by Amy DuBoff
They can easily look up my CR as soon as they have access to the Mainframe. I’ll have to come clean eventually. “My official score was a 13.7.”
Jason glanced at his sister and she shrugged. “That’s out of a twenty-point scale, I’m guessing?”
Wil was thankful he was in front of his children so they couldn’t see him grimace. “It’s not a set scale, but I’m the only person to ever score above a 10.”
“How are you that much higher?” Raena asked.
“That’s a really long story.” Wil reached the summit of the stairs leading to the top floor of Level 1 and palmed open the door. He swung it inward and beckoned his children through.
Raena eyed him. “I’d wager this is a long tour.”
Wil was still trying to think of a suitable response when he caught Michael’s gaze. “Time for a change of subject.”
Michael nodded. “So, what do you think of the TSS so far?”
Raena beamed. “It’s incredible!” she said. “It’s hard to believe all of this has been here our whole lives.”
“Yes, it’s a big secret to keep,” Michael agreed. “We have to scrub all the surveillance footage from Earth before anything gets released to the public. The government leaders may stop obeying our agreements at any time.”
Jason thought for a moment. “Wait… Are TSS Agents the mysterious Men in Black from all those conspiracy theories?”
Wil smiled. “Rumors often have some basis in reality.” Thinking about that should distract them for a while. He gave an appreciative nod to his friend.
“What about Corine. Does she know about all of this?” Raena asked Michael.
He shook his head. “No. She grew up very similar to you.”
“What about her abilities?” Jason questioned. “If you’re an Agent—”
“She won’t ever have abilities,” Michael interrupted.
Raena frowned. “Why not?”
“It’s complicated.” Wil sighed. “There’s a Generation Cycle, and she’s at the reset point. The genetic potential is there, but abilities won’t be expressed again for another seven Generations.”
Jason stared at him blankly. “Huh?”
“How about we check out the High Commander’s office while your dad is gone?” Michael suggested in a deflection of his own.
“Great idea.” Wil led the way down the hall. “So, this is the administrative wing for Headquarters. The senior Agents have offices here.” They passed by Saera’s office. “This is your mom’s office as Lead Agent. Unlike me, she actually uses hers.”
Raena looked at him questioningly. “Why don’t you use yours?”
“People always come to bug me about something or other. I like to work in study rooms or in our quarters where I won’t have frequent interruptions.”
Michael cracked a smile. “We know all his favorite places to hide out, though.”
“I had to go to a whole other planet to get away,” Wil joked back. “But anyway, here’s the High Commander’s office. As a trainee, you’re either about to get high praise or you’re in serious trouble if you’re ever called in here.”
The twins glanced at each other.
Wil opened the door to the office and stepped in. A handful of senior Agents had access to the office while Cris was away on Tararia, but usually there was no occasion to enter. The lights automatically came on as he stepped inside. “Now, you might actually spend more time in here than most, considering that your grandfather is High Commander.”
“Is that weird for you, having your dad as your boss?” Jason asked.
Not as awkward as when it was the other way around. “We get along really well,” Wil replied. “I’m close with both my parents. They can’t wait to properly meet you.”
Raena smiled. “I’m looking forward to meeting them. The vid calls just aren’t the same. I guess they’re not really living in a remote mountain village, like you’d told us…”
Wil nodded. “You’ll meet them soon. We’ll give you a couple days to let your abilities settle and then head over to Tararia.”
“What’s the planet like?” Raena asked.
“Well, since you brought it up…” Wil stepped over to the High Commander’s desk and activated the holoprojector on the ceiling.
In an instant, a perfect rendering of Tararia appeared in midair, suspended in the center of the room. The continents depicted all the natural features in stunning realism, and even cities showed the patterns of buildings integrated into the surrounding landscape. To add to the illusion, the side of the planet that was presently in night—the First and Third regions and eastern side of the Sixth—was shrouded in shadow and the cities showed up as points of light through the darkness.
“No way!” Raena breathed.
Wil grinned back. “Like I said, it’s sort of like the future—at least from your perspective. For me, going to live on Earth was like stepping back into the Dark Ages.”
Michael sighed. “It’s not that bad.”
“Right, like needing to monitor file sizes to make sure everything transmits is a perfectly acceptable way of living,” Wil said with a scoff.
“I’ll admit, there are some downsides…” Michael muttered.
“I guess I should be thankful for the recent advances, at least. I don’t think we would have had a chance of blending in without some of the basic analogs to the technology I grew up with,” her father continued.
“What else do you have?” Raena asked, her eyes bright with eagerness.
“Well, I guess I could show you one of the simulator practice rooms,” Wil suggested.
“Like, flight simulators?” Jason ventured.
Wil smiled at his son. “Space jets, specifically.” That should help regain a little favor.
Jason’s eyes widened. “Yes. That is the next stop of the tour.”
“All right. Let’s head down to Level 10,” Wil said and stepped back toward the door.
“And we have to use the central elevator to travel between the rings—or Levels—right?” asked Raena.
“Ah, you were paying attention,” Michael commented as he relocked the High Commander’s office after everyone was in the hall.
Raena flashed a coy smile. “I try.”
The four of them strode down the hallway toward the central lobby. As they neared the main intersection, two young male Primus Initiates were walking up the hall in the opposite direction. Their pace slowed and conversation died down as Wil and Michael neared with the twins. At first their focus was on the Agents and they gave a slow bow of their heads in respect, but then they caught sight of Raena.
“Hey, newbie,” one said to the other.
They both looked Raena over again as they passed by.
Wil swiveled around glared at the two Initiates. “Don’t even think about it.”
The two young men backed away.
“Dad!” Raena hissed under her breath.
“I didn’t do anything—” Wil insisted.
“Sir!” A familiar voice called from down the hall. Wil turned to see a Militia officer named Dylaen, who’d been a longtime administrative support staff person for his father, running down the corridor toward them. “You need to take a look at this.”
Wil sighed. “Not now. We’re in the middle of something.”
“This can’t wait,” Dylaen insisted. He thrust a tablet into Wil’s hands.
“What’s—” Wil froze when he saw the readings on the screen: a proximity alert for an unknown ship. The Aesir! “When was the alarm triggered?”
“Only moments ago. I came to find you right away when you didn’t respond to my call,” Dylaen replied.
Wil handed the tablet to Michael. “They could only be here for one thing.”
Michael glanced at the screen. His face drained. “They’re not ready.”
“Not even close.” Wil swallowed. “Prepare to institute an Alpha-One lockdown.”
“Dad, what’s going on?” Jason asked.
“T
our’s over,” Wil stated.
Michael glanced between the twins and Wil. “Level 11?”
“No, elevator car between Levels 10 and 11. That will be the most difficult to access,” Wil replied.
“I’ll go with you to the surface,” Michael stated aloud.
Wil shook his head. “You have your own family to worry about. You’ve already spent enough time protecting mine. Go down to Earth with Elise and Corine.”
“But you need a Second!” Michael protested.
“Ethan and Ian can come with me. Three Agents or thirty won’t matter—the Aesir can overpower us if they want to. I could beat them, but the facility wouldn’t survive.” Wil sent out a rally to the other Primus Elites with orders for where everyone should stage.
Reluctantly, Michael nodded. “Be careful.” Then added telepathically, “I’ll let Cris know what’s going on. Good luck.” He ran down the hall.
“Dad?” Panic was audible in Jason’s voice this time.
Wil took a deep breath and addressed his children. “Some very powerful people have come here for you. You’ll have to face them eventually, but this is way too soon. I’m going to try to get them to back off, but in the meantime you need to hide.”
“What? Who are they?” Raena asked with wide eyes.
“A divergent branch of Tarans with exceptional abilities. They are very wise, but they don’t know everything,” Wil replied, dancing around the truth. “I have a history with them, and I hope that will be enough for them to see reason.”
“I don’t—” Jason started to protest, but Wil had too much on his mind to hear what his son said.
“CACI,” Wil intoned, “an Alpha-One lockdown is now in effect. T-minus five minutes to bulkhead seal.”
“Acknowledged,” CACI replied from the nearest comm. The lights in the hall shifted to red. “Attention,” CACI continued over the full comm system, “an Alpha-One lockdown is now in effect, T-minus five minutes to seal. This is not a drill. All personnel report to Alpha Scenario positions immediately.”
Jason and Raena instinctively moved closer together.
“Come on, there’s no time to explain,” Wil told them and broke into a jog down the hall toward the lobby. He sped up his pace after checking that they had followed.
When they reached the lobby, three sets of elevator doors were opening and select members of the Primus Elites arrived in accordance with his telepathic instructions.
Wil approached Curtis and Tom. “You remember Curtis,” he said to his children. “And this is my friend, Tom. They’re going to take you to a safe place. You can trust them with your lives.”
“Absolutely,” Curtis said aloud. “Midway between Levels 10 and 11, correct?” he confirmed telepathically.
“Yes, just beyond the old containment lock. Keep them safe.”
His friend nodded. “I will.”
“Dad, can’t we stay with you?” Raena asked.
“Not this time.” Wil gave her a brief hug, and then Jason—his heart heavy with worry he might not see them again. “I love you both so much. I’ll see you soon.”
“We’ll take care of them,” Tom said and ushered the twins away.
The twins kept their gaze fixed on him until the doors closed, their young faces pale with fear and worry.
I’ll find a way out of this. They’ll be okay. They have to be. Wil took a deep breath and turned his attention to the other officers awaiting further instruction. “Ethan and Ian, you’re with me on the surface. With any luck, we can prevent them from ever entering the facility.”
“That’ll require some luck, if I correctly recall the last time they were here,” Ian quipped.
Wil boarded the elevator and set the surface port as the destination. “You were starting to go soft. It’s past time I gave you some unbeatable odds to overcome to keep you in shape.”
Ian smiled. “Just like old times.”
“The good ol’ days.” Let’s just hope this isn’t our last.
* * *
Raena stared at the two Agents in the eerie red glow of the emergency lights within the elevator. “Where are you taking us?”
“The most difficult place to access in the whole facility,” Curtis replied.
“But what’s the danger?” asked Jason. “What makes these people so bad?”
“They aren’t bad, exactly,” Tom said slowly. His dark eyes darted between Raena and her brother. “They just… have their own way of doing things.”
Raena frowned. “In what way?”
“Well, Taran society went to shite awhile back, but they saw it coming and got the fok out while they could,” Tom continued, intermittently glancing toward the elevator doors. “Since then, they were doing their own thing until your dad came along.”
“And had that really high score?” Raena prompted.
“Oh good, he at least told you that much,” Curtis breathed, sounding relieved.
“What else hasn’t he said?” Jason asked.
Instead of replying, Tom made three rapid taps on the control panel next to the door. The sense of motion ceased immediately, followed by two low thuds outside that reverberated down the metal walls.
Raena’s heart leaped. “What was that?”
“This car is now locked midway between Levels 10 and 11,” Tom responded. “Level 11 is suspended a mile below the rest of the structure, outside of a containment shell that used to enclose a subspace bubble around Headquarters.”
“That probably makes no sense,” Curtis chimed in. “The important thing to note is any intruder would need to make their way through a double set of containment locks and then climb half a mile down an open shaft in order to make it in here. We can wait it out.”
Jason didn’t look the least bit convinced. “What about food?”
“And bathroom, for that matter,” Raena murmured, realizing that it had been hours since she stopped by the restroom at school in the morning.
“We have some basic necessities to hold us over,” Curtis assured them. He approached the bench seat along the back wall and lifted up the cushion, revealing a stash of rations, water, and some sort of folded tent contraption that’s purpose Raena could begin to guess based on the context.
“Great,” she muttered under her breath. I think we’ve officially reached the low point for the day.
Jason surveyed the provisions with surprise. “Do all the cars have this?”
“About a quarter of them,” Tom replied. “They activate in lockdown scenarios.”
“Hopefully we won’t be here for long enough to need anything,” Curtis hastily added. “I’m sure your dad will smooth things over with the Aesir in no time.”
Tom replaced the seat cushion and sat down.
Raena took a seat on the opposite side of the bench, suddenly feeling dizzy with the thought of being suspended half a mile from any other structure. Come on, Dad. There has to be a way out of this.
* * *
Wil, Ethan, and Ian stepped out of the elevator in the spaceport on the surface of the moon. Wil’s stomach was twisted with anxious anticipation. Why would they come for them so quickly? They have to know they could never survive the test so soon after their abilities emerging.
“Is Saera going to meet us here?” Ethan asked.
“She’s in transit, still about an hour out,” Wil replied. “I’m not sure if she’ll make it in time. It depends on how long the Aesir delay before boarding.”
“Why would they delay?” Ian asked.
“There’s a possibility this is a diplomatic meeting and they aren’t trying to force our hands. If that’s the case, they might wait for us to come to them.”
Ethan raised an eyebrow. “So… why are we on our way up there?”
“We’re not,” Wil replied. “We’re going to wait right here until either Saera arrives or the Aesir make a move.”
“That seems like a feeble plan, not going to lie,” Ian stated.
“Well, it’s all I have for the moment.”<
br />
“Why wait for Saera, though?” Ethan asked. “You said three Agents or thirty wouldn’t matter.”
“For stopping the Aesir, no,” responded Wil. “But this is about potentially needing to hand over our children into a far from safe situation. I’d rather not make any decisions without consulting with their mother.” While Wil had already reached out telepathically to her to warn of the Aesir’s appearance, no remote discussion over the distance could replace a face-to-face conversation. She needed to be present so whatever happened wasn’t entirely on him. He couldn’t bear to hold more lives in his hands like that—especially ones so precious to him.
Ian leaned against the railing along the corridor. “All right. I guess we wait, then.”
Wil gripped the railing next to his friend, his mind too clouded with possible scenarios to pay close attention to the passage of time. He occasionally checked his handheld to track the approach of Saera’s transport ship. While they waited, the Aesir ship remained hidden from view somewhere far too close for comfort. But they held back, and so Wil delayed making any further move. Perhaps a fight wasn’t imminent.
At last, Wil’s handheld chirped with a notice that Saera’s ship had locked onto the exit beacon.
“Come on, she’s almost here,” he told his friends.
“I can’t believe the Aesir waited,” Ethan said under his breath.
“Maybe they’re not here for the twins, after all,” Wil speculated, but deep down he knew that was the only explanation.
Ian walked alongside Wil in silence for several seconds as they headed toward a shuttle to take them up to the spaceport. “So, what’s the game plan here? Are we still going the diplomatic route?”
Wil shook his head. “Honestly, I have no idea what we’re walking into. I’m going to play it by ear.”
Ian flashed a wry grin. “This really is turning into a proper adventure.”
They boarded the shuttle and rode in silence up to the spaceport. Wil stared out the panoramic windows, hoping to catch sight of the ethereal Aesir ship, but it had yet to come near enough for detection with the naked eye. He reached out telepathically, searching for the Aesir’s presence. In the distance, he sensed a soft pulse of energy.
“We’re here,” a chorus of voices stated in his mind.
