A Fortunate Accident – Chapter 28

I’m not going near that thing until Kalvin can come down here and help me with it.

“Just a second!” he calls down to me. “I’ve almost got it. It’s big and probably weighs a billion kilos. But I’m using a rock and another branch as a lever.”

“Don’t throw out your back, old man.” I smile at him as he gives me a dirty look and disappears from view. After a few grunts, the end of the trunk appears over the edge of the hole. I move off to the side. Kalvin levers the other end, and the tree trunk slips into the sinkhole, standing up on the edge. He peeks over the side again and closes his eyes.

“Yes,” he says, pumping his fist. “That actually fucking worked. See? I’m not so helpless in the jungle.”

“You’re a regular Indiana Jones.”

He throws his legs over the side and climbs down the trunk to me.

“Who?”

I roll my eyes. “Some days, it really shows that I was a locked-in kid with no friends but the movies I could watch and the books I could read.”

“Well, if this Indiana Jones is a daring, ne’er-do-well jungle adventurer, then I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He smiles, and I shake my head. He’s close enough.

“Are you okay? Take off your shirt and let me see your ribs.”

I smack his hand away from the hem of my shirt with a huff. “If you think you’re getting lucky down here, you are mistaken.”

His smile softens. “Thought you could use some humor. This has been a shit day.”

I sigh. “It has.” I lift the hem of my shirt, and he winces at my mid-section.

“That does not look good. And we both lost our bags about a kilometer ago, so I have nothing that can help you.” He pulls my shirt down. “Just go easy on it. Anyway, what did you want to show me?”

I grab him by both arms and turn him around to face the space probe. His mouth falls open.

“What the fuck is that?” He takes a tentative step forward, but I stop him from stepping on my plant.

“Wait. First, avoid this plant.” I wave to the fuzzy green carpet undulating at Kalvin’s feet. “This is my plant, and I don’t want anything to happen to it.”

“What do you mean, your plant?”

I hold up a finger and squat down. Relaxing my hand, I bring my fingers out over the sea of plants in front of us. They all sway towards me, reaching out to get as close to my hand as possible. Several stretch far enough to touch my skin, and the calming effect is instantaneous. I let out a slow breath, close my eyes, and the tension leaks from my overworked body. Once again, I see myself move backwards in time, talking to Kalvin, and watching him come down the tree in reverse.

“Whoa.” Kalvin pulls me away from the plants. They slip from my fingers and curl back on each other, sad that I’m gone.

I lift my eyebrows at him, almost in a drunken state from that small amount of contact.

“You look high,” Kalvin says, leaning away from me.

I sink back on my heels. “I feel great whenever I touch them. It’s amazing. Not high, but more like peaceful, content. And then, I don’t know. I relive everything that’s happened to me?” I shake my head. “They show me everything that just happened, in reverse.” I shrug.

Kalvin hovers his hand over the plants, and they don’t move. They don’t acknowledge him. He pulls his hand back, disappointment twisting his lips.

“Hmmm, so they move and engage with you if they’re ‘yours?’ What else will they do?”

“I don’t know what these particular ones will do once I ingest them, but generally, when a plant is yours, it becomes a symbiotic kind of relationship. They don’t make you sick, and their powers are enhanced with you and you only.”

He looks around at the ground of the sinkhole and stretches his neck side to side. “Shit. There is so much I don’t know about Rio.”

“Well, now you know more than most people do, so don’t feel like you need to catch up or anything.” I pat his arm. “Let’s walk around it to the left.”

Kalvin and I skirt to the side of the plants and approach the space probe. I squat down next to it and pull some moss from its top. Looking back at the sinkhole, an idea pops.

I point to the path of the hole, and Kalvin nods.

“What do you think?” He tips his head and stares at the sky. “It was launched from orbit.” He points. “Probably skipped across the land once or twice and came to rest here.” He pushes his hand forward, indicating the earth the pod has shoved up behind it. He rests his hands on his hips. “But this looks like it’s been here for decades.”

“Longer,” I say, tapping my foot. “This is, what, a rho or sigma class probe?”

“From Alpha Core? No.” He shakes his head. “Wait.” He narrows his eyes and approaches the probe. “Maybe? My last ship didn’t have any probes.”

“I’ve never had them on the Amagi either. But I’ve seen them on the Lee home ship.”

He smiles briefly. “Remember when I gave you shit for going to the Lees on your weekends?” He rolls his eyes. “I didn’t realize how close you were with your cousin and her network. Not until she saved our asses in the desert.”

“We got lucky,” I remind him.

“No,” he says, facing me. “Never forget it was your smarts and determination that got us out of that situation. A situation I helped put us in. I would not be alive and here with you if it weren’t for your quick thinking. I owe you my life, Skylar.”

My chest warms with gratitude. So few people ever thank me for the hard work I do. Often, I put my brain to work out a problem for someone, and it surprises them I can even help. I’m treated as an abnormality, ‘too smart for my own good.’

I step to Kalvin and lightly wrap my arms around his waist. “You owe me nothing.” I rise to my tip-toes and lay a kiss on his cheek.

“Skylar…” He purrs my name as his arms come down to pull me into an embrace.

Ow! I draw in a hissing breath, and he lets go swiftly. I had almost forgotten about the broken rib. Sharp, stabbing pain radiates through my chest. I fall to my knees and shove my hand into my plants. They eagerly wrap around my fingers, palm, and wrist, and the pain fades away. I sink and let my muscles relax.

“Yikes,” Kalvin says, dropping to his knees next to me. “Sorry. I forgot about the rib.”

“So did I. The plants take away most of the pain.” I breathe in and out and stand up. “Let’s get back to work here. I don’t want to think about what Rio is like after dark.”

“Right. Absolutely.”

He clears more dirt, rocks, and moss from the probe, enough to access the control panel. He struggles with opening it before grabbing a rock and smashing it on the stubborn latch. It pops free after three hits.

“You’re right. Sigma class. Those came out two years ago.”

Chills climb up my spine as I approach to stand next to him. Yeah. The stamp inside says it was manufactured last year. But…

“I don’t get it.” My brain takes this information and folds it back and forth, one layer on top of another, like preparing pastry dough. When did the universe stop making sense?

“Look,” Kalvin says, pointing to the rear end of the panel. A stick drive is plugged in, secure in its socket. Hmmm, that could be anything.

He grabs it and pulls it out before I can stop him. I gasp and lean away. We both freeze and wait for something while my heart hammers in my chest. Will it make noise? Or blow up? Or…

Nothing happens. We let out a simultaneous breath.

My heartbeat returns to normal, and I punch Kalvin in the shoulder. “You’re going to give me a fucking heart attack. Can you stop with the impulsive shit?”

“Sorry,” he says, irritation edging into his voice. “I just… I figured we should take it.”

No comment.

“Stuff it in your pocket,” I tell him, circling to the rear of the craft. This part of the probe is wedged into the dirt and stone. I don’t think anything but a jackhammer could get it loose.

I crouch down to look at the underbelly of the probe and find the rear doors torn off. Were they open? Tearing the doors off would be hard if they were closed.

“Hello down there!”

I jump forward and knock my head on the probe at the voice bellowing down from above.

“Ouch! Motherfucker,” I say, rubbing my head.

“Yep. It’s Skylar.” Saif’s face appears over the edge of the sinkhole. “Hey, gorgeous. Fancy seeing you around here.”

“How did you find us?” I call back, smiling at his eager face. But I wince at the pain in my ribs. I should not be raising my voice to anyone.

“Retraced your steps. We found your bags, and then one of Luca’s men tracked you to here.” His smile falls. “Are you in pain? Are you hurt?”

“Yes and yes. Broken rib. Maybe two.” I rest my hand on the side of my chest, and I can tell it’s hot. “I’ll probably need to see the doctor soon. Hey, is Takemo up there?”

“Yeah, we’re all here. Luca’s men are getting a climbing rope set up. They came prepared.”

Takemo’s head shows up next to Saif’s. “Ah, you found them.”

I wave at him. “Hey, can you come down here? I have something to show you.” I point to the space probe, and his eyes widen.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Maybe?” I beckon him over to the tree log. “Shimmy down this and come see.”

“I’m coming down too,” Saif says, queueing up behind Takemo.

“Sure. Why not? It’s a regular party down here.”

They each climb down, I have them step around my plant and inspect the space probe.

Takemo stands next to me with his arms crossed. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s what I said. What is a probe that was manufactured only in the last two years doing in a giant hole on Rio when it looks like it’s been here a thousand years?”

“Longer,” he says. He throws up his hands. “Well, I think there’s only one explanation for this. It’s time travel. Obviously.” And then he laughs. “I mean, why not?” His wide eyes tell me he’s full of shit. “Right? Because Rio isn’t strange enough. Someone sent this probe back in time to make it even more incomprehensible. It’s the only explanation.”

He throws his head back with a laugh again but stops at my stern glare.

“What, Sky? That’s ridiculous, of course.” He waves at it. “It must be some kind of… I don’t know, movie set prop? I think I remember an action flick that takes place on Rio.” He rubs at his shadow of a beard. “Not that I’ve seen a movie in the last two years. I work too much.” He stops with a sigh.

But looking at both Saif and Kalvin and their blank stares, I can’t help but think Takemo is correct about the time travel.

There really is only one explanation for the whole thing, and I already know about the possibility of time travel through the jump gates.

This was one hell of a fortunate accident.

But really, are there ever any accidents? Do I believe in fate? Or was it planned?

I snap out of my deep thoughts. “Let’s get out of here. I need water, food, and a shower.” If I stop to think about how dirty and sweaty and gross I am, I may puke again.

Luca peers over the edge of the hole. “We’re going to throw down a harness and a line. You can each use it and this tree to climb out. We’re less than a kilometer from the new camp, so if we leave now, we’ll arrive before sunset.”

This is my chance.

I kneel down at the plants and put my hand out to them. Saif and Takemo watch in fascination as they twist about my fingers and pop out of the soil close to me.

“I’m going to take some of you with me,” I whisper, and they shiver. I hope that’s an agreement, but I feel a tremendous amount of guilt ripping them from the soil. Taking several handfuls, I stuff them into my jacket pocket and zip it up. If they’re upset about the whole situation, they don’t show it.

I’m the second to last person up out of the hole with Kalvin right behind me. Luca saves the location to his GPS tracker in case we need to return and leads us in the direction of camp. I follow at the rear, turning to watch the spot disappear from view as we head into the jungle once more.