by Jessica Gunn
Where do I even start?
“I’m worried TruGates might make a play for SeaSatellite5,” I said. “I… I’m not sure what they’d have to gain from it since they don’t have a super soldier to use any Link Pieces we have, and they’ve been killing as many Lemurians as Atlanteans, so it’s not like they don’t have one of them to time travel, either. And it’s not like anyone other than General Allen knows that they’re all basically working for the White City, but…”
“It’s enough to warrant a contingency plan,” Captain Marks finished for me.
The White City—another “lost” civilization to add alongside Atlantis and Lemuria—seemed to be the first to figure out time travel. That was all we knew, other than General Allen’s plan included using TruGates as a cover to hunt Lemurians and Atlantean super soldiers on the White City’s behalf. Dave had apparently been one of them, a double agent sent to keep an eye on the SeaSat5 Link Piece. If General Allen was any indication as to the nature of the White City as a whole, they were dangerous, smart, and not to be trusted. Especially if they hunted Lemurians and Atlanteans without prejudice.
I nodded, returning my thoughts to the present. “Exactly. Thompson’s rag-tag group was able to take this station in seconds and hold it for twenty-four hours. Even though you’ll have me at full power, and even though Sophia is only a call away, and even if Trevor’s shield works the way it’s supposed to, I don’t think it’ll take much for TruGates or the White City to seize the station. And it sure as hell won’t be anything short of a blood bath.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if—”
“Yes, Captain,” I interrupted. “They will. If General Allen wants it to happen, it will. It may not be Weyland and Josh’s team. It may not be anyone we know. But if General Allen wants the station, if the White City backs him, they will come. And we need to be ready for it.”
He leaned back in his chair with the weight of my words. I was one-hundred-percent sure Josh wouldn’t come after us, and Weyland wouldn’t let it happen even if Josh did. But I no longer trusted either of them. Josh had looked me right in the eyes when he’d drugged me, and though I saw sorrow and remorse swimming in his brown irises, he’d made no move to help me. And Weyland…
Weyland could have asked for help if they’d been coerced. He knew a thousand and one ways to get in touch with me, Trevor, and all of SeaSat5 if he was under duress. He hadn’t used a single one.
So, whether they were complicit or not, Weyland and the TruGates team stood against SeaSat5. Which meant they stood against me, simple as that. I couldn’t afford gray anymore. Until this war ended, only black and white existed.
“What are you suggesting?” Captain Marks asked. “I’m assuming you have a plan in mind or you wouldn’t have told me this.”
“I have an idea. It’ll take some work, though, and an overhaul of a section of Engineering.”
He looked almost pained at the thought of the paperwork involved. “Overhaul?”
“I want to make a panic room, one only a handful of people know about. It won’t be detectable to sensors or able to hold more than three people. Long-term survival won’t be the goal.”
When Captain Marks didn’t immediately call the idea stupid, I continued, “We only let the senior staff know about it. If they can’t get to it in an emergency it’s useless anyway. We arm it with minimal firepower, keep its system off the grid and secure from the rest of the station, and we give it a direct line to the Admiral. In addition, I have a few other ideas that will add more security in general, especially in the event of another hijacking attempt. It’ll give us the chance to regroup and maybe even retake the station if we have to, without relying on someone from the outside realizing we’re in distress and without waiting for them to get here.”
Captain Marks didn’t comment, only stared at me for a few long moments. I could see the wheels turning in his eyes. “You want to build a new room in the middle of the station, and expect people not to notice? Do you believe this is necessary?”
I leveled him with a look, something I normally wouldn’t have done. He needed to understand how serious I was about this—how scared I was that what happened two years ago would happen all over again. Except instead of Dave and Valerie leading the charge, it’d be General Allen, someone I knew would do whatever it took to achieve his goals, human collateral damage be damned.
Or, worst case scenario, it’d be the White City itself. That was the scariest of all, because we didn’t know what kind of abilities they had or how powerful they were. And if they lived somewhere in a future place-time, they might have the technology to override anything we do to secure this station from the Atlanteans.
The Captain nodded, a pensive curl to his brow. Even if the White City didn’t make a move for SeaSat5, war was coming. If nothing else, the Atlanteans wanted revenge for us taking back the station, and right now, the only thing standing in between them and SeaSatellite5 was a cruddy shield, two Atlantean super soldiers, and a few missiles.
Captain Marks released a slow breath and nodded. “I think you’re right. What do you need to make things work?”
I sat up straighter. So, he was not only going to let me do this, but actually let me run point too? A chill of determination slipped down my spine. I couldn’t screw this up. I owed it to him, to all of SeaSat5. “I’ll need some engineers, for starters. I was looking at the specs of Engineering Deck 2, and there’s a space we can work with, but I can’t solder worth a damn.”
“Take Trevor,” Captain Marks said. “Let him in on this and he can get you who you’ll need. Let’s keep it small, as you suggested. Once it’s built, we’ll let any of the senior crew who don’t already know in on it. Until then, keep me posted with your progress.” His gaze held fast. “This is your project, Chelsea. I know war is imminent, and while the Navy might have other plans up their sleeves, SeaSatellite5 is my priority. We’ve got good people. I’ve got you. So let’s make this work.”
I nodded once. “I won’t let you down, sir.”
It wasn’t that I thought the Captain wouldn’t let me create a new room on a well-trafficked engineering deck. I guess I hadn’t actually expected him to let me run the project myself. We both knew I wasn’t a builder; I was much better at destroying. Relationships, walls, band equipment—you name it, I’d probably wrecked it over the past two and a half years. But, as I rode the Lift from one end of SeaSat5 to the other, I was determined that I could do this.
I hadn’t seen Trevor much since the ceremony and reception. Most of my time not spent overhauling the archaeology department with Dr. Gordon was used learning how to control my new power of telekinesis and not hurt anyone. I’d done a number on that Atlantean soldier during the rescue of SeaSat5. With every punch, my telekinesis had crushed his body into the hull. If Trevor and Sophia hadn’t pulled me out of my blind rage, the Atlantean soldier might have turned into an Atlantean pancake, flattened on SeaSat5’s hull and oozing everywhere.
My stomach churned at the memory.
Thankfully, they had pulled me off of him, and since that day, I’d gained some measure of control. Well, as long as I didn’t get too over-emotional which, given the state in which Trevor had found me on Castle Island and the reasons for that state, meant it happened more than I liked. That I didn’t lose my mind at the ceremony was an answered prayer.
Telekinesis, teleporting, control of water, fast healing, and an uncanny ability to fight off toxins and drink more tequila than all the men of SeaSat5 combined… All of these worked together to make me a weapon, a human armament for the Atlanteans to use in their war against Lemuria. But that was thousands of years ago when the city had still existed and before the Lemurians had convinced Athens to attack it.
Nowadays, we genetically engineered Atlantean super soldiers stood few and far between—but not nearly as rare as I’d thought. Valerie had said there were more of us out there, that she was trying to round them up and keep them out of range of Atlantis and the Wh
ite City, to keep us from fighting a war we had no say in being a part of. But Valerie had disappeared again before we’d rescued SeaSat5, and now not even Trevor knew where she was or how she was faring with her quest.
Figures. That was Valerie for you.
The Lift bell dinged and the doors opened. Engineers and other crew members piled out in a sea of yellow and red uniforms. My own was snug against my body. Even still, a chill cut through me as I rounded the corner to the main engineering office area. Something didn’t feel right, but then, I was paranoid about everything these days.
I stepped over the threshold into an office filled with engineers, some sitting at their desks and some tossing paper balls back and forth across the open floor-plan area. Trevor wasn’t among them, but standing behind his desk at the back.
Oh god. I froze at the doorway, though no one paid me any mind. Trevor’s focus lay on the tablet in front of him, an angry scowl across his face. He muttered something I couldn’t hear but the way his lips moved—fast, as if he wasn’t speaking full words—made it clear this probably wasn’t the best time to add something else to his plate.
Besides, this was a terrible idea. Securing SeaSat5 in every way possible was a top priority no matter how we all looked at it, but working with Trevor in close quarters for the next couple of weeks? Not that I could get around involving him. This station was Trevor’s brain-baby, or at least Humming Bird was, and he knew it better than anyone. He was also the civilian head of Engineering, so it wasn’t like I could take away a handful of his staff without giving him a reason why.
Still… maybe I didn’t have to ask him about it today. Or at least not right now while he was busy. I’d talk to Freddy first, then Trevor later. Yes, that was a much better plan. My boots made a quick beat against the metal floor as I hurried away.
Footsteps quicker than mine slapped against the ground, echoing down the hallway.
“Chelsea! Hey, wait up!”
I spun to find Trevor stop a few feet away from me. Couldn’t just let me be?
“Okay,” he said, referring to my thoughts, as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “Snarky this morning. What’s up?”
“Yeah, sorry,” I said, waving it off. “Long morning.”
“Did you have a training session with Dr. Gordon?” he asked, nodding like he, too, had had a long morning.
“Yeah.” I lifted my hand and wiggled my fingers. “It’s getting easier, but it’s still a learning process.” Translation: I’m still terrified of accidentally hurting someone with this thing.
“You’ll get it,” he said with a smile. “I know you will. You’ve come this far already, what’s another power to add to the mix?”
An uneasy brick slid between us. He was the very person who hated powers, so adding another one to me was not something he’d accept, not anymore. Back when I’d first boarded SeaSat5, he’d helped me with my teleportation and control of water. He was the reason I was able to learn them both so quickly. But ever since the Atlanteans had stolen SeaSat5, ever since I’d used pills to break the barrier between my toxin resistance and alcohol, he’d been wary.
Besides, Trevor had been totally averse to abilities ever since he’d gained a “power” himself: our telepathy.
I smiled back at him, but it was small and unsure. “I hope so.”
Silence filled the air, a break in words and thoughts. It wasn’t that I always heard his thoughts, because I didn’t. I did, however, feel his company constantly, like an ever-present lighthouse on a foggy New England coast. He felt like my shadow, always there, sometimes out of direct sight, but never far from reach.
Trevor thumbed over his shoulder. “I saw you come into Engineering. What brings you down here?”
I can’t want to see you? Things had been so good at the ceremony reception (before it all went kind of bad, at least). I bit the inside of my cheek.
“I, uh…” I couldn’t talk to him right now. The air around us seemed to thin out. Breathing became hard, and soon it’d be impossible. Especially if he kept looking at me with those brilliant blue eyes, all rounding with concern. Dammit Chelsea, get it together. It’s Trevor.
“Yeah?” Trevor prompted.
“I have to talk to you about something, but it can wait.” I pointed over my shoulder toward the Lift. “You’re busy. I’ll talk to Freddy first, figure out some logistics, and then come back to you.” I turned halfway around. “It’ll probably be easier that way, anyway.” I’d take anything, any out, to not have to talk to him right now. Not because I hated him or hated myself for making this awkward, but solely because I was one chicken-shit person. Especially, and always, when it came to Trevor, in one way or another.
His lips pressed into a hard line and he frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Why are you lying? he asked in his thoughts, probably not wanting me to hear it.
Fine, he wanted the truth? Then I’d give it to him. Or, a version of it. Because in no way was I admitting that on far too often an occasion I thought of Trevor and me, and the way everything used to be before we found that stupid-as-hell outpost.
I sucked in a steadying breath and squared my shoulders. “What’s wrong is we’ve got a war on the horizon and we’re standing in the middle of the grand prize. We need to secure it and I’ve worked out another way to do that. Let me talk to Freddy first, then I’ll come back and let you in on the plan.”
Trevor’s jaw worked. He knew my words were true, but also that I was hiding what was actually upsetting me with them. Damn him for being able to read me without telepathy. He always could.
“What’s your plan?” he asked.
“In time. Freddy first. I’ll swing by again after lunch.” I pressed a hand to my stomach. “I’m starving anyway. I’ll see you in a few hours, Trevor.”
I waved over my shoulder as I retreated to the Lift.
4
Trevor
Hours had passed since I’d watched Chelsea go, but I still couldn’t bring myself to call or visit her office to find out what she’d come down here for. On the upside, Humming Bird was back to tip-top shape, so tonight, at least, I could rest easy.
There’d been a lot of requests for a new Mega Rush game, but the thought of even beginning that task stressed me out. So much had changed since those carefree early days on SeaSatellite5, where we’d all play video games on our downtime or go to the gym or hang out in the Lounge. Life simply wasn’t like that anymore, not with the war hanging over our heads.
Besides, the last time I’d even touched a Mega Rush game had been to contact Valerie and get help. Every time I thought about the games now, I couldn’t get her out of my head. She’d disappeared before the rescue mission and I hadn’t really heard from her, in person, since. Every now and then, a small bag filled with more of Butch’s anti-Waterstar map medicine would show up on my bed or somewhere else in my quarters. With Butch dead, Valerie must have learned how to make the medicine in Butch’s absence.
Either way, I was grateful for Valerie’s hidden visits, even if I didn’t see her. At least I knew she was relatively safe. Despite all that had happened between us, she was still my oldest friend and I worried about her. She’d gotten deep in it during SeaSat5’s two-year absence, and I got the feeling I’d only scratched the surface of her adventures.
“Hey.”
I looked up from my desk to find Freddy half-leaning against one wall of my cubicle. The Navigations and Analytics officer rarely came down to Engineering unless something was wrong with NANA.
“Hey,” I said. “What’s up?”
He thumbed over his shoulder in the direction of the door. “Are you coming or what? You’re already late. Captain Marks sent me to get you.”
I glanced down at my radio. Three missed calls. I must have silenced it in my frustrations earlier. My eyebrows scrunched together. “Late for what?”
“The meeting.” He looked around him with narrowed eyes. “The one Chelsea told people about.”
I tilted
my head. He must mean the one Chelsea decided not to tell me about when she’d walked away earlier. I stood from my desk and grabbed my tablet and water. “Sorry, I must have lost track of time.” Throwing Chelsea under the bus, thereby making the situation more awkward than it already was, wouldn’t do anyone any good. She must have forgotten to come back and tell me.
Freddy clapped me on the back as we made our way out of Engineering. “Don’t worry, man. We’re all late sometimes.”
Right.
I couldn’t keep the Thanks for telling me thought out of my head as we entered a meeting room on the Science Decks. Chelsea stood at the far end, talking to Captain Marks in front of a whiteboard. She inclined her head my way and offered a frown, but nothing else. Not even an apologetic thought. She really must have forgotten.
Sometimes I wished we’d never gained telepathy at all. It’d been my fault. If I hadn’t been so adamant on finishing Germay’s Altern Device puzzle, we wouldn’t have been connected long enough for the system to misfire and grant us telepathy.
But what did that matter now? It wasn’t worth it to dwell on what might or might not have happened. Especially since that was what had gotten us into this mess in the first place.
I claimed a seat on the other side of the large table. Only a few others stood in attendance, which was fine, but it was the make-up of the eight-person group that struck me as weird.
“Are we ready to get started?” Captain Marks asked the room.
“Yeah,” Chelsea declared for all of us. She nodded to Freddy to shut the door, and he did before sitting next to me.
Captain Marks didn’t move to the center of the room like you’d expect if he addressed his officers, but rather stayed off to the side, still standing. “What we talk about today doesn’t leave this room. No one except Commander Devins knows we’re even in here. He’d have attended if I didn’t need someone to run the Bridge in our absence.”