“We need him alive,” Rivo said, glaring at Sergo.
“I’ll do my best,” the Padlog man buzzed.
“Any questions?” Slate asked.
“What are they going to do?” Sergo asked, jabbing a thumb toward the huge soldiers beside me.
“They clean up any messes,” Rivo said with a smile.
My body thrummed with excitement. We were getting closer to having some information on Lom. I’d already spoken with him in the nether region of the portals, and had verified he wanted me at Udoon. If there was a way to track him through the timelines, we might have the upper hand. Or at least, sabotaging his network here would hurt him in the long run.
We stayed quiet, Walo and Sergo talking softly across from me, and Loweck stared toward the pilot’s bench, where a Molariun soldier flew us quickly over the tumultuous waves of the Solemn Sea. Today, it was anything but solemn. I hoped this wasn’t an ill omen.
“Prepare yourselves. We’re heading in,” Rivo advised us, and I clutched my pulse rifle, my hand starting to sweat. I’d taken something for my headache from earlier, but the back of my skull was still tender from the beating it took as I was knocked out. We could have all used a night’s sleep, but word would spread fast to this PlevaCorp exec, and we didn’t want him to be able to scatter before we intercepted him.
I heard our ship’s pulse blasts, and glanced toward the viewscreen, seeing a sphere around the island flicker and fail. The island was a couple of miles in radius, but it was covered in tropical trees and greenery. We entered it, landing behind the central building that took up a tenth of the land.
We jumped out of the ship, the Duupa giants heading out first. They moved far faster than I’d expected, and given their girth, their footsteps were oddly silent as they rushed through the knee-high grass toward the rear of the structure.
I followed, Slate at my side, and peered to the sky, seeing a drone heading in our direction. I began to point to it, and one of the Duupa soldiers dropped to one knee, aiming his huge gun straight up. He pulled the trigger and the drone exploded, pieces raining behind us.
“Good shot,” I mumbled, running once again. I wore an armored vest, making my body weight a little heavier, but it was far less cumbersome than a full EVA. Once we landed at the rear of the four-story building, we reset our composure, letting everyone take a breather.
Slate lifted a hand, motioning us to follow the building toward the courtyard. We obeyed, and seconds later, we entered the open space near the side of the mansion. It was quiet here: too quiet, by my estimation. Just when I thought we were in the clear, a Molariun girl walked out of the servants’ section, carrying a basket. She dropped it when she spotted us, and Rivo raced to her side, a finger on her own lips, silencing the girl.
We entered the building, the big soldiers staying outside. They were too large for covert action, and I let Slate and Loweck take the lead, doing what they did best. They moved with purpose through the halls, sweeping open doors and placing timed electrical locks on others. If someone was inside, they wouldn’t be able to escape for half an hour.
When we passed through the servants’ area unscathed, we found the entrance to the main house. Slate made room for Sergo, who managed to break the lock code in an impressive forty seconds. He smiled and shrugged as I walked past him into the main foyer.
“I’ve been expecting you,” a voice said, and I turned to see the silhouette on the second balcony moving closer to us. Everyone’s guns tracked the form, and when she stepped into sight, I lowered my weapon.
“Janine?”
Sixteen
The air was chilly, and Jules glanced at the other Zan’ra, none of whom used a visible shield like hers. “Why is your shield not colored like mine?” she asked Dal’i.
The girl smiled, pointing to the ground. “I don’t use a sphere like you. My barrier covers my body an inch out, preventing injury. You can make it clear; you just have to concentrate and imagine it there, but not visible. Try it.”
They were right outside of the lake near Desolate’s portal, and Dean had watched with interest as Jules pointed to the bones of the Zan’ra along the underwater cliffside. Now he chatted with his sister as they waited to head across the countryside to the ocean.
Jules focused, picturing the sphere as invisible, and the green lights flashed, then faded. She could tell it was still activated, and she smiled at her accomplishment. “Thank you.”
“There’s a lot we can teach you, Jules.”
“I know. Let’s finish this, and then I need to get home. I promise I’ll be back soon, and we can continue the training,” she told Dal’i, only because it was what the Zan’ra wanted to hear. It was unclear who or what she could trust.
The Deity had given her one truth, and the Zan’ra had showed her another, but Jules almost bet the true answer lay somewhere in the middle. It was going to be tough to decide which side to land on, and that was why she needed to speak with her dad, not to mention the fact that they were heading to Techeron. Once Papa was within his Kraski ship, she would no longer be able to reach him with a portal, and she wasn’t going to miss that mission. He’d been clear she had to be there.
Seeing Dean and Patty laughing and talking made it all the more difficult. Dean wasn’t going to budge without bringing Patty along, and it was clear his sister wouldn’t leave the other Zan’ra, especially Lan’i.
“Ready?” the blue-eyed boy asked them, and they nodded in reply. Jules moved to Dean’s side, but he shook his head.
“Patty’s going to bring me, if that’s okay with you,” he said.
“Oh, sure. No problem.” Jules stepped away, watching as Patty lifted her brother inside an invisible sphere, carrying him along as she floated higher into the sky, moving in the direction of the ocean.
Jules couldn’t help but feel slighted at the action, even though they were siblings with a lot to discuss. She shoved the hurt aside and took to the atmosphere, racing high at a forty-five-degree incline until she caught up to the other Zan’ra. For a moment, she was free, speeding over the bleak landscape, and she joined in the other Zan’ras’ cheering.
They acted different once all four were together. Gone was the sullenness, the anxiety. She could understand the chemistry between them when they were nearby. Jules didn’t know what to think, and the words from the Deity on Boria dug into her mind. We guided you there to free us. And lastly: You are one of us.
The other three’s elation stopped as they neared the city: once their people’s capital, now a ruined pile of rubbish. The memories the Deity showed her of Ja’ri destroying it filled Jules’ thoughts, and she glanced at Dal’i, who stared at Lan’i, him nodding slowly and frowning at Jules before racing away. So they thought she was Ja’ri, and from the hurt in their eyes, they recalled that day so long ago as well.
The group hovered over the barren rocky ground, through low-lying white patches of fog, and eventually, they slowed and descended toward the water. It was calmer today; no black storm clouds threatened to fire lightning at her.
Once they landed, Jules noted how the two Zan’ra had paled at seeing their old city. Patty didn’t seem to notice any change, and this proved to Jules that O’ri was buried deep inside her. For a moment, she considered using her hidden bracelet on Patty, to steal the Zan’ra’s essence and bring the siblings to Light, while leaving these other two behind. But she needed to know how to rouse the gods.
“Dal’i said you spoke to him?” Lan’i asked, pointing to the light waves.
They were on the shoreline, at the bottom of the crag, and water lapped against the rocks, sending mist over them. “I did.”
“How can this be? We’ve never spoken to them before, not through the traps,” the blond boy said.
“Ja’ri was the one to seal him here. Maybe that’s why?” Patty suggested.
“Could be. You didn’t hear anything on Boria, did you?” Dal’i asked.
Jules shook her head, but was aware she’d already
told the girl about speaking to the Deity under the giant tree on the other world. She didn’t bring that up.
“Can you imagine?” Lan’i asked.
“What?” Dean stared toward the water. It was his first time here, but Jules had described it in detail to him.
“They’re asking her to free them? They really are mad, right, Ja’ri?” Lan’i asked.
“Jules,” she corrected him.
He raised his hands, laughing. “Whatever you say. Let’s redo this. With all four of us, it’ll ensure he stays buried forever. We used to have a tool to hone our powers for this purpose.”
“What happened to it?” Jules asked.
“I think you had it last… or Ja’ri did. Must have been lost. We can make do, it just takes some effort,” Lan’i said. The boy rose into the air, and Jules did too, shrugging an apology to Dean, who stayed behind. She watched him climb to higher ground to avoid the dangerous water, and a second later, he sat down, staring in their direction.
They flew over the water until they arrived at the spot where the Deity was submerged below, and Dal’i was the first to plummet into the ocean. The others followed, Jules going last. The water was clearer this time, less ominous, and Jules had a sudden panic that the Deity was gone, vanished from the coffin it lay trapped in. But when they arrived a moment later, it was there, the chains clinking underwater as it waved from their movement.
“Anything, Jules?” Dal’i asked, and Jules stared at the box.
They could hear one another under the ocean, which surprised her too. “Nothing.”
Lan’i floated closer, his hands burning bright and hot. The water bubbled near him, and Dal’i came to the opposite end of the wooden box. The circle burned into the center of the coffin started to glow green, and Jules’ hands took on the same color as she floated to the long side. Patty stared at her from the other end, eyes pulsing purple.
Lan’i spoke ancient words—Zan’ra prayers, Jules thought—and soon they were all saying them. Something urged Jules to join in. She memorized the phrase, a simple mantra repeated over and over: Sealed for eternity. Banished from time.
It felt oddly parallel to their plight with Lom, and she wondered if he could be trapped in the same manner. She didn’t think so. She’d need to kill the man instead. He was mere flesh and blood, mixed with some cybernetics. Nothing like the Deity inside this underwater box.
Jules saw the shadow emerging from the circle on the coffin, but none of the others seemed to notice it. They acted elated as they worked to secure their trap.
It isn’t time, but return when you can. Thank you, daughter. The words had much less ferocity to them now and took on a comforting, soothing tone. The dark shadow withered into the coffin, and the circle stopped glowing green.
“We are done. Good work, Four,” Lan’i said with pride.
Jules followed them, glancing over at the box. The Deity was confident they would meet again.
____________
She was the spitting image of Janine before she’d become sick. Her hair was past her shoulders, the exact same tone of brown. It even curled out at the bottom over her right side, just like Janine’s had. Those eyes penetrated mine, and she passed a smile, one I’d seen so many times during our marriage. But this wasn’t Janine or Mae; they were both dead. I’d been a witness each time.
“Dean Parker,” she said, her voice sweet. It was the same tone Janine used to have when she wanted something from me. Let’s go to the country for the weekend. Or I don’t want ham, can’t we just order takeout?
The hair on my arms stood straight up, and I walked closer toward her, Slate aiming his gun directly at the hybrid. “What do I call you?” I asked her.
“I’m Katherine, and as you know, I work for PlevaCorp.” She started for the staircase that curved to the foyer from the balcony.
“How did you hear we were coming?” I asked.
“I had no idea when you’d arrive, but Lom told me to be cautious. I guess I wasn’t careful enough. I thought the Padlog woman could manage your ragtag group,” Katherine said.
It was a shock seeing a hybrid after all these years. Sure, there were other models living on Haven, since they only had a handful of variations. Leslie resembled Janine and Mae as well, but she’d aged slightly, and her scars and haircut made me forget they were from the same mold.
“I’ll show her a ragtag group,” Slate muttered beside me.
“Are you going to cooperate?” I asked her, and she nodded, a wry smile still on her lips.
“What choice do I have?” She shrugged, and I noticed her clothing. She was in business attire, similar to what a female executive would have worn to the office in the States. Black slacks, white blouse. Flats for shoes. Something she could run in if she had to. Sensible.
Someone banged on the front door, and Sergo moved to it, checking through the window before opening the ten-foot-high slab. One of the Duupa entered, his head nearly hitting the doorjamb. “Clear,” he told us.
“I guess that means you’re coming with us,” I said, pointing to the exit.
“Where?” she asked.
“Why, you’re going to have the pleasure of rotting in a cell aboard my starship, Light.”
“I’ve been itching for a change of scenery,” she said, winking at me. I didn’t like how easily she was giving in, but what else was I going to do? Torture her?
“I don’t like this,” Rivo said, mimicking my own thoughts.
“She’s our link to Lom. We need to find out everything we can,” I told her. “And I don’t want to worry Mary and stay on Bazarn any longer than we have to.”
Katherine walked across the foyer, and my team watched nervously as she strolled outside. I glanced up at the balcony and at the corners of the rooms. “Make a quick sweep of the place. Take any electronics: tablets, disk drives, headsets. There has to be something here that can aid us.”
They listened, Sergo and Walo rushing up the stairs, Loweck and Rivo moving through the main floor. Slate and I stood guard, watching as the Duupa soldiers led Katherine toward our ship.
“That was easier than it could have been,” Slate said when they were out of earshot.
“If I know Lom, which I’m beginning to think I do, this isn’t a coincidence,” I told him.
“Which part?”
“The woman. She looks like my wife. Not only the same hybrid model, but every detail is Janine. He’s messing with me. But the good news is, I don’t care. It changes nothing.” I glanced at Slate, who’d been the one to kill Mae at the Bhlat outpost many years prior.
“Good. We’ll find out more from her,” Slate said.
“We’ll have to err on the side of caution with what she feeds us, because Lom is behind it all. He’s the puppet master tugging on the strings.”
The others arrived almost at the same time, each carrying some electronics, and we left, heading for Rivo’s killer craft.
“Let’s go home,” I said as the door to the vessel slid closed.
____________
“I can’t abandon her here,” Dean said.
Jules let out a frustrated breath. “You aren’t leaving my sight.”
“But…”
“But nothing. They trust me—and you, apparently. We’re going home, then we’ll meet up with them later as we planned. Patty will be fine,” Jules told him.
“What if you use that device? We’ll grab her and rush through the lake into the portal room, before they have a chance to fight us,” Dean suggested.
Jules shook her head, knowing it wouldn’t work. “I have to tell you something, but I can’t here.” She peered over his shoulder, seeing the other three chatting amicably a good twenty meters away. They weren’t paying any attention to Jules and Dean’s conversation.
“I don’t want to separate from her. What if I never see her again?” he asked, his big eyes pleading. Jules’ heart ached at the sound of his voice, but she had to stand firm on this one. She needed the Four to think they
were in control, that they were a solid alliance with the same goals.
Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t figured out what those were. All this action, and they hadn’t discussed the future. “Give me a minute, then we leave, okay?”
Dean hesitantly nodded and followed her to where the others formed a circle. “How do I reach you?” she asked.
Dal’i walked over and grabbed Jules’ hand. “The Four are inside you. Imprinted. It’s difficult, and takes a lot of energy. To do a full projection like the first time we met, I had to sleep for a day after. Can you feel me? Can you see me when you close your eyes and imagine my form?”
Jules pressed her lids shut, concentrating. She understood then, and focused, finding Dal’i’s essence. “I can do it.” She sounded more confident than she felt. “We’re going to Light, but will return. What’s the plan?”
“Plan?” Lan’i asked.
“You’ve ensured the Deities are sealed, and the Four are reunited. What’s the end goal?” she asked.
“I haven’t given it much thought,” the blond boy said, causing Dean to bristle at the use of Patty’s Zan’ra name.
“We’d better figure that out,” Dal’i said. “I’m tired of hiding.”
“I expected Ja’ri to have our mission set,” Lan’i finally said. “You were always our leader.”
Jules nodded, realizing it would be best if she took charge. If she was going to pull the impossible off, she needed them to think they were on the same side. “Stay close. I’ll be in touch.”
Old Secrets (The Survivors Book Thirteen) Page 16