by R S Penney
Jack had the presence of mind to call upon Summer and craft a Bending of his own, an exact negation of what the other man tried to do, forcing space-time to retain its proper shape. Arin pushed harder, and Summer strained to counter his efforts. It was a struggle to maintain his concentration; Summer couldn't do it on her own. Host and symbiont had to work together to Bend the fabric of reality.
Less than ten seconds since this new contest began, and already, Jack's skin burned with fiery pinpricks. At this rate, Summer would hit her breaking point any moment now. He had to end this!
With spatial awareness, Jack could see the other man.
Arin's face had the dull-eyed, vacant expression of a man utterly consumed with one single task. So focused was he on winning this contest of Bending that he didn't even notice when Cassi came running up behind him.
She jumped and kicked Arin in the back of the head, throwing him down onto his belly and forcing him to let go of Jack's hair. His Bending vanished, and Summer felt an intense surge of relief.
“And that,” Jack panted, “is why we don't waste energy on flashy attacks.”
His head was swimming, but he felt it when Cassi pulled him to his feet, and then his arm was around her shoulders. “Come on,” she whispered, dragging him toward the shuttle's airlock.
There were people in Leyrian uniforms moving single-file through that door. One, two, three…There should have been six. Three of the tactical officers had fallen defending him. Jack wanted to weep.
The last man in line wore Ragnosian colours. For a moment Jack was confused, but Novol turned his head and showed him an awkward smile before he ducked through the airlock after the others.
Just before Cassi ushered him into the shuttle, Jack noticed a fourth Leyrian coming his way. It was the leader of the tactical team, the tall man in his mid-thirties. And he had an arm around Anna as he guided her toward the airlock. “Just a little further now, ma'am,” he said. “We're almost there.”
Jack closed his eyes, tears spilling over his cheeks. “They died for me…” His head drooped because he could no longer find the strength to keep it up. Justice Keepers were supposed to give their lives for other people. Not the other way around.
Cassi guided him through the space-doors, into the shuttle's cabin.
The others were gathered around the SlipGate, but Jack thought he heard shouting in the distance. Voices crying out in some unknown language. By Novol's reaction, it sounded like another squad of Ragnosians was on the way.
Cassi brought him to the SlipGate and then tapped commands into her multi-tool. “Endeavour, this is Special Agent Seyrus,” she said. “Please open your Gate. I'm sending you my authorization code now.”
She added a few more taps.
“Confirmed, Agent Seyrus,” a man's voice said. “Gate is unlocked.”
The leader of the tactical team brought Anna into range. She was panting, gasping, her face flushed from exertion. Hell, she looked as bad as Jack felt. “More coming,” she whispered. “We have to get…have to get out…”
Cassi used her multi-tool to activate the Gate.
There was a slight hum as the grooves on the metal diamond began to glow with intense white light. Thank heavens there were only a few of them. A SlipGate could send about fifteen people at a time, depending on the size of each individual. The sound of shouting was getting louder. If they had been forced to make two trips, whoever ended up staying behind would not escape before the Ragnosians arrived.
A bubble formed around them, distorting Jack's vision of the shuttle. As it did, he caught a glimpse of a gray-clad figure coming through the airlock. That man paused and then pointed a blurry finger at them.
Anna stuck out her tongue.
The bubble was yanked forward, through an endless dark tunnel with a faint light at some infinitely-distant point. Suddenly, they slammed to a stop in what appeared to be a SlipGate chamber on board a Leyrian cruiser.
Jack saw a blurry man standing behind a console.
The bubble popped.
Once it was gone, Jack could see the Leyrian officer looking up from his console to show them a triumphant grin. “I have them!” he said, tapping out a few quick commands. “The Gate is locked. You can go to warp.”
“Good job, Salomin,” someone said over the intercom.
Jack collapsed from the exhaustion.
Telixa Ethran's polished shoes clicked on the floor tiles as she strode through the dimly-lit hangar bay. Her technicians had not yet been able to restore power, but that was of no consequence. The intruders were gone.
She found the ziarogat slumped against a wall beneath the catwalk with a hole in its head. That, combined with the silver smear just above it, gave Telixa a pretty good notion of how it had died.
She stood over the fallen creature with fists on her hips, shaking her head. “So, you failed to live up to Slade's promises.” Squatting down right in front of it, Telixa breathed through her nose. “A pity.”
“Admiral.”
She turned, running a gloved hand through her bob of short brown hair. “Yes?” she replied. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”
Valesk stood at attention just behind Telixa. The young woman's toes were pointed forward; her shoulders were square, and her gray cap sat neatly on her head. “Not all of the intruders escaped, ma'am.”
Telixa raised an eyebrow.
Deciding that showing was better than telling, Valesk turned and extended her hand toward the Justice Keeper's abandoned shuttle. Telixa had noticed the cluster of security officers gathered there when she first entered the hangar bay, but her first priority was the ziarogat. Part of this mission was to determine the viability of Slade's cybernetic soldiers. She had decided that a report from her officers could wait.
Now, however, Telixa rose and paced over to them, lifting her chin as she stared into the eyes of one man. “What do you have?”
He closed his eyes, as if that could shield him from her scrutiny, and stepped aside to reveal Arin lying stretched out upon the floor. Well, well…What might have happened here? Had the Justice Keepers abandoned him during their escape? It would make sense. Telixa didn't know much about Arin, except that he had once served Grecken Slade. And Slade had once been head of the Justice Keepers.
Which meant that Arin might be a traitor in their eyes.
Kneeling in front of him, Telixa gently stroked the fallen man's hair. He groaned in response to that. “Now, now,” she said. “There's no need for that. You came here to help me understand the limits of your power…And you have performed that task admirably.”
Her smile could have turned a man's blood to ice. “Rest now,” she said, leaning in close to whisper in his ear. “You don't have to worry. I still have use for you. There's still so much to learn.”
Chapter 30
Blurry images came into focus, and Jack found himself looking at the ceiling in what appeared to be a medical bay. It was dim, with only soft lights along the wall to see by, and he heard the distant beep of the equipment that monitored his vital signs.
His body ached. The burning in his skin had faded away to a dull tingle, but his arms and legs still felt weak and a little numb. Summer was exhausted; he could tell that much without any effort.
Jack tried to sit up, touching fingertips to his forehead, then immediately fell back down on the mattress. “Oh, not a good idea,” he mumbled. “No trying to get up for you, Agent Hunter.”
“I should hope not.”
He became aware of Cassi in a chair on his left, watching him with a bright smile. “Some of us don't need a constant refresher on the basics of Justice Keeper training,” she said. “I have to hand it to you, Hunter. It takes a special kind of hardheadedness to think you can stubborn your way past the laws of physics.”
Jack shut his eyes as he felt his head sink into the pillow. “Uh huh,” he replied. “So, you wanna catch me up? Those last few minutes are kinda hazy, but I'm pretty damn sure I owe you my life.”
Cassi got out of her chair, and with two steps, she came over to grab the metal bar that ran alongside his bed. She leaned over him with a grin. “But what was that delightful Earth concept you explained? Oh yes…I'll add it to the tab.”
Blushing hard, Jack turned his head and pressed his cheek into the pillow. “Thank you,” he said. “Seriously, Cas. I don't know if I tell you this often enough, but you're the best partner I've ever had.”
“I don't know about that.”
She gestured to the bed on his right, and with a little effort, he focused on his sense of spatial awareness. Anna was lying there, curled up on her side under the covers, sound asleep. Thank God she was all right.
The urge to drift back to sleep was almost irresistible, but Jack forced himself to remain conscious when he noticed the serious expression on Cassi's face. “I was wrong, you know,” she said with some reluctance. “She is worth it.”
“Cas, I'm sorry-”
“No. No apologizing.”
“Okay,” he agreed. “So, where are we?”
Backing away from him with her arms crossed, Cassi took a deep breath and then nodded. “On board the Endeavour,” she said. “You've been asleep for almost eight hours. We should be home in another twelve.”
Once again, Jack felt intense heat in his face, but this time, he did manage to sit up. He gave her a sidelong glance. “And you've been keeping a bedside vigil ever since?” he asked. “Now, I feel like a jerk.”
With a beatific grin, Cassiara shook her head. “No, I went to get something to eat,” she answered. “And then I took a nap myself. I wasn't much better off than you two, by the time we got out of there.”
“And then you came here?”
“I thought you would appreciate an update.”
“I do.”
Cassi turned and paced to the door. She paused there briefly, glancing back at him with concern on her face. “Get some rest,” she said. “I'll talk to you when we get home.”
When she was gone, Jack let himself relax. The mattress was a bit stiff, but after a week with nothing but a dirty floor to sleep on, it was bliss. Despite himself, he worried about Arin. It made him feel guilty, and guilt made him think of Ben. Over the last few days, Jack had been too consumed with his own situation to expend much thought on his dad friend, but with the danger passed…
He couldn't say that they should have gone back for Arin – not after his betrayal – but Jack still felt guilty. What would the Ragnosians do to Arin now?
“Mmm…
Jack turned over.
Anna was lying on her side, facing him with her eyes closed. Her sweet face in the dim light left him with a serious case of the warm fuzzies. “I thought I heard your voice,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“I feel like I've been run over by a truck.”
“Me too.”
Rolling onto his back, Jack folded his hands on his chest and smiled at the ceiling. “Hey, at least you won your fight,” he mumbled. “Oh God, I was so arrogant…I thought, 'Hey, I beat him before…' ”
Anna pulled the blankets up over herself, snuggling a little deeper beneath them. “Get over here, you,” she said. “I'm cold, and I want you to keep me warm.”
Somehow, despite overpowering fatigue, Jack found the strength he needed to hop over the metal bar, take the four steps over to Anna's bed and climb in beside her. Having Summer's complete support definitely helped.
Once he was settled in, Anna curled up with an arm around his belly and her head resting on his chest. “I think it's safe to say I know you better than anyone else,” she said. “And you have some flaws, Jack Hunter, but arrogance isn't one of them.”
“Yeah well…I made one wrong move…”
“One wrong move is it all it takes,” she insisted. “One wrong move was all Wesley Pennfield needed to put a bullet in my chest.”
Jack smooched her forehead and then nuzzled her. “I'm glad he didn't.” Wrapping his arms around Anna, he squeezed her tight. “Because my life would be incomplete without you. Which reminds me.”
“Yes?”
Jack turned onto his side, slipping an arm around her, and then touched his nose to hers. “You've been spending a lot of time at my place lately,” he said. “Keeping your stuff in my closet, sleeping in my bed when I'm not there.”
She was smiling now, her cheeks flushed to a soft pink. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “I'm sorry. I hope I haven't been a nuisance.”
Gently, he brushed a lock of hair off her cheek and then tucked it behind her ear. “I wasn't complaining,” Jack whispered. “I was just wondering if you'd like my apartment to be our apartment.”
“Yes,” she said without hesitation. “Yes, I would.”
“Good,” Jack said. “Because I like having you around.”
Anna kissed his nose.
Despite everything – the pain, the fatigue and the stress of the last few days – Jack felt so relaxed that he knew he could drift off at any moment. Snuggled next to Anna was the safest place he could ever hope to be. “I knew,” he whispered. “Somehow, even when things seemed hopeless, I knew you would come for me.”
Her response to that was to hug him tighter and run her fingers through his hair. “I will always come for you,” Anna promised. “Always.”
When Harry stepped out of his kitchen, he found Melissa in the front hallway with a smile on her face. “He's alive!” Before Harry could ask what the hell she was talking about, his daughter sprang forward and threw her arms around him. “I just got a call from Larani! Jack's alive!”
Harry closed his eyes, breathing deeply. “Jack is alive,” he whispered. “At least we have one piece of good news.”
Melissa stepped back, and her smile faded to one of those stern expressions he had often seen on his ex-wife. Now, when did she learn that. “I told you,” she said. “You just have to have a little faith.”
“Noted.”
In a flash, Melissa was spinning around and practically skipping up the hallway to the front door, slipping on a pair of flip-flops. It was good to see her in such high spirits, though, in truth, it wasn't his eldest that Harry worried about. Claire had taken the news of his confrontation with Isara with surprising stoicism. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of that. “Where are you going?” Harry asked.
Melissa looked up, and her grin returned. “Aiden receives his symbiont today,” she said. “He asked me to be there with him.”
Harry leaned against the side of the staircase with arms folded, shaking his head. “You sure you wanna do that?” he asked. “The last time we talked, you were justifiably upset about Aiden pushing your boundaries.”
“I know.”
“Well, maybe it's best you two parted ways.”
Leave it to Harry Carlson to ruin someone else's positive attitude. All traces of glee vanished, and Melissa faced him with the somber pose of a young cop standing before a board of inquiry for the first time. “I know,” she said. “But I think that was brought on by stress. He was so worried about proving himself to the senior Keepers. Once he Bonds a Nassai, that won't be an issue anymore.”
Harry wasn't sure he agreed, but he decided not to press the point. Melissa was an adult now, and there were some decisions she would have to make on her own. So much had changed in the five years since Anna had come to Earth.
When she was gone, Harry reached into his pants' pocket and retrieved the N'Jal. It was curled up into a ball just large enough to fit in the palm of his hand. His daughter was right; this thing belonged with him.
Holding the ball up in front of himself, Harry squinted as he studied it. “Everybody else changed, Carlson,” he muttered. “Why shouldn't you?”
“So that's what it looks like.”
He nearly jumped at the sound of Claire's voice, and when he regained some of his composure, he found her standing in the open doorway that led to the kitchen, bathed in the warm sunlight that came through the patio door.
Claire wore denim shorts and a light-green t-shirt, and she had her hair up in twin braids. “I always wondered,” she said, eyeing the N'Jal. “I knew you kept it in the house, but you never let me see it.”
Shutting his eyes, Harry banged the back of his head against the staircase banister. “I never wanted you to see it,” he replied. “This thing is dangerous, Claire. If you touch it, it will bond with you.”
“But you keep it in the house.”
Harry gave the girl a sidelong glance. It seemed she was reaching that age where she started to question everything. “Well, there's not many other places I could keep it,” he said. “And I always thought it would be useful if Leo or Isara ever showed up here.”
Claire stood with one hand over her belly, her eyes fixed on the white-tiled floor. “They're gonna come, aren't they?” she mumbled. “I asked you not to go into dangerous situations, but the danger's gonna come to you.”
“It looks that way,” he said, pocketing the N'Jal.
Claire was silent.
Unable to help himself, Harry dropped to a crouch in front of her and gently laid his hand on her shoulders. “Claire,” he began. “I can't lie. This is my fault. I was the one who went chasing Anna five years ago, and ever since, it's been one thing after another.”
“It's not your fault, Dad.”
“Yes, it is.”
He very nearly flinched when Clair met his eyes. He had only thought that Melissa had mastered Della's icy death-glare. Claire had it down to science. “You were just doing your job,” she insisted. “You think I don't understand that, but I do.”
“Doing my job meant putting you girls in danger.”
He stood up, towering over her, and forced himself to say the words that he really didn't want to say. “Do you want to go back home?” When Claire didn't answer, Harry added, “I thought it was safe here…but it's not. I know your mother will take you if you want to move back-”