Meanwhile, Jenny ran toward the final lock and thrust the Riftkey into the bolt.
Victus rushed to stop her, but Jenny’s doppelgänger blocked his path. Knowing that the Riftkey had no advantage, he placed it onto his back and faced the virosuit with a wrestling stance. Her doppelgänger swung her metal fist at him, but Victus ducked the blow. He hooked his arm around the back of her neck, and with a twist, Victus pulled the virosuit free of the Terminal’s surface. Jenny’s doppelgänger quickly grabbed his arm and did a complete flip to regain her feet, but Victus had gotten away from her.
Meanwhile, Jenny sighed in relief as she shifted the last waveform of the twelfth lock into alignment. The groove dividing the Terminal blazed with beautiful azure light. I did it, she thought to herself. I unlocked the Terminal. Jenny rocked back on her heels and smiled. Now, how do I activate the Terminal? she asked Cobol.
Another Terminal needs to accept your connection request, Cobol replied. Once a connection is accepted, you may remove the Riftkey.
Okay, send a request.
As Victus ran toward the final lock he said, You may have unlocked the Terminal, girl, but I can still take it after you’re dead. He pulled the Riftkey from his back and swung at Jenny’s head. Just then, her doppelgänger slammed into his back, and he missed.
Jenny’s doppelgänger grabbed Victus’s wrist and twisted. The Riftkey came free of his hand and hovered in space. Victus grabbed the Riftkey with his other hand and swung at Jenny, but her doppelgänger dragged him away by the waist.
Three Terminals are accepting requests, Cobol said. Balt, Ava, and Fen.
Balt, connect to Balt, Jenny said frantically as Victus and the Virosuit fought just a meter away.
Connection refused.
Try Ava.
Connection refused, Cobol said.
Fen? Jenny held her breath.
The connection was successful. Interesting…
What?
The Fen Terminal is locked.
So Sol wasn’t the only lock Terminal, Jenny thought.
That seems to be the case.
Jenny looked down at the final lock. Now, what do I do?
Remove the Riftkey, Cobol instructed, and the Terminal will activate.
Jenny pulled the Riftkey free of the lock, and the Terminal hummed beneath her feet.
Thirty seconds until activation, Cobol said.
Victus fired the cables from his hip and pulled himself free of the virosuit’s grip. He ducked a lunge and kicked backward. Jenny’s doppelgänger stumbled.
Jenny glanced up at the spaceship battle and found the Tamarack. Lance’s fleet was directing all its fire at the warship’s engines. A second later, its rear exploded in a bright flash of light, and the mighty warship went dark.
That must have been the reactor, or something, Jenny thought. Hope sparked in her chest, and a smile spread across her face. Even if Victus does manage to kill me, another Cabin recruit will just take my place. Even Sadi would be better than Victus.
We captured your ship, Jenny spoke to Victus’s mind. You’ve lost.
Victus looked up at the derelict Tamarack, and Jenny’s doppelgänger took that moment to slam her shoulder into his abdomen. She grabbed both of his legs and pulled. Victus slammed his fists into the virosuit’s back to no avail. He grabbed her arms and twisted. But without leverage, he could not break free.
Jack said that anything caught inside the Terminal would be disintegrated, Jenny thought.
Jenny’s doppelgänger pulled Victus’s boots free of the surface, and she carried him to the edge of the Terminal.
Stop, Victus pleaded. Don’t do this. You will bring war back to the galaxy.
You can’t condemn an entire species to slavery and call that peace, Jenny said.
You may save a few hundred Selkan lives, Victus continued, but you are dooming billions.
Goodbye, Vicky. With one hand under his arm, and the other under his chin, Jenny’s doppelgänger threw Victus toward the center of the Terminal.
Jenny held the Riftkey up to the virosuit’s back and thought, It’s time for us to become one again. As the key snapped into place, Cobol returned to his body, and Jenny’s doppelgänger returned to hers.
Now, I want to see the moment of Victus’s disintegration, Jenny thought as she walked up to the edge of the Terminal. As she squinted against the bright blue light, she saw Victus flipping through space. He was already twenty meters away and still moving. Jenny thought about Lin and the other members of Cabin who had died because of him. You are all about to get justice, she promised them.
Then it appeared that Victus had stopped spinning. That can’t be, Jenny thought as she leaned out for a better view. Through the blinding light, two black serpents sped toward her face. She tried to dodge, but it was too late. One of Victus’s hip cables flew past her, but the other stuck firmly to her face mask like a gecko’s foot. Air whistled through the glass as more cracks spiderwebbed out from the impact; still, it held. Her oxygen, however, dropped from 5 percent to 3 in a matter of seconds. I really am going to die out here, Jenny thought.
As Victus retracted the cable, Jenny dropped to her knees with the sudden force. He was drifting toward her and had already gone from fifty meters away to forty.
Ten seconds until activation, Cobol said in her mind.
No! Jenny sent to Victus. If I’m going to die, then I’m taking you out with me.
Jenny breathed out as she gripped her helmet and twisted it free. Instantly, her suit sucked tight around her body like shrink-wrap. The part of her face not covered by the bodysuit swelled from exposure. Her tongue felt like a bratwurst, and saliva fizzed and popped in her mouth.
With her helmet in both hands, Jenny took careful aim and threw it with all her might. It sped downward and slammed into Victus’s chest. That will slow you down, Jenny thought to herself even as the mucous membranes lining her nose cracked. Blood froze into stalactites in her nostrils. The moisture on her eyes crystallized, and she couldn’t blink. Through her blurred vision, Jenny saw a black mist form around Victus just before the inside of the Terminal turned utterly black. It flashed a brilliant white, and Victus was gone.
Jenny felt Cobol’s strong arms wrap around her waist. He pulled her off the Terminal, and then they were drifting, weightless, through space. Jenny’s vision narrowed to a tunnel, and everything went black.
40
The Cabin
Jenny’s head throbbed, and her skin was on fire. She dared to open her swollen eyelids and found herself on a hospital bed in a sterile white room. This doesn’t look like the Strider, it’s too roomy, and white, and clean, Jenny thought. To her left, a gray-haired man with a friendly face tended a drip system that carried blood and clear fluid to each of her arms. With an effort, she rolled her head to the right and saw Adriana and Kensei sitting on chairs next to her bed. Jack was leaning against the wall next to Cobol.
“You’re awake!” Adriana jumped up from her chair.
Jenny tested the soft tissues in her mouth with her dry tongue and winced as she touched her bruised face.
“That looks like it hurts,” Kensei said as he stood.
“Yeah, it does,” Jenny said in a rattly voice. It was painful to speak.
“You look pretty good,” Adriana said, “for someone who took her helmet off in outer space.”
“Well, I feel awful.”
“I can’t believe you survived exposure,” Kensei said. “I’m kind of jealous.”
“I’ll let you try it next time.” Jenny smiled, then winced and touched her aching head.
“I mean,” Kensei said, “normally you’d be unconscious within fifteen seconds. Then your blood would boil after a minute. You were out there for ninety seconds, and you didn’t even blow up.”
“Stop it, Kensei.” Adriana touched Jenny’s hand. “You know that kind of stuff only happens in movies.”
“Where am I?”
“We’re aboard the Tamarack,” Jack said as he
pushed off the wall and stood at the foot of her bed.
“The Tamarack, how?” Jenny asked.
“After Lance’s fleet disabled the Tamarack, they boarded her and brought all the injured here.”
Jenny propped herself upright with her elbows. Her head protested the movement, and she grew dizzy.
“Easy, master,” The gray-haired man said. “You’re still recovering from exposure.”
Master? Jenny stared blankly at him. Her eyes went wide as her memories slowly returned to her. She remembered her fight with Victus, how her doppelgänger had helped her, and finally unlocking the Terminal. But, she had thrown her helmet at Victus and she had suffocated. “How am I still alive?”
“I picked you up,” Cobol said, “and jumped into the Strider’s airlock.”
“Where I was waiting for you,” Kensei said. “We saw the whole thing. You were amazing out there.” He went on to explain what had happened after the Strider’s arm got blown off. When Jenny reached the last lock, Kensei moved down to the airlock to pick her up. “So, how does it feel to be the Sol Terminal master?” He asked.
Jenny tried to feel excited, after all, she was a Terminal master, but she only felt numb. It was all too overwhelming. She was happy that it was all over, and more than anything, she wanted to go home. “I don’t know,” Jenny shrugged. “Relieved I guess.”
“What happens now?” Adriana asked. “Now that you’re bound to the Terminal, do you have to stay here, in this realm?”
“No.” Jenny’s voice cracked and she coughed painfully.
The nurse offered Jenny a pouch of water to drink. “Just small sips for now.” His voice was full of warmth and concern.
Jenny put the pouch to her lips and experimented with the nozzle. The cold water felt wonderful against her swollen gums. But when she swallowed, her throat felt like bloody ribbons.
“Jenny is free to leave,” Cobol said. “My purpose is to operate the Terminal.”
“What about Sadi and Aindriu?” Jenny asked.
“They’re all in the brig,” Jack said.
“And when we get back to Earth,” Kensei added, “they’ll be placed in a high-security prison.”
“Speaking of, look what we found.” Adriana lifted a familiar-looking rucksack.
“Is that…?”
“It is.” Kensei lifted a chain around his neck and revealed his Waypoint key.
Adriana pulled two objects free of the rucksack. One was Jenny’s Waypoint key, and the other was her mother’s amulet. “I believe these are yours.”
Jenny slipped them both over her neck. The weight against her chest felt right, as if everything was in its proper place. She wondered about Kett’l, and how they had stopped the Tamarack from teleporting. Somehow, they had shared a connection across a great distance. She tried reaching out to him again but got no reply. “What about Kett’l and the other Selkans?” Jenny croaked.
“They’re all free.” Adriana smiled. “And if you’ve recovered enough, some of them would like to see you.”
“Sure.”
Adriana held the door open to reveal a line of Selkans waiting outside the room. Adriana motioned to the first person, an old woman, who then entered the room. Jenny recognized her as one of the elders from the night she’d celebrated with Kett’l. The old woman stopped at the foot of Jenny’s bed and held out a hand. Something round and shiny sat upon her leathery, creased palm. She thrust her hand forward, urging Jenny to take it.
Jenny slowly sat up. Her head swam, but she took a deep breath and forced the pain away. She leaned forward and wrapped her hands around the old lady’s offering. Tears raced along the Selkan woman’s wrinkles and wet her fur. “Did I do something wrong?” Jenny asked.
The old lady said something, but Jenny didn’t understand. “What is she saying?”
“She’s saying thank you,” Cobol said. “That you’re her savior, and that everything she has is yours.”
Jenny turned the offering over in her hand. It was a large shell button with a beautiful etching on its surface. It was likely the only possession the Selkan woman was able to keep when the Tyran soldiers took them.
The old lady bowed out of the room, and an old Selkan man entered. He approached Jenny’s bed and offered her a smooth, dark stone with a stunning swirling pattern carved by the natural effects of water and sand.
A lump grew in Jenny’s throat as she took the man’s hands into hers. She gazed out at the long line of Selkans. This is going to be hard, maybe even harder than facing Victus.
One by one, Jenny attended to all the Selkans waiting outside her room. Not all of them carried gifts, but each wanted to see her, touch her, and give her thanks.
After the last Selkan had come and gone, a mound of artifacts had formed at the foot of Jenny’s bed. She didn’t feel right taking their possessions, but trying to return the gifts would have been an insult. By accepting these tokens, she was acknowledging their suffering and loss.
“Is that everyone?” Jenny peered out into the hallway and asked, “Where’s Kett’l?”
Adriana hung her head.
“Where is he?”
“He’s in another hospital room,” Kensei said.
“Take me to him.”
Jenny pulled the tubes from her arms and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She stumbled as her feet hit the floor, but she made it into the waiting wheelchair. Adriana pushed her down the hall to a larger hospital room.
Inside, a doctor and two nurses tended to twelve bedridden Selkans. The emaciated aliens had shaved heads that revealed the deathlike pallor of their skin. Their brown fur appeared dull and lifeless, and their tusks had been filed down or removed.
“These are the Selkans who were connected to the Tamarack,” Adriana said.
Jenny rolled her wheelchair over to where Thork’l stood. The old, tattooed Selkan held onto Kett’l’s hand. His son’s head had been shaved, like the others. His dichromatic eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Kett’l, I’m sorry.”
Kett’l’s hands trembled at the sound of her voice, and his eyes shook in their sockets.
“What’s wrong with him?” Jenny asked.
“They modified his brain to connect to the ship,” Kensei added.
“It’s like they’re in a constant state of fear,” Adriana said. “The doctors have to keep them medicated.”
Jenny took Kett’l’s hand. His once warm, strong fingers felt cold and weak. His body shivered, and he mumbled incoherently.
Thork’l was beside himself with grief. He looked around the room at the other Selkans. “None of them have been able to talk. I knew that this is why they took our people, but I’ve never seen a ship slave in person.”
Jenny turned to the doctor. “Is there anything to be done for them?”
“We’re doing everything we can to make them comfortable. It’s all we can do for now.” He looked into Jenny’s eyes. “Believe me, master, I had no idea this atrocity was happening on the ship. We always believed that they were using secret technology, not people, to teleport the ship.”
It was a sunny Wednesday morning in Acacia City. It had been four days since Jenny had first entered the city. She adjusted her duffel bag. Inside were her custom-tailored Cabin uniforms, along with the tokens the Selkans had given her. She wore the emerald-green dress that Lin had bought at Mary Ann’s Fine Custom Tailoring.
Jack zipped up his leather jacket and pulled the collar over his neck. His breath spiraled up and around his head.
“It’s cold,” Adriana said as she stepped out of the black car that had picked them up from the Acacia City Airfield. She took a blue scarf out of her bag and tied it around her neck.
Kensei adjusted his purple Lakers hat and looked over at Jenny. “I’m nervous about going back home. I’m not sure if my mom will be relieved or angry.”
“I know what you mean.” Jenny took his hand and squeezed it. “But either way, it’s because she cares about you. I bet m
y aunt is out of her mind with worry.”
Altogether, they climbed the steps of the gazebo and stepped into the obsidian bowl of the Waypoint. The Songbirds watched over them as Jenny inserted Astrea’s key into the lock. She selected the Esperanza Waypoint and pushed down on the key.
The buildings of the Acacia City historic district vanished, and the trees of Esperanza Woods emerged into view. Lance and Mazu were waiting for them at the edge of the Waypoint. A large plastic case sat on the ground between them.
Rygelus and Brock were there as well. Brock was using a pair of hand-carved wooden crutches to keep off of his bandaged leg.
“Miss Tripper,” Lance said.
“Yes?”
“Another Terminal unlocked after you opened Sol’s.”
“What?” Jenny asked. “When? Which one?” She didn’t know which question needed answering first, but she hoped he would answer them all.
“The Fen Terminal was unlocked two and a half hours after Sol’s opened.”
The world spun, and the ground seemed to drop out from under Jenny’s feet. It was amazing that she was able to stay upright. “That’s the system I sent Victus to.”
“That’s what I thought,” Lance said.
“Victus is still alive?” Kensei asked incredulously.
“It would appear so, Mister Drake. Now, I have something to ask of Sol’s Terminal master.”
“Okay…” Jenny said.
“Will you be the spokesperson of Sol?”
“Me?” I get nervous if I have to speak in front of the class, Jenny thought. “What do you need me to do?”
“I need you to negotiate with the other Terminal masters to protect Sol until I rebuild my fleet.”
“Okay.” Jenny nodded. “I understand, but I need to go home and see my aunt first.”
“Thank you,” Lance said. “All I ask is that you return.”
“I promise.”
“Speaking of Jenny’s aunt.” Adriana turned to Mazu. “You told me that we could bring the siphonophore treatment home to heal our families.”
“Ah yes,” Mazu said. “We did.” She picked up the large plastic case and opened it. Inside were three wooden boxes. She took one out and lifted the lid. A set of vintage-looking ink bottles and pens rested on red velvet lining.
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