A month. It was around the same time we’d be at Fontem’s real collection, and the deadline felt like a real motivator. “Time to go,” I said.
“Boss, you wouldn’t happen to be carrying a backup jetpack, would you?” Slate asked, nodding toward Hanrion.
I hadn’t thought of that. “Hanrion, we’ll have to carry you between us. I’m sorry, this might be uncomfortable.” My words translated, and our new friend seemed reluctant.
A couple of awkward hours later, we were safe on Light, the portal room growing dull.
Hanrion’s eyes were wide as he followed Slate to the exit. “Let’s show our guest some quarters, and Suma, gather a crew to help with the nullifier construction.” Suma started off, urging Hanrion to come with her. He did so with a cursory glance at me.
“You really think this is a good idea? Destroying the crystal planet?” Fontem asked.
“Not just destroying the crystal planet. Obliterating every damned one of them in each timeline.” I clapped him on the back. “I never liked that place. Too many bad memories.” It was where Mary had been taken from me, and where the Zan’ra inside Jules had been hiding, staying concealed until the right moment. Watching that planet be abolished would be a pleasure. Not to mention, Lom would need it in his present to merge the timelines. If it wasn’t there when he attempted to learn the technology, he’d fail.
We stood in the hallway, the guards remaining quiet behind us, and I saw the pulse of light creep under the doorway. Someone had just used the portal.
I waited there, letting the guards check on their tablets, using the camera feed. I peeked over a shoulder, seeing Jules on the screen. Two familiar faces were with her, and I let out a laugh.
I tugged my helmet off, dropping it to the floor, and the moment the door opened, I rushed over, grabbing Nat in a hug. I kissed her cheek and did the same to Dean, getting a less responsive reaction.
“Mr. Parker, I didn’t realize we were that close,” he said, laughing.
“Well, you were named after me. I think I can give you a hug every now and then. Especially when I haven’t seen you in seven months.” I held him by the shoulders, wanting to berate him, but from the look in his eyes, that was the last thing he needed. Instead, I said, “Nice to see you home.”
“Dean, I hear you’ve been busy,” Nat said. Her hair was shorter, like she’d shorn it off herself in an act of mourning.
“We had some business to deal with, but we’re back for now. Jules, we’re going to have a briefing in an hour. I’d like you to be there,” I told her.
She looked tired, like she’d been through a lifetime since we’d seen each other last. “Can I shower first?”
“I’m heading that way. I’ll walk you,” I said, draping my arm over her shoulders. Nat and Dean walked behind us. “Karo, do you mind staying for this?” I asked the Theos, who was pacing eagerly behind with Fontem.
“Sure, Dean. I’m going to head to the cafeteria for some… food,” Karo said.
Fontem took after him, and we continued toward our suites, the four of us piling into the elevator. Natalia had yet to spend the night on Light, no matter how many times we’d asked her, so it was nice to have her here. Magnus was dead and Patty gone, but at least some of their family was together.
When we arrived at the suite, I asked about the dogs, and Nat said a neighbor was watching them. They went into Dean’s quarters, and lucky for the young man, he was tidy, neat like his mother.
When Jules and I were alone, I smiled at her, entering our unit. “You did it,” I said quietly.
“I told you I would,” she said, grinning at me.
“I never doubted you for a minute,” I said truthfully. It was hot inside my EVA, and I stripped it off, leaving it on the floor of the entryway.
“Papa, you stink,” Jules advised me.
“Thanks,” I told her. I moved for the kitchen, noticing Mary wasn’t in the suite. I needed some caffeine before I did anything. “You want a coffee?”
“I thought I was too young for it,” she said.
“You’re sixteen and a Gatekeeper. I think you can handle a shot of caffeine on occasion.” I set to work, filling an old drip machine with water. I preferred it to the new-tech stuff everyone else was using.
Jules plopped down on a stool, and I noticed the redness seeping into her cheeks and spotted the tears forming. “What is it?”
She glanced up, meeting my gaze, and the tears poured. “I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.”
She’d been bottling so much up, something I was good at doing. The coffee brewed, and I moved to her side, taking the stool next to her. “You found him, and he’s home. Not to mention, you convinced Nat to come aboard somehow. I’d say you’ve accomplished some important things.”
“I don’t need praise, Papa. I… I felt so weak. Dean was out there, all alone, and I was chasing after him. I should have been trying to find the other Zan’ra, or learning more about the Deities. That’s what we need right now, not me following Dean around like a lovesick puppy dog.” Jules averted her gaze, watching the steam rise from the coffee maker.
I hadn’t been expecting that. “Do you remember the stories about your mother being taken by the Iskios?”
She nodded, wiping tears from her rosy cheeks.
“There we were, standing in that room under the crystal mountain, thinking we’d found the Theos, when it arrived. It took over your mother, and with the wave of a hand, it sent Slate and me back to New Spero.
“I spent months searching for her. I went all over the place, begging people for help, and when I finally found her near Sterona, I fought for her. With her… but I battled until I figured out how to save her… and you.”
Jules had stopped crying, and she smiled at this. “I never thought of it like that.”
“You and I are cut from the same cloth. I think he may be your Mary,” I said, finding it a strange thing to be telling my sixteen-year-old.
“What if you’d failed, Papa? What if you’d found Mom and she won?” Jules asked.
“Then a lot of people would have died by the Vortex, and we wouldn’t be sitting here,” I told her.
“We need to find the Zan’ra. I know Lom of Pleva is important, but I think Fontem may be right. The Deities may be able to stop him,” she said.
“I have another plan for that, but you’ll have to wait until the briefing to hear it.” I stood, kissing her on the top of the head before pouring two cups of coffee, adding a little cream to each, making hers like mine. She lifted the drink, cradling the cup in her hands, and took a small sip.
“Why can’t you tell me now? What happened over the last couple of days?” she asked.
I thought about seeing Lom and decided not to tell her quite yet. “I’m speaking in forty minutes. And as you said, I stink and need a shower.”
Jules nodded slowly, taking her cup to her room.
I stayed there, staring at the wall, aware I’d do anything to protect my family from Lom’s threats.
____________
We were about to start the meeting when Mary arrived fresh from the bridge, with Sergo and Loweck at her side.
“Everything good?” she asked, giving me a light kiss on the lips.
I shrugged. “I wish I’d had a chance to talk to you first, but I didn’t. We have a lot to do.” I waited for the others to enter the meeting room, smiling at them, saying casual greetings. The whole time I was tense, with Mary matching my mood.
“What happened?” she whispered. She spotted Jules inside, sitting with Dean and Nat, and she waved at them. “This is nice to see.”
“It is.” I turned to Mary when the rest of the crew were inside, but spoke quietly so they couldn’t hear. “I was stopped in the portal again.”
“What?” she shouted. When everyone paused and stared toward us, I led her farther from the entrance.
“Lom of Pleva found a way to get to me,” I told her. “I need you to hear this first, so you don’t frea
k out in there.”
“Did you tell Jules?” she asked.
“No.”
“What happened? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. He threatened me. Said he was coming for us… the usual,” I told her.
“How did he do that?” Mary was strong, but I didn’t want to tell her all the gory details, especially about his threats to my family. When I didn’t instantly respond, she pressed a finger into my chest. “Spill it, Parker.”
“He told me he tortured the older version of me. The one who’d been coming to warn me through the portals,” I told her, and she deflated.
“Is that why you haven’t seen him in a while?”
“I don’t know. But if he can do this, who knows what else he’s capable of? Since he’s communicated with the Arnap, and apparently the Padlog…”
“The Padlog?”
Slate popped his head out the door. “Boss, they’re getting a little antsy, and you two whispering over here isn’t helping.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Mary said, taking the lead as she brushed an invisible seam from her uniform. She took a deep breath and entered the meeting room, composed as always.
I shut the door behind me and looked over the trusted crew inside. From left to right, I had Slate, Loweck, Suma, Sergo, Rivo, Fontem, Karo, Jules, Dean, and of course, Natalia. They were on the inside now, and the only one I had any reservations about was Sergo, not that I didn’t trust him. But the words from Lom had me reeling. How confident was I about the Padlog thief? He’d screwed me over before, but he’d also done a lot to regain that trust. If the Padlog were working with Pleva, I had no doubt Sergo was unaware, but I needed to gauge his reaction to the news regardless.
“We have a big month ahead of us. I expect a lot from my crew, and also my allies, but this might be the most important quest of our lifetime. Someone seeks to destroy us. They want our Alliance gone. They don’t just want control, they want to see the destruction of everything. Lom of Pleva must be stopped.” I locked gazes with Jules, and saw determination burning in her eyes.
Nine
Jules hated Lom with a passion. She’d never met the man, since she’d been a baby when her father had dismissed him into another timeline, but she’d witnessed what his existence had done to Papa. Now, knowing he was working toward merging dimensions, she wished she could stop him herself. Could she find a way to travel into the future, to his exact reality?
Fontem speculated that the Deities could do this, and that might be her move. She’d been so distracted with her own thoughts, she sensed she’d missed something important.
“You saw him?” Loweck asked.
“Who? Who did you see?” Jules blurted out.
“Lom. He was in the portal. It was like the other times, where an older version of myself came with dire warnings, but it was Lom,” Papa told her.
Shivers carried up her spine, and she balled her hands into fists.
“What did he want?” Sergo asked.
Jules noted how her father paused at his question, the way his eyebrow lifted. She could almost read his mind. Before he answered, Jules cut in. “We were attacked by Padlog ships.”
Sergo’s mouth fell open. “What? Where?”
“In Elion. We found Dean there, and Artimi managed to escape, but there were three of them. They destroyed the old station,” she said.
“Wait, are you saying one of our Alliance partners attacked you?” Mary asked.
“Well, they might not have known it was me. I was in a foreign ship hired to bring me to Elion Station. I also saw one of their ships parked at the newer trade structure in the system. That’s how I think they knew we were nearby.”
“So they did know it was you?” her mom asked.
Jules felt all eyes on her. “I guess so. I can’t be sure.”
“What does this mean?” Slate asked. “Boss, you mentioned that Lom spoke of the Padlog.”
Papa nodded along. “He muttered something about trusting a Padlog.”
Sergo raised his arms. “Look, I can only assume what you’re all thinking. Sergo would sell his soul for a buck. I have nothing to do with this. If I saw Lom, I’d shoot him in the fleshy bits of his face.”
Jules watched the man, his big bug eyes wide. He buzzed uncomfortably.
“Sergo, lower your hands. I trust you,” Papa said. Jules was glad, because she did too.
The Padlog pilot acted relieved and settled into his chair. “I have a lot of undesirable acquaintances that may be involved. Want me to do some digging?”
“Yes. Thank you. Find out what you’re able, subtly if possible, and maybe we can trace it to the perpetrators. If we learn how he’s communicating into the past, maybe we stop his plan. In the meantime, we’re moving for Techeron, and we’ll arrive in…” Her dad pointed to Rivo, who quickly answered.
“Three weeks, four days,” Rivo told them.
“Suma will be leaving us for that duration, heading to the crystal world with a new friend, Hanrion. They’re working on a top-secret project, and with any luck, we’ll at least have a backup plan, should we fail our other avenues.” Papa smiled at Suma, who seemed nervous at the announcement.
“How is this going to work?” Sergo asked. “There’s no active portal.”
Suma answered him quickly. “We’re bringing our portable Shandra ship.”
Jules hadn’t yet seen this ship, but the Gatekeepers were quite excited about the concept. They’d be able to travel to different worlds via a portal on the freighter, sending it to various planets with an android pilot.
“Has anyone tested that yet?” Rivo asked.
“It’s tested and fully functional. We’ll be able to travel there when the time is right,” Papa replied.
“When we arrive at Techeron, I’ll be heading in our Kraski ship, along with Fontem and Slate. We’re hoping there really is a viable reason for this trek, despite not having all of the information.” Papa glanced at the Terellion, who simply nodded, his lips pursed.
Jules didn’t fully trust the man. At times, he seemed so helpful; at others, so distant. She suspected he had his own motivations, and doubted they were always in alignment with theirs. Still, he had come through for them, and if he said there was a means to stop Lom waiting within his secret stash, then they had to try.
“Jules, what can you tell us?” her dad asked, putting her on the spot. She didn’t seem any closer to finding the other Zan’ra.
She saw all eyes on her and cleared her throat, suddenly self-conscious. When she’d been a little girl, everything had come so easily for her. Now people expected things of her, and the pressure was ever growing. “As you can see, Dean has rejoined us. He will not be leaving alone again,” Jules said for his benefit. He’d promised her that, and she would hold him to it. “We haven’t visited the two new worlds that showed up on the Crystal Map last year, and that’s where we’re heading tomorrow.”
Dean took a drink of water and stuck his hand up just enough for her to stop, letting him add his two cents. “I wanted to apologize to everyone for my behavior.”
His mother set a hand on the table. “You don’t have to do this, son.”
“Yes I do. I didn’t stick around, and that was a jerk thing to do. Dad was dead, and my sister gone. I felt like I was responsible, that I should have been able to protect Patty from this guy, and when I didn’t… without my dad to turn to… I lost it. I took that shuttle and vanished. I thought that if I could find her, I’d be able to explain what happened to Dad, and that she’d understand. That Patty would somehow return to us as herself, leaving this Zan’ra mess behind.
“The longer I was out there, the less sure I was of that, and there were so many nights I lay awake wanting to come home, to ask for help, but every time I was about to, I saw Patty’s eyes glowing purple. I heard her voice telling me and Jules to leave her alone. I selfishly pressed on, and I wanted you all to know how sorry I am for putting you through it.”
He took hi
s mom’s hand, and Jules glanced at her parents. “Thank you, Dean. We understand, and that’s the last time you need to apologize for it. Right, everyone?” Papa scanned the crowd, and they verbalized their forms of agreement.
“What do you expect to find on these worlds?” Karo asked her. “No new portals have appeared on the map since you…” He caught himself and reined the comment in. Not everyone knew Jules’ role that day on the Theos homeworld.
Jules went on explaining her theory, which was nothing more than speculation. “I think they’ll be Zan’ra-related. Or it might be about the Deities.” Everyone in the room had been filled in about the ancient gods, and about the Zan’ra as well, so Jules didn’t expand further.
“The Deity I’ve been… visiting spoke to me again,” Jules told the group.
“What did it say?” Loweck asked.
“It told me to free it and the others. It said I’d be rewarded,” she advised them.
“How many others are there?” Suma asked, but she didn’t have an answer.
“Your guess is as good as mine.”
“But you think you might find more of them on these new portal worlds,” Slate said.
“Right. At the very least, there has to be a reason the portals regained their functionality. We’ll find out soon enough,” Jules said.
Papa had listened patiently up to this point, but he was still the only one standing. His hands rested on the top of his chair, which he was behind, watching them talk. “Fontem, you first warned us about the Deity’s capability for destruction; then you suggested we free it to help with our Lom issue. Where’s your head on the subject today?”
Fontem gulped, and Jules watched him closely. “I meant they have the power to create and destroy. They made races, Dean. The Deities appear to have made the Zan’ra, a race with unlimited powers, and from what we’ve seen, they can be very harmful.”
Old Secrets (The Survivors Book Thirteen) Page 9
