The Impossible Future: Complete set by Frank Kennedy (mini ebook reader .txt) 📕

“I’ll never have to bend my knee, will I?”

“Everybody will bend to me eventually, even my boys. But I’ll make an exception for you.”

He laughed at the silliness of the moment, though Valentin did not hear levity in his brother’s voice.

“I’m honored, brother. I look for every small favor I can find.”

James dismissed the response with a sigh.

“Why are we here, Valentin?”

“I’m having a problem with one of our newest fighters. The boy we liberated from Brahma. Rikhi Syed. He is not responding to the scripted training.”

“How so?”

“At first, he accepted his identity and believed his family needed to die because of their lies. Lately, he has questioned those decisions. He suggested he might prefer to die at your hand than live as an immortal. I spent time with him while you were on Tamarind. I can’t get through to him anymore than Ophelia could.”

James stopped. “And this matters to me why? He’s one boy.”

Valentin’s stomach tightened. “He’s part of us, and you vowed every immortal deserved the same opportunities as the hybrids. I don’t want to turn him over to you for incineration.”

“What option do we have if he’s disloyal?”

“Brother, I know you kissed him on Brahma, but you haven’t touched him. I believe if he experiences the transference, he’ll come around to us. Will you do this for me?”

James thought for a moment, looked back toward the commons.

“No. The event on Tamarind took a toll on me. I’ll be doing the same in a few days for the Chinese, as I promised. Plus, I need at least three more sessions with my own boys. I’ll need to teach the other Jewels how when they give birth in a few weeks.”

“But brother, you said …”

“He’s one boy. We have five hundred like him who honor us. We were never going to liberate all the immortals anyway.”

“If Rikhi doesn’t come around?”

James shrugged. “Vent him. Or give him to me. Either way, I’m not going to have soldiers who are less than devoted.”

“Which is why you need to touch him. Make my job easier.”

“Hmmph. Wasn’t I just saying what a great admiral you are? Be one. Either fix him or slaughter him, goddamn it. I have the entire history of the universe in here.” He pointed to his skull. “I’m trying to change it. I’m not going to spend my energy on one little prick who can’t make up his mind.”

With that, James reset his destination for the production deck but did not demand Valentin follow. The reaction stunned Valentin.

“Makes no sense,” he mumbled. “What else are you hiding?”

Valentin made his way to Rikhi’s quarters, which the boy shared with three other immortals, all younger but ravenous. When he entered, Valentin found Rikhi alone on his bed, talking to himself. The boy did not rise for his admiral.

“You are a quandary, Rikhi Syed. Have you reviewed the six tenets of The Promised Few, as I asked?”

“Yes. I read them three times.”

“Do you better understand our destiny?”

Rikhi slipped a pillow under his head without looking at his admiral. Valentin recognized the distant stare of nostalgia as the boy responded.

“The fourth tenet says we will find our eternal bond in our shared love for each other. By love, do you mean blind loyalty?”

“Absolute loyalty is a necessary foundation. Yes. But we build love with time and patience.”

“My parents had patience. I caused so much trouble for them, but they always loved me.”

“Or so they appeared. They adopted you only because of the enormous financial reward. They were drawn to you by their financial leverage, not by their hearts.”

The boy showed no outward reaction. “If that’s true, why did you kill my brothers and sisters? They didn’t have a say.”

“They were complicit in the lie.”

“You’re killers. If I accept you and become part of your army, will I become a killer, too?”

“You will do as we order you.”

“Pilar says killing is a necessary part of our life of endless pain.”

“Your roommate?”

“Yes. She’s nine. She says she can’t wait to kill people who need to die.” The boy turned to Valentin. “Is that love?”

Valentin’s mouth went as dry as his words. He summoned the best answer he could.

“It’s obedience, Rikhi. The hybrids and immortals have a destiny. We are going to surpass human frailty. To do that, and protect ourselves, we have to kill everyone who needs to die.”

“Then maybe I need to die.”

This wasn’t working. The boy was drifting further away. Valentin felt no more an affinity for him than any other immortal, yet the thought of his death by incineration or venting was unacceptable. I will not lose you, he thought. Not even one.

37

V ALENTIN IGNORED HIS IMMORTALS en route to the lift. Rikhi dominated his thoughts. Perhaps the mistake was in deceiving his brother. Why hadn’t he been upfront before they left the command bridge? If he reasoned with James, suggested a modified transference, he might have success. What if Valentin agreed to end all further efforts to liberate immortals? James was never much for compromise, but this seemed reasonable enough.

The lift opened. Two passengers stepped apart to make room, but Valentin was lost in contemplation.

“Admiral,” a man said, prompting Valentin to pay attention.

“Magnus.”

That’s when Valentin noticed Ophelia. She did not meet his gaze.

“My brother went down to production moments ago,” he told Magnus Levinson. “Why aren’t you there?”

“We do have to eat, Admiral. I’ll admit time got away from me a bit. I wasn’t informed Brother James was coming.”

“No. It was unannounced.” He turned to Ophelia. “Dr. Tomelin. Are you and Magnus acquainted?”

“For about an hour, if you can call that acquainted. We chatted over dinner. I hope we did not