softly.
Something clicks into place in Ana’s mind.
She’d assumed that he knew so much about the planet from having researched it ahead of time. But now … “You’ve been here before,” Ana says slowly. “Or … all along? Were you already here before us? Is that it? You
weren’t
on that rocket?”
Chen looks at her with a suddenly wide-open and vulnerable gaze. He glances behind her at the others. For a second she thinks he’s going to speak, he opens his mouth even, shakes his head a little as if he’s going to let slip something he knows he shouldn’t. But then he takes an involuntary step back.
And the world falls apart.
Ana’s watching as it happens and still she can’t explain it. He’s on solid ground, his feet flat on the embedded rock. And then, suddenly, he’s not.
Chen topples into the lava pit.
Ana screams and drops to her belly, desperately trying to see through the searing fumes and smoke. At first she can’t see Chen at all. Then there’s a low moan down to her left, and she sees him.
Chen has landed on a rocky outcropping about ten feet down, his left leg twisted under him.
“Oh, no,” Ysa says, dropping down next to Ana. “Chen! Get up!”
He’s struggling to stand, but something about his face scares Ana. His eyes are so wide they look almost totally white, and his breath is coming in short, harsh bursts. Chen isn’t just in pain, and he isn’t just afraid. He’s flat-out terrified.
“We have to do something,” Todd says, crawling up to Ana’s other side.
“Why isn’t he saying anything? It’s like he can’t hear us calling,” Ysa says.
“Grab my legs,” Ana says to Todd. “Drop me over the side.”
Todd chokes on a mouthful of fumes. “Are you crazy? What are you going to do down there?”
She grabs his wrist and snaps, “It can’t be more than a ten-foot drop. Look at him—he’s not getting himself out anytime soon. Take my feet. I’ll catch hold of him and you pull me back up.”
Todd shakes his head but scoots behind Ana and grabs her feet. Ysa scrambles behind Todd to give him extra ballast. As soon as his grip tightens around her ankles, Ana walks her hands over the rim of the crater and down the side. She wishesshe’d thought to tie a cloth around her face; the fumes are almost unbearable and the farther down she goes, the less she can see.
“Chen,” she calls. “Talk to me! Are you okay?”
“Alex!” he shrieks suddenly, then whimpers, “No, wait….”
Ana is just an arm’s reach away when he shrieks again, incoherently this time. He jumps to his feet, knocking into her.
From the rim above, Ana hears Todd yell, “Hey!” Then his hold is gone and Ana crumples down onto the ledge at Chen’s feet. She feels her shoulder pop back out of place and bites her lip against the pain, forcing herself to scramble right up to her feet.
“Chen,” she gasps, but he seems to have no idea she’s there.
“Not the fire, Alex.” His head swivels slightly from side to side.
Ana leans in closer and grabs Chen’s shoulders. “Look at me,” she pleads. “It’s Ana. Come on, Chen.”
His eyes lock on hers and widen. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just focus, okay?”
A wisp of smoke drifts between them. “I can’t do this, Alex. Please don’t make me.”
What is he talking about?
Ana shakes him. “Chen!”
He thrashes from side to side, pulling out of her grasp and taking a step backward on the ledge. “No, please … I won’t say a word. Just let me go!”
His whole body is shaking, and even though he’s talkingright to her, it’s obvious that he’s not seeing her at all. “Alex,” he whimpers. “Not the fire, Alex. No, please, not the fire—I can’t….”
Ana forces her voice to remain steady. “It’s me, Chen. It’s just Ana. You’re safe—what you’re seeing”—she swallows—“it isn’t real. Chen?”
And then for one second his eyes refocus and he’s looking right at her. “It’s like
Something clicks into place in Ana’s mind.
She’d assumed that he knew so much about the planet from having researched it ahead of time. But now … “You’ve been here before,” Ana says slowly. “Or … all along? Were you already here before us? Is that it? You
weren’t
on that rocket?”
Chen looks at her with a suddenly wide-open and vulnerable gaze. He glances behind her at the others. For a second she thinks he’s going to speak, he opens his mouth even, shakes his head a little as if he’s going to let slip something he knows he shouldn’t. But then he takes an involuntary step back.
And the world falls apart.
Ana’s watching as it happens and still she can’t explain it. He’s on solid ground, his feet flat on the embedded rock. And then, suddenly, he’s not.
Chen topples into the lava pit.
Ana screams and drops to her belly, desperately trying to see through the searing fumes and smoke. At first she can’t see Chen at all. Then there’s a low moan down to her left, and she sees him.
Chen has landed on a rocky outcropping about ten feet down, his left leg twisted under him.
“Oh, no,” Ysa says, dropping down next to Ana. “Chen! Get up!”
He’s struggling to stand, but something about his face scares Ana. His eyes are so wide they look almost totally white, and his breath is coming in short, harsh bursts. Chen isn’t just in pain, and he isn’t just afraid. He’s flat-out terrified.
“We have to do something,” Todd says, crawling up to Ana’s other side.
“Why isn’t he saying anything? It’s like he can’t hear us calling,” Ysa says.
“Grab my legs,” Ana says to Todd. “Drop me over the side.”
Todd chokes on a mouthful of fumes. “Are you crazy? What are you going to do down there?”
She grabs his wrist and snaps, “It can’t be more than a ten-foot drop. Look at him—he’s not getting himself out anytime soon. Take my feet. I’ll catch hold of him and you pull me back up.”
Todd shakes his head but scoots behind Ana and grabs her feet. Ysa scrambles behind Todd to give him extra ballast. As soon as his grip tightens around her ankles, Ana walks her hands over the rim of the crater and down the side. She wishesshe’d thought to tie a cloth around her face; the fumes are almost unbearable and the farther down she goes, the less she can see.
“Chen,” she calls. “Talk to me! Are you okay?”
“Alex!” he shrieks suddenly, then whimpers, “No, wait….”
Ana is just an arm’s reach away when he shrieks again, incoherently this time. He jumps to his feet, knocking into her.
From the rim above, Ana hears Todd yell, “Hey!” Then his hold is gone and Ana crumples down onto the ledge at Chen’s feet. She feels her shoulder pop back out of place and bites her lip against the pain, forcing herself to scramble right up to her feet.
“Chen,” she gasps, but he seems to have no idea she’s there.
“Not the fire, Alex.” His head swivels slightly from side to side.
Ana leans in closer and grabs Chen’s shoulders. “Look at me,” she pleads. “It’s Ana. Come on, Chen.”
His eyes lock on hers and widen. “What do you want me to do?”
“Just focus, okay?”
A wisp of smoke drifts between them. “I can’t do this, Alex. Please don’t make me.”
What is he talking about?
Ana shakes him. “Chen!”
He thrashes from side to side, pulling out of her grasp and taking a step backward on the ledge. “No, please … I won’t say a word. Just let me go!”
His whole body is shaking, and even though he’s talkingright to her, it’s obvious that he’s not seeing her at all. “Alex,” he whimpers. “Not the fire, Alex. No, please, not the fire—I can’t….”
Ana forces her voice to remain steady. “It’s me, Chen. It’s just Ana. You’re safe—what you’re seeing”—she swallows—“it isn’t real. Chen?”
And then for one second his eyes refocus and he’s looking right at her. “It’s like
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