The door to Jerik’s room opened quietly. There had been no noise around him for hours now, so he’d been able to notice the approaching footsteps at once. They roused him out of the dull sort of trance that had claimed him the past day or so. Michael had made it quite clear that he wasn’t trusted, and that he should be restrained as soon as possible. Jerik hadn’t fought this, because he knew that he was on the same side as the others, and also that he’d have to try and convince them.

Nobody had been in to visit him. The few interactions he’d had since the Fire Nexus returned to Fairbanks were mainly in the form of glares and grumbling, words which he couldn’t make out, but was certain weren’t kind. He’d been practically dragged from the plane to their base in the Tundra, at which point he’d been shoved into his room. The door was locked, and he was told, in no uncertain terms, that he’d remain there until the Alpha decided what to do with him.

Jerik could have escaped, if he’d wanted to. They’d turned up the heat in his room, of course, so that it was a sweltering one hundred and twenty degrees. It weakened him considerably, but he still had enough power to break through the flimsy walls of the building and escape into the tundra. If he’d wanted to. But he refrained for now, accepting the dizzy haze that the heat put him into, knowing that he deserved at least this for keeping such a big secret from his fellow Nexians.

He lifted his head at the sound of the door unlocking and met Michael’s eyes as the man stepped into his room. If he felt any discomfort at the overwhelming heat, he showed no sign of it. He made a curt gesture that he’d enter alone, and the door closed behind him. He didn’t speak at first, glaring down at Jerik. Jerik met his eyes without any sign of emotion. How would his Alpha do it, he wondered. Would he attack without question? Would he torture him until he spilled all his secrets?

Michael Reeves let out a snort. It was impossible to tell if the sound was amused or disgusted. Jerik guessed the latter. His Alpha, for he did still think of Michael as his natural leader, no matter what the Nexus instincts told him, strode across the room to grab a chair from Jerik’s desk, and, spinning it so that he sat on it backward, plopped it down to bring them to eye level.

Jerik made no attempt to break the silence. If this was to be an interrogation, he would not lie. He needed Michael to understand that he wasn’t an enemy, but he also wouldn’t lower himself by babbling some plea for forgiveness. Despite the difference in rank, he still knew he was their best chance at survival.

After what seemed like hours of tense silence, Michael finally spoke. Surprisingly, his voice was convivial, even cheerful. “Good evening, Jerik. How are you feeling?”

Jerik allowed a slight smirk to form on his face. “Oh, it’s a little hot. But I can’t complain. It’s the least I could do for you, considering what happened in New Toledo.”

Michael’s eyebrows twitched a centimeter closer together, the only display of emotion that made it past his stoic filter. That comment hadn’t pleased him. “You’re lucky to be alive. I could have killed you in New Toledo after what happened.”

That thought had, of course, occurred to Jerik as well. “I know you could have. Thank you for not doing that.”

Michael snorted again. This time it was plainly disgust. “Tell me, Jerik. Were you an enemy before you joined, or did you turn against us after we’d already accepted you?”

“Neither,” Jerik replied smoothly. “I’ve been on your side the entire time. I just let Grimr think that I was going along with his plan to trick him.”

Michael’s frown deepened a degree or two as he tried to sniff out the lie in his answer. There was none, of course. Jerik had never intended to let Grimr destroy the Nexuses. Sure, at the beginning, he’d had no strong loyalty in either direction. He’d actually disliked Grimr from the start, begrudging the Ancient for how easily he decided that he should wipe out an entire people that caused him no real harm.

“So,” Michael said, abruptly changing tack. “How long have you been on Earth? I’d like to think that we’d know aliens were here if it had been more than a few years.”

Now it was Jerik’s time to snort in derision, though he wisely chose not to. “I’m from Earth, Alpha. I’ve spent the past few years in other worlds, but I was born here. Surely you’ve looked me up and learned that.”

“Identities can be faked. Just because there’s evidence that you were born here doesn’t mean that you were.”

“You think that an outsider to this world would know how to create a fake ID?” Jerik asked, making sure to keep his voice level. “They don’t even have computers in Ahya. Why would they know how to do that?”

Michael absorbed that in silence for several seconds, nodding slowly to himself. Then, almost as if the thought had just occurred to him, he said, “And this Libera Terra? How long have you worked with them?”

Jerik frowned, not understanding the question. “Libera Terra?”

“Your human companions,” Michael replied. “The ones that attacked us at the Nexus Games.”

“Ah,” Jerik said, understanding dawning in his mind. He was quick to put that idea down. “I had no idea they existed. I’m not with them. If you’ll remember, I helped fight against them.”

That was certainly true, Michael thought, now rubbing his chin. Jerik had reacted to that sniper shot instinctively, nearly as fast as he’d done. Something told him that the sniper’s reaction had been genuine as well, and not a ploy to hide his intentions. There was no hard evidence that supported the claim of Libera Terra working with these newcomers. What was more, Michael had a keen instinct when it came to sensing the motivations of others. And that instinct was telling him that Jerik had not lied once during this conversation.

“Then explain exactly what you’re doing here,” he said flatly. He didn’t bother phrasing it as a question. “What made you come back to Earth, even if you never intended to fight against us?”

So Jerik told a shortened story of his time in Menora, including the power that Jan-Menora had given him, and how he’d used that power to go to Milagre, where he’d met Eric, Megan, and Grimr. “Nick was one of the people that went to Menora as well. We fought together there, and I knew I could recruit him to fight Grimr when I realized that he was still here.”

Michael had learned of Jerik’s prior service in the military as a sniper almost immediately, but he’d also sensed that the newcomer had actual experience leading other soldiers. Now he could see where that had come from. “Why do you want to fight this Grimr person? From what you’ve told me, he seems quite powerful. Surely you don’t want him as an enemy.”

At that, Jerik merely lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. “He’s powerful in Ahya. But I know enough about his kind to know that he can’t use his true powers here on Earth. He’s no stronger than any other Nexian here.”

“And you think you can beat him.” Again, it was phrased as a statement, rather than a question. Jerik felt a small flare of pleasure at the fact that Michael didn’t doubt him on that score. At least, not enough to vocalize it.

“I do,” he said at once, making sure not to hide any of his confidence. “I’ll make sure he never succeeds in his goal, even if it means I have to kill him.”

The corner of Michael’s mouth twitched, almost a smile. “You know, of course, that we cannot assist you in this fight. We’re too busy taking care of our dead and getting ready to fight back against Libera Terra.”

Jerik nodded his understanding. He’d never expected anything else. “I’ve been preparing to fight him alone this entire time. Well, Nick will help me, I’m sure. But I never intended to ask you for help.”

This time, Michael did really smile. He even let out a short bark of laughter. Half-turning in his chair he addressed the door to the room. “Turn the heat off in this room. I think he’s sweated his guilt out enough.”

There was a faint click, and the hum of the space heaters in the room died away. Then the temperature began to drop rapidly as Michael drew the heat in, siphoning it out of the room and out of Jerik’s body. As it faded, his strength returned. Michael showed no sign of discomfort at the increased heat intake, save for the sweat that already coated his face and shoulders. The white tanktop he wore remained dry with the heat of his body.

Michael rose from his chair but didn’t bother to return it to the desk. “Nick and Megan have also been questioned, and their stories match yours, more or less. I believe that you’re not a threat to the Nexuses. But I meant what I said. You will get no support from me or any other Nexus in your mission.”

“That’s not a problem,” Jerik said, shaking hands with his Alpha. “All I need is Nick, and we can put an end to Grimr here on Earth.”

“That,” Michael said, turning for the door, “is up to his Alpha. Kevin may not be quite as lenient as me.”

In point of fact, Kevin had accepted Nick’s assertion that he wasn’t an enemy even more quickly than Michael. “I knew you weren’t truly our enemy. You’ve been with us longer than the others have been Nexians.”

Nick bowed deeply, pleased at his Alpha’s faith in him. “Thank you, Kevin. I wasn’t sure how you’d react to the news, but I promise I never intended to help Grimr destroy the Nexuses. I knew straight away that Jerik wasn’t his true ally, so I agreed to join him.”

Kevin nodded his understanding. Even Kiera seemed perfectly friendly. “Sorry we had to lock you up, Nick. We just had to be sure.”

Nick waved her apology aside. “I know why you had to do it, and I don’t mind. You were right to take that path, especially as your father was badly hurt.”

Kevin put a hand to his stomach then, as if he could still feel the bullet that had torn through his body, nearly killing him. There was still a thick silver scar there, but the injury had healed. He suspected the scar would remain with him for the rest of his life. Good, he thought. He needed that. It was a reminder of what happened when he let his guard down and just assumed that everything was right with the world. It was the second time he’d made the mistake of not intervening when it was time to, and he was done paying that price.

“I’m sure you know that you will do this alone,” He said to Nick. “I’ve taught you everything that I can, and I know you’re capable of defending us from this threat. But we have to focus our energies on Libera Terra.”

Nick nodded. “I’m sure Jerik already has a plan. Is he still being held prisoner by the Fire Nexus?”

“Michael released him,” Kiera said, looking down at her cell phone. “Emmet just texted me and told me. Michael says you’re welcome to come to Fairbanks and work it out. But even they won’t help. It sounds like they’re waiting for news of Will’s trip before they do anything.”

She’d already briefed Nick on what events had passed since their time in New Toledo. He knew all about Libera Terra, the apparent resurgence of the Soul Nexus, and that Will, James, and Kenta were on their way to St. Paul as they spoke. The Nexus Council couldn’t spare any resources to tackle this new threat, so Will, as the most experienced Alpha regarding Soul Nexus matters, had been marked as the one to meet these new figures and decide whether or not they were a threat.

“Something tells me we’re about to enter a long war,” he said. “It’ll be best if we can stop Grimr quickly so that we can help fight Libera Terra.”

Kevin beamed at him and threw his arms around the young man’s shoulders. “I’m so glad to have you as one of my Nexus, Nick. I had a good feeling about you at the start, you know.”

“Thanks,” Nick said, grinning sheepishly. “I just hope I don’t disappoint you in the end. I’ll pay my respects at Ted’s urn before I leave.

The two of them shook hands, and Kiera hugged him farewell, whispering for him to be careful. When they separated, her eyes were lined with tears that she wouldn’t let fall. He grinned down at her, trying not to betray how nervous he was about what was to come.

“Don’t worry. We’ll come out of this stronger than ever, I just know it.”