Warrior Chronicles 5: Warrior's Curse (28 page)

“They’ve been euthanized. It was the only humane thing to do. Liz and I did that together. The ones who have some higher level abilities are going back with us. I’m going to build a facility for them on Solitude. They will be happy there, I promise.”

“When do we leave?”

“As soon as you say goodbye to the people who are staying.”

--

“Liz, it’s been one of my greatest honors to watch you become the leader you have.” Cort had already addressed those remaining in this universe, but he was saying goodbye to Liz personally. Her new daughter Melanie was beside her, and Kim, Dalek, and George were present as well.

“It’s been an honor to serve you, sir. I’ll make sure the tenets of the Ares Federation are upheld here.” Liz stepped forward and hugged him while kissing his cheek. “I love you, Cort. You’ve been like a father to me, and I’m proud to have known you.”

Cort watched as Liz hugged and kissed Kim, then Dalek, then George’s avatar. Then she took Melanie’s hand and stepped onto her shuttle. As soon as it was gone, Cort said, “Take us home, George.”

--

Ben Natsumo watched as David Brinner and Matt Barr activated a particle chamber for the first time. Natsumo hoped the experiment would lead to teleportation technology that could be used to move entire armies across the world in the blink of an eye.

--

George piloted the
Remington
into the wormhole and took his family back to their own universe.

--

“Failure. Again,” Matt Barr said.

“What happened?” Natsumo asked.

“Doctor Kevellan?” Barr asked.

“There is no reason for the experiment to have failed. We still have the medallion, so I believe we should set it up again and start over.”

“We need a person in the chamber. It’s the only way to make sure nothing goes wrong.”

“And where, Mr. Barr, do you propose we find someone who is willing to commit probable suicide the name of science?” Brinner asked.

I know the right man, but he’d never leave Angela and Diane,
Ben Natsumo thought. “What about a terminal patient. Someone who has no reason to care whether they live or die.”

“We can’t even recruit someone for several years,” Kevellan said. “We won’t have Lagrange alignment again for more than five years.”

--

“Father, there has been anomaly. As we jumped, I detected an unidentified tachyon burst. It matches the signature of a Nill jump.”

Kim said, “That’s impossible. The Nill core was destroyed.”

“There is something wrong.”

“What is it?” Cort asked.

“The stars are out of alignment. I don’t understand. This is wrong.”

“What’s wrong, George?”

“We have arrived at the wrong time.”

“What do you mean? When did we arrive?” Kim began to tap on her flexpad.

“George, align the chronometers. Display the exact date using the Earth calendar.”

“Yes, Father.”

After George did as he was asked, Cort just stared at the chronometer. “My hell won’t ever end.”

Kim looked down at the date and took Cort’s hand. “You are down there, aren’t you? I can’t even begin to think what that must feel like.”

Cort stood silently for over a minute, then he closed his eyes and whispered, “Kim, you don’t understand. Diane and Angela aren’t dead yet.”

About the Author

Shawn Jones was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He now writes in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, where he lives with his wife Lorelle, son Alex, and his wolf mix, Dexter. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys fishing, camping, hiking, and sailing.

Dedicated to every reader who has stuck with me this long. The best is yet to come.

Edited by Tracy Husmann

Special thanks to Jonah Miller for his scientific expertise.

Cover art:

yocladesigns.com

Warrior’s Curse, Copyright 2015 by Shawn Jones. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of the author except for brief quotations embodied in reviews.