Six (31 page)

“Welcome,” said a soothing voice accompanied by subtitles at the bottom of the screen. “Your journey will commence shortly. In the meantime, please lie back and relax.”

The gentle music grew louder, and the lights in the room dimmed to ultraviolet. Above him, on the screen, relaxing scenes of sand dunes, gently stirring water, and leaves blowing in the wind played. Parker could swear he could smell lavender.

Before long all his nerves had disappeared. Hypnotized by the combination of sights, sounds, and smells, Parker let himself fall into a half sleep.

He had no idea how long he'd been lying like that when the peaceful state he had fallen into was interrupted by the sound of Solomon's voice.

“Parker,” whispered Solomon.

Parker turned his head to face Solomon. “Yes?”

“Your wrist thing—is it on? Can Emma hear anything at the moment?”

“No,” said Parker, “it's not on.”

“Good. Leave it off for a moment. I need to say something. You can tell Emma when you get there—I don't want to upset her now.”

Parker stopped himself from sitting up. “What's wrong?” he asked.

“When we get to SIX, I need you to take Emma and get out of the terminal there quickly. Leave me. Do you understand?”

“
What?
Why? They don't know who you are.”

“Just do what I say. Leave with Emma and find your father straightaway. Your wrist thing will work there—exactly as it did here.”

“But . . .
why
? . . . What about you?”

Solomon didn't say anything for a moment.

“Solomon?”

“Parker, I wasn't being completely honest with you about the effects of a third teleportation on me.”

“What do you mean?” asked Parker.

Solomon stared back at Parker but said nothing, as if he were waiting for Parker to work it out for himself.

Parker tried to remember what Solomon had told him, but his mind was still groggy from his near-sleep, and he couldn't recall the conversation at all. Eventually, though, he remembered and, when he did, the true meaning behind Solomon's words came to him all at once—clear and devastating, like an invisible punch to the stomach that knocked his whole body forward and pushed all the air of out him, leaving him unable to breathe.

A third teleportation was going to kill Solomon.

When Parker finally spoke, his voice was weak.
“Why?”
It was all he could manage to say.

Solomon seemed to know that Parker had worked it out. “Because I had to.”

“Your flight will commence in two minutes. Please lie back, relax, and enjoy.”

A surge of panic ran through Parker.

“You can't do this!” he said. He leaned over the side of his bed, his head spinning and his heart thumping loudly as he searched for the assistance button.

“Parker, stop!” said Solomon. “I'm going! If I don't go—you don't go.”

“But why, Solomon . . . Why would you do that
?
” He couldn't help himself; he was starting to cry.

Solomon took a deep breath. “I had no idea that they were going to take your mother.”

Parker wiped his cheek with the back of his hand. “I don't understand. . . . I don't understand what you're saying.”

“I was the one who asked your mother to come and help with the work we were doing. If I'd known—if I'd had any idea at all that they were going to send her to SIX—I wouldn't have done it. I promise you.”

“What?” whispered Parker.

“Your mother, Parker. She's on SIX. She's alive.”

Parker stared at Solomon. His whole body was shaking. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

“One minute to avection.”

“When I realized, I went after her,” continued Solomon, talking quickly. “I went to SIX, and they sent me back, thinking it would kill me. When it didn't—they locked me up. I couldn't get ahold of anyone until Lina's father made contact with me. I called your father and explained everything. That's why your dad came here and offered to fix the problem of multiple teleportations. He made a deal with Bowveld—he'd fix it and she would be allowed to return.”

Parker was crying too hard to speak.

“I'm so sorry, Parker.”

“Please, Solomon,” said Parker, struggling to get his words out. “Please don't do this. . . .”

“Avection commencing in ten seconds.”

“It's okay. I'm not scared. I'm ready, Parker. I've had a good run.”

“But . . .”

“Five . . . four . . .”

“Send my love to your parents.”

Solomon smiled and turned to look up at the screen. Through his own tears, Parker saw a single tear run down the side of Solomon's face, drawing a line of gray as it ran down his beige cheek.

“Avection initiated.”

“Solomon!”

Parker never had a chance to thank him.

Everything turned black.

When Parker regained consciousness, he didn't immediately remember what had just happened. His whole body was tingling—the sensation stronger in some parts than in others. It was distracting. Something in his mind, though, was reaching out to Parker. Something unsettling. He was too dazed to work out what it was.

When he was seven, he'd had his tonsils out. Coming around from the general anesthetic, he'd felt as if he'd woken up inside a dream—conscious, but not conscious. It was this same feeling that he was experiencing now. He moved his head slowly to the side and stared down at his left hand. It had no fingers. He watched with interest, but no alarm whatsoever, as his thumb slowly appeared, followed by the next finger, and then the next.

He became aware of the loud humming noise only when it stopped. At the same time, the vibrations in his body disappeared. Parker felt his head begin to clear.

Slowly he began to remember—fragments of sights, sounds, and conversations coming together like tiny pieces of a huge jigsaw.

A little girl crying. A long dark tunnel. A woman in a green uniform. Grace, that was her name. The smell of lavender. Solomon singing.

Solomon.

Parker's head snapped around.

Just for a moment Parker thought he was mistaken. Solomon was there right next to him. At first glance he looked the same as he had the last time Parker had seen him. He was staring upward and wearing his suit, which appeared perfectly intact, and the skin that was visible was still the same beige color of the makeup that had been covering him. Then he saw that Solomon's hair was gone.

Parker sat up straight. It was only then—when he had full view of Solomon's body, that the full horror of what had happened became apparent. All the features of Solomon's face had disappeared. Just two black holes for his nostrils and one for his mouth. No eyes, no nose, no lips. No ears. He looked so blank—so unhuman—that Parker couldn't really think of it as Solomon—not until he heard a noise coming from the black void of Solomon's mouth—a single, long, drawn-out gasp for breath.

He was still alive.

Parker's first instinct was to jump up and run to Solomon's aid, but fear, and the knowledge that there was nothing he could possibly do to help, rendered him frozen. Staring helplessly, Parker watched as the gasp ended and Solomon's body began to shake.

Finally, with one last violent convulsion, Solomon's body came to rest. There was no more movement, no noise, no nothing.

Solomon was gone.

The finality of that thought barely had time to register when Parker realized that the doors would open soon. Solomon's words came back to him:

Take Emma and get out of the terminal.

He hadn't checked on her, but then she hadn't called him on Effie.
Please,
thought Parker as he turned around,
let her be awake and alert.

She was, Parker found, already sitting up. Her head was bowed, one hand holding her other, palm up.

Parker jumped off the bed and stepped over to her.

She didn't move.

He reached out and grabbed her arm. She lifted her head slowly. Her eyes were wide but her expression was blank, as if she were in a daze. For a moment Parker thought that she must have seen Solomon, but then she lifted her hand in front of his face and turned it to show him her wrist.

Parker stared at it and then, silently, looked down and turned over his own hand. It was the same.

Three glowing dots of light.

He had been so focused on what was happening to Solomon that he hadn't had time to think about what Solomon had told him.

He saw Emma press down on the light for him. He answered it and put his own thoughts on mute.

It's broken; it's just noise when I try to press it,
she said.
I saw it when I woke up. I thought Mum was here.

She looked up at Parker.

Parker? Are you crying?

Parker hesitated.
Just repeat exactly what Solomon told you,
he thought. His hand was reaching out to unmute Effie when a sharp gasp from Emma interrupted him. Parker looked at her and saw that her eyes were fixed in the direction of where Solomon's body was lying.

She began to scream.

Parker didn't have a chance to explain anything. She was still screaming as the doors opened and a brilliant white light swept into the room.

Shocked into silence, they both froze as a silhouetted figure stepped forward and revealed himself.

It was a young man, maybe only a few years older than Parker. He was staring at Parker and Emma with a look of concern, or confusion, on his face. Perhaps both. Parker registered this before he looked down at the purple blazer the man was wearing. There, embroidered in gold on the breast pocket, were three bold letters:
SIX
.

Despite having seen the effects of the avection on Solomon and despite everything that had happened up until that point, it wasn't—for some reason—until he saw the number on the jacket that it all suddenly felt real to Parker. Any uncertainty he may have had about anything he had been told disappeared at that very moment.

He was here. On SIX. And beside him, a man was lying dead.

“Everything okay?” asked the man.

His voice snapped Parker into action. He grabbed Emma's arm as he pressed down on his wrist.

We have to go!

Emma didn't react.

Emma! We have to get out of here!

He pulled her arm and she stepped forward.

“Fine, thank you,” said Parker.

His voice wasn't able to hide his panic. Before the man could say anything else, Parker took Emma by the arm and hurried her past the man and out into the corridor.

Parker checked behind him. The man had his back to them. He wasn't moving. Parker could guess why.

Parker looked around him. On the other side of the corridor, the side he had just come from, a line of doors ran both ways. At one end, a door blocked the way; at the other, an open turning. Parker had no way of knowing which one would lead to the exit. He chose to head in the direction of the turning. He grabbed Emma—who was still numb with shock—and began to run toward it just as a shout rang out from the room they had just left.

“Assistance needed!”

Though Emma was by his side, it was only because Parker was dragging her with him.

“Emma! Please! If they find we came with Solomon . . .”

She stopped just as they reached the turning in the corridor.

He's dead,
she said flatly.

Yes. Emma, listen to me. We have to find Dad.

Dad?

The mention of their father seemed to have woken up something in Emma.

Yes, Dad. Please, Emma. I'll explain everything—but we need to get out of here.

Emma looked at Parker, and her eyes began to well up with tears. She nodded.

Okay.

She understood.

On the count of three, we run. Don't stop until I say. Ready?

Yes,
said Emma.

Okay, one . . . two . . . three . . . go!

Parker and Emma ran forward, turned at the same time, and broke into a sprint toward an open archway.

They were almost there when two large men in black jackets appeared. They both glanced over at Emma and Parker as they ran straight past them in the direction of the shouts for help.

Parker knew it wouldn't be long before they came back for them. He sped up, and Emma, now looking completely focused, did the same.

They didn't stop. Not when they ran out into an empty lobby, nor when they saw the three large gold letters on the wall or the purple trees dotted around the space. They didn't even stop when their wrists began to vibrate.

Parker was the first to speak.

Dad! Where are you?

Parker? Is it really you?

Daddy?

Emma?

It was the moment they'd both been waiting for ever since their father had been taken, but Parker had no time to celebrate as a shout came from behind them.

Stop them!

Keep running, Emma!

Parker! Where are you?

We're at the terminal. They found Solomon.

Daddy,
said Emma.
He's dead.

There was a moment's silence.

Get out of there now.

We're running. We don't know where to go.

Are you in the lobby? Can you see the gold letters on the wall?

We just passed them.

Keep going. You'll see some elevators on your right and then a row of doors. Take the . . . second one—you'll find stairs. Go down one flight and you'll see the exit door ahead of you. It leads you outside. There are restaurants and cafés all along the seafront. Find somewhere to hide. We're on our way.