Frozen Fire

by Wendy L. Koenig

  “Denefe! I know you have it! I’m coming in!” He flung open the door. The red flush of his face was made more noticeable by the white of his short hair. “I know you took it. Where have you hidden it?” He glanced at the furniture in the room and then crossed to the big dresser against the wall.

  “I took what?”

  “The journal. Dad’s journal. I told you to put it back.” He jerked open the top drawer and then tossed her few belongings from side to side. Not finding anything, he thrust his hand behind the drawer and searched the well of darkness there.

  Thankful the journal wasn’t hidden in the dresser, Denefe said, “Torenz, you saw me put it back. I don’t have it.” Beneath her, the journal corners bit into her hips.

  Her brother shoved the top drawer closed before he yanked the empty second one open. Again, he slid his hand behind, searching the smooth outsides of the drawer and the inside dresser back. With very little weight in it, the piece of furniture rattled harshly at the violence put upon it.

  Finding nothing, he slammed that drawer shut and then wrenched the third one open. It became obvious to Denefe that he wasn’t planning on stopping the search until he found the book. She decided to try the offensive.

  “So, what then? Are you going to search all three pieces of furniture in this room? Then what? Do you want to search me too? I’m sure I’ve swallowed it and if you cut me open, you’ll find it.”

  He stopped, slowly sliding the drawer shut. Turning, he stared at her.

  Not being one to back down, she pressed the point. “Here, search me. Right here, right now.” She moved toward the edge of the bed, carefully reaching behind her to make sure the journal was covered.

  Torenz held up his hand and shook his head. “No. I’m sorry. I just…” He paused and then, with a deep breath, continued, “I saw you put it back. I am sorry.” He started toward the door.

  “Is that it? Is that all? You come in here, accuse me of stealing from you, disrespect my things, and that’s the apology I get?”

  He stopped and shrugged. “What else can I do?”

  “How about giving me a reason for all this. Tell me why I can’t read those journals.” She settled back onto the bed, onto the stolen book.

  “They belong to GlobeX. They’re a security issue.”

  “No. They belong to you, me, and Kaleen. All three of us. You’ve had the privilege of reading them already. Now it’s my turn.”

  He pressed his lips into a thin line. Without another word, he left, shutting the door behind him.

  Stunned, Denefe sat for a moment, staring at the door. She reached into his mind. Following his thoughts was like reading his own journal. He made no attempt to hide anything. She wondered if he even knew how. Certainly, as the only telepath in the facility, he’d had no need. He hadn’t learned intelligence efforts, either. He should have been reading her then, as she read him. Right at that moment, he ranted about her. At least she knew she’d gotten to him.

  Slowly, she turned her gaze to the dresser. If that journal had been hiding there…She shuddered. There had to be something in the journals or Torenz wouldn’t be in such a twist about them.

  First, though, she tried to reach Kaleen. That failing, she tried Ardense. Nothing. Sputtering in frustration, she picked up the ancient journal and read again.

  She read about her father’s experiments, heady stuff she didn’t really understand. Though Kaleen probably would have, at least a little. He expressed his hopes and failures. In his slanted script, he wrote about personal things too. He talked about the social events the facility held. He also spoke of personal relationships.

  Denefe had a hard time concentrating. She missed Ardense. Her whole life back home. She was deathly worried about her sister.

  She needed to hear Kaleen’s voice. When the two of them were young, they fought a little until they realized the gulf that grew between them was more painful than any part of the fight. Now, they never fought. This inability to speak with her felt exactly the same.

  She hugged her knees to her chest, staring at the pages of the journal, but not really seeing them. What was happening with her twin? Why had she been arrested? What was Hallen hiding? What was Torenz hiding? Why couldn’t she reach anyone?

  Chapter 30

  Bade Hallen

  Kaleen sat on an uncomfortable hardwood chair in a room that was no bigger than her tent. The yellowish lighting gave her a headache. She had no idea how long she’d been there, but she’d been sitting for a very long time. Even if she wanted to stretch out to sleep, she couldn’t. There was no room. Instead, she’d just drooped into the chair, waiting.

  How could she have been so stupid? She’d thought she was being careful, but in retrospect, she’d been more like a charging bull, asking everyone she knew about Definitive Headquarters.

  She’d also thought the people she’d spoken to were friends she could trust. So, who’d sold her out?

  The door scraped open and a tall, lean fellow in a suit walked in, followed closely by Bade Hallen’s short, round bulk. The yellow light sickeningly reflected from their skin, more so from Bade’s bald head. The room was cramped with just one person, but now there was no space to move, to avoid the two men in front of her. They seemed to suck out all the air.

  She tried to rise to her feet, but quickly sat back down once she realized she’d be pressed against one of the two men. “Bade! Thank goodness you’re here! What’s going on? Why have I been arrested?”

  Instead of answering, Bade stared at her, as if trying to measure her value. With a sigh, he nodded.

  The man beside him shrugged off his coat, no easy feat in such cramped quarters. He handed the suit coat to Bade and began, “What do you know about Definitive Headquarters? Who have you spoken to about it?”

  Chapter 31

  Dad

  Denefe’s stomach twisted, rumbling loudly, reminding her she’d most probably missed breakfast as well as her dinner the night before. She had no idea anymore how long she’d been prisoner in the underground facility. She glanced at the walls for a clock she knew wasn’t there, then shook her head at the habit and edged out of bed.

  Just as she’d finished dressing and had returned the journal to its hiding place, two sharp raps sounded on her door. That wasn’t Torenz. His knock didn’t sound like that. She hobbled across the room and admitted Jileah, brandishing a cane.

  “Oh, good. You’re up,” the nurse said as she came into the room. “I haven’t seen you for a couple of days. How are you feeling?”

  “Hungry and lost in time. I need a clock. Or at least food that looks like a clock.”

  Jileah laughed. It was a loud, hearty laugh, not a simpering whimper like lots of women had. She handed Denefe the cane. “I can take care of both those things. First, food. Come with me.”

  Shambling to keep up with Jileah’s patient walk, Denefe said, “Torenz tells me you’re a holistic healer.”

  “I just don’t see the point in subjecting injuries like yours to more trauma via chemicals or invasive surgery, especially when there’s no emergency.”

  Made sense. Sorta. “I might have healed quicker.”

  “Are you going somewhere?” The nurse laughed again, a sound Denefe found she liked very much. It made her wish they could become friends.

  “Well, I’d like to go home. Go shopping, to the movies, or even to the gym. You know.” They turned a corner.

  “You can’t do that. I thought Torenz told you. The anomaly is only one way, and we have no means of transport that will take us out of the desert.” A frown creased Jileah’s face.

  “He told me, yes, but I have a hard time believing him when I see all the equipment here. Someone had to bring it all. So, where are they? What about you? I assume you were born here or brought as a baby. Where’d you and Torenz get your training?”

  Jileah stopped in the middle of the long, white hallway, a shocked look on her olive-skinned face. “He hasn�
�t told you about the accident?”

  Denefe glanced both ways, but there was nobody waiting to get past or otherwise. So, she just stood there too. “Accident? No. I mean, he told me that my parents both died in one, but not what occurred.”

  Shaking her head, the nurse’s thick brown hair fell into her eyes. She smoothed the lock away, and said, “It’s not for me to tell. He should be the one.” She started to walk on, but Denefe caught her arm.

  “Please. Torenz and I…are having trouble adjusting to each other. This is something I need to know. Please tell me.”

  Jileah nodded. “You and your brother are a lot alike, I think. I’m not surprised you’re having trouble.” She turned to continue down the hallway, and Denefe hobbled beside her. “Your father was a brilliant man. Amazingly so. He was articulate. When he’d explain something technical, you’d have no problem following him. He made you feel smart too.” Sorrow filled her face. “I was only nine when I was sent here with my mother. Despite my age, your father befriended me. I miss him. He was a friend. He’s the one who taught me about herbal remedies. They were a hobby of his.”

  For a moment, Denefe thought that was all she was going to get. The scent of food trickled through the hall and strengthened when they turned left around a corner. Jileah squared her shoulders and continued her story as they took another immediate right.

  “He was working on doubling the anomaly. Making it go both ways. Everyone was devoted to the project, including your mother when she wasn’t training Torenz. All resources were dedicated to him. Nothing was spared. Still, it took almost three years before they were ready to implement any theories.

  “The first tests went well. Your father was able to reverse a tiny spot in the anomaly enough to send a mouse through. The trouble was, the process didn’t last long and the mouse didn’t make it to the other side. The poor creature was spit back out within seconds, burned to a crisp. It was a beginning.

  “The next step involved making the reversal last longer. It took over a year to get from theory to application. When they finally proceeded with the tests, things went well. This time they were able to get a mouse all the way to the other side, alive. Everything looked so promising. Everybody was laughing and giddy. That night we all had a party to celebrate.

  “In the morning, your father’s team began working on the problem of expanding the size of the reversal. The process took approximately five years with many failed tests. Early on, there was one breakthrough when they were able to make the reversal one-tenth bigger. Again, we all celebrated, but that was the end of the success. Nothing tried after that would work. Many, including your mother, thought it would be impossible to enlarge the reversal too much more, but your father was adamant it would work. In the end, he found your mother was right. Once in place, an anomaly or reversal was stuck at the same relative size. One made the size of a mouse could only be made big enough for a larger mouse. At that time, your father still didn’t know that. So he kept working.

  “Another year, his team had a theoretical reversal the size of a man ready to be tested. This test was to use a lot more energy than any of the previous tests, but your father was confident the anomaly could stand it. As they ramped up the power, the anomaly splintered. Sidewinders shot everywhere, many within the lab. Over thirty people, including your parents and my mother, were killed or went missing. We sealed off the damaged area and the anomaly has been untouchable and shooting sidewinders since.”

  Denefe said, “I’m so sorry about your mother.” Her head swam. Over thirty people dead or missing. The sidewinders that ravaged the planet were being spawned from this one wormhole. Her parents’ fault.

  Jileah shrugged. “Thank you, but it was a long time ago.”

  “The rift is untouchable, how?”

  “Each time someone tries to run a test, it splinters more. We don’t dare try anything now.”

  They’d reached the dining room, and the conversation paused as they served themselves. The offering for the noon meal was ham, or ham substitute, cooked with stewed figs and onions, some kind of leafy green, and bread full of grains and toasted seeds. Denefe took a sampling of everything.

  It was early for the lunch meal and the dining area was still empty. They had their choice of tables and decided on one near the door. Once settled, Denefe asked, “Why is this place called Definitive Headquarters?”

  “This is where it all began. It’s the first anomaly. The others are just stabilized sidewinders that splintered from this one. Primary was built around the other end of this one.”

  The answer didn’t satisfy Denefe and left her feeling like a wet rag had suddenly descended over the whole thing. She knew this already from Torenz. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to the place, something hidden below the surface. Perhaps something Jileah didn’t even know. This would be something to pursue again later. She took a hesitant bite of the fake ham, surprised to find it quite realistic. She swallowed, and said, “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen the rift anywhere. I assumed it was just Torenz being cagey.”

  “It’s in the damaged section of the lab.”

  “The one that’s sealed off?”

  Jileah nodded while finishing a piece of toast.

  Another thought hit Denefe. “That was my father’s lab that was sealed off, right? Is there any way I can see it?”

  A doubtful look spread across the nurse’s face as she buttered another piece of toast. “I can check, but don’t hold your breath.”

  “Thanks. It would mean a lot. Torenz has been so cagey. He won’t let me anywhere near my parents’ stuff. I just want to get to know them a little better.” Denefe hated lying to her new friend, but she had to find a way home and her father’s lab just might hold the key.

  Chapter 32

  News

  That night, Denefe stretched her muscles on the rumpled bed as she prepared to go exploring. She bent her right leg back and curled it over the extended left leg. The walk to and from the dining hall had exhausted her. By the time she’d returned to her quarters, her legs were heavy and unwilling to even stand and a deep tremor had shaken her abdomen. She’d opted for her evening meal in her room. Still, it had felt good to use her body again.

  She switched legs. Her long, white hair kept falling in her face. Finally, out of frustration, she coiled it on top of her head and pushed a pencil through it.

  Jileah had brought the evening meal, but instead of leaving afterward, had stayed and chatted. She’d turned out to be a good companion, and Denefe found she liked the nurse’s company a great deal.

  The conversation about the accident had answered a few questions. It explained why the sidewinder had nearly reversed itself in location when she was taken. As this was the original wormhole, all sidewinders, including ones like that which had snatched her, had a connection, somehow, to this region.

  Denefe tucked both feet under her hips and arched backward, putting her upper body weight onto her hands behind her, and stretching her aching abdomen.

  Jileah’s story also confirmed what Torenz had told her—there was no way home through that wormhole. Denefe paused. Unless they lied. That was what she was going to find out shortly.

  She relaxed a moment and then stretched backward again.

  Shifting her mind, she called for Kaleen. Still not receiving an answer, she called Ardense. There was no response there either. Where were they? She sputtered her lips, pushing away the worry. It would be all right in the end. It had to work out, somehow.

  She stretched her abdomen a third time and then reached for Torenz’s mind, listening, but found him completely silent. If he was asleep, there would be fragments of dream thoughts. Either he meditated or he listened also. To his contact or to her?

  Quadruplet, she tried in her mind only. There was no correction within him. Ergo, he wasn’t listening to her. Who was his contact? Was he listening at all? She waited, watching his silence. She couldn’t begin her missio
n if her brother was awake. Patience was Kaleen’s strong suit, not hers. She much preferred beating something senseless until it worked right. That included people. Frustrated, she leaned back onto her pillow to wait.

  Finally, she felt his mind busy itself with the preparations of bed. As it quieted into sleep and disjointed dream thoughts, she stood and moved toward the door. As slowly as she walked, he ought to be deep into his dreams by the time she got halfway down the hall.

  Unlike her Brazil Station, there appeared to be no night shift here. The offices and labs she passed were dark and silent. She liked being the only person out and about. There was something oddly comforting about it.

  She rounded the last corner and gazed upon her destination. Even now she felt the sharp tingles of the rift spiders.

  Ardense’s voice sounded in her mind. “Denefe.”

  She crept toward the shadows of the lab, banging her hip on the sharp corner of the center counter as she moved behind it. A lance of pain shot down her leg to her foot, numbing it. Sucking in her breath, she leaned against the wall behind her and slid to the floor. Light from the hallway spilled into the lab and shadows from scientific equipment made strange dark creatures beside her. She stared at them, rubbed her hip, and asked, “Where are you? What happened? Where’s Kaleen? Is she okay?”

  “Whoa! One at a time. Kaleen’s fine. They let me see her. She’s furious. Cardenza has really gone to bat for her. It looks like she might be released soon.”

  Denefe frowned. “Where are you now?”

  “Cardenza sent me back home again. There’s nothing I could do. He thought it better that I stay near a rift opening to keep in contact with you.” His telepathic voice was soft and it faded in and out from weariness. She concentrated to follow his answer.