When his dad looked up, Seb felt almost as if the small person could see him. Like the digital recording from the past interacted with him at that moment. “I’m sorry for how I was, son. I was petrified and felt like the closer I got to you, the closer I got to revealing the truth about your bloodline. I didn’t want you to live with the burden I have. Even though I could see you both had the gift, I felt it would be less traumatic for you not to know your destiny. It’s been painful to see the disdain you have for me, but please know I was doing what I thought was best for you.”
The air left Seb’s lungs, taking away his ability to speak.
“The bloodline has been so diluted,” Seb’s dad went on, “that only a small amount of it remains within you. You can fight and slow down time. But your ancestors … they could move moons. They could manipulate entire star systems.”
A weakness threatened to take Seb’s legs away from beneath him, so he sat down on the stool by the breakfast bar.
“Davey had other skills to you. He saw the darkness in people. The policeman he killed wasn’t an accident. He didn’t choose to see the man’s filthy secrets, but when he did, he couldn’t cope with someone like that being around. He did the world a favour and kept a lot of child slaves from being taken in by him. But he had to pay the ultimate price to do that. I can see how being in prison—surrounded by degenerates because of the high-security wing they had him in—would have driven him mad. It would drive anyone mad. For that reason, I assume I’m talking to you, Seb.”
Seb nodded as if his dad could see him.
“There’s a darkness spreading through the galaxy,” his dad said. “It’s been growing for a long time, spreading out to every planet it can reach. Soon, it will be ready to rise up and take over. You need to make sure you stop it. Find it before it tightens its grip. You need to cut the head off the organisation. Otherwise, the galaxy will fall to chaos. I hate to put this on you, Seb, but the prophecy is bigger than all of us. It says that when I have one child left, they’ll be forced to rise to the challenge. Almost as if the death of one of you will trigger everything.”
Even being perched on the seat felt like too much at that moment, so Seb gripped the breakfast bar to stop himself falling off.
“Goodbye and good luck, Seb,” the image of his dad said. “I’m sorry I was distant. It was the only way I knew to protect you from the truth. Know that I’ve never stopped loving you.”
Once the image of his dad had faded away, leaving just an empty storage disk behind, Seb slid the device across the work surface in Logan’s direction.
Logan scooped it up and put it in his pocket with the one Seb’s mum had been on. “I need to dispose of these,” the old police officer said.
A look at Logan and Reyes, Seb then rested his elbows on the breakfast bar and his head in his hands. “So it’s all real? The chosen one, the prophecy, the darkness spreading through the galaxy …”
For most of the time she’d stood there, Reyes had said nothing. She remained silent as Logan said, “Yep.”
“I’m not human?”
“No. At least, not entirely human. Your mum was one hundred percent human.”
“That’s why I can slow down time when I fight? Why I can heal people? Why I can hear …” Seb let his next thought trail away. Maybe he couldn’t hear his mum’s voice. Sure, he heard someone’s voice, but the voice he heard sounded so different from the one on the recording he’d just listened to.
Under the watchful eye of Logan and Reyes, Seb went into himself. He’d left them hanging, but they’d deal with it. Mum?
I’m not your mum, Seb.
You’re not?
No.
It suddenly made sense. “My god!” Seb said just as he heard the click of the front door opening. Without thinking, he jumped from the stool, barged past Logan and Reyes, and burst through the kitchen door into the hallway beyond.
Chapter 37
The second Seb stepped into the hallway, he saw her standing with the front door still open, the wind tossing her long blonde hair. She fixed him with her bioluminescent gaze.
For the next few seconds, they said nothing to one another. Then SA spoke. I’ve been following you since you escaped the Shadow Order’s base.
Why didn’t you tell me you were there?
I didn’t think you’d want me to be. You left without asking us to come.
So why did you follow me?
I was worried about you. I wanted to make sure you were okay.
Seb waited because she sounded like she had more.
Instead of speaking, SA walked up the hallway towards him. Slow steps, she damn near floated with her grace.
Seb had to take steadying breaths to hold onto his heartbeat.
When SA got close, she reached both of her hands out to him. He took them.
For a moment, they stared at one another. The ever confident SA looked to be uncertain of herself. She looked scared. Then she leaned forward.
When their lips touched, Seb breathed in, inhaling every moment of their kiss. Hours could have passed and it still would have ended too soon.
After they’d pulled away from one another, Seb continued to hold SA’s hands, his body electric with their connection. I wanted to tell you I loved you when we were on Carstic.
I know, she said. And I wanted to say it back.
But if you can talk to me through our heads, why have you waited until now?
Guilt and shame sat deep in her azure stare. I didn’t feel ready.
Why?
Can I tell you another time?
A pang twisted through Seb’s chest to hear her say that. To know of the suffering she kept inside. Today had already been too much for him. He nodded. Of course.
And please don’t tell the others what I can do. I’m not ready for that.
Logan knows.
Will he keep it to himself?
Seb nodded. I’ll ask him to.
The sound of shuffling feet at the end of the corridor pulled Seb’s attention behind him. He looked around to see Logan and Reyes staring at them both.
Because they startled him, Seb nearly let go of SA’s hands, but he didn’t have to hide it anymore. She knew how he felt and she felt the same way. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. To cover up that SA’s voice had pulled him out of the kitchen, Seb said, “I heard the front door open.”
Neither Reyes nor Logan replied.
Then to Logan, he said, “Is that everything from my mum and dad?”
Logan nodded. “Yes. You’re on your own now, son.”
When the tall frant called him son, it took him back to the image of his father. After a moment to centre himself, Seb then looked at Reyes before turning back to SA. “We need to get back to Aloo. I need to find out where that parasite came from. Dad says I have to stop the darkness in the galaxy. I don’t know where else to start but there.”
“I’ll get you to the spaceport,” Logan said. “Will you be able to get away from there?”
The card Owsk had given Seb remained in his back pocket. He felt its outline through the fabric of his trousers and nodded. “Yes. I think we’ll be okay,” and then he added, “for now.”
Chapter 38
Seb knew they’d be there because they’d contacted them from Danu, but when he stepped off the ship they’d hitched a ride on, holding hands with SA while Reyes walked out behind them, his grin stretched all the way across his face to see Sparks and Bruke standing amongst the chaos of Aloo’s busy spaceport.
It made Seb’s smile broaden to watch Sparks look at their held hands. The slightest rise of one of her eyebrows, a glowing warmth then shone in her eyes before she looked back down at her small computer.
She didn’t look surprised, SA said.
Seb squeezed her hand in response. I think I’ve always made it obvious how I feel about you. Especially to Sparks.
SA squeezed his hand back.
The sound of Bruke’s excited squeal momentarily silence
d the hustle and bustle in his close proximity. Several passers-by looked at him. “What?” he said before charging full tilt at Seb and SA.
SA jumped aside to let Bruke clatter into Seb without slowing down. It sent both of them flying backwards and flipped Seb’s world into slow motion.
Despite being shorter than him, the broad creature weighed easily twice what Seb did. So when they connected with the ground—Seb first—fire ran through his shoulder blades from taking the impact of the fall.
Their clumsiness had scattered a group of jinds, who clicked and whistled their distaste at the pair, but Bruke didn’t seem to notice or care. Pure joy as he pulled his head back and looked from one of Seb’s eyes to the other. “I’ve been so worried about you.”
Despite the pain in his back, Seb laughed as the heavy lizard creature climbed off him. “You didn’t realise you’d be meeting us here?”
“I thought Reyes wanted our help tracking you down. That’s what she told us on the radio. Although I had no intention of turning you over to Moses.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Reyes. “Like she plans to do.”
Another warm smile as he sat up, Seb said, “I know. I’ve never doubted you, my friend. And don’t worry about Reyes; everything’s not as it seems.” This time Seb looked at Sparks. It took a few seconds for her to look up from her screen. When she did, he nodded at her.
Bruke’s head moved so quickly from where he looked between Seb and Sparks that it almost turned into a blur. Then he gasped and pointed a thick accusatory finger at the small Thrystian. “You knew?”
Sparks shrugged and returned her attention back to her mini-computer, a frown of concentration crushing her brow.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Bruke said.
Although Sparks looked down, she still answered him. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to keep it in. You can be impulsive sometimes.”
As much as Bruke looked like he wanted to take offence, he simply shrugged. He then held a hand towards Seb to help him stand up.
After Seb had gotten to his feet, he watched Bruke stare at Reyes again. “Well done,” he finally said. “You had me fooled. Hopefully Moses fell for it too.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” Seb said. “I can’t believe Moses will have sent you two out without some kind of—”
A buzz of electricity sounded out and a fireball lit up in the sky about three metres away from them. A doughnut of black smoke lifted into the air away from the vessel while the charred husk of a spherical metal drone fell to the ground with a clang.
Every being in the spaceport seemed to stop what they were doing and looked at the fallen surveillance robot. Sparks addressed the others in a low voice. “I saw it coming and wanted to make sure I got it before it saw us.”
“And did you get it early enough?” Seb said.
A look at the beings around them, Sparks raised an eyebrow at Seb. The gathered crowd were now listening to their conversation. The slightest nod, Sparks dropped her tone and stepped close so only he could hear her. “Yes, and I think it’s best we get out of here now.”
“Good idea,” Seb said and led them away from the watchful crowd.
Chapter 39
Seb led the group away from the curious crowd and over to the docks. They needed to get the information from Buster and leave Aloo as soon as they could. The longer they stayed, the more chance they had of alerting Moses to their presence—if Reyes hadn’t already done that. But he wouldn’t let his paranoia get the better of him. She’d given him her word; he had to trust it until he had evidence to the contrary.
Do you think she’s told him? SA said as they stepped out of the walkway between the ships, entering the docks.
Can you read my thoughts even when I don’t want you to?
I saw the way you were looking at her. I’m worried about the same thing. If Moses was prepared to send a Godzilla of a mech to Danu, what would he send to catch us while we’re here? A whole fleet of them?
After he’d looked at SA for a few seconds, Seb said, Do you think I’m wrong to trust her?
No. I trust her too. I just think we need to keep our guard raised.
Instead of responding, Seb focused on the chain-link fence with the gate leading to the warehouse. After being on Danu, the wind coming from Aloo’s seas felt like a summer breeze. Despite the taste of salt, it ran a cleansing blast through him, which he pulled deeply into his lungs.
When the group got closer to the fence, the nine-foot-tall mandulu with a gun appeared. It still had lumps and bruises on its face, the swelling around its eye now mustard colour from where he’d started to heal.
A few metres separated them, so Seb raised his voice to be sure the beast heard him. “You look to be on the mend.”
But the creature didn’t respond to Seb’s words. Instead, he looked SA, Sparks, Bruke, and Reyes up and down. “Who are these beings?”
“They’re with me.”
“That doesn’t answer my question. What, you think you’re some kind of VIP here? Like you have special privileges? You’re one wrong step away from being dropped into the sea.”
After rolling his eyes at the others, Seb turned back to the mandulu. “Look, the boss man called me. I have a meeting with him and these are my friends. I understand you’re annoyed because I bitch-slapped you, but you need to deal with it and let your ego go. It’s preventing you from doing your job.”
The broken tusks on the mandulu’s face worked up and down as it ground its jaw. A shake of its head, it said, “I can’t let you in.”
“Are padlocks beyond your IQ level or something?”
Watch it, Seb, SA said to him. We don’t have many other options than this.
Seb pressed his lips tightly shut. She had a point. He smiled at the mandulu. An awkward few seconds passed before the brute shot air through his nose and walked away from the gate, back towards the warehouse.
It only took a few minutes for the mandulu to return. If he’d had a tail, it would have been between his legs at that moment. Whatever Buster had said to him, it worked. The creature stared at the ground while it undid the gate. The entire fence rattled with its aggressive actions. It then pulled the gate wide, stepped aside, and continued to avoid eye contact.
Seb led the way through the opening and patted the beast on the shoulder on his way past. The creature let out a low grumble of a growl. Such a brute, the deep bass note of his displeasure rolled like an industrial generator.
The last two times Seb had visited the warehouse, he’d come around the corner to find Buster wrapping some creature in chains and dropping them into the sea. Tense in anticipation of seeing it again, he relaxed a little to find the space clear. He led the group over to Buster’s office.
When Seb knocked on the flimsy door, the entire thing wobbled beneath his hard contact.
“Come in.”
Seb entered first and his crew followed him. He handed back the phone Buster had given him and dipped a nod at the lizard creature. “Thank you.”
“You haven’t heard what I have to say yet.” For a moment, Buster looked at the rest of them, frowning hostility in their direction.
While Buster checked them out, Seb looked at the metal frame. Still covered with a blanket, he didn’t need to see it again to know what it represented. The first time he’d been compromised in a while, Buster had well and truly gotten the better of him. A reminder that he could do it again if he needed to.
Buster then threw the dead grub through the air and Seb caught the hard little thing. “The gene farm’s on Earth.”
“Earth?” Seb said and looked at the others with him. “I thought Earth had been uninhabitable for decades now?”
Mistrust shone from Buster’s yellow eyes as he looked at Seb’s party again. “Not anymore.”
“Earth’s forever away.”
Raised eyebrows showed that Buster wanted to say it wasn’t his problem. He kept it in.
“How do the gene farms even work?” Reyes said.
“They create creatures that can be used in warfare.”
The others moved in closer to listen, but Seb continued the conversation. “So we’re about to go into a complex full of weaponised beings marching to the beat of their creator’s drum? A complex that’s bloody light years away.”
“Yep. From what I can ascertain, these grubs—like many of the created beings—are made and licensed to just one person. They probably created one queen, which they dropped on Carstic and let the rest of them move out and multiply.”
Not really sure where Buster was going, Seb stared at him.
“What I’m trying to say is you won’t have to face these parasites again, because they’ve probably all been killed since you killed their queen. And—”
“They should be easy to trace because one person bought the licence for them,” Bruke said.
Everyone in the dingy office turned to look at the large scaled creature. Buster broke the silence. “Not necessarily easy, but very possible.”
“Okay.” This time Seb turned to the others and spoke to them instead of Buster. “So we need to head to Earth and find this gene farm.”
When Buster spoke, Seb spun back around to face him. “It’s in one of the major cities. The place is called London and it’s on an island called the United Kingdom. The farm’s huge, so when you get close, you should see it from the air quite easily.”
A nod, Seb said, “Thank you. That gives us somewhere to start.”
The Shadow Order - Books 1 - 8 + 120 Seconds (The complete series): A Space Opera Page 90