Piercing The Fold (26 page)

Ezra shakes his head, stiffening his lips.

Dangerous thoughts start stirring in my mind.

Nate tries to save us from our thoughts by changing the subject. “So, what’s up?”

Ezra looks up at both of us. “Sebastian is sending us on a mission.”

I feel a knot form in my stomach.

Nate sits back, moving away from his cereal. “What about our mission here?”

Ezra sighs. “Well, the mission here has fled Miami and is now in Tokyo, Japan.”

I ask, “Are we going to Japan?”

“We need to get a fellow guardian on board with us and take care of some housekeeping at MIT first. Sebastian hasn’t confirmed, but I think that’s where we’re headed.” Ezra pauses, nervously tapping a pen on the table. “This fellow guardian. He may be…resistant.”

I start probing with a million questions. “You said
he
. Who is it? Why would he resist? What do we need to tell him that could make him resist?”

Ezra sighs, throwing his glasses down in frustration. “Damn it, Jesca!”

Ezra doesn’t do frustration often, so I know my heavy line of questioning has definitely gotten under his skin.

The feeling I get just before lightning strikes is creeping in.
This is not going to be good.

Ezra closes his eyes for a moment. With Ezra being Ezra, I know he’s trying to regain his composure before he speaks. Nate and I remain quiet and wait.

Ezra’s voice becomes even again. “Because I have to tell him things that could change everything he thought he knew about himself.” He looks down. “Things that
you
may resist.”

I lean onto the table, looking directly into Ezra’s eyes. “Us? Resist? I highly doubt that!” I sit back and cross my arms. “Try me.”

Ezra breathes deeply and looks from Nate to me. “The implantation of the second-generation Copula.”

Nate breaks in, “Yeah? What about it?”

Ezra holds up his iPhone. “A device similar to this was used prior to travel to send a surge of electricity directly to the Copula. The surge acted as a harness between the body’s copper and the Copula, working together to open the wormhole, but this device wasn’t just a Copula defibrillator. It had multiple purposes.

Looking away, Ezra continues, “It was a miniature computer. This device recorded neurological and physical changes within the body during and after travel. As protocol, after every mission, Sebastian’s associates collected the data to check for any changes or abnormalities. Across the board, the data showed increased levels of copper in those who were implanted. The levels of copper contributed to alterations within the body, making those implanted superior.”

Nate questions, “Superior? In what way were they superior?

Thoughts start firing in my head.
Alterations in the body making the implanted superior. Alterations.

Ezra’s voice is filled with worry. I tune back in enough to hear him say “…physical strength and speed. Psychic abilities, such as clairvoyance, telepathy...”

His mouth is moving, but I’m not listening anymore.
Are we implanted?
I almost speak the words, but instead, I quickly shut my gaping mouth.

Nate guardedly looks at me. “Jes?”

Ezra’s gaze focuses on me. He’s just sitting there, waiting for me to ask.

I don’t ask the question sitting on the tip of my tongue, wanting to leave my lips. If I do, I’ll slip below the surface of reality, sinking into a sea of new truths that I will have to surface from. I don’t know if I can handle that. I don’t know if I’ll be able to surface once I hear the answer to the unspoken question lingering in the atmosphere.

Ezra sits back in his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest. His voice is soft when he speaks. “You are both implanted with Copulas.”

Yep, I’m slipping deep below the surface.
I feel every hair on my body stand on end. My throat constricts, and I can’t get enough air.

I push my chair back and stand slowly. Nate reaches out to hold my arm and steady me, but I pull away from his grasp.
I need to get out of here.
I charge quickly to the coat closet and grab my sweatshirt.

Nate calls after me, “Jesca, wait! Where are you going?”

Ezra reprimands Nate, “Nate, let her go!”

I ignore them and run out the back door.