Landlocked (Atlas Link Series Book 2) (54 page)

“I’m terrified of heights,” I said. “I kept my eyes shut the whole time.”

“Of course you did,” he said. “And you were passed out cold the night Trevor and I took you back.”

“And she and I were talking when I picked her up from port the day she first boarded,” Helen said.

“The two times I’ve taken a shuttle here, we were deep in planning,” Sophia said. “Once to rescue you, and once trying to figure out how to convince Chelsea to join TAO. I never saw it from the outside, either.”

“Believe me,” I said. “If I’d known…” Then what? Even if I’d seen the damn station shimmering like hot pavement, I would have never known what to do about it back then. And maybe not now. Short of locking SeaSatellite5 up in our
own
underground complex, there was very little we could do to protect her.

Unless Trevor’s new shield idea could be carried out. Then, and only then, we’d maybe have a shot. I mean, short of Sophia and I camping out on SeaSat5. I didn’t know what she thought of that, but I knew I sure as hell wanted to stay with Josh as long as possible. Staying at TruGates might not have been the plan—and I did not want to deal with General Allen—but my feelings for Josh had grown ten-fold since meeting him, and I fell hard. Which was fine… if it didn’t mean now splitting my life in potentially four different ways.

Given TruGates now knew the people they used to hunt were actually Lemurians—something General Allen already knew—there was a good chance their main directives would change, and maybe they’d even partner up with TAO to explore Link Pieces instead, if the General could be removed from the picture. If the partnership happened, I could probably swing working for both. But SeaSatellite5 needed repairs and a good old-fashioned overhaul of her technology. Her crew also needed to be brought up to speed. Just as we’d been perfect to plan the mission, Trevor and I were the perfect two people to do most of the upgrades and debriefings.

And then there was the band. The one General Allen worried would get too big, and if it got too big, I’d have to quit TruGates. I wasn’t sure what I’d do about that yet. Maybe while we’d been gone the attention from Juxe had died down and all of that wasn’t a problem anymore. I wouldn’t know until after this debriefing and most of the imperative repairs had been completed. Hell, I probably wouldn’t be
sleeping
until all of that was finished.

Still, through it all, my feelings for Josh were clear. He was a breath of fresh air on a stormy sea, the eye of the storm in the middle of the Atlantic. While TruGates hadn’t been the safest choice, it was the most straightforward. Josh had been the same. He was an easy man to understand; dark past, bright hope for the future, and skilled in the same things I was. He understood why I was the way I was, and had patience with me while I figured out the rest of my mess. I could see myself with him, able to do all the things I wanted once our time with TruGates was up. I could teach archaeology and play in the band. He could open his Mr. Fix-It’s repair and pawnshop. It could
work
.

That was all I knew.

Captain Marks was the first to speak. “So what you’re saying is, SeaSatellite5, now known to the public eye to have disappeared and be found, is also a pawn in a war between three civilizations bent on controlling time itself?”

Well, when you put it that way…

“Yes,” Trevor said.

“Basically,” I added.

Captain Marks didn’t respond right away. His jaw worked left, then right. “Trevor, this new shield idea you have, how well do you think it’ll do against people teleporting on and off SeaSatellite5?”

Trevor didn’t know how well it’d work, that much I knew. Right now it was as Captain Marks said: an idea. Trevor wanted to block all teleportation period, including Sophia’s and my own, and then work backward to allow only us in. That’d require Trevor to pinpoint our exact resonance when we teleported because apparently it was all related to vibrations or frequencies. Honestly, science wasn’t my thing. Where Trevor saw an engineering project as fun, I saw a headache I’d rather not get into. All I wanted out of his idea was to be able to push a button that would allow me to teleport onto and off of SeaSatellite5 at free will.

“If we can get it to work how we want, it’ll keep unwanted visitors out,” Trevor said. “I can block all teleportation right now in a few keystrokes, but then Chelsea and Sophia won’t be able to get in. So if someone slips past it like Chelsea did two years ago because I calibrated poorly, they wouldn’t be able to come in and help. You see my problem.”

Captain Marks nodded. “Then we’ll take it in steps. Dr. Gordon, I want you to give the crew a full medical run-down: physicals, psych evaluations, everything. I want to make sure everyone’s doing okay. Commanders Devins and Jackson, you will debrief the crew in groups. Tell them I’m working on getting leave time for everyone once the station is restored.”

Captain Marks looked to Trevor and I. “You two had this planned every step of the way. Work with the senior staff to get the repairs done on the station, and be ready to make yourselves available at a moment’s notice if the Admiral or anyone else needs an explanation or update.”

We both nodded, then Captain Marks’s hard, order-giving expression left, giving away to a much softer side of him. “Thank you for never giving up on us,” he said to Trevor and me. “I can guess the reason you’re both wound up right now is because you think I’m angry it took two years to get to us. I can assure you I would only be disappointed if you never tried. The situation was beyond your control and knowledge. But I’ve spoken with both Major Pike and Mr. Eric Talmont regarding the work you both put into this rescue, and it will be rewarded.”

I was shaking my head before he even finished his sentence. “We don’t deserve an award. You would have done the same for us.”

Trevor appeared to be in agreement. “Half the reason SeaSat5 was taken in the first place was because of us—because of me. No reward. You and the crew being here safe and sound is reward enough.”

With them back, everything almost felt right again.

When I exited the Briefing Room, Josh was there like he always was lately. Only, he wasn’t happy this time. Something had his brow and mouth drawn, arms crossed at his chest.

I walked up to him on light feet. “What’s wrong?”

His eyes darted to the people filing out of the room behind me. “Not here.” He took my hand and guided me the other way. When we were a few corridors down, he stopped and said, “We need to talk.”

My body numbed. Talk? About what? That phrase was never good. Had he changed his mind about us? My heartbeat thudded in my ears so loudly it blocked everything else out. Even my own words seemed far away, or like fog on a warm winter’s morning—dense and thick and impenetrable. “Talk about what?”

Josh’s eyes narrowed and my world crashed.
He’s breaking up with me.

He rested his hands on my shoulders. “General Allen’s worried your cover might be blown.” He paused a beat, like his next words would ruin me. “Because of Phoenix and Lobster.”

Relief crashed through me, lifting all weight from my body. He didn’t want to end things. But what he
did
say… I knew it was coming. I’d stolen the General’s team for my own war-fighting purposes, exposed TruGates’ real mission, and this was my punishment. “So I don’t run with TruGates anymore, big deal.” Especially if we couldn’t get General Allen out of the picture right away.

But I could still live with Josh, see him every night he was free. I’m sure there was
something
I could do. Besides, I still needed to solve that secret chamber mystery. It was the only piece of the puzzle that didn’t make sense. Well, that and why the General hated Atlantean super soldiers so much. I couldn’t help the nagging feeling that the two were related.

Josh’s frown deepened. There was more he wasn’t telling me, and my heart fractured. It had to be bad. Real bad. Bad enough that even Josh’s tongue tangled around the words.

I sucked in a deep breath, pulling oxygen into every possible part of me. “Phoenix and Lobster won’t get too big.” My words were barely a whisper. “I could leave the band now in case they do. I’d still be a no one.” Were those words even my own? I’d thought about it, sure, but could I actually do it? Could I desert my sister and life-long friends?

“The Lemurians know your face,” he said. “And if they still intend to screw with our world even while being allied with some of us, we don’t have a choice but to fight them. And there’s always… other work paramilitary companies do. And it’s not so nice. Or moral.”

I shrugged. “Why can’t TruGates drop that part of their organization and combine with TAO, then?”

He bit his lip as a stall. I pressed him on with my eyes. How can he just agree with General Allen after everything?
I
had to go back, to find the rest of the answers to my questions. But Josh, Mara, and Eric… they didn’t. Why were they going back to the General? I knew they had a contract with TruGates. What would happen to them if they broke it? Still, I couldn’t just let them go back without at least trying to show Josh who General Allen really was.

And I did have one secret weapon left.

I put a hand on his arm, urging him to listen to me. “Josh, General Allen isn’t telling you everything. I found this door while jogging one day. It led to a secret chamber underneath one of the buildings out back, and it was filled with Lemurian bodies and—”

His face screwed up, disgust and confusion taking over his pained features. Good. Maybe I’d gotten through to him. “I don’t know what you’re— That’s ridiculous. He wouldn’t hide something like that from us.”

“You mean like how he totally didn’t hide from you that all the TruGates teams were assassinating and capturing Lemurians all along? Or that he was threatening me?”

His jaw worked hard, sliding right then left. A chill ran down my spine. His eyes tightened with suspicion—but not for General Allen. For me. What was wrong with him?

“Look, Chelsea, that’s ridiculous.”

How could he not believe me? How could he believe in General Allen more than me? Was there something more that kept Josh from seeing just how bad Allen was? Maybe the general was blackmailing the team or something. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d used manipulation.

“Josh, what—” I didn’t get the words out before he plowed on, his own thoughts tumbling out of him.

“Look, I don’t know what General Allen has planned, but… I love you. And I just need you to know that because it’s true. Probably one of the truest things that I do know. I didn’t think—I didn’t think I’d be able to after everything I’ve done. Or that it could happen so fast, but you’ve got this fire. It draws me in and begs me to stay. Lights up my life again.”

Like a moth to flame. The pit in my stomach sank lower.

He brought the back of his hand to my cheek and caressed me gently. I turned my face into his hand, savoring his sandalwood scent. “I love you, too.” Even though I was pretty sure I’d just lost him to General Allen for good. Whatever hold he had on his teams, blackmail or maybe just plain old loyalty that he’d garnered before the events of the last month or whatever, it was apparently thicker than the truth.

I can’t tell Josh about my telekinesis.

My heart plummeted, guilt rotting out a nest and making a home for itself. I wanted to tell Josh everything, to talk about this new part of me with someone. Anyone.

But the last thing General Allen needed was more ammo against me, and I didn’t know if I could trust Josh with that anymore.