Interphase (34 page)

The barrier around them blazed with azure light, and symbols of gold, red, and white flickered madly across its surface. It blasted outward, burning through the viral cloud and sweeping across the face of the planet below. There was a sound almost like a scream, and the universe exploded with brilliance.

Chapter 29

The sound of the phone chiming jostled David from his sleep. He groped for the earpiece, then nestled back into the tumble of bed sheets to answer the call.

"Morning, Dave."

"Is it still?" he mumbled, and Clyde snorted. "How's VERA doing?"

"The reconstruction is progressing. I'm cleaning out the last traces of the virus and helping Mierva restore her old functions from backup. It'll still be a while before she's fully back on her feet, if a phrase like that can apply to a computer."

David could sense Clyde's uncertainty, and he chuckled to himself. Going from the top hacker of the network to being tied down to the person he'd been fighting against had to be somewhat odd.

"You know," Clyde started again. "Things haven't been how I'd imagined they'd be. At all."

David rolled onto his back, gazing at the patches of sunlight on the ceiling. "I don't think any of us could have predicted the way things would turn out."

"Yeah."

Again, David felt the conversation sliding into thoughtfulness. "Clyde, can I offer you a suggestion?"

"Huh?"

"Get some rest."

"What, do I sound as tired as you?" Clyde's sarcasm returned, putting David back in familiar territory with his friend.

"Considering that you've saved our asses countless times over the last week…" David let the statement hang in the air, then chuckled. "I think you need a little time to yourself, to get used to things."

"You mean like sharing an apartment with VERA inside my cerebral cortex?"

David barked a nervous laugh. "That's one way to put it."

"I'll rest when I can. I've still got things I need to take care of."

"Well, keep me posted. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

"Yep." The call ended, and David put the earpiece back on the nightstand. His thoughts, still muddled with drowsiness, could only brush against the surface of the sea of changes that had occurred in the last three days. He still felt a sharp pang of grief at the loss of Jessica, mixed with mind-blowing wonder at the fact that they'd just fought an inter-planetary war. How the future would turn out from here was anyone's guess.

David felt his eyelids starting to droop when the phone rang again. Stifling a groan, he reached for it. "Hello?"

"Good morning, David."

"Roger?"

"Could you do me a favor and come down to the station? There are several gaps in our reports on the recent V-Net… activities. I was hoping you could help fill them in. It shouldn't take long."

Nap time was over. With a faint sigh, David threw off the covers and sat up. "Yeah, I'll be over shortly."

The 9th V-Squad station seemed to have calmed down since the last time he had been there, though it was noticeably emptier. Several officers wore slings, and more were moving about on crutches, testaments to the injuries sustained during the recent battles. None of the wounds had been wholly physical, but nerve systems required time to heal the same as normal cuts, breaks and bruises. As David passed through toward Roger's office, he heard soft murmurs following in his wake.

Roger sat behind his desk and stood up when David entered. They shook hands in greeting, and both sat down. "How are you feeling?" Roger asked.

David shrugged. "Tired, mostly. You?"

"I'll live. My head is still a little sore from the cut, but there's not much to be done until my mind realizes that I wasn't actually hurt." Roger tapped a short sequence on his computer, and turned to David. He folded his hands as a red light began to blink from the recorder on the desk.

With a touch of self-consciousness, David described his first entrance into Analath as a result of the Crash Storm, though he left out a few details regarding the nature and purpose of the racing module. From there, he moved on to describing Ilinar, telling Roger all he knew about their ways and beliefs. He spoke of the Crash Storms and the things he'd learned about their existence and origins. Finally, he talked about Totarakh and the war.

David described the first incursion of the Siathrak in detail, and emphasized Clyde's role in defending the people within the stadium. It was hard to gauge Roger's reaction accurately, but it seemed that he wasn't as surprised as he would have been a week ago.

The story turned to the battles at the portal itself, and the ultimate defeat of Totarakh. David left out the details of VERA's death and revival, unsure how such news would be taken, as well as any mention of Jessica's death or Analara's presence on Phoenix. But he ended the account with the assurance that the gateway was now gone.

"You're certain of all of this?" Roger asked.

David nodded. "Whatever connection existed between our two worlds is closed now."

Roger sat back in his chair. For a while neither of them spoke, as the details of the past month and a half settled like motes of dust in the air. At last, Roger gave a short laugh and shook his head. "So you literally fought back an alien invasion."

"Doesn't seem quite so outrageous now?"

"Actually, yes, it does. That's the irony of it though. It is completely outrageous, but completely true."

David wasn't quite sure how to respond, so he sat and smiled.

At length Roger rose to his feet and offered David his hand. "Thanks for coming down and filling in the blanks. Why don't you go home and get some rest? Don't forget to call your mother, of course."

David laughed at that and shook Roger's hand. "Thanks for listening this time."

"You're welcome. Come on, I'll walk you to the door."

They left the office and walked down the hallway toward the main room. David felt Roger's hand grip his shoulder, and he looked up.

Every officer of the 9th V-Squad had stopped their activities to look at him. Someone, David couldn't be sure who, began a steady rhythm that soon swept through the entire office.

Over the sound of shouts and cheers… the V-Cops were all applauding him.

***

The home that had once belonged to Jessica and her family seemed quiet and lifeless. Analara wandered the sunlit hallways, studying decorations and objects with a strangely detached curiosity. She was having difficulty wrapping her mind around the fact that this place was now hers. The death of Jessica's parents still lingered like a painful knot beneath her ribs, but it gave her some comfort to know that they had been spared the truth of their daughter's fate. Perhaps they were with Jessica now, wherever the spirits of humans returned to when their journeys were done.

A chiming sound startled Analara from her thoughts. It came from a device on the nearby table, something that allowed people to speak to one another over long distances. David had told her how to use it, and she wondered if he was trying to reach her. She picked it up, placed it against her ear and switched it on.

"Hello?"

"Jessica, hon, it's Jen." It was a woman's voice, and it sounded slightly frantic. "I'm so sorry, sweetie, but two staff members are out because of the V-Net troubles last Thursday, and the elementary group has no one to watch them this morning. Can you come down?"

Analara felt her chest tighten. She leaned against a wall, slid into a sitting position and closed her eyes tightly. "I-I'm… I'm sorry, but I'm not—"

"With all of the things that have been happening lately, the kids are scared." The unknown woman paused, and Analara could hear a deep intake of breath. "Sky asked for you yesterday, and she started crying when I told her you weren't scheduled to be here for another week. But they would
all
love to see you."

Analara couldn't speak. A group of children, frightened from the recent upheavals. In her mind she saw the faces of her young brothers and sisters in Varlath's home, their eyes all turned up at her, imploring her for comfort and safety. The need in Jen's voice was real. Part of her wanted to apologize and run away to hide someplace, while the rest of her was overwhelmed by a protective urge.

"All right, I'll come."

"Thank you so much, honey! The kids will be so happy."

"Wait. There's something you should know." Analara drew in a deep breath, willing herself to be calm. "There was an… accident in V-Net. I got hurt, so I've been… forgetting things."

"Oh, Jess," Jen consoled. "I didn't know. If you're hurt then don't even worry ab—"

"No," Analara interrupted. "No, I will come. But I need help. I don't remember how to get there, or any of the children's names."

It was as close to the truth as anyone needed to hear for now. Analara thought of Thomas and knew that most of Jessica's acquaintances would not be able to accept the reality of the situation.

Jen sounded doubtful, but she was helpful and explained exactly where Analara needed to go. Thanking her, Analara put the device down and went to get dressed.

Soon she exited the towering building that contained her home and was on her way. Morning was passing, and the sun shone off the white stone streets as it floated up through the sky. People nodded and smiled in greeting as she passed by, and she did her best to return the gestures, but her stomach churned with nervousness the entire way.

Thankfully, Analara did not have to walk far. She arrived at a small building nestled amongst a crowd of towers. She opened the door and heard the distinct sound of children at play.

A woman with curly red hair met her at the door with a smile and a hug, and Analara immediately guessed this was Jen. She bade Analara follow her down the hall to a room where at least twenty children played. She peered into the room, while trying to stay out of sight. "These are all orphans, aren't they?" she asked.

Jen nodded and glanced at Analara with concern in her eyes. "Are you sure you'll be all right with this?"

Analara nodded.

"Then go say hello."

Analara had barely stepped inside the room when a voice squealed Jessica's name, and a brown-haired blur crashed into her. She looked down in surprise at the young girl now firmly affixed to her waist. The other children followed suit, until she was almost buried in small bodies and happy, chattering voices.

Something inside Analara broke loose, and the flood she hadn't realized she'd been holding back burst free. She dropped to her knees and gathered as many of the children as she could into her arms, and her body shuddered with silent sobs.

"Jessica?"

It was the little girl who had first greeted her. She gazed up with wide brown eyes, and her expression reminded Analara so sharply of Tirii that a fresh wave of tears flowed from her eyes. "Why are you crying?"

Analara opened her arms wide, and the girl hugged her around the neck. "I'm just very happy to see you," she whispered.

The next several hours slipped away quickly. As Analara played games with the children, the grief she'd been carrying began to lessen, her soul easing beneath the sound of young laughter. The children chatted aimlessly and asked countless questions, while barely listening to the halting answers she gave. They seemed most concerned with filling their little worlds with sound. Smiling to herself, Analara came to the realization that children were children, no matter their species. Throughout the day, the little brunette girl stayed at her side, another stark reminder of the baby sister she'd left back home on Analath. Eventually the attention of the children wandered, and Analara found the two of them alone. The little girl snuggled into her arms and settled into Analara's lap.

"Jessica, are you sick?" she asked in a timid voice.

Analara smoothed the brown hair away from the girl's eyes. "What makes you ask?"

"You seem different. You keep forgetting names, and you walk different. You keep saying weird words too."

A soft, bittersweet laugh built in Analara's chest. "Weird words?" She had noticed that already. While her body was used to certain tasks and would perform them without thought, occasionally Analara's memories would collide with her new instincts, and her words would sometimes come out in Anrathian. It was difficult at times to keep the two tongues separated. Earlier, David had told her that code from V-Net had probably served as a translator while they were in Analath or inside the system, but out here, no one else could understand her native tongue.

Analara was reminded of one of Varlath's sayings:
"Children are the wisest Sages of all."

"It's Sky, isn't it?" she asked. The little girl nodded. "I'm not sick, but I was hurt in an accident. I'm not quite the same as you remember me."

"Will you get better?"

Analara sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not that easy."

"Will you still be my friend, even if you're different?"

As a reply, she gave Sky a gentle squeeze. Her thoughts filled with memories of home, and she let a familiar tune slip from her lips. The words came easily, and she murmured them to Sky, quietly sharing a piece of her childhood.