Riptide

by Jessica Gunn

  Let’s hope it’s not the station that explodes when I erupt.

  24

  Trevor

  “What the hell, Valerie?” I exclaimed when she showed up in the hallway outside the interrogation room. She had a hand wrapped around her middle and numerous cuts and bruises. “What happened?”

  She offered me a grim smile. “Trouble, as always.”

  My lips pressed together hard. “Let’s get you to the Infirmary.”

  “I would have teleported right there, but I wasn’t sure what the good doctor would have said.” Her eyes trailed to Captain Marks’s, who’d startled at her sudden fiery appearance. “I wasn’t sure I’d be accepted at all.”

  His expression gave none of his carefully masked thoughts away. “You played a part in saving us in the end, and again in helping Trevor and Chelsea find SeaSat5.”

  “Understood,” she said, laying her head back against the wall. “Give me a moment and I’ll be ready to move.”

  “Where’s Chelsea?” I asked.

  “In Boston with her parents,” Valerie said. “Hope you filled the Captain in.”

  “I did.”

  “Good. She’ll be following soon. I thought they deserved a moment alone together.”

  The Captain stepped closer. “Are you sure they’re telling the truth?”

  Valerie flashed him a hard stare. “I wouldn’t have served her up to them if I thought they were lying, Captain. I’m not an idiot. I’ve gotten pretty good at discerning which Atlantean super soldiers are lying to rope the missing ones like Chelsea into their ranks, and which ones are truthfully seeking asylum. Believe me.”

  A chill ran down my spine. I’d only seen Valerie this angry, this serious, once before. It was when she’d delivered her final ultimatum during the hijacking two and a half years ago. Which meant there was a hundred and ten percent more to her story than she was revealing. I wanted to ask her, but now wasn’t the time.

  “I do,” Captain Marks said, even though I got the impression he’d only said it for her benefit. Again, his face was a mask hiding his true thoughts.

  “Good,” said Valerie. She pushed off the wall. “To the Infirmary then.”

  Valerie sat on a hospital bed much like Chelsea had the last time I’d seen her, though Valerie had very different injuries.

  “Looks like a few broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and a face laceration,” Dr. Gordon said, tapping her pen on her clipboard.

  “I could have told you that,” said Valerie dryly. Hating doctors and medical procedures was one of the few things she and Chelsea had in common. “Word has it you have a healer on board. Ex-Lieutenant Weyland, I believe? Can’t he come up here and take care of this?”

  “He’s been reinstated,” Dr. Gordon noted, “and yes, I’ll send for him.” Dr. Gordon stepped out of the room on quick feet. The sounds of her boots echoing down the hall followed her.

  “Hey,” Valerie said, looking up at me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Where are the rest of the TruGates guys being held?”

  “In the Brig,” I answered. “Captain Marks doesn’t plan on letting them out until we can clear up their memory and learn the truth.”

  “Yeah, about that. I can fix their memory. The whole ‘memories flash by’ thing isn’t necessarily an exaggeration.”

  “Good,” I said. “I want to know what happened as badly as they do. They say it’s all a blur. Only Josh remembers much past rescuing SeaSatellite5 from the Atlanteans.”

  “I’ll go right there after Weyland heals me if you want. Or even if he doesn’t.”

  I put a hand on her good shoulder. “You need to rest before you do anything.”

  She glanced at me with a cocky smirk. “Aw, you do care.”

  I didn’t take her bait. “Of course I do. You’re my oldest friend.”

  We stood there, looking at each other, and for the first time in a long time I really saw Valerie. Neither of us wanted to be this deep in it with the war. Neither of us wanted each other to get hurt. And yet, every decision we’d made had tried both of those things. Contrary to what I used to think, we weren’t all that different.

  I gave her shoulder a squeeze, too afraid to hug her. I’d never done that. But her eyes welled up and I knew she was holding a lot back. She’d never cried in front of me, or anyone as far as I knew, and I doubted she was going to start now. Even still, I didn’t want to risk her reaction to a hug. So I stood there, reassuring her as best I could without words, until silence wasn’t enough.

  “It’s going to work out,” I whispered.

  “You can’t know that,” she returned.

  “Maybe not, but I can believe it.”

  “Your girlfriend’s got a massive target on her back,” she said. “Your brain is about to explode atlases all over the place, I’m being tracked because of what I know and all I’ve done to undermine the White City and Atlantis’s effort to round up the super soldiers, and Charlie is—” She cut herself off. A sob squeaked out. She broke eye contact and stared straight ahead, wringing her hands together.

  “Charlie?” I asked. “Who’s he?”

  Valerie chewed on her lip, her tell for weighing options. Finally, she looked back up to me, tears spilling out of her eyes. “She’s someone I care about. A lot. And she’s about as fucked as the rest of us.”

  Girlfriend? I’d never known Valerie to develop romantic feelings for, well, anyone.

  Valerie looked away again. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about her. Charlie’s safe for now, although if we’re collecting first and second generation super soldiers, I might have to bring her here for protection. There’re only so many safe houses in the world, and they’re running thin.”

  “Wait.” I squeezed Valerie’s shoulder again so she’d turn back to me. “Is Charlie a super soldier too?”

  A beat passed before Valerie answered, “Yes. Ironic, I know. I’m aware.” Seriousness crossed her features, one that made me pause the same way it had earlier. “I love her and I will not let anything happen to her because of this damn war.”

  The door swung open before I could respond. Valerie hastily wiped away any stray tears and fixed her features into a mask. No one who hadn’t been in here moments before would have ever been able to tell that she’d been close to breaking down.

  Dr. Gordon filed through with Weyland and Chelsea in tow. My body reacted almost immediately, as if it’d been craving her presence the entire time she’d been gone. Not really a lie. More than needing her, I’d been worried about her.

  Weyland eyed Valerie carefully, and then approached to heal her. “I’m still getting used to this, so it might take a few minutes.”

  Valerie shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me. I’m grateful you’re willing to help. I know I don’t deserve it.”

  To that he had no response. He lifted his hands and said, “You might need to lie down. I understand you’ve got broken ribs as well as cuts.”

  Valerie nodded and complied, lifting her shirt over her ribs. “No funny business.”

  Dr. Gordon cleared her throat, a warning. It wasn’t needed. Valerie hadn’t meant it and everyone in here knew it. Sarcasm was her mask, her shield.

  Weyland had the grace to not react. “Hold still.”

  As he worked on healing Valerie, I led Chelsea off to a corner. Dr. Gordon followed us with her eyes, rounded with concern.

  I wrapped Chelsea in a hug, hoping to leave it at that. Sometimes I could keep out of her thoughts and some days it was like she was screaming right next to me. She collapsed into the embrace immediately, closing her hands at my back and holding me to her, longer than I thought was appropriate given where we were and what we were doing. But as the hug went on for longer and longer, I didn’t care.

  I ran my fingers through her soft blonde hair. She’d cut it during one of the shore leaves we’d been given, though it wasn’t as short as when we’d first met. She hadn’t worn it that short in years. I thought it might have meant s
omething.

  “Thank you,” she murmured into my chest. Her head fit right under mine, like my height had been meant to fit her there on purpose. But the way her body collapsed against mine, like I was the last and only solid thing left on the planet to cling to, said more than she’d ever let on.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I said.

  She looked up at me, the light from above shining against the wetness of her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t bring you with me and that I ignored your calls.” A tear slipped free. I brushed it away with my thumb. “I needed time to process everything with Logan’s brother… then Valerie and now this whole parents thing…”

  “It’s okay,” I repeated. “And if it’s not, I promise you it will be. I’m here for you. Always.”

  Nodding, she pressed her face back into my chest. The only indication she was upset was the way her fists closed around the back of my shirt. I rubbed her back for a few moments, and then she sucked in a deep breath and pulled away from me.

  Thank you, she thought.

  I nodded. Anytime, anywhere. You know that.

  “Well, color me impressed,” Valerie said from her hospital bed. I’d almost forgotten where we were. She ran her fingers over her ribs. “Damn, Lieutenant. That was amazing.”

  Weyland looked winded. He fell into the chair beside Valerie’s bed, a hand on his head. “Comes at a cost, though.”

  “Thank you,” Valerie said, the most genuine tone I’d ever heard her use with him. “I’m glad we’re finally on the same side.’

  All Weyland managed was a nod.

  Dr. Gordon stepped in and placed a hand on Weyland’s shoulder. “We should get you to another room so you can rest.”

  He shook his head and looked up at her. “No way. I want to know what happened to my team. I’m fine, doctor.”

  “That makes two of us,” Chelsea said. “On both accounts. And my parents want to meet you, Weyland.”

  He gave her a quizzical look. “Parents?”

  Chelsea shrugged. “Guess I was adopted. My parents are super soldiers and they’re actually from the city of Atlantis. I was born there. Turns out you might have been, too.”

  “Excuse me?” That was from Valerie. She hopped off the bed and stood in front of Chelsea. “Are you serious?”

  Chelsea eyed her. “Like you didn’t know.”

  “I didn’t,” Valerie said. “They never told me that part.” She looked from Chelsea to Weyland, then to me and scrubbed her face. “So, you’re saying that all the super soldiers out there were the ones in the stories about people being taken out of Atlantis? They’re not the regular refugees we know exist?”

  Dr. Gordon put a hand over her mouth. “That certainly changes things.”

  “The super soldiers, like me and my parents, had multiple abilities because they were bred that way,” Chelsea said. “We had our DNA manipulated. But Atlantis’s general population probably had powers, too. They created us super soldiers because those normal Atlanteans couldn’t keep up with the Lemurians. It also explains why I can’t really feel you, Dr. Gordon, the way that Weyland and Sophia’s presence affects me.” She looked to Weyland. “That buzzing between us, it’s even stronger with my parents.”

  “I was born in Atlantis?” he asked.

  “More likely than not,” Chelsea said. “But we must have been taken to different time periods when our parents escaped with us. Me to the early 1990s, Sophia to the mid-1980s.”

  “Me to 1980,” Weyland finished for himself. “Probably to keep us separate and safe.”

  If the three of them all came from Atlantis, did that mean the others Valerie had found were also born there? I turned to Valerie. “How many are there? Do we know who they are?”

  “My parents said there were forty-eight in our generation,” Chelsea said, gesturing between Weyland and herself. “Even less than that in my parents’ generation. But we know that General Allen has captured or killed at least a dozen. He probably only left us alone because of our ties to SeaSat5 and TAO.”

  “I’ve saved about fifteen others,” Valerie offered. “It’s hard to hide everyone, though. I wish we had a better place to stow them.”

  “That’s still twenty some-odd super soldiers out there somewhere,” I said.

  Chelsea nodded. “And if Atlantis finds them first and convinces them to join their side, even if it’s the side they were bred to fight for, we’re going to have a lot of trouble on our hands.

  “We’ll find them,” Valerie said. “I promise you that.”

  “But first let’s figure out what happened at TruGates,” Weyland cut in. “I want to know the truth.”

  Valerie clapped and then rubbed her hands together, as if simply by doing so she’d will the truth to appear by magic. Or maybe that’s how memory alterations worked. What did I know? “Let’s get to it, then.”

  We set up in the interrogation room, though Josh, Eric, and Mara had their handcuffs removed. Captain Marks stood in the corner next to Dr. Gordon, who had a crash cart and other supplies in case this went horribly wrong. I didn’t think it would, but honestly none of us had done anything like this before.

  Chelsea stood next to me, as far away from Josh and the others as she could get. I squeezed her hand to let her know I was with her throughout all of this, however it turned out.

  “So, kids,” Valerie said, hands on her hips. “Who’s first?”

  It was amazing the difference that Weyland’s abilities had made. Valerie had turned up bloody and broken. Weyland had brought her back up to full speed with little more than five minutes of healing work.

  “Depends,” Mara said. “Do you actually know what you’re doing?”

  Valerie shrugged. “Not really. I’m taking an educated guess or two.”

  “Me,” Josh said, lifting his gaze to Valerie. “Use me. Figure out what the hell happened. I also have the clearest memory of the last few months. I’m the best candidate.”

  Chelsea stiffened beside me. I squeezed her hand again.

  “Okay, lover boy,” Valerie said, dragging over an extra chair. She sat opposite him, nothing but air between them. “You ready? I’m not sure if this’ll hurt or not.”

  Josh gripped the arms of his chair and readied himself. “Do whatever you have to.”

  Valerie leaned in and lifted her hands to either side of his head, palms facing his ears. “Here goes nothing then.”

  “Lemurian child,” came a voice from the doorway. “Be careful or you’ll turn his mind into a firestorm, or worse.”

  The man was tall and had Chelsea’s face. A woman stood behind him, shorter and with hair that had been pulled back. They wore everyday clothes, but the way they had spat Lemurian child had an ancient tone about it.

  These must be Chelsea’s parents.

  “I told you to wait in my quarters,” Chelsea said to them.

  Captain Marks crossed the room. “I radioed to have them brought down.” To her parents, he said, “It is an honor to meet you. I’ve known Chelsea for some time now, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

  Chelsea’s biological father nodded in acknowledgement, but his attention was still on Valerie.

  “Hey,” Chelsea said. “I thought you guys were okay with Valerie given she saved you and all.”

  Chelsea’s mother pointed toward Valerie’s hands. “We’re only worried for the other. Altering memories is no easy feat.”

  “Could have told me that before I was ready,” Valerie said. She stood and offered the chair. “Care to do it instead?”

  Chelsea’s parents exchanged a look before her father said, “I can tell from here a Lemurian is to blame. Only you can undo the magic, unless you know another Lemurian. Given your close ties, daughter, I suppose another is nearby.”

  Chelsea’s face flushed. She hadn’t told them—really hadn’t had time to.

  I stuck out my hand. “I’m Trevor… the other Lemurian.”

  “And my boyfriend,” Chelsea said.

  Her mother’s
eyes narrowed. Someone wasn’t happy.

  Too bad her real parents like me.

  Chelsea’s eyes snapped to mine. Really, Trevor?

  Extricating foot from mouth, I said, “I don’t have powers. I’m basically useless.” And harmless. In every sense of the word.

  “Hmm,” her mother remarked.

  Valerie turned back to Josh. “I’m going to try really hard not to turn your brain into a slushie.”

  I rubbed my forehead. Leave it to Valerie to put a man at ease.

  “Don’t hurt him,” Chelsea said, voice quiet. “We need to know what happened, and how much is their fault versus what’s been forced on them.”

  “We’ll find out if everyone shuts up and lets me concentrate,” Valerie snapped.

  Everyone followed her order.

  Valerie repositioned her hands on either side of Josh’s head. He took one steadying breath and closed his eyes. He’d placed a lot of trust in Valerie, that was for sure. I didn’t know if I’d be willing to close my eyes around her if she were using her powers, even if I loved her as a best friend would.

  But Valerie was good at what she did. Always had been.

  Valerie closed her eyes, breathed deep, and got to work. Or at least, I assumed she did. Nothing in the room visibly changed. I glanced over at Chelsea. She was watching the whole scene closely, eyes trained on Valerie and Josh. I shifted my attention there as well. I honestly hadn’t any idea where to look or what to do.

  Small, wiry fire trails seeped out from the tips of Valerie’s fingers, sliding across the air to Josh’s temples. Josh grunted, his eyebrows scrunching together as if he were in pain.

  Valerie’s hands shook and her shoulders shuddered a breath. “Holy wow.”

  “Everything okay over there?” I asked her.

  “Yeah, it’s just…” She shook her head. “It’s how Charlie describes the Waterstar map, only it’s all of his memories that I’m flying over.”

  “Fantastic,” Josh got out through gritted teeth. His fists tensed around the arms of his chair. He was a big dude. If Josh reacted too poorly to her probing and got violent, would Valerie be able to get out of his way in time? Conventional wisdom said yes. But Josh had taken down Chelsea before. “Can you try to leave the ones prior to SeaSatellite5 intact please?”