“Yeah,” Blue said. “They are.” He snapped his fingers in front of Jazen’s face. “Hey, loverboy, wake up. There’s people here.”
“Hnh?” Jazen said, his head snapping around. “Oh. Sorry,” he said with a mischievous grin. Virtua’s projection turned a subtle shade of red. It was a digital blush.
Jack held his hands up and shook his head with a mystified smile. “What gives? You’re going out with Virtua and you don’t say anything?”
“It was no big secret,” Jazen said. “There just wasn’t any good time to bring it up. I seem to remember us being kind of busy the last few days, don’t you?”
Jack looked at Jazen and cocked his head sideways. “I guess you’ve got me there.” He turned toward Virtua. “Now I understand why you were willing to go to war with Hightown over this guy.”
Jazen smiled. “In the middle of a Rüstov invasion no less.”
Virtua’s eyes twinkled. “The things I do for love.”
“Jazen, you dog,” said Roka, who was sitting below the sphere, next to Stendeval. He clapped his hands together and laughed out loud. “I’m happy for you.” He offered Jazen his hand and gave a slight bow to the Lady Virtua. “For both of you. Don’t let anything come in between you two, or you’ll regret it. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about.”
“He’s right,” Hovarth said as he and Skerren entered the shadow of the sphere. “There’s nothing more important than our family and loved ones. We’re going to miss ours forever, just like all of the people here.”
Jack looked out at the sea of mourners and white candles. Hovarth’s words were something that every soul in Empire City could relate to. “We’re lucky we didn’t lose more,” Jack said.
“There you go again,” Blue told Jack. “It wasn’t luck. It was you. You’re the reason we’re all here tonight, Jack.”
Something about the way Blue said that seemed funny.
“I’m afraid we haven’t been entirely honest with you,” Stendeval explained. “You’re not one of the heroes being honored here tonight. You’re it.”
“What?” Jack said. He looked out at the crowd of people holding a candlelight vigil. “What about the people we lost?”
“The only living hero,” Jazen clarified. “Like I said, you’ve earned it. We didn’t defeat the Rüstov by accident. You won this war for us, Jack. You did it.”
Jack was trying to figure out what to say when Allegra, Trea, Lorem, and Zhi all arrived together. “You didn’t tell him yet, did you?” Allegra asked. “Did we miss it?”
“They told me,” Jack said. He shook his head and laughed, resigning himself at last to stand on the pedestal that his friends, and all of Empire City, seemed determined to put him on. He realized that for the first time, he didn’t have to feel guilty about accepting their praise, or worry about their reaction to something he had yet to tell them. He wasn’t hiding anything anymore. He was surrounded by friends, and his future was wide open. Nothing could have dampened his spirits at that moment.
Nothing except Jonas Smart.
“Hello, Jack,” the former Circleman said. Jack tensed up when he heard his voice.
“Look who’s here,” Jazen said, moving to Jack’s side. “Come to pay your respects with the rest of us, Smart?”
Smart rolled his eyes. “I’m not staying. This ceremony is a travesty.”
Jack scrunched up his face. He couldn’t believe Smart still had it in for him, even now that the Rüstov were all gone. His friends all started talking at once, reproaching Smart for his total lack of respect. Blue looked like he wanted to let his fists do the talking. “Care to explain yourself, Smart guy?”
“I deserve just as much credit as Jack for this victory,” Smart said, raising his voice to be heard over the group. “It was my SmarterNet that phased the Rüstov fleet and my nullifier that held back the Rüstov prince. I came here to give Jack the opportunity to do the right thing. To go out there and tell those people how we really won this war. You didn’t beat the Rüstov by yourself.”
Jack smirked at Smart. “I never said I did. You’re right, Smart. Someone did help me. His name was Revile.”
“Revile! Now, see here—”
“He laid down his life to save mine. If it were up to you, I would have been killed years ago. Revile’s sacrifice is the reason I was able to figure out how to beat the Rüstov infection. That’s how we won this war. You nearly cost us everything. You underestimated me, Smart. All you ever saw was the Rüstov. It’s no surprise that you of all people didn’t factor in what was in my heart.”
Smart stood there chewing the inside of his cheek as Jack chewed him out. Jack could tell he was getting to him. Smart was doing his best not to show it, but Jack figured Smart had to know that everything he was saying was true. “I want you to know I apologize for nothing,” Smart said. “I was only doing what I thought was right. What I thought was necessary to protect the Imagine Nation.”
“Nothing personal, right?” Jack asked.
“Exactly,” Smart replied. He and Jack eyed each other with an equal amount of contempt. There was no love lost between them, and never would be. “I have something for you,” Smart said as he used his pocket holo-computer to generate a piece of SmartPaper. “Enjoy.” Smart handed the paper to Jack and disappeared into the crowd.
Jack looked at the paper and gritted his teeth. Smart’s parting shot had found its mark.
“What is it?” Allegra asked.
Jack held up the paper. “It’s a backup copy of my history file. Conclusive DNA proof that I’m part of the Noteworthy family.”
Allegra stretched over to Jack’s side. “Are you sure it’s real?”
Jack nodded. “It’s real. He’s getting in one last dig at me, doing the right thing and telling the truth about my family, but only because he knows it won’t make me happy. Have a look.” He held up the record for Allegra to read. “You almost gotta respect the man’s commitment to being an evil genius.”
“Evil?” a voice called out. “Surely it’s not evil to reunite a father with his son.”
Jack looked across the plaza and saw Clarkston Noteworthy standing beneath the sphere.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” said Solomon Roka.
Stendeval shushed Roka as Noteworthy came forward. The Circleman of Hightown looked humble. Contrite. “Too many families have been ripped apart by the Rüstov already, Jack. They may be gone, but if we let them add ours to the list, they still win.”
Jack couldn’t believe that Noteworthy was here. He looked around at his friends. They were all wide-eyed and silent. Other than Roka, it seemed none of them wanted to inject their opinion into a family matter. A family matter. The words felt all wrong to Jack. Jack squeezed Allegra’s hand and let it go before taking a step toward the man he now knew to be his father. “Is that what we are now?” he asked. “A family?”
“You’re a Noteworthy, Jack. That sheet of paper in your hand is proof.”
Jack gripped the paper tight. “Sounds to me like someone’s getting a jump on next year’s election campaign.”
Noteworthy took a breath. He put on a wounded look. “I deserve that. It’s true. For a long time—too long, in fact—I couldn’t see past that mark on your eye, but I see the truth now.”
“And what’s that?”
Noteworthy reached out a hand to Jack. “You’re my son, Jack. You were always my son.”
Jack recoiled from Noteworthy’s touch. “But you were never my father. Where were you all this time? Every time Smart went after me . . . every time I needed someone to stand up for me, where were you? Where was the head of one of ‘the most respected families in Empire City’?” Noteworthy said nothing. “Did you suspect I was your son when I first got here?” Jack asked him.
“No!” Noteworthy said instantly. Jack gave him a skeptical look. “I may have thought there was a remote possibility, but—”
“But you didn’t want to risk associating yourself with a Rüstov spy. An i
nfected boy raised in the real world with a stain on his reputation that could never be washed off. Remember that?” Noteworthy clammed up. A year ago, Noteworthy had said those words about Jack in the Inner Circle’s sphere. He had said them to his face. Jack had no intention of letting him play the doting father now.
“It’s different now, Jack,” Noteworthy said. “Now I know the truth. And you’ve defeated the Rüstov—you’re a hero! We can write the next great chapter in the Noteworthy book, you and I. We can do it as a family.”
Noteworthy offered his hand once more, pleading with Jack to take it. As Jack looked at his father’s hand, he thought about what Hovarth had said. How nothing was more important than family. The more Jack thought about it, the more he was inclined to agree. The problem was, Noteworthy didn’t know the first thing about family. The Magus was a better father to his son than Noteworthy ever was to Jack.
“I already have a family,” Jack said. “You’ve met them. It’s made up of people who were there for me. People who backed me up when no one else would.” Jack motioned to his friends. “You can keep the Noteworthy family name, Dad. My name is Jack Blank.”
Jack turned away, not because he wanted to put his back to Noteworthy, but because he had a tear in his eye that he didn’t want the man to see. Skerren saw it and so did Allegra. Skerren put a hand on Jack’s shoulder and Allegra gave him a hug, shielding him as Noteworthy shrank away. “It’s all right,” Jack said, tossing his Smart-Paper history file aside. “I’m fine.”
“No, Jack, it’s not all right,” Stendeval said, picking up the file. “You deserve better than this.”
Jack wiped his eye and looked at Stendeval. “What do you mean?”
Stendeval examined Jack’s history file. “As I understand it, this piece of SmartPaper verifies you to be a Noteworthy, as confirmed by a positive DNA match.”
Jack leaned forward, impatient for Stendeval to get to his point. “I know. That’s the problem. It doesn’t matter what I deserve. Blood doesn’t lie.”
Picking up on Jack’s mood, Stendeval sped up his explanation. “No it doesn’t. You’re right about that. But if you’re not satisfied with what this file is telling you about your blood, you need to ask it better questions. You need to get more specific.”
Jack looked at Stendeval as if he were a death row inmate hoping for a pardon from the governor. Stendeval held up the paper one more time, looked at it in the light, and then handed it back to Jack. “I think you’ll find this file confirms you are a match for Noteworthy family DNA, not Clarkston Noteworthy’s DNA in particular.”
Jack scanned the file again, looking at it like a child looks at a new toy. Stendeval was right. He’d just assumed the match meant Noteworthy was his dad, but there was no conclusive proof of that.
“I don’t understand,” Midknight said. “If Clarkston isn’t Jack’s father, who is?”
“I can answer that,” Hypnova said, stepping out of the crowd.
“Hypnova,” Oblivia called out from across the square. She shook her head slowly, warning Hypnova to remain silent. “Secreteers do not share secrets.”
“I know,” Hypnova replied. “But since you expelled me from the order, I’m free to say whatever I want.” She turned to address the crowd. “Jack’s father is Clarkston’s brother. The black sheep of the family, one Solomon Noteworthy. Or as he is known today . . . Solomon Roka.”
Roka’s head snapped up. “What?”
“What?” Jack said at the same time, spinning around to look at Roka. They locked eyes in a shocked stare, then both looked over to Hypnova, along with everyone else present below the sphere. Jack couldn’t believe his ears. Roka is a Noteworthy? And my father too? How is that even possible? Why didn’t he say something sooner?
Roka got right in Hypnova’s face. “What is this? More Secreteer tricks?”
Hypnova put a hand up in a silent plea for patience. “I told you, I’m no Secreteer.”
Roka balled up his fists. “You better tell me everything. Now.”
Hypnova looked Roka right in the eyes. “Long ago, you were in love with a member of the Clandestine Order. The Secreteers disapproved of your relationship and tried to make you forget her, but they couldn’t do it. You loved her too much.”
“I know all that,” Roka said. “I told you, I remember Rasa. What about the rest? I’m no Noteworthy. I know who I am!”
“No, Solomon, you don’t.” Hypnova lowered her lips down to her palm and blew. A puff of purple powder went up into Roka’s face. The tiny cloud hit him like a prizefighter’s punch and he stumbled backward coughing. A sound that was equal parts surprise and concern ran through the crowd, but Roka caught his balance. He pressed his fingers to his temples and hunched over, rubbing his head.
Jack reached out a hand toward Roka. Hypnova turned to speak to him while Roka recovered. “Since Solomon could not be made to forget Rasa, the matriarch of our order decided to make him forget himself. She made everybody forget him. She gave him a new identity and sent him off into space alone. Sadly, your mother was lost in the first Rüstov invasion, Jack. Your father never knew about the son he left behind.”
Roka stood up straight and looked around with wonder in his eyes. Hypnova had given him his memory back. His awestruck expression quickly turned to anger as he lowered his gaze on Oblivia. “You monsters,” he said. “How could you do this to me? To us?”
Oblivia’s face betrayed no emotion. “You left me no choice. A Secreteer’s duty is sacred. Our lives are pledged to the order. There can be nothing that distracts from that. Nothing.”
“You could have let her go,” Hypnova told Oblivia. “I don’t remember you going to such lengths to keep me in the fold.”
“Rasa was different,” Oblivia said, dismissing Hypnova. “We hoped she would one day take my place as matriarch of our order. She was special.”
“Finally, we agree on something,” Roka said. “She was special. And now she’s gone.”
The head Secreteer’s expression softened slightly and she looked away. “I will say this. At the time you were . . . sent away, we didn’t know she was pregnant.”
Roka shook his head. “That doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t matter what you knew. The only thing that matters is what you did.”
Stendeval put a hand on Roka’s shoulder. “If I may, there is one thing that matters more.” Roka turned to Stendeval looking very much like a man not to be trifled with. Stendeval continued gently. “You have every right to be angry, but as you said, nothing can change what has happened. That is beyond all of us. At this moment, the most important question in your life is, what happens next? After all these years, the truth has finally come out. What happens now? That’s up to you to decide.”
Roka slitted his eyes, glowering at Oblivia. Jack watched him turn Stendeval’s words over in his brain, simultaneously enraged and overwhelmed by the revelation of what had been done to him, who he was, and who Jack was to him. When he finally turned to Jack, he looked like a man lost in the forest. There was silence for a moment. Jack didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what Roka thought about any of this.
“I don’t believe it,” Roka said at last.
Jack looked at the history file in his hand. He offered up the SmartPaper to Roka. “I guess we could do a blood test to make sure.”
Roka took the SmartPaper from Jack.
He crumpled it up and threw it away.
“I don’t need that,” Roka said as he took a knee and put both of his hands on Jack’s shoulders. “What I mean is, I don’t believe I missed this. I spent years raiding Rüstov ships in the off chance that I might find her out there somewhere.” Roka shook his head. His eyes were welling up with tears. “Then I come home and I can’t even see her when she’s staring me right in the face.”
Jack looked behind himself. “What are you talking about? Where?”
Roka pushed Jack’s hair back from his forehead. “Right here. Your mother’s name was Rasa, Jack. Tabula R
asa. You’ve got her eyes.” Roka wrapped Jack up in his arms with a grip so tight it would have put Blue’s strongest bear hug to shame. It took a moment for the realization to sink in, but when it did, Jack hugged him back.
He hugged his father back.
CHAPTER
27
Life on the Launchpad
The celebration lasted all night. The dead were honored, the heroes were hailed, and the people rejoiced as only people who have lived through war can. But not everyone in Empire City was joining in the festivities. In the midst of all the revelry, far away from the victory parades and festival goers, a ship was being prepped for takeoff. The pilot was Solomon Roka, and the ship was not his. He was “borrowing it” from the Calculan ambassador. Outside on the launchpad, Jack was talking with Jazen, Skerren, Allegra, and Blue while his father got the ship ready.
“So, how it’s going with your dad?” Jazen asked him.
Jack had to shake his head at the mention of the word “dad.” It felt so foreign, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to it, and at the same time, he loved hearing it. “It’s great,” he said. “I still can’t believe it. I mean, it’s early. We’ve got a lot to catch up on. We still need to get to know each other, but that’s what this trip’s for, you know?”
“A little father-son quality time,” Blue said. “I can dig it.”
“He’s telling me all about my mom, too,” Jack volunteered. It was horrible what had happened to her. Jack was sad that he wouldn’t get to meet his mother, but at least he would get to know her. Who she was as a person. Through Roka, he would know her, and that was something. After going through most of his life with nothing, he was going to take whatever he could get.
“Where are you guys going to go?” Skerren asked.
“Not sure yet. But we can go anywhere from here,” Jack said, looking up at the ship. “Anywhere.”
The End of Infinity Page 23