Switzer turned to me. “And?”
“On the Renaissance, they messed with your genetics to create a Space Jumper who would be the Tonat. Then they made me. You were supposed to be . . . well, let’s say that when the ship was attacked, they didn’t have time to finish with their experiments and you were born. They made you who you are and they should be responsible for you. You should be out there learning to be a Space Jumper. Enjoying your life. Preparing for great things.”
“But somehow I’m stuck in here, regretting my every waking moment.” Switzer turned and looked at me. “And don’t think that an apology is enough, Dumbwire.”
He was right. Words weren’t going to change anything. I stood up and marched toward the door.
“Drapling. You have to let him out. Let Switzer study with the Space Jumpers. Let him go with the Trust.
“I will not let Switzer roam free,” he insisted.
“The Trust will take him away from the Rings of Orbis. He won’t stay here. He’ll leave Orbis. I know he will.” I turned to Switzer. “Won’t you?”
“Forget it. He’s not going to do it,” Switzer mumbled.
“Drapling, Switzer’s wanted to leave here ever since he knew about the Rings of Orbis. He has the same genetic enhancements I have, so let him fulfill his role as a Space Jumper. You owe that to him, Drapling. It’s the right thing to do. He deserves at least that, not a life like this.”
Drapling stood up and walked toward the force field.
“Fine,” he said. “But with one condition.”
“Anything,” I replied.
“You go with him.”
I returned to my room and found Max kneeling in front of my sleeper with half a dozen tools scattered about the room. She had the front panel of my sleeper on her lap and was picking through a fistful of knotted wires.
“I don’t know why that makes me nervous,” I said.
“Should you be?” she asked without looking up, and then placed the ball of wire between her teeth. With her hands free, she snapped the plastic panel back into place and snatched a laser drill off the floor to secure her handiwork. She looked satisfied and stood up, tossed the wires onto the sleeper, and turned to me.
“Don’t I need those?” I asked.
“You could have let me know you were back,” she said.
I walked toward her and took her hand.
“I’m sorry, Max. I really am.”
“What happened?”
What was I going to say? I knew too much now. Should I tell Max that her entire existence was a mistake? Should I tell her that the Trust had messed up and she was never meant to be alive? The life that she and the others had suffered on Orbis was all because of Ketheria and me. What about the others, who I hadn’t seen since we arrived? What were they suffering?
“I went to see Switzer,” I told her.
“What?”
“He shouldn’t be there, Max.”
Max pulled away, but it felt like someone had chopped my hand off. “What caused this turn of events, JT? You’ve hated him ever since you were born. He tried to kill you. He was directly involved in Charlie’s death and who knows what else? Trust me: he’s supposed to be wherever he is.”
“It’s not his fault, Max.”
“What do you mean? I can’t believe you can even say that. It’s certainly not your fault. I don’t get this, JT. You went to see Switzer instead of coming to see me? Ketheria I could understand, but him?”
“Max, you don’t understand.”
“Apparently I don’t. I had no idea what happened to you. First you start going crazy, then someone tries to assassinate Ketheria, and then, bang, you’re gone, too! I was going crazy wondering what happened to you. If it wasn’t for Theodore telling me you were all right, I don’t know what I would have done.”
“Theodore told you I was here?”
“Don’t get mad at him. He was just being a good friend.”
“Some friend,” I mumbled.
“You could take a few lessons from him, Johnny Turnbull.”
Max turned and walked out of my room. I didn’t try to stop her. Maybe it was the best thing, anyway. I didn’t have a clue how to tell her that I was leaving.
Ketheria returned the next cycle along with an army of Space Jumpers and a half dozen Nagool masters.
“This isn’t good,” Theodore said as we watched Ketheria’s entourage pile into the antechamber of her room. I caught Queykay watching from down the corridor. He did not look happy.
“What do you mean?” I asked Theodore.
“All those Space Jumpers, JT. The Council is having a fit. They’re saying that the Keepers have broken the treaty.” Theodore glanced toward Queykay. “Look at him. I would stay out of his way if I were you.”
“But I thought most of the people on the rings loved this OIO stuff. Isn’t Ketheria their leader now or something?”
“Not really. The OIO philosophy is basically a set of tools to aid in enlightenment. The Scion acts as a seed. Her purpose is to awaken the Universe and help it protect itself against the Knull. I can understand why the Council is nervous. Who’s going to listen to them now?”
I turned toward Theodore. “Where did you learn this stuff?” I asked him.
Theodore grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away from the crowd. He stopped when it appeared no one could hear him. “From Grace and Diablo.”
“Diablo?”
“That’s what he’s calling himself now.”
“And you know this because?”
“I have joined their group. Max started it, actually.”
“What group?”
“Shhh!” Theodore pulled me farther down the corridor, but I didn’t think anyone could hear us anyway.
“We call ourselves Knudnik Nation. We’re convinced that if the Citizens go to war against the Keepers again and we, the knudniks, work behind the scenes to undermine the Citizens’ efforts, then we can sway the outcome of the war. Do you know how much business on these rings is dependent upon knudniks? Just by collectively refusing to work, we could bring the Citizens’ cycle-to-cycle activity to a halt. We have so much power! We simply need to unite. Our biggest hurdle is to get the word out. The taps have helped. Max has hacked into them and we’ve begun leaving little messages after the original propaganda. They’re only viewed once and then the tap is destroyed. There’s no way it can come back to us.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was as if someone had shone a light on Theodore. He had been in the room all along, but no one had ever noticed him. Theodore was empowered by this mission in a manner I had never seen.
“Well, what do you think? Join us. We could use your softwire abilities. You could use it to spread the message and connect to the other rings inside the central computer. Even Vairocina could help.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think I can,” I told him.
“Why not? Max is there. She’s practically our leader. I think Ketheria would actually promote it. She knows how evil the Citizens are; that’s why the Council is so afraid of her.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
How was I going to explain to Theodore that I was leaving to become a Space Jumper in order to free the one person we had both despised? Our hate for Switzer was a common bond that Theodore and I had shared our entire lives. If I told him now, I knew I would be hurting our friendship, maybe permanently.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “Of course I’ll join. Are you crazy? When do they meet? Is it soon? I’ll come with you.”
“That’s golden, JT. I knew I could count on you. This is going to strengthen our effort like you can’t believe. We meet in Murat next cycle. I don’t have the location yet, but I’ll let you know the moment I do.”
“Sure,” I said, and motioned back toward Ketheria. “I want to check on my sister. I still haven’t seen her yet.”
“Oh, of course. Go. Do you want me to say anything to Max for you? We’re going to de
liver some more taps.”
“You and Max?”
“And a bunch of us,” he said.
“No,” I replied. “I have to deal with Max myself. It’s only fair.”
“I’ll tell her you’re with Ketheria; she’ll understand,” he said as he turned away.
“No!” I yelled after him. “Don’t say anything else. Please. Let me deal with Max.”
“All right, but remember: say nothing. To anyone.”
I nodded as I watched Theodore trot down the corridor in the opposite direction of Queykay. I was jealous. I wanted to be going to see Max. I wanted to make plans with them, but all I was going to do was disappoint Max and Theodore. I couldn’t tell them. Not yet. I needed a better reason, one that everyone would understand and one that would not expose the fact the each and every kid from the Renaissance was never meant to be alive.
Inside the first chamber of Ketheria’s room, I found two Nagools discussing something quietly. They both looked up when I entered and smiled. I returned the gesture.
“We welcome your participation,” the one Nagool said, his voice like still water.
“And thank you for your decision,” the other added.
“You’re welcome,” I muttered. Truth was, Nagools made me nervous. I didn’t understand them, and I didn’t want to. In fact, I didn’t really know what they did. I made a mental note to ask Ketheria.
Inside Ketheria’s main room, I found my sister sitting up in her bed. Seated on the far side were Theylor and another Keeper I had never seen before. This Keeper had only one head. I had never seen that before, either.
“Hello, Johnny Turnbull,” Theylor said when I entered.
“Hi, Theylor. I didn’t know you were here.”
“I wanted to make sure your sister was comfortable. She has been through a great deal.”
“Hi, Ketheria,” I whispered.
She smiled weakly, her eyelids looking heavy upon her eyes. I saw a yellow bandage wrapped around her left shoulder and arm. Tiny sensors protruded from the bandage, and one of those blue med-lights glowed in a semicircle over the headboard of her sleeper. Seeing my sister wounded by some unknown attacker only reinforced my decision to become a Space Jumper. Suddenly, my own desires seemed selfish and childish to me. Was I feeling this way because of their genetic tampering? No, I thought. Ketheria needed me. No one had to alter any part of me to understand that.
“Does anyone know what happened?” I asked Theylor. I moved closer to my sister and let my fingertips caress her hand. She felt warm.
“She was attacked by a long-range plasma rifle,” he informed me. “The most disturbing aspect is that our security sensors never picked it up.”
“What does that mean?”
“Someone had to program the sensors around her platform to ignore the signature of that weapon.”
“Who?”
“Our first suspicion was that someone close to her had done it. Someone with access to the platform, but we have questioned everyone. I am afraid that we have found nothing.” The Keeper stood up and walked toward me. “Your acceptance will go a long way to eliminate these holes in their security. I am confident you will rise to be the greatest Tonat ever. An achievement only possible as Ketheria’s brother.”
“So you know about my plans?” I said.
“This is a great cycle for everyone. I am proud of you.”
“Let’s hope I can live up to the hype,” I said.
“You will,” he said, and then Theylor and the single-headed alien slipped away, leaving me with Ketheria.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Don’t thank me yet. I haven’t told you about the details.”
Ketheria closed her eyes and attempted to smile.
“You know?”
She nodded.
“Aren’t you upset?”
“I’m proud of you as well. To put your hatred aside and seek a path to help undo the misfortune set upon another — a person with whom you have such a tattered history. I couldn’t be more happy, JT.”
“I’m afraid,” I told her.
“I know that as well.”
“Not just for me, but about what Max will think.”
Ketheria winced as the light around her bed pulsed red.
“Don’t talk anymore,” I whispered, and helped her to lie on her pillow. “Get your rest.” But I don’t think she heard me. Whoever was monitoring Ketheria had put her to sleep as soon as the pain registered. I stood over the bed and watched my sister rest. Such a little girl with such an enormous responsibility, I thought. How could I not protect her? Whatever the Universe had planned for Ketheria, I knew in my heart that she needed me. I had made the right decision. Now I had three cycles to convince Max of my decision before I left the Rings of Orbis.
It simply wasn’t enough time.
When I left Ketheria’s room, I found the two Nagools still waiting outside. One of them drifted my way when Ketheria’s door closed behind me.
“She’s sleeping,” I whispered.
The Nagool simply reached into his robe and removed something with the OIO symbol marked on one side. He handed it to me.
“What’s this?” I asked, turning the card over in my hand.
“It’s an OIO key,” he replied.
“What do you do with it?”
“It’s simply a reflection of the energy that is moving through you right now. Use this gift as you see fit.”
“Um, thanks, I guess.”
When he turned back to the other Nagool, I slipped past them and returned to my room. I flopped on my sleeper and looked at the OIO key. I turned it over and brushed my fingers over the raised letters. I tried to push into the thing, thinking it was some sort of computer device, but there was nothing. It was simply a piece of plastic. It read:
Many entities in this universe feed on fear. They seek out fear, and when they find it, they encourage it. Their efforts are often subtle but effective, and you are completely unaware of their presence.
Understand that your fears are learned and compounded by others around you. Simply let this energy pass through your nodes and do not give it attention, as this fear is not yours.
Fear Nothing.
I read the words again. There was something in their meaning that struck a chord deep within me, like the music I enjoyed so much. It felt like the OIO key was speaking directly to me, as if the author had followed me my entire life, experienced everything I had, and eavesdropped on that inner voice that only I heard. Is this what OIO was all about?
I read the card one more time. The words empowered me. They allowed me to release the ownership of my fears and look at my needs with intense clarity.
It was time to talk to Max.
Before I even placed my feet on the floor, there was a knock at my door.
“Come in,” I said, hoping it was Max. The door disappeared, and Hach entered my room.
“I’ve been informed about your decision,” he said. “I am pleased by this, especially after the incident with your sister.”
“It was a little more than an incident,” I pointed out. “Someone tried to kill her. Someone who might even be involved with this place.”
Hach checked the door. He seemed nervous. “So you know? This is the reason for my visit. The Trading Council believes that one of you — one of the humans — is responsible for the attempt on your sister’s life.”
“One of us!” I jumped off my sleeper. “Are you crazy?”
“May I remind you that I am still your Guarantor? And please keep your voice down. I understand the mood of many of the knudniks and the new Citizens on Orbis 4. I hear the whispers of war. Many feel cheated and rightly so, but it is no reason to upset the balance that we have worked so hard to maintain on these rings.”
“At the expense of others,” I reminded him.
Hach could only nod.
“Has anyone looked at the Council?” I asked.
“Don’t be ridiculous. The Council needs the Sci
on.”
“So what are you getting at?”
Hach checked the door again. “At first I, too, thought it might be the Council that staged the attempt on the Scion. It certainly helps their position. But Queykay informed me that someone has been tampering with the taps. A concerned Citizen returned one to us, but the additional information had been wiped. I have authorities attempting to retrieve the missing data and trace the source of the tampering, but I must assume that one of the renegade groups of Citizens on 4 has something to do with this. My concern is that a few of you my have been persuaded to join their ranks.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“If this is true, I can only warn you that such an action is a threat to their lives.”
What had Theodore gotten himself into? Then I remembered: it wasn’t just him. Max was involved, too, and so were Grace and that other kid.
“You look as is if you have just remembered something,” Hach said.
I stared at Hach and tried to put on my best liar’s face. “I don’t know anything. Look, I’ll be gone in a few cycles. My new training should help me track this person. It’s not one of us, I assure you. I’ll find whoever it is — I promise.”
“That’s good, because that is your job now. You are the Tonat. Even if you discover that your friends are the culprits, Queykay will make you punish them. He may not own you, but he will use you.” Hach turned to leave. “Get some rest,” he said. “You look tired.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as the door closed. I fell back onto my sleeper. What had I done? I couldn’t leave my friends with Queykay. I needed to know what he knew. I jumped off my sleeper and peeked out the door to make sure Hach was gone. I slipped into the corridor but realized I had no idea where Queykay stayed when he was here, if he even was here.
“Vairocina?” I whispered.
“Yes, JT.”
“Do you know where Queykay rests when he visits us?”
“Not exactly, but I do know there is a section of your building accessible only by council members.”
“Can you help me locate it?”
“It’s only for council members,” she reminded me.
“That’s never stopped us before.”
Awakening on Orbis Page 11
