“Faker,” she whispered.
Torenz’s eyes shot open, anger clear across their brown depths. He made no attempt to keep his voice low. “You’re dead. Do you know that?”
She straightened and smiled sweetly. “I have no doubt they’ll try. You need to worry about what they’ll do to you after letting me take control of the facility.”
It satisfied her to see the shock that ripped across the face that was so much like her own. She considered. They were by far too distant from any rift for him to reach through to Hallen. She patted the shuttle. “Time for you to get out and run like a big boy.”
In a fit of starting and stopping, he slowly climbed out and pulled himself erect beside her. His mouth was a bitter twist of anger, but he put on the snowshoes she threw at his feet. An exhausted scientist took his place in the cart. Turning, she motioned for the train to get moving again. They were on schedule, but just. She wanted enough extra time to handle any complications that might arise.
Chapter 50
Proof
Kaleen squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position. The unyielding chairs she and Ardense sat in lined the wall of a long, busy hallway filled with moving military people. On the other side of the hall was a frosted windowpane door with the letter “B” stenciled on the glass. No name, just “B.”
Ardense leaned into her and spoke in a low voice. “Are you sure we can trust this guy?”
She barely heard him over the noise, but she shrugged. She’d been hearing and asking that same question a lot lately. “Cardenza did.”
Truthfully, she didn’t know and that bothered her. It also bothered her that, because of this whole mess, Ardense couldn’t ask her that private of a question telepathically. It felt as if they’d become suddenly naked to the rest of the world, having to voice everything.
Office door “B” opened, and a stout dark man beckoned to them.
Kaleen crossed the hallway, dodging between oncoming traffic, and entered the office, Ardense right behind her. The man, Lieutenant Garza, or so his nameplate read, motioned to the two chairs facing his meticulous desk, while he seated himself behind. A shaded window on the side wall let in enough sunlight to shadow half his face, even with the overhead lights.
She smiled at the lieutenant. “I understand you knew Maurice Cardenza.”
“I did. He was a good friend.” He hesitated, a heavy sadness washing across his face, then he said, “We were in the military together. I can’t tell you how many times we saved each other’s lives.”
Ardense said, “We learned to trust him, and he trusted you.”
When Garza nodded, Kaleen moved to the edge of her seat, leaning into the desk. “We know that GlobeX is military-run. You were military. You understand our concern?”
He frowned at her. “The military only ensures that the private corporation, GlobeX, obeys the Temporal Accord. We have no hand in the operation of the company. I can assure you, I’d know if it was otherwise.”
She smirked. “I don’t believe you. Bade Hallen arrested me. He can only do that if he’s military.” She settled against the back of her chair, arms crossed, waiting to hear his excuse.
A spark came alive in Garza’s eyes. “I promise you, GlobeX isn’t military. Bade Hallen, however, is a person of interest.” He picked up his comm and worked his fingers across the device. Then he handed it to her.
She leaned toward Ardense with it, letting him read at the same time. After a moment, she lifted her gaze, and said, “It says here that you suspect he’s German military.”
Ardense chimed in, “From 1940?” He took the comm completely from her now, continuing to read the report.
Garza said, “He was told about the wormhole. He came across, worked himself into a key position, and has been manipulating the timeline in the past to assist Nazi Germany ever since.”
Ardense handed the comm back. “Why hasn’t he been stopped?”
“Persecuting a telepath or someone involved in a telepathic crime requires multiple personal testimonies and, as of yet, we’ve been unable to define anyone in his operation. Basically, we have nothing for the courts.”
Now Kaleen frowned. “Then, how do you know he’s this Nazi soldier?”
“We have the man who helped him across. His testimony only makes the crime one of misusing the wormholes, a deportable offense. By manipulating the timeline, Hallen’s committed some very serious crimes. We want him accountable.”
Satisfied they could trust Garza, she nodded at Ardense.
He produced the documents he’d taken from Cardenza’s pocket. “We believe Cardenza was killed because of what he found. It’s on paper because, when telepathic spies are involved, everything must be spoken and written. Not thought on like you would when typing an electronic document.”
Garza reached for the papers, unfolding them as he spoke. “I understand that. Murder would be easier to prove and it could be the crowbar that breaks open Hallen’s operation. A deal could then be offered to those arrested, that the first person who talks gets a lesser charge.”
Kaleen waited, watching the military man read his friend’s notes. His lips moved as he read. After he finished, he leaned back in his chair, staring at the documents.
She said, “We believe Staphershire, the time jumper stationed in Egypt, was killed for discovering a hidden base in the past, the same thing Cardenza uncovered, and the same place Denefe is being held captive.”
Ardense handed across another wad of folded papers from his pocket. “These are transcribed notes and testimonies that Starry collected.”
Garza shook his head. “The report said Staphershire was killed as a result of the sidewinder.” He skimmed the new pages.
While he read, Kaleen continued. “I’m the one who found him. I had a chance to inspect him before he was taken. The damage to his head was consistent with the detonation of this.” She pulled out Starry’s microchip and held it in her palm. “It was also consistent with what happened to Cardenza. It wasn’t a mugging. We were there and saw it happen. His chip detonated.”
Garza reached across the desk and plucked the chip from Kaleen’s hand. He held it up between his thumb and forefinger, studying it. “This might be exactly what we need.”
Chapter 51
Conflicted
Torenz eyed Denefe. She ran to the left of the line, constantly shifting her gaze to watch the horizon and the group of fugitives. Each time her gaze rested on him, her shoulders drooped and her face saddened. Then she moved her attention elsewhere.
He pondered this for a while. Could it be that she was sincere in her statements of affection for him? Not just tricking him to get free?
Was it something he could use against her? If he stopped her, he’d get back in Hallen’s good graces.
It brought a pang of guilt with it, because he’d become fond of her. She was his sister and so like their parents. She was part of his family, part of him.
A burn of an ulcer wormed its way into his stomach.
Chapter 52
Decision time
Denefe’s people were slowing. As the sun lifted high in the sky and the heat rose, the energy in her little group wound down. A sand storm had passed through there recently and the soft grains underfoot sucked at their snowshoes. It clogged the motors of the vehicles. Already, she’d had to abandon one of the little shuttle carts ahead of schedule. That was something she hadn’t counted on, not to this degree, at least. She figured they were running a good half an hour behind schedule.
She called Jileah. “We’re going to have to pick up the pace.”
The big nurse nodded grimly. Grime covered her face and scored her neck in lines. “I’ll take the front.”
Denefe eyed her string of mechanical conveyances. The individual carts wandered back and forth at the ends of their tethers, making the line of them look less like ducks and more like a snake. The last cart rocked back and forth in imitation of a boat tryin
g to swamp. “I was thinking of dumping that last cart. The cell’s almost shot and it’s starting to waddle.”
“What about who’s riding in it? Where will they go? There aren’t enough snowshoes.”
“They’ll just have to move into another or walk. I’ll give up my shoes if necessary.” She’d make sure Torenz didn’t have any either. She eyed her brother and caught him watching her. The moment he noticed her attention, he jerked his gaze away, scowling. She’d need to speak with him before they went too much farther. It was a task she didn’t relish.
Jileah’s face was still knit into a frown. “I think it’ll slow us way down.”
Denefe returned to the current conversation and pointed at the offending cart. “Or it could speed us up. The tow chain is as tight as a guitar string.”
Jileah shrugged. “You’re the boss.” She moved away.
Denefe nodded and stepped up to the cart, disconnecting it. The lead vehicles picked up speed, leaving it behind. “Everybody out. This one’s done.” She jerked the fuel cell out for use in the skimmer later. Three scientists unloaded and began the trek on foot. None looked too happy.
They’d started with the skimmer and five shuttle carts, the others being in too much disrepair. Now they were down to three—skimmer and two carts. There wouldn’t be so many breaks for the walkers anymore. She had only taken one since dumping Torenz onto his feet. She’d planned on another, but that wasn’t going to happen now.
After another forty-five minutes of travel, Denefe was still trying to figure out how to win the angry, brooding Torenz to her way of thinking. She’d learned he was as quick to anger as she was and as stubborn as Kaleen. Not a good combination. She needed to find the perfect words to convince him.
She glanced again at the horizon ahead of her. She should be able to glimpse the town, Armana, by now, but all she saw was a thin black line where the sky started. Frustrated, she sputtered her lips. Jileah trudged beside her, breathing heavy, and the rest strung out in a long line behind, Torenz in the middle.
The nurse nudged her and pointed to a line of dust in the sky to the right. That didn’t look good.
Denefe climbed onto the nose of the skimmer, rocking it wildly, and shaded her eyes, partly from the sun, but also from the sand particles. The dust cloud followed a dark clump that looked to be on an intersect course with her group, maybe a good ninety minutes or more distant, but it could be closer or farther. In the desert, distances were deceiving. She ran through the possibilities in her mind. Her brother could only have contacted another telepath already in that time.
She turned to Torenz. Incredulous, she asked, “What did you do?”
A smirk crossed his face, but he didn’t answer.
She jumped down and urged her group to move faster. The soft sand they’d been slogging through had steadily been working up to hard pack again. She dropped to the middle of the line and ran beside her brother.
“Do you know what it’s like to really be alone?”
“You know that I do.”
“No, I mean really alone. That rift is going to close. When it’s gone, you won’t even able to listen in on my and Kaleen’s thoughts.”
“There are other telepaths.”
“Do they fill the space inside like we do? Are you as close to them as you are to me? To us? You told me about when you were a child and you felt like two-thirds of you was missing. You’ll feel that all the time.”
When he didn’t answer, she knew she’d hit pay dirt. She remembered the silence after her and Kaleen’s fights. She continued. “I know what it’s like to be that close to someone and suddenly lose that. We’re family. No one else can fill that gap. Not these people, and not the other telepaths.”
Hesitancy crept across his face, but still, he said nothing.
“I’ve told you from the beginning, I’m not staying. If I’m stuck here and if these people capture me, I’ll make them sorry. In the end, they’ll have no recourse but to let me go. Or kill me. You’ll lose me. Either way, you’ll have no connection to the future, so you’ll lose Kaleen too. It’ll be just you. Alone, with two-thirds of you gone.”
She continued. “I’ll bet no one trusts you anymore, just because we’re related. Do you really think that will change? You can work and work and work to prove yourself, but, in the end, you’ll always be my brother to them—unable to be trusted, even if I fail. Even if it’s you who stops me. Your time with these people is done. You know that’s true.”
Now he looked at her, his white brows furrowed and his brown eyes clear with sudden understanding. “I can’t stop those who want you to stay here. I’m not that powerful in the hierarchy.”
“No, but you can stop working against us.”
He gave a short nod. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how important he’d become to her. He was her brother, one-third of her. He was at least partly on her side now. Her heart surged. True, she couldn’t trust him much, and she’d have to keep an eye on him, but hopefully he wouldn’t actively work against her any longer. That was something.
Another twenty minutes passed, and Denefe was pleased to see a dot in front of them that began to resemble a town. She hopped on top of the skimmer again. The smudge on the cross trail was distinctly closer, even more than it should be. She could easily make out individual clusters. They couldn’t be more than forty minutes out, coming fast. If her people were going to outpace them, she’d have to get them running. Time to cut some dead weight.
She jumped down and waved the group to a stop. “Okay. Let me tell you why we’re all out here, in the middle of the desert. The rift has gotten dangerous. It’s killing a lot of people. It’s going to be destroyed. I had to get you far enough away in case something went wrong. The lab could be demolished. Sidewinders could fly out everywhere and, even though we’re not safe from those out here, it’s guaranteed we wouldn’t survive them back there.”
She held up her hand to forestall any comments, questions, or complaints. “It’s decision time for you. I’ve been told many of you would prefer to stay here, in the past, even without the rift. It means you’ll never return home again. All the rifts will be gone. You will become citizens of this timeline. You’ll never get to know if anything you’ve done has been published or even recognized should you hide it for the future and that purpose. Worse, if the lab is destroyed, you’ll have no equipment. Nor will any be coming from the future.”
She pointed to the east and the oncoming bad guys. “We have a group of fast-moving individuals trying to reach us from this direction. I’m thinking whoever they are, they won’t be a rescue party. They could be raiders.”
At their startled faces, she added. “If you play your cards right, they most probably won’t hurt you. You have bargaining power. We’ve left these shuttle carts scattered behind us, plus you’ll have these two and the skimmer. You can barter them as you need. So, decide now—stay or go, but decide quickly. We have no time and we’ll be moving fast. If you can’t keep up, we won’t wait for you and you’d be better off staying here. Those of you who are leaving, get moving.”
The group sifted and thinned, leaving behind four scientists. Torenz moved on with the group going to Armana.
Denefe said to the small group staying, “Good luck.” She ran to catch up with her smaller caravan of Jileah, Torenz, and twelve others. Most of them were fairly fit, but there was one who shouldn’t be with them. She thought she remembered his name as Baker or something like that.
She pulled him aside. “Stay here. The pace we’ve got to keep is too much for you and we can’t help.”
He barked a laugh and appraised her with his eyes. “I’ll take my chances with you.”
Denefe shrugged and moved on. It would be his funeral. Her hope was that all the raiders would stay focused on the other group of scientists, but to her dismay, they split as well. Until that moment, s
he’d held a tiny hope they were just passersby. Watching them separate into two columns, her stomach pitched.
She kicked off her snowshoes and bolted. “Run! Run!” Jileah immediately followed Denefe’s example and followed. Torenz bolted behind her. The rest of her people surmised the danger and joined them. One, not Baker, stopped and turned back to join the group staying behind.
It looked to be a close race whether they would reach the town or the advancing column would catch them first. Ahead of them, Armana grew steadily larger. Behind them, the time bomb was ticking.
Chapter 53
Run!
Denefe glanced behind at her little entourage. The majority of her people were clustered together, helping and encouraging each other. Behind them was Baker, flailing his arms across his body in an effort to make his legs move faster. Sweat stains covered his entire shirt and fresh sweat rolled down his face in sheets.
She gritted her teeth, veered to the side, and stopped. “Keep going!” she shouted at Jileah, who glanced at her with a questioning frown. Once the throng of scientists came abreast, she shouted “Faster! The raiders are gaining!” It was as if the sand suddenly boiled under their feet and the pace nearly doubled.
Baker finally came even with her, and she fell in beside him. “Stop sawing your arms across your body. It only uses energy faster. Move your arms straight forward like this.” She demonstrated.
He tried it, exaggerating the move unnaturally. He grinned. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”
She snatched his arm and spun him around to face the oncoming raiders, who could now be seen to be riding animals of some kind, most probably camels. Horses would have gotten caught in the deep sands or broken through the crust and floundered, whereas the camels had wide, flat feet and traveled on top like a ship on the sea.
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