Lost Planet 01 - The Lost Planet (23 page)

Parker was dead. He had to be. There was no way he could have survived. Chase's mind kept replaying his last memory of Parker as he writhed on the floor, choking on thick gobs of acrid foam that dribbled from his mouth. And then the terrible stillness when he stopped. Chase mashed his hands against his eyes and rolled toward the wall, his face contorted with misery, but no tears came.

He was too angry with himself to cry. Why hadn't he prevented this from happening? Sure, Parker was smart—annoyingly so at times—but Chase was the special one. He should have been able to protect his friend, to save him, but he'd failed. And now Parker was gone. He'd never again ridicule Chase for not knowing something, never give him that easy grin and friendly slap on the back. He ceased to exist. The thought made Chase feel hollow with grief.

The door opened. Chase lifted his head and saw a soldier standing outside his cell.

“Come with me,” the soldier said.

Chase sat up quickly. This was the first time anyone had spoken to him since Maurus was taken away. “Where to?”

The soldier frowned and stepped back, motioning for Chase to exit his cell. Chase followed him out into the hallway.

“Is my friend alive?”

The soldier stared straight ahead as he marched, ignoring the question.

“His name is Parker. He came here with Goxar poisoning. What happened to Lieutenant Maurus? Where are you taking me?” Chase's irritation grew as the soldier kept walking, blank faced, and he fell into a sullen silence.

They came to an elevator and took it up several floors to a long gray corridor. A wild range of possibilities flickered through Chase's head, but deep in his gut he feared it was one of two options: He had been called to witness either Maurus's trial or Parker's funeral.

They finally stopped in front of a pair of double doors. The soldier waved his badge, and they walked into a room full of people.

Sitting in a chair in the middle of the floor was Parker.

“You're alive!” Chase rushed forward but stopped short of giving Parker a hug, standing awkwardly in front of him with an enormous grin plastered across his face.

“Retrieved from the brink of death, they tell me.” Parker returned an embarrassed smile as he pulled himself to his feet. His color was still waxy, with unhealthy brown circles under his eyes and shiny new skin around his mouth, but he seemed okay—a world of difference from the last time Chase had seen him.

“How did they—what did they—?” Chase stammered. He reached out and gave Parker's arm a squeeze, just to make sure he was really there.

Parker shrugged. “Oh, you know, pumped me full of synthetic blood, restarted my heart a few times. I guess they had to replace some of my veins and skin with grafts. The ship's doctor is really good.” He rubbed his chest at the spot where the Goxar's spike had hit him, wincing a little, and sat down again with a wan smile.

Mina looked on placidly over Parker's shoulder. Behind her were a team of soldiers, and a scowling woman sitting at a console. One side of the room was empty, and there was a row of metal disks stamped into the floor. Chase realized they were in a teleport chamber.

“What's going on?” he asked.

“They finally let Mina contact Asa,” said Parker. “He's coming to get us.”

“Us?” Excitement thrilled down Chase's spine.

“I told them we're not leaving without you.”

Chase was filled with a flood of overwhelming gratitude. Finally, this nightmare was about to end. Asa was coming to free them from the Fleet, bringing with him all the answers for Chase's questions. Giddy with relief, he felt as if he were floating above the floor, but a wary thought jerked him back down. “What about Maurus? Do you know what happened to him?”

Parker grimaced and shook his head, but before he could answer, Captain Lennard entered the room. He frowned at Chase as he walked over to the console, and Chase froze. Dread crept into the back of his mind—he couldn't believe that Lennard would let him go this easily.

“Alright, Corporal Lahey—are we set?” asked the captain. The sour-faced woman nodded. “Soldiers, keep your weapons at the ready. Start the transit.” Everyone stared expectantly at the floor disks, and Parker rose to his feet again.

A moment later, a man in a tan suit materialized in one of the circles. He had a slight build and thinning blond hair, and he stepped forward with a smile and a bow. For all the secrets that surrounded Asa Kaplan, he looked about as mysterious as a piece of toast.

“Captain,” he said respectfully. Chase could feel Parker straining at his side to get a good look at him and realized that he was doing the same.

Lennard snorted. “Are you kidding me? Tell Mr. Kaplan that if he expects me to hand over anybody, he'd better show up in person—not send one of his androids to do his dirty work.”

The man said nothing, scanning the room slowly before he stepped backward onto the circle. If the man was indeed an android, he was of the same high caliber as Mina, because he looked human to Chase. He decided it was the man's exaggerated stillness that helped Captain Lennard recognize that he was not human. A second later, the man disappeared.

They all stood for a few minutes, waiting. Finally the corporal at the console spoke. “Here he comes.”

The man who materialized on the teleport circle this time was very tall, with broad shoulders and a slim waist. His dark hair was slicked back severely, and he had intense blue eyes set deep in his pale face. He looked younger than Chase had expected, but just his stance gave off an air of power.

“Captain.” His tone was more challenging than respectful.

“Mr. Kaplan,” replied Lennard.

Asa Kaplan looked at their group. “Mina,” he said in greeting. His gaze flickered over Parker, who stared at Asa as though he were trying to gobble him up with his eyes, and landed briefly on Chase. The look was piercing, but it gave away nothing—Chase couldn't tell if Asa recognized him. What he could tell was that under his cold guise of control, Asa Kaplan looked either furious, or terrified.

Asa turned to Captain Lennard. “I would like to thank you for caring for my ward in these troubled times,” he said in measured tones. “I don't know how I can repay you. I'll be glad to take him off your hands now.”

“Not so fast, Mr. Kaplan,” said Lennard, matching Asa in intensity. “I'm afraid we have a problem.”

Chase's heart sank. Of course it wouldn't be this easy.

Asa leveled his intense stare on the captain. “I don't understand.”

“It seems that the boy in your care refuses to leave without his companion.” Lennard stepped over and put his hand on Chase's shoulder. Chase flinched before he could stop himself. “Do you know this boy?”

Asa regarded Chase with a long stare. “Not personally. My android informed me about him. I'm willing to take him into my care.” Chase looked away to hide his disappointment. Asa wouldn't have any answers for him. “Is he an orphan?”

“One could say that,” said Lennard. “Are you sure you've never seen him before?”

“If you're trying to make a point, Captain, your directness would be appreciated,” said Asa harshly.

“What I'm trying to deduce here, Mr. Kaplan, is if you can tell me what this creature is.”

Asa frowned. “A boy?”

“He does claim that. He tells me his name is Corbin Mason, although that is a lie. He believes his name is Chase Garrety,” said Lennard.

Chase opened his mouth to deny this, but Asa locked eyes with him, and a tiny, almost imperceptible shift in Asa's gaze froze the words in his throat. “And why do you believe he is not what he says?” asked Asa, his eyes never leaving Chase's face.

“I happen to know, Mr. Kaplan, that the real Chase Garrety died several weeks ago,” said Lennard.

Died?
Chase felt as though an electric jolt had been sent through his body. His mind began to reel. He'd been called dead before. Did this mean it was true?

“And if I may ask, how did the real Chase Garrety pass?” asked Asa.

“It was a home invasion. The boy was killed along with his parents.”

The words struck Chase like a hammer. He felt dizzy, and his eyes lost focus for a moment as he absorbed the meaning. He had no parents. They were dead. He was dead. How could he be dead? Parker put a hand on his arm, bringing him back to the present.

“I saw the scene myself,” Lennard continued. “There is no doubt.”

“You saw proof?” Asa asked.

Lennard inclined his head. “There is no doubt,” he repeated.

After a moment's hesitation, Asa stepped off the teleport circle and crouched down to come face-to-face with Chase. Chase gazed back blearily, sweating. He felt like throwing up on the man's shoes.
Help me
, he thought.
Help me figure out who I am
. But Asa only stared back with his cold blue eyes, examining Chase with no more emotion than if he were purchasing merchandise.

After a minute, Asa stood up, saying, “There must have been a mistake, but I'll take the boy with me. I certainly have the means to care for another orphan.”

Lennard nodded. “I thought you might say that.” He crossed the room to the transport console and turned on his heel. “This boy isn't leaving my ship, and neither are you.”

Asa's eyes narrowed. In a pinwheel of motion, the captain and every soldier in the room reached for their weapons. Asa leapt backward onto the teleport circle, grabbing at his wristband.

“Freeze!” shouted Lennard.

But Asa Kaplan had already vanished.

“No!” cried Parker, lunging at the empty space. “Come back!”

Chase stumbled backward against the wall, staring ahead with glazed eyes. After hungering for so long to know who he was and what had happened to him, this answer was more than he could stomach.

He had no family. No parents were looking for him, because they were dead, and because he wasn't even Chase Garrety. He was no one at all.

Mina held Parker from throwing himself on the teleport floor, and Lennard shouted orders into the console for the bridge to hold Asa's ship with threat of fire.

“I'm sorry, sir,” came a woman's voice from the console. “They're already out of range.”

“There's no civilian ship with engines that powerful,” Lennard snapped. He glanced around until his eyes came to rest on Chase. Before Chase could react, the captain crossed the room and grabbed his collar. Chase reached for Parker, but Parker stood dazed in Mina's arms, looking shocked at being left behind by the one person who was supposed to care for his well-being.

“Lahey, gather as much data as you can on Asa Kaplan,” said Lennard. Swiftly he led Chase from the teleport chamber and down the hall, and shoved him into an elevator.

“I
will
get to the bottom of this,” Lennard threatened, stepping in after him.

Chase stared back defiantly. His initial fear of the captain was fading, and in its place came anger. Captain Lennard had just provided him with more information about himself than anyone else—he certainly knew more about Chase than Asa Kaplan did. And he probably knew more than he'd said. But this whole time, instead of trying to help Chase, he'd been trying to force information from him.

They marched back to Chase's empty cell in the brig, and Lennard sealed the door behind them. They locked eyes, and the room was silent but for the captain's loud breathing. Chase opened his mouth to demand answers, but the captain spoke first.

“Where is Lilli Garrety?”

“Who?” Thrown by the unexpected question, Chase tried to keep a straight face while his mind raced.
Lilli Garrety?

Lennard pressed his fingertips against his temples. “The boy you are impersonating had a sister. She's gone missing, and I need to find her.”

A memory flitted through Chase's mind: a small, angry girl wielding a knife.

Chase is dead.

I saw it happen.

Puzzle pieces began to fit together, and Chase struggled to keep his expression blank. It was his sister. The girl who tried to kill him on Qesaris was his sister. He shook his head.

“She's a very special girl, and I think someone created you to find her first,” Lennard continued. “I can't let that happen. Do you know where she is?”

I'm being held by the one who led the end.

It was only a clue, but she'd tried to tell him where she was. How stupid was he to just ignore her plea and leave her stranded! Chase needed something to distract the captain, to keep his reeling emotions from playing out too plainly across his face. “Did you kill them?” he asked recklessly. “Did you kill Chase Garrety and his parents? She got away from you, didn't she?”

Lennard sucked in his breath, and his face turned a boiling, furious red. “I will grind the truth out of you if I have to tear you limb from limb to do it,” he growled, leaning in close. “I'm going to find her first.” He exhaled a long, rancid breath in Chase's face, and left the cell.

A million thoughts battled for attention in Chase's mind, but one stood out above all others, filling him with hope. With sadness. With rage.

Please, Chase.

Guide the star.

Those were the words she'd spoken, same as the first ones he remembered saying. Whether his were from a real memory or an implanted one, whether he was actually Chase Garrety or a man-made replacement, he knew there was a little girl who needed his help. A little girl who held the answers to who he was, and what had happened to him. A resolution formed in his chest, hard as a diamond. He would get off this ship, and he would rescue her.

But he had to find her before Lennard did.

 

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Chase stared at the door of his cell.

He had a plan. It wasn't a great plan. It wasn't even a good plan, and it depended on his belief that he had the ability to evade grabbing hands, blaster shots, and whatever else might await him in the halls of the starship.