He was relieved, but only slightly. “Hologram?”
“Yes, an etheric clone. It’s part of her existence but not her physical body,” she said. “Wherever she is, she’ll feel a twinge but it won’t kill her.”
“She’s not here?”
“No,” she said. “She hopped a kelpie yesterday. She’s probably under China by now.” She turned to put down her tweezers.
Argan stepped closer to Heather and she took a step back. He took another step and she retreated one step. “You’re familiar to me. Do I know you?” he asked.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “I would remember you.” She returned to the body on the table. With a push of a button, Skylar’s image faded and the table was empty. “We have more.”
“More bodies?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. She gave him a curious look and then turned away, busying herself at a technical workstation. “You carry a light just as strong as Skylar’s. I can feel it. Everyone else will feel it too. You’re not safe here.”
“You’re the first woman I’ve seen here,” he said.
“Yes,” she said. “I’m the only one.”
“Why?”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.”
He looked back at the empty table. “You said she’s gone. Do you know where?”
“I don’t,” she said. “The Archer will be back soon and more upset than ever, but I’ll deal with that.”
Argan stared at Heather and his intense eyes made her blush.
“I know we’ve met before,” he said.
“That’s probable,” she said. “We are very near the central crossing point of all timelines on earth. If our paths have crossed in another timeline, you would feel it now.”
He stepped dangerously close to her. “Do you feel it?” He was close enough that his cool breath landed on her face, turning it bright red.
“No,” she said and audibly swallowed.
He stepped back and looked around the lab. “I came from outside the city,” he said.
“Of course you did,” she said. “Everyone is accounted for here. I’m sure you’ve already been noticed.” She watched him walk across the room and look out the window. “Did you see the great tree?” she asked with wonder. “It sits just outside the city. No one from here is permitted that far. I’ve always wanted to see it,” she said wistfully.
“A city of grown men follows such a limiting rule?” he asked skeptically.
“It’s more like an electric fence,” she said. “The Archer insisted on its creation to keep everyone in. I have a feeling you might be stuck here now too.”
“No, I’m not,” he said. “I’m finding Skylar and we’re heading home.” He touched the empty table.
“Okay, well, I hope you get what you want,” she said.
“That can’t be true,” he said. “You work for him, this is your world. You want Skylar back on that table. The opposite of what I want.”
“I don’t want that,” she said.
“Then what do you want?” he asked. “A young girl here in this messed-up place. You don’t belong here. What are your dreams for your life?”
Her face hardened. “Why are you asking me such intimate questions? You don’t even know my name.”
“What is it, your name?” he asked.
She relaxed slightly. “Heather.”
“Heather, I’m pleased to meet you.” He kissed her hand in an old-fashioned way. “I’m Argan.”
She tried to cover up her awkwardness but failed.
“What are your dreams?” he asked again.
“I don’t have dreams,” she said.
“Sure you do,” he said. “You dream of seeing that tree. I heard it in your voice.”
She hid her face with the embarrassment of someone much younger than her age of twenty-two, more like that of a ten-year-old. She pulled her hair over her scar and turned back to him. “Are you hungry?”
“I’m always hungry,” he said, dazzling her with his smile.
“I could get you something,” she said. “Before you go.”
“That would be nice, thank you. I don’t know where I’m headed,” he said. “I thought my end game was this place. Now you’re telling me she’s out there in the sea. I can’t just go out blindly trying to find her. Even with the other half of the stone.”
Heather scanned his body and located the stone around his ankle, but she didn’t make any move to take it. “I don’t know where you could hide that the Archer won’t find you. He knows everything about what goes on here. Nothing is hidden from him. Except …”
“I don’t want to hide,” he said.
“While I get you some food, you should remain unseen. Follow me,” she said.
They walked down a hallway of doors, as bright rays of sunshine cascaded through the windowed ceiling. The last door in the hall was smaller than the rest, so easily missed that it practically blended into the wall.
Heather touched the door and it opened inward. “It’s small, but you’ll be safe here.”
“Why?” he asked.
“This room was created by the original high priestess of Atlantis. It contains all her magic, all her heart. It’s called the Sanctuary. It sits in plain sight to the Archer but he’s blind to it. Only the worthy can even see it. I had a feeling it would open for you.”
“This is Atlantis?” he asked in disbelief.
“See, you don’t even know where you are,” she said. “You’re stupid.”
“Wow, thanks,” he said.
She shrugged. “Wait here. I’ll get you something to eat.” Heather left him alone.
For the first time since arriving in this strange land, Argan could relax. The room had the same feeling as the tree. Safety. The oddities in the room made him laugh—the stuffed bird, the fountain. It was all so bizarre and made perfect sense at the same time. He looked at himself in the mirror. “Dude, you could use some sleep,” he said, running his hand through his hair. Stubble smattered his face. He bent over and took the pouch off of his ankle. He slid the stone out into his hand.
The door opened and he jumped up, fumbling to hide the stone. He rushed to put it in the drawer of the small desk. He shoved it in and closed the drawer just as Heather came in carrying a tray of exotic fruits and cheese in one hand, a pair of black loafers in the other.
“These should fit you,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly. He slipped them on.
“Tell me why you’re doing this,” she said as she placed the tray on a small pedestal table. Argan wasted no time diving in.
“Doing what?” he asked, his mouth already full.
“Why you’re here, risking your life with this stone you don’t quite understand the value of,” she said. “You love her, Skylar?”
“I do,” he said. “We’ve been connected forever, in more ways than one.”
“Mmmm,” Heather said. “But are you willing to die for her?”