Atlas (The Atlas Series) (31 page)

Rage burned through Kala like a fire. Atlas wasn’t going to release her. Atlas was going to just sit and drink Mai Tai’s until the world collapsed around him. Kala had thought for a moment that the real threat of the world ending would make Atlas do the right thing. But Kala could see now that Atlas
wanted
the world to end. He just wanted it to be over.

“Then you don’t deserve this
gift
,” Kala raged.

Terror flashed in Atlas’s eyes. “What are you doing?”

Something inside Kala was terrified as well, but the stronger part of her took over. It was as if she were accessing some secret file somewhere hidden inside her. Though her conscious brain had no idea what she was doing, Kala’s subconscious took over.

“You are no longer worthy, and you
will
be punished.” The words came out of Kala’s mouth, but she had no idea where they came from. A tiny part of her was screaming for herself to stop.

Atlas started to back away, his body shifting into something else. He looked human. But something more as well, he was almost alien-like in his perfectly symmetrical features, like a living statue. And he grew. Grew so large he was well over twenty feet. Standing in front of Kala was a god.

And it meant nothing to Kala.

Towering over her, Atlas was still puny to her.

Atlas cowered, whimpering like a caged animal.

He knew what was coming, even if Kala hadn’t figured it out yet.

From deep inside Kala, she screamed, “I AM TAKING WHAT’S MINE!”

Kala couldn’t stop herself, she didn’t know what she was doing.

Atlas howled in shock and fear as his body started turning into a white swirling smoke.

And that’s when it happened.

Kala opened her mouth and devoured him.

The white smoke poured inside her body like ice in her veins. Kala felt like she was swallowing a giant snake that wouldn’t end. The more she consumed, the more power she felt growing in every cell of her body. When the last wisps of smoke that were Atlas were swallowed, the realization of what Kala had just done hit her like an explosion of torment.

Kala was a god.

Kala was Atlas.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kala’s eyes opened and she sat up in the cot like a lightning bolt had shot through her back. She could barely hear Fortski’s panicked voice as she tried to regain her senses, “The adrenaline shot must have activated too early.”

“Relax, John, we’ll figure it out later,” Turner’s voice tried to calm Fortski.

Kala had to stand up and pace. The enormity of what just happened wasn’t processing in her brain yet. She had
consumed
a god. Of course, Kala hadn’t known what she was doing at the time, but there was obviously a part of her deep down that knew
exactly
what she was doing. Her body tingled all over like she was having a panic attack, but Kala knew that wasn’t true. The tingling was her human body adjusting to becoming a supernatural one.

Her brain could not seem to wrap around the fact that she was now Atlas. Not a human being tricked into taking on the job, but the real Atlas. So many questions raced through her mind. How did she know how to devour a god? A Titan?
Why
did she do it? Where had those words of power come from? Could she take it back? Vomit him out or something? What did being a god mean? Did she have powers? Could she be killed? Kala instinctively knew the rules were different now that she was no longer an emissary of the god, she just didn’t know the specifics.

Kala felt a hand on her shoulder. It brought her mind back into focus.

Everyone in the room watched her intently, Talan being the most concerned hence the hand belonged to him. “Kala,” he said her name in shock.

Kala could tell from his face that he knew what she had done. Seeing him there, not knowing what to do, so worried for her, Kala fell into his arms.

Kala looked up at Talan. “Am I what I think I am?” She hoped he would tell her it was all a dream.

Talan nodded.

“How did that happen?” was all she could think to ask.

Talan held her close and spoke quietly in her ear. “I don’t know. It’s never happened before, Kala.
Never
.”

His words scared her even more. When she had said the words to consume Atlas, it had felt like remembering the lyrics to an old song. At first she didn’t think she knew what to say, but then the words came out of her mouth in perfect formation.

Kala’s body suddenly jerked backward in Talan’s arms. She screamed from the pain. It felt like her cells were fighting against each other. “What’s happening to me?”

Fortski was at her side next to Talan, feeling like he was the most “doctorly” of the bunch. “Maybe it’s the adrenaline kicking in. Come sit down.”

Turner and Roberta were arm in arm, watching Kala with concern, though Turner looked more fascinated than worried.

Another jolt of energy surged through Kala and she arched her back in anguish. “Talan, make it stop!”

“I can’t!” Talan’s face was wracked with agony. “Kala, your body is trying to fuse both sides together. The human part of you is rejecting the power of the Titan.”

“Am I dying?” Kala screamed as another jolt of pain surged through her.

“Humans aren’t meant to have a god’s power Kala,” Talan looked at her with grief in his eyes.

“So that’s a yes.” Kala shrugged him off and let Fortski sit her back down on the cot. She screamed again. It felt like her blood was on fire.

Kala took deep, calming breaths.

Roberta knelt beside Kala and Talan. “What can I do?” she asked.

Talan shook his head. “Her body is trying to integrate with a god and her body won’t allow it.”

Kala fought the urge to scream again as the pain intensified.

“So we have to find a way for Kala’s body not to reject this god’s… power? Aura? What?” Roberta was obviously trying to get a clearer picture of the situation.

“His
being
. The Titan has died and Kala consumed his energy. It’s not like there will be two people living inside her, she is becoming the god itself,” Talan tried to explain.

Kala could barely listen to their conversation. It started to feel like every cell in her body was popping like popcorn.

Roberta grabbed Kala’s hand. “Squeeze as hard as you like.”

Kala obliged and felt bad when she heard a slight gasp from Roberta.

Roberta asked Talan, “I’ve been working on ways to astral project. Do you know what that is?”

“Traveling from one body to another through dreams.” Talan nodded.

“Yes, through dreams, but in waking as well. I can go inside Kala’s head to try and connect the two entities together,” Roberta offered.

Turner spoke up at that suggestion. “Roberta, that’s way too dangerous. I won’t allow it.”

Roberta turned to Turner, determined. “We have to try, Geoffrey.”

Kala wasn’t sure she liked the idea of someone poking around in her head, but the pain was so intense she would try anything to make it stop. “Please,” she begged.

Turner gave his wife a look that said he trusted her judgment.

Talan looked at Roberta doubtfully. “I’m not sure it would do any good.”

“Listen, her brain is unfocused right now, she’s giving in to the pain and fighting it at the same time. If I can go in there, I can make Kala relax enough for the two souls to integrate.” Roberta tried to convince Talan.

Kala screamed again in agony.

Talan nodded. “Do it.”

Kala was ready to scrape her eyes out from pain — then...

A sudden calm melted through her.

She heard Roberta’s voice in her head, soothing, “Relax. Let him in, Kala. Let him in and calm yourself.”

Kala felt another squeeze of fire in her chest, but Roberta’s voice grew louder. “Give in, Kala. Relax.”

With every word, a sense of serenity started to take the place of the pain.

Just when Kala thought she had given in to the calm completely, her body seized in a fit of pain. She screamed.

Roberta’s voice echoed in her head and spread through her entire being. “Calm.”

It was so gentle...

The pain stopped.

Kala looked at Roberta who seemed to be coming out of a trance. When Roberta’s eyes met hers, Roberta said in awe, “Such power.”

Coursing through her veins, Kala felt exactly what Roberta was talking about. Kala had never felt more alive in her life. She felt like she had been injected with a double dose of adrenaline. Her heart pounded in her chest and Kala could feel the blood pumping through her veins like millions of tubes connecting her body together. Kala’s senses were on overdrive. She heard everyone breathing as clearly as if they were snoring. She smelled every chemical in the lab like it was right under her nose. And Talan’s hand. Kala felt the pores and tiny hairs of his hand like they were craters.

It made her want to panic and fly at the same time. Kala settled on standing.

Roberta and Talan stood with her.

Talan’s face was wide-eyed. “You shouldn’t have been able to survive that.”

Kala took deep breaths to calm both her excitement and nerves. “Roberta helped me.”

Roberta still looked dazed, but she smiled at Kala warmly. Turner searched his wife for wounds as if she had been in some kind of battle.

“Roberta kept you calm, yes, but physically, Kala… you shouldn’t have survived that.” Talan shook his head. “To integrate with a god…a human…”

“Yes, I’m very special. But am I safe? What does this mean Talan?” Kala still had so many questions and Talan was the only one who was remotely qualified to answer.

“I’m not sure, but the rules have definitely changed. You’re no longer an emissary of Atlas, which means if anyone kills you, they won’t become the next Atlas. I’m fairly certain it means you cannot be killed by a mortal.” Talan was apparently trying to work everything out himself.

“And Demons and Malaks?” Kala was more worried about the supernatural than an overzealous human.

“Gods can be killed, yes, Kala. You’ve just done it. Why do you think Atlas has been in hiding all these years, tricking humans into doing his job? As far as Demons go, you’re in more danger now than you were before. They’ll want to kill you once and for all so the world will be in chaos forever. The only advantage you may have is the fact that the Malaks will want you safe at all costs now, since no one can become a new Atlas.” Talan shrugged. “Angels are like that, they only see in black and white.”

“Aren’t you running out of time?” Turner asked Kala.

His words cut her like a knife.

Kala had sealed her own fate.

There was no tricking Atlas into taking his job back. She
was
Atlas.

She could either kill Jack or let the world destroy itself.

There was no turning back now and frankly, Kala still hadn’t decided yet.

Kala turned to Turner. “What would you do? If your mission was to kill Roberta or the world would end?”

Turner didn’t hesitate. “I’d let it burn.” Turner nodded to Fortski to leave and helped his wife toward the exit. “I’m assuming you two can leave the way you came, unless you need any more help from me?”

“No. Thank you for everything.” Kala was still reeling from Turner’s words.

Talan reached out and took Kala’s hand. “To Jack?”

Kala closed her eyes in confusion, but slowly nodded.

When her eyes opened she was in Jack’s bedroom at the hideout he had taken her to. Jack was asleep, the sheets and blanket in a tangled knot from his restlessness.

Talan was gone, letting her decide what to do on her own.

Seeing the room made a lump form in Kala’s throat. It was just like the vision Talan had shown her. Tomorrow morning Jack would go to the alley and seek out Penny and the world would destroy itself.

“I made sure he would sleep the night.” Penny’s voice came from behind Kala.

Kala whirled around to see the woman step out of the shadows.

When she made eye contact with Kala, Penny took a step back. “Impossible.”

“Possible,” Kala corrected. She didn’t feel like getting into it with Penny right now. She just wanted to be alone with Jack.

But Penny had a different idea. Penny charged at Kala with her hands outstretched.

Kala blocked Penny using a simple Aikido move. She pulled Penny’s energy into her, then pushed it back into Penny’s chest with an open palm.

To Kala’s shock Penny flew across the room and smashed into the wall, causing it to crumble into a Penny-sized crater.

“Whoa,” Kala said in surprise. Being a god meant super strength.

Penny recovered quickly, but instead of attacking, she slumped her shoulders and looked on the verge of tears. “Possible,” she whispered.