The Jovian Collective by D. M. Pruden

Author:D. M. Pruden [Pruden, D. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi

Chapter Thirteen

“She lied to you.”

Umbra leans against the only window in the small room, his arms crossed over his chest as he speaks. His scowl seems to be chiseled in marble.

We are in a dingy hotel on the wrong side of town, as if this conversation wasn’t one to share with the others. It is the sort of place where you watch your back because there is a chance someone is waiting to plunge a knife in it.

At first, I thought his pissy mood might be because I spoke with Nancy without his permission, but there is something deeper happening.

“No, she didn’t, but you are lying to me right now,” I say.

“How the hell would you know?”

“Call it an acquired sixth sense born from growing up on the street. I know when I’m being strung a story, and buddy, it is written all over you.”

He doesn’t need to learn about my visit to Og. As much as I am more convinced with each passing day that whatever he did to me opened some kind of “channel” to everything I have ever seen or heard, it still sounds too fantastic to be true. While I easily come to conclusions about things, I would normally not have an opinion, I don’t entirely trust that it isn’t my imagination. The last thing I want is my credibility damaged by sounding like a crackpot.

He stares me down for several seconds before his resolve dissolves.

“So, it’s true, then. You went to see McDonald.”

I shake my head, confused by the sudden conversation turn.

“What the hell are you talking about? Who is he?”

Umbra’s stony visage cracks and a hint of a smile turns up the edges of his mouth.

“You know bloody well who Og is. Ikiedo told me he might take you to see him. You are far too confident in your intuition to not have fallen for his medicine show.”

“You don’t believe what he does is legitimate?”

He considers my question before answering. “The problem is that I know it works, but only in a fraction of the cases attempted. The science behind it is sound. Mars funded much of his most recent research, and we employed his techniques for several years. Unfortunately, our technicians could never get the same kind of results he claimed were possible.”

“Look, Umbra, I can’t say if it works or not. There isn’t enough supporting data to tell me if what I believe to be true is my imagination or a flash of brilliant insight. Nancy was ready to end our meeting until I mentioned your name, so, won’t you just cut the bullshit and be honest with me for once?”

A mischievous twinkle dances in his eye. “How will you know if I tell the truth?”

I point to my head. “My new super-powers will tell me.”

He nods. “Right. Don’t get too attached to them because they don’t last. That is another problem with Og’s technique.”

I always thought it might be the case, but I’m still disappointed.

“How long does it last?”

He shrugs. “It

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