The Heroes Return Read online

  “Excuse me, Admiral,” Cole interjects, “but I must insist that everyone without a Code One security clearance exit the room, excluding the returning aeronauts and Officer Adams, of course.”

  The admiral nods.

  Half a dozen officers reluctantly leave. Without them, the room is a lot less crowded. I tap my feet under the table. Let’s get this started. I have a million questions that I can’t wait to ask as soon as someone tells me what happened to my sister.

  Denver leans forward and folds his arms on the table. He waits until the door closes and everyone still in the room is paying full attention. It’s clear this guy knows how to engage a crowd.

  “I’m sure you know the basics,” he says. “What started out as a normal bound with live web coverage quickly went south. As we performed the routine systems check, word came over my headset that incoming enemy was spotted within range. My first thought was to abort, but knowing that the bound was live, with cameras inside the cockpit, I continued as planned, waiting for an abort order to come from up the chain of command. Then the auto countdown initiated.”

  “Go on,” Captain Ridders says. He stands at the admiral’s side with his arms crossed.

  Denver leans back. “Just before the bound, my systems went down and the cockpit was swallowed in darkness. I assumed it was engineering manually overriding and aborting the bound. Now, my best guess is our signals were scrambled by the alien vessel. The bound proceeded.”

  So that’s the real story of the Incident at Bounding Base 51. The words that just came out of Denver Reddy’s mouth explain the greatest tragedy and fascination in Earth’s recent history.

  “Things felt off from the moment the bound initiated,” Denver continues, “like my body was being ripped in a million pieces. But thankfully we remained intact. I believe some or all of my crew was unconscious for a period of time. When we came to, we were . . . somewhere else.”

  “Where?” Ridders asks.

  “I don’t know.”

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?” the admiral asks. “Where have you been all this time? You’ve been gone for the last fifteen years, Captain Reddy.”

  “See, that’s not exactly true.”

  As confused looks pass across the faces in the room, Denver turns to me. “Kid, you’re the one with the answers. You explain it.”

  Everyone looks at me, including the admiral.

  I press my fingers together beneath the table and sit up straight. “We were in the rift.”

  Sharp intakes of breath sound around the table. For a moment, no one speaks.

  “You mean . . . a rift in space as Gedney has theorized?” Cole asks.

  “Right,” I say. “I mean, yes, sir.” It’s clear that’s the correct way to address Cole in this debrief, but it feels incredibly weird to call my best friend sir. “And like Gedney says,” I continue, “time moves differently there.”

  Cole, who stands on the other side of the admiral, and who doesn’t react at all to my formality, braces his hands on the table and leans forward with a familiar look of curiosity. “How so?”

  How do I explain? “Well, take me, for example. Ryan . . . or, umm . . . Lieutenant Walsh says I’ve been gone almost a year. But in my experience, I only got to the rift a few hours ago. In fact, for me, the Battle of the Alkalinian Seat was last night. I don’t even know what happened. Did I get the shield down in time? Did all the Bounders survive?”

  No one answers my questions, but the room erupts in chatter as everyone tries to make sense of what I said. It’s hard to believe the rift exists, let alone that time moves differently there. Cole talks excitedly with Ridders. The admiral takes advantage of the distractions to lean close to Denver.

  “You look so young,” she says quietly. “How long were you gone?”

  His face softens. “About two days.”

  She closes her eyes, and a pained expression paints her face. “I’ve aged.”

  He leans even closer, and I think he grabs her hand beneath the table. “You’re as beautiful as ever.”

  She shakes her head and jerks her hands free. Placing her stacked palms on the table, she straightens in her seat. “Officer Adams, please continue,” she says loudly and with enough authority to quiet the entire room. “Describe the rift, and explain how you turned up in the Ezone.”

  Mira . . . what on earth do I say? I can’t just tell Admiral Eames that she chose to go with the Youli. I’m not even sure that’s the whole truth. I’ll have to be careful how I explain things.

  “I’ll tell you what happened,” Bai interjects. “We spent two days exploring the gray no-man’s-land only to have these two kids show up and—”

  “Two kids?” Ridders interrupts.

  “Yes, two, and yes, one of them is missing,” she says. “In fact, I’m wondering whether the kids were in on it.”

  Wait, what? How could she think we were in on it?

  “In on what exactly?” Admiral Eames asks.

  “An enemy operation,” Bai says. “Sure, we’re alive and well, and that’s something to celebrate, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that this could be part of a massive military attack. The last time they showed up, we all know what happened.”

  “The last time who showed up?” Cole asks.

  “The little green men!” Bai says. “Although now that I’ve seen them up close, they’re not so little.”

  “Someone explain this to me,” the admiral says. “Jasper, what happened?”

  So much for spinning things my way. I’d better stick to the basic facts. “The only reason we’re out of the rift, Admiral, is because the Youli showed up. They got us out of there.”

  Another round of gasps fill the room, and this time they’re laced with fear.

  “Sound the alarm and raise the alert level to red,” the admiral says. “All weapons personnel to their posts. Scan the surrounding vectors for any sign of quantum activity.”

  Half of the officers in the briefing room rush out.

  As Ridders and Cole drill the lost aeronauts with questions, Admiral Eames signals me. “Jasper, Officer Matheson is the only other cadet who was unaccounted for in the Battle of the Alkalinian Seat. She was with you in the rift, wasn’t she?”

  In the seconds that follow, I make a decision. The admiral can’t know that leaving with the Youli might have been Mira’s choice, not if Mira ever wants to come back.

  “Yes, she was with me in the rift.”

  “Where is Mira now, Jasper?”

  I cross my fingers beneath the table and force myself to look the admiral in the eye. “The Youli took her.”

  4

  AFTER ADMIRAL EAMES QUESTIONS US about the Youli’s involvement in our rescue, she breaks up the meeting. Apparently, it’s the middle of the night at the space station, and the admiral needs to check in with her defensive weapons and quantum detection teams. She asks her staff to escort the lost aeronauts to temporary quarters. Surprisingly, she lumps me in on that request. I’d assumed I’d be headed to the Bounder bunks, not private captain quarters.

  As her officers usher the lost aeronauts out the door, I shoot a glance at Cole. I need to talk to him. Alone. Fortunately he seems to understand my signal, or at least he asks the admiral if he can walk me to my room, which means we’ll have some time to talk.

  Admiral Eames seems perplexed at Cole’s request. Then she nods. “That’s right, Captain Thompson, you were pod mates with Officer Adams during your Academy days. Of course you can escort him. Report back to me in quantum monitoring as soon as you’re able.”

  Cole thanks the admiral and stands at my side until the room empties. When it’s just the two of us, I let my shoulders slump. Finally I’m going to get some answers.

  “Captain, huh?” I say, slapping Cole on the shoulder. “How did that happen?”

  Cole shrugs, looking awkward for the first time since he entered the room. “I was promoted.”

  I laugh. “Obviously.” Why am I starting to feel awkward, t
oo? “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets. “We all thought you were dead.”

  Still the same Cole—he gets right to the point—although something tells me he’s not exactly the same as the last time I saw him. “I’m not, but speaking of people being dead, please tell me that my sister is okay.”

  Cole bristles at my question. “She isn’t dead, Jasper.”

  I exhale, relieved that Addy’s alive. Still, I need details, and Cole isn’t spilling. “Ryan said she’s with Marco.”

  Cole shakes his head. “Ryan can’t keep his mouth shut.”

  This is ridiculous. I’ve been gone all this time and my best friend won’t even tell me what happened to my own sister. The sense of relief I had at being left with Cole is quickly evaporating. “You need to be straight with me, Cole. I have to know what’s going on.”

  “Fine, but only because I owe you. We all owe you. If you hadn’t gotten that shield down on Alkalinia, none of us would be here right now.”

  Only because he owes me? How about because he’s my friend? My pod mate? “What’s the situation with Addy, Cole? You need to tell me!”

  He drags his foot across the floor. Is he really that uncomfortable about breaking confidentiality? She’s my sister! Don’t I have a right to know?

  “She’s joined the Resistance, Jasper,” he finally says, “a rebel group based on Gulaga—mostly Tunnelers and disgruntled Earthlings. They’re believed to be led by Jon Waters.”

  “Addy is with Waters?” Last time I saw her, Addy had never even met our former fearless leader. I can’t believe she’s with him on Gulaga. “And Marco’s there, too?”

  Cole glances anxiously at the door. “That’s what our intelligence reports say.”

  When Mira and I were rescued on the Gulagan tundra, we discovered that Waters was friends with the Wackies, a group of Tunneler rebels who opposed Earth Force’s control of their planet. Addy and Marco must be with them now, too. “So, Waters joined forces with Barrick and the Wackies and formed the Resistance? Are they rebelling against Earth Force? I mean, what are they resisting?”

  Cole flicks his gaze around the room, looking anywhere but at me. “I can’t say any more, Jasper. All of this is well outside your clearance. It’s for your own protection. The less you know, the less likely you’ll be caught up in a security sweep.”

  He’s shutting me out? I curl my fingers into fists. “Secrets are for my safety? Why do I have a hard time believing that?”

  “We’ve had leaks. We suspect there’s a mole within the higher ranks of the Force. You don’t want to be the subject of an investigation.”

  I can’t believe this. My best friend is completely stonewalling me. “It would’ve been tough for me to leak information from the rift, don’t you think?”

  “No one is immune,” Coles says, either ignoring or not catching on to my sarcasm.

  “We made a pact on Gulaga not to keep secrets!” My voice shakes. I’m barely keeping it together. “It’s all about the pod, remember?”

  Cole stares at me, expressionless. “Our pod was disbanded.”

  I close my eyes. This is going nowhere. Since I left Alkalinia a few hours ago, Cole became Earth Force boss man, Mira left with the Youli, and Marco and Addy joined up with the Wackies. Who does that even leave? I take a deep breath. “What about Lucy? Is she okay? Or is that above my clearance level, too?”

  Cole rolls his eyes. Apparently, we’ve landed on a topic he’s allowed to talk about. “Lucy’s fine. She’s here. I’m sure she’ll find you the moment she hears you’ve arrived at the space station.” He takes a step toward the door. “We should move along. The admiral expects me by her side soon.”

  That’s it? That’s all he’s going to tell me? I want my friend back. I want my life back. “So, you’re not just a captain, you’re like a really important captain, aren’t you?”

  “I’m the chief military strategist.”

  “In one year you went from cadet to chief military strategist?” Wow. To say I missed a lot would be a serious understatement. I shrug, not really knowing what else to say. “You always were the master at Evolution of Combat.”

  • • •

  The bed I’m in is incredibly comfortable. It’s almost as comfortable as the couches in our souped-up common room on Alkalinia, which was no more than virtual reality meant to keep us happy and stuffed and distracted so the Alks could pump us up with reptilian venom and knock us out.

  My body is beyond tired. Every time I close my eyes and start to fade, my leg jerks or a shiver runs up my arm. I’m so exhausted I can’t even get my body coordinated enough to sleep.

  Plus, I can’t turn my brain off. I keep thinking about the fact that I lost a year of my life in that horrible rift. I’ve only been back at the space station a few hours, and from what I can tell, everything has changed.

  Every time I stop my mind from spiraling over my lost time, I zero right back in on Mira’s odd behavior in the rift. My brain is on repeat, replaying her final words.

  I’m leaving with the Youli.

  I have to.

  It’s my choice.

  I can’t go with you.

  I don’t want to.

  What did she mean? Did she want to leave with the Youli? Was it really her choice? Or was that part of the deal and Mira chose to shield me from it? Maybe she knew I’d never agree to let the Youli help us escape the rift if it meant Mira couldn’t come with us.

  If that was her reasoning, she was right.

  But what if she really meant exactly what she said? She chose to go with the Youli. She said she didn’t want to come with me.

  Maybe the only reason I refuse to believe what she said is because it hurts too much.

  When I finally manage to doze off, there’s pounding at my door. I bolt upright, convinced that I’m back in Alkalinia.

  Light pours into the room and something crashes onto my bed. I’m about to fend off the intruder when I realize the high-pitched voice could only be Lucy’s.

  “Oh my God, it’s true!” she yelps. “I half thought that arrogant Cole Thompson was playing mind games with me when he confirmed the rumor that you’d returned from the dead! Oh, Jasper, not a day has gone by that you haven’t been in my thoughts. You are one of the true good people in the galaxy! And to think you were almost lost forever!” With this last line, she flings herself at me, knocking us both back onto my bed.

  Such drama! At least Lucy hasn’t changed.

  “Good to see you, too, Lucy,” I say, carefully extracting myself from her hug without making her mad. Lucy can be touchy. I flip the light switch by my bed so the room is illuminated by more than just the light from the hall. “What time is it?”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. You must be exhausted. I didn’t even think about how much you needed rest. I just heard first thing that you were here, and I needed to lay my own eyes on you to believe it.”

  Lucy looks . . . strange. Her braids and ribbons are gone. Her hair is smoothed back and secured in a knot at her neck. She’s wearing all sorts of makeup, and her lashes are so huge it looks like she’s got spiders crawling out of her eyeballs.

  “Um, Lucy, really, what time is it?”

  “It’s just past 0600.”

  Wow. I feel like my head just hit the pillow, and now it’s already morning.

  “Is it true?” Lucy asks. “Were you really stuck in the rift? And were you only gone for a few hours?”

  I nod. “Two nights ago, you and I were hanging out on the couch in our Alkalinian common room.”

  Lucy shivers. “Don’t even say the name of that horrid place! Until this morning, I thought you and Mira died there, and that I was partially to blame.”

  More drama. “How were you to blame?”

  Lucy blinks. “Oh, you know, if I weren’t so annoyed at your sister and her good-for-nothing boyfriend, maybe I could have been more helpful.”

  She must be talking about Marco, but boyfriend? We
ll, it’s not like I didn’t see that coming. “Come on, Lucy, that wouldn’t have made any difference. The Youli were coming, no matter what we did.”

  “I suppose.” She turns her head. A dangly diamond earring reflects the light of my bedside lamp.

  It’s probably a bad idea to stay on the subject of Addy and Marco given that Lucy’s feelings about them don’t appear to have changed, but I have to find out what she knows. “So, my sister and Marco are with Waters and the Wackies on Gulaga?”

  Lucy looks around, then kicks the door closed with her foot. Fortunately, she loves to gossip, so her annoyance fades. “That’s the scoop. They’ve joined the Resistance. Although it’s on the hush hush, of course. Everything’s on the hush hush around here. Word is, we have a mole.” She squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry, Jasper. I’m sure you were hoping to see Addy. I can’t say I’m a big fan of hers, but she was awfully broken up about your death. We all were. At the funeral, we cried in each other’s arms.”

  “Wait. What funeral?”

  “Your funeral. They had a service for you back on Earth. I delivered one of the eulogies. Mine was really spectacular—the best, by far, if I do say so myself. I may have to reenact it for you. Wouldn’t that be fun? You can hear how I remember you before you even die. Actually, I’m sure we have a vid recording of it in the press archives. I’ll make sure to have it retrieved this morning.”

  My heart clenches. I can’t believe Addy had to go through that. She had to mourn a lost brother. She was already pretty anti–Earth Force by the time she reached Alkalinia. My apparent death was more than enough to push her over the edge. No wonder she bailed on Earth Force and joined up with Waters and the Resistance.

  “What about my parents?” I ask.

  “They were at your funeral, too, of course.”

  I cover my eyes with my hand. My parents held a funeral for me? I can’t even imagine what that did to them. I have to contact them today. I don’t care what Earth Force and its ridiculous confidentiality rules say, I can’t let my parents keep thinking I’m dead.

  “Speaking of death,” Lucy says, “is Mira . . . ?”