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

said the last thing you ever imagined you would do was kill a man. And what did you do on second Earth? You murdered Chancellor civilians. Like me, of course. But also like me, you justified it. In defense of the Solomon cause. Payback for their attempts on your life and Sam’s. Yes? Then we leave Earth, and you train to become a master at killing people. To wear the uniform of those who slaughtered millions over the centuries.”

Her tone darkened, her voice less comforting.

“How many did you kill this morning? Or the last time? Or the time before that? Do the numbers even register anymore? You haven’t just grown bigger and become a warrior. Michael, you have embraced something sinister and bloody for the sake of saving her life. This is your final card, and you know it.”

Michael pushed away. Maya cut too deep, and as usual hit him spot-on. The best therapist in the world wouldn’t have read him as well as Maya. At times, he hated her for the insight; at times, he needed that same wisdom. Now, her words were undeniable.

“You’re right.” He walked to the rear of the platform and felt ten pounds heavier. “I got nothing left to play. I kill people now, and I don’t give a shit. Those Mongols … those rogues … I don’t know them, and I don’t care. They come here begging to be slaughtered. Every time I shoot one, I think of James. I see his face. All I want to do is kill anyone between me and him. I know what I am, Maya. I know what I gave up.”

“Ah. And what is your plan when you rescue Samantha? Introduce her to the coldblooded killing machine you have become? Or will you rediscover that secret door in your heart where the Michael she once knew is hidden?”

“I don’t have a plan.” He couldn’t look at her. “Every time I try, I stare into a black hole.”

“That’s vengeance talking. Oh, yes. I know it well. You remember what I told you about Marseilles? What those men did to me? I spent the better part of eight months focusing solely on revenge. After the deed was done, I was lost. I took years rebuilding my life, and I still didn’t find purpose until I met Rikard and he asked me to join the Solomon movement. I was lucky, Michael. I still had the heart of the woman I was before I chose to kill.”

“I’m happy for you, Maya. I am. I know how far you’ll go when you’re cornered, but you’re still so beautiful inside. Me? I threw away Michael Cooper when I boarded Praxis. When I wrote that letter to my folks, I wasn’t just saying goodbye to them. I know what I gave up.”

Maya motioned for him to join her. He complied.

“There’s every reason to think Samantha will understand,” she said. “After all, she won’t be the same woman. Whatever she’s endured on Hiebimini will scar her deeply. Perhaps your changes will be too profound for love to keep you together. Or perhaps you’ll discover you are once again made for each other. But you know what’s amazing about this story, Michael?”

She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

“You two will be reunited. There is no force that will come between you, even though many will try.”

“How can you say that now? After everything?”

“Simple. You’ve worked too hard to save each other’s lives, right from that night on first Earth when you came so close to dying. You told me your entire story, Michael. Do you realize that almost all of it was about just you and Sam? Some paths are unshakeable.”

“But the odds are …”

“Small. Yes. And so were the odds the two of us would ever meet. My revenge in Marseilles occurred years before you crossed the fold, but had I chosen differently, even once, we never would have met. I suppose you would have been killed at Entilles Club. And Samantha would have no one to save her now.

“I believe these things, Michael. The smallest of choices form a greater math than we can understand. Call it the algorithm of life. But you two will see each other again. Whatever else happens, this must be the future.” She pulled away. “Be strong, Michael. Be ferocious. Do not waver.”

She did it again. His heart surged with renewed vitality.

“You know what, Maya? You would’ve made a fortune on first Earth. Best shrink on the planet.”

“I’m thankful I can be down here for you. That didn’t seem doable at first.”

She brought a smile to his face. After he heard about Samantha, Michael wasn’t sure he’d ever be happy again.

“You still haven’t told me how you did it,” he said.

“Did what?”

“Snag that job with Aldo Cabrise.”

“If you must know, I begged. Often. Capt. Forsythe saw no need for me down here until he’d grown tired of my persistence. Then he finally admitted Cabrise wanted an executive aide. But he also told me Aldo had a reputation as a dreadful superior. Overly demanding, disrespectful, addle-minded. I accepted on the spot.”

“Why?”

“Because, Michael, those things don’t faze me. Not since Marseilles. I smile and I listen. Aldo can be a difficult man, but mostly, he’s tired. Like you, he’s betting everything on the Anchors and reaching Hiebimini. And just like you, he has no plan for what happens after. This is where we were always supposed to be.”

Michael held her hand and bent over. As he laid down a long, moist kiss, he realized how much he missed all those long talks aboard Praxis. All the moments when Maya provided him with the curative words most needed.

“They’re testing the Anchors in two days,” he said. “They’re going to work, Maya. One damn way or the other, I’ll save her.”