Page 14 of Breaking Into Love

Chapter Eight

Webb met us in the dining area, saying the smell of Tor cooking had called to him. I believed it. The aromas had kept my mouth watering. I’d never cooked before. It was too easy to go to the cafeteria or use the serving unit to order something. Tor said he liked to cook, found it a great way to let his brain mull something over while his hands were busy. I liked that idea. Maybe, that was what I needed to do when it came to my current code. I’d certainly had no luck cracking it so far.

Webb was mad as hell when we told him what the Liege Commander had said. He didn’t like the idea of anyone duping them and was equally pissed at the idea of someone doing the same to me. I ended up getting an hour-long lecture on what I would and wouldn’t do when we reached our destination, which basically translated to I’d obey his every command without question. I lifted a brow at his tone but nodded in agreement. I wasn’t stupid. I knew the element of humanity populating the Fifth Quadrant, and I didn’t want to become a part of it.

I also knew part of Webb’s demeanor stemmed from what had happened to his mother. I didn’t let him know, though. Tor had been the one to share that fact with me, and I wasn’t sure how Webb would feel when he realized I was privy to such personal information. I’d tell him later, or more likely, Tor would when they were alone. I realized the two men didn’t keep secrets from one another.

We’d left the dining room behind and though Webb hadn’t ordered me to stay with them, I’d followed in their footsteps anyway. I wanted to soak up every moment with them I could…before I found myself alone again.

I avidly watched them now, taking notice of the little things that indicated the depth of their relationship. The shared looks, the small touches, even the way they spoke. There was an intimacy to it, easily recognized once you were aware.

They were in the control room going over the communications they’d received. Apparently, they had a separate backup I’d been unaware of, one unknown even to Command. Tor promised they’d let me know if they figured anything out.

I headed back to the sleeping quarters and the cleansing unit. I figured it was past time to clean up and wear something other than Tor’s shirt. When I stepped out, I noticed there were fresh sheets on the bed along with a set of my lingerie Webb had packed and another of their shirts. I lifted it and held it to my nose, breathing in Webb’s scent. It made me smile. Apparently, he was ready for me to wear something other than Tor’s shirt, too.

I sat in one of the big chairs in the sleeping quarters and got out my handheld. I went over the code again and again, listening to the waves of sound. It was three quick sounds, like dit-dit-dit, followed by longer sounds, dah-dah-dah, and then the quick sounds again. The same pattern repeated over and over as if it had been looped. I’d tried putting it through every program I knew, including some I’d created myself. Still nothing.

I went back to perusing the catalogued library. The more I learned about the Fifth Quadrant’s history, the more I wanted to go there. It was so much more than the cursory information we’d been given in school. Not the current Fifth that we’d learned plenty about, but the Fifth that had once been called Earth. The version I was reading about. I wanted to see the lakes of blue water that were mentioned and see the life that swam within them. The trees that grew from the ground and bore fruit so sweet you could eat it. Don’t get me wrong. We have water and fruit, but not so that I could cup and drink from a large body or pluck it from a branch heavy with treasure. Despite all the technology we had, we’d lost so much.

I’d never been a huge history buff, choosing to focus on the present, but now, I read as much as I could. I discovered Tor and Webb had access to Command’s archives. Millions of documents catalogued by year then broken down into categories. I stumbled on a category titled Ancient Inventions and found myself pulled in.

It was easy to see where some of our current technology had begun. We were leagues beyond those rudimentary stages I was reading about, but still. It was there if you looked.

My mind began playing with the message that was coming from the Fifth. So it made sense that the code could be something unique to that quadrant, something once utilized there but perhaps forgotten once the majority of people moved on. Something simple. I knew the criminal element of the Fifth used technology, but my speculation was the person who’d sent the message hadn’t had access to that. Maybe, they’d fallen back on an ancient form of communication, hoping those around them wouldn’t realize what they were doing.

Speculation. All of it. Hell, it could be a threat for all I knew, but something told me it wasn’t. I crack most codes instantly. That’s not bragging. That’s what I do, and I’m very good at my job. Because of that, this one was driving me a little crazy. Mostly, because of the simplicity of it.

I created a filter on my handheld, narrowing the archived information at my fingertips to “communication”, figuring once I dove in, I’d figure out more parameters to set. I wasn’t sure how long I spent on my search. Parameters were forgotten as I grew hungry for more and more information. At one point, my stomach growled, and still, I kept reading, swiping through page after page of the stored knowledge I’d never realized was there. It made me realize we should pay far greater attention to our historians. They knew more than we realized.

Finally, as I prepared to close it down and go look for Tor and Webb, I came across what I was looking for. I’ll admit I only clicked into the files on Morse code because of what I’d read earlier. From its earliest inception, it had been a form of communication to breach distances only travel had been able to before. But it had grown and changed and played a role in the first Great War of the planet. A particular code had arisen, an SOS message that was sent. It was thought to have meant something like “save our ship” or “save ourselves”. Basically, it was a cry for help from someone in need. Even better, it mentioned the sounds, dits and dahs, long and short sounds, that when put together made up the call.

This was the code. And to think I could have solved this long ago if I’d just known where to look for answers. We’d been receiving this message for over five months. Someone was in the Fifth, and they’d been begging us for help for that long. I didn’t know who it was, but I knew the Liege Commander had the coordinates of where the signal was coming from. We’d yet to send in anyone because of the location, which was along a rocky terrain that appeared uninhabitable. Our Commander wasn’t one for sending in his Enforcers with no data to support them. We’d lost enough people in the Fifth without making it easier.

I bounded off the chair and flew down the hall toward where Tor and Webb were. My heart galloped in my chest. I’d need to get in touch with the Liege Commander as soon as possible.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Webb said, catching me around the waist as I ran in and tugging me against him. “Where’s the fire, baby?”

Tor’s gaze dropped to one of the monitors, and I knew he was searching for any anomaly in the atmospheric system.

“I broke the code,” I blurted.

“The one the Liege Commander’s been pressing you for?” Tor asked, and I nodded.

“I need to call him, but I wanted to tell you first.”

Tor’s gaze softened, and I knew he understood the significance of that, even if I didn’t want to admit anything aloud. He turned away, but I caught sadness in his gaze before he did.

“Commander’s in a meeting right now,” Webb said. “We’ve been in contact with him. The order we were sent was issued from his personal unit while he was at home. He said he’d get to the bottom of it this evening. For now, we’ve been ordered to take you to the command post on the outskirts of the Fifth and leave you there until he sends another unit to bring you to him.” He shared a glance with Tor. “Our presence is needed for another mission there. We’ll drop you off then head out immediately.”

My heart shriveled in my chest. At least, it felt as if it did. I’d known we wouldn’t be allowed together, but I didn’t want reality to intrude just yet.

“How long until we arrive?” I asked softly.

“Tomorrow late afternoon,” Tor answered, still not looking at me.

I nodded. There wasn’t much else I could do. Orders were orders, and all of us would obey.

“How long is the Liege Commander in a meeting?” I needed to let him know what I’d discovered. Focusing on work sounded like a good way to shut down my emotions right now.

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