by C. C. Bolick
I remembered what Dad said about keeping my eyes open and my mouth shut.
* * * * *
As we walked into the conference room, Sylvia stopped speaking and looked toward us. Every face shifted our way with a mixture of shock and pity. My vision blurred as I looked at the people I’d once considered family. No way could I let them see my weakness. I turned to run from the room, but Angel caught my arm and pulled me toward the table.
No one said a word as she shoved me into one of three empty seats.
Of all the faces, I only noticed the one that was missing.
Van.
“Where is he?” I asked.
Angel took the seat next to me and leaned close. “Sylvia locked him on the isolation floor.”
Which sounded good except for the fact Van could teleport. “She can’t contain him.”
Agent Mason took the seat to my other side. “He’s under orders to stay in that room.”
Across from us sat Tyler in his dark green uniform. I gave him a hard stare and his eyes focused on the ceiling.
Coward, I wanted to say.
I understood why Angel chose that chair for me. She and Agent Mason were seated to either side of me in case I lost my cool. What would they do if I did?
“Glad you could make it, Agent Payne.” Sylvia didn’t meet my eyes as she motioned to her right. That’s when I noticed my father, still dressed in the same black uniform he’d worn on the island. “You were saying, Agent Payne?”
Hearing her call him by that name angered me, but I wasn’t sure why.
The door opened and Senator McCall stepped inside. Angel groaned. Even though she’d insisted on us attending this meeting, he was probably the last person she wanted to see. She couldn’t stand the man who’d once tried to exploit her power. He definitely didn’t deserve to win another election as a senator, much less his bid for presidency.
Senator McCall stared across the table, to where Pade stood by the wall. He eyed the gun that hung at Pade’s side. “You’re not an agent.” His glare shifted to Sylvia. “Why wasn’t his weapon confiscated? Do we allow anyone to walk around the base with a gun now?”
Pade placed a hand on the gun.
When Sylvia hesitated, he again focused on Pade. “What gives you the right?”
“No one is taking my gun,” Pade said.
The senator gave him an incredulous look and turned to Sylvia.
She shrugged. “He’s part of the queen’s delegation. Is taking his weapon worth an interstellar event?”
He walked toward her. “When will our preliminary meeting for the trade agreement start?”
Sylvia leaned back in her chair. “Not all of the key players are here. As you can see, we’re still waiting for the queen.”
He checked his watch. “It’s eight forty-five.”
“That schedule was tentative.” Sylvia shot Pade a glance. “Will she be here?”
Senator McCall gave Pade another look, this time with curiosity. “Who are you again?”
“A concerned citizen of Golvern,” Pade said.
“He’s Charlene’s son,” Sylvia said.
The senator looked closer at the gun Pade wore. “Did you inherit her power?” When Pade nodded, he said, “Perhaps we should reconsider taking his gun.”
“If I wanted to kill you,” Pade said, “you’d already be dead.”
“Just like your mother.” Senator McCall laughed. “How long does your queen intend to stall this meeting? Our plan was to start the talks today ahead of the world delegation.”
“Your plan may have to wait,” Sylvia said. “Perhaps you should take a seat. Agent Payne has returned with details from his undercover mission.”
Two seats from Dad, Agent Dallas stood as if ready to give up her seat. Sylvia waved for her to sit back down.
Senator McCall gave Dad a brief nod. “Good to see you home. Sylvia will ensure you get a proper debriefing. Thanks for your contribution to this country.”
“That’s it?” Angel asked. “He’s been gone for thirteen years.”
The senator checked his watch. “We’re here to discuss a trade agreement, not Agent Payne’s mission. Perhaps we should find the queen.”
“We’ll wait,” Pade said.
“Can no one speak for her?” The senator glanced at each person in green, half a dozen at least with the queen’s delegation, and then back at Pade. His eyes widened as the facts added up in his head.
Pade didn’t wear the same green uniform. His clothes were expensive and well cut, not what the son of an agent would wear. Nothing that I’d ever wear. He seemed to be the one in control.
“Call me when we’re ready,” Senator McCall said.
“Understood,” Sylvia said.
He shot Pade another glare and shifted his attention to me. Why wouldn’t the man leave? “I’m not sure having you here is the best idea.”
If only I had my powers. “You’ve always hated me. What’s different now?”
“Disappointing what happened to our Firebird, stepping in front of Van’s laser. Now she’s dead like her mother. It will be even harder to control her.”
I tried to stand, but Angel kept me in the seat.
Senator McCall approached. “She tried to manipulate me, but that’s over now. At least she was useful in stopping the solar flares.”
Beside me, Agent Mason clenched his fists.
“Don’t ever threaten me again,” the senator said. “You think because you have powers, you get to make the rules?” He looked down the table at Sylvia. “Why does he need to be here?”
“There’s more to this meeting,” Sylvia said. “Everyone in this room is here for a purpose.”
“I know,” he said. “My trade agreement. We exchange their medical technology for mining our resources. It’s a win-win situation.”
She sighed. “I’m sorry to keep you out of the loop Jeffrey, but this meeting isn’t about your reelection, other than the fact if we’re unsuccessful tomorrow it won’t happen.”
Stunned faces stared back from around the table. No one at the agency called the senator by his first name, including Sylvia.
“Excuse me?” he shouted. “You can’t keep me out of the loop. I’m the reason this agency exists, the reason you have a job.”
“There will be an agreement,” Sylvia said, “though I hope the queen makes your price steep. She didn’t come here solely for a trade agreement. She’s here to help us save the planet.”
“What’s the threat now?”
“An explosion, stronger than anything we’ve faced.”
“Castillo,” he said under his breath. “He’s back at it with the nukes.”
“Our friends from the sky have him in custody,” Sylvia said. “Along with a fighter from Golvern. From what I understand, the pair has schemed to start a nuclear war between the U.S. and China.”
“I want to see them both,” Senator McCall said. “Now.”
Sylvia glanced at Dad.
“I can arrange that.” Dad stood. “I’ll take you there.”
Pade stepped up to his side. “I’ll go with you.”
“It’s better if I go alone,” Dad said.
Tyler stood.
“No,” Pade said. “You stay here and make sure the agency has our plans and can implement them.”
“But—”
“This is important,” Pade said. “Everything has to happen exactly how it’s supposed to.”
I glanced up at Dad. “Is he talking about what you saw in the future? You knew this was going to happen?”
A ringing sounded and Senator McCall lifted his phone to his ear. “I’ll be waiting outside.” He stormed out of the room as he cursed at someone over the phone. The door slammed behind him.
“Should we tell him about our plan?” Dad asked.
Sylvia shook her head. “He’s focused entirely on this trade deal and how Golvern’s healing technology can save lives. Perhaps it’s better if we let him think this is another one
of Louis’s bombs.”
“I agree,” Dad said. “How long would you like to keep him in the dark?”
Sylvia checked her watch. “At least until tomorrow. Do Castillo and the fighter know you betrayed them?”
“Who says I betrayed them?” When no one spoke, Dad gave a sarcastic laugh and followed the senator’s path. “I’m sure they know by now. If one of them kills me, you won’t miss much.”
“Take a break everyone,” Sylvia said. “We’ll meet back in twenty minutes.”
Chapter Five
Rena
I reached for Erin’s forehead while being careful not to accidentally touch Agent Lockhart. The second my fingers touched her skin, the plane full of voices faded. I appeared in a classroom of some type. Most desks were filled with students working through a test. Erin sat to my right.
“Time.” The instructor at the front table stood.
“No,” Erin whispered. “I’ve only got two questions left.”
The instructor gathered the stack of papers and she rushed forward to turn hers in.
“Erin,” I said.
She turned to me. “I need an A on that test. If not, my G.P.A. could drop this semester.”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Erin went back to her desk and grabbed her bag. “This internship is important, Rena.” At the sound of my name, she dropped the bag. “Rena? Oh my god, what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
The room changed and we were in Travis’s Ferrari back when we drove through Virginia. I gripped the wheel as she stared at a cow pasture that stretched for miles.
“This is better,” she said. “Less stressful than that final. I passed, by the way.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To a crappy hotel that Skip booked. You don’t know this yet, but it’s the worst place I’ve ever stayed.”
I laughed. “Next time you see Skip, tell him how FBI agents raided the place. He’s not booking another room for me ever.”
“You don’t know about the FBI yet.” She gave me a look of confusion. “This is the strangest dream I’ve ever had.”
“That’s because it isn’t a dream.”
“Of course this is a dream. You showed up at one of my finals from college. Now we’re on the road in Virginia.”
“Well, maybe it is a dream. But I know this has already happened, just like I know you fell asleep on the plane while talking to Agent Lockhart. He was drilling you about Tyler.”
“Wait. If you’re here for real, that means…”
“I’m dead.”
“Oh, Rena,” she choked. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Whatever you say, don’t say you’re sorry.”
“I didn’t know. How did I not know? I left the base. Oh, Rena.” She gripped my hand. “How can you be dead?”
“Van killed me to release my power.”
“I knew he was bad news. We shouldn’t have trusted him.”
“Yeah, I get that now. Too late to fix my mistake.”
“Pull over.”
“We’re not really riding,” I said. “It’s a dream, remember?”
“I don’t care. Pull over and take me somewhere we’re not moving so I can think.”
“It’s your dream. You’ve got to take us.”
Our surroundings changed and Erin and I sat in her office back at the agency. Her glass door was closed. She unplugged her phone and rolled her chair next to mine.
“This is where you can think?” I asked. “You were on a plane leaving this job and never coming back.”
“I can’t explain. This is the first place I thought of. Tell me what’s going on.”
“Someone thinks the world is about to end.”
She rolled her eyes. “This agency acts like the world is always about to end.”
“This time I think it really is. My mother said we’ve got twenty-four hours. That means I’ve got to figure out how to build up my strength enough to stop a star from exploding.”
“I still can’t believe you’re dead.” Erin’s lips began to quiver and she put a hand over her mouth. “How can you… No, I don’t believe it.”
“I died this morning.”
“No.” She wrapped her arms around me. “I can’t believe I left when you were…”
“Why did you leave?” I asked.
“There’s nothing else I could do for the agency.”
“Don’t say that.”
She pulled back. “If I had stayed, could I have stopped… How did you die?”
“Van shot me with a laser. My body was vaporized.”
“I just… can’t believe you’re gone.”
“I’m not gone; I’m right here. Van killed me to release my power. My mother’s power became stronger after she died. They need both of us to stop a star from expanding and destroying Earth.”
“That sounds like either you’ve lost it or I have. Why are you in my head?”
“I need your help.”
“I can’t go back there.”
“You belong there.”
“My life is in Chicago.”
I shook her arm. “Your life is with the agency. Please come back.”
“You’re dead. It’s not like we can hang out now. I won’t be able to see you.”
“Actually, I think you might. When Travis was in his coma, my mother visited him in his head. She talked to him.”
“That sounds all kinds of wrong.”
I smiled. “After he woke up, he could see her as a ghost.”
“I can’t understand why you sound happy about this. They took your life. You no longer have a body and all you can think about is saving people.”
“Isn’t that why you came to the agency? To save people?”
“Not like this. I never bargained for superpowers, aliens, or having someone dissect my non-existent love life.”
“Your non-existent love life is here.”
“What?”
“Tyler is back at the base right now. He helped Travis get back from the other planet.”
“I wish you hadn’t told me that.”
“Doesn’t it make you want to go back?” I asked. “Tyler still loves you. You said you wanted to see him again.”
“Why do you want my help? I have no power like you.”
“When I get back to the base, I’m going into that conference room and face the people who killed me. I don’t want to do that alone. Can’t Chicago wait?”
“I can’t believe I’m talking to a dead girl.” She groaned. “I also can’t believe I’m about to say ‘yes’.”
I threw my arms around her. She hugged me, tighter than ever before.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“That you died. I admit to wondering if you could come back after dying like your mother. I don’t like the fact I had that thought. It wasn’t scientific or—”
“Don’t worry.” I patted her back. “It’s not your fault I died.”
“I should have been there.”
I pulled away and stared at the tears on her face. Real tears. I reached out and touched the wetness on her cheek. “You don’t have to cry for real. You know we’re in your head.”
“I know.” She wiped her cheek. “I can’t help it. I’m sad about losing my friend.”
“You haven’t lost me. I plan to find a way to get back. Maybe you can use your doctor skills to help me.”
She shook her head. “I don’t see how we can undo dead. That wasn’t on the syllabus in med school.”
“Even if we can’t, I still want you back. I’m just glad you didn’t watch my body disintegrate into thin air.”
“Did it hurt?”
“I felt pain when the laser hit, but it was over before I realized what happened. Then I was somewhere else.” As I thought of the place where I drifted for weeks, my vision blurred.
“Hey.” Erin gripped my arms. “You’re scaring me.�
�
“What?”
“You flickered there for a second. I thought you were going to fade out.”
“Fade out?”
“Yeah, your body tried to disappear. Isn’t that what ghosts do?”
“I’m not sure what ghosts do, but you’re going to help me find out.”
* * * * *
Travis
For twenty minutes, I sat at that table. Neither Angel nor Agent Mason moved from their seats beside me.
Angel barely spoke. Or maybe she did and I didn’t listen. The world around me had taken on a dark tint. People passed us as they moved around the table. Well, most stayed far enough away I couldn’t touch them.
I stared at the far wall. Tyler watched me for most of the break, but I refused to acknowledge him. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and I definitely didn’t want to see their pity.
When the meeting reconvened, a dozen agents sat on my side of the table. Half a dozen of the queen’s guards sat on the other side, including Tyler. Sylvia took her usual spot at the end of the table.
The queen followed her inside, the last person to enter except for Pade. He closed the door behind them as she walked to the other end of the table. He took the seat to her side.
My fury rose at seeing her, but a tired feeling came over me, like I hadn’t slept in weeks. Even if my powers came back during the meeting, would I have the strength to show her my anger?
Rena deserved so much more than this. They should have told us. Everyone in this room should have been open about this master plan for Rena.
Would I have let her die?
No.
Were they right about keeping this from me?
I put my head in my hands. People whispered around me, though I couldn’t make out any of the words. I’d lost my ability to focus.
Sylvia spoke first. “I hope everyone agrees this trade deal must wait.”
I forced myself to look in her direction. Think, I told myself. I needed to focus like I’d been trained or I’d never see Rena again.
I thought of the senator’s fit of anger as he left the room. Dad had followed. Maybe Castillo would find a way to make the senator regret his actions since none of us could.