Landlocked (Atlas Link Series Book 2)

by Jessica Gunn

I glanced at Trevor for direction on how to take this. His expression was one of discomfort, either at Valerie’s behavior or the fact the three of us were in the same room for the first time in two years.

  Valerie snapped her fingers at a waiter, not that they’d be able to hear the action over the music. A waiter came over and took Valerie’s drink order. Valerie looked us over before ordering a mudslide for Trevor and a shot of tequila for me. Trevor’s jaw clenched. Guess Valerie had heard about Trevor’s lack of tolerance.

  I laughed and turned to Valerie. “You know, I guess I kind of missed you.”

  “Figured it was better than giving him straight alcohol,” she said with a wink.

  “You know about that?” Trevor said and shook his head. “Of course you do. Well I’m glad the two of you are friends again.”

  “I wouldn’t say that,” I said.

  “Probably depends how long you live for,” said Valerie. It sobered up the whole table.

  “What’s that mean?” I asked. Not that Valerie thinking we’d die was a good measure of anything. We’d survived the hijacking after she high-tailed out of there.

  “I’m surprised Trevor didn’t tell you,” she said, eyes flitting to him.

  “I only told her that someone was hunting Lemurians,” Trevor said. “The other TAO staff kind of know the other half. You didn’t exactly give me much to go on.”

  I looked to him. You kept something from me that’d put me in danger?

  Our drinks arriving cut off any response he might have given.

  “Look, girlie,” Valerie said. “I can only tell you so much because most of it depends on getting SeaSatellite5 back. If you don’t do that, the rest won’t matter.”

  “So Trevor says,” I replied. “I also hear you think General Allen’s involved.” And he wants me dead, which I already knew. So anything she had to say about him was probably moot.

  Saying his name aloud sent a terrified chill down my spine. He’d come so very close to winning.

  Valerie must have seen my reaction. “What do you know?”

  “General Allen set up TruGates to hunt Lemurians. He hates them, but I don’t know exactly what’s going on there.” What else did I know? “He hates me and knows there were two Lemurian spies on board SeaSat5. Except he thinks it was me and Dave, not Trevor or you and Dave.”

  “Why would he think that?” Trevor asked.

  I shrugged. “Because I told him it was me. I didn’t want him coming after you, and I didn’t want your name thrown around alongside ‘treason’ and ‘traitor.’”

  “There’s more to it than that,” Valerie said. “This is what I wanted to tell you in person. I can’t trust TAO isn’t bugged and I can’t trust Trevor to get the details right.”

  Trevor didn’t say anything.

  “What’s going on?” I asked her.

  She leveled me with a look that said this wasn’t going to be good. “General Allen isn’t just after Lemurians. He’s threatened and attacked you, hasn’t he?”

  “Yeah, to find out about the spies on SeaSat5, like I said. Then I found this super secret chamber he had where he’d captured and tortured Lemurians.”

  Her eyes widened regarding my last comment, but she didn’t hold back. “It’s not just you, Chelsea. He’s after Atlantean super soldiers. He’s going after Lemurians and super soldiers.”

  Well okay then. That explained a lot.

  Only, that opened up a whole world. My head spun with the full weight of her words.

  “Meaning there’s more of us out there besides me and Sophia?” I asked, gripping the table as if the spinning had been a literal force. Of course there had to be more of us, but it was easy to think of Sophia and me being the only ones when we’d never found another.

  “Yes, there are more of you.”

  I didn’t even have to look at Trevor to know that’s the part he left out. “Okay, that makes sense, then. He’s been pretty… aggressive, shall we say, in regards to me.”

  Valerie frowned like she knew exactly how aggressive he’d been. How much did she know? “Yeah,” she said. “He’s also not Lemurian. He’s from something much older, much more questionable.”

  “La Ciudad Blanca,” Trevor said. “I thought you said you didn’t think they were around anymore?”

  “Hang on,” I said. That name was not in any way new. It’d been in my thesis work right alongside Atlantis and El Dorado and Shangri-La. “La Ciudad Blanca, as in the lost White City in Honduras? The place people think they find every few years?”

  Valerie nodded. “Yes.”

  “We found ruins of the city in Brazil on a trip through a Link Piece,” Trevor said. “That’s how we have the piece needed to get to SeaSat5. Dr. Hill wasn’t sure what he found, but Valerie was able to figure it out.”

  “With help,” Valerie added. “Help that came at a cost, and has now sent me into hiding.”

  I couldn’t wrap my head around this all. I’d missed so damn much while with TruGates. A city in ruins in Brazil. Link Pieces leading to SeaSat5. The freaking White City. And somehow General Allen and his terrifying agenda were related? “So La Ciudad Blanca, another lost civilization, is also on the playing field. They hate Lemurians and Atlantean super soldiers, and sent General Allen to kill us all? Did I get all of that right?”

  She nodded. “More or less. I’m… trying to do what I can, but like I said, it won’t matter if you don’t get the station back.”

  “Why? What’s so important about the station? Beyond the obvious I mean.”

  “Not now. What is important is you knowing exactly who General Allen is and why he’s after you. He probably knew what you were when he signed you to TruGates.”

  I threw back the tequila shot and placed the glass back onto the table. “Makes sense. I can take out more Lemurians than his crew. And I don’t know why, but that’s probably what he was after since he apparently holds the captured Lemurians. There were a dozen bodies in the secret chamber I found. Do you know what that’s about?”

  Trevor’s face scrunched up. “Secret chamber?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like,” I said. And just as dank and creepy.

  Valerie shook her head. “No. I don’t know, Chelsea.”

  It was worth a shot, especially since Valerie seemed to know a lot about everything lately. “Okay, here’s another question for you, then. One you can answer.”

  “Yes?” she asked.

  “Why help us?”

  “Chelsea,” Trevor warned.

  “No, I want to know,” I said. “You pretended to me my friend—our friend—every day leading up to the hijacking. Then you stood by and watched them take the station and kill Michael, another friend. Then you went and helped Trevor get me burn medicine, and you helped me contact Admiral Dennett. I don’t understand you, Valerie.”

  “I called TAO, too,” she said.

  “Exactly,” I said as I tapped the shot glass on the table. “Why?”

  She sipped her drink before answering. “Because like I told Trevor, I didn’t expect that idiot to take the station, to risk it being destroyed. I knew Thompson would come if we found something—it was me who’d alerted him to the Link Piece cache. I did it all because those were my orders, and those orders used to mean something. But then I found out what was really going on, and you know what? SeaSat5 is worth the price I’m paying for helping you retake the station. SeaSat5 is more important than you know.”

  “Let me guess, you don’t feel like sharing?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I can’t. Some things you need to discover on your own. I’m pointing you in the right direction to find out.”

  “You can’t tell me sounds a lot like you choosing not to.” I ran my hand through my hair. This whole situation was ridiculous as hell. “Do you have any other parting words of wisdom?”

  “Watch out for Dave,” she said. “He knew about me, and knows I’ll help you again if I found out anything about what�
��s going on. I know he gave you the dream to lead you to the station, but just… be careful when you go. If you can find a way to block his powers, do it.”

  Dave had powers, too? Figured. He was way too accepting of just about everything I was and the abilities I had.

  “One more thing,” Valerie said. “I’m doing what I can to round up the other Atlantean soldiers TruGates is hunting. Their numbers are small and they’re spread out. Thought you’d like to know.”

  “How many others are there?”

  There were more people like me out there. Valerie had found them. I wanted to go with her and help, to talk to these people right now. Did they have powers, too? What were the odds they even knew about their ancestry and abilities if I hadn’t for twenty-one years?

  She shook her head. “Not yet. Just know this is what I’m doing to make up for everything I did. I’m trying to sway these super soldiers to our side before Atlantis scoops them up and activates them for their side of the war. And don’t be foolish. War is coming. It all started with SeaSatellite5.”

  Valerie downed the rest of her drink and stood from the table. “I’ve stayed too long and I don’t want to lose this place as a meeting spot. I’ll be around. You’ll hear from me again.”

  I didn’t know what to think about Valerie. She seemed genuine, but I’m not sure I’d ever see her as anyone other than the woman who stood by and watched our friend die.

  But she knew a lot, and maybe she knew about the last thing General Allen had threatened me with, too.

  “Wait,” I said and grabbed for her hand and she walked away. “One more thing.”

  “What?”

  “During his interrogations, General Allen taunted me with mentions of my biological parents. He said the people who raised me aren’t them, and that my parents are out there, somewhere.”

  “Biological parents? He thinks you’re adopted?” Trevor asked.

  I didn’t believe it, either. It was only a taunt. It had to be. Sarah looked just like me, thought like me. No way in hell she wasn’t my sister, but there was also no way in hell she was also Atlantean.

  Valerie’s eyes softened and she bit her lip. She knew. Of course she knew. “I do know what he’s talking about and I will gladly be the person to tell you when the time comes, Chelsea.” She shook her head a little. “This isn’t the time. You need to trust me. You’re risking everything to rescue SeaSatellite5. I know this sucks to hear, but for now, returning the station to our home-time is more important.”

  “This is my family we’re talking about,” I said, my grip on her arm tightening. “My parents. My sister.”

  Valerie nodded, eyes trained on where my hand held her. “I know. I’m sorry, but I won’t tell you now. After you get SeaSatellite5 back, find me. I’ll tell you then. I promise. If you fall off course now, Atlantis will take SeaSat5 and they will win the war. If they do, none of this—nothing—will matter.”

  Valerie pulled her arm out of my grip and disappeared in the crowd.

  Trevor reached across the table for my hand and I drew it back.

  “What if I’m not me?” I asked, my voice small. If I wasn’t a Danning, if my parents, the people who raised me, weren’t Atlantean, what was I? Maybe Valerie was lying. Maybe Valerie didn’t know at all.

  “You’re Chelsea Danning,” Trevor said. “You’re an archaeologist for the U.S. military. The lead singer of Phoenix and Lobster. An amazing, crazy, wildly loyal woman. Besides, family isn’t blood. Family is the people you surround yourself with—the ones who lift you up, who support you, who are always there. You taught me that.”

  My eyes settled on his. I agreed with him.

  But did I believe it?

  helsea pushed open the door to my lab with her feet. Her arms balanced a load of file folders threatening to topple over. She kicked the door shut behind her and adjusted her leaning tower of paperwork so it wouldn’t fall, and set it down on my desk.

  “Well then,” she said, huffing as she plopped into a chair.

  “How are things with Josh and the others?”

  “So much better than I thought, though I’m pretty sure a breakup is on the horizon,” she said. “I mean, really. I basically admitted to knowing exactly how his buddy died, and how I’ve known all along the real danger TruGates has been up against. You’d think he’d at least be visibly pissed.”

  That sat weird with me. I’d be ticked. “He’s not fazed at all?”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that. He’s got that drawn look in his eyes again. I think he understands why I kept things secret, even if he’s pissed I lied. We’ve all got secrets. But the ones you and I keep end up getting people killed.”

  I knew she meant her teammate from TruGates, but Michael’s face flashed across my mind. She blinked rapidly and her brows deepened.

  “That’s not what I meant,” she said.

  “I know.” I paused. “Wait, you saw that?”

  She nodded slowly and crossed her arms at her chest. “Now I can see what you picture in your head, not just what you think. Great.”

  I rubbed the scruff along my jaw line with the back of my hand. I thought hearing her thoughts was bad. “That’s an interesting development.”

  “Or a horrific one,” she mused. “Let’s both keep a clamp on our thoughts, okay? Last thing I need is to see what you’re thinking about.”

  No joke. Especially when I fantasized about punching Josh. I hit the escape key on my computer to wake it up. “I made a model of SeaSatellite5 in the same program we use for the Waterstar map.” A few clicks later I had the rendering on-screen.

  Awe encapsulated her face, making her eyes shine like the first time she saw Mega Rush 2 in action. My chest swelled at her reaction. No one else had ever appreciated or appraised any of my creations like she had. Her interest was like the ultimate compliment and reassurance I’d done something right with my life. Then her eyes grew dark, filling with sadness. “You made this in the twelve hours we’ve been gone?”

  “I may have had this made for a while now.”

  “How long is ‘a while’?” Her eyes bore down on me like my answer meant more than whatever length of time I gave her.

  No point in lying about it. “About two years.”

  She leaned back into her chair as what that meant set in. “You’ve been prepared for this day all along.”

  “It’s got every detail I could remember. Every jammed door, every inoperable system, every broken life-support-affecting gasket is labeled. Everything.”

  “Don’t suppose you’ve built a second shield device, as well?” she asked. “Tell me you have a new Hummingbird console sitting in a storage locker somewhere.”

  When SeaSat5 was taken, most of the systems, including both Hummingbird’s ballast and shield systems, were destroyed or well on their way to helping us be dead in the water. “No. By the time I finished with this, the Waterstar map rendering ate up my time.”

  Chelsea straightened up and stood, walking over to a whiteboard on my wall covered in old notes. She held up the eraser. “Can I?”

  “Go for it.”

  She erased what I’d written months ago, picked up a marker, and divided the whiteboard into three sections. “Which systems were killed when Atlantis took us?” She wrote NON-FUNCTIONING at the top of the first column.

  “Communications was down by the time we landed in their time,” I said. “I sent off the last message to TAO as it was cut off.”

  She wrote down COMM. “Navigations and Analytics was still working.”

  “Fully, I believe.”

  “Well, at least we have that.” Chelsea marked the second column as GOOD TO GO, and wrote NANA beneath it.

  “Hummingbird,” I said. It didn’t need explanation. I joined Chelsea at the whiteboard and did the honor of writing HB underneath the NON-FUNCTIONING column. It may as well have read SHOT TO HELL. Then I labeled a third column as NEEDS REPAIRS. “Life support,” I said as I wrote LF in under the heading. “Shot, but repaira
ble. It’ll take the most time to repair next to Hummingbird, if we decide to attempt that at all.”

  “That’s up to you,” she said. “If you think we can get by without it, we should be okay.”

  “Rotating the station may not be a problem, but we’ll need the shield. If the hull’s damaged at all, we can’t repair it. The shield can act as sort-of hull if normal docking is our only option.”

  It’d also protect us against the Atlanteans from getting inside if I wanted to risk Chelsea and Sophia also not being able to use their powers. My original Hummingbird shield design used electro-magnetic field fluctuations to fool the brain, and it blocked, I thought, Atlanteans and Lemurians from using their powers. It was the same principle that EMF fluctuations could trick people into thinking they were seeing ghosts or being haunted.

  “So we’ll focus our efforts on life support and the shield,” she said.

  “Yeah,” I said. “It should work as long as we can get the Admiral to have Pearl prep both a dry dock and a vertical dock for reentry. Without being able to rotate the station, we have to have both options available, and preferably not in the ocean.” I turned and grabbed a sticky note to write that down. “I’ll tell General Holt that next chance I get.”

  We planned like this for almost an hour before we had all the station’s systems set in one of three columns, with notes on the order in which we’d have to inspect them, and how many people would be needed for each task. Certain things would have to be fixed before we left the Atlanteans’s place-time, namely life support and the shield, but other things could absolutely wait.

  We had just started mapping out where the crew was at the time of the attack when my body suddenly felt light, and my vision came in spurts of blurry and clear. Sometimes a pinpoint of light surrounded by darkness, and other times as bright as a summer’s day.

  “We should break for lunch,” I said, barely able to keep it together. I needed Butch’s medicine. I hadn’t had it in days. And I had to get away from Chelsea. She couldn’t find out about the Waterstar map in my head. Not now, while she’d blame herself for not being there. She had enough on her plate.