That was how they always knew where I was.”
Jack stopped for a moment to try to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t like talking about this, and the look on Skerren’s and Allegra’s faces made it worse. Silence blanketed the room. Jack would have wrapped himself up in it and gone to sleep for a hundred years if such a thing were possible, but it wasn’t.
“What happened to Jazen?” Allegra asked.
“Did you have to kill him because he was infected?” Skerren asked.
Tears welled up behind Jack’s eyes. “No,” he said. “Jazen died just like I said.” Jack swallowed, determined to get through this without crying. “He died saving my life. He wouldn’t even have been there if it hadn’t been for me, and I’m standing here now only because of him. Jazen was stronger than the Rüstov. He beat their virus. He overpowered it and ran two Rüstov Left-Behinds out through the tallest window in SmartTower, and he wentdown with them just to make sure they didn’t get away.” Jack wiped away teardrops before they escaped his eyes. “I’ve been trying to find a cure for the virus ever since.”
“By yourself?” Skerren asked Jack, more angry than sympathetic. “Who else knows about this?”
“Stendeval,” Jack said.
“Just Stendeval?” Skerren asked.
“What about the rest of the Inner Circle? What about Hovarth?”
Jack shook his head. “Just Stendeval.”
Skerren made an astonished grunt. “You mean all this time, the virus has been out there spreading and you never said anything? How many are infected?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “But it’s probably a lot if Obscuro thinks there’s no way to stop the Rüstov from taking over the city in five days.”
“Four days now,” Skerren corrected Jack.
Jack gave a tired nod. “Four days,” he agreed.
“Where are you on the cure?” Allegra asked. “Are you at least getting close?”
“Yes and no,” Jack said. “I’m working on a cure-code. I have a prototype model to test it on, but it’s not ready yet.” Jack looked away from his friends, over at a dark cornerin the rear of his lab. “I thought I’d have this cured by now. I really did, but I …” Jack trailed off. For a second he thought about telling his friends the whole truth. How he’d heard the voice of his parasite waking up the last time he’d worked on the cure. That second came and went. “I’ve hit a wall,” Jack said. “It’s a problem.”
“A problem we need to tell people about,” Skerren said. “I can’t keep this from my king!”
“Skerren, you promised,” Jack said. “You can’t tell anyone. You gave me your word. This secret would tear the city apart.”
“What do you think the infected Mechas are going to do four days from now?” Skerren asked. “And what are
we
supposed to do to stop them? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m no computer expert.”
“Skerren does have a point,” Allegra said. “What do you expect us to do?”
“Help me find Obscuro,” Jack said. “We need to find the Rogue Secreteer.”
Skerren and Allegra looked at Jack like he’d just told them he wanted to find a raindrop hiding in the ocean.
“You’re out of your mind,” Skerren said.
“Why?” Jack asked. “Why is that so crazy? We can do this.”
“Find a Secreteer?” Skerren replied. “It’s impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible. We do the impossible every day here.”
“How is finding Obscuro going to help stop the virus?” Allegra asked.
“This guy knows something. About the virus
and
Glave. If we put whatever he knows together with the work I’ve already done, maybe I can finish the cure-code.” Jack tapped Skerren on the shoulder, ready to drive the point home. “Or if the Rogue Secreteer can lead us to Glave, then we can finish
him
.”
Skerren locked eyes with Jack. Jack knew he was always on board with anything that involved killing Rüstov. There had been precious few opportunities to do that over the last
Jack stopped for a moment to try to keep his emotions in check. He didn’t like talking about this, and the look on Skerren’s and Allegra’s faces made it worse. Silence blanketed the room. Jack would have wrapped himself up in it and gone to sleep for a hundred years if such a thing were possible, but it wasn’t.
“What happened to Jazen?” Allegra asked.
“Did you have to kill him because he was infected?” Skerren asked.
Tears welled up behind Jack’s eyes. “No,” he said. “Jazen died just like I said.” Jack swallowed, determined to get through this without crying. “He died saving my life. He wouldn’t even have been there if it hadn’t been for me, and I’m standing here now only because of him. Jazen was stronger than the Rüstov. He beat their virus. He overpowered it and ran two Rüstov Left-Behinds out through the tallest window in SmartTower, and he wentdown with them just to make sure they didn’t get away.” Jack wiped away teardrops before they escaped his eyes. “I’ve been trying to find a cure for the virus ever since.”
“By yourself?” Skerren asked Jack, more angry than sympathetic. “Who else knows about this?”
“Stendeval,” Jack said.
“Just Stendeval?” Skerren asked.
“What about the rest of the Inner Circle? What about Hovarth?”
Jack shook his head. “Just Stendeval.”
Skerren made an astonished grunt. “You mean all this time, the virus has been out there spreading and you never said anything? How many are infected?”
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “But it’s probably a lot if Obscuro thinks there’s no way to stop the Rüstov from taking over the city in five days.”
“Four days now,” Skerren corrected Jack.
Jack gave a tired nod. “Four days,” he agreed.
“Where are you on the cure?” Allegra asked. “Are you at least getting close?”
“Yes and no,” Jack said. “I’m working on a cure-code. I have a prototype model to test it on, but it’s not ready yet.” Jack looked away from his friends, over at a dark cornerin the rear of his lab. “I thought I’d have this cured by now. I really did, but I …” Jack trailed off. For a second he thought about telling his friends the whole truth. How he’d heard the voice of his parasite waking up the last time he’d worked on the cure. That second came and went. “I’ve hit a wall,” Jack said. “It’s a problem.”
“A problem we need to tell people about,” Skerren said. “I can’t keep this from my king!”
“Skerren, you promised,” Jack said. “You can’t tell anyone. You gave me your word. This secret would tear the city apart.”
“What do you think the infected Mechas are going to do four days from now?” Skerren asked. “And what are
we
supposed to do to stop them? In case you haven’t noticed, I’m no computer expert.”
“Skerren does have a point,” Allegra said. “What do you expect us to do?”
“Help me find Obscuro,” Jack said. “We need to find the Rogue Secreteer.”
Skerren and Allegra looked at Jack like he’d just told them he wanted to find a raindrop hiding in the ocean.
“You’re out of your mind,” Skerren said.
“Why?” Jack asked. “Why is that so crazy? We can do this.”
“Find a Secreteer?” Skerren replied. “It’s impossible.”
“Nothing’s impossible. We do the impossible every day here.”
“How is finding Obscuro going to help stop the virus?” Allegra asked.
“This guy knows something. About the virus
and
Glave. If we put whatever he knows together with the work I’ve already done, maybe I can finish the cure-code.” Jack tapped Skerren on the shoulder, ready to drive the point home. “Or if the Rogue Secreteer can lead us to Glave, then we can finish
him
.”
Skerren locked eyes with Jack. Jack knew he was always on board with anything that involved killing Rüstov. There had been precious few opportunities to do that over the last
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