Iza sat forward, wondering what his mother meant by her being too important. Does she know about my mother and father? She looked over at Karter, but he didn’t meet her stare.
“Tell me she knows who her family is at last,” Phaedra said.
There it was, she did know. Karter had known, too—perhaps before she’d even known herself. Iza glanced to Karter for confirmation. This time, he did meet her gaze. It was there in his eyes, guilt and even regret. Karter refocused his attention on the front display.
“Of course, she knows who her family is. But, that doesn’t change who she is as a person. She’s not going to help you.”
“That remains to be seen,” Arvonen said, stepping forward.
Phaedra huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
Arvonen, however, seemed to be staring at Iza. “You know what I want. I’ll accept the exchange: you for your boyfriend.”
Iza blinked.
His lips curled into a smirk. “If you’re thinking about getting help once you bring me what I want, I can guarantee that won’t happen.” At his nod, one of his guards moved off-screen and came back dragging Jaidyn, bound, and beaten. “So, you see, you’ll have to deal with me and me alone to get him back. I’ll let you have him, if you agree to come aboard my ship of your own free will, alone.”
The sight of Jaidyn’s bloody and bruised face, with his eyes rolling to the back of his head, made Iza a little sick. Hadn’t I prepared for this? Wasn’t this the reason I made sure it was me making the trade? She shook her head to clear it. Focus. Joe needs me. Everyone is counting on me.
“I want to see him,” Iza stated, resolute.
“What, you don’t recognize your kin?”
“Not him. Joe.”
Arvonen tightened his jaw and then nodded to the same guard who’d dragged Jaidyn forward. He disappeared and the display went black before stars filled the viewport, the connection severed.
“Captain, we’ve received a coded signal.” Skyler smiled and it lit up her face. “It’s the TSS.”
“Where are they?” Iza demanded.
“Close, and monitoring the situation.”
Iza swore under her breath. For once, they arrive on time, but now they’re not doing a bomaxed thing. She realized, then, that they were only there to find a way to interface with the Gatekeepers. The interpersonal matters regarding the Arvonen and Hyttinen Dynasties weren’t their concern. As long as Arvonen didn’t get his hands on a Gate, the civilians were on their own to resolve the other issues.
“Captain…” Trix said softly. “I’ve been studying that ship near the Arvonen One. It’s not Taran.” She whirled around, her eyes wide.
Before Iza could react, Trix was suddenly thrown across the flight deck. It took Iza a split-second to realize that a figure had appeared and was running toward her.
What the…?
A white light of energy surrounded him, filling the flight deck. Iza felt weighed down, unable to get to her feet.
Skyler tried to lift a hand, but she too was thrown back against the far wall. The thwack of her head hitting the bulkhead was enough render her unconscious. Braedon and Karter remained immobilized by the crushing energy coming from the mysterious figure.
Iza gasped when he turned his face to hers, the eyes black and expressionless. Though he’d looked Taran at first glance, he wasn’t. He jumped forward and tackled her.
A silent scream filled her throat. But before Iza could release the sound, a new wave of white light swirled around her.
One minute she’d been sitting on the flight deck of the Verity. Now she was on the floor of another ship. The figure who’d tackled her stood up, looking down at her.
The people occupying the stations on the flight deck had the same dark, expressionless eyes as the first. In her gut, she knew. These were the Gatekeeper hybrids—advanced beings wearing Taran skins. She could feel their power, enticing and terrifying at the same time.
Still on her hands and knees, Iza prepared to fight back as the man in the captain’s chair moved toward her. The man in front of her had features as familiar to her as her own. How could I have forgotten his face? She’d know it anywhere now.
The man stopped in front of her and spoke her name, the words dripping with contempt. “Iza Sundari.”
She gasped as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing with her own eyes. “Dad?”
— — —
On board the Conquest their team, seemed more excited than nervous. Ian had to admit he hadn’t seen any action in years, and this was the closest they would come since they had a new generation of trained Agents to do this sort of thing so they wouldn’t have to anymore.
However, Wil had made it clear this particular mission was something different. The fact that he’d brought Saera and Curtis along was confirmation. He hadn’t liked the idea of bringing Emery along, but he respected Ian and didn’t overturn his decision.
It took them less than five hours to reach the destination. The holographic display wrapping around the spherical Command Center in the heart of the ship showed both the Verity and the Arvonen One. Wil had stopped their ship out of sensor range from the civilian vessels, waiting for something, though Ian wasn’t sure what, exactly.
Wil stared out at the holographic rendering of space enveloping the Command Center. Though he appeared to be looking at the image, Ian know better. He was using his advanced abilities to evaluate the situation in a way the ship’s systems couldn’t.
“The Gatekeepers are here,” Wil said. “A small cabal of them never left, it seems. It’s their ship that we picked up near the Arvonen One.”
“It makes you wonder what other groups are operating in the shadows,” Saera murmured.
As Wil’s wife and now Lead Agent of the TSS, she was the honorary twenty-first member of the Primus Elites. She and Wil were a formidable team, and if they were going up against the Gatekeepers, they’d need every advantage.
“What do you want us to do?” Ian asked.
“I need everyone to stay calm. I’m going to initiate contact with them. Maybe we can avoid any more damage to Taran worlds.”
Wil closed his eyes and reach out telepathically. He opened them several seconds later. “Well, they know we’ve arrived.”
“Now what?” Curtis asked.
“We wait.” Wil sat down in his seat in the middle of the Command Center, watching the remote feed of the two ships facing off.
Then, before their eyes, an egg-shaped ship appeared next to the Arvonen One.
Ian’s mouth fell open involuntarily.
“Stars…” Curtis breathed.
Wil and Saera exchanged a knowing glance, and he focused ahead. “Now we find out what they have to say.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
“Wait, what just happened?” Braedon said, staring at the spot where Iza had been a moment before. He scratched his head in confusion. When he looked to the others for an answer, he saw only mirrored bewilderment on their faces.
“Someone took her,” Karter said.
Atano, who’d been frightened by the white light, now cautiously crept out from behind the captain’s chair, sniffing for his master.
“Can the TSS do that?” Braedon asked, racing over to the place Iza had been.
“I do not believe that was an Agent,” Trix stated.
Karter shook his head. “I figured he’d come from your father’s ship.” He bent down to pick up Atano who was shivering with fear and tucked him under one arm.
Braedon scoffed. “My father? No way. That ship doesn’t have that kind of tech. I’ve never seen anything like that outside of a Dark Net game.”
“I’m revising my statement. I’m going to guess it was them.” Karter pointed through the viewport to where the gravity signature had identified.
The dark starscape warped and shimmered as an egg-shaped ship appeared. Its sleek design was unlike Braedon had seen around the Taran worlds, both in terms of the body design and materials. I
ts teardrop reflective surface had no visible windows or hatches.
“Are those the…” Braedon began, then looked over at Karter for confirmation.
“Yes, I suspect those are the Gatekeepers.”
“Arvonen is messaging us again, demanding to speak to Iza,” Trix said. “What should I tell him?”
“Put him on the display. I’ll speak to him,” Karter said.
“Wait. Who put you in charge? When Iza’s not here, you don’t become captain,” Braedon said, crossing his arms.
“Neither do you,” Karter said. “But we don’t know where she is or if she’s alive, which as the vessel’s lessor, means the responsibility of this ship and everything on it falls to me.” Karter took a step toward the captain’s seat.
Braedon shook his head, ignoring him as he bent beside Skyler to check her pulse. It was faint but still there. “Trix, call Cierra and Viper, and tell them to get up here with a medkit right now. Joe’s sister needs help,”
He then turned back to Karter. “You can’t just replace her. My father will know something’s up, and we’ll lose our chance to get Joe.”
“He’s no longer our priority; getting Iza back is. We knew how to get her back from your father, but the Gatekeepers taking her wasn’t part of the plan. They’ll kill her, and they could very likely wipe us all out before we could even consider jumping away.”
“None of you are second-in-command,” Trix said, asserting her position in front of the captain’s chair. “As I have been with Iza the longest, the task of caring for the ship falls to me. As I am already integrated with the ship, I’ll do the talking until Iza returns.”
Braedon glanced at Karter. He couldn’t be sure she was, in fact, herself and not functioning as a mouthpiece of the Gatekeepers. Trix had insisted that she was now able to block the aliens from taking her over, but he’d never seen her like this before.
Trix held up her hand. “Please, be quiet. Arvonen is calling. We’ll be audio only.”
Braedon turned in time to see his father’s face on the display beside two large men holding Joe up to the camera. Joe’s eyes were red-rimmed and unfocused but open. He was pale and seemed weak, but he was alive.
Braedon heard Cierra gasp behind him, and his jaw tightened. She and Viper had come onto the flight deck to help Skyler and were now staring at the display along with the rest of them.
“Is that how you treat my friends, father?” Braeden’s anger bubbled over and couldn’t be contained. “You’re a monster, and I’m glad I left when I had the chance.”
“I hear you, son, but I don’t see you. Why are you hiding?”
“We’re not hiding,” Trix said in a perfect imitation of Iza’s voice. “You don’t need to see us. We only needed visual confirmation that Joe is alive, and now we have. So, let’s talk about an exchange.”
Braedon whirled around to stare at Trix as did the others. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? He wanted to hug the android for her brilliant approach to the situation, but he thought better of doing so in front of Cierra.
“You and you alone are welcome to come over to the Arvonen One for the exchange.” There was a twitch in his father’s eye; Braedon saw it and recognized it’s meaning. He was planning something, but before he could say so, Trix spoke up.
“There’s no reason for me to come aboard your ship. Send Joe over here,” Trix continued in Iza’s voice.
“Also, I suggest you avoid letting Karter advise you in these negotiations; it won’t bode well for you.”
“If she’d listened to me, we wouldn’t be anywhere near you. She’s on her own,” Karter said.
“I’m no fool, Arvonen,” Trix continued as Iza. “If you want me, you’re going to have to come and get me.”
Arvonen terminated his video feed, going to audio-only as Iza had done. “Then we are at an impasse,” he said. “I know they took him. Somehow, they found out he was here, and you managed to get them to help you take him off the ship without us knowing.”
“Took who?”
“The two of you are the only ones capable of operating the Gate. I’m not leaving here without one of you. Make your choice.”
“Though I’m not sure what you mean, I’ll give you thirty minutes to consider my original offer, then we’ll let the TSS deal with you.” Trix terminated the call.
“Well, this is a bomaxed disaster,” Braedon moaned.
“All it not lost,” Trix said in her own voice. “I’m only attempting to stall him while determining what happened to Iza.”
“Is the TSS still out there?” Braedon asked.
“Yes. I believe they may be waiting for a signal from Skyler. Please attend to her; she may be our last hope of getting the TSS to intervene, and they are now our best chance of getting Iza and her cousin back alive.”
Viper helped Cierra position Skyler and placed a blanket over her to keep her warm on the floor of the flight deck. Cierra indicating it wasn’t safe to move her yet.
“Doesn’t their Agent being rendered unconscious by an alien attack justify action?” Karter asked. “Let’s inform the TSS of our situation and see if they are prepared to move forward without Iza.”
“I will apprise them of the situation,” Trix confirmed. She got a distant look in her eyes as he prepared the message to the distant ship.
“Well?” Braedon prompted.
Before Trix could respond, Cierra froze in place, her expression changing from fear to wonder. “They— the TSS just made telepathic contact with me,” she whispered. “Stars! These minds are so powerful.” The hint of tears glistened in her eyes.
She stood in silence for several moments, and then her gaze flew to Braedon’s, and he knew she was going to ask him to do something he wasn’t going to like. “They want you and Trix to go to your father’s ship with a group of Agents.”
“Why them?” Karter asked, his tone incredulous.
“You know why.” Cierra’s voice filled Braedon’s mind.
He didn’t want to think about what it meant that despite all of their planning, it came down to him. “Because I’m his son. I may be the only other person besides Iza who can get close to him.”
“Not to sound harsh, but he doesn’t care about you, kid. All that matters to him is Iza and without her, you might as well be walking to your death.”
Cierra reached up to stroke Braedon’s face. The warmth of it lingered even as she continued. “You won’t be walking in empty-handed. They brought the sphere. It’s enough to get you close, which is all they need to get Joe.”
“Wait, how are we going to get over there?” Braedon asked.
“A TSS shuttle. While you’re keeping your father busy, they’re going to try communicating with the Gatekeepers. The rest of us will wait and tend to Agent Anderson. Trix, we’re counting on your imitation of Iza to get the shuttle into Arvonen’s docking bay. Can you do it?”
“I believe that’s the first time you’ve addressed me by name,” Trix said. There was wonder in her voice, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. “Yes, I can do it.”
Cierra nodded. “Good.”
“I don’t think I would believe it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.” Viper gave her sister a poke. “Are you softening toward tech?”
Cierra made a face her sister seemed to recognize. “No, not tech. Just Trix; she’s different.”
“I’m not sure about this.” Braedon asked lifting a hand to wipe the sheen of sweat on his forehead. “What about Iza? We can’t just leave her on that alien ship!”
“The TSS assured me they’re going to get her out and renegotiate a peace with the aliens. All we can do is our parts. She would want you to get Joe if you could.”
Braedon nodded. Cierra was right, of course, but it didn’t make what they were doing any easier. He turned to Karter.
“I hope one of you can fly this thing, because you may have to defend the ship if the Arvonen or the alien ship starts firing on it. Trix and I won’t be here to help you.”
Karter waved his hand. “Oh, please. I started flight lessons as soon as I was tall enough to see over the console, same as you as a dynastic heir. You can’t believe I’d sell starships without being able to fly them? It won’t be a problem for me,” he said. As if to prove it, he removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, taking Braedon’s seat.
“Besides, he’s got us,” Viper said moving to stand at the tactical station.
“Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll be back,” Braedon cautioned.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, kid,” Karter said with a snicker.
“Well, let’s go get Joe and hope by the time we do, Iza’s back here,” Braedon said. It was time to stop his father and get the rest of them home.
— — —
His sister’s reception was more fun than Joe could have imagined with Iza there. She was gorgeous in her red dress; though she swore she’d been trying to blend in, all she did was stand out. Of course, the bride and groom were glowing in a bubble of their love, but Joe’s eyes kept returning to Iza.
“I’m so glad you both could make it.” Emery lifted his glass to Iza, who was talking with someone Joe didn’t recognize
She turned and flashed Joe a smile that made his knees weak, and he wished they were back on Earth in the bedroom of his little apartment. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” he said with a reassuring grip on Emery’s shoulder. “You two look amazing together. I never thought I’d say it, but you couldn’t be more perfect for each other.”
“I’m glad you came around. Skylar would have moved mountains to make sure you came.”
“By the way, where is my sister?”
Emery shrugged, lifting the glass to his lips. Then out behind him, Joe saw Mandren and two other Agents with serious expressions on their faces headed their way. They crossed the dance floor without regard for the guests and there were a few mumbles of protest in their wake.
“What are they doing here?” Joe asked.
“Who?” Emery spun around just as Agent Mandren reached them.
On the Run (Verity Chronicles Book 3): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure Page 25
