Shadows of Mars (Broken Stars Book 1) by I.O. Adler (best inspirational books .TXT) 📕

“We’re closer now, aren’t we?”

“Yes.”

Carmen returned to sit on the couch. It had the slightest give to it, like an ultra-firm foam mattress. “Jen, you remember that talent show in my freshman year?”

“Yes.”

“Of course you do. You were there. You also bought me a vinyl single which we covered for our opener. What was the song?”

The question got Agent Barrett’s attention. Carmen realized she didn’t know what they would do if Jenna didn’t know the answer. What if her mom and Jenna were both impostors?

Jenna barely hesitated. “The band was the Voodoo Glow Skulls. I can’t remember the track. But I can’t forget you bobbing around with your trombone and almost knocking down your bass player. It wasn’t my kind of music. You guys were pretty loud.”

“I know. But you managed to smile through the whole show. I love you.”

“Lie down. I don’t want you to get hurt. I have to concentrate.”

Carmen did as her sister instructed.

Agent Barrett settled back on his own couch. “Did you post that concert online?”

“Why?” Carmen asked.

“Think about it. Your mom had access to the net. If this isn’t your sister, she could have looked that up.”

“Not that quickly.”

“No? How about if they uploaded our entire internet before the Big Wipe ever happened? Anything that was there, they know.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m telling you to be careful. These are powerful beings. This could all be a game to them. When you next reach her, let me do the talking.”

Before she could agree, the sphere made a stomach-churning turn that pressed Carmen hard into her chair. The pressure never let up but the spinning finally stopped. It felt much stronger than their departure and the elephant on her chest was replaced by a family of brontosaurs. She fought to keep her teeth from grinding as her body trembled. She began to pass out and couldn’t focus when her sister spoke sometime later.

“Step stones,” Jenna was saying. “It’s like stepping-stones over water. Your sphere. Mine. And so many others. I think I got it. I’m bringing them together like the computer is showing me. It’s as simple as connect the dots. We’ll be in the same place. We can then find Mom.”

Carmen fought to speak. “I don’t quite follow. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Jenna? This is Agent Barrett. Can you show us what you see? We’re blind here and it would be good to understand what’s going on.” When nothing happened, he said, “Carmen, ask her. Have her at least explain what’s happening. What does she mean about connecting the dots?”

“I’ll try,” Carmen said. “Hey, Jen, I know you said you have to concentrate. But let us see what’s happening. Because right now it’s like being locked in a trunk of a car that’s going really, really fast.”

A moment passed. Just as Carmen felt as if the crush couldn’t get worse, it began to ramp up. She lay half-submerged in her couch and she couldn’t lift a finger.

The top of the sphere went clear. Again the stars, but now she saw a dark circle ahead, which was growing larger. She could only imagine how quick they might be going. This was no midnight run along the 101 narrows in her ex-boyfriend’s Mustang. The rockets that took the astronauts to orbit and the moon and Mars pushed their payloads more than 20,000 miles per hour. But astronauts received training.

Was this similar? Was this more?

Exhausted, she felt herself again slip to black. She came in and out of consciousness. The circle above now filled half her view. But if they were hurtling towards it, shouldn’t they be slowing? But calling out to Jenna wasn’t possible. She couldn’t see how Agent Barrett was faring.

If Jenna was out there and in control, Carmen had no choice but to trust she wasn’t going to slam them into something.

What was the line to one of the songs they covered? Something about how the world already ended yesterday. This was nothing but a replay.

She closed her eyes and began to hum.

Slowing now. Definitely slowing.

The dark sphere above now occupied all of the view with only a small perimeter of space and stars at its edges. The sense of relief at finally allowing all her muscles to untense was offset by the fact that they had almost arrived at whatever rendezvous Jenna was arranging.

She forced her weary body to rise. Dizzy. But she sat up. She could see through the floor beneath them along with the rest of the sphere. There below her was another circle drawing closer to them. And arcing beyond it was yet another, much further away, and a third lay beyond.

Theirs was part of a chain of spheres. Or what had Jenna called them? Stepping-stones.

Agent Barrett placed a cautious foot down on the invisible floor. He was drenched with sweat. “Are you okay?”

Carmen nodded. She didn’t think she could stand without collapsing. She pointed up. “It looks close. I think we’re almost there.”

“You’re right. But that’s not the direction we’re going. Look down towards our feet. We flipped around. Which means the floor is pushing against us. And that’s the direction we’re really going.”

Dark spheres approached from both above and below with them in the middle. But regardless of what was really up or down, there was nothing to do but endure the ride and see what would happen when all the parts came together.

He got his footing and studied the spheres closing in on them. “Is this anything like what happened to you before?”

“No. It felt like we were inside a bigger ship with many rooms and a long curved hallway. But I was also inside a robot like that one. My mom called them spindlebots. I