Excelsior (41 page)

“Of course.”

The display faded from Admiral Zhang’s face to show the Confederate flag—golden stars in a hammer and sickle pattern on a red background.

Alexander turned to Carter. “We fought a nuclear war to defend our sole rights to the Looking Glass, and now we’re just going to give it up?”

Carter gave him a grim look. “What choice do we have? Their fleet is stronger than ours, and thanks to Korbin’s treachery, the Confederacy knows exactly what’s at stake. They don’t even need to wait to send their own probes. It’s her fault that the war we fought was meaningless. Fighting another meaningless war now won’t change that.”

Alexander looked away. Carter was right, but he still couldn’t believe or accept that Korbin was at fault. The Confederacy had gotten to her somehow and brainwashed her. That was the only explanation.

He had to admit he was relieved by the turn that negotiations were taking. It looked like they would be traveling back to Wonderland again, but that didn’t really matter anymore. He didn’t have anything left to go back to on Earth. Maybe a fresh start was exactly what he needed. His eyes fell on the back of McAdams’ helmet. What they had was purely physical, but maybe now they would have a chance to really get to know each other and make a more meaningful connection.

The good news was that it didn’t look like either side was eager to start another nuclear war, so Caty would have a chance at happiness with her baby and David. Alexander’s lips curved into a shadow of a smile. The dull ache in his chest told him he still hadn’t moved on, but given enough time he would. He didn’t have any other choice.

Alexander’s thoughts trailed off as he noticed the Confederate flag fade away and Admiral Zhang’s face reappear on-screen.

“We have decided to accept your terms, Ambassador Carter. We request that you withdraw your fleet from the entrance of the wormhole to a distance of one light second and maintain that distance between our two fleets for the duration of the trip through the wormhole. Once our fleets arrive at Wonderland we will agree to maintain a minimum orbital distance of thirty thousand kilometers.”

“Agreed. We will begin withdrawing immediately,” Carter replied.

“I shall await confirmation of that. Good day, Ambassador.”

The holo display faded back to the starry blackness of space, and Alexander breathed a deep sigh. So that was it. Disaster averted. The Looking Glass was functioning like a valve to let off steam and take some of the pressure off Earth. There was a new frontier and a new frontline, with plenty of new territory and resources to fight over. Alexander wondered if colonists had realized what they were signing up for when they decided to go to Wonderland. Did they know that they were trading one war zone for another?

“Lieutenant Hayes, please contact Admiral Wilson,” Carter said.

“Yes, sir.”

The admiral’s face appeared on the main holo display and Alexander listened while Carter relayed the terms of their treaty with the Confederacy.

“Good work, Ambassador,” the admiral said once Carter had finished speaking. “It’s time to see if the Confederacy lives up to their end of the bargain.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Captain, stand by to receive your new flight plan.”

“Yes, sir.”

The MHD faded back to black as the connection ended.

“Davorian, prepare to set new course and heading.”

“Flight plan received. Heading set. Accelerating to one G.”

Alexander felt himself growing gradually heavier until his body resumed its normal weight. He wondered if the Confederacy would live up to their end of the deal. If they blockaded Wonderland, Alexander had no doubt that the Alliance really would turn around and go straight back to Earth for revenge.

It seemed like everyone had their bases covered, but Alexander had a bad feeling that they were overlooking something.

Commander Korbin had sacrificed her life for the cause without even a second thought for the two children she was leaving behind on Earth. The whole reason she’d joined the Navy had been to save them, but all of a sudden their well-being had become secondary to that of the Confederacy. If that was any indication of how Confederates thought, then they might be willing to do all kinds of terrible things for the greater good.

Alexander followed that line of reasoning for a while, trying to come up with the most terrible thing the Confederacy could do. They could colonize and blockade Wonderland and then turn Earth into a nuclear wasteland. After that all the Alliance would have left were their extraterrestrial colonies on Mars, Titan, and Europa, and that would be nothing compared with the Confederacy having a truly habitable world to play with.

How long would it be before Earth would recover? A hundred years? Alexander remembered reading reports that the effects of a nuclear winter could last for thousands of years, not hundreds.

Alexander blinked, his eyes wide and staring. He hoped they weren’t playing into the Confederacy’s hands.

 

Chapter 39

One Week Earlier - February 11th, 2793

“Why not?” Catalina demanded. “It’s a chance for a new life away from all of this!” she gestured helplessly to their surroundings.

“You think things will be better there?” David demanded. “You’re wrong.”

“There will be plenty of jobs. The Alliance promised free land, free housing, everything we need to start a new life on Wonderland. And at least there we’ll be away from the constant fear of war.”

David sneered. “That’s what they want you to believe. The Confederacy is going, too. New planet, same problems.”

“But more space, so less pressure and competition. It will take a long time for those problems to catch up. Look at the colonies—when war broke out on Earth, they didn’t automatically start fighting each other, and for the most part they remained unscathed. Think about it, David!”

He looked away, out the living room window at the dusty patch of dirt they called a yard. Sensing his indecision, she went on, “And think about Dorian. What kind of future does he have to look forward to here? Even if there isn’t another war, there aren’t enough resources to go around, and competition’s too fierce. Either you’re rich or you’re poor. There’s nothing left in between.”

David shook his head. “I can’t,” he said quietly.

Caty frowned. “Why not?”

“Soy ilegal.”

She blinked, convinced she hadn’t heard him correctly. “What?”

“I’m illegal, Caty. I can’t go anywhere.”

She shook her head. “You’re illegal?” She gaped at him, still refusing to believe it. “What about your wife? She joined the Navy to buy your citizenship.”

“I was never married.”

Catalina felt her blood run cold. “You lied to me.”

He turned to her with a miserable expression. “I didn’t know you back then. I was afraid you would tell someone and get me deported.”

“What about later on? We’ve been together for years. We have a son together. How did you even get your name on the birth certificate? How have you done anything at all? Do you even have a job? All those adjustment reports… no wonder you never got any better! They were all fake! Is your name even David?”

“It’s Angel.”

Caty gaped at him, speechless.

David held up his hands to placate her. “Let me explain.”

“Explain what? Everything you’ve ever told me is a lie!”

He shook his head. “Mi amor, por favor dejame explicar.”

“I’m not your love. Not anymore. And there’s nothing left to explain. You’ve finally gone too far.” Catalina smirked at him, suddenly seeing David for the pathetic excuse of a man that he was. She didn’t need him anymore. For what? To beat her and abuse her? The Alliance had offered her a way out and she was going to take it. “I’m leaving, and I’m taking Dorian with me.”

David’s eyes flashed. “You can’t do that. Dorian is my son just as much as he is yours.”

“Actually, Dorian’s father is registered as David Porras, but since you’re not David, good luck trying to claim your rights. You don’t have any.”

David gritted his teeth, but said nothing. She turned to go to the bedroom and start packing her bags.

By now she should have known better to turn her back on him. One minute she was walking, her steps buoyed with adrenaline and white hot rage, and suddenly she was crashing to the ground with strong hands wrapped tightly around her throat.

They landed on the carpeted floor and she struggled, punching and kicking him, trying to throw him off, but her blows didn’t even faze him. His eyes were wild; his lips parted in an ugly grimace; a gob of spittle glistened in the corner of his mouth.

She gasped, trying desperately to suck in a breath, but his grip was too tight, his hands too strong. Her lungs began to burn, and her blows became weaker and more frenzied.

Her vision narrowed to a dark tunnel and she knew she was close to blacking out. She also knew that she couldn’t afford to black out. David might kill her if she did, but even if he didn’t, he would take Dorian and she would never see him again. Imagining her son all alone with that monster gave her new strength. She tried to knee him in the groin, but he had her legs pinned to either side of his and she couldn’t reach.

She shook her head from side to side and bit her tongue until she tasted blood, forcing her mind to stay alert. That was when she saw it. They’d landed beside one of the end tables in the living room. Sitting on top of that table was a dirty plate with knife and fork. She made a desperate grab for the knife, but her hand found the fork instead.

Good enough.

She lashed out with all of her remaining strength, hoping her aim would be good enough. It sank sickly deep into David’s neck. Blood spurted and he screamed.

He rolled off her, and she gasped, sucking in a deep breath. Spots danced before her eyes, and she shook her head, trying to clear it. She knew she didn’t have much time. Hacking coughs racked her body, sapping her strength. David went on screaming, now cursing her in Spanish.

She leapt up and grabbed the very next thing she could find, a heavy potted plant sitting on the end table beside the dirty plate. Pot in hand she whirled around to find David on his knees, struggling to pull the fork from his neck. He saw her a split second before she reached him with the pot.

Too late.

She smashed it over his head. His eyes rolled up and he collapsed, the fork still protruding from his neck and blood bubbling out onto the carpet.

Not trusting that he wouldn’t wake up soon, Caty ran to the bedroom. Dorian was awake and crying. He’d obviously heard the commotion. She skidded to a stop in front of his crib and leaned down to pick him up. He dropped his stuffed animal as she did so, and he screamed even louder, but there was no time to worry about that. Caty ran back through the house, leaping over David’s unconscious body, not even stopping for her shoes.

She ran out the front door and into the street. The gravel road bit through her socks, and the wintry air sliced through her thin blouse, making her shiver. Dorian cried even louder.

She turned to look over her shoulder and make sure that David wasn’t chasing her. No sign of him yet. Good—

Smack! Catalina bounced off something solid. Dorian cried out with the impact, and Catalina blinked, stunned. She found herself face to face with a vaguely familiar married couple. They were walking back from the bus stop outside the neighborhood.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked, her brow pinched with concern. Her husband winced and rubbed his belly—the something solid Catalina had run into.

“I…” Catalina looked from one to the other, not sure what to say, where to start… Just thinking about it was overwhelming. She burst into tears.

“Oh no, don’t cry—Eduardo, debemos llevarla a la casa.”

Eduardo nodded.

They took her back to their house, gave her a warm cup of tea, and coaxed her story out of her. Soon after that they called the police. Half an hour later they arrived at Caty’s house to find that David was already gone. The bloodstains and the fork he left behind confirmed her story. They took her to the station to get her statement. As soon as she was done, she told them that she wanted to join the fleet headed for Wonderland, and they called NAS Lemcroft to relay her request. They assured her that she and Dorian would be welcome to join the last group of colonists, but they would have to hurry.