chAPTER 20

I held onto her hand, desperately trying to pull her up, to save her. I almost made it, but just as she was reaching the ledge, my grip on her hand was gone and she fell, screaming my name.

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up, reeling from the fact that I was even alive. Whatever I had tried to do to help Zeke sapped every bit of energy I had. I guessed I'd have to be careful about when I used that one.

I looked from my bunk over to the left and saw Zeke sitting there, laid back, asleep with a book in his hands. He was snoring loudly, but that was nothing new. As far as his actual breathing… he was fine. No blockages, no stops, no nothing. I did a quick scan to look for the plague, and didn't find a thing. It was gone.

I knew it'd be back. I knew there was no reason to think otherwise. But for now, Zeke was going to be alright. That's all I cared about.

I gingerly swung my legs off the side of the bunk, still sore from my experience with the new ability. I stood up and walked to the showers, stepping inside and letting the warm water run over me. I grabbed the soap from the rack, but another hand sat itself on top of mine. I looked over to see who it belonged to and immediately jumped back, startled at what, or rather who, I saw.

Trish smirked a little at my shocked expression. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she said teasingly.

I had to take a moment to catch my breath. This couldn't be happening. I had to still be dreaming. Trish walked forward slowly, her smile fading slightly, as though she wasn't quite sure of what to think of me, either. She reached out her hand to touch my face, and I pulled back. "You can't be real," I muttered, terrified of what I was seeing.

Trish frowned and pulled away. "Well, I'm real-ish. You're awake, just not all there." She tapped the side of her head, her smirk returning. "Side effect of your internal healing ability. If it's got to bring you back from the dead, there's going to be some residual stuff. Dreams crossing over into reality, that sort of thing."

I let out a long, slow breath. This was not how I pictured things going. I looked Trish up and down, taking in every inch of her. Nothing had changed about her from the last time I saw her. The same face, the same hair, the same everything. She was there. Right there, with me. But then again, she wasn't. "How long will you be here?" I asked.

She shrugged, her smirk now replaced with a warm smile. "The brain's really complex. Electrical signals firing everywhere. It's different from the electricity you keep firing out at everyone. It's gonna take some time to get it repaired."

I honestly couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Part of me knew that her being here was impossible, and the fact that she was meant something was very wrong with me. On the other hand, I could see her. No matter what, I could see her. Slowly, hesitantly, I reached out to touch her, to see if I could feel her. As my hand reached her face I felt skin. It was impossible, and I knew it was, but she was there. She was really there.

She smiled at the "contact", bringing her hand up to mine, rubbing her fingers across it. I stepped closer, pressing against her before leaning in for a kiss. "Cole?" came Zeke's voice from the other room. My head whipped around toward the entrance, my mind racing as to what I could possibly say if he caught me like this. I turned to look at Trish, but she was no longer there. "Cole!" Zeke called out again, closer this time. I quickly turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my waist just as Zeke came around the corner. He grinned when he saw me. "Cole!" he exclaimed, storming over to me and wrapping me in a hug. "Thank God you're alright!"

"Yeah," I replied, unsure. I looked up and saw Trish again, this time against the far wall. She was stifling a laugh, probably to do with two grown men hugging in a shower with one of us in a bath towel. I pulled away a bit and coughed. "Can I get a minute?" I asked.

"Oh," Zeke realized before chuckling. "Sure."

"Thanks," I said as he left. I grabbed my clothes and slipped them on, noting a slight look of disappointment on Trish's face. After getting dressed, I walked out of the showers, where Zeke was waiting. "So," I muttered, unsure of what to say. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better," Zeke replied. "What about you? You scared us all half to death."

"I'm, uh," I replied, not knowing where to begin. I looked last Zeke at Trish by the door to the main room. She shrugged and walked through it, leaving me to talk with Zeke alone. "Not sure," I finished. "How long was I out, anyway?"

"Two days," Zeke replied. "DC's gotten even crazier since then. More Conduits are showing up, refugees are pouring in, and the DUP continues to treat everyone like a threat."

I sighed. I had a lot of work to do, and I just lost two days to get it done. "Any word on the Ray Sphere?" I asked.

Zeke shrugged. "Heller'll have to be the one to tell you that," he replied. "Come one. We'll go talk to him."

I followed Zeke out to the main room, which was quieter than normal. A few techs were working on some computers; Nix, now fully back on her feet, was chatting with Blake, with Alden nearby sitting somberly; and then there was Heller and Mendoza, standing on front of the map of DC, looking for the Ray Sphere. Nora turned to look at me, and smiled, relieved to see that I was okay.

Trish walked beside her and looked her over. "This her?" she asked, pointing to Nora. "She's cute. You could do a lot worse. Like that crazy Nix person." I decided not to answer, trying to keep anyone else from knowing about her. She looked a little hurt, but didn't seem angry. She folded her arms and waited.

Nora walked up to me and wrapped her arms around me, before quickly pulling away, trying to regain her professionalism. "Glad to see you on your feet," she said cooly.

I nodded. "Glad to be back on them," I replied.

Heller nodded and pointed over at the map. "We've got every scanner we have access to looking for the Ray Sphere. We think Humanity might have it, but they've grown exponentially after your jailbreak in the DUP compound. Add to that the influx of Conduits, and it's gonna take some time to pin down a location."

"That's fine," I replied. "I know what to look for."

Heller nodded again. "If you need any help, we'll be here." I returned his nod and moved away from the map, walking over to where Nix and Blake were.

"How are you guys holding up?" I asked.

Nix smiled slightly. "Better. Still a little sore, but glad to be out of there." I nodded, then she rolled her eyes. "Go ahead, say 'I told you so'."

I chuckled. "Thought never crossed my mind," I joked.

I moved away from the group and went to talk to Zeke. He was working with a tech on an urgent matter and didn't have time to chat, so I began moving to the exit. "Hey, Cole." I turned to look at him. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks," I replied before moving to the door. Once I was outside, Trish came walking from around the corner.

"Alone at last," she quipped, reaching for my hand. I held mine out and grabbed hers, glad to be able to feel it. I knew it wasn't real. Some electrical signal getting all screwed up in my brain. But, for now at least, I didn't care. I had her again. But for how long?

"One problem at a time," Trish said. "Let's find that Ray Sphere and take it back."

I nodded and ran a scan, hoping to get a signal. As the scan went out, something pinged back. It was faint, but it was there. I looked over at Trish, who smiled. "Shall we?" she asked.