by Kate Moretti
He feigns a hurt expression. “I can’t believe they’d think I would dare to corrupt your virtue.”
“I know your intentions are nothing but pure.”
We stop at two large double doors.
I look at him. “You sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah. You need my help.”
“I rigged my all-in-one a few months back to hack into the hangar bay so I can scan for occupants and get in without people knowing.”
“You are a sneaky one.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Yeah, I know.” I look down at my all-in-one again. “Okay, it looks like the coast is clear.”
I make a few clicks to my wrist, and the door whines then opens slowly. Once the opening is big enough, we slip through. As we go down the hangar, we weave between the various transports.
“So how do you plan on getting your little ship out of here?” Gauge asks. “They monitor all the comings and goings on this outpost.”
“Man, you have no faith in me. I have a jammer on my rig. They only scan the rock once every four hours, and according to my handy-dandy all-in-one, they scanned about two hours ago, so we have plenty of time.”
“Well, you have everything planned out, don’t you?”
“Of course I do.”
We finally reach my tiny rig. Much to Ian’s chagrin, Marc gave me an old, rundown Star Sprinter for my thirteenth birthday. Since I got her up and running, I’ve used any excuse I can to get her out and about.
I pull out a couple of environmental suits from the small craft and throw one to him. We both suit up.
“So, you ready for this, Gauge?”
“Riding with you nauseates me, but sure—let’s go.”
We hop in the Sprinter and strap in. I push a button, and the canopy closes down over us.
Gauge’s voice comes over the comms. “You sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Geez, I stall it one time, and you never let me forget it. For someone so hell-bent on starting up a transport business with me, you’re awful scared of flying.”
“Well, I figured you’d have a few years of professional instruction under your belt before we started that venture.”
Tired of hearing him talk, I push the launch button. We’re thrust from the hangar into the expanse beyond. I snicker. “You were saying?”
He takes a deep breath. “Never mind. Let’s just get to the rock and get out.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
I punch in the coordinates, and within minutes, the rock is in view. I hover over the landing pad for a few seconds, then the Sprinter comes down with a thud.
“Nice landing, slick.”
“Shut up. Landing is the hard part.”
I push a couple of buttons, and the canopy opens. We crawl out of the Sprinter, our boots sticking to the magnetized landing pad as we shuffle toward the airlock. Gauge turns a lever on the door, and we go in. Once the door’s closed, a rush of air fills the compartment, then the indicator light turns green. We go through the entry door then remove our helmets. Usually, the processing structure is abuzz with activity around the clock, but now it’s vacant, dimly lit, and quiet.
Gauge puts his hand on my shoulder. “You gonna be okay? You don’t have to go. I’ll go in and report anything I find to you.”
“I need to do this.”
“All right then. Let’s get going, because we don’t have long before they start scanning again.”
We take the magnetic strips off our boots and start down the hall. There’s nothing I can say. Every time I try, the words get caught in my throat. I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to think. I just want to be away from here, but I know I need to force myself on.
After walking for what seems like forever, we come to a large room filled with machinery—all quiet, all motionless. I walk up to the piece of equipment, charred and split down the middle. I circle the scrubber, brushing my fingers along the metal.
I take a deep breath. “Okay, time to get going. Look over every square millimeter for tampering and take a picture of anything you think may be suspect.”
“Okay, according to my comm-tile, we have an hour to get out of here. I’m setting my timer. When it goes off, we have to leave—no matter what.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m serious, Lyvia.”
“Fine, fine. The more you talk, the less time we have to investigate.”
We both get on our hands and knees on opposite sides of the scrubber. No dent, scratch, or cut goes unphotographed by me. I know there has to be something here. I start to get lost in the details, but then the sound of a throat clearing makes me stop. “What, Gauge? Will you stop interrupting me?”
“It’s not Gauge. What are you two doing here?”
Oh, crap. It’s the Brat Brigade.
Amalia gives me an icy stare that bores into my soul. “No one is supposed to be here until the inspectors arrive.”
I stare right back at her. “So what are you doing here?”
We all glare at each other, no one wanting to give anything away.
Gauge breaks the silent stalemate. “Listen, I think it’s safe to say we all think there’s something more to this than just an equipment malfunction. It might help if we all spill our guts.”
I shake my head. “The last thing I’m going to do is tell those two what I know. They’re probably covering up evidence before the inspectors get here.”
Jair yells, “Our parents don’t even know we’re down here—”
Amalia cuts him off with an elbow in the ribs.
He swats her away, then continues. “If we don’t have some help, they’re going to accuse our parents, just like everyone else.”
I cross my arms. “Why would I help you two?”
Amalia says, “Because I’m sure you’re down here to find the person who’s responsible for killing your parents. I know you, Lyvia, and you want the truth. Someone’s trying to frame our parents.”
I relax my arms a bit. “Why would someone be trying to frame your parents?”
Jair takes a breath. “The Keeper Separatists. My parents have heard reports of them sabotaging businesses aligned with any Keeper faction. Their goal is to make the Keepers and anyone who may align with them look as bad as possible. They want the planets to rise up against the Keepers and to have wormholes free for anyone to pass through. My parents are just another one of their victims.”
I scoff. Amalia and Jair’s parents are the farthest down on my list of people I would classify as victims, but their theory does hold some merit. “So what if they frame your parents? They’ll get a slap on the wrist and go on their merry way.”
Amalia shakes her head. “Are you kidding me? It’s no secret this place only has a few years left. My parents have been promised a position on a proper planet with immediate enrollment for me and Jair in an apprenticeship program for LPL, as long as there are no issues with their tenure here. They have everything to lose, because one tiny tarnish on their résumé, and that position will go to one of hundreds of other hungry people behind them.”
Things just got a lot more complicated.
Gauge looks at me. “I think you need to tell them what you know.”
Amalia knits her eyebrows. “What?”
I huff out, “Fine. My parents left me a message before they—” My throat tightens. I can’t say it, not yet. Gauge puts his hand on my shoulder, and I take a deep breath. “They left me a message saying they might’ve found another life-form down here.”
Amalia and Jair look at each other in silence.
“What is it? Don’t keep anything from me.”
Amalia lets out an exasperated sigh. “Okay, fine. Mother and Father knew about this. They were actually pretty excited about the possi
bility.”
Gauge says, “Why would they be excited about that? They’d have to shut down operations if they found another life-form.”
Jair continues. “Yes, they would, but they did some checking and found they could sell the rock to a lab for a lot more than it would yield for the next couple of years. That would’ve fast-tracked them for their new position, and we would’ve been put in the apprenticeship program early.”
Gauge paces back and forth for a bit then yells, “They were just going to sell the rock with no thought of what would happen to all the workers here?”
Jair holds out his hand. “They only learned of the possibility a couple of days ago. They didn’t want to say anything until they were certain, because they thought they might upset people needlessly. I can’t imagine why they thought that.”
Gauge crosses his arms and stares at the twins in silence. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him. I point my finger at the twins, ready to tear into them, but a beeping on my comm-tile interrupts me. I sigh. “Crap!”
Jair asks, “What was that?”
“I set an alarm to remind me when we had to get out of here. Naisyn is doing some hunting of her own on the nets. We’ll go back and see if she’s found anything.”
Amalia nods. “Fine. But if I find out you two are up to something—”
I cut her off. “Yeah, yeah, let’s get out of here. You can threaten me more later.”
After we got back to the outpost, Naisyn and I went back to her room, using a sleepover as a guise to our conduct our operations. We found that Mr. and Mrs. Jones had received a comm about my parents’ discovery, but we already knew that. The one interesting thing we did find was a small snooper script on all of the Jones’s comms. Before we were able to see who was responsible, Naisyn’s mom made us go to bed. We all vowed we’d pick up with our research in the morning while we were at classes. Mr. Mendes is usually happy to play the if-you-leave-me-alone-I’ll-leave-you-alone game, so long as we’re discreet with what we do.
I stifle a yawn while I stare at the display before me. I pull up the lesson of the day: Trigonometry for Navigation. After I’m sure Mr. Mendes is ensconced in whatever whole-food-animal-hugging site he’s always on, I pull up a chat session with Naisyn, Gauge, and the twins.
>>> So Naisyn, you find anything yet?
Naisyn: Not yet. I’m still back-tracking, but whoever it is, is bouncing it around a ton of satellites in this quadrant. Give me a bit, and I think I can get it.
Jair: I still find it hard to believe my parents’ system was compromised. Their firewalls are the best.
Naisyn: Apparently not the best, because even I was able to hack in.
>>> Okay, let’s focus. We know someone hacked into your parents’ accounts, and that person more than likely knew about my dads’ discovery. Is there anyone here who was gunning for your parents’ position?
Amalia: I don’t think anyone here had the clout, but it could’ve been a relative. I can search the databases for who was in line for the position and see if they have any relations here.
>>> What if the person was a Keeper Separatist? I’ll check to see if anyone here has any history of alliance with the Separatists.
A hand touching my shoulder makes me jump. I look up and see Mr. Mendes standing over me, with one raised eyebrow. “Ms. Bax-Dupree, may I see you in my office?”
I fidget in my chair a bit. “Uh, yeah, sure. What’s up?”
“I want to talk to you in private, please.”
I make a few surreptitious swipes to my keyboard and minimize the chat session. “Sure, lead the way, Mr. M.”
As I follow him, everyone in the room gives me questioning glances. I respond with a shrug. We wind around lab tables and desks to the back of the room. He gives the door a tug, and it squeaks open. He walks behind a tired old desk, sits, then motions for me to do the same.
“I’m so sorry for your loss. I know you won’t be here long, but if there’s anything I can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
I let out a deep breath. Thank goodness he didn’t see our conversation. “Uh, thanks Mr. M. It’s all so overwhelming.”
He nods. “I know you want to find a deeper reason for why all this happened, or maybe even try to find someone to blame.”
Crud, he did see it.
“But sometimes, there’s no reason for these things, and it’s best to focus your energy on the future and not the past.”
I nod.
“I really believe you have it within you to become something great. It’s up to you to make the choice.”
“Thanks, Mr. M. Um, I need to get back to my lesson.”
“I understand if you need to let your studies slip for a little while.”
I get up from my seat. “Thanks, Mr. M.” That was one of the weirdest conversations I’ve ever had.
“Lyvia, will you let this lie? I’m telling you, if you find anything, it won’t be good. You still have a lot of prep work to do before you leave.” Heidi’s eyes glow red.
I turn from my display. “It’s not like they’re going to leave without me.” I turn back to the display, looking through the mountains of data before me.
“It’s time to face the fact that it was just a stupid freak accident. They’re going to be here tomorrow to take you off to the academy, and you don’t have a single thing packed.”
No longer able to keep a check on all the emotions welling in me for the last few days, I shout at Heidi, “I can’t!”
Her eyes narrow and glow a deeper shade of red. “You can’t what?”
“I can’t go there! I can’t leave my friends! Oh, God, Heidi, my dads are gone.” The tears spill from me. My dads are gone, and I have to leave my friends. I have to leave… Gauge. Suddenly, it’s clear to me what I need to do. I wipe my eyes and sniff.
Heidi pats me on the back with her metallic arm. “I know, sweetie. It’ll be okay. I’m sure the inner planets will be great.”
I stand and walk to my room. “No, Heidi, I’m not going.”
She floats behind me as I stomp off to my room. I sit at my desk and call up Gauge on the vidLink.
Within seconds, his face appears. As soon as he sees me, his smile turns down. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you. Let’s drop all this investigation junk and just leave tomorrow. We’ll get jobs, and I’ll learn to fly better.”
His smile returns. “Are you sure? You’re not just doing this because you’re all emotional, are you?”
I laugh through the tears. “Of course I’m sure! Seriously, I can’t see myself living on one those snooty planets with kids like Jair and Amalia. I’ve lost my family. I can’t lose you, too.” Right now, I feel like I’ve made the best decision in my life. I should be scared and full of doubt, but for some crazy reason, I’m not. “Well, let’s not tell anyone yet. We need to—” The sound of a crash in the living room cuts me off. There’s a rustling, and then it goes quiet again. “I’m going to check that out. Heidi’s probably trying to pack something too big for her. I’ll be right back.”
He nods. “Okay, let me know if you need help with something.”
The sound of my heart beating and my breath are the only things echoing in my ears. It’s too quiet in here. “Heidi, you okay?” There’s no response. “Heidi?” I stop in my tracks when I see Heidi on the floor, deactivated. I start to run back to my room, but I freeze when I hear a voice.
“You couldn’t leave it alone, could you?”
“Who’s there?”
A figure appears from my dads’ bedroom.
I gasp. “Mr. M., what are you doing here?”
“You think you’re so smart. If you had just left it alone, you could’ve walked away, but you had to go poking.”
My throat tightens. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the crap. I know you’ve been looking through everyone’s comms. I know what you found. I’m not going to let some snarky teenage girl ruin it for us all. Not after all the work we’ve done. We’re so close now…”
I try to push down the fear burrowing its way through my stomach. “Listen, I don’t care what you’re doing. I just want to leave this place.”
He grabs my wrist, and I scream. I try to wrestle free of his grasp, but he’s too strong.
He pulls me into the kitchen. “I’m sorry your parents had to be in the crossfire, but we have to show the Keepers and their affiliates for what they are.” He pins me to the counter with his body, reaches over to the butcher block, and pulls out a gleaming knife. “This should do the trick.”
Tears stream down my face, and my legs buckle. “Please just let me go. I swear I won’t say anything.”
“It’s too late. We’ve come too far. It’s a shame Marc and Ian’s daughter felt so much grief at the loss of her parents and the prospect of being shipped away from her friends that she felt the need to end it all. But it’s just an example of how the Keepers are ruining lives all over the galaxy.”
Fear and hatred surge inside me. I’m able to loosen his grasp a bit, and I reach out and scratch his face. He reels back, and I take the few seconds of surprise to run away, but he grabs me by my hair and pulls me to the floor. He straddles me. I thrash, trying to throw him off, but it’s no use. He leans down and pins my wrist to the floor.
“Someone will figure out who did it.”
“I’m smart enough to cover my tracks. Your death will distract everyone long enough for me to hide anything you and your friends might have uncovered. I’ll be long gone before anyone suspects me.” Time slows as he puts the knife to my wrist. I buck and thrash, but it’s not enough to stop him. He gives a sickening smile. “It’ll all be over before you know it.”
