by Peter Telep
On one side is a capital letter Q with a diagonal slash mark from the upper right to the bottom left corner.
On the other side are two people. One is outlined and the other is in silhouette. They face away from each other and lean back like gymnasts with arms raised to form a circle.
A bolt of energy cuts between them, like it’s about to blow them apart...
“What is it?” I ask her.
“It’s called a sirk.”
“What’s the symbol?” I ask, pointing to the Q.
“It belongs to the Monkshood. They get tattoos or burn it on themselves.”
“And this?” I ask, showing her the other side.
“It means having a persona is unnatural. They believe it’s a lie from the First Ones. They think we should get rid of it by poisoning our wreaths.”
I nod. “So what’s the big deal about finding one here?”
“Doc, these sirks are important. Despers don’t leave them lying around. I found it on the floor over there, like someone either dropped it or just tossed it away.”
“So you think one of the nomads had it?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll contact my source and see if she can get to Verbena.”
“Do it.”
Before leaving, Keane and I grab the pizza boxes and steal a final breath. I even wet my finger and taste a few crumbs.
* * *
When I get back, Tommy’s not happy. He lets me have it for taking off, but he calms down once I share the new intel.
“All right, we’ll put something together.”
“Roger that.”
He thinks a moment, and then says, “Son, while you were gone, I talked to Julie.”
“Yeah?”
“Everything okay? You didn’t tell her yet, did you?’
“No.”
“She was real distant. Any idea why?”
“Oh, I know why. Meeka grabbed me and kissed me. Julie saw us together.”
“Is that all? Makes me wish I was young again.”
“No way. You don’t want to be me right now.”
“Guess you’re right. Too much drama.”
“And a lot more to come. If I can find the words.”
“Like I said, you can’t put it to her straight. You need to let her off the hook.”
“That’s the problem. I’m not sure how.”
“Neither am I, but I wonder if there’s someone else who can help.”
“Who’s that?”
“Your mother.”
CHAPTER FORTY
We’ve harvested roughly half the snowter branches and stored them in a cave ten minutes away from Mama Grren’s. There’s little concern for theft.
If the nomads or any other scavengers learn about the stash, they won’t survive a trip into grren territory. Even if they’re dropped in by hoverjet, the moment they step foot in the cave... well, use your imagination.
Meeka’s spy confirmed that a hoverjet did land outside the remains of a Monkshood temple in Verbena and is still there. Cases of supplies—canned goods and other items—are being loaded onto the jet.
“That’s it,” I tell them, barely able to contain myself. “The engine is there.”
Meeka and Steffanie agree. And while time is of the essence, it’s too dangerous to move by day.
According to some of Meeka’s contacts in the Community, the nomads have increased their patrols and are still looking for us. They’ve placed solar powered sensors in the desert between the mountains and the Palladium in the hopes that we’ll trip their alarms.
We’ll nap for now, make plans by late afternoon, and roll out by twilight. We’ll reach the city limits in a few hours, and then spend several more crossing the downtown district to reach Verbena.
Even Val’s coming. She says every great adventure needs a good doctor.
Sun, water, sand.
And strength in numbers.
* * *
By mid-morning I’m still restless and thinking about what Tommy suggested.
Okay, so my mother’s immortal or breath lives in me, as does Hollis’s. Somehow I can let them “borrow” my persona and appear so I can talk to them. I need to do that. Now.
I find Keane and convince him to teach me. He suggests we use the mirage storage cave for privacy.
While two rumms stand guard outside, we settle down on the stone floor.
I take a deep breath. Yeah... pumpkin spice. Nice...
“I know you want to talk to your mother, but I’m thinking a quick chat with Hollis first.”
“Good idea.”
I need to focus on the last image I have of Hollis, keep that clearly and forcibly in my mind, and then exhale and push out, just like I did when I made my first jump.
Instead of feeling warm, I’m supposed to sense something cold, like tiny icicles poking my chest.
Sounds pretty straightforward.
Of course, it takes a noob like me seven tries, but finally Hollis stands near the entrance, dressed in nomad gear and beaming at us. I’m suddenly choked up. “Hollis?”
“Hello, Doc.”
“How are you?”
“Don’t ask him how he is,” Keane says. “That’s obvious. Ask him about the engine.”
“You’ve found the engine?” Hollis asks.
“We think so. But I don’t know how it works.”
“I’ve held that back because it’s very complicated, and I didn’t want burden you with it too soon.”
“So you know?”
“Of course I know. And when we’re finished here, so will you. But there’s a problem. If this is Solomon’s engine, then he programmed the access codes. I don’t know them. You’ll need to get them in order to control the quantum computer.”
“It’s never easy,” Keane says.
“We’ll get those codes,” I say.
Keane sighs. “I don’t know. If nomads control it, they’re like fanatics too. They’ll die before they tell us anything.”
“Hollis, what do you think?”
“I think you have more than words. You have memories and emotions, and they can be powerful weapons.”
I nod and just stare at him, recalling our last meeting, his final good-bye... “I’m sorry about what happened to you.”
“I told you, I feel great. I kept my promise.”
Before I tear up, I turn to Keane. “How to do I turn him off?”
“Just close your eyes and imagine yourself grabbing his shoulders and pulling him back inside.”
I do as instructed. Once Hollis is gone, Keane says I need to take a short break. This is a big drain on my wreath.
He wants to know more about the food and music on Earth. I try to describe hamburgers and downloading music from iTunes. I tell him about Star Wars and Star Trek, and he says they used to have movies and TV shows on Flora too. People in smaller cities that didn’t get bombed still broadcast news shows using solar power, but most people just go to the Community to find out what’s happening.
After about fifteen minutes, he says I’m ready to go again, so I try to project my mother.
After just three tries, she sits cross-legged a few feet away. She’s haloed in green and dressed in a white robe.
I ask Keane about the robe. He says it must be influenced by me, like I’m imagining how my mother would dress were she an angel in the afterlife.
He gets to his feet. “I’ll give you some privacy.”
“Thanks.”
Once he’s outside, I face my mother—
And I’m a breath away from crying.
Finally, I get up the nerve to speak. “I know you’re just a small part of my real mother, but I need some advice. I need to tell Julie about everything, but I don’t know how.”
“She’s one of the flowers of your life.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“And it’s difficult for you.”
“That’s what I’m saying...”
“You’re holding in the truth. I know exactly how th
at feels. And you’re wondering why? Why did it all happen?”
“Hollis told me.”
“Not everything. Only what he knows.”
“You mean there’s even more?”
She bows her head. She can’t face me.
My stomach tightens. It’s hard to breathe.
Oh, no. Maybe I don’t want her to answer that...
Too late:
“Solomon was jealous of your father. They competed over everything. He was always second best. Sometimes he got so frustrated... but he didn’t kill me just to hurt your father.”
“He didn’t?”
“No. I wish I could just tell you. Maybe the words wouldn’t hurt as much. But this is our way, the way we demonstrate our love and respect, no matter how painful—and so I need to show something.”
A chill rips up my spine. “I’m not sure I want to see this.”
“Docherty, please.”
“Okay.” I take her hands and shut my eyes.
We’re inside my house on Flora. My mother and Solomon are sitting on a sofa in the living room. They look tanner, younger...
He’s not killing her this time.
He’s leaning over to give her a kiss.
“This was before you were born. Your father married me, and then he ignored me. And I was weak.”
“So you cheated on Dad?”
“And I’ve never forgiven myself for being so weak.”
“Wait a minute. If this was before I was born, then are you saying—”
She shakes her head. “Solomon is not your father.”
I breathe the sigh of a lifetime.
She continues: “He was a jealous man but kind and loving. Very passionate about everything in his life. That’s why he was so attractive. I knew it was wrong. But it happened. After a few months, I broke it off, but he kept pushing, even after he had his own child.”
“I can’t believe you cheated on Dad. You showed me your life. I was you. I felt it. But you hid this from me.”
“I was ashamed.”
“So he killed you because you rejected him, and he knew it would hurt Dad.”
“When he killed me, I think he was trying to kill himself.”
“You feel sorry for him?”
“No, Docherty. I’ve only tried to understand him.”
“Do you realize what you’ve done?”
“Of course I do. It’ll torture me forever. You don’t deserve any of this. And neither does Julie.”
My breath shortens with anger. “Well this is awesome. All you did was make it worse.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could change the past.”
I curse and rush to my feet.
“Docherty, wait. Tell Julie everything, and then take her to the healing wreath because—”
I pull her back into my body and storm out of the cave.
And now I know how Julie will feel after I tell her about her father. She thinks he’s a kind man, just like I thought my mother was an angel.
Keane’s waiting for me outside, but I blow by him.
“Hey, what’s going on?” He hustles up beside me.
“You were right. Everyone’s messed up here. And I’m king of the world.”
“You are?”
“Forget it. Let’s go back.”
“Doc, wait. Stop!”
“What?” I stand there, picturing Solomon and wanting to punch his face in.
“You were talking pretty loud. I guess I got a little worried, so, uh, I kind of sneaked back near the entrance, and I heard everything you said. Sorry.”
“Whatever!” I kick at some leaves. “And now you know how much this sucks.”
“Anyone else know?” he asks.
“Just Tommy… and Meeka knows some of it. And Brave also. I had to show him so the grren wouldn’t attack.”
“Well that was important.”
“So here’s the thing. I’m afraid to tell Julie. I don’t know what she’ll do, but I feel like we’ll never be friends again.”
“You keep assuming the worst.”
“You mean like there are no gods?”
“I mean Julie’s tough. Tell her.”
“What if you’re wrong?”
“Then blame it on me.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll wait.”
He frowns. “For what?”
“The right time.”
His frown deepens. “When my father got sick, he used to joke around and say don’t worry, I’ll hang on as long as I can. I won’t die till it’s the right time.”
“Yeah, I know what you’re saying. There is no right time. But I was talking to Tommy and he thought if we find the engine, then maybe I tell her then.”
“How do you know that’s the right time?”
“I don’t.”
“So tell her now.”
“You know what? You’re right. I’ll do it.”
He holds up a fist. We bump.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
I find Julie fast asleep beneath a natural awning of roots. Meeka and Steffanie took up positions about ten feet away, near the edge of the awning.
All three girls snore like it’s a competition, but I’m not amused. Actually, I’m worried about what they might have discussed before dozing off.
Maybe Julie interrogated Meeka.
Maybe Meeka broke down and told her everything. Still, Julie looks peaceful. Nah, she doesn’t know yet.
I whisper to Keane that I’ll tell her once she’s awake. He shrugs and wanders off to find some place to take a nap.
Up near Mama Grren’s cave, Tommy and Val share a can of vegetables. She’s captivated by one of his stories, her eyes widening when he gets to the dramatic or funny parts. I can’t hear his words, only the singsong of his voice. I keep my distance, so I don’t break his spell. He’s earned this moment.
I must look lost because a kid nearby waves me toward his camp. He’s one of Meeka’s muscleheads from the Hood. It’s weird calling him that when in reality a pair of skinny jeans would look baggy on him.
“I’m Wexx,” he says.
A deep scar runs down his forehead, across his right eye, and all the way back to his earlobe.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Like my face? Got that from a nomad a couple years ago. He had a knife, I didn’t.”
“I didn’t mean to stare.”
“Oh, I don’t care. Check me out.” He points to his right leg. From the knee down he’s fashioned a makeshift limb out of tape and rods and parts from a lawnmower or something. “Bomb went off, building collapsed. I was just a baby.”
“Sorry.”
“Sorry? Even with this leg I can ride faster than them.” He cocks a thumb over his shoulder at his three bony comrades, all fast asleep.
“Wow, that’s cool.”
“Have a seat.”
I settle down on a bed of leaves.
“You were at the Palladium before it got attacked.”
“I woke up there.”
“And Martha told you it was a sanctuary, right?”
“That’s what she said.”
“Yeah, but me and the boys weren’t good enough to get in. You gotta be special, otherwise she leaves you outside to rot. Nice sanctuary, huh? Good thing the nomads have it now. Maybe I’ll join them.”
“Are you serious?”
He shrugs. “I guess they’d take one look at us and laugh. They don’t want damaged goods, either. They want fighters.”
“I bet you can fight.”
“Yeah, but I don’t have the training, the kind they were giving you at the Palladium. The old lady was recruiting this massive army because she knew one day the nomads would attack. You’d be one of her soldiers. Well, she got surprised, didn’t she? And I heard we got you to thank.”
“I didn’t do anything. I was just there. And a lot of people died. Families. It was beyond horrible.”
“Yeah, welcome to Flora, the planet where happiness got blown up with everything else.”
I’m ready to leave before the conversation gets any more depressing. “Well, thanks for helping us.”
“Hey, thank you. We’re getting off this dead rock tonight, and we’re taking along all the mirage we can carry.”
“What?”
“Yeah, we’re going to Earth. With you.”
“Whoa, slow down. We haven’t figured that out yet. It’s a lot more complicated than you think.”
He leans in close. “Doc, you need to make it happen. We can’t do this anymore. We’re running out of reasons to live. You get us there.” He flashes a missing-toothed smile. “No pressure.”
“I’ll do what I can. So... can you do something for me? What do you know about Meeka?”
“What do you need to know?”
“Everything.”
He laughs. “You ain’t got a chance.”
“I don’t like her. I just... I want to know more.”
“Well, first off, she’s insane. No fear. Really bad burns, and she’s really insecure about them. But one thing I’ll say... she and Keane and Steffanie never forgot us even after they got picked, so we don’t mind following them. They’re smart. Sometimes they’re funny. Meeka always thinks she’s getting sick when she’s not. She’ll tell you she’s a great shot, but she’s just okay. I always feel like she’s carrying around something big, like she’s not really one of us, but she’s trying real hard to fit in…”
“She have a boyfriend?”
“I told you, forget it. A few guys have tried...” He glances over at his friends. “Actually, we’ve all tried.”
“What is she, some kind of loner?”
“No, but when Swiff died, she kind of lost it.”
“Who’s Swiff?”
“Nomads had this kid. They were torturing him. We got in there and saved him. He had the same accent as Meeka. He wasn’t even that good looking, but she liked him right away and was all over him.”
“What happened?”
“He got sick. So he decides he won’t put her through that. He’s got some mirage. He’ll take care of it. So she wakes up one morning and rolls over and puts her hand on his cheek... and he’s gone. No good-bye. No passing of his immortal. I think he did her a huge favor.”
“Aw, man.”
“Yeah, it’s sad. And she’s never gotten over it.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he gave her something. A coin. They call it a sirk. His family... they were religious nuts. Anyway, she’s always looking at it or rolling it around in her hand.”