Jason and Rachel wailed the final words of Unpaid Phone Life in a tone-deaf harmony. The pop tune blasted through the speakers at an unhealthy volume as they pulled up to their cabin. Jason loved timing his songs so that they ended precisely as he arrived at his destination and made a game of it.

  He hit the brakes harder than he intended in order to get the timing right. The sound system, much newer than the rusted truck, shut off as he cut the power. Allowing his playlist to start a new song would ruin the effect.

  Rachel giggled at him. They didn't sing because they were any good at it. They both knew they were hopelessly tone-deaf, but that didn't matter. They screamed the words because it was fun. Singing badly when they were together was okay. Laughing at each other if they mixed up the words when an unfamiliar song came on was also on the table. They wouldn't dare sing their lousy tunes of mumbled verses and screamed choruses if another passenger was present. But together, they could be themselves.

  Jason grinned at Rachel, leaned across the armrest, and kissed her gently. After the peck, she smiled in return, but her smile faded as she glanced out of the windshield.

  "Jason," she prompted as she grabbed his arm lightly.

  He followed her gaze to see a figure sitting on the wooden porch of their cabin. The person was small, a young teen, by the looks of him. He sat hunched over, his black baseball cap concealing his face. A backpack with what appeared to be a brace of dead rabbits hanging from it lay at the stranger's side.

  Jason froze for a moment.

  "Stay here," he told Rachel as he reached for the door handle.

  "He's just a kid," Rachel muttered. "Where did he come from?"

  Jason didn't like this. The nearest cabin was at least two miles away, and they were supposedly isolated by miles of pine forest — precisely the type of place where they weren't supposed to get surprise visits.

  Jason momentarily contended with the stubborn door handle before forcing the door open and stepping out. He left the keys in the ignition.

  "Can I help you?" he asked suspiciously as he shut the door and walked down the dirt driveway. He crossed over to his unexpected guest and scanned the surrounding trees for any other abnormalities.

  Rather than speaking, the teen answered in American Sign Language by waving, hooking a pinky, and wrapping his fore and middle fingers around his thumb. Hi, Jason.

  Jason gasped.

  "Seriously," the kid said as he looked up, exposing his eyes. "Is that how you greet your brother?"

  Jason's jaw dropped. "Flint!"

  A ghost of a smile tugged at Flint’s lips, though cloaked in fatigue and a hint of something more bitter.

  "Flint, what are you doing here?"

  "I came to see you," Flint said. "Or is that not allowed?"

  The truck door opened behind Jason.

  "Jason, who's this?" Rachel asked from the truck, seeing that the two were familiar.

  "Rachel … this is my brother, Flint," Jason said, still trying to understand the impromptu visit.

  "Brother?" Rachel said, surprised. "It looks like you have some explaining to do, mister." She pulled the key out of the ignition and hopped lightly out of the truck.

  "He didn't tell you about us?" Flint asked.

  "Us?" Rachel repeated. "Jason, just how many siblings do you have?"

  Jason felt a flush of guilt as he looked away nervously.

  "Well, you see, there's six of us."

  "Six!" Rachel said emphatically. "And you had no intention of introducing or even mentioning your family to me before we got married?"

  This time, Flint looked stunned. "Married?" he asked dryly. “Yeah, man, you ran away for years and got married. Was it too much for you to call?"

  Jason groaned inwardly. He knew he would have to deal with this eventually, but he wasn't expecting it so soon.

  "Look, Rachel," he said, "I never lied about my family."

  "You told me that your father's a war criminal and your mother was abusive; you never said anything about siblings."

  "I never said I didn't have siblings," Jason tried sheepishly.

  "Not good enough." Rachel huffed as she pushed past Jason and approached Flint. "I'm Rachel," she introduced herself politely. “I guess we're family now."

  Flint evaluated her cautiously; the alien anomaly was foreign but potentially exciting. He groaned as he pulled himself to his feet; he steadied himself on a wooden pillar and extended a hand.

  "I would hug you, but I'm ripe with B.O." He chuckled in embarrassment. He swayed unsteadily and held the post to ground himself.

  "Poor thing, you're exhausted!" Rachel exclaimed as she saw Flint’s fatigue. Then, looking at the darkening sky, she said, "Let's get you inside; it's getting cold."

  She motioned for Jason to get the door.

  Jason mumbled his assent and went to the door. "Leave those outside," He said, pointing to the two rabbits hanging from Flint's backpack. "We have real food inside."

  Jason grabbed the doorknob, and it beeped as the biometrics in the knob read his fingertips. It clicked open at his touch.

  The Vances ushered Flint in and let him raid their kitchen. Jason apologized to Rachel every five minutes as Flint took a long shower. Whenever he saw fit to apologize, Rachel shrugged and said, "He seems nice. I can't wait to meet the rest of them soon."

  The implication was clear. Meeting the rest of Jason's family wasn't a request.

  Flint, now showered and dressed in clean clothes, slumped on a sofa in the living room. Jason and Rachel sat on the adjoining couch. Jason angled away, but Rachel studied her brother-in-law head-on.

  "You must be tired," Rachel said. "Of course, you'll stay with us."

  "He will?" Jason asked.

  Rachel shot him an icy stare.

  "I mean, make yourself at home, Flint," Jason corrected himself, "For tonight."

  Flint nodded and leaned back, putting his feet on the glass coffee table. Jason noticed this familiarity with a flickering hint of distaste.

  "I really want to get to know you," Rachel said. "Be ready to answer ten million questions in the morning."

  Flint chuckled. "I'm tired, but I'd like to get to know you. It isn't every day someone finds out they have a new sister."

  "Flint." Jason cut in, still trying to understand how Flint found him. "What are you really doing here?"

  Flint returned the level look at Jason. "Mom's in jail."

  Rachel gasped, but Jason only nodded. "About time," he muttered under his breath. "But did you guys move? I thought you lived in Arizona."

  "We did," Flint said.

  "Then how did you get here?"

  "I crab-walked," Flint said dryly.

  Jason glared.

  Flint shrugged. "Walking, hitchhiking. I, uh, borrowed a car a while back."

  Jason frowned at the word borrowed.

  "How old are you now?"

  "Fifteen."

  "Flint," Jason said, disappointed. "You're still a kid; don't be like Mom and Dad."

  Flint scowled. "I can take care of myself; I'm good at improvisation."

  "You're half-starved; how is that 'taking care of yourself'?"

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  "I'm fine," Flint insisted. "I just need a place to lay low for a while, and you’ve done a great job disappearing."

  Jason's eyebrows arched slightly. He liked this less and less." Lay low? Flint, are you in trouble with the law? What did Dad make you do?"

  "No, of course not!" Flint panicked. "Well, maybe. Mom was just put in jail, and I am a minor, so I'm technically wanted by CPS."

  "CPS?" Rachel asked.

  "Child Protective Services," Jason explained. "I used to pray every day that they would find me and take me away when I was a kid. Why are you running from them, Flint? I'm sure they could find you a wonderful foster family."

  "What a great idea!" Flint chirped. "Then I can have tea parties in the sunshine, sing nursery rhymes, and live happily ever after as a typical civilian whose greatest achievement is getting a diploma and a wife who doesn't even know anything about his scattered siblings. Yeah, I don't think so."

  "That's it. I'm calling CPS right now," Jason said as he pulled out his phone.

  "No!" Flint cried. "I'm looking for dad."

  Jason stopped. "Why? You think he cares about you? You think he cares about any of us? If he's missing, he's probably dead in some African proxy war."

  "He's not dead." Flint insisted, "I know where he is."

  "Good," Jason decided. "Tell me, and I'll tell the cops."

  Flint sobered and took a cautious breath. "You know those people who have disappeared in random flashes of light?"

  This time, Rachel sat up straight, and Jason saw it.

  "That's actually a thing?" he asked dejectedly.

  "It's been on the news for at least half a year," she affirmed. It happened to one of my patient’s sisters.”

  Jason rolled his eyes. Now she agreed with him? "Flint, you're chasing a conspiracy theory."

  "It's not!" Flint insisted. "It's happening worldwide; Manticore Inc. and Jericho both have files on it."

  "Jericho, as in Jericho Incorporated? As in ‘colonizing other planets’, Jericho?" Jason asked.

  "No, Jason, Jericho, as in the walls came tumbling down, what do you think?"

  Jason held up a dismissive hand. "Flint, don't do this; Dad only cares about his contracts. He's better off gone. Stay away from him."

  Flint's eyes hardened. "You're an ungrateful coward, you know that, right?"

  Jason started in surprise. Was Flint actually defending Dad?

  "He tried to make you strong and train you, and you ran away. People respect Dad, and they would have respected you too."

  "Flint, Dad's a criminal in almost every country on the planet." Jason stopped. That may have been an exaggeration, but the point was valid. "He wanted us to be like him. I'm sorry, but I couldn't let you go after him if you found him. That is if he were in a real place and not in some trending news hoax."

  Flint shut his lips tight, seemingly restraining himself from further debate. "I'll be gone in the morning."

  Jason blinked at the response. That was precisely what he wanted, but he wasn’t relieved. Instead, a pang of guilt twisted in his gut. His little brother had come to him for shelter and refuge, and he had been nothing short of arduous and even a jerk.

  "Flint, I'm sorry." Jason sighed with regret. "I didn't mean to come off so harshly; it's just that we got married less than two months ago. Your appearance is just so unexpected. Please, stay as long as you need."

  Flint shook his head. "I don’t need to be here. I thought maybe you would help me find him, but I see there's no point in asking for it. I'll just follow his contract on my own."

  Jason's eyes widened. "You have one of Dad's contracts?"

  Flint shook his head. "Forget it."

  "Flint, stay away from that stuff. It's dangerous. What kind of brother would I be if I let you throw your life away doing something so perilous?"

  "I don't think it's up to you," Flint muttered. "You have no familial duty to us anymore. You chose that when you left us."

  The three of them sat silently for a moment, and Rachel, who had been silently studying the boys, piped up cautiously. "I clearly don't know enough about what's going on," she prefaced. “But I see my brother-in-law, exhausted and half-starved. You can make your own choices, Flint, but I'm not letting you leave until you're well-rested and ready to travel."

  Flint shook his head. "Listen, lady. I need to g—"

  "Let me rephrase myself," Rachel said with a playfully dangerous gleam in her eye. "You will stay here, or I’ll stab you in the leg so you can't run. I need to practice sutures for an upcoming exam. Just give me a reason."

  Flint tried to be angry with this stranger, apparently now his sister, but he couldn't hold back a smile.

  "Why are you with Jason?” he asked. “You’re way out of his league." Flint blushed as he considered what he said. “It is getting late, and this sure beats sleeping outside. I’ll leave first thing in the morning."

  Rachel smiled, satisfied at the answer, and Flint started to blink with heavy eyes.

  "Oh, you poor man, you must be so tired," Rachel realized. “We'll leave you to get some sleep." She grabbed Jason by the arm, but he resisted slightly. The reunion with his brother hadn’t gone at all like he would have preferred. More than a few things wrapped his conscience in guilt, but seeing Flint flop onto the couch, back turned away, Jason realized he wouldn't get a second chance.

  Jason slumped against the doorframe. When he’d walked out of his home for the last time, he promised himself that he’d come back for the rest of them, but the further he got from Phoenix, the easier it had been to focus on the future. Flint was just a kid, but watching him, an odd, familiar ache of helplessness and fury burned in Jason’s chest.

  Rachel slipped her hand into his. She gently pulled him up the stairs to their loft bedroom.

  Once they entered their room, Rachel closed the door and turned to him with pleading eyes. She wanted to say something but restrained herself.

  “What? Jason asked.

  "You need to try harder," she insisted.

  “What do you mean?” he asked. “I had no idea he would be here.”

  Rachel considered her words. “I know you don’t like talking about your home life, but he came here for refuge, and all he found was a cold shoulder.”

  Jason groaned. “I know. What is wrong with me? If only I could get him to leave Dad alone. He'll get himself into trouble. Maybe even get himself killed. I need to call CPS."

  “Jason!” Rachel recoiled. “He came to you because he’s looking for someone to trust. You can do more for him than they can. If anything, we could try to get temporary custody.”

  Jason laughed dryly. “And tow Flint around? He’s troubled, Rachel. Also, we can’t afford to take him in. Legal fees are expensive, and we only have one bedroom. We’d be doing him a disservice. He needs a youth counselor and a family that can provide for him.”

  “He needs his family, Jason. That’s you, and that’s me.”

  “Flint is in danger, Rachel,” Jason insisted. “So long as he’s involved with Dad, I’d be a bad brother if I let him go. CPS is his best chance.”

  Rachel crossed the room to wrap him in an embrace. "I know you're just looking out for him," She acknowledged, "But he clearly doesn't share your feelings about your family. If he’s in trouble, you need to help him. Don’t betray what little trust he has."

  “I don’t know how to help him,” Jason said.

  Rachel squeezed him. “When you left home, who did you lean on?”

  “No one,” Jason said bitterly. “I had to find my own way.”

  “Flint doesn’t have to go through that. You can be here for him. Think about what you wanted, and be that for him.”

  Jason nodded as he squeezed her tight. "Okay. Flint’s a good kid. I need to do better. I'm sorry." The words slipped out as an easy appeasement, but Jason didn’t believe them. On one hand, the sooner Flint was gone, the sooner he could rebury old memories that had been abruptly excavated. On the other hand, Jason couldn’t allow Flint to continue his insane crusade.

  "You're a good man, Jason." Rachel smiled fondly, tipping her head to look up at him. Her eyes twinkled, and Jason kissed her softly, but his insides rolled. How could he get life back to normal while doing what was best for Flint? Rachel turned to go to the bathroom, leaving Jason to himself.

  With an unoccupied mind, suppressed memories clawed back into his mind. His mom clutched his arm as she injected him with a syringe. Fire burned in his veins. “I’ll perfect you,” she promised, madness in her eyes.

  Jason clenched a tight fist and banished the thoughts.

  He wasn't alone in these memories. Flint was as much a victim as he was. Jason decided he was actually glad Flint was here; Mom and Dad were both gone, and it was unfair to react to Flint as though he was their mother herself.

  Invisible weight shed from his shoulders at the realization. Jason could be a big brother again. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. Even though Flint was reckless, he had to do the reasonable thing.

  He searched for a number and gave it a call.

  It rang twice.

  "Child Protective Services, this is Mandi," a woman said from the other side.

  "Hey, my name is Jason. I just wanted to let you know I found my brother. He's been on the run, and I just wanted you to know he's okay," Jason said.

  "What's his name?" Mandi asked.

  "Flint Vance," Jason said.

  "Hmm, Flint Vance? Okay, he's listed as missing. He’s your brother?"

  "That's right."

  "As a direct relative, it's fine for you to have temporary custody over him, so long as you bring him in within two weeks. Do you intend to apply for permanent custody?"

  “No,” Jason said, instinctively looking toward the bathroom door as he did. Rachel and Jason weren’t ready for a child of their own, not to mention a high-risk teenager loaded with baggage. "No, I just wanted to let you know he's safe."

  Click- The line cut off.

  "I'm sorry, bruv," a new male voice said in a thick British accent. "You said you have Flint Vance?"

  Jason looked at his phone, confused for a breath, before returning it to his ear.

  "Yeah."

  "Okay, We have to send a unit to confirm before we remove his missing status. Can we check in with you tomorrow?"

  "Um, sure," Jason said. "But you're not going to take him, right?"

  "No. We just need to see him."

  "Okay, you'll need my address."

  "We already have your address. Thanks for your help." The man hung up, leaving Jason slightly confused, but a more subtle feeling in his gut hinted that something was wrong.

  Flint waited for Jason and Rachel to leave before he swung his feet back over the couch. He didn't usually trust adults, but Rachel was young, and he was secretly pleased with the addition to the family. His only real sister was Carly, who had quickly been taken by CPS when the cops dragged his mom away. Of course, Rachel could never replace Carly, but this was new and fascinating.

  Flint dug into his backpack and pulled out his tablet and the strange metal cone he had taken from his father's storage unit. Based on his dad’s emails, he was pretty sure the device was called a jumpstarter.

  Pulling out his tablet, he opened a digital map. Pins dotted the Rockies, and he zoomed in on one just over a mile north. He didn't dare turn on his GPS. In fact, taking no chances, he traveled only after removing his battery from his phone and always avoided connecting his tablet to the internet.

  He hadn't come to Jason by chance. Jason had been a pleasant surprise, but he was here for the jump point marked on the map. He was going to find his dad, and he was going to see him soon.

  He had stumbled into something big. According to his dad's files, the two most competitive corporations in the world were dueling over their perceived most valuable resource: land.

  Cross-world colonization changed everything. Jericho owned several minor planets where they made the rules unrestrained by any government. Manticore hadn't been able to get ahold of a world of its own yet, which made things between them rather ruthless, and brutality was his dad's most marketable skill.

  If Flint played his cards right, he could find his dad, reunite his family, and become disgustingly rich while he was at it. The world would respect the Vances again.

  Flint smiled as he pulled out the glowing stone. Ice. He was sure that's what it was called, as it was also referenced in his dad's emails. Though they called it light ice, it was anything but cold. In fact, it pulsed with a gentle warmth. Flint touched a hidden touchpad at the base of the jumpstarter, and the top half hissed as it split into four pieces, revealing a small wire claw in the center.

  He smiled, remembering how he found the switch in an instruction brief hidden in his dad's files. He had scoured the documents by the fire as he trekked across several states, mostly on foot. Sticking to the wilderness helped shake the Jericho agents, though he was sure they caught his trail every time a security camera picked up his face.

  Flint dropped the piece of light ice into the claw, and it reacted by firmly gripping the glowing pebble. The jumpstarter hummed as it closed again, concealing the radiant stone. The unrecognizable unknown writing scrawled across the outside and pulsed gently with golden light.

  Flint returned the now-primed jumpstarter to his backpack. First thing in the morning, he would find out who Ash was.

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