“Perhaps the Separatists should pray the Union does not activate the Dark Matter during the eclipse,” Tenessa said quietly.
A shocked silence reigned briefly. It took Maggie several seconds to realize Tenessa meant the sleeper cell she’d mentioned before, which carried the code name of Dark Matter.
From the corner of her eye, Maggie saw David stand up straight from where he’d been leaning against the wall and move toward Tenessa. He reached her in three strides, grabbed her by the neck and slammed her up against the wall.
Maggie’s mouth fell open. Everyone around the table leapt to their feet.
“Hey, hey!” Karl lunged to Tenessa’s side, slamming his shoulder between her and David and using his long arms to shove David away from her. He succeeded in prying David’s hands off Tenessa’s throat.
“Back off, David!” Karl snarled.
David wasn’t deterred. He pushed against Karl’s hands, trying to get at Tenessa again The two men locked taut, muscular arms in front of Tenessa who’s gaze vacillated between the two men in shock. Obviously not in pain or struggling to breathe, Tenessa glared defiance at David from six inches away. Karl and David’s combined weight pinned her effectively against the wall.
Maggie felt fleeting surprise that any contest existed at all, given the fair margin by which Karl outweighed David. Yet, David proved sturdy and held his own.
No one else moved to interfere. In truth, only Marcus really could have. He’d leapt to his feet when Maggie had, but remained by her side, watching with a face that might have been cut from stone. Maggie actually felt some relief that he didn’t interfere. His feelings about David were still all over the place, and choosing sides between his brother and his best friend would be…complicated, to say the least.
“She knows who this Dark Matter is,” David growled. “If she doesn’t tell us, the operation will be sabotaged. We will fail.”
Karl’s face smoothed out, becoming still. He didn’t let go of David, or step away from Tenessa, yet the bulging muscles in his arms relaxed. A little.
“David,” Doc said quietly from where he stood at the head of the table. “We don’t treat our guests this way.”
“Let go, David,” Karl said firmly.
David didn’t.
“Now.”
Still trembling with anger—something Maggie never imagined she’d see from him—David let go of Tenessa roughly and stepped back.
Looking barely in control of his anger, Karl turned to face Tenessa and lowered his voice. “Do you know who the Dark Matter is?”
Tenessa tore her glare from David to look up into Karl’s face. “No.”
“She’s lying,” David snarled.
“The Vanished One shouldn’t preach about deception,” Tenessa snarled.
Maggie cringed, wishing Teneesa hadn’t said that. It would rouse Marcus’s suspicions again.
“Okay,” Doc stepped forward, raising his hands. “Why doesn’t everyone take a deep breath?”
Maggie glanced furtively between Doc and the David-Tenessa stare down. She wanted to listen to Doc, but couldn’t entirely take her eyes off these two. She noticed Joan, Tristan, and Marcus doing the same.
“David,” Doc said. “Perhaps you should take a walk.”
David finally shifted his eyes from Tenessa to glare at Doc. He whirled around and stalked across the room and out the door.
Maggie had the fleeting thought that if Interchron had actual doors, David certainly would have slammed it hard enough to tear it from its hinges.
“What the hell is the Dark Matter?” Tristan asked.
Maggie had to give Tristan props for picking up the difference between what Tenessa had said and Maggie’s dark matter abilities, which they’d all be talking about the past few days. She still wanted to slap him for his tone, though.
Doc glanced around the table, then sighed. “We’re going to have to fill Tristan in,” he said to no one in particular. “I originally wanted to keep this information to within the core team,” he addressed Tristan directly. “But Tenessa could be right. We need to consider the possibility that, if it looks like we might succeed on any of the fronts Joan mentioned tomorrow, they could activate this Dark Matter to distract us from our tasks.” His eyes shifted to Joan. “Lila and Jonah will need to be informed as well.”
Joan nodded.
Doc then gave a Tristan a clipped and quiet explanation about the sleeper cell Tenessa had told them about.
Maggie studied Tenessa. Karl seemed to trust what she said, and Maggie trusted Karl, so normally that would be enough for her. Yet David obviously thought she was lying. That put more fear in Maggie’s belly than she could remain quiet about.
“Doc,” Maggie said, when he’d finished his explanation. “What if David is right?”
All eyes turned to her.
Maggie glanced at the collectivist woman. Making an accusation to someone’s face was never the most comfortable position to be in. Still, Maggie forged ahead. “What if Tenessa is lying about any of this?”
Karl looked downright affronted. Tenessa eyed Maggie warily but otherwise showed no emotion.
Maggie raised her hands in a placating way. “I’m not saying she is lying—and David shouldn’t have gotten physical with her—but she might be lying.”
Karl stared at Maggie in a way that felt distinctly accusatory. A twinge of uneasiness silenced her for a moment. Karl had never looked at her that way before.
“Come on, Karl,” she kept her voice gentle. “It’s in her best interest to lie to us. Isn’t there some way we can,” she turned toward Doc, “find out what she knows?”
Tristan snorted, looking amused. “It’s called mind control, Sweetheart. Do you have that ability?”
Maggie didn’t understand what Tristan’s problem was. None of the team had this kind of animosity toward one another. It was so strange to hear among the group, Maggie hardly knew how to react.
Marcus glared daggers at Tristan. Karl and Joan weren’t far behind.
“For our purposes,” Doc said quickly, “it would be called Digging. We’ve already established, Maggie, that you’re the only one with such an ability.”
Maggie sighed. Turning her back on the group, she scrubbed her hands over her face. Of course she was. Another ability only she possessed, and had no inkling of how to use.
“We could figure it out,” Joan offered, and Maggie turned to her. “I know you did it by accident, but you did Dig through B’s memories. We’ll practice it. Replicate it. Then,” she turned a pleading look on Karl, “we can tell for sure that Tenessa is being truthful.”
A tiny candle of hope ignited in Maggie’s chest at the idea. Until Doc spoke again.
“We…could,” he drew the word out, and she could hear a ‘but’ coming. “But it will take time. Weeks, probably. We have twenty=four hours.”
Maggie’s shoulders slumped.
“Tristan,” Doc added, “isn’t…entirely wrong. We’re woefully under prepared. All our time from now until we leave will have to be used preparing for this attempt. Not teasing out new abilities.”
“He’s not entirely right either,” Marcus said heatedly, throwing another glare at Tristan, who cocked his head back haughtily. “Everything he said may be true, but won’t apply if we can get a hold of the orb before the eclipse happens.”
Doc nodded. “That’s why we need to focus on this mission for now and back-burner everything else.” Doc glanced furtively around the table. “I would like to speak privately with the remaining members of the core team. Tristan, would you be so good as to escort Tenessa back to her rooms?”
The way he said ‘remaining’ made Maggie’s heart ache. Nat had never been an official member of the team, named in the prophecy, but he’d sure felt like one.
Tristan immediately looked like he’d eaten something rotten at being asked to leave. He frowned at Doc for several seconds, as though hoping Doc would change his mind. When Doc merely looked at him, Tristan lunged
angrily from his seat.
Maggie shook her head.
Karl turned his head in Tenessa’s direction without actually looking her in the eye. “Do you need medical attention?” he asked quietly.
“We need nothing from the Separatist,” she spat acidly.
Karl did meet her eyes, then, looking surprised at the reply. When Tenessa followed Tristan from the room, Karl turned his eyes forward again. His expression struck Maggie as odd. Resignation, but could it also be sadness? It looked strange on Karl’s features. She wondered what it meant.
When they’d gone—Tristan specifically—Maggie felt like she could exhale again.
“Does anyone else…kinda hate that guy?” Joan asked.
“Now Joan—“ Doc began.
“Yes,” Marcus and Karl said in unison.
Maggie couldn’t hide a small smile. “Why does he have to be such a jerk?” she muttered.
Doc sighed. “I know his attitude is difficult to deal with, but we’ll need him tomorrow.” He sat forward to lean his forearms on the table. “The four of us need to come up with the details of the plan.”
Chapter 31: Promises of Forgiveness
Once they reached their rooms, Marcus sat on the floor next to the bed, a map spread out before him. Maggie recognized a map of the area they would Travel to for the eclipse. She'd stared at similar maps for hours, stewing over what would happen tomorrow. No doubt Marcus did the same now.
He looked up and saw her watching him. "How are you Maggie?” he asked. “Did you make any progress with Doc today?"
She shook her head. “We have some ideas. Things I could try. We don't know what's going to work. Once we get there, the team will have to buy time until I find something that does. There’s no guarantee anything will."
Marcus nodded. "I'm sure you’ll figure it out."
Maggie sighed, feeling the full weight of this eclipse on her shoulders.
“You need to rest," Marcus said.
Maggie nodded. "We all do."
Marcus folded up the map and put it aside.
"Marcus, can we talk about David?"
Marcus’s shoulders twitched upward, as if the tension physically hooked his shoulder blades.
“What is this really about, Marcus?” she asked, sliding down beside him on the floor. “It’s not like you to hold such a grudge. You know I understand, given your past—”
“He looks at you in a way I don’t like,” Marcus muttered darkly.
“So what if he does? I don’t return the look, so what’s the problem?”
He didn’t answer. His face looked carved from stone.
“I don’t think this is really about jealousy, Marcus. It’s about your anger. Over what happened before.”
Marcus slid his eyes toward her, then away. “He’s betrayed me before. He’ll do it again.”
Maggie studied his face, wishing she could read his thoughts. “David isn’t in love with me, Marcus. Even if he thinks he is. As he learns more of the world around him and being an individual, he’ll see that. He needs guidance and understanding, not judgment and anger.”
“Only bad things have happened since he arrived,” Marcus said. “His coming coincided with B invading Lila’s mind the first time. Since then the collectives have gotten stronger, everything has gone wrong. Hell, not long after he arrived, Clay died.”
Maggie felt revulsion at his last comment. “Marcus!”
His eyes instantly fell to his lap and color bloomed in his cheeks, though she noted he didn’t take it back.
“You cannot pin Clay’s death on David.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “I’m just saying David is toxic.”
Maggie took a deep breath. “He helped us on the island. If he hadn’t shown up, more than Clay might have died. He came to get me while you and Karl looked for Colin and didn’t even know anything was wrong. He saved me numerous times on that journey.”
“He Drilled you yesterday,” Marcus snapped.
Maggie’s anger flared. She forced her voice to stay calm. “He made a choice, just as we’ve all had to do countless times. If he hadn’t done what he did, the Cimerian might have made mindless shells out of both me and Doc. Obviously it wasn’t ideal, but it was the best we could hope for when things went bad.”
Maggie placed a hand lightly on Marcus’s arm. He didn’t turn toward her, so she used her index finger to raise his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes. “He’s your brother and you need to forgive him, Marcus. You know you do. No more excuses. If you can’t do it now, fine. I get it. At least work toward it. Promise me.”
He stared into her eyes and the pain there made her heart hurt. Then she saw it. A softening. So subtle, only she could have detected it.
“Okay,” Marcus’s voice came out so quietly, it barely registered. At least he’d agreed. It was a start.
She smiled at him, then leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He returned the kiss softly, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his lap. They sat like that for several minutes, wrapped up in one another.
“We need to sleep,” she murmured into his shoulder. “We’ll have to go before we know it.”
Marcus heaved a great sigh. “Why do we always seem to be leaving one another? I feel like we’re doomed to constantly say goodbye.”
Maggie smiled sadly. “At least, thus far, we’ve always come back together. There’s that.”
He nodded. “I look forward to the day when we don’t have to do this anymore.”
She rested her forehead in the warmth of his neck and he brushed her cheek with his knuckles, trailing his fingers down her neck. “So do I.”
"My turn to ask you something," Marcus said.
Maggie pulled back to look into his face. "Sure."
"Earlier, you said I was practically your husband, which makes David your brother-in-law. Why did you say that? What did you mean?"
Maggie glanced at the floor, suddenly self-conscious. She had no idea why. Then she looked straight into Marcus's eyes. “I saw one other thing when I entered B's mind, just before I saw Clay. A single image. I didn't tell anyone else about it."
"What was it?" Marcus asked.
"A flash of us in the diamond cavern. For some reason, seeing this extra image brought the rest of the memory back."
Marcus's eyes widened. His chest heaved. "The…rest of the memory?" He asked warily. "What was it?"
Maggie took his hands. She stood and pulled him to his feet, so they stood facing one another. Lifting her palms toward him, she smiled.
Marcus followed suit, rest his palms gently against hers. He smiled softly back at her, but tears glistened in his eyes.
“I saw this. Us standing this way in that cavern." She swallowed to control her voice. "We got married, didn't we, Marcus? We had a ceremony. A private one, just for us. It's when we established the bond. When you gave me a bracelet as a token of our love. And when we made love for the first time."
Tears escaped from Marcus’s eyes and slid down over his cheeks. Answer enough.
Pain flowed through Maggie's chest, brought on by Marcus’s tears. She let it out as a sob. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
Marcus dragged his fingers over his cheeks, wiping his tears. "At first, because you’d lost your memories. I didn't want to frighten you, or make things more awkward. Later, after your memories returned, because Doc said it would be better if you remembered on your own. If I told you, you might have never remembered it fully. I wanted you to remember that day. Needed you to." He shrugged. "Now you do."
Maggie nodded. "I do."
He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, one hand on her face, his other arm wrapped around her waist.
His lips left hers and he pressed his forehead against hers. They swayed gently together, as if to music only they could hear.
"Will we survive tomorrow, do you think?" Maggie asked.
"We will,” Marcus said. “We have to. Otherwise, we'll lose this."
He kissed h
er again, this time deeply. His lips left hers and followed warm little trails over her jaw and into the crevice of her neck. Pleasant chills joined the familiar butterflies coursing through Maggie’s middle. Marcus’s hands slid up over her shoulders, down her shoulder blades and to her waist. His mouth returned to hers in a rush of hot breath and he wrapped his arms around her middle, hoisting her upward. She curled her legs around his hips and he carried her to the bed.
His hands tangled in her hair and Maggie gripped him with her arms and legs, pulling more tightly against her. His weight on top of her was both the most comforting and erotic sensation she could have imagined on what might well be their last night on earth.
*******
Pounding from outside the bedroom door roused Maggie from a deep sleep. She groaned and sat up sluggishly, Marcus doing much the same thing beside her.
“Who is that?” he grumbled, sounding somewhat drunk, though she knew it came from exhaustion. They couldn’t have slept longer than a few hours. Obviously this was not going to be a restful night one way or the other.
Marcus stumbled out of bed and leaned his upper torso out of the door way.
“What is it, man?” Maggie heard him say.
“It’s Kara.” Karl’s voice sounded downright panicked. “She’s having the baby!”
Maggie blinked, feeling instantly more alert. Kara, in labor? Clay’s baby would soon come into the world? Maggie felt dual twinges of hope and sadness.
It felt like hours before Marcus answered again. He obviously still fought his grogginess, too. “Okay,” he finally said. “We’re coming.”
Chapter 32: Twin Heartbeats
Maggie sighed and passed a weary hand over her eyes. This didn’t bode well. They needed to leave in a few hours, and none of the team had gotten much sleep.
They all stood outside medical, waiting for news. The Healers chased them out, saying there were too many bodies in the room. At Kara’s request, Doc stayed to hold her hand. Maggie, Joan, and Lila had sat side by side for more than an hour, while the men paced worriedly in front of them.
Dark Matter (Interchron Book 3) Page 41
