“Where did you meet?” Veronica asked. I gathered our garbage, shoving the wrappers into my bag. It had been years since I’d heard the story, and never from my father.
He smiled, leaning against the tree. “She was so beautiful, sitting in the cafeteria with her friends. They were discussing some lecture they’d just heard, and her cheeks were red with excitement as they spoke of… whatever topic it was. I can’t even recall what class, but I can picture her like it was yesterday. Her hair bobbing at her shoulders, the white sleeveless blouse, with the cross necklace her father had given her three years earlier for her sweet sixteen.”
Veronica’s eyes closed, and she shifted over, managing to lie down in the compact space. The storm continued to rage on, but the wind seemed to have calmed.
“Did you talk to her?” I asked, remembering Mom’s take. She’d only told me they met at school, and that Dad had made a fool of himself, but she’d thought it was endearing.
“I tried, but couldn’t find a break in their conversation. I sat at the table beside them with my sandwich and cola, trying to figure out their topic. Eventually, there was a lull in their heated discussion, and I interjected. Like I said, I have no idea what the subject was, but I was clearly completely wrong about whatever I told them. Her friends laughed, but your mother… she looked at me with those wonderful eyes, dimples dented her cheeks, and she smiled. My heart melted.” Dirk stared at the tarp, and I tried to picture the pair of them as nineteen-year-olds. It wasn’t easy.
“Why didn’t it work?” I asked. The question had been burning inside me for years. If he’d truly loved her, why would he have left?
“Our marriage? This. I didn’t have any idea what to expect, but Hunter… he lured me in with the promise of money and adventure. At first, I wanted to take care of you guys, to future-proof my life so my family would never have to want for anything. But then… it became something else. I was obsessed. Aliens. Can you imagine? A Bridge to another planet. I needed to see it, to immerse myself in the culture, to learn all I could about their world and race. Only, coming here was a disappointment. The people had no recollection of their history. The city was ruined, leaving behind little evidence of their past. It wasn’t supposed to end like this.”
I patted his knee. “It’s not over yet.”
“We should sleep. I know it’s not night yet, but if the rain lets up, we can depart before dawn.” Dirk turned from me, lowering to the tarp on the ground.
“Dad?”
“Yes, son?”
“How do you dream walk? How did you connect to me?” I asked.
“I sought you out. Once I understood the man in Paris was real, and it wasn’t my mind creating a fictional existence, I tried you, and managed a brief connection.” His voice was low, and the wind almost drowned it out.
“Did you link with anyone else?” I asked.
He didn’t answer right away. I heard the soft snores from Veronica beside me. Her legs pushed into mine, and the contact was comforting.
“I visited your mother occasionally. She was tougher. She didn’t want to let me into her dreams. You have the gift, Rex. We both do,” Dirk told me. He reached into his pack and handed me an old bottle, a tiny slosh of brown liquid in the bottom. “It’s from their ceremony. Use it. Learn what she’s doing.”
“Are you certain? Will the Unknowns find me?” I took the bottle, shaking it slightly.
“No, son. You can block them as I did. Seek Jessica. Visit her. Learn their secrets.” Dirk seemed confident I could manage, but I still doubted this would work.
I unscrewed the cap and downed a sip. It was bitter, like old coffee grounds and dirt. I closed my eyes. “What do I do?”
“Picture her. Her scent. Her face. Use it. Draw yourself to her.” His voice was quiet and comforting, like a hypnotist’s.
I followed his instructions, letting the sounds of the storm lure me into sleep.
I visualized Jessica, concentrating on the woman who wanted to help the Unknowns consume Earth. I fell asleep, and I was her.
5
Jessica stood in a field far from the yellow glow of the city. The crops had been harvested months before, snow crusting over them, with yellow stalks piercing through in neat rows. Her head still hurt, but the doctors had assured her it was only a mild concussion.
She was the leader of the Believers, but she didn’t deserve the title. She’d let the enemy into her lair. It was unacceptable that she’d been blindsided by Rexford Walker. The damned Walkers had been a thorn in her people’s side for too long.
Jessica stared at the night sky, admiring the countless white lights. The Unknowns were nearby. She could feel their anticipation in her dreams. Even now, she felt one of them inside her. Jessica was highly skilled at opening herself to the attuning process.
“Can you hear me?” she asked out loud, but there was no response. It didn’t matter. They were close, and she respected its privacy. The notion was exciting.
Three weeks.
She remembered the first occasion she’d seen the Believers. Her Auntie had taken her to a meeting in Charleston, and she’d been so scared. Robes and cowls, chanting and candles. But she quickly understood. Her people were strong. Caring. Courageous for what they were going to do.
Jessica pulled out her tablet, reading over the message she’d prepared. It wasn’t heavy on detail, but the recipients would understand just as well. February 17th. That was the day.
She hit send, and it went to their top-ranking members all around the world, one hundred and seventeen of the most powerful people they’d been able to gather into their organization. Even she was awestruck by some of the participants.
News would come out soon about the President’s death. It was impossible to keep things like that hidden, and Vice President Alan Black would secure the position. Similar scenarios were arranged across various countries. They’d start to act once they received this message.
As the tablet indicated the communication had been sent, Jessica felt a shift. Earth was going to change forever, and the Believers were the reason. A girl from South Carolina had managed to lead them to this moment. Her mother would have been so proud of her.
Jessica wished she could see the incoming vessels. To talk to their leaders in person, but that moment would come soon enough. She’d been patient for years, so what difference did another few weeks make?
She heard the SUV door open, and Oliver stepped out. “Ma’am, we’ve found them.”
Jessica smiled, her back turned to the bodyguard. “Bring them to me. Alive.”
____________
I woke to a gentle shaking, sitting up in a hurry, air rushing into my lungs with a gasp. “Who is it? Who did they find?” The words shouted from my dry lips, and Veronica stared with concern.
“What are you talking about?”
“I was Jessica. I saw through her eyes!”
Dirk wasn’t in the tent, but his pack was there. He poked his head under the tarp. “You okay?”
“Rex had a dream,” Veronica said.
“It wasn’t a dream… I was her. They found someone. We have to go home.” My back protested as I climbed from our shelter. The sky was dark, but the promise of a nice morning was in the air, which was far cooler than the day before. The ground squished under my boots, and the forest held a sweet scent to it.
“Are you certain?” Dirk asked firmly.
All I could do was nod while I tried to recall the entire dream. I already found it difficult to remember. “I think she felt me in there. Maybe I could control her if I tried again.”
“I’ve been down that road, Rex, and it doesn’t work. We are but mere passengers.”
“But you spoke to me. You said my name,” I whispered, remembering that moment in my youth. The truth was, I’d felt a bigger connection with Jessica, as though using her like my puppet was a possibility.
“I know, but I had a headache for a week after. It’s dangerous.” He picked up my pack and shoved
it at my chest.
“Let’s go home. What if she’s found Bev and the kids?”
Even Veronica sided with him. “We can’t, Rex. What do you think this has been about? We’re almost there. We have the last Token. Earth needs our help, and if that means we make sacrifices, so be it.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “They’re children. Dad, they’re your grandkids!”
“I know, but she’s right. We didn’t come all this way to leave empty handed. Evan’s keeping them safe.”
“Marcus too,” I whispered.
“It’ll be light soon. We have to continue.” Dirk started walking, and Veronica stayed with me.
“I’m sorry, Rex.” She turned, trailing after my dad.
I knew in my heart that they were right, but abandoning Marcus and my sister had already been difficult enough. There was the possibility it was someone else Jessica was referring to. I tried to trick myself into believing the idea, but I’d been in her mind. I was certain she’d found Marcus and Beverly.
We walked all day, taking a few breaks throughout the hike. The mountains were growing closer, and we kept a grueling pace. Today was dry, with no rainclouds threatening to assault us, and we stayed in the open air as the sun descended, making room for the twin moons. They were bright, casting a cool blue glow across the narrow hillside valley we chose to stay in.
After a few minutes of gathering dry wood to burn, we settled in around the fire. The sound of cracking twigs helped me forget who we’d left behind at home. My legs were exhausted, and my knees groaned as I sat on a log I’d rolled over. Veronica lay on the ground a few feet away, staring at the sky.
My dad was out, gathering more wood, and it hit me. “I haven’t played the message from Hunter’s basement to my dad.”
“I can’t believe we forgot.” She sat up, coming to join me on the log. “Is it with you?”
I nodded, reaching into my pack. The device was in a zippered section, and I removed it, holding it in a palm.
Dirk returned, dropping an armful of small branches and twigs. “What’s that?”
“We found this at Hunter’s, early on. At first, I didn’t show you because you were acting so strange, and then I didn’t because we were separated. Eventually, I forgot.” It was light, weighing next to nothing.
Dirk stared. “Does it do anything?”
“It plays a message.” I activated the gadget, like we’d done that day in his basement.
The female voice carried through invisible speakers, communicating with the Unknown language. Dirk went white in the firelight, and he sat on the log beside me. He took the device, listening intently.
“What does it say?” Veronica asked when the short message ended.
His face went slack. “Where did you find this?”
“In Hunter’s basement, near the backups of Hardy’s notes.” My dad’s expression was worrying me. “What the hell has you so disturbed?”
“Hunter… Damn it, I should have seen it. I was too blind.”
“What do you mean? Blind to what?”
“This message.” He pointed to the sky. “It’s from… them.”
“Who?”
“The Unknowns. It asks if he’s acclimating well to the body. It calls him Rewa.”
“Wait. You must be mistaken,” Veronica said.
Dirk shook his head, playing it again. We sat in silence while he listened, and I heard the name Rewa said twice. “There’s no mistake.”
“Hunter collected things. Maybe it’s something he’s gathered.”
“Why was it in his basement with the server? Why didn’t he keep it with the other artifacts? And why did she use the Unknowns’ word for ‘hunter’?” Dirk posed a lot of good questions.
“Hunter? She said that?” Veronica looked as shocked as I felt.
“Are you suggesting Hunter is…”
“What color were his eyes?” Dirk asked us.
I tried to think. “Brown… no, hazel.”
“It never dawned on me. I swear his eyes were blue when we first met.”
“And did he have any interest in alien artifacts yet?” Veronica asked.
“No. We did a couple of expeditions for him before that was even brought up. Not to mention, his attitude changed; he became friendlier, like he wanted to be part of the team rather than an unconventional rich man on the sidelines.” Dirk rubbed his forehead.
“What about his wife, and the fact that he said he was a Believer?” I asked.
“Wife? Hunter wasn’t married,” Dirk said.
“He told me he was once, but he let her get away. It was one of his biggest regrets…” I looked at the device. “That’s her, isn’t it?”
Veronica was on her feet, pacing behind the fire, waving her arms in the air. “Are you saying that Hunter Madison was taken over by an alien, and that he was trying to… what? Find his way home? Access the Bridge?”
“That’s right. Hunter Madison deceived us all.” Dirk replayed the message a third time. “There must be others like them. I have a theory.”
“Tell us,” I demanded.
“These beings attempt to project themselves into others, taking control. They tried with Clayton, but he fought the invasion off. It ended up killing him. The same thing occurred with the Wanderers, but they were willing to connect to whoever they considered their ancestors. Only these people aren’t forefathers of the Wanderers; they’re very much alive, and if I’m right, they’re flying for Earth in the Objects.
“The Believers will open themselves up, allowing the invaders to infiltrate. They will attune, and some very powerful people will be controlled by creatures from another world.”
“That makes sense with what Jessica was thinking, but I don’t know if she quite sees it that way. She thinks it’s a partnership,” I suggested.
“That’s what they wanted all along, isn’t it?” Veronica threw more sticks on the fire. “They wanted a cult, a group devoted to sacrificing themselves for a greater cause. It was probably their goal with these Wanderers as well, but it’s been too long. They’ve been on Rimia for thousands of years, waiting for something they couldn’t remember.”
“Can we stop it from happening?” It was the question on all of our minds.
“I don’t think so.” Dirk pointed to the mountains farther on in the distance. It was too dark to see them, but I knew what he meant. “I hope they can.”
“Does this mean Hunter was with them, or against his own people?” I asked.
“It’s tough to tell. It feels like he’s straddling both sides.” Dirk scratched at his rough chin. “The Hunter I knew would stop at nothing for the Bridge.”
“He was obsessed with it. But maybe not for the same reason as the Believers,” Veronica said.
We listened to the message a few more times, with Dirk translating. The woman’s tone was soft, friendly, but her words were rushed. From what we gathered, Hunter had been set on a task of great importance. No details were given, but she wished him luck at the end. And it was over.
“Dream carefully,” Dirk said as he rolled out the tarp a few yards from the fire.
____________
I pictured Hunter as I tried to sleep. So much was racing through my mind, but after another day of hiking endlessly, even my brain couldn’t keep me awake.
I was Hunter Madison.
“Anything else you need, sir?” Francois asked from the office doorway.
“No, thank you. I’m going to stay here a while before I retire.” Hunter looked away from the man. “And don’t judge me too harshly, Francois. I’m taking the medication.”
“I’m sure you are, sir.” Hunter’s hired help closed the door behind him, and Hunter swirled the ice in his tumbler. There was a time he’d have reprimanded the man for being too opinionated, but he’d been loyal, even through the first round of chemo.
Coming to this planet wasn’t supposed to be like this. These beings were soft, prone to disease. The others were unaware of wh
at awaited them, but it didn’t mean humanity should be used and abused for the sake of the Zalt.
The leather chair groaned as he shifted his weight, kicking his feet onto the coffee table. He poured more whiskey from the bottle and leaned into the cushions. He’d been here for ages. Fifty years. He’d embodied the young man, rich and full of dreams and power. Now he was an old man. Dying.
It had taken years to grow accustomed to the flesh and blood, so different from his own existence, and now that the vessel was failing, he was desperate to survive. Mezpa suggested he’d return home when he expired, but there was no way to be sure. Nothing of this nature had been done in the history of their people. No one had been willing to leave their own entity behind. But he was willing to make the sacrifice, for the good of the galaxy.
Hunter chuckled to himself at the notion. Humans had no idea what was out there, the sheer vastness of space, with so many factions of Zalt and countless others in a never-ending struggle for dominance. The ships were coming, as they always had been. Thousands of years to travel here. Even to him, the number was astronomical.
All for this blue marble. The people wouldn’t know what hit them.
The whiskey struck his tongue, and he smiled. There were advantages to being human. Taste, touch… the Zalt would never truly understand, even when they committed the Exodus.
He’d lain by idly for decades, trying to find the Bridge, but it had been fruitless. Hunter needed a lead, a team… something. Dirk Walker had left him in a bind, one that might very well have caused the end of Earth. If he didn’t access the Bridge and convince the Rodax to fight, it was all over.
Hunter hoped to reunite with Mezpa before that occurred. Their energy could once again meet, join, and seek comfort in the rite.
His cell phone rang: a tune from Mozart. Now that was a brilliant man. Hunter wished he could have arrived earlier, to have experienced history from another era, when the threat of invasion wasn’t so imminent.
He answered the phone, knowing who it was. “Hello.”
“Sir, they’re here. Would you like—”
“I know where Rex is going. I’ll be there in the morning.” Hunter hung up before his contact on the other end could say another word.
Lost Time (The Bridge Sequence Book Two) Page 27
