by Sarah Noffke
He didn’t stop until he was right beside Julianna, and he stared down at the massive red snake.
“So that’s a Saverus?” Eddie asked. Blood oozed from an upper section of the giant reptile. It was as big around as his waist, and at least fifteen feet long. Its eyes were shut, and its forked tongue protruded from its mouth slightly.
“Yes, and it isn’t dead,” Julianna stated.
“This one was impersonating Kendrick,” Eddie guessed.
“Yes, and the other one used it as a shield,” Julianna stated.
“So much for loyalty among the Saverus.” Eddie toed the thing with his boot. Looking at the scaly snake made Eddie want to recoil with disgust. It had taken a while to get used to Lars’ lizard features, but he had arms and legs and resembled humans more than the reptile he was related to. This thing…it seemed purely snake, and yet it had the ability to become anyone it desired. It was so much more than a snake, and that was creepy as hell.
“I think we should take it with us,” Julianna said, breaking the silence.
Eddie looked at her in horror. “You’ve lost your damn mind. I think we should kill it.”
She shook her head. “Hatch needs a blood sample.”
“Then we take a sample and drown this thing in the ocean,” Eddie stated coldly.
“But what if it knows something? I mean…it has to, right? It’s a Saverus,” Julianna argued.
“You forget that it can become any of us,” Eddie replied.
“I didn’t forget that, actually,” Julianna said.
“So you want to take this thing aboard Ricky Bobby where it can impersonate any of the crew, causing confusion and havoc?” Eddie asked.
“We’ll put it in the brig. There’s no way it can get out of there even if it pretends to be you or me.”
Eddie considered this for a moment.
“We don’t have the Tangle Thief,” Julianna continued. “We have a bigger fucking mission ahead of us now, and a lot of serious unknowns. We’re going to need every advantage we can get, and one of them could be knowing why the fuck the Saverus want the Tangle Thief in the first place.”
“Because they are coldblooded demons,” Eddie stated through gritted teeth.
“Well, this passed-out demon can tell us, but only if you help me load it into the ship,” Julianna said.
Eddie considered this for a moment. He didn’t like the idea of putting this shapeshifter on the ship, and almost more disgusting was the idea of picking it up. However, he had to admit that since they’d lost the other Saverus, they needed to shift the odds into their favor. He leaned over and reached for the tail, hoisting it over his shoulder. “Yeah, fine, but you’re carrying the fucking head.”
Chapter Thirty
Jack Renfro’s Office, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
Knox didn’t understand why he’d been called to the spymaster’s office. He’d seen Jack Renfro around the ship, but he’d never talked to him one-on-one. The man smiled warmly at Knox as he welcomed him in. He was smartly dressed in a button-up pinstriped shirt and dark slacks. Like Knox’s father Jack wore his black hair back, but there was an edginess to the younger man’s hair, similar to how he’d seen Superman wear his in those comic books from Earth.
Knox tried to smile when Jack held out a welcoming hand for him to shake, but it turned into more of a cough. He nearly choked when Jack stood back to reveal Eddie, Julianna, Hatch, and his father inside the office.
“Come in, Knox,” Jack said, waving him into the room. “Have a seat.” He motioned to a high-backed chair covered in red velvet.
Knox had never been anywhere this nice. It was filled with fine art and statues, and he felt out of place in his frayed jeans and faded t-shirt.
“Go ahead, Gunner,” Hatch said, waving a tentacle at the seat. “We’re not going to bite. Just need to ask you some questions.”
Since the crew had returned from Area One-Twenty-Six, there had been a lot of whispering but no real information. Apparently, they’d brought back a prisoner who was in the brig, but no one was allowed near it. And many of the Special Forces soldiers were being treated in the infirmary for bite wounds and other injuries. One had been killed. Whatever had happened in Area One-Twenty-Six, it had been dark and brutal.
“Knox, you’re not in trouble,” Eddie stated matter-of-factly.
Knox’s eyes darted back and forth, sweat beaded his forehead and gripped the arms of the chair until his knuckles turned white.
He tried to swallow. Failed, and let his mouth partly open to take a breath.
“Son,” his father said, sitting down on the sofa next to the chair. He leaned forward. “Do you remember ever being on the planet Nexus?”
Knox didn’t have to think about that. He’d only been on four planets, and two of those had been with Ghost Squadron. “No, never.”
Hatch and his father exchanged looks.
“Think really hard, Dom…Knox,” Cheng said, correcting himself before using the wrong name.
“Nexus is a planet rich with life,” Julianna said. “There’s lush trees, and clear waters. Does that ring any bells?”
Knox shook his head. “I’ve never been to Nexus. I was born on Ronin, and I ended up on Planet L2SCQ-6 on the frontier.”
“Yes,” Hatch said, stoking his tentacle absentmindedly over his mouth as if musing on the idea. “How did you end up on that planet out on the frontier?”
“Mateo found me,” Knox explained. Why were they having this conversation? This was old news. Why should the unimportant details of his childhood matter?
“Mateo found you after you were on Planet L2SCQ-6,” Jack interjected.
Knox blinked. “Yeah, I guess he did.”
“Do you remember how you ended up there?” his father asked. “It’s a long way from Ronin.”
Knox tried again to swallow. Why did his throat feel like it was closing? “I don’t know,” he heard himself say. How could that be true? How could he not know how he’d gotten to the planet when he’d spent a huge portion of his life there?
The others exchanged nervous glances.
“I don’t know. I just sort of…” Knox’s voice trailed away.
“Sort of what?” Eddie asked, his tone gentle and his eyes kind.
“It sounds weird,” Knox began. He didn’t want to speak the truth. They wouldn’t believe him.
“We’re used to weird,” Julianna said, her voice light. “Go for it. Tell us.”
It bolstered his confidence. “I don’t know. It feels like I just sort of woke up there.” A laugh tumbled from his mouth. He was sure everyone would laugh with him, but they didn’t. The room fell silent, and Julianna glanced at Eddie. Hatch gave Jack a wide-eyed look.
It was Knox’s father who leaned forward and placed a hand on his son’s knee, giving him real contact. “Son, do you remember what happened before then? Before you ended up on the frontier?”
Knox squinted down at the fancy carpet under his feet. He didn’t remember. The more he tried to remember his past, the farther it seemed to retreat from his grasp. How was it that he’d never wondered how he’d gotten from Ronin to Planet L2SCQ-6?
“I’m sorry, I don’t,” Knox said, feeling nearly breathless now. His head swam with dizziness and he pushed back into the seat, thinking he was going to pass out. “Is there a reason you’re asking all these questions?”
Of course there was a reason, Knox thought, and he didn’t think he’d like the answer very much based on the serious expressions on everyone’s faces.
Hatch cleared his throat. “Do you remember exactly what you did after your father disappeared?”
Finally, a question that Knox could answer. He let out the breath he was holding. “Yes. When I came out of my room, Dad was gone. I checked the kitchen, the bathroom, his room, and his office, and I couldn’t find him anywhere.” That memory was vivid as anything he could remember.
“And then what did you do?” Jack asked.
“Well, then I…
” Knox’s voice trailed away, his head suddenly tight. “Then…I…” He couldn’t remember. How could he not remember?
He looked up at his father. “I left. You were gone and I knew I was in trouble, so I left.”
“Where did you go?” Hatch asked.
“I-I…” Knox began, but he had no answer. Hatch was looking at him intently, and the last thing he wanted to do was lie to the scientist he respected so much. “I don’t remember. Honestly, I don’t remember anything after I checked the house.”
“And then you ended up on Planet L2SCQ-6, is that right?” Julianna asked.
That couldn’t be right, Knox thought, and yet he didn’t have anything to fill in the missing pieces. He nodded. “Yes, that’s all I remember. I’m sorry. I’m not lying, I promise.”
Hatch reached out a tentacle to pat Knox on the shoulder, then paused with his limb hovering an inch from the boy. He pulled it back. “No one thinks you’re lying, kid. We’re just trying to figure out what happened.”
“What do you mean, what happened?” Knox asked.
Eddie scooted forward on the sofa so that he was perched on its edge. “When we were in Area One-Twenty-Six we discovered that the Tangle Thief had already been taken.”
Knox’s shoulders slumped with defeat. This was horrible news. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. What happened?”
“Someone took it years ago,” Eddie continued. “We spoke to a hologram who told us that she’d helped this person. She sent him, along with the components of the Tangle Thief, to safety somewhere on Nexus.”
Knox narrowed his eyes in confusion. “How could she do that?”
Cheng cleared his throat. “Similar to the Tangle Thief but with limited capacity, this hologram has the power to transport, it seems.”
“Wow,” Knox whispered. The things around this place kept getting stranger. “How are you going to find the Tangle Thief?”
“That’s why we’re talking to you,” Hatch told him. “It appears that the person who took the Tangle Thief was you.”
Static seemed to fill Knox’s ears. He stared around the room, the faces looking at him blurred. There was an intoxicating perfume in the office which sought to choke him. Everything was too much. This was a dream. Knox had to wake up.
He bolted to his feet. “Me? It couldn’t have been me!”
Cheng was on his feet a moment later. “It’s okay, Knox. We’ve figured it out, and it absolutely was you.”
Knox looked at his father, puzzled. How could this be okay? How could Knox have been the one to take the Tangle Thief and that was fine? “I didn’t do it!”
“You’re the only option,” Jack said, coming to stand next to him. He set a comforting hand on his shoulder. “When your father was gone, you tried to find him. The client device—the other part of the Tangle Thief—would have been in the house, but it wasn’t found when the area was searched. Neither were you. We can deduce that you used the Tangle Thief, hoping to find your father. Hatch has confirmed that with your father’s receiver destroyed you would have been redirected to the Tangle Thief he created, which was stored in Area One-Twenty-Six. You met Kyra the hologram there, and since you were scared, you asked to be transported to some place safe on Nexus. That much we’ve been able to deduce. What we have to find out is how you ended up on Planet L2SCQ-6.”
“But more importantly, we need to find out where you hid the Tangle Thief,” Eddie stated.
“How do you know I did?” Knox asked.
“Because you’re smart,” Hatch said at once. “You would have known that the technology was dangerous, and it was why your father was being stalked.”
Knox turned to his father. “But you said that using the Tangle Thief on humans was dangerous. If I used it then…”
“You were young,” his father said consolingly. “It appears to have caused you memory loss, which is why you can’t recall what happened between the time you were on Ronin and when you arrived on Planet L2SCQ-6.”
“Oh,” Knox said, sitting back down in the chair. His legs felt too heavy. It seemed that every part of him was weighted with lead.
“Knox,” Eddie said thoughtfully, “we think you can help us to find the Tangle Thief.”
Knox’s head bolted upright. “You do?”
Eddie nodded. “It’s going to take a lot of work, though.”
Knox didn’t mind work. He preferred that to not knowing. “What can I do?”
“The memories are stored in your mind, but we’re going to have to unlock them,” Hatch said. “If you’re willing, we’re going to try to break through whatever is preventing you from remembering what happened on Nexus.”
Knox took a breath, and was finally able to swallow. He looked up at his father with an expression he hoped showed the courage he felt in his heart, although his hands were shaking. “I’ll do it. I’ll do whatever it takes to help you find the Tangle Thief.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Infirmary, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
Whatever they’d given Fletcher to soothe his aching head, he wanted more of it. He wanted to overdose on the stuff so he could fall back to sleep. Anything was better than sitting on this bed and staring out at the world, knowing he’d missed his chance.
The transmitter reported that his father had called his name from the Family Tree. He’d been so close…so close to telling him that he loved him. Telling his father that he missed him. Saying that final goodbye. And the moment had been stolen from him.
He laid his throbbing head back on the pillow. If he’d known he’d be knocked out by a fucking Saverus, he would have stayed and spoken to his father. Regret filled his insides like sludge.
However, he knew that if he hadn’t shown up to help his team he’d have other regrets. There was no winning in this situation.
Fletcher had failed in so many ways at Area One-Twenty-Six. Kendrick was dead. One of his men. A part of his team.
Yes, he’d heard his father’s voice, but that had only made things worse. Now he knew that on Nexus was a device he could use to talk to his father. He had to get back to it. He had to tell his father that his life’s goal was to avenge his death and kill the pirate who had murdered him—that Rosco would die by Fletcher’s hands. After delivering that final promise to his father, he’d tell him goodbye and achieve the closure he’d always wanted.
Bridge, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
“You want to talk about the things we heard our imposter selves say in Area One-Twenty-Six?” Eddie asked Julianna, staring straight ahead like the strategy board held something of great interest. He was deliberately not looking at her, and they both knew it.
“You mean the criticisms that some alien spouted to try and make us fight?” Julianna clarified.
“I suspect they were true. Do you really think I have awful table manners?”
Julianna shrugged. “It’s not the worst problem a person could have.”
“I’m willing to go through etiquette classes if it will make you happy,” he said diffidently.
Julianna laughed. “I can totally see you walking around with a book on your head and drinking tea with your pinky in the air.”
Eddie blanched. “Why would anyone do either of those things?”
Julianna smiled. “To make themselves more proper.”
Eddie’s face held mild disinterest. “Oh, I’ve never been good with customs, but if it will make me more tolerable then I’ll do it. I don’t deny there’s a gap in my education.”
“Right, I get it. We all have room for improvement,” Julianna said, pretending to study the strategy board as well.
“I think you’re right, that I need to brush up on alien cultures,” Eddie stated.
Julianna couldn’t hide the look of surprise on her face. “Damn, that alien was busy spouting information.”
“Yes, and I can only worry about what it said to you from me.”
“Not much, since I’m pretty flawless, but maybe I could work on my control issues a bit,” Julia
nna confessed.
“Thanks. You’re always so willing.” Eddie smiled. “And I’ll put my napkin in my lap and keep my elbows off the dining table.”
Julianna waved him off. “Actually, I’d just settle for you not putting your chicken bones on the table when you’re done with them like it’s a trashcan.”
Eddie nodded. “Fair enough.”
“How is the prisoner?” Julianna asked, referring to the Saverus they’d captured.
Eddie yawned loudly. “It’s still in the infirmary being treated for the bullet wound. Last I heard it was heavily sedated.”
“I’m anxious to interrogate that Saverus. I hope that he or she or whatever it is will be helpful for us,” Julianna related.
“The important thing is Knox is on our team. He’s going to be how we locate the Tangle Thief,” Eddie said, chewing on his lip. He opened his mouth and hesitated.
“What?” Julianna prompted, sensing he wanted to say more.
“I know I gave you shit about taking the prisoner, but it was probably a good idea. I mean, maybe,” Eddie said, giving her a wink.
“We have the upper hand when we know the most about our enemy.”
Eddie yawned again, his eyes watering. “Yeah, I know. Those damn snakes just freak me out.” He looked at Julianna with a mock serious expression. “Would you have rescued them if it had been caged snakes on Kai, or just fuzzy little bunnies?”
“Back to that again?” she asked, perturbed.
He shrugged, a bit of his former irritation surfacing on his face.
“Are you ready for this mystery adventure, tracking down the Tangle Thief?” Julianna asked, relieved to change the subject.
“Yes and no,” Eddie said yawning. “Give me five hours to catch some sleep and I’ll be as bright eyed as a bunny.”
“I think you could have used another reference,” Julianna said as Eddie headed for the exit.
“I bet you do,” he said over his shoulder. “When I return, I’ll be as a chipper as a mouse—like the ones you risked your very life to protect.”