Chapter Twenty-Eight: Phone Home

All she could do is wait. Wait and wonder if Io got her message, and if she could verify the items sent along with it.

Kate wanted to know if the Nekuia really were sending messages to Earth because if they were, someone was receiving it. She couldn’t get that thought out of her head.

Months ago, all she could think of was revenge against her brother. Weeks ago, all she could think of was revenge against the Machinists. Now, she found herself living among James and the Machinists with an opportunity to get back at both. But all she could think of was who on Earth was talking to the Nekuia. Everything had changed so quickly.

Whenever she felt she was in control, the rules changed. She was beginning to realize that leading the Alexanders would never be about control. It would be about how quickly she could adapt.

Kate’s first reaction to the Nekuian message was disbelief. She had no reason to trust the Machinists. And, the truth was Kate didn’t have the technological background to understand how the Machinists could have captured the message, let alone how they decoded it.

But Io would.

That’s when Kate realized Io needed to know what was going on. She should have been the first call, and she was. Now it was time to make the second. Kate had to call home.

This was the more difficult call.

Io was traveling through the Asteroid Belt, so Kate couldn’t contact her directly. But, she could get a hold of the family back on Earth. She could talk to Sun face to face. And she would have to tell her that James got the drop on her and Eric, her bodyguard, on the moon. She would also have to tell her about the Machinists, and their current leader Trent.

After all, it was Sun who gave the order to kill Trent’s father. And it was William, Kate’s father, who actually performed the execution.

Then there was that small thing about the Nekuia.

Kate sat down at the communication station and sent word to Sun. In short order, her mother appeared on the screen.

“It’s good to see you, Kate.”

“It’s good to see you, too, mother.”

“Did you find him?”

“He found us,” Kate admitted.

“How?”

“He met us on the moon,” she told Sun. “He knew we were coming.”

“And Lucas?”

“He’s fine. We’re with him now.”

“Did they hurt him?”

“No.”

“How did you find him?” Sun asked. “Did James help?”

“In a way he did.”

“Are they still a threat?”

“No,” Kate responded. “The situation is not what we anticipated.”

“In what way?”

“They’ve been listening.”

“Who’s been listening?”

“The Machinists.”

“To whom?”

“To everyone.”

“To us?”

“Yes. To us,” Kate said, “and to them.”

“Them?”

“The Nekuia.”

For some time, Sun did not respond. She didn't end the communication, but sat stoically in her seat. Kate knew her mother was letting it all sink in.