He spoke, narrowing his eyes at Jasper. “You’re not supposed to be here. The Chancellor said—”
Jasper cut him short. “I’ll give you three seconds so portal anywhere else, Gerard.”
“Turned soft already, Ambassador?” Gerard spat and stepped forward. “Orders are orders.”
“What the fuck is going on?” Sam screamed, making her way to Mia whose chest moved heavily under altered breaths. There was blood spatter and scattered food everywhere, a table bent and half torn next to the buffet, chairs dispersed throughout the space.
Lilou caught a glimpse of Aline who resurfaced and seemed set in finishing Rufus off. The way Lilou launched herself at Aline was pure predator, twisting her arms behind her back with feline ferocity. The air grew thick. Gerard pushed himself forward, giving Sam enough time to drag Mia close to Zoey and Emma.
“Rufus!” Mia whispered only for Sam to hear. She’d been hit hard, blood flowing heavily from her carved cheek.
“Quick!” Jasper’s eyes went feral. “Gather them all!” In a gravity defying move he snarled and turned to Lilou. “Now!” He clenched his fists lowering his body enough to scan everybody once more.
And then there was blue.
γ
Bloody fingers fanned across the pale green rug they’d landed on, staining its fibers in their rigid descent. They all lay curled against each other, Emma’s unconscious body sprawled in an unnatural pose against Rufus. They were both out, their expressions serene despite the many bruises covering their every inch. Sam couldn’t speak, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. When her eyes met Mia’s they just lingered there, caught in the way she became aware of her surroundings in her torn t-shirt and stained sweatpants. She was bleeding too. Zoey produced a soft moan, her leg caught under Rufus’s weight. Everything was hazy and somehow, she was convinced she was dead.
She felt an arm pulling her afloat and carrying her body, but Zoey was out before making sense of things. Jasper clenched his teeth and didn’t squint once when his eyes met the deep cut across her clavicle, staining half of her chest and spreading in thick lines across her dangling arms, dripping on their way to the coffee table. He kneeled beside her, tearing her t-shirt in a quick move. He lay a shaking hand above her wound and light came alive on her skin, involuntary goosebumps covering her, reflecting on his face like a broken mirror.
Lilou watched him with the corner of her eye as she bent over Rufus, healing him with all the strength she’d been gifted with. Jasper looked struck, his hair tumbling in wild waves over his shoulders, scanning Zoey as if his whole self had switched to autopilot. He didn’t blink, his face didn’t even move yet that look in his eyes was the most foreign thing she’d ever seen—as if his brain was having a moment.
His hands then moved from her clavicle to her arms, pulsing light in accurate beams. Even from the distance, Lilou saw the bruises vanishing under his touch, dissipating as the color slowly returned to Zoey’s skin.
Lilou’s gaze switched to her own patient, as Rufus gasped and opened his eyes bursting in a violent cough. She’d pushed him to the side, fully aware of what was to follow. Just when he thought he couldn’t spit more blood, his body convulsed, twitching under Mia’s eyes whose tears sunk in the rug on his right. Nearly powerless, she extended a hand but he was still too far.
Next to her, Alex hands silently fell on Emma’s neck. Her pulse was still faint. He’d never witnessed anything like what he’d seen today and somehow, it became clear that life had taken a turn even his mind failed to foresee. It didn’t make sense, yet choosing inexperienced Jasper over the new Chancellor, felt right. He closed his eyes, focusing on Emma, channeling his light through her. Somehow, he’d come to respect her, to value her life even if humans rarely made any sense. When she opened her eyes, she stared at him as if words were not necessary and placed a hand on top of his.
“Thank you.” Emma’s voice came faintly. He nodded, scanning the perimeter until his eyes met Sam’s. She was biting her lip, holding back the tears as she stood there, curled in a ball, eyes pinned on the disaster around her. This was close to a massacre. There had to be so much adrenaline in her system by now, that there was no valid room for pain. Her jeans were stained, dry blood covered her ear and several bruises blossomed on her arm. She couldn’t care less, and her fingers intertwined with Mia’s as Lilou worked her healing trick on her.
Sam caught a glimpse of Lilou and saw the open wound around her calf. “You’re hurt.” She lifted her eyes and met Lilou’s.
“Alex, can you take over Sam before she becomes a pain in my ass?” Lilou craned her neck, searching for Alex. Before Sam could blink, Alex came around and pushed her shoulders back. He’d healed her before and she remembered every single feeling. Her mind wanted to tell him she was fine, but he was kind to allow her to hold Mia’s hand in hers while he pressed a light hand on her forehead. Weirdly enough, there was something beautiful in the way he stared back.
Visibly drained, the optans took care of each other’s wounds only after having healed the rest. A state of general exhaustion lingered as they picked their limbs off the floor. There was no doubt in Sam’s mind—they were back in June. Back in the time loop, somewhere close to London.
Zoey woke up to see Jasper curled next to the coffee table she was on, and the second she made the faintest of movements, his eyes lifted to meet hers. “What happened?” Her voice was off, yet he didn’t seem to notice, too busy examining her as she pulled herself up. “I’m fine, I just feel… tired, I think. Is Emma—”
The faintest smile appeared on his lips. “Come.” Jasper pulled her up, still studying her features. He led her onto the stone terrace where everyone sat around the round table. There was food laid out, yet none seemed too keen on having any.
Lilou patted the chair next to her, somewhat wobbly. Everyone was there. Sam, Emma, Rufus, Mia, Alex and Lilou, all ruffled and stained with the constant reminder of what had happened.
Jasper leaned in for a whisper. “Everyone’s been healed.” He slid his hands along her arms as she succumbed in the empty seat.
“I think we all need about twenty hours of sleep right about now.” Lilou forced some grapes down. “Now that we’re all here I think we owe you guys an explanation.” She leaned forward, propping her stained elbows on the table. There was so much blood on her coveralls, yet no visible open wound. “The new Chancellor called us all in for an emergency meeting while we were escorting you to lunch. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t raise any suspicions, but this time, he also called Alex.” She glanced over her shoulder at him.
Alex stood with his long legs stretched out, resting his hands on his thighs. He felt compelled to join in. “Chancellors deal exclusively with ambassadors or superior um, officers, so having a guy from Tech there was weird to begin with. Lilou was quick to tell Jasper to check on your vitals while we had our chat with the Chancellor and moments afterward he told us you’d be terminated.” Rufus shook his head, letting his fist meet the table with a scowl. Mia’s hand covered his in an attempt to calm him down. She needed to know the rest of the story.
Jasper rarely sat down. Not even now, after everything they’d been through, he could not find it in him to rest, so he took the lead, looking straight at Rufus. “This is not how the Alliance works, we’re not normally sent out to murder innocents. Then again, this new Chancellor doesn’t seem to play by the books.”
Zoey shifted in her seat, as she shot Jasper a look. “But he told me—” she started, yet Jasper was quick to interrupt.
“I think the equation changed with Mia’s arrival. Taking Zoey out seems like the easy way to break Etienne: no Zoey, no motive to go against the Alliance. But it’s Mia who’s the real threat since she has the power to portal anywhere. No hybrids, no remaining threat.” Every single word aligned and made perfect sense to Zoey. Why go through all the trouble of ensuring protection to an entire planet when taking out the altered solved all their problems?
; “They couldn’t have cared less about Sam and Emma, they would’ve been collateral damage and no one would know!” Little as she knew, the pressing problem the authorities on Opt had was preserving their reputation with the Alliance. What’s a few deaths on a planet no one’s aware of versus the political future of intergalactic agreements? It made Zoey’s stomach churn. The Chancellor had been clear from the start, it was all about politics.
Alexandre seemed to analyze every reaction. “What are your thoughts, Ambassador?” He folded his arms across the chest, slewing his eyes to Jasper.
“I believe the Alliance hasn’t even been warned about Etienne’s endeavors in the first place,” Jasper said. “The Minister most likely named a new Chancellor who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, so he sent us here to clean up the mess, kill everyone and sweep it all under the rug.” They all stilled, suddenly afraid to even breathe.
“How long till they know where to find us?” Emma swallowed hard at the evidence. She kept her eyes down while Jasper spoke again.
“This place is a singularity, we’re on a twenty-two day cycle in a time loop. Thanks to Lilou, she’s the only one with full access to this place, so no one can come in unauthorized. It’s a safe base on Earth.”
Worry took over Sam’s whole being given this new scenario. “What about my dad, our families, are they safe out there?”
Lilou squeezed her wrist. “I think the Chancellor was counting on a mission inside a mission, so the Timeline crew and all the optans in Pamplona, except for a handful of insiders, know the same version of the story as you all did.” She gave Zoey a reassuring look. “My guess—he wouldn’t risk more of us finding out. He’d have to go through Timeline, locate your relatives… it’s just too complicated.”
Emma felt a sudden chill. “So where do we go from here?” She was never one to deal too well with the unknown. As she glanced around the lunch table, everyone looked like they’d gone to hell and resurrected, dried blood covering their faces and clothing in patches. The pristine beauty of the Victorian mansion contrasted the grim faces gathered around her and for the first time, it was not the beauty of this place standing out. It was all the opposite.
Alex stood up, stretching his torso. “After being healed, your body is in full need of rest, so no training.” Not even he could believe the words coming out of his mouth. “Let’s take today as a good day since we’re all alive and get some sleep.”
Rufus was next to get up and extended a hand toward Alex. He shook his hand and nodded. “Thanks, brother.” The greeting continued toward Jasper, but this time around, Rufus had him wrapped in a tight hug. “I may be stinky, but I’m alive because of you.” A hefty pat on the back followed. “Where do we get cleaned up?”
Lilou grabbed an apple and made her way through the terrace doors. “I hope you all remember where your bedrooms are.” And she disappeared through the doors while the rest were figuring out if flesh was still attached to their bones.
Rufus and Mia were out next, followed by Alex and Jasper. The moment Zoey got Sam and Emma alone they held on to each other as if it was their last day together, tears tumbling down their cheeks as they gasped for air.
Emma couldn’t possibly understand why nobody wanted to talk about the elephant in the room—they were all fugitives now and the optans were too quick to just scram. Sure her body and mind felt exhausted, but all of their heads came with a price now and not knowing all the consequences made her uneasy.
“We need a fucking makeover, don’t we?” Sam snorted, half smiling half weeping, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. A trail of dried blood and mascara now adorned it. “Shit we’re ugly!” She fanned herself with both hands as more tears made their path down her stained face while she buried her head in Emma’s neck. “Can I crash in your room today?”
Zoey pressed her head against Emma’s free shoulder. “Can I join?”
Emma wrapped them both in her arms and spoke. “You can, monkey, but I think someone’s waiting for you.” She squeezed Zoey’s shoulder. “He thinks we can’t see him from behind the curtains.”
Anticipating Sam’s muffled half laugh half cry, Zoey nodded. “I’ll check up on you.” Emma nodded. She was now free to hold Sam with both arms. She’d seen her stress cry before and it was a grim mix of hysterical laughter and crazy tears.
As she walked through the giant arched doors, Zoey thoughts jumped to the two snowdrops on her nightstand slash filing cabinet back in Pamplona. She never got a chance to place them in water, she never got a chance to even look at her presents long enough. Coming face to face with Jasper now, she suddenly became self-conscious. The t-shirt hanging on her shoulders was not even the one she came in with, and blood stained curls hung messily. Her cheeks flushed under the thick layer of filth and blood staining her face in all the wrong places and he looked at her in a mix of relief and pain.
They walked in silence to her door.
Even though she knew exactly what awaited on the other side, a certain fear coiled in the depths of her stomach. “Stay with me.” She said as she pressed the handle. “Please.” Her voice only a whisper, she pushed through as he followed behind. Birds were singing from the trees facing her bedroom and the soft afternoon light cascaded through the arched window and onto the hardwood floors.
The moment the door slammed shut with a soft thud, his arms were around her. “I’m so sorry, Zoey.” He trailed off as she sunk into him.
“I need to have a bath. Don’t leave.” She clung to him, his uniform cold and hard against her cheek.
“I can go have a quick shower and change while you have your bath.” His fingers curled at the back of her neck. “I’ll be here by the time you finish.”
Zoey nodded, and looked at him once more before she went into the privacy of her bathroom. She could always tell when he portalled in her proximity, something about the pressure changing.
The warm spotless bathroom was the best room to be in, so as soon as the tub was ready, she slid in, her hair leaving trails of red on its way down. Today had a smell of its own, a cocktail of fear, blood and discomposure. Until today, Zoey didn’t recognize the smell of fear and now she found it embedded in her every layer.
She pushed all thoughts out of the way as she scrubbed herself clean, tainting the water an uncertain color. There was blood in all the cracks of her skin, under her fingernails, around her nostrils, more blood than she’d ever seen and ever hoped to see. There were no visible wounds on her body, yet it all felt like a hangover, as if her skin wasn’t her own and all her bones were stiff under the bathrobe she wrapped herself with once she got out. She dried her hair as much as possible, feeling cold and rattled. She felt him when he returned and knowing he was on the other side, compared to nothing else. Even in this state, she found herself longing for Jasper.
When she pushed the door open, she found him barefoot, lounging on the right side of her bed in dark blue pajama bottoms and white t-shit, a hand behind his head and another on his chest like he belonged nowhere else.
“Hey.” She stopped short.
A soft smile took over his lips. It was different, it was innocent. “Hey. Um, there are PJs in the closet.”
“I know.” She nodded and grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on. Red PJ bottoms and white top. She changed in the bathroom and returned to find him in the same pose. Climbing into bed next to him almost felt embarrassing. He’d pulled the drapes and switched on the bed lamp, the warm light inviting. Funny how fear irrationally dissipated in his presence.
Zoey slid under the covers and a nanosecond later, so did he. This time around though, Jasper kept his distance—it was enough to hear her breathe. In fact, it was the only music he wanted to hear. The thought of the Chancellor wanting her dead made his insides flare. If Lilou hadn’t made the smart call, he would’ve lost Zoey. Going AWOL, having two good soldiers risk it all by turning against the system hung heavy on his mind. Jasper closed his eyes, lost in ways of getting the ship back
on track with all sailors aboard.
As if Zoey had read his thoughts, she asked. “Where’s your kalenium? Where’s mine?!” She shifted her weight to a side, turning to face him.
“I can’t risk it Zoey. I won’t allow them to keep tracking any of us.” He unfolded his arm and she came closer, snuggling on his chest as if she belonged there. “It’s safer that way.” Everything felt better around him, the soft blanket she pulled over his chest, resting her hand on his stomach. His heart was beating a little too fast, it seemed and Zoey steadied herself on her elbow, trying to get a better look at him. Not a hint of worry clouded his features yet he looked… thoughtful.
She felt his arm on her back pulling her closer and slid a leg in between his under the blanket. They never had anything this normal, only stolen moments in between breaks. Either too early or too late.
And now he was right there, under her fingertips, so real and warm, so drawable she just wanted to touch his face all the time. “I know—” she didn’t continue, she just sunk her lips in and the taste of him was all she ever wanted to feel. That, and how his fingers moved on her back and in her hair, pulling her in until they were both panting.
Then he just pulled back, tracing his lips over her cheek and close to her ear. “We need to stop. You need to rest and this is not the day for—” The last thing she wanted was for his hands to leave her body.
“Is there a day for…” she stopped when she heard herself. Oh, God we’re not having this conversation.
He grinned, flipping her onto her side. “We’re not having this conversation.” For someone who confessed aliens didn’t read minds, he sure made an impression.
Curled onto his chest again, Zoey spoke without making eye contact. “Is this because we don’t have any condoms here?” His chest suddenly ripped under his laughter.
Found in Amber Page 10
