Far Side of the Sun

 An icy planet, a submerged city, and two teens who stumble upon a terrible conspiracy...

 

 

Chapter 1 – Filaria 

            Swimming in a half-frozen ocean usually isn’t such a good idea.

            Thing is, if you’re surrounded by a watertight shield that molds around your body like a bubble and insulates you from the cold, it definitely allows you to take your mind off freezing to death.  Then you have time to look around, see things you couldn’t spot otherwise, and just…you know…feel free.

            “Filaria!”

            The muffled shout of my coworker Jarshin pulled me away from my thoughts.  “What?” I replied, annoyed at the interruption, and glanced over at him.  He was swimming nearby, ruffled light brown hair fluffing around with the movement of his aqua-shield.

            “Mister Dashkel wants you back at the port in ten minutes,” he answered just as quickly.  I rolled my eyes and directed my attention back to the gorgeous mollusk I’d managed to catch.  The tiny thing was brilliantly colored, with streaks of deep red and blue intertwining with a base color of ivory white.  Reluctantly, I swam down and perched the little mollusk back on the rock where I’d found it.  Then I spun back around and followed Jarshin, who’d been waiting impatiently.  Together, we swam toward the port.

            About seven minutes later, we came in view of Ikaronia, the main city where pretty much everyone on Ikar, our planet, lives.  You see, Ikar’s surface is covered by a frozen sea without any land, so our civilization decided to found itself on the ocean floor.  Our cities are surrounded by these sort of bubble-shields, like the one I was wearing while swimming but much larger and stronger.  The only problem is the limited supply of oxygen.  Since there are about one million people living in Ikaronia, the oxygen we extract from the ocean isn’t enough to keep us all breathing.  Thankfully, about every ten years, our planet gets close enough to the sun for the ice on the surface to melt, giving a specially-trained group of scientists time to swim to the surface, collect as much oxygen as possible, and return it to Ikaronia so we all don’t suffocate.

 

             “I’ve been waiting!” Dashkel snapped as I emerged from the tunnel connecting the port with the ocean outside.  I sighed without him hearing and looked him in the eye.

            “What is the problem, Mister Dashkel?” I asked, keeping the irritation from my voice.

            “You’re spending too long out there!” Dashkel snorted angrily.  “And I’m not going to pay you for overtime!” he added.

            “I do not expect that, Mister Dashkel.  I hope you have a good day, but I’m afraid I need to get home.”  Mercifully, he didn’t have anything else to say but went off in a huff, leaving Jarshin and me to pack our things up and go home.  We exited the small entryway at the tunnel and headed through the quiet port, which never had much business since its only exit point was into the open ocean.  Pretty much nobody went out there except for fishing or for studying nature, but only weird people like me did that.

            I shook my elbow-length black hair and glanced around, hoping to see Congel, my best friend.  Within about five minutes, I spotted him and cupped my hands, concentrating, and then sent up a geyser to let him know I was there.  He responded with a jet of flame, but something was wrong.  It was only a sputter of fire, not his usual high arc, and I hurried over.  He looked terrible.  Normally his eyes sparkled a light blue, but not today.  Now he just looked drained.

            “What’s wrong?” I demanded as we started walking out of the port together.

            Congel shrugged and waved away my concern.  “Nothing, I’m fine.”

            “Right, and I’m a catfish,” I retorted and seized him by the arm.  “Congel, what is the problem?  Are they working you too hard at the factory?”

            He froze and was silent for a moment, but then nodded.  “I have to, Fila.  You know we pyrokinetics are the only ones who can keep the factories running in the city.  And there’s less than a hundred of us.  So…there’s a lot of work.  I’m just overly tired, okay?”

            I shook my head but didn’t push it.  Congel was one of only about seventy fire-manipulators in the entire city, and he worked every day for many hours helping power the factories that kept our shield intact.  It was a huge responsibility for him, something I as a regular old water manipulator couldn’t really understand.

            We kept walking in silence and reached the suburbs of Ikaronia.  The buildings were beginning to rise tall around us, all fluting shapes and smooth curves.  They were lovely to look at, but if I looked harder, I could just see six ugly blocks that marred the cityscape.  Those were the factories we depended on for the shield and regular power.  And they had to be designed in squares and sharp edges in order to take full advantage of the space allotted to them.  Pity they were so hideous.  One of them was a particular eyesore:  Pyrakia Factory, where Congel worked.  It was the biggest and therefore the most important, and I shuddered at the thought of having to work there.  Give me clean cold ocean water any day.

            At last, we got to my street and I waved goodbye to Congel, then turned and hurried down the lane.  In a matter of seconds, I burst through the door to my house.

            “Mom, Dad, I’m home!”

Chapter 2 – Congel 

             Although I felt kinda guilty about it, I was glad to see Filaria go.  She knew something was up, but I didn’t want to worry her by telling her the truth.

            I sighed and walked aimlessly down the streets, ignoring the increasing crowds of people that emerged as I got closer to the center of the city.  The air smelled of clean water, not-as-clean people, and a faint layer of soot.  The soot, I could tell, came from the factories, and I tried to block it out.  I got enough of that stench at my job.

            Feeling bored, I glanced around and spotted a shop, one that was stocked with mechanical oddities.  I was a techno-nut (and proud of it), so I hurried over and flung open the door.

            “Hey Congel,” the clerk at the counter said cheerily and I gave an answering smile.

            “How’s it going, Lance?” I replied.  “Anything new today?”

            Lance nodded and ducked underneath the counter.  He and I had been best friends since our second year of school.  Within a matter of seconds, he reappeared with something in his hand.

            “This, my friend,” he said with an air of showmanship worthy of an auction hawker, “is an aqua-stunner.  It’s good protection if someone’s trying to mug you and they have water powers.  See, it delivers a sharp electric jolt to the person’s water manipulation field, although it doesn’t do anything to someone with different or no powers.

            I nodded.  “Is there anything like this for people with fire powers?”

            Lance gave me an incredulous look.  “Look buddy, there’s only seventy of you, and a water-wielder could simply drown you.  They don’t NEED a stunner.”

            Pause.  “Why would someone want to do so in the first place?” I asked, trying to see if he had any ideas.

            Abruptly, Lance turned away.  “I don’t know.  Just go ahead and pay for the stunner; there’s some customers I’m expecting soon.”

            More worry whirled through my mind as I forked over the cash and walked out.  Who would be insane enough to attack a pyrokinetic?  Unfortunately, the city no longer seemed safe for me and people like me.  I hadn’t wanted to tell Filaria, but…

            In the distance, I heard the tall bells chime.  7:00.  I needed to get home.

 

            Since, you know, we were underwater, evening and morning didn’t really mean anything.  I’d never even seen sunlight before.  Our city is constantly lit with small aquabulbs, which reflect the limited sunlight from the surface and draw some bits of power from the factories, but light for us only exists artificially.  It isn’t a bad thing…just how it is.

            Without warning, all the lights down the street went off.

            I froze and looked around.  “What the…”  For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by total darkness.  The aquabulbs were down and the street looked like a black pit.  As I turned to see what was going on, a prickly feeling on the back of my neck forced me to face forward again.

            Someone was there.  Someone breathing heavily.  Starting to sweat, I fingered my aqua stunner and gathered together my fire magic, ready to erupt into flames.

            That isn’t a good idea! I suddenly realized.  I’ll just be a bloody beacon for whoever’s there! 

            Now I was starting to panic.  I drew my stunner and pointed it forward.  “Wh-who’s there?” I demanded.

            Silence.  Then a cold, hard voice spoke up, “Put the stunner down, boy.  You have no chance.”

            From behind me and to my right I heard hisses of laughter.  Blind terror crawled around into my insides and I had only one thought:  get away NOW.  Without thinking, without even considering any other way, I turned to my left and ran.

            “GET HIM!!!” I heard one shout and something wet splashed onto the pavement near my foot.  They were water-wielders.  Oh snap.  I ran faster, trying to get away, and suddenly collided with an alley wall.

            Stunned, I didn’t move for a moment and then forced myself to get to my feet.  Three angry voices loomed in front of me.  The lights were still out and I had no alternative.  Quickly, I lit a torch in my hand and held it in front of me, gazing at my attackers.  But they were all hooded and robed with dark blue and I couldn’t see their faces.

            “Ah, little torch boy, don’t you know you can’t run away?” the nearest one growled softly.

            “What do you want?” I demanded, shoving down the terror from my voice.

            More laughter and one spat on the ground.  “You wield fire.  You and all your kind are defilers of our people.”

            I stared.  “For pity’s sake, we’re keeping this city running!”

            One started forward, conjuring up a water whip, but the tallest man stopped him.  “No, brother.  We will do it at the same time.  Do not let the ignorance of this boy anger you into rashness.”

            “Stiff speech much?” I retorted, losing the battle with my fear.

            A sharp snort and the three formed a line that completely blocked my exit.  I shrunk against the wall and pointed the stunner at them.

            “Don’t even bother,” the tall man sneered.  “That little toy won’t do you any good.”  He raised his hand.  “Now die, filth.”

            A tidal wave of water crashed into me, drenching me and sending me gasping for breath.  My fingers were still clutching the stunner and somehow I managed to press the trigger.

            “AAAAAUUUUGH!!!!” screams echoed from the alleyway and the flow of drowning water abruptly stopped.  I shook the water from my eyes and stared at the prone forms of the men.  They were limp and twitching, sparks traveling up and down their now-soaked clothes.  Not dead, but only just.  I slumped against the wall and felt the world swim.

 Chapter 3 – Filaria 

            It was only 7 and I was already bored witless.

            Sitting on my sloping roof, I stared up at the tall shield that arched over our city, keeping the flood of ocean water from crashing down.  Strangely, the thought of such a thing happening never bothered me.  The shield worked.  It always had.  It always would.  Ah, the optimism.

            From my roof, I could see most of the city.  Our house was constructed to have many floors since we took boarders frequently.  My room was on the top floor, but I liked it like that.  That way I could scramble out the window and onto the roof, where I felt almost the same as when I swam out in the ocean.  I think that’s why I enjoyed being out there in the cold water so much…to get away from the crush of people.

           As I gazed at the swirling shield, an abrupt movement out of the corner of my eye got my attention.  I turned my gaze.

           “Strange…” I mused.  Several blocks away, the normal rows and columns of aquabulbs for an entire street were out.  That couldn’t happen unless something was wrong with the factories.  Frowning, I glanced over to Pyrakia Factory.  It looked the same as usual (hideous), but something wasn’t right.  I clambered back into my room and darted to the small air-powered lift that would take me five stories down.

            My mom looked up as I jumped out of the lift.  She had the same black hair that I did, only hers was tinged with gray and had faded blue streaks instead of my vibrant azure ones (the streaks are natural; most Ikarans have them in their hair).  Her brown eyes quirked in surprise.

            “Fila, where are you going?”

            I sighed; she always knew when I was up to something.  “Just out for a walk, Mom.  I’d like to go see if the museum is still open.  I won’t be long!”  And I was out the door before she had a chance to stop me.

            I knew this city as well as I knew the coral reefs and made for the lightless area.  Before long, I made it and immediately felt a cringe go up my spine.  This wasn’t right…the power was never supposed to go out and the black blanket covering the street put all my senses on alert.  Without thinking, I started to form spheres of water, ready to attack.

            Suddenly, my foot hit something wet.  A puddle.  That wasn’t weird; we lived in an underwater city and most of the people in it could wield water.  But this puddle…I stooped and traced its path with my fingertips.  A lot of water and it was coming from somewhere.  As quietly as I could, I followed the lines of liquid and stepped into an alleyway.  It was deathly quiet and I strained my ears for any noise.

            Then I heard breathing.

            In an instant, I raised all my water spheres and stared forward into the dark alley.  “Who’s there!” I demanded.  It wasn’t a question.

            Three groans answered and now I was getting terrified.  Still, I inched forward and shouted again, “Show yourself!”

            “F…Fi…Fila?” an exhausted voice answered.

            “CONGEL!” I shrieked and hurried forward, tripping over something long and soft.  I’ll find out what that is later, I decided, and bent down, feeling forward with my hands.  Finally, my fingertips touched something and I felt it.  The outline of a hand…I traced the shape up the arm and then ran it over a face…Long wavy hair and a small scar across the forehead.

            “Congel, are you alright?” I asked frantically, cupping his head in my hands.  He nodded and fell forward, nearly planting his face into the wet pavement.  I grabbed him by his arms and managed to haul him to his feet.

            “Congel, what are you doing here?”  Questions were flooding into my brain.  “What the heck’s going on?”

            He muttered something and then a spark shot out of his hand.  He made a torch, but it looked like he was struggling just to keep it lit.  Now I could see the alley.  Three men, with cloaks and hoods of dark blue, were lying on the ground, wet and still.  Congel was a mess, soaking wet and shivering with exhaustion.  “Fila…good to…see you…” he mumbled, pulling together a ghastly imitation of his usual smile.

            “Yeah, and you look terrible,” I retorted, dismay washing over me.  “Come on, let’s get out of here and get you to a doctor.”  We stumbled out of the alley and were ready to head for a clinic when he stopped short.

            “Those men…those men in the alley…we have to get them…they…they attacked me.”

            Full stop.  “THEY DID WHAT?!” I hollered, making him wince.

            “They…nearly drowned…me…”  He was fading fast and his breathing was incredibly shallow.  Fire-wielders can’t be exposed to too much water, and if those jerks had almost drowned Congel…

            I didn’t know what to do.  Congel had to get to a hospital or else he could go into hypothermia, but I had to stop those fiends who hurt him.  Still, it was my best friend or three guys and I had to make a decision.  “I’m getting you to a doctor and we’ll worry about the other guys later,” I said firmly.  One look at Congel and I knew I’d made the right decision.  His flame sputtered out and now he was completely limp.

            “C’mon, you nut, don’t die on me now,” I groaned as I practically dragged him down the street.  “Why hasn’t anyone come out to help us anyway?  Or noticed the lights going off?”

            Brilliant timing on my part.  A (what else?) water-powered scooter whirred up and the driver shone a light from the lamp attached to the front.  “Filaria?  What the…?”

            “Hey Emali,” I replied, breathing heavily.  “Got enough room on that scooter for a girl and her unconscious buddy?”

           “Well…yeah, I think so,” Emali answered hesitantly.  She was a tall, thin girl with long blond and green-streaked hair, as well as one of my closest friends and schoolmates.  She hopped off the scooter and helped me shove Congel into one of the seats behind her while I hung off the long tail end.  She quickly boosted the flow of water and we zipped down the dark street.

            “Just hang on, Congel,” I whispered.

Chapter 4 – Congel

            Submerged in freezing cold water…drowning…no air…flame sputtering into nothing…blue-robed figures laughing…Lance’s warning…more water…a foaming wave destroying a city… 

 

            “…going to wake up ever?” a familiar voice forced its way into my brain and I suddenly opened my eyes.  I was lying on a hospital bed, covered in blankets and surrounded by warming pans.  At the foot of the bed was…Filaria?

            “For pity’s sake, it’s about time!” she exclaimed, looking thrilled.  But she wasn’t able to hide the worry.

            “Well excuse me…I DID nearly drown,” I coughed back.

            “You didn’t just nearly drown,” she retorted, “you went into hypothermia.  Congel, you almost DIED.”  She stood up and dragged her chair over so she was sitting right next to me.

            “Glad…to know you were so…concerned,” I sighed, avoiding her gaze.

            She was too quick for me.  “Congel, do you know why those guys attacked you?  Did they…say anything or did they just spew water at you?”

            Again I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes.  Gradually I repeated what the three men had said to me before trying to kill me.  “And Fila…I’m sorry…I should’ve told you this sooner…but this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.”

            Her eyes widened and she stared at me.  “Say WHAT now?  You mean fire-wielders have been attacked before?”

            Slowly, I nodded.  “Yeah.  We’ve lost five of them in the past two weeks.  Apparently…there’s some kind of cult out there who thinks pyrokinetics are evil…and that they should all be killed.”

            Filaria cupped her head in her hands and was quiet for a bit.  Then she looked at me again.  “I’m going to call a policeman in here so the authorities know what’s going on.  But Congel, why haven’t we heard about this yet?  Shouldn’t stuff like that be all over the news?”

            I shook my head.  “You don’t understand.  Something like this could…could spread total panic!  And the previous attacks didn’t look like attacks…at least, not that I know of.  They looked like accidents!  The only reason…that I figured out that they weren’t was…because of this.”  I dug my fingers into my wet pant pocket and pulled out a small disc.  It was about as wide as my thumb and only a couple centimeters long.  The tiny thing was dark blue with a center that looked like a giant wave.  “All of the fire-wielders killed had one of these on them.  And those guys who attacked me…I saw this symbol on their robes...”

          Another few seconds passed and then Filaria stood up.  “I’ll be right back.”  She was out of the room in an instant and I leaned back onto the pillow.  Still so tired…drifting away…

Chapter 5 – Filaria

            In the lobby of the hospital, Emali was waiting.  “Is he going to be okay?” she asked, jumping up.

            “Yeah…I think so,” I replied blankly, walking past her.  She trailed after me.  “So…what were you doing out there, anyway?” I had to ask.

            She gave a quick smile.  “I saw the blackout.  I was on the top floor of one of the libraries, looking up the best way to rear a stingray, and I noticed the lights go out.  It took me forever to get out of that library,” she laughed ruefully.  “I’d forgotten I had a book in my hand and they almost arrested me for leaving without checking out.”

            I had to admit, that was Emali, ditzy but decent.

            The two of us made our way to one of the communication screens that lined the back wall of the lobby.  They were all set up to allow quick calls to family in case of an emergency, and right now, most of them were free.  Emali suddenly turned to me.  “I gotta get home.  My mother’s going to kill me; I’ve been out a LOT longer than I told her I would be.”  I nodded in sympathy (I knew I’d get an earful when I went home).  With a quick grin of sympathy, she was gone in a whirl of her blonde hair.

Sighing, I hurried up to the nearest communicator and dialed the police.

            The screen flickered to show a bored-looking older guy looking into the screen with a tired expression.  “Police, what’s the problem?”

            “Um…yeah, one of my friends, he’s a fire-wielder, and he almost got killed.  He’s in the hospital right now but he wants to report the crime.  Three guys apparently attacked him and nearly drowned him.”

           To my surprise, the man slouched back in his chair.  “Look, girl, calling the police and lying about it is a serious crime.  End the call before I have to report you.”

            “SAY WHAT?!” I yelled.  The hospital lobby instantly went deadly silent.  “I’m telling you that my best friend nearly got killed, and you’re saying I’m LYING about it?  What on Ikar is wrong with you?!”

            Now he was getting angry, and I could see other operators leaning over to see who the screaming teenager on the screen was.  The guy leaned forward and gave me a horrible glare.  I returned it easily.

            He started to say something, but then a voice from around the corner made him stop and the screen abruptly went black.

            “AAARGH!!” I yelled.  I couldn’t believe this!  Without thinking, I blasted a jet of water from my hands and froze the screen, shattering it.  Small glass shards now littered the floor, but I didn’t care.

            Or at least, I didn’t care until the heavy hand of another man pressed down on my shoulder.  “Come with me now,” he demanded.  I whipped around and jerked his hand from my arm as hard as I could.  The guy had a mixture of black and brown hair with faded blue streaks.  As far as I could tell, he was about forty or maybe a bit younger.  And right now, he had a really annoyed expression.

            “What do you want?” I snapped, tensing every muscle in my body.

            Unexpectedly, his rather peeved expression softened and he gave me a small smile.  “I’m Marlon Hiphaskin.  I overheard your conversation, and I think I could be of some help.”

            I relaxed, but only a bit.  “How?  Are you with the police or something?”

           His smile only grew broader and he shook his head.  “Oh no no.  It’s obvious they’re inefficient.”  He swept his gaze over the lobby and the various people who’d come to whisk me off to a nice padded cell backed off.  Whoever this guy was, he definitely had influence.  Still, I stayed tense.  “I’m head of an organization that…you could say…lends community support to those in trouble.  And I’ve been concerned about these attacks on our fire-wielders.”

            Immediately, I sensed apprehension grip the room.  Whispers flitted and Hiphaskin locked his gaze onto me.  “I think it would be best if we took our discussion into a more…private area.  Shall we visit your friend?”

            It seemed like the only thing we could do, so I nodded and we quickly exited the lobby, conscious of confused stares at our backs.

Chapter 6 – Congel 

            “Congel?”

            “Mmmhm…”  So tired…don’t really want to wake up.

            “CONGEL!”

            “Alright…alright…” I groaned and made myself open my eyes.  Filaria was seated on the foot of the bed again…and someone else, an older guy.  When I saw him, I immediately became much more awake.

            “Geez, I leave you for five minutes and you pass out,” Filaria chided, but there was a glint of humor in her eyes.  I rolled my eyes at her in reply.  “Anyway, Congel, this is Mr. Hiphaskin.  He says he can help us out.”

            Hiphaskin turned his gaze to me and I stared right back into his eyes.  They were unusual, deep brown with green flecks.  I’d never seen eyes like that before.  To be honest…they were kind of creepy.  “Thanks,” I managed to force out.  “But how?”

            He pulled up a chair and leaned forward, spreading his hands.  “I can offer you protection, Congel.  As head of the Fire and Water Service, I can assign you and others like you bodyguards in order to prevent any further incidents…like the ones you had tonight.  Tell me, Congel, what exactly happened?”

            Hesitantly, I told him the story, watching his face for any change in expression.  When I described how I’d managed to fend off my attackers, his eyebrows shot up and he murmured, “Clever, very clever.  Where did you get that stunner?”

            “A friend got it for me,” I replied.  “He’s works at a technical shop.”

            Hiphaskin nodded and stood up.  “Well, I won’t trouble you any more.  Get some rest, young man, and let me know if you want to avail yourself of my help.  Here is my address.”  He passed me a slip of paper.  “Good day to you both.”  And with that, he was gone.

            I sank back into the hospital cushions and asked, “Fila, did the hospital call my parents?”

            Filaria nodded.  “Yeah, and the doctor sent them home a while ago, said there was nothing they could do but that you’d wake up eventually.  I think I saw the doctor calling them earlier…they should be here soon.”

            Sigh.  “How long ago?”

            “Um…about half an hour.  They sure are taking a while, aren’t they?”

            “Yeah.”

            The hospital was rather quiet, creepily quiet.  There obviously weren’t that many patients in at this hour, but even so, shouldn’t there have been some noise?  I started to sit up.  “Here, help me down to the communications so I can –”

            I didn’t even manage to finish my sentence.  Without any warning, a tidal wave of water slammed through the door, taking off the frame and blocking the hallway.  I scrambled up and Filaria gave a shrill scream.  What the heck?!

            “Congel, come on!” Filaria hollered and grabbed my hand, dragging me to the window.  She quickly froze the glass and shattered it; a couple fragments managed to bury themselves into my arm…  “QUICK!  JUMP!”

            “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?!?” I yelled back, staring in disbelief at the six story drop.

            “I’LL CATCH YOU WITH A WATERSPOUT!  JUST JUMP BEFORE YOU DROWN!” she screamed, and before I knew it, I was falling.

            “AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!”  For once, I wasn’t ashamed of screaming.

            The pavement zoomed toward me…Filaria couldn’t do it…she wasn’t fast enough!  I WAS GOING TO DIE!!

            Suddenly, a column of water spiraled past me and foamed below, freezing quickly.  I landed on it stomach first with a thump and got the wind knocked out of me.  Filaria landed beside me a second later.  She was shaking with the effort of keeping the water frozen and concentrated.  Sweating, she quickly fashioned a sort of slide so I could reach the street.  A crowd was gathering and staring in shock.  As I landed on the pavement, she slid behind me, tottered, and fell over.  I managed to catch her.

            “Massive feeling of déjà vu,” I muttered as she slumped against me.

            “You’re welcome,” she retorted.

            “Are you kids alright?” someone asked quickly as the water column melted away and became an enormous puddle.  Water was now cascading from the open window of my hospital room.

            “Yeah…yeah, we’re okay,” I gasped out.  Filaria forced herself to stand up and shook her wet hair.

            “Anybody have a communicator?” she asked, looking around.  An older woman hurried forward and passed her one.  Filaria passed it to me and I dialed quickly.

            “Mom?”

            “CONGEL!  Are you alright?  Where are you?”  My mom’s face appeared on the communicator, a small flat object with many buttons and a square screen.

            “Right outside the hospital,” I replied dryly.  “Someone just tried to kill me again.”