by Rayner Ye
“Got your navigation switched on?”
“Have now.”
“How are you gonna get there?”
“Hoverboard.”
“Didn’t take a first aid kit?”
He shook his head.
“Damn, Akachi! I’m on it. Buzz me when you get there if no one’s arrived.”
He hunched over the handlebars and travelled at high speed straight over rice paddies and through banana plantations for a more direct route.
By the time he reached the beach, his breath had become so shallow that he feared it might end. As the sun rose over the eastern horizon—a murky yellow ball behind the ash—his consciousness waned. He cleared his airSphere one more time and collapsed onto the sand, unable to call Scarn or even Mom to bid her farewell.
If he died now, he’d never find out the truth about his sister.
***
When Akachi opened his eyes, there were no winged beings, but an attractive Native-Red nurse wearing a white uniform.
She pushed the back of his bed up and peered into his face. “How are you, Z’Akachi Mondarlvo?”
“I’m alive?”
She giggled, and her bright teeth gleamed in her earth-red face. “Of course, you’re alive. Lucky, though. We didn’t think you’d make it, even after the medivac team worked on you in the chopper.”
He licked his lips and smiled. He could find his sister, and now he knew how to travel by river and rain, he could retire early and raise his son.
What about Aedre? His heart skipped a beat, and he shuddered. She’d never get what she wanted. How was she now? Would there be a village like Kos two hundred years in the future? Hopefully, no one would see the mass of people exiting the pyramid. Would they be treated as trespassers? How would the future population treat a paralysed Noctar? How would so many people come out of the pyramid unnoticed?
The key was in his bag.
His heartbeat raced, and leg muscles tightened as he tried to get up.
“Easy now.” The nurse turned her gaze from the medical airSphere and frowned.
“Where’s my bag?”
She nodded to the nearby chair.
“Can you pass it?”
She gave it to him, and he rummaged through with trembling hands, then smiled when he found the bundle wrapped in a t-shirt. His fingertips touched the amethyst inside.
Later that day, a Mayleedian doctor visited him and took over treating his stab wound. She used Mayleedian nanites and replenishing nutrient elixirs. Mayleedian medicine was a hundred times better than Kuanjanese. The next day he returned to his Rajka apartment.
Before planning his quest, he called Aedre’s pops.
The ginger man sat in a cosy, Biluglass seat. “Hello?”
“Hello. I’m Aedre’s friend.”
“Oh, God. How is she?”
Akachi held out his hands. “She alive—”
“Thank God! When will she be coming back? I want her out of there as soon as possible. Kuanja’s no place for a disabled person, especially the Firesnake. The eruption shows how unstable it is geologically.”
Akachi’s face, neck and ears burned. How was he going to tell her pops the truth? His instinct said he must. He swallowed and took a deep breath. “You won’t believe a word I say. But Aedre discovered a time portal and took a bunch of people through it to save them from the volcanic ash.”
The man’s face reddened, and his mouth stretched into a thin line. “Damn right, I won’t believe you! Who do you think you are, feeding me this bull crap? Is she dead or alive?”
“Alive.”
“Then, where is she?”
“Two hundred years in the future.”
The man shook his fist and was about to switch off, but withdrew and straightened. “Who the hell are you, anyway?”
“I cannot tell you about my job. But if you listen to me, I can tell you what Aedre did to become paralysed.”
Her pops waved a hand as if swatting away a fly. “Go on, then! I’m sure it’ll be good for a laugh if it’s anything like travelling into the future!”
“Aedre likes union, yeah?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“She discovered she could use her mind to travel if she practised the ending meditation in the rain, in the middle of a river, wearing an amethyst, and using her aurashield switched to rain protection.”
Aedre’s pops rubbed his wrinkled head and sighed. His voice came out as a whisper. “I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. She likes to smoke leaf as well. Probably met you at a party, high on some hallucinogen. Perhaps you believe in this crap, but it’s impossible. I’m a man of reason, highly qualified in physics, mathematics and electronics, but I don’t believe in all this new age hippy crap, alright?”
Akachi held out his palms and took a deep breath. “I’m a man of reason too. Watch.” He pulled a couple of mosquito drones out of his pocket and zoomed in the camera so her pops could see.
“Where’d you get those? Those are highly advanced—”
“Mayleedian drones used in the secret service.” Akachi crossed his arms. “I’m not a hippie high on leaf or hallucinogens. I’m a spy who works for the Mayleedian Secret Service, but I’m about to quit, so they don’t discover what Aedre’s taught me.”
“If it’s such top-secret, why are you telling me?”
“Because you’re her father, and I feel guilty that the only way I could save her was to send her into the time portal, with the thousand villagers she saved.”
“I still don’t believe you. Don’t know where you got those drones, but—”
Akachi remembered and gasped. He’d recorded everything. “Wait! I have evidence.” Hopefully, he’d be able to replay it on his airSphere.
The video of Aedre laying on the boulder in Haunted River came into view, followed by her intention and the two of them floating outside the volcano. While her father sat gaping at the hour-long video, Akachi fixed up some seafood noodles with greens, soy sauce, fried garlic and ginger.
He scarfed it down and entered the airSphere when the video reached the part where he tied the star key into the pleats of Aedre’s dress as she lay on the roof above the river.
Aedre’s pops narrowed his eyes. “You could have made that video using animation software.”
“I could have.” He sighed. “Look, I’m only telling you the truth because it’s the right thing to do. I’m not gonna beg you to believe me, just thought you should know what happened to Aedre.”
“I didn’t see anything about the time portal.”
“That’s because we went to the amethyst pyramid in our physical bodies. I could’ve recorded it, but didn’t think to. Sorry.”
“Is there a way I can contact you?”
“Yes. I’ll attach a return contact. It’s from one of my airSpheres, not an MSS one. I’m sure you already know this, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t share any of this information.”
Aedre’s pops ran a freckled hand over his face and switched off.
Not long after the talk, Z’Das buzzed Akachi on a different airSphere.
“Pak’Thor’s told me what you’ve been keeping from the MSS.”
Akachi frowned and shrugged.
“He showed me the footage too. Quite remarkable. Shame you steered the drone away from the superhero when it returned to tell the monk, fugitive and ex-whore about its superpowers.”
Akachi’s stomach clenched. He rubbed a hand over his cropped afro. “I wanna take early retirement. Now.”
“It’s not that simple. Did you meet the superhero who brought down Bamdar’s joint while you were in Giok?”
Akachi swallowed and stared into the distance. Should he tell the truth? He needed retirement, not a discharge. “Yes.”
“Was she a Fenuk?”
“No. She was a Nerthling Sax. Someone Bamdar hurt.”
“Hmm.” Z’Das rubbed the white stubble on his orange-gold jaw. “Are there more of them?”
“Don’t know.”
“The MSS could do with this kind of technology. Think of the opportunity we’d have to crush all the underworlds in Plan8.”
Akachi nodded. If it got into the hands of MSS, it could get into the hands of those underworlds. The fewer who knew, the better.
Z’Das scanned Akachi’s face, then tilted his head to the side and smiled. “With this technology, we could help you find your sister.”
He could find his sister alone. “Z’Das. Z, I need to tell you something important. It’s the reason I want to retire.”
Z’Das narrowed his eyes and nodded. “I think I already know—you’ve found out how to do what the superhero did, and you don’t want to tell me. Like the time you tagged the temple, and found a lead on the shipment, then discovered an army of child soldiers in the caverns of Petora.”
“No. You’re wrong. I didn’t find out. I wanted to, but by the time I reached Haunted River, there’d been a tsunami. The superhero’s probably dead.”
“You didn’t meet her?”
“No.”
“You’re lying! I’ve got a lie machine activated.”
Akachi’s limbs tingled with fatigue, and he slumped where he stood.
“I’ll have to bring you in for questioning. If you don’t tell us straight out, we’ll use more intimidating measures.”
“You do that. I don’t care. The reason I want to retire is that I have a five-year-old son.”
Z’Das’s face dropped.
“That’s right. Velina kept it from me that she was pregnant with my baby when we split. Only after she died did her husband tell me about my boy.”
Z’Das leaned in closer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” He looked up and nodded. “Our spies don’t have children. It puts the kids at risk.”
“I know. That’s why he’s waiting in a boarding school for me to leave the MSS.”
“Listen. You come in for questioning and be honest. I don’t want to torture you, however stubborn you are. Then, I’ll happily give you a decent early retirement package and new identifications for you and your son.”
***
Akachi had gone to the Feili temple on several occasions to look for Apek, Yasmin, and YuFang, and to tell them what he’d done, but they were never there. One night, while he drank alone at a bar in central Rajka, he decided to try again. He had to tell them the MSS knew all about travelling by river and rain.
He took a cab to North Rajka’s Jerjen town and banged on the temple door. A light gleamed from underneath, and YuFang opened it. “Who’re you?”
“I’ve had the drones on you all.”
“What the fuck?”
Akachi held up his palms. “I work for the MSS. You should be lucky I begged my boss not to arrest you for mass murder.”
YuFang sighed and took a step back. Akachi followed him in, shutting the door behind. At the side of the hallway, they entered the tea-room where Akachi had watched them converse on several occasions.
Apek stood and bowed. “Welcome to my humble home. Who are you?”
YuFang sighed and lowered himself to a beanbag, stretching out his injured leg.
Yasmin waved for Akachi to sit, so he did. Apek sat too, then poured the four of them a small bowl of green tea each.
Akachi spread his fingers on the table and told them everything, from tagging Apek with a drone to Pak’Thor threatening him, to Aedre going into the future. He told them what he’d told Aedre’s pops, and that his boss at MSS had given him a lie-test.
Apek shook his head and closed his eyes. “I don’t care about the rest, but I’m glad Aedre’s alive.”
“We didn’t even know about a time machine inside the Sattchi pyramid,” Yasmin said.
“I don’t think any of those pyramids are Sattchi,” Akachi said. “Sattchism hasn’t been around for that long. These are ancient time portals.”
“Unbelievable,” Apek said.
Akachi sipped his tea and peered at YuFang. “I thought your theory about memory-wiping was unbelievable. I think I believe you now.”
“We travelled by river and rain.” Yasmin giggled. “Even Apek gave it a go.”
Apek straightened and raised his wispy eyebrows. “I went to Eeporyo. I tell you, those hybrids are amazing.”
“I visited my mother in a slave moon camp on Cronos. It’s called Glass City. Now the secret service know how to travel by river and rain, will they help save all the noomies and girls there?”
Akachi shrugged. “Lots died when Aedre saved you and YuFang. We don’t want a repeat of what happened. I’ll ask my boss.”
“By the way, please don’t call me YuFang anymore. My real name’s YuFu. Is your boss gonna arrest me?”
“Not until he knows whether your mind was wiped. They might call you in for a scan of your bio-weaponry, though. He thinks you might be a spy.”
“So, he doesn’t know about Tanmixan’s top secret?” YuFu told Akachi everything he’d discovered about his previous job and employer.
The part about invading the man’s body in Tai’s methane rig cafe resonated with Akachi. It was something he could do next time he travelled by river and rain.
YuFu leaned towards him. “Can you help me so I can return to Mayleeda without being assassinated? There must be something MSS can do to help.”
“It sounds risky.” Akachi sighed. “I’d prefer not to get into politics. If my boss is involved, it could be dangerous to tell him.”
YuFu sighed.
“I’m sorry. I wanna concentrate on finding my sister. Someone abducted her as a child.”
Yasmin leaned forward. “I’m so sorry.”
Akachi’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t used to sympathy. “It’s been my life mission to find her. That’s why I joined MSS.”
“But, once you’ve found her, you could help,” YuFu said, “ to find out if MSS or MIP already know about Tanmixan’s classified diamond harbouring. If they don’t, they can bust them.”
“I was going to ask if you could help me too,” Yasmin said. “After finding your sister, of course. If MSS doesn’t bring down Glass City, perhaps you could join YuFu and me?”
“I can’t. I have a son who I never even knew about until after his mom died. I need to bring him up. I need him to be safe.” He drained his tea and looked at each of them in turn. “I didn’t want to give away all these secrets to the MSS. I never wanted to tell anyone but was forced. One bad person could cause havoc with this knowledge. But, perhaps some good will come out of it. Perhaps MSS or MIP can bust Glass City and Tanmixan, with the help of your detective work.”
Chapter 20*Delisa
Standing in the centre of her living room, conversing with Mummy in her airSphere, Delisa’s head throbbed from all the stress. She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m so angry the mosquito drone didn’t work. Nearly had Noomy Foster’s daughter. The target was so clear. That stupid bird.”
Mummy sighed and flicked the front of her bleached bob. “How many times have we been through this, Gorgeous? There’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t worry. I’m sure the androids or guards will catch that rodent soon enough. Do the drones work?”
“Yes. I tested all the drones while preparing for Aedre’s appearance.
“The laser drones, you mean?”
“The laser drones and poison drones.”
Mummy nodded, chewing the corner of her lip. “There must’ve been a technical malfunction on that one watching the bird.”
Delisa ground her teeth.
“Don’t sweat about it.” Mummy rubbed her hands together, and her heavily made-up blue eyes widening with enthusiasm. “Right. What are your plans for the next Nerthus week?”
“You mean for catching Noomy Foster’s daughter?”
“Of course.”
“We’ll post notices all over the city warning her that if she tries anything, her noomy and sister will die.”
“How will you do that?”
“They’re in the operating theatre now having destinatio
n devices implanted.”
Mummy’s teeth gleamed when she smiled. “Smart girl, aren’t you? I’m glad I chose you over your brother to rule Glass City.”
“Me too. I think I have your brains, Mummy.”
“Yes, and your brother has his daddy’s. Anyway, I have good news.”
Delisa strolled over to her cosy seat. She sat, leaned back, and inspected her red manicured nails. “Oh, yeah? What’s that, then?”
“Bamdar’s alive.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I know. In cryosponge and on his way to a moon jail.”
“No.” Mummy stuck her chin into the air and looked at Delisa down her nose, smirking. “You won’t believe this when I tell you. His body is still going to a moon jail, and everyone will think he is there, not causing any harm in Plan8.” She picked up a steaming mug, brought it to her lips, and sipped.
Delisa tutted. Mummy liked to draw out the suspense. “Tell me what’s going on.”
Mummy leaned forward. “Some of Bamdar’s best scientists transmitted his memory chip into a clone of himself.”
“You’re joking. How’d he do that?”
“Well. You’d be surprised what money can buy. I’d never heard of anything like that in my life, until his financial advisor, Pak’Lyfee contacted me.”
“He’ll have to lie low, though. When the police see him, they’ll arrest him again.”
Mummy cackled. “He’s had plastic surgery. Made himself look like a Native-Red and a handsome one at that.”
“How d’you know? Did you talk to him?”
“No. Pak’Lyfee enjoyed showing me his photo. I think you and him would be a match made in heaven. He only looks twenty years old now.”
Delisa frowned. “I don’t like Native-Reds romantically. They’re not my type.”
“Now, now. That’s racist, isn’t it?”
“I don’t mean it like that. I just don’t fancy them. Don’t fancy Papsnens or Saxs either.”
Mummy banged her fist into her palm and pointed at Delisa. “You want to succeed in this life; you learn that you can’t just pick and choose as you please, young woman!”
