Evolution

by R S Penney

  Melissa was cognizant of her father standing with his back pressed to the wall, his gaze fixed on the floor. Whatever Harry was thinking, it was clear that he wasn't really paying attention. In her first counseling session, Dr. Iliathi had suggested that she share this experience with her father, but Harry had been tight-lipped since the day of Jena's passing. She had no idea what he was feeling.

  Larani squeezed her eyes shut and sank deeper into her chair. “I believe that we do know what the Key has done,” she said. “Ships have been sent to the coordinates that the Key fed into our navigational computers.”

  “And what did they find there?” Jack asked.

  “SlipGates,” Larani answered flatly. “SlipGates as large as a space station, capable of hurling a ship across the galaxy in a matter of seconds. They seem to form a network that would allow any warp capable civilization to reach almost any star system in only a few weeks of travel time.

  “Each of these new Class-2 SlipGates – or 'SuperGates' as they have been dubbed – orbits a star over ten times the size of Earth's sun. They seem to be drawing energy from the star, though we're not entirely sure how, and they are now broadcasting their location to any ship that passes within twenty lightyears.”

  “They weren't before?” Melissa asked and then immediately regretted opening her mouth. Her job was to sit, listen and let the experienced professionals have the floor. Not to blather pointlessly.

  Swiveling in her chair to face Melissa, Larani replied with a warm smile. “No, they were not,” she answered in that cool, crystal-clear voice of hers. “As near as we can tell, these SuperGates were dormant until Slade used the Key to activate them.”

  Everyone shuffled uncomfortably.

  “I trust you see the problem,” Larani said, rising from her chair. She paced a line behind the desk with a heavy sigh. “We have been aware of the Ragnos Confederacy for over two hundred years, but stellar distances prevented them from ever being a threat to us. Now, Ragnosian ships could be on our doorstep in a matter of days.”

  Behind Melissa, Jack doubled over with his arms crossed, shaking his head. “It's a small galaxy after all,” he sang. “That was the Overseers' plan, wasn't it? Keep all those primitive humans apart so they can hate each other from a distance.”

  Anna leaned back in her chair, then covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers. “And then suddenly provide the means for rapid transit across the galaxy,” she breathed. “It's only a matter of time before the shooting starts.”

  Larani closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “My plan is to undermine their plan,” she said. “Slade may be gone, but the task force is more important than ever. I intend to use whatever political influence I have to convince my government to send peace envoys to both the Antaurans and the Ragnosians.”

  “And the rest of us?” Harry said.

  Pressing her hands to the desk's surface, Larani leaned forward and ran her gaze over everyone present. “Mr. Carlson,” she began. “You're not technically a Keeper, but your contributions have been essential to every single one of Director Morane's victories. I would have you with us, if you're willing.”

  Harry stood against the wall with his hands in his jacket pockets, smiling down at himself. “Not a problem,” he said, shaking his head. “But I'll need to put a few things in order, including selling the house.”

  “The same goes for you, Melissa,” Larani said. “I pulled a few strings and got you a spot at the Denabrian Justice Keeper academy. It's yours if you want it.”

  “I do.”

  The answer came without a moment of hesitation; she knew, somehow, that going to Leyria was a part of God's plan for her. Now she just had to prove herself worthy of the power she had been given.

  Larani stood up straight, clasping hands together behind her back and thrusting her chin out. “Excellent,” she replied. “I've already sent Mr. Loranai back to Leyria to begin compiling everything we know about the traitors Slade has positioned among the Justice Keepers. Agent Hunter, you'll be working directly with him.”

  “Good to know,” Jack said.

  “The rest of you will continue your efforts to uncover and counter the plans Slade set in motion. You're going to make capturing his lieutenants your number one priority. The masked woman that Anna fought in Tennessee, the woman that Jena fought in New York, any affiliates of Wesley Pennfield: I want them all brought in. The game just got a whole lot bigger, people. Our enemies can hide anywhere in the galaxy; we'll have to be that much better, that much faster. Which brings me to one final point.”

  Larani tapped a button on her desk.

  Melissa twisted in her chair in time to see the door slide open to reveal two people standing side by side in the hallway. The man was tall and athletic with dark skin, a very handsome face and black hair that he wore cut so short it was almost stubble.

  The woman…

  Melissa had never seen the woman with her own eyes, and yet she recognized her just the same. Raynar's memories filled her mind despite her efforts to push them away. She knew this woman, and she didn't like her.

  Keli Armana stood in the doorway with her arms folded, looking very much like a queen in that drab, gray dress. “So,” she began, gliding into the room. “I understand you let Slade throw the galaxy into chaos. Well done.”

  Melissa got out of her chair.

  She strode across the room with her arms swinging freely, her teeth bared in a snarl. “What is this monster doing here?” she demanded. “The last person we need on this team is the woman who tortured Raynar every day for years.”

  In her mind's eye, she saw Anna leaning against the desk with her arms folded. “I'm inclined to agree. The last time we trusted Keli, she assaulted a Keeper, ran amok in Rio and nearly started a war between our people and the Antaurans.”

  “Always a pleasure to see you too, Lenai.”

  “Bite me.”

  Pursing her lips, Keli looked Melissa up and down. “And who might this be?” she asked, raising one eyebrow. “Don't tell me Raynar actually got somebody to fall for his simpering sweet boy act.”

  It was all Melissa could do not to slap the other woman; her hand actually moved half an inch before she took control of herself. Striking Keli with Keeper strength would not look good in front of her boss.

  Keli replied to her barely-restrained anger with a smile so cold it could freeze hot lava. “Temper, temper, little girl,” she said. “And a fair warning for future reference; this is why you don't need to read minds to know what someone is thinking.”

  “Raynar's dead,” Melissa growled.

  “Is he? I wish I could say I felt bad about that.”

  “Keli!” the man in the door shouted. “That's enough.”

  He marched into the room like a general who expected to be obeyed, fixing a dark glare on the back of Keli's head. “You have my apologies, Ms. Carlson,” he said. “We've been working on social skills.”

  “I would like to introduce you all to the newly-promoted Director Jon Andalon,” Larani broke in before anyone else could hurl insults around the room. “It seems Jena chose a successor in the event that anything happened to her. Director Andalon will be leading the task force to investigate Slade's activities.”

  “And Ms. Armana?” Melissa asked with no concern for the venom in her voice. It didn't matter if she pissed off the head of the Justice Keepers. She wasn't going to tolerate the woman who had tormented Raynar for-

  “Ms. Armana will be working with you,” Larani explained. “She's willing to help, and I believe it will do good to have a telepath on our side. Director Morane recognized the strength in diversity She brought you all together despite different backgrounds, different skill sets, even different powers. I plan to heed her wisdom.”

  Well, that's just wonderful, Melissa hissed inside her own head. Of course, it wasn't like she would be spending much time with the team. Keeper training would take up most of her time, but that just meant Keli would have a chance to ingratiate hers
elf with all the others while Melissa was off on the sidelines. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant.

  “In the mean time,” Larani said. “I have to check on the ten men we took prisoner on the moon. Make whatever arrangements you need to make. We depart for Leyria in seven days.”

  How was it that you could be so certain that a decision was the right decision right up until the moment you made it? And then, when it was over, you suddenly began to doubt yourself. You began to wonder if you had acted rashly.

  Anna felt like her chest would implode from the pain of this break-up. It was far worse than any of the others she had experienced. Perhaps it was the pain of braking a good man's heart. Or maybe it was the guilt she felt for having such strong feelings for a man who wasn't her partner. She didn't know. She just tried to endure it as best she could. And somehow she knew that this conversation would be much harder than the one she'd had with Bradley.

  At the bottom of a gentle slope, a path of black asphalt cut through the grass with tall lampposts standing watch every few dozen feet, and beyond that, the waters of the Ottawa river rippled under a clear blue sky.

  Jack was sitting on a bench facing the river, waiting, as he'd promised, for her to arrive. His back was turned, but Keepers didn't need eyes to see the world around them. No point in dragging this out.

  She marched down the hillside.

  Anna sat down beside him with her elbows on her thighs, lacing her fingers and resting her chin on top of them. “I broke up with Bradley,” she said. “He won't be going with me to Leyria.”

  Her best friend leaned back with his arms folded, heaving out a deep breath. “That's gotta be painful,” he replied in a ragged voice. “I'm sorry you had to go through that. But I'm betting that's not why you called me.”

  Anna squeezed her eyes shut, trembling at the grief in her heart. “It was painful,” she whispered. “And no, that isn't why I asked you to come here. We need to talk about what this means for us, Jack.”

  “Okay,” he said. “Big with the listening.”

  At moments like this, she always paused for half an instant before the words left her mouth. One last chance to decide if she really wanted to go through with it. A quiet voice always whispered that she should turn back, pretend she had come out here to say something else. But no…

  She knew that she had to speak these words, and Seth seemed to know it too. Her Nassai was terribly sad, but also proud of her. That was almost enough to make her start crying on the spot.

  “I love you, Jack,” she began. “But I am so far away from anywhere that might be in the same solar system as ready for a new relationship. Whatever's between us, it's too confusing right now. You deserve someone who can say with conviction that she wants to be with you, not a confused emotional wreck.

  “I need to not be around you for a little while. Until I've got my head on straight at least. If you ever need my help – if you find yourself going up against a ziarogat – I'll be there in a heartbeat, but aside from emergencies, we can't be in each other's lives.”

  Jack squinted as he stared off into the distance. “I get that,” he said, nodding once. “And please do forgive my insatiable curiosity, but what happens after you've got your head on straight?”

  “We'll have to see then.”

  “Okay.”

  Standing up with a sigh, Anna took a moment to collect herself. On the far side of the river, the buildings of Hull glittered in the afternoon sunlight. It occurred to her that this might be the last time she saw them. It wasn't likely that she would be coming back to Earth any time soon. This chapter of her life was over.

  Funny how she was already starting to miss it. For nine months, all she could do was complain about the sexist attitudes of almost every cop she met, the frustrating lack of decent public transit, the pollution and the idiotic monetary system in which there was no harmony between what things cost and what people actually made. But now…This had been her home for a little while.

  Anna bent over to press her lips to Jack's forehead, then pulled away, blinking. “I will always care about you, Jack,” she whispered. “Never forget that.”

  Walking away was one of the hardest things she had ever done.

  Chapter 30

  Dressed in a gray suit with a black tie, Senator Rick Parsons was a handsome man with chocolate brown skin and short hair that he wore parted to the side. He stood behind a lectern, anxiously eyeing the crowd.

  Behind him, a series of flags lined the stage: the New York State Flag next to the stars and stripes of Old Glory and then a silver, four-pointed star on a field of blue. The emblem of the Justice Keepers.

  Gripping the sides of the lectern with both hands, Parsons leaned forward to blink at the audience. “We have come here tonight,” he began, “through a series of trials. We have passed through the fire together.”

  The banquet hall was filled with maybe thirty round tables, all with a pressed, lily-white tablecloth and a bouquet of flowers as the centerpiece. Every single one of those tables was occupied by at least half a dozen well-dressed people, and every single one of those people clapped for the introduction of what was bound to be a very rousing speech.

  All except Harry.

  He didn't feel very much like clapping for anything these days. Not since his epic failure on the moon. The scene played out over and over again in his mind every time he closed his eyes: Slade stood there with a gun pointed at Harry's face, that mocking smile daring him to put up a fight.

  He could have tried.

  At the very least, he could have stalled for thirty more seconds. Maybe Jena would have finished off that alien creature and come charging in to help him. That scene played in his mind almost as often as the other.

  His girlfriend leaped into the Nexus, doing one of those flashy somersaults of hers. Slade spun around to focus on her instead of Harry, and Jena deflected every last one of his bullets with one of those Bendings.

  Then it was a fistfight that would make any martial arts film look tame. Slowly his girlfriend gained the upper hand, pummeling Slade with fists that moved so fast they seemed to blur. Harry seized the opportunity to take control of the Nexus, trapping Slade by turning the very room against him.

  Then Jena snapped that bastard's neck.

  They shared a kiss before Harry used the Nexus to permanently disable the Key, leaving the Ragnosians stranded on the other side of the galaxy. Melissa went to Leyria for training, eventually receiving a symbiont of her own. Jack and Anna got married. It was over. The horror was finally over. And all because Harry held on for those thirty god damn seconds.

  But that wasn't what happened.

  Slade had given him a choice, stay and die a pointless death in a fight he couldn't win, or run to help his family. Harry chose his family because the thought of leaving his daughters without a father was too much to bear. Sometimes, he had nightmares about being a ghost, watching Melissa and Claire trying to carry on without him.

  Harry chose his family; Harry would always choose his family, and in following that instinct, he had damned the galaxy.

  Next to him, Gabi wore an elegant silver dress with a swooping neckline. Her hair was braided and held with a silver clip. “It's all right, Harry,” she whispered, patting his arm. Somehow, the woman had sensed his distress.

  Harry closed his eyes, nodding to her. “I know,” he replied in a voice so soft it was barely audible over the Senator. “I was just thinking about all the people we lost. Raynar and Jena and…”

  She patted his arm again.

  On the other side of Gabi, Anna was bent over with her arms folded on the table's surface, her head hanging. The girl wore a little black dress that would turn every head in the room, but it was clear that mingling was the last thing on her mind.

  Perhaps that was because of the chair next to her.

  No one sat in that chair.

  The place card in front of an empty plate read “Jena Morane,” and everyone who passed by seemed to instinctively
give it a wide berth. Even Jack, who sat on the other side of the empty chair seemed to avoid looking at it.

  When the senator was finished, they chose to share the names of everyone who had fought to protect New York City. Harry watched as Pedro and several of his officers went on stage to receive a firm handshake from the mayor, a thank you from the Senator and a citation for valour.

  Once they finished with the NYPD, it was time to honour the Justice Keepers who put their lives on the line. It was like watching a graduation ceremony that just wouldn't end; Keepers he'd never heard of walked across the stage. There had been teams fighting Slade's minions throughout the city.

  Finally, his table was called.

  Anna was the first one to receive her citation; she accepted it with a quiet murmur of thanks. Gabi was next, and then Jack. When it was Harry's turn, he had to dig deep to find the willpower to go up there.

  The senator shook his hand; they gave him a medal. It was all very dignified. Or it would have been if Harry had been worthy of the honour.

  The hardest part came when Pedro gave a speech honouring Jena's memory. The man spoke passionately about how Jena threw herself into harm's way repeatedly, about how she made it her personal mission to protect the people of New York, how she did everything in her power to frustrate Slade's plans.

  Harry didn't want to listen to that.

  Jena's death was on his conscience.

  So Harry did what he always did in situations like this; he followed the rules. He waited for the ceremony to end and then mingled with the other guests. He made small talk with anyone who was willing and shooed away a reporter when she tried to ask him about what had happened on the moon. No way in hell he was discussing that!

  Then he went home.

  He poured himself a glass of whiskey, reviewed the offer some young couple had made for his house and prepared to emigrate across the galaxy. Hopefully, if he got far enough away, the pain would fade.