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.Her clothes and hair stayed plastered to her body.She felt for her blaster, but herholster at her side was empty.A vague memory twisted inside her head, and shethought she heard Ryan's voice somewhere off in the distance.A chill ran throughher despite the steamy heat flooding the land.She struggled, trying to remember whatever it was she had forgotten.Movingslowly through the hissing geysers of steam and water, she waited for the rest ofthe nightmare to manifest itself.The jumps through the mat-trans units wereseldom easy.Then she recalled her conversation with Phlorin, recalled how she had seemed tofall into herself.A nearby geyser exploded, showering her with a deluge of scalding liquid andburning rock fragments that embedded in her flesh.She screamed in pain andbegan backing away, brushing at her arms and face with her hands.file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E.er%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (41 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:07 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.htmlInstead of feeling the chunks of rocks in her skin, though, she felt only smooth,unblemished flesh.She stared at her open hands in front of her, fully expecting tosee them covered with blood.They were clean.Even as the realization hit her, Krysty felt the pain leave her body.Only a fewheartbeats later, so did the sensation of the burning heat.She stopped, suddenly realizing where she had to be be-cause there was no otherplace she could have gone after Phlorin had ripped through her mind.She staredaround her, taking in the geyser activity.Marshaling her courage, she thrust herhand into a geyser of steaming water that shot up within arm's reach.None of the heat touched her.Likewise, none of the wa-ter touched her, either.The geyser bubbled and hissed against her hand, jetting through it in streams.Asif she were some kind of illusion."Gaia!" Krysty said, realizing then what must have hap-pened."Earth Mother,don't let this be true!"The burbling geyser continued blasting water through her hand as if it weren'tthere.She didn't exist.Phlorin had trapped her inside her own mind.Krysty closed her eyes and concentrated, listening for Ryan's voice again, lettingit be her beacon to bring her back to herself.She knew she had to hurry becauseshe could sense what Phlorin was prepared to do to him.Chapter Fivefile:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E.er%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (42 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:07 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.htmlAstonished by the deep timber in Krysty's voice, as well as by the raw hatred,Ryan barely managed to turn his head to the side as she backhanded him.Theblow carried in-credible force.On occasion, Krysty was able to tap into a strengthmuch greater than anything human, but only dur-ing times of intense stress, or lifeor death, calling on Gaia's name.She was tapped in now.Ryan flew backward, his ears ringing with the impact as his teeth snappedtogether, slicing deeply into his cheek.The taste of blood filled his mouth.Nearlytwenty feet away, his body aching all over, he pushed himself up, gaz-ing at theredhead.She stood uncertainly, as if getting her land legs after a long time at sea.Shegazed at him as if she didn't know him."What the hell is wrong with you?" Ryan demanded, barely keeping control overthe anger that flooded his vision with fiery red mist.He stood with effort, his legsstill weak under him."Stay away," Krysty warned in that terrible voice.She drew a hunting knife fromher belt, ignoring the pistol on the rooftop beside her.Bullets chopped into the pebble-and-tar surface, leaving pockmarks behind aslightning flashed overhead.Thunder hammered the dark heavens.Ryan saw the wild look in his lover's eyes and knew she wasn't herself.Hemaintained his distance, but he spoke to her in a softer tone."Krysty, it's me,Ryan.""Stay away from me.""Don't you remember?"For a moment, Krysty's face softened, and uncertainty filled her expression."Ryan?" Her voice sounded more normal, just strained.file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E.er%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (43 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:08 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html"Yes." Ryan took a step toward her and kept closing.He also kept the SIG-Sauerin his hand.He didn't want to use it, but he knew he wasn't strong enough to takeKrysty hand to hand with Gaia's strength fueling her."What's wrong?""Head hurts," she replied in her normal voice.She coiled her free hand up in hersentient hair, pulling at it as tears pooled in her eyes."Hurts real bad.""The voice?" Ryan kept moving, getting closer."Yes." Krysty gasped in pain."Said her name was Phlorin.Said she was one ofthe Chosen.Told me she was dying.""You still hear her?""Not hear her," Krysty disagreed."She's here with me.Inside my head.Tried totrap me there, tried to make me think I was going through a jump nightmare andwasn't really here, or there, at all.Trying to make me do things even now.""Make her go away.""I can't." Krysty shifted, jerking again, a harsh light suddenly filling her greeneyes.She took a quick step back, bringing up the hunting knife, the edged side ofthe blade on top.Giving no indication, she moved into the attack, sending theknife streaking toward Ryan's abdomen
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