Threader (31 page)

He's explaining to me what he needs to do now to open the gate, but I can't follow the techno-talk and zone out, trying to focus on keeping my talents under control. But a tendril of my TP still manages to escape my control, burrowing deeper into the thread, as if yearning for some more human input. A moment later, images flicker past me and I realise they're Aaron's memories. They fold back, fluttering across my mind, until I spy one that looks like Aaron as a teenager, scowling out across an open grave. A crowd in black press around him, and by his side is a younger girl, wearing an identical expression. Olivia. And beside her, Blake. His face is so sad. I realise it's a snippet from the past, a time-stamp printed into Aaron's memory. I quickly move past the private moment, letting the images fall away.

There's a strange tickling at the back of my senses. At first I dismiss it as nothing, but then it accelerates, jarring my nerves, and I feel sweat trickling down my face. Then a rumbling cranks to life somewhere beyond our vision, filling my ears. Aaron freezes and I search the horizon, looking for anything that might signal some sort of attack. The heavy mechanical sound escalates into a high-pitched whine that fills the air around us. And there's something else. Beneath the humming, there's a buzzing noise and it reminds me of what I heard in the ocean of shadow, when Blake and I were searching for Cora.

‘What is that?' My physical body asks the question and my voice echoes, as if from a deep cave.

‘Abort.' Vogel's voice booms through our heads. ‘Get out now.'

We retreat quickly towards the entryway and Aaron's disappointment washes over me in a bitter wave. We're nearly out when the lights inside the gate begin to dim and the high whine stutters, hiccupping into silence.

Once we're out of the gate, I snap the connective thread and my consciousness slams into my body. Staggering back, I'm steadied by Aaron's hands grabbing me. He blinks at me a few times, then drops his hands, his face tight behind his visor.

Above us, the petals slowly wind to a stop as the gate is powered down. Through the window of one of the viewing booths, I see Eckhart arguing with Wendell. Aaron's visor snaps up, his composure crumbling with anger and disappointment.

‘What happened?' he yells at Vogel, who has walked out from behind the shield and is talking to a knot of worried-looking techies.

‘We don't know.' Vogel strides over to us, a slate in one hand. ‘The instruments registered a surge in the biosphere, near where the gate was going to open. The safety measures were triggered.'

I press the button that lifts my face visor and take deep breaths as Aaron hurries over to Eckhart. Despite the failure to open the gate, I feel okay. The threading has left me on a high and being inside the gate, witnessing the legacy of my parents, has left me feeling invincible, as if anything is possible. After all, the safety measures worked and no one has been hurt.

I wait out the next hour, loitering around the edges of the room and sipping the coffee a techie brings me. Finally, Vogel appears and beckons me to follow her.

‘Come on. Eckhart could be here for hours chewing everyone out. I'm taking you back upstairs for some shut-eye. I'd be surprised if anything more happens tonight.'

I follow her without argument to the utility room and change back into my clothes.

‘You must be exhausted after all that,' Vogel says. ‘Aaron looks ready to drop.'

‘I don't feel too bad,' I admit. ‘I feel good.'

She arches an eyebrow. ‘You might consider keeping that fact to yourself.'

‘Why?' As we head for the blast doors, I glance back to see Eckhart has progressed from arguing to straight up yelling. Aaron works on a monitor, his back to us, Wendell watching the screen over his shoulder.

Vogel remains silent until the massive steel doors shut behind us, the metal locks clicking in place. We're nearly at the elevator before she speaks again. ‘Whatever happens, I want you to be cautious, okay? We can't forget that we're dealing with something we don't fully understand here.'

Inside the elevator, I lean against a wall. My heart has stopped racing now and the feeling of invincibility is fading. A part of me craves the rush again.

‘What do you think happened?' I ask.

‘I don't know,' Vogel says. ‘I just need you to promise me one thing.'

‘Anything.'

Her smile is tight. ‘Watch your back.'

It's nearly midnight by the time I step into my dark dorm room. Vogel didn't elaborate on her cryptic comment and it lodges in my brain like a splinter. I try to think of what she might mean, but come up with nothing, besides the fact that trying to open the gate is dangerous. Still wide awake, I'm about to turn on a movie when there's a light rap against my door. Opening it, I see Blake there, his face impassive.

‘What?' I ask, and suddenly I'm worried he's discovered I've begun work on the gate without waiting for him to make his enquiries, like he'd asked. I'd almost rather a lecture about how we can't be together. That I'm not his type. I can barely meet his eyes, because I know I'll see the answer there. Anger means discovery of what I'd been up to this evening. Pity means something inside of me will dissolve, along with what's left of my dignity.

‘Go away, Blake.' I close the door in his face, then rest my forehead against it.

‘Josie.' Blake's voice is muffled. ‘Open the door.'

‘No,' I say, wishing I'd never confessed how the lock made me feel. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

‘Josie.'

Blake's voice is a whisper behind me. I stifle a scream and whirl to see him step from the deep shadows of my room. I open and close my mouth a few times before I have the presence of mind to stab a finger towards the door.

‘Get out! Get out now!'

‘Be quiet, Josie.'

My arm drops. ‘Excuse me?'

‘I said—' Blake's jaw works, like he's trying hard not to yell, ‘—be quiet.'

He puts a firm hand on my shoulder and pushes me to the bed. I sit there, my back rigid.

‘We need to talk,' he tells me.

‘Fine.' I pretend to make myself comfortable, like it was my idea to sit down. ‘Say what you've come to say, then leave.'

Blake steps over to my window and stares out at the faint half moon in the sky. ‘Where have you been tonight?' he finally asks. ‘I've come by here at least three times.'

‘I've been out, studying.' The lie just tumbles out.

‘You left before I was finished talking last time.' He turns to me, his brows pulled low.

‘Okay.' I gesture around the room. ‘Say it now, if you must. I am your captive audience, after all.'

Blake frowns, as if my flippant answer annoys him. ‘I told you that I felt nothing when Vogel broke the lock.'

‘I know. I was there, remember?'

Blake clears his throat. ‘I might have lied. I might have felt something.'

‘Why didn't you say anything?' I sigh, my irritation dissolving at his obvious discomfort.

‘I didn't think you needed to know.' Blake stares at me, his eyes dark. ‘But since you asked, it felt like something was torn out of me. I wanted to check on you afterwards, but Vogel warned me to steer clear. She thought maybe your talents wouldn't behave around me and if a second thread happened, the lock could be permanent.'

The wall I've been trying to build against what I thought would be his rejection now crumbles. I get off the bed and go to him. Blake backs up, his eyes darting around the room as if I suddenly make him nervous.

‘Best thing for both of us, right?' he says.

‘That's right,' I agree. But I'm lying and I hear echoes of pain in his voice, revealing his own lie. Then I'm touching his arm, because I can't help myself. Can't help wanting to be near him.

‘What are you doing?' he asks when my hands move to his chest.

‘Hmmm?'

‘Josie.'

But he doesn't move away and his hands unfreeze, rising to brush my hips, then creep around to my back. I know this is a bad idea, but the success of solving James and Alice's puzzle, with its whispers of the past, has left me craving the comfort. And it's not Aaron's arms I want to be in, even though we make a useful team together.

Blake is all I want.

I lower my head against his chest and breathe in his scent, feeling safe. His arms wrap around me and when I tilt my head up, he leans down to claim my lips in a soft kiss. When I open my mouth to him, his grip tightens around me and the kiss deepens. My body melts into the strong line of his body, and I wrap my arms around him. Excitement sends my heart beating double-time and I break our kiss to bury my head in the crook of his neck, just to breathe in his scent, letting it fill me.

‘I miss you so much,' I murmur against his warm skin.

A small laugh rumbles through Blake's chest. One of my hands reaches up to grab a lock of his hair and tugs gently.

‘You think that's funny?' I don't move, dreading his next words, knowing I should pull away so I can see his face. Watch his eyes for any signs he's lying.

‘Josie, you caught my attention the moment I saw you in your uncle's store.' Blake's words are halting, as if he's unsure about revealing himself to me. His fingers slip under my shirt, touching my skin, stroking and caressing. He pulls away a little, then bends to nip my bottom lip as if to chastise me. ‘And when you embraced my talent with your own, I saw a glimpse of you.' He pulls back, cupping my face. His gaze traps me, as if I am all that exists in this room. ‘The thread might have broken, Josie, but you're still with me.'

His words send a tendril of worry and excitement through me. Am I ready for this? For Blake to admit he cares for me, as much as I care for him? My breathing quickens and my heart lights up when he kisses me again and I lose myself in the sensation of his body against mine. The feel of his hands, the whisper in my ear of how beautiful I am. At this moment, everyone's warnings are nothing but dust, and I tighten my hold around the only one who matters.

I sit on the windowsill, unable to sleep. Something's wrong with the heating system in the room and my backside has gone numb with the cold night air. But I stay here, staring up at the fading moon as sunrise approaches. Blake's shirt hangs loose on me, smelling of soap and his intoxicating ocean-scented cologne. He lies on my small bed, heavy tattooed limbs sprawled out as he snores softly. I want more than anything to snuggle back in his arms. But the peace I've craved didn't last long and now my mind won't stop whirling with the different scenarios I might face with this new day.

If Eckhart and Aaron can't figure out a way to get the gate working, does that mean Helios is done with me? Eckhart said he knew Olivia was behind what happened to Archer, but I was the one who pulled the trigger. What does that mean for my future at the academy?

My slate beeps and I snatch it up, hoping it's a message from my uncle. Instead, it's Vogel, saying she's coming to get me. Blake doesn't stir as I quickly take off his shirt and get dressed before opening my door. Vogel appears a moment later, her shoulders hunched in the dimly lit corridor, hands shoved in her pockets.

‘What's happened?' I whisper, leaning against the doorframe so she can't get a good view into my room.

‘The issue has been fixed,' Vogel says quietly. ‘Aaron discovered the glitch and now we're ready to go again.'

A glitch? I open my mouth to ask what she meant earlier, about watching my back, when a rustling behind me makes me pause.

‘What do you mean … again?' Blake materialises beside me, rubbing his eyes. He's pulled on his jeans, and while his broad, naked shoulders are relaxed, his voice is tense.

My eyes dart to Vogel, expecting to see recrimination there for not keeping my distance from him. Oddly, Blake's presence hasn't thrown her and she just looks impatient for us to go.

I drag my eyes from Vogel to Blake's questioning look. ‘I didn't get a chance to tell you,' I say. ‘I worked on the Ciliary Gate project earlier with Aaron.'

‘You
what
?' Blake nearly shouts.

‘We don't have time for this,' Vogel says.

I swallow and try to explain. ‘We tried to turn on the gate, but there was a—' I glance at Vogel, ‘—glitch.'

‘Which is now fixed.' Vogel gestures to me. ‘Josie, Director Eckhart expects you back, without delay.'

‘I'm coming.' I make a move for my shoes on the floor, but Blake touches my arm, stopping me. His worried eyes search mine, so I give him a small, reassuring smile.

‘It's okay,' I tell him. ‘You know Aaron is the best at what he does. He won't let anything go wrong.'

Blake drops his hand, not looking convinced. He turns and starts hunting for his shirt, which I've thrown over my desk. ‘I'm coming with you.'

‘You don't have clearance, Blake,' Vogel tells him.

‘I don't care.' He pulls the shirt over his head, his jaw set to a stubborn angle. ‘This whole thing stinks. Why the secrecy? Why is the project being run in the dead of night? Something's not right.'

‘I'll be fine,' I tell him. ‘There are precautions in place.'

‘I don't like it,' Blake says. ‘So consider me your precaution.'

‘You don't have to like it.' Vogel's voice turns to steel and I hope Blake isn't going to push her, because it doesn't sound like the telepath's going to give.

‘You can't stop me from coming with her.' Blake grabs his jacket from beside the bed.

‘I can.' Vogel's voice is sharp, the threat hanging in the air. Blake stops and stares at her, shocked. ‘And I will, if you force me to.'

Remembering her earlier easygoing nature, I wonder what kind of pressure Vogel's under to behave this way. It occurs to me that maybe Eckhart used the same persuasive means on her that he used on me. Maybe she has just as much riding on this project being a success as I do.