There was a slim chance this conversation was happening in the beauty of her head. That’s how it felt with the eerie rain and big words she didn’t exactly know how to react to. What if this wasn’t a dream though?
She bit her cheek raw. “We haven’t even been on a date.”
“We’ve been on one date.” He jumped, untangling his arm from around her waist. “On this very floor, exactly over here, on a table cloth that I skillfully retrieved from the kitchen,” he pointed with a knowing smirk. “That’s where we had tea and you told me all about your life and allergies, how you started collecting socks, your god awful taste in music, and your job.” She’d never seen him speaking so fast. “I know plenty—lilac is your favorite color, it was Margaret who got you to draw and love art, you have an almost sick da Vinci fascination and you never wear matching bras and panties.”
Her eyes nearly popped out. “What?!” This couldn’t possibly happen in her head. She was too awake now.
“That last bit is from my own research.” The grin now reached his ears. “And I’ve seen you naked, so technically, we’ve ticked all boyfriend-girlfriend boxes if you add the two snowdrops and chocolate.” He folded his arms across the chest, proud to be making a point.
“That’s it! I’m getting you a tongue scraper for your birthday, buddy. The mouth on you!” The attempt to give him a deep freeze look failed miserably. She pursed her lips to avoid flashing a smile.
“What would you expect a boyfriend to do? Cause if you want me to brand cattle I’ll go warm up my iron!” And he could be funny when he wanted to. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to lighten the mood for the twenty-four hours ahead but he spent all night making her laugh. Quirky as he was.
A date with the devil
“We’ll be fine, I won’t hold back this time.” Jasper cupped her face with both hands, planting a kiss on her forehead. “But I need to know you’ll be okay with it.” Reality hit her in the face like a cold slap this morning. Zoey nodded, although she couldn’t really stomach the thought of James being in mortal danger either. Teachers didn’t do violence, they were simply soldiers of a different fabric. She threw another glance at her bed, at all the love that tainted every molecule in the only room she dreaded to leave behind. “Are you sure you don’t want to let the others know?” Jasper was reluctant to let go.
“Positive.” When Lilou told the rest Zoey and Jasper needed some instructions before departure, no one suspected they wouldn’t return to say goodbye. Somehow, she was thankful Lilou granted her the courtesy of not making this moment any more painful than it had to be. The Kraken would go berserk, but Zoey was selfishly counting on Emma to put Sam’s pieces back together.
Unlike in Pamplona, Jasper was now in his ambassador gear, the dark blue uniform coming together on his body under a metallic glow, and with that thought in mind, his superhero name blossomed in her head like a spring onion no less—Captain Waistcoat. If they lived to see tomorrow, she considered telling him how the pearly lines on his torso still resembled the pattern of a futuristic waistcoat.
How optans got their gear on was not for the faint of heart. She thought Jasper was joking when he’d told her the secret was in the boots, and soon, she saw the uniform extending from his boots onto his legs and torso in a liquid move which culminated in a short collar at the base of his neck.
With the coordinates in mind, Jasper nodded and awaited her confirmation. Zoey Mills was ready. She wiped her hands on her jeans and pulled at the hem of her sweater. Portalling never felt like a walk in the park; it was more along the lines of someone shoving her insides in a blender at full speed and flipping that blender upside down for the pressure to be off as well. On the bright side, it never lasted longer than a couple of excruciating seconds. She always felt disoriented afterwards, but this time, she kept her eyes open for the first-ever clean landing.
Jasper straightened his pose as he came eye to eye with Etienne in what looked like an absolutely random office. Three screens and an intersat crowded the modern desk on display, a few office plants decorated the corners and there was even a small leather couch and two low, yet modern looking chairs gathered around a glass coffee table. Etienne’s lips were pulled in a smile as he neared them, his eyes exclusively on Zoey.
“Morning, luv.” His voice was all sugar coated to Jasper’s ears. “Coffee?”
To her surprise, James wore the black turtleneck and blazer she got him for Christmas, merely two months back and dark jeans complemented his outfit. There was nothing out of place, unlike when she saw him last, on the flight to Pamplona.
“You got a haircut.” She thought out loud, suddenly aware this was probably not the world’s greatest ice-breaker. He smiled though, and returned with two cups of steaming coffee.
“I’m afraid I’m out of milk.” James set the two cups on the coffee table and signaled the two to have a seat. “And sugar.” He shrugged and took one of the modern chairs as soon as his guests sat. His eyes moved to Jasper for the very first time, as he leaned back. “I suppose I should thank you for looking after Zoey.” James crossed his legs and chose his words carefully. “You can relax luv, no one’s getting hurt today and I’ve come to terms with the idea you probably wish to return to your friends after our talk.” She was already hyperventilating, somehow afraid James would be able to see right through her, as if he had the power to smell Jasper on her skin and turn it all to shit.
Guilt was a different type of monster and it ate at her from the inside out. Especially now, as she had James on the seat to her left and Jasper on her right.
Jasper leaned forward as he filled James in with the gruesome twist in Pamplona, leaving Zoey wondering how he was able to keep his cool speaking to the optan who nearly tore him to shreds on Paseo Sarasate. Optans were different alright. Different and not one bit nervous.
“You do understand this doesn’t come as a surprise for me,” James spoke matter-of-factly. “I told Zoey she was bound to see it for herself and I was counting on you to play the savior given your recent… infatuation.” A knowing smile took over his lips. She swallowed hard, her fingers locking on the edge of her seat.
“Let’s see how far you’re willing to play the gentleman card.” Jasper cocked an eyebrow, his frame perfectly poised given the encounter. “Are you going to ask for a trade?” With Zoey sitting on the small couch, it was like watching a game of tennis.
“To ease your simple mind, the answer is no. Zoey can stay right where she is. It’s safer for her.” He switched his glance to her. “And you have my word I am on your side.”
“How many sides are there?” It exasperated her beyond belief.
“And that, Ambassador is why I’m smitten.” He tapped his temple with the index finger. “Because underneath that frail appearance, she’s got more stamina than an army of us.” James turned to her, the tips of his fingers tapping briefly onto one of his knees. “Why would Opt send an inexperienced newbie ambassador to right my wrongs? Not once have either of you stopped to question their means! Not once.” A dry laugh followed. “And you call yourselves strategists.” An imminent gasp caught at Zoey’s throat at the realization of it. “The fact that you’re alive to tell is even more astounding.” That sharp look landed on Jasper.
“Stop it, James!” Zoey snapped and bounced up. “I didn’t come here for you to insult the ones who actually saved our lives!” her voice came alive with a rage she didn’t recognize, and the worst part was that either way, they were bound to be someone’s pawns.
She felt Jasper’s body tense and looked at him from over her shoulder as he spoke. “Etienne’s not wrong. We’re not trained to question orders, to doubt our system because we’re on the other side of things.” Not even in the darkest of hours had he stopped to question why he was chosen for an unprecedented mission such as this one. Sure, his skillset matched to perfection and he was of age. Sure, being under Lilou’s wing and watchful eye wasn’t something to ignore, but only at this very moment, the fog lifted.
“They would’ve ended you too.” As if reading his thoughts, Zoey’s eyes locked on his. “They sent you here precisely because you were inexperienced.”
“Ah, sweet awakening.” Etienne shook his head from the comfort of his seat. “Let’s make this reunion productive, shall we?” He patted the couch for Zoey to have a seat and watched as she slumped in, almost against her will. “You need me because if you recall, I have the kalenium chips to help you channel your enhancements, since I’m seeing neither of you are still cuffed to the Alliance. If there’s ever any chance to use your abilities Zoey, it’s either months of training or painless implants—your call entirely.”
Jasper nodded at James from his seat. “Right, a deal with the devil,” he countered, “sure, let’s say I’ll bite.” He narrowed his eyes.
“Hopefully.” Etienne leaned back with a smirk. “Because so far, there’s been too much barking for my taste.” He caught Zoey rolling her eyes, her chin heavily propped on her knuckles as she listened in.
Jasper returned the smirk this time. “An acquired taste, indeed.”
Touché, Zoey thought. Jasper seemed perfectly capable to give James a subtle taste of his own sarcasm. Sharing a space with them both though, felt beyond awkward.
“Let’s just say the Alliance isn’t on friendly terms with all the universe.” Etienne continued. “I started gathering intel exactly one year after being dispatched to Earth. Don’t give me that look Zoey, scientists are designed to think outside the box, unlike soldiers. They follow orders,” he said pointing at Jasper and then at himself “we explore beyond what we’re given.”
Surprisingly, Jasper held his ground, not a single glare or ill intended comment, nothing that suggested the tiniest loss of self. Despite James’s best efforts to pull Jasper into a ‘who can piss higher up on the fire hydrant’ challenge, the latter didn’t take the bait.
“The six planets that presumably refused to join the Alliance were in fact coerced into taking a step back.” Etienne leveled his eyes with Jasper’s. “That didn’t stop our officials from still mining their resources and in return, they offered the guarantee of safe relocation. At least to the citizens of planet Dars. Guess where?” He raised a knowing brow.
A cold wave eclipsed Jasper’s thoughts. “Earth.” The realization of it hit like an aftermath. There was an Alliance within the Alliance itself. “You have someone on the inside. On Dars.”
When James nodded, it was enough for Zoey to tie the loose ends. Mezin. Lilou’s sister had been the one helping him out and it made perfect sense. James had been the one involved in faking her death so she could permanently move to Dars for love. James wanted to save her, Beck wanted to save the Earth and the Alliance wanted to carry on feeding from every planet that didn’t stand a chance.
James had confirmed her worst fears in the following minutes, stripping Jasper of every motive to root for the ones he was literally designed to serve.
“Don’t fret, Ambassador, we’ve all felt like the Alliance’s trollops at some point. Mezin’s partner was actually the one who introduced me to the particularities of genome editing in other species.” He took a sip out of his unsweetened coffee and continued. “She can portal anywhere in the universe, and as of four months ago, so can Mezin.”
“Like Mia.” Zoey heard herself. “You used Mia to gather intel from the rest of the planets?”
“We did.” Discomfort clouded his features as he crossed his legs in an attempt to restore some balance. “And it wasn’t until Mark woke up that we could actually communicate in a proper manner. It was all sign language and photographic proof until then.” Mark—the only altered survivor they had yet to meet. It became clear to Jasper that the two last days Mia didn’t remember the days she was used for interplanetary travel.
Jasper was already up, balancing his weight from one foot to the other. Lilou had no clue and Etienne had nothing to gain from a string of lies of such proportions. Separating all the thoughts crowding the prefrontal cortex took all the effort on Jasper’s behalf.
“How long has this been going on?” he leaned on the window sill, recognizing Geneva from above.
“Milking the non-members you mean?” James’s frame leaned forward as he rested his elbows on his knees. “Mezin got in touch with me nine years ago and we started digging together. Her partner, Leiki was already tampering with DNA at the time, so she had something I wanted and I had something they wanted…” For Etienne, it surely started off like a fruitful exchange of information and given who he was, Jasper had no doubt.
“Access to interplanetary files.” Jasper shook his head. “Nine years is a lot of time to gather intel. It never bothered you that all of this was happening under your nose? The exploitation?” There wasn’t a single frown on Etienne’s face.
“Not until Zoey.” He glanced her way almost apologetically. “Till I met you, my first and only love was science and if I had to give Mezin the Minister himself, I would have. The progress Leiki made once altering herself was extraordinary though. I never tampered with anything until they told me I had mere months on Earth. And the rest, as they say, is history.”
“How many planets has the Alliance relocated so far?”
“Mezin got word that all citizens of Dars would be relocated to Earth within the next five to six years. As far as technological development is concerned they’re level one. This means they’re able to fully exploit their planet’s resources, but haven’t advanced as far as to actually make the universe aware of their existence.”
“During our first encounter in Pamplona you said two planets are soon to reach the end of their cycle and will be looking for a home.” Jasper moved swiftly, taking a seat across Etienne. “Now if my details are correct, from the six planets who presumably refused to join the Alliance, Dars and Ifor-21 are the two planets about to reach their end soon.” Etienne nodded, still seemingly testing Jasper, whose eyes widened. “Neither of these two can reach a nearby galaxy on their own. The Alliance is never going to relocate them!”
Etienne brought his hands together in a theatrical applause. “And a standing ovation goes to you, Ambassador!” The sarcasm was practically dripping. “Now for the remaining one hundred and fifty something planets, they all made it look as if the mutinous six had simply refused to surrender their autonomy to the big fish, when in fact, the Alliance simply couldn’t be bothered with them. Why would the great Alliance invest so much to get merely scraps in return? Instead, they extended a false promise of help as the underprivileged are being stripped of everything.”
Zoey’s eyes came down to her own fingers, now twisted in powerless fists as she remembered the Chancellor’s exact words ‘At the end of the day, we all win. That’s politics.’ Except this was a rigged game and ‘we’ was not the common denominator. It surprised her to see how even corruption evolved with enough time and morphed into a grotesque display of greed, in a game where everyone had their reasons to justify the most inappropriate of choices. They chose to end life when they had the means to save it. She’d been ready to be an accomplice to James’s murder. And for what? A disgusted growl escaped her mouth and she wasn’t even embarrassed. One way or another, she hadn’t been wrong by saying they were bound to be someone’s pawns in the end game.
“Is this it?!” Zoey’s hopeless voice broke. “There’s no good side to be on?” Everyone had selfish reasons and they’d do everything to save themselves.
James pursed his lips, lowering his eyelashes as he caught a glimpse of Zoey’s rage stretching out all over her features. He never intended to bring her this far in, to allow her to see the ugly side of the universe they shared. “And now you’ve seen it with your own eyes, although I wish you never had, luv. Leiki’s working on saving Dars just as much as I am on saving Earth and therefore, you.”
“Where do we go from here?” Jasper’s mind was putting the puzzle pieces together, trying to work out how far the next democratic meeting would have to stretch.
Etienne was not one to back down from the only question he had a clear answer to. “Mezin will be here in half an hour, so I suggest you get back to Lilou and arrange the next meeting.” He got up, aligning his frame with Jasper’s. “If we’ll work together from now on, I expect the following meetings to be held on your premises. After all, the sisters haven’t seen each other in ages and I want no traces to this lab.” Before Zoey ever got the chance to open her mouth, James silenced her. “Again, you have my word I won’t lift a finger against any of you.”
“We’ll let you know.” Were Jasper’s last words as he nodded, expressionless, and Zoey knew this was her cue.
“The clock is ticking, Ambassador. Chop, chop!” Zoey heard his words through the cloud of blue, and this time around, she didn’t land on her feet.
γ
It was 12:36 p.m. in June, somewhere close to London. The democratic vote unfurled as expected, with Rufus slamming several fists against the table as Sam and Mia tried to restrain him. If she hadn’t been using all her beef to prevent him from returning the table to the state of firewood, Sam would even congratulate him on the amount of profanities he was able to voice between breaths.
Jasper had always been able to talk some sense into him, yet even he realized the ludicrous situation he unwillingly had to drag them in. Coming face-to-face with their kidnapper and expecting them to collaborate for a higher purpose turned his stomach upside down. He sat down with both Rufus and Mia looking them in the eye as he confessed he was at a loss for words or arguments. The way Rufus’s face changed color was almost a work of fiction as he leaped from his chair with an almost inhuman snarl. The snarl soon morphed into a scream as he slammed both hands into the stone fence surrounding the leveled terrace with the grace of Wolverine himself.
Found in Amber Page 14
