Chapter 12

BANG!

Zedd sprung awake in a state of confusion. Blinking away a receding dream, he scanned the room for the source of the noise as his heart raced. He pressed a hand into his eye and listened intently for a moment, but heard nothing more. He threw the covers off and got up to do a quick scan of the apartment.

Zedd entered the darkened living room and was relieved to find nothi ng out of the ordinary. Lena’s cat Nico lay hunched in a loaf on the top of the couch. She stared at Zedd as if she knew the source of the noise, but was keeping it to herself. Peeping his head around the corner, he found the kitchen empty.

A dim light cast warm shadows across the bathroom as Zedd entered. He relieved himself, thoughts of Lena and Ellis stirring in his mind. He was hesitant to contact his agent regarding the matter, but if neither of them showed up in the morning he would have no choice. He sighed heavily.

Zedd stopped at Zark’s door on the way back to his room. It was cracked slightly. He hung his head, haunted by remorse concerning his earlier outburst. He knew Zark was stressed about the move and adjusting to life in this new world. Zedd didn’t blame him. Zark was Zedd’s highest priority and his best friend.

He was grateful to have such a strong relationship with his son, and so proud of how smart and compassionate Zark had become. Zedd knew he didn’t always set an excellent example. He was aware of his recklessness; behavior he was glad his son had the sense to restrain. Zark had certainly gotten that quality from his mother.

Zedd pushed the door open gently, not wanting to disturb his son. He would explain to Zark why he’d lost his temper in the morning. Yes, tomorrow would be a productive day. Lena would call and explain herself. Ellis would recalibrate his location services and return. Zedd and Zark would laugh off their differences. It would work itself out. No need to involve his agent. He peered into the room.

The bed was empty.

He burst fully into the room and turned the light on. The covers of Zark’s bed had been cast aside and his celltab was gone.

“Son of a bitch!” Zedd cursed to himself.

Immediately, Zedd accessed his contact list and called Zark’s celltab. He was furious and afraid. Where could he have gone? he wondered. The call went straight to voicemail. He cursed again. Instinctively, Zedd called Lena. Voicemail. He rushed to the garage. The light flickered on and he found his bike was missing.

Zedd clambered down the stairs and searched the break room. The shop bathroom. Everywhere, hoping for a sign of Zark. He found nothing.

He raised the bay door and the city air rushed to meet him as he stepped into the wide street in his pajamas. Overhead, streets flashed colorful ads saturated with holographic imagery as far as he could see in any direction. But no sign of Zark.

Where could he have gone? He folded his hands on top of his head in frustration before trudging back into the shop and slamming the bay door closed. Just inside, he noticed a metal rod lying in the middle of the shop floor. He mindlessly picked it up and placed it on a nearby shelf on his way back up to the apartment.