22

BRIDGER

FEBRUARY 19, 2147

It’s barely ten o’clock in the morning, and already adrenaline is coursing through my body. The time trip I took with Alora yesterday just raised even more questions. Today I’m going to try to find some answers. I’m going to Halla Fairbanks’s house to talk to her in person, since Alora said she worked on the project that revived her father. And since Vika’s consciousness was uploaded at the same time my dad’s was, back in 2013, maybe she’ll have some answers for us. After that, I’m going to meet Zed, Elijah, Tara, and Alora at the museum so we can figure out what to do next. Since I couldn’t comm Alora myself, I asked Tara to get in touch with her and tell her of our plans.

The only problem is my brother.

“Will you hurry up?” I snap at Shan while I stop to let him to catch up. He’s walking about ten paces behind me on the sidewalk, talking to someone on his DataLink. There are too many people out for us to get separated without me worrying about losing him in the crowd. We’ve already passed one small group of Purists chanting in front of city hall. I really hope things aren’t about to turn sour again.

Shan signs off just before reaching me.

“Who were you talking to?” I ask, thinking it was probably Mom.

“One of my friends,” he says. “Not that you care.”

I glance at him out of the corner of my eyes. His sullenness around me has only increased in the past week. The camping trip with Grandma was the turning point. But when I told Mom I needed to go out this morning, she made me take Shan. She said she would be busy working on a project all day and that he needed to get out more. Personally, I think she just wanted the apartment to herself for a few hours. Either way, it sucks because I’m stuck with someone who clearly has issues with me.

But I decide to try to reason with the little tyrant. “Who says I don’t care? It’s good that you have friends. Maybe you should bring them around the apartment more.”

Shan snorts. “Um, no thanks. Mom would embarrass me. I’ll just stick to seeing them at school.”

It’s all I can do to keep a straight face. “I thought you loved Mom. You’re clearly her favorite.”

“No, I’m not,” he spits out. “She’s just nicer to me because I don’t openly hate her, like you do. You and Dad were always so close. There was no room left for me. Or for Mom.”

I want to scoff at him, but what if he’s right? It’s true that Dad and I spent a lot of time together, but that’s because we had so many things in common. Camping, of course, but we also loved watching old baseball games together and sometimes playing hockey or soccer with Zed and Elijah. Shan never really liked any of those things, except for camping, but even that was only when he was little. The older he grew, the less he wanted to join us.

“Well, maybe if you hadn’t been playing Sim Games all the time, you could’ve done more things with us.”

Shan stops in his tracks. “Did it ever occur to you that one of the reasons I played those games so much was so I could get a head start on other cadets at school? With Dad and you being so good at everything, I didn’t stand a chance. Those games were the only way I had to train. And besides, that’s not all I like to do.”

“That’s all I ever see you doing,” I reply, trying not to sound like a condescending ass.

“That’s because you’re never around me, Bridger! I go rock climbing with my friends when we’re at the Academy. I read a lot of books. I even watch some those old cheesy movies Dad used to like.”

“I like doing those things, too,” I mutter in disbelief. “You could always have asked if I wanted to do anything with you.”

“Would you really have done them with me, though? Because I don’t think so. Remember, I’m just a whiny little mama’s boy.” He pauses for a moment to take a few deep breaths, his fists clenched. “And you know what’s really sad? You think so little of me, but I would do anything for you. I’ve always looked up to you.” With those words, he stalks off ahead of me.

My face is on fire. Somehow, he must have overheard me saying that about him.

Maybe he’s not as brainwashed by Mom as I thought.

By this time, we’ve reached the Maglev. We have to wait a little longer than normal to board. Apparently, some Purists decided to throw some graffiti bombs—we arrive just in time to see them get arrested.

The Maglev trip across town to where Halla Fairbanks lives takes a little less than ten minutes. Shan doesn’t say another word to me. And honestly, I can’t be mad about it. Maybe I have been too judgmental of him. I should try to work on that more.

When we reach Colonel Fairbanks’s house, which is in a not quite wealthy, but definitely upper-class neighborhood, we’re stunned to find Professor March already there. He’s sitting in a swing on the small porch of the Fairbanks’s brick cottage.

“It’s about time you two showed up,” he says, leaning forward in the swing. “I was beginning to think I guessed wrong. But with your trajectory, I figured you were coming here.”

Shan sputters, “What—why are you tracking us?”

“Because I promised your father that I would always look after you two. And I have a bad feeling that you’re getting yourselves into something you can’t handle.” He looks pointedly in my direction.

“Where’s the colonel?” I ask. I try to peer into one of the front windows, but it’s impossible to see inside. The night screens are activated.

“She’s gone,” Professor March says. “When she retired eight months ago, she moved. I never heard where she went.”

“Why didn’t I hear about that?” I ask, stunned. Colonel Fairbanks had a cushy job with the DTA, and as far as I know she’s nowhere near retirement age.

Professor March shrugs. “I have no idea.” He turns to Shan, “Listen, buddy, I need to speak to Bridger in private for a few moments.”

“Sure, I’ll just go over there and do nothing.” Shan shoves his hands in the pockets of his jeans and glares at me before he walks over to the Green Zone across the street. While I’m glad Professor March sent Shan away, a small part of me feels guilty. Especially after what he said to me on the way over here.

“Now, let’s get to the important stuff. You’re clearly up to something. I want to know what you think you’re doing,” March says.

“What are you talking about?” I ask.

“Don’t play dumb with me. Why are you really here?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Well, I received a disturbing comm last night from my sister. She said you were acting strange at headquarters yesterday.”

“I didn’t realize you two talked so much, sir.”

“Really, Bridger? She’s my sister.” Professor March heaves a sigh and continues. “Anyway, she did some digging and discovered that you accessed the DTA network yesterday in your grandmother’s office.”

My pulse spikes. “She what? Did she … did she report me?”

“Fortunately for you, she didn’t. She knows the relationship I have with you and Shan, so she decided to let me know first, to see what I thought about the situation. You owe her big time.”

My legs feel weak. I sag onto the top step of the porch. I wish I could deny everything, but he’s got me. “Yeah, I logged onto the system. That was my only way of finding out what happened to Dad.”

Professor March cocks his head to one side. “What happened to Leithan? Why would you want to do that?”

My pulse quickens and I begin to rub my left hand. I just don’t know what I should do. Dad told me not to trust Professor March anymore. He had to have a good reason for doing that. But Professor March and his sister could have reported me for breaking into the DTA network, and they didn’t. I wonder why. Maybe I can give him just enough information to learn something from him.

I share how Alora and I regained our memories, but omit everything about Ellis and our time trip to the day Nate Walker was revived. When I’m finished, I point a finger at him. “It’s your turn now. Why did you help me escape last year? Why did you lie to me about the DTA not knowing about the existence of Dual Talents? What are you and General Anderson hiding?”

The professor’s eyes widen. “You both have your memories back and have kept that a secret from everyone. I have to admit, I’m impressed. You’re definitely Leithan’s son.”

I want to trust him. I remember all the time he spent with our family while I was growing up. But I can’t forget Dad’s warning. “You didn’t answer my question.”

Professor March holds up both hands. “I’m not doing anything with Anderson. He approached me and said that you and your father were caught doing something illegal, but he refused to elaborate. He said Leithan covered his tracks too well, and the only way to figure out what year he’d gone to was to stage your capture and then see what you did when you escaped. It was also to protect you once you went rogue.”

“Yeah, but he threatened to have me Nulled!” I shout. “He had my Mom thinking I was a goner.”

“Bridger, I went along with it because I had no choice. I never said I agreed with it. The whole thing was shady. But when a powerful official from the DTA tells you to do something, you do it.”

“So you didn’t know that Vika and Dad had been cloned?”

“They what?”

“Wait a second … General Anderson didn’t tell you what happened to us in 2013?”

Professor March places both hands on the top of his head, his face a mask of disbelief. “I wasn’t allowed access to the final report. It was classified.”

I fill him in on everything that took place between Vika, Alora, Alora’s aunt, and my dad. Professor March looks completely aghast.

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” he says. “I swear, Anderson just said he needed my help because he felt I was the only person who could get you to cooperate. His objective was to get you to shift to the exact date your father went to, so he could determine why Leithan went there. He could have extracted the knowledge from you, but he didn’t want to risk hurting you.”

That does make sense. Submitting to Extractors—Mind Benders who forcibly take information from people’s brains—usually ends up giving the person permanent brain damage, or even kills them.

I don’t know what to believe. Professor March seems sincere, but Dad wouldn’t have told me to stay away from him for no reason. The fact that he helped Anderson trick me is still pissing me off. But I need more answers from him. “I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on,” I say in an exasperated voice. “My dad and Vika are still out there somewhere. I want to know why they were cloned and what Anderson’s end game is.”

“I do, too. But I don’t think it’s a good idea for you or Alora to keep poking into things yourselves. It’s too dangerous.”

I decide to change tactics. I let my shoulders droop and look away from him as if in defeat. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I don’t want to put my family, or Alora, at risk. We both know what the DTA is capable of.”

For the first time, Professor March smiles. “I think that’s best, Bridger. Maybe I can get my sister to look into things, but for now you and Alora need to stop playing detective.”

“Okay. But promise me that you won’t report that we both have our memories back. We deserve to keep those.”

“All right,” he says. “It’s the least I can do.”

I glance at my DataLink. The others should be on the way to the museum now. “I have to go,” I say in a rush. “I promised to take Shan to the museum this afternoon. I can’t go back on that, or he’ll pout all day.”

“Then you’d better keep that promise.” Professor March stands and starts walking down the porch steps. He looks back when he reaches the sidewalk. “Please, comm me if you need anything. I promised your father I’d always be here for you.”

I want to believe him. But I can’t forget Dad’s message. Then a wave of sickness slams into me.

What if Professor March is still reporting to Anderson?

What have I done?