by Amy DuBoff
CHAPTER 10
Cris escorted his son out of the hangar, staying close. As much as he wanted to offer words of comfort, he couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t sound trite. So, in silence, he steered Wil toward the nearest lift.
“Where are we going?” Wil asked, sounding a little frantic. His movement was unusually rigid and his eyes were darting around apprehensively.
For the first time, Cris noticed that Wil’s eyes had begun to glow slightly, bringing out teal highlights—a departure from the cobalt familial standard. The bioluminescence was expected, given Wil’s rising telekinetic abilities, but he was still so young. “To the infirmary so Irina can look you over,” Cris responded.
They arrived at a lift, and Cris stepped in.
Wil stopped in the hall. “I’m fine. I just want to go to bed.”
This isn’t like him. What did the Bakzen put him through? Cris stared at his son, confused by his resistance. “Wil, I understand that you’re tired, but I think it’s important that you get a clean bill of health. You have no way of knowing if they gave you anything. Irina came along for this very reason, and if nothing else, go along with it to humor her. It won’t take more than a few minutes and then you can rest all you want. Please, don’t fight this. I’m far too exhausted to argue.”
Wil stood his ground. He dropped his eyes to the floor, shaking his head.
Cris took a deep breath. “What is it, Wil? I know you’ve been through a lot, but I’ve never seen you like this.” He looked with concern at his son.
Wil smiled wryly, bringing his softly glowing eyes up to meet his father’s. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. The Bakzen told me things—that I was engineered to fight them. But with all their advanced technologies—far more powerful than anything I’ve seen at the TSS—what could one person possibly do? Their abilities…” he faded off with a little laugh at the last statement.
Cris dropped his own head, leaning back against the rear wall of the lift. “I don’t even know where to start… I finally got what I think is a kernel of truth out of Banks, but I’m still not sure what to make of it.”
Wil looked up with interest. “What did he say?”
Cris shook his head and laughed to himself in much the same way his son had. “We shouldn’t get into that now… It’s part of a much larger conversation. Let’s just make sure you’re all right, and then we can both get some much-needed rest. You look as tired as I feel, so I know you can’t completely object.”
Wil relaxed a little. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just so sick of secrets and half-truths.”
Cris nodded. “You and me both. Now, can I take you to the infirmary? Think of poor Irina… She’ll be so disappointed if you refused to see her.”
Wil sighed and nodded. “I can’t believe you brought her all this way just for me.”
“Actually, I didn’t know she was coming until I looked at the manifest in pre-flight. When I saw her, she said she volunteered.”
Wil stepped into the lift, and Cris activated the controls to take them up to the deck with the main infirmary. “What were you doing down in the infirmary?” He looked suspiciously at his father.
“I don’t believe I need to recount the benefits of stimulants to you.”
Wil smiled, showing a hint of his usual self. “I see.”
The lift stopped across the hall from the main door to the infirmary. They stepped out.
“Now, come on.” Cris guided Wil through the infirmary’s door.
Wil shot an exasperated look back at his father, but turned back around in time to see the Head Medical Doctor come out of her office.
“What happened? It felt like we made a jump and—” She caught sight of Wil. “Oh, thank the stars! Wil, how are you feeling?” She escorted him to a medical bed with motherly care and sat him down.
“I feel fine. I’m just very tired.”
“And you certainly look it,” she replied with a soft smile. “You’re taking after your father too much already.” She looked up a Cris, then back to her patient. “Tiredness is easy enough to fix.” She took a small blood sample from his fingertip and ran it through a scanner. She looked pleased with the results. “But besides that, I don’t see anything immediately anomalous. Are you sure you feel okay? That was a rough landing.”
“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just a little sore from sleeping on rocks for days,” Wil said.
“What part of you?” Irina asked.
“Kind of everywhere, but mostly my hip.” Wil moved to slide off the table, but the doctor stopped him.
“Your hip? Show me,” Irina requested, her face drawn.
Why is that significant? Cris crossed his arms.
Wil reluctantly pulled down the side of his pants to expose the back of his left hip. Irina examined the area. She frowned.
“What is it?” Cris asked. Please, don’t tell me they did something to him…
“There’s the trace of a needle mark here,” Irina said.
Wil looked alarmed. “Like from a shot?”
“No, it’s a wider diameter than that.” Irina’s brow furrowed. “The only thing that comes to mind is that this is a common site for bone marrow extraction.”
Cris felt ill. Stars!
“What would they want with my bone marrow?” Wil looked between Irina and Cris, alarmed.
Irina placed a comforting hand on Wil’s shoulder. “No reason for concern. It can be used to treat illness, or maybe the Bakzen are just trying to learn about Tarans.”
“Or for cloning?” Cris asked telepathically.
Without any external reaction, Irina replied, “Yes, it’s possible. Why?”
“Write what you need in your medical report, but don’t say anything else to Wil. He’s been through enough.” Cris tried to relax. The Bakzen wouldn’t try to clone him, would they…? “Someone could be sick and you’re a match. Who knows.”
Irina smiled at Wil. “Yes, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. I’ll run some further analysis, to be safe, and let you know if anything shows up.” She allowed Wil to get off the exam bed. “Just feed him and get him to bed, Cris. You should get some rest as well.”
“Yes, Doctor.” Cris exchanged a knowing look with Wil. “I have some business to attend to first, but I assure you that I will get some sleep as soon as I’m able.” I still need to finish my conversation with Banks.
“That’s the most promising response that I’ve gotten from you in a very long time,” Irina replied. “I suppose it will suffice for the time being. Now, get your son to bed. You can tell me what happened later.”
Cris nodded. “I will.” He put his hand on Wil’s shoulder and walked him out the door. “Now,” he said once they were out in the hall, “that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“No. She did give me a strange look, though. My eyes have started to turn, haven’t they?” Wil turned to his father for confirmation.
“Yes, but I suspect that ‘look’ was more due to you surviving an encounter with the Bakzen. That’s no small feat. Your eyes turning was something that we knew would happen any time, and it’s not all that surprising, given that you are a Junior Agent.” I can’t believe he’s grown up this fast.
“Yes, but I’m an extremely young Junior Agent. I’m only fourteen, Dad. It’s awfully young for that.”
Even twenty is early for most… “It’s young, yes, but it’s in line with the accelerated timeline of your other abilities. Given the circumstances, it’s nothing out of the ordinary,” Cris assured. I wasn’t ready for this.
“Dad, I handled over an 8 in intensity.”
Cris stopped mid-stride and looked over at his son. “That’s a significant gain. How did it feel?”
“That’s the thing, it was perfectly fine. There was no strain whatsoever,” Wil said, becoming very serious. “I didn’t even have to try.”
“How did you come to handle that much?”
Wil looked down at the floor. “They had me in some sort of inter
rogation room and Colonel Tek was questioning me. He was saying how powerful the Bakzen were, and I wanted to show him I was strong, too. So, I sent a telepathic probe. Tek told me it was around an 8, but I’ve never done that before. I didn’t know. But, I— I didn’t feel a max. I mean, I stopped because I didn’t want him to feel me strain and know my limit, so—”
“Slow down, Wil! Breathe.” He waited for his son to settle. “Who’s this Colonel Tek? No, never mind. Now, you didn’t feel any sort of limit?”
Wil shook his head. “No. It didn’t surprise me as much at the time as it should have, but looking back on it, I don’t know what to think. I was just so scared.” Wil hugged himself. “No one ever told me what to do. I just had to play along.”
Cris put a hand on Wil’s shoulder. “You did great, Wil. I don’t know of anyone who would have acted more appropriately. We’ll work through this new development later.”
After a moment, Wil nodded.
He’s taking all this so much better than I would have. “Right now, you’re under doctor’s orders to get some rest, and one of the last things I would do is cross Irina Saunatev. Come on.” Cris wrapped his arm around Wil’s shoulder and directed him back into the main hall.
They walked the rest of the way to Cris’ quarters in silence. Once there, Wil went straight to the bed and lay down, only pausing to slip off his boots. Cris started to leave, but his son called out, “Dad, would you stay here? I don’t really want to be alone right now.”
“Of course, Wil. I won’t leave you.”
Wil arranged the pillows into a cozy cocoon around his head, and within moments his breathing was slow and regular with sleep.
Cris walked quietly over to the viewscreen to call Banks at Headquarters. It took a while for the video feed to connect, but Cris knew that it was the middle of the night on their clock. Banks was probably sleeping.
After a few minutes, the viewscreen showed the High Commander’s face. “Cris? Do you…”
“We have Wil,” Cris replied with an enthusiastic smile, keeping his voice low so he didn’t wake Wil.
Banks beamed, days of tension releasing. “I knew you’d find a way.”
“Well, it wasn’t easy.” None of it feels real. He gave a quick recap of the events.
Banks looked nervous. “You entered the rift?”
“Well, yes. What were we supposed to do?”
The High Commander was silent. “Never mind.” Banks sat quietly in thought and then took a deep breath. “How’s Wil?”
Cris turned around to look at the sleeping form of his son. “He seems okay. Tired and overwhelmed, but he’s sleeping now.” Cris bit his lip. “Banks, he’s changed so much just in this past few days.”
“You’ve both been through a lot.”
Cris sighed. “I can’t think straight. I’m too exhausted to even be properly upset with you.” He lied to me about my entire existence.
“Ah ha! My plan worked,” Banks jested.
“Very funny.” It would be amusing if it weren’t so close to the truth. Cris ran his fingers through his hair. “All this new information… What I’ve seen first-hand… I mean, fok! What you told me earlier, about the nanotech, genetic engineering—you’re talking about the very foundation of individual identity!” Wil stirred on the bed, and Cris realized he had raised his voice. He continued more quietly. “Every piece of my life has been either programmed or orchestrated. What am I supposed to do with that knowledge?”
“You accept it for what it is.”
Right. “You know me better than that,” Cris scoffed.
Banks looked at him levelly. “Which is how I know you’ll buckle down and do what needs to be done.”
I don’t know if I can this time. It’s too much… “It’s not that easy. The happy bubble of blissful ignorance has burst. You expect me to just carry on like nothing has changed?”
“Of course not.” Banks shook his head. “But I do expect you to carry on—albeit, in a more informed manner.”
“And what am I supposed to tell Wil? Apparently the Bakzen started saying some version of what you told me. I delayed the conversation, but I know that’s the first thing he’s going to ask about when he wakes up. He’s still barely more than a kid! I can’t just say ‘the fate of the entire Taran race is in your hands,’ or however you want to characterize it. It’s ridiculous!”
“I know nothing about this is easy. I’ll tell him with you, if you prefer.”
Cris paused. “No, it should come from me. I just wish the statements could have a little more context.”
Banks thought for a moment. “Where are you now?”
“Heading toward home. I don’t know where, exactly.”
“How long since you initiated the jump?” Banks asked.
Cris shrugged. “Maybe half an hour?”
“You’re still close, then,” Banks murmured. “I think you should go visit the TSS Headquarters responsible for Bakzen affairs. If not for you, then for Wil. They can give you that context about the Bakzen. And he should see the full extent of TSS forces.”
Stars! “There’s another Headquarters?”
“Yes, with its own High Commander and Lead Agent. Anyone who receives a Jotun assignment after graduation reports up to them.”
“That other budget you alluded to earlier.” This is all so profoundly foked up.
“Right.”
“What else have you been keeping from me?”
“Nothing else that changes the path ahead,” Banks hedged.
Cris’ eyes narrowed. “So there’s something.”
“Cris, you know better than anyone that there’s never complete transparency. But, the war in the rift, and Wil’s part to play in its end—that’s the heart of all this.”
Cris crossed his arms. “Now you want to send us to this ‘other Headquarters’ and throw us into the middle of that war?”
“Far from it. I just think it’s important for Wil to see that there’s more to the TSS than what you know back home. We need a leader with Wil’s future abilities to end the war, yes, but we’ve been holding our own for a long time. He’ll have backing when it’s time for him to step up as a leader.”
I can’t take him there now, have him paraded around… “He needs time to recover. This—”
“He’s more resilient than you’re giving him credit for.”
Cris glanced over at Wil. “Normally, yes. But he’s right on the verge, Banks. Don’t push him right now.”
Banks gave Cris a stern look. “I don’t want this to be about technicalities, but you’ve already crossed over into the other High Commander’s jurisdiction. Once that happens, there are protocols.”
Cris sighed. He’ll make it an order if I don’t agree. “So, we’ve been behind enemy lines, have intel, need to debrief…”
Banks nodded. “And they’re far more equipped to handle that process than we are. Please, this will be easier for everyone if you set a good example.”
I’m guessing I don’t want to find out what would happen if I refuse. “Well, it’s not like I have a choice, then.”
Banks shook his head. “I’ll transmit the spatial coordinates to the Vanquish’s CACI. The main Headquarters structure is within an offshoot of the rift, but it’s accessible by a stationary rift gate fixed in normal space. The engineering crew will be able to get you a replacement jump drive cell for the trip home.”
I would just take the ship and disappear if Kate were here with us. “Do we really have to do this now?”
“Yes. And I hate to say it, but this is just the beginning,” Banks said, his tone morose.
Cris shook his head. But the beginning of what, exactly? “How am I supposed to trust anything you tell me?”
“Because despite recent appearances, I have always had your back. Now that everything is out in the open, I’ll make sure Wil gets everything he’ll need to be successful.”
“I still don’t want him to have any part of this.”
“
I know. I don’t, either, but that’s one thing we can’t change.”
A future decided generations in advance. Cris looked down. There’s no way to fight this. At least not right now. “What should we expect at this other Headquarters?”
“Well, we call it ‘H2.’ It’s a military installation first and foremost,” Banks explained. “Very different from the TSS you know.”
“Should I even bother asking about how I fit in terms of rank and reporting structure?”
Banks looked unsure. “It’s never really come up before. Just be polite.”
Cris nodded. “Fine, I’ll figure it out.” He paused, hit by a wave of tiredness. He held back a yawn. “I should call Kate before I pass out.”
“Why don’t you wait until morning. I should fill her in first.”
Cris reluctantly nodded. There’s more to tell her about than just Wil’s rescue. “Okay, well, I better get some rest or I’ll be cranky with the other officers.”
Banks cracked a smile. “Of course, Cris. Sleep well.”
Cris suppressed another yawn. “I’ll have Alec get us on course for H2.”
“I’ll talk to you again when you arrive, I’m sure.”
“Yes. Talk to you then.” Cris moved to end the transmission.
“One more thing, Cris.”
“Yes?”
“Nicely done.”
CHAPTER 11
Knowing that Wil and the Vanquish were safe set Banks’ mind at ease, but everything had changed. I never meant for Wil to find out so soon. I just hope it’s not too much for him to handle. With the Vanquish headed toward H2, he needed to alert his High Commander counterpart. But first, he needed to have a difficult conversation with Kate.
Shaking off his weariness, Banks dressed and went out into the long hallway in the Primus Agents’ wing. Banks’ suite was only three doors away from Kate and Cris’. He knocked on the door, and Kate answered after a few minutes. Her hair was tousled and hazel eyes were exposed, their glow less vibrant than normal.
“What happened?” she asked with audible concern, pulling her robe tighter.