Dome Nine

by John Purcell

  * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

  We arrived to find Geff still at the foot of the staircase, Daniel in place behind him. He was asleep but the MediTron gave his shoulder a gentle shake and his eyes opened.

  He blinked a few times and said, “Very punctual! Cassius is already there, waiting for you. Bim goes first.”

  Dogan said, “Nice try!”

  I said, “Calm down, Dogan.” I turned back to Geff. “I’m sorry, but we’d prefer to go in together.”

  Geff didn’t seem to care. “It’s a free country. If Cassius doesn’t like it, he’ll let you know.”

  I turned to Moto. “You should probably wait out here.”

  She headed to the lounge area and hopped into an armchair.

  The four of us climbed the steps together and slipped in through the opening. Cassius watched us cross the chamber, his expression solemn. We stopped at Lincoln’s feet and waited.

  Cassius said, “I was hoping to see each of you separately, but perhaps it’s better this way. First and foremost, I want to apologize for lying to you. I’m afraid it was avoidable. I had to get you to Baltimore.”

  Dogan said, “Yeah, so we could kill Queen Scarlett for you!”

  If Cassius was offended it didn’t show. “I understand how you feel, but please bear in mind that you didn’t kill Queen Scarlett. You were simply trying to open her bodysuit. It was an accident.”

  Luma said, “But it worked out well for you.”

  “It worked out well for a great many people. I won’t pretend I’m unhappy about her death. Simply put, good has triumphed over evil. But that isn’t why I sent you to Baltimore.”

  I said, “You sent us there as a test.”

  Cassius smiled slightly. “You’re right, Teo, it was a test, and not just of your own abilities. I needed to see all four of you in action. I had to test your combined strength.”

  Luma was skeptical. “What for?”

  “Now that Teo is finally awake, a very difficult road lies ahead. He’ll need all the strength he can summon. And yesterday proved it: the four of you together are greater than the sum of your parts. With you three at his side, he’ll have the additional strength he needs to prevail.”

  I said, “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because the Oracle has foretold it, just as it foretold your victory in Baltimore. Just as it foretold your very creation.”

  I was watching his eyes, trying to judge what lay behind them. “The last time we met, you said you knew my true purpose.”

  “Indeed.”

  “All right, then, what is it?”

  “Are you certain you want me to reveal it in front of the others?”

  “We have a rule: no secrets.”

  “Very well. Your true purpose is to save the world, Teo. I mean that literally. If you don’t bring down the GR and stop their madness, the oceans will boil away and every living thing on this planet will die. Earth will become a lifeless ball of dust.”

  “You’re telling me I’m supposed to defeat the GR, all across the globe, by myself.”

  “You will have help.”

  “You mean Luma, Bim and Dogan.”

  “Others, as well, myself included. I didn’t choose this destiny for you, Teo. Your father did.”

  As Cassius spoke these words, I had sudden realization: it was pointless to stare at his hologram, trying to sort out fact from fiction. I would have to meet him face-to-face.

  I said, “I’m sorry, but I find this impossible to take on faith.”

  “What can I do to convince you?”

  “If I’m supposed to save the world, I need to know everything, including who you are and where you are. The same goes for Luma, Bim and Dogan.”

  Cassius hesitated. “You ask a great deal.”

  I said, “So do you.”

  He was silent for a long moment. Then he said, “A tear felt queasy,” and vanished, leaving Lincoln headless.

  Luma knitted her brows. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  I said, “It’s a meeting place.”