Artificial Absolutes (Jane Colt Book 1) Read online

  “Look, I am not a suspect, I am not a witness, and I am not a victim.” She imitated the poisonously soft tone her mother used to employ. “I talk to Devin once a month if I’m lucky, and I don’t know anything about his life. He didn’t even tell me when he got engaged to Sarah DeHaven. So unless you need a blood relative to perform some creepy ancient seeking ritual, I suggest you stop wasting your time and mine.”

  The gray-eyed officer stood and looked uncertainly at his companion, who gave him an I-don’t-know expression. He attempted to resume his steely countenance. “Are you sure you don’t know where he might have gone?”

  Jane kept her toxic you’re-an-idiot gaze fixed on him.

  The officer cleared his throat. “That will be all for now. Thank you, Miss Colt. Again, we apologize for upsetting you. If your brother contacts you, we ask that you report it immediately.”

  Both officers turned and left.

  Jane had completely and unapologetically lied. She knew exactly where her brother would be. As soon as the officers were out of sight, she went to find him.

  The Colt estate, called Serena, had been in the family for generations. Jane and her brother had grown up there. They’d flown across the continent every morning for school in Kydera City and returned at night. Their parents had hired pilots to escort them, but whenever they weren’t around, Devin bribed the pilot into taking the day off. He would fly Jane to school himself before running off to do no good. Some of her fondest childhood memories had taken place in those moments when it was just the two of them.

  Once a thriving plantation, Serena’s fertile fields had long ago been left to nature, with tall blue and purple trees rising out of the rich brown earth. Acres of untamed forests surrounded the palace-like glass and steel mansion. The only other sign of civilization was the hangar by the glittering white landing pad.

  Jane loved the wilderness. It was so vast, she’d never run out of places to explore. She could live there a hundred years without knowing all the secrets of the ever-changing land or the buried riddles left behind by previous inhabitants.

  Twelve years before, Devin had hijacked one of the groundskeeper’s open-air hovercars and told Jane to come with him. He had something to show her.

  Jane jumped into the passenger seat, excited that her big brother was hanging out with her. “Where’re we going?”

  “It’s hard to describe.” Devin strapped himself into the driver’s seat beside her. “Buckle up.”

  Jane snapped the safety harness in place, and it tightened to accommodate her.

  The hovercar soared over the fields and into the trees, speeding around the crooked branches deep into woods. Jane laughed, thrilled at the danger and eager to be let in on a secret. Devin stopped the vehicle in a clearing covered in tall waves of azure grass.

  She gasped. “I didn’t know this was here!” She leaped out and ran into the grass, which was almost as tall as she was. Ducking down, she teased, “You can’t find me!”

  “C’mon, Pony. Aren’t you a little old for these games?”

  Jane giggled and curled up to make herself as small as possible. She looked at the sky, which was pale red and streaked with a gold filigree of clouds. It was late. Mom and Dad would be so mad if they knew she was out.

  Nah, they’d probably get mad at Devin for taking her. They were always mad at him. She didn’t understand why.

  Devin’s face came into view, expression annoyed.

  Jane grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.”

  He smiled and held out a hand. Jane took it, and he pulled her up.

  The clearing was square-ish, surrounded by trees with violet leaves woven together to form a dense canopy.

  “Where are we?” Jane asked.

  “A part of Serena that no one’s been to in a really, really long time.” Devin approached a jagged brown stone jutting out of the ground near the hovercar. He put a hand on it. “See this?”

  Jane scampered up to the rock and inspected its dirty edges. “What about it?”

  “Look closer.”

  Was that stupid ugly rock the big secret? It didn’t look special. She pouted with disappointment. “I don’t get it.”

  Devin gripped the stone with both hands and twisted hard until it rotated. The ground jolted.

  Jane jumped. “What was that?”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face the clearing. An enormous rectangular section sank into the ground. It split down the middle, and the two halves parted, revealing a dark cavern.

  Jane’s eyes widened. “Whoa! Cool!”

  Was it an underground lair? A secret passageway? She was too excited to ask as she tried to make out what lay down there.

  The remaining sunlight illuminated a small, teardrop-shaped spacecraft in the cavern. Two large engines, rounded in the front and pointed at the ends, protruded symmetrically from its sides. Its dark blue finish, unmarked and banged up, looked worn and world-weary, as though the ship had been through far more than it had been meant for.

  Jane stared at it. “Why’s there a beat-up Blue Tang all the way out here? What’s this cavern thing?”

  “An underground hangar used hundreds of years ago during the civil war,” Devin replied. “No one’s been here since.”

  She grinned eagerly. “Can we go down there?”

  “Sure.” Devin climbed into the hovercar and motioned for her to join him. She buckled herself back into the passenger seat. He drove the hovercar down into the dingy cavern.

  Several dark tunnels led from it, and bits of metal littered the rough floor. A real civil war hangar! Cool! Wait a sec… “Hey, Blue Tangs weren’t invented until way after the civil war. Who put this one down there?”

  “I did.” Devin parked the hovercar beside the Blue Tang and got out.

  Jane followed, bubbling with questions. “Where’d you get it? Did you fly it? When’d you learn to fly starships? Is it like flying air transports? How’d you find this place anyway? Why—”

  “Slow down, Pony!” Devin laughed. “I found this place about a year ago. I was digging through Serena’s old records and found out this area was once a rebel base. They kept a bunch of their transports here. I tried to find out more, but Mom changed the password to the records library.” He rolled his eyes. “Apparently, I was wasting too much time there.”

  Jane smiled teasingly. “Oh, Devin, why’re you always getting in trouble?”

  His expression hardened.

  She waited for him to say something. After about a minute of silence, she gave up. “So, where’d you get the ship?”

  Devin blinked, as though waking from whatever reverie he’d been in. “Black market. It’s unregistered, unmarked, and so old nobody’s looking for it anymore. Even if they are, they’ll never find it. They’ll never find… me.”

  Huh? “What’re you talking about?”

  Devin looked up at the ship. “I’m running away, Pony. I’ve got it all stocked up with food and stuff. I don’t even care where I’m headed.”

  Jane frowned. I don’t get it. “When’re you coming back?”

  “I’m not. I just wanted you to know so you won’t worry. Don’t tell Mom and Dad until after I’m gone, okay?”

  Jane still didn’t understand. “But… But you have to come back. Your life is here.”

  Devin snapped his gaze toward the ground. “No, it’s not. I have nothing.” His tone was harsh. “Every decision is made for me. Mom and Dad hate me, especially Dad. Nothing I do has ever been good enough. I’m not good enough. I’ll never be good enough. I might as well be a malfunctioning robot to him—some obedient thing that should do what he wants, even when he’s not ordering me around. I can’t stand it. I finally found another way out, and I’m taking it.”

  Jane fina
lly understood. Her big brother was leaving. Once he did, she would never see him again.

  A hated tingling pricked her eyes. No. Big girls aren’t supposed to cry. “Don’t be silly. Mom and Dad don’t hate you. Besides, they’re not everything. What about your friends?”

  Devin scowled. “Colts don’t have friends—only networks.”

  That was a line their father had often spoken. Jane bit her lip so hard it hurt, trying to stop the forceful swelling behind her heart.

  Her brother walked toward the ship, away from her. “I have no future here. You’re the only thing in this whole fucking system I care about.”

  She ran and grabbed his arm. “So take me with you!”

  “No, Pony.” Devin shook her off, but didn’t look at her. “You’ve got a shot. Where I’m going, it’s gonna be dangerous. I’m probably gonna be a criminal, become a smuggler or something for the Fringe crime bosses. It’s no place for kids.”

  Jane stomped in frustration. “You’re a kid!”

  “I’m sixteen. I can take care of myself. But not you too.” Devin’s back was still turned to her.

  “Then don’t go!” Unable to hold back the flood any longer, Jane hurriedly rubbed her eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll fix it! I can fix it!”

  Her brother was leaving—forever.

  Suddenly, she was a little girl again, curled up on the ground and crying so hard she shook. She felt alone, deserted, as though he was already gone. “Devin, don’t go! Stay, Devin! I’ll fix it, I promise! I’ll fix everything! Just stay!”

  “Pony, please…” Devin was beside her, but she couldn’t hear what he said through her sobbing.

  She buried her face in her knees and fought with all her might to stop the tears. “Stay, Devin. I’ll fix it, I will. Please stay. Don’t leave me alone here. Don’t leave me behind.”

  Devin embraced her. “I’m not going anywhere.” He spoke with a soft tension, almost like anger. “You don’t need to fix anything. I’m sorry—I thought—I didn’t… I’d never abandon you, Pony, I swear. I swear to you, I’ll never leave you behind.”

  Jane slammed the air transport she’d stolen from her father’s apartment beside the jagged brown stone. Afraid of being followed, she’d made several haphazard wrong turns, making for one helluva bumpy ride. Her stomach was tied in knots, but she didn’t care. She opened the door, jumped into the azure field, and ran toward the parted gates.

  The Blue Tang rose out of the ground.

  “Devin!”

  Jane realized her brother wouldn’t be able to hear her and pulled out her slate. He didn’t answer her call.

  The Blue Tang’s engines revved up.

  Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare!

  The Blue Tang moved away from Jane. She ran after it.

  You jerk! You’re not leaving without me!

  “Devin!”

  Devin glanced at the section of the Blue Tang’s split viewscreen that showed his sister running after him.

  I’m sorry, Pony.

  He knew how furious she must be, how betrayed she must feel. In her eyes, he had killed their father. He hated leaving her with that belief, but it wouldn’t take the police long to figure out he’d run to his childhood home. Even if he did have a few minutes to spare, he didn’t know how he could convince her it wasn’t true.

  Jane stopped and looked up at the ship with an expression that was so lost, so hurt. Devin tried to ignore her but couldn’t.

  Dammit.

  He lowered the Blue Tang, brought it to a hover, and pulled a lever. As the door opened, a ramp extended into the field. Devin got up and ran down it.

  Jane raced toward him. “I did my best, but they might’ve followed me anyway! Go! Go!” She shoved his shoulders, trying to push him back up the ramp.

  Shouldn’t she be screaming accusations at me? Devin didn’t move.

  She stopped shoving. “What the hell are you waiting for?”

  He looked her in the eye. “I didn’t do it. I swear, Jane—”

  “I know, you idiot! How dare you leave without me? Now, let’s get outta here!”

  What? “You’re not—”

  Jane punched him in the arm. “You swore, Devin! You swore you’d never leave me behind, and that kind of thing doesn’t expire because we’re not kids anymore. Now, let’s go!”

  “Goddammit, Jane!” Devin immediately regretted shouting when he saw Jane’s startled face. He tried to speak in a more measured tone. “Listen, I have to disappear. It would be a mistake for you to—”

  “Don’t pull any of that fake crap on me!” Her eyes flashed with something between rage and despair. “If you leave me too, I have nothing.”

  Devin desperately wanted her not to come, but he could tell by her expression he had no choice. He ran back up the ramp. Jane darted past him. He reached the cockpit in time to see her jump into the pilot’s seat.

  He caught her hand as she reached for the controls. “You’re not piloting.”

  “Aw, all right.” She got up.

  Devin returned to the pilot’s seat. He pushed the lever that folded the ramp and closed the door. Jane sat down in the copilot’s seat beside him. He looked at her in disbelief.

  She gave him that impish smirk of hers, and he couldn’t help smiling. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. Oh, and don’t worry about Dad. He’s on life support at the hospital, and if anyone can pull a miracle, it’s him. Just watch, he’ll be up and lecturing us in no time.”

  Dad survived. Devin closed his eyes in relief. “Good.”

  “How could you think I’d believe them?”

  He opened his eyes. “Like you said, I’m an idiot.”

  He engaged the engines and pushed the steering bars forward. The Blue Tang blasted off over the violet trees, beyond the faded atmosphere, and into the stars.

  Chapter 6

  The Target

  Commander Jihan Vega of the Megatooth warship RKSS Granite Flame had been disappointed at her assignment to the Lyrona zone of Kydera Major. It was the most uneventful zone in the entire system due to the extreme security of the many high-profile organizations headquartered there. But patrolling it was her duty, and she was damn good at it.

  She paced before the immense viewscreen at the front of the circular bridge, regarding the darkening side of the planet. Around her, clean-cut subordinates monitored their respective stations, which lined the rounded walls with monitors. Her red uniform was so stiff she sensed every crease as she moved, and her raven hair was in a knot so tight she could feel tugging at the back of her neck. Her long sleeve started riding up. She tugged it down. The golden brown cuff almost blended into her dark skin.

  That day had been another quiet one. In the distance, the Shining Voice and the Invictus, two other formidable Megas like the one she commanded, hovered above their posts, their long, triangular forms silhouetted against the atmosphere. A rounded Blue Chromis supply ship, which she’d granted permission to enter her zone, drifted across the view. A trio of flamboyantly colored Dragonets zipped out of the atmosphere in the direction of the twin planets Myretta and Keptella.

  “Commander Vega!”

  Commander Vega snapped her face toward the communications officer. She knew how piercing her gaze was, with her sharp black eyes and prominent cheekbones. The officer would have only dared to call her if he had something important. “Yes?”

  “We are receiving a communication from the command center in Kydera City.”

  An unmarked junker blasted off in a restricted area. That must be what the communication’s about. “Put it through.”

  A window appeared on the side of the viewscreen, revealing Admiral Landler’s sternly lined face. “Commander Jihan Vega of the RKSS Granite Flame, you are to pursue an unmarked Blue Tang t
hat recently left the Lyrona continent and detain its pilot.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  That was all. That was all there ever was. The communication ended.

  Commander Vega ordered the weapon’s officer to deploy Betta Unit J, one of the ship’s swarms of small attack drones. Judging by the sorry state of her unarmed target, it was probably another hooligan on a drug run, a mere pest unworthy of the attention of fighter pilots and certainly too inconsequential for the Granite Flame itself. “Open a communication with the target.”

  “Yes, Commander.”

  “Attention.” Commander Vega addressed the Blue Tang. “You have entered a restricted area and are being pursued by Betta attack drones. Halt immediately.”

  A minute passed without a response. “Set the Bettas on surround. Stop the target, but do not open fire.” She turned to the pilot. “Follow it.”

  On the viewscreen, red fan-shaped drones flew toward Jane. Beyond them lay the immeasurable sea of scintillating stars that never failed to fill her with wonder. She should have been scared, but she was eager to see what would happen next.

  Devin took one hand off the controls to pull his slate out of his pocket. “Can you give me a hand?”

  Jane took the slate, unfolded it, and pressed it into a dock by the controls. “See? Aren’t you glad I’m here?”

  Devin said to the slate, “Activate voice controls.”

  The slate beeped. “Voice controls activated.”

  “Open Net communication. Contact name: Corsair.”

  Jane cocked her head. “Why don’t you use the Blue Tang’s communications?”

  Devin turned the ship. “They’re broken.”

  “Of course they are.” She snickered. “What a piece of crap!” She looked at the slate and saw a typed-out message: