Children of Evolution (The Gateway Series Book 2) by Toby Minton Page B
Authors: Toby Minton
Ads: Link
words snaked out of his memory, coiled around the brittle frame of Impact's self confidence, and started to tighten.
He wanted to believe Savior had been lying to unnerve him. It was possible. His father was a masterful manipulator of more than just genes. He'd handcrafted his own legend through equal parts power and charisma, shaking hearts and minds by performing god-like feats and then capturing those hearts and minds with carefully chosen words delivered with perfectly feigned emotion. He gave people hope, then he used it to bind them to him, to place them on paths of his choosing in order to further his own agenda. He got what he wanted by convincing the world his desires were their salvation. In other words, he lied.
But not to Impact—not about this.
When it came to Impact's origin, his purpose, his strengths, and especially his weaknesses, Savior didn't need lies. When it came to Impact, Savior could wield the truth to much more devastating effect.
"The girl wasn't the first person you vowed to protect."
The memory of those words temporarily quieted the old voice that was demanding Impact get back to training instead of standing around contemplating his failings.
Vowed to protect . In other words, you can't hurt me, Jon , because I made you. You are physically incapable of breaking a vow and, weak-hearted fool that you are, you promised to protect me when you were too young to realize what kind of monster I am .
Physically incapable. Just thinking those words threatened to torque his tension to the next level, but Impact wasn't about to let his thoughts get the better of him. Doing so would mean giving in to weakness. Doing so would mean accepting yet another limitation. He wasn't out here to labor under limitations. He was out here to break them.
One step at a time.
Impact opened his eyes and took another deep breath to quiet his mind. Then he started running.
The charge built quickly, the field forming around Impact growing stronger with each stride.
He saw the field, the envelope of genesis energy, for what it was now. He saw the individual particles racing around him as he sped down the trail, each step faster than the last. He could control those particles, if he focused hard enough. He could control the amount of friction they converted. He could manipulate the field, use it to do more than absorb impact damage, more than just change direction.
He rounded a slight curve in the well-worn path, registering the flash of yellow from his marker flag as he did so. Two more turns until the clearing.
He poured on the speed and concentrated on the particles, navigating the narrow path by muscle memory alone.
He could do this. He had done this—once.
He broke from the trees and had only a split second to register the clearing, the cliff edge, and Nikki and Coop standing nearby, then he ran out of ground.
Momentum alone carried him beyond the steep slope, past the rocky shoreline far below, and well out over the water before he started to drop.
Fists clenched, he pressed his arms tightly against his sides and straightened his body out like a bullet as he arced toward the water head-first.
He blocked everything from his mind except the field. Nothing else existed for him. It continued to strengthen as he fell, but not as rapidly as before. Without his feet on solid ground to propel him forward, he had to rely on air friction alone to maintain the charge.
As he dropped, he felt the particles racing around him with gradually increasing speed. Then, true to his blood, he began to manipulate them. He hardened the particles passing under him, shifting them from reducing friction to magnifying it, but not at a single point.
That's where he'd failed before. That's what had almost stopped him from saving Nikki. He used to think of the envelope as a fixed object instead of a torrent of speeding particles. This time he didn't harden a single batch of particles under him only to watch them zip
He wanted to believe Savior had been lying to unnerve him. It was possible. His father was a masterful manipulator of more than just genes. He'd handcrafted his own legend through equal parts power and charisma, shaking hearts and minds by performing god-like feats and then capturing those hearts and minds with carefully chosen words delivered with perfectly feigned emotion. He gave people hope, then he used it to bind them to him, to place them on paths of his choosing in order to further his own agenda. He got what he wanted by convincing the world his desires were their salvation. In other words, he lied.
But not to Impact—not about this.
When it came to Impact's origin, his purpose, his strengths, and especially his weaknesses, Savior didn't need lies. When it came to Impact, Savior could wield the truth to much more devastating effect.
"The girl wasn't the first person you vowed to protect."
The memory of those words temporarily quieted the old voice that was demanding Impact get back to training instead of standing around contemplating his failings.
Vowed to protect . In other words, you can't hurt me, Jon , because I made you. You are physically incapable of breaking a vow and, weak-hearted fool that you are, you promised to protect me when you were too young to realize what kind of monster I am .
Physically incapable. Just thinking those words threatened to torque his tension to the next level, but Impact wasn't about to let his thoughts get the better of him. Doing so would mean giving in to weakness. Doing so would mean accepting yet another limitation. He wasn't out here to labor under limitations. He was out here to break them.
One step at a time.
Impact opened his eyes and took another deep breath to quiet his mind. Then he started running.
The charge built quickly, the field forming around Impact growing stronger with each stride.
He saw the field, the envelope of genesis energy, for what it was now. He saw the individual particles racing around him as he sped down the trail, each step faster than the last. He could control those particles, if he focused hard enough. He could control the amount of friction they converted. He could manipulate the field, use it to do more than absorb impact damage, more than just change direction.
He rounded a slight curve in the well-worn path, registering the flash of yellow from his marker flag as he did so. Two more turns until the clearing.
He poured on the speed and concentrated on the particles, navigating the narrow path by muscle memory alone.
He could do this. He had done this—once.
He broke from the trees and had only a split second to register the clearing, the cliff edge, and Nikki and Coop standing nearby, then he ran out of ground.
Momentum alone carried him beyond the steep slope, past the rocky shoreline far below, and well out over the water before he started to drop.
Fists clenched, he pressed his arms tightly against his sides and straightened his body out like a bullet as he arced toward the water head-first.
He blocked everything from his mind except the field. Nothing else existed for him. It continued to strengthen as he fell, but not as rapidly as before. Without his feet on solid ground to propel him forward, he had to rely on air friction alone to maintain the charge.
As he dropped, he felt the particles racing around him with gradually increasing speed. Then, true to his blood, he began to manipulate them. He hardened the particles passing under him, shifting them from reducing friction to magnifying it, but not at a single point.
That's where he'd failed before. That's what had almost stopped him from saving Nikki. He used to think of the envelope as a fixed object instead of a torrent of speeding particles. This time he didn't harden a single batch of particles under him only to watch them zip
Similar Books
