“I do, Baba. Also, I’m pretty sure that the paper that Dr. K wrote isn’t around anymore. After the explosion, research in your field was discouraged. Especially given that you weren’t the first or last project in your field that went awry. Though once a month Mrs. K thinks I’m starting it back up again.” Spencer shook his head.
“Perhaps it’s time for me to start at the beginning.” Nick took a sip of his coffee.
“Please?” Grace asked.
“It was perhaps three years before we were taken that they first appeared. We made some very significant progress in our qubit research. They said they’d noticed us and pitched the opportunity to help. At first, we thought that they’d help us with our research and share their science. Who wouldn’t want that? Quickly, we realized that we were just a drop off point, and they didn’t want to keep their promises to share their knowledge. That led to us pushing ourselves with our other research. We knew it was possible, so we proved it,” he stated.
“I’m so proud of you for both those things, Baba, both discovering other worlds exist and saving all those omegas,” Spencer said.
“It was why we kept doing it, even when they didn’t help us in return much or often. We saved hundreds of omegas, many of them male,” he continued. “Most of their stories broke our hearts.”
I could imagine.
“How did you manage that? Even over three years, creating identities for that many is a lot for one Center. You were using the Center’s Omega Protection Program, right?” Evan asked.
Nick nodded. “Oh, yes, it was too much. We actually had to confide in someone at the Temple of Artemis. They assisted us, both by placing omegas themselves and sending them to OmegaCenters all over the world to be relocated. We didn’t want to be noticed.”
“I didn’t even know the Temple of Artemis did that,” Spencer said.
“Alphas aren’t supposed to know such things. But we couldn’t have done it without them.”
“Where was the equipment? Was there equipment?” Spencer asked.
“There was. We kept it in a closet, and they’d message us when they were making a delivery, and we’d set everything up and make sure no one was around. Sometimes we needed Mrs. K to help,” Nick said. “Ilena knew little about this, mostly because she didn’t want to know about our research. She was afraid we’d anger someone or blow up the world.”
“Fair.” Jett nodded.
“We also tried to hack the equipment so we could use it to send people ourselves. Their reason for not helping us much was that they said our illegal designations were also illegal in many other places and getting them to those safe worlds was difficult, which made sense. Also, I think that something happened previously which made them wary regarding sending our designations elsewhere, but I’ll get to that in a moment,” Nick added.
Spencer looked thoughtful. “Huh. I never found the equipment."
“Oh, you did. I don’t recall what Dr. K told you it was. Possibly a particle charger?” Nick looked amused.
“I remember that now.” He started laughing.
“It was a very coordinated effort, and it wasn’t always the same person reaching out to us or bringing the omegas. We were one of several worlds that they brought omegas to,” he stated. “Though toward the end, we were getting groups quickly, large ones as well, often with omegas that were ill. The Temple wasgetting frustrated with the load, but no one was going to turn them away.”
“Do you have records of them?” Grace asked.
“We did–both of them and the people we sent over, complete with world numbers,” he replied. “I had hidden backups. I’ll see if they survived. The first time an agent visited us was right around when we’d figured everything out. We thought it was a courtesy visit, a bit of a congratulations. Yes, there was a thinly veiled warning about rules, but they never explained everything.”
Well, that tracked. They didn’t seem like they’d give you a handbook and gift basket.
“Then we got an actual formal warning, telling us that we couldn’t continue to accept these omegas because it broke the law. Again, no explanation of consequences, and they wouldn’t tell us what to do with them, just not to do it. We let our contacts know, and they said to ignore them, and that no harm would come to us because of our type of world.” Nick looked away, scent souring. “We believed them, trusted them. The agents kept coming and warning us, but never actually explaining anything–and we kept ignoring them. If I had any idea that they’d take us away, imprison us, and blow up our super collider, I would have taken them more seriously, despite all the lives we saved.”
Spencer squeezed his father’s hand and said something in Greek. Nick sniffed and nodded.
“Why did they blow up the collider if the other people provided the equipment? Was it to hide your qubit research?” Grace asked, still snuggled into my lap, though she held Spencer’s hand.
“Possibly. But we used the super collider to power the device,” he replied.
Spencer looked at her. “Did they do that at your old place of employment?”
“No. They used super computers, I believe. I never got much information on all the logistics since I was just a witness,” Grace replied.
“You did good work saving those omegas, Nick,” Brennan said. “It’s shitty they took you, but everyone is glad you’re back.”
“I am, too. I just wish I could remember the trial–and being in prison with Demitra.” Nick’s head bowed. “Do you know if it was just us?”
