The Return (6 page)

“Yes, I knew. But the planet needed you . . . we needed you.”

Rusty turned to look out the window.

“She was told to keep an eye on you and the others, make sure you adjusted to life here,” he said. “Her parents are the people who came up with the whole idea . . . to save the planet from eventual extinction.”

Nina looked back at the floor, then jumping up from her seat, ran to Tim and flung her arms around him.

“But . . . I . . .” she mumbled. “I grew to care about you so much . . . all of you.”

Tim's arms remained at his side. He was numb. Everything he thought was real was just a lie.

She eventually let go.

“Okay, time to go,” Mr. Kull said.

“Wait, where are you taking her?” Tim shouted at him.

“Don't worry, Tim. She'll be just fine, just going to take a little nap is all,” Kull responded with a wink. “She'll wake up good as new but without any memory of this conversation, or this entire day for that matter.”

Tim's heart was breaking, but he knew what he had to do. He wanted to get off this planet and get back home, his real home on Earth.

“Come on,” said Max holding out his hand. “We'll do this together.”

Luke and Tim both placed their hands on top of the other's in a gesture of brotherhood.

Max had already said a tearful good-bye to his parents, and Rusty promised Tim his parents would meet them along the way to the station so he could say his good-byes, too.

“Just remember, we're coming back for them,” he said trying to offer reassurance. “The ship can only accommodate a certain amount at one time.”

Mr. Kull came out to join the group.

“She's sleeping comfortably,” he said.

Tim walked past him and into the room where she lay. He sat on the bed beside her.

“I thought I loved you,” he whispered. “But I guess it wasn't real.”

Then, he gently touched her face with his hand, brushing away a small amount of hair from her eyes.

“Good-bye, Nina.”

Rusty called out from the other room.

“Time to go.”

•••••

It felt good to be outside.

Canary had been cooped up in the white room for two weeks without a whiff of fresh air. He watched as the red and purple trees swayed in the warm breeze.

The large guard didn't say much as he paced back and forth.

Then he heard it.

The twisting of metal as the lid was removed from its placement underneath the brush.

“Your ride's here,” said the guard. “I can only keep them off you for about an hour before they find out you're gone, and by that time, I'll be gone, too.”

Canary bowed his head in thanks to the burly guard and lowered himself into the tunnel where Mr. Kull was waiting.

“I never thought I'd be so happy to see your sour, wrinkled face,” Canary said.

The comment actually made Kull smile.

•••••

After dressing themselves in disguise to avoid being recognized, Rusty led the group through the tunnel toward the entrance of the transport station to Nomad. Tim couldn't believe he was finally going to see the underwater city. But he always thought it would be with his father.

About halfway there, Rusty slowed down and turned to speak to Tim.

“Your parents are meeting us just ahead,” he said. “I know it's going to be difficult and you may feel betrayed, but remember that they love you very much and that's why they are letting you go.”

“Okay,” Tim replied.

They walked a little farther and there they were—the only parents he had ever known.

Without words, they embraced their son and held him tight.

When they finally let go, Tim took his parents hands in his.

“I love you both so much,” he said. “Good-bye for now.”

After Tim's parents had gone, Rusty told the group about the origin of the tunnel as they continued on the journey.

It was built by members of an Earth team, working with a group of sympathizers from Indus. Many here did not agree with the authority's decision to take children from Earth. Great care had been taken to keep the tunnel a secret.

The group finally reached the area they were looking for, the entrance to the Nomad station. One by one, they climbed up into the small storage closet where the opening was located. Emily and Ms. Duvall were already there waiting for them as they made their way inside the room.

All three boys gave Emily a big hug.

“It's so good to see you, Eme,” Max said.

Luke and Tim nodded in agreement.

“This is where I say farewell and good luck,” Ms. Duvall said. And before anyone had a chance to say good-bye, she was climbing back into the tunnel and locking the cover into place.

Rusty called the group together and instructed them to stay close and keep quiet. He peered out the door to make sure no one was close by and then signaled everyone to follow him to the other side of the building where the shuttle was waiting.

The shuttle had just arrived from Nomad and the area was filled with travelers. Just as the group was about to make their way across, three police officers turned the corner and stopped in front of the shuttle loading area. Looking worried, Rusty looked at his watch.

“The shuttle will leave again any moment now,” he whispered. “We have to be on it.”

The officers were looking around almost as if they were keeping an eye out for someone in particular. But after a few minutes, they walked off down the corridor.

“Okay, now!” Rusty instructed.

They walked into the crowd and across to the shuttle entry point. Rusty flashed a series of cards across a scanner for each member of the group, and they were able to board the vessel.

About thirty others came aboard and after everyone had a seat, an automated message began to broadcast over the speakers.

“Welcome aboard the
Shepherd 2
transport to Nomad, please stay in your seat, and enjoy the journey.”

Looking over at Luke, Max, and Emily, Tim took a deep breath. He couldn't believe they made it onboard. So far, so good.

“Tim?”

He kept facing forward. Pretending not to hear that someone had just called his name—and it wasn't someone in his group.

“Tim?” the voice called again. “Hey is that you, what are you doing here?”

Tim knew he had to look back and see who it was because it would make more of a scene if he didn't. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw it was a guy from school he knew named Danny.

“Hey man, how are you?” Tim managed to say.

“I almost didn't recognize you in that oversized coat you have on,” Danny said with a laugh. “I'm heading into the city to visit my dad; he's been working on a long-term project and can't leave, so they said I could visit him. What about you? Why are you going?”

Tim could feel the eyes of his friends and Rusty upon him. They hadn't been recognized yet and couldn't say a thing to help him.

“Same thing,” he finally managed to say. “I'm going to try and take a nap now, okay? I'm really beat.”

“Yeah, man, no problem,” Danny said. “Maybe we can hang out later in the city.”

Tim nodded and then, crossing his arms on his chest, he closed his eyes. There was no way he would be able to fall asleep, but he could definitely fake it.

All the stress of the last few days must have taken its toll because surprisingly, Tim did fall asleep. He woke just in time to see that the
Shepherd 2
was about to dock in Nomad.

The underwater, domed city was beautiful. From above he saw dozens of amazingly tall buildings and lightning-fast trains speeding through transportation tubes. The city was a hub of activity. As they docked, Rusty looked at each of them and nodded.

The group exited the shuttle together.

“See you, Tim!” Danny called out.

Tim waved and kept walking.

“We're not there yet,” Rusty said. “Follow me and stay together.”

People were everywhere, most were in white lab coats; researchers, scientists, doctors.

This place was like nothing he had ever seen before: buildings, housing, shops, restaurants, even a huge park in the middle with trees and grass. All surrounded by a sparkling dome and hundreds of miles of sea.

Rusty led them down a path between two large buildings and then down a steep staircase to a door. He punched in a code and it opened. When they all got inside, Tim realized it was an elevator. The door closed and they began to descend rapidly.

“Ugh, my stomach,” Emily groaned.

Luke reached out, putting his arm around her for comfort.

When they finally came to a stop, it felt like they had traveled a great distance under the city.

The doors opened and a man with white hair stood before them.

“Let's go,” he instructed. “Quickly please. Your fellow traveler is already aboard.”

The man led them through a hallway and down another staircase to a room with glass windows, providing an amazing view of the sea and the huge ship that was docked there.

“There she is,” Rusty said. “That's your ride home.”

The group made its way through the glass chamber leading to the ship and boarded.

Canary was there to greet them.

“Well, fancy meeting you here,” he said looking toward Tim.

It was strange seeing him, and Tim didn't really know what to say, so he simply remained silent.

Rusty showed each of them to their seats, and then took the copilot chair next to Canary.

“Here we go,” he called out.

The ship slowly pulled away from its berth and headed out to sea, gaining speed as it went. After traveling at that rate for quite some time, the ship suddenly began to pick up even more speed.

“This is it,” Rusty said pulling the nose of the ship up. “Hold tight.”

With a huge burst of intensity, the ship surged out of the water, into the sky, and then into the darkness of space.

“Why don't you get some sleep,” Rusty called back. “We have a long journey ahead.”

No one argued with him, they were all exhausted.

The ship was a bit chilly so Tim put his hands in his pocket for warmth—there was a note inside. He pulled it out and read it.

Tim,

I've always loved you and I always will.

Nina.

Her feelings were real?

He drifted off to sleep clutching the note in his hand.

•••••

“Wake up, everyone, wake up now!” Rusty shouted over roar of the engines. “We are on approach and about to enter the atmosphere of your home planet.”

Tim released the latch on his harness and made his way up to the front.

Outside the massive window, he saw it. Big and blue—Earth.

Rusty looked back at the kids.

“Welcome home.”

I'm thankful for so many things.

A late night chat years ago under a sea of stars when my son Timmy and I began to dream up a story about a place called Briny Deep.

My daughter Emily who believed in the story and told me to write it now because the laundry could wait.

My daughter Isabelle who agreed (begrudgingly) to take a break from her Movie Star Planet computer game so I could actually use
my
computer to write.

A horrible boss and soul zapping job that made me realize I had to send out what I wrote because my dreams were not going to come find me.

My editors: David Dilkes for believing in me and being the original champion for this story—and the funny, patient, inspiring David Mulrine for all the pep talks and ego boosting emails.

Supportive family members like my dear mother for reading each and every word the minute I wrote it, my Dad, Jim, Danny, Stacey, Matthew, and my sister Natalie.

And finally to my wonderful husband—and fellow dream chaser—John, who refused to hear any more of my “great book ideas” until I actually wrote one to completion. I love you.

About This Electronic Book:
This electronic book was initially published as a printed book. We have made many changes in the formatting of this electronic edition, but in certain instances, we have left references from the printed book so that this version is more helpful to you.

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Copyright © 2015 by Jennifer Torres.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Torres, Jennifer.
  The return / Jennifer Torres.
        pages cm. — (The Briny Deep mysteries ; book 2)
  Summary: “With no answers and now one of their best friends missing, the search for the missing children has intensified. But when Tim seeks out the truth, he learns that those closest to him have been keeping secrets from him. Briny Deep is no longer the place that Tim and his friends once knew”—Provided by publisher.
  ISBN 978-1-62285-181-2
  [1. Mystery and detective stories. 2. Secrets—Fiction. 3. Missing children—Fiction. 4. Friendship—Fiction. 5. Science fiction.] I. Title.
  PZ7.T645648Re 2014
  [Fic]—dc23                2014000876