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Galilee Rising(110)

By:Jennifer Harlow


Before he even opens his eyes, she seizes the villain by the wrists and takes off like a rocket into the air. Twirling as fast as she can, she spins and spins Jordan by the wrists to gain momentum before releasing him. He hits a nearby wall head first, even leaving a dent in the metal. Momentarily unconscious, he plummets down to earth. Good--

She's behind me, breaking the cuffs at the middle, when he lands. I don't even have time to process that before she yanks me to my feet. Holding me around the waist we lift off, my neck snapping backwards and my stomach following a few seconds behind. The spots return. I'm vaguely aware of passing through open space and everything being blue. The sky. Then down we drop toward the dark churning water. About a second later, her arms vanish. Wind whips around me as I plummet to earth. The last thing I see before the water overtakes me is Liberty gliding toward the ship. Crash.

The water's freezing, shockingly so. In my dazed state, it takes me a moment to realize why I'm so cold and why my lungs don't like what I'm breathing in. I'm in water. Fuck. Oh shit. Which way is up? When I try to expel the water already in my lungs, more enters. I open my eyes and notice the light. Up. That way. A few kicks and I surface, coughing all the water out along with the crackers I ate earlier. What the…? I stare at the open water. There's movement. Something white. Oh, a boat. It's coming. Not my boat. Where's my boat? I need… The spots become full darkness for a few seconds. What's--

BOOM!

I spin around just as an orange and black fireball shoots up and sideways from the carrier a hundred feet away. The noise reaches me first. Then the massive, oppressive heat and rocketing fire coming right for me. Even in my wretched state, instinct knows the score. I plunge underwater as the flames turn the light above red. The water ripples like an earthquake, churning me every which way, but I keep my eyes on the light to find my way back. When the red's vanished, I surface again. The sound of cracking, twisting metal is almost deafening. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The ship folds in the middle as smoke and flames rise to the sky. Wow. Planks of metal and other debris rain down all around me. I just watch it burn and sink until a minute later the darkness can't be kept at bay a moment longer. I let it transport me from this hell. I've earned that.



*



What the…?

I force my eye open, but the florescent lights sting as if I were inches from the sun. The other won't open. I close it again.

Shouting brings me back this time. I unglue my eye and turn toward the commotion. There's a flashing light through a window, and Cam shoving someone out the door. I close my eye again.

Pain. Ungodly, intense agony. My chest. My hand. My face. Once again only one eye opens. The pain won't allow me to pass out this time. I glance around. A hospital. Tubes in my arm and other unnatural places. My fingers are splinted. The cut in my arm from the tracker is bandaged. There's something wrapped tight around my chest, an ACE bandage I think. I touch my face with my good hand. I think the cut is bandaged too, but my cheek, nose, and eye are swollen to fuck. Even lightly touching them sends pain through my head. I reach for the call button. All considerations about sobriety are swallowed by the agony. About ten seconds later, a nurse walks in.

"Oh, good, you're awake. We were starting to worry."

"Pain," I croak.

She prepares a syringe. "Right on time too." She injects my IV. "Quite the ordeal you went through."

"How long have I been here?"

"Only a day. You've been in and out of consciousness. You're very lucky to be alive, Miss Fallon. Your guardian angel sure earned her wings yesterday." The nurse picks up my chart from the end of the bed and starts scribbling. I close my eye as the drugs kick in. Oh, that's wonderful. "The press have been camped outside all day. You're national news. The sole survivor of Emperor Cain's reign of terror."

I survived. I can't believe it. It's really over. I won. I…My eye flies open. "What?"

"That's what they're calling it anyway. I have to ask. Were you really working with--"

"Wait…so-sole survivor?" I attempt to sit up but don't have the strength. It's taking all my willpower just to stay awake. "N-No. Lex-Liberty and Nightingale were there. They-They made it off."

Her chubby face plummets. "I-I," she stammers, "I just know what they're saying and what I saw on the news. The police boat that pulled you out of the water, the officers watched Lady Liberty fly out, drop you in the water, then fly back in. No-No one came out again before the explosion. I'm sorry."

I stare at this pitying woman for a few seconds as the rage billows up, choking the air from my lungs. No. No. Not… "Get out."