“For this scenario, sure. They could use the money, which means they can literally only afford to get so mad.”

  “We’re still betraying their trust.”

  Keep pulled to the side of the road, bringing the car to a quick stop. “Okay Captain America. Do you want to be a goodie-goodie, or do you want to save the galaxy?”

  I stared at him for a few seconds. It wasn’t a question that required much thought. “I want to save the galaxy.”

  Keep tried to peel away in the Toyota, but it wasn’t built for anything aggressive, dulling the effect. We went through another round of silence, reaching the interstate before I ended the lull again.

  “Okay, we’re going to your apartment in Modesto,” I said, again picking up the conversation. “And your living in the same city as me is purely coincidental.”

  “That’s what I said,” Keep replied.

  “And what are we going to get from your apartment?”

  “This and that. My Earth phone, which is linked to the account I moved the four million into, for one. A few fake IDs, a couple of pistols.”

  “Are you James Bond or Jason Bourne?”

  “Amateurs,” Keep quipped back. “I’ve also got a sigiltech ring we can use to start your training.”

  “You have a ring?”

  “Do you always have to repeat everything I say in the form of a question? It makes you sound kind of dumb.”

  I decided to ignore the disparaging snark. “Why is the ring here on Earth?”

  “There’s a reason the sleeve is under my skin. If I had the ring, and Sedaya caught me with it, then he would know that I know about Sashkur in the first place. I’m not entirely sure how he would respond to that, but I think it’s a fair guess to say it wouldn’t be good.”

  “So he doesn’t know you’re an archon.”

  “Nope. From what you told me about the Grimoire, my guess is that he’s still under the impression he and his accomplices are the only ones who know about them. Which is something we can surprise him with one time. We need to make sure we pick the right spot.”

  “You’re talking like you’re sure we’ll make it back to the Spiral.”

  “I’m positive we’ll make it back to the Spiral. Once we have some funds, we can head to a hardware store and buy the tools we need to pull the catalyst out of Flippy and move it to a new transport medium.”

  “That doesn’t sound like the sort of thing that’ll take a month to accomplish.”

  “Not on its own. But I need time to teach you, and you need time to practice.”

  “Why can’t we do that in the Spiral, aboard Head Case?”

  “Two reasons.” Keep put up his right hand and raised his index finger. “One, your initial efforts will lack control. That’s fine, it’s the nature of learning a new skill. But I don’t think you want to accidentally blow out the hull from the inside. That could be bad.” I opened my mouth to ask a follow-up question, but he waved his hand to keep me quiet. “I know what you’re thinking. We don’t have to do this on Earth. We can just land on some planet somewhere and mess around with technology so dangerous the Hegemony buried all knowledge of it. And that’s true, we could. But reason number two,” his middle finger extended, joining his index finger. “Sedaya can’t find you if you aren’t in the Spiral to be found.”

  “So we stay here to hide? If Sedaya finds Matt and Alter…”

  “It’s a lot easier to run when you’re already on your ship and in orbit. Which is precluded by your solution to reason one.”

  “Okay. But if we’re going to rendezvous with them in space, don’t we need Flippy? I’m not aware of any other starships on Earth. Well, there’s the space shuttle, but as far as I know they’re all in museums now.”

  “I brought you from Earth to Caprum in a limo,” Keep said. “We can do the same thing again. But yes, it does require meeting up with your team planetside, no matter which planet that is.”

  “And you think you know which planet that is.”

  “I do.”

  “What if they aren’t there when we arrive? What if Sedaya chased them off?”

  “Then we switch to plan B. Hire a ship of our own and go after them. I know the places Alter will go to hide.”

  “Demitrus,” I said. “Is that our first choice?”

  “No. Too obvious. Alter used her Enigma persona to sign Sedaya’s smuggling contract, which means he knows she’s back in play and on your side. He’ll send people to Demitrus to look for her.”

  “Is that why you said she opened up a can of worms using that name?”

  “That’s only the tip of the iceberg. You know she and Sedaya have a history.”

  “I know more about it than you do.”

  He glanced over at me. “Don’t tell me you two are…” He made a suggestive hand gesture.

  “You know she’s another species, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I think that’s pretty obvious once you’re around her long enough. So?”

  “So alien plus human equals ewwww.”

  “On what planet?”

  “It should be true on every planet,” I replied. “Just the fact that you’re telling me it isn’t is cringe worthy.”

  “Why? She looks like a woman. Some of her personas are even attractive.”

  “I like Alter a lot. Maybe even love her. As a friend. But I draw the line at getting romantically involved with anything that isn’t human.”

  “It’s probably because you’re from Earth, where humans are your only real choice. Things are different in the Spiral.”

  "Somehow, this conversation veered off somewhere I don’t really want to go,” I said. “Do you even know how she acquires new personas?”

  “What do you mean, acquires them? I thought she made them up.”

  I shook my head emphatically. “No. It’s not right for me to talk about something she doesn’t want to broadcast. The point is, I can appreciate her for what she is, but I’m creeped out by the idea of getting closer than that to her. Can we change the subject now?”

  Keep laughed. “Sure, kid. Point is, Demitrus isn’t the place, but I know what planet most likely is. If I’m wrong, I’m confident I can track her down. That reminds me. We’ll also have to pick up some ivory at some point.”

  “Ivory?”

  “There. You did it again. Yes, ivory. I can’t exactly spend four million United States Dollars in the Spiral. I need to convert it to something of value here. Thus, ivory. It doesn’t exist there and assemblers don’t know how to make it, which means it’s authentically from Earth. Which means it’s worth about ten times as much as it’ll cost me to buy some here.”

  “Except the sale of ivory is illegal.”

  “Not entirely. It depends on when it was originally harvested. But who’s going to know? Don’t get all Captain America on me again, Bennie.”

  “I’m not. I just wouldn’t know the first thing about where to buy ivory.”

  “Then it’s a good thing it’s my money, and I already know where to get it. I’ve been preparing for this for a while now.”

  “So you always intended to return to Earth during an escape from Sedaya’s flagship in a starfighter with a cracked reactor core?”

  “I definitely would have preferred to just pop in and out, but like my father always said, you play the hand you’re dealt. Badabing badaboom. But yeah, what good would it do me to sell a starship in USD if I couldn’t roll that money over into bigger profits? I’m going to turn that four into the equivalent of forty.”

  “And then what?”

  “I’ll hire enough mercenaries to put Sedaya on the defensive, and you and I will finish him off.”

  “That seems like a decent plan.”

  “High level overview. Of course, it’s the details that matter, and Sedaya’s knowledge and apparent application of sigiltech is a wrench in the machinery I hadn’t accounted for. At least I can now, before we make our move.” He surprised me by pulling the car off to the side of the road and coming to a stop. “I’m still feeling kind of beat. Would you mind driving us up to Modesto? I assume you know the way.”

  “You want me to drive a Prius?” I joked.

  “It’s no Mustang, but it’ll get us where we need to be.”

  “All right. I don’t need you passing out on me doing thirty on the interstate.”

  We switched positions. Keep was asleep by the time I put us back on the road.

  CHAPTER 12

  Keep remained sound asleep as I pulled off SR99 and into Modesto proper. I tried to wake him a couple of times by calling his name and shaking his shoulder, only to succeed in pushing him against the passenger door where he continued to snore.

  Since he hadn’t bothered to tell me where his apartment was, I decided the next best option was to make the short trip across the city to the subsidized housing where I had lived with Mom and my siblings before buying a starship. I figured since he didn’t seem all that concerned about efficiency, I could at least see them one last time to say proper goodbyes while also changing out of the farmer-wear and into some more familiar, comfortable clothes. I decided to also pack a bag with extra threads for the days ahead.

  I left Keep asleep in the car and crossed the main parking lot to one of the apartment buildings arranged in a u-shape around it. Scaling the dingy, dimly-lit outside steps, I circumvented garbage bags and a hobo to reach the third floor, breathing in the familiar smell of trash and urine on my way to Apartment 3035. My home for the last eleven years until I met Keep.

  It didn’t surprise me to find the door locked. Based on the time, I knew Mom wouldn’t be home yet, but my younger sister Sheri might be. If not, I could always get the spare key from Ms. Winklemann in 3050.

  We had a special knock Mom taught us years ago, meant not only for the occasions when we went out without our keys, but also in the event of an emergency that drove us to a neighbor’s place so they would immediately know who was at the door and why. Fortunately, we had never needed the code for that, but I always appreciated Mom’s thoughtfulness to create it in the first place. Where we lived, nobody ever left their door unlocked, and no answer wasn't ever a definite no one was home. I had tried to pass the secret knock on to Matt and his family, but his father had never thought enough of it to implement it.

  I wrapped it out on the front door, backing up a step and listening for any sign of movement inside. The lights were on, but they never went off. I waited thirty seconds and tried again. When Sheri still didn’t come to the door, I made the short walk to Ms. WInklemann’s unit.

  I knocked again. I heard the tapping of my elderly neighbor’s cane long before she opened the door, her eyes widening in surprise.

  “Benjamin,” she said, her voice raspy from years of smoking. I knew she chained the cigarettes twenty-four seven, but somehow she managed not to reek of it. “You’re back. Your mother’s been worried sick about you, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know. I called her earlier. How have you been, Ms. Winklemann?”

  “You know me. I’ve been ready to die for ten years now, and the Good Lord refuses to take me.”

  “Everybody goes in their own time,” I replied. “We don’t get to choose when that is.”

  “I assume you stopped by for a key,” she said. “Do you want to come in while I get it?”

  “I’m kind of in a hurry. I’ve got someone waiting for me in the car. I just need to grab a few things from inside, and Mom will be home any minute now.”

  “Okay, okay. Don’t rush an old lady.” She laughed, turning and clacking her way to the center of her living room, where she opened a drawer on her television stand and picked up the spare key. “How are you feeling, Benjamin? I hear you’ve been sick.”

  “I was. I’m feeling a lot better.”

  “That’s good to hear.” She brought it back and passed it to me. “Tell your mother she owes me a rematch. It’s been too long since we played chess and chatted over a cup of tea.”

  “I’ll let her know,” I said, taking the key. “It was good to see you Ms. Winkelmann.”

  “Good to see you too, Benjamin.”

  “Have a good night.”

  “You too.”

  I was already back to my apartment by the time she had her door closed and locked again. I used the key to let myself in, my gaze sweeping the simply decorated living room. An Ikea bookshelf dominated the space, covered in family photos, trophies, and awards my siblings and I had been given over our lives. A small secondary television sat in the corner, with a sofa against the back wall. My eyes drifted to the kitchen on my left, first to the fridge door buried under yellowed drawings we had all made as children and then to the small card table where I had eaten so many bowls of cereal.

  “Oh, Mom,” I said softly, my eyes landing on a messy stack of papers on the table. Missing posters, with my name, face, and a black and white photograph printed on yellow paper. The five thousand dollar reward for information about my whereabouts caught my eye. That was more than she had.

  I knew she would worry. I hadn’t anticipated this.

  “Ben?”

  The sudden voice from behind startled me, and I turned and put my hands up into the fighting position Alter had taught me, embarrassed as Sheri started laughing.

  “What is that?” she asked, pointing to my hands.

  “Nardok pose,” I replied, lowering it. It hadn’t sounded as dumb during training on Head Case.

  “Uh, yeah,” she replied, her smile producing deep dimples on both sides. Seventeen, with light hair shaved close on one side and down to her shoulder on the other, she wore three earrings in each ear and a tight dress that left me a little embarrassed for her while activating my protective instincts. The strong smell of her hair conditioner told me she hadn’t answered the door because she had been in the shower. She stepped up to me, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me tight. “I was worried too.”

  I embraced her. “”It’s good to see you, Sher.”

  “You too, Ben.” She backed away. “Where have you been?”

  I laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “Try me.”

  “Matt and I bought a spaceship and traveled to another galaxy.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Don’t tell me, then.”

  “I said you wouldn’t believe me.”

  “I thought you would tell me the truth. How are you feeling?” Her eyes were streaming by the time she finished the question. This was the first time we had seen each other since Mom had told her about my diagnosis.

  “I feel okay,” I replied. “Sher, don’t give up on me yet, okay? I’m still alive, and I plan to fight.”

  She smiled and nodded, still crying. “It’s not fair.”

  “It’s always someone else, right?” I said. “I’ve got a line on a possible cure. That’s why I left. That’s why I need to leave again. I just came to see you and Mom, and Paul and Dan if they happened to be here, and to get some things.”

  “You’re leaving again? Where are you going? Back to outer space?”

  “Actually, yeah,” I replied. “By way of Fresno.”

  She laughed. “You’re so weird.”

  “As long as I’m still weird, you know I’m doing okay.”

  “True.” She swiped the tears from her cheeks, trying not to mess up her makeup. I stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel passing it to her. “Thanks.” She smiled through her tears at me.

  “Going out?” I asked, looking at her dress.

  “Yeah. Nick’s picking me up any minute now.”

  “Nick? He’s new.”

  “Yeah. I think you’ll like him.”

  “Only if he isn’t going out with you because of the way you look in that dress.”

  “That’s always a component of attraction isn’t it?”

  “A component, not the whole thing.”

  “He likes my brains too. He’s nineteen, studying to be a physical therapist.”

  “Not bad. I can teach you the Nardok thrust if you think he might try to touch something you don’t want his grubby hands on.”

  “I think I’m okay.”

  “I’ve got to grab my things. You’re welcome to follow me to my room.”

  I headed there without waiting for an answer. Sheri followed me like a puppy, as if she didn’t want to let me out of her sight. I didn’t blame her. In fact, I was grateful for it. This might be the last time we would see one another.

  My room was small, but it had grown exponentially when Paul moved into his own place after he graduated and got a job as an accountant at the Block. There was a small desk with my computer on one wall, with a dresser and twin bed on the other. Lots of video game posters clung to the walls, and there were plenty of clothes strewn across the floor along with empty soda bottles. I went to my closet first, finding my small duffel and tossing it onto the bed.

  A knock on the front door grabbed my attention. “Nick?” I asked.

  "Yep, that'll be him. She turned to go answer it.

  “I’ll get it,” I said, laying my hand on her arm.

  “Be nice,” she replied. “Don’t forget you’re still a nerd. He can hurt you if you aren’t. He's into body building.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be nice?” I said. “And I wouldn’t be too sure about that last part.”

  She raised an eyebrow at the response. I ignored it and went to the door, pulling it open. Nick was a good head taller than me, well-built and handsome in an apish sort of way. He wore a button down shirt, open far enough to see his perfect pecs, and skinny jeans to show off his Hulk legs. A month ago, a guy like Nick would have intimidated the hell out of me.

  Not anymore.

  “Hi,” he said. “Is Sheri home?”

  “If you're Nick, she is,” I said, opening the door and sticking out my hand. “I’m her brother Ben.”

  He took it, staring at me. “The one who’s missing?”

  “Not anymore,” I answered. “Come on in.”

  “I heard you were dying. That really sucks, man. I’m sorry.”

  It wasn’t the most compassionate outpouring of sympathy, but it was more than I expected. “Thank you. I appreciate that. But I’m personally not sold on the dying part. I need to hang around to make sure you’re good to my sister.”