Echoes of the Red Planet

CHAPTER 9: THE COST OF SALVATION

The control center was silent. Kiera’s breath was ragged, her heart pounding

in her chest as she lay on the cold floor, her body aching from the force of the

blast. Her hands trembled as she reached out, her fingers brushing the floor

as she tried to push herself up. She could feel the weight of the weapon within

her, its power thrumming beneath her skin like a live wire, but she couldn’t

focus on it. Not now. Not when Jace was lying just feet away, motionless.

“Jace,” she whispered, her voice strained with panic. “Please. Wake up.”

She crawled toward him, her movements slow and unsteady as if the very

gravity of Mars had intensified in that moment. Every inch closer to him felt

like a struggle against the weight of the weapon inside her, pulling at her,

urging her to abandon him, to give in to the power.

But she couldn’t. Not now.

“Please,” Kiera whispered again, reaching for Jace’s wrist, her fingers

brushing against his skin. It was cold. Too cold.

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

“No, no, no…” She shook him, her hands now gripping his shoulders, her

voice rising in desperation. She had felt him moving, the flicker of life before

everything had gone wrong. But now, there was nothing. Just the cold, the

silence, the emptiness.

Her eyes blurred with tears, but she forced them back. She couldn’t break

now. She wouldn’t. She had to fix this.

But as she touched Jace’s face, she felt the faintest pulse, like a flicker of light

in a vast darkness. His eyes were closed, his breathing shallow, but he was

still alive. That was all that mattered. She couldn’t afford to lose him.

Her hand hovered over his chest, hovering just above his heart. She could feel

the pulse of energy inside her, pulsing with her every breath, echoing in sync

with the beating of her own heart. She reached deep within herself, calling

upon the power of the weapon, desperate to pull Jace back from the brink.

But as soon as she did, something shifted.

“Stop.”

The voice was cold, familiar yet foreign. The weapon’s presence inside her had

been growing stronger, more insistent, and now it spoke directly to her, filling

her thoughts, drowning out all other noise.

“He is not yours to save.” Kiera froze. The words chilled her to the bone, but she refused to back down.

She wasn’t going to listen to this. She had to save him. He was everything to

her. Everything.

Her vision blurred again, and the air around her shimmered with the weight

of the weapon’s influence. She felt it pulling her in, urging her to let go of the

remnants of her humanity and give herself fully to the power that now defined

her.

But she couldn’t. Not again.

She pushed against the overwhelming pull of the weapon, focusing only on

Jace. The air around her hummed with power, the walls of the control center

vibrating with the sheer force of the energy coursing through her. She could

hear the weapon’s voice in her head, louder now, telling her that it had

control, that she was nothing without it.

“You are ours, Kiera. You cannot fight it.”

She gritted her teeth, ignoring the voice, ignoring the weapon’s pull. It was

time to take control, to choose her own fate. She would not be consumed.

She focused again on Jace, and this time, she didn’t just try to heal him. She

reached for the power of Mars itself, calling upon the energy of the planet, the

force that had given the weapon its power. She felt it surge within her,

amplifying with every heartbeat.

But as she did, a sudden, overwhelming pain shot through her body. It was

as if the entire planet was rejecting her, as if Mars itself was trying to push

her out. The ground beneath her feet buckled, and she collapsed, the power

of the weapon surging uncontrollably, threatening to tear her apart.

Jace stirred, his chest rising as his breathing deepened. For a moment, Kiera

thought she might lose him, that the weight of the weapon had already

claimed him. But then, his fingers twitched.

A flicker of life.

“Jace?” Kiera’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please… Please, come back to

me.”

Slowly, Jace’s eyes opened. His pupils were wide, unfocused, his gaze shifting

as if he were waking from a deep, disorienting sleep. The weapon’s influence

had taken hold of him, but it wasn’t too late. He wasn’t gone.

He looked at Kiera, his eyes filled with confusion, and for a moment, Kiera

feared that he wouldn’t recognize her. But then his gaze softened, a flicker of

recognition sparking behind his eyes.

“Kiera?” His voice was hoarse, weak. “What happened?”

Kiera’s heart swelled with relief. He was alive. He was here.

But the weapon inside her pulsed again, a reminder of its ever-present power,

its constant tug to control. Kiera’s vision blurred, the energy in the room

intensifying as she struggled to stay grounded. She couldn’t hold on much

longer.

“We need to get out of here,” Jace said, his voice steadying as he pushed

himself up. But Kiera didn’t move. She couldn’t.

“It’s not over yet,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. The weight of the

weapon threatened to crush her, and she couldn’t escape it. Not now. Not

when everything was on the line.

She felt the power surge again, but this time it wasn’t hers to control. The

weapon had a mind of its own, and it was beginning to take over.

“No,” Kiera whispered, fear creeping into her voice. “I won’t let you.”

But the weapon had already made its move.

The walls of the control center cracked, and the ground trembled beneath

them. The lights flickered, and the air grew thick with the energy of the planet.

The power had become too much. Kiera had tried to stop it, but the weapon

had already decided.

Mars itself was calling.