“You’re very good at finding things,” the Queen complimented. “I asked you to bring your brother home and no one managed to be kidnapped in the process.”
“My brother is very cooperative, Your Highness,” she acknowledged. She watched as the Queen’s face tightened inquisitively. “Besides,” she added, “he wanted to come home.”
“Did he?” The Queen’s demeanor retracted. She pulled the chair out from the table and sat in it, her hands folding effortlessly in her lap. “What is your impression of this Elder woman’s story?”
Eva knew she would have to select her words carefully and take great care to not say anything to upset her. They weren’t particularly close, and despite her knowledge of the affair with Evan she didn’t dare presume to be friendly with the Queen.
“The original family is gone, Your Highness. Even if one of them had survived, why would they wait until now to make their presence known? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Indeed,” the Queen replied. “Do you remember anything about them?” she asked.
The question surprised Eva; The Queen never asked her personal questions. It was strange for her to even care what anyone else thought.
She searched her mind, trying to place the name Thea with any long-lost memories. There was the faintest flicker of recognition but no memory resurfaced. She remembered little before the death of her parents, shortly before going in to Crown custody.
“No. I know the stories,” she admitted. “The original family ruled for generations. They’re credited for our advancement. Other than that I don’t really remember anything. I doubt anyone else does either.” It helped that they had all been forced to forget by the first Straton Queen.
The Queen nodded. Eva wondered what else she would be asked. She was naturally talented at keeping confidences private but didn’t exactly trust herself around the Queen.
The doorway opened and a Crown Soldier walked briskly through, stopping just short of the Queen before bowing his head.
“Your Highness, Evander Nero has left with eighteen soldiers. They should be arriving shortly,” he announced.
“Thank you, Adeipho,” she replied, dismissing him with a wave of her hand. When the soldier didn’t leave she looked to him again, irritation lining her face. “Is there something else?”
“Yes, Your Highness. We ran a cybernated subterranean scan of Last City and found an anomaly. They’ve built a gate.”
Eva watched as the Queen straightened in her seat, the illusion of her composure slipping. The only gates on Terra were controlled by the Crown Soldiers - several at the Royal Transport Station and one used privately, the one she and Evan arrived in from Earth. The technology to build them belonged exclusively to the Crown and no gate had ever been built by anyone other than the monarchy.
“How is that possible?” the Queen asked, her voice growing in volume.
“We have no idea, Your Highness. Based on the outputs we detected the gate is powered and fully functioning. There was a trace biological signature so it is likely a resident has used it.”
“Where is it programmed for?”
“The signal indicates Gaia.”
Eva had to keep herself from gasping out loud. Gaia was so named because of its unique likeness to Terra, a universe where only one planet was known to contain human life: Earth.
“Shut it down!” the Queen commanded. Eva was ripped from her thoughts at the sound of the Queen’s voice searing through the room. “I want all residents outside of Terra brought back immediately. Hold them in the Military Complex and then suspend all gates programmed for Gaia.”
Eva felt her heart leap in her chest. If the Queen de-programmed the gates for Gaia there would be no way to ever return, no possibility of going back to Earth. She thought immediately of Evan. If he found out he could never go back... She had to do something before that happened.
Adeipho looked positively frightened by the Queen. “It will take some time to find everyone, Your Highness,” he stammered.
“Then send everyone we have to get them. You,” she pointed at Eva. “Find out if someone from Last City is in Gaia and bring them back at once. Go!” she yelled at both of them.
Eva felt a ripple of fear in her chest. The Queen would expect her to return with only one person from Gaia: a resident.
Chapter 11: The Elder
The inhabited cities of Terra spread out like a chain of steel and glass islands, each one connected to the other by long corridors of transport stations. The Royal City was the pinnacle, situated the farthest from Last City with private transport stations that allowed the Crown Soldiers to travel twice as fast.