Read Online Infinity Bell: A House Immortal Novel by Devon Monk - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Devon Monk
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important than family. The people you love.”
He seemed to fold down into himself, the manicenergy gone. It was worrisome how quickly he looked pale, thin, and exhausted. His three years spent at the Houses had not been kind to him. “I was doing this for you.”
“I know. I know that. It’s just . . .” I shook my head. “
You’re
important to me. More important than . . . anything.” How did I explain to him that he may have just gambled away three years of our lives? Three years with him I’d never get back.
“And you’re important to me,” he said. “You understand that, don’t you?”
I squeezed his hand and let go again. There was no use wasting more time on regret. “Yes, I understand. So, we’re in this together now. How can we fix time?”
“It’s . . . a little hard to explain,” he said. “And without the journal—”
“Grandma’s journal.”
“Yes. Without that I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but my best guess is if we can stand in the eye of the experimental storm at the exact moment time returns to mend itself, we will be able to cross through a . . . brief opening. Then all we have to do is find the Wings of Mercury machine and change the calculations.”
I waited. Then shook my head. I didn’t understand what he was saying.
“You know where the experiment took place, right?” he asked.
“I didn’t even know the experiment was anything more than a legend until a couple days ago. So no. I don’t know where it happened.”
“On our land. Our property. That’s why we’ve kept the place out of House control and in the family. That’swhy the nanos and minerals act so strangely. That’s what Mom and Dad died for.” He swallowed around the catch in his voice.
I missed Mom and Dad something terrible, but Quinten had been a lot older when the Houses had come out to our property, killed our parents, and ransacked our home, looking for Dad’s research.
Quinten had been gone, studying, when it happened. He’d always blamed himself for not being there to save them. And even though I hadn’t thought about it for years, he had often told me that he would give anything to find a way to bring Mom and Dad back to life.
“Tell me this isn’t about Mom and Dad,” I said. “Quinten, you know you can’t bring them back. No one can.”
“You can’t begin to know what I can and can’t do, Matilda,” he said, drawing himself up stiffly. “I have stared down death and dulled its blade. You are breathing because I refuse to believe in the limits of genius.”
“I know,” I said sitting back and studying the anger and righteousness he always resorted to when he was deeply, deeply frightened.
“You’re brilliant,” I said, “and I love you. I know you love me.” I lifted my hands and turned them so the light ran across my stitches. “I have lasting proof of that. You’ve probably saved Abraham’s life too. But Mom and Dad? They’re gone, Quinten. And even if we could . . .”
What could we do? Dig up their graves and try to stitch them into functioning bodies? I supposed if anyone in this world would know how to do that, it would be my tenacious brother.
“Even if we could somehow find their bodies andbring them back, I’m not sure they’d want to live that sort of life, whatever that kind of life would be.”
“I’m not talking about bringing them back,” he said. “Not right now. What I want is for you to believe that we can change what happened all those years ago. If we can get back to that origin point in space—on our property—and also activate the countermeasures I’ve put together for the time event, we can go back in time. We can thread the knot before it cinches tight. Once back in time, all we have to do is get to the machine and adjust the experiment.”
“Traveling in time?” I shook my head. “Quinten, I don’t know. No one’s done it. And even if we did, aren’t we risking making the world even worse than it
He seemed to fold down into himself, the manicenergy gone. It was worrisome how quickly he looked pale, thin, and exhausted. His three years spent at the Houses had not been kind to him. “I was doing this for you.”
“I know. I know that. It’s just . . .” I shook my head. “
You’re
important to me. More important than . . . anything.” How did I explain to him that he may have just gambled away three years of our lives? Three years with him I’d never get back.
“And you’re important to me,” he said. “You understand that, don’t you?”
I squeezed his hand and let go again. There was no use wasting more time on regret. “Yes, I understand. So, we’re in this together now. How can we fix time?”
“It’s . . . a little hard to explain,” he said. “And without the journal—”
“Grandma’s journal.”
“Yes. Without that I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but my best guess is if we can stand in the eye of the experimental storm at the exact moment time returns to mend itself, we will be able to cross through a . . . brief opening. Then all we have to do is find the Wings of Mercury machine and change the calculations.”
I waited. Then shook my head. I didn’t understand what he was saying.
“You know where the experiment took place, right?” he asked.
“I didn’t even know the experiment was anything more than a legend until a couple days ago. So no. I don’t know where it happened.”
“On our land. Our property. That’s why we’ve kept the place out of House control and in the family. That’swhy the nanos and minerals act so strangely. That’s what Mom and Dad died for.” He swallowed around the catch in his voice.
I missed Mom and Dad something terrible, but Quinten had been a lot older when the Houses had come out to our property, killed our parents, and ransacked our home, looking for Dad’s research.
Quinten had been gone, studying, when it happened. He’d always blamed himself for not being there to save them. And even though I hadn’t thought about it for years, he had often told me that he would give anything to find a way to bring Mom and Dad back to life.
“Tell me this isn’t about Mom and Dad,” I said. “Quinten, you know you can’t bring them back. No one can.”
“You can’t begin to know what I can and can’t do, Matilda,” he said, drawing himself up stiffly. “I have stared down death and dulled its blade. You are breathing because I refuse to believe in the limits of genius.”
“I know,” I said sitting back and studying the anger and righteousness he always resorted to when he was deeply, deeply frightened.
“You’re brilliant,” I said, “and I love you. I know you love me.” I lifted my hands and turned them so the light ran across my stitches. “I have lasting proof of that. You’ve probably saved Abraham’s life too. But Mom and Dad? They’re gone, Quinten. And even if we could . . .”
What could we do? Dig up their graves and try to stitch them into functioning bodies? I supposed if anyone in this world would know how to do that, it would be my tenacious brother.
“Even if we could somehow find their bodies andbring them back, I’m not sure they’d want to live that sort of life, whatever that kind of life would be.”
“I’m not talking about bringing them back,” he said. “Not right now. What I want is for you to believe that we can change what happened all those years ago. If we can get back to that origin point in space—on our property—and also activate the countermeasures I’ve put together for the time event, we can go back in time. We can thread the knot before it cinches tight. Once back in time, all we have to do is get to the machine and adjust the experiment.”
“Traveling in time?” I shook my head. “Quinten, I don’t know. No one’s done it. And even if we did, aren’t we risking making the world even worse than it
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