Avalon

CHAPTER 25

ALIVE, ALIVE, A LIVE.

“That’s impossible,” Jeth said, breathless. The emotions churning inside him were so powerful, so confused, all he felt was numbing shock, as if his head had been plunged into a bucket of ice water.

“Oh, I’m afraid it isn’t,” said Renford. “Marian’s execution was staged by the ITA. They needed her to appear dead—it was the only way to hold her and perform the experiments on her they intended. During that last trip your parents took into the Belgrave, something happened to them. Something that altered them biologically. And whatever it was, it affected the fetus your mother didn’t know she was carrying at the time. Cora. She was born a mere seven months after they returned.”

Jeth realized at once that it could have been possible. The timeline worked, at least. And if his mother had gotten pregnant during that trip, he wouldn’t have known. All the information about it had been sealed. And Cora’s strange DNA. It all fits.

Jeth risked a glance at Cora, still unconscious in the soldier’s arms, his heart thundering in his ears. Sister. Was it true? And could his mother really be alive? Experiments. The ground seemed to shift beneath Jeth, his whole universe turning upside down at the possibility that everything he’d assumed about his parents’ fate was wrong.

He turned back to Renford, desperate for answers. “Why? Why would the ITA do it?”

“Oh, I’m afraid I can’t tell you that,” said Renford. He slid his hand into his pocket and withdrew a data cell. “That information is too valuable to share with just anyone.”

Jeth stared at the cell. “What does my mother have to do with the Aether Project?”

“Jeth, your mother is the Aether Project. Along with Cora. And, soon, Lizzie, too.” Renford motioned toward his men. “Bring those two with us. Kill the rest.”

“No!” Sierra screamed, a crazed look on her face. She pulled hard against the men holding her. One of them lost his grip, and Sierra reacted at once. She yanked a small, round object off the soldier’s belt and tossed it. The thing hit the ground with a metal clink. Smoke began to pour out from its top, flooding the room in seconds.

Jeth jumped up, turned, and wrestled the gun out of the hand of the soldier behind him. Then he spun around, trying to find Lizzie. And Cora. Smoke stung his eyes, and he covered his mouth and nose to keep from breathing it in as he ran forward.

Bodies pressed around Jeth, panic descending. He felt that panic clawing at him, trying to freeze him in place. He fought it off, desperate to save his sisters. A soldier appeared in front of him and threw a wild punch. Jeth ducked it easily and then struck the man in the back of the head with the butt of the gun. The soldier went down, and Jeth leaped over him, moving on.

“Get them out of here!” he heard Renford shouting.

Jeth ran toward the voice. He pushed and punched people out of his way, but resisted the urge to start shooting. It was too risky.

“Lizzie!” Jeth screamed.

There was too much noise for him to make out an answer. Smoke burned his lungs, and a coughing fit racked his body.

Someone appeared in front of him. Jeth moved to strike, but held back when he realized it was Dax. He didn’t understand how the man had recovered from the stunner already, but there he was.

“Come on.” Dax pushed his way through the fighting, and Jeth stumbled after him. A moment later they broke free of the smoke. Jeth wiped his eyes. They were in the rear of the cargo bay, near the exit.

Lizzie.

A soldier was pulling her through the door.

Jeth lunged forward, but Dax grabbed his arm, stopping him.

“Wait,” Dax said. Then he pointed a small, strange-looking gun and fired once. The shot made an odd whizzing noise as it left the chamber. Jeth turned, expecting to see the soldier fall. Dax’s aim was legendary.

The man kept moving.

Dax had missed. Jeth couldn’t believe it. He pulled away from Dax. “Let go of me.” Jeth broke into a run, but he only made it a few steps before a stunner bolt struck him in the side of the head and everything went black.

“Do you think it scrambled his brain?”

“Dunno. Guess we’ll find out when he comes around.”

“You mean if he comes around.”

“Oh, he will. He’s too stubborn to die. Besides, Milton said he’d be all right.”

Jeth wished the voices would stop. Each word was like a pickax striking him between the eyes. But the speakers were Flynn and Shady, two people who rarely descended into silence by choice.

“Hey, I think his eyelids are moving. You awake, Jeth?” Shady shouted. Jeth groaned and then wished he hadn’t as the pickax turned into a hot poker.

“He’s awake,” said Flynn.

Jeth opened his eyes and glared at the two faces staring down at him. “Shut up, already.”

Both of them grinned.

“Welcome back, Boss.” Shady held out a hand. Jeth took it and sat up. The world spun around him for a moment. What the hell happened? Then he remembered being shot in the head with a stunner. And before that . . .

Lizzie . . . and Cora.

Fighting back panic, Jeth focused his gaze on Flynn. “What happened?”

Flynn began to fidget with his shirt collar. “Um, Renford and his men got away. They took Lizzie and Cora with them. But everybody else is okay. Even Dax and Sergei. Well, everybody except for Vince. He got shot, but Milton’s working on him right now.”

Terror needled over Jeth’s skin. Where had Renford taken the girls? With an effort, Jeth pushed himself to his feet. He swayed once he got there, but Shady and Flynn steadied him. He looked around, realizing they were still in the cargo bay. The dead bodies of the old man and four guards had been removed, but blood smears remained on the floor.

“Don’t worry, Boss,” Shady said. “Milton and Sierra are working on a plan to go after them.”

“What?”

A wary expression crossed Shady’s face. “Now don’t go losing your crap about it. She’s on our side.”

Jeth shot him a glare.

“It’s true,” Flynn said. “Milton told us we should trust her. Says he knows everything about what’s going on with your mom and your sisters and stuff.”

The world has gone insane.

Ignoring them both, Jeth charged toward the ladder. He headed up to the passenger deck and then to sick bay, where he knew he’d find Sierra. If Vince was hurt that was where she would be.

He froze in the doorway when he spotted her. She stood with her back to him, bent over Vince, who was lying unconscious on the operating table. Milton stood on the other side of the table, holding a jet injector against Vince’s bare shoulder. He squeezed the trigger, and it made a loud pop as it shot whatever medicine it contained into Vince’s bloodstream.

Jeth charged in, grabbed Sierra by one arm, and spun her around hard enough she fell into the table. “This is all your fault.” He grabbed her by the shoulders.

She twisted out from his grasp with remarkable ease and shoved him. “I had no choice! You were going to hand us over to Renford!”

“Stop it, both of you,” Milton said, glaring between them. “We can assign blame for what happened later. There’re more important things to do right now.”

Jeth blinked, some of the anger going out of him at the command in Milton’s voice. He caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Viggo walking across one of the counters, stepping in between medical equipment without a care in the world. Jeth lowered his hands. At least they’d taken care of Lizzie’s stupid cat. That was something, he supposed.

“Fine,” Jeth said. “But somebody better tell me what the hell is going on.”

Sierra took a deep breath. “It all has to do with the Aether Project, just like Renford said.”

Jeth swung his gaze back to her. “What—”

“Not now,” Milton said, inclining his head toward the door.

Jeth turned and saw Dax coming down the corridor toward sick bay, Celeste following behind him.

“Good, you’re awake,” Dax said as he came in. He looked at Milton. “I just checked on Sergei. He’s sleeping.”

Milton nodded, then moved to the counter behind Dax and started reloading the jet injector with another dose of medicine.

Dax turned back to Jeth and patted him on the side of the head. “Good thing your skull is hard enough to handle a stunner.”

“Sure doesn’t feel like it,” said Jeth. “How’d you recover so quickly, anyway?”

Dax grinned and raised a hand to his implant. “One of the advantages of the Brethren implant. This thing can—” Dax broke off at a loud popping sound. Jeth looked up to see Milton pressing the jet injector against Dax’s neck. Dax let out a gurgled cry, then fell.

Milton set the injector down on the nearest counter. “That’s better.” ^

Jeth gaped. “What’d you do?” His sudden anger at Milton hurting Dax surprised Jeth. Then it occurred to him how much he’d grown used to Dax’s presence, and he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not. Not that it mattered. What did was that Hammer would be furious. He would blame Jeth for this, consider it another betrayal.

“It’s just a sedative. He’ll be fine.”

Jeth shook his head. Milton didn’t understand. He didn’t know.

“It’s all right, Jeth,” Milton said, speaking more firmly now. “We can’t let Hammer find out what’s going on here. But the sedative won’t last long. Not with that implant.” Milton bent down and pulled the thing out. He set the implant on the table and motioned to Shady and Flynn, who were standing in the doorway. “You two take Dax down to the brig. Then get started on installing the metadrive.”

Jeth glanced down at Dax—too late to change it now— and then back to Milton. “Metadrive?” he said.

“Yes,” Sierra said. “It’s down in the cargo bay. Got here just before you did. It might come as a surprise, but most of what I told you before was true.”

“Oh, it’s a surprise all right,” said Jeth, realizing the metadrive must be in the crate the security guards had brought in. “What’d you do, lure the seller here and then shoot him?”

Sierra’s face went red. “Renford’s men killed him. Not me. I don’t betray people who don’t deserve it.”

Jeth took a threatening step toward her. “Are you insinuating that I deserved having my ship stolen?”

“Stop it!” Milton slammed his fist on the table. “Lizzie and Cora are more important.”

Jeth swallowed, guiltily, then forced his gaze away from Sierra, trying to pretend he didn’t see the tears standing in her eyes. He looked at Flynn. “Do you know how to install a metadrive?”

Flynn shrugged then grinned. “Guess I’ll have to figure it out.”

“It’s not hard if you use the old one as a guide,” said Sierra.

“Right. Okay then.” Flynn punched Shady in the shoulder. “Let’s go.” They grabbed Dax by the arms and dragged him from the room.

“Celeste,” Milton said, “go take out Sergei’s implant and lock him in his cabin. Then see if you can help with the metadrive.”

A look of disgust crossed Celeste’s face. Jeth couldn’t blame her. He wouldn’t have wanted to pull out an implant either. But Milton’s stern look kept her from arguing, and she turned and left.

Milton cut his eyes to Sierra. “I think we should head to the common room and bring Jeth up to speed. I just need a minute to fetch my copy of the Aether Project.”

Sierra’s eyes widened. “You made a copy?”

“Yes.” Milton glanced at Jeth. “I thought it might come in handy sooner or later. And I’m glad I did, now that Renford has the other one.”

Jeth’s patience reached its limit. “What’s going on?”

“What Renford told you is true,” Milton said. “Your mother is still alive, and Cora is her daughter. Your sister.”

Jeth swallowed. There was no denying it now, not with Milton confirming it with such certainty. “But what does that have to do with the Aether Project?”

“Everything,” Sierra said. “The Aether Project isn’t just information about metatech. It’s about preserving our ability to travel through space. What you must understand is that the power source that makes metaspace travel possible isn’t mechanical or man-made or even mineral. It’s biological. A living organism. An alien life form.” She paused and took a deep breath. “And it’s dying.”