Read Online Psion Omega (Psion series Book 5) by Jacob Gowans - Free Book Online
Authors: Jacob Gowans
Ads: Link
to Brickert’s bed with a book balanced by the cast on
his left arm. His friend lay still on his left side with his eyes closed; a
breathing tube snaked down his mouth and throat while I.V. catheters went into
his arms. Other than Sammy’s voice, the only other sounds were the reports from
the monitors connected to Brickert, speaking in their monotonous, repetitive
language of beeps.
“‘There was something strange in my sensations,
something indescribably new and, from its very novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt
younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady
recklessness, a current of—’”
Sammy sighed and paused to set the book down on his
cast so he could rub his eyes with his good hand. Somehow this made his vision
worse and everything in the room was a blur. So he rubbed harder, his skin
making a wet sucking sound. Fortunately his burned thumb was almost completely
healed and only dully ached. The effort left him so exhausted that he had to
rest a moment before going back to the book.
He hadn’t slept well before Detroit, but since
returning sleep had become impossible. Every time he closed his eyes he saw
Brickert beaten, bloody, bruised, and barely clinging to life. Half the time,
in his dreams, Sammy tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate his best friend. The
other half, he wrapped his own bleeding hands around Brickert’s neck and choked
the life out of him.
Not a night had passed that he didn’t wake up
crying, sweating, aching, or apologizing. I’m
sorry, Brick , he thought now as he looked at his friend.
“Hmmnn,” Brickert moaned.
Sammy leaned toward his friend, his book fell to the
floor. “Brickert? Hey can you hear me?” He reached over and pressed the call
button next to Brickert’s bed. “Brick? You awake?”
It had been twelve days since the disastrous attack
on the Joswang building in Detroit. Brickert had been unconscious all dozen of
them. Sammy, Strawberry, Jeffie, and others had taken turns sitting with him
for two or three hours at a time, mostly reading aloud in hopes that he could
hear. After going through several books, Sammy was now reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .
A minute after he pressed the button, Dr. Maad
Rosmir entered with an assistant. “What happened? Is he awake?”
“He moaned.”
Dr. Rosmir pried open Brickert’s eyes and examined
them. “That’s good news.” He shook Brickert gently. “Brickert, this is Dr.
Rosmir. Can you hear me?” After getting no response, the doctor began
manipulating various points on Brickert’s body, checking reflexes and automated
responses with great care.
Sammy looked over his friend. Heavy bruising was
still evident on Brickert’s face and arms from trauma and the subsequent
surgeries to repair the damage done by the Thirteens. Seventeen broken bones
fixed (eight ribs), five teeth implanted for regeneration, and repair of both
punctured lungs.
“You saved him, Sammy,” Rosmir had told him after
the tower fell.
I all but killed
him ,
Sammy had wanted to reply.
As for the rest of Brickert’s team, Strawberry had
been treated for minor injuries, while Natalia’s wounds had been far more
serious. It was Strawberry who saved Natalia. After the Thirteens dragged
Brickert from the room, Strawberry fought the one who remained and killed him,
then rushed to unbury Natalia and staunched her bleeding.
Strawberry had cried in her room for days, unable to
get past having killed another human being. Sammy wanted to tell her that
Thirteens were hardly even human, but knew it wouldn’t help. He had spoken to
her briefly in Brickert’s room at the infirmary, but neither he nor she had
kind words for each other. Yet their brief conversation still stuck with Sammy.
“After this is all over,” she had said, “I’m done
being a Psion.”
Sammy didn’t believe her. “What would you do,
Strawberry? Walk away from your fellow Psions?”
“Fashion. I was given a scholarship, you know.
his left arm. His friend lay still on his left side with his eyes closed; a
breathing tube snaked down his mouth and throat while I.V. catheters went into
his arms. Other than Sammy’s voice, the only other sounds were the reports from
the monitors connected to Brickert, speaking in their monotonous, repetitive
language of beeps.
“‘There was something strange in my sensations,
something indescribably new and, from its very novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt
younger, lighter, happier in body; within I was conscious of a heady
recklessness, a current of—’”
Sammy sighed and paused to set the book down on his
cast so he could rub his eyes with his good hand. Somehow this made his vision
worse and everything in the room was a blur. So he rubbed harder, his skin
making a wet sucking sound. Fortunately his burned thumb was almost completely
healed and only dully ached. The effort left him so exhausted that he had to
rest a moment before going back to the book.
He hadn’t slept well before Detroit, but since
returning sleep had become impossible. Every time he closed his eyes he saw
Brickert beaten, bloody, bruised, and barely clinging to life. Half the time,
in his dreams, Sammy tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate his best friend. The
other half, he wrapped his own bleeding hands around Brickert’s neck and choked
the life out of him.
Not a night had passed that he didn’t wake up
crying, sweating, aching, or apologizing. I’m
sorry, Brick , he thought now as he looked at his friend.
“Hmmnn,” Brickert moaned.
Sammy leaned toward his friend, his book fell to the
floor. “Brickert? Hey can you hear me?” He reached over and pressed the call
button next to Brickert’s bed. “Brick? You awake?”
It had been twelve days since the disastrous attack
on the Joswang building in Detroit. Brickert had been unconscious all dozen of
them. Sammy, Strawberry, Jeffie, and others had taken turns sitting with him
for two or three hours at a time, mostly reading aloud in hopes that he could
hear. After going through several books, Sammy was now reading The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde .
A minute after he pressed the button, Dr. Maad
Rosmir entered with an assistant. “What happened? Is he awake?”
“He moaned.”
Dr. Rosmir pried open Brickert’s eyes and examined
them. “That’s good news.” He shook Brickert gently. “Brickert, this is Dr.
Rosmir. Can you hear me?” After getting no response, the doctor began
manipulating various points on Brickert’s body, checking reflexes and automated
responses with great care.
Sammy looked over his friend. Heavy bruising was
still evident on Brickert’s face and arms from trauma and the subsequent
surgeries to repair the damage done by the Thirteens. Seventeen broken bones
fixed (eight ribs), five teeth implanted for regeneration, and repair of both
punctured lungs.
“You saved him, Sammy,” Rosmir had told him after
the tower fell.
I all but killed
him ,
Sammy had wanted to reply.
As for the rest of Brickert’s team, Strawberry had
been treated for minor injuries, while Natalia’s wounds had been far more
serious. It was Strawberry who saved Natalia. After the Thirteens dragged
Brickert from the room, Strawberry fought the one who remained and killed him,
then rushed to unbury Natalia and staunched her bleeding.
Strawberry had cried in her room for days, unable to
get past having killed another human being. Sammy wanted to tell her that
Thirteens were hardly even human, but knew it wouldn’t help. He had spoken to
her briefly in Brickert’s room at the infirmary, but neither he nor she had
kind words for each other. Yet their brief conversation still stuck with Sammy.
“After this is all over,” she had said, “I’m done
being a Psion.”
Sammy didn’t believe her. “What would you do,
Strawberry? Walk away from your fellow Psions?”
“Fashion. I was given a scholarship, you know.
Similar Books
