Delivered: Keepers, #2

By C.M. RYER

The joy of seeing the end of Penta's tyranny is cut short. Government renegades and a corporate raid send Jax, Arlin, and Tisa scrambling for cover in the steamy, primitive southern district of Sameric. The Keepers say the Elentra are gone, but as the trio struggles to put their new lives and dreams together, they're confronted with disturbing signs. Could the banished invaders still control events - or even minds - on Earth and beyond? Just what does the Hizmar Affiliation have in store for Earth? And how far must they take it to put a stop to their enemies' threats against them - and the world?

 

Volume 2 in the Keepers Series Trilogy

• Language: English
• Publisher: C.M. RYER
• Release date: Jan 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781777848040

Book preview

One

An out-of-the-blue takeover rocked the financial world today, and it spells a new future for SpaceWard Incorporated. The asteroid mining giant has agreed to sell all but its experimental operations to a consortium of companies headed by Sheila Stannet, owner of RadTek, Inc. The allegedly friendly bid was accepted in record time, and now ex-SW co-owner, Jaxon Mortina, has announced that he and his partners are primed. A company with a strict focus on research and development is said to be in the works.

The markets have responded favorably to the change in ownership, and Mortina was quoted as saying that SW's mining and refining operations are in capable hands.

With all the excitement over the first world election ever and the rapid implementation of our newly created government, World United, SW has faded from the media light. This latest move forward for the company is sure to launch them to full visibility in the days ahead.

Arlin waved the noise off. If he'd stayed home - it was useless to think on it. The document signing marathon that started on the wedge was finally over, and the whole world was transformed.

The shock would take some time to wear off, but he couldn't see much wrong with how Jax finessed 'hostile takeover response, Plan B' into ... He leaned back to savor it. No more board of directors to answer to. And media attention was nothing but a time-sucking, energy-eating pain in the arse. It wasn't ever getting to him again. The possibilities weren't endless, but the slate was relatively clean. And between the - he couldn't think of a word to describe the profit, but it gave him a nice, warm sensation all over. The royalty stream, too - well, the potential needed to unfold in his mind. There were a few things he intended to get his teeth into bright and early, though.

He caught himself. The lost-in-space vacation was done. The security mess, Weizen ... It was a lot easier to stay out of sight in Sameric. Not so easy to get anything accomplished, and there were the immediate worries. He gave it his all to push up from the armchair, but the effort didn't get him anywhere. How much longer would he feel like he weighed four hundred pounds? He looked around as he got his breath back. Cal's suggestion that he stay in the work hub for the duration was welcome. It held to an even twenty-four degrees. He wouldn't be waltzing around Cuiaba for a few days. The heat would kill him.

If he'd trained before he went to the station ... It was too late now. Like it or lump it, he was stuck with it. The memories kicked in and he couldn't stop the grin - the best damned furlough of his life! A working one, but they all were. That made the current situation doubly strange. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been unemployed. Was he born working? His heart rate fell back to what it should be, and he made another attempt. It was two steps to the walker. He could do it. The floor was hard. Incentive. It amazed him what weightlessness did to the human body. The plazcrete things that used to be his legs deigned to carry him the required distance without buckling and his shaking hands gripped - that wasn't the word. He got hold of the handles well enough and stayed upright.

The little shuffle to the bathroom held his full attention, and he could appreciate gravity in there. He'd almost made it back to the chair - someone tapped on the door. Give me a minute. He got turned around and dropped into it. Come in.

You can't sit there all day! Cal looked like he'd calmed down, but he didn't sound it.

It was best to keep things light. I just came back from the bathroom, he said. That counts!

Yeah. Mind if I join you? I brought the real thing. He held up a flask.

I'd be delighted. Arlin pointed to the mugs hanging under what passed for the kitchen counter. He didn't think there was a foot of it beside the single sink. Well, he wouldn't be doing any gourmet cooking. Cal handed him the cup, and he almost dropped it. Thanks. Once he had a couple of sips out of it, he set it on the little table beside him. Didn't spill any.

Any more extended space trips on the schedule?

Arlin ignored the smug smile. I'll train first. And Sarah promised she'd visit me next time.

Oh, Sarah. I see. But she'd be in the shape you're in right now. It wouldn't be sporting.

He didn't even try to hide the grin. To hell with sporting.

Arlin! Cal looked genuinely pained.

He waved his arm up, then wished he hadn't. She'll go to rehab first, arsewipe.

So does she still work for SW? Or is she coming over to the new - did anyone come up with a name while I was busy?

Sarah works for herself. Contractor. And it's company number - I forget the number. We tossed a few around. Wandering Experimental was one.

"There's no way in this universe I'm working for a place called that."

No one works for it yet. It's a coin holder with some fancy equipment on the lading at this point.

Is there a special reason Paul's doing all the structuring himself?

All I know is that the framework has to take the new laws into account. There aren't projects or anything yet. But you saw him. He's lit up like a night launch.

Yeah. I can't remember ever seeing him so motivated - in the positive sense. It's hard to believe how much everything's changed. His slight smile dropped. "There are irregularities. I don't want to discuss it now, but soon."

Arlin nodded, then quit it. Too much like work. And Paul's self-interest was probably in hyperdrive. Well, it was best to stay positive. Okay, soon. Do you know what the situation is here? And what the hell is going on with that cult?

Maicon wrangled the okay for Sameric's police forces to operate as WU Enforcement. It's a little complicated, but his lawteks are writing things down for Paul, so we don't step on any toes. The story is we're here to provide expertise and tek - in exchange for intel, but that part's under the table. And the latest from Murph, is he's researched the men who grabbed that informant near Cuiaba. They were Weizen's people, not cult followers, and they're still locked up, so the asshole knows his secrets aren't so secret anymore. But, given the timing, we have to assume that his group had enough warning to go to ground.

That's terrible.

Don't remind me. He might back off now - unless he's right off his tracks.

Arlin couldn't imagine that the guy wasn't. He gazed at the cup and wished he could lean over and suck the coffee out of it. Paul made sure you're cleared with SW's investors? And -

They get that there's no way I could've had any more warning of the takeover bid than anyone else - period. There's nothing to worry about. Cal pulled out his tablet. A little note to myself about contract workers. They don't have the funds to keep up on security - and I have to go talk to Jax.

But you didn't tell me what Maicon's people are doing.

They're out to make sure that any Penta loyalists still hanging around can't get a foothold in Sameric. Dee's briefing a team of soldados on cubes and boxes too.

Cubes?

You didn't hear about those?

Uh, no ...

I'm not sure how you got left out of the loop. I'll send you the docs.

Sheila was the irregularity. He'd wait. Thanks for the update.

When the door closed, he drained his cup. It wasn't the takeover itself that had him worried, and she'd held her end up getting the noname regions recognized. But the feeling he'd probably given her too much credit there wouldn't go away.

And the consortium she'd put together - that sure as hell didn't happen overnight. The idea that she could keep it quiet for as long as she did - or that she was finished. He wouldn't take it for granted. When he was back on his feet, he had a few bugs to put in Cal's ear, if they weren't already there.

But now he had to make it to his comp. It was ridiculous how useless he was! He dragged his arse to his desk and landed in the other chair. Cal's message was there. It had a lot of attachments. Images. Scans and photos of sites where they knew transporters had shown up, then left. Some of the excavations had turned up little cubes instead of boxes buried a few centimeters down. And one showed under the floor in the exotics lab? How would they keep tabs on that now? And what the hell were they for? It looked like the smaller objects were only found where the real transporters had been. The density, mass and composition were roughly the same for both types, where they'd checked. He should talk to Jax. But he had to eat. He'd be lucky if he had enough energy to get that done. Eat, have a nap, then talk to Jax. The meal was easy. There were squeezies.

He got to the bed without the walker. And what would he do if he needed it when he woke up? To hell with it. He could crawl.

What was she doing? Why was she telling him to be quiet? Someone was screaming - oh, damn. He was screaming. Arlin shut his mouth. He had to slow down, slow his heart down. Tisa wasn't yelling at him now. I had a dream. It came out in gasps, so he took another shot at it. A nightmare. I can't remember.

Try to, she said.

No!

If you could write it down, it'll help make the dreams stop.

I haven't had any. This is the first time. It wasn't true. But he never remembered much. And he didn't think he'd ever woken up screaming before. She might be right. He could try it. I'll try it.

She walked out, came back with his tablet, and handed it to him. I'll stay if you want.

He looked down. Dressed. Good. Yes, please. It was hell to get sat up, but he made it. He opened a new doc. I saw a light - really bright.

Write it, Arlin. Don't say, write.

Okay. Lights. That was obvious. His fingers kept up with his thoughts. A beautiful voice ... But it talked and talked and talked. It drove him - it was terrible. It never stopped telling him he was someone he wasn't, he was from somewhere he never heard of. That he was ... was ... His heart pounded and the sweat ran into his eyes. He was the collector. He brought the master the - the pad slipped out of his fingers and fell on his lap. I have to stop! I have to. The terror died down a little.

Stop, then, Tisa said. I'll get you some water.

Stim - please. He had to wake up. Stay awake. Get moving and doing things. Not writing this. Not thinking on this. He got a grip on the tablet and put it on the nightstand. She came in with a squeezie, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn't spill it. The Keepers have to help us with these dreams, these memories, he said. It was coming back on him - he grabbed her arm with his free hand. We need them to help!

I hope they will, Arlin. She sat on the edge of the bed and the hug she gave him made him feel a little more connected. I got them to answer me, she said. Except it wasn't an answer. They talked back, at least.

I guess it's a start. Not much of one. He tried to take a cue from her smile.

We can find a better way! She got up. We can. And I'll come back later, okay?

Please, do. And it's at the top of my priority list, Tisa. He let out a sigh once she was gone. How long could he stand to keep it there?

Two

She didn't want to go. Tis packed the new clothes she'd bought at the Cuiaba market. It took all week to find what would suit... Hardly anyone spoke Glish. To learn how to bargain, and how to be polite properly. And now they were pulling up stakes again. How many times did she have to start over? Sameric was like living on another planet as it was.

The bed was made. She wasn't crawling back in it. It was better to go now, before she made friends, got attached to people. Jax said the rainy season was over and it would only get hotter. And Maicon had taken them to the new health center personally. Ten different gene tweaks for twenty different viruses, spirochetes, bacteria - she felt like a mutant. He was pretty happy there was coin to invest in insect control now. The mosquitoes and the spiders were enough to drive her starkers sometimes. It was hard to stay scoped on what he said. If he wasn't the best-looking man she'd ever seen - she had to stop that. Jax's moods were all over the place, and his fuse was so short. He'd even snarled about her hanging with Arlin while he tried to get the dreams out of his system. She'd drawn the line. They were friends, and it wasn't going to change.

He kept his yap shut about it now. What he was thinking, though ... That couldn't be all there was to it. He didn't let on, but giving his business up had to be a complete pit. She didn't believe it was all about the profit, but if he'd get over it sooner rather than later ... He was up about the new place Maicon had recommended. It was a lot cooler than Cuiaba. That it was near the coast didn't do anything for her, but it was on the new tube line. It had the boys all excited. Levtrains ... Not yet, but she was sure they'd happen.

One last thing. Tis went for her tablet. A little note to Milena to thank her again. The frustration welled up, but the message was sent and she stuffed the pad into the case and closed it. She'd tried every which way to figure out how to send the Keepers a message via the Archive. They added data to it. She should  be able to. Her tablet connected no problem. Everything worked to copy and to download, but there was no way to input or to upload. The old first aid station was always deserted, so finally, she'd typed what she wanted to say in a document and left the pad connected to the terminal.

A new entry showed in the legend when she'd gone back to check, but the excitement didn't last. All she got was a repeat of her request for help for the people with nightmares and filaments in their heads. Underneath it said, 'The more you read of the Hizmars, the more you discover about yourself.'

Some answer. And nothing else, so she gave up. Running into Milena on the way out hadn't done a thing for her nerves, but it had worked out so well once it dawned on her why no one was going to the Archive. She'd gone ahead and told Maicon about it when she asked if it was okay to get chummy with the woman. The next thing Tis knew, Milena was in charge of translating the Hizmars' documents into Brazi, and a machine was installed in one of the new schools to store it all. It was dreamy on the one hand ... But too frickin slow on the other. They needed answers now. Why wouldn't the Keepers help?

Tis? Are you ready?

Crap. She wasn't. She ran to get the bag of bathroom stuff, opened the suitcase again, and the sandals and the sunhat fell out. It all got scrunched getting it back in, and she had to sit on the lid to get the latches closed. When she turned around, Jax had his hand over his yap. Laughing. So I'm ready. She hadn't meant it to come out that snarly.

Of course you are. The picture of efficiency.

She could tell him to piss right off ... Uh-uh. It could be a good trip. He might've meant it as a joke. With all the changes, everyone was a little starkers.

He sat on the edge of the bed. We have a few minutes. I'm sorry about being so busy. The world's such a different place. I barely know where to start. You were pretty involved with the dream investigating.

He wasn't going to rave about Arlin -

It wouldn't do to let RadTek and the Consortium control the situation. World United has taken over SW's contracts with the abductees. Maicon made it a point to let me know that they're happy with the new deal.

I'm happy that they are, but what about the ones who don't have contracts? They need emote support. Some of them might even need treatment. And it should be the Keepers helping.

We're only one step past the starting line, Tis! And so are Maicon and the other Directors. They're aware that people need a hand. It's up to them to take care of it now. Our part's over. Arlin's free to go to the best health centers -

You know he doesn't want to do that! Why would anyone, with the government running things? And what was she going to do now helping abductees wasn't their job anymore?

Will you keep in mind that Penta's gone? Forget it. I picked a bad time to bring it up and I haven't had a chance to get you up-to-date. Maicon's offered us a deal, and Arlin's a little laser-brained on getting started. I think it'll keep him - all of us - busy enough to muddle through until things are more settled. He was up with his suitcase. And we don't want to keep Cheryl waiting, so come on.

She dragged her bag through the kitchen and into the work hub after him. A deal? And who was Cheryl? A tow-cart sat inside the entrance. For this? She dropped her stuff onto it before he could answer. Arlin came out of his room and did the same. Then Cal came by and dumped his.

You have it, he said as he and Arlin walked off.

Thanks, Jax muttered.

She tried not to laugh at his curled lip when Dee showed up and set her bags on the platform.

You want me to help pull it? she asked.

Tis had to turn around.

Go ahead, guys.

Dee ignored Jax's growl and did just that. She hid the giggles and caught up. As soon as she was through the hatch, she had to get her bearings. The big, black car ... It wasn't one. "What is that?"

I'm not saying anything until you've all loaded your own bags. Jax wheeled the luggage around her and opened a door on the back of the weird looking thing. No one wasted any time emptying the wagon, and he closed the compartment.

Another door opened on the side of the - rocket. That's what it reminded her of, pictures she'd seen of ancient space vehicles. It didn't have any windows, no wheels that she could see - he was waving them inside and she followed the rest. Two rows of seats ran down the middle, twelve all together. She sat in front of Dee and Arlin and leaned over the headrest. You know what it is, she said to him.

It's Jax's party. Wait for it. He started on his harness and the ride in Rob's hypercar jumped to the front. How fast did this thing go? Frick. Now her stomach was in knots - Jax dropped into the seat beside her and she turned around. A tall brunette woman in gray coveralls came in.

Hi, everyone, she said. I see a couple of fresh faces. I'm Cheryl Alta. The narrow door behind her opened. I'm driving the test run from Cuiaba to Spaulo, and I can tell by the looks that Jaxon didn't fill you in, so I'll get lost. She stopped before she was right through the hatch. Make sure those belts are on properly. Let me know. Then she was gone.

Do you know how to do that up? Jax asked as he snapped, tugged, threaded -

No! And if I wind up with my arms cut off -

We're only going half speed. He started on her harness.

Half speed of what? Dee asked.

Nine hundred klicks per.

Oh. Nowhere near what a hypercar does.

Yeah, but we're on the ground. Cal's voice came from behind them somewhere.

Thanks, buddy, Jax grumbled. We won't be. The car lifts twenty centimeters above the surface, so technically, it flies. We'll be in Spaulo in under four hours.

It made the trip to Oaddison sound good. She didn't want to hear any more. We're going to die.

Thirty seconds, Jaxon. Where are you?

He finished the last strap, poked his wristy, and looked at her. I'll hold your hand if you want.

She laced her fingers together and squeezed her eyes shut.

Suit yourself.

The car lurched and she had his arm in a vise grip. But in a minute, she couldn't tell if they were even moving. Maybe she needed to level out. And if she let go of him, he might stop looking at her like she was starkers. This is the public transit you and Cal talked about?

Cal? Jax called.

Go ahead and tell them. I'm having a little nap.

What's up? Arlin asked.

Maicon had plans to use the tubes for that, Jax said. But the elections have changed a lot of things. He has his eye on air travel now - and then some.

His happy look was a surprise. He was so keen on proper transportation for Sameric.

He's not giving up on the levtrains? We're getting somewhere!

Arlin sounded so pissed and she wished they could face each other.

No! Jax said. Passenger runs will still go, but it'll be mostly freight once the towns have wedge service set up.

Well, I'm glad to hear that.

What about aircars? Dee asked.

They'll be all over, Cal called from the back.

Who could afford flying vehicles in Sameric?

Maicon says no one has any interest in road building here, Jax went on. Once the economy's revved up, local travel will be by aircar and wedge transit.

Sameric was on the map now - she had to remember that. And she wanted to get up and move around. Why can't we take the belts off? she asked.

This is one prototype of quite a few, Arlin said. It doesn't get a backup fuel path unless it's chosen as the final design. A hiccup in the hydrogen supply could trigger such a rapid slowdown that passengers might wind up squashed. We stay strapped in."

She was so sorry she asked.