Slate and Loweck walked out from the residence at the same time we arrived.
“Uncle Slate, I saw a slug at school. It was huge!” Hugo told him.
Slate glanced a knowing look at me. “Did you pour salt on it? I heard that helps.”
“Wish you would have known that back in the day, buddy,” I muttered.
“We handled ourselves just fine,” Slate said. “Good thing we didn’t let them kill us too. Otherwise, we couldn’t have rescued Magnus and…”
This Magnus would have no memory of Cloud, or being stuck across the fold in space that we’d liberated the crew of Horizon from.
“Never mind.” Slate patted Magnus on the shoulder, smiling at him. “Things are looking great here.”
“You’re in good spirits,” Magnus told Slate. “What do the doctors say?”
“He’s good as new,” Loweck answered for her husband. “Everything’s back to normal.”
“How does that even work?” Mary asked. “It seems complicated. A machine from a distant world could affect your DNA?”
Slate let out a heap of a breath and shrugged. “Way Nick and Clare figure, I was injected with minuscule nanobots. They altered me. Tiny robots inside my blood. Our friends had no way of testing for it. They only saw the end result, not the cause.”
I’d given this a lot of thought and added my two cents. “These people wanted an army at one point. It’s the best we can hypothesize. They programmed their drones to abduct people, and eventually, they sought control of their targets, but something happened to them. They died off, leaving their drone network intact. And what happens? They continue on. I think the AI I spoke with was an advanced being in its own right.”
“The network adapted and evolved?” Magnus asked.
“Maybe.”
“If that’s so, why would it let you shut it down?” Slate looked worried.
“Another good question. That’s why I’ll be destroying the entire island.” I smiled at the expressions of the people around me. I hadn’t even told Mary about my plan yet.
“You’re worried that might not be the end of it?” Jules asked.
“It looks like Slate and any others previously affected are in the clear, but I don’t trust the network to comply forever. Even if it had some type of a conscience, it could convince itself otherwise.” I glanced at Jules. Another thing I hadn’t spoken to her about yet. “Jules, I found something.”
“What?” Her eyes were wide, anxiety creeping into her expression.
She wasn’t a Deity, but she had a connection to them. The sphere from Sarlun’s antiquities was associated too, forever linked to the gods in some fashion. “I found another portal stone.”
“It wasn’t on the map?” she asked, puzzled.
“No. It’s not the usual Shandra. This is the round kind. Like the one we moved with the Nirzu.” I waited for her reaction, but she remained stoic.
“There’s another… I knew there were four, but I didn’t expect to ever find it. Do you even know how to return to this island you’re talking about?” Jules fidgeted with her hands, and I could tell she was intrigued by the whole mystery. So was I.
“We can find it. I saw the symbol in my head. I’ve already begun the planning. We can travel to Veenor through the portals, and I’ve procured a hauler from there. We’ll retrieve the portal stone, and destroy the island.” I looked at Mary, but her only tell was the pursing of her lips.
“Dean, we don’t know enough about these stones. They could be dangerous to transport,” Mary said.
“We already did it once, moving one from Menocury L05 for the Nirzu.”
My wife frowned at me. “And where do you intend to deliver it to?”
I smiled, pointing a short way in the distance. “Right here.”
Magnus understood and matched my grin. “That’s brilliant. Gives us the means to bring our people straight to the Academy. Quick and efficient.”
Jules beamed, and I could see the ideas pouring through her brain. “But they’re harder to use. We don’t even know if others can operate them. I’m surprised you could. I would have thought it was just me, and now…” She looked at her hands, as if they once held a visible power. “Even I may not have the ability.”
“It worked for me. We can create a table, perhaps. If the Theos did, we can harness their power. This could be a real advancement for this academy. Instead of traveling through Terran Five’s Shandra and hauling our recruits with shuttle buses, we can have them arrive right on site,” I said.
Magnus tapped his chin. “Won’t it make us more susceptible to attacks?”
“That’ll be up to you to figure out. The defense of Terran Thirty is your responsibility,” I reminded him.
“Of course.”
“Papa, can I talk to you?” Jules asked, but I spotted Doctor Henrick Swan through the pane of glass on the front entrance.
I told Jules I’d be back soon, leaving them to discuss the portal stone, and I caught up with Dr. Swan. “Doctor, I was hoping to have a quick word with you.”
He turned, almost spilling the contents of his steaming cup, and nodded. “Certainly, Mr. Parker. Come into my office.”
I did, closing the door behind me. He sat at a chair, setting his cup on a coaster. He pointed to the patient lounger, and I laughed. “It’s nothing like that. I wanted to discuss Magnus.”
Swan leaned forward, rapt with attention. “Mr. Parker, we can all use someone to talk to once in a while. How have you been feeling?”
I sat, the leather soft and supple under me. I relaxed a bit. His office was warm and inviting, and I sank into the cushion, the tension from the morning slipping away. “I guess you could say I’ve been a little anxious.”
“Why’s that?” Swan asked, his voice gentle and buttery.
“Where do I start?”
“At the beginning,” he suggested.
“We’d need weeks, maybe months, if I went there.” I laughed again and settled in. “Sometimes I feel like the urge step away, to live out my days surrounded by my family. To watch Jules grow up, thrive in her new role, and eventually, maybe become a grandparent. Hugo will graduate, and Mary will hand the reins of the board over to someone younger, more progressive.”
“Uh-huh,” Swan whispered.
“But then I remember that everything I do seems to have an impact. It’s like my steps create this butterfly effect on things around me, and the pressure of that is enough to make me want to stay in a room, lock the door, and throw away the key.”
“Is that so? What are you not saying?” Swan was perceptive.
“The truth is, while I think that the odd time, I really desire to be in the middle of it all. I want to be here to direct this endeavor. To lecture at the Gatekeepers Academy. I want to captain Light, and be the leader this Alliance has always asked me to become.” I sighed. “I’ve never said any of this out loud before.” Two minutes in his chair, and I was spouting out all my secrets.
“Mr. Parker, you have the right to fantasize, and the right to decide what it is you genuinely want out of life. From what I can see, you are only one man, correct?” he asked softly.
“What I’m saying is impossible. I know we have people running this site, and I trust Magnus.” I wanted to discuss him in a minute, but I was on a roll. “The Academy has the finest educators we could hope for. And Slate will be leaving.”
“Leaving?”
“Light is one of many ships in the Alliance fleet, and Slate is more than competent to captain her, which is why he’s taking over.” I realized that only one item on my checklist remained.
“Interesting. So that leaves one option: you taking the leadership role you’ve put off for years. How do you feel about this conclusion?” Dr. Swan asked.
“It’s too much power. One man shouldn’t be over the whole Alliance of Worlds.”
“Do you think that’s simply a formality?” Swan wasn’t writing anything down, and I was glad to not hear the scratching of a pen
cil on paper as I considered his question.
“I suppose they do already seek my guidance,” I said. It was a lot to think about, but my mind felt clearer from talking to Swan for a few minutes. “Thanks, Doctor Swan. I appreciate you lending an ear to my troubles.”
“You wanted to chat about Magnus?” he asked.
“That’s why I came.”
“You know I cannot give you specifics. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all of that.”
I sat up, resting my palms on my thighs. “Sure. I only need to know if he’s capable of being in charge. Should we worry about anything?”
“Magnus is troubled, but he’s also an extraordinarily strong man.” Swan pointed to his own chest. “In here. He’s endured much loss, but he seems to be fostering a healthy relationship with Natalia, even though I’ve suggested he ensures he’s not encroaching on her sympathy. In my opinion, he will do well.”
That was a load off my chest, and I told him so.
“Jules is a special young lady, Mr. Parker. She’ll help Magnus succeed. That much is clear. She’s adapted well in a short period of time.”
“Wait, are you having sessions with Jules too?” I asked.
“I am, and with Dean as well. I offered it to them both. You see, Mr. Parker, I want to be a fixture at Terran Thirty, and I can’t hone my skills through a weekly meeting with Magnus alone.” He smiled, showing me to the door, and I thanked him, hoping to find Jules.
____________
Jules glanced to the cargo hold, amazed they’d been able to remove this majestic round portal stone from deep within the tropical island. She managed to convince her dad that there was another way to prevent the drone network from resurrecting in the future.
“Dean, are you ready?” Suma asked, and he nodded.
“Go for it,” Papa said, winking at Jules.
Things were good between them. He’d come to talk to her after meeting with Dr. Swan a week ago, and it was like he understood her thought processes. He claimed they were a lot alike, and that neither of them should have to feel this burden on their shoulders.
They’d chatted long into the night, him getting her to open up about how it felt to find those dead bodies, and to know that Doctor Yeera had died beside them in the collapse. Jules was so young to have been witness to such tragedy. But she slept in peace, knowing that it was always for the right cause.
The island shook below them, and Jules smiled as the dancing bat creatures flew higher before returning to their normal pattern.
“I would never have thought of this solution. Using targeted bombs to destroy the central hub of the drone network, and braces to prevent the cavern from collapsing and killing the local ecosystem,” Papa said.
“It’s a good thing we posed the question to the graduating class at the Gatekeepers’ Academy. They really showed some ingenuity with this plan,” Suma said.
“I haven’t seen the creature that howled at us while Slate and I trudged through the forest.”
“Should we try to locate it?” Suma asked, and Jules laughed at her dad’s reaction.
“Let’s leave. I’ve faced more than enough monsters to last a lifetime.” Papa took the pilot’s seat, and they started off.
They were on their way to Veenor, but Jules couldn’t help but miss Dean for the next few days. This portal stone would come along with a protective trio of defenders all the way to New Spero, and wouldn’t arrive for months. She hoped that it landed by the time they were opening the academy doors for business.
Dean was healing up, but the experience had changed him. His eyes were slightly darker, his mood slightly on edge. He’d been shot and nearly killed by the collapse. Jules couldn’t blame him, but she would be there to support his rehabilitation.
She was also coming to terms with her own inabilities. She was human, plain and simple. But so was Papa, and he did miraculous feats all the time. She and Dean had stopped Yeera from harming Shimmal, but she would have died if not for the mysterious gift bestowed upon her by Sarlun. He claimed to have no knowledge where he’d found the item, but the mere presence of it was proof that something was always watching over her.
“Papa, have you had any luck reaching Regnig yet?” she asked, prying her eyes from the island as it turned to a speck against the vast ocean. Their ship flew through the planet’s atmosphere, and they began their journey to Veenor.
“Nope. I was hoping you had. I have to talk to him about a few things,” Papa said, staring forward. “I’ll check on him when we’re home.”
Jules was relieved at the news. She released her anxiety about the coming year, what it would entail to start this Academy on Terran Thirty, and tried to enjoy the company of her father and Suma. She glanced at the stone again, hoping that one day, they’d crack the mystery surrounding the unique portals.
Epilogue
I loved the ambiance of the Gatekeepers’ Academy. It was the middle of the afternoon, and some of the older students had completed their classes for the day. Groups wandered around outside, sitting at round tables, discussing their plans for the evening, chatting about a test they’d have tomorrow. Immense Keppe students intermingled with humans and Padlog, along with Inlorians, Molariuns, and Shimmali kids. The sight was inspiring, and I followed the pathway to the library entrance.
The elevator took me low into the ground where Regnig preferred to be, and the doors opened, revealing the nicest library I’d ever seen. Dozens of kids were inside, quietly working at desks. A pair of Bhlat girls were talking loudly, and they grew silent at the sight of me, whispering to one another.
I waved at the kids and kept walking. Few knew about Regnig’s secret half of the underground library, and none of the students did. I made sure I was alone and headed for Regnig’s hidden entrance. The sliding door was ajar.
My heart pounded as I opened it, stepping through. Regnig hadn’t been responding for the last two weeks, and at first, we thought he might have gone somewhere. Karo had received a message from him on his tablet, saying he was leaving for a short time. Something about a book he needed to recover.
But the moment I entered his personal library, it felt wrong. Volumes were scattered in heaping piles atop dark wooden tables. Books were everywhere, littering the floor, and almost all of the hundreds of shelves were bare.
He’d been broken into, and the entire library was ransacked. I was unarmed and felt a pricking of fear through my body. It didn’t matter. If he’d been harmed… “Regnig!” I called, rushing through the library, trying to find sign of my bird friend. “Regnig!”
Still no response.
His bedroom was upended as well; papers enveloped his tiny bed. His lamp was knocked over, the ancient glass shattered into a dozen shards. I saw a feather on the ground, and another back the way I’d entered from. I kept on the trail, finding more evidence near the exit, along with a splattering of blood.
Regnig was missing.
Someone had taken him.
THE END
Continue the Adventure with
New Lies (The Survivors Book Sixteen)
A kidnapped friend. A mission of grave importance.
The Alliance Institute is in full swing, with Jules assisting Magnus as students arrive from across the galaxy.
After Dean’s discovery that someone close to him has been abducted, he sets out in search of Regnig. The library has been ransacked, and Suma inadvertently finds what the Academy librarian has been digging his beak into.
When they gain a trail, Dean learns he may not have known Regnig as well as he’d thought.
New lies are as harmful as old ones.
New Lies continues the sweeping Survivors series, with Dean Parker and his daughter at the helm.
NEW LIES (THE SURVIVORS BOOK SIXTEEN)
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The Survivors | Book 15 | New Beginning Page 22