Cessation

Cody stares at the entire crowd. She turned on a circle in the busy promenade. How did I get here? How long have I been here? The alarms are blaring. Over three hours have passed without her awareness. She suffered yet another blackout and more memory loss. The last thing she remembered was packing her bags. Those alarms signaled the time to board the ships at the dock, but only the lucky ones who had a ticket. Once the big storm came, there'd be nowhere to hide. A man approaches Cody with a proposal. He needs her because she is the only human being alive who is gifted with her alchemy talents. Who can make a certain compound that he wants. In her line of work, she's dealt with men like him, and taking their contracts meant a bullet in your head afterward. Besides, anyone who wants her compound is up to no good. What she doesn't expect is to get stuck on the same ship as the man who wanted to hire her. He forces her hand. She tries to sabotage his plans, but someone is sabotaging her plans. Nobody else knows how to make the project . . . so who is reversing her work? Time is running out. Complications arise. "What have I done?"