The Return (5 page)

“Let's get you back to your owner,” he said with a sly smile.

He made his way back to the entrance leading to his home. Climbing the rungs to the cover, it seemed to take more effort than usual to push it aside.

Pulling himself up into his basement, he replaced the cover and locked it in place.

His clothes were covered in dirt. It fit the nickname “Mud Puppy,” given to him and other military police when he was in the service what felt like decades ago.

Another life, he thought to himself.

No time to reminisce about that now, he had to get ready.

Tim would be coming back to the tunnel to look for his phone, and they had to be ready for him.

•••••

If he could have avoided school all together, he would have.

The day passed incredibly slowly. All Tim could think about was the phone, the tunnel, and Rusty. Max wasn't in school. His parents had decided to keep him home to rest. Emily was absent as well. At lunch, Nina suggested a walk around campus instead of the usual cafeteria seating, and Tim eagerly agreed.

She looked worried.

“What happened to you yesterday?” she said softly. “I was . . . I was
really
worried.”

They hadn't had a chance to talk about it yet with all the chaos over Max getting lost.

If there was anyone Tim trusted with all his heart, it was Nina. But he wasn't sure he should involve her in whatever he had uncovered. However, he felt the strong need to talk to someone about Rusty.

She placed her hand in his as they walked along.

“Nina, how much to you trust Rusty?”

“Trust him?” she looked confused. “Well, a lot I suppose.”

“Yeah, me too, well I mean, I did . . . but,” he trailed off.

“Tim what is it? What happened? Did Rusty say something to you?”

He thought carefully before responding.

“I overheard him on the phone. I think I heard him say something about Earth.”

She dropped his hand and turned to face him.

“You mean the same place that horrible man with the yellow hair talked about?”

“Yes, but there's more,” he said as he took both her hands in his. “I'm pretty sure he said something about getting the other kids out of here and back on Earth or the plan would be ruined.”

“The plan . . . what plan? And what did he mean
back
on Earth?” she stammered. “Tim, have you told anyone else about this yet?”

“No, only you.”

She grabbed hold of him and squeezed him tightly. He grabbed back.

They stood there hugging in the middle of the school field for a long time.

He felt good, safe.

When she finally let go, she looked at him with very serious eyes.

“Tim, you can never go near him again, he's dangerous. We have to tell the authorities right away.”

He reached out and brushed a hair away from her face. Her eyes were filling with tears.

“Nina, I promise we will, but you have to give me a few hours,” he pleaded. “I have something important I have to do first.”

The bell rang out signaling the end of lunch.

On the way back to class, she tried very hard to convince him they had to go tell someone now. When it was clear he wouldn't budge, she tried to talk him into letting her come along, but there was absolutely no way he would agree to that.

“Come to my house when you're done, and we'll go tell the authorities together,” she said just before they had to make their way to separate classes.

Then she hugged him again.

He could definitely get used to this.

After school, he made his way to the beach access where he knew he had left the cover unlocked.

Looking around to make sure no one was nearby, he brushed off the sand and moved the lid aside, replacing it once he was in. Then he lowered himself back into the tunnel.

Reaching the bottom, he tried to figure out which way he had gone before.

It seemed darker in here than usual.

He began to walk, looking on the ground for his phone.

He walked and walked and couldn't find it. Then he heard a slight noise behind him.

Footsteps?

Spinning around quickly, he saw someone rapidly approaching him.

He wasn't alone in the tunnel! Someone was coming. He turned to run.

“Tim, don't run,” a voice called out. “Please don't be afraid.”

Tim's mind raced.
He knows who I am!
He had no choice but to turn and face his pursuer.

The person was beginning to come out of the shadows now and he could just make out his face.

“Tim, it's me,” the voice said. “It's Luke.”

Everything went black. The last thing Tim remembered before falling to the ground was seeing a face hovering over him . . . Luke's face.

“Tim?”

“Wake up, Tim.”

From somewhere in his consciousness, he could hear the voice calling but couldn't seem to rouse himself. He tried to open his eyes, but it took too much effort.

“Just let him come out of it on his own,” a female voice said.

“We don't have time for this,” a man answered. “We have to move fast.”

Tim didn't recognize the voices. Had he even heard them in the first place?

“Get a cold cloth and wipe his face with it.”

This time the voice was familiar.

“Rusty,” Tim managed to say with a moan.

His eyes slowly opened.

“He's awake,” the woman said from across the room.

“Rusty?” Tim called out again.

“Yes, Tim, I'm here,” Rusty said. “You just passed out, but you're going to be okay.”

Suddenly Tim remembered the phone, the tunnel . . . Luke?

He sat straight up from the bed where he was lying.

“Whoa, take it easy,” Rusty said. “You hit your head pretty good.”

“Where am I?”

Rusty moved to his side and sat on the edge of the bed.

“You're in the cabin, you're alright.”

“I saw . . .” Tim stammered.

“I saw Luke.”

“Hey, man,” Luke called out from a dark corner of the room. “I'm here.”

The darkness filled his head like a black cloud, snuffing out all sound and sense.

“Oh, come on,” he heard the woman say before losing consciousness. “He's out.”

•••••

Canary knew how to work these guys.

Just promise information they desperately want in exchange for something he wants—like a breath of fresh air in the courtyard.

The head guard had relented.

What harm could it do after all?

The compound was heavily guarded on the outside. Gates and thick walls prevented any unwanted entry. The courtyard was well inside the protected grounds.

“I just want a little time to think,” Canary had said. “Give me some time alone in the yard, and I'll tell you whatever you want to know.”

The head guard had smirked.

“You think I'm letting you out there by yourself? I'm not that stupid,” he said with a laugh. “But I'll tell you what, I won't send the whole unit with you, just one guard—our biggest, strongest guard.”

It was Canary's turn to smirk when he saw who it was.

•••••

Cold water splashed on his face.

“What the . . .”

Tim jumped up.

He was awake now, but the scene before him was definitely something out of a dream—or maybe a nightmare.

Max stood in front of him with Rusty just to his left. A woman that looked vaguely familiar sat in a chair by the bed, and standing just above her was . . . Mr. Kull?

Then from behind him, another familiar voice called out.

“Tim?”

“Luke? What are you doing here? What's going on?”

Then without wasting another minute, Tim ran toward Luke and grabbed him in a hug. Luke embraced his friend.

“I missed you, Tim.”

“You're okay!” Tim cried out. “Luke, where have you been, what is going on? Please somebody tell me what's happening?”

Rusty put his arms around both boys.

“Tim,” he said softly. “I'll explain everything, but you better sit down first.”

Just outside the cabin, someone was watching.

After school, Nina had followed Tim into the tunnel, staying just far enough behind so he wouldn't see her. She couldn't believe her eyes when Luke began to climb down a ladder just a few feet in front of her, so she retreated further into the tunnel to avoid being spotted.

Observing from around a turn in the catacombs, she saw Tim collapse and wanted so desperately to run to his aid. But she couldn't move.

Within a few moments, several others had climbed down into the tunnel, picked him up, and carried him up the ladder. She waited a bit before climbing out herself and discovered she was in a room of some kind. The others were not there. She lifted herself out and after looking at a few of the pictures around the room, realized where she was—Rusty's cabin.

She quickly went to the window, opened it, and climbed outside. Then she quietly ran around the house until she spotted them through a slightly open bedroom window on the side. Hiding behind a tall bush, she strained to hear what was going on.

Inside, Rusty began his story. He explained how as young children, Tim, Max, Emily, and others were abducted from the planet Earth and brought to Indus. Taking the children was part of a planetary experiment to save their civilization after problems arose in their own species' ability to have their own children. Even though most were still able to have children for now, a virus had caused a mutation that meant the problem was expected to become critical for future generations. If all went according to the plan, the Earth children would be able to seamlessly integrate into their society, marry others native to the planet, and have their own children. If no problems occurred, and after some close study, the experiment would be deemed successful—and the order would be issued for many more children to be taken from Earth and integrated in order to save Indus from eventual extinction.

“But your families on Earth never gave up searching for you,” Rusty explained. “They want you all to come home.”

As he listened, Tim sincerely wished he could pass out again.

“Max and Emily are from Earth, too?” he asked softly. “What about Luke, Isabelle, Anthony, Eva?”

“Yes, all except for Luke,” Rusty replied. “Luke was born here on Indus. But his brother Aiden was an orphan—born on Earth and brought here to live with us. Aiden did not handle the transition to our planet well. He got very sick and so he had to be returned. But the authorities would not allow it. So we had to find another way.”

Luke placed a hand on Tim's shoulder.

“My mom from Indus is alive,” Luke said. “She never died, neither did my brother. She brought him back to Earth with her, and that's where they are now. I've seen them.”

Rusty went on to explain how they had to keep it a secret from everyone—except their close friends, Tim's parents, Isabelle and Emily's parents, and Max's parents.

“We were all very close friends, and we all felt the choices made by the authorities might have been a mistake. We talked about it a lot.”

“My parents know about this?” Tim yelled.

“Yes, but they have not always felt returning you was the best idea,” Rusty said. “It's been a long road. The other parents of the Earth kids know as well. In the end, they all grew to love you as their own and realized what the authorities had done here was wrong.”

Mr. Kull stepped forward.

“That's where we come in,” he said. “We are part of a specialized extraction team from Earth. We've been here a long time, waiting and watching.”

“Who are you?” Tim asked pointing at the woman.

“You know me as Ms. Duvall,” she answered.

“But you're young,” he stammered. “Ms. Duvall is old and in a wheelchair.”

“The magic of makeup,” she said. “And as you can see, I walk just fine.”

Mr. Kull suddenly ran to the window.

“Someone is out there,” he said.

He quickly made his way outside, and when he returned to the room, Nina was with him.

“Nina!” Tim called out as he ran to hug her. “You won't believe what they're telling me—we're all from Earth!”

Rusty moved closer to Nina and took her gently by the arm.

“No, Tim,” he said. “Nina was born on Indus. She is not one of you.”

“It's unfortunate that you followed him,” Mr. Kull said sternly. “She'll have to be detained.”

“What?” Tim asked looking him straight in the eye. “What are you talking about?”

Rusty let go of Nina's arm, motioning for her to sit down on the couch.

“We have to go,” he said facing Tim. “We are leaving for Earth today.”

Tim looked over at Max who having learned the truth just a day earlier still seemed in a state of shock and unable to say much. Then he looked at Nina.

“No way, I can't leave. I won't leave Nina or my parents,” he pleaded.

Luke and Max came to stand by their friend.

“Your parents will come later,” Luke said. “But your Earth parents are waiting for you. You don't belong here.”

Tim tried to stay calm as Rusty explained that their parents from Indus would make the trip to Earth later. Another team would be sent for them.

“I have to go,” Ms. Duvall said. “Emily's parents are bringing her in through the tunnel. We'll see you at the station. Don't be late.”

And with that she was gone.

Tim's mind was racing.

“Wait, we are all from Earth—except for Nina?” Tim asked as tears of frustration began to form in his eyes. “Nina, did you know?”

Looking up from the floor where her eyes had been focused, she faced Tim.