The Outskirts: Thé Crystal Keepers (Jace x OC)

The Crystal Keepers: 28

Before I was captured, if I had been asked what life would look like as the Hunters prisoner, I would have described squalid cells, limited food, and plenty of torture.
Instead I had thruport access, a roomy shower, a hot tub, gourmet meals, a soft bed, and magnetic games to play.
I was still a prisoner. Though free to move about a space that included five comfortable rooms, all other doors were locked to me. One of the tall robotic drones remained nearby at every moment.
After a few hours doing some initial research, Hunter had decided that he needed to travel to Junction in order to disprove my claims. Hunter had promised to return soon.
That was three days ago.
After seeing tons of photos and reading hundreds of emails, I had lost interest in scouring the Internet for more evidence that Hunter was part of my family. If the relationship was a lie, Hunter had been incredibly thorough, tampering with every email address, website, and social media account that I could find. Every photo was either genuine or expertly doctored. Every email either offered a glimpse of a lost brother, or proved how thoroughly a liar could fabricate a false reality.
If I kept looking, I knew I might uncover a few more shreds of evidence but didn't expect that any new discovery would change my dilemma. If fake, the forgeries were amazing. Otherwise, Hunter really was my brother.
In my head, I felt convinced it was true.
But if it wasn't, what did Hunter have to gain from this deception? Why single out me? If they wanted information, they could have tortured me. What reason would Hunter have to be this kind to me if we weren't really related?
Hunter did bear a family resemblance to the other Andersons. He knew too many things a stranger couldn't possibly know. He talked and behaved in a way that felt authentic. And additional evidence was all over the Internet, including so many futile emails that went unanswered after he disappeared.
Given this much proof, I wondered how I could ever hope the rest of my family would accept me, if I couldn't accept Hunter. The two of us were in the exact same predicament, except Hunter had suffered longer and had one extra person who had forgotten him.
I had solid reasons to believe that Hunter was telling the truth, but if I was wrong, I would be so epically, tragically wrong.
And what if Hunter really was my brother, but remained loyal to the High King? What if he came back from his trip to Zeropolis full of reasons that I should side against Mira and the Unseen? Was there any chance the High King was right? That the Unseen really were criminals? That slavery was okay? That partnering with Owandell had been a good call? That stripping his daughters' powers and faking their deaths was fine? No. What if the daughters were really dead, and Mira and her sisters were planted by the Unseen? No. How could the Unseen have planted Carnag, or Morgassa, or the Rogue Knight? The thought was ludicrous.
If Hunter was my brother, I had to win him over to the right side. Or I had to get away. If necessary, I could pretend to switch sides, until I earned enough freedom to escape.
But until Hunter returned, my options were limited.
The drone robot kept me company, leaving me no opportunity to break out. I knew Mira, Jace, Dalton, and all the others would be worried. They needed the information I had about Constance. But what could I do? I was stuck.
I missed Jace like crazy. I must have the worst luck ever. I finally get to be with Jace, and then I get captured. I thought back to our kiss and smiled.
There wasn't much I could do while I waited for Hunter, so I played elaborate versions of magnetic pinball and waited for my brother.
No, waited for the Enforcer who was probably my brother.
Possibly.
Hunter returned as I was piling points on top of a new high score. With some reluctance, I let the ball roll past the magnetic boosters, ending the game. Steeling myself, I turned to face him.
Hunter wore dark leather and held a helmet under his arm. His face was serious and hard to read.
"How was your trip?" I asked.
"I'm not sure exactly how to answer that," Hunter said. "How was the Internet?"
"Either you faked it perfectly, or you're my brother."
Hunter looked hurt. "You're still not sure? You can ask me anything."
"What if you can read my mind?"
"Nobody can do that," Hunter said dismissively.
"I know somebody who can," I said, thinking of Trillian. "And some others who maybe can."
Hunter glanced over at the drone robot. "Charlie, go passive."
"Confirmation?" the drone asked.
"Glazed doughnuts with sprinkles."
The drone went still and silent.
"Nice code word," I said.
"Hard words to guess," Hunter replied. "Easy to remember. But just saying it gives me cravings."
"It's a robot but you can also control it?" I asked.
"It has different modes," Hunter replied. "It's the same model I was controlling when I almost caught you that time. Look, if you still have doubts about me, you're about to lose them." He paused, his expression grave. "I guess you could say that my mission in Junction was successful. I went there to learn if you were right about the High King and his daughters. And I found out the truth."
I watched him expectantly. His face was so tricky to read. It suddenly struck me how much his eyes really did look like mine. They were the exact same shade of blue.
"You got proof? You know that I'm right?" I said.
Hunter sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, you are."
"I am?" I replied in surprise. "I mean, you know I am?"
"I didn't expect it to be true," Hunter said. "I still can't even believe it. The High King withheld all of it from me. I thought he trusted me more than that. I've done a lot for him. He personally helped me develop my shaping skills."
"Really?"
"It made sense," Hunter said. "We were both strong in the abilities of all five kingdoms. But he's weak now. I saw him on this visit. In private, kind of joking around, I asked him to do some of our old drills. He did some spatial stuff from Creon, but weakly, and got angry when I tried to get him to do Sambrian shaping or Ellowine enchanting."
"Was that your proof?"
"Oh, no," Hunter said. "I'm more thorough than that. I checked other sources. In the end I went to Owandell."
"Really?"
"He knows I've always been loyal to the High King. Acting like a traitor would have raised suspicions. I played it like I'd noticed the High Shaper was becoming weak, and I wanted to keep my options open. I asked Owandell how the hunt for Stafford's daughters was going, as if I had full knowledge about them. He became smug, and asked if I had heard about recent developments in Necronum. I guess Honor and Destiny are in trouble. He seemed to know a lot about what is going on, but wouldn't say more."
"Wasn't that dangerous?" I asked.
"Absolutely. Nobody wants Owandell as an enemy. But it was the surest way to find out what I needed to know. Kendal, you have to believe me that the High King kept these crimes from me. I've never liked Owandell. The High King hasn't trusted him since I've been here. To learn they worked together to steal the princesses' powers, and to find out I was helping track down one of his daughters without knowing it . . . let's just say I've rethought a lot of things. It makes me feel sick thinking of everything I did."
"You're switching sides?" I asked.
Hunter gave a dark chuckle. "This isn't easy, Kendal. I'm in deep. So many people are going to be so mad. The High Shaper most of all."
"But . . . " I prompted.
Hunter smiled. "But I'm not going to fight my little sister. Especially when she's right."
I couldn't help laughing. I couldn't help smiling.
I couldn't resist the tears. Relief washed over me. This surpassed my highest hopes.
"So what now?" I asked.
"We make plans. I'm on your side, Kendal. I wouldn't have sided with the resistance before I learned all this, but even then I was on your side. You're my sister. I care more about you than everyone in the Outskirts combined. If I could, I'd take you home. We'd get out of here right now, together. But we can't. It doesn't work."
"How do I trust you?"
"You just do. I'm not playing you."
"How do you know who we're looking for?" I asked.
"I've been following you since you left Sambria," Hunter
reminded me. "It's what you've been doing all along. First Mira, then Honor. It makes sense to assume you and your friends are looking for Constance. Anyhow, listen. What if I sneak you out of here? What if we go to a hideout only I know about, and then what if we find Constance together?"
"We'll have to find my friends first." I said. "Cole is probably back by now. He has her location."
He swore. "That throws a loop in things. Okay. Okay. We can make this work. I'll drop you off. You get the location. Then I'll pick you up again, and we go to my base and use the drones to go get her. We have to go back to my base, otherwise they'll know I changed sides."
"What do you mean, a drone?" I asked.
"I have drones we can monitor from a different base. It'll be just like us being there for real."
"You sound like a pro. How'd you get so good at this stuff?"
Hunter blushed a little. "I didn't know squat at first. Do you get how it works here? What people really value? It's all about shaping. A reliable shaper will end up with good treatment, free or not. A great shaper gets treated almost like royalty. I'm pretty good at all five types. So they put me on the fast track. As I proved I could shape well in combat situations, my responsibilities grew. And I ended up learning all sorts of things."
I supposed I had also learned a lot since coming to the Outskirts, and it had only been a couple of months. "We can just walk out of here?"
"If you'll trust me, yeah, we take off, my people think I'm undercover, and we can do whatever we want until they figure out I went over to the rebellion."
"You're sure about this?"
"Wait a minute. Never mind. You just talked me out of it."
"Come on," I said. "I'm serious."
Hunter laid a hand on his shoulder. "Kendal, you're my sister. I've known you since you were born. There is literally a picture on our fridge of me holding you. I can't keep working for the High King after learning about his daughters. I have to start making amends for the harm I've caused.
I think a lot of people will feel the same way. With the princesses, the rebellion has a real chance. Plus, our biggest problem might actually be Owandell. I don't think the High King can stop him. I'm with you a hundred percent. Let's do this."
"All right," I said. "I'm in."
Hunter smiled. "Thanks for trusting me."
"Is it hard to control a drone?"
"You'll know before long."