“Yeah, I’m sure. Let’s do it,” he said firmly.
Dean entered the room first, using a comp terminal to shield himself while his mother covered him from the door. Then she entered, covered by the Browning Hi-Power. In this way, they made their way toward the chamber and its open door.
Now flanking the chamber, Dean looked across at his mother, nodding curtly as he made the last move. While she covered him, he kicked the door fully open, so that the backswing would immobilize anyone behind the door, and entered the chamber, finger poised on the trigger.
The chamber was empty.
“There’s no one—” he began, turning as Sharona entered the chamber.
She swung the door shut before he had a chance to register what was going on. The lock clicked softly, triggering the mat-trans process. The disks on the floor began to glow and a mist rose in vaporous streamers around them.
“What are you—” he began, but was cut short by Sharona.
“I’m sorry, baby. It’s the only way I can do this,” she said, shaking her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Forgive me. It’ll be for the best, you’ll see.”
Dean didn’t have time to fully assimilate what was happening before the rapidly accelerating mat-trans process made him feel light headed and sick.
His last thought as he began to black out was that there had to have been another way.
“RYAN!” KRYSTY YELLED as she jolted awake. Her dreams had become nightmares and she had a sense of foreboding.
The one-eyed man sat bolt upright, and looked at her.
“What?” he snapped, concerned.
Krysty looked at him. “It’s Dean. And it’s something bad,” she said quickly. “I don’t know what, but—”
“Nothing would surprise me about Sharona,” Ryan said curtly as he got out of bed and pulled on his clothes. “I’m going to check on them.”
Krysty was dressed by the time he returned and his expression did little to allay her sense of dread.
“They’re not in their room. I’ll wake the others.”
Ryan roused the rest of the companions and, in varying states of wakefulness, they turned out from their dorms. He explained briefly, as Krysty emerged into the corridor, and was about to split them into pairs for a search, when the woman broke into his instructions.
“No need. I think I know.”
In truth, Ryan had already guessed but didn’t want to admit it to himself as the companions followed Krysty to the gateway.
The mat-trans chamber itself was still glowing slightly.
“Dark night, why would she do that?” J.B. asked. “And why would Dean go with her?”
Mildred shrugged. “She might have tricked him.”
“Or perhaps the boy had made a decision to go with his mother,” Doc said sadly.
Jak shook his head. “Not without telling us.”
Krysty agreed. “Whatever Dean had decided, if it was entirely his choice, he would have talked to us about it. It just doesn’t feel right, not this way.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Ryan croaked in a harsh, broken tone. “Whatever happened, Dean must have told her about the last-destination button and the time restriction.
“The bitch knows we can’t follow her. I’ve lost him.”