The journey back from Zeta was a long blur of quiet, light-speed velocity.
Inside the cockpit of the ship, Jayden spent most of the time leaning back in his seat and staring out at the shifting streams of warped starlight. His mind replayed the confrontation with Rick over and over again. The Pioneer hadn't tried to steal the Energy Converter, nor had he attempted to drag out a fight to the death. He had baited out a single application of Jayden's Intangibility, then vanished into thin air.
He had no idea what Rick had been trying to confirm. But the encounter had left him with a bad feeling, and he couldn't shake it.
By the time the ship breached Earth's upper thermosphere and descended into the familiar skyline of Emerald City, the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in pale shades of orange and gray.
