“Like what?”
“A vibration, or a tone that resonates inside your mind. I’ll go through each of the keys, and you tell me which one feels the strongest.”
“Okay.”
As Lin inserted the key into the slot in the bronze plate between Jenny’s hands, chaos exploded in her mind. The world moved in slow motion. Sounds lowered in pitch. It seemed like it took minutes for Lin to remove the key, and then the world returned to normal.
“Wow, that was weird.”
“No comments until we’ve tried every key, okay?”
Jenny nodded. “Okay.” With the next key, she felt the same chaos, but the world didn’t slow down. Instead, Jenny experienced temperature to an extreme degree. She could sense the heat emanating from everyone’s skin and the teapot cooling on the shelf.
As Lin swapped the second key for the third key, Jenny’s head buzzed and something strange happened to her vision. Lin’s fair Chinese skin had transformed to deep violet, with splotches of turquoise. A second later, Lin looked more normal, but all the colors became impossibly vivid. Her yellow overcoat beamed like a sun. Finally, Lin’s face turned red, with glowing orange blotches around her eyes and lips. Lin removed the key, and Jenny’s vision returned to normal.
With the fourth key, Jenny felt a rushing sensation, as if she were being pulled down by a river’s current. She crouched down in her chair and expected everyone else to do the same. Instead, Lin and Kensei continued sitting calmly.
Lin pulled the final key free of the brass plate. “Did any of them stand out?”
“They all made my head buzz, but I wouldn’t say any of them stood out. The first one slowed everything down. With the second, I could sense the temperature of things. The third one made my vision go crazy, and the last one made me feel like I was caught in a river.”
“But none of them felt any stronger than the others?”
Jenny shook her head. “Does that mean that none of the keys are for me?”
“No,” Lin said as she shook her head. “This has never happened before. I guess it means you can take any of the keys.”
Any of the keys? Jenny thought about each reaction and tried to decide which one would be best for her.
“But before you choose,” Lin said, “Let’s have Kensei take the test first.”
“Okay,” Kensei said and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply for a minute then opened them. He put his hands on the brass plate and nodded. Lin inserted the first key.
“It’s buzzing,” Kensei said.
“That’s good, but remember, no comments until we’ve tried them all.”
Kensei nodded, and Lin inserted the next key. As Jenny watched the test, she felt that siren call from the laboratory. It pressed against her mind with a persistent humming sensation. Lin inserted the last key.
Kensei jumped and jerked his hands back as if shocked. “Whoa.”
Lin grinned. “That’s how it’s supposed to work.”
Kensei massaged his hands. “What was that?”
“We just found your key.” Lin lifted the key—inset with an emerald—from the box. “You’re the first one to pick the emerald key.” She attached it to a silver chain necklace and handed it to Kensei. “Wear it at all times. You can use it to activate the Waypoints, but more importantly, it’ll help attune your senses.”
Kensei nodded as he took off his purple Lakers hat, revealing short, curly black hair. He slipped the chain over his head and put the hat back on.
“Congratulations,” Jenny said to Kensei, trying to sound earnest.
“Kensei, let’s see you hold your key,” Lin said. He wrapped his long fingers around the silvery haft. Lin corrected his grip to be more subtle and to free the fork end. “Focus on it. Feel the energy of it, and try to match its vibration.”
Kensei stared at the fork until his eyes crossed.
Jenny giggled at the sight.
Lin grinned. “It will take some getting used to.” She turned to Jenny and tilted the box toward her. “Have you decided which one you want?”
Jenny considered the remaining keys. What she wanted was the connection that Kensei had with his key. Again, she felt the pull toward the laboratory. “Is there another key? I keep feeling something from the laboratory.”
Lin raised an eyebrow. “Show me.” She closed the Key Ceremony box and placed it back on the shelf.
As they left the teahouse, Lin ended the program, and the garden disappeared. They made their way down the hall, and through the double doors to the laboratory. The lab techs, Cora and Joseph, gave them puzzled looks as they entered the laboratory. Jenny allowed the siren call to pull her into the heart of the steel shelving. Handwritten paper labels marked archaeological treasures. Objects covered in sheets lined the back wall, including one that had the silhouette of a Risi.
Jenny jumped back against the shelving.
“What is it?” Lin asked.
“I saw a giant.”
“Oh.” Lin chuckled. “That’s just a suit of armor. We have many Risi artifacts in our collection, including complete skeletons, weapons, and camp supplies.”
“You stole them?”
“No, we discovered them, mostly in and around Fort Esperanza.”
Jenny bit her lip. I bet the Risi wouldn’t be too happy if they knew Cabin held this collection.
“Is that a Waypoint?” Kensei pointed at a large obsidian disc held upright with carbon-fiber straps. Although it was a little smaller than the one they arrived in, the shape and material were identical.
“No.” Lin covered the smaller Waypoint up with a canvas sheet. “Well, kind of, yes.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, it doesn’t work the same. It only connects to one other Waypoint.”
“Which one?”
Lin turned to Jenny. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Oh.” Jenny turned away from the covered Waypoint and searched the shelves for the source of the emanations. “It’s right around here somewhere.” She closed her eyes and recalled the meditative state from the teahouse. She stretched out with her senses and followed the siren’s call. When she opened her eyes, she was looking at a shelf with a black touch-combination safe. “It’s coming from inside here.”
“You’re sure?”
Jenny nodded.
Lin tapped a six-digit sequence into the twelve-numbered keypad. She pulled the door open and removed an antique wooden box. The siren’s call grew to a scream as Lin opened the lid. Inside, an unadorned Waypoint key rested on a bed of purple velvet.
“This key wasn’t made by Kett’l.”
“May I?” Jenny asked.
Lin nodded.
Jenny lifted the tuning-fork-shaped key free of the box. Her mind and body buzzed like she was on a quadruple-shot espresso high. A tone played in her mind, and like with the VRGo puzzle, Jenny hummed along. Something clicked inside her mind. She shivered as a tingling sensation raced down her spine.
“That’s the effect we were looking for.” Lin smiled. “And you just solved a century-long historical debate.”
“How?”
“You see, by the time Astrea Baillie discovered the Waypoint, it had been hidden for thousands of years. She had to dig through layers of sediment and organic deposits to locate the obsidian bowl. Then, Astrea had to clear the bowl to find the key. Historians have debated how she had discovered the first Waypoint key, and now I know the answer. It must have called to her, the way it did with you.”
“This was Astrea’s key?” Jenny spun the heavy, silvery object between her fingers. She thought about the key’s journey from Astrea to Rygelus, Lin, and finally to her.
Lin nodded. “And now it is yours.” She pulled a silver chain from the pocket of her yellow coat and fit it to the key.
“Congratulations.” Kensei put a hand on Jenny’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Thank you.” Jenny smiled and looked into Kensei’s face as Lin hung the key around her neck. A eurythmic song played in her head. F
or the first time in longer than she could remember, Jenny felt complete.
15
Penwales
The Strider’s main drive shut down as they entered Earth’s orbit and the ship flipped around to face the blue-green sphere. The view filled the cockpit. In spite of being tricked into this mission, Jack couldn’t help feeling a sense of awe. This is a beautiful planet. Even though he was trapped with Hocco’s killer, he felt like celebrating his first visit to a planet in several years.
Jack unfastened his harness and floated up from his seat. Using handholds in the cockpit, he pulled himself to the galley. Jack rifled through the cabinets until he found a bottle of amber liquid. He squeezed a shot into a small cup. The grooved interior was designed to contain the fluid even in zero gravity.
The door to Victus’s cabin opened, and the man masquerading as Hocco floated into the galley. Jack suppressed his anger. He wasn’t going to let this man spoil his mood. So, Jack filled another grooved shot glass and handed it to Victus.
“To a smooth mission.” Jack held up his glass for a toast. Without waiting for Victus, he sucked the amber liquid out of the grooves and savored its sweetness and warmth. It tasted smoky and slightly fruity. When he swallowed, it burned a trail of heat down his throat. He sucked air through his teeth and tossed the glass toward the sink net. “I’m ready to go planetside, and while I’m down there, I’m going to pick up some supplies for the ship.” And maybe a little something for me, Jack thought.
“Do not get sidetracked.” Victus tossed his empty glass toward the sink. It clinked into Jack’s before getting caught in the net.
“Don’t worry.” Jack pushed off a cabinet and floated toward his cabin. “Getting home is my number one priority.”
After packing a duffel bag, Jack climbed down to the cargo bay. He grabbed his leather jacket from the locker and made his way through the airlock to his spaceplane. Jack had named the plane Pepper, after his ex-wife. As a wedding gift, he had commissioned an artist to paint her likeness—ice-blue skin and red hair—onto the side of the plane’s tail. Even though they were now divorced, Jack couldn’t bring himself to change the name or remove the painting.
Jack entered the plane and secured the door behind him. Out of habit, he kissed two fingers and touched the ceiling. He passed through the small cargo area—lined with eight vac suits—and strapped his duffel into an empty seat. Jack strapped himself into the pilot’s seat and ran through the preflight routine.
Jack activated the communicator and said, “Ready for release.”
“You are all clear,” Victus said. “One thing, though…”
“What’s that?”
“I cannot reach Mister Torres.”
“Is that a deal-breaker?”
“No, he may not be free to talk, for security reasons.”
“Or he learned that you’re an evil body-snatching warlord.”
“Amusing,” Victus replied with no trace of amusement in his tone.
“Oh, sorry, I thought I had the comm turned off,” Jack lied.
“In case he cannot meet you, he will send his colleague Aindriu Ward. They both know the situation and will lead you to the Selkans’ location. This remains our best option.”
“As much as I hate saying it, I agree with you.”
The docking clamps retracted, and the spaceplane drifted away from the Strider. Jack turned the nose of the Pepper toward Earth’s southern hemisphere. Then he hit the thrusters and dropped toward Acacia City Airfield. The airfield catered to clientele who owned private planes and spaceplanes like the Pepper, while the Acacia City Spaceport, or ACX, was primarily for commercial flights and arrival and departure of cargo.
As the Pepper drifted out of the exosphere, it started shaking from turbulence and roasting from air friction. Jack’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the control sticks. I hate this part. It had been years since he’d been in atmosphere. He was afraid to blink as he passed through a cloud. By the time land came into view his armpits were a sweaty mess.
Jack notified the airfield’s tower of his approach and received arrival instructions. The Pepper was capable of vertical takeoff and landing, so he was directed to a helipad. As he neared the city’s limits, Jack reduced power and used the airfield’s artificial lights to guide him toward the pad.
After landing, he taxied to the apron and searched for his parking spot. Airplanes and spacecraft of all shapes and sizes parked beneath massive, mushroom-shaped canopies. Jack found the seventeenth concrete mushroom and parked the Pepper at spot D. It was the farthest zone from the fixed-base operator, he noted. A yellow-and-white electric vehicle was parked near the supply station. With its three rows of seats, and a large covered cargo area, it had to be a transport vehicle.
After shutting off the Pepper’s engines, Jack set his watch for the local time and grabbed his bag. Victus had provided him a generous amount of local currency from an untraceable account. Even after the airport’s hefty fees, he would have enough left over to buy some local goods. He opened a secret compartment in the floor and withdrew his A-159X handgun, a weapon that enthusiasts lovingly dubbed “the ax.” Named for its ability to fell a tree with a single shot. It was a strange boast, but the only trees Jack knew of were the stunted kind that grew in Lan Station’s small parks.
Jack shrugged off his jacket and slung the gun’s holster over his shoulder. He connected the strap across his chest and adjusted the fit until the gun’s handle rested under his left armpit. Jack drew the gun in a blur, a move he’d practiced at least a thousand times. Satisfied, Jack pulled his leather jacket on and walked down the ramp. Finding fuel and water supplies, he refreshed the Pepper’s reserves.
Jack checked his watch. There wasn’t much time before his meeting. I might still have time to shop. By the time the Pepper’s tanks were full, the sun had set, and fireworks boomed over the nearby bay.
Jack walked over to the yellow-and-white electric vehicle and hopped into the driver’s seat. He found the power switch and flipped it on. The car purred with electrical energy, and a single wiper cleared a path through a spattering of rain that peppered the windshield.
Jack checked the map on his data tablet and drove toward Acacia City’s historic downtown district. He found that people assumed you knew what you were doing when you acted with confidence, and he was right, nobody tried to stop him as he exited the airfield.
As he neared downtown, a group of drunken tourists stepped out into the street. Jack beeped the little car’s horn. A man made a finger gesture that Jack made a note of. Jack slowed his pace and searched the shop fronts. He saw art galleries, museums, jewelers, bakeries, patisseries, and ice cream shops, but not what he was looking for. The street ended at a row of yellow pylons that prevented vehicles from entering the Waypoint Plaza.
Jack backed the little yellow car between two other vehicles and parked. Nearby, a crowd gathered outside a window display. It was a women's clothing boutique, and two female models were displaying dresses in a soundless miming act.
Finally, Jack spotted a picture of a steaming coffee cup on a hanging sign above a door down the street. Painted onto the large picture window in perfect calligraphy was “Penwales Coffee Roasters.” Jack entered the shop, and the heavenly aroma of roasted coffee almost knocked him over. Incredible coffee-making apparatuses lined the shelves. There were chemistry-like glass drip systems, and nitrous-oxide taps, and other brewing systems. Next to these were bags of beans in light, medium, and dark roasts from countries all over the Earth. Freshly roasted beans were like gold on a space station, so he grabbed an armful.
Jack felt a childlike excitement as he stood in line. Several people, mostly human, waited to order their beverages. In front of him, an Avian cradled a bag of decaf in his feathered arms. Jack took his time studying the vast menu.
“What will it be?” The cashier, a teenager with the sides of his head shaved, looked at him with glazed eyes.
Jack dropped the bags on the counter. He f
elt overwhelmed with options and grew more anxious at the sight of a dozen impatient faces behind him. He ordered the only thing he recognized on the menu, a pour-over.
As he waited for his order, Jack thought about the mission. So far, he had seen several aliens: Taalo, Avian, and even a hulking Snibb. Nothing that looked like a Selkan.
A female barista called his name and handed Jack his pour-over. He wrapped his hands around the tall white paper cup and sighed in ecstasy at the aroma. When Jack said thank you for his coffee, it was genuine. He was truly grateful for the barista’s expert work in addition to this opportunity to indulge in a luxury few could experience where he was from.
Jack took a long, slow sip. He waited for the bitterness and acidity he usually experienced. Instead, he tasted fruit, nuts, vanilla, and a bit of smoke. “Now, that’s coffee!” he shouted.
Everyone in the shop turned to stare at him, but Jack didn’t care. He couldn’t remember having had a better cup of coffee in his life. He walked out with a bag full of coffee beans, and breathed in the heady scent of Earth air. What if I just stay here? He thought, I could hide here, drink good coffee, and never have to worry about my debts again. Then, he thought about Victus. The Æon would never allow Jack that freedom. So, with a heavy sigh, Jack walked toward the Waypoint Plaza. He skirted a group of characters wearing papier-mâché heads and bird masks and made his way toward the center of the plaza. He passed landscaped trees and shrubs as he approached a stone gazebo. With minutes to spare, he sat on a park bench and sipped his coffee.
“Hey!” a muscular young man with a terrible neck scar shouted. “Are you Jack Spriggan?”
16
Waypoint Instruction
Outside the Department of Transportation, Jenny rubbed her hands together and hugged herself against the cold. Silky clouds formed a canopy that reflected the reds, blues, and greens of the fireworks. Yellow light spilled from storefronts and reflected off the rain-soaked cobblestone streets. The paraders had abandoned the plaza, but a few brave musicians remained to serenade the tourists.
The Key of Astrea Page 17