“Good evening, Lin,” a man in a blue uniform called up from below. “New recruits?”
“That’s right, Doug. I’m giving them the tour.”
“Mazu was looking for you,” said a second officer in a blue uniform.
A woman with short, silky black hair appeared through a door at the opposite end of the catwalk. She crossed over to them with the grace and hidden power of a panther.
“Ah,” Doug said. “There she is now.”
“Mazu,” Lin said.
“Mother, I’m pleased to see that you’re still alive.” Mazu looked like a younger version of Lin, with dark, almond eyes and flawless pale skin. “I heard about the attack on Acacia City and feared the worst.”
“We’re okay, but I haven’t heard from Lance.”
“He’s on his way here.”
“He contacted you?”
“Yes.” Mazu grinned. “Perhaps you are losing favor with him.”
Lin looked away from her daughter. “Mazu, meet our new recruits. Jenny Tripper and Kensei Drake.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jenny and Kensei said.
Mazu bowed to them. When she rose, she was eye to eye with Jack. “And who’s this?”
“This is Jack Spriggan, our new pilot.”
“We have no need for another pilot.”
“He saved us,” Lin said, “and he brought his own plane. He could work here as a trainer; that way you can entertain more scientific pursuits.”
“Really?” Mazu’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Is he qualified?”
“You bet I am, sweetie.” Jack stepped forward. “I’m retired Navy, and I specialized in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Is that so. What was your job?” Mazu asked.
“Dolphin polisher.” Jack smirked.
Mazu returned Jack’s half-smile before grabbing the collar of his leather jacket. With a twist of her body, Jack was lifted off the ground. She pulled down and rolled her shoulders, flipping him upside down.
As he flew headfirst toward the steel catwalk, Jack did something incredible. He twisted in the air, like a cat, and somehow landed on his feet. He assumed a wide, low stance and waited for Mazu to make another move.
“Not bad.” Mazu lifted one eyebrow and gifted him with a slight smile. “He’ll do.”
Kensei leaned in and whispered to Jenny, “Wow, that was cool.”
“Yeah, it was.” Jenny looked down at the bridge crew. They had stopped working to watch the interaction.
Lin looked down as well. “Back to work.” The crew jumped and turned back to their jobs. “Jenny, Kensei, c’mon,” Lin said. “I’ll show you to your rooms.”
“I need a few things from my ship first,” Jack said.
“That’s fine,” Lin said. “Doug?”
“Yeah,” answered the bridge worker who had greeted them when they entered.
“Can you show Jack to his room?”
“Sure.” Doug looked at Jack and nodded.
Jack turned around and left the bridge.
Lin led Jenny and Kensei across the catwalk and down a switchback of stairs. “The living quarters are rather generous for a spaceship, but we can’t give everyone their own room. I hope you don’t mind having roommates.”
“No, not at all,” Jenny said. In fact, she felt relieved. The thought of being alone right now was terrifying.
“Good, we’ll go to Kensei’s room first—it’s closer.”
Their footfalls echoed ahead of them as they walked down a long hallway that circled the ship. Everything was bright and new, from the white walls to the shiny gray floors. As they descended to the next level, they heard voices, and the sound of casual banter warmed Jenny’s heart. How she wanted to see them, to join in their laughter, to talk about nothing.
They walked around the long hallway and stopped in front of a door. “You don’t have showers or toilets in your own rooms. This is the men’s head.” She pointed down the hall. “Women are on the opposite side. Don’t get them mixed up.” Lin smiled.
They stopped at a door farther down the hall. “And here’s your room, Kensei.”
Kensei took his backpack off and let Leon out. His pet perched on his shoulder.
“Oh no.” Jenny patted her back.
“What is it?” Lin asked.
“I forgot my bag on the plane.”
“Well, hurry up,” Lin said. “You can probably still catch Jack.”
Jenny turned and ran back the way she had come. Stupid, Jenny, stupid. Her ears burned as she imagined someone, like Jack, finding the Riftkey inside her bag.
Jenny made excellent time as she flew up the stairwell and ran onto the platform. Her lungs were burning, and she had to stop and catch her breath. To her relief, she saw that the ramp to Jack’s plane was down. She climbed inside and saw Jack in the cockpit. His back was to her. He was wearing a headset and was talking to someone. Jenny tiptoed through the spacesuit–filled antechamber, careful not to interrupt Jack’s conversation.
“I’ve located the Endeavor,” Jack spoke into his headset.
Jenny heard a voice leak through Jack’s headset, but she couldn’t make out any of the muffled words. Still, it sounded familiar. Who is this man that Jack is talking to? Jenny thought to herself while she looked under the seat for the burstepi.
“Even though Trey wasn’t there to meet me it all worked out.” Jack paused and Jenny could almost hear the other man’s voice. “You’ll like this. You couldn’t detect the Endeavor because it’s underwater and covered by a concrete shield.”
Jenny retrieved the burstepi and stood up. She looked at Jack, then back toward the exit ramp. I should leave, Jenny thought, but then I’ll always wonder what Jack is up to. Jenny made up her mind and tiptoed closer to the cockpit. She put her weight on a seat back as she leaned closer and listened with all her senses. Suddenly, Jenny recognized the other man’s voice. It was the same person who had asked, over Jack’s communicator, why he had discharged his firearm in Acacia City.
“Selkans are here,” Jack said. “I’m streaming the scans to the Strider’s computer now.” He pressed a button on the console.
Selkans? Jenny’s heart pounded.
“Yes, you were right. The Selkans are planning to unlock the Terminal with a Riftkey.” There was a long pause, then Jack said, “I’ll see you in forty-eight hours, until—”
Just then, Jenny’s hand slipped off the seatback, and the seat restraints jingled. Her breath caught in her throat. Did he hear me?
“Wait, someone’s on the plane with me.”
As Jack reached into his jacket Jenny quickly back away. The black silhouette of Jack’s gun stood out against the windshield. He turned and immediately saw Jenny crouching in the aisle with the burstepi in her hands.
“Oh, it’s just you.” Jack walked past Jenny to the back of the plane and stashed his gun under a floor panel. “What are you doing out here, sweetie?”
Who is he calling “sweetie”? Jenny tried not to sound scared when she replied. “I came back for my bag.” She lifted the burstepi up to show him.
“Good thing I was here.” Jack picked up a large duffel. “C’mon. I’ll join you.”
18
Endeavor
Jenny was afraid that Jack could hear her pounding heart over the crashing waves. Is he a spy for some foreign government, or a corporate competitor? No, Lin and Aindriu said he checked out. Or maybe Jack is about to kill me to protect his secret. She pictured him pushing her off the edge of the platform and into the ocean, and shivered.
Jack walked down the ramp and stood on the landing pad.
Well, Jenny thought, if he’s going to pretend as if nothing happened, then I’m going to do the same. Jenny took a deep breath to calm her nerves and followed him. As soon as she stepped off the ramp, it closed behind her. Jack leaned in close to Jenny as if to say something, but a loud roar interrupted him.
Jenny covered her ears and looked up. An aircraft’s lights swirled against the ba
ckdrop of stars. A minute later, it touched down on the opposite end of the platform. Jenny saw two men climb down a ladder, followed by a tall man in a suit the color of vanilla ice cream.
The man caught sight of them and approached. Jenny saw that he was handsome, with high, sharp cheekbones and dark hair. He must have been over two meters tall. Like Rygelus, from the treehouse, Jenny thought. It was impossible to place his age. He may have been thirty or three thousand, for all Jenny could tell.
He looked familiar. “Are you Lance LaGrange?” Jenny asked.
“Yes, and who are you?” he asked in a rich baritone voice. An aura of gravitas stormed around him, making Jenny feel small and insignificant.
“I’m Jenny Tripper, though I hardly know who I am, I’ve changed so many times since I woke up this morning.” To think, Jenny thought, I attended my mom’s funeral, entered two parallel universes, inhabited Astrea’s body, escaped from giants—twice—and flew here.
Jenny held out her hand, which he shook. His hands were like steel wrapped in velvet, and the nails on each of his six fingers were carefully manicured. He’s the second person I met today with six digits, Jenny thought. I wonder if it’s less rare in this universe. Maybe it’s as common as being left-handed.
Lance smiled. “Miss Tripper, it is good to finally meet you in person.”
“It’s my pleased—I mean, I’m pleasure to meet you.” Jenny felt her face flush with heat.
Lance smirked, then turned to Jack. “You must be Mister Spriggan.”
“That’s right.” Jack took his hand.
“Firm grip,” Lance said. “I like that. It will be good to have another pilot on board, especially one with his own plane. We’ll have need of it for supply runs.”
Jenny saw movement from the door of Lance’s plane, then Sadi stepped out into the night air. Jenny’s blood turned cold. She could still feel the burning pain in her mouth from Moonlighter’s attack. She backed toward the stairwell as Aindriu followed Sadi out of the plane. “I, uh, need to go.”
“Oh.” Lance looked from Jenny to Sadi and back. “Do you have some better place to be?”
“Um, no, sir. Not better. It’s just that Lin is waiting to show me to my room.” Jenny continued to back away. “It was nice meeting you. Goodnight.”
Jenny held her cheek as she hurried across the undulating bridge to the concrete structure. She ran down the stairwell and found Lin waiting for her in the control room. She slowed her pace and caught her breath. While she waited for her heart to slow down, she ran through the night’s events in her mind. Should I tell her about the conversation on Jack’s plane? Now that I think about it, it wasn’t that odd, and Jack didn’t act surprised to see me. I bet he was talking to his old boss or someone in Cabin. It makes more sense than other things that happened today. Jenny yawned and stretched her back. I’ll sleep on it before making a decision. All I want to do right now is get these boots off and lie down.
“I see you got your bag,” Lin said. “C’mon, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping.” She led Jenny down the stairs and through the halls. They stopped in front of one of many identical doors. “This is your room.” She pressed a nearly invisible button on the wall. After a moment, the door slid open with a whoosh.
The door was at the narrow end of the pie-shaped room. A school of yellow fish swam behind a large oval window in the back wall. In each of the side walls were two cocoon-like openings which contained beds, one slept in, and the other with crisp white sheets and a beige blanket. Storage areas surrounded both beds like halos.
A young woman with blue hair and skin the color of honey brushed her teeth over the sink of a kitchenette. Silver tips in her hair glinted in the room’s lighting. She finished and joined them. Silver jewelry jangled as she walked. Thin chains looped through her ears, piercing the lobe, auricle, conch, and tragus in turn.
“This is your new roommate, Billo Misra. Billo, this is Jenny Tripper.”
“Hey, Jenny,” Billo spoke in a subtle Indian accent.
“It’s nice to meet you…” Jenny cocked her head. “Wait, I know you. You’re a virtual tour guide. I watched you infiltrate Area 51.”
“That was a long time ago.” Billo smiled.
Jenny looked at Lin. “She’s famous back on our world.” She looked back at Billo. “My mom watched all your videos.” A lump formed in her throat. “You brought her so much happiness.”
“Thank you.” Billo touched Jenny’s shoulder. “It’s always a pleasure to discover lives that I’ve touched. Your mom would love my next series, where I plan to infiltrate the most secure places in the world. I’m going to start with Fort Knox and end with the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Did she see my latest recording where I base jumped into the swallow cave in San Luis Potosí, Mexico?”
“I don’t think so; she passed away a few days ago.”
“I’m sorry.” Billo squeezed Jenny’s shoulder.
Jenny nodded, and they were silent for a moment.
Billo stared at Jenny. “Oh wow, I love your eyes, brown and green.”
“Thanks.” Jenny returned Billo’s gaze and noticed that her eyes were violet. “Your eyes are amazing too.”
“They’re just contacts.” Billo shrugged. “And yours?”
“All mine.”
“Wow, that’s rare.”
“I see you girls are hitting it off already.” Lin handed Jenny a yellow envelope with her name printed in big letters. “That’s your welcome packet. You should have already received it, but your initiation got interrupted.”
“That’s one word for it.” Jenny took the big envelope.
“Billo, can you show her how to use her Topo?”
“Sure thing.”
Lin looked at Jenny. “I’ll return in the morning for the remainder of your admission and testing.”
“Okay, I’ll be here.”
Lin turned to Billo. “Make sure she gets plenty of sleep.”
“I promise.” Billo gave her a knowing smile.
“Have a goodnight, you two.”
“Goodnight,” Jenny and Billo said in unison.
After Lin left the room, Jenny turned to Billo and asked, “What’s a Topo?”
Billo opened Jenny’s paper envelope and removed a black cardboard box. Embossed onto its surface was the logo of a rock surrounded by water. “This is your Topo—it’s kind of like the tablets we have at home.”
Jenny hefted the dense box and turned it over. Printed on the back were a few logos, including Cabin’s. She lifted the cover off the package. A dark-gray slab, like polished stone, lay inside. Jenny pulled the Topo free of its packing. At her touch, the stylized logo of rock and water appeared on the screen. Instead of being flat, the logo stood out from the surface. “Oh, Kensei had one of these.”
“Who’s Kensei?”
“We arrived here together.”
“Are you two close?”
Jenny shrugged. “Um, sort of, I guess.”
Billo lifted an eyebrow.
“Not like that,” Jenny said. “We’re friends.”
“Oh, okay.” Billo smiled and lifted the Topo for Jenny to see. “The surface changes to simulate any texture, even skin.”
Jenny traced her fingers across the Topo. Amazingly, the rock felt rough, and the water rippled at her touch. A thin loading bar appeared below the logo. When it was completed, the background of the Milky Way replaced the bar. Then, several colorful icons overlaid the galaxy, each one standing out from the surface. Jenny wanted to run her hand across the screen to feel the different textures at play.
A huge grin spread across Billo’s face. “Crazy, isn’t it?”
“It’s not the craziest thing I’ve seen today.”
“I heard about the attack. I can’t believe how calm you seem. I’d be freaking out.”
“Would you believe it was actually the second time today I was attacked by giants?”
“Giants?” Billo sat down next to Jenny. “Tell me everything.”
>
Jenny couldn’t tell Billo about the Riftkey, so she gave her new roommate a version of her day that didn’t involve Cobol. As she finished relaying the facts of the attack on Acacia City, her throat began itching like crazy, and she started coughing.
“It’s the siphonophores.” Billo stood up. “Everyone gets sick after their inoculation.”
“It probably”—Jenny coughed—“doesn’t help that I was stuck in a storm drain.”
“No.” Billo pulled open a drawer. “Probably not.” She handed Jenny a hard candy. “Try this. I picked them up in Acacia City. The flavor changes the longer you suck on it.”
Jenny unrolled the candy from its wrapper and popped it in her mouth. “Mmm, strawberry.”
Billo brought Jenny a glass of water and sat next to her.
“Thanks.” Jenny took a sip and sighed. The water cooled her raw throat and ceased her coughing fit.
Billo leaned in, pressing her shoulder against Jenny’s, and peered at the Topo. “Click on this one.” She pointed at an icon labeled “Endeavor.” “That’s the name of our underwater home.”
Jenny depressed the button. The surface of the Topo transformed into a topographic map of a ship with five wings like the petals of a flower. Their room was already labeled as “Billo Misra’s and Jenny Tripper’s Living Quarters.” Common areas like the galley, mess, sickbay, bridge, operations, and engineering stood out. As did offices, lavatories, research spaces, and the gymnasium.
“This is the ship’s manifest.” Billo tapped a button in the top left corner. A list of names appeared in a new window. “Let’s see what they know about you.” She scrolled through the list of names, then Billo tapped on Jenny’s name. A list of her physical attributes appeared next to a recent picture. It also showed her birth date, place of birth, and current location. There were even links to her relatives, hobbies, interests, and education.
“Happy belated birthday.” Billo smiled at Jenny.
“Thanks.” Jenny gave her a sheepish grin. “My birthday’s been an emotional roller coaster. But even after all that’s happened, I miss my mom the most.” She looked at Billo. “She really did love you.”
The Key of Astrea Page 20