Six

by M. M. Vaughan

Grace walked over to the family and watched as the father opened up the top of the box.

  “Oh!” said Grace. “Oh, dear.”

  Lily’s mother turned to her daughter as her father began to apologize to Grace.

  “What were you thinking, Lily? We told you he couldn’t come.”

  Parker tried to get a look inside the open box.

  Can you see? asked Emma on Effie.

  Parker shook his head.

  Grace sighed and knelt down next to Lily.

  “Honey, I’m so sorry—but he can’t come with us.”

  Lily looked up at her father. “Daddy? Please?”

  She started to sob, and her mother took her hand and pulled her onto her lap. She stroked her hair as her father turned to Grace.

  “Is there no way? It’s only a hamster,” he said.

  Grace shook her head. “I’m sorry. The instructions were very clear—no pets at all. You’ll have to leave him.”

  She leaned forward and took the box from Lily’s father’s hands.

  “No!” screamed Lily. She tried to reach forward, but her mother held her tightly.

  Parker watched as Grace handed the box to William and whispered something in his ear. William nodded and walked away, leaving Lily screaming and sobbing behind her.

  Parker heard muffled sobs. He turned to see Emma with her head down beside him, her body shaking with her sobs.

  Emma? What’s wrong?

  Emma didn’t answer. Instead she covered her head with her hands and kept crying.

  Emma? Tell me what’s wrong.

  Finally, Emma lifted her head. She stared at Parker for a moment, her eyes red and her cheeks wet with her tears.

  What’s the matter?

  I’m going to miss Polly, she said. And then she began to cry again.

  Parker, not knowing what else to do, patted his sister awkwardly on the back.

  She’ll be okay, he said. Michael will take care of her.

  Emma nodded but didn’t say anything back as Grace stood up and walked over to the long counter on the side of the room. She returned almost immediately, holding three purple drawstring bags.

  Grace knelt down in front of Lily, who was still crying.

  “Here you go, sweetie,” said Grace.

  Lily looked at the bag and then started crying loudly again.

  Lily’s mother took the bag. “Thank you,” she said.

  Grace placed her hand gently on Lily’s mother’s shoulder. “Why don’t you take her over to the back until she calms down. We’ll call you in a little while.”

  Lily’s mother nodded, and she and her husband stood up.

  “Poor kid,” muttered a woman behind them.

  Parker turned his head to watch as they made their way over to the pond at the back, when he saw, out of the corner of his eye, Grace walking over to where he was sitting.

  “Here you go, honey,” said Grace as she handed Emma one of the purple bags. “Are you okay?” she said upon seeing Emma’s face.

  “She’s nervous,” mumbled Parker.

  Grace nodded. “You’ll be fine,” she said to Emma gently. She turned to Parker. “Would you like one too?”

  Parker nodded, took the remaining bag, and then quietly thanked her. Grace smiled and walked back over to the counter where David, the older of the three male Avecto employees, was already waiting. Parker opened up the bag. Inside he found a coloring book, pens, candy, cards, and a handheld electronic game player.

  He pulled it out and showed it to Emma, who gave a small smile and then turned back to her thoughts, leaving the purple bag unopened on her lap.

  Parker didn’t get to play his new game for long. They were the first to be called.

  “Here we go,” said Solomon. He had been surprisingly quiet since arriving at the terminal. Parker wondered if this had something to do with him commenting on his accent.

  They walked over to the counter.

  “I’ll take this one,” said David. “James is an old friend of the family.”

  Solomon nodded.

  “Ah, how nice!” said Grace. She looked down at the list in her hand and called out another name as David ushered them over to a computer farther along the counter.

  “You have all the papers with you?” asked David.

  Parker nodded and placed the stack of passports and papers that Solomon had given him on the counter.

  David checked the passports but made no comment on the fact that the pictures clearly didn’t match any one of them. Parker stood in silence as David began to tap on his keyboard. He looked up and handed the passports and tickets back to Parker.

  “You’re all set. If you just go to William over there, he’ll show you to your seats.”

  “Thank you,” said Solomon in a quiet voice. “Thank you so much.”

  David looked down at his screen. “You’re welcome,” whispered David. “It’s good to see you again, Dr. Gladstone.”

  “Thank you,” said Solomon. He turned and let Emma lead him over to the open doors where William was waiting. They were halfway across the room when they crossed paths with Grace, leading one of the women passengers over to the counter.

  Grace stopped and placed her hand on Solomon’s arm. “Have a wonderful journey,” she said with a bright smile.

  Solomon smiled. “Thank you . . . you . . . you . . . you . . . you . . .”

  Parker’s eyes widened in horror as Grace watched Solomon with a look of growing concern on her face as he continued to repeat the word you over and over.

  Solomon had no choice. He raised his hand, and Parker and Emma tensed as he slapped the back of his head and let out a loud shout.

  “Alberta!”

  Startled, Grace jumped back—just as Solomon broke into song.

  “Albertaaaa! I’ll miss you, Alberta! My beautiful land . . .”

  Solomon nudged Emma to move on, and the three of them quickly walked off, leaving Grace behind them, looking perplexed.

  Solomon stopped singing and breathed a quiet sigh but said nothing as they approached William. He took their tickets from Parker.

  “Follow me,” said William.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  Parker’s nerves returned as they walked through the doorway into a long black corridor, past four closed doors marked SAPPHIRE, DIAMOND, TOPAZ, and RUBY. They stopped at the door marked EMERALD. William pressed a gold button, and the doors opened to reveal another long corridor with silver metal doors running along both sides.

  “We’ve put you all together in one of the family rooms,” explained William. He led them down to the end of the corridor and pressed another button. The door opened to reveal four narrow black leather beds side by side in the center of the room.

  “You don’t need to do anything at all,” said William. “Just lie down on the beds. You can leave your bags and anything else you don’t want to carry on you anywhere on the floor—they’ll be there when you arrive. There’s no need to stay completely still, but we’d prefer it if you didn’t move around too much.”

  William pointed up to a large white rectangle that took up most of the ceiling.

  “The screen above you will turn on in a moment and show you a film—it will tell you when we’re ready to go—” William stopped. “Oh. Sorry, sir. I wasn’t thinking. The film has full audio too—you won’t miss anything.”

  “Thank you,” said Solomon.

  “Is that all okay? Do you have any questions?”

  Solomon shook his head. “No, we’re fine.”

  “Do you need me to help you onto the bed?”

  “No, no. My daughter can help me. Thank you.”

  “All right, then. Your flight will leave first—in about ten minutes,” said William. “If you need anything at all, there’s a button by your headrests to call for assistance. Enjoy the flight.”

  Solomon thanked him and William left the room. He waited until the doors had closed, and then he turned to Emma and Parker.

  “We did it.” He sm
iled.

  Parker and Emma were too nervous to smile back.

  “Ten minutes?” asked Parker.

  “They don’t want passengers getting restless. It will be fine,” said Solomon. He walked over to the first bed and lay down.

  Parker hesitated for a moment and then lay down on the bed next to Solomon. Emma took the one next to him. She turned to face him, and Parker felt his wrist buzz.

  This is weird, said Emma.

  I know. So weird.

  I thought they’d put wires on us or something, said Emma.

  Parker smiled. Maybe it’s a television show—one of those ones that pulls pranks on people, and in a moment Dad’s going to walk in laughing with a camera crew.

  Emma’s mouth dropped open. I bet that’s it! Oh no, Parker! We’re going to look like idiots.

  Parker rolled his eyes. Dad would never do that to us. That’s, like, the meanest prank ever.

  Maybe Dad didn’t know about it.

  Emma. It was a joke. A television show would not kidnap Dad.

  I don’t know. Remember that show where a man pretended that he’d died and then he jumped up in his coffin when everybody was crying at the funeral?

  Okay. That was pretty bad. But this isn’t like that—I know it isn’t.

  Emma didn’t look convinced. Fine. But, if it is, we’ll pretend like we knew it was a prank all along. Okay?

  Fine, said Parker.

  There was a pause.

  Parker?

  Yes?

  I’m scared.

  Parker responded before he’d had a chance to mute his thought. I’m scared too.

  Really?

  A bit. But it will be fine. Let’s just lie back and pretend we’re at the cinema. I’m going to try to sleep.

  Sleep?

  Well, maybe not sleep—just rest. Thinking about things isn’t going to help. Try it.

  Okay, said Emma. She smiled at him as she pressed down on her wrist to end the call, then turned to face upward. Parker watched her close her eyes, then he turned to do the same.

  * * * * * *

  After only a few minutes the silence in the room was broken by the sound of lapping waves. Parker opened his eyes and watched as the screen above him brightened. A gentle beach scene appeared—not unlike the one they had seen on the video Lina had given them.

  “Welcome,” said a soothing voice accompanied by subtitles at the bottom of the screen. “Your journey will commence shortly. In the meantime, please lie back and relax.”

  The gentle music grew louder, and the lights in the room dimmed to ultraviolet. Above him, on the screen, relaxing scenes of sand dunes, gently stirring water, and leaves blowing in the wind played. Parker could swear he could smell lavender.

  Before long all his nerves had disappeared. Hypnotized by the combination of sights, sounds, and smells, Parker let himself fall into a half sleep.

  He had no idea how long he’d been lying like that when the peaceful state he had fallen into was interrupted by the sound of Solomon’s voice.

  “Parker,” whispered Solomon.

  Parker turned his head to face Solomon. “Yes?”

  “Your wrist thing—is it on? Can Emma hear anything at the moment?”

  “No,” said Parker, “it’s not on.”

  “Good. Leave it off for a moment. I need to say something. You can tell Emma when you get there—I don’t want to upset her now.”

  Parker stopped himself from sitting up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “When we get to SIX, I need you to take Emma and get out of the terminal there quickly. Leave me. Do you understand?”

  “What? Why? They don’t know who you are.”

  “Just do what I say. Leave with Emma and find your father straightaway. Your wrist thing will work there—exactly as it did here.”

  “But . . . why? . . . What about you?”

  Solomon didn’t say anything for a moment.

  “Solomon?”

  “Parker, I wasn’t being completely honest with you about the effects of a third teleportation on me.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Parker.

  Solomon stared back at Parker but said nothing, as if he were waiting for Parker to work it out for himself.

  Parker tried to remember what Solomon had told him, but his mind was still groggy from his near-sleep, and he couldn’t recall the conversation at all. Eventually, though, he remembered and, when he did, the true meaning behind Solomon’s words came to him all at once—clear and devastating, like an invisible punch to the stomach that knocked his whole body forward and pushed all the air of out him, leaving him unable to breathe.

  A third teleportation was going to kill Solomon.

  When Parker finally spoke, his voice was weak. “Why?” It was all he could manage to say.

  Solomon seemed to know that Parker had worked it out. “Because I had to.”

  “Your flight will commence in two minutes. Please lie back, relax, and enjoy.”

  A surge of panic ran through Parker.

  “You can’t do this!” he said. He leaned over the side of his bed, his head spinning and his heart thumping loudly as he searched for the assistance button.

  “Parker, stop!” said Solomon. “I’m going! If I don’t go—you don’t go.”

  “But why, Solomon . . . Why would you do that?” He couldn’t help himself; he was starting to cry.

  Solomon took a deep breath. “I had no idea that they were going to take your mother.”

  Parker wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. “I don’t understand. . . . I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “I was the one who asked your mother to come and help with the work we were doing. If I’d known—if I’d had any idea at all that they were going to send her to SIX—I wouldn’t have done it. I promise you.”

  “What?” whispered Parker.

  “Your mother, Parker. She’s on SIX. She’s alive.”

  Parker stared at Solomon. His whole body was shaking. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think.

  “One minute to avection.”

  “When I realized, I went after her,” continued Solomon, talking quickly. “I went to SIX, and they sent me back, thinking it would kill me. When it didn’t—they locked me up. I couldn’t get ahold of anyone until Lina’s father made contact with me. I called your father and explained everything. That’s why your dad came here and offered to fix the problem of multiple teleportations. He made a deal with Bowveld—he’d fix it and she would be allowed to return.”

  Parker was crying too hard to speak.

  “I’m so sorry, Parker.”

  “Please, Solomon,” said Parker, struggling to get his words out. “Please don’t do this. . . .”

  “Avection commencing in ten seconds.”

  “It’s okay. I’m not scared. I’m ready, Parker. I’ve had a good run.”

  “But . . .”

  “Five . . . four . . .”

  “Send my love to your parents.”

  Solomon smiled and turned to look up at the screen. Through his own tears, Parker saw a single tear run down the side of Solomon’s face, drawing a line of gray as it ran down his beige cheek.

  “Avection initiated.”

  “Solomon!”

  Parker never had a chance to thank him.

  Everything turned black.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  When Parker regained consciousness, he didn’t immediately remember what had just happened. His whole body was tingling—the sensation stronger in some parts than in others. It was distracting. Something in his mind, though, was reaching out to Parker. Something unsettling. He was too dazed to work out what it was.

  When he was seven, he’d had his tonsils out. Coming around from the general anesthetic, he’d felt as if he’d woken up inside a dream—conscious, but not conscious. It was this same feeling that he was experiencing now. He moved his head slowly to the side and stared down at his left hand. It had no fingers. He watch
ed with interest, but no alarm whatsoever, as his thumb slowly appeared, followed by the next finger, and then the next.

  He became aware of the loud humming noise only when it stopped. At the same time, the vibrations in his body disappeared. Parker felt his head begin to clear.

  Slowly he began to remember—fragments of sights, sounds, and conversations coming together like tiny pieces of a huge jigsaw.

  A little girl crying. A long dark tunnel. A woman in a green uniform. Grace, that was her name. The smell of lavender. Solomon singing.

  Solomon.

  Parker’s head snapped around.

  Just for a moment Parker thought he was mistaken. Solomon was there right next to him. At first glance he looked the same as he had the last time Parker had seen him. He was staring upward and wearing his suit, which appeared perfectly intact, and the skin that was visible was still the same beige color of the makeup that had been covering him. Then he saw that Solomon’s hair was gone.

  Parker sat up straight. It was only then—when he had full view of Solomon’s body, that the full horror of what had happened became apparent. All the features of Solomon’s face had disappeared. Just two black holes for his nostrils and one for his mouth. No eyes, no nose, no lips. No ears. He looked so blank—so unhuman—that Parker couldn’t really think of it as Solomon—not until he heard a noise coming from the black void of Solomon’s mouth—a single, long, drawn-out gasp for breath.

  He was still alive.

  Parker’s first instinct was to jump up and run to Solomon’s aid, but fear, and the knowledge that there was nothing he could possibly do to help, rendered him frozen. Staring helplessly, Parker watched as the gasp ended and Solomon’s body began to shake.

  Finally, with one last violent convulsion, Solomon’s body came to rest. There was no more movement, no noise, no nothing.

  Solomon was gone.

  The finality of that thought barely had time to register when Parker realized that the doors would open soon. Solomon’s words came back to him:

  Take Emma and get out of the terminal.

  He hadn’t checked on her, but then she hadn’t called him on Effie. Please, thought Parker as he turned around, let her be awake and alert.

  She was, Parker found, already sitting up. Her head was bowed, one hand holding her other, palm up.