For the second time in less than a week, Rick woke up in a strange place with a headache, his body bruised, and the annoying sensation that he was not the owner of his own destiny—and it upset him most profoundly.

  He was in a room that looked welcoming enough. Covering him was a thick, warm quilt, and when he looked down he saw that he was dressed in soft cotton pajamas. Next to the bed was a comfortable-looking arm chair and, just past that, a desk with two chairs. Two wooden bookshelves ran along the wall. It wasn’t office furniture; it was more like the furniture someone would use to decorate a room in their own home. After a brief exploration of the rest of the room, his final discoveries were a closet full of clothing in his size and a bathroom. The only thing missing were windows.

  His head was perfectly clear. It hurt a little, but he could think clearly. He got dressed slowly, taking time to get used to his own body again—a process that revealed several positions to avoid if he didn’t want to experience stabbing pain. After he pulled on a wool turtleneck sweater, he turned the doorknob and, much to his surprise, it opened.

  Awaiting him outside his door was a long hallway with several other doors just like his. Rick began walking slowly with no idea where he was headed.

  “You must be the soldier, right?” came a voice from behind him.

  Rick turned and saw an extremely thin, short man walking toward him. He had thick, brown, curly hair. He looked to be about twenty-five years old and was wearing a long white lab coat. A collection of pens were poking out of the pocket of his shirt. He was wearing glasses and had a smudge of blue ink on his left cheek. His brown eyes twinkled with curiosity.

  Rick looked at him without responding, wondering how he knew who he was.

  “You don’t look well,” said the man as he examined Rick’s face. “You should eat something. Come with me.”

  “Who are you?” asked Rick as he followed him down the hallway.

  “Oh, my apologies. My name is Rylan Delbert.”

  “Are you a doctor?”

  “Seriously? Are you saying that because of the lab coat?” They turned a corner. “Do you mind if I ask you a question? What’s the other side like?” asked Rylan.

  “What other side are you talking about?” Rick was staying behind him a bit. He was having trouble walking quickly. He noticed he still hadn’t seen a single window.

  Rylan stopped to wait for him, looking at him with great expectation.

  “The one from the portal,” he said, talking more softly as if it were a secret. “You’re the one who crossed over, right? What’s on the other side of the Fog?”

  “I don’t remember,” lied Rick. The last thing he wanted right then was to talk about what had happened in that place. “Where are we going? I’m a little tired.”

  “We’re here—it’s the dining room.” Rylan pushed open the double door and held it for Rick, practically fawning over him. He was quite excited, as if he were meeting his favorite movie star. “It must have been awesome. I’d have given anything to go with you. I hope sometime soon you’ll tell me the details.”

  Rick briefly considered commenting on the fate the scientists on the expedition had met with, but Rylan looked so enthusiastic that Rick thought better of it. Considering he still didn’t know where he was, better to keep his mouth shut until he knew who’d brought him here and why.

  In the dining room there were plenty of tables and chairs, a coffee machine, and a long counter with all kinds of self-serve food.

  “You sit down. I’ll bring you whatever you want,” said Dylan as he grabbed a tray.

  “Thanks. I just want juice and a roll.”

  Rylan filled the tray with an assortment of rolls, grabbed a glass of orange juice, got a cup of coffee from the machine and sat down with it in front of Rick, all in record time.

  “Here you go. The coffee is disgusting but you’ll get used to it. The rolls are a little hard. They only put new ones out in the mornings.”

  “What time is it?” Rick took a sip of juice, and after tasting it, drank it down all at once. “And what is this place? Why aren’t there any windows?”

  “It’s seven in the evening. You don’t know where you are? How is that possible?”

  Rick had no idea it was so late. He must have been sleeping for a long time. That would explain his urgent need to go to the bathroom the minute he’d awakened, and the serenade his stomach had been giving him.

  “There aren’t any windows because we’re below ground,” said a woman’s voice from behind him. Rick turned and saw Susan approaching his table. “Rylan, your brother is searching for you like a madman. He says he needs you for who knows what experiment you two have yet to finish. I’ll take care of Rick.”

  “I forgot!” exclaimed Rylan, slapping himself on the forehead. “I have to go.” He stood up from the table and started off. Then he stopped short and turned back toward Rick, offering him his hand. “Pleased to meet you. I hope we’ll talk again soon.” And he disappeared out the door.

  As soon as the door closed, Rick couldn’t contain himself any longer.

  “Any chance I might know what you did to me? So did you kidnap me or what?” Rick regretted using such a sharp tone as soon as he’d finished the sentence. Susan’s face continued to have a calming effect on him, which kept him from really getting angry with her.

  “I did it for your own good.” Her voice sounded sincere and understanding. “I would have told you everything but there was no time. They were going to transfer you to a maximum security cell. We had to do something right away.”

  “I don’t understand. You said Gordon announced my death to the press. Why?”

  “Because he doesn’t want anyone asking about you. You mentioned a friend of yours that might come to see you. Gordon was not about to make excuses to everyone who knows you. It’s much simpler to invent some military attack somewhere in the north to justify the deaths of the hundred men. He was going to kill you, Rick. He doesn’t want anyone to know anything about the portal.”

  “Then why didn’t he kill me yesterday? I was closed up in that room all day. He could have done it any time.”

  “He wanted to talk with you again first to see if you were hiding anything, maybe to test you somehow—who knows. He was keeping you drugged so you’d be weak and would think you were sick. The bottom line is that he was not planning to let you leave there. We had to act quickly.”

  Rick leaned back and tried to process what Susan had just told him. It seemed to make sense. Gordon would do something like that without giving it a second thought if he thought it suited his purposes. He himself had witnessed worse manipulations. But there were still so many things he didn’t understand.

  “You said ‘we’ had to act. You want to tell me who you really are and who you work for?”

  “You already know who I am, Rick; I’m a doctor,” answered Susan, lowering her eyes. “I understand you’re upset with me.” The captain noticed a hint of preoccupation in her voice. “As for my boss, I’ll take you to him. He’s waiting for you.”

  They left the dining room and Rick followed Susan through the hallways. The floor had to have been quite large because he immediately felt lost. The hallways all looked the same: white walls, no decorations. Every now and then, there was a red extinguisher hanging on the wall. Only the doors varied in this monotonous place. Susan stopped in front of a wooden door and motioned to Rick to enter.

  Stolen story; please report.

  “After you,” he said.

  “I’m not going in. He wants to see you alone.”

  “Will I see you again?”

  “I hope so.” Susan walked off down the hallway.

  Rick watched her until she turned a corner. Then he opened the door and went in.

  A large light hung from the ceiling, giving off a much more pleasant light in the room than the fluorescent lights in the hallway. The floor was covered with blue carpeting. Countless books adorned the shelves built into the walls. A large desk was in the center of the room, with two chairs in front of it and a small, portable bar off to one side of it. Behind the desk, the back side of an easy chair rocked gently.

  “Welcome, Rick,” said a familiar voice. A cloud of smoke rose from behind the easy chair. The chair spun around and Rick saw a cigar sticking out of Jack’s mouth. His full head of black hair was neatly combed, and he was wearing a gray suit. An expensive-looking gold watch adorned his wrist. “I hope your room is to your liking.”

  Rick didn’t know what to say. He knew that Jack was far from being a nobody, but his knowledge of anything that didn’t have to do with the army was limited to what everybody else would know. From what he’d heard, Jack had several very profitable businesses that he’d been running since before the Wave. So profitable, in fact, that he was among the richest people in London. And it was rumored that his fortune hadn’t been forged only through lawful means. He’d heard people mention on occasion that Jack had influence in all circles and his methods of negotiation ranged from the most expensive lawyers to still more expensive thugs. At any rate, he was no angel.

  “Please, have a seat. I imagine you want to know why I’ve invited you to join my organization.”

  “That’s a nice way of putting it.” Rick sat down. “I doubt it’s really an invitation.”

  “With a few exceptions that we’ll discuss, I truly believe that it is indeed an invitation. You will be free to leave when we finish our chat if that’s what you really want.”

  “Sounds fine to me. I’d like to be able to choose for a change. You’ve been playing with me and I’ve got to tell you—I’m not a fan.”

  “There’s a reason for everything. You shouldn’t be so distrustful. After all, I saved you from Gordon.”

  “I’m still not sure about that. You were with him when we organized the expedition that crossed the portal. Now I’m supposed to believe he decided on his own to eliminate me and you saved me from his machinations? Why would that be?”

  “I’m not Gordon’s friend. There are times when I can’t challenge his authority and am obligated to collaborate with him, but that does not mean that I approve of his methods. It was not my idea to give that press release.

  “From what little I know, you’ve got no room to talk about methods. I hear yours are more than questionable. To be honest with you, I have no intention of working as one of your goons. I know you know all about my military training, and you know I’m used to killing. I see no other reason for someone like you to fixate on me. But you’re wrong. I’m not like that.” Jack waited calmly as Rick finished venting. “Your business dealings don’t interest me.”

  “I see you think you know something about me,” said Jack, completely relaxed. “But you also are wrong. We all do what we must to get ahead, and you’re no exception. I’ll show you what I mean if you’ll let me finish.” Rick stifled the objection he was about to let loose. “You shouldn’t question my methods, and for that matter, Gordon’s. To begin with, I continue to protect you from Gordon more than you can imagine. If it hadn’t been for me you would have been executed two weeks ago for coming back from the mission solo and without telio—the recovery of which, as I’m sure you recall, was the objective of that mission.”

  Rick remembered that, at the time, he’d suspected that his military abilities weren’t the only reason he’d been freed from the military council. He also had no doubt that, had he been held, he would have been convicted, just as Jack had insinuated. But to think this guy had saved him to lead the mission through the portal didn’t add up either. There had to be something more.

  “Did you intercede to get them to put me in command of the portal mission?”

  “Indeed. And I got you a lawyer.”

  “They couldn’t have convicted me. There was no evidence against me. The only thing going on there was that they needed someone to blame. And why were you so interested in that mission?”

  “Oh, come now. Not even you believe what you’re saying right now. You know full well that a shot to the head was what that military tribunal was going to deliver up to you. As for the mission, it didn’t interest me in the least. The only thing I wanted was to save you and there was no other way to do it other than to claim we needed you for the portal operation. Naturally, Gordon was suspicious. But my influences are stronger and further reaching than you think.”

  “I won’t believe you’re some guardian angel no matter what you say. If you were responsible, there was some other reason.”

  “Obviously. I saved you because you stole my telio and I want it back.”

  “You mean to tell me the smuggler was one of your men?” Rick froze. The mission was a blood bath; everyone but him had died. And now Jack was calmly telling him that it was his doing. “You piece of shit! A lot of men died because of you.”

  “Because of me? You have to be quicker than that. Men died because Gordon decided to steal my telio. My using a smuggler to transport it is irrelevant. If you had delivered the telio, Gordon would have used it for his own purposes; don’t doubt that for an instant. I really don’t think you buy his idiotic blustering about London’s security. Gordon just uses that to instill fear and to hold on to his position. Which brings us to an interesting question: why did you steal my telio if you trust Gordon so much?”

  “I didn’t—”

  “Enough of the games.” Jack cut him off. “You missed the hidden video camera, apparently. I have a recording of you delivering the telio in a van and then disappearing. All that after putting a bullet in the head of the only guy besides you who survived the shootout. So just stop insisting you’re innocent and tell me why you stole from me.”

  Rick was stunned into silence. Knowing that Jack knew everything, and on top of that had recorded all of it, was a devastating blow. There was no point in pretending.

  “I didn’t kill him. I shot him to put him out of his misery. He had a bullet in his chest and his lungs were filling with blood. He wouldn’t have lasted much longer.” Rick glared at him with eyes full of rage.

  “I believe you,” Jack said flatly.

  “You’re right. I stole the telio. I didn’t know it was yours. I’d been waiting a long time for the right opportunity, and it presented itself. I needed to take something for myself before leaving the army. Two years ago, my best friend died in a secret operation. I took a bullet to the right kneecap and it destroyed me. The doctors said I’d never walk again. I spent six months in rehab, giving it everything I had, and I got better. When I went back into the army, I found out that that operation had been a scam; its sole purpose was just to eliminate some rival of Gordon’s. My friend died so that pig could make more money. Ever since then, I’ve followed orders knowing that I was really just working as a thug hired to eliminate whoever Gordon wanted gone. As you can well understand, I wasn’t prepared to keep putting my life on the line for him. I waited for my chance and I took it.”

  “I do understand. Perfectly. I already told you we all do what we must to get ahead. And yes, even Gordon. Don’t make the mistake of thinking he’s evil incarnate. He’s like all of us: a greedy bastard interested in taking care of himself first and everyone else after. It’s human nature. If you don’t believe me, think about how you were able to steal and even kill. Are you completely sure your friend wouldn’t have survived if you had helped him? No—don’t answer. We’ll never know, and it really doesn’t matter.”

  “If what you want is telio, I’ll give it back to you. It really doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

  “That would be nice, but that’s only part of it. An opening has actually come up and you’re very well qualified for it. I’d like you to work for me.”

  “I understand. If I don’t accept, you turn me over to Gordon with that video to guarantee I end up with a bullet in my head.”

  “You’re still not getting it. I wouldn’t be wasting so much time on you if it were only to blackmail you. And I already said you were free to go—after first delivering the telio to me, of course. Consider the recording as my insurance policy. You have exactly the same interests at stake as I do in it being made public.”

  Rick was starting to see Jack differently. This time he actually believed he’d let him walk. He sounded sincere, and he was speaking with unusual calm about things Rick considered terribly important. He exuded an aura of certainty, as if handling this was the simplest thing in the world. Surely he knew how intrigued Rick would be with all this.

  “What does the job entail?”

  “Well, there is a company called Tech Underground Corporation that is interfering in my business and I need to find out what they’re planning. I won’t mislead you; this is dangerous and, in a way, rather bizarre. I’ve had one of my men investigating this and he’s disappeared without a trace.”

  “I still don’t feel comfortable with that kind of work. It’s clear I won’t just be interviewing a handful of executives.”

  “That’s understood. Come now, Rick; let’s not start again with the methods used. You were made for this type of thing. What do plan to do if not this? You’d have to leave London or Gordon would end up catching you. And if you managed to escape, what would you do? Look for a job as a clerk in a department store? Suppose you make it to some other Secure Zone and you get a job you like. You think you won’t find the same kinds of power-hungry bastards there? The world is shit, and down deep, you know it.”

  Rick was convinced even before Jack had finished his argument, but he still wanted to see if he could get something else out of him.

  “I have to admit I’m somewhat surprised. I don’t know why I thought you’d want more from me than to be your private investigator. Of course, I’ll need serious resources since I’m a fugitive of the law now.”

  “It’s not quite that bad. Keep in mind that Gordon can’t tell the whole army he’s looking for you if he wants them to believe you’re all dead. At any rate, you’ll have all the resources you need: weapons, money, fake identification papers . . . whatever you need—including men at your disposal, if necessary. As you can see, you won’t find a better deal anywhere else.”

  “Fine. I’ll accept for the time being. Send me everything you know about that company and I’ll sift through it while I’m recuperating.” Rick stood up.

  “I’m glad you’re on board. Susan will show you our facilities. I have the impression you rather enjoy her company.”

  Rick ignored the insinuation. He went over to the door and opened it.

  “Just one more tiny detail,” said Jack in a casual tone that sounded a little too forced. “I almost forgot. There is one other reason I want you on my team, Rick. There’s another portal. And if things stay on track, we’ll be crossing it soon.”