Chapter 20: The Signal They Shouldn’t Have Sent
817 Words
Cole barely had time to sit down before something felt… off.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t obvious.
But it was wrong.
The station lights flickered—just once. Subtle enough that no one else reacted. Phones kept ringing. Papers kept shuffling. Conversations continued.
But Cole felt it.
And across the room—
Julien froze.
Not paused.
Not hesitated.
Frozen.
“Julien?” Cole called.
No response.
Then suddenly—Julien moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
“Office. Now.”
Cole didn’t argue.
The door shut behind them with a sharp click.
Julien ran a hand over his face, pacing once before stopping dead in front of him.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said.
Cole frowned. “You’re gonna have to narrow that down.”
Julien looked at him—really looked this time.
“The baby.”
Everything in Cole’s chest tightened.
“The missing twin,” Julien clarified. “He didn’t just leave.”
“I know,” Cole said carefully. “You showed me the ultrasound—”
Julien shook his head. “No. You don’t understand.”
His voice dropped.
“That jump sent a signal.”
Silence.
Then—
“To who?” Cole asked.
Julien didn’t hesitate.
“Syndicate.”
Cole swore under his breath. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not.”
Far beyond the known planets—
Beyond Mars.
Beyond Zyria.
Beyond even the structured light of Taria—
Something shifted.
Not a world.
Not a place.
A network.
Syndicate didn’t need territory.
They needed access.
A flicker appeared across their system—small, almost insignificant.
But rare.
UNAUTHORIZED SPATIAL EVENT DETECTED
LOCATION: EARTH — EXPERIMENT WORLD
SUBJECT: CHILD / UNREGISTERED
A pause.
Then—
TRACK. CONTAIN. UTILIZE.
Back in the office, Cole ran a hand through his hair.
“Okay. Okay—slow down. Earth’s monitored. The jump broke the rules. I get that.”
Julien nodded once.
“But why does that set off them?” Cole pressed.
Julien’s expression hardened.
“Because that wasn’t just teleportation.”
Cole stilled.
“That was choice-level movement,” Julien said. “Before birth. Without training. Without limitation.”
Cole’s voice dropped. “So they see him as—what?”
Julien didn’t sugarcoat it.
“A key.”
Cole turned away, pacing now.
“What about Mica?” he asked. “Sterling?”
Julien answered immediately.
“They stayed. They’re part of the system—even if they don’t know it.”
“And the missing twin?”
Julien’s jaw tightened.
“He already proved he isn’t.”
Cole stopped pacing.
“You said there was more.”
Julien hesitated.
For the first time since walking in—
He looked tired.
“Missi’s in a coma.”
Cole blinked. “What?”
“It hasn’t been made public yet,” Julien said. “But she didn’t just collapse.”
“Then what happened?”
Julien met his eyes.
“King Seaton.”
The name hit like a shockwave.
“Zyria?” Cole said.
“Yes.”
Julien exhaled slowly. “His son was supposed to marry Brittany. That wasn’t optional—it was structural. It kept certain royal lines stable… especially here, tied to Earth.”
“And instead…” Cole started.
“He ran,” Julien said. “Chose someone else.”
Cole shook his head. “So Seaton retaliated.”
“Yes,” Julien said quietly. “But not openly.”
Cole’s voice hardened.
“Missi.”
Julien nodded once.
“A message.”
The room felt heavier now.
Like gravity had shifted.
Cole leaned forward. “So let me get this straight.”
Julien didn’t interrupt.
“We’ve got an angry royal king, a missing baby who can break planetary rules, Syndicate tracking him, and two other kids connected to all of it.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re still trying to fix this?”
Julien didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
Cole let out a breath, then gave a small, disbelieving laugh.
“You always did pick the complicated stuff.”
Julien smirked faintly. “I had a normal case once. It was boring.”
Cole shook his head, then sobered.
“So what’s the plan?”
Julien pulled up the ultrasound image again.
Two shapes.
One gone.
“We find him first.”
Cole crossed his arms. “And if we don’t?”
Julien’s voice dropped.
“Then Syndicate doesn’t just find a child.”
He looked at Cole—steady, serious.
“They find a way to break every rule keeping these worlds from collapsing into each other.”
Final Beat Missing Baby
Somewhere—
Not on Earth.
Not on Mars.
Not anywhere marked on a map—
A child opened his eyes.
Quiet.
Aware.
Safe—because he chose to be.
The universe had already tried to notice him once.
And he had learned—
How to leave before it could.
- Writer
