“You just said—”

  “I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of George Frasier,” Keep replied. “From what you said, I figured you had made something up to get him to help and I was trying not to blow our cover." He got out of his coat and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Where are we anyway?”

  “Earth.”

  “Thank you, Magellan. I know we’re on Earth. I’m the one who brought us here. Can you be a little more specific?”

  “I don’t want to be on Earth,” I said. “Not when Matt’s back in the Spiral and Sedaya is still after him. How are we supposed to help save the galaxy from here?”

  “I hear you, Bennie. I do. But we didn’t have any other way out of there. Besides, I think this little detour will work out in our favor.”

  “How? Sedaya—”

  “Hold up,” Keep said, tearing off his shirt. He was in better shape than had been apparent beneath his business wear. In fact, he was ripped. “I wouldn’t worry too much about Sedaya, at least for a little while. Alter will take Matt somewhere safe and buy us some time.”

  “How old are you?” I asked, turning away as he unbuckled his belt and started pulling down his pants and underwear at the same time.

  “Older than I look,” he replied. “You didn’t do too well in gym class, did you? Never played organized sports?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “You seem embarrassed by my nakedness.”

  “I’m not embarrassed. I just don’t want to look at all of you.”

  “I’ve got a towel on now.”

  I turned around again. “Do you know where this somewhere safe is?”

  “I have a pretty good idea.”

  “So we can get out of here, and go there?”

  “Sure. But not immediately.”

  “Why not?”

  “For one thing, I need to rest up a bit, recover my strength. The only reason we even made the transit is because I borrowed some of your blood.”

  “Borrowed? I don’t think you can give it back.”

  “Let me tell you something, Ben. I thought you would make a good student before. But your genes are primed for sigiltech. Your boost is the only reason I’m already awake and alert.”

  The compliment caught me off-guard. “Really?”

  “True story. Badabing badaboom.” He smirked. “Sorry. Habit.”

  “You couldn’t have known that when you sent me the original text. You told me you picked me because I was a good pilot.”

  “And because of the way you took charge of your team. And because you exhibited good sportsmanship, loyalty, and courage. And because Matt had a few million dollars.” He paused, trying to decide whether or not to tell me the next part. “And because I might have collected a few of your hairs from VR Awesome! and run them through DNA sequencing.”

  “What?”

  “I needed to know what I was dealing with at a molecular level. But you’re better than advertised, kid.”

  “I thought you were going to stop calling me kid?”

  “Another habit. A little harder to break. It just rolls off the tongue so easily.”

  “Yeah, yeah. How long do you need to rest?”

  “I don’t know. A week or two should do it.”

  “Two weeks? Matt could be dead in two weeks.”

  “Nah. Trust me, Bennie. Alter will protect Head Case with her life, which includes Matt as long as he’s onboard. You can’t have a better bodyguard than that.”

  I had a pretty good bodyguard in Shaq too, and he was also with Matt. “Maybe you’re right. We did escape from Birilli mostly in one piece.”

  “See? Sherlock will be fine. What about Flippy? I know we took some damage getting away. We may need to make repairs.”

  I winced at the question. “There’s an issue with the reactor core. Probably nothing major, but I’m no starship engineer.”

  “What kind of issue?”

  “I just said I’m not a starship engineer. The computer kept warning me about overheating.”

  “Like a you might want to check on this first chance you get warning, or a you ought to do what I say or you’re going to explode type of warning?”

  “The second one,” I said, cringing.

  Keep didn’t look happy. “We may be here for a little longer than a few weeks.”

  “Keep—”

  “There’s not much I can do about it if the core is slagged. At least we’re both still alive, right?”

  “I won’t be for long if we can’t get back to the Spiral. There has to be another way.”

  “We’d need to add the sigils to something else,” Keep replied.

  “So we can scratch them into Matt’s mustang or something.”

  “It doesn’t work like that. The catalyst has a specific chemical composition. Basic steel or aluminum won’t do.” He pursed his lips. “But, we can probably remove it from Flippy and transfer it to another vehicle if necessary. We need to determine if the ship is salvageable first.”

  “How do we do that?”

  “I can run the diagnostics. I’m an archon, not an engineer. I can only affect minor repairs, so if it’s anything more than a burned out wire or loose connection, we may be out of luck.”

  I exhaled sharply, frustrated by everything. “You can teleport anywhere in the universe, and you chose Earth?”

  “Because I was running on fumes, and it was the easiest place for me to transit to. I promise I’ll do everything I can to get us back to the Spiral. I want to be there too. I can’t go after Sedaya from here.”

  I nodded. “I know. Okay.”

  “Do me a favor?” Keep asked.

  “What do you need?”

  “For starters, how about some pants?”

  CHAPTER 9

  I left Keep in the bathroom wringing out his soaked clothes as I followed a delicious smell all the way to the farmhouse kitchen. I thought I would find George alone there. I thought wrong. A woman and a young girl sat at a round table in a breakfast nook just off the main kitchen, helping George prepare chicken for the fry pan.

  “Oh,” I said when they looked at me. “I…uh…”

  “It’s okay, Ben,” George said, turning away from the raw chicken, eggs, and breadcrumbs on the island in the middle of the room. “Gloria, Kyrie, this is the young man I was telling you about. Ben, that’s my wife Gloria and my daughter, Kyrie.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Ben,” Gloria said. A little overweight, with dark hair and kind eyes, she wore a simple spring dress.

  “Hi, Ben,” Kyrie said, smiling at him before blushing and returning her attention to rolling the next piece of egged chicken in the crumbs. She was somewhere between eight and ten years old and thin as a rail, dressed in a yellow shirt and green shorts.

  “Hi,” I said. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’m really sorry to intrude on you like this. My father—”

  “Don’t worry about it, Ben,” Gloria said. “George already explained what happened, and I saw your plane from a distance on the way up from the main road.”

  “I like the purple,” Kyrie said.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “I’ve never seen a jet plane like that before,” Gloria continued. “George said it’s experimental?”

  “Yeah, sort of. My dad works for SpaceX.”

  “I see. I didn’t know they were working on such a small project."

  “Oh, no. They aren’t. But he’s always tinkering. We were trying to build the world’s first starfighter.”

  “A starfighter?” Gloria said. “All that brainpower and creativity, and you want to make a war machine?”

  “Gloria,” George chided.

  “Not a real starfighter,” I said, backtracking from my bad lie. “Just something that looks like one that we could bring to air shows. For the kids.”

  “Can it really go into space?” Kyrie asked.

  “No,” I lied. “It’s just made to look like it can.”

  “I heard your father is awake. How is he feeling?” Gloria asked.

  “Hungry,” I replied with a smile. “Me too. I feel like I haven’t eaten in days.”

  “Well, then you’re in luck,” George said. “I was going to make sandwiches, but then Gloria came home with this chicken and—”

  “And he wanted to show off his grandmother’s fried chicken recipe,” Gloria finished for him. “He makes it for all of our new friends the first time they come over.”

  “She won over twenty county fairs with this recipe, back in the day,” George said.

  “Really, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this kindness,” I said, sincerely touched by their warmth. “Especially after what my father and I have been through lately. It’s just such a welcome change.”

  “I’m not going to pry into your personal life,” Gloria said. “But looking at your neck, I can only imagine.”

  “Yeah. I was jumped at a gas station two days ago. One of the guys put me in a chokehold while they went through my car. Stole my wallet. Stole my computer.” I sighed. “And now this. I’m fortunate I crash landed on your farm.”

  “You sure are,” George said. “The Klosky’s next door are assholes.”

  “George!” Gloria snapped.

  “They are,” he insisted.

  “They’re just a little strange.”

  “They think their farm is haunted.”

  “Maybe it is,” George countered.

  “Uh-huh. Do you believe in ghosts, Ben?”

  “No,” I replied.

  “I didn’t think so. You’re science guys, you and your dad.”

  “We sure are." He needed to change the subject. "I don’t want to keep intruding, but Dad’s clothes got soaked in the tub, and he doesn’t have any others.”

  “He’s a little smaller than me, but he’s welcome to anything I have in my closet,” George said.

  “I’ll get him set up,” Gloria said, getting to her feet. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Ben. A friend in need is a friend indeed. We need to look after one another.”

  “You’re too kind, Mrs. Fraiser.”

  “Please, it’s Gloria. Kyrie, are you coming?”

  “No. I’m going to stay here with papa and Ben.”

  “Suit yourself.” Gloria smiled at me and then left the kitchen from the opposite end. I heard her climbing steps up to the second floor a moment later.

  “You’re all so nice,” I said. “Like I said, we have money. We just don’t have any of it on us right now. But I promise we’ll pay you back for your hospitality.”

  “Not a chance,” George said. “If you want to pay it, pay it forward.” He dipped a piece of the chicken in the egg batter, and then rolled it on the breadcrumb mixture. “Although, once you’ve tasted my chicken you’ll want to pay me double.”

  I smiled, my thoughts shifting as it fully hit me that I was back on Earth. “In that case, can I ask one more favor?”

  “Go on,” George said.

  “Do you mind if I use your phone? We haven’t been gone long enough for my mom to worry, but I should probably let her know what happened and that we’re okay.”

  “That’s a great idea. Is she close by?”

  “No, she’s up in Napa on a trip with some girlfriends. You know, for something to do while we're gone.”

  George dug into his pocket, producing his cell and handing it out to me. “You can head out to the porch if you want some privacy.”

  “Thank you again,” I said, taking the phone and hurrying out of the farmhouse. Anxious to talk to Mom, I punched in her number and hit call before I made it outside, where I stood at the edge of the porch while it rang.

  “Hello?” Mom said, nervous trepidation in her voice. Seeing an unfamiliar number on the caller ID, I wondered if she thought I was a spammer or someone with a tip on her missing son’s whereabouts?

  “Mom,” I said. “It’s Ben.”

  If it were possible to hear tears, I heard them then, my own forthcoming as she exhaled into the phone, voice quivering. “Oh, Ben. Thank God. Where have you been? Where are you now? Are you okay? We’ve all been so worried about you.”

  “Mom, I’m okay. I’m fine.”

  “Do you swear?”

  “I swear. I’m sorry I disappeared like I did. I didn't have much of a choice. Things have happened so fast for me and Matt. Things we never would have expected in a million years. These last few weeks have been awesome and incredible. But also terrifying and horrendous.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s hard to explain. Well, not really, but it’s a long story, and the only reason you’d believe it is because it’s coming from me.”

  “Ben, you’re kind of scaring me a little. What about your medication? Are you taking your medication?”

  “Yeah, I was. I need a refill though.”

  She laughed into the phone, releasing weeks of tension. “We’ll get you a refill when you come home. You are coming home, right?”

  “I…I’m not sure when yet.”

  “Do you need money? A ride? What? Just tell me and I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

  “No, I don’t need anything, Mom. I’m in a good place right now. I’m not in danger or anything like that at the moment.”

  “What do you mean at the moment?” She paused. “Is Matt with you? His father asked me if I had seen him the other day.”

  “He’s okay too. He just doesn’t have access to a phone right now. I didn’t either, until now.”

  “What about the Internet? You could have sent me an email. Everywhere has the Internet.”

  “Not everywhere, Mom,” I said. “I told you, it’s hard to explain and I don’t really have the time right now. I just wanted you to know I’m still alive. I’m safe, and if I can I’ll come home to see you soon, I will.”

  It took her a few seconds to answer. She had to fight every motherly instinct she had to support whatever it was I was doing that I hadn’t shared. “Okay. Just please make sure you get more medicine. You can call the hospital pharmacy, they’ll transfer the prescription wherever is convenient for you right now.”

  “Okay, Mom. I will. I’m sorry to be so vague about things. I want to tell you all about it, now just isn’t the right time.”

  “I won’t say I understand, but you know I have your back, Ben. Always. And I am more relieved than I can even say to hear your voice and know that you’re okay.”

  “I know, Mom. I'm sorry to put you through this,” I replied, trying hard not to choke up. Talking to her wasn’t just helping relieve her tension. I didn’t realize how much of my own had built up until her voice started softening my defenses. I couldn’t totally process everything I had been through, but I needed the release. So much so that I started down the steps, planning to get far enough away from George's house to unleash the pressure without anyone noticing. “I’ll try to call you again soon.”

  “Okay. I love you, Ben.”

  “I love you too, Mom. Bye.”

  “Bye.”

  I hung up the phone and circled behind George’s truck, crouching beside one of the wheels and letting the pent-up emotions pour out. Unmanly? Screw that. Only robots and psychopaths had no emotions.

  I took a few minutes for myself before calming, leveling off my breathing and wiping the moisture from my face. I exhaled sharply a few times, gathering myself before coming out from behind the truck. I went back into the house, immediately hooked by the smell of George’s fried chicken.

  Keep was in the kitchen with George and his family. He had traded the towel for a red flannel shirt and blue jeans, both big on him. He looked a lot less serious in the lumberjack chic. More like a regular guy than a galaxy-hopping technowizard. While his face remained pale, he looked a lot healthier than when I left him fifteen minutes ago.

  Gloria was in the middle of spreading antibacterial over his hand, a large bandage and tape on the table next to her. Kyrie watched the proceedings with intense interest.

  “George, here’s your phone back,” I said. He was busy breading the last of the chicken. The first batch sat in the fryer, bubbling and popping and making my mouth water.

  “You can just leave it on the counter,” George replied. “Did you get to talk to your mom?”

  “I did, thank you,” I said.

  “How did you get this wound again?” Gloria asked. “It looks like you were stabbed with a small nail.”

  “A protruding bolt along the fuselage near the cockpit,” Keep said. “I meant to replace it but hadn’t gotten around to it. Serves me right. Ben got his hand good on it, too.”

  Gloria looked over at me, and I showed her my hand. “Yours is healing better than your father’s, but that’s not much of a surprise. I can bandage that up for you in a minute.”

  “Thank you,” I said. "But there's really no need."

  “It's my pleasure,” she replied.

  “Kyrie, can you start getting the sides together?” George asked. “There’s a tub of potato salad in the fridge. And some chips in the pantry.”

  “Sure, papa,” Kyrie said, jumping up to assemble the food.

  “When you’re done, help me set the table.”

  “I can do that,” I offered. “Just point me to the dishes.”

  “No way,” Gloria said. “You’re a guest. You relax. We’ve got it.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, but the look she gave me kept me quiet. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I sat down in the chair next to Keep. Gloria put the bandage over his hand and started taping it up while Kyrie roamed the kitchen gathering everything. George dropped the first basket of chicken into the bowl and dumped in a second batch.

  “I was wondering,” Keep said, loud enough for George to hear. “I’d like to do a full diagnostic on the plane before we try to fly it again, and ideally not have to cram back into the cockpit as a pair. Would you be open to keeping her in your barn for a little while? Obviously, I’ll pay for the storage.”

  “How long is a little while?” George asked.

  “A month or two? I think some of the systems may not be working right. The plane is experimental for a reason.”

  I bit my lip at the idea of being here for two months. That was a lot longer than Keep had originally said.