WHEN HEROES FALL

by Abby J. Reed

  “Uh.” Breaker shifted. “What?”

  Cal held up a vial filled with black Extrat blood. Stars, was he carrying that around in his pocket? Gross. “This. I have several specimens now.” He gestured to the corner, toward a box shoved against the wall. “Some of the Elik and Herons were willing to donate their blood to let me look. There are proteins only found in Elik and Heron blood. Others only in Humans.” He brightened. “Their shared proteins actually suggest the dark matter helped the Herons evolve into the Elik over a period of time—”

  Luka growled. “I don’t care about that.”

  Breaker raised his hand. “I do. It supports what Jupe suggested. That the dark matter can change us.”

  Cal nodded. “That type of blood color change happens over a long time.”

  I spread out my wings. “What do your specimens mean then?”

  “Extrats used to be us. They were once people.”

  “What happened?” I said.

  Cal gestured for us to come over to the corner, where the boulder sat. “I have a theory.” He waved at Luka. “Help me move this.”

  “How the hell did you get this thing down here?” Luka said.

  “Don’t ask.”

  Luka and Cal shoved against the boulder. They dug in their heels and eventually the rock slid.

  “That’s enough.” Cal pointed at his feet, where a narrow pit had been exposed.

  Breaker and I stepped to the edge. He let me grab onto his arm for reassurance. What could Cal possibly keep trapped down there?

  I gasped.

  Inside, an Extrat with amputated arms curled on its side. Even though it had no face, I could tell it was glowering at us. It rolled into a squat position, as though testing its legs to ready a jump.

  “Well.” Luka ran a hand over his scalp. “Bang me a new one.”

  Cal put his hand on Luka’s shoulder. “Yeah, man. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not.” Luka shrugged him off. “Khaim-ass deserved it.”

  Breaker’s voice reached peak level. Now he gripped my arm, nearly sealing off my blood flow. “You’re keeping a bloody Extrat as a pet? Was that thing here the entire time we dragged that corpse in? Why couldn’t you just have dissected this one?”

  Cal looked at Luka, searching for approval. “I needed one I knew once had red-blood to test my theory on.”

  Luka sucked on his teeth.

  I tilted my head at Luka. “You know who that used to be?”

  Luka took out his mini. “Petrick. My oldest brother. I’d know that khaim-ass anywhere, even without a face. Banged the girl I was sweet on.”

  Breaker’s mouth fell open, as though he couldn’t conceive of a world where even if his brother turned Extrat, he could kill him. “How is that your brother?”

  Luka turned to Cal. “You done with it?” At the nod, he jumped into the pit. The edged mini blade jammed into the Extrat’s head, killing it instantly. Luka grabbed onto the ledge and easily swung himself out. He grabbed one of the clean bandages and wiped off the blood from his blade, tossing it into the dirty pile.

  Cal pushed against the boulder. Breaker joined and they managed to cover the Extrat body. Done, Cal wiped stone dust onto his pants. “Once we figured out only the dark matter weapons worked, I convinced Malvyn to let us deal out what we could. Petrick had this cut on his palm and didn’t tell me about it. You know Petrick, man, always swaggering like his dick’s too big for his pants.”

  Luka snorted.

  “We were out of weapons, so I handed him the dark matter shard. That’s how I saw it. He grabbed it and, well, it grabbed back. At first he was fine. Then he went crazy. Screaming, writhing, and it—” Cal shuddered. “It spread. Like it consumed him.”

  A memory formed in my mind. An image—warning shouts echoing up from the mines. That monsa’s foster family grabbing on to our neighbor’s wife to prevent her from sprinting to the mines. Her wailing and tears. Nobody would let me get closer.

  But one dia, when it happened again, I peeked. I had flown to the rooftops, gotten the glimpse of Elik spears hurtling at a dark shape emerging from the mines. Oh, Astook. Why had I never put the pieces together before? “That sounds like the mine craze,” I said.

  Cal’s gaze snapped to mine. “Mine craze?”

  “I never truly saw it happen. I wasn’t allowed. But sometimes there’d be an Elik in the mines who went insane. At least, that’s what it sounded like. I thought it was because they were singing to the metal for too long. I know they were killed. What if it was this?”

  Cal tugged at one of his curls. “We know if it’s bonded, it becomes safe, like your wings and Breaker’s cap. My theory is that Extrats used to be people until raw dark matter touched their blood and consumed them.”

  To my surprise, Luka nodded. “That would make sense. Malvyn mentioned he thinks these Extrats came from the islands we saw on our way in. It makes sense for there to be another dark matter deposit somewhere, even if small. What if all our scout parties over the cycles, everyone who tried to go south, found the dark matter and got consumed? Consumed or killed. It would explain why the scouts never returned. And how Extrats could be on Scarlatti this entire time.”

  My mind began to run. Over half the survivors were bleeding somewhere on their body. And almost everyone carried dark matter in some form. At any moment, someone could get consumed . . . And then reach for the face nearest them.

  Oh, Astook.

  Breaker paled as he put the pieces together too. He tilted his cap in the light. “I didn’t get consumed.” He rapped on my wings. “Neither did Malani.”

  “The question is,” Cal said. “Why did Petrick get consumed and not you two? I have all three of your med records on file. Well, not as complete for you, Malani. But enough to tell me it didn’t have anything to do with blood. Which means it has to do with something else completely.”

  My brain spun. But the only hint of a reason wasn’t a hint at all, just the remnant shakes of that nightmare and a growling stomach.

  Luka groaned. “Piece of hell. Now I gotta warn everybody not to touch it if they’re bleeding.” He turned to me and Breaker. “Grab some food and your ‘stroids. You’re leaving now before this gets any worse.” He stomped out of the room, even more pissy than when he walked in.

  My nose wrinkled. “Anyone else feel as though he just cursed us?”

  Chapter 25

  JUPE

  The sunlight refracting off the ice was blinding. I breathed in the fresh sea air as the transport pod hurtled us from the palace. I had been scrubbed down, fed, and shoved into new clothes a saturated shade of violet. My reflection in the window was hazy, but the vibrant color made me look less tired than I actually was. That’s why she used the gas. It left no marks. The first move in this political game—aligning me through color and health with the Queen.

  The Queen sat across from me in a reclining seat, bangles slipped down her muscular arms, rings tapped against the armrest, lips painted and pursed as she stared over the water. Scorpia had the same contemplative, fierce expression right before she threw her kpinga at me. But there was nowhere to duck from the Queen’s next blow.

  The pod circled, descended, and I glanced again outside. We now hovered over the very center of Atina, over the massive amphitheater. People packed every row, media droids lined every aisle, and I had no doubt every line readied for recording. I’d seen several of these announcements before. For several horas before us, different speakers would’ve taken the stage, priming the audience for the intended message and finale: Me.

  “Ready?” The Queen’s smile was thin. As we landed in the middle, she didn’t need to whisper a warning of what would happen to Tahnya and Brody if I didn’t play along. She wouldn’t want to. I could claim later she coerced me into saying what I was about to. The second
move in this horrid game.

  My stomach turned over. My thoughts drifted back to Tahnya and Brody and my resolve hardened. If there were only a way I could rebel in some subtle way . . . I closed my eyes, trying to channel Breaker’s energy. If there were anybody who could slip his way around words, it was him. I opened my eyes. “Ready.”

  The pod’s ceiling opened, revealing the cheering audience. The noise thundered against my ears. Only after several secs could I make out the Hero! Hero! Hero! that made up the chant. A wash of violet caught my eye, and I twisted to see a klack-level floating vid screen hovering to the right, blowing me to an improbable size, sitting side by side in luxury next to the Queen Mother.

  I was going to be sick.

  Instead I bit the inside of my cheek and, though it felt like a thousand kilos, lifted my hand in a half-hearted wave.

  The crowd went loco.

  By the Angel. I really was a celebrity.

  The Queen Mother waited patiently as the noise died down with an understanding, benevolent gaze toward her unruly children, probably the only real motherly act she ever did. When the amphitheater was finally quiet, she waved toward me. I wouldn’t even have to move in order to have this interview.

  “Jupiter Cho, I am so heartened you could join us. And that you are alive.” Between the natural effects of the amphitheater, and the assistance of some basic tech, she didn’t need to raise her voice. “My daughter was rash in sentencing your banishment.”

  Ah. That was the Queen’s opening. Trying to discredit Scorpia. Did that mean she was afraid of Scorpia’s influence? She definitely knew, then, that Scorpia rescued ShuShu and brought him to us.

  “Gracias, Your Majesty. Though, I must say, if I were Princess Scorpia, I would’ve made the same decision. I’m a dangerous man to keep around.”

  A laugh broke among the crowd.

  The Queen’s eyes burned, but the expression didn’t translate to the screen. “Indeed. Will you tell us the fascinating story of how you survived?”

  I hiked a leg across my knee and leaned back, a lazy, cocky position. “A man must keep his secrets.” After the audience groaned, I leaned forward. “But I will tell you one thing—what happened on Syktyv.”

  “Please do. Line activity has skyrocketed since then. We are all dying to know the truth from somebody with integrity.”

  For a sec, my jaw tightened. That word choice was intentional. By mimicking what Raelyn and Levi said about me, everything I said here would be taken as truth—otherwise I would discredit myself as a potential faction leader. Part of me wanted to lie, to smash my way through the words. But ShuShu’s image stayed with me. Little Hero, don’t give up.

  What would Breaker do?

  Angel above, por favor for Tahnya’s sake, don’t let this grin look forced. “Some of the media sites are correct, Leader’s faction was in a transitionary period. We had set up a temp base as we moved to a more permanent location.”

  “What is the main purpose of the factions?”

  I leveled my gaze at her. “Some of us are unhappy with the current ruling situation. Some of us want more of a voice. Some of us want better opportunities. Every faction’s goal was to change that, one small step at a time.”

  Though nobody here cheered outright, I knew everybody watching this live who sympathized or had a drop of red in their blood, would be.

  “And now the factions are no more,” she said. “What happened next?”

  “An Extrat attack. Killed almost everyone, including ShuShu Cho. Princess Scorpia had brought him to us as a sign of good faith. He almost made it out.”

  The Queen’s lips tightened. She wasn’t expecting me to say that. “And Leader is dead as well?”

  “Sí. She is also dead.” I knew what the Queen wanted me to say next. Something to discredit the factions, to strip away their rebelling power. She had to show I was working with her so that they would refuse to consider me as someone to help unite them. She could not actually kill me directly. Killing me would turn me into a martyr. And, despite her threats, as I was now realizing, she couldn’t actually kill Tahnya or Brody without affecting any future performances of mine. That gave me some leeway. “The Extrat’s attacks are getting more and more frequent, aren’t they? A true threat to every wedge and every zone.”

  An almost imperceptible pause. “They are,” she said.

  “What are we doing about it? Is it possible to reallocate some of the resources put toward opening your new mines toward protecting the galaxy against them? Even a handful of GUs will make a difference in trying to protect ourselves against an enemy that can’t be killed. Every dia they creep closer and closer to even the green-zone. Last monsa, they did attack a system in the green-zone. Soon, nobody will be safe. Not even those here in Atina. At least my uncle tried . . .”

  Murmurs scattered across the crowd. That was the greatest fear of anybody living in the cushy capital. That the problems of the rest of the galaxy would catch up to them. Even if they’d been trying to ignore the Extrats, some part of their brain was aware of the fact. Their time of safety was no longer guaranteed.

  The Queen Mother’s smile grew terse. “We are putting all available resources toward the problem.”

  “But is what you’re doing enough to—”

  The Queen wrenched the conversation away from where I was trying to take it. “What can you tell us about the recent riots?”

  A thought rose to my mind. If the Queen was putting so much effort into discrediting Scorpia, was it possible that Scorpia was financing Levi and Raelyn’s efforts? She hadn’t shown up at our event, or at all since Syktyv. She should’ve been here. And she wasn’t. What were the chances she was with the factions, right now, helping them?

  “The masses in the riots are right about one thing without question, the Hero of Salvade is still alive!”

  Another cheer broke.

  The Queen opened her mouth, but I cut in. “They also have one other thing right. We need to unite the remaining factions. To let the riots go on unchecked is to invite destruction. It’s the last thing my uncle would’ve wanted. He dreamed of a united, peaceful galaxy. We need to show the galaxy a united front—the factions and the royal house, together, despite our blood color, can defeat the Extrats. Vivir valiente! Vivir cierto!”

  The crowd split into roaring approval as I picked up the Queen Mother’s hand—shock, then pleasure, crossed her face—and lifted our conjoined grasp to the heavens. When we finally let go, she basked in the success of her plan so much she didn’t notice that I had lifted the tiniest metal ring off her finger.

  Chapter 26

  BREAKER

  It was late afternoon when we climbed through the underground into the center, waiting for Luka. The beam coordinates were in my pocket and a satchel Lewis had owned hung from my shoulder. Prints of grease stains spotted the tiny outside glasses pocket. My throat closed over.

  I opened the flap, checking on what makeshift explosives the compound could spare for our defense. Between the tools I hunted down in the underground and my memory of the beam program, I was pretty confident I could recreate it. All those horas spent dinking around the interface on the return journey were not wasted.

  Hopefully, Scorpia would be monitoring the data ports and she’d be able to beat the Queen to Scarlatti. It was our only chance.

  Malani spent the spare moments reorganizing our food in her bag. Her dreads were tied back with scraps of fabric and she wore whatever layers others shared. She’d strapped a dark matter dagger to a belt and pre-slit the extra tunics so her wings could have free range. The dark matter knife wound on her wing had a thin pitch-black film across it, almost like a scab. Breaking a wing and being exposed to open space didn’t take as long to heal as this. Neither of us wanted to risk ripping the wound open, even if Circuit was more light-weight
now. So flying was out.

  I looked out into the square. The mist had rolled back, leaving a solid glimpse. The square seemed smaller than I remembered. Before I left, Circuit couldn’t handle walking straight down the middle. Now, nobody could ‘cause there was no true middle. Not with all the rubble and furniture and remnants of everydia life strewn about, not with half the perimeter buildings gone. Not even my new Circuit could help me maneuver around that obstacle course. Besides Malani shuffling behind me, no sounds came into the center. As though the compound were already dead.

  I ground my teeth.

  Dead wasn’t an option.

  “Breaker, Malani, you two khaims there? Over.”

  Malani’s eyebrow arched. She threaded the sack through a wing and onto her back. “I think Luka likes having an excuse to use the comms.”

  “Prolly.” I pressed my comm with my cap. “We’re here. No mist. No Extrats in visible range. Over.” Most of them had stayed up near the orchards or drifted toward the crash site. The scouts had said I’d just missed a group after I grabbed the data port coordinates.

  Luka jogged through the square toward the center, pushing a solabike. Of course he’d find the one path through the mess. The bike didn’t ride as smooth with all the damage done to the compound, since all the mineral deposits were disrupted by the bombs. But it’d work. His guns clinked as he threw quick darting glances on either side of him, always aware. Always watching.

  He parked the bike at the bottom of the center stairs and waved for us to join him. He took Malani’s bag and strapped it to the side. “The other three remaining bikes are at the north, east, and south ends of the compound. On my mark, we’ll have all four bikes ride out at once. Hopefully, that’ll buy a bit of distraction for you to get up to the fortress and the tower.”