by Peter Telep
“Guys, I don’t know what to say.”
“I can’t believe your father talked Joshua into this,” Meeka says. “They’re gonna kill themselves and everyone else. And that’s their plan? Really?”
“Maybe Joshua volunteered for this,” I say, although I’m not sure why I’m defending my father.
“Joshua’s a sage. He’s all about life. Not death.”
“Maybe he’s protecting life.”
Meeka glares. “I don’t think so.”
“So how do we stop them?” I ask.
“Are you talking about the Galleons?” Steffanie asks.
“No, I’m talking about my father and Joshua.”
“Uh, do we want to do that?” Keane asks. “I mean, somebody has to stop the masks.”
“Not like this,” Steffanie says. “How can we get everybody off that ship before they blow it up?”
“That’s the problem,” I say. “They are the ship.”
“I guess once you’re captured, it’s too late for you to connect and block them,” Keane says. “Otherwise, they would’ve done that already.”
“I guess so,” I say.
“What if we turn off their personas?” Meeka asks. “What happens?”
“The ship disintegrates, whatever,” I say. “And then… wait a minute. I know what you’re saying. What if we give them Wrrambien? That would turn off their personas, right?”
“Yeah,” Meeka says. “The Armadis is keeping them alive. If we could get the drug into the system, then the prisoners would be freed and the ship would disappear.”
“Yeah, awesome. That’d leave everyone floating around in space,” Keane points out. “So they all die anyway. And what happens to the Armadis? Maybe nothing… they just send out the masks so they can rebuild the ship.”
I curse. “He’s right.”
“We’re wasting our time,” Keane says. “They already went through this, and they couldn’t figure out how to save the prisoners.”
I rub my sore eyes. “Look, Solomon wants me to join them. If I do, maybe I can be more help on the inside. And maybe I can stop my father, and then you guys can figure out a way to get those people off the ship.”
“Well, that’s not happening,” Meeka says.
“Why not?”
“Because once you turn, you won’t come back. They’ll block you and use Julie to keep you there.”
“Doc, I have an idea,” Hedera says.
We all face her.
She winces. “You might not like it.”
“I’ll listen to anything.”
“All you need is an engine on that ship. You probably can’t save everyone, but at least you could get your friends out.”
“Yeah, but the engine’s huge. We’d have to send up the parts and build it there. They’d stop us way before we could do that.”
Hedera sighs. “I thought there might be a way to send one up there, or maybe build one that’s smaller.”
“I wish we could. Plus, we’d need my father to put it together, and he won’t help. Maybe my grandmother would do it, but yeah, that could take forever.”
“Where’s the ship right now?” Keane asks.
“I assume it’s still in orbit around Flora.”
“I wonder about something…” he begins. “So… our personas are limited to the planet. Only the healing wreath lets us get into orbit, right?”
“Yeah,” I answer.
“So there’s a lot of people still here and here on the planet. Like millions. I’m sure the word’s gone out, so everyone’s watching the skies and loading up on mirage and getting ready to connect so they don’t get captured, right?”
“Yeah?” I ask.
“So we have an army.”
“What do you mean?” Meeka asks.
Keane’s eyes light up. “I mean we go to the Community. We get all those people. We join the healing wreath in orbit. And then we jump from there to the ship and kick some major ass! Oorah!”
Meeka widens her eyes. “Tommy would love that. Of course your plan has no details, but you’re right. We do have an army.”
Steffanie’s hand goes to her mouth—
And she bursts into tears.
“What’s the matter?” I ask.
She can’t answer.
“Come on, Steff, what is it?” Meeka asks.
She swallows and finally says, “I know how we can save everyone. It’ll work!”
Before we can react—
An explosion booms from somewhere outside and rumbles through the entire room, knocking me off the table and throwing the others out of their chairs.
“Stay here!” I scream. I get to my feet and rush into the corridor.
When I look back, everyone’s behind me, so I just curse and keep going, racing to the end of the hall and bursting into the main chamber area.
Joshua’s persona stands there in a white cloak outlined in gold. I can’t lie. He’s a stunning lord, shimmering with power, and his eyes seem even more alien to me.
“Now come with me, Doc. Your father’s waiting for you.”
Joshua seizes my wrist…
And we jump out of there.
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
I’m on the island, standing on the beach in my board shorts. It’s a hot summer day, and my shoulders are already burning as I squint against the sun. I glance down at my body. I’m shorter and skinnier.
“Hey, Doc?” my father shouts from the water. “What’re you waiting for?” He waves me over.
I pad across the burning hot sand, picking up the pace and muttering, “Ow, ow, ow,” as I go.
Finally, I reach the cold, wet sand and let the surf wash around my ankles. I cup a hand around my eyes and watch as my father swims parallel to the shore, his hairy arms swinging high in the air.
He stops and stands. The water rises to his waist. “Are you coming in or not?”
Behind me, the palm trees sway in the wind, and the scorched brown hills roll off into the sky, just as I remember them.
With a little shrug, I splash forward and swim out to my father, who’s lean and tan, his beard much darker, his eyes far less weary. I like him without his glasses.
He smiles. “We’ll have lunch in a little while.”
“Dad, what’re you doing?”
“I’m swimming.”
“Where are we? Really.”
“Tenerife. Don’t overthink it.”
“You’re about to kill everyone, and you’re telling me not to overthink it?”
“Can’t we just be here for a little while?”
“No.”
He starts to choke up. “But this… this is how I want you to remember me.”
“But I won’t.”
“Please, Doc, I want you to know… I never wanted to be the guy who was never around, or the guy who tried too hard to protect you, but we didn’t have normal lives.”
“Does it feel better saying that?”
“I guess not.”
I can’t face him. I glance away and start to cry. He’s a bastard for putting me through this. I could even call him selfish, but he’s right. I don’t want to remember him as a monster—
But that’s what he’ll become…and it’s the price he’ll pay for all of his mistakes.
I doubt anything can change that now.
“Doc, I’m sorry.”
I finally look back at him. “I don’t want your apology. I just want you to listen. We can save everyone who got taken.”
“No, we can’t.”
“I’m telling you, we can. We have a rescue plan you never thought of because you assumed only science geeks like you could figure it out.”
His tone softens. “Doc, believe me, we used the First One’s wreath and the A.I. We exhausted every scenario.”
“But you’ve never looked at the world through our eyes. Maybe if you had, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“I’m sorry, Doc.”
“No, you’re not. You haven’t chang
ed. Not one bit. I’m still the little boy who can’t do anything for himself.”
He lifts his palms in surrender. “Let’s just close our eyes and float here. It’s so peaceful. Nothing can touch us.”
“So none of this bothers you?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Tommy’s your best friend. You’re going to kill him. And what about Grace? It’s easy to kill her, too? Oh, I forgot, she’s already dying, so that does make it easier. And what about Julie? Do you care? Are you even listening?”
His voice cracks. “It’s too late for some of us.”
“Too late for you? Are you a mask?”
“Not yet. I just have one more thing to do. And that’s why we’re here.” He stands, wipes his eyes, and then glances up at the sun for a moment. “My name is Thaddeus Centennial Harrison. I was the husband of Lorinda and Grace, the father of Docherty, and the son of Drakewood and Brandalynn Harrison—”
“No, stop it!” I shout. “Stop it right now.”
“You need to take my immortal. After I become a mask, I can’t give it to you.”
“I won’t take it!”
“Doc!”
“You were supposed to help me!”
“There’s no other way.”
“You’re wrong. You need to let us try!”
“We can’t take that risk.”
“Then I can’t take your immortal. And I won’t just forget you, Dad. I’ll hate you—till the day I die.”
I blink.
And now I’m standing in my father’s hospital room, back at the Hall of Vines.
He’s bandaged and bruised and looking up at me with through swollen, red eyes.
I sense someone behind us and glance over my shoulder at Joshua, who nods, his persona shimmering, his cloak flowing around him.
“I can’t leave you like this,” my father says.
I harden my voice. “Then don’t.”
“Show me your plan.”
“I will. Just give us some time.”
My father looks to Joshua, who takes a deep breath and says, “You know what she’d say, don’t you?”
“I do, but—”
“But we can’t do any of this without her.”
“Who’re we talking about?” I ask.
Joshua widens his eyes on me. “It’s Julie, Doc. She started a rebellion among the masks. The strongest among them are trying to fight back right now.”
“Can we save them, too?”
“I don’t know,” Joshua answers.
“But you’ll let us try?”
Joshua looks to my father, who nods.
“Okay, so can I go back now?” I ask.
My father studies me for a second. “Doc, if we give you that time, will you accept my immortal?”
I start to tremble. “I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“Because… I don’t want you to die.” I glance away and wipe tears from my cheeks.
“They’re coming for him,” Joshua warns us.
“Okay.” I face my father. “I’ll take your immortal. But you need to let me do this, and you need to believe I can.”
More tears flow across his cheeks… and finally… he nods. “Doc, I want you to take your mother’s immortal, too. You need to forgive her, because I already have.”
Forgive her for having an affair with Solomon? I’m not sure I can do that, but I’ll take her immortal because she is my biological mother, and it’s the right thing to do.
I bury my face in my hands as he recites his depardis.
He’s the world’s worst father—but he’s all I have.
His immortal connects with a tingling sensation in my wreath. My mother’s slips in behind it with a surge of heat.
Not a breath later, Joshua shouts my name.
I look up as light flashes. Solomon and three other masks in full armor stand right behind us.
Joshua grabs my hand—
Just as my father explodes in a ball of light that rips through the entire hospital room.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Back at Brandalynn, I ask to be left alone and retreat to the cafeteria. My grandmother has something that tastes like chocolate ice cream, and I dive into the container with an oversized spoon. Hell yeah, it’s time to medicate with food.
I’m torn between crying and feeling glad that my father’s gone and can’t ruin my life anymore.
You should have a father who respects you, one that tells you the truth and wants to see you succeed in everything you do. You should have a father who trusts you.
And worse, my Dad knew he screwed up and there was no way to fix it. He thought he could pretend everything was okay. He thought a few good memories would put a Band-Aid on a lifetime of mistakes.
So now I’m alone. And I’m supposed to live with it.
Thanks, Dad. Thanks a lot.
I need someone to talk to right now, someone like Hollis. I close my eyes and focus on the strongest image I have of him. It’s supposed to be the last image, but I don’t think that matters very much. I exhale and push out, feeling cold pinpricks ripple across my chest.
“Hello, Doc,” he says, glistening to life and sitting across from me. It’s good to hear his voice again and the accent that sounds vaguely Australian.
He slides up his glasses and flicks his ponytail over his shoulder. This time he’s in the military gear he wore back at the Palladium, but we both know he’s not a solider. He was scientist, just like my father.
“Hollis, my dad’s gone.”
His mouth falls open. “Oh, Doc. I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Well, technically, he’s not dead. He’s become a Mask of Galleon.”
“I’m not sure what that means—”
“It means he’s not human. He pushed his entire essence into his persona.”
Hollis tightens his lips and nods. “Again, I’m sorry.”
“You knew him better than anyone, right?”
He flinches a little. “I knew him well.”
“He’s been keeping secrets. It’s like there’s some big plan he’s following, and he can’t tell us about it.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Why not?”
“It was the same at the lab. Parts of the research he said he could never reveal. At first we assumed everything was classified, but then one day I came to work, and there he was, sitting at his desk, balling his eyes out.”
“Why?”
“He said he hated himself for all the secrets. But there was no other way, and it had nothing to do with the government.”
“Hollis, can you tell me what’s going on?”
He sighs. “I wish I could, but I don’t know anything.”
“Aw, man, I don’t want to hate him, but I feel like we’re all being used.”
“Doc, I knew your father. I knew his character. Whatever his plans were, I think he was trying to help. He was a good man. He wasn’t perfect, but he meant well.”
“I wish I could believe that.”
“Give it time. And I know that’s not easy. Your father’s gone. He can’t redeem himself. He can’t even apologize anymore. And worst of all, maybe he still can’t tell any of us what he was doing and why he couldn’t talk about it. But to all of us back at the lab, he was a genius, and we knew he wouldn’t keep secrets unless they were important.”
“Yeah, whatever. I wish Tommy was my father. Or you. Why did it have to be him?”
“Let’s hope that a day comes when you’ll be really proud to be his son.”
“I’m not holding my breath.”
“Have you forgotten everything he did for me? He was like my brother. He took a risk on me. He taught me so much, and he trusted me with his entire life, with you. Does a terrible man do that?”
I’m about to answer when—
“You okay?”
Embarrassed, I quickly pull back Hollis and turn to face Meeka, who’s standing in the doorway.
“U
h, you want some?” I ask, holding up my spoon still covered in that ice cream stuff.
“You got it all over your face.”
I wipe my mouth on my arm. “I was just…”
“It’s okay. I get it. Anyway… they’re waiting.”
I glance down at the table and the tears fall. “He did it to himself, you know? It’s not my fault.”
“No, it’s not.”
I put down the spoon. She wipes away my tears.
“I want to kiss you,” she tells me. “But I won’t.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not fair to you now.”
“Can I tell you something?”
She nods.
“I should’ve listened to you. About everything.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You’re a good person, Doc. You give people the benefit of the doubt, even people like me and Steffanie who tried to kill you.” She takes a deep breath and sighs. “Me? I just shut them all out. It’s easier. But what you do takes real strength. Not everyone is worth trusting, but because of you we got this far—because we trusted the ivies, because we trusted Pace’s caravan, and because we did everything the opposite of how I’d do it.”
I rise from the table, and she immediately comes in and gives me a hug. I hang on tightly, breathing her in, never wanting to let go.
* * *
I thought I knew a lot about communities and connections on Flora, but it turns out I know very little.
The Hood, where teenagers connect and hang out, is actually one of thousands all over the planet. It’s a virtual collection of places based upon our imaginations, and it’s managed by kids who volunteer as administrators.
The Community, however, is a much larger and very real place where everyone on the planet gathers via one massive connection that’s less personal and more public, with no invitation required.
As you’d expect, you can only comprehend it in pieces as you jump around it.
Imagine an entire mountain range covered in personas.
Or an entire ocean jam-packed with swimmers rubbing shoulders like they do during a triathlon.
Or an entire desert whose dunes vanish beneath millions of shimmering souls.
There are other places, too, like the ruins around the major cities, along with the great forests like those in the Highlands, where the mawzz and the grren and the schmemmers live.
