Dimension Drift

by Christina Bauer

  “That’s why it wasn’t an idea,” says the Scythe. “It was an order.” He leans forward in his chair. “One minute remains before noon, Meimi. Do I call my contacts at the Merciless, or do you try to run? You won’t get a half mile before someone picks you up, you know.”

  I’ve heard people talk about their heads spinning, but I literally feel like my brain is on a tilt-a-whirl. I press my palms onto my temples, hoping I can squeeze some clear thoughts into my skull.

  All I can think is that I have thirty seconds left.

  “All right,” I say quickly. “I can have a portable prototype to you by midnight.” With Chloe, I’d have this done this in half the time, but whatever. Beggars can’t be choosers and all that.

  “Excellent.” The Scythe taps a few buttons on his desktop. “Fritz, cover things up for Meimi as we discussed.”

  Fritz’s familiar voice echoes into the room. “Yes, sir.”

  “Glad we could come to an arrangement.” The Scythe still looks like he fell out of a magazine ad, only this time it would be for “Smarmy Guys Who Got What They Wanted” Magazine. “I’ll send Fritz to pick up the prototype from your home at midnight.” He gestures toward the door. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have some calls to make in order to assist Fritz in covering up things for you. There are some men at the Merciless who will be very pleased to learn their bank accounts have miraculously increased, in exchange for wiping your science crime away.”

  “Thank you.” I don’t wait for more chatter. After grabbing the briefcase, I haul butt toward the exit. With every step, the same question keeps repeating through my mind.

  Am I doing the right thing? Who wants to build drift voids on demand…and why?

  In the end, I decide there’s no point in worrying. Whatever the reason, building this prototype is the only way to keep Mom alive and me away from the Merciless. I’ll put safeguards on my safeguards. This won’t be me handing over the keys to destroying the world.

  At least, I hope not.

  Chapter Seven

  The moment I step outside the Scythe’s door, Fritz sets another sack over my head. I don’t gasp or put up a fight. Why bother? Get me out of here already. In no time, I’m back outside and hoofing it toward my ruined factory home.

  I jog all the way back, the briefcase held tightly against my chest. The sidewalks are busted up and covered in trash. Not a problem. I’ve been side-stepping this stuff since I was a kid. As I race along, I plan through how I’ll build the prototype. In my mind, I see the different components from my lab lining up inside the briefcase. Lines of code flicker through my head…the precise stuff I’ll need in order to drive the device.

  I’ll even put a big red button on top to make it clear how to start the process off. I’m a fan of big red buttons. Never let it be said that someone doesn’t know how to start one of my creations.

  By the time I reach my back door, some kind of greenish drizzle has started to fall. I flip up the metal door that covers my security pad and freeze.

  Someone’s upgraded our security system. There are no more codes to enter. Instead there’s a pad for placing your hand to confirm identity. There’s even a retinal scanner installed as a double layer of security.

  My heart jumps into my throat. This enhanced security system makes me feel less secure than ever before. Mostly because I didn’t build it and Chloe is still at school. A sinking feeling settles into my stomach. That leaves one likely candidate. Thorne. The thought makes my breath hitch.

  As soon as I think of Thorne, I dismiss the idea. He’s still back at school, too.

  No, if anyone upgraded the system, it was on orders from the Scythe. The crime lord does this every so often, saying it’s a nice surprise to help keep me safe. Liar. He does it so he always has access to my house.

  I set my palm against the scanner. Green lights flicker—both across my palm and into my eyes—before a smooth feminine voice speaks.

  “Welcome home, Meimi.” With that, the back door opens automatically.

  Wow. A new security system that actually works. This should be a good thing. So why have I broken out in a sweat?

  Rushing inside, I make my way to the kitchen. Mom is still seated at her favorite chair, staring out the window. Mrs L is at the table, downing a cup of tea. She’s an old muffin of a woman who looks up as I approach. “Meimi.”

  “Hi, Mrs L. How’s Mom?”

  “Same as always.” She purses her lined mouth. “You’re home early.”

  “We only had a half day today at school in order to...uh…”

  “What, dear?”

  I’m a scientist, not a professional liar. “To celebrate President Hope’s birthday.”

  “That was last month.”

  “Well, we’re still celebrating.” I stalk around the kitchen, scanning for more signs of unapproved security upgrades. “Everything okay in here?”

  “Both your mother and I are fine.”

  “So who changed the security system on the back door?”

  “It was that nice young man Thorne. He’s rather handy.”

  “Oh.” With that news, a bunch of emotions battle it out inside me. There’s anger that Thorne came back to my home after he specifically said he wouldn’t. Fear that he’s doing something to put us all at risk. And finally, there’s something else entirely: a fluttery feeling inside my chest that I can’t place at all.

  “Where is he?” I ask.

  “Down in your workroom.”

  “Oh.” For some reason, that’s all I can get out.

  “Why don’t you go say hello?” She lowers her voice. “He’s so handsome, I assumed he was one of Luci’s old beaus. But the way he was talking about you, I’m not so sure he wants to be Luci’s anymore, if you know what I mean.”

  “Why? What did he say?” I hate the desperate edge to my voice. I don’t care about some handsome guy who follows me around and enhances my security systems. What difference does it make if Chloe and Zoe say he’s cute? This is creepy.

  “He said something about you helping a teacher at school.”

  “Right.” I stopped Lead Camper Dave from killing himself with a drift void. “I’ll just go to my workroom now, I guess.”

  “What’s in your briefcase?”

  “Nothing.” Which is the truth, so why do I sound so guilty about it?

  “Be careful, Meimi. Only people in New Boston can afford freshly manufactured things like that. The rest of us wait for the garbage reclamation crews to clear out old landfills. You don’t want to attract attention.”

  “Believe it or not, this briefcase is so I can be sure I don’t attract attention.”

  Mrs L sips her tea. “If you say so.”

  There’s no point arguing with Mrs L anymore. Once she gets to “if you say so,” it means her mind is made up. My next step is clear.

  I have to face Thorne, get him out of my lab, and build my prototype.

  Why does that thought make my fluttery insides worse?

  Still clutching the briefcase, I leave the kitchen and enter the main room. The massive vats never looked so tall or menacing. It takes a force of will to cross the factory floor and head down the circular metal steps that lead to the basement levels. My lab is in the old boiler room. The systems don’t heat anything anymore, but the climate has changed so much since this building was created, we don’t need a boiler.

  I reach the bottom of the stairs and push open the heavy metal door. Inside, my lab is a mess of wires, computer parts, and souped-up monoliths. Before, I’d thought my place would be pretty sad compared to what I’d imagined my mom’s lab to be like. Now, I can appreciate my workroom for the little slice of awesome that it is.

  Plus, everything here has that sheen of rust over concrete that I love. My particle eraser creates a clean zone for my work, so it’s really the best of both worlds. A massive boiler sits against the far wall. In front of it kneels Thorne who’s now elbow deep into one of my monoliths. The guy doesn’t even look up as I a
pproach.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask.

  His attention stays focused on something inside the monolith. “Upgrading systems.”

  “I told you to go.”

  “When?”

  “This morning. I said you should leave, and you said ‘right.’”

  “Right.”

  “So why are you here? And who asked you to upgrade my systems anyway? And how come you followed me to school? I thought Mom summoned you to find Luci.”

  “Those are a lot of questions.”

  This guy is infuriating. “So start answering.”

  Thorne stops fiddling around inside the monolith to look up at me. He’s all square jaw, brush-cut hair, and intense brown eyes. Fine. I’m girl enough to admit that I find him crazy-attractive. He has this quiet strength that’s downright addictive. Ever since Luci left, it’s just been me trying to figure things out on my own. Shouldering all the responsibility. Now, there’s this strange and totally powerful-seeming guy who has my back. Fixing stuff. Watching out for me. Part of me likes it.

  More of me thinks it’s dangerous.

  I sit down across from him. I’m still a sweaty, nasty mess, but I’m a determined one. “Answers. Now.”

  “Ask.”

  “You’re here from what? Another dimension.”

  He bobs his head from side to side. “Close enough.”

  “You look human, so I’m guessing that you’re from a parallel Earth in another dimension.”

  “I’m from a parallel world, Meimi.” His gaze locks with mine. “My people exist in another dimension. I may look like you, but I’m not human.”

  Surprise and adrenaline course through me. “So, you’re really an alien?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  I wrap my arms around my knees. “Mom said that your father was from another world, but you didn’t have horns or wings or anything…”

  His brows draw together. “Horns?”

  Nice one, Meimi.

  “That sounded better in my head.” I let out a long breath. “Look, all day I haven’t thinking about much beyond checking on Luci and not dying at school. I guess I just put everything else out of my mind.”

  Now, it’s back, and then some.

  Every neuron in my brain goes into overload. This has officially become too much. First, there’s working the drift with my mother this morning. Then, school and the Scythe. Now, there’s definitely an alien in my basement.

  “Meimi.” Thorne’s voice is very close and deep. “Look up, please.”

  It takes a serious effort to force myself to meet his gaze. I don’t know when it happened, but I’m pretty sure I started crying. Thorne is now kneeling before me. His big brown eyes are filled with sympathy. That’s the part that does me in. I’m not used to sympathy. And it’s that look in his eyes, above everything else, that I blame for the fact that I stay put and don’t run screaming, Aliens! Aliens!

  Little by little, Thorne reaches toward me, stopping when his palm rests on my cheek. There’s an electric sensation where our skin touches. Some kind of energy fills the air between us again. I’m no expert at attraction, so maybe it’s that. But something here feels deeper. Different. Tangible. And most impossible of all, familiar. I lean in to his touch. A question tumbles from my lips. I didn’t mean to ask it, but once I speak the words aloud, I know it’s what my heart most needs to know.

  “Why aren’t you looking for Luci?”

  He swallows. “You.”

  That doesn’t seem possible. Guys would chase Luci, but never me. If Thorne is interested, it’s because he wants something. “Is it because I summoned you with a drift void?” The incident from school appears in my mind. “Or is it because I can see drift voids at all?”

  Thorne slowly lowers his hand, brushing his fingertips along my bare arm. The barest touch feels sends shock waves through my system. “No.”

  Somehow, the two of us got even closer. We’re both on our knees, our chests inches apart. Not sure how that happened, but I can’t seem to make myself move away. “Then why?”

  Thorne’s fingertips brush across my shoulder once more, and then he drops his hand. The loss of his touch makes me shiver. “Because you saved that human teacher.”

  “My teacher?” On reflex, I scooch away from Thorne. “You called him human.” The words are out there but unsaid. You called him human, and you’re not.

  A long pause follows before Thorne speaks again. “Tell me what happened when you left school.”

  There’s a moment that seems to stretch out for hours while I consider what to say. I keep staring at my hands for some reason. No words come.

  Thorne sets his knuckle underneath my chin, guiding my gaze to his. When he speaks, his voice is gentle. “I want to help you. Can you trust in that?”

  His words ricochet through my soul. Can I trust in him? Finally, I find I can speak again. “Most times, when I see drift voids, they’re all black. But sometimes, there’s another color in there. Today, at school, the void held a little bit of red. That’s why I knew the teacher would die if he touched it. Sometimes—very rarely—there will be some silver sparkling inside the void. It’s like starlight. And those drift voids bring good things with them. Healing. A winning lottery ticket.”

  Thorne runs his fingertip along my jawline. It’s really soothing. “Go on.”

  “And whenever those good drift voids appear, it’s always with this kind of energy in the air. Excitement, attraction…I don’t know what to call it. But it’s the same feeling I get sometimes when I’m with you. I couldn’t place it before, but now I can.” I grip his wrist. “So yes, I trust you.”

  He grins, and these adorable dimples appear in his cheeks. “Thank you, Meimi.”

  “When Mom and I summoned you this morning, we set off some alarms with our government. And not good alarms. I could be locked up or executed for what I did. Regular citizens like me aren’t supposed to use science. So I left school to make a deal with a local crime lord, the Scythe. He’s agreed to bury the evidence of what happened. In exchange, I need to build a drift void prototype by midnight tonight.”

  Another flicker of a smile. “Do you want some help?”

  “Yes, I would.” My face burns with feelings I don’t know how to name. “I have to build a situational drift void prototype by midnight and shove it into that briefcase.” I point to the object in question, which I left lying on the floor. “Know about stuff like that?”

  “Yes again.” This time, Thorne follows that up with a full smile. It’s stunning. Little crinkle lines form by his eyes and everything. My head gets a little woozy.

  “Good.” I rub my forehead and try to focus on something other than his smile. “I have some diagrams on my worktable. We can adapt them.”

  Thorne steps over to my ancient music player. I scavenged this from parts I found in a dumpster outside New Boston. The thing is covered with scratch marks and food stains of indeterminate origin, but it works. “Music?” he asks.

  “Yes, I always need tunes when I work.”

  Thorne purses his lips and presses the Play button. Revival rock blares from the speaker. This stuff is about fifty years old, but since there’s no music industry any more, I’m happy to find whatever. The lead singer screeches out the lyrics to a remake of “Seven Nation Army.” I wince. “Too loud?”

  Another one of Thorne’s dazzling smiles comes my way. “Perfect.”

  I’ve never had anyone in my lab. Luci always worked with Mom. I’m not sure how it would be with anyone else, but for me and Thorne? It’s like an intricate dance. He takes apart an exotic matter detector; I write code for a power burst. We don’t talk. Every once in a while, our hands or bodies brush, and I’d be a liar if I didn’t say that I totally noticed it. Thorne is solid everything. Thought. Muscle. Confidence.

  Some small voice in the back of my head says that after this prototype is built, I’ll need to have him stop helping me and go find Luci. Something about that image of he
r still doesn’t sit right with me. But I ignore those thoughts.

  The prototype has to get built first.

  The hours stream by, and before I know it, I’m installing my big red button atop the sealed briefcase. The rest of the interior is a knot of circuit boards and wires. It’s ugly, but it will create a massive drift void at midnight on Saturday night at the Learning Squirrel High School. Based on the size and power source, the school might be damaged, so I’ve focused the power on Lead Camper Dave’s double-wide. It’s the most rundown on the compound anyway, and no one goes near the school on weekends.

  I still hate everything about this, though. What if the Scythe’s client can scan into the briefcase somehow and figure out how I built it? I don’t know what kind of scumbag I’m helping out with this. But I keep reminding how Thorne and I put in fail-safes on our fail-safes. And this prototype will keep Mom protected and alive. In the end, I decide that there are no good choices here, only faith in my own abilities.

  I decide to trust myself as well.

  When midnight comes around, the new security system starts talking through a freshly installed comm unit on the wall.

  “Meimi, someone at the back entrance.”

  The smooth voice startles me out of writing instructions for the Scythe. I punch off the music and turn to Thorne. “I got this. It’s Farmer Fritz.”

  “I won’t be far.”

  I nod, close up the briefcase, and high-tail it to the back door. The green rain is pounding now. When I open the back door, Farmer Fritz looks like a drowned swamp rat.

  “You got it, ya?” he asks in his fake accent.

  “Yes, instructions are here.” I hand him a padded envelope and then turn over the briefcase. “I still hate the idea of anyone having this.”

  “Don’t worry, our client isn’t going to use it.” Fritz shoots me a look that almost seems guilty, but it’s gone too quickly to be sure.

  “Actually, that makes me more nervous than before. I figured the Scythe wanted to sell this to someone who’d actually use the thing. What’s this really about?”

  Fritz shoves the briefcase and envelope under his coat and then turns away. I watch him trudge off into the night.