Lost Hope (The Bridge Sequence Book Three)

by Nathan Hystad

  “The Zalt care nothing for the bond of a child.” She grabbed my collar. “Give me the last Token.”

  I reached for it and left the bag of leaves in my pocket. She snatched it from me, shoving me aside. I flew against the wall, my head snapping against the rock.

  She slid it into place, and I noticed it was upside down. I grinned, hoping this would work. If I could isolate her, I might fulfill my plan. “Rotate it one eighty.”

  Bev did as I suggested. Wind overtook the room, and I peered up, seeing an opening materialize in the ceiling. Stars glittered above, and a rush of blue light circled through the hole, swirling around the basement room.

  ____________

  Marcus watched the light go from red to green. “It worked!” he shouted at his allies, and they gave each other a high-five. The duo had smoked like chimneys the past half hour, chatting absently.

  “Can you use it?” Bill shouted.

  The tablet rested on a tray embedded near the top of the hub, and Marcus reached for it. The heat almost seared his skin. The light emitting from the Umir hub was brighter, and it pulsed as if an outside force magnified it.

  He seized the tablet and held it despite the heat. “Come on.” He pressed the power button and waited a second before letting go. The screen was dark. He was about to repeat the action when the display lit up.

  “Okay.” He checked the time on the countdown. They had forty minutes. He switched to the map, finding eighty percent of the world’s Umirs were in place. The network was nearly linked to full completion. He spied two Umir, one in Japan and one in Panama, still disconnected.

  “Did you do it?” Evan asked through a haze of blue cigarette smoke.

  “Would you two shut up for a second?” Marcus yelled. He typed commands with shaky fingers, still mounted on the hub. He considered climbing down, but that would risk dropping the tablet or falling.

  There it was. The program Jessica had turned on only a day ago. Marcus tried to kill the hub, but the screen flashed red. It failed. “It’s not listening…”

  “Shit. Marcus, we have to do something!” Evan stated the obvious.

  “I’m coming.” He clutched the handhold in the robot’s shoulder and lowered his arm, passing the tablet to Bill. Marcus descended as fast as he dared and landed on the dirt with his oversized boots. “Gimme that.”

  He stared at the schematics and realized the solution. “Guys, this is going to suck, but we need to detonate its core,” he said.

  “Will that work?” Bill asked.

  “I have no idea. But the hull isn’t strong enough to withstand a force like that, not when it’s unrolled from the sphere form. It appears that the hub needs to be extended for the signal to be at its peak, and we only have a few minutes to do this.” Marcus wiped sweat from his brow. It was getting hot under this shield. Fire raged for miles as a result of the detonation.

  “If we blow this thing up, and we’re inside the shield, what does that mean for us?” Evan asked.

  “We die.” Marcus lacked any emotion as he said it.

  “Okay. Do it.” Evan glanced at Bill, who nodded his agreement.

  Marcus pointed at the immobile sphere a few yards away. “I’ll need your help hauling that Umir.”

  ____________

  Rimia. The instant we landed, it was obvious where we were. I’d only experienced the Bridge once, but I recognized the feeling. I was still shocked that the duplicated cavern had actually worked as a replacement for the Porto access point.

  Beverly stood tall, spinning in a slow circle. “How do we get out?”

  I showed her, passing the corridor to the giant glass dome. There were signs of the beds Clayton and my father had used while awaiting their rescue.

  “This is Rimia,” I whispered.

  Beverly stared past the dome, to the ruined city in the distance. “It’s been so long.”

  “You lived here?”

  “Once. Ages ago.”

  “Why did you leave?”

  “The planet couldn’t sustain us. We needed more. Earth. Kabos. A final resting place.” Beverly stared at me and shrugged. “I don’t have time for a trip down memory lane.”

  “We have lots of time. We’re stuck,” I told her.

  Her jaw dropped. “What are you saying? Let’s return to the estate.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why?” Her growing fear was evident in the tremor of her voice.

  “Because the Bridge wasn’t built like that. It can only be operated from one entrance.” I didn’t tell her that I held the seventh Token in my pocket, which could lead us to Kabos if I so chose.

  “You tricked me!” Bev rushed forward, shoving me. I flew across the room, wind shooting from my lungs. I landed in a heap, skidding to the wall. Everything hurt, but I still managed to sit up.

  She wasn’t done. I lifted from the stone floor, and she held me high above her head, anger burning in her eyes. “Bring us to Earth.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t!”

  She released me, and I tumbled to the ground. Blood welled inside my mouth as I scrambled away from her. My sister stalked toward me, but I kept my distance.

  “I’m serious, I can’t help you.” I hadn’t planned on them having a Bridge access, but this could possibly work out better.

  I grabbed the leaves the moment Bev turned from me. She prowled to the dome, pounding her fists on the glass. “My people will be descending on Earth in a matter of minutes, but I won’t be around to welcome them. And it’s your fault.”

  I took a small amount of pride in this fact.

  “Come with me,” she demanded, moving for the exit.

  I followed her outside, and she cleared her throat when we emerged onto the grassy knoll that overlooked the cityscape below.

  “This planet was supposed to be a wasteland. When we left, this was gone. There was no grass. The trees were dead.”

  “But you kept some of the Rimia people behind,” I reminded her.

  “We figured they’d survive,” she said. “But this… could we have been so wrong about Rimia?”

  There was so much to learn about her people. They were an enigma. “Who are the Zalt?”

  She glared at me angrily. It was midday, and hot. I fanned my shirt to cool off. “I will not share our secrets.”

  “Why not? You’ve already said it. We’re screwed, and now you’re stuck here with me.” I sat on the outer edge of the building, and she stood tall, blocking the sunlight to cast a shadow upon me.

  “I refuse,” she said.

  I nodded in return, aware that this place had an alternate measure of time. One minute was four on Earth. It might already be finished, but I had to try. “Is that a bird?” I asked, pointing to the end of the yard, and she looked. I shoved the herb leaves in my mouth, chewing them. They were dry and crunchy, the bitter juices shooting across my tongue. I swallowed and closed my eyes, pretending to be upset by our predicament.

  She was so close. My sister with the Zalt, Yeral, inside her, controlling her every move. I pictured the alien essence hiding within her. I did what the Book said, latching on to the energy. It took a moment, but when I identified it, I clung to the sensation with everything I had.

  I was drifting, caught in the current of the dream. I was attuning to Yeral against his wishes, and I didn’t even need to convince the Zalt that I was the better vessel. It was a risk, but there wasn’t a moment to spare.

  Bev looked over with a frown, and before I went to sleep, she began to scream.

  I linked to Yeral and saw myself through her eyes as both Yeral and I were exorcised.

  6

  Dirk was still himself. He peered at his feet, which were semi-transparent like a ghost’s. It was dark, but there was enough light emitting from around the space to navigate the room.

  It was cold, but the sensation hardly registered. His real body was underground on Rimia, not here. He understood the facts. The science behind this was impossible to contemplate, but so
was using a metallic box to transport oneself to another world.

  Dirk observed the area, attempting to comprehend what it was he was seeing. Everything was black, and his hand reached for the box in front of him. For a second, he assumed his fingers would pass through it, but they landed on its surface.

  There were hundreds of cases inhabiting the space. At first, he couldn’t tell how large the area was, but once his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he saw how spread out they were. The ceilings were low, and he stretched onto his toes, touching the black texture.

  He’d made it to an Object. Rewa was right. Rimia had a discreet access point to the ships. It was how they returned to their vessels in orbit. Now he grasped the concept. Dirk wondered if there was such a gateway on Earth but doubted they’d built one yet. But they would.

  He almost shouted for Rewa but held his tongue. Dirk didn’t know what kind of dangers lurked on this vessel.

  Instead of lingering, he began to walk. His footsteps were weightless, and he wasn’t confident the soles of his feet actually touched the floor.

  With a quick guess, he estimated the black boxes were eight feet long, four wide, and every structure was identical to the next. It was disconcerting.

  He went in one direction, wanting to find the end of the room. If he did, then he could circle the space, optimistically locating a control panel, or something he might possibly use to damage the Objects, if that was his motivation. He’d been expecting Rewa to lead the charge on that front. When Opor had told him that she wanted to help save Earth, Dirk had mistakenly trusted her.

  Eventually, Dirk saw the edge of the room. He must have stridden past two hundred of the boxes before arriving. Curiosity overtook him, and he wanted to know what was inside the black crates. He had a good idea but needed to see with his own two eyes.

  Dirk felt along the edges, seeking a lip. They were sealed tight. A miniscule light blinked on the front section of one, and he crouched, staring into the orange glow. A button sat embedded directly below it, and his finger hovered over the round switch. He was about to press it, when he heard the noise.

  His ears alerted him before his eyes did; then he saw a form moving through the ship, directly down the center line. Dirk stayed hidden, watching as the shape came closer. It shimmered as it floated, a strange color like a rainbow in an oil pan. This was a Zalt.

  Dirk ducked, breaths coming in ragged exhales. He realized he wasn’t really taking in any air. What were they? The shape continued past, disappearing in the distance. It was now or never. Dirk took the chance and tapped the button, depressing it. The lid hissed as it depressurized, making him jump.

  He sidestepped as the lid folded in half, the two sections lowering into the box.

  A creature lay inside.

  ____________

  Luckily for Marcus, the single Umir was far easier to control with the tablet than the primary hub. It rolled to the larger robot with steam rising from the vents along its outer shell.

  “Will this work?” Bill asked.

  “It’s all I can think of,” Marcus replied.

  Evan had scoured the entire area within the shield’s barrier, and they’d placed all the errant armaments they could find at the base of the hub. It hadn’t amounted to much, but every little bit helped.

  They had ten minutes before the hub completed the full global network link.

  Evan puffed on a smoke and stared at the desecration beyond the shield. “I wish I had a drink. Eighteen-year-old Scotch.”

  “I’d go for a lasagna. A joint in New York City. You ever have something like that? Eat at a restaurant on a work trip, rave about it for months to your friends, and the next time you visit, the place is closed?” Bill stared at the horizon. “I can still taste the sauce.” He spread his fingers apart, making a kissing sound.

  “I knew a woman like that once,” Evan joked.

  “Haven’t we all?”

  “Would you guys…” Marcus wanted to ask them to stay quiet, but they weren’t doing anything wrong. They were just seeking comfort in their last few moments of life. “I’d go for an ice-cold IPA on a hot summer’s day, and this noodle place I love. Rex always teased me, saying my palate hadn’t evolved out of college yet, but I swear they were addictive.”

  Bill clapped him on the back. “You’re a good soldier.”

  “I never wanted to be a soldier.”

  “Neither did I,” Bill concurred.

  The timer said eight minutes. Marcus walked away, strolling to the far corner of the shield. There was nothing left for them to do. The Umir would detonate within the minute. It had to be enough. The Zalt had created the shield to protect it, and clearly, it had worked.

  Bill led them to the edge and pointed into the sky. “It’s Gren.”

  Marcus almost laughed. For a brief moment, he thought they might be rescued, but without the tablet, they couldn’t penetrate the shield. If he tried, the tablet would be too far from the hub. Even if they could, the radiation would kill them within seconds. This was a no-win scenario.

  “It’s been a pleasure getting to know you gentlemen.” Bill smiled, a genuine look as he brushed his beard with his fingers out of habit.

  Evan hugged Bill, and then Marcus.

  Marcus did the same with Bill, and the man held on for a second longer. Then they all stared at the hub. The Umir pressed against the larger robot was overheating. Its metallic exterior glowed red hot, and smoke rose from it, clouding the hub from sight.

  The blue light racing into the sky began to flicker.

  “This is it.” Marcus assumed the Zalt were coming. He wondered what it would feel like. He’d rather die.

  The three men stood alone inside the shield’s protective radius, with thousands of charred corpses littering the entire landscape around them. High above, Gren’s spaceship hovered, waiting and watching. He could barely see them through the dust cloud, but every now and then, he caught their shape from an opening in the debris.

  The last minute before detonation dragged on, giving Marcus too much time to contemplate his life. When he recalled the memories, there were far too few of them.

  “I don’t want to die,” he whispered.

  The explosion hit, and Marcus saw pieces of the hub flying into the air as the shield flicked off. The blue light beam ceased.

  His friends’ screams were the last thing he heard.

  ____________

  The being stared at Dirk with round black eyes. Its skin was pallid, white and tight against its skeletal frame.

  “Eereil reetiper,” it croaked.

  Dirk stumbled away. It was a Zalt, the real kind. Opor had said they were organic, but he’d never trusted her stories.

  He bumped into the box behind him, and a light emerged from the case. It looked like the same type of energy blob he’d witnessed only a few minutes ago.

  “What are you?” His voice warbled, like it was on a two-second delay.

  “Ulil weeran,” it said, coming to stand on two legs so skinny, Dirk wondered how it stood at all.

  Every box began releasing a shape of energy, and the colors varied drastically between the Zalt. Dirk tried to comprehend the sight. This was part of their essence, and they were going to drop these to Earth, seizing the chosen humans.

  The Zalt proceeded to climb from the box, its bare feet landing on the black floor. It had multiple toes set onto long pale appendages. Its arms drooped past its knees, but the eyes were intelligent. It walked toward him.

  Dirk stayed still, not willing to move.

  The Zalt was almost his height, and its arm rose. It was naked, but Dirk saw no indication of sex.

  Its hand was split in two, and there was clearly a thumb, a spindly digit to the side of the thick fingers. It reached for Dirk, and he felt the impact like he was having a dream.

  The lights began to snap on, starting at one end of the giant deck, slowly moving across like the high bays in a warehouse activating before a shift. Soon they were all on, and Dirk sq
uinted against the brightness.

  The deck was filled with thousands of energy forms, spinning and swaying over their respective boxes. The Zalt in front of Dirk went stiff, and it moved from him, looking at the far corner of the room.

  Dirk’s gaze followed, and he saw the glowing tower. It pulsed blue.

  He started to walk to it and heard the voice behind him. “Dirk, what are you doing here?”

  He turned to see a four-foot-tall crackling, colorful shape. Dirk could sense the energy, and knew who this was the instant he saw it.

  “Rewa,” Dirk said. “Why did you leave me?”

  “I can’t find her,” Rewa said from somewhere within the blob of color.

  “Who? Mezpa?” Dirk was fully aware how much Rewa wanted to find his mate.

  The being flickered, the green palette growing more intense. It headed toward the tower that had stolen all the Zalts’ attention.

  “How do we stop them?” Dirk asked.

  Rewa floated away. “Have you seen her?”

  Dirk muttered to himself. It looked like he was going to have to do this alone. He started running for the far edge of the deck.

  ____________

  I struggled to move, the motions incoherent. Everything was pitch black. My hands reached out, and I touched a wall. A small light shone in the top corner of the box I was lying in, and I stretched, running an odd finger over it. It found a button, and I pushed it.

  The lids folded, sliding beside me. I lifted my arm, looking at the pale bony appendage. It had worked. I was Yeral. I wanted to be excited, but I just felt sick. My head swam, my vision bobbing like I was sinking underwater.

  Above me, a red blob floated by. I couldn’t tell if I’d imagined it or not. My back ached and protested as I sat up. With great effort, I managed to escape the box and landed on the floor, holding myself up against the coffin’s ledge, because that was what it seemed like to me. The Zalt were dying. I could feel Yeral’s memories, and that he was ashamed of himself now. He had once been a powerful and hardy leader. It wasn’t his fault the Zalt required so much more than most beings. They needed energy from other life to sustain their essence. That it killed other lifeforms to nurture them was an unfortunate side effect.