Echoes of Harmony

Skylar Reid was falling. The sensation of rapid descent passed through his limbs as he tumbled end over end into a dark void. Far below—what he presumed was below, at least—was a pinprick of light. The only light he could see in his endless somersault. Steadily, it grew larger and larger with each unwilling spin until he thought he would slam into whatever it was. He was going to hit it. He was going to break all his bones. He was going to die.

He let out a scream but heard nothing. The words died before they passed his lips, unable to form the noise. His throat hurt from the effort of trying to make any sound. The pounding of his heart radiated through his arms and legs. He clamped his eyes shut, willing himself to wake from this terrible dream.

Almost immediately, the sensation of falling disappeared. When he opened his eyes, he sat before a wall. It shone with a blindingly bright light, made out of a white gem he instinctively knew as diamond. Expanding in all other directions from him was nothing but darkness.

Shaking, he pushed himself to his feet. His knees wobbled with the effort, unsure of whether to believe the ground was solid or not. With careful steps, he approached the wall of diamond. He brushed his hand over it, finding it perfectly smooth. Not a single bump or crevice dotted its surface.

A jolt went through him as something seemed to grab him, binding his hand to the wall. He screamed out, this time making noise, and tried tugging it away. It pulled back. It locked him in place. He tried to plant his feet against the diamond and yank his hand out but found it so firmly ensconced it refused to budge a millimeter.

Panicking, he looked around for any way out, anything that might help him free his hand. There was nothing. Instead, he saw movement within the wall of diamond out of the corner of his eye. Near the center was floating towards him a sword. Its metal shone brilliantly through the endless light of the diamond. The crossguard came out in two beams, each ending in what appeared to be a ruby. Runes covered the flat of the four foot long blade. They were completely illegible but reminded him of some he saw in one of his history classes.

Voices emanated from the wall as he stood there, transfixed. It seemed like hundreds of them were talking over each other, forming gibberish. They were just at the edge of his understanding. He knew if he strained a little bit harder, he could make out what they were. Closing his eyes, he focused on just one that repeated the same thing over and over until he understood it.

“Awaken.”

#

Space Station Vertyn

Stariek Orbit

10 December 3296

The room Skylar woke up in was a blur, spinning so violently he couldn’t make out the details except for a new bright light above him. Cold air ran up and down his body, sending a chill down his spine. Horrible pain, worse than any he felt before, radiated from his head. It felt as if something were pounding against his skull to break through. Whether it was trying to get in or out, he didn’t know. Vomit swelled to the top of his throat from the pain and dizziness. With extreme effort he managed to push it back down. A knot formed in his stomach as the memory of the last thing that happened filled his head.

The swarming spiders. Zayne and his mom falling to the ground, unconscious. The woman in black coming to him and Rach, releasing that terrible gas. His vision swam as the memory of the horrible smell seemed to fill his nostrils again. He slammed his eyes shut. The nausea returned full force, and, this time, he could not resist the urge.

He tried to roll over onto his side but found himself unable. Some sort of restraint kept him tied to a bed, the surface cold against his bare back and legs. The vomit surged up his throat, burning as it went, and filled his mouth as he attempted to contain it. He gagged at the foul taste of bile, spewing it up and out before he could swallow. Droplets landed on his chest and face, the warm sensation sickening him further.

“Where am I?” he called out, his voice weak, to no one in particular.

Voices came from beyond his closed eyes, but he did not dare open them yet. Even without sight, he could still feel the room spinning. They spoke in hushed tones steadily growing louder with the approach of their footsteps.

“…supposed to be unconscious,” one of them, a man, said, the tone accusatory.

“What do you suppose went wrong?” asked another, who sounded like a woman. “Did we not use enough of the anesthesia to keep him under after removing him from the stasis pod? It’s alright. You’re going to be just fine as long as you stay calm.”

The last part seemed to be directed at Skylar, and he subconsciously nodded along at the words. A warm, wet cloth wiped at his face where the vomit spattered and dribbled down his cheeks towards the back of his head. Then it moved down to clean his chest. A chill ran down his back as it dabbed away the droplets.

“No, we used enough for a child of his age,” replied the man. “Any more could have run the risk of killing him.”

A cold wipe rubbed against his arm in the crook of his elbow, and the smell of alcohol overpowered that of the vomit. A sinking sensation came to his stomach as he realized what was coming. One of the two people jabbed a sharp and icy needle into his arm. Skylar bit down on his lip and repeated the words his mom had him say whenever he was poked by a needle. Be brave. Be brave. His breathing quickened despite his attempts at keeping it slow, and he fought the urge to yell. However, before he knew it, the pain and discomfort was gone.

“All the anesthesia is definitely still in his system, but something seems to be blocking it,” the woman said. “We’re going to have to postpone the test until we figure out what’s going on.”

“You know what happens if we postpone the test. The general already made this a priority. If he hears we decided to delay it because of this….” He sighed. “We have to continue as if nothing was wrong. Perhaps if we use more anesthesia? If his body is keeping it from working properly—”

“Doctor,” the woman interrupted, “you know just as well as I do how horrible an idea that is. I can’t believe you’d even suggest that.”

As she said the words, Skylar felt his heart leap into his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, hoping this was just a bad dream and he could force himself to wake up. No matter how long he kept them closed, however, he did not rouse.

“We do not have many options, Maya!” the man shouted. “Either we find some way to continue the procedure, or…”

The man’s wordless scream was quickly followed by glass breaking a few meters away from Skylar. He flinched at the sudden sound, trying to move away from it. The clamps continued to hold him in place no matter how much he struggled and pulled against them.

“We could carry on,” the man mused to himself after several seconds of silence. “If we clamp his head in place to keep him from moving and numb the incision point, we could do it.”

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“Doctor, that is also a terrible idea. There are already so many risks with this type of surgery.”

“Hear me out, Maya,” the man said. “We make sure he can’t move his head to lessen the risk, local anesthesia for pain, then proceed as normal. Endoscope into the nasal cavity, open the sphenoid sinus and sinus wall, then remove a sample from the mass located at the base of the pituitary.”

There was a long pause as Skylar’s heart continued to beat hard and fast. Though pain still throbbed through his head, he risked opening his eyes. The room still spun slightly, but not as nauseating as before. It was rather ordinary—at least, as ordinary as he would have expected an operating room to be. A large metallic arm with a scalpel and syringe at the end dangled over him from the wall to his right. Under it was a cart with a variety of different tools. Attached by a separate arm was the blinding light from before, though it was now turned to not point directly at him. Behind it sat a door with a tinted window.

Looking down at himself, he saw the only article of clothing he had on was a pair of briefs. Electrodes with wires connected were placed on either side of his chest. Metallic clamps ran over both his wrists and ankles, keeping him in place.

To his left were two individuals, both staring at each other as if trying to read one another’s minds. They wore light blue gowns Skylar had seen doctors wear before with matching caps, gloves, and masks. The woman—who he could tell as such due to her body shape—looked at him as his head turned to her. She moved forward, and her eyes scrunched in what Skylar assumed was a smile.

“It’s okay,” she said. Her hand clasped around his despite his attempts to move away. She must have seen the look on his face, because she released him and took a step back. “I swear we’re not monsters. We’re stuck here just like you. I promise, we will do whatever we can to make sure you make it through this.”

Skylar felt the panic continue to run through him, though slightly lessened by her words. Though he could barely move his head, he nodded along. His eyelids felt heavy, and even his arms and legs, bound to the bed, seemed to be weighed down. Despite his best efforts, he could no longer keep his eyes open. The voices of the two doctors around him echoed as if from down a tunnel before his consciousness slipped away.

#

Space Station Vertyn

11 December 3296

Skylar found himself in a new room, this one significantly dimmer. The bed he lay in was more comfortable than the last, consisting of a mattress, pillow, and blanket, all made out of a soft cotton-like material. His body was still devoid of real clothes, though a blanket covered him and provided a modicum of modesty. The smell of disinfectants and other chemicals filled the air, causing him to wrinkle his nose.

He went to rub his bleary eyes and found his wrists were no longer bound by clasps, though a needle and dressing from an IV were attached to the back of his hand. Other wires dangled from his body to a machine next to him. Steady beeps of what he assumed was his heartbeat sounded off as he watched the line dance across the screen.

“Yes, it is rather old-fashioned, don’t you think?” a gruff voice said. Skylar flinched at the noise, his heart pounding louder in his ears at being startled. Sitting in a chair, one leg crossed over the other, at the opposite end of the room was an older man. His hair was turning gray, and wrinkles danced across his face He wore what seemed to be a military uniform like that he saw Fleet Marshal Tyn wearing, though the black with red accents was entirely different. A rack of ribbons and medals hung from his upper left torso, creating a splash of color. “All the advancements in technology we’ve had over the last few centuries, and they still use these machines. Then again, backwater technology for a backwater planet seems rather appropriate, wouldn’t you say?”

Skylar stared at the man, his brow furrowed in confusion. The way the man spoke made him want to agree with him despite the fact Skylar had no idea what he was talking about. Instead, he continued watching him curiously. Unperturbed, the man smiled and stood, walking to the side of the bed.

“My apologies, I didn’t introduce myself.” He looked at the nearest display, which showed the line representing Skylar’s heartbeat. “I am General Augusta Zorn of the Hyperion Empire, Commissar of Space Station Vertyn.”

He gestured at the walls as he finished the sentence with a grimace. Skylar said nothing. He wanted to go home. Rachel, his mom, Zayne, all of them could be in danger right now, and he wouldn’t know. He had to protect them. He promised.

“That is, of course, where we are now.” Zorn talking again brought Skylar back to the present. “It is a training facility, designed especially to ensure you and many others like you are ready to enter Hyperion society as productive members.”

Skylar still said nothing. If only he had some way to call for help. My CAM! As the thought ran through his mind, a smile must have crossed his face, because the man scowled.

“What are you smirking about?” When Skylar didn’t reply, the man stepped forward and brought his hand up and across Skylar’s face, smacking his head to the side. “Apparently, your first lesson is now. When I ask you a question, you answer. Is that clear?”

Tears stung Skylar’s eyes as he tried to blink them away. A few dribbled free, running down his cheeks and dripping onto his bare chest. The smell of iron filled his nostrils, and he felt a stream of blood running his from his nose to his lip before it joined the teardrops on his body. The heat of the blow emanated from his cheek. Why can’t I just go home? He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself once more to wake from whatever horrible nightmare his brain was creating. As before, he opened them to find the man still staring at him.

“I said, is that clear?” Zorn asked, approaching with his hand brought back up, ready to release another strike.

“Yes!” Skylar cried out, his hands instinctively shooting in front of his face to protect himself. The device checking his heart rate beeped faster as his pulse quickened. He shrunk against the bed, hoping to make himself a smaller target if he couldn’t escape. A whimper escaped his throat before he could stop it. Why me?

“Yes, sir, you mean.” One corner of the general’s lips raised in a sneer. “You will refer to your superiors as ‘sir’ without fail. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Skylar replied at once, his voice meek. As he said the words, he tried sending a message to his mom and dad, hoping they may be able to rescue him, but the link refused to connect. He gulped, his throat bobbing with the action.

“Now that we have that out of the way, I had an important matter to discuss with you.” Zorn folded his hands behind his back. Part of Skylar was glad the general had forgotten his initial question. “Actually, two matters, since you brought it to my attention. The first is you will find your CAM restricted from accessing… well, anything, really. You can see the date and time, but any functions beyond that will need to be approved by us. So, that message you just tried to send to your mommy and daddy? Blocked before it even had a chance to leave your stupid little head.”

Skylar’s cheeks burned, and he felt an ache grow in his throat. Why is he doing this? How is he doing this? He just wanted to go home. Why couldn’t the man just understand that?

“You’ll be happy to know the second thing is that your parents are safe and sound. They are actually here, awaiting transport to a detention facility on Hyperia. Not here in the sense that you can talk to them, of course, but here in this facility. Come to think of it, I need to have a conversation with your father.”

“What?” was the only response Skylar could form. His parents were taken too? They were in danger? His breathing came short. He needed to force his lungs to inhale and exhale. A pressure seemed to form behind his nose and eyes. His head swam as sudden dizziness overcame him. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t worry.” General Zorn smiled, though the expression looked like it would better suit a tiger than a human. “I won’t do anything to them. You just have to make me a little promise. All you have to do is stay in line, and make sure you don’t act out. Can you do that for me? If you do, I will make sure your parents are fine. Does that sound like a fair trade?”

No! Skylar screamed in his mind. He wanted his parents back. He wanted Rachel back. He wanted everything to go back to how it was before they went to the mountains. How did everything go so bad so quickly? He forced the tears that wanted to expel themselves back and said nothing. If he tried to talk, he would surely let them loose. Once he started, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop.

“Of course, it doesn’t matter what you think is fair.” Zorn said, turning on his heel and heading toward the door. “Just know that I will uphold my end of the bargain as long as you do the same for yours. I will see you bright and early Friday morning for the official opening ceremony for the station.”

The door hissed open and shut as General Zorn walked out of the room. Skylar flipped over on the bed, facing away from the door and closing his eyes tight. His shaking hands sent vibrations through his whole body. Don’t cry. Be brave. The words sounded hollow even in his head. He let out a few quaking, tearless whimpers before sobbing outright. He flipped onto his stomach and buried his head into the pillow. His IV dug into the top of his hand, sending a insistent pain through it as it pinched the skin.

Eventually, the heart rate monitor returned to its normal cadence. Not before the pillow sheet was soaked by tears. Not before Skylar flipped back and forth several times, never looking at the door. Not before he wished for things to go back to the way they were.

Eventually, he fell asleep, hoping that when he woke up, everything would go back to normal.

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