Chapter Seventeen

June 21, 2507, 4:14 A.M.

 

“We’re not very good at this,” said Ariel.

“No. We’re not.”

They sat in a windowless cell in the prison. It was cushy, at least, with the walls painted white, like a hospital. A sort of secure waiting room, she realized. She sat on a cot, and had just woken to find Thomas pensive. His hair was messy, his arm in a sling.

“How long was I out?” she asked.

“All night.”

“Well ... it’s pretty normal to sleep at night, isn’t it?”

He stared at her. “You just sort of … froze. Even before they grabbed you. So no, I’d guess that’s not normal.”

“You were screaming,” she pointed out.

He didn’t reply.

The idea to break into a prison, which seemed totally logical the night before, baffled her now. Maybe a sense of fate had been tugging them back, some inescapable destiny that defied reason—after all, Thomas couldn’t die in Tenokte if he were flying to Paris—but Ariel realized they had made a mistake.

She had put both of them in danger, and had to set it right. How? What could possibly save them now?

Her thoughts were muddled. “Did you sleep at all?” she asked.

Thomas shook his head. “It was Kira,” he murmured. “She knew I’d come for Damien, and she knew you’d come for me.”

“And they shot you.”

He heard the blast in his head, the blast that recurred in nightmares every few weeks, the echo of the shot that should have killed him years ago. “Yes. Why didn’t you run?”

“I couldn’t leave you,” she said. “And like you said, I just froze.” She bit her lip, looking at his shoulder. “That must hurt.”

“Only when I move.” He tried to lift his arm, and winced. “They pulled out the bullet, though. I just have to wait for it to heal.”

“So what happens now?”

“They’ll want what you know about time travel. Listen, kiddo, no matter what they threaten to do, don’t tell them anything. Even if they…” He bit his lip.

Ariel stared ahead. “They’ll torture us.”

“No. Maybe. How are you feeling? You’re looking better.”

“Do I have to answer? We’re both locked up, with imminent death approaching.”

“That’s redundant. Imminent and approaching?”

She blinked. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

“I’m just saying, maybe you got over that illness. You’re from another time, one with more germs. Your immune system might be stronger.”

“You think so? Then we still have time. I’ll stop Damien’s execution, get us out of here, and get you back to Zoë.”

“Uh-huh. Didn’t you say that the assassin is coming after me?”

“Jude’s figured out that you know he’s the shooter, but there’s no way I can turn him over to the Celestials without killing him first. And how are they going to release that on the news? ‘Time traveler shoots king.’ No way that’ll fly. They’ll still want Damien as their scapegoat.”

“Uh-huh.” He closed his eyes. “That is hard to explain, come to think of it.”

She looked at him for a moment, then smiled. “Those glasses look good on you.”

“You’re a bit late. I’m already engaged. Or at least ... I thought I was.”

“I’m just saying.” She leaned her head back. “There’s got to be more than a chance we can get out of this alive. Let me think. I’ve got a good immune system. And Jamie had some theory—said he had a plan to change things.”

“Oh, great. My life’s in the hands of a rock star. But for what it’s worth, I’m starting to remember more.” He opened his eyes. “No wonder Kira didn’t want to tell me. Do you know?”

“I have a vague idea,” she said.

His eyes widened. “Those glasses! I could read minds with them, figure out a plan to get us out of here. You have to let me wear them.”

“No,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Because I can read minds with them.”

It had happened slowly, but once she recognized that the whispers she heard were really thoughts, she had focused on them more.

She could tune in to anything: hear a person’s breathing and heartbeat, sense the movement of a fly in the next room, and see shadowy outlines of people passing through the hall, even though an opaque door separated them. She knew when the guards would try to strike almost before they could move, and she could see every fragment of memory that Thomas saw.

It didn’t always work, though. If she focused on something else and stopped listening, well...

“You can’t read my mind,” he snapped.

She knew that he meant that she shouldn’t, not that she couldn’t. “Why not?” she said. “You wanted to do it to everyone else.”

“But—” He sighed, put a hand to his eyes. “You’re not doing it to save your life. You’re just doing it out of innate curiosity. And sooner or later you’re going to see things—”

“What the ...”

“That maybe someone your age—”

“Oh, wow.”

“—shouldn’t see.”

She put a hand to her mouth, grinning. “Okay, now you read my mind.”

“What?”

Ariel took off her sunglasses, then handed them to him. He switched them with his own, and in a moment saw her swimming in a lime-green filter.

“Looks like a video game,” he said.

“Do you see anything?”

“Uh, no.” The last time he had tried these, the images rushed into his head like a wave. Now he didn’t even feel a trickle.

“Give it a second. Do you think there’s any chance of Kira going to the Council?”

“Over what?”

“Over anything. Damien. Emily.”

“I guess. But who knows? Why do you care about Damien’s life, anyway? People die every day, people who don’t deserve it, and you’re not breaking down doors to save them.” He tapped the sunglasses, then looked at Ariel and realized the glasses were doing something. He could see her clearly, as if the glasses fit his prescription. Nothing else came.

“Because time travelers messed up here, and I need to set things right.”

“Hm. So by that logic, you’d have to let me die.” He sighed, took off the glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Do you believe in an afterlife, kiddo? That we go somewhere nice when we die?”

“No.”

“Dimitri did.”

“Well, I’m not him.” She looked away.

“Huh,” he said. “I’ll never even see my daughter. What’s she like? Have you looked that far?”

“No. Didn’t think to.” She looked at the glasses in his hand. “They didn’t work?”

He shook his head.

“Hm. Maybe you need some curiosity to read thoughts. Maybe they show what you want to see, whatever you need to see. The first time you used them, you wanted to see everything they could do, right?”

“Maybe.”

Ariel pondered a moment. “How do they plan to execute Damien?”

“I don’t know. Maybe lethal injection? The Council will be there to witness it, in any case.”

Ariel leaned back. “I see. Have you ever watched anyone die?”

“I don’t know. I’m sure I must have.”

“It’s horrific. It’s about the worst thing anyone can see.”

“Then why do you always go looking for it?”

“I don’t,” she said, perplexed. “I don’t go around watching people die—why, is that what you think?”

He shrugged.

“I can’t be remembered. Time travelers need to be at least partially anonymous. People who are about to die, not necessarily dying, never have much time to talk about someone they met.”

He considered that. “Explains why you like me so much.”

She snapped her fingers. “Anesthetic. That would explain the telepathic field of the lenses not working. Did they knock you out when they took out the bullet?”

“I don’t think so.”

“No? They didn’t, uh, give you anything?”

“Well, maybe. I was screaming a lot. Mostly over them taking you away. They might have given me something to relax me.”

“You don’t say.”

He sighed. “Kiddo, this isn’t about Damien anymore. They want you, they want what you know. They’re hoping you can teach them how to use the pocket watch. And you can’t.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“At first they’ll say this was all a misunderstanding. They’ll promise you your freedom, a great job maybe, and the safety of people you care about. Maybe they’ll drug you so you don’t even realize you’re giving them information. But if that doesn’t work, they have another option. Most people tend to give up information very quickly if they see a friend being tortured.”

She sat back. “I won’t let that happen.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be dead tomorrow. Today.” He leaned his head against the wall. “I guess it’s them who kill me, huh?”

“I don’t know,” said Ariel, quietly.

“What happens to Zoë? And the baby?”

“I don’t know.” She was quiet for a moment. “Is that how the secret police recruits?”

“What?”

“They promise you things, say your loved ones will be safe; heck, they say you’re doing it for the good of humanity … sound about right?”

“No. The secret police are a force for good. They’re supposed to prevent these sorts of things.”

“Well,” said Ariel, “they’re certainly doing a wonderful job.”

 

2.

12:01 A.M.

 

A missile exploded into the Halcyon, sending it veering off course.

“Not again!” Zoë yelled. She increased the speed, trying to dodge the missiles. “Just once I want one normal, uneventful flight.”

One of the control panels blinked. “Pilot, prepare your ship for docking. You are in violation of international law—”

Zoë shut off the radio com. “I can’t do this,” she said. “In a war, I’d have about five other ships helping me. And all the ship’s weapons were removed after the war. There’s nothing to do but run.”

“We should have left sooner,” said the robot, sadly.

Zoë considered. No matter what speed she pulled off, they kept right after her. How long could she let them chase her? Her job usually involved keeping track of navigation, altitude, weather—not an enemy.

Beneath them was the wide Atlantic ocean. If she crashed, the ship wouldn’t burn. It would sink.

On the controls, she saw the narrow Celestial fighter move in place beside the Halcyon.

“Oh, no you don’t,” said Zoë, jerking the controls to the left. The ship followed, then latched onto the Halcyon.

“Celestials boarding,” said the pleasant voice of the ship’s computer. “They are executing a search warrant, and looking for a missing person. Name: Emily Montag. Hatch will automatically open in—fifteen—seconds.”

Zoë slowed the ship, then sat back. “We’re done for.” She swung toward her robot. “Jack, if a Celestial asks you a question, any question, you have to respond with a truthful answer, don’t you?”

“Yes, Miss Martínez,” he replied.

“Then, Jack ... can you keep a secret? If they ask you something, don’t say a w—”

The door to the ship burst open, and guards rushed into the pilot’s cabin and pointed blasters at them.

“Hands in the air! Don’t move!” one yelled.

Zoë’s hands went up. Jack’s wiry arms raised an inch.

“Jeez,” said a guard. “One’s an assassin, the other’s a smuggler. What the hell is wrong with the Martínez family?”

“We weren’t loved as children,” Zoë replied.

 

3.

5 A.M., Tenokte

 

The guards led Thomas and Ariel to the lieutenant’s office.

Glass formed one side of the room, and showed the glittering lights of the evening skyline, which seemed like a golden necklace on a dark cloth.

The office itself had sparse furnishings. A gray desk, with two chairs on the opposite side. A bookshelf. A tiny cactus on the desk. This could be the stylish office of a magazine editor, not the lieutenant of a small city and the assistant to the most important man in the world.

Lt. Kira Watson stood by the glass wall. She turned as the visitors entered.

“Don’t restrain them,” she murmured.

“It’s Delacroix’s orders,” a guard replied.

She didn’t reply. The guards handcuffed Thomas’s right wrist to the chair, but didn’t even glance at Ariel, who stood by the door when it closed.

Kira turned, then smiled at the time traveler. “I don’t think we’ve met, Ariel.”

“Don’t you dare speak to her,” said Thomas. “After what you’ve done—”

“I’m sorry if you feel that way, Thomas,” said Kira, “but I wasn’t addressing you.” She turned to Ariel, who crossed her arms.

“Long night, huh?” said Ariel. “I hear you’ve been tracking me.”

“Hm.” Kira stared out the glass. We’ve wanted to get that project started for years, but the clock would only light up intermittently. We tried a few times, and it didn’t work. Finally we got the funding, got a daring volunteer, and it lit up. A perfect Venn diagram of conditions. It took four years and happened only once.”

“I see. But the king died that day. You didn’t match up the events at all? Even I knew there had to be a connection.”

Kira turned. “What do you mean?”

“I know who killed the king. It’s a man named Jude Fawkes, a time traveler. I can find him.”

“How?”

“He took my copper time piece, and you’ve tracked it once. Do it again, and you’ll have your assassin.”

Kira shook her head. “That project has been shut down. It was a failure.”

“You knew I’d come,” said Thomas, glaring at the lieutenant. “You knew.”

“Yes, I knew. And it was my duty to report you. Ariel, Commander Delacroix is quite interested to see you again. Anything you ask for, we will try to grant to the best of our ability. He knows you have some incredible talents. You could teach us a lot.”

Ariel gave a sad half-smile. “A few years ago, you were against a secret police who could use time travel.”

“Ah, yes, but I realized it wouldn’t eliminate our police force. It would make us stronger.”

“All right. So if I worked for you, what would you give me?”

“Citizenship, an identity. A fair amount of money. Huxley would be pardoned, of course, and his life would be spared. He’d be free to return to his fiancée.”

Ariel nodded at all of the provisions. Just as Thomas predicted.

“Did Zoë make it?” Thomas asked Kira, desperately.

Kira stared at him.

“I’m sorry?”

“Emily and Zoë! Flying off to France? No? Not ringing a bell? Or did you set them up, too?”

Kira looked at him blankly. “Emily’s missing, yes, but we’re searching for her. You had a pretty bad injury, Huxley. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Ariel put a hand over her mouth, but Thomas could see she was smiling. She glanced at him: “You’re not seeing it, are you?”

He looked at her lime-colored glasses, then at Kira.

The entire building had microphones and cameras hidden everywhere. Certainly every meeting or prisoner interrogation would be monitored. Kira hadn’t turned toward Delacroix’s side, and she wasn’t just playing coy to keep her job (or her life). She was trying to help them.

“Okay,” said Ariel. “I can have anything I want, right? Within reason?”

“Yes.”

“I want to watch Damien Martínez’s execution. And Thomas has to come with me.”

Both Kira and Thomas stared at her, surprised.

“I’m sorry, but for security reasons—”

“Put as many guards around us as you want. With no time machine, neither of us are going to escape. I just want to see it. You can grant me that, can’t you?”

Kira was taken aback.

“It’s just a thing she has,” Thomas said, trying to suppress a smile. “She likes to visit famous deaths in history ... I don’t really get it either.”

“Uh, very well. You can attend the execution. Commander Delacroix wants to meet with you later, Ariel. I’ll have a guard escort you to your room; I need to talk to Thomas for a moment.”

“No,” said Thomas. “Whatever you have to say, she can hear it.”

“It involves the events leading up to your injury four years ago. Most of the information is classified. I can’t say it in front of a civilian.”

“Then don’t say it,” he said. He glanced at Ariel, who had gone pale. She turned to him: she already knew.

Thomas closed his eyes. “Don’t say it,” he repeated. “Tell me some other time.”

Kira glanced down. “Very well. I’ll have the guards escort you to your room.” She walked over to the window, her heels clicking on the floor.

A moment later, they walked in the hallway outside, flanked by guards. Thomas whispered, “You read her mind?”

“Yes,” said Ariel.

“So what do we do now?”

“I have a plan. Leave it to me.”

“What happened to me?” he asked, his jaw set.

She glanced down as they walked, accompanied by the guards. “I don’t quite know how to explain.”

“Ariel, please.”

“It’s in your head, too. You just don’t want to know.”

He sighed and walked on. “Damien is going to die today,” he sighed. “And there’s nothing we can do.”