Fourteen. There had been fourteen agents before me. I was fifteen.
Blood drained from my face. My hands grew cold. I couldn’t make them stop shaking.
“I don’t feel well.” My head spun as I sat on the ground.
Morven sat beside me, concern showing in his dark irises.
“What happened here?” I asked, my voice a fearful whisper.
“Someone killed them all. They hid their bodies, hoping no one would find them. It’s a good spot, really. No one comes here because of the superstitions.”
I glanced at the machinery that lay discarded like the corpses. “What is this place?”
“It was a mine once, I think,” Morven said. “There are drill bits back there.” He pointed to the far wall. “And some machines with scoops. It looks like they were mining the cerecite.”
“Who?” I asked, pleading, fear running cold through my blood.
“I have no idea. But they were here long before us. Some of this stuff could be at least two-hundred years old.”
“But... that’s not possible. NASA didn’t even exist that long ago.” My head pounded, and I pressed the palms of my hands to my forehead. “Have we traveled in time or something? Where are we? When are we?”
“I think I might know,” Morven said quietly. “At least, I think I know where we are.”
I glanced up at him. “You do?”
He nodded. “I told you I’d discovered the location of Earth, and I’ve been doing some research since then. I mapped the location of all the planets near us—the closest being Mars and Jupiter. Actually, we’re rotating between the two.”
“Between them?” I thought back to science class in elementary school. “But there isn’t anything between them except the asteroid belt.”
Morven nodded, his face solemn.
I gasped. My head spun. “We’re in the asteroid belt?”
“I think so. Here, I’ll show you.” He stood, holding out his hand. I took it, wanting to close my eyes, wake up, and be back in a normal world again.
I gripped Morven’s hand, feeling as if he was my lifeline to reality. The smoothness of his palms, and the slightly rough calluses on his fingertips, felt warm against my cold flesh. If not for him, I might’ve lost it completely. Like Rosa.
“Here,” Morven said, crouching over a piece of debris. The bronze plate was the size of a shield, and engraved words scrolled from one edge to the other. PROJECT CERES.
“What does it mean?”
“Ceres,” Morven said. “Are you familiar with this name?”
“Yes. She’s a goddess, right? From mythology.”
“Yes. Greek mythology. The goddess of grain. But it’s also the name of a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt. It’s the only sphere-shaped planet that exists among the asteroids. Some have speculated it contains rare minerals that aren’t found anywhere else in the solar system. Minerals like cerecite.”
“What?”
“Sabine, we’re on Ceres.”
Ceres. Cerecite. The name had been here all along, in the very objects I searched for. I studied the metal shield, noticing hairline circuits running through its surface. Kneeling beside it, I ran my hand over it, my fingers smearing the dust, feeling the ridges where the wires were. Was this some sort of electronic device? I turned it over, revealing a blank screen.
“Do you think it still works?” I asked
“Yes, if it’s powered by cerecite, there’s a good chance we can turn it on.”
I spotted a button on the bottom right corner. With shaking hands, I pressed it. The screen lit up.
My heart skipped a beat.
A hologram rose up from the screen, the colors faded, yet still discernible. The image resembled the cavern we were in, with the gateway taking up the back of the space, yet machines covered the floor, some crawling on track wheels, carrying loads of colored crystals.
Other machines rose several stories tall. Belts carried rough ore crystals to conveyor belts where they were blasted with high-pressure water jets until they turned to round spheres, then loaded on spaceships.
The turquoise stones ran down belts and were discarded in piles that remained in the cavern.
We watched as one of the ships rose off the ground. It hovered before gliding toward the gateway.
A portal formed and engulfed the craft until it disappeared.
The image froze, and the words: NASA: PROJECT CERES appeared where the image of the portal had been.
“Welcome to Project Ceres,” a soft female voice said, her words accented with an Indian inflection. Music played in the background—a peppy, electronic noise that set my teeth on edge, out of place and eerie in the hollowness of the cavern. “You are part of an elite group of astronaut pioneers,” the woman continued. “You have been chosen to supply Earth’s demands for cerecite, which will benefit generations to come in multiple industries, including healthcare, robotics, agriculture, and the energy market.
“When the first astronauts arrived on Ceres in the year 2447, cerecite was discovered. Its benefits were plentiful, and mines were built shortly thereafter, but problems arose. The costs of shipping and production almost bankrupted operations, but a solution became available with the invention of Dr. Fernoulli’s wormhole gateway portal, the first invention of its kind to introduce wormhole technology into the spaceflight industry.
“We are excited to announce the opening of the Ceres Gateway. It is the latest in modern technology and will be an expedited process for shipping cerecite from Ceres to Earth, drastically reducing the costs of shipping, and dropping transit times from seven years to only 3.4 seconds.
“We are proud to introduce you to Project Ceres.”
The screen blanked. The music continued, then shut off abruptly.
I remembered to breathe.
2447?
That was four hundred years in the future. My mind raced. A clammy sweat broke out over my skin, and my stomach soured. How would I ever look at anything the same after this?
“It opened a time rift,” Morven said, pointing to the gateway.
“Yes,” I answered robotically, my mind still reeling.
“The original immigrants were on the ship in the Atlantic when the rift opened. It created a behemoth of a storm. Their ship got sucked into it and transported to the island. Then, they found the wormhole’s entrance from the cave on Champ Island to Ceres. They came here and never knew they’d left Earth.”
“Incredible,” I said quietly, staring up at the wormhole gateway. “It’s a manmade wormhole, and with enough energy, it becomes a time portal. Vortech must’ve built the portal on the island I originally came through, but I can’t go back that way because someone destroyed it. Assuming this gateway still works, this is the only way out. Plus, Vortech caused a solar wave when they sent Agent Rodriguez through. Months later, a devastating solar flare hit Earth. It killed millions.” I shook my head. Heaviness weighed on me. “Another flare will happen soon.”
“Why?”
“Because Vortech caused another wave when they sent me through. But there may be a way to stop the second flare.” I glanced up at Morven. “If I open the portal, it may stop the solar wave in time to keep the next flare from hitting Earth.”
He stared up at the towering gate. “And if you don’t open it?”
“It could take out Earth.”
Silence stretched between us.
“Earth is through there,” Morven said quietly, almost to himself.
“Yes.” I spoke quietly. “My home.”
“Your home,” he repeated, his eyes wide with wonder. “What’s it like?”
“Different,” I answered. “We have technology that would amaze you. We’ve been to the moon, Morven. We’ve sent robots to Mars.”
His eyes widened with fascination, the gears clicking in his head, as he peered up at the gateway. “How do we open the wormhole?”
“I don’t know. I’m still working on that one.”
The towering
structure loomed, taunting me, my only way home.
“Whenever you open it, I’m going with you,” he said.
I eyed him. “You are?”
“Yes. No one’s left this world. Not since the first explorers came here. We’ll be the first.”
“But you’re about to become king,” I reminded him. “Can you really just leave?”
“It’s fine.” He waved his hand, dismissing my argument. “Aunt Tremayne would love to be the permanent ruler anyway.”
I crossed my arms. “I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves. We can’t leave unless we find all seven objects. I’ve only found three—hopefully four—pieces of white cerecite. There are three left. There may be more here in the cave. The objects are disguised. The only way to tell if it’s an actual piece of white cerecite is to detect small changes in its appearance, and then I’d have to scan it.”
“But how did white cerecite get here in the cave in the first place?”
“Rosa brought some of it. The rock—for one. She must’ve had the other pieces when she came here. I suspect she may have hidden some it before whoever killed her stole the rest. The remaining pieces ended up back in the palace. Those left have something to do with light, world, or poison.”
His gaze roved over the cave, back to the spot where the corpses were piled. “I think I might’ve spotted something. There was a candlestick back there. It seemed out of place.”
“A candlestick?”
He nodded. “Do you want me to show you?”
“All right,” I answered, though I had no desire to return to the heap of bodies, imagining my own body stacked on that same pile.
We moved away from the hologram screen to the far side of the cave. Debris littered the ground near the corpses. The teak-colored wood of a candlestick stood out against the rusted gears and wheels. Morven picked it up and showed it to me.
“You’re right,” I said. “It does look out of place. I don’t know why a candlestick would be here when they obviously had more advanced technology than this.” I hefted the smooth-grained wood, scanning every detail. Small chisel markings dotted its surface. Seventeen of the divots in total. Melted wax clung to the top where a candle would have been placed.
Soft paraffin had dried around the top, molding to my thumb. Cradling the wooden piece, I scanned every curve and marking, counting the divots, positioning them until I knew the location of every dent—when one disappeared.
I arranged the candlestick on the ground, then took off my bag and placed it on the floor. After opening my bag, I removed the scanner, praying it worked.
“What are you doing?” Morven asked.
“I’m going to scan it.”
“You think it’s cerecite?”
“Yes, look at this.” I held it out for him to inspect. “One of these markings disappeared. It was here a second ago.”
“You noticed something like that?”
I nodded.
“That’s pretty incredible.”
I wouldn’t have used those words, but I didn’t argue the point as I opened the scanner, the ends separating with a mechanical whisper.
“What’s that device?”
“It’s a scanner. Vortech made it to detect cerecite. Once it does, it’s able to reveal the object’s molecular nature and break it down to its original form. The only problem is that I dropped it. I’m not sure if it still works.” I clicked the button. The laser skimmed from top to bottom, dimming, then growing bright again. Buzzing came from the machine. That didn’t sound good.
Please work.
The light clicked off.
“Was that supposed to happen?” Morven asked.
“Um, no.” I pressed the button again, cursing myself for dropping the stupid thing. The light scanned the candlestick once again, glowing from top to bottom. The wood morphed, transforming to a ball of white cerecite. Its shimmering, opal colors reflected off the ground.
I exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Wow,” Morven said. “That’s really white cerecite?”
I nodded.
“I’ve only seen it displayed in cases. I’ve never actually touched it. May I pick it up?”
“Yes, don’t keep it for too long, though. It’s radioactive. I’ll need to put it in my bag soon.”
He lifted the glowing sphere. “Amazing,” he whispered. “You know this substance is said to contain the properties of all three types of cerecite. I didn’t think it was capable of existing.”
“Why is that?”
“Because once two types of cerecite are combined—green and blue, for example, their properties are negated. They become like ordinary stones. That’s why you see so many turquoise boulders laying around everywhere. But white cerecite contains all the energy of the other colors. Its state is always fluctuating. It has so much power, it has to shift its appearance to release part of its energy.”
“Interesting.” I glanced around, in awe at the technology scattered around us. “I wish I knew who these people were who built all this.”
“What about the company you work for?” he asked. “Vortech. Would they know?”
I sighed. “Possibly. Will they tell me? Most likely not.”
His forehead wrinkled. “Then why do you continue to serve them?”
“Good question” I answered. “I have to finish this mission so I can go home.” My heart ached at the mention. “But now that I’m here, I have to find the seven stones to get home.”
“Then we’ll find the last two stones,” he said. “And you’ll get to go home.”
I smiled up at him. “I like that idea.”
“Good.” He crossed his arms. “And I’ll go with you.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t say that.”
“But how will you stop me?” he asked.
I pondered his question. “I guess I can’t.”
“Then I’m coming,” he said firmly. “We’ll find the last two pieces of cerecite, then we’ll return here and open the gateway, assuming it’s functioning. We’ll go to Earth together.”
“Fine,” I answered, though his plan troubled me. There were so many things that could go wrong. His coronation, for example. Could he just avoid it? Was he okay with leaving Ithical in the hands of his aunt?
Also, there was the business of the murdered agents. The first agent had been killed more than forty years ago, which led me to believe the murderer wasn’t a single person working alone, but a group who’d been around for a long time.
Could Vortech be killing their own agents? Is that the reason Ivan is still on Ithical Island? Was he the executioner for agents who discovered the truth? That thought chilled me the most, and I did my best to put it out of my mind. I couldn’t go there. Not until I had more proof.
“Let’s go,” Morven said. “It’ll be morning soon.”
“Wait, I’ve got to do one more thing.”
I walked back to the gateway. I wonder...
I opened my bag and pulled out Rosa’s rock. As I examined it, the stone still hadn’t changed appearance. With my scanner on the fritz, I may never get the chance to test it. Maybe the gateway was my answer to determining whether it was pure cerecite. I placed the rock inside one of the niches, then pressed the button on the right-hand corner.
A laser skimmed over the rock, the same way my scanner had worked.
Morven stood beside me. “What are you doing?”
“Testing a theory. If this works, I won’t have to rely on my scanner.”
The stone morphed into a glowing white orb.
“It worked,” Morven said.
“Yeah. I got lucky.” I removed the orb and placed it in my pack.
“How did you know to do that?”
“Call it desperation.”
Morven gave me a questioning look. “One day I’m going to demand you explain how this all works.”
“I’m not sure I’m the best one to ask, but sure.”
I followed him out of the cave, past the piles of deb
ris and Rosa’s corpse. I had the urge to go to her, to bury the body at least, but there wasn’t time, and I had no way of digging a grave. I left her behind with nothing but a silent prayer—that her passing wouldn’t be in vain. That I would find the last two pieces of cerecite, open the portal, and avenge her death. It was the least I could do.
We arrived at the gorge where our ropes were tied. Climbing up was harder than rappelling down, but we managed to make it without falling. I couldn’t shake the image of Rosa’s corpse, the gateway we’d found, or the NASA technology.
Mud caked my hands as Morven and I climbed to the top of the ridge, then we stood and coiled the ropes. After Morven replaced them in his bag, we continued to the cave’s exit. A dark gray sky greeted us as we walked into the crisp morning air.
We paced away from the cave’s entrance, our footfalls echoing through the canyon, a brisk wind cold on our cheeks.
“Where are the velocipedes?” Morven asked. “We left them here, didn’t we?”
“Yes.”
“Did someone take them?” he asked.
“Who?” I questioned. “This place is deserted.”
Pebbles fell, echoing through the gorge. A shadow darted behind a looming boulder at the opposite canyon wall.
“There’s someone over there,” I whispered.
“Where?”
“There.” I pointed to the rock, but the darkness made it hard to see anything. “Who do you think it is?”
“Miners, most likely.”
I grabbed the knife from my boot, the hilt warmed by my body heat.
Footsteps came from behind me. I spun around when a flash of silver blurred in my vision. A pistol hit me hard in the face. Pain exploded through my skull. My knife hit the ground with a thud.
The world went black.
Chapter 24
I woke with a pounding headache. As the sunlight entered my eyes, the pain grew worse, and I forced them to close. The rumble of an engine vibrated beneath me. Ropes burned my skin where they’d been tied around my wrists and ankles. As I moved, I realized I was laying on the seat of a motorized carriage.
The 7th Lie Page 22