Lost Time (The Bridge Sequence Book Two)

by Nathan Hystad

  “So am I.”

  We rose in the air, and sat at the edge of the bench with the soldiers. None of them spoke to us; they only stared forward.

  “I can’t begin to imagine what he’s feeling,” Veronica told me.

  “I wish it wasn’t ending like this.”

  “Maybe we’ll see him again.” She was trying to be supportive.

  We flew high over their city, moving across the sand dunes past it, and eventually found an expansive body of water. It went on for as far as the eye could see, and Gren descended toward the lapping waves. I thought we were going to crash on it, but the ship entered the water instead. The soldiers didn’t react at all.

  “This is spectacular.” Veronica watched from behind Gren, and I joined her as we drifted deeper into the depths of the murky water and the ship illuminated the path. Brightly-colored fish swam in intricate patterns, dashing away from the incoming vessel. The lights grew in intensity, shooting out from the underside of the vessel to guide our passage.

  Ten minutes passed, and there was an underwater structure. It was a giant base created on the ocean floor. Thick-tentacled plants swayed, while bottom-dwelling creatures crawled along the sediment. The base consisted of ten domed buildings connected by tubes, and Gren brought us to the nearest, entering through an amber shield. Water dripped over the viewscreen as he landed in a warehouse.

  “Welcome to the Thresholds.” Gren regained some of his spirit as he climbed from the pilot’s seat. “Are you ready to go home?”

  “We are.” I slung my bag over my shoulder, and we exited the ship.

  The soldiers marched past us in two rows, and I counted a dozen of them. I didn’t know how the Rodax expected us to defeat the Zalt with such a small force, but Gren seemed confident about their odds.

  “When are they going to explain the plan?” Veronica asked as we walked out of the parking garage. There were a few other various ships inside, each smaller than the slick one Gren had brought us in. I wondered if my dad was leaving for Rimia yet, and silently wished him luck.

  “They don’t seem very forthcoming.” The dome was clear on the top, reminding me of the Bridge entrance on Rimia. Inside the room were dozens of metallic arches, all surrounding the edges of the dome.

  “What are we looking at?” I asked Gren. There were a few other Rodax inside the room, wearing white uniforms and sitting at desks. Here they had computers, or something equivalent.

  “These are the Thresholds. We have access to any world we’ve ever spread Seedlings on.” He said this like it was no big deal, but I was baffled. I counted the arches, finding forty.

  “You have forty Thresholds?” I asked, but he shook his head.

  “No. We have four hundred.” He pointed toward the neighboring dome.

  My brain couldn’t quite process the words. I tried to imagine that many planets where the Rodax had once been, leaving the spark of life behind, in hopes that their creations would be advanced enough to reach Kabos.

  “How many of these have passed your tests? How many have come home?” Veronica asked.

  “Not as many as you’d think.” Gren didn’t elaborate, but I wondered if it was related to the Zalt. The floor shook slightly, sending a steady vibration through the room as a Threshold sprang to life. The outer edges blinked lights, and the blue color turned solid as the glow expanded through the doorway.

  “Where does it take us?” I waited in front of the opening. The Arch was around twenty feet high, and ten or so wide. I expected the soldiers to bring in an assortment of weapons, maybe some small vehicles, compact spacecraft. Anything but what happened.

  The dozen soldiers approached it, and Gren gave them the go-ahead. The first one went into the shimmering blue vertical pool and vanished.

  “What about weapons? How are we—”

  “Everything we need is on your planet,” Gren said.

  “What? Where?” I was obviously missing some pertinent information.

  “You’ll see. Come, let’s not delay any further.” The soldiers had all gone through, and I grabbed my cell phone from the pack, turning it on. Wherever we emerged into, I wanted to have cell reception to contact my friends.

  Gren, Baska, and Lewen were directly behind us, as if to ensure we had the courage to continue. I was so caught up in leaving, I’d nearly forgotten our agreement to return here after they dealt with the Unknowns. The verbal contract felt like a fading dream, and I wondered if they’d coaxed our decision at all.

  Veronica met my gaze, lifting one of her eyebrows. “Just when I thought this couldn’t get any crazier. You ready?”

  “Ready.” We stepped in unison, entering the Threshold at the same moment.

  A storm raged outside of the Porto cavern. Wind sent dime-sized drops from the opening, soaking the Rodax soldiers. I wasn’t overly surprised to arrive here, given the circumstances.

  Gren and the rest of the soldiers stepped through, appearing across the podium from thin air.

  I turned my back, trying to block some of the inclement weather, and checked my cell phone. The service here was spotty, but I showed one bar, and messages flooded my inboxes. I scrolled eagerly, scouring for anything from Marcus, Beverly, or Tripp.

  I saw the date. February 10th. We had a week before the Objects were scheduled to arrive. We could still beat them.

  “Any word?” Veronica peered over my shoulder, trying to read the last message from Marcus. It was dated ten days ago, only a few days after we’d left them near Boston.

  I put the phone to my ear, dialing Marcus’ number. There was no answer.

  “We cannot stay here.” Gren walked outside, contrary to the torrential storm happening near the peaks.

  I texted Tripp, letting him know we were back. His response came quickly.

  Tripp – Be right there

  “Where are your hidden weapons?” I asked Gren. He nodded to Baska, and the bigger man pulled a clear tablet from his uniform’s pocket. He pressed a series of buttons, and the peaks behind us began groaning in protest. Rocks fell to the ground about thirty yards away as the mountainside spread open.

  “They are underground. I’ll have to map out their proximity.” Baska typed something into the tablet, and a map flashed onto the screen. A tiny yellow light blinked, and the image zoomed in five times before it confirmed the location. “There.”

  “I know that spot!” Veronica shouted over the wind. “It’s Ball’s Pyramid, off the west coast of Australia.”

  I’d heard of it too, a ridge-shaped remnant of a shield volcano. It was pronounced, at almost a half mile high and less than a mile long.

  “How do we travel there? Remember, the flight restrictions are likely on,” I said.

  The soldiers were at the opening in the cliff face, and Gren pointed to them. “We have the means to travel.”

  I was already soaked, and dragged my pack with me to the gorge in the rocks. Behind it sat a version of the spacecraft we’d flown in on Kabos. It lacked the clean lines and finishing touches, but it was obvious they’d been created by the same people.

  “I hope this relic still operates,” Lewen said.

  Lightning flashed, and thunder boomed all around. My heart pounded along with the noise, and I had to press my palms to my ears to block the next percussion clap.

  “One hell of a storm!” Veronica called.

  The first soldier made his way onto the ship, and lights began firing up around the trapped vessel. Another group headed past the ship deeper into the mountain, and dragged a large metal container with them. Baska used his tablet again and synced the two, opening the crate with a click and a hiss.

  They began distributing dark grey weapons from inside. Some soldiers took a long-barreled gun, while others took a two-handed snub-nosed version. They carried the armaments onto the ship, and we tossed our bags into the cargo hold.

  “We must leave. They are here,” Gren said.

  “Who is?” I shouted.

  Lewen pointed outside. �
�The Zalt.”

  I walked to the opening in the cave and stared into the storm, and I saw them. Streaking meteors danced across the sky. We were too late. “Damn it. They’re ahead of schedule.”

  A soldier rushed past me, her gun aimed at the path leading to the valley we’d driven up only a few days ago. I went with her, worried someone would kill Tripp if he made it.

  As I’d expected, Tripp Davis hopped from the truck, and a gun appeared the second he spied us. “Rex!”

  I set a hand on the woman, letting her know he was okay. “Come on, Tripp! We’re getting out of here!”

  More meteors tore through the atmosphere, burning bright red as they blasted to the surface. Tripp rushed over to us, his face twisted in fear. “Rex, they’re here. The Objects were a week away, but they shot these… things from them. Looked like rocks. Small asteroids, maybe. Wait, how the hell did you get here without the Bridge?”

  I saw the pack on his shoulder and assumed the Case was in it. “You were coming to activate it?”

  He nodded. “I didn’t know what else to do. I was hoping you’d be—” He looked at the soldier like he’d finally noticed there was someone with me. “Who’s this?”

  “A friend.” The woman was already dashing off as a bright light emerged from the ship’s hiding spot.

  Tripp grabbed my arm, holding me back. “Rex. Can we trust them?” He was close to my face, panic laced into his usually composed visage.

  “I don’t have any idea. But we can’t do this on our own,” I said.

  “Good enough for me!”

  “What news do we have?” I asked as we darted up the path.

  Wind gusted, nearly knocking us over, and Tripp steadied himself, pressing against the torrential downpour. “World’s in chaos. Freedom Earthers have taken over the States. Things are getting messed up!”

  It made me think about Evan, and I wondered if he’d contacted the militia group. Another fireball screamed through the air, this one closer than before. The ground shook as it struck the ocean off Portugal, likely a hundred miles or so to the west.

  We ran into the cave, finding brief cover from the storm, and Veronica hugged Tripp tightly. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  I climbed onto the ship first. Once inside, the noise of the storm subsided, leaving my ears ringing.

  Tripp dropped his pack, staring around at his surroundings. “I lost contact with Marcus and your sister.”

  “I think I know why,” I said.

  “Wait. Where’s Dirk?”

  “He went back to Rimia.”

  Tripp just shrugged, as if that made sense. “I can’t wait to hear that story.” He walked past the soldiers to the ship’s bridge, where Gren sat in the white pilot seat. This iteration had a console and dash, and he used the keyboard as the ship rumbled.

  The cavern spread open even more as we lifted from the rocky ground, and we flew through, nudging the exit. More rocks crumbled, and it would probably seem like an avalanche to any outsiders.

  “Tripp, is the flight restriction still on?” Veronica asked him.

  “You think it’s going to matter? Hell’s broken loose. News is saying there’ve been over three hundred sightings of these bastards falling from the sky,” Tripp responded.

  “You might want to hold on,” Gren said from ahead. “This model isn’t as advanced as we’re used to.”

  The benches had strapping, and we sat, clicking ourselves into place. Gren lifted the ship straight up, and was almost struck by a speeding meteor. It went by so fast, I hardly noticed it through the viewscreen.

  As Gren flew us from Porto and the Bridge access, one thing was obvious.

  The war had begun.

  My cell phone rang, and I peered at the name with a smile. Marcus was calling.

  I answered it. “Marcus, how…”

  But the voice that replied wasn’t my friend’s. “Rex. How nice to hear from you. You still have something I want. Care for a trade?”

  It was Jessica.

  Lightning flashed across the sky, a thunderous boom shaking our vessel.

  “I’m listening.”

  Epilogue

  Rimia

  Dirk ran most of the way to the village. Had he made the proper decision? What if Rex was right? What if Opor was dead, and he was stuck here alone? Forever?

  But he’d given up everything good in his life the moment he’d activated the Bridge. He wasn’t going to lose her.

  Rex was in good hands with the Rodax. That thought became his new mantra as he scoured through the bodies spread across the village. They were rotting, and he built an immense funeral pyre, bringing them all to rest for eternity.

  They deserved that. The Wanderers had been left behind after the Rodax rescued their people. To stand guard probably. They weren’t even sure anymore. Dirk suspected many of the Rimia population had been overlooked in the evacuation, and eventually, the Zalt had found them there, exposed. They tried to overtake them, to embody them, but failed. Everything the Wanderers believed was built on a lie.

  But they were good people. Strong and resourceful. Kind and forgiving, with one exception. They couldn’t forgive Dirk and Clay for exploring the mountains where the second Bridge was located, because of the Zalt influence.

  Dirk spent two entire days clearing the bodies, and finally, he slumped to the beach as the sun set, listening to the waves drift in. The gun was heavy in his hand. He didn’t want to do it, but already, the dreams were getting too strong. The Zalt were trying to influence him. Maybe they were convincing him that this was a good idea. That ending his life would relieve the pain. The loneliness. The regret.

  Dirk sat there, holding the weapon. He thought about Clayton. “I’m sorry, friend. I should have seen the signs. I wish I could have helped you somehow.”

  Saul was dead too, a friend he’d been close with once. He’d spent his entire life working on the inside of a cult he despised. Brian Hardy had grown old but had never learned what happened across the Bridge. He was the luckiest in their group of four.

  Dirk looked at his tattoo. “Promissa Terra. Some promised land.”

  “To some it once was,” the voice said. He hadn’t heard the footsteps, and he spun around, aiming the gun at the figure.

  “Opor,” he said, dropping the gun.

  She was as strong and beautiful as ever.

  “You’re alive,” he managed to say. At first, he thought it was a trick of the light, but her eyes weren’t the same deep brown he was used to. They were hazel. “Opor…”

  “You may know me by another name. Dirk, I’m afraid this was necessary.”

  Dirk staggered away, tripping onto the sand. He kept the gun gripped firmly but lowered it. “Hunter… or should I say, Rewa?”

  “Fear not. She is alive. I will exit her when we have finished saving your people. For now, we need to assist them,” Opor said.

  It sounded like her. It looked like her, but whatever entity had taken over Hunter Madison all those years ago now embodied the woman Dirk loved.

  “What do we do?” Dirk asked, resolved to help, then to get Opor back once and for all.

  She smiled. “Stop my people from destroying Earth.”

  The End

  Lost Time (The Bridge Sequence Book Two)

  Continue with the stunning conclusion in

  Lost Hope (The Bridge Sequence Book Three)

  The Unknowns have arrived.

  The Believers have attuned.

  Hope is lost.

  Rex Walker has returned to Earth only to discover it under attack. Time has run out.

  With the assistance of his new allies, Rex and his friends race to prevent a widespread invasion. Not to mention save his sister and best friend Marcus from the ultimate sacrifice.

  Dirk is on Rimia and finds himself working with someone from his past. A man he thought was dead.

  Rex must team with the Freedom Earthers and Special Agent Evan Young to stop the Believers from destroying civilization once
and for all.

  When everything else is gone, sometimes hope is all you have.

  Lost Hope is the gripping conclusion to The Bridge Sequence.

  LOST HOPE

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