Space Invaders (61 page)

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They returned to the tower with a lot on their minds. Ryder was firmly convinced this was the answer to their problem. AJ, despite Ryder’s enthusiasm, wasn’t so sure. He didn’t trust Blake and saw no reason why he would agree to go along with Ryder’s plan.

They discussed the possibilities in the privacy of the sleeping chamber until Jessiah risked Ryder’s wrath to poke his head round the door and tell them Blake had returned from work. It seemed their time alone was up.

“Just remember, you only have to get through one more day,” Ryder reminded him with a quick kiss on the lips.

“I know. I’m counting the minutes.”

“And don’t let him make you do anything you don’t want to,” Ryder added. “He has no right to hit you, not with his hand or anything else.”

“He’s getting impatient out there,” Jessiah called through the door. “You’d better hurry and see what he wants.”

AJ dressed as quickly as he could and rushed to see what Blake wanted from him tonight.

“Where have you been?” Blake asked when AJ halted before him.

“I was asleep.”

Blake gave him a nasty smile. “Building up your energy for what I have planned tonight, or is that a euphemism for letting Ryder fuck you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” AJ lied easily.

“Of course you don’t.” The sarcasm practically oozed from every word out of Blake’s mouth. “Tell me, whore, what does my servant have that I don’t? What can he offer you that I can’t?”

“Love.”

“There’s no such thing.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Believe what you like. Love is a myth and even if it were real, Ryder doesn’t love you. He doesn’t even know you. Has he said he loves you?”

“No. He doesn’t have to.”

“He hasn’t said the words because he knows they aren’t true.”

AJ didn’t want to argue about whether or not Ryder loved him or not. He might not have said the words, but AJ could see his affection in every glance and feel the depth of his feeling in every touch.

“What has Ryder offered you?” Blake asked. “What makes his offer so much more attractive than mine? Tell me, whore, what is your dearest wish in all the world? Tell me what you desire, and if it’s in my power to grant it, then it’ll be yours.”

AJ had no doubt at all Blake didn’t care about granting his wish as much as he wanted to outdo anything Ryder did for him. AJ felt sad when he realised Blake simply couldn’t understand the concept of love. AJ looked past Blake and out of the dark window at the polluted night sky. Was Ryder correct about the time travel experiment? Did Blake really possess the power to send them to another time? “You can’t give me what I want.”

“Try me?”

“I want to see the sky, blue and clear as it was long ago,” AJ replied. “That is my dearest wish, so tell me, can you grant it?”

Blake went still in his seat. “What has Ryder been telling you?”

“I already told you, he hasn’t said he loves me yet.”

“I’m not talking about soppy declarations of love. What has he been telling you about the portal?” It appeared as though Ryder had been right all along. AJ couldn’t hide his growing fear as Blake’s temper and voice rose.

“You asked what I wanted and I told you. I picked something I knew you couldn’t give me.”

“Ryder!” Blake shouted at the top of his voice. “Get in here now.”

Ryder appeared a moment later. His appearance was so prompt AJ suspected he had been listening at the door.

“What have you been snooping into now?” Blake shouted as he rose to his feet.

“I’ve been doing a bit of reading. It’s amazing how the history books get things wrong.” Ryder sat down on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other casually. “Seems as though your great-grandfather never got the credit he deserved for some of his achievements.”

“Who else have you told about the portal?”

“No one. Yet.”

Blake took a seat opposite Ryder, leaving AJ hovering between them. “What is it you want?”

“A new life in the past with AJ,” Ryder said simply. “You send us back in time and we take your secret with us.”

“How do I know you haven’t already told someone about this?”

“You don’t. But what choice do you have except to trust we haven’t?”

“Is that all you want?”

“Your word we won’t be followed and the supplies to survive in the past until we get on our feet would be nice.”

“It would, wouldn’t it?” Blake sneered. “Is there any time in particular you want to suggest or do I get to choose for you?”

“Early twenty-first century,” Ryder said. “Far enough before the war for us to be long dead before it occurs, but not so far in the past that we’d struggle to survive.”

“You’ve put some thought into this, haven’t you?”

“Just a bit.”

“Anything else?”

“The rest of the staff gets to choose if they come with us.”

“And what do I do with no staff?”

“Make do. Hire more.”

Blake shook his head firmly. “No deal. They don’t know anything about the portal, unless you’re lying about telling them. I’d rather keep it that way.”

AJ turned to look at the kitchen door and saw it was securely closed. The rest of the staff seemed mostly content with their lives here. It wasn’t as though they went without and despite his temper Blake did seem to take care of them. AJ had no idea what they might find in the past, assuming Blake agreed to Ryder’s terms. Perhaps the others were better off here, at least for now.

Blake stood up and stalked towards the door leading out of the apartment. “Come with me, both of you.”

AJ looked at Ryder who appeared as startled as he was. Did Blake intend to give them what they wanted so easily? Blake didn’t wait to see if they followed and they had to hurry to catch him up.

AJ soon recognised the route as the one he had taken with Blake on the first morning when he’d taken him to work with him. Sure enough, they soon arrived at the laboratory, which was empty of everyone now that the working day had ended.

“You want to see blue skies?” Blake snarled. “You think life was so bloody marvellous back then? You’re in for a nasty shock, both of you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ryder asked. “How bad can the past be compared to a world mankind has destroyed?” AJ silently agreed. Anything had to be better than the labyrinth.

AJ inched closer to Ryder as Blake pushed one button after another on the console in front him. The dim laboratory lit up with a silvery white light that shimmered along the length of the opposite wall. AJ had never seen anything like it. The sight was both beautiful and terrifying.

“Is that what I think it is?” AJ whispered.

“It looks like a portal to me,” Ryder replied.

“One portal to the twenty-first century,” Blake declared with a wave of his hand towards the light. “You want to see the blue skies over your heads, then here’s your chance. All you have to do is walk through the portal and you get your wish. Just remember what they say about being careful what you wish for.”

“How have you kept this a secret?” Ryder asked. “The power this must be consuming has to show up on the records somewhere.”

“It’s not as big a secret as you think,” Blake replied. “The science teams know about the portals and have used them frequently to bring in supplies to support our world, including electric generators. Each team concentrates on a particular product and monopolises the market by buying in bulk in the past and selling at a profit here in the future.”

“Why not just let everyone travel to the past instead?”

“Because back there we’re no one. Here we have control and we intend to keep it.”

“Why don’t you bring back enough food and goods to support everyone?” AJ asked. “There are thousands of people starving in the labyrinth.”

Blake snorted with contempt. “If you want to save the world, why not go through the portal and start by trying to prevent a few wars? There were plenty of them back then.”

“Maybe we should stay here and expose Blake and the rest of the scientists?” AJ suggested to Ryder. “They’re taking advantage of the portals to get rich.”

“Do you really think a whoring lab rat and an unemployed servant can change things?” Blake pulled out a stun gun and turned it on the two of them. “Walk through the portal or I’ll stun you both and push you through the damn thing myself.”

Ryder took AJ’s hand and guided him towards the portal.

“We can’t let him get away with this,” AJ whispered.

“We have no choice right now,” Ryder replied. “Just go with it and we’ll think of something later.”

“What later? We’ll be in the past.”

Blake coughed to get their attention and silently reminded them of the stun gun he held.

Ryder nodded and pulled AJ into the portal with him.

Chapter Eleven

The laboratory disappeared from sight as they stepped through the portal. AJ felt a cold breeze wash over him and he broke out in goose bumps. Despite the bright light the wormhole gave off, AJ could see nothing until they tumbled out the other side a moment later. Their arrival in the past was pretty uneventful, apart from AJ promptly falling into the small stream they appeared at the edge of. Thankfully the water was shallow and all he suffered was some wet clothes and a few more bruises on his already battered arse. Ryder reached down and pulled him up.

They took stock of their surroundings, or at least as much as they could since they had arrived in the middle of the night and a thick fog surrounded them.

“How do we know Blake won’t double-cross us?” AJ asked.

“We don’t. Come on, let’s get out of here and see if we can find shelter for the night.”

“Which way?”

Ryder shrugged. “Let’s follow the stream. Villages and towns were often built next to water sources.”

It seemed as good a plan as any and they set off along a path running parallel to the stream. The ground felt strange under AJ’s feet. It was softer than anything he had walked on before and he said as much to Ryder.

“It’s grass,” Ryder explained.

AJ crouched down on the floor to touch the strange substance. The greenery he had longed to see was right beneath his feet. Only the darkness of the night prevented him seeing the fragile blades.

“Do you think the ocean might be close by?” he asked, having been fascinated with the great body of water since his visit to the archives.

“I don’t know,” Ryder admitted. “You’re supposed to be able to smell the sea in the air when you’re nearby.”

AJ sniffed loudly. “Everything smells different here. How are we supposed to know what the sea smells like?”

“Exactly. Come on, let’s keep walking. It’s too cold to be standing around.”

They had barely gone more than a few paces when the first spots of rain began to fall. AJ squealed in surprised horror, unsure of what he had felt.

“What is it?”

“I think it’s rain,” Ryder replied, his face turned to the sky above.

“It feels strange,” AJ said as he wiped a spot from his cheek.

Ryder jumped as a spot hit him right in the eye. “I don’t think I like it much myself,” he muttered. “Let’s keep walking. There has to be shelter round here somewhere.”

They continued on their way until eventually they came to a small stone construction stretching over the stream. The light shower of rain had become heavier as they walked and AJ was only too glad to crawl into the dry space under the bridge with Ryder. His clothing, damp from his fall into the stream and then the rain, clung to his shivering body.

“Things will look better in the morning,” Ryder promised. “We just have to find somewhere to stay.”

“Do they accept credits here?”

“No. I’m not sure what they use to buy things here. Different countries have different types of money. We’ll figure it out when we know where we are.”

“What shall we do for jobs?”

“I don’t know, but I can tell you one thing I don’t want you doing.”

AJ sighed and cuddled closer to Ryder’s warmth. “I know, and you don’t have to worry about that.”

“You weren’t so sure before. What’s changed your mind?”

“This new start, in a new world. In the future I couldn’t see any other choice for me. Here the possibilities are endless. I want none except you and I won’t lose you by choosing to walk the path of a whore again.”

“Good.” Ryder eased AJ away just far enough for him to look at the collar. “I really hate this thing.”

AJ reached up and tried the clasp which opened immediately. One way or another, the contract between himself and Blake had broken. Ryder took the collar from him and shoved it into his pocket.

“I’m going to burn this thing first chance I get.”

AJ didn’t argue with him. He’d take great pleasure in helping him get rid of it. It wasn’t as though he could return it to Landon, and the employment agent was hardly likely to turn up wandering around in the twenty-first century, if that was indeed where Blake had sent them. His neck felt slightly bare without the collar, but the feeling was soon remedied by Ryder gently massaging the exposed skin. The touch was nice and calming and AJ curled up against Ryder once again.

“Do you think Corrine and the others are going to be okay?”

“I hope so.”

“I’m kind of glad they aren’t here with us if we’re going to be living rough. This is almost as bad as the labyrinth.”

“We’ll be okay,” Ryder promised. “Try to get some sleep.”

AJ closed his eyes for only a moment. A loud and unfamiliar cry made him jump and he looked about the dark wildly.

“What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Ryder whispered. “Some sort of animal, I guess.”

“Do you think it’s dangerous?”

“I hope not.”

Ryder’s words weren’t exactly reassuring. The cry echoed through the night again, this time followed by another strange noise, this one seeming to come from somewhere nearer.

“I’m not sure I like it here,” AJ admitted. “It’s too strange.”

“Like it or not, we’re stuck here,” Ryder pointed out. “Try to sleep and tomorrow we’ll go explore a little. We’ll probably find these noisy creatures are nothing to worry about.”

AJ snuggled even closer and rested his head on Ryder’s chest. The quick pounding of Ryder’s heartbeat told AJ his lover was more scared than he had admitted. They would have to take care of each other.