Crossover

Chapter 18: Drag

I awoke twenty minutes before sunrise. Instead of waking Zedron right away, I stepped out onto the balcony for a bit, savouring the crisp morning air.

I changed into the blue-silver suit Marina had given me in the bathroom, so that I’d fit in on Luala. I’d have to get something for Zedron when we got there.

 As soon as the sun’s rays began to light up the mountains from behind, I decided it was time to go.

“Zedron.” I said, shaking his shoulder to wake him. My bag was already packed, and he quickly put some of the food from the minibar into his.

“I’m gonna need some space for this,” I said, pushing the coffee table out of the way. He moved one of the lounge chairs out to the balcony, and I shoved the bed over a few feet.

We stood in the middle of the room, about three feet of space on each side of us. Our backpacks secured on our backs, straps tightened as much as possible. I smoothed back my hair, tying it into a ponytail. It tended to get in the way during a crossover otherwise.

“You ready?” I asked Zedron.

He gave a slight cringe, but nodded a definite yes.

I took a deep breath. “Okay,” I breathed. “Empty your mind of anything, and everything. Let go of this world.” I looked over at him. “You can close your eyes if you want.”

“I’d actually like to see this.” He said, keeping the open.

I grabbed his right hand with my left one, pulling him a little closer. I didn’t want too much stress if I could help it.

With one last clear look through the window at the rising sun, I closed my eyes, letting Deressa slip away. I reached forward with my right hand, forcing it though the fabric of the universe. I immediately felt the extra strain from Zedron.

It felt like someone was trying to rip me in two, and also taking punches directly to my stomach and ribcage at the same time.

I opened my eyes, now in the middle of the crossover. The familiar purple glow of the universe was lit up by the orange glow of our bodies as the friction tried to keep us in Deressa. But I was determined to leave, and slowly we broke though layer after layer.

I could see Luala coming into view now; the tropical forest lush and green as ever. I hurriedly pushed us through the last few layers, not wanting to stay in the in-between too long. It had a certain effect on humans, often calling to the like the sirens in ancient stories.

I pushed Zedron out first, and tumbled onto the tropical moss just moments after him.

I was out of breath, and perspiring quite heavily.

He groaned and curled into a ball on the moss beside me. “You weren’t kidding about it hurting.” Zedron breathed. “It’s like being run over by a horse.”

I felt it too, the aches and bruises from the force. I wasn’t as exhausted as I expected to be, which was strange. Zedron must have been easily able to clear his mind, allowing me to tear him from Deressa much easier than normal.

“That was amazing though,” He said. “You really glowed in there.”

I nodded in response, still trying to catch my breath.

We lay there curled in little balls for almost ten minutes, resisting the urge to fall asleep. Zedron had some queasiness but it subsided almost as quickly as mine did, as our bodies got used to Luala. I was surprised again.

“How did you crossover so easily?” I asked trying to sit up. Usually people passed out on me, or were at least incapacitated for nearly an hour afterwards from the achiness or nausea.

He shrugged. “It was partially mental, as far as I could tell. I felt the pull to stay there, but I was able to just float free. I’ve got a good imagination, so it was easier to let go of Oasis city I guess.”

He was right about it being mental, because they’d changed around my brain so that I could do this. My body was left relatively the same, but my brain had different neuron nets installed so that I could crossover without tech.

“You are constantly surprising me,” I said, standing up and brushing off the dampness. The Lualan suit let the water bead on it, allowing me to easily swipe it off.

The whine of a train sounded in the distance, the high pitched noise gradually becoming deeper as it arrived in the station. I peeked over top of a large leafy plant to look at the track. It curved about three hundred feet after it left the station, at about twenty feet off the ground.

“What was that?” Zedron asked me when he heard the train, while trying unsuccessfully to brush off the dew he’d collected on his clothing.

I looked back at him. “Our ride.” I said.

I started walking towards the curve in the track, each step resounding pain up through my bones. This was why I hated taking passengers with me.

I heard Zedron bumble after me, evidently still feeling it too.

It was a solid five minutes of walking before we arrived at the track. It was held up in the air by large white pillars, curving outwards with the track sitting on top like a platter. The curvature of them made it much easier to climb.

I hopped up in between the upside-down triangle they made, and began clambering up, holding on tightly with my hands as the curve became steeper. Zedron followed me, and helped push me up onto the side of the track.

He winced in pain as he did so; from his shoulder injury or the crossover, I couldn’t tell. I extended a hand down to him, and helped pull him up after me.

“Whoa, wait a second…” Zedron said, as he rolled onto the small lip surrounding the track. “Where’s our ride? Aren’t we sneaking onto a train?”

I just smiled and pointed at the station, three hundred feet behind us.

“Oh great,” Zedron said, getting to his feet. “More walking, only this time twenty feet in the air, and on a lip maybe a foot across.” He began walking in the direction of the station, but before he got two steps the whine of the train started up.

He turned back and looked at me as I stood there with a smile plastered on my face. I guess sneaking onto a train was quite a mean understatement.

“Kefira?” he asked, as the sleek white and brushed metal train slid out of the station and began accelerating towards us. “What do I do now?”

I just smiled. “We jump on.” I said.