Into the Sallyverse by S.E. Anderson

Author:S.E. Anderson [Anderson, S.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bolide Publishing Limited
Published: 2023-10-23T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Zander

“Alex is gone, and it’s all your fault!” Matt’s voice thundered, the pitch of his scream far exceeding any measure of control.

Blayde always preached detachment. In our unique existence where physical pain was absent, the wounds of the heart were doubly treacherous. But with Matt, detachment had been impossible. His innate warmth, kindness, and grace made him irresistibly endearing.

But this was not my Matt Daniels.

Well, it was. But I knew him under another name: James T. Kork.

In this reality, untouched by Nimien’s manipulations—where he hadn’t played puppeteer in Sally’s life, orchestrating events to further his own immortal schemes— here stood the authentic Matt Daniels, the one whose identity Nimien didn’t have a chance to steal. The one who was never abducted by offworlders only to be ‘saved’ by the Alliance’s child hire program. Not the youngest captain ever of the flagship Traveler. Just a man from Earth wearing the sleek tuxedo of a stage magician, the deep black of the suit contrasting with a pristine white shirt, a silken bowtie, and a vibrant red pocket square.

The suit was slightly ruffled, and the bowtie askew, betraying signs of a struggle. The fury in his eyes was palpable, but it was the underlying terror that truly gripped me. It was the look of a father whose child was missing, a raw, primal fear that resonated in every tense muscle of his body.

“Your stupid face is plastered all over the wanted lists,” he spat, his anger nearly tangible. His gaze bore into me with an intensity that was almost physical. “How could you? Coming back now, just to rub it in. No. I don’t want your tales of miraculous survival, so spare me. What’s to say you didn’t kidnap my boy?”

“And why would I do that?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know!” Matt’s expression shifted from anger to disbelief, his jaw twitching. He took a deliberate step toward me, pointing a trembling finger at my face. “Alex, you imbecile, is your son!”

The room went deathly silent. All the air escaped my lips and refused to return.

“What...?” I didn’t even realize it was me who had spoken until Matt shouted again.

“My son,” Matt emphasized with a quiver in his voice, “is your biological son! Sally was pregnant when you blew up the plant and abandoned her.”

“How... How is that even possible?”

Zalternate had a son. Alex was his child. My child? In some twisted way? I suddenly felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Of all the universal problems, this was the least expected.

I didn’t even know that was something I was capable of.

Matt’s eyes drilled into mine. “You disappeared, Zander. She was heartbroken, pregnant, and alone. When Alex came, I was there for her. We raised him. Together.”

The realization was like a punch in the stomach. “I... I had no idea.”

“We’ve always protected him from your past, from the threats that always seem to chase after you.” Matt’s voice lost some of its edge, but his stance was still defensive. “And now, you’re back, and he’s gone.

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