Chapter 15
Departures
I
Amica sat in the chair in Roberts’s office. She was fuming that Roberts had restricted her training, didn’t she understand that she was so close, every time she opened a gate she found the connection a little easier, granted it still slipped away from her sometimes, but nowhere near as often as when she started. She looked over to Henry; he was measuring out two capfuls of medicine. It smelled nasty.
“If you think I am going to swallow that foul smelling concoction then you are sadly mistaken”
“Shut up, and take your medicine,” Henry said in a calm, pleasant, but authoritative voice. She had expected him to reason with her. Remind her that she needed to take her medicine if she was going to get back to training, but he simple told her to shut up, and take it. He was very polite, and had the same pleasant way about him he always had, but there was something more. She knew that in the end she was going to have to take the medicine, but there was something in his tone that caused her to push at him, and see where this went. If for no other reason, then she thought it would be fun to mess with him a little.
“I’m not drinking that, so you can either drink it yourself, or pour it back into the bottle. I think it would be in poor taste to dump it in the trash, you know waste not want not,” she said smiling.
“You are my only friend, and if taking this medicine is what it takes to keep you healthy, and a part of my life, then I will hold you down, and pour it down your throat. Now shut up, and take you medicine,” Henry said. She was tempted to push him further, but he actually looked ready to pour it down her throat.
“All right,” she said taking the cup, and swallowing it in one gulp. He handed her the second cup, and she tossed that one back quickly as well. She immediately felt warmth in her stomach; it then began to spread out to her limbs. She felt the warmth crawl up her neck, and spread across her cheeks. Something was happening she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Her thoughts were coming faster, and seemed clearer, her focus felt sharper, and her limbs were almost lighter.
“Wow, that stuff works fast,” Henry said smiling.
“Why do you say that?” she asked. She knew that she could feel the effects through out her body, but what did he see.
“The bags under your eyes already look better,” he said.
The door opened. Standing there in the doorway was one of the sphinx twins holding a large brown envelope. He stood there looking at the two of them. She was not sure which one of the two it was, she had never been clear which person belonged to which name, but it was the blond one. She now understood how he had gotten a job in security. She had never seen him standing before, she did not realize how much of the man was concealed by that desk. He stood a little over six foot, with broad shoulders. In his black suit he was especially imposing. It was a good thing she was sitting, because as shocked as she was to see him standing in front of her, she would have fallen down when he opened his mouth, and spoke.
II
Henry had never heard the man speak before; he had a low gravelly voice that sent chills down his spine.
“I was asked to deliver this to you, and then escort you to the Chicago terminal,” he said. Henry was not sure which of the two brothers Harold, or Justin was in front of them, but he thought of Roberts. She had told them to wait for her here after receiving that phone call. She had said there was some kind of emergency in the main terminal. He wondered if the twin standing before him was related to the phone call. Amica, and Henry stood walking over to the man in the doorway, and took the envelope from him. It was a large brown envelope roughly the size of a sheet of paper, it had a small flap that had been sealed down, it looked like the inter-office envelops he had seen when he visited his mother at the hospital. He noticed Amica, and his name written on the front of the envelope in a crisp clean handwriting.
“What’s in it?” Amica asked the man standing in front of them, but he gave no answer. Henry tore open the envelope, and found a piece of paper, and a envelope with Ms. Roberts name written on the outside in the same handwriting as the outside of the large envelope. Henry handed the smaller envelope to Amica, and took out the piece of paper.
Henry, and Amica
I must speak with you both regarding a matter of urgency. Justin will bring you to me. Talk to no one but him, or Ms. Roberts. Time is of the essence.
Albert Wilhelm
P.S. Leave the envelope on Ms. Robert’s desk.
Amica walked over to Roberts’s desk, and place the envelope face up in the center of the desk. She picked her medicine up off the desk, and walked back to the door. She motioned for Justin to lead the way. He took them through the house, and down the stairs into the kitchen. Henry recognized the man making tea in the kitchen, he had met him his first time in the house, he thought his name was Philip. Once in the kitchen, Justin opened a door near the back of the kitchen. To Henry it looked like a closet door, but behind it was another flight of stairs. They followed the stairs down to a landing, and then down another flight. There was a door at the bottom of the stairs; it was a gray door with a small square window about a foot square near the top.
Justin opened the door, and Henry knew where he was. They were in the lounge outside the locker room of the Chicago Terminal. He led them through the door into the terminal. There they found Harold standing in front of the North Gate. The gate was open, although it was hard to tell with Harold standing in front of it. Henry looked through the open gateway over Harold’s shoulder. He saw what looked like Sir’s training center.
“Close the gate behind you when you reach the other side,” Harold said. He had the same deep gravelly voice as his partner. Henry looked at Amica; she looked back at him, and shrugged her shoulders.
“Shall we go?” she asked. She sounded as apprehensive as he felt.
“I guess that’s the plan,” Henry said reaching over, and taking her hand. They stepped through the gate together.
Henry had a sense of déjà vu as he walked through the gateway into what he assumed was the training facility. The room was almost as dark as it had been the first time they arrived, only this time directly across from them on the other side of the room where the gate practice wall was located was a very large circle of light. There was a large pile of things in the center of the light, covered with what looked like a black tarp. This in itself would have been odd enough, but behind the covered pile was a gateway. The test wall was where Henry, and Amica practiced building, and fixing gates, but Sir had always insist they start with a bare wall, and electrical source every day. He pushed the gateway door closed, and the light winked out as the gate powered down. Henry felt a sudden sense of apprehension; something was going on he didn’t understand, and he felt very confused, and nervous. Everything had happened so quickly that he had not really had a chance to react until now.
“What is happening?” Henry said.
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it what ever it is,” Amica said. “Just promise me you will stay close, okay. I don’t think we are in any danger, but I promised Roberts I would look out for you,” she said. She took hold of his hand, and Henry got the impression it was as much for her own comfort as it was for his. Together hand in hand they walked into the dim light of the training grounds, weaving their way through the group of treadmills in the center of the room, being careful not to trip.
Henry could hear things moving in the darkness, it sounded like things being shifted in the dark. Henry had asked Sir once why it was always so dark here. It turned out the planet Tamara, where Sir was from was mostly a dark planet, and therefor his species was mostly nocturnal. So his eyes worked better in the dark. Henry understood that, and had adjusted to the lack of strong lighting, but on this particular evening he seriously missed the light. He had never seen all of the training facility with the lights on, and the sound of things being dragged in the dark made his skin crawl. Judging b
y the cold sweat on Amica’s palms she was feeling the same way.
“Welcome, thank you for coming, I will be right there,” Sir said. His voice came from out of the darkness, and Henry realized for the first time that he was angry with Sir. He had pushed Amica so hard that she was now physically ill; he had risked her life for some reason that he refused to share with them. What bothered Henry was it had taken Roberts only a moment of being in the room with Amica to see she was sick. How had Sir missed that? Henry and Amica walked over to the pile of materials in the center of the circle of light. Sir walked out of the darkness.
Sir said motioning for them to take a seat. “Please let us sit, there is much to tell you, and little time before you must go,” Sir said.
“Go where?” Amica asked talking a seat on the floor in the legs crossed meditative pose. “Can you please tell us what’s going on?” Amica asked. Sir carefully eased himself down on the pile of items still hidden beneath the tarp.
“Please excuse me if I don’t join you on the floor. As a teacher you hope your students will care about you, as much as you care about them. I have taught many keepers over the 12 thousand of your earth years that I have been doing this, and even I have taught very few natural keepers. It is a special thing to connect with someone whose abilities so naturally mirror your own, there is competitiveness, a camaraderie, and if you are lucky eventually a familial bond of sorts,” he took a deep breath, and looked over towards Amica. “This was particularly true of your father,” Sir said pausing. “I have missed him these many years, he was a good man, and a good friend. I have looked out into the darkness of the universe on many occasions longing for a way to bring Melchiorre home,” Sir said. Henry was not sure, but he thought he saw a tear catch the light as it disappeared into the fur around his face.
“I understand, I have always dreamed of going to look for him, it is the reason I wanted to become a keeper, it is what has driven me my whole life,” Amica said.
“As we are speaking a new gateway has been opened on Scultura. It is made from spare parts, and a rewired gateway. A group of Scultarians have found a break in security, they have settled in an abandoned forest town, and have begun working collecting men forming a underground resistance movement, they have come looking for weapons, and supplies. They should be in Roberts office by now making their request, what they do not yet know is the security has become lax because the Angriff are no longer interested in the natural resources your home planet has to offer. They are leaving your planet, within the next 24 hours most of the forces will be gone,” Sir said.
“That’s wonderful,” Amica cheered. Henry was happy for Amica, but his nerves were still on edge. What concerned Henry was the pile of covered items, what was under the tarp?
“I’m still confused, why are we here?” Henry asked.
“The Angriff are no longer interested in your planet, but they are still interested in your people. It seems that they are taking keepers with them as they go. I cannot see what they are planning, there are still to many variables. I have tried. I have spent every waking moment trying to divine their purpose. What I know is that your father is a valuable asset, and the Angriff will be moving him soon.
“He’s alive, are you sure?” Amica cried.
“Yes, I have seen him, I am afraid that if they are allowed to remove him from your planet I will lose him, I was pushing my body, and my abilities to find one individual on a single planet let alone the whole universe, even I do not have that kind of ability,” Sir said. He was frowning. Henry suddenly had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He understood in a flash of light Sir’s statement the other night regarding the future. He said there were things moving in the darkness that would cause a chain of other events to happen. He could hear the words in his head before they even came out of her mouth.
“I have to go. I have waited my whole life for this moment,” Amica said standing quickly, and walking over to Sir. She placed her hand on his arm. “You have to let me go, you can’t keep me here. If I don’t go I will never forgive myself,” she pleaded. She thought the reason they were here was to protect her, and keep her from rushing off to find her father, but Henry knew better. He understood the reason Sir had been pushing her this past week, it now made sense, but Sir had failed. Yes, Amica was better at performing openings than she was at the beginning of the week, but she was not ready for this, she would die out there. She was sick, she wasn’t even supposed to be opening gates, if she left now it would be a toss up who killed her first, the Angriff, or her own stubborn stupidity.
“You can’t do this,” Henry said. Amica turned, and smiled at him. She thought that he was on her side, against Sir. She had not seen what he had seen. “You can’t honestly think she will survive? She is not ready for this, and you know that, that is why you have been pushing her so hard, admit it?” Henry said. He was angry. He had trusted Sir, and he was setting Henry’s friend up for slaughter.
“What are you talking about Henry,” Amica said frowning at him.
“Him,” Henry said jabbing his finger at Sir. He did not bring you here to prevent you from rushing off to find your father; he brought you here to help you. That is why that gate is set up, what’s under the tarp? Did you pack her bags for her too, because I hope you packed a dress to bury her in? If she goes out there alone she isn’t coming back,” Henry realizing he was yelling at his teacher.
Amica was looking at him like he had grown a second head.
“Henry calm down,” Amica said. “Look at me, you’re over reacting, I’ll be fine. Sir would never allow me to go if he thought it was hopeless,” she said.
“Amica, you are not ready for this. I know you think you’re doing great in training, and objectively I’m sure you’re right, but your focus only works half the time, the rest of the time it isn’t even good enough to open a gate in the training facility where there are no distractions. What do you think it’s going to be like in the field? I have only been in the terminal where it was safe, and even that was a world of difference,” Henry said. While they had been arguing Albert had entered the coordinates into the computer, and the gate was powering up, brining the moment he would probably lose Amica forever closer.
“Henry you just don’t understand, he’s my dad if there’s even a chance that I could save him, I have to take it,” she said. Henry searched his brain, trying to find the right argument that would give her pause.
“What about your mother, she has already lost your father, how will she feel? Knowing she failed to keep you safe, don’t you think she will blame herself the rest of her very long life?” he said. It was his best shot, he knew it was a low blow, but he was desperate.
“I have to do this, I am sorry you don’t understand,” she said walking over to where Albert stood by the gate.
“I do understand. I really do, but I just can’t shake the feeling that if you go out there alone you will die,” Henry said. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks.
“Henry is right Amica,” Albert said. He was walking away from the gate, and for a brief moment Henry thought he had won, then he pulled the tarp back revealing two large camping size backpacks. “If she goes alone, she will die,” Sir said. He looked directly at Henry, with his deep penetrating eyes. Henry now understood why Sir had kept the bags covered. Henry had made all of the arguments for him, could he let Amica go alone knowing it would mean her certain death?
“What are the odds if I go with her?” Henry asked quietly. “What are the odds that we will be successful?” Henry asked.
“It is hard to say, but it is almost certain she will die with out you,” Sir said.
“No,” Amica said.
“Fine I’m in,” Henry said at the same time Amica yelled no. Henry walked over, and picked up the larger of the bags that was obviously designed for his body frame.
“Henry, I promised your folks I would keep you safe,” Amica said. She looked
anxious, it was the first crack in her confidence Henry had seen since she found out about her father.
“Then you better come get your pack, because we are wasting time, if we only have 24 hours before we lose your father then we’d better get moving,” Henry said. He had gone camping, and hiking with his family many times, and made quick work of the buckles securing the pack. He walked over to the gate, the computer had powered it up and aligned it, all that was left was for Henry to close his eyes, and make the connection. The last week had not been wasted; He had worked extremely hard over the couple weeks; opening several level five gates an evening. Sir had Henry working on the speed with which he could perform an opening. He could consistently open a gate faster with out the computer than he could with now, especially if he had a partner to double check the coordinates. He quickly made the connection, and felt the gate reach full power.
He opened his eyes, pulled the gate towards him.
“When you get to Scultura find a woman named Moglie, she knows where to find Melchiorre, good luck,” Sir said. Henry stepped through the gate.