by Lola Dodge
I managed to pull myself back to the present.
Whoa.
“Can we help you with something?” Oliver repeated the question, a little slower this time.
I shrugged, but the gesture ended up more of a shake as I tried to stick with my plan. “Cup of sugar?”
The other guy—Dex—snorted behind him. That had to give me a point.
For something.
“Who made you security?” Cipher pushed Oliver aside. With me standing on the step and her in the RV, we stood at eye level. She tucked a chunk of fading blue hair behind her ear. “I don’t bake. Is there something else I can help you with?”
I swallowed. Ghosts teemed, and my head ached trying to keep them at bay. Plus, I wasn’t exactly in top form after everything today. But I couldn’t lose it now. “I was hoping we could tal—”
Teen Cipher is seated in the passenger side of an eighteen wheeler, tapping away at her portacomp; Cipher games on a big screen; her body hangs limp in a man’s arms as she’s lifted onto a helicopter—
“Quanta?” Cipher’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Ah. Yeah. Right.” I shook myself. Focus. “Can we talk?”
Before she could answer, a platinum blonde elbowed her way to the front of the crowd at the door. “Hey, Quanta. I heard about that guy. Don’t beat yourself up about it. He sounded like a total douchecanoe.”
A man backhands Mona across a trailer; she sits alone, hugging her knees to her chest, surrounded by fast food wrappers as she stares into space like a zombie; she screams and runs from shadowy figures; her spangled top glitters in the flashing lights of a dance club as she moves to a thumping beat—
This time, the music knocked me out of the trance. My ears rang, and I gripped the doorframe to keep from falling off the step. “Could you guys stop popping in and out? I’m getting brain whiplash.”
Cipher grabbed Mona’s elbow and tugged her away from the door.
Oliver still stood there, muscles corded tight. He looked like he wanted to help, but was holding himself back. “Are you okay?”
Am I? I swallowed down a fresh wave of guilt. But guilt or not, I needed Cipher’s help. “I’m safe as long as no one touches me. I can stay out here.”
Cipher chewed at her lip ring, seeming worried instead of angry that I was darkening her door, so all things considered, this was going better than expected. Then again, I knew her from timeghosts—not actual life. There was a lot more to learn about the girl.
Finally, she pulled Oliver out of the way. “Just come in.”
The RV creaked as I stepped through the doorway, bracing myself against the inevitable ghosts. I didn’t move farther inside. Instead, I gripped the edge of the galley counter to keep myself steady.
Cipher hunches over the comp setup, almost pressing her nose to the screen; she drives, silent and alone, one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding an energy bev; head covered in foil, she folds herself into the tiny bathroom and maneuvers to rinse out the blue dye—
I gripped the counter harder. A haze of blue covered over everything in here, and a million and one futures swirled, wanting me to look. Even figures of Tair and me popped into the mix. I had to keep my mental walls strong, but the little bits seeping through told me plenty.
The group of us might have a future together. But was that a good thing?
“You’re sure you’re okay?” Cipher’s voice was doubtful.
People really loved asking me that. Although I probably stared into space more than was socially acceptable. I’d definitely been standing here a little too long already.
Oh well.
Secure in reality for a precious few seconds, I actually looked at the room. The RV had a narrow galley and a little seating area. Beanbag chairs sat in front of the massive gaming screen, and wires tangled everywhere, running from consoles to controllers, and circling empty bev containers and an impressive spread of snacks.
Dex had stayed planted in his beanbag, but Oliver, Mona, and Cipher stood hovering and not really sure what to do with me. I folded my arms. I had a serious bone to pick with them. “Where did you get all the chips? And where do I get them?”
“You came all the way here to talk about food,” Cipher said, getting more suspicious by the second.
“No. Not really.” But I hadn’t seen a single decent snack in this compound, and I didn’t want to lead with “hey, help me hack into this web thingy I saw in the future.”
“Just say it. Cipher’s cool. She’ll help if she can.” Mona’s long blonde hair spilled forward as she peered at me.
Mona leans into a mirror, running her hair though an iron. She sets the tool down to grab a bottle of spray, but the red light is still on when she sashays out of her room.
Jackpot. And by far the most convenient thing I’d seen in ages. “You left your hair iron on.”
Her brow creased for a sec. She frowned. Then she jumped. “Shit!”
The door slammed behind her before anyone could say anything. And as easy as that, I knew how to get rid of Oliver and give myself some breathing space. “She can handle the iron, but you probably want to go along for the walk.”
“Why?” Oliver tilted his head.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Because her roommate’s not there?”
He pursed his lips, thinking, and finally shrugged. “Good call.” He hustled out, calling after Mona.
Dex laughed, and I turned my attention to him.
“Trying to get me to leave?” He stood, sweeping back his long hair. “What do you got?”
Dex crouches next a man bound in plastic wire. “You’re going to talk.”; a younger version of him with shorter hair lies on a wrestling mat, shoulder to shoulder with Oliver and Knight—all three have exhausted circles under their eyes, but they share the same cold determination; he grins at someone across a chessboard, gaze predatory; he stands over a fresh grave with the choking smell of damp earth—
My nose wrinkled. I really didn’t want to get into it with him, so I told the honest truth. “It would make it easier for me if you stood outside, but I can’t make you do anything.”
“I’ll stand guard. And listen in.” He tossed his controller and then moved around us.
Eavesdropping was fine by me. I didn’t need privacy. Just a little peace. The door smacked closed behind him, leaving Cipher and me in awkward silence.
“So?” Cipher asked.
Getting right to it. At least she was talking to me. “Did Knight tell you what I found?”
“A web address. I was already planning on looking into it. You didn’t have to come all this way for that.”
“No, but it’s important.” And if it could tell us anything about what the Seligo were up to, we had to know.
“You got me here all alone. Just tell me. What’s really going on?” Cipher cracked her knuckles. I couldn’t tell if she was anxious or curious or just not sure what to do with me. Probably a mix of all three. I wished my powers would let me dig a little more, but then again, she wouldn’t like me going through her baggage.
This was one of those times I had to offer a bit of myself. I swallowed. “You heard about the guy I…” Killed? Destroyed? I wasn’t sure yet.
“Yeah.” Cipher’s shoulders hunched. She knew exactly what it felt like to slip, and her body count had been higher than mine last time I checked.
We really did have a lot in common.
“At first, I saw a future where he turned us in and Black Helixes crashed the compound.” I kept going when Cipher flinched. “That’s not happening anymore, but he definitely mentioned other girls…” His confession had been all garbled, but I knew this was something we had to follow up on. There was zero doubt in my mind. “If there’s any way, we need to find out what else he was up to.” On some other day, I might’ve been able to follow the trail myself, but even now, it didn’t matter how hard I tugged at the pages of the universe.
I got nothing.
Making this our only lead.
“What other girls?” Cipher asked.
I hugged my arms to my body. “Other Reds? That’s what I want to know.”
As her lip ring clicked between her teeth, the futures twisted. She might help. She might not. All I could do was wait for her decision.
Finally, she blew out a breath. “Now I want to know, too.”
“Really?” I bounced on my toes. I’d been expecting a fight. It really hadn’t occurred to me that she’d just help. Sometimes I forgot people did nice things.
“Really.” She glanced at her tech stuff and then shook her head. “But not here. We want to use the same unit he was using, or the encryption keys won’t match.”
“That would be terrible.” Whatever encryption keys were.
Cipher jammed a few gadgets into a backpack and I followed her outside where Dex leaned against the RV’s siding. “Good talk?” he asked.
“I’m going to look at a comp for her. Can you stay and guard the Griz?”
Dex’s gaze narrowed. “What about Knight?”
“What about him?” Cipher said. “I’m looking at a console. Not ordering a missile strike on the Seligo.” I didn’t need future visions to know that Knight wouldn’t like that line, but if Cipher was going to help…
This was one of those times I needed to keep my mouth shut.
Cipher pursed her lips. “But tell him where I went?”
“Got it.” The RV creaked as Dex moved up the steps. He flicked on an outside light, casting us in a yellowy glow. “Just don’t stay out too late.”
“Knock it off, Dex. I got along just fine for years before you came along.”
“Yeah, but life is so much better now that I’m here.”
Cipher gave a little snort. “Keep on telling yourself whatever makes you sleep better.” Cipher pulled her leather jacket tighter. “Where’s the unit?” Her brow creased. “And where are your shoes?”
“Over there.” I scrunched my toes in the grass and waved in the general direction of the barracks and my bunker. “And also over there.” At least I hoped the barracks were the right place. I hadn’t realized we’d need Tompkins’ console for this little adventure, but I’d seen him working at a personal comp, so I was guessing we should head to his bunk. “Just follow me.” It sounded confident enough coming out of my mouth.
Too bad I moved at the pace of slug in a salt mine, but with timeghosts crossing back and forth across the grass…
It was the best I could do.
I almost warned her not to help if I ended up tripping, but Cipher jammed her hands into her pockets before I could say anything. Better for both of us that way.
Hugging my sweater tighter against the night, I tried to stride confidently across the compound, but a shiver rippled down my back at the timeghostly shapes of bodies on the ground.
The worst part was that I doubted anything we did would take away the possibility of death. All the Ravens were always going to be in danger, whether here or at the next compound, or on the next mission…
Even though I knew the hard truth, it wasn’t a reason to stop fighting.
All I needed was the right info. Then we could all figure out how to save ourselves.
Everyone was still at dinner when we made it to the barracks. Thanks to wave after wave of timeghostly info, I was pretty sure this was where we’d find Tompkins’ comp unit. But also thanks to wave after wave of timeghostly info, I wasn’t sure I could make it up the steps.
Ravens laugh on their way up; a girl trips, rolling down the grass below to clutch a bloodied nose, Black Helixes stalk upstairs with their weapons raised —
Sweat beaded on my aching forehead, and I gripped the railing. Tompkins lived in one of the upper containers. That was where we had to go, but…
Choking smoke; throngs of people running down the steps, laughing; gunfire popping off nearby; two Ravens huddled under the staircase, giggling and whispering sweet nothings; Ravens going up; Ravens jogging down; a girl weeping to herself on the bottom step, bathed in moonlight; distant screams echoing louder and louder—
“You coming?” Cipher already stood at the top landing.
I loosened my death grip on the rail and pulled myself up the first step. “Slowly but surely.”
With every step, the timeghosts got thicker until my world was a permanent blue haze. My chest heaved, and I squinted as hard as I could to keep my eyes on the steps because I definitely spotted a version of the future where I tripped and ended up at the bottom in a pool of blood.
I reached the top landing gasping. Cipher had her arms folded as she studied me. “Is it always this bad?”
“It is here.” I turned left and started walking, clutching at the walkway’s railing to keep myself stable. “His place is this way.”
I didn’t check to see if she followed. Instead, I concentrated on the past. I followed shades of Tompkins’ timeghosts. They mostly headed straight to the top corner of the complex, following the outer walkway that wrapped around the stacked and joined shipping crates. When one ghost strode through a door in the past, I pulled up short to keep from face-planting in the present.
The shipping container was divided into two tiny rooms. Tompkins’ door was locked.
With a print scanner. If it were a code, I might be able to find the passcode, but I couldn’t pull fingerprints from the past. I turned hopefully toward Cipher.
“Come on. I’ve been trying to be good here. Knight will be so pissed if he hears I’ve been breaking into stuff again.”
A helpful, near-solid future materialized in front of the door. Cipher presses a gadget to the scanning unit, cursing under her breath as little beeps sound. The door clicks.
I tried not to grin. She was totally going to do it. “It won’t even take you ten seconds.”
Cipher crossed her arms and her sleeves rode up, exposing her tattoos. “There’s no way you can know that for sure. We’re on the compound. There could be all kind of trips in the code.”
“I do know that for sure.” I craned my neck to look around her, checking down the hallway. I couldn’t tell if the footsteps in my ears were current or future, but as soon as dinner was out, everyone would be spinning into motion to get the compound broken down. No one had forbidden us from going in Tompkins’ room, but the longer we stood around, the more likely it was that someone would ask why we were being so suspicious. “I’ll take the blame if we get in trouble. You can say I blackmailed you.” If it came down to it, I would blackmail her. It would be playing dirty, but there were plenty of tidbits from her past I knew she wanted kept from Knight.
I was willing to go there if I had to. Although I hoped it wouldn’t get that far.
Thankfully, it didn’t.
She muttered under her breath as she swung her backpack around and pulled out the device I’d spied. A few seconds later, the lock clicked, and I was definitely grinning. Cipher was handy to have around.
When she stepped inside, the lights automatically glowed to life. Timeghosts of Tompkins flickered in and out like flipbook pages—there and then gone, faster than I could make out. Mouth suddenly dry, I hesitated at the doorframe.
This was going to hurt in every way possible. I took a step straight into the swamp of Tompkins’ past.
He lounges on the bed; hunches in front of a comp display; laughs with other Ravens; squints at a tablet screen, itches a bug bite; sweat drips onto the steel floor as he counts out push-ups; he rocks back and forth on his cot, eyes scrunched closed…
“Quanta?” Cipher had moved past me, heading for the desk. I closed the door and tugged my sweater tight around myself as goose bumps pebbled my arms.
The space hadn’t changed much since Tompkins moved in. Just a cot, a desk, and a locker. Everything metal except the white bed sheets.
The more I looked…
All the timeghosts showing him had the faded look of the past. None of the sketchy blue tones of possible futures.
After Cipher and I left, someone woul
d come with a box to empty out the locker.
Because Tompkins wasn’t coming back.
Ever.
My heart clenched. I grabbed the bed frame before my knees gave out.
“You okay?” Cipher’s boots clicked on the steel floor as she moved closer.
“Fine.” My voice came out breathy. I couldn’t deal with the guilt now. Later, there’d be time. Right now, we had to get whatever info we could. “We need to hurry.”
I wasn’t sure how much of Tompkins’ lost future I could handle right now.
Chapter Eight
ALTAIR
The results couldn’t be right. It wasn’t possible.
I ran them again. And again. Each time, the data told the same story.
Quanta was destabilizing.
A ragged breath escaped me as I collapsed onto a stool. I slipped off my glasses to rub my forehead. A notification popped up on the closest screen, but I likely already knew the contents, and I tuned out the pinging sound.
The Red Helix marked unstable DNA, and more power meant greater instability. Less control. And more chance of losing that control permanently.
Genetics had grown exponentially since the Seligo were created, but the science had never been exact. There were too many factors in the equation. Eye color could be programmed, intelligence could be raised, but every tweak changed something else downstream. Reds had superhuman abilities, but the smallest change knocked them out of balance. A change in environment. Exposure to new stressors.
History was peppered with examples of Reds who’d lost the battle against their own powers. They caused large-scale death and destruction. It had been decades since the last incident, but only because the Seligo killed most of the girls at birth.
Now Quanta… After all she’d survived…
Despair clenched my chest. Air hardly flowed into my lungs.
Her slipping control was just a symptom of the changes happening in her body. Gradual deterioration that would end in…
