Everyone found a seat in the small car, except for Aindriu.
“Aindriu, get inside. What are you doing?” Lin asked.
“I’m going back for Sadi.” Aindriu turned and ran toward the plaza before anyone could say a word.
“Will he be alright?” Jenny asked.
“Don’t worry,” Lin said. “He can take care of himself.”
“Tough kid,” Jack said.
Behind them, the crowd grew excited. Jenny turned in time to see Blunderbore stand up and look around. “Go, go, go!” She shouted as Blunderbore charged toward them.
Jack hit the accelerator, and the car’s wheels spun on the wet road. He aimed for the sidewalk, forcing people out of his way.
The giant was close behind them.
Jack cut over to the street and sped downhill. The sounds of screams faded as they drove farther away from the terrifying creature. The overcast sky hid the moonlight, creating profound darkness that the little car’s headlights fought to pierce. After a few minutes, the giant was out of sight, and they were safe.
“What were those things that attacked us?” Jack asked.
“Risi,” Lin said. “Creatures from a parallel world.”
“What were they doing here?”
“I don’t know,” Lin replied. “The Risi haven’t attacked humans for over a hundred years, and they’ve never crossed over to our world before.”
17
Flight of the Pepper
The charm of Acacia City faded as they drove away from the plaza. People and buildings looked dull. Advertisements flashed across billboards. Tagged Dumpsters stood out like mile markers. Jenny’s body shook from residual fear and adrenaline withdrawal as the Risi attack replayed unbidden in her mind. She still remembered how it had felt when her halberd had pierced the giant’s head, how the hot blood had coated her hands. She did her best to wipe it off, but some still remained, dried under her fingernails.
After a few minutes of driving, they reached the Acacia City Airfield. Jack turned the electric car into the main entrance. They passed enormous mushroom-shaped structures that illuminated rows of aircraft, some as small as delivery trucks and others the size of luxury yachts. Stubby concrete lights illuminated the boundaries of the parking zones. They stopped in front of 17D.
Jack carefully lifted the eviscerated coffee shop bag and fingered the cut like a surgeon inspecting a wound. He retrieved the one remaining bag of coffee beans.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Lin touched Jack’s shoulder. “But we survived, and you can always get more coffee.”
Jack sniffed and nodded. “C’mon. My plane’s this way.”
Jenny followed Jack to a silver plane with blue and orange highlights. A gaudy painting of a pinup girl with blue skin and red hair adorned the side. The name “Pepper” was written underneath.
Jack unlocked the anterior ramp, and hydraulics lowered it to ground level. One by one, they climbed the slope to the plane’s gray interior. It smelled of industrial grease. Blue and orange paint marked various controls and compartments. Eight pressure suits lined the antechamber walls.
Jenny found a seat in the passenger cabin and slid her burstepi underneath. After securing the seat harness, she struggled to find a comfortable position for her aching body. Kensei sat down across from her. After settling into place, he pulled out his sketchbook and set it on his lap. Leon scurried out and perched on his shoulder. Lin sat next to Jack in the copilot’s seat.
After some discussion over the radio, they taxied to the runway. The plane’s engines roared, pressing Jenny into the molded seat as they picked up speed and lifted off. Once in the air, they made a wide turn and headed east over the Pacific Ocean.
As they were turning, Jenny looked out the plane’s window and found Acacia City’s historic district and the Waypoint plaza. Vehicles with flashing blue and red lights barricaded streets. A Vertical Takeoff And Landing airplane landed in front of the Department of Transportation and parked in the street. The plane was too far away for Jenny to see anything but its lights. As the plane finished its turn, they rose above a bank of clouds as they headed out to sea.
Jenny looked through her reflection and studied the topography of the distant clouds lit by moonlight. It was her first view of the moon and stars since she’d left home. This was also the first time she had ever been on a plane. Her mom had always planned to take her on a trip after high school. She still remembered the look of joy in Ruby’s eyes as they talked about possible destinations. They never did decide on one.
“It’ll be about two and a half hours before we touch down,” Lin said over the intercom. “Try to get some rest if you can.”
I am feeling a bit tired, Jenny thought. I’ll just rest my eyes for a bit.
Jenny dreamed that she was Astrea. She was back in the fort defending herself from monstrous Risi. This time, Blunderbore was there. She faced the monster with the Riftkey and cut him in half.
When she awoke, she found that Lin had left the cockpit and was fast asleep in the seat in front of Kensei.
“You awake?” Kensei whispered. His sketchbook still rested on his lap.
“Yeah.” Jenny wiped the wetness from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve. She shifted in her seat and found that someone had put a thin gray blanket over her.
“Can you believe what happened back at the Waypoint?” Kensei scratched the sleeping Leon behind the ears with a pencil.
“No, it feels like a dream.”
“Those were actual giants.”
“Yeah, I know.” Jenny folded the blanket and laid it on her lap.
“And we saw aliens.”
“I know.” She leaned over and pinched Kensei.
“Ow.” He rubbed his arm. “What was that?”
“I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a dream.”
“You’re supposed to pinch yourself.”
“I know.” Jenny smiled. “Who do you think the cloaked person with the giants was?”
Kensei shrugged. “It had to be someone with a key.”
“Yeah, and someone who can control the giants.”
“And a reason to send them to the Department of Transportation.”
“Remember all the stuff in the basement, and all the Risi artifacts? Maybe the giants knew about it.”
“Maybe.”
Jenny gasped. “You don’t think it was Sadi, do you?”
“What? Why would she do it?”
“Who else could it be? With her power to bring up memories of pain, she could have forced the Risi to do whatever she wanted.”
“Are you sure you’re not just upset because she attacked you?”
Jenny rubbed her cheek. “No! Don’t you think it’s strange that she went through the Waypoint right before the attack?”
“It could be a coincidence, and according to you, her boyfriend just got killed by them.”
“A tragic accident, but one that didn’t ruin her plans.”
“What plans?”
“To steal valuable artifacts from the basement and sell them on the black market.”
“I don’t know, it’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”
“No,” Jenny said.
“Just promise you won’t tell anyone else until you have proof.”
“Okay, but when I do, I’m telling Lin.”
“Fine.” Kensei pulled a dark-gray tablet from his backpack. “While you were sleeping, I was researching the Waypoints and I learned that they were all located at antipodes.”
“Antipodes?”
“Two locations on opposite sides of the planet from each other. Where are you from?”
“Wellington. It’s the capital of New Zealand,” Jenny said in a rehearsed manner.
Kensei tapped and slid his finger across the tablet’s dark surface. “Okay…your antipode is in Spain.” He showed Jenny the tablet. It displayed two square maps side by side, Spain and New Zealand.
That’s where the wedding was, Jenny thought. J
enny considered telling Kensei about it, but decided that she didn’t want to bring up a memory she still found painful. “Wait, there’s a Waypoint in Acacia City and Lin said that it’s where Sydney, Australia, would be. Why would there be two waypoints so close together?”
“There aren’t. A hundred years after the New Zealand waypoint was discovered, they moved it to Australia, or New Spain as they call it here.”
Jenny studied Kensei’s face from the side. His eyes looked Asian, probably Japanese, based on his name. But his skin was dark, like an Australian Aboriginal’s or an African’s. Jenny found his features interesting, but as a skinny, nerdy kid with bad eyesight, he’d likely been teased growing up. She knew what it was like to be teased for being different. “I didn’t know you could move them.”
“Remember what Lin said? Cabin wants to use them off world, and there was one in that laboratory under the Department of Transportation.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“But wherever they are, we, as Æons, seem to be attracted to them and their antipodal locations.”
“What do you mean?”
Kensei tilted the tablet for Jenny to see. “Look, I’m from Los Angeles, which has an antipode in the Indian Ocean. However, I’ve been in China for the school year, which has an antipode in Argentina.” Kensei dragged the maps until its crosshairs aligned over China and displayed its antipode in Argentina. I believe there are Waypoints on our Earth, and they’re all at their original locations.”
“Huh, that’s weird. I was looking into an exchange program in Argentina. What were you doing in China?”
“Trying to get into a space program.”
“You want to become an astronaut?”
“It’s my dream.”
“Why not NASA?”
“Because China seemed more interesting, and they seem to have a surplus of money to throw at it.” Kensei took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
“Can I see that?” Jenny pointed at the sketchbook on Kensei’s lap.
“Um, sure, but it’s not very good.” Kensei handed her the pad. “Just some doodles.”
Jenny set the sketchbook on her lap and opened it from the middle. Inside were cute cartoon sketches of Leon in a unique drawing style she found charming. The next page displayed a shark in a Hula-Hoop. She turned the page and saw a cat wearing a wide blue tie over a short-sleeved, button-up shirt. It waved one clawed paw as if it were on the way to work. The cat’s misshapen head sat atop a too-long neck. Its eyes were an infinity symbol with pupils that pointed in odd directions. Its long whiskers sprouted from full cheeks, and snaggly teeth poked out of a crooked mouth. She snickered at the absurdity of it.
“What?” Kensei asked.
“It’s a cat dressed like an…insurance salesman.”
“Oh, that’s Business Cat.”
Jenny giggled. “It’s hilarious.” Something inside her released, and she couldn’t stop laughing. “That ridiculous smile, piggy nose, and cleft chin.”
Soon Kensei was laughing along with her. “You really like it?”
“Absolutely.” Jenny wiped a tear from her eye. “It’s wonderful.”
“I’d like to turn it into a webcomic someday.” Kensei shrugged and looked down at his hands. “Or something.”
“You should,” Jenny said.
Lin, who had been sleeping in the seat in front of Kensei, now stirred and sat up. “What are you two laughing at?”
“Nothing.” Kensei stuffed the sketchbook back into his bag.
Lin shook her head. “Since you’re both awake, we should talk about the mission.”
“Okay,” Kensei and Jenny said.
“In outer space, Between Mars and Jupiter, there is an artifact called a Terminal. It connects the solar system to other stellar systems in the galaxy.”
Jenny noticed Jack turned his head ever so slightly to listen.
“Sort of like Waypoints in space?” Kensei asked.
“Yes, sort of, but currently, our Terminal is locked.”
Jenny squinted. “Then how are there aliens on the planet?”
“The Terminal can still receive visitors, but we can’t send any out. It’s only locked on our end.”
“So, once an alien arrives, there’s no way they can go back.” Jenny thought about her own trip through the VRGo puzzle. “Why would anyone come here, then?”
“The same reason anyone leaves their home. Some want to escape corruption and prejudice; some want a better life for their families.”
“With so many aliens coming here, won’t Earth become overpopulated?” Kensei asked.
“Earth is a big place,” Lin said. “Our environment, energy, and biotechnology are far beyond that of the Earth in the Astrea Realm. We don’t have the same resource issues you have.”
“So why are we here? If this Earth is so great, it sounds like Selkans are better off here.”
“For a time, yes. But eventually, their captors will send someone here to find them, and kill them to preserve their secret.”
“What secret?” Jenny asked.
“That Tyr uses Selkans for a strategic advantage on the battlefield.”
“What advantage?” Kensei asked.
“It allows them to teleport through space, at a terrible price to the Selkans. The process destroys their minds, and drains their life.”
“That’s terrible,” Jenny said.
“Yes, and that is why we must reveal their secret to the galaxy.”
“Okay,” Kensei said. “Then why don’t you just send a message?”
“Any message we send would take thousands of years to reach the nearest system. The only way to inform the other systems is to unlock the Terminal and send a ship to another system.”
“And hopefully,” Kensei said, “once the citizens of the galaxy know the truth, they will rise in support of Selkans.”
“That’s the idea,” Lin said.
“So, how do we unlock the Terminal?” Jenny asked.
“With a Riftkey.”
Jenny gasped and touched the burstepi with her foot, just to make sure it was still there.
“What’s a Riftkey?” Kensei asked.
“It is a tool that only an Æon can use. With it, they can unlock a Terminal by aligning the energy fields inside. These Æons are called Terminal masters and have great prestige and power in the Galaxy.”
“So, who gets to unlock the Terminal?” Kensei asked as he looked at Jenny.
“We have invited both of you here to take part in a contest to decide just that. But time is of the essence. If the Selkans’ captors knew of our plan, they would send an Æon to take the Riftkey for themselves. Then they would unlock the Terminal and gain control of our solar system. Above all, we cannot let that happen.”
“Buckle up back there!” Jack called out.
“We’ll discuss this in more detail later.” Lin stood and resumed her spot in the copilot’s seat.
As they descended, the plane bounced through a bit of turbulence. Electric lights came into view as they dropped out of the clouds, forming the distinctive shape of an island against the dark ocean. They flew toward the western shore, where dozens of tiny islands surrounded a four-lobed cement platform.
Jenny’s knuckles turned white as she gripped the arms of the seat. As the plane touched down with a jolt she let out a long breath. The back ramp opened with a hiss, and the scent of the sea drifted into the cabin. Though the air was warm, fear and doubt crept into Jenny’s heart like a fog and froze her in place.
Lin put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Jenny took a deep breath to calm herself, then unfastened her belt and walked out of the plane.
Overhead, the Milky Way stretched across the sky over the cement platform. A white windsock flapped, indicating the direction of the wind. To her left, a group of seagulls called to one another. The plane’s engines clicked and popped as they cooled. Jenny walked up to the edge of the landing platform and watch
ed the waves crash rhythmically against its concrete side, lifting it up and down with the undulating ocean.
“What are you looking at?” Jack walked up behind her. He had to shout to be heard over the cooling fans. He looked down and jumped backward. “Whoa!”
“You okay?” Lin asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He took a few calming breaths to relax. “You got fuel here?”
“Uh, yeah.” Lin led Jack over to a steel plate in the deck. She lifted it up to reveal a panel with various hoses for fuel, water, and air.
Jack took the fuel hose and plugged it into his plane.
Lin joined Jenny at the edge of the platform. She pointed at a group of tiny islands. “That’s where the Selkans live.”
“They look like green stepping-stones,” Jenny said.
“They built all those islands from mud dredged from the seafloor.”
“That’s amazing,” Kensei said. “How do they get them to float?”
“From what I understand, it has a little to do with the soil and a lot to do with the grass.”
After Jack refueled the plane, Lin led them to the concrete structure at the center of the platform. It emerged from the blue ocean, and they had to cross a bridge to get to it. There was a stairwell inside that descended below sea level. Inside, it was cool and dark, and the steel teeth of the steps gnawed at Jenny’s boots like playful puppies.
At the base of the stairs, they passed through a heavy door. Lin slammed it shut behind them and locked it with the twist of a dial. After passing through a second door, they entered a long, curved room with a white interior. A row of twenty-four doors lined the outer wall.
“Escape pods,” Jack said. “Are we on a spaceship?”
“Why, yes.” Lin looked impressed. “This is the ship the Selkans escaped in. By hiding it underwater, we hope to avoid any unwanted surface scans.”
From the escape pod room, they entered a large, circular room. “This is the ship’s bridge and operations.” Above them, a dome of glass offered a glimpse of the night sky through several meters of water. They stood at one end of a catwalk that crossed above a cylindrical room filled with workstations. A photo-realistic map of Earth lined its walls.
The Key of Astrea Page 19