Dormant: A Young Adult Dystopian Sci-fi Novel: Rogue Spark, #3

By Cameron Coral

One touch from me can kill.

 

I spared my city and my newly found family, but it left a lasting impact. The man I killed haunts my mind.

 

As war brews between genetically altered hybrids and humans, the military steps in, commandeering Spark City's powerful android army. Amid the chaos, a new threat looms—one potent enough to annihilate an entire species.

 

I am torn between emerging allegiances and old ties, standing at a crossroads. A close confidante harbors a devastating secret that could change the course of the conflict. Can I unveil the truth behind my powers before war erupts? Or will my newfound deadly ability lead to our destruction?

 

DORMANT is the third installment in the Rogue Spark series, a dystopian science fiction saga. Read the story of Ida Sarek, a healer and a magnet for trouble, as she navigates a treacherous world where her gift is both her greatest asset and her deepest curse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cameron Coral
• Release date: Oct 6, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223647300

Book preview

PROLOGUE

10 December 2046

Spark City

Military tribunal of Colonel Will Hunter

CLASSIFIED TRANSCRIPTS

Examiner: Can you describe for the tribunal the incident that occurred at Sainshand Station in the Gobi Desert on April 24th, 2040?

Hunter: Six years ago, I was in charge of a classified military operation, and on this particular occasion, I was leading a training exercise.

Examiner: What was the operation? Let the record show that the members of this tribunal possess the highest-level security clearance, and the details of these court proceedings will be held in the strictest confidentiality.

Hunter: I was training a new battalion of [pause] soldiers. We planned to lead a massive assault on the Heavies.

Examiner: For purposes of tribunal records, please clarify the term, Heavies.

Hunter: Heavies are slang for the hostile alien species that made contact with Earth in 2038 and invaded parts of what were formerly the nations of Russia, China, and areas of the Middle East.

Examiner: Thank you. Please continue with your description of the training operation.

Hunter: In late 2038, I led the formation of an experimental genetics program authorized by President Howard herself and the Secretary of Defense. Only myself and the lead scientist, Dr. Phillip Kenmore, knew the true strategic goal of the program.

Examiner: What was the nature of the program?

Hunter: We were commanded to find a way to produce soldiers strong enough to fight against the Heavies. Super soldiers, if you will.

Examiner: And were you able to produce what you call super soldiers?

Hunter: You understand, I was given authority to initiate this program by the highest levels of government?

Examiner: Yes, we understand. Let the record show that the tribunal recognizes the project was sanctioned by the President and the commander of the armed forces. Please continue, Colonel.

Hunter: We synthesized human DNA with genetic sequences of animals to bring forth new characteristics. It’s long been known that splicing DNA between animals could combine certain traits. For instance, scientists created a glowing rabbit and a goat whose milk contained spider silk. But genetic functions are very complex, and it wasn’t until Dr. Kenmore’s experiments that humans successfully adopted the traits of animals. We created a new species we called the hybrids.

Examiner: Were the hybrids considered a success?

Hunter: [Shakes head] No. While their physical abilities were incredible, they were not cooperative.

Examiner: Why do you think the hybrids were not cooperative?

Hunter: Hell, if I’d have known the answer, I’d have fixed the problem. Maybe the animal DNA made them too wild, too unpredictable.

Examiner: How did Sainshand Station fit into the hybrid program?

Hunter: Our original medical facility burned to the ground in an accident. Fortunately, the test subjects’ lives—the hybrids—were spared. We rebuilt and moved into phase two: training for war.

Examiner: What happened during phase two training?

Hunter: Things went smoothly at first. The hybrids’ physical strength and abilities exceeded our expectations. Dr. Kenmore’s genetic recombination varied. Many of the subjects’ genetic strands were spliced with DNA from wolves, snakes, tigers, and other aggressive animals. As a result, there were other physical traits expressed—fast running speed, ability to jump enormous heights, heightened sense of smell…I could go on.

Examiner: No need. We have extensive documentation. Where did things go wrong?

Hunter: We were understaffed. As the hybrids’ strength grew, so did their aggression. I was there, leading the training, but I grew concerned for my safety and that of my crew.

Examiner: Did the hybrids turn violent?

Hunter: Yes. [long pause] The memory of that night pains me. [coughs] Sorry.

Examiner: Take your time.

Hunter: On April 24th—the night of the incident—we woke the subjects in the early morning hours to embark on a training exercise in the desert. As we boarded several armored trucks, the hybrids attacked me and the other human soldiers. They [pause] fired upon us and others were…torn apart by the creatures’ claws. [long pause]

Examiner: How did you manage to escape?

Hunter: In the chaos of the fighting, I hid in a storage compartment. The hybrids massacred the humans. The next day, I emerged from hiding, crept into my office, and summoned help. I fled the facility and rendezvoused with a rescue cruiser.

Examiner: What happened next?

Hunter: I collaborated with another battalion to architect an assault to retake the base. We staged an attack and gassed the place to knock out the hybrids before we closed in and captured them.

Examiner: Did the hybrids surrender?

Hunter: Eventually, yes. This time, we outmanned them, and they were no match for our firepower.

Examiner: What happened to the hybrids?

Hunter: I wanted to destroy them right away, but I was ordered by the Secretary of Defense to continue the training in the hopes we could make them into the superior soldiers we’d envisioned. I continued for four months until the program was cancelled.

Examiner: Why was the program cancelled?

Hunter: After the Sainshand incident, the hybrids were angry and rebellious. I reported my findings to my superiors and argued that the program—so far as the hybrids went—was a failure. The President shut us down and decreed that the creatures be transported to a segregated district within Spark City. We were instructed to reprogram their memories with implants. There was to be no evidence of the super soldier program. So, that’s what we did; we wiped all memories.

Examiner: Colonel, you stand accused of attempted murder and crimes against the human-hybrid species for the events that took place in Spark City this year. What do you have to say in your defense?

Hunter: Human-hybrid? That’s a laugh. Those things are animals. Monsters. They slaughtered my squad in the Mongolian desert six years ago. The hybrids should have been wiped out—destroyed—back then. But some soft-hearted, do-gooder president had to go and take pity on them…

ONE

I run. It's been months—years maybe? I run along rolling green hills at the ocean's edge, into copper-hued canyons, and through forests.

I'm tired. I run with no destination. Move, I tell my sore feet.

Because he’s chasing me.

Vance. That was his name. My memories are hazy. I know he’s evil and will hurt me if he catches me. He hurt people I knew, people I cared about. But I didn't let him kill them. I touched them and brought them back to life. Before he could destroy more people, I stopped him.

Darkness surrounds me, and I've been running a long time. No sign of Vance, so I stop for a rest. I'm in an unkempt field where scraggly brush reaches my thighs. I pinch the leaves, and they crumble between my fingers. Dead.

Ahead of me in the distance, I spy objects. A collection of rides and tents and hastily built wooden shacks, and there's a giant big-top tent like in old movies. I search my mind for the word…carnival.

But the shuttered carnival looks run-down, weathered by time, and forgotten by the children who once begged their parents to bring them here.

A cutting wind chills my aching body, pushing me on. As I near the entrance, a lonely rusty gate swings back and forth. I scan behind for any sign of Vance. Alone for now, but I’m sure he'll find me soon. He always does.

Decaying smells surround me, discarded memories hover in vacant market stalls. I pass by a row of wooden stands that once housed souvenirs and games but now lie rotting.

My feet stir up dust with every step. I squat and touch the earth, grabbing a handful of the soil. Dry, lifeless, it flows through my fingers. Where am I?

I wander through rows of crumbling games. A small purple tent has a sign: Bearded Lady 1 nickel. You won't believe your e… The paint peels off in splintered chips.

Rounding a corner, I spot the big top. The massive red and white canvas is faded and torn. Light seeps from gaping holes. I edge closer.

Vance laughs quietly to my right. Whirling around, I find him sitting on a bench in an ancient carousel. The macabre horses lack heads—as if a madman had come along and chopped them all off in a cruel practical joke.

My heart races, and adrenaline courses through me as I prepare to run.

Wait, he says. You always run. Why not stop and chat like civilized people for once?

Is he trying to trick me?

I sprint toward the big top. A dilapidated flap door flutters, beckoning. Pushing the heavy canvas aside, I slip into the tent.

Inside, the lights flicker out. Stars surround me, breaking up the blackness. I creep toward a large table that’s illuminated in the center of the room. I'm floating. Like I'm walking on air, but that's impossible.

I reach the table and inhale sharply. On it rests a model of Spark City. I recognize the tall skyscrapers, the enormous lake, and the river cutting through the center like a zipper.

Reaching out, I try to grasp the miniature living city, but my hands slice through air. An illusion? Did Vance create this to amuse himself at my expense?

I step a few feet to my right, and the table expands, the city landscape endless. I bend, searching underneath, but find only black space.

Before I can rationalize things, a sharp tingling begins in my side. My fingers trace my old wound. A Heavy—the aliens that invaded part of Earth—stabbed me there years ago when I was in the war.

I glimpse down at my side, lifting my black t-shirt. My skin around the wound glows blue. Pressing inward, underneath my skin, the alien blade remains.

Pushing my shirt down, I gaze up as a dark shadow falls across the Spark City replica. In the middle of the city, the earth is scorched, flattened. Glass towers, streets teeming with markets, bright neon lights. Gone. Reduced to rubble.

I back away, confused, until I bump into a tent wall. Fumbling for the flaps, I stumble out into the night.

Vance must still be around. I drop to a runner's stance, ready to bolt, when the old carousel organ starts up. Vance snaps his fingers, and the lights on the ride switch on. The carousel groans to life, rusty wheels grate noisily as the contraption begins to revolve.

Come aboard, he says. You can jump off and run whenever you want.

Now’s my chance to escape and get a head start, but I'm so tired. The running is endless. Can I end the chase if I face him?

The carousel picks up speed. Suddenly, the carnival bursts to life around me. Light shines all around; everything looks pristine, no longer abandoned and rotting.

Strangest of all, people mill around dressed in clothes from a long-ago era. Men wear black suits and bowler caps; women wear long dresses and bonnets. Children run through the grounds laughing and shouting in delight.

The carousel spins, and Vance remains, dressed in his usual black pants and long, gray trench coat. I gaze down to be sure I'm still wearing my modern clothes too, including my familiar black combat boots. Nobody seems to notice us until I feel a tug on my jacket sleeve and find a little boy at my side. He's maybe eight-years-old and wearing a cap, white button-down shirt, and red suspenders that support overly large trousers.

Excuse me, ma'am, the boy says. The man on the carousel told me to give you this. He offers his hand.

Vance is malicious. Whatever it is could hurt the child. I shove his hand down. No. Dangerous.

He peers up at me, eyes and mouth wide.

I bend down to inspect what he dropped. A yellow rose lies at his feet.

The boy slowly edges away, then pivots and runs. I should flee too. But what if I stay and stand up to Vance? Will this endless chase stop?

It's worth a try. What do I have to lose? My life. A chill races from my fingers to my neck.

Treading cautiously to the carousel, I pick a spot five horses away from Vance's bench and leap onto the revolving platform.

Well, I can't hear you from that far, he says. Won't you come closer?

What do you want from me?

He studies me with his half-metal cyborg face. He concentrates as though he can will me to come closer.

The hairs on my neck rise, and I shiver despite the mild air. There's something about Vance I can't remember. How did we get here?

Here. He smiles. We’ve always been here. And we’ll always be here.

The carousel spins faster now. I shout to be heard over the din of the organ and the sound of people talking, laughing, living. I don't understand.

You will in time.

How do I make this stop?

He straightens against the ornate carousel bench, right leg crossed over his left knee. The carousel revolves so fast now that the people outside blur. We're the only passengers.

You can get off the ride anytime you'd like. He shrugs.

Is this a puzzle? Clearly, he's more in control of this situation than me. I've been the one running, after all.

I stare down at the carousel floor to steady myself. I can't see the ground outside anymore because the ride spins so fast. If I jump, I could get hurt. Most likely, I'd fall off and land on something that would impale me. Hurting me—that’s what Vance wants.

I'm so busy concentrating on the ground outside, trying to find a safe spot where I can jump, I don't realize he's moved until he grabs my arm with his cybernetic fist. My muscles tense, rigid as an icicle.

After months of running, he has me.

Ida, he hisses between clenched teeth.

Perched on the carousel's edge, I angle my head to face his cold blue eyes and crimson pupils. His eyes hold a clue to my past. I can almost put my finger on it—retrieve the memory—but then it disappears into nothing.

You don't remember the time before this place, do you? His steel digs into my flesh, tearing the leather of my jacket. Perhaps you will recall one day, but know this… He gets so close, he's whispering in my ear. I am part of you now…forever.

I'm disgusted by his breath against my cheek. It's ice cold, not what I expected.

His proximity, the speed of the carousel—I’m light-headed.

Vance pulls me closer and touches my right side, my old stab wound, with his other robotic hand. The truth is inside you. He starts to laugh, a deep, guttural chortling that unnerves me.

Outside the furiously spinning carousel, a bright flash crosses the sky. Lightning?

Vance presses his nose in my chin-length red hair, inhaling deeply.

What did I see in the big top? What was the shadow on Spark City?

He whispers, War is coming.

Shuddering, I glance up at another bright light, only this time, it doesn't dim. Like the aurora borealis, it floats in the atmosphere.

Outside the carousel, I hear voices. Loud, like people having a heated discussion.