“You’re good!” Malir shouted as they went, neck and neck. There were two more rocks, and Jules cleared the second to last one easily. Malir made his push, grunting as he sped forward. He jumped the final stone, almost tripping on it, but recovered quickly.
Jules stared at the finish line, the last forty meters coming fast as she sprinted with all her strength. The blood pumped, her lungs inhaling and exhaling in quick bursts. For a moment, it seemed like her abilities were back, and she swore a trickle passed through a barrier, infusing energy. Then it was gone.
She couldn’t help but risk a brief glance in Malir’s direction, positive he slowed at the end. She triggered the digital ribbon first and kept running past the crowds, her legs unwilling to stop. The crowded recruits cheered her on and applauded loudly.
Jules finally stopped, resting her hands on her thighs as she bent over, trying to catch her breath. She felt for her gift, but it was empty. It was nothing but a memory. She’d won on her own accord.
“Good race. You won. Looks like I’m staying.” Malir’s hand settled on her shoulder, and he patted it twice before turning and walking off.
She chased after him, wanting to confront him about purposely losing, but Dean was there with his sister, stepping in her path.
“I’d almost told Suma you were late for the conference call because you weren’t feeling well, but I see you had other things on your mind,” Dean said. Initially, Jules thought he was upset, but his expression implied he was proud.
The crowd began to disperse when Magnus ordered them to return to their tasks. The first of the racing squad members were finishing the course now, and Jules hoped Squad Nine would win the contest.
“Sorry, Dean. I was planning to do a few warmups, then I heard about the course, and then Malir showed up, challenging me to a race.” She smiled at him, and he matched it, handing her a bottle of water.
“You did us proud, Jules.” He kissed her, pulling her close.
“Can you guys cut it out?” Patty asked. “I thought we could have dinner later, Jules. I have to return to Shimmal tomorrow morning.”
“Of course,” Jules told her friend. “I’d love to catch up.”
“I’m getting out of this rain. I don’t know how you guys do this.” Patty indicated the entire Institute with a swirling finger. “I prefer the sanctuary of a medical lab.”
Jules laughed, loving to see her friend so invested in a subject other than boys and clothing. “See you tonight.”
She and Dean walked to the simulators, and Jules peered at the scoreboard, finding the top ten course times were held by four of her teammates. Maybe she’d get to visit Outpost with them after all. As an Ambassador, she could regardless, but it wouldn’t be the same with a different squad at her side.
“You didn’t have to race him,” Dean said quietly as they neared the simulation building.
“I know, but I was there in front of the rest—”
Dean stopped and ran a hand through his wet hair. “You’re a leader, Jules. Not a kid. You don’t have to explain yourself to anyone.”
Jules bristled, not wanting to be scolded by her boyfriend like this. Instead of confronting him, she just walked around him, entering the building. “What did Suma want?”
“She said she’d found a clue in Regnig’s library. She wanted to discuss it with you.” Dean entered behind her, both of them dripping pools of water onto the tile floor. A cleaning robot rolled past, vacuuming the liquid into its canister.
“Why didn’t you say that earlier?” Jules hurried to their offices, finding her legs with new energy. It didn’t last long. The moment she sat at her desk, her body slumped and ached.
“You didn’t give me much of a chance to talk, with you traipsing around a racecourse.” Dean laughed, breaking the tension between them. He was clearly trying to help. Dean took his role extremely seriously, and so did she. Maybe he was right about accepting the challenge earlier, but it had been fun, and she’d proven that she was a competitor, despite only being human.
Magnus entered a minute later, while Jules tried connecting with Suma. Her wet hair plastered to her face, and she wished she’d taken a minute to dry off first.
“Coffee?” Magnus didn’t wait for a response to set the cup on her desk.
“Thank you.” She glanced up at him, and he gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze.
“Well done out there.” He grinned. They had a special relationship, far different than the one she’d had with Dean’s real father from this timeline. He’d been her uncle, but this man was someone she’d fought alongside and won a war with. She’d bartered with the Deities to bring him to this dimension, and it was proving to be a great decision for all of them.
“Thanks, Magnus. Suma…” She was cut off as the monitor sprang to life, showing Suma in Regnig’s library on Haven.
“Jules.” Suma’s slender snout wiggled back and forth. “Magnus and Dean too. Good. Is your father around?”
“No, he’s with Sergo. We haven’t heard from him in a while.” Jules nervously sipped her cup, hoping the warmth would ease her anxiety.
“Okay. We’ve had a team out here for months, analyzing the books and checking if anything was missing,” Suma said.
“Did you find something?” Dean asked from over Jules’ shoulder.
“It’s not that we found the book, but we did finally discover the absence of one.” Suma’s eyes narrowed.
“That has to be the key!” Jules exclaimed. “What is it?”
“I uncovered this a week ago but didn’t want to get ahead of myself.” Suma paused for a moment. “The book is about memory transfer.”
“Memory transfer?” Magnus slid a chair over, nudging Jules to the side a few inches. “What do you mean?”
“It’s an ancient book from a race called the Sovan. We assume that Regnig’s had his personalized notations in the margins, so I searched through his files, and located the appropriate leatherbound reference book.”
Jules wiped her forehead and sipped the coffee again, almost forgetting to breathe. She choked on the hot beverage. “Suma, you’re leaving us in suspense.”
Suma glanced behind her, as if someone might be nearby. “I’d rather discuss this in person.”
“Is it that bad?” Magnus asked.
“It’s probably nothing, but could be problematic if acted upon. Will you be available tonight?” Suma asked.
“Any time will work,” Jules assured her.
“I have some research to attend to, so I should be there a couple of hours after dinner.” Suma blinked rapidly. “Don’t tell anyone about the memory transfer stuff, okay?”
“Mum’s the word.” Jules pretended to zip her lips closed.
The screen went blank, and Jules caught her own reflection in the monitor. “What do you think this means?”
“Who knows? Suma’s usually more forthcoming than that,” Dean said.
“It’s obviously important and has her on edge. You two have any problems with coming in tonight?” Magnus started for the exit.
They both shook their heads.
“Good. Jules, you might want to freshen up. We have an Institute to run in the meantime.” Magnus left the room, and Dean smiled at her.
“The golden child gets reprimanded,” he said smugly. “See you in sim-room seven.”
Jules was left alone in her office and spun slowly in her chair, pondering the connection between Regnig and a very peculiar book.
Seven
I’d miscalculated our daylight. Ten minutes in, and we were hard-pressed to see five feet in front of us without our suits’ lights glaring ahead. The air was compatible, and we opted to leave our helmets off. The breeze was chilly on my face, and there was something ominous about traversing the dark forest alone on this alien world.
Sergo looked to be feeling the same, and he snapped his attention in each direction, peering up to the sky every few seconds like someone might drop into the atmosphere and attack us. In my
experience, more things lived underground, and I focused there, hoping to avoid any sinkholes or unexplored caverns on this mission.
I spied the glowing fungus first, and slowed as we approached it. The tree it clung to was dead, fallen to the ground. The mushroom was huge, the size of a basketball, and it cast a dull orange light onto the log. As the star continued to descend, more of the fungi lit up around the forest. Soon we saw the orange glow from everywhere, and it was oddly comforting, like we were no longer in a danger zone, but in a neutral ecosystem.
Sergo tapped my shoulder, pointing to my right. A creature watched us from a distance, reflecting our flashlight beams with amber eyes. A couple more appeared before the pack trotted off.
“Guess we’re not alone,” Sergo whispered.
“Let’s keep pushing.” Now that we’d seen proof of life, we moved faster, wanting to locate the transponder and return to our ship as soon as possible. An animal’s cry carried through the trees, landing in my ears with a rare sharpness. I stopped in my tracks. “What was that?”
Sergo stayed silent. We heard it again, coming from the opposite direction.
I kept walking. My pulse pistol was ready in my grip, and I started to jog, sending my lights jostling over the ground.
“Should be close.” Sergo checked the computer screen on his armored suit’s arm. “There.”
Instead of finding a crashed ship, all we had was a blinking red light on a palm-sized device crammed into the nook of a tree branch. It was out of reach. Sergo and I looked at the transponder, then at one another.
I didn’t know who understood what we were seeing first, but we both spun, pressing our backs together and raising our weapons as we heard the twigs snapping around us.
“It was a trap,” Sergo muttered. The beings circled us, most of them staying behind the cover of thick tree trunks.
“Who are you?” I shouted, aiming my gun toward the nearest one I could see. I couldn’t get a good view of it. “We came to help. You sent a distress call. If you’re Kraski…” I winced when one stepped out from behind a tree straight ahead.
It was monstrous, with drooping gray eyes the size of tennis balls. Skin hung low on its face, and it appeared to be naked, more flesh hanging in bunches over its chest and stomach. The skin was gray, reminding me of a zombie’s from Hugo’s favorite old movies.
“What do we do?” Sergo asked.
“Are you in need of assistance?” I asked, lowering my gun. The thing was ten feet tall, and I looked up at the face. It didn’t blink or move an inch.
I tapped my arm controls, adjusting the translator to the Kraskis’ language. I asked the same question, the creature jumping as the words carried through my speakers.
It grumbled something unintelligible, and the translator tried deciphering it. The technology was very intuitive and worked well with more samples. I wanted to keep them talking. “I didn’t catch that. We’re not Kraski, but we arrived in a Kraski vessel. Are they living here? With you?”
The being walked a few steps closer, continuing to answer me in its unclear language. The translator began working, catching the end of it. According to the data sheet, this was a mixture of two archaic races’ tongues.
“Where is your ship?” it asked.
“Don’t tell it. They want our spaceship, Dean. This is a trap. They knew a Kraski craft entered their atmosphere, and used their language to draw us in. They want off planet,” Sergo whispered, coming close to my ear. He hadn’t lowered his pulse pistol yet.
“What if we strike a bargain?” I asked, the words now translating into whatever garbled language these fleshy beings spoke.
“No bargain. Where is your ship?” I could smell it: sour and moldy. Black lines stretched across the flesh, spreading like a fungus.
“Stay back,” I suggested, trying to sound calm and composed. “We can discuss a solution.”
“Where is…”
The rest of them moved from their hiding spots, walking at us as one. They were similar in nature, loose flesh draping over their skinny but tall frames.
“Parker, what’s the plan?” Sergo hissed.
“Last chance,” I told them. “Stop where you are!”
I was about to pull the trigger, when they all raised their hands, shooting a cloudy airborne substance at us. The spores clung to my skin, and my legs instantly gave out. The gun fell from my grip, dropping to the forest bed. I was right behind it, faceplanting into the ground.
“Sergo…” The word barely escaped my numb lips. I saw my friend collapse, and the beings came nearer. I was hauled up, draped over a bony shoulder, and my vision went black.
____________
Jules invited Patty to join her at the officers’ mess hall and was only twenty minutes late. The afternoon had been a long and trying few hours. Jules was glad to be showered and changed and meeting with her old friend. Patty sat alone, her legs crossed, one foot kicking up and down. She looked older, and Jules watched her for a second before calling out her name.
“Patty, I’m so sorry I’m late,” Jules apologized.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to just exist for a few minutes. No screens, no books, no teachers breathing down my neck.” Patty smiled, and Jules could tell she meant it.
“How’s that going?”
“Pretty great, if you don’t mind twelve-hour days and early mornings. But I guess you’re used to that too.” Patty fiddled with a saltshaker.
The mess hall was quiet, with most of the officers eating an hour or so ago. There were only a couple of people lingering with coffees a few tables away.
“This isn’t so bad. Did you ever think we’d be in these positions, when we were kids?” Jules asked.
“You were the one who wanted to help people. Now I’m taking medical training on Shimmal, and you’re going to be leading warships to battle.” Patty said it innocently, and Jules could tell she didn’t mean anything by the casual comment, but it stung nonetheless.
She was right. Jules had wanted to make things better, and here she was, creating soldiers to man their fleet. Suddenly, the thought of food made her nauseous.
“You okay?” Patty asked. “You look pale.”
“I’m fine…”
“I wasn’t saying…” Patty took Jules’ hand. “That’s not what I meant. I understand the necessity. As much as we need healers, being around those medical students all the time isn’t easy. Most of them abhor war and think we can solve the universe’s disagreements by peaceful protests. If only it were that simple.”
“Thanks,” Jules said, softening.
“How are you and Dean doing?” Patty asked.
“Your brother is…” She wanted to say “perfect,” but they’d been having some issues lately. Working in such close quarters created tension. Jules could sense it in him when they had time alone. He was more distant, but she supposed she was also.
Patty rolled her eyes. “What did he do?”
“Nothing. It’s just… we work together, and all we talk about is the Institute. It used to be easier when there were other things to focus on.”
Patty laughed at this. “You two are so much alike. That’s the problem. What you need is a little getaway. Or leave the office chatter in the office. Do something romantic if you can’t travel, but don’t ignore it.”
“That’s a good idea.”
Patty’s gaze drifted to the entrance behind Jules, making her turn to see what was so interesting. Malir stood there, and he raised a hand as soon as she made eye contact.
“I was hoping to find you,” he said. “May I enter?”
“Are you a vampire?” Patty asked. “Have a seat.”
“What’s a vampire?” Malir asked.
“Ignore her. What’s on your mind?” Jules asked as the prince sat with them.
“I wanted to thank you for the challenge today. It was a lot of fun. It’s been forever since I’ve had that kind of freedom,” he told them. His eyes were dark, his hair nearly the same
color. It fell over his forehead, and he brushed it to the side.
“You lost on purpose,” Jules accused him.
He smiled at that, nodding once. “I wanted to see what kind of a woman you were before I committed to staying for the year. The Gretiol consider backing out of a bargain like that inexcusable, so this way, I can convince my father to let me keep my word to you. I hope you can forgive this transgression.”
Jules glanced at Patty, who was grinning from ear to ear. “I guess that makes sense. Malir, this is Patty. She’s…”
“I saw you at the dinner.” He touched a finger to his cheek—a custom Jules had seen them do before, but didn’t know what it meant. “You are Natalia and Magnus’ daughter.”
Patty bit her lip, and Jules answered for her. “Magnus isn’t her father.”
“Oh, I had heard…”
“You heard wrong. Anyway, Patty is training to be a xenodoctor,” Jules proudly told him.
“And what is that, exactly?” Malir asked graciously.
“We learn how to diagnose and treat as many races as we’re able. Currently, we’re only working on Alliance partners. With the increase of colonies, we need to have capable doctors in each of these regions. Haven, for example, is home to nearly twenty-two different races. Before, we’d have twenty-two doctors. Now we could have one, or a few, depending on population size,” Patty said.
“That’s wonderful. Does this mean you are studying the Gretiol?” Malir asked.
“Not yet. Your entrance to the Alliance is too fresh, but it will become part of the syllabus.”
Malir grinned again. “If you need anyone to help you with… Gretiol physiology, I’ll be here.” He rose and gave a slight bow. “Sorry to interrupt. It was my pleasure meeting you, Patty.” And with that, he was off.
“What the heck just happened?” Jules asked.
“I think he was hitting on me.” Patty tilted her head to the side. “He is a prince, isn’t he?”
Jules laughed and glanced at the time. She couldn’t be late for their meeting with Suma, but it was nice to talk about anything but work. “Want to eat?”
The Survivors | Book 16 | New Lies Page 7