Journey to Ohmani (Across the Infinite Void Book 1)

by Ashley Grapes

  “Is that all they have? Or is there anything more?” Levi asked.

  “That’s it…except for finding a witness who is going to testify that she was saying sorry on the PB. Again, we know that is because she barfed on people,” Bale said. “Obviously, she couldn’t have set off the spaceport bomb herself because she is caught on camera in a wheelchair with Vernean during the time prior, however, this could be seen as a cover. She also has an alibi for the hotel bombings in jail, but the prosecutors believe she is still a conspirator.”

  “I care about your mom, Levi. But if she really is a victim of circumstances then we need to concentrate on whoever is setting off these bombs,” Michael said. “We will have a better chance clearing her if we give the police an alternative instead of proving that evidence insufficient.”

  “Mike’s right. If we’re going to save your mom from jail time, we need to concentrate on finding out who set the bombs off in the first place, not on her defense,” Bale agreed.

  “Well, we do not seem to have many leads at the moment,” Mike said disappointingly. “Let me know if you come up with something. I’ve got to get back to Geneva…left her with the girls.” He stood up and promptly left.

  Ding. It was Fletch

  Are you still alive?

  Yes, the only thing we found out that could help mom is nothing

  Well, attending this conference might help…

  Levi had never considered going to the conference as a big lead, but if Levi had to save his mother by solving the bomb case, attending the conference might be a good place to start. After all, the bombers were obviously targeting conference members.

  “Okay, guys,” Bale said after Michael had left. “Let’s get back to my place and brainstorm some other leads.”

  On the way back, Talon had fallen asleep in the car. It had been a very long day for Levi as well between his first day at school, the hotel bombings, and the Revolution Lounge. When they arrived at Bale’s apartment building Levi woke Talon up to catch the elevator ride up to the umpteenth floor of the apartment building, but she slumped against him, snuggling her head in the crook of his neck. Bale frowned at Levi, understanding his niece’s feelings had budded into something more serious than sisterly love.

  “We will forget about talking tonight, but you two are sleeping in separate bedrooms,” Bale decreed with a strong nod.

  The next morning Levi came out of his dream to the smell of cherry blossoms and the feel of wetness on his lips.

  “Mmm, good morning, eagle,” he said, stretching his arms above his head. “What time is it?”

  “9:00,” Talon said, and then she kissed him again.

  Levi laughed. “So the truth comes out. Talon Terry is not perfect. You could use a mint.” He reached for her face to give her a teasing kiss and his hands landed on something very small and hairy. His eyes sprung open to come face to face with the monkey-rabbit, which began kissing him all over. “Ah!” Levi yelled, pushing the animal away from his face.

  “Eeep eep eep!” Marion chirped and bounced all over the bed, obviously excited that Levi had awoken.

  Talon stood laughing as she leaned against the doorframe.

  “I thought that thing was you,” Levi said, jumping out of bed. “It actually smells good…except for its breath.”

  “Bale gave him a bath yesterday. Isn’t he cute? Come here, Marion,” she coaxed, bending to one knee. The crullen leaped from the bed and was climbing all over Talon’s shoulders in no time. She gave a heartwarming laugh that Levi found irresistible.

  “You are good with him,” Levi observed.

  “I do love animals, and I’ve never seen a crullen in person. They are cute, aren’t they? I guess he’s a little bit mine now since my uncle lives here and not back on Dedrake. I think I’m going to move here permanently.” She smiled up at Levi who was now standing over her. “Plus, except for all the bombs and drama, I actually like it here. I fit in more and I’m excited to go to this school you keep talking about.”

  “Wait until you get Progged,” Levi said, remembering the guidance counselor. When Talon gave him a confused look, he continued. “Just a heads up, you are going to be asked what you want to do for the rest of your life.”

  She sat thoughtfully for several moments. “I’m not sure.”

  “Well, Progg will get it out of you.”

  “I’m just happy that I am going to be with you.” She beamed.

  Levi wasn’t sure how to reply. He didn’t think that his family would be staying on Ohmani after Axella was released, but then he thought about what his life would be like without the so-called drama. Would he actually like living here if he had his family, Talon, the Academy, and the Waterdrome? The thought made him snap back to the present, because there was no point thinking about any future if his mom was in jail. Levi kneeled next to Talon, who was still petting Marion, and kissed her. “Nope, you’re still perfect.”

  “Wish I could say the same for you,” she teased waving a hand in front of her face.

  Levi wrestled her to the ground, placing kisses all over her face. Marion eeped in the background, getting excited by Talon’s infectious laughter.

  “Alright, you two,” Bale’s booming voice cut into the fun. “Levi, put a shirt on before you wrestle with my niece, will you? Breakfast is ready.”

  As they sat eating, Levi’s phone rang. It was Fletch.

  “Morning,” Levi said into the phone.

  “Hey. I can’t believe this conference isn’t cancelled, but I’m not complaining. It starts at one today. Do you want to meet me for lunch around the convention center at 11:30? I think we should get there early.” It was obvious that Fletch was barely able to contain himself.

  “Sure, sounds like a plan. Just text me where to meet you. See you soon.”

  Talon smiled up from her cup of coffee. “I can’t wait to meet Fletch…properly I mean.”

  “Yeah, he’s great. Reminds me of Marco a little bit.”

  “How is Marco?” Talon asked.

  “He’s doing well, I think. I don’t think he’s very happy Kierra left him out of the blue to come up here,” Levi said, feeling like he somehow was responsible. “He wanted to HoloChat after the bombs yesterday but I just told him we were all fine and that I would get in touch with him soon. I couldn’t stand talking to someone on the ground and hearing the words, ‘how is your family?’”

  “I’m sorry, Levi,” Talon said. “We will work on figuring this out.”

  “Yes, let’s discuss possible leads,” Bale said.

  “I think I want to know more about what my mom did exactly,” Talon said. “I mean, if she didn’t do field work how could she have met anyone that wanted her dead?”

  “She was our main translator and dabbled in decoding. Through her work, we found the Revolutionist Society but as far as I know she never actually went there, or anywhere, in person…I suppose she could have broken protocol, though. It was your mother, after all.”

  “Who was her contact there?” Levi asked. “You said she had a contact that would tell her the password.”

  Bale laughed. “The Society isn’t the brightest or the stealthiest. The organizers would send out an ‘encrypted’ email with the password. Pila intercepted it every month.”

  “She has to have had a file,” Levi speculated. “Something she kept all of her work in. Have you looked thoroughly through it?”

  “Unfortunately, we have already tried that and found nothing,” Bale said.

  “We will figure it out, Vi,” Talon assured him. “I’m more worried about you going to that conference today. If these bad guys really are after the attendees, they are going to be given a perfect opportunity today. I wish you would stay here.”

  “I’m sure they will have checked it over a hundred times for bombs,” Levi reassured her. “Bale, do you have any contacts sitting in on the conference?”

  “Unfortunately, no. There is no media allowed and the conference members are picked very specific
ally. We couldn’t get anybody in there,” Bale said.

  “Well, I will keep my eyes and ears open.”

  A couple hours later, Levi was having lunch with Fletch a couple of blocks from the convention center. Fletch was in a full business suit, making Levi feel incredibly underdressed. There was more security than Levi had ever seen in one place surrounding the building. All roads were blocked off in the vicinity and all media was prohibited from being closer than one hundred meters to the premises.

  “How are we going to get in? Mantys’…late assistant, never did give us the admission badges.” Levi asked.

  “After the explosion, when you went to the hotel, I found that Kierra girl you told me about, remembering how important her dad was and all. She called her father and worked it out with him. You know, I can’t tell if that Kierra girl is in love with you or hates you,” Fletch said thoughtfully.

  “At this point, probably both,” Levi admitted.

  “I went to pick them up this morning from the Stellar Grand.” Fletch whipped two badges from his bag. “I am not missing this conference no matter what.”

  “I thought they had closed the hotels?” Levi asked, remembering Bockie’s text.

  “Yeah, they had closed the hotels last night but the Stellar reopened this morning. Not sure about the other hotels.”

  “That was fast. Did you see Bockie this morning while you were there?”

  “Yes. She was actually being really nice this morning. It was weird.”

  Levi laughed. “That is strange.”

  After eating, they walked over toward the convention center and had their badges scanned. Upon arriving, they spent thirty minutes going through an intense security check, and were then ushered into an upper-level seating area that looked much like a box seat at a sporting event. There were about twenty other young-looking people already seated, including several Extensions. Fletch and Levi squeezed their way through the aisle and took a seat. Levi took a moment to look down into the conference area.

  The eighty seats were arranged circularly in tiered rows, so that they all faced an empty center. They were also arranged in four groups of twenty with large aisles between them; one section was designated to each of the three midaki sects and one section designated for humans. The most interesting part were the seats themselves. Each conference member had their own freestanding station with up to three steps depending on the row they were assigned. Each seat also came with a digital computer screen that most attendees were turning on.

  “What are the screens for?” Levi inquired.

  “A lot of things. They can see who is sitting where, the line-up of speakers…they can also request to speak if not scheduled. People can take notes on them, send instant messages during the conference, or display their speech or talking points.”

  “Cool.”

  All their belongings had been locked away, and so Fletch was desperately looking underneath his seat for any writing utensils. Suddenly, a hefty woman waddled down the aisle and preceded to stare, rather disconcertedly, at them all.

  “For this conference,” she boomed without warning, “you are to maintain invisibility in every way. You are here to learn. That is it,” the short plump woman lectured them over her tiny glasses. “You are to keep your thoughts and comments to yourself. Anyone seen talking will be removed from the building and their pass revoked. All belongings, including electronic devices, must have been put in the locker you were assigned during screening. The conference will begin shortly.” She began walking away and then turned around. “You can talk…quietly…until then.”

  Fletch was tapping his finger excitedly in anticipation and pointing out the names and titles of the conference members trickling into the room. Many were in Extensions, which surprised Levi, until Fletch explained that the men were just scared of being blown up if they arrived in person. Levi was not surprised to see Mantys Ti in the flesh, climbing the stairs of his station on the opposite side of the room. Levi truly liked Mantys. He seemed fearless and positive despite having a perfectly good reason to shy away into the virtual safe-house of an Extension.

  “May I have your attention, please?” A man stood raising his hand. The station he was sitting in lit up a soft blue to indicate he was addressing the conference and the hall fell silent. “My name is Bradly Simmons and I am head security manager for this conference. Many have raised concerns about safety, so before we get started, I would like to discuss an option for those of you who might be unaware of the memo that went out pretty late last night. Under the circumstances, the requirement that all members must be in attendance in the flesh has been waived. If you are interested in extending, you must be in a conference approved Extension and location. You will also have two official stand-in’s to confirm that both the room is secure and that you remain in your Extension throughout the scheduled meeting time. We will be available in room 14 after the conference today for those of you who are interested. Thank you.” The man sat back in his chair.

  A woman then stood up and began speaking, her podium now glowing softly beneath her. “Good afternoon. For those of you who do not know, my name is Lavonne Ay, and I am this year’s President of the United Nations. I will be giving the opening statement.” She cleared her throat and spoke with confidence as she glanced down at her digital display.

  “Twenty-two years ago, the midaki did us a great honor by saving our planet Earth — an act that we will never be able to repay. Since that event, the human race has been given technologies that have improved life for us on Earth, that have helped us colonize other lands, and that have made it possible to be sitting in this asteroid today. We are grateful for the longer, safer, healthier future that has been made possible thanks to the generosity and sharing of the midaki. Over the past twenty-two years we have integrated peacefully, cooperatively, and graciously.” She shuddered, knowing her words were not representative of the past week on Ohmani.

  She seemed to change her speech then, feeling like the one she had prepared was now out-of-date. Levi never saw her glance downwards again. “The bombings here on Ohmani have been terrible. Unfortunately, they are an extreme example of the fading contentment we are having on Earth. The issue of true equality has come up every year at the United Nations General Assembly, and the feelings of our people cannot be ignored any longer. It has been made clear that the human race has been given a set of ground rules.”

  Many wiggled uncomfortably in their seats because they knew the niceties were over. “Like a child, we are only given the parent-approved toys and we are only allowed to go where we are told. It is not twenty-two years ago. It is now. Revisiting this obsolete treaty is essential in upholding the relationship we share. I would like to thank everyone here in attendance, for being a part of this monumental and historic occasion where, hopefully,” she paused dramatically, “an agreement can be reached that gives equal rights to all peoples no matter their origins.”

  The woman sat down and Mantys Ti stood with light at his feet. He retold the story to the conference about how he came to Earth and helped make the decision to save the human race. “Every ‘toy’ we have given you is a gift, not a right. We are not keeping you from your inventions and discoveries just because we choose to keep some of ours to ourselves. We learned how to make and use exotic matter to create wormholes. Without that technology, we never would have been able to fold space and save your planet in the first place. It is this technology that allows us to travel to other galaxies and solar systems, where we gladly bring humans along if they wish to come. We could, if we wanted, build a wormhole out of your solar system tomorrow and disappear forever. Then we could return to the lives we had before we met you and not fear bombs, wars or other acts of aggression.” More people wiggled uncomfortably in their seats. Mantys was so highly regarded that no one dared interrupt his rather forceful words.

  With all eyes in the room centered on the sect leader, Levi saw something out of the corner of his eye. Something out of place amongst the i
mmobile flooring. A tile was moving ever so slightly near the edge of the room behind where Mantys was speaking. The only reason Levi was able to see it was because of his elevated position in the box seat. His eyes fixated on the abnormality. Suddenly, the tile jiggled and lifted up, revealing a set of gloved fingers wrapping around the edge of the ceramic piece. Levi stood up, having a very bad feeling.

  “Levi, what are you doing?” Fletch whispered, looking embarrassed. All the other students were looking at him awkwardly.

  Levi looked at Mantys and a sense of protectiveness shot through his body. Next thing he knew, he was flying out of the back door of the box seats and taking the stairs four at a time down to the lower level. When he reached the bottom, he ran out into the hallway that encircled the main room. He looked for the security guard that was supposed to be stationed at the entry door, but the man had left his post and was standing near the double doors of the other entrance, talking casually to a friend. There was no time. Levi burst through the doors into the giant hall. Mantys was still giving his speech that seemed to captivate everyone in the room. No one noticed Levi running behind the seats to the spot where he had seen the man coming out of the floor. Upon reaching it, he watched in horror as a hand dipped out from under the tile to place a mysterious black box into the aisle.