality, they traveled to the closest human settlement, three hundred miles away, and purchased most of their food. She didn’t care where the food came from. She gave her verbal order and felt her mouth water as the aromas wafted over her. She closed her eyes, allowed her mind to anticipate the textures and tastes of each item she’d ordered. When the machine finished production, she had to restrain herself, slowing down to chew each bite thoroughly.