Corona

By Ethan Spier

WARNING: This is the third book in the Kinesis series and the following synopsis contains spoilers for book one and two.

The Ability,
The Artefact,
The Corona,

Three phenomena linked in this dramatic conclusion to the Kinesis Trilogy.

As a mysterious group focus their efforts to capture Holly Samson, convinced that she is the one known as 'The Kinetic', she continues to desperately search for the truth behind what the Ability actually is and how it originated.

But nothing will prepare her for the true nature of Kinesis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gary Walkden
• Release date: Mar 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311628947

Ethan Spier

Ethan Spier is the pen name of Gary Walkden.Gary Walkden is the author of 'The Memory Engine', a humorous science-fiction novel with a focus on VR/AR, and revisiting past memories through advanced technology.Gary was born in the middle of England in 1980, and grew up listening to music by The Beatles and reading books by Roald Dahl.He started writing novels in his mid-twenties after having a history of penning a number of short stories. His first novel, Kinesis, was published in 2012 under the pen name, Ethan Spier. It has since been downloaded over 100,000 times around the world.Two sequels (The Kinetic and Corona) were published in the subsequent years, as well as a standalone thriller called [e-mail]: @ReckonerVRInstagram: @ReckonerVR

Book preview

Prologue

2014

It was late but not late enough, Benedict thought as he glanced over to his companion. The dark sky above them was filled with even darker clouds which hung motionless in the still air as the two men passed quiet suburban houses. A dog's bark sounded in the distance but was quickly silenced by the call of its owner.

Benedict could still feel the rush from the day's earlier activities as he drank from the bottle of beer he was holding. The stinging sensation on his arm wasn't unpleasant by any means and only served to remind him of the needle entering his vein and depositing its dark brown liquid before the ensuing euphoria. It had been a long, pleasurable day but Benedict realised that it was now time for work before the come-down truly hit.

He noticed that Jack, his stocky companion, was staggering a little as they made their way along the snaking streets.

You okay? Benedict asked, leaning his hunched frame backwards and taking another deep swig from the bottle.

Jack looked over with red eyes and nodded slowly. Fine.

Benedict eyed him for a moment, thinking that he really needed to leave this loser behind. They'd been friends for a couple of years now, but Jack was doing too much shit lately and it was beginning to take its toll on his body. The man was becoming more of a liability and Benedict couldn’t risk any mistakes when they went to work, especially on jobs like this one. He knew the inevitable come-down from today's activities was going to be tough and he wanted to be sure that they would have enough cash to pay for the various substances which would make it a little more bearable. The last thing he wanted was Jack fucking things up again.

You need to snap yourself out of it. Benedict hissed, We have to be sharp for this job; there's too much that could go wrong.

Jack glared at him, warning Benedict to back off, but he said nothing as they turned into Stanhope Avenue.

Benedict finished his beer and tossed the empty bottle onto the front lawn of a well maintained garden where it rested like a scar on otherwise perfect skin.

The evening before, the two men had briefly staked out the place they were heading and knew that they shouldn't have too much trouble, but Benedict was always careful - he knew that too much could go wrong on jobs like these. People were unpredictable and could sometimes take you by surprise; especially when threatened in their own home and backed into a corner.

He moved a hand along his green jacket and felt the knife in his pocket then looked over to Jack in his long, dark coat, knowing that he too concealed a weapon beneath.

Are you sure you're ready for this? Benedict said harshly. I don't want any fuck-ups okay?

I said I'm fine. This'll be a piece of piss. Let's just get it over with.

Benedict allowed his gaze to linger on Jack for another long moment as he studied him. He still didn't seem right but they were drawing close to the house now and Benedict realised that it was too late to delay it any longer. He looked ahead and saw the short driveway of number fifteen, illuminated by a street lamp as a gentle mist began to gather in the distance.

He turned back to Jack who had seemed to pull himself together and was no longer staggering quite so much as he had been just moments earlier; seeming more assertive now, as if to prove a point to his taller accomplice.

Come on, Jack barked. Let's do this.

Benedict felt his pockmarked skin tighten as a subtle grin formed on his own face, becoming more confident in his friend now. He turned away and looked at the street before them, the fog now appearing thicker beneath the lamp.

Then he saw something else. A strange flickering shape began to form up ahead, as if moving towards them through the mist and Benedict realised that it was a figure - someone was standing outside the house where they were heading.

Who's that? Jack asked, slowing a little.

I don't know.

The figure, standing motionless in a shadow beside the house, appeared to look through the window of the suburban home for a long time before turning in the direction of the two men.

As the men approached, the figure stepped out of the shadows and was suddenly bathed in the orange glow of the street light above. Benedict felt relief wash over him as he saw the person more clearly now - this was no one to concern himself with - and watched as they gazed back with peculiar eyes.

Part 1

Uncertainty

Chapter 1

The pain in her head was the first thing Holly Samson felt as she awoke. It originated on the left side, resonating down her cheek and she flinched as the dim light in the room fell into her opening eyes. She raised her hand and pushed three fingers against her temple, wincing as she massaged slowly and closed her eyes once more.

Slowly, the throbbing receded in gradual waves, like the slow ebb of a retreating tide, and Holly breathed a sigh of relief as she turned onto her back and looked up to the ceiling.

She was lying on a bed with a thin blanket covering her. She turned and looked around the room which was small and sparsely decorated. Where was she? Magnolia paint covered woodchip walls and a strange mix of new and old furniture was positioned over to one side. There was an old, weather-beaten bedside table next to where Holly lay and an even more ancient looking dressing table and mirror beside that. Over in one corner was an apparently modern wardrobe - something that could easily be picked up in flat-pack form - that was sitting beside a large window which was covered by thin, pale-blue curtains.

Holly swung her legs out of the bed, pulling the quilt back and felt a fresh wave of pounding in her head as she sat upright. She didn't recognise where she was or even how she had come to be in such a place but slowly her mind began to form intersecting fragments of memories from the previous evening. That was if what she was remembering was the previous evening - she had no idea of how long she had been out of it.

She stood up and took several slow steps towards the window when the pain in her head throbbed once more and she was instantly taken back to what had happened in the small room of Ernest Mickelson's home. She had been in pain then too. There was a man in the room inflicting the pain on her, a man called...

Silas, Holly said with a fragile, cracking voice as the pain drifted away once again and she stepped closer to the window.

She pulled one of the curtains aside and peered through, squinting as the bright sun fell into the room. The view outside was beautiful. She appeared to be in a small house close to the seafront somewhere and could see distant waves lapping lethargically at black rocks lining the base of a cliff. A path appeared to lead away from the house and down a hill towards the top of the cliff face, and as she leaned closer to the glass and looked further along, Holly could see several other houses in the distance.

As she stared at the view for a few minutes, the pain in her head slowly passed and she could gradually feel her recollection of events becoming clearer. She remembered that Ernest Mickelson had betrayed them to a group of people who believed that either she or Jared knew something of the location of the mysterious object known only as the Artefact. Why had he done that?

But then something else came back to her - another betrayal - and this memory stung her much more deeply.

Mitch, what did you do? There was a quiver in her voice and she felt tears begin to form. She blinked hard and brushed a hand across her eyes; she wouldn't cry for him.

Mitch had been Ernest Mickelson's step-son all along and had been complicit in handing Holly and Jared over to that strange group. She felt a shudder as she remembered the ostensibly frail old woman who had been the leader of the three people wanting to know where the Artefact now was. Avora had been her name and her appearance sent a wave of fear through Holly; the deep-set wrinkles and almost grotesque features morphing suddenly into animal-like viciousness.

But how had Holly ended up here, wherever 'here' was? She thought back and saw herself being questioned in the small room by the man called Silas. She remembered how he almost appeared to have been enjoying torturing her for information about the Artefact and she felt the low murmur of anger inside her. He had seemed too powerful at one point, and she felt sure she could never get the better of him. But then the tiny particles of light had returned.

Holly remembered the strange sensation inside her as they slowly overwhelmed her vision, distorting it in some ways but then they had given her sight like she had never experienced before. She was able to see details of the world around her that had always been present yet concealed - hidden from view all along. A warm feeling had moved through her body as she had looked around the small space and finally up to Silas, who was no longer able to dominate her the way he had just seconds earlier.

He had looked in her eyes and suddenly become strangely fearful, desperately trying to summon the others. Holly couldn't allow that to happen so moved her hand forward to stop him. Her ability had suddenly become so much more powerful and Silas had screamed as the bones in his arms snapped from the sudden force inflicted upon them. Holly had stared down at her hands in amazement - their form showing detail she had never seen before as the trillions of miniscule particles filled her vision. Then she realised she had been too late in stopping Silas - the others were coming.

Holly had looked around the room, her mind still adjusting to the magnificent view of the world she now saw. The walls were made up of all the minute pin-pricks of light, but that wasn't all. Holly found she was almost able to hone in on tiny - almost microscopic - sections, and view them with indescribable clarity. Everything seemed to be linked, merged in strange abstract ways and Holly became aware that she could manipulate these bonds.

But she didn't have time to dwell on this beauty as she remembered the threat which was undoubtedly approaching on the other side of the thick door. She looked at the wall again and realised it wasn't actually a barrier to her at all anymore. Just as she had with the mug in her bedroom a few days before, she knew that she was now capable of things that she could have only previously imagined.

Holly had closed her eyes and felt a distortion, not of the world around her this time, but of her own body. Every part of her was now moving on some different level, bypassing all the natural laws which she had always been taught were fundamental and unmoveable. She felt herself glide sideways at a speed that didn't seem possible, but it was also an effortless movement.

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on grass and the tiny, golden particles slowly began to retreat from her vision once more. As they left, Holly realised that she was now lying outside Ernest's mansion - she had teleported through the wall.

As Holly now stood looking out of the window at the gentle, rolling waves, these memories and more, came flooding back to her. How could she be capable of such things? Just what were those strange particles of light?

She remembered how, as they had slowly disappeared and her normal vision returned, exhaustion had begun to overwhelm her. She had felt the energy evaporate from her body and found she had been unable to even drag herself to her feet. That was when Clarissa had found her and taken her to the car.

Holly turned away from the window and looked at the door to her room. She didn't know exactly where she was, but was certain Clarissa must have brought her here. She opened the door and walked down a narrow corridor, passing two other bedrooms on her way. Walking towards a doorway at the end of the hall, she heard voices from the other side. As she entered the room, all eyes fell on her.

Holly, Clarissa said. How do you feel? Are you okay?

Clarissa stood up from the table at which she was sitting in the dining room and lounge combination of the house. Holly glanced around the room and saw Victor and Jared sitting on a sofa over to one side.

A bit of a headache, but mostly okay I think, Holly replied, walking over to them.

Victor got up and made his way though the lounge and into a kitchen on the far side. I'll get you some aspirin.

Thanks.

Here, take a seat, Clarissa said, gesturing towards a chair at the dining table, and not taking her eyes off the young woman as she moved slowly through the room before sitting beside her.

Jared came in and sat down on the opposite side of the table as Clarissa lowered herself down. Victor returned and joined them as he handed Holly a glass of water and two tablets which she swallowed quickly, washing them down with the water.

Do you remember what happened last night? You seemed a little out of it when Clarissa found you, Jared said, his tone soft.

Holly glanced around the group as her three companions' eyes appeared to be unable to move away from her. She shuffled uncomfortably as she nodded. Mostly, yes. There are a few blanks but it's coming back to me slowly.

A lot happened last night, we were lucky to get away, Jared said. If it wasn't for Clarissa, I'm not sure we would have.

Holly nodded again, her own eyes meeting each of them in turn but she couldn't understand why they were all staring at her so strangely. Then Victor seemed to ask the question they all wanted to hear the answer to.

How did you get out of that room, Holly?

She looked at him for a moment as she thought about the tiny, sparkling particles. I- I teleported.

How? Jared said, leaning forward. How did you teleport yourself?

I'm not sure. That man... Silas, he was hurting me and kept asking me the same questions over and over again about where the Artefact was. He was using the Ability to do something to me - causing pain in my head. Holly placed a hand on her skull, almost able to feel the horrendous agony Silas had inflicted on her once more.

Clarissa reached across and held Holly's hand as she explained. Then, all at once I saw them.

Saw what? This time it was Victor pushing for an answer.

Holly looked at him and then across to Jared. Have you ever seen them before, Jared? The lights... they're like tiny particles that seem to surround everything. Is that how you teleport things?

Jared glanced to Victor then back to Holly. No. I've never seen anything like that.

Holly frowned and looked down to the table. I don't know what they were, but I've seen them before. The other day in my room they seemed to appear. They're so peculiar, almost as if they take over my vision. It's as if everything is suddenly formed out of tiny particles of light, but it isn't as if they stop me from seeing things; they make things... clearer.

Victor's forehead creased as he thought about this for a second then spoke. Silas said something about you having the 'Corona' when we arrived in the room.

Holly suddenly remembered something and said, Yes, I vaguely remember him saying something similar before I left.

Ernest Mickelson asked about this Corona and when he did, Avora removed her glasses. She showed us her eyes and her pupils looked to be surrounded by a thin rim of sparkling light, almost like the Corona of a solar eclipse.

But what is it? What was Silas talking about? Holly asked.

Victor shook his head in response. I have no idea, but I think it's safe to say that this 'Corona' has something to do with what you are able to do. To teleport yourself out of that room is something so remarkable that even Avora could scarcely believe it had happened. It appears that these particles of light you see must in some way create the Corona around your eyes. The significance of this might not be clear to us at this time, but Avora and her companions seemed to be under the impression that it was extremely important it had happened to you.

But why? Holly asked, confused. Why would it be important that I had this Corona thing for a short time? Especially since Avora has it too?

I don't know. Avora is also able to teleport herself several feet as she demonstrated last night so that must also be a necessary trait of this Corona, Victor replied with a sigh. For all we have learned, still very little makes sense in this mystery.

One thing is clear now, Clarissa said. We know the source of the Ability at long last. Ernest Mickelson is the man responsible for inflicting the virus that causes Kinetics to arise in most of the population.

Although that fact doesn't particularly help us in searching for a cure just now, Jared said.

Can Ernest not help with a cure? Holly asked.

Clarissa glanced at the others before turning to her. Not anymore; I'm afraid Avora murdered him.

Holly saw Victor wince at this and she wondered what had happened after she had teleported from the house. Then her thoughts drifted to someone else and she looked over to Clarissa before saying softly, What about...

Clarissa forced a smile. Mitch is fine.

Holly felt the relief inside her struggling free from the other emotions she felt for Mitch and she thought about what he had done. She looked up and saw Clarissa's face harden as her eyes focused over Holly's shoulder. Holly turned and saw Mitch standing in the doorway.

Holly turned to Clarissa, You bought him here?

We had to; Avora wasn't taking any prisoners last night. We couldn't just leave him with her. Jared managed to get us all out of there while Avora was distracted.

Holly turned back to Mitch as her instinct betrayed her; compelling her to go over and throw her arms around him. But she wasn't sure she would ever be able to do that again.

Why did you do it, Mitch? You fed us to the wolves. Holly felt a sting in her eyes but forced the tears back.

Mitch stared at her, his own eyes swollen and red. He didn't speak for a long time but when he did his voice was thin and low. I'm sorry... I don't know what else to say. They were going to kill my father if I didn't tell them where you and Jared were.

Holly wanted to say something but she wasn't sure what that was and all she could do was stare back at him.

I'm sorry, Mitch repeated but still Holly couldn't respond.

After a moment, Victor spoke. I think it would be best you leave her alone for a while.

Mitch's jaw tightened before he finally turned and left the room.

Holly found she wasn't able to look away from the doorway for a long time and remained staring at it through a blur of tears. Eventually Clarissa put a hand on her shoulder and she turned towards her.

How could he do that? He just handed us over to those people. Holly's voice was little more than a whisper and all Clarissa could do was shake her head.

***

Victor and Clarissa prepared sandwiches and they all ate in the dining room except for Mitch who ate the sandwiches Jared bought him in one of the bedrooms. After lunch was finished, and the plates had been cleared away, Victor returned to his seat at the dining room table.

Perhaps we should discuss where all this leaves us, he said, placing his hands on the table before him.

I think the first thing we need to discuss is who Avora and her two accomplices are, Jared said. They obviously belong to some kind of group who once had possession of that 'Artefact' object.

Victor nodded. "Indeed, but how did they come by it? Avora mentioned that they had been in possession of the object for many decades."

I'm not sure any of that matters for now, Holly said quietly as her mind dwelled on the hideous face of the old woman. All we know is that her 'little group' as she called them, are desperate to get it back.

Holly's right, Clarissa said, looking at the others. Avora is obviously extremely powerful and it seems she'll stop at nothing to regain control of that thing.

We can't let them get hold of it, Victor said. That peculiar object seems to hold the key to everything that the Ability is. Surely, if we can find it then there must be someone in the world - some scientific mind - who can use it to develop a cure, or at least learn a little more than we currently know.

Jared nodded. I agree. I think our main priority for the moment is finding the Artefact, wherever it might be. But in doing so, I suggest we learn as much as we can about Avora and the organisation to which she belongs. The more we learn about the group who claim to have been in possession of it for such a long time, the better picture we'll have of the situation.

Holly looked at Jared as he spoke then said, Ernest Mickelson must have known more about them. If he was still alive, we could have gained a little insight from him I guess.

Victor went to speak but then paused for a moment, glanced at Holly and shuffled uncomfortably.

What is it? Holly asked.

Well, Victor said as he cleared his throat. Ernest may no longer be around, but his son is.

What do you mean?

Victor looked at the others gathered around the dining room. I think our only lead in finding out about Avora's mysterious group and the ultimate location of the Artefact, is Mitch.

Victor has a point, Jared said. "Ernest must have discussed all this with Mitch. He must know something."

Holly stared at Jared and then at Victor, her stomach shrinking inside her. She didn't want to speak to Mitch, no matter how much he could tell them. She didn't even want him in the same house, and yet deep inside she knew they were right; Mitch was their only lead to finding out more. She glanced at Clarissa before turning and nodding slowly.

I'll go and get him, Jared said, standing.

When he and Mitch came back into the room, Mitch sheepishly took a seat at the dining room table, but didn't make eye-contact with anyone. He seemed nervous, but Holly could barely look at him and silently rubbed her fingers in the palm of her hand as she watched the skin turn white from the pressure.

So, what can you tell us? Victor said gruffly, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.

Mitch tore his eyes from the wooden surface before him and quickly flicked his gaze up to the old man. What do you mean?

What can you tell us about that monster, Avora and the group she belongs to? What can you tell us about this Artefact thing?

I- Mitch swallowed and looked back down to the table, shuffling nervously in his chair. I'm sorry, I don't know much.

Come on, Victor said, a little more sharply this time as he tapped a finger hard on the table. Your father must have mentioned them to you; you must have discussed it!

Mitch swallowed again and glanced up to Victor before looking over to Holly, who still wouldn't meet his gaze. He didn't say much. All I know is that they contacted my father a few years ago and threatened him. They just wanted to get that thing - that Artefact - back and he was the only person left alive from the original three scientists who had been studying it back in the sixties.

He clenched his hands together as he spoke and his voice was cracking in places, but he continued regardless. "My father told me only what he thought I needed to know, which wasn't much. He was protecting me; he didn't want me involved with Avora and her cronies. He knew she was dangerous.

He didn't want to protect us though did he? Holly said and everyone looked at her as she continued to stare down at her hands. He gave us up without a second thought.

Mitch shook his head in protest. "It wasn't like that. My father thought one of you must know where the Artefact was. He... we both thought you'd just be able to tell Avora what she wanted to know and she would leave us all alone."

Holly glared at Mitch but said nothing before turning her attention back to her whitening hands.

You have to believe that I would never have agreed to bring you to the house if I thought there was any chance you'd be in real danger. I realised Avora would question you, but I had no idea just how insane she really was. Look what she did to my father! I didn't know she was capable of something as horrific as that. I would never have agreed to my father's plan if I'd known.

The room fell silent as Mitch looked at each of the others in turn, but nobody responded and he shook his head once more as he focused on Holly. I swear I would have never put you in that position if I had known, Holly.

Holly glanced at him but remained silent as she looked into his wide, pleading eyes.

So there's nothing of use that you can tell us? Victor said softly, finally breaking through the silence.

Mitch continued to look at Holly for a moment longer before blinking slowly and turning to Victor. Not really, no. I wish I could. The only thing I can think of is my father's study in our house.

His study?

Yes, all his letters and correspondence are in there and his computer might have some information on it too. It's not much, but perhaps there might be something of use.

Victor considered this for a moment then looked around to everyone sitting at the table. It's certainly worth a try.

Chapter 2

The room was small and cramped with a single-bed against one wall and a tiny bedside table squashed against it, but Malcolm Bennett didn't concern himself with such mild annoyances. He had bigger