36 #2
But sometimes, the Breakers miss an entire burst, and that’s when things turn devastating.
Another cloud erupts to the south, over the greenhouse district.
I sense the storm’s trajectory. I feel it as the burst spreads, bleeding across the sky, and then the jagged points of light coalesce and aim for the earth.
“Skies!” I shout just as it hits, expanding into a plasma arc so large and bright it can probably be seen for miles. Several greenhouses shatter, bursting apart, tossing glass, metal, and plant life in every direction. It’s a critical strike.
The clouds are growing fiercer now, more energy exploding overhead. It’s only been a few months since the Blood Storm destroyed so much of the city, but now we’re here, having to contend with a sky that’s trying to kill us again.
The backup Breakers have arrived and are filtering up the tower, spreading out in circles.
I watch the screen as the general moves at light speed, gathering one burst after another, while more are directed toward the Towers until the entirety of New Manhattan is shielded by a glowing purple constellation of Spark.
Despite the danger, it’s beautiful.
Like an entire amethyst galaxy has descended from the heavens.
More explosions and more Spark lance toward the city.
Bursts are coming faster than ever, and I watch the screen as General Sol trembles, her face a mask of concentration.
Can she keep this up? I think of the illness she told us about.
Is it affecting her abilities? I’m trying to remember the last time we had a storm this powerful. It’s definitely been a few years.
When Amery and the Citadel are hit, we all inhale a collective gasp. Even from here, I see the plasma arc rise up from the plaza between the buildings.
As the sky rages, I feel the pull of the storm.
My skin is on fire, and my mind is beginning to turn fuzzy.
I want to touch it so badly. I wish I could hold a Spark wand.
It might take the edge off. I look over at Rook.
His mouth is pressed into a bloodless line, his fingers twitching, sweat beading on his forehead.
He meets my gaze, and I know this is affecting him, too.
We’re too close to it. It’s too much. Would a wand actually help? Have I made a critical error in thinking I could really stand on these Towers and do this job?
I swallow thickly as I move to the center of the room, trying to find some distance, willing the Spark away, but it’s useless. Rook and I stand together, our hands clasped as my gaze jumps between windows and the monitor where the general is working.
“Poe, Rook?” Domino asks, turning around. “Are you two okay?” I nod as she moves closer. “You both look . . . pale.”
“We’re fine,” Rook says, but it’s obvious that he isn’t. He’s shaking, and I’m shaking. I glance at the monitors and suck in sharply when I see General Sol stumble and fall to her knees.
Her head hangs down, her dark hair falling around her as it tosses in the wind.
The screen glitches, and suddenly, the general is standing, just like she was a moment ago. I blink. What happened? Did I just . . . imagine that?
I don’t have time to question it as more flashes light the world around us with dozens of bursts of Spark erupting across the horizon.
“Skies,” I whisper as the storm beats down, dousing the world in an ocean of amethyst light. More buildings are hit. Explosions come from every direction. A blast hits the canal, and a column of water shoots up.
“What do we do?” I whisper as I feel Rook shake his head.
The intercom crackles to life a moment later. “Breakers, hold your positions,” comes the voice. “Our trackers estimate only a few more minutes before the clouds begin to move away from the city. I repeat, hold your positions.”
We stare out the window at Henry, who raises his Spark wand.
A multiarmed bolt of light sizzles toward him and strikes the glass tube in a swell of blinding neon.
But it must be too powerful, because as it gathers the hit, the energy spreads like water tipped from a pot.
It travels down the wand, over the rubberized grip, and then diffuses across Henry.
I scream his name as he collapses.
Then, I’m out on the platform before I realize what I’m doing. The wind lashes my hair as I kneel next to Henry, where purple sparks dance over his twitching body. “Henry!” He hasn’t been blitzed, but he isn’t breathing, so I immediately start chest compressions.
“Wake up!” I scream. Raine would never forgive me if I let him die. “You have to wake up!”
I’m still screaming as more explosions rock the world and purple light flashes around me. I feel it the moment I’m hit. It catches me off guard. It’s more powerful than anything I’ve ever felt. Pain rips through me. Agonizing. Bone-shredding. Mind-bending.
I scream and stagger to my feet as I’m consumed by the blast. It feels like the end of the world. I’m screaming and screaming, waiting for it to end, but it just goes on and on.
My knees shake, and I’m tripping over my feet. I hit the railing surrounding the platform, and another shriek rips from my throat as I become weightless, and then I’m falling.