Free Broken Pixels (The Chronicles of Mara Lantern, Book 4) by D.W. Moneypenny

asked.
    “The authorities are aware of Cam’s situation and are tracking the locator, but, as you saw on your way here, they may have their hands full for the time being. We could be forced to fabricate a new head.”
    “Meaning Cam will lose a big chunk of who he is,” Mara said.
    “Psychologically it’s unlikely he will fully recover from the loss, but, with support, he can have a good life.”
    A muted tone sounded three times rapidly from the Plexiglas wall, and a soft female voice said, “Dr. Canfield, please report to receiving.”
    She stood next to the table and said, “Please stay here until I get back.”
    Mara held up a finger. “Didn’t that map indicate that Cam’s head was located downtown?”
    The doctor said, “Yes, that’s the latest location we have.”
    “Is it possible for you to show us the picture of this anarchist girl from the dispensary when you get back?” Mara asked.
    “That’s simple. Here it is.” Dr. Canfield tilted her head toward the Plexiglas wall as she walked out.
    A blurry image appeared in a window on the wall.
    Sam said, “It’s Abby!”
    “No, it’s the Aphotis,” Mara corrected. “It’s here, and it’s downtown with Cam’s head.”
     

CHAPTER 10
     
     
    Mara rubbed her palms into her eyes. A part of her hoped she would be able to scrub away the image of Abby’s face that persisted on Mara’s retinas. It wasn’t working. Mara was just making Abby’s face look splotchy. Blinking, Mara placed her hands on the table and looked at Ping, making a conscious effort to avoid staring at the freeze-frame video shot displayed on the wall.
    “How did that creature get here? After our last encounter—when I used the Chronicle to drive it from our realm—I assumed it would end up in Sam’s old realm, since her Chronicle originated there.”
    “That may be true, but, if she and the Chronicle survived the explosion and returned to Sam’s former realm, nothing prevents the Aphotis from crossing to another realm subsequently. You said it was using the abducted passengers from Flight 559 to navigate to realms that it considered safe, correct?”
    Mara nodded.
    “Clearly it used Cam’s head to do the same, and it ended up in this realm, albeit two weeks prior to our arrival. It would be interesting to know if that was intentional, if the Aphotis has figured out how to control the timing of its entry into a realm.”
    “Why would that be so interesting?” Sam asked.
    “First, it would indicate that it was possible to do, and, second, if the Aphotis purposely arrived two weeks before us, it’s possible that it ‘followed’ us to this realm to continue its battle with Mara.”
    “Yeah, but those passengers were abandoned between realms. Remember the black smog that lingered inside the Chronicle’s bubble? Why abandon all those people but keep one guy’s head?” Mara asked.
    “I don’t know. I suppose there is only one way to find out,” Ping said.
    Mara pressed her lips together in a grim expression and said, “Retrieve the head.”
    “Exactly.”
    Sam straightened in his seat, a look of concern on his face. “You’re not serious. We’re not actually going in the middle of that war zone, looking for some guy’s head, just to satisfy your curiosity about why Abby decided to keep it?”
    “First, that Aphotis thing is not Abby,” Mara said. “Second, it’s not just about satisfying our curiosity. We were on the path to retrieving Cam’s head the moment Dr. Canfield said it might not otherwise be returned in time—we just hadn’t discussed it yet.”
    Sam started to say something, but Mara held up a hand and continued, “I’m the one who made the decision to separate Cam’s head from his body. If it weren’t for me, he’d still be in that storage room in the hospital, probably with better odds of surviving intact. I’m also responsible for what is going on with the Aphotis. I went to Prado’s realm, brought back Suter and let him conduct