Could that woman really be his mother?

It was a shocking thought.

And yet, Paul had to admit there had been some sort of connection there, one that had troubled him. He’d put it off to her sensuality, but he realized now it was something different altogether.

There had been something about her that felt different, other, unnatural...

Godly?

He frowned. That was a ridiculous notion.

His glider was speeding back toward Joqqal when a beep in his ear signaled an incoming call.

“Hello?”

Jack’s face appeared on his retina. From the background, he could tell his friend was no longer in his room, but walking in the streets of the city—albeit slowly.

“How’s your search going?”

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m still processing stuff. What’s up?”

Jack quirked a brow but chose not to press the matter. “I’m on my way to the cave. Going to book us a slot. Thought I’d check in with you to see when you’d be back.”

“I’m on my way right now, actually...”

“Oh, great! So would tonight work?”

Paul frowned. What was with Jack and that mask?

Then again, it was not like he knew where to look to find that woman. And if he got the mask out of the way, he’d be able to focus on his search.

Besides, he was still curious himself. He hadn’t had much time to think about the mask, what with this whole business with Alyssya and the Temple, but...

“Sure. I expect to be back by six.”

“Alright, I’ll book us a spot at seven.”

He cut off the call and looked through the window at the sea.

The memories from his first attempt came rushing back, and it made him feel euphoric. It had been a unique experience. He realized he was eager to reconnect with those energies, to feel them course through him once again.

He tapped on the TriVid screen to activate the onboard AI.

“What do you have on the name Raduul?”

“Raduul, in Qojjan folklore, is one of the Zendaar. She is the goddess of lust, contempt, and spite. Most of her worshippers are females, though there are some known males as well. She is believed to—”

“Where does she live?” he interrupted.

“According to legend, she lives in her Temple in the village of Sidut er’Nadiv.”

“Does she have any other known residences... in Joqqal, maybe?”

“There are none in my records.”

He stared through the window at the agitated waves. A storm was raging out there, which he thought was fitting considering how things felt inside his head.

“Is there any known procedure... prayers, or somesuch... that one is supposed to do, or say, to summon her?”

“One does not summon a god,” came the response.

Paul squinted at the screen. Had there been a hint of disapproval in the voice?

“Whatever,” he muttered.

He fell quiet for the remainder of the trip, contemplating his thoughts.

***

The winds were howling when she stepped out of her glider. The scent of sulfur caught in her throat, making her cough.

Susan ran to the door and entered the office building.

There was a directory in the hall, listing all the businesses headquartered here. She scanned through the names until she found Lucaan Labs. They had four full floors just for them.

The elevator took her to the reception area, where she requested to see a manager.

“What is this about?”

“A personal matter,” said Susan.

The secretary did not seem to like that answer.

“I can give you an appointment for next week,” she responded dryly.

“Please. It’s about my parents. And it is rather urgent. If I could see someone now, I would really appreciate it...”

The other woman squinted at her. “Let me see if there’s someone available.”

She spent a moment working on her TriVid screen, then looked back up.

“Alright, Mr. Jones can see you. He’ll be waiting for you in office 22. It’s right down the hall to your left.”

Susan thanked her and hurried down the indicated corridor.

The door slid open as soon as she buzzed.

A young man with short black hair stood and shook her hand.

“Hello. My name is Julian Jones. How may I help you? And please, have a seat.”

“I’m Susan Caine,” she said as she sat. “My parents passed away five years ago and I am trying to understand some things about them. For instance...” She brought up on her wristpad a copy of the bank reports. “I discovered they received substantial payments from Lucaan Labs for six months... Could you tell me what these were for?”

“You say they are deceased?”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Yes.”

“My condolences, Miss Caine. Well. In that case, I suppose it could not hurt to give you that information... But I will need to make some verifications. Do you have some ID, and perhaps documents attesting to your parents’ passing and proving you are related?”

“Yes, of course. I have all of that right here.”

She had the proper files transferred to the man’s wristpad. He browsed through them quickly, then gave her a satisfied nod.

“Perfect. Very well, let’s see what we can dig up...”

He turned to his TriVid terminal and typed in the names of her parents.

“Wilma and David Caine... Oh.”

The manager stiffened as his demeanor changed.

“What is it?”

He gave her a disapproving look. “Your parents were criminals.” There was reproach in his voice. “You had not mentioned this.”

“What? They most certainly were not!”

“Says so right here. Convicted twice, even.”

“Convicted? I don’t understand...”

“Breach of contract, in both cases. Once with the government, once with us. Lucaan also brought charges of theft against them.”

Susan was startled. How could this be possible? Surely, there must be an error...

“Do you know the details?”

“Of course.” He tapped at his screen. “It’s all right here. Your father signed up to be a test subject with us. It was an experiment involving alien technology with a twelve-month commitment. Your parents fled after six. As for the government, well, they were among the early settlers. As such, they were obligated by contract to stay at least thirty years. They fled after thirteen.”

That was the most incredible thing she had ever heard. Could this have led to their deaths? It was a crazy notion. You’d expect someone to be sued for breach of contract, not murdered.

“You also mentioned theft?”

The man looked embarrassed. “Yes. Your father still had alien technology inside of him when he left the planet. That was Lucaan property. Thus the theft charges.”

“Wait... You said they were convicted? How is that possible if they were no longer here?”

“A trial was held, despite their absence, and they were found guilty of all charges.”

Susan stared at Jones. She was speechless.

***

Walking had made him feel better—as had the fresh air—, so Jack had gone to the seafront. He had always enjoyed watching the boats coming and going. He had dreamed, once, of becoming a sailor. It had been a childhood fantasy, of course, but his love for everything nautical had never faded.

At six o’clock, he had met up with Paul and Will, and they had gone to eat at a local restaurant.

Paul had been fairly quiet, not wanting to comment on his experience. They’d figured it must not have been a pleasant one and moved on to other topics.

When the time came to go to the cave, they’d paid the bill and headed out.

But by then, Jack was exhausted.

He had been out too long, and his whole body was aching. His breath had grown short.

“Is everything okay?” had asked Will with concern in his voice.

“Yes... just... I’ll be fine.” He had coughed. “Let’s go.”

But he was walking slowly, and Paul had stopped him.

“No. You’re not well. You’ve been up too long. You need to rest.”

“Who made you my doctor?” had asked Jack, a bit more harshly than he had intended.

“I did,” his friend had snapped back. “Since you won’t see a real one, I’ll have to do. So, we’re taking you back to the hotel...”

“No!”

They had both stared at him.

Jack had shaken his head. “Really, I’m—” he had coughed, “—fine.”

Paul had crossed his arms. “I’m not going anywhere until you agree to go back to the hotel.”

“Alright! Fine!” had said Jack angrily. “But I’ll only go back if you agree to go on to the cave. The slot is ours. We can’t pass this up.”

“The guards won’t let us in without you,” had remarked Will.

“They will if you have this.”

He had pulled a badge out of his pocket and handed it to Paul.

“If they give you any trouble, just call me.”

“I should walk you back,” had offered Will.

Jack had glared at him. “I’m not a cripple! I’ll do just fine.”

Without another word, he had turned and headed to the hotel. He had been too upset to even look back.

He should have been there with them!

But he was smart enough to realize he was in no shape.

Most of all, he was angry with himself. He shouldn’t have spent so much time outdoors. He should have been more careful, especially tonight, what with this visit to the cave planned out.

He wanted to be there, but there was no real need for it. Paul was the one with the power. He would get the mask and bring it to him later.

What an annoyance!

He was now walking slowly, coughing and scratching his chest, when he heard a voice call out his name.

“Mr. Arnett?”

He looked up. His hotel was within sight, just a few feet away. A young and tall man with short and curly brown hair came in his direction.

“Yes?”

“Ed Gyldenstierne,” said the other with some relief. He brought out a badge with the seal of the Weld. “Imperial government has tasked me with investigating all operations related to the mask.”

Jack frowned. “What? Why?”

“Standard procedure.”

“Nonsense! There’s nothing standard about this... Let me see that badge again.”

The man handed it to him. Jack examined it. It looked genuine enough.

“You’re right,” said the young official. “There’s nothing standard about this. But neither is there about your own actions.”

Jack shot Ed a suspicious look.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re a historian, Mr. Arnett. You don’t need to have the mask to study it. Yet, I’ve read many alarming reports about how committed you are to removing it from the wall.”

“What is it to you?” he asked as he gave the man his badge back, then pushed past him toward the hotel.

Ed put his ID away and walked by the historian’s side.

“It’s just abnormal behavior, so our system flagged it.”

“And how is it alarming? You’re not making any sense, Mr. Gyldenstierne.”

As Ed was about to reply, he suddenly gritted his teeth and held his head as if he was in a great deal of pain.

Jack stopped walking to stare at him.

“Sir? Are you alright?”

Ed shook his head. “The mask! No! What have you done?”

He spun and ran toward the cave.

***

There were three guards at the entrance. None of them made any trouble.

They asked where Jack was, looked at the pass, recognized Will, and let them through.

Will sat on the bench, as he had previously.

Paul crouched in front of the mask, as he had previously.

Though he positioned himself closer now... close enough that he could touch it if he reached out, as he knew he would.

He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and focused.

Almost instantly, the familiar energies burst into a stream of light and engulfed him. Though his eyes were closed, he could see the colors spinning on the mask’s surface as it came to life, losing its rocky complexion.

He raised his hands and reached out.

The power was pulsing, spreading, calling... he chose to embrace it, and it embraced him back. It was electrifying. When his fingers connected with the skin—because he knew it was skin at that very instant—the mask became a part of him, and he became a part of it. They were one. And as one, they understood each other. At least, to some extent.

It was ancient, it was alive, it was powerful...

He saw stars come to life, grow, burn brighter, then fizzle out and die. He saw galaxies in their infancy become giant entities, then get sucked out of existence. He saw black holes swallowing worlds, strange creatures floating through space as if they were fish in the ocean.

He saw infinity, and it saw him.

He saw time, and it saw him.

There was pain in this power as well.

He could feel it just as vividly as all the rest. But it was drowned out by the beauty and the majesty.

There was a purpose, too, one he did not understand.

But it did not matter.

With his mind, he ran down the threads that dug deep into the stone. They went far, too far to follow... but that too did not matter. It was easy enough to sever those bindings, to break the mask free of its prison.

The power was his, now. It had come home. They belonged to each other.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he held the mask in his hands.

He looked up at the wall.

The spot where it had rested was all rock now

With five black circular holes in the center.

***

Ed was still running toward the cave at the moment the mask was pulled off. From the searing pain alone, he knew he was too late...

He lifted his hands and watched as they began to dissolve and disappear. Every inch of his body, little by little, evaporated into thin air.

His face, filled with terror, was the last to go.

***

At the entrance to the cave, the guard Bob waited. He was standing there in anticipation when the mask was pulled off.

He watched as his own body evaporated into thin air.

His face, filled with hunger, was the last to go.

***

In the city of Tiqqur, the Jack look-alike was waiting in his parked glider when the mask was pulled off.

He watched as his own body evaporated into thin air.

His face, filled with hope, was the last to go.

***

Don—Michael’s good friend, who had not spent much time looking for him... in fact, none at all—was sipping a cocktail at his hotel’s swimming pool when the mask was pulled off.

He watched as his own body evaporated into thin air.

His face, filled with joy, was the last to go.

And, as it did so, he whispered: “Finally...”