“Tell me what happened after you got here,” I asked Mark.
“We barely got out of the flume before it was crushed under some big, marble building I’d never seen before. I figured it was a new flume on Third Earth until we started exploring. It was the flume in Stony Brook, Bobby. But it wasn’t the Stony Brook we grew up in.”
I didn’t want to hear those details. I knew they couldn’t be good.
“The place was deserted, so we made our way toward the city. We found some survivors, and that’s how we found out about the war. That was around three years ago. We’ve been fighting to survive ever since, waiting for something to happen. Or maybe I should say, we were waiting for you to come. Are you serious about the flumes?”
“Yes. So there are only twenty exiles here on Third Earth?”
“No. After today we’re down to twelve. I don’t understand it. There are plenty of war survivors, but the Ravinians only target us.”
“That’s because the exiles are the last thing standing in Saint Dane’s way.”
Mark gave me a confused look. That made no sense to him, and I wasn’t so sure my explanation would help much.
We stopped talking for a while as he brought the helicopter in for a landing. We touched down in an empty lot on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. No sooner did we hit the ground than a group of men and woman ran toward us. I tensed up. Were we under attack again?
“It’s okay,” Mark assured me. “They’re my guys.”
Mark and I climbed out of the chopper. Not a word was spoken because everyone knew exactly what to do. Four small flatbed dollies were dropped on the ground. Half the group went to one side of the chopper, half on the other. They didn’t even wait until the rotor stopped turning. Everyone lifted the small helicopter up and placed it onto the dollies. Soon we were under way, pushing the helicopter toward the open doors of a derelict garage.
Once the chopper was wheeled inside, four more people ran back out to scuff up the tracks from our journey, while the others pushed the huge door shut. The whole operation didn’t take more than a couple of minutes. The helicopter was hidden away, safe from the prying eyes of Ravinians.
Once the job was done, I turned to look into the garage and saw a half dozen other choppers, along with a number of yellow taxicabs.
“What do you think of our collection?” Mark asked with a smile. “The choppers are courtesy of the Ravinians.”
“You stole them?” I asked in surprise.
“There’s more, too. Hidden all over the city. We’ve been acting like guerrillas since the minute we arrived here, Bobby. We hope to put this stuff to good use someday.” Mark looked me right in the eye and asked, “Is today that day?”
I debated about how much to tell him. The truth about Halla and Solara was a huge, impossible story. I decided that the details would wait for another time. There were more important things to do. So I told him what I thought he needed to know. We sat on the far side of the garage, away from the others. I knew they’d have a million questions, and they deserved answers, but they would have to wait.
“This is the deal, Mark,” I began. “Saint Dane and the Ravinians exiled thousands of people. From what I’ve heard and what you tell me, they were sent all over Halla. Those people are now the last hope. The Travelers have been sent back to their home territories to find them. But Saint Dane wants to find them too. Desperately. That’s why he tortured that poor guy today. He’s afraid of you, Mark.
I don’t think the turning point on Third Earth was that war. I think it’s you.”
“Me?” he echoed, shocked.
“You and all the other exiles. You represent the future of Third Earth and of Halla. That’s why Saint Dane wants you dead.”
“Why us? What can we do to him? There’s only a handful of us left.”
“There’s more than that. Way more. Seventy thousand people were dumped into a flume on Second Earth. I was there. I saw it. The exiles are the ones who stood up to Ravinia so long ago, and it’s your collective spirit that’s keeping the battle going. It’s that spirit that Saint Dane wants to kill. You represent independence. Free will. Unique thinking. Everything that goes against his ideal. You and the others are the last positive force in Halla.”
Mark nodded thoughtfully.
“You’re getting a little cosmic on me,” he said with a small smile. “I know.”
“Seventy thousand?” he asked. I nodded.
“Man, I’d love to have half those people here with us. We’ve been coming up with ideas on how to bring down that Ravinian conclave. None of ‘em work with a few dozen of us. But seventy thousand… that’s a whole different ball game.”
“Maybe you’ll get the chance.”
Mark had a gleam in his eye. He was imagining the possibilities. “There were more exiles on Cloral,” he said. “Do you think the rest could be there?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out. I’m going to Cloral.”
“What should we do in the meantime?”
“Stay alive. That’s the most important thing. Once I know the other exiles are safe, I’m coming back, and we’ll take our last shot at Saint Dane. Together.”
“There’s something else you have to do,” Mark said.
“What’s that?”
“Find Courtney.”
Courtney. Where could she be? After seeing Mark, I had no doubt that she would still be alive. I had to believe that. If anyone represented the positive spirit of Halla, it was Courtney. Heck, she could probably keep Solara going all on her own.
“I missed you, man. There were so many times I wished you were with me.”
Mark and I finally broke down and hugged. He was my best friend. The guy I grew up with. The guy who was loyal to me throughout everything. He was my acolyte. Now he was one of the forces that would try to save Halla. I was certain of that. It was the way it was meant to be.
“Why did you take so long to come back?” he asked.
“I didn’t, Mark,” I explained. “I feel as if I’ve only been gone for a short time. Maybe hours.”
He gave me a confused look.
“Strange, huh?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“You know something,” I added. “I think that’s good news.”
“How’s that?”
“Because I’ve been sent here to Third Earth five years after Patrick’s time. That tells me that the turning point may have shifted. I’m here because I need to be here. Now. I think we’ve still got a chance.”
Mark nodded thoughtfully. “You gonna explain all this to me a little better some time?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, smiling. “It’ll make your head explode.” “Seriously?”
“It’s incredible. I know it all, Mark. Everything. And I found my family.”
“Really!” he exclaimed. “Where are they?”
“They’re safe, but I don’t want to explain it now. You’ve got enough to worry about.”
“I’m happy for you, Bobby,” he said with total sincerity. “I know what it’s like to lose your family.”
“I know you do,” I said. There was nothing more to add, so I stood and took a deep breath. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Better not be another five years,” Mark cautioned.
“I don’t think that’ll happen. This is where I need to be. This time. I may not be gone very long at all.”
“However long it takes, we’ll be ready. We’ve been ready for a while.”
“For what?”
“To bring down that conclave. That’s what we’re going to do, isn’t it?”