by Brandt Legg
“Thank you, Commander. I’ll keep this brief. None of you are being held, and your weapons will be returned to you shortly.” I didn’t need to look at Dustin and the girls to know what they thought. “Many of you saw in Rainbow Lake what the future holds... unless we make change.” Using Gogen, I floated the guns into a pile in front of them. “Please take them. We lost quite a few in the lake, but there should still be plenty to go around.”
They looked unsure for a moment. Linh shot me a what-the-hell-are-you-doing glare. One by one they picked them up. “Now if any of you would like to shoot me, it’s up to you. But my death wouldn’t be real, and it wouldn’t last.” I looked around and stood silently. Every single person remained in place. No weapon was pointed. They never took their eyes off me. “There is a different future out there, waiting... it’s a place where we’re no longer motivated by fear and greed. Instead we help one another and improve not just one another but all of humanity.”
The psychics led the applause, followed by those who had been in the lake. But everyone had been affected by my soul-powers and Outin’s magic. I was dead and now stood before them speaking of the future, of peace, to those who killed me. The impact was undeniable.
“I don’t know how we could ever trust them,” Linh said.
“You sounded like a politician offering ‘change we can believe in.’ I think I’m gonna go puke now,” Dustin said.
The commander joined us, “We’re behind you, Nathan. What do you have in mind?”
“We’ll escort you to the entrance. Go back and tell Washington that some unknown force pushed you out. You won’t be able to get back in once we seal the entrances. You won’t tell them anything about—”
“We thought you wanted us to travel with you as a kind of security force, but you’re asking us to be spies?” The commander appeared genuinely dismayed.
I asked for everyone’s attention again and addressed them while standing a couple of feet off the ground. “Let me be clear, I am requesting your help. It is not an easy thing I’m asking. You’ll need to act as if you’re still agents of Lightyear and not talk about what occurred here. You will keep this oath and be known to me, to the four of us, in the future when you’ll help us. You will always help us. We will count on that... remember what you’ve seen here.”
I moved back to the commander. “I have to tell you, Nathan,” he said, “that once these soldiers get back to the real world and the memory of this place, and your magic tricks fade, some of them, not all of them, but certainly some, will honor their first oath rather than yours. Separating yourself from us is not the most advisable course.”
“I’m sure you’re correct, Commander. But that is what must be done.”
76
I purposely kept things hurried for the next hour. While the original sixty soldiers packed up every trace of their presence, the other thirty soldiers and fourteen psychics followed us back to Rainbow Lake. Amber was the one who suggested we get them in to see the future, believing it might ensure more loyalty once they were gone. When that was done, we ushered the entire group to the first entrance, the one Dustin and I came through months earlier and where Lightyear had entered. Before they left, their cover story was rehearsed among the group and I memorized every face, name, and home address; I knew their life stories.
They went through, and the veil closed. “How long before they come back here with ten thousand troops?” Linh asked.
“And that’ll just be to protect the timber, mining, and oil companies who will start stripping Outin of its unique and valuable natural resources,” Dustin added with cynicism.
“No one is coming back here,” I said, Skyclimbing to the top of the veil. Just as Dustin had moved the Windows, I was able to move the entrance. Invoking Solteer, communication opened between my mind and the entrance. Like everything else, it was energy; it was alive. I asked the entrance to tune to a different frequency and to move frequently. It would relay these requests to all other entrances, and Outin was sealed.
“Then how are we going to get out?” Linh asked.
“I believe I can help with that,” Dustin said. “There’s this Window that opens into Cuba, about three months into the future.”
“Seriously?” It was perfect. I’d been planning to go out the same place we came in. I’d still be able to locate the entrance for a few hours, but Dustin’s idea was much better. “That’s the best idea you’ve ever had. It saves us from having to travel during this intense manhunt, plus gets us safely three months away from the mall attack. And besides, Booker has a place there.”
“Of course he does.” Dustin laughed.
We stopped at Floral Lake to soak in the healing waters for a while and were getting dressed when Amber asked to see the fifth lake.
“I’ve named it Clarity. It’s a little out of the way, but you two should experience it and I’d love to go back in.”
“Uh, that’s not a... the Window we need to go through is in the Vines, and they shift around. There are hundreds of them in there. So we need to get there before it moves too far.”
“You really think a couple of hours more will make a difference?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’ve been worried about it the whole time we were soaking, but I knew you needed the healing, so it was worth the risk.” Dustin was agitated. “But a sightseeing tour is another thing. We need to get to the Window.”
Amber looked at me concerned, then shrugged. “I have a feeling we’ll be back to Outin some day. We can see it then.”
“Yeah, we’re probably safer getting back to Booker and Spencer as soon as possible,” Linh added.
“Give me a minute to try to reach them.” It was a bit garbled and I was only able to get to Booker. He seemed to understand that we’d be at his Cuba house in eighty to a hundred days, but I lost him before I could be sure.
“Amparo, Baca, and Kirby are all in custody,” I said as we hurried on.
“You didn’t tell us that before,” Linh said.
“There hasn’t been time. The question is how are they finding mystics?”
“Rose?” Amber asked.
“Just because Rose was arrested doesn’t mean she’s helping Lightyear,” Dustin said.
“She faked her death, she has never once contacted me on the astral, she’s visited Mom, and in Clarity Lake I felt it.”
“Anyone could have sent that dream into Linh’s head, and maybe something has blocked her from getting to you on the astral. And so what, maybe they let family members visit each other. None of them have done anything illegal other than helping you.”
“What about what I saw in Clarity Lake?”
“Outin is an amazing place, but we don’t understand it. I mean, look behind us right now.” Dustin said, stopping. We all turned around. It took a second to notice, but the trees were moving—very slowly—actually closing the trail.
“Why are they doing that?” I asked.
“The trees can move!” Amber exclaimed.
“Who knows why they do it,” Dustin said. “But the very definition of a tree is a woody perennial plant rooted in the ground... well, not so at Outin. So whatever you felt in the lake could just be an illusion.”
“Fine. But let’s just act on the assumption that Rose may be helping Lightyear.”
“You do that, but I’m not abandoning Rose,” Dustin said. “And we shouldn’t leave any of them in the hands of Lightyear—Mom, Linh’s parents, Bridgette. And what about Baca? He saved us. Kirby did too by teaching us Kellaring and shapeshifting.”
“And if you truly forgive, then even Amparo should be rescued,” Linh said.
“Wait, hold on. Are you guys suggesting we try to rescue them? Break them out of a maximum security, top-secret government detention center?” I was stunned.
“You once asked Kyle and me to break the law and help free your brother from where he was being held,” Linh said.
“That would be suicide,” Amber said.
“Not with our 1
04 new friends,” Dustin said.
“Like we can trust them,” Amber snapped back.
“They think Nate is the second coming. They’ll do whatever he says,” Dustin said.
“First thing we’re going to do is meet Booker and Spencer in Cuba and give them the Storch meeting film,” I said, patting the flash-drive still in its waterproof bag in my pocket.
“That means my parents will remain in jail for at least three more months,” Linh huffed.
“I’m sorry, but I’m going to Cuba. We’ll find a way to get them out from there.”
Linh walked alone for the rest of the time. Dustin was resigned to let me make the decisions, at least for now.
“The longer you stay here, the more you connect with the knowledge of your soul,” Dustin told us. “Outin is free from the distractions of a personality-created world. This is a spiritual realm.”
“What about the legends of Shasta?” Amber asked. “Have you seen any beings?”
“Shasta seems to be the main entrance to Outin, but it’s not the only way. There are entry points all over the planet. Outin is a dimension, not just some place like Patagonia.”
“It’s that big? There must be someone living here other than trees, birds, and bugs.” I said.
“We’ve all heard stories about little people living somewhere around Shasta, descendants of survivors from the lost continent of Lemuria, starships landing here, even a higher-dimensional city of Telos inside the mountain, Ascended Masters, subterranean tunnels whatever. I think it’s all true. They pass through Outin like a gigantic galactic Grand Central Station. Outin’s Windows are entrances into other dimensions, and if you do it right, they can be exits from those worlds too,” Dustin said.
“Oh my God,” Linh said, pointing a few hundred yards ahead.
“The Vines?” I asked.
“Obviously,” Dustin said.
77
Before us, actually growing as we watched, were towering vines as thick as my leg and taller than most trees. They twisted and braided as their black roots rose from the planetarium below our feet.
“Those thorns are guillotine sharp,” Dustin said, pointing to some three feet long.
“How are we supposed to get through this?” Amber asked.
“Skyclimb!” Dustin took off. “There are lots of clearings inside.”
Amber looked doubtful. “Come on,” I said. “Let me carry you.”
“Are you strong enough?” Linh asked.
“Sufficiently recovered, doctor.” I smiled, happy she was at least talking to us again.
Amber climbed on, and I followed Dustin. Even with us both using Gogen, her fingers dug into my shoulders. “If I fall into that wicked spaghetti, it’s certain death,” Amber said.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall. But can you press against me a little tighter?”
I looked back to see Linh in a graceful up-flight. Dustin went down into an open area and immediately jogged to a collection of Windows. We counted twenty-two. They were eerily addicting and challenged our perceptions. This many in one place was like flipping channels on some inner-dimensional TV.
“It’s not here,” Dustin said. “Probably in the next clearing. I don’t always come in the same way, and they move so... ”
“How many have you collected?”
“Close to a hundred.”
We all looked at him. The images in those Windows weren’t from a Hollywood studio. They were real places and times we could walk right into and live another existence, possibly affecting our own time in ways we would never be able to fathom. If Lightyear could get control of Outin and exploit the Windows, human history would be forever changed. I stood staring at only a portion of Dustin’s collection and wondered what was more important, the Windows or the Jadeo? I couldn’t decide.
“Are you sure the entrances are secure?” Linh asked.
“No.”
“Come on,” Dustin said. “Let’s go.” He was up again.
This trip was a little longer and the next clearing, smaller. It also had more than twice as many Windows. Dustin sorted through them, and after more than forty extraordinary worlds, he exclaimed, “Cuba!”
We all peered into a postcard scene. Pastel buildings and brightly colored vintage-1950s American automobiles contrasted with white sandy beaches and blue waters.
“How do you know we’re not going into a different dimension?” I asked.
“When you come back through a Window from another dimension, your memory is split. It’s like being brain damaged. Only half of your life remains; the other half is from the dimension you visited. It’s a mental nightmare, and believe me, I’m an expert on that subject.”
“How do you get normal again?”
“Floral Lake.”
I nodded.
“And when you come back through Windows that stay in our dimension, it’s normal. As far as I can tell, it’s just the time difference. It was almost three months ahead when I was there. Of course that might change. I only went once.”
“I still don’t understand what happens with that lost or extra time.”
“Beats me, brother.”
“Since you’ve been there before, why don’t you lead the way?” I suggested.
“Oh, Nate. I’m not going.”
“What?”
“Look, you got what you came for. The Storch film is ready to show to the world. I’m delivering you safely to Booker and Spencer... ”
“No. We need you, Dustin. You have to come.”
“You’re right, you do need me. Someone has to stay and make sure Outin remains free. I know this place. It feels part of me. It’s part of my destiny.”
“How do you know?”
“You told me.”
“What? When?”
“You, or who we called Future Self, came back from the future again and told me.”
I wasn’t sure I believed him, but it was true: Outin needed to be protected, and who knew if those entrances were really safe. I could have used my powers to force him to come, but that would be ugly and end badly. I hugged him instead.
“Love you, brother,” he said, holding me surprisingly tight.
“I love you, too.” I stood back to look at him. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, sniffling, closing his lips tightly.
“I’ll be back.”
“I know, dummy. I just told you that.”
I laughed. “Stay out of trouble.”
He cocked his head and gave me his best devilish smile.
We changed clothes quickly. Spencer always seemed to anticipate what I would need and had thought of the swimsuits, cargo pants and T-shirts. I made sure to snap the film in a small pocket then gave a last wave to Dustin as we stepped through the Window onto a cement sidewalk.
78
The warm, humid air of Cuba and immediate hunger pains brought me slamming back to reality. Knowing we were international fugitives, I was ready to shapeshift, but the few people who were around didn’t appear to notice our entrance.
As expected, there wasn’t a Window opening back to Outin, but Dustin had told me the way to get back. When he explored his first Window, returning was a problem. After trying for hours to make the Window reopen, he just sat there and watched the spot. Finally, the next day, after a complete rotation of the earth, he saw a glint. When he got close enough he could see a translucent version of Outin’s sky, but it only stayed for as long as it had taken him to come through originally. Then the following day, when it opened again, he returned to Outin. Later, in Clarity Lake he discovered that once someone goes back through the Window, it closes again, even if it wasn’t the original traveler. If no one goes back, it will be available indefinitely.
A busy road kept us from the beach. We walked to a nearby café where the aromas awakened a craving for Million-Layer cake from the Station, my parents’ restaurant. A man wearing a white linen suit approached and eyed us suspiciously. “Americanos?”
“S
i,” I answered. I gave him the address, memorized from Booker’s list.
“Si, Si! Señor Lipton.” He smiled, pleased that he had met some of Booker’s friends. Then he offered to take us to him.
The girls both shrugged. There were no heat warnings, so I accepted and thanked him. He led us to his 1956 shamrock and white Pontiac and acted as a friendly tour guide for the forty-five-minute drive into the country. We reached a gate but still couldn’t see the house. The guard spoke to our driver in Spanish and then asked our names. “Spencer Copeland,” I answered, adding that these were my sisters. A few minutes later, Booker and an employee rolled up to the other side of the gate in one of his deluxe golf carts. His face lit in relief at the sight of us. He paid our driver two hundred dollars and shuffled us into the cart.
“I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. It’s the last time I’ll ever underestimate you, Nate.” He laughed.
“I’m happy about it, too.” I patted his shoulder from the backseat. “Dustin said to say hello.”
“Is he okay?”
“That’s always a loaded question concerning Dustin. He’s alive and wanted to stay.”
“I see. Well, I’m sure Spencer will have something to say about that.”
“Is he here?”
“Oh yes. I can’t trust that son of gun to be off by himself.”
“I guess not.”
“Seriously, Nate, this has been hard on him. It’s taking a toll. Go easy on him.”
“Spencer and I are fine,” I said, surprised. “We’re not arguing about anything.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t seem to last between you guys.”
The house was a small mansion flanked by matching miniature casitas. Palms and flowers, manicured to Booker’s natural tastes, allowed glimpses of the ocean and an empty, white beach.
“Beautiful,” Amber said.
